Nella Milano – Mercury Haze

*Disclosure: This product was sent to me for review but this does not influence the opinions expressed in this blog which are entirely my own. Contains Affiliate links

We are flying through these Nella Milano shades like they are going out of fashion!  I have to say that generally I have really pleased with the quality and the range of the creme shades they have produced.  Even those shades I wouldn’t have naturally picked out for myself, I’ve been enjoying the range of colours as they’ve graced my finger tips.  And I have worn each and every one of them for a least a day – so I know that the wear time, with proper nail prep, is excellent.

Anyway, onto one of my favourite shades from the set of Nella polishes I have, this is Mercury Haze, a stunning dark grey creme made for the autumn season!  Lets check out some pics!

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This is two coats over a base of Nailtiques 2 and sealed in with Essie Gel Setting Top Coat (its part of Essie’s Gel polish range, but in my experience it works like a charm over most other brands too!) which I picked up in the US and I shall definitely be getting another bottle next time I am in the US.  The formula is creamy and easy to work with, two coats provides excellent even coverage and the colour is just so perfect for autumn.

On the website you can search by collection, there are eight sets and one set of top and base coat www.nellamilano.com.  You can also visit the brand on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook to keep up to date with releases and current shades.  The price point is £8.95.  But this week, Mercury Haze should be on offer for £4.95, so if you like the look of this, this is the week to take the plunge and buy!

Let me know what you think of this shade in the comments – what is your favourite grey?

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 and now I can also be found on Instagram here!

*Disclosure: This product was sent to me for review but this does not influence the opinions expressed in this blog which are entirely my own. Contains Affiliate links

 

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Nella Milano – Iron Spring

*Disclosure: This product was sent to me for review but this does not influence the opinions expressed in this blog which are entirely my own. Contains Affiliate links

Another Nella Milano shade to share with you today, this one is Iron Spring a neutral shade, described as steely-browny-grey….

I’ve already done a review of this polish, and you can check that out here!  This is SUCH a great shade for that late summer/autumn transition period.

On the website you can search by collection, there are eight sets and one set of top and base coat www.nellamilano.com.  You can also visit the brand on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook to keep up to date with releases and current shades.  The price point is £8.95.  But this week, Iron Spring should be on offer for £4.95, so if you like the look of this, this is the week to take the plunge and buy!

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

*Disclosure: This product was sent to me for review but this does not influence the opinions expressed in this blog which are entirely my own. Contains Affiliate links

Colors by Llarowe – Coal in my Stocking

Quick post today for you – another one of my naughty purchases from Llarowe.  This one is Coal in my Stocking, a lovely gray with a hint of sparkle!

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Formula was a bit odd on this, slightly on the gloopy side, but with careful application it goes on surprisingly level.  Drying time is quick.  It does dry to a jelly like finish, slightly on the dull side.  Armed with my trusty G&G HK Girl that is no problem.  This is two coats of Coal in my Stocking over a base of Nailtiques 2.  Be good my peeling nails!

Colors by Llarowe are available directly from Llarowe and prices vary depending on finish.  Updates are available via the Facebook page or sign up to the newsletter for restock updates.

Colors By Llarowe – Beat It

I was a bit naughty during the recent Colors by Llarowe restock over on Llarowe.  It was my first time using the new queuing system, which seems to work quite well.  You visit the site during an advertised restock and it holds place for you in the queue depending on when you arrived at the site (kind of a first come first served system).  Its good because you get a place and no frantic clicking and purchasing under pressure.  But you have no idea how long you will be waiting so tricky if you stay up for a late restock.

Anyway, I picked up just the two, this is the first one I am sharing with you and is the lovely holographic Beat It! from the Michael Jackson collection.

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Gosh, isn’t this pretty stunning? Formula is amazing, I could have gotten away with one coat but in the end I went for two to ensure even coverage.  Drying time is fast, I was very impressed.  I based with G&G Stuck on Blu! and then top coated with G&G HK Girl which really doesn’t dull holos in anyway.  Wear on this was just fantastic, two whole days and not even a chip!  Really love this.

