Zoya Cho Swatch!

Hello! 

Today I am showing off Zoya Cho. A yellow toned neutral with a pearly finish that didn't really translate into my pictures.. but its obvious in person. I am still on the search for my perfect nude/neutral and and this one is a contender. Most nudes makes me look red... being too brown toned or cool toned for my pale pale pinky skin (Think Color Club Nomadic in Nude or China Glaze Fast Track). This one is less brown and looks much much better with my skin. PLUS I love the pearl finish. Its not brushstroke-y and I find it adds something special and unique to the nude. Less boring. I like it a lot but I think I still want to try a pink-toned neutral before I deem this one my favourite... its just a LITTLE too light for me maybe.

What do you think of Cho? I think I will be choosing this nude when I need a palate cleanser :)

Quick NOTD / Reswatch of the glorious FLOAM by Nail-Venterous!

Super busy at work but here is a mani I had on when I was at home on break! 

Two coats of Zoya Zuza and two coats of NVL Floam with topcoat. My originally swatches of Floam were solo and left matte.. but I really like it this way too. Maybe even better. I can't get over how much it looks like Nickelodeon Floam. I'm so nostalgic for the carefree days of the 90's when I wear this polish :) Also it wears like iron!

Hope you like it! Have an awesome day :)

Zoya Tracie Swatch!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to another instalment of "Caitlin-Can't-Resist-A-Green-Polish-Even-If-Doesn't-Look-Good-On-Her". Zoya Traci is an awesome cool toned pistachio light green with a pearl finish. Brighter than Essie Navigate her.. but in a different way. Its kind of like the colour of grass in the fall when its kind of dying after the first frost. But in a nice way. It actually would have made an awesome fall or spring polish instead of summer. It gives me the lobster hands but I don't care. I like it. I used three coats for these pictures but two gave good coverage :)

See. Lobster hands. OH WELL DON'T CARE. Going to wear it anyway :) I love green!

Color Club Fly With Me! Swatch :)

Hey everyone!

Today I am showing off Color Club Fly With Me from their Summer collection of 2012. Yellow toned green small particle glass fleck goodness. This is two coats, but looking at the pictures (specifically my pinky, I think three would have been better). It is sort of an "odd" color but that is why I like it so much. The glassfleck makes this green really special to me. I wish I had pictures in the sun because it sparkles really awesome-ly. It even sort of made me look tan. 

Its the only polish I got from Color Club's Summer collection but I am thinking I might pick up the green-blue, and yellow one.

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by :)

Nerd Lacquer Holy Grail Swatch :)

Hi everyone!

First off, sorry for posting sporadically and being so MIA lately. I am still at work up north and it is kicking my ass sideways and silly. SOOOO To make it up to you, I have a swatch of one of my most coveted polishes.. Nerd Lacquer's Holy Grail.

This is one special polish...

Its a LINEAR HOLO muted, silvered seafoam green base with many different sizes of silver holo hex glitter. I'm pretty sure there are some aqua-ish colored micro glitter in there as well. The holo gives it a bit of a light blue cast in the light and in the shade the green is more apparent. This is three coats on its own.. AND OH YEAH IT GLOWS IN THE DARK. ITS GOT EVERYTHING I LIKE. It's gorgeous. I would marry it if that were legal. Freakin' gorgeous. It really is the Holy Grail of polishes.

Here are some pictures in all kinds of lighting. I did my best to capture its many faces.

The first time I tried this I was a little disapointed in the glow-in-the-dark effect. Wasn't very strong. However after some googling I found out that the glow in the dark particles are really heavy and will settle to the bottom of the bottle much like heavier glitter does. So now when I wear this I will keep it upside down for awhile and give it a really good shake before applying. Here is a shot in the dark :)

Awesome, right?

As you probably know, NLs are hard to come by now since the disappearance of Amanda.. I have accumulated some more of Amanda's creations from ebay, blog sales, and swap groups. They can run for a pretty penny now though :( I hope Amanda is okay.. and I would welcome her back to the polish world with open arms if she did decide to return. Her creations were amazeballs and my interactions with her were nothing short of fantastic with her. I wish her well and hope she is okay, wherever she is.

All That Glitters Ziggy Stardust :)

Hi!

This is what I added to OPI Melon of Troy from yesterday... Ziggy Stardust by All That Glitters! I got it from a blog sale and it is the perfect match for Melon of Troy. Its unique but subtle, which I really like. Its a sheerish pinky-orangey-peachy base with a peachy gold shimmer. Its got gold micro glitter, hexes, and bar glitter with some larger white hexes.

Shown here is two coats over OPI Melon Of Troy.

The glitter in my bottle had kind of settled to the bottom of the bottle slightly so I gave it a good shake and left it upside down for a couple of minutes before application. The gold glitters applied nicely, but I did have to fish slightly for the white hexes. They all spread nicely on the nail though and laid flat (even the bar glitter!).

I love this look. Like I said above.. its unique but still subtle. I think I will be wearing this one quite often :)

All That Glitters is on Etsy and I recommend "liking" her facebook page for updates about restocks. I'm not sure if she still makes this shade, but I hope she does as I really like it!

