Things I bought in the US

As promised, here are my purchases from my recent trip to the US.  We had a wonderful time, lots of things to see and do and I got to visit my first Harmon’s – very exciting! First up, some pics of the ranges I was hoping to see.  First up, Revlon Parfumerie.  I just love these. Then, more Revlon.  With the new Matte effects and Sun Candy ranges. Followed by new Wet N Wild megarocks! And now my purchases…..I’m going to add links to other blogs, in particular Nouveau Cheap, so that you can see the full range.  These are all US polishes and for Europe/UK ladies, you either need a trip to the US, a swap buddy or a look on eBay to get your hands on these.

These are the Color Shows I picked up, from the top Beaming Blue, Crushed Crimson and Amethyst Couture from the larger US Brocades range, beneath them Styled Out from the Denim Range and Dotty from the US Polka Dots range. Here we have my first new Covergirl polish in 315 Timless Rubies, Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer in Cinny Sweet (see the Fall 2013 range here), Wet N Wild megarocks in Slap the Bass and Milani Neon in Awesome Orange. No judging… I’m still not done…  L’Oreal in Hidden Gems and I Like it Chunky from the Gold Dust collection. More Sally Hansen goodies now, from the top right Fa-La-La-Lavender (Holiday 2013), Satin Glam in Silk Onyx and Sun Sheen (rest of the range here), Insta-Dry in Chop Chop Copper (Fall 2013).  Beneath them Twinkle Toes-ty (Holiday 2013) and Xtreme Wear in Rosey Shooter, Sea-ly String, Frazzle Dazzle and Green Rocket from the Fall 2013 range (see more info here) I’m very excited to try out these two from the new Sephora X collection.  This is Spark and Bombshell. And then, finally…. more Revlon.  Parfumerie in Autumn Spice and Winter Mint, Revlon Elusive, Revlon Sun Candy in Lava Flame and some spider nail art stencils that I think are Halloween 2012 or 2013 (sale item). So there you have it.  My addiction laid bare.  Anything catch your eye and what you would like to see first??  Hit me up in the comments!

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Wet N Wild Megalast – Lethal Injection

Woohoo!  More Megalast for you today.  This is another one from the Pick your Poison collection.  And its a beauty!

Here are the pictures!

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Above is two coats over Essie All in One base and top coated with Seche Vite.  It is awesome, in colour and formula.  It is a great colour, a mulberry colour with a silver ripple.  Lovely.  Formula was fantastic for a budget line, really impressed.  Drying time was super quick and wear was great.  After about 24 hours, beacuse it was still immaculate, I popped a coat of China Glaze Glitter All The Way from their Holiday Joy 2012 collection.  Looks like the Super Plum fairy threw up on my nails!

Dollish Polish – Expecto Patronum

Quick post for you today, this is Dollish Polish Expecto Patronum.  And its a lovely.  Its a pale white base with baby blue glitters within it.

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I did three thin coats of this, colour built up very well and dried really smoothly.  Formula was good and easy to work with, consider how glitter packed this is, it was a lovely surprise as I was expecting a bit of trouble.  I was lucky to be able to snag a mini bottle of this at one of the many restocks towards the end of the Summer (along with some of the bonus shades).  Drying time was good and it didn’t dry bumpy.  I used Essie all in One as my base and Seche Vite as a shiny top coat.  This wore really well and I got a few days out of it before any sign of any tip wear.

If you are wanting to get your hands on some Dollish Polish lovelies, check the Big Cartel Website and make sure you follow her Facebook page for updates and new collections news!

 

 

Chanel – Malice

Woohoo! And we are back!

Today I have something that I picked up on my recent Florida Adventure, the new Chanel Nail Polish from Éclats du Soir de Chanel Holiday 2012 Collection.

This is Malice

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This is sheer Chanel Perfection. Formula, colour, consistency, smell. Perfect. Drying time is excellent, coverage is excellent. Its a smidge away from being a one coater. It is phenomenal. Malice is a deep crimson/burgundy with a jewel ripple running through it. It is STUNNING. The shimmer is just awesome.

What you see above is two coats over Nailtiques Formula 2 (my nails didn’t like being on vacation one bit, but more on that in another post) and a good top coat of Seche Vite.

