Feeling Patriotic - The Americana Collection

It's collection time again!! This time I take inspiration from the upcoming 4th of July and the national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, to bring you the ultimate Americana Collection. :)

Available on:

www.spellboundnails.com

www.spellboundnails.etsy.com

www.spellboundnails.storenvy.com

This collection has a little of everything. 2 glitter toppers, 2 shimmered holographics in red and blue, and a creamy white crelly with red and blue glitter.

And did I mention how amazing they look together? I used all 5 to create this amazing mismatched mani - perfect for any patriotic holiday. It is seriously easy too! This is 2 thin coats of Star Spangled on my middle fingers, 3 thin coats of Rockets Red Glare and Twilight's Last Gleaming with one thin coat of Home of the Brave and Bombs Bursting in Air over each respectively.

Stick around to get a look at each polish. :)

Twilight's Last Gleaming is a blue holographic with a chunky blue shimmer. It dries to a matte like finish so a top coat is a must to really bring life back.

Bombs Bursting in Air is one of those very simple polishes that manages to be something amazing! It's a mix of red, white, and blue stars and bar glitter with a dose of rainbow colored shimmer. I am reminded of fireworks exploding in a night sky every time I look at this. Shown here over Carbon Copy from The Neutrals creme collection.

And here is a close-up of how it looks over Twilight's Last Gleaming. That shimmer is just to die for!!

Star Spangled is a creamy white crelly with red and blue hexes and stars that is just sheer enough to showcase every piece of glitter. Shown here is 2 thin coats. The key is keeping your layers thin so you show glimpses of the previous layers glitter. :)

This may look familiar to those of you who have been with me from the start. This is the reformulated Miss 'Merica that was tucked into orders around the 4th of July last year. Now going by Home of the Brave, this polish is a perfect fit for the Americana Collection. It's a mix of red, white, and blue glitter with blue stars. It adds a patriotic touch to any polish. Shown over Hearthstone from The Darks creme collection.

Last but no where near least is Rockets Red Glare. This one is so hard to photograph, and I really didn't manage to capture the true awesomeness of this polish. It is a red holographic with a fine red shimmer. I direct your attention to the mismatched mani at the top of this post as it really shows a lot more of its shimmer and shine in that pic. This polish also dries to a matte like finish so a top coat will really help add shine and sparkle. :)

If you stuck around through the whole post - congrats and I hope you enjoyed the Americana Collection. Do you have a favorite from this collection?

And here's a bit of real life news if you stuck around. One of my nieces just turned 16 yesterday. Where does the time go?? For the first few years of this little girl's life I helped raise her ... so I'm really feeling old. 

Until next time,
♥ Ashley

Spellbound Nails Cremes and Holo Toppers

Hello lovelies! I have such exciting news to share with you. Having my own website, where I could sell all my pretties in one place without all the horrendous fees Etsy tacks on, was one of my goals for the new year. AND I DID IT!! I worked tirelessly and 6 months later my new shop is up and ready for orders!

Spellboundnails.com will now redirect you to the new website so come check us out.

Did I mention we open with 5 new creme collections and 2 new holographic toppers!!! So many polishes, so little time so forgive me while I spam you with nail polish pics ... lots more after the break so keep reading. :)

The Darks are deep, dark cremes perfect for any Spellbounder. Based around witchcraft and magic ... whether real or make believe.

April Charity Polish

The April Charity Polish is now available at spellboundnails.com in both full size and mini bottles!!

Racing Into Our Hearts is a butterscotch colored holographic polish with midnight flakies inspired by the stunning beauty of the brindle greyhounds. A portion of every sale will be donated to Allies for Greyhounds in honor of April being National Greyhound Adoption Month.

*I apologize but my nails are in such bad shape right now! Not even my faithful Biotin can stop them from breaking so these pictures were taken while wearing fake nails. That said, I'm not all together displeased with them ... a little better sizing and some more shaping and you might be seeing fakes on me more often. They certainly make fore some pretty pictures. :)

Spellbound Nails does Valentine's Day with the Victorian Romance Collection (PIC HEAVY)

Hello lovelies! I bring you Valentine's Day polishes!! Being a polish maker means I have to be thinking much further into the future than I ever wanted to ... I sometimes forget what month it is lol.

But right now I know it's January but when speaking in terms of mixing and shipping polish, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. So take a moment and look at the pretties!!

