AllYouDesire

Nicole By OPI It´s All About The Glam

2012-01-26T19:56:00.000+01:00

I hope you are not bored by these Kardashians, I still have a few left. It was a huge collection :) This one is a white with white/silver flecks. It looks nice in the bottle but on the nail not so much. As you can see from the pictures even three coats is not enough to cover completely. As my nail tips are not super white the result is not very nice. So if you have longer nails I suggest using a plain white creme polish first and then apply It´s All About The Glam. What do you think?

Nicole By OPI Follow Me On Glitter

2012-01-25T14:00:00.000+01:00

Next up from the Kardashian collection is this little glitter beauty. It is a charcoal glitter. The thing that makes it different from other charcoal glitters out these are small round glitters of different colours (I see pink, green, orange, light blue, silver and some yellow). There are not many of them, so from a distance the polish seems to be just charcoal. I used two coats for this swatch without a topcoat.

P.S. Sorry for the blurred close-up.

China Glaze Dance Baby Comparison

2012-01-21T20:12:00.001+01:00

So here we go with another ElectroPop comparison. This time it is the sweet bubblegum pink Dance Baby (DB). I was asked if it is similar to OPI Sparrow Me The Drama (SMTD). As you can see the OPI is more muted, sort of greyed. I also included CND Girly Pink (GP) but none of these is close to Dance Baby. All of these are two coats.

China Glaze Aquadelic Comparison

2012-01-20T15:44:00.000+01:00

Continuing with comparisons from the ElectroPop collection. This time it is Aquadelic (A) which might be just my favourite polish from the whole collection. I compared it with Orly Gumdrop (G), Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver (ML) and Color Club New Bohemian (NB). No dupes here either. As you can see Aquadelic is more turquoise than the others. I think it is my favourite of the bunch. Love it!

China Glaze Sweet Hook Comparison

2012-01-20T11:10:00.000+01:00

I thought you might be interested in seeing some comparisons of the polishes from the China Glaze ElectroPop collection (my swatches are here). I will start with the beautiful light lilac Sweet Hook (SW). I compared it with China Glaze Light As Air (LAA) and Illamasqua Wink (W). All three polishes covered in two coats. As you can see Sweet Hook has a slight hint of pink compared to the other two. Stay tuned for more comparisons!

China Glaze ElectroPop Collection Spring 2012 - Swatches and Review

2012-01-19T15:53:00.000+01:00

I am so so happy that I got the opportunity to show you this collection. Actually this is exactly what I needed. The weather outside is chilly, it is raining with snow, windy and I am sick. And then comes the postman with a box of these beauties. Now you can imagine how these cheered me up. So here they are, my swatches of the China Glaze spring collection 2012 called ElectroPop...all twelve of them:

FUCHSIA FANATIC

As the name says this is a fuchsia. It is a bright creme and covers in two coats. Very juicy looking.

WICKED STYLE

A coral pink creme. I really like the description of China Glaze on this: "party coctail tropical punch". This was two coats too.

MAKE SOME NOISE

Make Some Noise is almost a red. It leans between orange, coral and red.

DANCE BABY

Super sweet bubble gum pink. This is just so girly and absolutely perfect for spring. I don´t wear pinks much but I love this one. Two coats.

SWEET HOOK

A light lilac creme but not too light to look white. I love it. It looks so pure and clean. I have some clothes in this colour and I can´t wait for spring to come and me matching it with this polish!

GOTHIC LOLITA

Yes, yes, yes...another purple and what a beautiful one! Look at the subtle shimmer it has. Thank you China Glaze for making this polish. I am in love with it. Oh I say it too many times with this collection but the polishes are just so pretty. Two coats.

ELECTRIC BEAT

Beautiful periwinkle creme. Perfectness in two coats.

KINETIC CANDY

Light baby blue. Very innocent and spring looking. Another polish I can´t wait to wear. Two coats.

AQUADELIC

This was the first polish I painted my nails with. It was my NOTD today. I don´t have to tell you why, do I? Just look at it. Isn´t it just a perfect turquoise creme? Might be my favourite one now. Two coats.

GAGA FOR GREEN

Bright grass green creme. I don´t like greens much but this is so positive I can imagine wearing it on a sunny spring day. Two coats.

SUNCHINE

Another very positive colour. This bright yellow has shimmer. If you are careful enough you can go with just two coats. If not use a third one to even up the layers. However considering it is a yellow the application was very good. Not too many problems. Two coats.

TECHNO

Techno is the only glitter polish in the collection. It has a clear base with big hexagonal and small round glitter. The glitter is holographic and makes a beautiful effect. To give you an idea I swatched it over four polishes of the collection. It spreads very evenly and is easy to apply. On the picture I used one coat.

Wow! Now I don´t even remember the last time I was so much in love with a collection. There is not a single colour I wouldn´t wear or wouldn´t like. The collection as a whole looks fantastic, you can´t be mistaken that it is a spring collection. I think the choice of colours is very nice. What I liked most is the formula on these. They were perfect, easy no apply, not streaky and covered all in two coats. I think I can´t wish for more from a collection. I heard some people say that it is too similar to an older China Glaze Collection Up and Away. I don´t think so, they are different but of course as spring collections they might seem similar.

Now what are my favourites? It is so hard to choose but if I would have to name a few I must say that Aquadelic, Gothic Lolita, Dance Baby, Kinetic Candy, Techno...oh I could continue. So overall this collection really cheered me up and I like it a lot. I would love to hear your thoughts now...

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Kendall On The Katwalk

2012-01-18T20:15:00.000+01:00

Still have some polishes from the Kardashian Collection to show you :) In my last post I wrote that the names suck and some of you agreed with me. I also got an interesting comment that the author does not buy anything Kardashian related. I must admit one thing to you...I have no idea who the Kardashians are and guess I don´t even want to know :) So for me these are just pretty polishes with silly names. And even if you don´t like the Kardashians you must admit one thing...the polish I am showing you today is pretty! I mean how could you go wrong with blue, purple and green glitter? It covers in three coats and with a top coat the result is perfect!

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Listen To Your Momager!

2012-01-17T15:30:00.000+01:00

Oh the names of the polishes in the Kardashian Collection are killing me...I don´t like them! However I do like the colours and I have another one for you today. I used three coats on this one, two could be ok but it looks much better with three. It is a blue so I was worried about staining. It stained only a little so I will be more than happy to use it.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

China Glaze Go Crazy Red

2012-01-14T15:11:00.000+01:00

I love discovering these older China Glaze shades! Go Crazy Red is a medium shimmer red, a bit on the warm side. I like the shimmer in it, makes it have more depth. This one had good formula and coverage. There are two coats on the pictures.

In the next months I will show you all the current China Glaze polishes that are available for sale and I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I do :) Have a great weekend!

Nicole By OPI Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam

2012-01-12T20:57:00.000+01:00

I am continuing with the swatches of the Kardashian Collection. I found out one interesting thing. It is not very special in terms of colours but I love the formula on the cremes I tried so far. This one is no exception. Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam is a dark teal but not too dark to look black. This is two coats. I really want to see how this will look with some Nfu Oh flakies on :)

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

China Glaze Coral Star

2012-01-11T18:33:00.001+01:00

Another older China Glaze for you today. It does leave some brushstrokes but I like the way it looks anyway. It will not be my top nail polish of all time but when I have the mood for a nice coral I might go for this one. It covers in two coats and has standard China Glaze formula. What do you think?

China Glaze Aztec Orange

2012-01-10T11:22:00.000+01:00

China Glaze Aztec Orange is a beautiful bright creme red with a hint of orange. It covers in two coats. On the pictures there is slightly visible nail line so you can do three if you want to be sure. I think this is a great shade all year round. I mean how could you go wrong with a bright red nail polish?

Nicole By OPI My Empire...My Rules

2012-01-09T20:08:00.000+01:00

Now this is something for all the taupe lovers out there. I haven´t worn a taupe for ages and looking at these pictures makes me want to wear this colour again. My Empire...My Rules is easy to work with and covers perfectly in two coats. I have nothing to complain about here and more and more I am liking the Kardasian collection! How do you like it?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Kourt Is Red-y For A Pedi

2012-01-08T20:39:00.000+01:00

Second red from the Kardasian collection is lighter and more bright. Lately I wear reds a lot and I can´t get enough of them. This is nothing special in terms of colour but it still is a beautiful red. I have two coats on this swatch and I love the way it looks.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Sealed With A Kris

2012-01-07T12:07:00.000+01:00

I have all the Kardashian polishes to show you but I thought it would be more fun to show them to you one by one. I will start with a nice surprise. In the bottle Sealed With A Kris looks kind of boring but I loved how it looks on the nails. It is a bloody red jelly. I have two coats on the picture. After I finished swathing I painted all my nails with it and it is my NOTD.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

China Glaze Fuchsia

2012-01-06T14:25:00.000+01:00

This is my NOTD right now. I love wearing bright pinks in winter, they brighten your whole day. Fuchsia is an older shade but still very pretty. It has hood pigmentation. I used two coats for the swatch. Hope you have a great weekend!

Sparitual Sacred Ground

2012-01-01T17:38:00.000+01:00

First of all I want to thank you for all your support in 2011 and wish you a Happy New Year 2012. The previous year has been awesome for me and for AllYouDesire. I hope bring some changes to this blog but only for the good. I want to bring more NOTDs, treatment reviews or just articles about blogging and photography. I hope it will be fun and I can´t wait :) Of course there will also be reviews of the newest collections and I hope to bring them faster than in the past few months. For today I want to show you this beauty from Sparitual from the fall 2011 Wilde Collection. I won´t even try to describe it, just look at the pictures. It was easy to apply and covered in only two coats.

První příspěvek v novém roce je tenhle nádherný kousek od Sparitual. Je z loňské podzimní kolekce Wilde. Barva se těžko popisuje, myslím, že fotky mluví za vše. Lakoval se úplně bez problémů, stačily mi dvě vrstvy.

2011 collections: My favourites

2011-12-28T21:54:00.001+01:00

In this post I want to show you the polishes that came out in 2011 and that I fell in love with. That means that I had them on several times, which made them really special to me. Here they are in no specific order:

MISA BLUSH HOUR

This is not a colour I normally wear. However a few months ago I was looking for a new job and this was just perfect for such an occasion. I also had it on the interview to my current job which is the best job ever! That is the reason why this polish is so special for me.

