A Polished Narcoleptic: Starlight Polish customs/charity polish for Indie Love & Light

Starlight Polish customs/charity polish for Indie Love & Light

PRESS SAMPLES
sent in exchange for my honest review

Issa of Starlight Polish has created some sparkly goodness and I'm here to share it with you! These two polishes are for the Indie Love & Light FB group, one for the positivity collab, one for the charity collab. These will be available on Starlight's website Aug 23 7 pm Mountain time - Aug 30th.

The charity polish, For Science!, is a teal crelly with UP (unicorn pee) pigment, which shifts from crimson through gold to green (old school UP pigment, not aurora), holographic flakes, and blue-violet shifting iridescent glitter. It’s $17.50, and $5.00 from each bottle goes to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Isn't that generous? What an amazing organization and this polish really is stunning. I used 2 easy coats and both glossy and matte topcoats. This naturally dries to a bit of a satin finish. The red shift of the shimmer is a little shy, especially in photos. Starlight uses a somewhat skinny brush, the trick is to load it well and shoot for 3 even strokes down the nail. This is a galaxy in a bottle. I love that it's dark but still very clearly teal and the glitter is the perfect touch. Removes easily, no scrubbing. A much warmer and brighter sister to Fires of Creation.

A note from Issa: The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is a global nonprofit organization focused on improving the understanding, prevention and treatment of psychiatric and mental illnesses. 100% of every dollar donated for research is invested in research grants. Operating expenses are covered by separate foundation grants. They have excellent ratings with Charity Navigator and Charity Watch, and they list their EIN (tax ID number) and have published the last five years of financial information (annual reports, IRS forms, and audited financial statements) on their website. Transparency is hugely important to me when it comes to charities, as is the actual percent of donations going to the charity’s cause versus to their operating expenses and fundraising. The B&BRF is a charity I’m delighted to support. To me, science is beautiful and fascinating. Science is the way and means by which we understand the universe, the compilation of that knowledge and understanding, and in many cases, the way by which we try to influence that. What we have learned, the ways in which we learn, and what we create from what we’ve learned – science comprises all these. Open up a high school chemistry text, and you’ll see information on chemicals and atoms and interactions, on the scientific method, and possibly ways chemistry is applied, like for development of medication, wastewater treatment, cooking, and more. In terms of science, I feel like discovering new information is its own motivating factor – even if it’s not immediately useful, someday that might be the bit of information a new idea hinges on, and everything new that we learn expands our knowledge and understanding of the world around us, and to me, that’s always been reason enough. To know, and to understand, and with the side benefit that maybe someday that knowledge will aid others. That’s why this polish is named, “For Science!”

Video here.

natural light

natural light, matte

sunlight, matte. A little blurry but you can see that red glow!

sunlight

full spectrum artificial light, at an angle

natural light

The second polish is for the positivity collab. Be the Hero of Your Own Life, a rose gold holo with tiny metallic red microflecks. The polish is 15mL, costs $12.00, and comes with two magnets, both of which have warm pink backgrounds (one glitter, one watercolor) and say “Be the hero of your own life.” This is very impressive coverage for a holo and a light one at that. I used just 2 coats and it dries to a satin finish. I topped it with both glossy and matte topcoats. When glossy the holo makes magical rainbows in sunlight, sadly the sun was hiding when I snapped these photos.

A note from Issa: I chose this phrase because the idea that a person is, or at least should be, the hero of their own life is a foundation that a lot of the things I believe build on. To me, much of “be the hero of your own life” is like, "be the protagonist (the main character) in your own life story." Being a protagonist means making the choices that shape your story. We’re all affected by other people’s actions and decisions – none of us exists in a vacuum. What defines it is whether we allow the choices of others to guide our story, or our own choices. There is a world of difference between negotiating the waves to chart your own path, and letting the waters carry you where they will.

I don’t believe a person should relinquish that role, being the hero in their life, their story, to someone else. And I believe strongly that no one should try to take that role away from another person, either – no one should be made to feel that they’re a secondary character within their own life, or that their choices and actions don’t get to steer their story, their life.

I love this message! As a person who deals with a chronic health condition, there have definitely been times I let it get me down farther than I should have. There is always some joy and beauty that can be gleaned from life. Attitude is everything and often the only person that can change anything in your life is you. It's also a good reminder to always allow others to do and decide anything they can for themselves, dignity is precious.

Video here.