Renaissance Cosmetics: Prototype 19 Glitter Gradient

Purchased By Shelby Lou

I had a rare day off mid-week yesterday with the hubbs and it was also gorgeous out! Obviously, blogging was put dead last on the priority list. We really value our good weather in Buffalo because we get so little of it. We went up the "The River" and sat in the sun on the rocks. The water was cold af I didn't care! It was 80 and sunny. I even got a slight tan, woo! I'm still more reflective than not though. Anyway.

Here is a lovely little mani I wore some time last week. I used a Prototype, Prototype 19 to be exact, from Renaissance Cosmetics. I started with three coats of OPI You're So Vain-illa (a yellow-toned nude that I find surprisingly flattering!). Then I just used the bottle brush to layer on some shimmery goodness.

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 19
over OPI You're So Vain-illa
without flash

Prototype 19 is an aqua, turquoise, caramel, gold, and brown topper in all sizes and finishes. And so much shimmah! Perfect formula which makes gradient-ing nice and easy. I absolutely love this color--why you no make, Meghan?! I remember a Nicole by OPI from a couple years ago that came out in a similar color palette, and I really liked the colors but there was nothing really special about the polish. This, my friends, is proof to me that indies will always do it better. I can't remember the last time I bought mainstream.

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 19
over OPI You're So Vain-illa
with flash

RenCos has really well-planned restocks and gorgeous collections full of delicate shimmers in glorious colors. Check them out, maybe you can pick up a prototype or two at the next restock!

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 19
over OPI You're So Vain-illa
with flash

Products:
Renaissance Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Renaissance Cosmetics: Tiny Petals Everywhere

Purchased By Shelby Lou

I am super-busy this week so I'm just throwing this recent NOTD out there.

Renaissance Cosmetics Tiny Petals Everywhere is one of Meghan's most recent releases and gorgeous! Teeny glitters and shimmer in the perfect color palette for Spring--pink, purple, and turquoise--all wrapped up in a white crelly. Yum. I think I did three thin coats here for perfect coverage.

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics
Tiny Petals Everywhere

I can hardly leave a mani "plain" now so I just added some purple polka dot accents with KBShimmer Pansy-monium and a dotting tool.

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics
Tiny Petals Everywhere

I hope you like this quick NOTD! Renaissance Cosmetics just kills it for me with her teeny glittered crellies. I want literally every combination possible ever from her. Full disclosure: I am such a big fan I started the fan group on facebook: Renaissance Cosmetics Devotees--feel free to look us up! Anyone else tried RenCos yet?

Products:
Renaissance Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Purchased By Shelby Lou 

While I am not Irish I still enjoy decorating my nails for St. Patrick's Day! My husband is 1/4 Irish from his mom. He randomly gets red hairs in his beard, which is extra weird because he is very dark skinned with black hair haha. I also believe St. Patrick's Day was around the time my husband and I dated for the first time way back in 2005 (holy crap we are old) because I remember it being a stupid date for an anniversary. Anyway, here are some St. Patrick's Day polishes I acquired this year and wore from late last week until today!

Shelby Lou Nails
Pahlish Fields of Gold
Multiple tones of golden flakes, gorgeous!

Shelby Lou Nails
Pahlish Fields of Gold
Check out that holo!

Shelby Lou Nails

Contrary Polish Shamrock & Roll

*This is not color accurate. Bottom picture is closer but not quite

Shelby Lou Nails
Contrary Polish Shamrock & Roll
Just a hint of VNL at 4 thin coats, not noticeable in real life.
*Not color accurate, the color near the moon of my index finger is closest.

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 71
Shamrock from Love, Angeline
I adore this microglittered crelly!

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Prototype 71
You can see the hint of shimmer in this picture, love it!

What is on your nails for St. Patrick's Day today? Don't get pinched!

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Renaissance Cosmetics: Sweet & Sassy Duo

Purchased By Shelby Lou 

Hi guys! I hope everyone had a fun Valentine's Day. Since the hubs was working I actually had more of a Galentine's Day with my cousin (and fellow polish addict) and one of her friends. We braved the blizzard and spent the afternoon in a couple classes making some yummy chocolate cherry bread and then a stained glass heart with local artisans--you can see my heart on instagram. Otherwise Sunday was so cold (it stayed well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit all day and was even colder at night) that I pretty much just hibernated all day and played with polish. I am trying to let my nails grow out in their natural shape, but not sure how I'm liking the flare at the end... but maybe I'll break my corners less? We shall see.

