Takko Lacquer – Physical Graffiti

Press Sample

Hi!

I have nearly grown out all my breaks! Fingers crossed I don't get any more now. Another update, I have busted my wrist, so typing is not super easy right now so I'll just get right on with the pics.

'Physical Graffiti' is a grey polish with irregular silver flakes of glitter. So simple, but the irregular glitter makes this polish really interesting. I love the soft look that the slight jelly finish gives 'Physical graffiti'.


Because 'Physical Graffiti' has a slight jelly finish, it is slightly less opaque – in saying that though, I only needed 3 coats to get full opacity and the glitters are still really visible. I think the formula is spot on in that respect.


Make sure you check out Sheryl's blog to find out about the inspiration behind her polishes, along with other updates. Also keep an eye on Takko Lacquer's twitter and instagram for info about restocks etc. Takko Lacquers are sold from their own shop, but only with US shipping. For us international ladies, Takko lacquers are stocked at Llarowe, Femme Fatale and Mei Mei's Signatures.

Takko Lacquer - Cheshire Cat

Press Sample

Hello!!

I am still here, broken nails galore and all! Silly nails are making me pay for not looking after them when I was so busy. Every nail on my right hand that I photograph has now broken in the past couple of weeks and it's starting to drive me crazy! Anywho enough about that, I have another Takko Lacquer for you and this is another BEAUTY – this is 'Cheshire Cat'…

Funny story, I forgot this was a thermal polish and I put it on thinking I was applying a purple polish, looked back at my hand and saw that it was pink and I thought I'd gone crazy :D

I love 'Cheshire Cat' and especially how perfect this polish is suited to its name. 'Cheshire Cat' is really sensitive and so it changes really readily between the colours. The purple colour at the top is how it appears when cold and then in warmer temperatures, it turns pink. I love how much gold shimmer is packed into this polish - so eye catching.


'Cheshire Cat' was really easy to apply and opaque in 2-3 coats depending on how thick you apply your coats.


Make sure you check out Sheryl's blog to find out about the inspiration behind her polishes, along with other updates. Also keep an eye on Takko Lacquer's twitter and instagram for info about restocks etc. Takko Lacquers are sold from their own shop, but only with US shipping. For us international ladies, Takko lacquers are stocked at Llarowe, Femme Fatale and Mei Mei's Signatures.

a-england - Gloriana

Press Sample

Hello!

I have an absolutely gorgeous polish to show you today. The recently released Elizabeth & Mary collection from a-england landed at my house on the weekend and I had to try one straight away because every single polish in this collection is so beautiful. A lucky dip decided that a-england 'Gloriana' was going to be first, so here she is…

'Gloriana' is so eye-catching. We all know how I feel about red polish, so this was already a winner there, but it's the gold shimmer particles that really amp this polish up. In low light, it appears as though it is just a pretty red shimmery polish, but when the light hits it, you see a flame of gold flash through. 'Gloriana' has a foil finish, but for some reason it appears softer and more wearable than most foils. Love!


For the best part, this is a seriously opaque polish and one coat can give full coverage! Easy application,  with no dragging or anything.

a-england polishes can be purchased from a lot of places around the world. Unfortunately, you can only order direct from them if you are in the UK, but be sure to check out their list of worldwide distributors to find a place close to where you live. You can also follow a-england on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the latest news from them.

This product was provided for review. This is my personal, unbiased opinion.

For more information, see my disclosure policy.

Takko Lacquer - Curiouser & Curiouser

Hello hello!

I have another reasonably recent Takkito to show you today. This gorgeous green Takko Lacquer polish is called 'Curiouser & Curiouser'.

This polish is so striking! 'Curiouser & Curiouser' is a mint green polish with the most beautiful green shimmer. The shimmer particles are tiny irregular shaped pieces that really catch the light.

I was staring at my pretty nails, as you do sometimes, and I noticed that the shimmer is not just plain green. It shifts to pink! It's reasonably easy to see on the nail, but it was almost impossible to capture in a photograph. After I don't how many photos, I managed to barely capture it - if you look at the middle 2 fingers in these photos. MMMMmmmmm this is a pretty polish.


'Curiouser & Curiouser' was easy to apply. It starts ever so slightly sheer but 2-3 coats gives full opacity depending how thickly you apply your coats. This polish is reasonably thick so I'd recommend 3 thinner coats.


