Illamasqua Radium Swatches

Hello, today's swatch is a colour that won't be to everyone's tastes but is totally mine and probably yours too Lizzy ;). Radium is a bright lime/electric green with darker green shimmer throughout, this doesn't make it shimmery but it adds dimension and shine to the colour. The shimmer is visible under artificial lighting though and it looks great!  

You are probably bored of hearing me rave about Illamasqua's quality so I'll skip it ;) but just so you know, this was a perfect two coater....

This colour is real bright but not neon bright which is a nice way to enter the neon trend I think, good for spring/summer but I loved wearing it now in winter, got a few dodgey looks from people thinking I had moldy nails but meh muggles will never understand a colour like this and that's why I love Illamasqua sooooo much :). 

                                       

I love their bottles, they feel so nice to hold and are easy on the eye ;). I've been eyeing up the new collection I'mperfection and am thiiiiis close to getting two of the speckled polishes, they're just so cute but I don't think I will as I can imagine only wearing them once (look at me being all mature and reasonable! What's happened??) but yeah, they look good on shorter nails, probably wouldn't look so good on mine ;). 

If you follow me on Instagram you'll have seen that I did do some nail art over this but I just couldn't decide and ended up disliking it and took it off within a couple of minutes of having it on :P so I didn't take a picture but you can see it in the instagram side box thing here if you wish. 

What do you think to Radium? Yay or nay? 

Illamasqua Kink swatches

Hey, tonight I have the beauty that is Illamasqua Kink from the Theatre of the Nameless collection, which was the first collection I saw from Illamasqua and I wanted these rubber finish polishes as soon as I saw them but I wasn't into spending a lot of money on make up then ;).

Kink is exactly my kind of colour, green and earthy, it reminds me a lot of Essie Going Incognito actually which is a colour I love :). As you'd expect from Illamasqua it was nearly opaque in one coat but I ended up doing three, you all know how deep my ridges are :(, but if you have nice smooth nails two would be plenty!

 



 

These are swatches without topcoat and you can see that the finish is still shiny but not glossy. I personally love the finish, I prefer it to straight matte to be honest, there's just something about the softness.

The pictures are pretty colour accurate in my opinion, forest green I believe!

 

My giveaway ended on sunday and I finally got around to picking the winner and I've already emailed her, the winner was Zsuzsa Vamosi! So congratulations to her :) yay! Thanks to everyone who entered! 

Hope you enjoyed

Dior Amazonia swatches

I am saying that this is the start of autumn in terms of my nail polish wearing, it has turned colder and windy and the days are gradually getting shorter (and I'm back to uni next saturday!!) so the jumpers are officially out of the cupboard. And so are the dusty cremes and jewel tones that only autumn can inspire! So the first of my autumnul colours is Dior Amazonia.
I got it for my birthday off my sister :) and is a lovely dark khaki creme with the Dior hidden shimmer. Perfect in two coats as to be expected from Dior with the tapered brush which makes application so easy.

This is the only colour accurate photo I took, you get an idea of how dark and delicious it is ;) it's perfect for cooler weather and would be a good way for green newbies to wear a green polish without it being in your face, it's a sophisticated colour :).

So I shall see you all soon with a very unseasonal nail art and possibly a tutorial too ;)

Graphic Lines nail art

Hi, I feel like I haven't blogged in ages and that's because I, like many others around the world have been making the most of this glorious weather! But I promise I am back now, I have a couple more posts lined up after this so that should tide me over until I change my nails :). 

You know how the best designs are the ones you didn't want to create initially? Well that is what happened today. I set myself an ambitious 5 different pattern design but it went completely wrong and then I got a new idea from the wreckage and I love it! I love instagram as there are so great nail artists showcased on there and my absolute favourite is astrowifey (type that into instagram to find her) she does amazing work and I urge you to check her out if you want to see some serious mini artworks! Anyway this mani is inspired by her :)

As usual I freehanded the lines with my nail art pen (you can probably tell on my pinkie!). The pink is one of the unknown color clubs, green is Kiko 345 Jade Green and yellow is Unicorn by Sinful Colors (from the wonderful Katee) I really like this yellow it's nice and soft and only takes two coats to reach opacity :). All three colours took two coats for opacity. 

Like I said earlier I really like these designs, they're quite simple and it's something different for me too and I think they look good ;). My favourites are the middle and index fingers. 

I should be getting some nail mail tomorrow :D only small but good! 

Seeyou all tomorrow! 

Paul & Joe 016 Mediterranean Swatches

Hi, long time no see! I've been busy putting all my possessions away at home and then I spent the day putting old clothes and shoes and my camera on ebay, it took soooo long *phew* glad it's done now though. 
I know I talk quite a bit about the weather on this blog it's cos I'm British ;) but omg it was so hot! Tuesday was amazing, I sat on my dads backgarden with a mini cheesecake and my kindle after I'd finished doing my nails, it was bliss! Anyway the point of this is that I wanted glitter because of the sun! So I finally used my ebay bargain of Paul & Joe. 


