Bees Knees Lacquer: From Blood and Ash Collection

*Disclosure: Paid PR samples- I received these polishes for free with payment in exchange for swatch photography.*

Hello! I’m super excited to be writing this blog post for the upcoming Bees Knees Lacquer July launch. For this month’s collection, Bees Knees Lacquer was inspired by the From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer Armentrout. The 8-piece collection consists of 3 glitter bombs and 5 multichromes, ranging in a fun variety of colors.

The From Blood and Ash collection launches on July 30 at 12pm EST for preorder on the Bees Knees Lacquer site, and the preorder window will close on August 6 at 11:59pm EST. Alongside the collection, two mystery polishes, a variety of new scents for body products, and a lengthy list of respawns will be available for purchase.

I think that’s it for the details, so let’s get into it!

Princess

Princess is described as a glitter bomb with rose gold and holo glitters in various sizes.

The glitters in this polish are quite large, and I personally would recommend using the sponging method to maximize glitter payoff. Painting with three normal coats will take a little bit of maneuvering and manipulation, so it is a bit more difficult and the coats dry thicker. I thought this polish looked flattering on my skin tone, and it gave off nude glitter vibes on me which made the silver holo glitters stand out a bit more.

In my opinion, Princess and all of the other glitter bombs in this collection could double as toppers.

Shown is three coats on the index and pinky, and one coat with glitter sponging on the middle and ring fingers. I topped this swatch with Glisten & Glow’s Glitter Grabber, and then a coat of glossy top coat.

Princess will retail for $11.

The Maiden

The Maiden is described as a glitter bomb with ruby red and holo glitters in various sizes.

For this swatch, I only used the normal polishing method (no sponging). I did have to do some manipulation, especially around my nail edges, to make sure the glitters were more evenly distributed. I had a few bald spots here and there that I had to patch up, and I think that caused the glitters and base to go on thicker than what was probably intended. This polish would probably be fantastic for a Valentine’s Day mani.

Shown is three coats plus one coat of Glisten & Glow’s Glitter Grabber, and one coat of glossy top coat.

The Maiden will retail for $11.

The Dark One

The Dark One is described as a glitter bomb with royal purple and holo glitters in various sizes.

Since I applied The Dark One the same way I did Princess, all of my formula-related comments remain the same. I will say that for The Dark One, the nails where I sponged on glitters had less of a purple tint to the base since the sponge ate up the base a bit.

The Dark One will retail for $11.

Murderous Little Creature

Murderous Little Creature is described as a pastel multichrome that shifts from green to pink to blue with a scattering of black to red multichrome flakes.

Murderous Little Creature had a great formula that applied smoothly and self-leveled well. The base is decently sheer, but it builds up well with the shimmer.

Shown is three coats plus glossy top coat.

Murderous Little Creature will retail for $13.

Heartmates

Heartmates is described as a pastel multichrome that shifts from rich mauve to yellow to green with a scattering of black to red multichrome flakes.

Heartmates had a very smooth and relatively light-feeling formula. The flakes are even and come out easily, and it was the most opaque amongst the multichromes. I didn’t personally experience any staining with this polish because I was wearing a latex-based base coat, but the latex layer seemed to be a bit stained when I took the polish off so I would be wary of potential staining.

Shown is three coats plus glossy top coat.

Heartmates will retail for $13.

You Are My Home

You Are My Home is described as a a cobalt blue pastel multichrome that shifts to sapphire and purple with a scattering of black to red multichrome flakes.

You Are My Home was the most sheer of the three multichromes with flakes, but it did have an easy formula like the rest of them. I saw a little bit of nail line still after three coats.

Shown is three coat plus glossy top coat.

You Are My Home will retail for $13.

From Blood and Ash

From Blood and Ash is described as a peachy pink to yellow to green pastel multichrome.

I think From Blood and Ash could double as a topper, but it’s also gorgeous on its own. With the blurring base coat I think I could have gotten away with just two coats, but I think having three really strengthened the shimmer effect and gave a squishier look. The formula is very smooth and self-leveling.

Shown is three coats over a nail line blurring base coat, plus glossy top coat.

From Blood and Ash will retail for $13.

We Shall Rise

We Shall Rise is described as a bright aqua to cobalt to purple pastel multichrome.

We Shall Rise is also quite sheer and could double as a topper. The shift and glow on this polish was insane – it looked different in every lighting, and the colors are just stunning. The formula was, of course, smooth and easy to work with. Be sure to click through the entire carousel to see all the amazing shifts!

Shown is three coats over a nail line blurring base coat, plus glossy top coat.

We Shall Rise will retail for $13.