Make sure you check out Sheryl's blog to find out about the inspiration behind her polishes, along with other updates. Also keep an eye on Takko Lacquer's twitter and instagram for info about restocks etc. Takko Lacquers are sold from their own shop, but only with US shipping. For us international ladies, Takko lacquers are stocked at Llarowe, Femme Fataleand Mei Mei's Signatures.

This product was provided for review. This is my personal, unbiased opinion.

For more information, see my disclosure policy.

Takko Lacquer - Babycakes

Press Sample

I'm back baby!!!

I have handed in my dissertation and it feels oh so good to be done! So I am now going to try and give this poor little blog some serious loving and get it back up and running. It's going to be baby steps because I'm pretty out of practice photographing my nails etc, so be gentle with me :)

Anywho, what better way to get back into blogging than with one of my absolute favourite brands, Takko Lacquer. This is 'Babycakes' which was released earlier this year.

'Babycakes' is a really pretty antique rose polish with a slightly scattered, but linear, holo effect (Yes, I'm right back to making not much sense!). 'Babycakes' also has this gold shimmer that catches the light and makes this polish that bit more complex (one of the many things I love about all my Takkitos). This is one of those polishes that is really inoffensive and could be worn to any occasion, but the holo and gold flash just amps it up enough to keep it interesting.


'Babycakes' had a really easy formula to work with. I used 2 coats for these photos and that was plenty - no pulling or dragging or any of that silliness at the cuticles. Also, this polish is wearing really well. I have had this on for 4 days so far without the slightest sign of tip wear and I haven't been particularly gentle with my hands this week either.


Make sure you check out Sheryl's blog to find out about the inspiration behind her polishes, along with other updates. Also keep an eye on Takko Lacquer's twitter and instagram for info about restocks etc. Takko Lacquers are sold from their own shop, but only with US shipping. For us international ladies, Takko lacquers are stocked at Llarowe, Femme Fatale and Mei Mei's Signatures.

This product was provided for review. This is my personal, unbiased opinion.

For more information, see my disclosure policy.

A quick update and some graffiti nails

Hi!!

Just thought I would check in super quickly and say that I am still here and will be back so soon. My dissertation is due in a week! I still have a scary amount to do for it, but as soon as it's in I'll be back with some GORGEOUS polishes!! I can't wait.

I had to add in some nail pics so here's a mani that I did quite a while ago and haven't posted because I have no idea what polishes I used. This was one of those time where I had no plan and just started doing my nails while watching tv one night. I feel like it has a sort of graffiti feel to it. I know that I used the LeaLaC XL-B plate  with Color Club 'Beyond' for the stamping.


Thanks heaps for sticking with me and I can't wait to be done with my dissertation and back to give this blog some love :)

Colors by Llarowe - Come Dance the Hora

Hello!

I'm still alive and I'm about 5 weeks away from my thesis being due so unfortunately I'm going to be all over the place for a little longer. Anywho, I have a quick post of a polish that I adore from Colors by Llarowe - 'Come Dance the Hora'.

'Come Dance the Hora' is a silver linear holo polish with various sizes of royal blue hex glitters. It is GORGEOUS! There's nothing really subtle about this polish, but I think the blue glitters in there just off-set the silver holo perfectly.


This polish is really buildable on its own, but a few coats might be needed. I think I used 3 here and you can see that's enough.


Colors by Llarowe polishes are available from Llarowe (obviously), but it is also available on Harlow & Co. These babies sell out seriously fast though! Luckily Leah Ann does pre-orders reasonably often though. Keep an eye on Llarowe's Twitter andFacebook pages for details on restocks etc.

Take A Chill Pill - Dollish Polish (with a splash of stamping and a gradient)

Hi!

I have a quick post with some nails that I did a while ago now. I quite like how it came out though so I figured it's about time I posted it. This look is mainly featuring Dollish Polish 'Take A Chill Pill' from her 'That's So 80's' collection.

'Take A Chill Pill' is a polish that I really like, but I'm slightly confused because looking back at pics from when this was released it was bright blue… As you can see my bottle has a very sheer blue-grey jelly base, packed full of all sorts of glitter. Strange - I will investigate further. Oh well, like I said, I love it.
On my ring finger I did a gradient using Color Club 'Wicked Sweet' and China Glaze 'Sun-Kissed' and then stamped on top using Bundle Monster plate BM-422 and Color Club 'Beyond'.