OPI Melon Of Troy Black Label Swatch :)

Hi everyone!

Here is a dusty hunt polish courtesy of my sister :) She picked this badboy at a salon in the city for just a couple of dollars!!! This is OPI Melon Of Troy from the Greek Isles collection from 2004. We gave it to my mom for Christmas because this colour is very her.. subtle and feminine. I actually quite like it too :)

Since it is a black label, it is before the 3Free formulas and has that old chemically nail polish smell. It also has a thin brush. Applied nicely though. This swatch is three coats. It is a beautiful light pinky peach colour with a pearly shimmer finish. Slightly frosty but with no brushstrokes. It may not be a usual pick for me but I like it with my skin tone and it is a nice palate cleanser colour :) Im wearing three coats and topcoat in these pictures.

Even though this colour is discontinued, it still pops up occasionally online for good prices :) Not too hard to find for a black label! Since this is me were talking about, I obviously didn't keep this palate cleanser plain for too long! Stay tuned to see what I added to it :)

a-England Galahad Swatch!

Herroh!

THANK GOSH we have an archived post today! When the internet was good enough to upload picture with good quality and when my nails were long and strong. Le sigh. The internet here at work in the woods is total crap and work is very hard on my hands and nails :P I'm at exactly my halfway point though!! Two more weeks to go 'til I go home for a break :)

Today I am showing you one of my very favourite turquoise polishes, a-England Galahad! a-England is one of my favourite brands and this colour is wonderful!

Galahad is a perfect turquoise creme from The Mythicals collection. It manages to be bright and clean while slightly muted at the same time. Like all a-Englands, it applies perfectly. This is ONE COAT. Sometimes I need to do two if I am not careful but the majority of time I only need one :) It has a very creamy formula. It is also glossy, this swatch has no topcoat! Dry time is average to good and it wears very well!

I find myself reaching for this polish very often! It is available at lots of online retailers but www.a-england.co.uk is where I usually buy mine! They have EXCELLENT customer service and the shipping is fast, even to Canada! I highly recommend a-England!

China Glaze Kahlari Kiss Swatch!

Hi!

This is the only polish I picked up from the China Glaze On Safari collection.. Kahlari Kiss! It is a very odd colour. To me it kind of looks like a sandy-camel-yellow-toned-honey-mustatd-dipping-sauce-nude creme. Awkward description, I know!

Haha! It REALLY clashes with my skintone but I think it looks kind of cool anyway! I like it because it is unique and I don't have anything like it in my collection! This is two very easy coats. The formula was great! Dry time was also really good! These pics were taken pre-topcoat.

Looks pretty icky on me but I do like the colour anyway and think it is the most unique from the collection! I am thinking about picking up Elephant Walk, Exotic Encounters, Desert Sun, Jungle Queen and I'm not Lion next!

What do you think of odd colours like this one? Will you wear them even if they clash with your skin? Yay or nay?

WAY too big, yet NOT BIG ENOUGH Haul Post!

Hi!

As the title says, this is a haul post! Everything I picked up in July... we'll not everything. I am still waiting on Enchanted Polish Hey Jude, Nerd Lacquer Its Just A Flesh Wound, NARS Super Orgasm and Dollish Polish The Many Shade of Mr. Grey. They are in the mail!

Here is what I did get in the mail though!

All That Glitters Don't Pinch Me & Ziggy Stardust. 

Polished Perfection Leapin' Lizards and Easy Peasy

Dollish Polish Legend of Zelda Duo!! The Hero of Time & Hylian Princess

Crows Toes Morticia, Gomez & Thing!

Crows Toes Absolum-your potions master, Wonder Woman, & Cheshire

Nerd Lacquer Nebula

Dollish Polish Slippery When Wet, Toss My Salad, Lipstick Around You Dipstick

OPI Zom-body to Love, Julep Pippa, Color Club Fly With Me

Daring Digits Enderman, & Why So Serious

Rockstar Nails With Love, Fever Lacquer There Is No Odyssey 

HITS Cutie Pie & Girly Bits Arctic Sunrise

Dollish Polish Go Luigi! & Toad-ally Awesome

Dollish Polish A Peachy Princess, Dino-Mite Yoshi

Dollish Polish The King Koopa, Wicked Wario

Dollish Polish Its A Me, Mario! 1-UP!

Dollish Polish Minis Peachy Princess, Go Luigi! Toad-ally Awesome!

WHEW! I need to cut back!!!!!!!!

Crows Toes Wonder Woman Swatch!

Hi everyone!

Sorry for my lack of posting. I am working insane hours and the internet is just not very good here! :(

Here is a mani I did when I was home with Crows Toes Wonder Woman! I layered one coat over Joe Fresh Cobalt (blue) and OPI Big Apple Red. I had heard that many of the Crows Toes Wonder Woman's going around are "dry" etc etc. My bottle was definitely thick and dense with glitter but not dry or unusable or anything like that. I might add some thinner to it next time around. It was a very hungry glitter, that is for sure! A good topcoat and some gelous is definitely needed! I love the glitter combo in it though. Blue, red and yellow hex glitters in different sizes! It REALLY does remind me of Wonder Woman's costume!

