Cirque Awakening and Matte Look Topcoat-- Spring 2015

*press sample

Cirque Awakening-- Spring 2015

  There's nothing like a gorgeous new collection from a fabulous and renowned boutique artist to snap a gal out of a nail polish funk, and Cirque Colors' Spring 2015 collection, titled Awakening, did just that for me... and how!  Awakening is a set of five uniquely flecked creme polishes and introduces Cirque's new Matte Look mattifying topcoat, a simply brilliant move on creator Annie's part because these five polishes are just delicious mattified, like semi-precious stones.  Each swatch is shown with two coats of polish and one coat of Matte Look topcoat.

Zoya Delight-- Spring 2015

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Zoya Delight-- Spring 2015

  Happy March!!  We're definitely in like a lamb here in the PNW, so the vibrant pastels of Zoya's Spring 2015 collection feel absolutely, perfectly lovely.  The set of six contains three cremes and three shimmers, the latter of which are just outstanding in this late winter sun and tied together by the same iridescent aqua flash.  I'll start with these.  All swatches shown with topcoat.

Essie Cashmere Mattes-- Spun In Luxe

  I've not been overly excited about nail polish lately, and have found myself settling happily and comfortably into a rotation of neutrals, reds, berries, and greys.  One of the reasons Essie's Cashmere Matte collection caught my eye is because they are classic, sophisticated colors in a fun and edgy finish.  I'll admit that I initially had four of the set of six pegged as must-haves but when it came down to it, I chose the colors I knew I'd actually wear.  This one is Spun In Luxe.

Essie Cashmere Mattes-- Spun In Luxe

L'Oreal Sparkling Soirée Holiday 2014-- Bring The Rubies

  L'Oreal polishes are always kind of a treat for me.  I love the elegance of the rectangular bottle and the brushed gold cap, the small, flat, tapered brush is a perfect fit for my nails, and the formulas are consistently nice, regardless of finish.  For $5.99 a bottle, it's a treat that's totally affordable, too.

   L'Oreal's holiday 2014 collection is made up of eight different polishes, including four glitter toppers and four corresponding solid colors, including the rich and lovely Bring The Rubies.  This color isn't unique.  As prolific as metallic reds are, and as much as I adore the shade in the first place, though, I've never actually managed to land one in my stash until now.

L'Oreal Sparkling Soirée Holiday 2014-- Bring The Rubies

Zoya Wishes-- Winter 2014

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Zoya Wishes-- Winter 2014

  I've had some trouble trying to figure out exactly what vibe the Zoya faeries were going for when they created this year's winter collection, titled Wishes.  It's equal parts rich, dark, and cold, anchored by another trio of Pixiedusts and supplemented by a complementing creme, frost, and microshimmer.    

Sinful Shine Prosecco

  So I bought myself a new outfit for Thanksgiving and I was pondering last night what shoes and nail polish to wear with it.  In my not inconsiderable collections of each, there is no reason on earth I wouldn't be able to find something that'll go.  I still haven't worked the shoe thing out (which bugs me because I'm usually pretty instinctual about such things) but the polish problem is faring much better... I don't know if this'll be it, but it will be something along these lines, at the very least.

  Sinful Shine Prosecco will go down as one of the biggest polishes of 2014 on account of its sudden disappearance from Sinful Colors displays the US over, and it's funny because it's a neutral.  It was wild getting on my facebook and watching so many gals go completely crazy over something that would have otherwise been written off as nice, safe, work appropriate... all fine qualities for a polish to have, but not ones that tend to take a large community by storm.  Ah, the power of discontinuation and shimmer!

Sinful Shine Prosecco

Celestial Bon Temps-- True Blood Inspired Collection

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Celestial Bon Temps collection

  Hi everyone!!  Celestial Cosmetics and etailer Color4Nails have teamed up for the second year in a row to bring us a fall collaboration collection.  This year's set is titled Bon Temps named after the town in which vampire tv show True Blood is set and inspired by the popular show.  Bon Temps consists of six deep, dark, shimmery glassfleck duochrome beauties, similar in nature to this summer's Aurora {HERE}, which I adore.  This was an exciting set for me to open.  To avoid being repetitious-- each photo is shown in two coats with one layer of topcoat.

Powder Perfect Swatches and Review

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Powder Perfect Cosmetics

  Hi all!!  Powder Perfect is a new to me indie brand that I've been seeing raves about for the past few months.  It's a diverse line of unique glitter combinations, a multitude of finishes, and intriguing inspiration, and I'm stoked to be able to try a small cross section of their offerings.

  Shadowhunter, from the Shadowhunter collection, is a deep, shimmery indigo.  The base is watery thin and required a steady hand, a little cleanup, and three coats to be fully opaque, but once it's there, it's outstandingly dramatic and beautiful.  Finished with one layer of topcoat.

Halloween Nails featuring Glam Polish

*previously provided press samples

  Hi everyone!!  One fabulous Halloween nail look has been jumping out at me this year, and that is the light green base paired with a bold glitter.  You all know I'm not really a glitter person, but what better time than Halloween to step outside your norm and be a little different?  I was stoked to find I had a perfect pairing in my stash-- Glam Polish Tinker Bell, a super shimmery spring green, and Glam Polish Graveyard Smash, a bright mix of red, purple, and kelly green glitters.

Halloween Nails featuring Glam Polish

WetnWild Fantasy Makers 2014 (partial)

  

WetnWild Fantasy Makers 2014

  October is here!! To kick off one of my favorite months in the year, I'm sharing some swatches of this year's WetnWild Fantasy Makers nail polishes (I've had them since the end of August... these things come out earlier and earlier, I tell ya!).  I chose two of the collection of five, but before I start in on the colors, the repackaging is worth mentioning.  They're still the cute little tombstone shape, but instead of the mottled grey headstone emblazoned with "R.I.P.", the cap is a satin finish black printed with little silver skulls (links to previous collection picks at the end of the post).  These bottles kind of look like Darth Vader with a new wardrobe.