ZOYA MARLEY

This is my second favourite worksafe polish of this year. The whole spring collection from Zoya was amazing and this was my favourite. I love the hint of purple in it.

NICOLE BY OPI GIVE ME THE FIRST DANCE

In terms of colour this is not special at all. I have about five other silver foils such as this one. The reason why I love this one is that it covers very well in two coats and I love the brush. Whenever I want a silver foil I always reach for this one.

ORLY FANCY FUCHSIA

This is like no other pink I own. It is so bright and so pink! I had this so many times during the summer. It is also a great pedi colour. Really loving this polish from Orly!

ZOYA RICA

Rica is like the sunshine. It is shiny and looks so positive. Again a polish I wore a lot during the summer.

CHINA GLAZE RING IN THE RED

This is my top polish for December...I had it on like for five times! And wore it on Christmas Eve. This red glitter is just perfect and I can´t get enough of it.

ILLAMASQUA GAMMA

This polish changed me. It made me love orange! I like this colour all year long. You will not find a better orange out there, it is bright, has great formula and perfect coverage in two coats.

OPI PLANKS A LOT

Noticed how little purple I have here? I love a lot of purple polishes but only two made it into this top choice of mine for the year 2011. This one from OPI is special, it is a dusty creme purple and I love wearing different CND Effects polishes over it.

ILLAMASQUA FAUX PAS

This was my favourite from the latest Illamasqua collection. Not only is it purple but it also has great coverage in only one coat. This is my polish which I use when I am in a rush. It dries faster than regular polishes due to its rubberised finish.

COLOR CLUB COLD METAL

There were more blues close to this that I like but this one is the best for me. It does not stain and is very easy to work with.

NICOLE BY OPI MY LIFESAVER

Another one that is not so unique. Despite that I had it on a lot of times mostly during spring. It works well with my skin tone and always gets a lot of compliments from other people.

CHANEL PERIDOT

My most expensive polish of 2011. I do not regret it. It is speacial and I still think it is beautiful. I don´t mind the slight brushstrokes. Another polish that always received a lot of attention!

So this is my personal choice of my favourite polishes from 2011 collections. As I said these might not be the most unique in terms of colour but they are the ones that I love and I had them on my nails so many times. What do you think...would you wear these, would you choose different colours? Of course I also have other favourite polishes from older collections but I will show these to you some other time.

Illamasqua Midnight Bite Duo

2011-12-28T14:59:00.000+01:00

Guess what I had under the christmas tree? I put there a little gift for myself:

This cute little set from Illamasqua contains two full size products - a gloss and a lipstick. I bought it on ASOS for 9.5 pounds! Yes, just for this little and I am always happy to get such a deal. Sadly this product is already out of stock.

First is the lipstick in Sangers which is a true red. It is not blue, not orange, it is just perfect. It matches my skin tone perfectly and I finally found a red lipstick I feel good in. Illamasqua lipsticks are not very creamy, but I don´t mind because that makes them stay on longer and that is what is most important for me. I already had this on for a dinner and it lasted very well!

Since the lipstick is matte you can add a clear gloss to make your lips look even better. That is the reason why Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss in Brilliant is also a part of the set. The gloss has a very nice scent, not too strong and also stays for a long time. It is not very watery, rather on the thick side.

And here are the swatches. On the left is Sangers alone and on the right it is with a small amount of Brilliant.

How do you like this set and the price I bought it for? Did you find any Illamasqua under the christmas tree? Would love to know!

OPI DS Temptation

2011-12-27T22:46:00.000+01:00

Well what to say...this is something truly special for a purple lover like me. I love it...it is not a holo like the previous OPI DS used to be but it is still pretty. This is two coats, it has great coverage.

I also wanted to write you one more thing. As you might have noticed I don´t post that often lately. I am having some problems with my back but I also feel like all the fun from blogging disappeared and it became only something I HAVE to do. It also costs me a lot of money. I do get all the collections for free, yes. But I have to pay the shipping to Europe for some brands since they don´t ship to my country. And it is starting to be quite expensive. I don´t want to quit, I just feel I need to change a bit. I have to think through this :) just don´t give up on me. LOVE YOU!

Color Club Backstage Pass

2011-12-19T20:30:00.000+01:00

Big chunky glitter in a clear base. You have to have patience with this polish but I like the way it looks over a plain black creme (btw Color Club Black is still my favourite black creme polish - a perfect one coater). Might use something like this on New Year´s Eve :)

NOTD

2011-12-16T14:36:00.000+01:00

I am totally in the Christmas mood. This year I like to keep it simple and don´t use any konad and such. This is what I am wearing today. I really like it. I have two coats of Nicole By OPI OMB! and one coat of China Glaze Ring in the Red, which has become my favourite red glitter for now. I absolutely love it.

I wore green!

2011-12-13T11:30:00.000+01:00

Ok, right now I should be swatching like crazy. But I forgot to buy my nail polish remover so it will have to wait until the weekend. Instead I will show you my NOTD. It is special because it is green and you know what I think about green nail polish. Christmas is coming fast so I painted my nails with my favourite green of all time China Glaze Emerald Sparkle. To make it even better, I used one coat of Nfu Oh 52 on top. I love it!

I am also playing with my new camera, so excuse the picture. I am still learning :)

Essence 24h Hand Protection Balm

2011-12-11T16:07:00.000+01:00

Winter can be a real enemy for your hands. Today I want to show you my little help. I bought this a few days ago and I became addicted to using it. For me it is a perfect everyday hand cream. It is not greasy, it just leaves a very soft film on your hands. I have it at work and whenever I feel I have dry hands I use it. I like how it smells and I will definitely buy more of these because they are super cheap (CZK 34.9 which is about two dollars for 75ml). The balm contains coconut oil and shea butter. If you have very very dry hands this might not be the right product for you but I like it a lot. The quality you get for the low price is very good.

Finger Paints Fun-Fetti v Color Club Wish Upon a Rock-Star v OPI Rainbow Connection v Nicole By OPI Rainbow In The S-Kylie

2011-12-10T23:00:00.000+01:00

Lately we have seen so many polishes like these. I just don´t get the point why each nail polish brand has to have its own. I don´t have all the possible varieties but I have four so I thought it might be helpful if I make a comparison...I know you love them. So I have here Finger Paints Fun-Fetti (F), Color Club Wish Upon A Rock-Star (WUAR), OPI Rainbow Connection (RC) and Nicole By OPI Rainbow In The S-Kylie (RITS).
These are not dupes but they are so close that it is hard to tell a difference. I used one coat over a dark purple creme.

Finger Paints Merry & Bright Collection Holiday 2011 - Swatches and Review

2011-12-08T21:00:00.000+01:00

I love swatching all these holiday collections. Although I have so little time to blog I so much enjoy doing this. Today I want to show you the holiday collection from Finger Paints which is called Merry & Bright. It has six polishes and here they are:

FROSTY NIGHT

Frosty Night is silver glitter in a clear base. I does not cover very well and I didn´t like to put 5+ coats for full coverage. So I played around a bit and used it on one of my favourite Finger Paints polishes called Icy Iris. Pretty combination, don´t you think?

WINTER SKY

Turquoise in a holiday collection? Why not, I love turquoise polishes. I already had this as a full mani and loved it. However I have to warn you, this stains like crazy :( So sad about that. Two coats.

YULE BE MERRY

This is such a pretty colour, also a bit unusual for holiday. Two coats. Looks like it needs three for full coverage.

COMET´S COLLAR

Green is a holiday must. This one is a bit different, it is a light green with gold. Two coats.

SANTA KISSES

I love red glitter and I love the name of this. I think I might do a red glitter comparison. This is one coat over Yule Be Merry. I love this!

DRUMMER BOY

Here is another glitter of the collection. I used again one coat over Winter Sky.

This collection is a bit different. It has something so typical for Christmas like red glitter but also a turquoise. I had no application problems on most of these. Frosty Night was a bit thick but it was ok to use one coat. However if you would want to use more coats I think it would be one big mess. The second thing I didn´t like is how much Winter Sky stained my nails and fingers :( Too bad, it is such a pretty colour. The winners for me? I love Santa Kisses and Yule Be Merry.

How do you like these?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Misa Surreal Escape Collection 2011 - Swatches and Review

2011-12-06T16:00:00.000+01:00

I fell in love with this collection when I saw the promo pictures and was very curious about how these look on nails. Now I have them finally at home and can share my swatches and thoughts with you.

GREY MATTERS

Lighter grey with small dark grey particles. This reminds me of a rainy day. It covered well in two coats.

SPACED OUT

This is similar to the previous but is much warmer with a hint of brown. Two coats again.

BEYOND INFINITY

Blue based grey shimmer. Two coats.

PHAZERS ON STUNNING

Very pretty golden green. I have only two coats on these pictures, although it is a bit sheer.

SHIELDS UP

This was the one that I had most application problems with. It is a bit thick and sheer at the same time. So I had to use three coats for this swatch.

THE GREAT GREEN WHATSIT

This is my favourite. I love it. Although you might not like the brush strokes I don´t mind with this one. Two coats.

I think the last three polishes have a great potential to be used for layering so I wanted to show you. Here they are over a simple black creme. All of them look stunning, don´t you think? I used one coat of each.

I really like how these polishes look together. They make a very nice collection. The first three greys have great formula and coverage. The rest of the collection is a bit tricky. You might feel a bit sad that what you get on the nail is not all the gorgeousness that is in the bottle. You might try to do more coats with these or have some fun with layering them. I showed them to you over black but I can imagine The Great Green Whatsit looking amazing over a turquoise or purple for example.

What do you think about these? Let me know...

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

OPI Muppets Collection Holiday 2011 - Swatches and Review

2011-12-04T17:44:00.001+01:00

I think it is about time to show you this year´s holiday collection from OPI. I love holiday collections from OPI and I know that many of you like me eagerly wait for the collection to come out each year. This year we have a lot of glitter too. I am sure all of you have already seen the collection ten million times plus one but here are my pictures and my thoughts about it:

DESIGNER DE BETTER!
This polish is perfect when you want to feel festive but can´t wear glitter or red, green. If you need a worksafe polish the this should be your choice. The fun starts when you look at the close-up. Two coats.

WARM & FOZZIE
I think that when it comes to bronze polishes OPI makes one of the best ones. I like this one too. The combination of bronze, gold and a bit of pink is beautiful. Three coats here but two thick could be ok too.