Unfortunately this polish is not currently available, but head on over to Dolly's Big Cartel shop because there is bound to be some other beauties that you'll want instead. Make sure you follow Dollish Polish on her various social media sites to keep up with updates (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

piCture pOlish - Imperial

Hellooo!

I have a freaking gorgeous polish on here tonight. This is 'Imperial' that was made in collaboration with the wonderful Jeanette from The Swatchaholic. I purchased this a little while ago and have worn it several times, each time trying to capture it accurately. Let's just say this is not an easy polish to photograph, but here we go anyway…

'Imperial' is such a beautiful royal purple colour. Just the right amount of red and blue to make the most perfect, saturated purple. As you may or may not know, I don't tend to wear much purple polish (no idea why, just a random thing), but I cannot get enough of this beauty. The gold shimmer and irregular flakes in it make it even more beautiful and complex. What an amazing job all these girls have done to make such a beauty - definitely an absolute favourite of mine.


'Imperial' is lovely to work with. 2 coats is all that is needed for full opacity. One thing to keep in mind is that this polish dries slightly matte, so top coat is a must (though in my opinion that is always the case!).


piCture pOlish is available from a whole bunch of places. Make sure you check out the piCture pOlish website, you can order this polish direct from them for $10 AUD or you can have a look at their list of distributors. You can also find piCture pOlish on instagram, twitter, facebook, pinterest and YouTube.

piCture pOlish Blog/Insta Fest 2014!!

Press Sample

I'm so excited to be part of piCture pOlish Blog/Insta Fest 2014! This year Blog/Insta Fest is made up of 2 parts so let's get started with part 1…

First up I have a gorgeous shade to show you that was made in collaboration with Sassy Shelly called 'Badass'. We all know how much I adore holos and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I really like this polish. 'Badass' is a beautiful scattered holo with a black base - I love how black the base is without hiding the holo effect too much at all. To make matters better, the formula is great too. As is the usual story with piCture pOlish polishes, this had great opacity with 2 coats being perfect.

The next part of Blog/Insta Fest is to celebrate not only some more wonderful piCture pOlish shades, but also Nail Vinyls that have just started being stocked there.

This is the look I came up with using piCture pOlish 'Hot Lips' and 'Honeydew' along with the chevron design from Nail Vinyls. I have a quick step by step of how I made this look.

Starting with a white base, I placed the nail vinyls where I wanted them with one small area and one large area on each nail. I painted 'Honeydew' just in the small section and immediately peeled up the vinyls. Next, I top coated to speed up the drying time of everything.

Next up I placed the vinyls right on top of the green and painted 'Hot Lips' on the large area of my nails and peeled up the vinyls immediately again. I actually repeated that step again to make the pink a bit more opaque. Again, wait for everything to dry completely and place some vinyls on top of the pink right against the green. Place another vinyl to leave a really thin gap and then another after a slightly larger gap (see the bottom pic there). Paint these bits white and then once dry place vinyls either side of the larger white stripe and paint with 'Honeydew'.

Et voilà. Top coat to seal everything in and you're done. I really love how this turned out - these colours go so perfectly together and they take me right back to the fashion of my childhood (does anyone else remember slouch socks and hair scrunchies?). It does require a little patience while each layer dries but it's totally worth it in my opinion.

A couple of tips for working with the vinyls - from my experience it is absolutely best to peel them off while the polish is still wet, also I found that if I stuck them down too hard they would leave a slight gluey residue (they are plenty sticky so you don't need to press them hard). Overall, these vinyls are a nail art must have! They make nail art so easy and you can make some really striking nails with relatively little effort.

Now to the important details - where can you get your hands on all these things? piCture pOlish is available from a lot of places all around the world and of course from them direct from Australia. Pop over to their network page to find where is closest to you. piCture pOlish always has really great deals which you can see on their Every Day Deal page too.

Nail Vinyls are available from them direct with international shipping and of course from piCture pOlish too. piCture pOlish will be selling a special exclusive pack that includes Chevrons, Mini Chevrons, Straight and Right Angles which you'll be seeing used inBlog/Insta Fest this year :)

Make sure you follow Nail Vinyls and piCture pOlish to keep up with all their latest news and info.

piCture pOlish - Facebook and Instagram

Nail Vinyls - Facebook and Instagram

An InLinkz Link-up

Aca-Awkward! - Dollish Polish

Hi!!