Here are some pictures!

I got my bottle from Llarowe! Crows Toes is also available at Overall Beauty!

NOTD Funky French! Fail Art.

Hi!

Quick break from work to post some fail art! I tried to do a "funky french" manicure and it just went from bad to worse.

I started with Zoya Cho (which I really like), and then added the tips in Color Club Perfect Molten (I really like this one too!). Then with a black striper I did those lines. However much I like those two polishes.... it does not look good. Haha This mani didn't last too long! Should have just slapped some glitter on Cho and called it a day, but of course I had to muck it up :P

I thought adding rhinestones would fix it..... just added insult to injury LOL :P

Nails Inc Kensington Place Swatch! A Red Magnetic Polish :)

Hello! Sorry that my posting is sporadic!! I actually got called back to work over a week early!! I am happy to have the work as I definitely need the chedddddda but was sad to only have a couple of days at home to relax. However I am in Northern Ontario and loving it (aside from being absolutely exhausted)! Working with some great people and I should be here for only 4 weeks as opposed to the 5 I just did in Northern Quebec!

Today I have a really nice magnetic polish to show you! I am still loving magnetic polishes and I think this one is one of the best! This is Nails Inc Kensington Place. 

It is a cherry red metallic colour and it is super gorgeous, even before using the magnet! This is just one coat of Kensington Place. I loved the formula. It was smooth, super easy to apply and had great coverage. It even looked good with my skin. I often wear this colour alone :)

Now I added one more coat, one nail at a time and used the magnet. I love that the magnet pops off the cap so I can't lose it, and I love that it has a little ridge so I know just where to lean the magnet against my cuticle. It had a really strong effect. I only needed to hold it there for just a few seconds. I find the design makes my nails look longer too.

I think it is a super pretty colour and the whole magnet-thing is really easy to use. I would definitely suggest the Nails Inc magnetic polishes if you are looking for your first magnetic polish. They also come in lots of other colours. I got mine at Sephora for around 15 dollars. It is a little pricey but I really like it!

Thats all for now folks!

Pam's Girly Bits Arctic Sunrise AKA The Love Of My Life. *PIC HEAVY*

Hi polish people!

Here is one of my new favourite polishes. I already know it is going to be a favourite of mine for 2012, and probably OF ALL TIME. This is Arctic Sunrise, by Pam's Girly Bits! A beautiful and flattering sky blue base packed full of large particle pink/fuchsia glass fleck shimmer and to my eye, the shimmer can also appear sort of golden at some angles. I love everything about it.

This is three coats, and topcoat as I wore this as a full manicure because I loved it so much. The first coat was a little sheer, the second was opaque enough for a mani.. but a third coat really adds depth and makes it look amazing! I recommend using three coats for the best possible look. I also recommend using thinner coats and waiting a few minutes between each one to avoid dragging. The payoff of this polish is worth three coats. It is GORGEOUS. That shimmer is visible and strong in every light.. even from afar you can see it gleaming pink and fuschia-ish. The contrast between the colours is perfect. My pictures actually don't do it justice at all. I was frustrated I couldn't capture the entirety of it's beauty in picture form. Besides a little bit of dragging (fixed by waiting a minute or two between coats), application was very good and I liked the consistency of the polish.

These first few pictures are in the shade!

These next few are in the sun <3 I love the little jewels on Pam's bottles. Such a nice unique touch!

These last few are inside the house! Pink shimmer STILL GOIN' STRONG!

I might also be a little biased towards this polish because I work in the Arctic and the sunrise is one of my favourite things about it. In the summertime, there is very little darkness, this month I was getting about two hours of darkness.. mostly dusk. The sun would "set" around 2AM and come back up around 3:30AM .. I happened to work at 3AM so I would go and sit outside.. and watch the sun come up over the tundra. It truly is one of the most beautiful things my eyes have ever (and probably will ever) see. I think I took for granted how beautiful it was. Only a handful of people get to experience the beauty that is northern Canada and I consider myself very lucky to be one of them.

Here is a picture of the sunrise one morning, I wish I had a photo on a clearer day so you could see more blue sky.. but you get the drift.

Look how perfectly the polish captures the essence of the Arctic Sunrise... the blue of the sky... the gold of the sun.... and the pink glaring.. some mornings that pink would fill up the whole sky, mixing in with the blue.. just gorgeous.. like the polish! Pam did an amazing job with this polish.. it is BANG ON! and it will always have a special place in my heart <3 I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I think I may even need a backup bottle.. or two. Every time I look at it I get nostalgic for the north... plus it is absolutely stunning.

I wore this as a full manicure with Seche Vite topcoat for five full days and only had minimal tip wear, no actual chips. Also I am pretty rough on my hands so I am confident saying this is a high quality and long lasting polish.

You can buy Arctic Sunrise from Pam's website HERE and also at Llarowe HERE. I recommend grabbing a bottle of this baby for sure!

Have a great day!