This collection will be available for pre-sales 1/10 - 1/17. This means you'll be able to buy this collection in full and mini bottles (at pre-sale discount prices) starting tomorrow. The full release, meaning the ability to buy singular bottles, will start 1/22. As always, you can buy all Spellbound Nails polishes from my Etsy shop or my Storenvy shop.

I love having some kind of inspiration for my collections; not only do my polishes turn out better but I love being able to point to something and say "look, look, that right there - that inspired me so much that I had to make something awesome!"

Vintage Valentine © Victorian Traditions

This time, that inspiration came from the old timey Victorian Valentine's Day cards and postcards. You know those ones that are all yellowing parchment, lace, and soft and bright watercolors.

First up is Cheeks Tinted Red. This is a stunning bright red holographic.

 This polish has double the amount of holo that I put in my normal holos however I quickly found red eats holo. It adds a lot of depth and shimmer and has more of a lightly scattered holo effect.

And a close up of the bottle in the little amount of sunlight we're getting around here right now.

*There has been a slight increase in the pricing of my holographics. I have started buying a much better holographic pigment, however this does mean an increase in price for me which I sadly have to pass on to you. Holographic polishes using this new pigment will now sell for $9 in my shops. Prices will change on already released holos (only those using this new pigment) February 1st. This was a very hard decision for me since I pride myself on being affordable, and I believe I have managed to keep to my brand even with the price increase.

Next up is Parchment and Lace. This was the base of this collection - the very first polish mixed up and the one everything else was built around. I think the name of this one says it all. It's everything this collection was inspired by. Yellowing parchment, lace, and beautiful watercolors.

I've been told that this is a very flexible polish and would also work well for Easter and summer too.

This is the only glitter topper of the collection. Love & Devotion is a wonderfully romantic glitter in my opinion with it's white, pink and red glitter with lots of rainbow shimmer.

I'm All Aflutter is a gorgeous baby blue with purple and pastel pink glitter.

And last but not least is My Own Sweet Valentine. This is a girly, pearly pink with a delicate golden shimmer that acts almost duo-chrome-y in person.

Did I mention My Own Sweet Valentine also glows in the dark?? There are three different glow pigments hidden behind this girly pink - blue, green, and peach. Together they combine to glow an icy white with just a hint of blue and green. The blue and green show up a lot better in pictures. In person it really is an icy white with just a hint of blue and green. And with so much glow pigment the glow is pretty insane!

You can see a few hints and specks of the peach glow in this picture along with the blue and green. This is a picture of Love & Devotion over My Own Sweet Valentine.

I hope you enjoy these polishes as much as I do and remember pre-sales start tomorrow! :)

Until next time,
- Ashley

Calling All Doctor Who Fans

Source: Fanpop

I warn you now - get ready for the fangirling! And images, lots of images. If you want to skip the images and go straight to the polish you can simply go to my shop and see the swatches ... but just know that you will be missing something awesome!! AWESOME, I SAY!!!

Source: Pinterest

Seriously, don't wander off! You might miss something important ... and awesome ... definitely awesome.

Photo Credit: Adrian Rogers, © BBC

Did you know that this weekend is the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who?? Did you really think a Whovian obsessed nut like me could let that day pass without releasing a special polish?

Surely you jest!

Leave The Brakes On is a Tardis blue holographic. Did anyone else really love that bit in Time of Angels where River tells the Doctor that the Tardis isn't supposed to make that noise ... he just leaves the brakes on! Maybe you didn't love that bit. Still wandering why would I take my inspiration from the Tardis?

Photo Credit: Adrian Rogers, © BBC

Well ... the Doctor is always changing. Just about the only constant of the show is the Tardis. The Tardis never changes ...

Source: Doctor Who Wiki

Except that time it was an organ ...

Source: Rebloggy

Or, ya know, that time it was a woman.

Photo taken in my lightbox

 But really, the Doctor would be nothing without the Tardis and it's ability to travel through time and space. He'd just be some odd alien bloke who works in a shop.

Source: Tumblr

Yes, yes, it's pretty in my lightbox, but check out the pictures taken with flash and in the sunlight!

Photo taken with flash.

Photo taken in sunlight

Photo taken in sunlight

Source: Tumblr

Do you see it? Do you see the awesomeness of this polish?? I thought you might, so there is only one thing left to say ...

Source: Tumblr

WHY WHY MUST THERE ALWAYS BE A GOODBYE????