ANIMAL-ISTIC
I can´t imagine a holiday collection without a red. This one is very bright. I didn´t have the nail line so visible in real life, it just shows like this on the pictures. Two coats.

MEEP-MEEP-MEEP
One of my favourites. I know, this colour is not extremely special but I still like it. Love the finish it has. Two coats.

WOCKA WOCKA!
Once the brush with Wocka Wocka! touches your nail you will fall in love with it. This is so much pigmented that you will need only one coat and the formula is perfect! One coat.

PEPES PURPLE PASSION
In the bottle I didn´t pay this one much attention but I really liked how it looks on the nails. This also very well pigmented. I did two coats but you could use just one.

Next are the six glitters. To tell the truth I don´t like to use these on their own, I think they are much much better as layering polishes. So this is my way of wearing them. I used a base OPI polish and the one coat of each glitter.

RAINBOW CONNECTION
I know a bit unusal combination but I like it :) The base is OPI Planks A Lot. Lately there have been many similar polishes from different brands and I will show you a small comparison soon.

FRESH FROG OF BEL AIR
Base is OPI Don´t Mess With OPI.

GONE GONZO!
Base is OPI Austintatious Turquoise. I think these two look great together, really like this combination.

DIVINE SWINE
My favourite of all the glitters in this collection over OPI Purple-Opolis.

GETTIN´MISS PIGGY WITH IT!
This is so festive. I used the great one coater from this collection Wocka Wocka! as a base.

EXCUSE MOI!
This glitter is a bit different than the rest in this collection and it is much more opaque. On the picture I have one coat over OPI My Address Is "Hollywood".

This will sound really weird but I don´t know the Muppets much, I never watched them...I grew on totally different things. So I can´t say how much the colours from this collection coordinate with the characters nor do I understand the names of the polishes. So I look at these as just 12 new polishes from OPI :)

I like the first part of the collection a lot. I will wear all of these colours, which does not happen very often. I do have a problem with the glitters though. I tried to use them on their own but I didn´t like the way it looked much. So instead I wear them layered on a coordinating base colour or over black.

As I said, I know you have seen these so many times but I would still love to hear your thoughts on them :)

P.S Don´t forget about the foil method when removing your glitters. You can find my small tutorial here.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Illamasqua Fern

2011-12-03T22:16:00.001+01:00

Oh, what a beautiful blue. I like Fern so much. What makes it special are those tiny light blue flecks in it that you can see on the close-up. This swatch is half a year old and I can´t remember how many coats I used, but I guess it was two like with most Illamasqua polishes. How do you like it?

CND Brigitte

2011-11-29T16:41:00.000+01:00

This polish reminds me of pudding or something like that :) I like the colour but I think that it does not look very pretty with my skintone. This polish is not mine but I was happy to have the chance to try it out. Like the majority of CND cremes this applied flawlessly in two coats.

Essie Braziliant

2011-11-27T16:33:00.000+01:00

I will have some serious swatching in the following weeks so I took a few days off now. I don´t want it to be something I don´t want to do, I want my blog to be fun. Today I want to show you a Essie Braziliant which is a beautiful bright (but not neon) orange with very dense shimmer. I don´t wear orange polishes very often and when I do I always take Illamasqua Gamma, which is my favourite, but this is pretty too. Have a great Sunday!

OPI DS Bold versus China Glaze Mrs. Claus

2011-11-23T22:02:00.000+01:00

So here is the promised comparison and a almost dupe to OPI DS Bold (B). It is China Glaze Mrs. Claus (MC) from last year´s holiday collection. What a nice cheap alternative, isn´t it? I used three coats for both of these.

OPI DS Bold

2011-11-22T15:41:00.000+01:00

One of the two new OPI DS polishes. I like this one less also because I found an almost dupe (which is cheaper) which I will show you tomorrow. Anyway it is a nice glitter, no holo. I did three coats for the picture.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

China Glaze Urban Night

2011-11-21T16:07:00.000+01:00

Urban Night is from the fall collection called Metro. I love it! It is an amazing polish in terms of formula and colour. It is a super glossy creme that applied like a dream. I must get my hands on a bottle for myself because this one is not mine.

Sally Hansen Moisturizing Polish Remover

2011-11-20T12:21:00.000+01:00

I wanted to show you the nail polish remover that I have been using lately. I am already on my fourth bottle and I will keep on using it. I like it for five simple reasons:

It is cheap
I can buy it in my local drugstore
It doesn´t have that nail polish remover smell
It doesn´t dry my cuticles
It removes polish well

I also took a picture of the ingredients. Yes it does contain acetone but that is what I was going for. With all the swatching I have to do I need something effective. And although it does contain acetone it does not dry my cuticles which is a big plus. I am sure you don´t want to see ugly cuticles on my macro pictures.

I am not saying this is the best nail polish remover out there. But we have limited possibilities of what nail polish remover to buy in my country. If I would be a normal nail polish user I would maybe go for something more expensive but I use tons of nail polish remover and don´t print money, so this is my choice and I am really happy with it.

Still I would love to know what nail polish remover works the best for you?

Illamasqua Competition to support the Sophie Lancaster Foundation

2011-11-20T11:34:00.001+01:00

Saturday 26th November would have been Sophie's 25th birthday.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation aims to Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere [their fantastic website and Facebook page will tell you more]

The aims and objectives of the Charity are as follows:

To create a lasting legacy to Sophie.
To provide educational group-works that will challenge the prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures.
To campaign to have the UK Hate Crime legislation extended to include people from “alternative subcultures” or “Lifestyle and Dress”
To work in conjunction with politicians and police forces to ensure individuals who are part of subcultures are protected by the law.

In honour of Sophie's birthday and to mark support for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, Illamasqua is hosting an internationally open competition to win a selection of cult pieces from the Illamasqua collection, including Medium Pencil in Sophie, Pure Pigment in Zeitgeist, Nail Varnish in Unnatural, Intense Lipgloss in Repulse, False Eye Lashes in no.21 and a S.O.P.H.I.E wristband.

And best of all, there will be FIVE winners! The competition is open until Midnight GMT Sunday 27th November [T&C's can be found at the link below].

www.illamasqua.com/sophiecompetition/

Catrice Looking Sunkissed from the Bohemia Collection

2011-11-19T11:01:00.000+01:00

Looking Sunkissed is not mine. Sadly I didn´t buy it when I had the chance and now I really regret it. It is such a beautiful bright shimmer red (perfect for the upcoming Christmas season)! It is a bit on the thick side but still no problems with the application. I love the Catrice brush, it is short and wide and makes the application flawless. I used two coats on these pictures but it covers almost in one. When I return it to its owner, I will have only these pictures to look at :) What do you think?

Misa Hip To My Jive Collection 2011 - Swatches and Review

2011-11-18T12:45:00.000+01:00

Ok, so Blogger just ate all my text to this post so I will make it really short, because I don´t have the patience to write it again. Here is the fall collection from Misa called Hip To My Jive:

Misa says: "Misa Cosmetics’ fall collection, Hip to My Jive, will have you flipping out over shades that hearken back to the decade of old-school cool while ensuring that your nails remain of-the-moment. The ’50s brought us TV dinners, cruising in chrome-accented automobiles, and poodle skirts at the malt shop, but now they bring forth six retro-inspired hues that’ll knock your socks off!

PEACHY KEEN
More beige than peach but still a nice work safe colour. Subtle shimmer. Two coats.

POP THE CLUTCH

A bit thicker that is why my swatch looks messy. Two coats.

GO FOR PINKS

Nice innocent pink creme. Two coats.

GOT IT MADE IN THE SHADE

My least favourite but you know I don´t like greens much. Two coats.

BOP TILL YOU DROP

A coral with very small golden flecks. Two coats.

CATCH A FLICK

My favourite. There is never enough of mints! Two coats.

Overall the collection had great formula, didn´t have any major problems. However I am not super excited about the colours in the collection. They are not ugly, not at all but just not very special for me. That is just my personal taste, I know about a lot of girls who love exactly these kind of colours (my mother is one of them). I still have more to show you from Misa, so stay tuned!

What do you think about the collection?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Wet n Wild Believe Me It´s Real

2011-11-15T12:44:00.000+01:00

I would say something different. I would say...believe me it´s really so pretty! This polish is so amazing. I am in love with the new WnW collection and regret I don´t have more of these. I used this over a dark purple creme and I used just one coat. I want to wear this for at least a week. The combination of blue, turquoise and purple is breathtaking.

And one more picture just because it is so amazing. I want to hear what you think about this polish. And if you have the change to get these then hurry to your local store and get them!

CND Girlie Pink

2011-11-12T11:21:00.000+01:00

I don´t normally wear such pinks but this is my NOTD. The formula on this one is not as perfect as I am used to with CND. Most of their cremes are amazing quality. This is streaky and I had to use three coats to get an even application. Hope you have a great weekend! I am feeling much better...

Nicole By OPI Snow-man Of My Dreams

2011-11-10T19:09:00.000+01:00

The last of the glitters from the Nicole By OPI Holiday collection is so much fun! As you can see from the close-up it is packed with different coloured glitter. I used two coats for these pictures but maybe three would be even better. I really like this one!

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI My Sleigh´s In The Shop

2011-11-09T17:53:00.000+01:00

Not only do I have so little time lately, but now I am also sick. So I just want to show you this beautiful glitter and off to bed with litres of tea! This is two coats on the pictures.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Color Club Foiled 2011 Collection - Swatches and Review

2011-11-08T15:22:00.000+01:00

The latest collection from Color Club I have for you is the Foiled Collection. Sorry for such a brief post, I have very little time but wanted to show you the collection. I think the pictures speak for themselves. If you have any questions write them in the comments. Here are the six shiny polishes:

PERFECT MOL-TEN
Light green foil. Two coats.

ANTIQUATED

This is pretty...kind of work-safe but not boring. I did two coats.

COLD METAL

This is my favourite of the collection. I have it on as a full mani as I am typing this text. It was surprisingly close to other blues in my collection. I showed you in this comparison. The good thing about Cold Metal is that it does not stain and covers in one coat! Perfectness.

HOT LIKE LAVA

My second favourite. Not very much like lava but still very pretty. One coat here again. I love such polishes!

FOIL ME ONCE

A lighter pink. This was two coats.