I'd looked up swatches of this polish and found hardly any and those I did find looked different to how it looks on my nails so hopefully if anyone comes across this polish in real life my swatches will convince them to get it!! This polish came out last summer and I haven't seen it anywhere so I'm sorry for showing you a rare ish (?) polish but it's too gorgeous to not show you! 

My first macro shot ;) how creepy is my skin! LOL! 

How gorgeous?! This is three coats which is where I think it looks the best, the other swatches I've seen show one or two coats which I find strange. Here goes my best try at describing this polish, prepare yourselves ;) it's a bluey green jelly with large circular duochrome "sequins" (blue to purple) and fine duochrome glitter (green to blue) with the occasional copper fine glitter with a very fine blue to purple microshimmer thoughout the green base. AKA gorgeousness in a bottle! 

I found a comparison between this and Deborah Lippmman's Across the Universe but like I said they only used two coats so it did look very different but I'm not sure how similar they would be at three coats, I think ATU has different shaped glitter etc. 

I love this so much, it's so pretty and I'm glad I stumbled across it :) I know a lot of people in this world dislike ebay (evilbay) but I personally love it, I always find a bargain like this polish, RRP £10.50....I got it for £3! Oh yeah ;). 

Asos had a 20% off sale so I got one of the new Paul & Joe polishes from their Midsummer Night's Dream collection, I'm sorry but don't you just love this brand! I got Sprite which should be arriving this week yay :) 

Wow this was a long one, making up for lost time ;) 

Spring Retro Nail art with the mysterious Color clubs

Lol! Good title right? :P
It's the only way I can describe what this mani is haha. So after yesterdays disaster nail day, I swiftly removed the Barry M and decided to do some fun nail art. I chose two of my newly acquired unknown Color clubs, a green and a pink (!!). Here are the 6 colours that I got in the "Alter Ego" set. 

L-R ?, Revealed, ?, ?, ?, ?

 The pink is okay for as it isn't straight pink, it has a purple undertone to it, if that is possible haha, I thought the green went perfectly with it, they looked pretty and spring appropriate. Here they are without the design. 

Pretty right? Both colours only took 2 coats each.  
Then I used the nail polish brushes to paint one stripe down the middle of each nail, they took forever to dry so I added SH ID to speed it up and then once they had dried I used my Wah nails art pen to draw the zig zag/ diamonds and that was it :)

The good thing about this design is that the zigzags don't have to be perfect, it adds to the fun when they are less perfect ;) I think it looks like a retro pattern off a pair of awful trousers from the 90s :P

Question: Why don't Color Clubs have names on the bottles??

Hope you enjoyed! 

Barry M Teal Swatches

Hi, yesterday I managed to find four of the new Barry M shades, Silvery Lilac, Black Multi Glitter, Teal and Denim, I bought the last two as they were the most interesting. I believe that Silvery Lilac is the same as Topshop Hypnotic! That let me down so I assumed that the Barry M would. Anywhooo Teal, I wanted to love it but I think it let me down, in the bottle it has a purple flash but it is not visible on the nail. 

It's pretty enough but I feel like it's something I would have seen donkeys ago, it just feels old fashioned, and I don't understand the conection between the new colours, they don't scream summer to me.....but then Barry M isn't really into collections so that is probably why. I think I'll be taking it off tomorrow morning and changing it to Denim as that looks gorgeous!! I have it on four of my toes and it looks hot! Haha :) 


what do you guys think? 

Maybelline Express Finish Khaki Green Swatches

Morning! 
Yesterday I went to TK Maxx (bad idea :P) and saw a set of 7 color clubs that were supposedly the Alter Ego Reveal your Mystery collection but when I got home and looked up swatches, I found that only three are from that collection and I have no idea what the other three are as they have no names on the bottles which I find weird. But anyway I bought this Maybelline polish the other day, I thought it was interesting. 
It was fairly sheer but easy to be built up, I used 4 thin coats with topcoat, 

 These two are with flash to show the shimmmmmer ;)

This is what it looks like normally, pretty :)

I really like this colour actually it's a nice pale green and the shimmer is pretty, it shows brushstrokes but it's not too bad, it's a quite refreshing colour like in the sense of it feels clean lol! It claims to dry in 40 seconds....not quite haha it was pretty quick though and it was really easy to apply so it was an enjoyable experience haha. 


Thanks to everyone who offered to get Candy Shop for me :) I've got it sorted now thanks to some lovely ladies :). 

Nails Inc. Emerald Street Swatches

Hi, I have the final Nails Inc polish to show you today from the boxset that I got a couple of weeks ago, this is the polish that really sold me on the entire set as I thought it was lovely and unique in my stash at least. It went on in two easy, supa smooth coats and dried nice and quickly and shiny too :)

It is a gorgeous glowy colour but I'm just not loving it right now, it feels too christmassy I guess, I might mattify it see what that does but I like the shimmer and shine lol. It feels like the green sister of Barry M Navy and Vivid Purple, I love those two polishes but I'm not sure about this one.

