Swatches/Sale: Paper Anniversary Gift Wrap

I almost can't believe it, but Contrary Polish has been in business for one year today! To celebrate this anniversary, I'm holding a full-bottle sale now through Friday evening (if supplies last), and I have a new shade to offer as well. :)

Gift Wrap (red-toned purple with blue-green shimmer; shimmer slightly shifts from blue-green to blue-purple)

I spent a LONG time working on anniversary polishes, but it was worth it because I'm so happy with the result!

Since the first anniversary is traditionally the paper anniversary, I used that as my jumping off point. I initially tried and rejected two other ideas: Recycled Paper (I could see it in my head but couldn't find the right supplies to make it happen) and Paper Lantern (very pretty but too ordinary). I ended up being inspired by some amazing wrapping paper, and Gift Wrap was born. :)

This polish dries with a satin finish before top coat. It has a bit of a jelly consistency but with good coverage. These swatches show two coats Gift Wrap (one thinner coat and one thicker coat) and one coat Seche Vite. 

Please disregard the shade name label in these pictures; there was a last-minute name change.

Please see sidebar for details on how to place an order, and please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Giveaway Results

The giveaway has ended and we have a winner - congratulations to Joyce R.! I just emailed you to get your shipping information so I can send the new trio your way.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! The new trio will be launched on Llarowe today at 2:00 pm CST, and mini bottles will be available via the blog tomorrow. :)

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Preview/Giveaway: Color Context

I have a preview and giveaway to share with you today!

My second summer collection is a trio called Color Context, and the shades in it are Greenhouse, Blood Orange, and Indigo Rose.

Greenhouse (blue base with gold shimmer; overall polish looks green)

Blood Orange (red base with gold shimmer; overall polish has an orange tint)

Indigo Rose (blue base with red-orange shimmer; shimmer appears red-purple and gives overall polish a purple tint)

These shades will launch on Llarowe later this week and mini bottles will be available this Friday. In the meantime, I'd like to host a giveaway. :)

This giveaway will only be up for two days, so sign up now for a chance to win a full-size bottle of all three new shades!

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Ain't That a Beach: Summer 2013

I have more swatches of my new trio to share with you today!

This new collection is called Ain't That a Beach, and the shades names are Surf, Sand, and Sky. The collection will launch on Llarowe today at 2 pm and 8 pm (CST), and next Friday they will be on the list of shades available for mini bottle orders via this blog. 

Surf (green-leaning blue with bright green shimmer and blue/green microglitter)

The microglitter didn't show up well in these pictures but it's apparent in real life. The effect I was going for was blue base = deeper water, green shimmer = shallow water, blue/green microglitter = wave peaks. :)

These swatches show two coats Surf and one coat Seche Vite.

I anticipated questions about how Surf compares to Aruba, so I swatched them side by side. (I also included Bright Night for comparison, though you can see that it is much darker than the other two.) Aruba is greener and dustier, and Surf is brighter/more vibrant.

Surf is on index and ring fingers, Aruba is on middle finger, and Bright Night is on pinky.

Sand (dirty tan with gold shimmer and brown microglitter)

The brown microglitter adds some depth to the background and the metallic gold shimmer overlays it all with sparkly goodness. The shimmer is super strong; you can see it in all light but it especially goes crazy in the sun. (Unfortunately my camera couldn't catch the actual level of bling.)   

These swatches show two coats Sand and one coat Seche Vite.

I also anticipated questions as to how this compares with Hayride. Hayride's base is more of a camel color and its shimmer has more of a copper sheen. Hayride also has varied sizes of brown microglitter, while Sand only has the smallest size available.

Sand is on index and ring and Hayride is on middle and pinky.

Sky (sky blue with gold shimmer and blue microglitter)

You might be able to tell that I was going for a clear sunny sky with this one. :)

The blue microglitter is very close to the base color, so rather than contrasting with it like usual, it only adds a bit of depth to the base. Like in Sand, the gold shimmer is very apparent in this polish... and also like in Sand, my camera had trouble capturing the actual shimmer. So please imagine it more sparkly than this!

These swatches show two coats Sky and one coat Seche Vite.

Please see sidebar for details on how to place an order, and please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Giveaway Results

The giveaway has ended and we have a winner - congratulations to Michelle H.! I will email you now to get your shipping information so I can send the new trio your way.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! I'll be posting more about the new trio in the next few days. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Preview/Giveaway: Ain't That a Beach

I'm taking the usual Friday mini orders (see sidebar for details on how to order), but in addition I have a preview and a giveaway to share with you. :)

The new collection is a trio called Ain't That a Beach, and the shades in it are Surf, Sand, and Sky. 

Surf (green-leaning blue with bright green shimmer and blue/green microglitter)

Sand (dirty tan with metallic gold shimmer and brown microglitter)

Sky (sky blue with metallic gold shimmer and blue microglitter)

These shades will be released later this month (exact date TBA). In the meantime, I'd like to host a giveaway for full-size bottles of all three shades. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No mini sales this Friday

Just a quick note to say that I won't be able to accept mini orders tomorrow because I'm out of town for a friend's wedding (congratulations, my little Katie Cat!!), but I will be back to take orders next Friday, April 12. (I may have a surprise for you then too!) :)