SpaRitual Gilded Age, Wing Dust Zambezi Sunset swatches and layering

a couple bad photos of SpaRitual Gilded Age – two coats, no top coat.

Very sheer, pretty but slightly old fashioned deep peach/orange/salmon polish loaded with gold (real gold, too, apparently, though I think most of what is visible is shimmer – there is pink as well as gold in there). Quite nice, I can’t see me reaching for it all that often, but it will be nice as a base against some of the glitter toppers!

I added Wing Dust Collections Zambezi Sunset to this, as I thought it was close to the base colour of Zambezi Sunset. And it was.

Too close.

I don’t know, I guess it’s pretty, but it leaves me very cold. The glitter didn’t really want to come out, possibly because it’s a mini bottle, but I just thought there was a lot of interest in Zambezi Sunset that was lost against the base.

close up of a tiny bottle – see, loads of interesting glitter in there!

So I layered it over Kleancolor Black. (one coat).

I liked this effect much more, the pinks and orange shimmers stood out much more and the holographic glitters really shone.

And, I guess I just tend to prefer more dramatic looking polish 😀

You can get SpaRitual polishes from Gracie Lou here in NZ, and Wing Dust Collection from Llarowe and her Etsy shop.

Have a wonderful day

Ami

China Glaze: Budding Romance – swatches and layering

China Glaze Budding Romance, one of my favourite types of pretty ugly green polishes 😀

It’s a jelly though, which I wasn’t expecting, and gives it a squishy look and super shine, which I do love!

Two coats here, they were quite thick though, and I think three thin ones would be better. It’s a flattering colour on my olive-ish skin tone.

And then I layered it with L.A. Girl Glitter Addict, Purge. Quite an appropriate name with this combination, I feel! (sorry. cough.)

Though, please note, I added the lighter green holographic hexes to this polish, without alteration Purge has mini and midi emerald green hex glitters. Very pretty. I just like it better with the holo glitters too 😀

On my accent nail I added another thin coat of Budding Romance, and topped it all off with Misa BREAKneck top coat.

Unfortunately I had to catch some chickens and it was still squishy looking AND squishy acting 15 minutes after top coat, and it all smunched up and fell off. Ah well. Was pretty while it lasted! 😀

Have a nice day

Ami 🙂

Color Club: Abyss, plus Ozotic 509 and Ninja Polish Alexandrite.

This is Color Club Abyss, from the Color Club Kaleidoscope collection, one of two they have recently released with nary a whisper.

Two coats here, no top coat – the formula was pretty good, there was the occasional blob but that was more about user error than the polish. And dry time was quick, too!

Nice and shiny without top coat, as well. I bought this one from Head2Toe beauty, online. It’s nice- a pretty mid green creme, almost emerald hued but with a lovely murky blue tone to it. Not teal, still green, but nodding in Teal’s direction. These photos show this polish as more blue than it is, but in the sunlight (as here), it really does throw a lot more blue.

Then I added one coat of Ozotic 509, a gorgeous silver super-holo which works as a top coat over almost everything as well as a gorgeous silver polish on it’s own.

So pretty!

Rainbows… mmmmm.

And then, one coat of Ninja Polish Alexandrite, topped with Misa BREAKneck top coat.

The shimmery glitters in Alexandrite were sheer enough that the holographic effect of the Ozotic polish was still clearly visible, as was the base colour of Abyss.

I counted this as a layering win, even though I couldn’t really capture the colour shift of Alexandrite (purple to green) as well as I would like, or the strength of the holographic effect of the Ozotic, we had NO sunshine when I was wearing this!

Ah well, shift happens regardless of photographic evidence 😉

Have a wonderful day

Ami 🙂

Smitten Polish: Wicked, Tricksy, False!

Another polish that has become an instant favourite, this is Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False! Which I always say, in my head, in Gollums’ voice 😀

I bought this from Lani in one of her legendary de-stashes, weee!

