Pure Ice Tease
Hey guys! Happy Tuesday! Today’s post is on one of the discontinued shades by Pure Ice. I have no idea why they’d want to discontinue this beauty! The new shades better blow me off my feet – that’s all I’m saying! Here’s Pure Ice Tease.
Pure Ice Tease
Tease is super gorgeous fuchsia or magenta pink shade. I wouldn’t completely classify this as a shimmer, it’s more like a glass fleck jelly shade really. You need to apply more coats for full opacity. You can still see a bit of the balder spots in the direct sunlight shot. Shown is 3 coats with no top coat.
Pure Ice Tease (in shade)
Pure Ice Tease (direct sunlight)
Pure Ice Tease (close-up)
There better be some stunning shades replacing this beauty!
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Christmas Without Snow Collection
I purchased my set already and am waiting for it to get to me. Have you? 
Christmas without snow? What a preposterous notion! For the rest of the world, maybe. But down here in Australia, we love to crack out the beer and boardshorts and soak up the sun at this very special time of year. We wanted to capture the spirit of an Aussie Christmas with our very first seasonal collection consisting of six amazing new nail shades to help you celebrate Christmas the Aussie way!
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Blue Gums On Boxing Day
BLUE GUMS ON BOXING DAY – This rich green shines with a mesmerizing blue shimmer! Perfect for those post Christmas celebrations!
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Hot Summer Nights
HOT SUMMER NIGHTS – Shining stars sparkle in the velvet sky. This inky blue jelly with silver micro glitter is a nightscape on your nails!
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Party By The Pool
PARTY BY THE POOL – Splash about in this gorgeous peacock jelly, swimming with flecks of green and blue!
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Santa’s Sunburn
SANTA’S SUNBURN – It seems that Santa’s Sunburn is the best type of sunburn! This jolly red foil sparkles with tiny flecks of silver.
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Seasonal Sunset
SEASONAL SUNSET – Seasonal Sunset’s rusty jelly base is packed to bursting with bright golden and copper microglitter particles and the result is simply breathtaking. It’s a Christmas sunset on your nails!
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Twinkling Lights
TWINKLING LIGHTS – Like stars that sparkle in the sky, or Christmas lights twinkling in the night, Twinkling Lights will add something special to every manicure!
And to make things even cooler, our Christmas polishes will come in cute Christmas themed red holographic boxes with new artwork by our one and only Leigh Young! The perfect stocking stuffer! You won’t even need to wrap them!
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Christmas themed box
The CHRISTMAS WITHOUT SNOW collection is available for preorder NOW, with orders starting to ship this week! We are also running our amazing Golden Ticket promotion where ten lucky Christmas orders will receive our super secret limited edition GOLDEN TICKET polish! Only ten made and these will NEVER be sold on our site! Competition details can be found on here.
RRP is $9.95, with a 10% discount for buying all six shades! Pretty Serious Cosmetics also ships worldwide. Check out our site for more details.
Bottle volume is 11ml/0.37 fl.oz. Pretty Serious Cosmetics is 100% Vegan and Cruelty Free.
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Monster Mash Collection
If you’ve been following Pretty Serious Cosmetics in the nail world, get excited for this Halloween Collection they’re putting out! Read on.
Pretty Serious Cosmetics is proud to present our Halloween 2012 collection – MONSTER MASH!
That’s right, we’ve gone batty here at the Pretty Serious labs and this year, we’re trying our hand at MAD SCIENCE! We’ve taken some ghastly little Halloween monsters and thrown them in a blender, finishing them off with some hair of the spider* and a little eye of newt!**
We’ve got six amazing new shades to help you get your scare on this Halloween!
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Creature Crush
CREATURE CRUSH – a haunting mix of black and silver glitter in an inky blue-green jelly base with large black and silver holographic hex glitter
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Gargoyle Ganache
GARGOYLE GANACHE – a multichrome shimmer with flashes of green, gold and purple through a stony gunmetal base.
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Liquid Leprechaun
LIQUID LEPRECHAUN – Multi sized golden and green glitter particles floating in a radioactive green jelly base
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Mummy Mush
MUMMY MUSH – a gorgeous golden glass fleck mulltichrome, shifting through baby blue to pink
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Poltergeist Puddle
POLTERGEIST PUDDLE – an intense blurple shimmer with a pink flash and a slight golden duochrome
Pretty Serious Cosmetics Viscous Vampire
VISCOUS VAMPIRE – a red jelly base that’s so bright you can almost call it fluorescent, with multi-sized red and fuschia glitter
If that wasn’t amazing enough, our new Halloween shades will be packaged in sensational new holographic green boxes with new Halloween art by Leigh Young!