This year Renaissance Cosmetics came out with the Sweet & Sassy Duo for Valentine's Day. I love these because while they are lovely for this holiday they are usable in all different ways all year! They also feature those amazing multichrome flakies. Let's take a look!

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Sugar and Spice
from the Sassy & Sweet Valentine's Duo

First up is Sugar and Spice, the Sweet half of this duo. It has white satin and holographic rose glitters along with a generous helping of multichrome flakes. I can't get enough, it is so beautiful and delicate! For this mani I started with two coats of Polish My Life Pink Sandals and three on my accent nail. I did just one coat of RenCos Sugar and Spice, dabbing just a few of the larger satin and rose glitters where I wanted them. I did not have to do any fishing and everything spread so nicely. I added the Pegasus charm from Hex Nail Jewelry as my accent. Sweet enough for a toothache!

Shelby Lou Nails
Renaissance Cosmetics Sassy With A Vengeance
from the Sassy & Sweet Valentine's Duo

Sassy With A Vengeance is, obviously, the sassy side of this duo. It has matte black and fuchsia holographic glitters as well as those gorgeous multichrome flakes. This is the perfect Maleficent nail polish! For this look I did two luscious coats of KBShimmer Pansy-Monium. I did one coat of Sassy and dabbed some of the black glitters where I wanted them. Again, everything spread very nicely and it was easy to grab a few black glitters on the neck of the bottle for perfect placement. The bow is from Born Pretty Store. I love how dark but shimmery this came out.

The Sweet & Sassy Duo is exactly what I've been waiting for with the multichrome flakes. Make sure you check out my instagram for some amazing macros! Meghan, RenCos genius, does plan on restocking these towards the end of the month and Sugar and Spice is still available along with a Sassy-looking prototype.

Products: 
Renaissance Cosmetics
Polish My Life
Hex Nail Jewelry
KBShimmer

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Guest Post from Will Paint Nails For Food

If you haven't entered my First Blogiversary Celebration Giveaway yet, make sure you check that link!

Today's guest post for my 1st blogiversary celebration is brought to you by Will Paint Nails For Food. I have been a fan of Meghan's art for quite some time. Admiring Meghan's nails, to me, is like going to a fine art museum, looking at the beautiful works of art and knowing full well you ain't gonna be paintin' the Mona Lisa any time soon! Meghan actually kind of helped me break in to blogging. She had a "From The Readers" series last year and I submitted a skittle mani (see it here! And I fangirled for like a week haha). The photo is crap and the angle makes my hand look really fat, but hey, it was a start, so thank you, Meghan!

~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone! My name is Meghan and I have a blog called Will Paint Nails for Food. I do both nail art and swatches, and if I had to say what my focus is, it would be freehand nail art. I was very excited when Shelby invited me to do a guest post. I've known her even before she started her blog, and she's one of the very few people in the blogosphere that I've actually met personally! And she's incredibly nice and talented! So thank you Shelby for having me here.

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

It's been getting chillier here in Toronto, and I haven't done any fall nail art yet, so that was the motivation behind this design. I wanted to keep things simple, therefore, I decided to have a plain background, with some falling leaves that were outlined for detail. I also wanted to keep the focus on the leaves and the shimmery polishes I used to paint them. 

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

I started with a base of OPI My Vampire is Buff. If you follow my blog, you know I'm kind of obsessed with this polish. Unfortunately this particular bottle was not my friend, because it took 4 coats to get full coverage. I painted the leaves in with Renaissance Cosmetics Portland, Runnymede, and Spadina, and Zoya Beatrix. The outlines were done with Van Dyck Brown acrylic paint and a fine detail brush. It's a really good colour for when you want dark lines or shadows, but don't want to use black. I topped it off with KBShimmer Clearly On Top and Cult Nails Wax That.

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

I really like the simplicity of this design, but I kept questioning whether I should add more to it. In the end I decided to keep things as is. What do you think? Do you like it as is, or should I have added more details or a background?

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

Thanks again Shelby for having me here! And congrats on your first year of blogging!