LUMIN-ICECENT

This is so icy, looks very cold and I am sure it will be a great polish for winter. Two coats.

That was the Foiled Collection from Color Club. All the polishes applied very easily, had very good coverage and formula. I am very happy that Color Club made Cold metal, it is one of my favourite blues.

What do you think about the collection? I can´t wait to hear your thoughts!

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Glitter In My Stocking

2011-11-07T17:17:00.001+01:00

Glitter in My Stocking is another glitter (obviously) from this year´s Holiday collection. It is mainly gold with some red and also very very pretty. This was so easy to apply, the small glitter spreads evenly and covers in two coats only. Again I used a top coat for this swatch.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Orna-ment For Each Other Holiday 2011

2011-11-06T15:11:00.000+01:00

Nicole By OPI is releasing two Holiday collections this year. The first one consists of four glitter polishes and I thought it would be nice to make a post about each separately. I will start with my favourite. I have to say that the combination of red and gold is very festive. The glitter is very fine and applies easily. You can do two thick coats, I used three normal for this swatch. I think it is just beautiful, don´t you? The glitter dries a bit dull, so I used a top coat for the swatch.

P.S. This year it will be really hard to decide on what to wear for Christmas Eve.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Wet n Wild Back Alley Deals

2011-11-05T12:02:00.000+01:00

Today I want to show you my NOTD. I am wearing one coat of Wet n Wild Back Alley Deals over a black creme. This glitter is crazy and awesome and I LOVE it! In fact the whole collection is absolutely beautiful. Of course if you don´t like glitter polishes you should pass this but if you like them, I think it is a must have. And it is cheap too! My first Wet n Wild polish.

China Glaze Blue Year´s Eve versus OPI Swimsuit Nailed It! versus Color Club Cold Metal

2011-11-02T16:25:00.002+01:00

When you look at these polishes in their bottles you would not guess they are so close as on the nail. Therefore I hope this little comparison helps you. I compared China Glaze Blue Year´s Eve (BYE), OPI Swimsuit Nailed It! (SNI) and Color Club Cold Metal (CM). All three are two coats on the pictures. No dupes here but they are close. Don´t ask me which is my favourite, because I love them all!

SpaRitual Solstice versus Orly Glitz & Glamour

2011-11-01T11:46:00.000+01:00

I have so little time lately and so much I want to show you. I will try to post more often, but will write less, I think the pictures do all the talking anyway :) This is a comparison of SpaRitual Solstice (S) and Orly Glitz & Glamour (GG). For me they are dupes. Both are two coats.

Illamasqua Wayard

2011-10-30T12:45:00.000+01:00

Need something positive for those dark and rainy autumn days? I think Illamasqua Wayard is just perfect for that. It is a true bright yellow creme. The best thing about it is the formula. Yellows are usually hard to apply, but not this one. I have two coats on the pictures.

Sparitual Twinkle kolekce pro zimu 2011

2011-10-25T11:14:00.000+02:00

Today´s post will be only in Czech but please feel free to ask me anything in the comments

Před několika dny jsem vám ukázala větší část podzimní kolekce Sparitual. Dnes pro vás mám zimní kolekci této značky. Jeden lak mi teda chybí, ale třeba ho časem taky doplním. Je to odstín Shooting Star, nad jehož fotkami docela slintám. I zbytek kolekce je ale velmi povedený, takže tady jsou:

BLUE MOON
Začnu hned mým favoritem celé kolekce. Blue Moon už v lahvičce vypadá velmi originálně. Je to nádherná tmavší sytě modrá. Co se mi na něm líbí jsou ty miniaturní šupinečky, které jsou fialové až bronzovo růžové. Skvěle se lakoval, dvě vrstvy bohatě stačily.

ILLUMINATION
Tak tenhle lak je určitě lepší používat na vrstvení. Pokud byste ho chtěli plně krycí, tak by to bylo tak na pět vrstev. Na fotce jsou tři. Já ho teda úplně vidím na Blue Moon!

SOLSTICE
Tak tomuhle se říká pořádná zlatá. Takových laků moc není. Vlastně napadá mě Orly Glitz & Glamour, se kterým určitě udělám v nejbližší době srovnání. Tohle je podle mě dokonalá zlatá na Vánoce nebo na vánoční večírky. To pak ani nejsou potřeba žádné šperky, nehty se stanou doplňekem samy o sobě. Na obrázku jsou dvě vrstvy.

BREAK OF DAWN
Další lak s miniaturníma šupinkama...stačí se podívat na detailní fotku a vidíte jakými barvami tenhle lak hraje. Dobrá zpráva je, že rozhodně nezapadá mezi skupinku laků, s kterými OPI v poslední době přišlo. Dvě vrstvy.

TWILIGHT
Já vím, já vím...určitě si říkáte: "to je nuda." Taky jsem si myslela, když jsem tenhle lak viděla v lahvičce, že takových už několik mám. Omyl! Nic podobného jsem nenašla. Navíc skvěle kryje. Stačila by jedna větší vrstva, já použila dvě. Moc příjemné překvapení.

Tak to je nabídka Sparitualu pro letošní zimu. Jediný lak, který mě zas až tak neoslovil je Illumination, ale jinak jsou všechny nádherné a většinu jsem už několik dní nosila. Kdybych si ale měla vybrat jediného favorita, tak to bude určitě Blue Moon, ten lak je dokonalý!

S lakama se mi pracovalo dokonce lépe než s podzimní kolekcí. Až na Illumination jsou všechny krycí ve dvou vrstvách, nepruhují, jsou tak akorát husté.

Máte už některý z nich doma nebo si na nějaký brousíte zuby? Určitě mi napiště!

Laky z téhle kolekce je možné zakoupit zde.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Ulta Blue Streak

2011-10-21T17:18:00.000+02:00

I got this beauty from the lovely Jessika from Polish Insomniac. Blue Sreak is a beautiful medium blue creme. This is my first Ulta polish and I like it a lot. The formula was ok, not the best but not a problem to work with. It covers in two coats. I like the Ulta brush, makes the polish easy to work with. I also got two purples, I will show you these later. Thank you so much Jessika!

Illamasqua Hemlock versus CND Emerald Shimmer

2011-10-20T12:21:00.001+02:00

Today is the big day when the Illamasqua Freak fragrance launches and together with it some other products. I already showed you the Nail Varnish in Hemlock (H) here. I know many of you were thinking how close it is to another beautiful layering polish CND Emerald Shimmer (ES). So to help you decide I did this comparison. I used one coat of both over a simple black creme. As you can already see from the bottles these are very different. CND is a green shimmer, on the other hand Hemlock is more milky, it is like a veil and has more gold in it. You can use Hemlock on its own, it covers in three, four coats but you can´t do that with CND. For me they are both beautiful. If you love green or layering I think you can have both...

Illamasqua Hemlock Nail Varnish - Swatches and Review

2011-10-18T13:09:00.000+02:00

I am sure you all already know that Illamasqua is releasing a new fragrance in a few days. I absolutely love the images that were made for the release of Freak. They are purple and there are octopuses, which I think are amazingly beautiful animals. But it is not only Freak what is new from Illamasqua!

Illamasqua says: "To celebrate the launch of the Freak fragrance, we have created three limited edition make-up pieces, each inspired by the exotic blooms that make up its intoxicating scent. Embracing the mysterious history of its namesake, Poison Hemlock, is hardwearing new Nail Varnish in Hemlock."

In the bottle Hemlock is an iridescent green with a bit of pink, which shows only in the bottle. On the nail you can see mostly green, in the sun it turns more golden. It is just so pretty! As expected the formula was great, no streaks (honestly, I wouldn´t expect anything else from Illamasqua). For full coverage I think you would need four coats, I used three on the picture below and it is almost opaque. I was surprised about how much I liked it even alone...I could actually really wear this:

But I still think that all the fun starts when you layer Hemlock over creme polishes. I have been playing with different combinations all day long, there are endless possibilities, but here are some of the ones I like most.

So I tried Hemlock...

...over Illamasqua Boosh
Black is always the best way to show the full beauty of layering polishes. This combination was actually used for the Freak images!

...over Illamasqua Scorch
White is also a great polish for layering and I think that Hemlock makes it look very elegant. It looks like pearls to me.

...over Illamasqua Nudge
Nudge is already beautiful on its own but with Hemlock its is absolutely stunning! This might be my favourite combination so far.

...over Illamasqua Force
Hemlock changes the colour of Force from blue to more purple.

...over Illamasqua Jo´Mina
You know I love Jo´Mina, there is no other polish like it. I actually had it on when Hemlock arrived so it was the first polish I tried it on. I think this is a beautiful combination....they remind me of the images for Freak.

I love Hemlock and I love to play with it...I could do tons of other combinations and I am sure all of them would look great. I don´t like green polishes much but green layering polishes are beautiful. I promise to show you more combinations with Hemlock soon...or you could just let me know what would you like to see and I will make a post about that.

You can pre-order Hemlock already here. As all Illamasqua Nail Varnishes it costs £13.50. Hemlock, Freak and the other products will be available on the 20th October, so that is just two more days!

What do you think about Hemlock and will you be buying Freak? Let me know...

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Illamasqua Jan

2011-10-16T18:29:00.000+02:00

Today I want to show you Illamasqua Jan...a dusty pink creme. Perfect coverage in two coats. Formula was amazing, just like most of the Illamasqua polishes. A great colour when you are in the mood for pink but not those girly or too bright ones. I like it and I also like its violet brother Velocity :)

I also wanted to thank all of you who voted in my little poll. Nice to know that the majority (83%) of you find the close-up pictures I do helpful. So glad to hear that and you have my word that I will keep on doing them, although they are additional work. I want to show you the polishes in the best possible way.

Sparitual Wilde kolekce pro podzim 2011

2011-10-14T12:02:00.000+02:00

Today´s post will be only in Czech but please feel free to ask me anything in the comments.

