Blues and Greens
May 3, 2013Blues and blue-leaning greens are my nail polish weakness. Unless it’s an exact dupe for something I already own, I have a hard time turning one down. And I have been wearing them A LOT lately.
Nails Inc Baker Street is a bright cobalt blue that you need in your life. End of story. The formula is excellent – two easily applied coats and you’re done. My photo below isn’t really getting the vibrancy across, so check it out in person if you can.
Illamasqua Venous is a gorgeous, dusty blue-green. As with all of the other Illamasqua polishes I’ve tried, the formula is perfect. Though a touch more blue, it’s similar to Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money.
The last three polishes are from the Maybelline Color Show Summer 2013 collection… a collection that prominently features blue and green. As with the rest of the Color Show polishes, the formula on these is pretty good. For me, they applied smoothly, with complete coverage in two coats.
First up is Midnight Swim, which is (as one might expect) a midnight blue. It dried down darker than the color in the bottle.
Next up is Azure Seas, and like Midnight Swim, the name is indicative of the color. I thought it would be similar to China Glaze Shower Together or Aqua Baby, but Azure Seas is bluer than both of them.
Finally, here’s Urban Utopia. I had a hard time accurately photographing this color – it’s pulling a bit blue, but in person it’s definitely more green. I attempted to color correct, but it’s still not quite there. Think #2db295.
Are there any colors you’ve been gravitating toward lately?
~Allyson
3 Comments
Blues | Darks | Greens | Illamasqua | Lights | Maybelline | Nails Inc
When Stars Collide
April 8, 2013After having been ridiculously excited about the China Glaze Hologlam collection when it was first announced, only to be a little disappointed at the weak holo when blogger swatches started popping up, I decided to just pick up the four that appealed to me the most:
When Stars Collide was first on my list, because it seemed to be one of the stronger holos in the collection and the color is rather nice. The polish is described as a warm maroon, but it leans purple on me (and in the bottle, honestly).
The formula is fairly easy to work with, provided you apply thin coats and allow them to dry completely before starting a new coat. I used two coats over Essie Matte About You since I have yet to pick up an aqua/holo base. I can still see a few ridges, but they’re nowhere near as visible as when the polish is applied over bare nails. I avoided using a top coat for these pictures, but my regular top coat (Butter London Hardwear) didn’t kill the holo when I applied it later.
I took these photos in natural light; indirect sunlight in the two images above, and shade in the one below. The holo is definitely stronger in direct sunlight and direct indoor light, so that’s something to keep in mind.
A couple of weeks later, I wore Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Butterscotch from the Spring 2013 Designer collection. I wanted to add a little something on the second day… and that something was a When Stars Collide chevron pattern.
(P.S. – Butterscotch is two-coat yellow perfection.)
Have you tried any of the new Hologlam polishes? Thoughts?
~Allyson
2 Comments
China Glaze | Darks | Lights | Nail Art | Purples | Sally Hansen CSM | Yellows
Zoya London
March 18, 2013To be honest, I haven’t really been into the latest textured polish trend. Most of the polishes have seemed too gritty for my liking, but when I came across the Zoya Pixie Dust collection at Ulta I decided to give one a try. And I have to say… I was pleasantly surprised.
I grabbed Zoya London, a medium grey with a silver “sugared sparkle”. The texture is very much like a fine sugar/sand, but you have to get close for it to be noticeable. From afar, it looks like a standard grey matte polish.
The formula is slightly sheer, but I only needed two coats for opacity. The dry time is slightly longer than average (15-20 minutes), mostly due to the fact that you can’t add a quick dry top coat if you want to keep the textured, matte finish.
However, adding a top coat gives London a new look; the grey deepens and the silver shimmer really pops. I can’t decide if I like it better matte or shiny!
Regardless of top coat, the polish wore well – no chips and very little tip wear after three days.
So, what do you think? Have you tried any textured polishes?
~Allyson
3 Comments
Darks | Zoya
Orly Hope & Freedom Fest Swatches
February 17, 2013At long last… a post! Today I’m bringing you Orly’s upcoming Hope & Freedom Fest collection for Spring 2013, which includes a little bit of everything. (You’ll have to bear with the swatches; they were all taken on different days under different lighting conditions.)
First up is Peaceful Opposition, a sheer milky white with silver glitter. Key word: sheer. For the swatch below I used three coats and there is plenty of visible nail line. Still, it’s nice, and I’m saying that as someone who doesn’t normally care for large glitter.
This is Coachella Dweller, a spring green creme. Two coats gave me even coverage, though it is on the thin side.
Next is Melodious Utopia, a yellow with a bit of hidden pink shimmer. Not really the color for me, to be honest. This one is also a bit thin and required three coats for decent coverage.
Below is Elation Generation, a cute pink with sparse holographic glitter. It’s a little sheer, but I was happy with two coats.
Then we have Boho Bonnet, a pale blue creme with a hint of grey. One of my favorites from the collection, it applied smoothly and was opaque in two coats. I can see myself wearing this often in the upcoming months.
Finally, there is High On Hope, a navy blue with a duochrome shimmer. It feels like an outlier at first, but the shimmer helps tie it in with the rest of the collection. Like Boho Bonnet, High On Hope is a two-coater.
So what do you think? Any of them calling your name? The Hope & Freedom Fest collection will be available March 2013 at Orly retailers.
(Orly did not send me these polishes for review, but I did win them during a recent Orly promotion… figured it was worth disclosing!)
~Allyson
6 Comments
Blues | Darks | Greens | Lights | Nudes | Orly | Pinks | Yellows
Ozotic Sugar 903
December 19, 2012Woah, this post has been a long time coming. In September, I was lucky enough to be one of the few New Zealand bloggers to be sent one of the brand new Ozotic polishes (Sugar 903) from Gracie Lou. I swatched this beauty pretty much straight away, but my pictures were god-awful. And, since then, it’s honestly been one thing after another! I’ve been so busy that (shamefully) I forgot about this gorgeous polish, and the lack of decent swatches.
But never fear, I have some photos of this stunner for you today.
Sugar 903 is a blue-tinted duochrome layering polish chock-full of stunning flecks. The colour does vary depending on the colour you layer this one over. I have layered two coats over Bizarre Blurple by China Glaze. I feel like this helped the purple shift come through a bit more. I’ve tried it over black (equally as stunning) and by itself, which had the effect of making my nails look like a winter wonderland: Definitely appropriate for you Northern-Hemispherites this time of year.
Droooooooooooool.
And, just to tempt you further, here’s a macro shot!
You can grab this one, along with other Ozotic polishes, at www.picturepolish.com.au, or through your local Network Member. For all our Kiwi readers, our local Network Member is Gracie Lou.
(This product was sent to me for review. This entry reflects my true opinion on the product.)