Falling Leaves
Will Paint Nails For Food for Shelby Lou Nails

~~~~~~~~~~

These leaves are perfect and I love them so hard, Meghan! Or should I say, Dr. Meghan--yup, she now has her PhD and we must call her Dr. It was so lovely to meet up with her earlier this year and talk about polish and life, and she is as nice as her nails. If you haven't been following Will Paint Nails For Food... well what are you waiting for??

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Renaissance Cosmetics: St. Clair & Rose-Osie

Press Sample

I have some more Renaissance Cosmetics today! I meant to post Thursday... but I'm still technically keeping up with twice a week so I'll take it. You can see my RenCos post from earlier this week here. I have to start by saying these two polishes were impossible for me to photograph. I actually swatched them twice because I hated my first set of photos. I did however get some instagram videos posted which I will link you to with the swatches. Be nice though... these are my first instagram videos and they are pretty rough. And shot in my new bathroom because I like to keep it classy.

Renaissance Cosmetics - St. Clair
Excuse the funky lighting, it shows off the shifty sparkle best!

First is St. Clair, a blue shimmer with aqua and fuchsia sparkle. My photos do not do this justice, I suggest checking out my video of St. Clair on instagram instead so you can see the color and sparkle! My lighting is way funky, ignore the skintone and just look at the polish.
My swatch shows two coats of St. Clair with Glossy Glam on top. This polish had a tendency to pool on me, but then again I was doing coats thicker than usual. Keep an orange stick handy to clean up as you polish along. This was also a toughie to clean up because of all the shimmer. Just take your time painting in the first place to minimize the sparkle herpes. Also, you won't be taking close-ups of your nails so a little herpes is acceptable, and after a handwash or two it'll be all gone.

Renaissance Cosmetics - Rosie-Osie
Bow charm from Daily Charme

Second is Rosie-Osie, a super-saturated red jelly with red shimmer along with red, gold, and silver holographic glitters. When I got this polish on my nails my eyes almost fell out of my head. I mean, it's too beautiful to even take an accurate picture of (or at least beyond my skill). Again, check out the instagram video instead!
I have shown just two generous coats of Rose-Osie. The jelly is so saturated but all the shimmer and holographic goodness shines though. When I was cleaning up, Rosie-Osie tended to stain my cuticles even though I painted carefully--and you will need to paint very carefully. Usually I use Zoya's Remove Plus since it's gentler and less drying, however I did need to use pure acetone for this baby. When I took this off a day later I didn't have any nail staining. But, I do recommend the tin foil method to protect your cuticles and then use acetone or cuticle remover to get any leftover red tint off.

Final thoughts: Both of these polishes require some babying. I know for some the application and clean-up needs might be a deal-breaker, but that's the beauty of a review. You know your polish strengths, limits, and desires. For me personally I know I will be wearing Rose-Osie for the holidays and a mid-winter pick-me-up, I'll just plan for a weekly cuticle removal afterwards. For me the payoff of this beauty is worth it!

Check out RenCos on instagram and facebook for more information about the brand, or just head on over to the shop which I have conveniently linked for you below. Sorry, you will only find enabling here.

Products:
Renaissance Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Renaissance Cosmetics Review: Nightshade & Emerald Envy

Purchased By Shelby Lou & Press Sample

I have some absolutely gorgeous polishes to show you today from Renaissance Cosmetics. After I reviewed Curio/Curiosity (my holy grail black & white glitter) I was contacted by Meghan to do some more reviews for her. RenCos, as I have affectionately nicknamed it, is made by Meghan from Will Paint Nails For Food. She is a true artist and, as it turns out, her vast experience with polish has made her into quite the indie maker!

First I have Nightshade from the RenCos debut line. Nightshade is a deep blue jelly with golden shimmer (it takes on a gold-green shift in the blue jelly) with gold, copper, teal, and wine glitters. I feel like I see some holo or iridescent finishes in there too, and the wine glitters are the perfect touch. This one is like instant galaxy nails! I would love to try a galaxy mani over this one....

Renaissance Cosmetics - Nightshade

In my swatch I have shown three generous coats and one coat of KBShimmer Clearly On Top. Surprisingly, this polish applies like a buttery creme. There is a lot of pigment and sparkle in here, so keep an orange stick handy to clean up any flooded cuticles as you go. Also looks to be a little stain-y, so double-up on the basecoat. I originally had just two coats but wasn't quite happy with how it photographed and felt like I was missing some of that fantastic shimmer I saw stuck to the sides of the bottle. I went back and scraped the sides down with a toothpick, stirred it up, and shook it--Toothpick Method works every time! My third coat had more glitter and I love the depth it made.