Dnes trochu opráším češtinu, abych vám představila nádhernou podzimní kolekci od Sparitual. Laky téhle značky jsem vám už v minulosti ukázala, ale přece jen jsem jí nevěnovala tolik prostoru, kolik si zaslouží. Přiznám se, že jsem vůbec nevěděla, že Sparitual už má i své české zastoupení. O tom jsem se dozvěděla až na letošní Interbeauty výstavě. A to dokonce zastoupení tak pokrokové, že fandí bloggerům, i když tahle praxe je u nás ještě v plenkách. Nejdřív teda malé představení Sparitual laků a troška teorie:

"Sparitual barevné laky jsou určeny pro přirozené nehty. Celá jejich stavba je veganská: neobsahují žádné komponenty, které by mohly negativně ovlivnit kondici či zdraví nehtu nebo přilehlých tkání. Deklarovaná absence plastifkátorů a syntetických pigmentů zcela změnila konstrukci laků tak, aby zůstaly zachovány požadavky na stálobarevnost, pevnost, trvanlivost a pružnost. Laky jsou bez di-butyl ftalátů, bez toluenu a formaldehydu, formaldehydové pryskyřice."

Dnes vám chci ukázat čtyři laky z nové podzimní kolekce Wilde. Mám z ní čtyři kousky, dvě miniaturky (5ml) a dvě klasická balení (15ml), takže mám aspoň možnost srovnání. Naštěstí jsou miniaturky použitelné, stejně jako mini laky od sesterské značky Orly (ale třeba takové OPI miniaturky jsou podle mě za trest a nemám je ráda). Další věc, co mají Sparitual laky společného s Orly je pogumovaný uzávěr, na který nedám dopustit. Je to sice maličkost, ale hned se s lakem líp pracuje. Tady teda jsou:

RHYTHM OF LIFE
Nádherná emeraldově zelená, trošku s nádechem do tyrkysova. Klidně bych si ho uměla představit i na Vánoce, jako takovou netradiční alternativu ke všem těm klasickým zeleným. Na obrázku jsou dvě vrstvy, možná by to chtělo ještě třetí. Lakoval se skvěle.

INSTINCT
Tak na tenhle jsem se tešila ze všeho nejvíc! Sice mám doma asi tak milion fialových, ale dobrou fialovou nikdy nepohrdnu. A tahle je opravdu krásná, moc se mi líbí ten fialový a růžový shimmer, co má. Je to dobře vidět, na tom velkém přiblížení. Jednu věc bych mu ale přece jen vytkla. Trošku hůř se s ním pracuje, na fotce jsou dvě vrstvy. Třetí by byla potřeba, aby zakryla trošku nerovnoměrné krytí.

HOWL
Howl je hodně tmavě hnědý, připomíná mi kafe. Co je na tomhle laku nejhezčí je ten bronzový shimmer, který pořádně vynikne teprve na sluníčku (na fotce je vidět hlavně v lahvičce). Dvě vrstvy.

SPIRIT CHILD
Tohle je další favorit. V lahvičce mi ta barva připomíná psí víno na podzim...když zčervená a sluníčko mu dodá zlatavý nádech. Když se nalakuje, tak chytne trošku do růžova, ale jen nepatrně. Každopádně ze všech čtyř tenhle kryl nejlépe. Skoro by stačila jedna silnější vsrstva. Já jsem nalakovala dvě. Aplikoval se bez sebemenších problémů.

Jak vidíte, tohle není typická kolekce letošního podzimu...žádné krémovky, žádné tlumené barvy, jako jsme měly možnost vidět u ostatních značek. Je to docela příjemná změna, já mám shimmer laky moc ráda. Navíc ty barvy jsou nádherné a kolekce má i fialovou, takže co víc bych si mohla přát? Škoda jen, že vám teď nemůžu ještě ukázat Sacred Ground, který je taky velmi povedený. Slibuju ale, že se tady v nejbližších dnech objeví!
Sparitual si tedy můžete koupit už i u nás a to tady. Klasická velikost stojí 240kč, mini laky pak 125Kč.
Už se těším na vaše komentáře...jak se vám kolekce líbí a co říkáte na značku Sparitual? Nějaké oblíbené barvy?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

China Glaze Let It Snow Holiday 2011 Collection - Swatches and Review

2011-10-12T13:31:00.000+02:00

Those of you, who follow me on facebook already knew this review was coming. The first Holiday collection of this year I am reviewing is from China Glaze and I am glad for that, because China Glaze makes amazing Holiday collections! I promise you that you will not be disappointed. It is a big collection of twelve shades and it has all you want for Christmas: red, green, glitter, gold, silver...Let´s have a look at them one by one:

VELVET BOW

A rich dark red creme. Really looks like luxury velvet. Makes me feel cosy :) Two coats.

WINTER BERRY
A beautiful berry red. As you can see the nail line is visible with two coats, so three would be perfect.

POINSETTIA
I love this bright red creme, perfect for Christmas! This is a bit jelly like. It applied like a dream. This is two coats.

RING IN THE RED

This looks like red glitter magic in the bottle. I think I will be wearing this the whole December, it is so festive. However I did not manage to capture its full beauty. You just have to believe me that it is even more beautiful than on my pictures. This is three coats on the picture, covers well. You can also try it on a red creme.

TWINKLE LIGHTS
Green and red glitter but most of all gold. This is crazy under artificial light, so another great polish for those long winter nights! I didn´t want to take it off :) Three coats. It will be a perfect layering polish too.

CHAMPAGNE BUBBLES

Bright yellow gold with silver glitter. Very unique and great for those Christmas parties. Three coats.

BLUE YEAR´S EVE

This blue is everywhere now and I am so glad because I love this colour. I am so happy China Glaze came out with this one, there is never enough of such shades. There is even purple in the bottle, sadly it does not transfer on the nail. I will be making a comparison with this one for sure. Two coats.

GLITTERING GARLAND
The only time of the year when I wear green and actually like it is Christmas. One of my favourite greens ever is China Glaze Emerald Sparkle! China Glaze can make beautiful greens. This one is also very pretty, just look at the detail. Two coats.

HOLLY DAY
Darker green creme. It looks absolutely flawless. I am sure all of the green lovers out there will love this one. Two coats.

TINSEL TOWN
Another beauty that I found nothing similar to. I love the hexagonal glitter in this. Covers very well in two coats.

ICICLE
A basic silver, that everyone should have in their collection. Nothing unique though. Two coats.

SNOW GLOBE
Snow Globe is a re-promote. It is round holo glitter in a clear base. On this picture I am showing you only one coat over other polishes from this collection. I like it best over Blue Year´s Eve. This is definitely a layering polish, you would have to go nuts if you would try to make it opaque on its own.

This collection just screams Christmas, it is perfect. There are so many different colours and finishes to choose from that you can´t go wrong. If I wouldn´t have so many polishes at home already I wouldn´t hesitate to buy the whole collection :) The formula on most of these was perfect, I had no problems with these. Just wish Snow Globe would be easier to work with, I want more of that beautiful glitter without having to apply three coats. If I would have to choose a favourite it would be Ring In The Red. It is such an amazing red glitter which can be worn on its own. But as I said there are more shades I love here.

What are your thoughts? I would also love to hear your ideas for possible comparisons :)

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Target Exclusives for Fall 2011 - Swatches and Review

2011-10-11T18:12:00.000+02:00

I have a cute little collection for you from Nicole By OPI. There are only four polishes but they all look great and are perfect for fall!

GREEN UP YOUR ACT
A muted medium green creme. I already showed you a comparison with this one here. Seems like these colours are very popular this fall. Two coats.

IT´S NOT ME, IT´S BLUE

To understand the full beauty of this polish you have to look at the close-up pictures. It is packed with shimmer and very small flecks of glitter. The base colour is a darker silvery grey, but you can also see some pink and purple inside! Very special. Two coats again.

I LOVE YOU CHERRY MUCH

So many beautiful reds came out this year that I will not know which to wear! This is one of them. It might remind you of OPI Love Is A Racket and indeed they do look very close in the bottle. Might do a comparison if you would like :) Two coats.

SOUNDS GRAPE TO ME

I saved the best for the end. This one is my favourite. It reminds me of OPI Tease-y Does It but it isn´t so dark. It is a perfect fall colour and I am so happy to have it. Two coats.

Overall a cute little collection where none of the polishes would be something I wouldn´t wear. As I said my favourite is Sounds Grape To Me. I have to say that all the polishes look a bit better than my pictures show them, I didn´t have a very good light and also the Nicole By OPI bottles are so hard to hold for the swatches, so please excuse that :)

As always I would love to hear your thoughts on this collection!

P.S. thanks to all who are voting in my small little poll, this is so important for me. Thank you!

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Mint Green Comparison

2011-10-07T11:56:00.001+02:00

The fall collection from Color Club came with another mint green polish so I think it is time for a little comparison. I love these colours and as I already said, there is never enough! I think every nail polish lover should have at least one...and if you still haven´t found the right one maybe this comparison will help you. So what I compared is: OPI Mermaid´s Tears (MT), Nicole By OPI My Lifesaver (ML), Orly Gumrop (G), Color Club New Bohemian (NB), Illamasqua Nudge (N) and Eyeko Vintage Polish (VP). All of them are two coats on the pictures, I didn´t have any serious application problems with any of these, only Eyeko is much more watery than the rest.

And which one is my favourite? I think it is still Gumdrop, I just love this shade so so much, it is such a classic! When I am in the mood for something more blue I reach for Illamasqua Nudge, which is also beautiful. And if you want something else, you should try the dusty mint OPI Mermaid Tears.

Which one would you choose? Let me know!

Illamasqua Raindrops

2011-10-06T21:03:00.001+02:00

I love the idea behind this polish and the picture that was its inspiration. Raindrops on a window on a grey rainy day. I actually like these days but when I am at home with a cup of tea and a delicious cake :) Whenever I look at Illamasqua Raindrops it reminds me of such days. The colour is a light grey with flecks of silver. It is beautiful! But it is not perfect...sadly this polish covers in four, five coats. Something I did not experience with any other Illamasqua polish...depends on you, how much you like it :)

Color Club Back To Boho Fall 2011 Collection - Swatches and Review

2011-10-05T15:52:00.001+02:00

I got these yesterday and I couldn´t wait to share them with you! Today is the first day that actually has fall weather, so it is just in time for this beautiful collection from Color Club. There are twelve polishes divided into two sets as usual. The first six swatches are the A and the rest is the B set. Here they are:

NOMADIC IN NUDE

A perfect beige that goes well with my skin tone. This is a great work-safe colour. Two coats.

EARTHY ANGEL

On the other hand, this colour does not go well with my skin tone. It looked nice in the bottle but not on my nails. Two coats.

