Wednesday, September 6, 2017

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Swatches & Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  School might be back in but that doesn't mean we don't get to keep on wearing bright, fun colors on our nails, right?  Just over a month ago KBShimmer released this collection called Summer Vacation but I will honestly wear these year round.  Color4Nails was nice enough to send them for me to review all of these drool-worthy shades.  Unfortunately, the border held them up for awhile so I didn't get them until last week but they were well worth the wait.  KBShimmer has called this finish "holo glow flake".  I don't know what the magic is but I don't have anything like these.  They have holo flakes which give them sparkle but there's also a shimmer-y metallic look to them that makes them really unique.


KBShimmer truly has perfected the art of indie polish making.  There's a reason I'm such a big fan of this brand.  The application was amazing.  I'm by no means a professional swatches but I didn't even need a clean up brush when applying these.  They have the perfect thickness for me.  Most were opaque at 2 coats (a couple them  took 3 coats) and they dried shiny and were easy to remove.  I wish I could've really captured the glow-y nature of the shimmer these have.  Hopefully some of the direct light photos give you a hint to how beautiful these are.  I've taken photos in direct artificial light (with 5K bulbs) to show the holo and the glow and in my light box to give you more of a feel to how these look in everyday conditions.  All my photos were taken with KBShimmer Clearly On Top top coat.

2 coats

direct light

I'm not usually a pink fan but I really like this shade.  I asked my sis what it was and she said "Barbie Pink...like the logo" and she was spot on.  The golden shimmer is really strong which really makes it glow.  

direct light

light box

light box

3 coats

direct light

The metallic look in Shady Beaches is even stronger than in Flock This Way.  This is a lovely copper-y peach shade.  I thought it'd be a tough one on me but I love it.  I also expected it to be more sheer, especially in photos, so I used three coats but two coats was really all it took.  

direct light

light box

light box

3 coats


Squeeze The Day is an ever-so-slightly green-leaning yellow with a copper shimmer.  I wrote down that it really is a sunshine-y color.  Again, the glow is amazing on this one.  Yellows do tend to be more sheer so I used three coats for these photos.  

direct light

light box

light box

3 coats

direct light
Kiwi Real is a super green polish.  I describe it as an apple green polish with green shimmer...is that possible??  This one is also a bit more sheer than the others so I used three coats.

direct light

light box

light box

2 coats

direct light
Of course No Wave! makes me drool.  I love a good turquoise polish, especially when it's sparkly like this.  On top of that, the blue shimmer is strong so it really glows.

direct light

light box

light box

2 coats 

direct light

There's two purples in this collection but they're so different that they definitely both deserve a plate.  This is a red-toned purple that is so yummy looking.  I'm not sure what berry is this purple but I don't care.  This one is definitely a winner.  

direct light

light box

light box

2 coats

direct light

The second of the two purples, you can see that this one is has a much cooler color to it, falling between a navy blue and purple.  KBShimmer says the shimmer in this one is duochrome which I certainly see.  You really can see both the purple and the blue in this one, especially in direct light.

direct light

light box

light box

2 coats

direct light

I was surprised to see such a dark color in a summer collection but I absolutely adore that it was included.  I'm Onyx is a black polish with a strong blue shimmer and so many flakes that it looks a perfect night sky.  I'll be pulling this one out all year when I'm missing stargazing at the lake.  

direct light

Add caption

light box



Since the Summer Vacation collection creates a perfect rainbow and I love colourful nails like that, I wanted to use them all together.  I used the Floral Splash Stencils from Whats Up Nails over KBShimmer Eyes White Open here.  It was tough to get them perfect since I had to work so quick but I love how these look together.  



My favourites in this collection are Sandy Beaches, No Wave! and I'm Onyx.  I also want to add Berry Chill and Hashtag You're It onto that list but that would be half the collection.  Oh well, who says I can't favourite half of it?!  Unfortunately I'm Onyx is currently out of stock but Color4Nails frequently restocks KBShimmer so I bet it'll be back soon.  I suggest joining their Facebook group to keep up to date with all the latest Color4Nails news.  It is one of my favourite groups.  There's always something new to see there.

$9.25/polish
Available at Color4Nails

'Til next time...


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