Tag: Phoenix
Polish Pickup February 2026 – Cute but Deadly
I managed to miss January’s Polish Pickup “Y2K Comeback”, so I felt compelled to make up for it in February…there were lots of cute (but deadly) polishes to choose from.
I only ordered six polishes, so I was surprised to find a 7th polish in my package. It was another bottle of Phoenix “Succulents”, labelled ‘Batch 2’. This bottle is suspiciously pinker, so I’m guessing the pink was missing from the first batch? Amazing customer service!
Envy Lacquer “Are they made with real Girl Scouts?” ($13) is inspired by the Wednesday Addams’ quote. How could I resist?
Glisten & Glow “Mischief, Mayhem & Soap” ($14) is a magnetic polish inspired by Brad Pitt in Fight Club.
DRK Nails “Speak Out” ($13.60) is inspired by Erin Brockovich. I’ve never seem it, but this is a sexy polish.
Baroness X “Leprechaun” ($13.50) is inspired by the cute AND deadly Leprechaun…they must not mean the one from the films, because he is not exactly cute.
Jior Couture “Quirky Quokka” ($15) is inspired by the quokka’s penchant for throwing their offspring at predators to make a quick escape.
BCB Lacquers “Set Your Heart Ablaze!” ($13.75) is a solar polish inspired by Mitsuri Kanroji from the show Demon Slayer – my niece dressed up as her for Halloween one year!
Lots of polishes to try…I need to get back to painting my nails twice A WEEK instead of once…
Succulents
I was taking my contacts out and I was SHOCKED to find that this polish is the exact same color as my eyes – greyish green. I remember fighting with my mom in high school when I was filling out my initial driver’s license application. She was adamant that my eyes were blue and I argued that they were green. As a child, my eyes WERE blue – but by the time I was 15, they had turned green. She “compromised” that my eyes are might be grey…but I put green on my application.
Anyway…this is Phoenix “Succulents” from last December’s Maker’s Choice. It’s a greyish green magnetic polish, with a hint of pink. I could have swore there was more pink to it, but it’s very faint. Regardless, it’s a gorgeous polish.
This is two coats of “Succulents” , magnetized with a neodymium magnet, over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Huckleberry“.
Polish Pickup December 2025 – Maker’s Choice
Maybe I splurged a little bit on December’s Maker’s Choice…the polishes were so good though!
Pahlish “Actually Romantic” ($14) is inspired by the Taylor Swift song of the same name – fuck off Charlie XCX.
Colores de Carol “Dreaming North” ($13.75) is a magnetic polish inspired by the Aurora Borealis.
Bluebird Lacquer “The Winter of my Discontent” ($13) is inspired by the struggle to get through 2025. PREACH.
Phoenix “Succulents” ($13.50) is another magnetic inspired by…duh…succulents.
Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Froot Loops” ($10) was a grab because I needed more Cuticula Base Coat…too bad I just used up my “Froot Loops” Top Coat.
Finally, Sassy Cats Lacquer “The shadow on the moon” ($13.50) is also magnetic and inspired by Oogie. Who is Oogie?
Choices, choices….
Nichibotsu 2: Electric Boogaloo
Now that I’ve bought a few different nail magnets, I’m working on improving my results with magnetic polishes.
I referred to a reddit tutorial this time, which suggested I start with a black base coat, then a thick coat of the magnetic polish, magnetize, then magnetize AGAIN, immediately after the top coat. Sounds simple enough, right?
My dumb ass always thinks I know better. I chose a magnetic polish I had used recently – Phoenix “Nichibotsu”, so I could compare results. I figured I would be fine without the black base coat and just used a regular milky clear base coat. Magnetizing the polish twice worked TOO WELL. The polish magnetized so well on a few nails, that it made bald spots in the polish (see the end of my left thumb). It also didn’t help that I didn’t let the thick coat dry enough and it moves around when I applied the top coat. Although my results are remarkable better the second time around, I don’t think I held the magnets on long enough either time. There’s nowhere to go but up!
This is one thick coat of “Nichibotsu” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Nichibotsu
Phoenix “Nichibotsu” is from October’s “Natural Phenomenon” Polish Pickup and is inspired by a particular scene in Hunter x Hunter, a popular anime series that I haven’t seen. (My son is a BIG fan.) “Nichibotsu” means sunset in Japanese, and this polish is a multichrome that flashes between bright violet and fiery sunset.
This is my first magnetic nail polish! I’m still getting the hang of it – I don’t think I left the magnet above my nail for long enough, because my thumb and ring finger were really the only ones that “stayed” magentized. I’ll try again soon!
This is two coats of “Nichibotsu” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.
Polish Pickup October 2024 – Natural Phenomenon
Not only did I receive October’s Polish Pickup last week, but I also received my replacement Cuticula “Zombie Juice” Top Coat – Wheeeee! Even though it’s no longer spooky season, I’m looking forward to testing it out.
October’s theme is “Natural Phenomenon” and I ventured out of my comfort zone and got a few non-polish products.
Phoenix “Nichibotsu” ($13) is inspired by an anime called Hunter x Hunter (my son’s favorite). Nichibotsu means ‘sunset’ in Japanese. It’s also a magnetic polish, which is why I finally sprang for a Nova Nail Magnet ($5) – I cannot wait to play with it!
Painted Polish “Live Laugh Lava” ($13) is inspired by…DUH…lava.
Envy Lacquer “Synchronous” ($12.50) is inspired by the synchronous firefly display in the Appalachian mountains.
Proving that I don’t learn, I picked up one more Cuticula Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit” ($10).
Oh, and I got a kitchen magnet/bottle opener ($8.75) celebrating two of my favorite things – True Crime & Nail Polish. I was a bit miffed that I got double charged for shipping, as this was an in-stock item. Boo.