NEW BOHEMIAN

I love these minty greens, never enough of them. This is nothing new though. I might do a comparison if you would like to. The formula was a bit thicker than on the rest and I had some streaks so don´t do very thick coats otherwise you might have some application problems. Nothing serious though. Two coats.

SHABBY DRAB

A dusty light periwinkle. Beautiful shade. Two coats.

RAD NOMAD

Love! This is one of my favourites! I don´t know why but I fell in love with these kinds of colours lately. They are absolutely perfect for fall. I also loved the formula on this one, it was just perfect. Two coats.

RED-ICAL GYPSY

A darker bloody red. Not that kind of bright reds that we see in winter collections. Great coverage. Two coats.

BOHO MOJO

For me the problem child of the collection. The colour is pretty but that is about everything. The brushstrokes are so visible, no matter how hard I tried to apply the polish carefully. Three coats.

NOUVEAU VINTAGE

Another beauty that makes up for the previous one :) I would describe it as a red toned bronze with green shimmer, but I think it is the best if you look at the close-up picture (talking about that I have a little poll in the top right corner, would love to know what you think). I don´t think I have anything like this in my nail polish collection. Very special polish and absolutely perfect for fall. Two coats.

VOODOO YOU DO

Another winner for me. Looks beautiful on nails. Two coats.

ARTSY CRAFTY

A dark green but not so much to look like black.Two coats.

BLUE-TOPIA

Beautiful dark blue jelly. It looks almost black most of the time. What is great about this one is its formula and coverage. It is perfect. However I have to warn you that it does stain, so remove carefully. Two coats.

REBEL SPIRIT

This looked black to me in the bottle but one you apply it on the nail you see the brown base. I think this is my darkest brown polish. Two coats again.

I don´t know why but I seem to underestimate a lot of collections lately. They don´t appeal to me from the promo pictures but once I have the chance to try them out I totally change my opinion. This collection is the same case. Of course even after swatching them I know that it is not super unique but I don´t mind at all. It is a typical fall collection with some amazing shades that I already fell in love with. I also want to point out the great formula which was on most of these. I had problems only with Boho Mojo and that is also the only three coater of the collection. My favourites are Noveau Vintage, Rad Nomad, Blue-Topia and New Bohemian. Which are yours and what are your thoughts about this collection? Would love to hear!

If you have any comparison requests, please feel free to write them in the comments.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Catrice Forbidden Apple

2011-10-04T21:34:00.001+02:00

I have another Catrice polish for you today. This one is not mine, I just have it to try out. The polish itself is great, covers well. It is a bit thicker, but there was no problem in application. The only thing I don´t get is the name...it doesn´t look like an apple to me. There is a lot of pink to the red base. Anyway a very pretty colour and if you can get your hands on Catrice polishes I recommend this one.

OPI Silver Shatter

2011-10-03T21:07:00.000+02:00

This picture is actually my NOTD. I love the combination of white or silver with blue so here is how I used the Silver Shatter. Under it I used OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It! It is one of my favourite blues now. I think they work great together:

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Catrice Yes, You Tan! from the Bohemia Collection

2011-10-02T11:04:00.000+02:00

Catrice has a new limited edition called Bohemia. It will is available from September to October. The colours of the collection are blue, red orange and brown (as you can see on the above picture). I liked all the polishes but they were not that special for me to buy them. So I thought I would try at least Yes, You Tan! This polish is a warm brown with golden shimmer. Perfect for fall isn´t it? Two coats on the pictures and I had no problems with the formula. I liked the brush...reminds me of Nicole By OPI brushes. It is wide, flat and a bit rounded at the end.

OPI Get In The Expresso Lane versus OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys

2011-10-01T23:50:00.000+02:00

My friend Blanche loves OPI and brown, so she asked me to compare these two polishes to help her decide about which one to buy. So here is OPI Get In The Expresso Lane (GITEL) and OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys (SLC). I think the difference is obvious from my pictures. Just have a look at how unevenly they can apply if you don´t use thicker coats. I used two on the pictures but three would have been better. I hope this helps you, Blanche! :)

CND Emerald Shimmer

2011-09-30T12:00:00.000+02:00

One day I want to have all of the CND Effects. I love them so much. My latest is CND Emerald Shimmer which I bought at a beauty exhibition. Like all the other effect shimmers it is amazing. You need just one coat, it covers evenly. On the pictures I used it over one coat of CND Ink.

It is most beautiful in the sun or under artificial light, so here is one little picture of how it looks in direct sunlight:

OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam! US Open - Review and Swatches

2011-09-26T21:27:00.001+02:00

The last Serena Williams set. I will miss them. I found some really amazing polishes in these sets. The US Open duo is one of the best. Have a look:

LOVE IS A RACKET

A beautiful bright mix of flakies and some glitter. I used two coats. Three would be better as you can see.

OPI PROS & BRONZE

Too bad I didn´t have this polish for summer but it will be great for fall too. This is truly amazing. There is gold, copper and pink glitter mixed together. The result is super shiny awesomeness. Two coats. I really like this one.

As I sad, this was the final set. I was very happy about OPI collaborating with Serena as I love such mini collections coming out. If I would have to choose a favourite from all the sets it would definitely be Grape Set Match!

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Illamasqua Morale Blush from the Theatre of Nameless Collection - Swatches and Review

2011-09-26T11:10:00.000+02:00

Morale was a love at first sight for me. This is my first Illamasqua Blush and only makes me ask myself why haven´t I tried their blushes before? The packaging is larger than I am used to. I like all Illamasqua packaging, this one is no exception. The blush is 4.5g, which will last forever. Morale and Ambition are the first two shimmer finish blushes. Let´s have a closer look at Morale:

The colour is described as a rosed flush. The shimmer is very fine and I can see some gold in the pan:

Now the best thing about the blush is how easy it is to use. It is very well pigmented so you need just a very small amount. It blends well and stays all day long. I haven´t been wearing anything else for the last week! It really depends on you how much you use and what look you want to achieve. Just have a look at these swatches:

I love pink blushes and honestly this is one of the best I tried. Now I just have to figure out which other Illamasqua blushes to try. Any ideas? What are your favourites?

Illamasqua blushes retail £16.50 and are available here.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nubar Violet Sparkle

2011-09-25T19:07:00.000+02:00

I don´t have many Nubar polishes but the ones I have are amazing. Violet Sparkle is from the Sparkle collection from last year. For me one of the best Nubar collections ever. The glitter is great, it covers perfectly in three coats and all the colours of the collection are amazing! But for me this one is the best. Well...of course...it is a purple. I didn´t use a top coat for this swatch but when I wear these, I always use one. Might be my new favourite glitter purple. What do you think?

Orly It´s Up To Blue

2011-09-20T11:09:00.000+02:00

One of the polishes I bought at the Interbeauty exhibition. But this colour is not new to me, I already have it in a mini version. In fact I have a very close relationship with it as it was one of my very first polishes. For me, the colour is perfect. I love it so much. However there are some things that could be better...the formula is thin, you need three coats. On the pictures brushstrokes are also visible but not so much in person. Well anyway I forgive this polish all its imperfections and I still love to use it. What about you? Do you have any polishes that remind you of something and you like them more than others?

Nicole By OPI Green Up Your Act versus Finger Paints Vintage Velvet

2011-09-19T21:23:00.000+02:00

I have a friend who loves colours like these and when she saw these two she asked me for a comparison :) So here it is...a very quick one. I am comparing Nicole By OPI Green Up Your Act (GUYA) and Finger Paints Vintage Velvet (VV). Both are two coats. I think the pictures speak for themselves :)

Essie Neo Whimsical

2011-09-18T11:13:00.000+02:00

I borrowed this Essie polish from my sister to show you. She loves these light pinks, I don´t much but this one is nice. Essie Neo Whimsical is a bit tricky to take pictures of. In some lights it will appear more pink than on my swatches and in some it will look like this. The hint of violet shows up more here. I like it more this way so this is why I am showing you these pictures. Formula was not bad but I had to use three coats. Hope you have a great Sunday!

OPI It´s My Year versus OPI Rally Pretty Pink versus Zoya Faye

2011-09-17T16:24:00.000+02:00

Three beautiful foils for a little comparison today. You wanted to see the differences between OPI It´s My Year (IMY), OPI Rally Pretty Pink (RPP) and Zoya Faye (F). As you can see the last two are very very close, might even call them dupes. On the other hand IMY is a bit different. Depends on you which base colour you like more. On these swatches I used two coats on each so that you can see the differences in opacity. Hope this post helps :)

Eyeko Big Eyes Mascara Review

2011-09-17T11:58:00.000+02:00

I have this mascara for about three months now, so I thought I could share my thoughts with you. Starting with the packaging. The Eyeko Big Eyes Masraca comes in a silver tube, so that you can squeeze the product. Good idea but still I just like the classic mascara packaging more. The brush is also different to what I am used to. It is a spiral. Here is a detail:

Now here are my pictures. I just have to warn you. You have to work carefully with this mascara as the brush tends to pick way more of the product than needed. You can very easily end up with huge clumps and spider lashes. Especially when the mascara is new, I recommend to wipe of the brush a bit before you apply the mascara. Here is what it looks like on my lashes:

NO MASCARA

ONE COAT

TWO COATS

My pictures are without any changes. This is the way the mascara applies. As you can see it adds mostly volume and some length. No matter how hard you will try this mascara is not for a natural look. But if you are looking for big lashes I think you should give it a try. I think it does make very nice lashes but you have to be careful not to use too much product and a lash comb will be useful too. This mascara is easy to remove with warm water and then finish up with a eye makeup remover.

I don´t think this mascara is for everyone but I like to use it for my party makeup when I want some volume on my lashes. However looks like it was discontinued as I didn't find it on the official Eyeko website. Looks like they have three new mascaras.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

OPI Touring America Fall 2011 Collection - Swatches and Review

2011-09-15T21:32:00.000+02:00

Today I have for you the main OPI Collection for this fall. The Touring America collection is already available in stores. I had the polishes for a while too but I have mixed feelings about the collection so wanted to wear the shades before I post my review. Here are my swatches, my thoughts after :)

ARE WE THERE YET?
A melon orange shimmer. Two coats here.

A-TAUPE THE SPACE NEEDLE

When I swatched this I thought two coats are fine, but now looking at the pictures I think three could have been better. This is really not my type of color, you know :)

COLOR TO DINER FOR

This is my favourite shimmer of the collection. OPI makes some of the best reds I have ever seen so whenever there is a red in the collection I like it. Just remember last fall and Color So Hot It Berns! I so much love that shade. This was two coats.