The Remembrance Duo - and a sale on Halloween polishes

Hey gals! I bring some really sad news. My family has recently lost a member. My bonus-dad (my dad in all but blood) passed suddenly on October 25th. He was so proud of me for making polish - such an odd thing for a big, gruff guy like him to proud of but he was always telling anyone who would listen that I actually make my own polish ... and sell it too! I wanted to honor the wonderful man he was and the broken hearts he left behind ... and I guess this is the only way I feel I can do that.

I also want you to know that I keep nothing from selling these polishes. ALL proceeds will go to my mom to help her pay bills and funeral costs.

This is The Remembrance Duo. It includes Teal We Meet Again and Butterflies and Broken Hearts. As part of The Remembrance Duo is the only place you will ever be able to buy Teal We Meet Again. However, if you want just the glitter topper Butterflies and Broken Hearts can be about alone.

These polishes are being sold at a slightly increased price ($10 for the glitter topper and $20 for the duo).

Butterflies and Broken Hearts has a lot of meaning to me and my family. My mom taught me early her belief that butterflies are messengers of heaven and that every time you see a butterfly it is simply a loved one's way of waving hello from the great beyond. I couldn't create a memorial polish without including lots of silver holographic butterflies. The black hearts are of course the broken hearts he left us with. You'll also find tons of green (my bonus-dad's favorite color), as well as lots of holographic black and holographic silver glitter.

Teal We Meet Again is a gorgeous teal holographic polish that makes a stunning base for Butterflies and Broken Hearts. I really don't think you could find a more perfect pair.

On a side note, there are still a few polishes from the Halloween 2013 Collection left that can now be bought on sale.

My Storenvy

My Etsy

Halloween 2013 Collection - Spellbound Nails PRE-ORDER

If you follow me on Facebook you'll know all about my Halloween 2013 Collection. For those who don't, this is for you. :)

I am now taking pre-orders for the Halloween Collections. Head over to my Storenvy and get your order in because pre-sales are only open until 9/27. Pre-orders ship 9/28, and the Halloween polishes go up for normal sales 10/1. Did I mention these polishes come with optional scents? You can buy unscented, but you can also do apple cinnamon, pumpkin pie, candy corn, or a variety!

But first ... keep reading. You don't want to miss seeing these polishes!!!

This is the full Halloween 2013 Collection. 6 of these polishes were inspired by the Halloween movie Hocus Pocus and can be bought separately. And the other 2 are the Halloween Thermals and can also be bought separately.

This is the Hocus Pocus Collection. Hocus Pocus is my favorite Halloween movie; certainly not the only one I love and will watch, but my favorite. And each polish is this collection was inspired by something in this movie. If you're a fan of Hocus Pocus I'm sure you can figure them out. If not, keep reading. :)

Firefly from Hell, the shimmery topper of this collection, shown over Revlon No Shrinking Violet.

Amok (imagine me jumping around chanting amok much as Sarah did in the movie) is an orange based jelly polish with various shapes and sizes of black glitter. Superstitious is inspired by Binx and is a black based jelly with large and micro holographic gold glitter and melon green dots. All that holographic makes it gleam like a cat's eyes in the dark. Firefly from Hell was inspired by the quote "You buck-toothed, mop-riding, firefly from hell." made by Billy the zombie to Winifred. It is a milky, shimmery topper that glows violet in the dark. Be-witching Old Broads was inspired by the bewitching old broads themselves, the Sanderson Sisters, and is like magic on your nails with a deep purple based jelly and tons of purple holographic micro glitter and silver holographic stars and moons. You're a Virgin?? is the basis of this entire collection, much like it was for the movie. This black based jelly with red and holographic red glitter was inspired by the lighting of the Black Flame Candle by a virgin! The movie wouldn't have worked without this and neither could my collection!! And last but not least we have Zombie Guts inspired by Billy Butcherson, a friendly zombie but still a zombie. This is a green based jelly polish with pastel green, red hexes and squares, and black and grey dots.

The Halloween Thermals are coloring changing polishes. These 2 beauties change from orange when cold to green when hot. Unholy Holo is (YES) a holographic thermal! It changes from a burnt orange to minty green and is stunning in sunlight!! It's sibling is Pumpkin Crusher, a bright orange to light green color changer with orange and pastel green glitter. This polish is interesting no matter what color it shifts.

And because I know you're curious, I leave you with these swatches of the thermals. :)

Remember, you only have until the 27th to pre-order these polishes at discount prices. Once they release on October 1st the collection prices will go up. That said, with the October release you will be able to buy single bottles at my normal prices. :)

My Storenvy

Until next time. ♥