These fabulous freaks go on sale at 9am AEST, October 10th from http://www.pretty-serious.com/. RRP is $9.95, with a 10% discount for buying all six shades! Pretty Serious Cosmetics also ships worldwide. Check out our site for more details.
Bottle volume is 11 ml/0.37 fl.oz. Pretty Serious Cosmetics is 100% Vegan and Cruelty Free.
Sally Hansen Red Velvet
Hey guys! Today’s shade is another one from their Diamond Strength line. I originally didn’t think much about this shade cause I have so many red shimmers. I’m glad I tried it out. Here’s Sally Hansen Red Velvet.
Sally Hansen Red Velvet
Red Velvet is such a pretty red shade. I do think of Red Velvet cake with the name of this shade. The sparkle in this shade is almost “glowy” really. Kinda like having a glass fleck finish. Formula is good and it dried fast. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Sally Hansen Red Velvet (in shade)
Sally Hansen Red Velvet (direct sunlight)
Sally Hansen Red Velvet (close-up)
Sally Hansen Red Velvet (lighting changed)
This should be available generally wherever Sally Hansen is retailed.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Lakme True Wear Tarun Tahiliani 20
Hey guys! Happy Friday! Today’s post covers an international brand again. This time, I have a brand that I’ve never encountered before. My Didi (older sister in Hindi) brought it back for me from her last trip to India. I’m so lucky to have such wonderful co-worker siblings in my life. They put up with all my eccentricity, babbling and endless bursts of baking madness. Here’s Lakme True Wear Tarun Tahiliani 20.
Lakme True Wear Tarun Tahiliani 20
Tarun Tahiliani 20 is a shade from the Lakme True Wear Tarun Tahiliani Collection. Tarun Tahiliani is a famous designer in India. Just like how Sally Hansen has some designer collections, so does Indian cosmetics brand Lakme. Tarun Tahiliani 20 is a very pretty pink shade that has a glass fleck-ish shimmer. Or maybe foil metallic like the Zoya Surf Collection ones. Formula for this one is decent and it dried pretty fast. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Lakme True Wear Tarun Tahiliani 20 (in shade)
Lakme True Wear Tarun Tahiliani 20 (direct sunlight)
Lakme True Wear Tarun Tahiliani 20 (close-up)
I love this shade. While I do have some other shades similar to it in my stash, this holds a special place in my heart cause my wonderful Didi brought it back for me all the way from her land of birth. ♥
Milani Key West
One of the new shades from Milani that I am most excited about is what today’s post is about. This shade is part of their new 2012 shades recently released. Here’s Milani Key West.
Milani Key West
Key West is a very pretty green shimmer. The finish is almost glass fleck-ish really. It’s stunning both in and out of direct sunlight. Formula was perfect for this shade. It glided onto my nails smoothly and dried really fast. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Milani Key West (in shade)
Milani Key West (direct sunlight)
Milani Key West (close-up)
This shade should now be available in retail stores where Milani is sold. Otherwise, try nabbing it online on their website.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Sally Hansen Black Diamonds
Hey guys! I’ll keep this short and sweet on this super busy day! Today’s post is on Sally Hansen Black Diamonds.
Sally Hansen Black Diamonds
Black Diamonds is a pretty glass fleck-ish black shimmer. It’s really pretty and I’m one that don’t like black polish shades in general. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Sally Hansen Black Diamonds (in shade)
Sally Hansen Black Diamonds (direct sunlight)
Sally Hansen Black Diamonds (close-up)
This should be available generally wherever Sally Hansen is retailed.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Milani Beach Front
Hey guys! I have another new Milani shade for 2012 to show y’all. It has that pretty shimmer that’s in several other shades released at the same time. Here’s Milani Beach Front.
Milani Beach Front
Beach Front is a pretty pale blue shade with silver glass fleck shimmer. I absolutely love the glass fleck shimmers they’ve made for this year! Formula was nice and this is a one coater! Yep! They did it again! Shown is one coat with no top coat.
Milani Beach Front (in shade)
Milani Beach Front (lighting changed)
Milani Beach Front (direct sunlight)
Milani Beach Front (close-up)
Milani Beach Front (lighting changed again)
This shade should now be available in retail stores where Milani is sold. Otherwise, try nabbing it online on their website.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Milani Orchidia
Hey guys! It’s Friday today and I couldn’t be any happier! I woke up from a psycho work dream so….I wasn’t really looking forward to coming in to work today. LOL! I know it’s just a dream, but have you ever had one that feels just SO real? Yep, this was one of them! But anyways, today’s post features another new shade from Milani. Here’s Milani Orchidia.