And I love it. Did I mention? These photos show two coats over one coat of Kleancolor Black, topped with Misa BREAKneck.

The formula was great, easy to apply – I would imagine it would be opaque in three coats on it’s own, but I haven’t tried it, and I tend to prefer the look of the black-based polishes layered over black, to give it that oomph. Dry time was fast, it’s pretty strong with only minor tip wear after hours of soldering, moving wood, welding and wire work, and it’s also pretty smooth to the touch with the normal top coat.

I love how this sparks in the sun, and the squares give great visual interest – talk about moody, vampy, strong polish! LOVE!

Have a fantastic day

Ami 🙂

Darling Diva Polish: Ms. Monster Esq and MUA 13

Here is my base polish, MUA (Make-Up Academy) 13. Ooh I know. A number. But it’s quite a pretty green shimmer polish, see?

This is two coats, no top coat, and it definitely needs a third. So, sheer, weird little puffy brush, but  it still functions just fine.

And then I added a coat of Darling Diva Polish Ms. Monster Esq.

This was probably the densest glitter I have EVER found, at least that first brush. It got a bit more manageable after that!

This has so many glitters in it, a clear base, purple, green, red and white glitters in different sizes and levels of shine. 😀 And then I added another coat, plus Misa BREAKneck top coat.

Woah, holy glitter overload, Batman! Gotta love it 😀

This dried really fast, and a bit gritty. I’d recommend a thick top coat, eg Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food, if you wanted to wear it for more than a day or so.

Darling Diva Polish can be found at her Etsy store here, or on Llarowes site. I think Ms Monster Esq was last years Halloween polish; I bought this off Lani, but even if you can’t find this polish, check out the DDP range! She makes some amazing polishes. 🙂 MUA polishes and makeup can be found at their website here.

Have a great day

Ami 🙂

China Glaze: Lorelei’s Tiara – swatches and layering

This is China Glaze’s Lorelei’s Tiara, the most intensely sparkly silver with blue polish I have ever seen.

These photos are  are three layers with Misa BREAKneck topcoat. I couldn’t take my eyes off this polish!

It did need the three coats for opacity, and was still a tiny bit rough with the thin topcoat, so maybe a thicker topcoat like Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food might be in order for the smooooth people out there 😀

Or… you can add two coats of China Glaze Make a Spectacle, and another Misa BREAKneck layer, like I did.

Because this was glassy smooth, plus in the shade all the little colour changing iridescent hexes in Make A Spectacle came out to play in a subtle but very cool way.

And in the sun… kapow, glitter!

My favourite combinations, or polishes, offer something in all lights. And this sure did. And even though I had it over a PVA base, it lasted 2 days with no chipping whatsoever, which is BRILLIANT for my nails.

 

Have a sparkly, shimmery day

Ami 🙂

Orly: Lift the Veil and Daily Lacquer: Jovi

Another quick combo! First up, Orly Lift the Veil.

Pretty pink, not as sheer as I was afraid of, this is two coats. Nice tone for my colouring!

Pretty quick drying, too, and very easy to apply. I LOVE the bottle caps and brushes that Orly use. Yes.

Then I added one coat of Daily Lacquer Jovi – Maggie, the creator of Daily Lacquer, sent me a mini a looong time ago with my order, as I was one of her first customers. Sooo cute! And a lovely polish, I knew I wanted to layer it to not use too much.

Jovi has a pink base (a more lilac pink than Lift the Veil, but it works anyway because Jovi is thick enough to be opaque very quickly), with red hexes, silver holo hexes and red tiny glitters with a handful of holo glitter too. Very pretty, and nice formula, easy to use and the glitters lay flat. Smooth to the touch with Misa BREAKneck top coat!

Have a wonderful day

Ami 🙂

Ruby Wing: Cut Grass + Layering with Lush Lacquer Slime Time

This is Ruby Wing Cut Grass – the most accurate that I could get this polish to look. I understand now why the swatches I’ve seen look more blue – the camera HATES this colour! It’s.. somewhere between grass and mint. Slight more green than Snifter lollies, and with an almost neon tinge to it. Just stunning! Photos show two coats, no top coat.

inside… slightly bluer than it looks in real life.