Colors by Llarowe are available directly from Llarowe and prices vary depending on finish.  Updates are available via the Facebook page or sign up to the newsletter for restock updates.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Seventeen – Deconstructed Suede

If you have been into Boots recently, you may have noticed a HUGE amount of nail polish on sale for between £1 and £2 depending on the shade.  It seems to be mainly older 17 (now Seventeen) polishes, but there were a few things of interest.  Like this one.  This is part of a limited edition set that came out, along with some nail studs and a new mascara.  I also got some nail studs.

So this, for want of a better name, is Deconstructed Suede.

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As you can see above, its a textured finish polish, it dries to imitate a suede finish.  In fact, in person the effect is super pretty.  Formula was pretty fast drying, in fact, if you don’t have enough polish on your brush then best to leave it to dry and then come back!  I used two coats for the pictures above.

Its a metallic gray with a hint of pewter and in some lights brown in it.  It does dry darker than in the bottle, which is quite common with the suede shades I have from other ranges.  I do like it.  I’ve not put on a top coat but I did base with G&G HK Girl but you can still see a few of my nail ridges so if you have prominent ridges you might want to use something like a ridge filler before hand.

Anyway, well worth the bargain price!  Did you pick anything up from the Boots Nail Sale??  Let me know in the comment.

Second Chance Saturday – Chanel Vertigo

I’ve been going through my Chanel Nail Polish collection, oohing and awwing over the lovely colours in there.  So here comes another Second Chance Saturday, with Chanel Vertigo.  This was part of Les Essentials De Chanel for Fall 2012 and had two sister polishes in Suspicious (a hot pink) and Frenzy (a nude).

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Its a lovely dark gray, with a ripple of red within it.  The ripple doesn’t come onto the nail in the way its visible in the bottle.  The formula is lovely, rich creamy and easy to work with.  Drying time is good and it looks great.  Dark, mysterious and forbidden.  In bright light the red does appear briefly.  Its very subtle.

Did you pick up Vertigo in 2012?  As far as I can tell, Vertigo is now part of the permanent collection and you should still be able to get hold of a bottle.  Retail in the UK is around the £18 mark and Chanel can be picked up from a number of larger department stores and good sized Boots stores.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Second Chance Saturday – Chanel Black Pearl

Alrighty, surprise!  Another Second Chance Saturday for your viewing pleasure.  This little love is Black Pearl, part of the Spring 2011 release and its sister polishes are Pearl Drop and Pêche Nacrée.

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I picked this one up when we went to a wedding in Toronto and I was so pleased to be able to get this early in the season.  I nearly didn’t, as several of the concessions we visited were already sold out.  But thankfully I struck gold, or black pearl in this case, at the Eaton Centre.

As you can see from the images, it does go a little streaky, but it is the most unusual of colours.  Its a blackened teal, kinda of like the edges of a healing bruise (pleasant I know) but I have nothing else like it. For these pics, its based with G & G Stuck on Blu! and topped with Dior Gel Coat.

Formula is good, coverage is excellent, if it was just that *little* less streaky, it would be perfect.

What do you think?  Does this have a home in your stash?

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

Maybelline Color Show Vintage Leather – 212 Mudslide Tote

I’ve got the second of the three Maybelline Color Show Vintage Leather nail polishes to show to you today.  We’ve seen the first one, Turquoise Temptation, give me a few problems with applications.  I’m going to give that one another go soon.

Anyway, here come the pictures!

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This is Mudslide Tote.  It reminded me of very gray clay, a dark lovely muddy colour.  Which I know sounds weird.  But I love the colour on this one.  Its dark enough to be edge but not too dark to look black or just dirty.  The little flakies show up really well in this one.  It really does make it look like vintage leather.

The application on this was much better, it didn’t dry as quickly as the first one and I was able to get a better handle on application across all my nails.  What you see here is mostly two coats.  I did a third when I could see light streaking.  I’m quite taken with this one (can you tell??).  Really wish we had the range of ten that are currently out in the US.. see more on Nouveau Cheap.