Next is Emerald Envy from the Wunderkammer Collection. Emerald Envy is an emerald green holo with teeny holographic lime and gold glitters as well as gold shimmer. My swatch leans more teal than it looks in real life. I kind of love green and this polish made me faint a little. I am pretty seasonally snobby but I can see myself wearing this polish for late summer (which I totally am today), fall, winter, and of course March. I also must note, my husband was sitting next to me while I was swatching both polishes and he exclaimed, "Wow! That is a nice polish!" when I had this one on. See? It's man- and mani-approved.

Renaissance Cosmetics - Emerald Envy

Emerald Envy is thick but in a good way, I didn't have to add any thinner and you know I love my thinner. I have shown two coats, leave plenty of drying-time in-between for best results. I also think this could be a one-coater for the careful painters and those with shorties. There is major staining potential here, so again keep an orange stick handy and clean up as you go. And double-up on the basecoat.

Has anyone else tried RenCos? I continue to find RenCos polishes to be unique and so perfectly formulated, they are quickly becoming one of my fav indies. Check them out on instagram and facebook for a look at their classy new labels and swatches of six new polishes (of which I'm already plotting my purchase). Shipping is from Canada so it might be a little pricier for those outside the country, I recommend a group order with some nail buddies ;-)
I will have two other RenCos polishes later this week to show you so stay tuned!

Products:
Renaissance Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Renaissance Cosmetics Curio / Curiosity

Purchased By Shelby Lou

Sunday morning I woke up late with nekkids and needed a quick and cute mani for a Sunday family gathering. It seems like all I want lately are nudes with a pop of color, so I started with a basecoat of OPI You're So Vain-illa from this summer's Coca-Cola Collection. Gorgeous nude, love it. And next, because I realized it matched my dress so well, I grabbed Renaissance Cosmetics Curio/Curiosity a.k.a. The Life-Changing Black & White Glitter Topper.

Renaissance Cosmetics
Curio/Curiosity
Shown over OPI You're So Vain-illa

This topper from RenCos (my own abbreviation) is so freaking fantastic... I just can't. Curio/Curiosity is a glitter topper with matte black and white shards and squares, as well as iridescent glitters and purple-gold shimmer. I see rainbow sparkle! The matte black and white glitters are so graphic and then to add in the subtle shimmer just pushes me right over the edge. This is one of those polishes that I've never seen anything like and which makes me put it on the must-have list.

I did my glitter gradient with the polish brush. I painted and dabbed the top 2/3 of my nails and then went back a second time on the top 1/3. I smooshed some of the smaller bits down and the larger bits up which I think adds to the visual gradient effect. The polish is thick but nice and workable--I was able to push my glitters around but they didn't slide down my nail. Pretty much no fishing, and this bottle has been sitting for awhile (*hangs head in shame*). How does it all stay so perfectly suspended?! I finished my nails with two coats of KBShimmer Clearly On Top, in another coat it would have been perfectly smooth but I was happy with the look. So easy, so simple, BIG impact!

So umm, go get this. I really think I have reached black & white glitter fulfillment. The creator of these polishes is Meghan (as in, the Meghan of Will Paint Nails For Food fame). She has an incredible knack for polish formulas. Plus, I know from my contact with Meghan she is a genuinely lovely person!

Products:
Renaissance Cosmetics

Have you loved your cuticles today?

Renaissance Cosmetics Flirt

Hi all! I promise I am trying to get better at blogging. And Instagramming for that matter. If you follow me on IG you will have seen I purchased my first Alex And Ani bangles today! Total impulse buy but oh well. I had some overtime in my paycheck ;-)

Today I have Renaissance Cosmetics Flirt. I have had this in my folder waiting for... I don't know what. It is amazing! Renaissance Cosmetics is made by Meghan, the lovely blogger behind Will Paint Nails For Food. She is someone who made me feel like I could do this whole blog thing. If you check out this post you can see that she was so nice as to share a very amateur photo of one of my skittle manis from last year. Hey, it was a start!

Flirt is described by the maker as, "A red-toned purple linear holo with a vibrant gold shimmer and flecks of gold, pink and charcoal blue." There is a lot going on in here! The formula is easy to work with. I should have used another coat of topcoat for a smoother finish... the holo/glitter combination confused me as to whether I should use my holo or glitter topcoat (I have preferences). First pictures are without flash to show you the color and glitters.

Renaissance Cosmetics
Flirt
Without flash

Renaissance Cosmetics
Flirt
Without flash

And now for the best part. Holoooo! I'm not even a big purple fan, but wow, Flirt is easily my favorite Renaissance Cosmetics polish.

Renaissance Cosmetics
Flirt
With flash

Renaissance Cosmetics
Flirt
With flash

Meghan has such a lovely array of polishes and as a blogger I think she has a really good feel for formula. Make sure you check them out!

Products:
Renaissance Cosmetics

 Have you loved your cuticles today?