Milani Orchidia
Orchidia is a pretty violet with the same silvery glass fleck shimmer seen in some of their other shades released at the same time like Sail Away. Boy, it’s shades like this that makes me think twice what kind of finish it really is. But it reminds me a lot of the silvery glass fleck shimmer seen in some China Glaze glass fleck shades like Grape Juice of the Summer Days Collection in 2009. It’s very, very pretty. I think it’d be nice for Easter! Formula was good and it applied onto my nails smoothly. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Milani Orchidia (in shade)
Milani Orchidia (direct sunlight)
Milani Orchidia (close-up)
This shade should now be available in retail stores where Milani is sold. Otherwise, try nabbing it online on their website.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Milani Sail Away
Today I have one of Milani’s latest shades for this Spring. It’s my favorite among those that I got. Here’s Milani Sail Away.
Milani Sail Away
Sail Away is such a beautiful color. I absolutely love it. The finish is more of a glass fleck than shimmer really. I love the intensity of this shade and it will work perfectly for Spring into Summer. And what’s not to love with a one coater? Yes, you read it right. This is a one coater! Formula was excellent and it dried pretty fast for me. Shown is one coat with no top coat.
Milani Sail Away (in shade)
Milani Sail Away (lighting changed)
Milani Sail Away (direct sunlight)
Milani Sail Away (close-up)
This shade should now be available in retail stores where Milani is sold. Otherwise, try nabbing it online on their website.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
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?
Finger Paints Gumdrops & Lollipops Swatches
I’m making this short and sweet. Here’s Finger Paints’ Gumdrops & Lollipops Collection swatches displayed in the order seen in the press release. First up is Lemon Sour.
Finger Paints Lemon Sour
Lemon sour is a yummy yellow creme shade. This is the lightest one in the entire collection. Formula was so-so for a creme shade. Excuse the state of my poor cuticles with this one. I swatched this shade last and it was very beat up by then. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Lemon Sour (in shade)
Finger Paints Lemon Sour (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Lemon Sour (close-up)
Next up is Circus Peanuts.
Finger Paints Circus Peanuts
Circus Peanuts is the shade I got most comments on via the press release post and on Twitter. This orange creme makes me think of an orange creamsicle or orange sorbet. Mmmm….yum! Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Circus Peanuts (in shade)
Finger Paints Circus Peanuts (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Circus Peanuts (close-up)
Moving on, we have Choco Mint.
Finger Paints Choco Mint
Choco Mint couldn’t have received a more fitting name for the shade. I surprisingly liked this mint green creme more than I thought I would. I had trouble with this shade being that it’s more watery for a creme, so I settled for one thicker coat with no top coat.
Finger Paints Choco Mint (in shade)
Finger Paints Choco Mint (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Choco Mint (close-up)
Next we have Blue Raspberry Taffy.
Finger Paints Blue Raspberry Taffy
I didn’t like this shade when I initially saw it, but once I got the bottle in my hand…it was almost like love. I eagerly tried this one first and it did not disappoint! Formula is more watery than most creme shades I’ve used, but it’s self-leveling. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Blue Raspberry Taffy (in shade)
Finger Paints Blue Raspberry Taffy (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Blue Raspberry Taffy (close-up)
Here’s a jelly-ish shade, Pop Rock Pink.
Finger Paints Pop Rock Pink
I really wanted a red shade, so I kind of ignored this one initially. I thought a perfect red candy would be something like Red Hots or something, so why no red? When I put this on, I immediately knew that it’s not just a shimmer. It’s actually a jelly with shimmer! And it has a flash of purple shown in the direct sunlight shot. Since it’s a jelly, I just did an extra coat of my usual 2. Shown is 3 coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Pop Rock Pink (in shade)
Finger Paints Pop Rock Pink (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Pop Rock Pink (close-up)
Last up is Grape Gumball.
Finger Paints Grape Gumball
Grape candy, in general, gets no love from me. As a kid, I’ve always associated it with this fever medicine called Tempra. And yep, you guessed it, the flavor is grape. I only liked grape in the form of jams and jellies until probably I went to college. I appreciate the fruit itself. I don’t like wine, so the love affair ends there. Grape Gumball is a purple shimmer that actually does remind me of what the shade of the purple gumball is. The finish reminds me of a glass fleck shade really. Formula for this is a little bit watery than most shimmers I’ve used. Shown is 2 coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Grape Gumball (in shade)
Finger Paints Grape Gumball (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Grape Gumball (close-up)
Overall? Love the colors and some actually were better than expected. Formula though is more watery in general. All are more watery than what I expect out of a creme or shimmer shade. They’re self-leveling though, so that helps (while it doesn’t really redeem itself or anything). The cremes are all pastel-ish with the exception of Blue Raspberry Taffy. The shimmers are, well, not really shimmers at all to me. One’s a jelly and the other’s more of a glass fleck to me. That one’s actually pretty bright. These shades will be available soon in Sally Beauty Supply stores and online for $4.99 each.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
a-england The Legend Collection
Have you heard about this collection yet? I think it’s one of the hottest collections of this year to date!
