Saturday, 31 May 2014

Dance Legend Top Sahara

Now here is something a little bit special. I first saw it on this lovely blog by Sarah at Penny Pinching Polish and I just had to have it. So, then I had to wait very patiently for it to come back in stock at Rainbow Connection. Once ordered it arrived very quickly, and it is fantastic.
Basically Dance Legend Top Sahara is a little bottle of sparkly textured magic, a couple of coats of this over an existing manicure and you have a sand effect finish.
I found it easy to apply and it dried quite quickly, quicker than I expected as textured polishes often take a while to be properly dry. I did use 2 coats, the effect was not as strong with just one coat.
I decided to try it over a thermal that I had had on for almost a week, Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum. In my opinion the effect was fantastic, lovely and sparkly! The thermal still worked although the pictures didn't really capture that too well. It seemed to make the mani a little bluer, so the grey was more of a slate grey and the purple more indigo - I didn't mind that. I loved it and I can't wait to try it again over another mani. I love textured polishes, and this top coat is everything I hoped it would be.
Dance Legend Top Sahara
Dance Legend Top Sahara
 Dance Legend Top Sahara
 Dance Legend Top Sahara
 Dance Legend Top Sahara
Here is an extreme close up, you can't really see the sparkle but hopefully you can see the effect.

Friday, 30 May 2014

Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum

Today's polish is my second Fancy Gloss, purchased from the wonderful Rainbow Connection. I bought this and Dark Knight mainly because they are thermals that are dark in their warm and cool state. Both are a mid grey in their warm state, but where Dark Knight is a deep blue, Sugar Plum is a gorgeous plummy purple, again with scattered holo glitter.
It's been a very busy week and I have worn this polish for a full 7 days. It is showing just the tiniest amount of tip-wear, and I have really loved wearing it, and watching the changes from grey through to purple. Quite frequently it was in a gradient state with purple tips blending into grey nails.
This polish applied and dried well. I did do a layer of Nails Inc Gilston Road underneath it in case it was not opaque in its warm state.
As you'll be able to see from the many pics, as the polish cools the grey turns to a reddish purple and then moves on to a deep plum purple when really cold, and all the time the scattered holo glitter adding to its beauty. I think must try a few more Fancy Gloss polishes - lovely colours and I am very impressed with how well this on lasted.
Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
 Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
 Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
  Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
 Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum
 Fancy Gloss Sugar Plum

Thursday, 22 May 2014

Picture Polish Illusionist

I have something rather lovely for you today. This is my first Picture Polish. They come all the way from Australia although I ordered mine from Sally Magpies, when she had a sale recently. Picture Polish released a set of Limited Edition polishes, all special effects top coats, and there was a lot of excitement about them. I wasn't too sure although I'd seen some great pictures but when Sally was selling everything at half price I just couldn't resist, and I am so glad I was in the right place at the right time as I expect these sold out very quickly!
This is a multi-chrome, with tiny silvery holographic glitter and it is truly beautiful. They are designed as layering polishes and most effective over black, although I have seen some lovely shots of them over paler shades. Illusionist shifts from a teal green through purple to deep pink and onto a gingery bronze at very extreme angles, so obviously I have taken lots of pics to try and capture some of those shifts. I used 1 coat over 2 coats of Nails Inc Black Taxi. It was very easy to apply, no streaking or patchiness and dried well.
The bottle says, just above the main name, "now you see me, now you don't" and that is quite true. In some lights the colour shift almost disappears and you just see the glitter, so over the black base it looks like a starry night. In fact at almost all angles the nails look like a night sky, with twinkling stars, with varying dark sky colours - absolutely mesmerisng. I could spend hours moving my hands around and watching the colours change!
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist
Picture Polish Illusionist






Monday, 19 May 2014

A England Dancing With Nureyev

When I first saw the A England Ballerina Collection, I knew that Dancing With Nureyev was the one I really wanted, so when Adina had her last sale, I leapt in and got it, along with Her Rose Adagio. I had dithered for a while in case it was too pale, and some swatches looked like the blue was quite subtle but actually its a lot bluer than I expected and I absolutely love it.
It is an interesting shade as in some lights I'd say it's a soft cornflower blue, in others it's quite steely. In the sunlight the holo is just gorgeous, stronger than my pictures have picked up and is pretty visible to the naked eye in most lights. I do find the holo has the effect of softening shades and I think that makes them very wearable.
The quality was lovely as ever, almost opaque in 1 coat; I have used 2 coats here and a topcoat. It painted on nicely, dried quickly and lasted well.
At the weekend I met up with some great friends who share my love of nail polish, so obviously it was extra important to have something special on my nails. I think I made a good choice, and luckily the sun shone, my nails looked the best that they could, and we all ate and chatted (mostly about nails) and had a wonderful time.
A England Dancing With Nureyev
A England Dancing With Nureyev
A England Dancing With Nureyev
 A England Dancing With Nureyev
 A England Dancing With Nureyev
 
