Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Daring Digits Life 2.0 Collection Review and Swatches!

**Press Sample**

WOW! Long time no talk. I sincerely apologize for this, a lot has been going on around here. Some of you may know that I was in the hospital for quit a while because of pneumonia. PNEUMONIA! Who gets that, in the spring, in Arizona? Of course it would be me. Then my kids have been sick on and off and it's just been a whirlwind of things.

I owe Ashley, the creator behind Daring Digits a huge apology for not having these up sooner. *gets on one knee* Ashley, please forgive me, I give you my undying love. No, in all reality, I love Ashley and she has become a great friend of mine over the past year even during her own rough times. Most of you know last year Ashley decided that she needed to retire Daring Digits due to some things in her life that she needed to take care of. She has been through so much and I applaud her for keeping her head held high, and the best part, the return of Daring Digits, which in turns brings us to Life 2.0.



First, I'll be showing you Clarity. Ashley's description is " It's a shimmer/clear base with blue/purple highlights. It has iridescent glitters matte clear and white glitters in many different sizes. It dried Matte/Semi Matte. It's a play on words polish. It's supposed to represent the clarity I gained by getting a divorce and putting that part of my life behind me, but as the polish represents...that clarity isn't all that clear...lots of unanswered questions, and things are still a little foggy. " 



Clarity is so beautiful in person, the rainbow of colors that dance around with each little movement you make. The iridescent glitters will change differently depending on the color base coat you use, and you could even wear it on it's own.



I layered one coat of Clarity over OPI- Vant to Bite Your Neck which is a deep wine color. I love the way this turned out and this is definitely one of my favorites from the collection. I followed it with a coat of Seche Vite.



Next up, is The Sum. Ashley's description is "A light grey crelly base with a TON of neon glitter in it. best layered over itself.. 2 maybe 3 coats and several coats of a good topcoat since it has so much glitter in it!  I have been going through a lot of counseling, and group ACA meetings (Adult Children of Alcoholic and Dysfunctional Families) When I was in an ACA meeting one Sunday I had this epiphany...that I was The Sum of all my decisions....and I am happy with who I am today, so I have no regrets about the decisions I have made to get me here." 




This polish is absolutely outstanding. I love the neon glitters surrounded by the grey base. Ashley did perfect, like seeing color through gloomy days. 




The formula was spectacular, two easy coats followed by a coat of Seche Vite. Ashley, you blew me away with this one my dear!




Next, we have Lollipop. Ashley describes this as "A white Crelly polish with Matte and Neon Glitters also it has some dots and little silver squares. Layered over itself or white looks best! This one I named after my Baby Girl. My Boxer who died a couple days after I moved out of my ex's house. She was a rescue. She had been heavily abused when she was a puppy. She was so afraid to eat that I had to feed her by hand for a while after I got her. She was my girl! I loved her sooooo much. Her name was lollipop, so this polish is dedicated to her, she was so sweet. Sweet as a lollipop :)"




The meaning of this polish runs deep in my heart. I won't get into detail but I have a love for my angel baby Raina, and dedicating something to her special fur baby is incredible.



This is two easy coats, the formula was GREAT. Followed by Seche Vite.



Next, Insomnia. Ashley describes this one as "This is a thermal polish. The color change is muted. Grey to black, it's got a purple shimmer and black and iridescent glitters in it.  Insomnia is my newest foe. I have slept in the same bed, with the same person, for 8 years. So being in a new place is unfamiliar to me sometimes. I woke up every night for a month confused. Didn't know where I was. It's getting better now, but I still have a hard time staying asleep for a whole night. Sometimes I even feel better when I don't sleep....it's very odd...but it's part of my life now...I wanted to make this a thermal to represent the restlessness of my insomnia, how it shifts and changes....and how sleep is somehow always out of reach."




The thermal in this is very subtle and it was quit hard for me to catch the correct shift, but when I got it, boy is it beautiful. On the picture above if you look at my pointer and middle finger you can see the darker shift. Of the whole collection, this is my favorite. The thermal, the iridescent glitters, the black glitters. Oh my oh my. 




For this swatch I did use three coats plus a coat of Seche Vite. Just look at that glitter! UGH! Beautiful!



Last, but not least, is A New U. Described as "This is a heavy dark purple cream with a light holo effect in the base (very mild). It has fine glitter and larger glitter. 2 coats should be plenty for good coverage. Because of the combo of small and large glitter 2 coats of Seche or another heavy topcoat will be needed to smooth this baby out. There is one reason I made this polish. I like purple nail polish. I have more purples than any other color (in my personal collection)...it's a reminder to myself really...although i am a "new me" it's still ok to like the things I did when I was married. Part of that person is still me, and I can still be that person. For the longest time I felt guilty liking the things I used to like when I was married. I just felt like I HAD to have an all new life...but I realize now it's ok to still like what made me...me!"




This is my kind of jam. I love purple as well, and the different variations of glitter make this polish so much different than any other indie I own. I love the almost, duochrome purple/blue glitters that peak through here and there. 



For this I did one coat of A New U over Illamasqua Baptiste, followed by one coat of Seche Vite.

My overall thoughts? This collection is one of the best collections I think could have been created. Ashley put her heart and thought into each and every shade and that shows truly just how much she missed making polish. I relate to Ashley in so many ways, this last year has been so rough on me and the boys and many times I've wanted to just, give up. But here I am, truckin on and to be around for this was even better. Thank you Ashley, for letting me share this part of your life with my readers. I know many of you will be able to relate to one of these polishes in one way or another as well.

You can purchase any Daring Digits Polish at her shop here, follow her on Facebook here and also follow her on instagram @daringdigits. Each polish retails for $9.00 except for Insomnia which is $9.50 because it is a thermal.

What do you think of the new Daring Digits? Do you love them as much as I do? Please show tons of love to Ashley as she ventures her journey back into the polish world and I can't wait to see what's next!

Until Next Time!
-Sammi

*Polishes in this post were provided to me for my honest review. All opinions are my own*

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