EDIT: Princess Sabra swatch here.
a-england Bridal Veil
a-england Princess Tears
a-england Saint George
a-england Ascalon
a-england Order Of The Garter
a-england Princess Sabra
a-england Dragon
I just got 4 of the 7 in the mail the other day and I can’t wait to swatch these babies! They should be up at a-england soon if they aren’t yet. I placed my order early by emailing the owner Adina. You can also place an order for these from several other online e-tailers like Overall Beauty when they become available.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011
If you still have some stockings to fill for a nail polish lover and haven’t even hit Walmart yet, you might want to now! These are only $1 each and most of them fared very well with me. Here are the limited edition shades from Hard Candy for Holiday 2011.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011
These have no names to them so we’ll just go by color. First up is the orange. This one has a foil finish and dries matte. I used a top coat in the last shot to show how it shines with it. Formula for this one is on the thin side, but dries very fast. It’s sheer when you apply thinner coats. I used 3 for this one.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Orange (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Orange (in shade)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Orange (with top coat)
Next up is the blue. This one has the same finish as the orange. Formula was thicker than the orange and applied better. This one’s more opaque than the orange. I used 2 coats for this.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Blue (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Blue (in shade)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Blue (with top coat)
Here we have the pink. Same story as the previous 2 shades, has a foil finish and dries matte. Formula is more similar to the orange one. It looks more glass fleck though with the top coat. It might be the angle or lighting. It’s a little bit on the sheer side. I went back to using 3 coats for this one to even it out.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Pink (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Pink (in shade)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Pink (with top coat)
Next we have the green. This one has a different finish than the previous 3. This is made up of green and gold glitter in a green jelly base. It dries to a glossy finish. The smell of this one is quite different from the other 3. It’s much stronger and reminds me of the formula from the good ‘ol days. Formula is great and this applied beautifully. It’s pretty sheer, so I stopped at 2 coats when swatching to show that.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Green (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Green (in shade)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Green (look at how squishy this is!)
We go back to the matte finish with the purple. The only difference with this shade compared to the other 3 matte shades is that the base of this is shimmer rather than foil. It has tiny pink glittery particles mixed in. Formula was okay. I used 2 coats for this.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Purple (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Purple (in shade)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Purple (with top coat)
Now we have my favorite among all 8, black. I didn’t expect much from this shade, but it surprised me a lot! It’s a gorgeous black shade with silver glitter. This one dried glossy. Formula was great and it smelled just like the green one. Shown is 2 coats.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Black (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Black (in shade)
Next up is gold. Like the green one, this is meant more for a glitter top coat. This shade is basically gold glitter in a slightly yellow (tinted yellow maybe?) base. It looks so squishy and jelly-ish. Formula was very good and the smell again is similar to the green and black. I sense a trend here with the glossy finish shades in terms of smell. Hmmmmm……that may just be me though. I used 2 coats for this one.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Gold (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Gold (in shade)
Last shade is silver. I can’t quite remember if this one smelled like the green, black and gold. The finish is not glossy really, leaning toward the matte side. This shade is a silver foil shade that’s sheer. Another one meant to be used for layering over other shades. Formula was easy to work with and dries fast. Shown is 2 coats. For some reason, I didn’t even bother using a top coat with this one even when it didn’t dry glossy.
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Silver (direct sunlight)
Hard Candy Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polish 2011 Silver (in shade)
What I love about this product? Even though it comes at a smaller size of 4 ml / 0.14 fl oz, you can’t go wrong for $1. Regular sized bottles comes to $5, so this is actually a good price for them! There is a good variety to choose from (8 shades) and is pretty accessible for most (available at Walmart). Some of these finish are more glass fleck than foil, but it doesn’t matter in the big picture. How pretty they are makes it a WIN situation for me.
What I don’t like about this product? Formula is not consistent, but for the price and the lovely shades…..it doesn’t even faze me.
