I always feel pangs of guilt when I review a really amazing nail polish that all my international fanatics don’t have access to so I love when I’m able to get my hands on polishes from outside the US. piCture pOlish is an Australian nail polish brand and they have quite a diverse color range to choose from.

Thanks to the generosity of the piCture pOlish girls I was able to select three shades from their line to try and the glitter fiend in me was instantly drawn to Heavy Metal.

I try to make drugstore nail polish runs as often as I can. I like to check out the seasonal displays regularly and see what’s new. The last time I was out, maybe a month ago, I noticed a display of Sally Hansen Hard As Nails polishes that included a fun glitter called Ice Queen.

I keep meaning to wear it but I didn’t know what I wanted to layer it over. Well I pulled out some of my Essence untrieds today and inspiration hit. There’s something about the moody, neutral hue of Essence Movie Star that made it the perfect partner for the glittery happiness of Ice Queen.

To celebrate Independence Day in the US, I decided to get my red, white & blue sparkle on. I even planned to get all crafty incorporating scotch tape and the result ended up being one giant mani-fail! Of course, instead of getting down on myself for it, I’m learning from my mistakes and sharing my missteps with you.

To create today’s look I went straight for my Milani One Coat Glitters in Red Sparkle and Blue Flash. When you want full-on sparkle without multiple, thick layers of polish, look no further. It’s just a shame they didn’t come out with a white version to complete my manicure.

In order to conserve my favorite white sparkler, China Glaze White Kwik Silvr, I pulled out another untried, China Glaze Cloud Nine from the Specialty Glitters collection.

After I posted about the OPI Glam Slam! England duo with Grape…Set…Match quite a few of you requested that I also share my thoughts on Your Royal Shine-ness. To be honest, I wasn’t even planning to talk about this polish because it looked like just another silver foil in the bottle and I have more than my share of those.

Turns out I have to thank you all for prodding me into giving it a whirl because it ended up being one of those “Don’t judge a book by its cover” kind of moments. And isn’t that the whole point of this series and my blog in general? Keep reading to see what I mean.