No streaks, easy to apply, almost rubbery – in a good way – and, of course, in the sunlight it changes. And boy does it change. FAST.

And again, this looks slightly more blue in this photo than in real life. Sorry! I did my best to catch it…the photos do show what a gorgeous shiny polish this is, though.

Cut Grass is part of the scented range, and the scent wears off really quickly, thank goodness. Because it made me feel a bit sick, to me it smelled very fake and chemically floral, like cheap laundry powder. But by the end of the day I couldn’t smell it at all. Yay! 😀

Sunlight

And then, because I am me, I added a glittery topper. This is Lush Lacquer Slime Time, and I love it. One easy coat (that’s how dense the glitter is) and Misa BREAKneck top coat. Photo taken inside…

Inside, out of the sun

And then outside: let the darkening begin!

The brighter and more intense the sunlight is, the fast these Ruby Wing polishes change colour, and the darker they go.

This is actually colour accurate, here. It has that lovely dark green, and the sheer green base of Slime Time doesn’t interfere with the colour of Cut Grass much, or the speed of the change at all.

I love this polish, and will definitely be reaching for this one again soon!

Have a great day

Ami 🙂

China Glaze: Def Defying, swatches and layering.

China Glaze Def Defying- photos show three coats, no top coat

A bit streaky at first, but even up nicely by the third coat

And look at that shine!

I then added one layer of another glitter franken of mine – baby blues and pinks in med size hexes and squares, plus some blue iridescent glitters. Finished with China Glaze Fast Forward

Didn’t like this combo as much as I hoped to, it was just a bit subtle for me! Or the green was wrong, or something…

This photo here, under the yellow lights, show the colour more accurately than the others with the glitter topper, even though it makes my fingers look weird. Camera didn’t like to try and grab this colour properly, sooo annoying!

I know I’ll be reaching for Def Defying a lot, it’s such a flattering, funky green. The topper? May have to find something else as a base for that.

Have a great day

Ami

Kleancolor Midnight Seduction: Swatches, Layering, Comparisons

You know, I don’t know where I got this polish from? My sister V? A fellow polish addicts destash? Argh! Anyway, this is Kleancolor Midnight Seduction (really?! Odd name for this colour!)  a pretty, mini glitter which looks pink, purple and blue to my eye. These photos show three coats

It really, really, doesn’t want to be anything but sheer. And the trouble with Kleancolor polishes, apart from the smell (which I actually don’t find too bad), is how thick and slow drying the sheer polishes are. It was alright, I guess. Subtle. Not too showy. A bit boring, for me. And it wouldn’t have dried quickly like this.

So, why not add more, see if I could lift the bland aspect out? This is one coat of my mega-glitter franken. Needless to say, my favourites are the big circles.

Still, a little bland and sheer!

But, why not matte it? I used Essie Matte About You – to see how it looked, and to speed up the dry time.

And it looked… BORING.

Actually, it looked like I was trying to put the FUN in FUNgus hehehe

So, next idea. Layer it over black! And then I noticed my other Kleancolor bottle, waiting to be tried: Kiss Goodbye. And although the colours ARE different, the overall effect is kinda similar. I layered them over Kleancolor Black (one coat), and from left to right the polihses are Midnight Seduction, Kiss Goodbye, Midnight Seduction, Kiss Goodnight.

And they looked great over black! Only one coat too, so dry time was on the faster side of normal, not the slower side of forever.But I really, really thought they were missing holographic sparkle. Possibly because they looked so galactic… easy fixed with one coat of OPI Servin’ Up Sparkle.

(Servin’? SERIOUSLY?Ahem)

And here are the bottles side by side – see, nowhere close to being dupes, but somewhat similar in theme and execution 🙂

Have a great day

Ami 🙂