You can pick up Maybelline in most drugstores and some larger supermarkets.  Of course, you can pick them up online too.  Retail is around the £3 mark but there are often 3 for 2 or 2 for £5 deals.

What do you think?  Have you bought any of the limited edition vintage leather polishes?

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

Ciate Colourfoil Manicures

I love trying out new things, especially where my nails are concerned.  My lovely sister bought me this Ciate colourfoil mani kit for my birthday.  I must admit, I was not convinced at first… but lets look at the pics before we plunge into the details!

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This is the Wonderland Very Colourfoil Kit.  Firstly, you get several items within the kit.  You get a Ciate polish (which is one of three different colours depending on which colourfoil way you prefer), a small bottle of glue and a number of square foil sheets.  In this kit you get Creme Soda, a dove gray colour polish to use as the base.  Although to be honest, you could you anything in your stash.

The formula of Creme Soda was a bit disappointing, it was thin, runny and two coats would not have been enough to wear on its on as it was very streaky and patchy.  However, I didn’t give it much mind as it works as a great base to make the foil elements pop.

The foils in the Wonderland Kit come in two shades of orange, a green, a pink and two silver types.  You get several of each type.

You wait until your polish is dry, then start by dabbing on the glue where you want the foil to stick.  Its best to do no more than two nails as a time because by the time you get across them all, the exposed glue is likely to have dried.  When the glue has been on a minute or so, you press the colour foil against the glue, wait a few secs and then peel it off, leaving the foil adhered to the nail.  Repeat as often as you like, all over your nails, with as many of the foils as you wish.  I went a bit crazy, using all the foils, but the smallish squares will probably last for ages if you look after them as you really use very little for each mani of 10 fingers.

It is super easy to do, you might want to do it at a table or away from any strong breezes that might blow the foil sheets about.  it takes a little bit of time and if you rush with the glue, then the foil doesn’t tend to come away in the bigger pieces and the glue sticks to the back of the foil making a gluey mess.

But WOW, love the effect.  Worth every minute to do.  I topped off my mani with a thick coat of Seche Vite and this baby wore like iron.  Three days later hardly a smidge of tip wear.  I’m that impressed I treated my self to another kit in the recent Ciate sale.

Ciate Colourfoil Mani kits can be brought directly via the Ciate website or you can pick then up if you happen to live near a Selfridges or certain John Lewis stores, but it worth checking out the stockists on this page here.  Retail on the kits if £18.00.

So, what do you think?  Have you tried any foil manis lately?

 

 

 

 

NerdLacquer – But She’s Got It Where It Counts

OOhhhh more Nerdlacquer today. This is one of the new releases, how I ever snagged it in the restock, I have no idea. But I did and lets check out But She’s Got it Where it Counts one of the polishes from the Star Wars Collection.

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This one is a lovely gray base with silver, white, dark grey and orangey-rust coloured glitter pieces.  Lots of glitter packed into this one let me tell you.  Its seriously shiny.  What you see above are three thin coats over a base of Seche Clear and a thick coat of Seche Vite to seal if off.  The gray is a lovely base colour, it is pretty much opaque within two coats but I used three to bring out a bit more glitter.  There was a fair bit stuck to the inside of the bottle, I did try leaving it upside down for a while, but it didn’t seem to make a huge difference.  Anyway, this only seems to affect the larger pieces of silver glitter and I would have liked to see more of them on the nail.

I love the gray, silver and orange combo.  Its really lovely and something I will look forward to wearing again.

Information about Nerdlacquer can be found on the website including info on any restocks. Nerdlacquer is also on Google+ so check that out for forthcoming restocks too. There was mention of April 15th, but do check Google+ for the most up to date information. Retail is $10 and shipping is also available for us international polish lovers via Nerdlacquer or if you are fortunate to snag any of the Harlow&Co NL editions.

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