This item retails for $1 each and are available exclusively at Walmart. For the price, it’s worth it compared to similar items from other brands for more than double the price of these. I’ll be hunting down backups for the black, gold and silver definitely.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Finger Paints Merry & Bright Swatches
So how does Finger Paints Merry & Bright Collection look in person compared to the press release? Read on! First up is Frosty Night.
Finger Paints Frosty Night
Frosty Night is a plain silver glitter shade. The silver glitter suspended in clear base isn’t the kind that gives of any holographic properties when light hits it. It’s just plain silver. Formula is a little bit goopy, but manageable to work with. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Frosty Night (in shade)
Finger Paints Frosty Night (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Frosty Night (close-up)
Next up is Winter Sky.
Finger Paints Winter Sky
Winter Sky is the shimmery shade that surprised me the most. I didn’t expect it to look the way it did. I don’t have anything quite like it, but I am not completely in love with this shade either. Shown is one thicker coat with no top coat.
Finger Paints Winter Sky (in shade)
Finger Paints Winter Sky (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Winter Sky (close-up)
Then we have Yule Be Merry.
Finger Paints Yule Be Merry
Yule Be Merry surprised me with the slightly blue or purple flash I see especially under direct sunlight. It’s a pretty magenta shimmer shade and probably my favorite in this collection just cause of the color. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Yule Be Merry (in shade)
Finger Paints Yule Be Merry (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Yule Be Merry (close-up)
The green in this bunch is called Comet’s Collar.
Finger Paints Comet's Collar
Another shade that surprised me is this one. I did not expect Comet’s Collar to have glass fleck-ish shimmer. The green in this shade leans yellow. Formula for this is pretty decent. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Comet's Collar
Finger Paints Comet's Collar
Finger Paints Comet's Collar
The red in this Holiday Collection is called Santa Kisses.
Finger Paints Santa Kisses
To be honest, I was disappointed with this one. It’s just plain red glitter in a clear base. We’ve seen it done over and over again, so this is nothing new. The glitter isn’t very bright either to wow me. There are lots of other better red glitter shades out there. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Santa Kisses (in shade)
Finger Paints Santa Kisses (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Santa Kisses (close-up)
Finger Paints Santa Kisses (with flash)
Last shade in this bunch is called Drummer Boy.
Finger Paints Drummer Boy
I know a lot of readers were curious about this shade in particular. Well, Drummer Boy is a plain blue glitter shade. I like the shade of blue, makes me think of the blue and silver color combination for the Holidays. Out of all 3 glitters in this collection, I think this is the one I like the most. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Finger Paints Drummer Boy (in shade)
Finger Paints Drummer Boy (direct sunlight)
Finger Paints Drummer Boy (close-up)
Overall? I’m a bit disappointed with this collection in comparison to other brands’ Holiday offerings. But not all is lost. A lot of these shades still managed to pleasantly surprise me, but it’s not enough to make me jump for joy. I think their last year’s collection really nailed it and this pales in comparison to that. Formula is pretty standard for shimmers and a bit on the goopy side for glitters. The glitter shades leaves some grittiness to the touch, but not as rough as sandpaper or the texture of concrete. These shades are available in Sally Beauty Supply stores and online for $4.99 each.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Etude House Dear Darling Bling Bling WH004
I thought this shade I sported was fitting for Halloween too. Here is Etude House Dear Darling Bling Bling WH004.
Etude House Dear Darling Bling Bling WH004
Isn’t that pretty?! I won’t babble on much more. Just enjoy the pictures. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Etude House Dear Darling Bling Bling WH004 (in shade)
Etude House Dear Darling Bling Bling WH004 (direct sunlight)
Etude House Dear Darling Bling Bling WH004 (close-up)
I had to auto color correct the last one cause it was too bright.
Again, I got this from my trip back in July to the Philippines. You can try scoring this beauty on eBay as well. There are some sellers based in Korea there that sells these for a reasonable price.
Finger Paints Merry & Bright Collection
I got my hands on these yesterday! I won’t have swatches up until this weekend at the very least though.
EDIT: Swatches here.
Finger Paints Merry & Bright Collection
And more detailed shots for all your heart’s desire….
Finger Paints Frosty Night
Finger Paints Winter Sky
Finger Paints Yule Be Merry
Finger Paints Comet's Collar
Finger Paints Santa Kisses
Finger Paints Drummer Boy
These shades will be available in stores and online starting November 2011. They retail for $4.99 each.
Ruby Kisses Steel Magnolia 113
Hey guys! How are y’all doing? I’m still recovering from my cough and cold, so I wasn’t able to swatch some other glittery stuff I got recently. I do have a treat for you guys today! To match my blah mood, here’s another shade from Ruby Kisses that I have grown to love. It’s called Steel Magnolia, also known as 113.