FRENCH QUARTER FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

There are two greys in this collection. This is a true medium grey. Two coats.

GET IN THE EXPRESSO LANE

A dark brown creme. It is not too dark to look black. Two coats.

HONK IF YOU LOVE OPI

Beautiful dark red purple. Again not too dark to be black. One of my favourites. Two coats again.

I BRAKE FOR MANICURES

This polish is my favourite of the whole collection. I love the name, the color and most of all its formula. This one was just perfect. Two coats and absolute love!

I EAT MAINELY LOBSTER

Coral with tiny gold shimmer. Three coats.

MY ADDRESS IS "HOLLYWOOD"

Dusty pink. Not really my type. I like more bright and neon pinks. Three coats.

ROAD HOUSE BLUES

Oh I love the dark cremes in this collection. This is another pretty one. Two coats.

SUZI TAKES THE WHEEL

The second grey of the collection, this time with a hint of green. I had some problems with this one. It was a bit more watery than the rest. Two coats.

UH-OH ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW

This has a funny name but I don´t like the color. Two coats.

My overall thoughts? This collection has both...colors which I don´t like and would never wear and also amazing dark cremes that I really love. The formula was good but I have seen better in previous OPI collections. I know it must be hard to come up with amazing and breathtaking collections every year (and OPI already did some great collections this year...I loved the Miss Universe, Blue Shatter and others). I absolutely loved the Swiss collection from last year. It had several colours that I love to wear all year round. This year I will be rocking the four dark cremes, the shimmers are not very much my taste except Color To Diner For which is pretty and my least favourite are the greens and greys. But yet again, that is with every collection. I am not a green lover.

What are your thoughts about this collection?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Illamasqua Nudge

2011-09-14T21:22:00.000+02:00

This is what I am wearing right now. I love Nudge! It is so creamy, I want to eat my nails. No wonder Illamasqua describes this shade as a mint ice-cream. I have two coats on the pictures and I really like this. I also wanted to ask you. Now that I have all the Illamasqua Nail Varnishes...is there any shade you would like to see? Or is it just fine when I post about them randomly from time to time? Let me know.

Illamasqua Masquara in Raven

2011-09-13T15:48:00.000+02:00

I already showed you four new Nail Varnishes from the new Illamasqua collection. But there are also some very exciting make up products that I would like to show you. I got the chance to also try the new mascara and the Precision Ink. I also want to buy the new blush in Morale, so that will appear here one day too.

So today it is about the new mascara called Masquara. Love the name. The shade Raven is a true deep black.

This is what Illamasqua says about the Masquara: "If the eyes are the windows of the soul, our new Masquara in Raven (midnight black) reveals a heart of darkness with a new formula that lengthens, defines and dramatises lashes to extremes."

This type of mascara is exactly something for me. Most of the time I wear more dramatic eyes and only nude lips. I like to experiment with colours on my eyes. As you can see on the picture below the brush is quite large:

I will now let the pictures do the talking and show you how the Masquara looks applied on. Please bear in mind that I am a nail polish blogger so excuse all the imperfections :)

WITHOUT MASQUARA

ONE COAT

TWO COATS

I have been wearing the Masquara for over one week every day now. As you can see it adds length and some volume to the lashes. You just have to be careful not to apply to much of the products but I think this will get better after a few days of use when a bit of the product dries out. What I really like about it is its staying power. It stays all day long and really is smudge proof. Overall I think this will not become my favourite mascara but it definitely is one of the better I tried.

Masquara is already available on the Illamasqua website. You can buy it here for £15.00.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

CND Pink Wishes Effects - three different ways

2011-09-12T11:33:00.000+02:00

I got a lot of requests from you, my lovely readers, lately. I just wanted to let you know that I am working on them, so please be patient with me :) You also wanted to see the new CND effect (my swatches of the whole set here) on darker colours. For this post I chose a simple black creme to show you how the Pink Wishes Effects looks. I used just one coat here. As you can see it looks more purple than pink. It is quite similar to the Violet Shimmer Effect.

I wanted to play with this a bit more so I reached for my Konad...which I haven´t used for ages! My favourite plate M63 is used here. I loved the way this looked. It doesn't scream I stamped my nails but is very pretty.

And instead of putting a classic glossy top coat on top, I reached for a mattifying top coat from ManGlaze called Matte-Astrophe. This is my favourite of all these three looks. I love it and I am wearing it as a full mani now :)

So what do you think of Pink Wishes over black? Do you like it or is it better as a very subtle shimmer on a light pink creme?

Four Seasons Nail Fortifier (Posilovač nehtů)

2011-09-11T18:34:00.000+02:00

A few months ago I changed my base coat and I wanted to let you know what product I am currently using. Sadly I think this product is available only in the Czech Republic. I didn't find it anywhere else. So this post is mainly for my Czech readers. I used to have Essie Protein Base Coat as my HG. Before it I tried a lot of base coats but I saw no results. The only problem with the Essie is the price and because I do my nails very often I used a lot of the product. So I started looking for something more affordable. Then I found this..

I am on my third bottle now and I must say I am very happy with this product. I feel it is even better for my nails than the Essie. I feel they are strong and much less stained. It has a very similar milky consistency too. The only thing Essie was better at was the drying time, it dried faster. I really recommend this to all my Czech readers. I already recommended this to a friend of mine, she had very weak and short nails. After one month she had them much longer and thanked me so much. She said her nails really are stronger. I was so glad to hear that. This stuff is great.

Below I also wrote the ingredients so that you can compare. I highlighted in green the ingredients that they have same. I am no chemist so please if you understand this let me know if there are any major differences.

Oh and the price? Essie costs CZK 310 ($18) and Four Seasons is CZK 40 ($2.3). Of course you can get the Essie cheaper from the states, I just wanted you to see the official prices on both.

Four Seasons Nail Fortifier ingredients: butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose, phthalic anhydride, trimellitic anhydride, glycols copolymer, acetyl tributyl citrate, isopropyl alcohol, stearalkonium hectorite, citric acid, panthenol, hydrolyzed corn protein, hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed soy protein

Essie Protein Base Coat ingredients: ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocellulose, isopropyl alcohol, dibutyl phthalate, toluenesulfonamide / formaldehyde resin, stearalkonium hectorite, camphor, titanium dioxide, talc, hydrolyzed vegetable protein

Prague Interbeauty 2011

2011-09-10T16:53:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I attended the Prague Interbeauty exhibition. I already know that I can expect nothing exciting from these events in my country. I already know and often have at home collections which they call the latest. It is sometimes sad to see how everything comes so late to my country. Well I went there to at least buy some polishes and in this way I was successful.

Me and my friend Day (also a nail polish blogger) tried to ask the different brands if they cooperate with bloggers. This was just for fun, I was so curious about the reactions. You see bloggers and especially nail polish bloggers are not taken very seriously in my country. Well I don´t help that much too as I stopped blogging in Czech a long time ago. We got a very warm welcome at Sparitual. The girl there was very helpful, we talked for a while and it was very nice. On the other hand the woman at Essie was very funny. When I asked if they cooperate with bloggers, she just said " I don´t give nail polish for free!" I mean WTF? I never asked her for free nail polish! I know one thing for sure, I will never buy an Essie polish from the Czech representative. Oh and at the OPI stand I heard that Shatters are a huge hit right now in the States :)

But as I said the most important was nail polish shopping. Sadly I didn't buy anything from new collections :( Here is what I have:

CND Effects Emerald Shimmer (CZK 145, $8.5)

Nubar Night Sparkle (CZK 50, $3)

Nubar Violet Sparkle (CZK 50, $3)

OPI Russian Navy (CZK 135, $8)

Orly It´s Up To Blue (CZK 95, $5.5)

Orly Lunar Eclipse (CZK 95, $5.5)

Orly galaxy Girl (CZK 95, $5.5)

My nails at Illamasqua.com

2011-09-09T15:05:00.000+02:00

Lately Illamasqua has been really improving their shop at illamasqua.com. When you want to buy an eyeshadow or a blush you can see actual swatches of the products on skin. I think this is very helpful. It saves you time. You don´t have to google everything up. Now Illamasqua comes with the same feature with their Nail Varnishes and I was so lucky to help them with it. I can not even describe how exciting it was to have the opportunity to swatch ALL the Illamasqua Nail Varnishes!

I tried really hard to make my pictures as color accurate as possible. I swatched some of them three times before I got the right picture but I loved the work. I hope that my swatches will help you with your decision. Illamasqua Nail Varnishes have exceptional quality, you can´t go wrong!

Let me know what you think? Will it help you? :)

Illamasqua Nail Varnishes cost £13.50 and you can buy them here.

OPI Let Me Entertain You v Congeniality Is My Middle Name v The One That Got Away

2011-09-08T11:19:00.000+02:00

Today a quick post about three OPI polishes that you wanted to see together. I used two coats on all of these so that you can see the differences in opacity. Some might have been better with three coats. Anyway, as you can see no dupes here. Let Me Entertain You (LMEY) has a different base color. Congeniality Is My Middle Name (CIMMN) and The One That Got Away (TOTGA) are quite similar but they have different formula. CIMMN is a jelly and has less sparkle. However I think there is no need to own both. Hope this was helpful :)

Illamasqua Milf

2011-09-07T15:52:00.000+02:00

I am still very excited about the new Illamasqua collection. I showed you my swatches a few days ago. This collection has a green that I can actually wear which doesn't happen so often. Another Illamasqua green which I like is Milf...a light minty green. I have two coats on the picture. What do you think about it? :)

OPI Miss Universe Collection 2011 - Swatches and Review

2011-09-06T15:51:00.000+02:00

The OPI Miss universe is little collection released recently. The Miss Universe competition will be held on the 12th of September and OPI was named its official nail care sponsor.

OPI says: "Pageant-pretty nail lacquers in the new Miss Universe by OPIpromotion give fingers and toes added glitz and glamour. Featuring four shades packed with shimmer and sparkle, these limited edition colors capture the energy of the 2011 MISS UNIVERSE® competition."

Here are my swatches of the four polishes:

CONGENIALITY IS MY MIDDLE NAME

This is a jelly berry with a lot of purple sparkle. The formula is very nice, it covers well in two coats. Just bear in mind that the sparkle tends to settle on the bottom of the bottle. Before applying the polish, give the bottle a good shake!