One thing this has shown me however is that I really need to invest in some ridge filler! Jeez it's like I have canyons on my nails....

I am still waiting on three packages, I swear I am one of the most impatient people ever! Its just that normally they get to me within a week of ordering :(. I am trying to resist going shopping tomorrow but I think I will fail :P. 

I might feel better about this polish in the light of day (literally) we shall see. 

Hope you enjoyed!

Max Factor Dazzling Blue Swatches and Review

Good evening! I am very excitable tonight as I have something super fun and well exciting happening sooon :). Tonight I have the most amazingly gorgeous polish eva...Max Factor Dazzling Blue, I guarantee that you will want it, it's beautiful *picture heavy post ahead*
First though the boring bit ;) it needs to be layered so I chose Blueberry Ice Cream by Barry M as the base colours seem pretty similar. It is a nice creme that is quite vibrant, I think mine has gone a bit gloopy as I have mistakenly left my polishes in their plastic box next to the window and I think the heat has made them a bit cray (new favourite word, thanks Kanye) so I have moved them and I hope they all go back to normal, if that is possible? Anywayyyyy I only used one coat as it would soon be covered. 

It looks bumpy cos it was, I was in a rush to get out in the sun and admire my nails lol. 

Now the exciting bit, Dazzling Blue is amazeballs, yep I said it, I also think that it deserves to be sold out all the time like it's sister Fantasy Fire, it's honestly that good!! 

This is what it looks like most of the time, blue with that amazing lime green shimmer and also a lemon yellow shimmer that comes from the top, this picture doesn't do it justice at all...it's so intense IRL. 

Blurry again but it shows the duochrome goodness! Purple, green and blue.

Blurry but in the shade you can see the purple that comes out to play.

Tomorrow I will try and take pictures that show it off even better as this polish deserves better. I sound a bit obsessed but that is because I am!! When I look at my nails it reminds me of butterflies, mermaids and the ocean, it's honestly so gorgeous. I can't stop looking at my nails, even more than when I was wearing Saint George! It's so fiery and intense, the green and the sparkle are unlike anything I've seen before. If you are in the UK you must get this! It makes me happy looking at it. 

I am wearing two coats with one coat of SH ID, it can be quite brush stroke prone at one coat but the second thick coat sorts it out as long as you are careful, yes there are still brush strokes but all I can see is the sparkle and shimmer of green! I am in love! Again :P. 

Underrated star, most definitely, I have only seen this polish on 1 blog, I can't believe it, it's so beautiful!

I hope you have enjoyed this polish as much as I have!

OPI Stranger Tides Swatches and Review

Hiya!
As promised, a little bit later than planned but w.e. I have OPI Stranger Tides for you today. Gah, I realllly really love this, it's such a perfect and wearable green especially if you aren't keen on greens, it's so sweet :).

The application was good but it was a bit hairy on the first coat as it was steaky and bald but the second coat sorted that out, I probably should have used a third coat but I had a design that I really wanted to do over this colour so I couldn't be bothered to wait haha. The thing I must say is that if you have really ridged nails, like I do, this polish is not forgiving it clings to them but that might be because it needed a third coat to be honest, I don't know! It dried in an okay time, I'm just getting to be more impatient :P. 

I'm really glad I bought this colour, I know that I will be wearing it again and again over spring and summer, the sun is kind of out today here and my nails feel happy like the weather :).

I think it really suits my pale and cool skin as it becomes really green but I have seen on others that is pulls more pale grey green, it all depends on your skin tone I guess, either way it's a really pretty colour IMO :)

So if you are a green lover I think you should own this one :) 

I'm doing a triple post today, I have a design to show you next and a list of my untrieds that I have to get through just for the fun of showing you :P

Seeyou soon!

Zoya Yara Swatches and Review

Hey, so tonight I am reviewing Yara from Zoya's Smoke and Mirrors collection, this is my chosen mani to go to London with, good choice I think ;). Yesterday I had Neeka on and oh my she came off so easily! I was expecting pain because of the tiny glitter particles but no it was smooth sailing, if only every removal was as easy.
Don't forget to click to enlarge

All photos taken without flash just artificial lighting, two coats and no topcoat. 

Looook at that gold!! 

All of these pictures are accurate in terms of colour and texture of the lovely Yara, it went on like Neeka....i.e. a dream *sigh* so smoooth and could have been opaque with one coat and she dried so quickly, I am amazed by Zoya, I need more shame I have literally no money :'(. 

I love this colour, green and gold shimmery olive, dusty gorgeous perfection in a bottle! I feel elegant wearing it, I just know people will also heart this colour, yay another gorgeous green.

There's nothing more to say other than if you haven't got this, what are you doing?! Go out and get it, NOW :). 

I got more nail mail today as well, Essie Limited addiction and Little Brown Dress, I know I am going to wear LA for Vday it looks to be a lush red. I am not going to be able to post tomorrow, sat or sunday but I will be back on monday! I hope Yara sees me through this weekend of galleries, shopping and eating, I'll let you know. 

I hope you all have a great weekend, seeyou soon!