Ruby Kisses Steel Magnolia 113
Steel Magnolia is a charcoal shimmery shade. The shimmer in this is silver, giving it an almost glass flecked look. It is quite pigmented, but I used more than one coat for full opacity. Formula was good and applied smoothly onto my nails. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Ruby Kisses Steel Magnolia 113 (in shade)
Ruby Kisses Steel Magnolia 113 (direct sunlight)
Ruby Kisses Steel Magnolia 113 (close-up)
Quite stunning for a very affordable brand of polish. I doubt it’s a dupe to any of the high end brands, but for a few bucks….it’s a win in my book.
Ruby Kisses products are available online here. I know that my friend has told me she spotted Ruby Kisses at her local beauty supply stores as well.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Milani Instantaneous Blue
This is the last shade I have from Milani from their High Speed Fast Dry Line. It’s called Instantaneous Blue.
Milani Instantaneous Blue
This shade is part of their July Limited Edition Summer Products line. They were carried at CVS drugstores and you may possibly still find them there if you’re lucky. Otherwise, try nabbing it online on their website under Limited Edition Products. It’s only there until supplies last. Formula was a bit on the thin side, but gave me no problems at all during application. I attempted to test their one coat formula claim again and this shade definitely requires more than that even if you try it with a thicker coat (I did, no bueno for me). Not a big deal though for me. You can still see a little bit of my nail line in the pictures. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Milani Instantaneous Blue (in shade)
Milani Instantaneous Blue (direct sunlight)
Milani Instantaneous Blue (close-up)
Not bad at all. The shimmer in this is leaning on the glass fleck side. I see a glow in it that’s not just plain shimmer. I’m glad I got all the shimmery shades from this line. Get them when you still can. These limited edition shades aren’t gonna stick around long!
Milani Brisk Orange
Hey y’all! I have another shade from Milani’s latest collection, MEWOW Look At My Nails!, for you guys today. This one took me by complete surprise. I liked it cause it’s not a creme shade, but I didn’t expect more than that. The finish is what gave it the oomph. Here is Brisk Orange.
Milani Brisk Orange
Um, wow. That’s all I can say really about this shade. It’s a juicy orange that’s full of glass flecked goodness. Formula is great and it applied on my nails with no problems. It dries pretty fast too. Even though this is part of their High Speed Fast Dry One Coat Formula, I didn’t think that it would even come close to passing for a one coater and I was right. It’s pretty sheer with one coat. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Milani Brisk Orange (in shade)
Milani Brisk Orange (direct sunlight)
Milani Brisk Orange (close-up)
Milani Brisk Orange (different angle)
One of my favorite oranges ever. It’s up there with Finger Paints Outta Sight Orange.
Shades from the MEWOW Look At My Nails! Collection should be available in select Walgreens stores this month nationwide for about $4.99 each. You can also grab these on their website while they still have ‘em.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Milani Blue Lightening
Blue Lightening (I keep trying to spell lightening correctly!) is part of Milani’s latest collection MEWOW Look At My Nails!, which features a few new high speed fast dry polishes. I didn’t think much about this shade based on the press release picture, but after reading what NouveauCheap wrote on her blog….I knew there was more to it than my first impression.
Milani Blue Lightening
Blue Lightening had a lot of promise when seen in person. At least just based on looking at the bottle. There is some duochrome yumminess going on in there! I mean, just look at it! I kept tilting the bottle back and forth to see the color change. Formula was nice and smooth. It dries really fast and it’s not gritty like most sparkly shades, probably cause it’s a glass fleck sparkle instead of glitter. I do believe that this shade can pass for the one coat formula that it claims to be. I tend to apply very thin coats, so I ended up using more than one. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Milani Blue Lightening (in shade)
Milani Blue Lightening (direct sunlight)
Milani Blue Lightening (close-up)
Milani Blue Lightening (lighting changed)
Milani Blue Lightening (last shot)
My only complaint is I can’t really see the duochrome that much. It doesn’t show up in the pictures at all for me, but it’s there in person. Don’t expect buying this and being blown away by being a duochrome. I do love the glass fleck sparkle in this beautiful blue. It’s simply stunning, don’t you agree?
Shades from the MEWOW Look At My Nails! Collection should be available in select Walgreens stores this month nationwide for about $4.99 each. You can also grab these on their website while they still have ‘em.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Mattese Elite Cosa Nostra Swatches
Mattese Elite has release another collection recently, Cosa Nostra, which is mob themed. The 6 piece collection features more vibrant shades that I prefer than their Ballet Colors Of Me Collection, but my favorite so far is still shades from their Happy Hour Collection. I’ve had this collection for about 2 weeks now and have used them as full manis over that time span.