I had a look through my stash, and there are some similar ones. Its not far from OPI’s Every Month is Ocktoberfest and therefore not far from OPI’s Germanicure. I also hear that it is very close to Sinful Colors Rich in Heart. so here we go, a comparison of all four.

From left, Malice, Every Month is Ocktoberfest, Germanicure by OPI, Rich in Heart

From left, Malice, Every Month is Ocktoberfest, Germanicure by OPI, Rich in Heart

From left with flash, Malice, Every Month is Ocktoberfest, Germanicure by OPI, Rich in Heart

I think that it is fair to say, that although not quite dupes as you can clearly see in the flash photo, these are very similar to each other.  Germanicure and Rich in Heart are very close to each other.   The bottom line is that they are all in a similar family and if you aren’t a serious Chanel collector you may already have a good dupe in your stash.

What do you think?

Note – I’m aware the pics are not great. Its now dark when I get home and my set up isn’t ideal. So I will try to retake some for better colour likeness. But you can also see great swatches and a wider range of comparisons on The Beauty Look Book.

Don’t forget that you can follow this blog via Bloglovin’, either by clicking the icon to the right or by clicking here.  I can also be found on Twitter @BakingNails

Wow, Nail Haul!

I’ve had some time off work and I’ve spent lots of it with family. It’s been awesome. We’ve done lots of lovely things including a day trip to France and a trip to Westfield London.

And, of course, I have had my eyes out for new things.  Check out my haul and polish snaps.

So, here I have my first sighting of the new Nude Polishes from Dior, from The Nude Collection, lovely neutral tones that I am sure would flatter any skin tone. (Sorry for the blurry pic, I was trying to be discreet!)

Then, in Sephora, I noticed this display of new top coats.  I picked up a couple that I couldn’t leave behind (see below).  There are four, 2 flakie top coats, 1 with silver holo bar glitter and a fourth one with gold glitter.

I also saw brands I have never seen before, such as Vernis Brillance Eclat by Nocibe.

More Nocibe make up.

Then a trip to Westfield London, where they have an Inglot (pictured above), a KIKO, a Colourcopia, a Make Up Store AND a Beauty Base.  PLUS the Models Own Bottle Shop pictured below.

And here are the pretties I picked up, first here they all are together!

So, top row, 3 x Sephora Polishes (2 of those new top coats), 1 x Peggy Sage Polish (red, glitter and sparkles), 1 x Nocibe glow in the dark polish, 2 x KIKO, 1 x Bourjois Python Top Coat.

Bottom Row, 4 x Gold Capped KIKO Holos from the new Collection Lavish Oriental, 5 x KIKO polishes from their sale

Now, WHAT ON EARTH DO I TRY FIRST???????

Don’t forget that you can follow this blog via Bloglovin’, either by clicking the icon to the right or by clicking here.  I can also be found on Twitter @BakingNails

Barry M – Super Nova (NP347)

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Wow. Lookey here at what I found today at the Barry M stand!! New magnetic polishes in a range of lovely colours! I know lots of people are now firmly over magnetics but the science geek in me claps her hands loudly whenever I use them on my nails.

There are five in the new range, Super Nova (silver/black), Moon Dust (brown/silver), Neptune Sea (blue/green) and Venus Sunset (purple/gold). There is a lot of sparkly packed into these bottles let me tell you!

The first coat of this polish looks like a plain, silver polish with a bit of sparkle. Then hold the striped magnetic over and POW. Lines. Really clear black lines with copper and sparkle accent. I could not believe the effect. Seriously amazeballs. You can see in the images above one nail before effect.

I used a new-to-me Essie All in One Base coat and my Hong Kong Girl Top Coat to keep it intact. Its best to wait until the polish is set a bit before banging on your top coat. It does smudge slightly otherwise. Formula on this Barry M is fabulous! Good coverage, I did one coat and then a thick second before holding the magnet over the nail. Do them one at the time and you will be fine.

The other thing I love it that the magnet is quite wide and with the being a simple pattern, you can gently rock the magnet to get full nail coverage with minimal silver edging at the sides. Bonus, I hate a small magnet that leaves a little strip of effect up the centre of the nail.