WetnWild Eggplant Frost

  Hello, everyone!!  One of my first major polish lems was Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Burgundy Orchid {HERE} and {HERE}, lol.  It is gorgeous in every sense of the word but the top photo in {THIS POST} from Munia's Nails has haunted me these years because that dark blue to red to purple flash does not occur without flash photography.  It's a color I've not been sure I'd find because of current nail polish trends.  Enter WetnWild Eggplant Frost, a 99¢ dealie from the Wild Shine line, one that I've seen around but not paid much attention to until a fellow polish lover posted about it in one of my facebook groups (follow her, MyOrdinaillyLife, on instagram {HERE}).  

WetnWild Eggplant Frost

Gloss N Sparkle Symmetry, Above Deck, and Harlot

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Gloss N Sparkle Symmetry, Above Deck, and Harlot

  Hi everyone!  Gloss N Sparkle is a new to me Aussie indie line of gorgeous effects polishes.  I'm excited to show you three of their core line.

Maybelline Color Show Limited Edition Fall 2014 Plum As You Are

  Hi all!!  Back in fall of 2012, I passed up on Maybelline's Downtown Brown so many times I lost count and lived to regret not picking up the limited edition duochrome shimmer (and at Maybelline's price point, I really had no excuse).  Not too keen on letting that happen again, I snagged one of the more interesting LE offerings for this fall, a dark grey with violet shimmer called Plum As You Are before I had time to talk myself out of it.

Maybelline Color Show Plum As You Are

Transitional Metals

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Transitional Metals

  Hi all!!  I've been on a metallic kick since {Mommy Does Her Nails} mentioned how much she'd been loving them on her toes a couple weeks ago.  Their bright, shimmery glowiness feels perfect for August and the transition from summer to... well, late summer.  Fall can wait :) Here are a few of my favorites.

Cult Nails Flushed/Max Factor Fantasy Fire Comparison

 Hi everyone!!  I had a request (sort of; it was more like bouncing ideas off and getting a positive response) to do a comparison between two purple polishes with pink shimmer and lots of depth-- Max Factor Fantasy Fire and Cult Nails Flushed.

 

  The differences are obvious as soon as you start working with them.  Index and ring-- Cult Nails Flushed; middle and pinky-- Max Factor Fantasy Fire.
  Flushed is a cream based dusky purple with a subtle, slightly duochrome pink to gold shimmer, thin, but opaque in two coats.
  Fantasy Fire is a bright violet jelly with a very flashy multichrome pink to gold to green shimmer and looks optimal by itself in four coats.

Cult Nails Flushed

  Hi all!!  Just a quick post today as I'm feeling a little under the weather (but not to the point where I couldn't take pictures of my nails, naturally).  Before I actually pulled the trigger on my first Cult Nails purchase, I was highly besotted with Flushed, from 2012's Behind Closed Doors collection.  I'm now the super happy owner of one and I LOVE IT.

  Flushed is a dusty violet purple with a deep, beautiful pink shimmer that gives the polish a more straightforward Fantasy Fire look but without the multichrome shift.  Flushed is opaque in two coats rather than the multiple it takes for FF, and it's still got the most amazing glow.  Formula is great, very easy to apply with minimal cleanup.  I finished with one layer of topcoat.

A Little (discontinued) Catrice Swatch Spam

  

  Hi friends!!  Right before international shipping prices jumped sky-high and overseas swapping became a luxury I could no longer afford, my good friend Christine at Polished Marvels and I got in a couple good ones.  She sent me a few polishes from one of my very favorite international brands, Catrice, and they're treasures in my collection... even more so when I found out all my colors had been discontinued.  So, my bad for being remiss in posting about them; I don't know about you, though, but I kind of think looking at vhtf/d/c'd polish swatches is fun. :)

Zoya Awaken Collection

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  Hi friends!!  FINALLY, after so much waiting and inclement weather holdups around the country, the Zoya Awaken Spring 2014 collection has landed, and when they started showing up in our mailboxes, whether as a set or with our spring promos, weren't we all just pretty much stoked to pieces?!  I know I was.  Awaken is a gorgeous and vibrant set of pastel metallic, shimmer, and creme polishes with one iridescent glitter topper that complements each solid color in a unique and lovely way.

Introducing Joss Affinite

*press sample

  Good morning, everyone!!  A package of polishes in a brand totally new to me arrived in my mailbox the other day.  Joss Affinite is an Australian brand of professional salon lacquers that come in glitter and holo finishes.

  Sudden Impulse is a straightforward, fun, and gorgeous quinacridone red linear holo. 

Nubar Indigo Illusion

  Hi all!!  Ever on the search for gorgeous duochromes am I, and Nubar's got some fantastic ones.  Indigo Illusion is purportedly one of the strongest, prompting fellow blogger Erika of Icy Nails to call it "death by duochrome" during a facebook conversation sometime last year.  I had to have it.

  The interesting thing about Nubar duochromes is that they seem to be more duochrome shimmers in a monochromatic base.  Most duochromes demonstrate flashes of color that permeate the entire polish, but Nubars have a surface change, still very strong on account of how much shimmer pigment is in each polish, but sort of floating on top with a subtle permeation; more of a suspension than a solution.  Anyway, here's Indigo Illusion, a dusty, medium toned midnight teal with a rosy pink, green, and gold flash.  Tasty.