We begin with Boss.
Mattese Elite Boss
Boss is a light gunmetal shade with a frosty finish. The shade reminds me of cold steel or bullets, quite fitting for the theme. As many of you know, frosts don’t play nice in general and is probably my least favorite type of finish. I do love the color, but the finish makes application a pain. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Mattese Elite Boss (in shade)
Mattese Elite Boss (direct sunlight)
Next up is Vig.
Mattese Elite Vig
Vig is a shade that I thought I’d like a lot, but it fell short in meeting my expectations in person. I will say that it is definitely more pigmented than I thought. It is a drab blue creme that’s opaque in one coat, but I applied another to cover up a smudge. Formula was a bit thicker than the rest, but that is possibly due to the fact that it leaked a little bit during shipping. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Mattese Elite Vig (in shade)
Mattese Elite Vig (direct sunlight)
Mattese Elite Vig (close-up)
The one that surprised me in this collection is Consigliere.
Mattese Elite Consigliere
Consigliere is light blue creme with a teeny touch of grey. It reminded me a lot of another shade from their Ballet Colors Of Me Collection, Developpe, but they’re not close at all to even think they might be dupes. Formula was good and it applied smoothly onto my nails. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Mattese Elite Consigliere (in shade)
Mattese Elite Consigliere (direct sunlight)
Mattese Elite Consigliere (close-up)
Next is my favorite of the bunch, Goomah Comare.
Mattese Elite Goomah Comare
Okay, it’s no surprise that this is my favorite shade among all 6 in this collection. I am not a huge fan of more neutral or work safe or drab shades. I like vibrant colors and this one just so happens to be the shade that has the most pop of color. Goomah Comare is a bright pink shimmer. Formula is excellent. It applied onto my nails evenly. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Mattese Elite Goomah Comare (in shade)
Mattese Elite Goomah Comare (direct sunlight)
Mattese Elite Goomah Comare (close-up)
Next up is Whack.
Mattese Elite Whack
Whack is a shade I knew I was gonna have trouble deciding if I love it or hate it. After trying it on and leaving it on my nails for 2 days, I am still undecided. Whack is a plum purple creme. It’s very pigmented, but requires 2 coats for full opacity. Formula is good and it applied smoothly onto my nails. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Mattese Elite Whack (in shade)
Mattese Elite Whack (direct sunlight)
Mattese Elite Whack (close-up)
Lastly, we have Capo.
Mattese Elite Capo
Capo is a grey shade with flecks of shimmer. I actually will classify it as a glass fleck shade even if the glass flecks are more sparse that those that usually fall in this category. Formula was good and it applied smoothly onto my nails. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Mattese Elite Capo (in shade)
Mattese Elite Capo (direct sunlight)
Mattese Elite Capo (close-up)
Overall? Not bad. The wear on Mattese Elite shades have always been great for me when I do leave them on for days. Their formula is pretty consistent and there are a few shades in this collection that are very pigmented, some that you can get away with just one coat. They have churned out several collections already this year. I can’t wait to see what they might be offering for Halloween and for the Holiday season.
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.*
OPI Miss Universe Swatches
I didn’t think much about this collection when I saw the press release, but I am pleased to say that for the most part some shades blew me out of the water. I thought to myself that this is just another collection with pretty much the same ‘ol stuff. One shade that stood out? Swimsuit…Nailed It! It’s possibly the most gorgeous blue I have ever seen. Without further ado, here are the 4 shades from the Miss Universe Collection from OPI.
First up is Congeniality Is My Middle Name.
OPI Congeniality Is My Middle Name
Congeniality Is My Middle Name is a shade with a name just a tad too long for my preference. It doesn’t take away from the beauty of this shade though. This berry-wine number packs in a lot of shimmer that it quite hard to capture with the camera, which is why I also included a shot taken with flash on. Formula was almost on the watery side. It applied smoothly onto my nails, but requires more coats as 2 thin ones were not enough for this beauty to show well enough in pictures. I retook photos that show 3 thin coats with no top coat.
OPI Congeniality Is My Middle Name (in shade)
OPI Congeniality Is My Middle Name (direct sunlight)
OPI Congeniality Is My Middle Name (close-up)
OPI Congeniality Is My Middle Name (with flash)
Next is a shade called It’s MY Year.