I got my Barry M’s in SuperDrug, where you can currently get 2 for £8, otherwise they are £4.99 each. You can also buy them online at this page on the Barry M website.

Don’t forget that you can follow this blog via Bloglovin’, either by clicking the icon to the left or by clicking here.  I can also be found on Twitter @BakingNails

OPI – Black Spotted

I’ve been a very lucky girl, so very lucky.  I was able to snag a bottle of Black Spotted, the new OPI Polish.  If you think crackle, but with spots, this is what you get.

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It is a very thin, watery polish.  I painted it onto my nails very thinly and then quickly went over it again.  This technique seems to produce a raft of smaller spots.  If you paint it on too quickly then it doesn’t spot very well.  Also, if your polish is not BONE dry, then is spots but cracks.  It is worth waiting.  I’ve been using it over day old manicures with lots of success.  What you see above are several different under polishes, so many polishes, so little time!

What would you wear under Black Spotted?

 

NARS – Space Odyssey

I don’t often buy many polishes online, I like to see what I am getting, but whilst browsing ASOS’ beauty section they had some KILLER deals.  I managed to pick up the polish I am about to show you and its sister colour for a steal.  The one I am showing you today is Space Odyssey, the NARS contribution to 2011 Fashion Night Out. (pssst its still available on narscosmetics.co.uk for £14)

Anyway, its a lovely silver with the lovely NARS shimmer.  Its such a saturated colour that on the nail it just pops and is so noticeable.

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The formula is great, it does err on the thin side, so be careful not to overload the brush and end up with flooded cuticles.  What you see in the pictures above is three thin coats, the third coat does make the brush strokes disappear, and it nail in person looks like its coat with a foil.  Excellent stuff.  I top coated with Seche here and it ensured that it looked good and shiny.

Just love it.  What other silver foil like polishes do you like?

Essence – 91 Glamorous Life

Here is one of the Essence polishes I received from my lovely friend in Holland.  Glamorous Life is a red glass flecked polish with strong pink undertones.  Like all the Colour and Go Essence Polishes, its a lovely little bottle holding 5ml of product, and is an absolute bargain for the price.

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The formula on this one was a little bit on the runny side – careful application needed.  However, after three thin and careful coats, you can see the results above.  I used Essie Billionails as the undercoat and then used Seche Vite on top.  Its very shiny when it dries anyway, but a top coat just helps to bring the best of the flecks out.

I’ll be honest here, wear was not like the other Essence Polishes I have.  It was chipped within 24 hours.  I may need to retry this with a different base coat and top coat as I did experience significant shrinkage and that may have contributed to the reduced wear time.  The colour is FANTASTIC, I could not have asked for a better summer colour and I am definitely going to wear it again.

If you are interested in the different types of nail polishes, you can check out the HUGE range on this brilliant guide on Lacquerized. I often use this guide to ensure consistency when writing and tagging posts.

Do you have any of the Colour and Go polishes?

Chanel – Attraction

I took the plunge.  I bought one of the Spring 2012 Chanel colours.  And in white too.  So unlike me.  I like my Chanel’s big and bold.  Anyway something about Attraction spoke to me.  I don’t think I am *quite* done with the collection as there is one other that is still catching my eye.  But its a long way to payday!

Anyway, Attraction is  from the Roses Ultimes de Chanel collection.  It only arrived in the UK at the end of May and I know its been available in North America for a lot longer.  Its a creme, pearly white.  I’d looked at some of the US reviews which were less than flattering about the formula.  Now, I wasn’t holding my breath, but this wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had anticipated.  Yes, you can see the brush stokes.  Yes, you need at least three coats.  But LOOK AT IT!! (the bubbling on my thumb is from my dying bottle of Seche – why is the brush so damn short??)

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Above you can see three coats.  And lets be honest, the brush strokes are not that visible.  Care must be taken, as with yellows, on the application.  Do not go over patches.  Allow it to dry a bit in between coats.  I opted to do the coats quite thick and I think it worked out much better.  Wear was great, I wore it on holiday and it did me very well for almost 4 full days.

Chanel retails in the UK at most high end department stores, larger Boots or Boots.Com for £18.  Did you buy any of this collection?  And can you guess which other one has my eye?