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Apothica

Get NeoCutis and other makeup at Apothica!

Pure Ice Crackle Duo Gold Glitter & Black

This is another set from Pure Ice. I like this set more than the first one I tried simply cause it has a glitter shade!!! Y’all know me and glitter. Pure Ice Crackle Duo Gold Glitter & Black consists of the gold glitter shade, known as 582CP and the black crackle shade called Strobe Light.

Pure Ice 582CP

582CP is a gold glitter shade. It is made up of warm and cool gold glitter in a clear base. Even thought it’s a glitter in clear base, I find that this shade has pretty good coverage. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.

Pure Ice 582CP (in shade)

Pure Ice 582CP (direct sunlight)

Pure Ice 582CP (close-up)

Strobe Light is a black crackle shade with a creme finish. I applied it right when I figured that 582CP is completely dry and it performed nicely.

Pure Ice 582CP with Strobe Light (in shade)

Pure Ice 582CP with Strobe Light (direct sunlight)

Pure Ice 582CP with Strobe Light (close-up)

Have you seen these duo sets yet at local retailers?

*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*

a-england Princess Sabra

Hey guys! Today’s shade is a special one for me. This shade didn’t make the cut in my original a-england The Legends order cause I couldn’t drop the money on the entire collection. I really liked it and it looked really different from the promo pictures shown here. I was scratching my head cause this shade isn’t pink at all! I must’ve gotten that picture wrong, but anyway….everything ALWAYS works out somehow and so I guess it was just meant to be! I won this in a giveaway and it totally made my day. Here’s a-england Princess Sabra, also known as Tristam Eyes.

a-england Princess Sabra

Princess Sabra is a greenish gold holographic shade. It’s quite stunning and is one of the shades exhibiting a stronger holographic property in the collection. This is more of a scattered holographic shade as opposed to linear. It’s still very, very beautiful and I absolutely adore its other name – Tristam Eyes. For those of you that don’t know, Tristam is a-england owner Adina’s cat. I can vouch that Tristam is one handsome cat. And being the one coater lover that I am, I tried just that with this shade….and it works! Formula is really nice and smooth and it dried really fast. Shown is one coat with no top coat.

a-england Princess Sabra (in shade)

a-england Princess Sabra (direct sunlight)

a-england Princess Sabra (close-up)

a-england Princess Sabra (direct sunlight again)

a-england Princess Sabra (look at the holo goodness!)

a-england Princess Sabra (absolutely stunning)

These are now available at a-england and prices there include worldwide shipping. If you’re in the US, you can also place an order for these from several other online e-tailers like Overall Beauty when available.

Mattese Elite Je T’Aime & Crackalacquers Layering

Okay, soooooooooo……I got this neat shade from Mattese Elite that actually pushed me to think about layering and stuff. I haven’t been that adventurous really when it comes to polish. Just slap a color on and make sure application is as good as I can get it. The end. That’s what usually happens. But I looked at it in the bottle and was so inspired to do something with it that I ended up with this….

Mattese Elite Je T'Aime & Crackalacquers Layering

Mattese Elite Je T'Aime & Crackalacquers Layering (rotated pic)

Um….yum?! I actually tried it with a black crackle first and the look reminded me of koi fishes and I got excited at the thought of doing it with other colors. The glitter pieces in Mattese Elite Je T’Aime kinda gave it a fish scale look at times. It did when I did the one with the black crackle, but I spread Je T’Aime more thinly over these instead and got the result shown. I used Pure Ice 582CP, a gold glitter, as the base then topped it with a layer of top coat. I had to or else the crackle would’ve attempted to be sucked in and spread around by the glitter base. The glitter shade dried a little bit rough and is what we refer to as a top coat eater. After that, I topped it with one nice layer of a Mattese Elite Crackalaquer shade. The ones shown (from left to right in photo above) are Dark Burgundy, Blue Star, Deep Purple and Metallic Orange. After the crackle shade is dry, I applied one coat of Je T’Aime. I used drying drops from Qtica to ensure that all layers are dry.

Mattese Elite Je T'Aime & Crackalacquers Layering (close-up)

Mattese Elite Je T'Aime & Crackalacquers Layering (rotated again)

Mattese Elite Je T'Aime & Crackalacquers Layering (in shade)

Mattese Elite Je T'Aime & Crackalacquers Layering (with flash)

Mattese Elite Je T'Aime & Crackalacquers Layering (clsoer shot)

While this is cute, I’m still going to do the one with black crackle version that I first fell in love with. And while my co-worker friends loved this look on me, it’s not something they’d sport on their nails. So I know not all of you will like it, but I hope some of you guys do. Here’s my first stab at doing a layering mani on the blog. Hope you’re looking forward to more!

*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*

nails inc. Piccadilly Circus

Hey guys! Today’s shade is a recent addition to my nails inc. collection. Here’s nails inc. Piccadilly Circus.

nails inc. Piccadilly Circus

This shade is described as “a deep cerise pink shade” and “is very flattering and can be worn from day to night.” I don’t find this to be pink at all. I see it more as a burgundy red creme shade. Formula is excellent and I am pleased to inform y’all that this is a one coater. Yes! What’s not to love with this shade? Shown is one coat with no top coat.

nails inc. Piccadilly Circus (in shade)

nails inc. Piccadilly Circus (direct sunlight)

nails inc. Piccadilly Circus (close-up)

Mental note to self: don’t touch the beautiful silver caps when you have ANY trace of remover on your fingers.

nails inc. is available on their website and at Sephora stores and online in the US. Do check the shipping terms with their online store to see if they ship to your area.

