14 June 2016

I have no idea what this polish is, but I do know it's black


Eccentric English Boyfriend picked this polish up for me in China, back when he was travelling there a lot. There is not a jot of English on the bottle so I have no idea of brand or colour name, but I do know that it is a fantastic true black. Many black polishes have brown undertones that muddy their colour somewhat, but this is as black as a black thing on a black night.

Fantastic formula which would have been one coat if I applied it thicker; for me it was two. The formula was let down somewhat by the brush, which is flat and cut straight across - the bristles weren't flexible enough to bend around the curves so it was difficult to get a nice even line along the sides.

12 June 2016

Milani Hi-Res




From Milani's 3D Holographic range, Hi-Res is a subtle scattered holo in a lavender base. This was a typically thin holo formula, easy to apply, three coats for opaque coverage.

LA Girl unnamed blue


This polish came in an LA Girl nail art set. It was a bit of an impulse buy, and I ended up giving away the other three colours in the set, but kept this one. It doesn't have a name, but Mr 17 suggested it be called Steven. This is why his career as a Nail Polish Namer will probably never take off.

Steven didn't seem all that promising in the bottle but on the nail is a stunner of a sky blue. Somewhat streaky formula on the first coat, but excellent coverage by the second. Steven is a keeper.

Depend 171


Depend never fail to deliver, the formula of the polishes in these teeny bottles is always excellent in my experience. 171 is a lovely admiral blue, almost a one coater but I did two just to be sure.

10 June 2016

Love & Beauty Purple Multi




I'm not 100% sure that this polish is actually named "Purple Multi", but that's what it says on the sticker and I can't find a name anywhere else on the bottle, so that'll do. I picked this up for $0.99 in a bargain bin at Forever 21 when we were in San Francisco three years ago.

This colour is way more sheer than I would normally tolerate, but it really is so very very pretty. I mean just look at those gorgeous holo glitter pieces. This was (if I remember right, it was a few days ago) four coats and there is very definite visible nail line, but the formula was too thick and difficult to work with for me to want to try for any more. However, despite the difficult formula and the sheerness, this one is pretty enough to be a keeper.

Maybelline Dark Plum



Exactly what it says on the bottle - Dark Plum. Really lovely plum colour, leaning towards purple. I confess I can't remember how many coats this was, as it was several days ago, but I want to say it was probably three. Good application anyway.

Barry M Magnetic Neptune Sea



Magnetic nail polishes are a really cute idea, but they never really live up to their promise in my experience. It may be just me, but I find that the designs are crisp and clear immediately after applying the magnet, but not long after the magnetised particles start to drift back in with the rest of the formula and the design becomes blurry. Which is exactly what we've got here. The unmagnetised polish is a gorgeous silver blue, and when magnetised it becomes a blue shimmer background with a silver design. But then the silver particles start to migrate their way back into the blue and the design loses its clarity. Maybe it's just me, maybe some magnetic polishes are better than others, I don't know. If you've got any hints I'd love to hear them.

This was two coats, the first applied as normal, then after the second coat I held that nail to the magnet. For ages. Ages and ages. And then applied my top coat of Seche Vite. The design, which is a starburst, looked awesome immediately after doing this, but of course by the time I took the photos in daylight the next day it was just kind of ... fuzzy. So, not a huge success, but I think it's a keeper just because the unmagnetised colour is lovely.

Diamond Cosmetics Drift Away



Diamond Cosmetics do great purples, I have many in my stash. Drift Away is a gorgeous dusky mauve. Lovely workable formula, although very thin so it took four coats.

02 June 2016

Barry M Blueberry


 I wish I’d bought more of this Gelly range when I was in England, the colours are amazing. Blueberry is a lovely bold light blue. Two coats, if memory serves.

Diamond Cosmetics Oh, Tiff!


How many Tiffany blue nail polishes are too many? I’ll let you know when I get there.

A beautiful example of a Tiffany blue. A little more green than the photo shows, packed with a very delicate blue shimmer which gives it a lovely depth. Two coats, somewhat tricky formula to work with, as is always the case with colours of this type, but the payoff is worth it.

Revlon Wind Fall



Absolutely beautiful teal (which leans more green than the photo shows) packed with blue micro glitter. Two coats.

Ulta3 Midnight



Dark dark purple jelly, so dark that in everything but the brightest direct light it looks black. Kind of meh, really, I wanted to be able to see the colour. Two or three coats (this was a few days ago and I forget).

01 June 2016

Marks & Spencer Electric Purple


Bright dark purple jelly, two coats but it’s obvious from the photo I should have used three, very thin jelly formula. My Seche Vite top coat needed thinning, hence the obvious tip shrinkage.

Bloom Cyndi


Gorgeous bright citrus orange. Two coats, slightly thick formula that was a bit tricky to work with, but totally worth it.

Milani Spellbinding



Black jelly base packed with red glitter. Three coats and amazing application thanks to a lovely formula and a really nice brush.
Posted on April 16, 2016 with 1 note

Nails Inc Queensgate Mews


Two coats, lovely dark plum jelly.

Revlon Parfumerie Chocolate Truffle


Lovely dark chocolate brown, two coats, the most amazing sweet chocolatey scent.

Color Club Gift of Sparkle


Gorgeous plum/purple base with scattered holo glitter. Two coats, but it swallowed top coat - this is one coat of top coat and it could really have done with a second to smooth it and really bring out the holo.

China Glaze Rainstorm


Gorgeous dusky mid-blue with tiny blue glitter. But this level of opacity took six coats, and it’s still not 100% opaque.As much as I love the colour, this won’t be a keeper.