 A England Dancing With Nureyev

Friday, 16 May 2014

Nails Inc Sao Paulo Streets

I have a lovely polish for you today, a real bargain too if you were lucky enough to pick them up 3 for 2 at a special reduced price at Tesco. This years Nails Inc InStyle polishes are Sao Paulo Streets, Cocacabana Coral ( a reddish coral) and Sugarloaf Sunset (vibrant pink).
I love my nude polishes and I haven't worn a pale nude for ages so I couldn't wait to try Sao Paulo Streets. It is fantastic; I wore it for 4 days without tiring of it, just a beautiful simple colour. This is one of the palest nudes I have, paler than Colville Mews and a little cooler. Although I'd call the shade cream, it has a pinky grey tinge to it rather than yellow and this may be why I loved it so much.
Perfect coverage in two coats, it lasted well, no chips and looked as good when I took it off as it did 4 days ago.
The coral is set to be a toenail colour for me, and I haven't tried the pink yet, swatches I've seen look good though, so all in all a good set from Instyle this year I think - when else would you get three Nails Incs for £5!!! and I'd happily have paid that just for Sao Paulo Streets.
Nails Inc Sao Paulo Streets
Nails Inc Sao Paulo Streets
 Nails Inc Sao Paulo Streets
 Nails Inc Sao Paulo Streets
Nails Inc Sao Paulo Streets
 Nails Inc Sao Paulo Streets

Monday, 12 May 2014

Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?

Yay! still loving thermal polishes! Today's polish is the very pretty Are You a Good Witch? by Liquid Sky Lacquer.
I was lucky enough to snap this one up on a sale page recently, in fact I bought 3 LSL thermals in the space of about 10 minutes! Well, it was my birthday so I was feeling generous to myself!!
When warm this is a beautiful rose pink, which would not be a normal colour choice for me, but softened by the delicate holo it is just perfect and I love it! When cool, it is a lovely plummy purple shade, and again the holo is an added delight. All stages of transition are pretty too, as the pink darkens through to purple, the various shades go so well together and I was delighted to see that this polish often stayed in a gradient, with lovely dusky purple tips and shimmery pink nails - if I could do a 2 colour gradient, this is how I would want it to be!
This is a lovely quality polish - good coverage in 2 coats, whether warm or cool, which is another plus in my book! I am completely in love with thermal holos - I love how the holo softens the overall effect, and how pretty they are even when not in direct sunlight.
I took a million pictures, then took forever whittling it down to a manageable amount.
Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
 Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
 Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
 Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
 Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
 Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?

 Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?
 Liquid Sky Lacquer Are you a Good Witch?

Friday, 9 May 2014

Freckles Polish French Martini

Today I have a deliciously gorgeous holographic polish for you. Sadly the weather is awful and I've had to resort to indoor photos, which I am not really geared up for except that I do have a flash on my camera- no light-box though, so apologies in advance that although I've managed to capture the holo, the clarity is not there and the colour is rather variable :( The redder pictures are using flash, the bluer ones are under the fluorescent lamp I use for working, as close to a daylight bulb as I could get.
Freckles Polish is another UK Indie. It's been around a little while but a couple of weeks ago Julieann launched the Happy Hour Holos Collection, 6 beautiful polishes named after cocktails. You can buy them from here, and see some more swatches too.
Today's polish is French Martini (I had to go and google what that was: basically vodka, raspberry liquer and pineapple juice - sounds lovely!). It is a rich red purple shade, darker than raspberry to be honest although in very bright light my camera has it looking more red. The quality is fantastic, painted on so well, and virtually opaque in one coat. I did do two coats, but I was amazed at the coverage on the first coat. It dried well, with a nice glossy finish, I have topcoated it and I don't think it has disrupted the holo at all.
I am so pleased I bought this, it is excellent quality and the colour is just perfect, it's dark and vampy and I am very comfortable wearing it. The holo is great, stunning in the rare flashes of sunlight, still visible in most lights but even when its not apparent the colour is so delicious anyway. And I'm delighted to see  that since the weather is so rubbish, the colour is not a bad match for the gloves I made to go with my other red holos!
Freckles Polish French Martini
Freckles Polish French Martini
Freckles Polish French Martini

Freckles Polish French Martini
Freckles Polish French Martini - taken with flash
 Freckles Polish French Martini
 Freckles Polish French Martini
 Freckles Polish French Martini
A couple of outdoor shots
 Freckles Polish French Martini
 Freckles Polish French Martini