Sinful Colors Neptune

My latest Sinful Colors find took me by surprise. I finally saw the Cast Away display even though some of the shades are long gone already. But I was lucky enough to score this one. Here’s Sinful Colors Neptune.

Sinful Colors Neptune

Ooooh! Exactly! That’s what went through my head when I saw this shade. I scored Zeus just a few days ago, but I swear the display wasn’t out yet or else I’d have gotten this too! I want to say that this shade has a glass fleck finish, but I honestly don’t know anymore. Some call this type of finish foil, but it doesn’t even look like foil so I’m going with glass fleck. You can see the little flecks in this blue shade anyway. Formula is on the watery side, but I managed to get in on nicely still. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.

Sinful Colors Neptune (in shade)

Sinful Colors Neptune (lighting changed)

Sinful Colors Neptune (lighting changed again)

Sinful Colors Neptune (direct sunlight)

Sinful Colors Neptune (close-up)

Sinful Colors Neptune (last shot)

My camera lighting changes every few shots sometimes and this shade is simply too pretty not to include all the pictures I’ve taken of it so….:)

Have you checked out your Walgreens lately?

Mattese Elite Carnaval Swatches

This entire collection is described as the following: “Escape the mundane and drab this Winter with the latest nail polish collection from Ricky’s NYC’s Mattese Elite, inspired by the Carnaval celebrations held in Brazil. These glossy solid shades are a collage of neon — bright, intense and immediate party-starters.” Neons – YAY! Not gonna delay more…..onto the swatches!

First up is Rei Momo.

Mattese Elite Rei Momo

Rei Momo, or King Momo, is considered the King of Carnaval during the festivities. This is a hot pink neon. No other way to describe this one. I absolutely love, LOVE, L-O-V-E this shade. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.

Mattese Elite Rei Momo (in shade)

Mattese Elite Rei Momo (direct sunlight)

Mattese Elite Rei Momo (close-up)

Next up is Passistas.

Mattese Elite Passistas

Passistas is a term referred to the talented Carnaval samba dancers. This purple neon shade suits it perfectly. It’s vibrant and beautiful. It reminds me of the purple I see in some orchid flowers. This shade is not as opaque as the others though. It’s still worth it though. Shown is 4 thin coats with no top coat.

Mattese Elite Passistas (in shade)

Mattese Elite Passistas (direct sunlight)

Mattese Elite Passistas (close-up)

Then we have Desfiles De Samba.

Mattese Elite Desfiles De Samba

Desfiles De Samba refers to the samba parade. “A parade-worthy light green” it is! Shown is 3 thin coats with no top coat.

Mattese Elite Desfiles De Samba (in shade)

Mattese Elite Desfiles De Samba (direct sunlight)

Mattese Elite Desfiles De Samba (close-up)

Next is the one I liked least, Rainha.

Mattese Elite Rainha

Rainha means queen and it refers to the queen in the Carnaval festivities. I didn’t think the name suited the shade really. I was expecting a bolder, brighter shade for the queen of the event! Oh well. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.

Mattese Elite Rainha (in shade)

Mattese Elite Rainha (direct sunlight)

Mattese Elite Rainha (close-up)

Next up is one of my favorites in this collection, Fantasias.

Mattese Elite Fantasias

Fantasias, I believe, refers to the actual costumes in a Carnaval samba group. While I do like this shade more in the bottle than on the nail, it is rich and stunning. This one dried the most dull or matte out of all 6. I think that’s partly why I like the purple neon color more in the bottle. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.

Mattese Elite Fantasias (in shade)

Mattese Elite Fantasias (direct sunlight)

Mattese Elite Fantasias (close-up)

Saving the best for last, here’s my favorite one called Samba Enredo.

Mattese Elite Samba Enredo

Samba Enredo refers to songs that are performed by a samba school for events in Carnaval. This neon pink is so bold, so bright and so pretty. I love this kind of neon pink as opposed to the softer ones. This one could pass for a Rainha in my opinion. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.

Mattese Elite Samba Enredo (in shade)

Mattese Elite Samba Enredo (direct sunlight)

Mattese Elite Samba Enredo (close-up)

Overall, I love this collection. I have always been blown away by Mattese Elite neons and this is no exception. I loved last year’s bright offerings and I love this one even more! If I had to pick a few as my must-haves it would be Samba Enredo, Fantasias, Passistas and Rei Momo. If you don’t like the dull or matte finish, just add top coat and you’re good to go. Most of them dry to a slightly dull or matte finish.

You can score any of these beauties directly on their webpage or if you live in the wonderful state of New York, you can stop by at any Ricky’s NYC store locations (see here) and see this and other shades for yourself before you buy. Mattese Elite shades retails for $5.99 each before tax.

*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*