Spring is here! ...On my nails, anyway.

Today we actually have melty, drippy, mud-creating sunny weather, but I'm sure tomorrow or in a few days, we'll have another snowstorm just like last week.  Seriously!  18 inches of snow in approximately 24 hours?!  Not cool, spring!  Not cool. -_-   This however is very cool or more accurately, beautiful and cheery. :D  I give you Northern Star Polish Printemps (salmon pink faint linear holo WITH ICY BLUE MICRO FLAKIES) and Belles Fleurs (multi glitter topper featuring pale pink and red poppy colored flower glitter in a clear base).

Those micro flakies are very camera-shy, but I promise you, you can spot them in real life.  Careful not to confuse them with the blue in the holo spectrum 'cuz THEY DO EXIST!  And it adds extra panaché to this pink! ;)

Not the best cropped & enlarged super macro shot in the world, but I hope you can forgive its trespasses.  I really wanted you to be able to see the variety and quantity of glitters you can get in one coat.  And my favorite part: no sinking or pockmarking glitters!! YAY.  She must use some serious suspension base because when you turn the bottle, the glitters really don't even move.  The only other topper I have like that is Liquid Lacquer Pink Lemonade. :)  I just figured out what it reminds me of: fruit suspended in Jell-o.  hehe!

The formula on Printemps was in my opinion, terrific, although some might argue a tad sheer.  I used 3 coats on this hand and two on the other so you could see the difference.  I actually wore both with 2 for a couple days and yes, I could sometimes see my nail line, but in other lights, it seemed opaque enough that you could hardly tell.  Either way, the beauty of Printemps makes me not care about VNL!!  The shop lists it as a salmon pink, but it really reminds me of "original" Bubble Yum or Bubble Tape (just a bit darker when dry & if you use 3 coats).  I remember begging my mom for Bubble Tape every time we went to the grocery store. :P

The brush is flat and has that same crisp "snap" to it that I love about L'Oreal polishes.  Dry time was amazing... I honestly can't tell you how long I waited, but I remember being wowed by it.  And they dried so smooth and shiny.  I almost didn't use a topcoat, but knew I had to work in our warehouse before I'd get to take photos, so I threw on a layer of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure topcoat.

Such a beautiful mix of holo, metallic, and satin glitters!!   Mostly pastel pinks, blues, and gold, but there are the bolder red flowers and occasional kelly green medium hex.

Just a hint of VNL, but with the holo and the glitters, who cares?!  Sorry about the scuff marks; like I said, post-working in the warehouse. :(

Yes, there are even satin pastel blue circle glitters in there!!! :D  I must say I had to do some serious fishing for a light pink flower, but had I gotten an orangewood stick instead of repeatedly chasing them with the brush, I'm sure it wouldn't have taken nearly as long to nab one.  The flowers do not lay flat on me, but honestly, I don't even care!  This is my first topper with flower glitter and I think it's beautiful and fun.  I just threw a thick coat of Seche Vite on top and said "that'll do!"

All in all, I love this brand, and her cuticle oils are WONDERFUL too!  Thanks to them, you have what you see here which is a tremendous improvement over what they were last week.  If you read my previous post (please do, because you really should see her amazing packaging!), you'll know how thrilled I was to discover that Northern Star Polish happens to be made by Kristin who resides in a suburb of my state's capitol.  :D  I really hope to meet her someday!  Until then, I'll be content ordering creations from her Etsy shop.  :)