OPI It’s MY Year
This shade reminds me a lot of Zoya Faye. It looks kinda close to me, but not dupes at all. It’s MY Year is a very pretty rose-pink purple with gold foil shade. It’s pretty even though it’s not something new to me per se. Formula was good and it dries pretty fast. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
OPI It’s MY Year (in shade)
OPI It’s MY Year (lighting changed)
OPI It’s MY Year (direct sunlight)
OPI It’s MY Year (close-up)
OPI It’s MY Year (lighting changed again)
Next up is my favorite, a blue called Swimsuit…Nailed It!
OPI Swimsuit…Nailed It!
Oh. My. God. I die. This shade is absolutely stunning. This has to be the prettiest blue I have seen yet. And to think that this was the shade I dismissed most based on the press release! Wow…..that’s all I have to say. You can see the pictures for yourself. It speaks volumes. It tells all. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
OPI Swimsuit…Nailed It! (in shade)
OPI Swimsuit…Nailed It! (direct sunlight)
OPI Swimsuit…Nailed It! (close-up)
Last is another one I didn’t give much thought about, Crown Me Already!
OPI Swimsuit…Nailed It!
I’ll admit, I thought to myself that this is so much alike with OPI Servin’ Up Sparkle and wasn’t too thrilled to have this one in the set. It’s similar enough for most to justify owning only one of them, but I can see the difference enough for me to own both. Crown Me Already! is a very pretty glitter shade that I can easily use on its own and not just as a glitter top coat. That is one of the main difference I noticed between that and Servin’ Up Sparkle. To me, Crown Me Already! is more opaque and the other main difference is the glitter. The glitter in this shade is purely silver like the surface of a mirror. Shown is just one coat with no top coat.
OPI Crown Me Already! (in shade)
OPI Crown Me Already! (direct sunlight)
OPI Crown Me Already! (close-up)
These should be available in various retail stores nationwide such as ULTA and Trade Secret. Have you gotten any of these shades yet?
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
Nicole by OPI Something About Color Swatches
Nicole by OPI added 4 shades to their Something About Spring Collection to take that line from Spring to Fall. The new additions are added to 8 shades from the Something About Spring Collection to make up the Something About Color Collection. This is also a Target exclusive collection.
First up is Green Up Your Act!
Nicole by OPI Green Up Your Act!
Green Up Your Act! is an olive green creme shade that glided onto my nails smoothly. It dries pretty fast for a creme shade and it’s perfect for fall. I know green lovers out there will love this shade. This was the last shade I swatched after swatching many other shades, so my cuticles are quite beat up at this point. I apologize for that. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Nicole by OPI Green Up Your Act! (in shade)
Nicole by OPI Green Up Your Act! (direct sunlight)
Nicole by OPI Green Up Your Act! (close-up)
Next up Sounds Grape To Me (haha!).
Nicole by OPI Sounds Grape To Me
Sounds Grape To Me is a beautiful burgundy glass flecked shade. The color is so rich that it was impossible for me not to fall in love with it. And of course….I love me some glass flecks! 
Formula was good and it dries pretty fast on my nails. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Nicole by OPI Sounds Grape To Me (in shade)
Nicole by OPI Sounds Grape To Me (direct sunlight)
Nicole by OPI Sounds Grape To Me (close-up)
Next one’s called It’s Not Me, It’s Blue.
Nicole by OPI It
The names in this collection are cracking me up. It’s Not Me, It’s Blue is not the blue shade I envisioned it to be based on the name. There’s some blue in it, but it screams silver to me for the most part. It actually reminded me of Nicole’s Nickel, even though I that one’s a glitter. This one is a bit watery among the 4 shades. I had to use an extra coat to cover up a bald patch after 2 thin coats. Shown is 3 thin coats with no top coat.
Nicole by OPI It's Not Me, It's Blue (in shade)
Nicole by OPI It's Not Me, It's Blue (direct sunlight)
Nicole by OPI It's Not Me, It's Blue (close-up)
The last one in the collection is I Love You Cherry Much.
Nicole by OPI I Love You Cherry Much
This one’s an absolute stunner! I Love You Cherry Much is a beautiful glass flecked cherry red shade. I absolutely adore it. It almost look like a flakie shade! Application was nice and smooth. Shown is 2 thin coats with no top coat.
Nicole by OPI I Love You Cherry Much (in shade)
Nicole by OPI I Love You Cherry Much (direct sunlight)
Nicole by OPI I Love You Cherry Much (close-up)
Nicole by OPI I Love You Cherry Much (lighting changed)
Remember that these shades are part of a Target exclusive collection. These should be available in Target stores nationwide starting August.
*Some products in this review may have been provided by the PR company or manufacturer for an honest opinion.*