IT´S MY YEAR

Pink purple with sparkle. This shines a lot. I have two coats on.

SWIMSUIT...NAILED IT!

I am speechless. This is just such a perfect blue! It is so vibrant. Just look at the pictures...they are without flash or sun and the polish is so shiny! Full coverage in two coats. This is my favourite blue of this year...no doubt about that!

CROWN ME ALREADY

Silver glitter bomb. This has at least three different kinds of glitter. It covers in three coats but I think it would be better to use a silver foil under it. One of the most pretty silver glitters I have.

I have to admit that I don´t care about the idea behind this collection. I don´t watch these competitions and I think they are rather silly. But this nail polish collection is amazing and I love each and every one of these. I need to get a back-up bottle of Swimsuit...Nailed It! You might want to tell me that there other similar shades out there. But the combination of the wide OPI brush and this color is just one :)

What about you? How do you feel about this collection after seeing these swatches?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

CND Pink Wishes Colour & Effects Duo - Swatches and Review

2011-09-04T11:58:00.000+02:00

I am always excited when CND comes out with their small little collections. There is always one polish from the Colour range which is a creme and one Effect which is a shimmer or sparkle. Their latest duo is called Pink Wishes and it is a limited edition.

CND says: "Every October, people all over the world come together to celebrate and give strength to brave women fighting breast cancer. To embrace the spirit of unity, wear your pride on your fingers and toes with CND's Pink Wishes Colour & Effects Duo."

PINK WISHES COLOUR

This is a semi-sheer milky pink. Such an innocent color. The formula is a bit thinner on this one than I am used to from CND. When applying be careful not to use too thick layers as the polish tends to "pool" around your cuticles. This is three coats on the picture.

PINK WISHES EFFECT

The effect is pearlescent. It makes that hidden shimmer effect. That is why it is not very visible on my pictures but believe me, it looks much better in person. I love it.

Here is a macro shot of the bottle to give you a better idea of the effect:

I don´t wear light pink cremes much but with the effect I love the way this duo looks. I can´t wait to try the effect over other colours and over black. So tell me what you think of this nice cute little set?

Suggested retail price: $20.00 US / $25.00 Canada
Available for a limited time only in salons and professional beauty supply stores. For locations, visit cnd.com .

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Finger Paints Fall Fashionista Collection 2011 - Swatches and Review

2011-09-02T14:48:00.000+02:00

Summer is coming to an end and it is time for some fall collections. I don´t like reviewing fall collections in July because I am not in the mood for fall colors at that time. So today I have for you the fall collection from Finger Paints called Fall Fashionista:

STUNNING STILETTOS

Is a light grey creme. Two coats.

TO - TELLY CHIC

This is a blue, a bit teal. I like shades like this a lot for fall and this had great formula plus it is a one coater.

CATWALK QUEEN

I don´t like these mustard kinds of yellow very much. But if you do, I recommend this shade because as the previous one it was a dream to apply and covers in one coat.

RASPBERRY TAFETTA

This is my favourite of the whole collection. The color is so rich! I love it. This is two coats.

VINTAGE VELVET

A grayish teal. These colors are popular this fall. Two coats.

MILITARY GREEN

This was a surprise of the collection for me. You know I don´t like greens much. There are only a few I can actually wear. But this one is interesting. Very pretty shade of green. Two coats here.

CORDUR ORANGE

This is a reddish orange. Any kind of orange is great for fall so this color just fits into the whole collection. And this is another one coater.

HAUTE TAUPE

Taupe will always be popular. I don´t know if you would be interested but I could do a little comparison with this :) Two coats.

PURPLE PINSTRIPE

Another favourite of mine. This grayish purple is so nice and I like the way my nails look with it. Two coats again.

I have to admit one thing...I underestimated this collection. Yes the colors are nothing that special. I mean we have seen most of these before. The creme finish is also everywhere this fall. But you know what I love about these? Their formula and opacity. When I will be in the mood for a typical fall creme I will for sure wear something from this collection. I totally love Raspberry Tafetta, Military Green and Purple Pinstripe. Fall Fashionista is a nice typical fall collection that I am sure everybody can choose from.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Illamasqua rubber finish compared with matte and glossy

2011-09-01T12:36:00.000+02:00

It is so nice to read your thoughts and comments on my swatches of the new Illamasqua collection (in case you missed them click here). In this quick post I want to show you the finish of the new polishes side by side to matte and glossy nail polishes. For the comparison I chose Faux Pas because it is my personal favourite.

On the first picture is Faux Pas and some similar purple cremes but with a glossy finish. The difference is evident. Polishes in this comparison are China Glaze Grape Pop (GP), Illamsqua Faux Pas (FP), Zoya Mira (M) and Nicole By OPI I´m A Belieber (IAB).

You might think that adding a mattifying top coat (I used China Glaze Matte Magic on the picture below) would be close to the rubberised finish but it won´t. The Illamasqua finish is just something between matte and glossy. Based on my experience it also has much better staying power than matte polishes which chip easily. Oh and don´t forget that Faux Pas is a one coater!

Illamasqua Theatre Of The Nameless Collection Fall 2011 - Nail Varnishes: Swatches and Review

2011-08-31T16:26:00.001+02:00

I am always very excited about new collections from Illamasqua - a brand I fell in love with a long time ago. Illamasqua is exactly my cup of tea. It is edgy and very original. Every collection they come up with has a story behind. It is thought through and I love their pictures that come with the collection.

Theatre Of The Nameless, their new collection for this fall, is no exception. I am very excited that I can show you all four nail varnishes that are a part of this collection.

Illamasqua says: "Taking a lead from the colour-coded specialities of the Wittenberg Platz’s domineering Boot Girls, Illamasqua introduces confident new shades, in a brazen display of utter indulgence. The Theatre of the Nameless proudly parades a kinky new waxy “rubber-look” finish to Illamasqua’s hardwearing, chip-resistant Nail Varnish … "

The new rubber-look is similar to what we have seen with Illamasqua Scorn earlier this year. It is a satin finish somewhere between glossy and matte. Here are my swatches, you can read my overall thoughts at the end:

KINK
I had enough time to try all of these as a full mani and had each one of them a few days on. Yes I even had a green polish. And you know what? I liked it! Maybe it is the rubber finish...it makes it a bit different than anything else I have from the green family of nail polishes. Kink is described as a bottle green. The application on this one was flawless (I don´t have to say that, we are talking about Illamasqua here). I used two coats.

VICE

Vice is a deep cerise and absolutely perfect for fall. It also covers in two coats, but I used three on these pictures just to be sure.

FAUX PAS

My favourite...of course! It is a purple, a classic medium purple. On Faux Pas you can see the rubberized finish the best, just have a look at the detail. Faux Pas also had the best coverage from the set, if you use a thicker coat it covers in just one. I love that!

TAINT

Taint is my least favourite but I know some of you will love it. Still I love the finish it has. I didn't find anything like this in my nail polish collection. Illamasqua describes it as a stone brown.

Overall I am glad I don´t see any other glossy cremes as we have seen a lot of them this fall. I am glad that Illamasqua came with this rubberised finish. Not only are the nail polishes in this finish but also their caps! I love that and wish all polishes had rubberized caps...they are much easier to open and work with.

As I also already said the polishes have a great formula and are easy to work with. Most Illamasqua polishes I tried have exceptional quality and these are no exception. They have good coverage too. The drying time on these is a bit longer than you would expect from polishes with this finish. Once applied they are glossy and you have to wait for about 3 - 5 minutes for the effect to fully show. Compared with Scorn the drying time is a bit longer but still faster than a normal glossy creme.

I am also happy with the color choice. Glad there is a beautiful purple which I will be wearing a lot this fall! Overall a nice little collection with typical fall colors but with a different finish that we have seen from other brands.

P.S. Did I tell you how much I love the names of these?

I can´t wait to hear your thoughts so tell me what do you think about these? Any must haves?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Chanel Peridot - Review and Swatches

2011-08-30T12:56:00.000+02:00

I know you have already seen this polish a hundred times. If it is boring please wait for my next post :) For me this was the most expensive polish of this year so I will make this post worth it! Most times I can´t justify so much money for one polish. Well my local Sephora had a 20% sale so I couldn't wait longer and bought Chanel Peridot from this year´s fall collection. Here are my swatches:

Peridot is a beautiful duochrome of green and gold. It shines like crazy as you can see on my pictures which are without sun or flash. I still can´t believe I bought a green polish for so much money! Me? A purple lover that doesn't like green much :) But I just couldn't resist, it is gorgeous:

I love the way it changes depending on what angle you look at it...

I tried to find a dupe in my collection but already knew that I have nothing like this (which was one of the reasons why I justified the price for this polish). The closest I could get was China Glaze Peace On Earth (POE) but they are very different as you can see on this comparison:

I have to admit that I wasn't sure about this polish when I bought it and I was a bit scared I wouldn't like it. But the moment I painted it on my nails, I fell in love! What do you think about Peridot? Must have or a overhyped polish?

Nicole By OPI Red Texture

2011-08-28T17:02:00.000+02:00

Today a quick post about a red crackling polish from Nicole By OPI - Red Texture. As a base color I used a bright pink (Illamasqua Obsess). I think that these colors work very nice together. On the pictures I don´t have a top coat but if you wear this as a full mani, always use it :) Hope you have a great Sunday!

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Yellow Neon Comparison

2011-08-26T12:12:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I showed you Illamasqua Rare - a perfect highlighter yellow! I said that it is the best I ever tried and as a proof I have this comparison for you today. On the picture you see Color Club Get Your Lem-on (GYL), Illamasqua Rare (R), China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (YPDB) and China Glaze Electric Pineapple (EP), which is not a neon, but I only have three :) I used three coats on all of these so that you can see how well they cover. Illamasqua is fully opaque. The other have visible nail line. Illamasqua is the most expensive of them all but you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a true highlighter yellow neon, I recommend the Illamasqua.

Illamasqua Rare

2011-08-25T20:23:00.000+02:00

I got so many nice comments on my previous post showing you Illamasqua Collide. Looks like it is just the right time to show you neons :) So I have another one for you. This time it a neon highlighter yellow - Illamasqua Rare. I love it, so easy to apply and it really is a true super bright neon. This is three coats on the picture. Of all the neon yellows I tried, this is my favourite!