I have a gorgeous polish to show you today that I absolutely adore. One trouble is that it was limited edition and so isn't easily available anymore - but you never know where it might pop up and if it does GRAB IT! This is Dollish Polish 'Aca-Awkward!'.

I wore this polish a few times in a row because I just loved it so much. It is so pretty but the brightness of the colour and the subtle holo make it so much fun to wear. For this mani, I stamped my middle and ring fingers using Bundle Monster plate BM-423 and Colours by Llarowe 'Refresh…ing'.


'Aca-Awkward!' was surprisingly opaque and 2 coats was more than enough for full opacity. It was also super easy to apply and didn't pull at the cuticles or anything silly like that.


As I mentioned, this polish is not currently available on the Dollish Polish website as it was a limited edition polish. But, keep your eyes out for Dolly's other LE polishes each month and grab them so you don't miss out on polishes like this one! Make sure you follow Dollish Polish on her various social media sites to keep up with updates (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

VT100 - Pretty Serious Cosmetics

Hi!

Long time no blog and for that I apologise! Life and uni got pretty crazy including a big exam. Time is flying by at a scary speed these days. Anyway I have a quick post tonight featuring a polish that I won in a giveaway hosted by a lovely fellow blogger buddy. Lani, from Lani Loves, is certainly responsible for many of my desperate lipstick needs (as well as nail polish and every other makeup item she blogs about). Make sure you pop over and check out Lani's blog. 'VT100' is my first Pretty Serious Cosmetics polish and it just happens to be one I've wanted since the first time I saw it a fair while ago now.

'VT100' is everything I wanted it to be and more. I love the shade of green, it is a bit different to other greens in my collection. The shimmery micro glitter is really what makes this polish stand out in my opinion - so eye-catching.


'VT100' is really easy to apply and 2 coats was plenty for full opacity.


Head over to Pretty Serious Cosmetics and have a look at all the other gorgeous products they make (including makeup). There is lots of polish on sale at the moment (including 'VT100') and the best part is that they ship internationally.


Last, but most certainly not least, thanks so much Lani buddy!

Girly Bits - Into The Night

I have an oldie but a goodie to show you tonight. A polish that I've had for a long time now, I think this was one of my earlier indies, this is Girly Bits 'Into The Night'…

This is such a beauty. I have 2 coats of 'Into The Night' over top of a-england 'Perceval'. This polish is often put over various dark colours and it looks wonderful, but this is my most favourite combination. It makes the most beautiful blackened red, and then with those holographic particles… MMMMMmmmmm. Such a seductive combo - can I even say that about 2 nail polishes and have it make sense?


As I mentioned, I used this polish as a topper using 2 very thin coats which is how I like to use it. The blackened base is fairly sheer though just giving a black cast to whatever it is layered over if thin coats are used. It can be built up to full coverage with more coats. The holographic glitters are packed in to the polish and so apply really easily to the nail.


Girly Bits polishes are available through a number of websites so make sure you check out this list of distributors to see which ship to your location. You can follow Girly Bits on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to keep up with the latest news and swatches etc and of course the Girly Bits blog too. 'Into The Night' is currently in stock on the Girly Bits website at the time of writing this post so hop over there and grab it.

Star Kin - Sunny Day Rain & Terracotta Army

How is everyone? Been enjoying the World Cup? We have certainly been. Today I have a post more for my kiwi readers, but of course you others can still enjoy some pretty polish pictures too. This is a brand new to my blog, Star Kin, that is the baby of Ami (from Every Sensory) and her mum, Annette. I'm really proud to support this kiwi team and they really do make absolutely beautiful polishes! Today I have 2, 'Sunny Day Rain' and 'Terracotta Army'…

This is 'Sunny Day Rain'. I have been trying to be on a low-buy for a good while now, but as soon as I saw this on Lani Loves, I knew I'd have to get it (thanks Lani <3). I love the mix of blue glitters in this and against the grey jelly base - perfect. The best part is that this polish is brimming with glitter, absolutely no fishing is necessary. The base is a bit sheer, but 3 coats was plenty for opacity.

For this skittlette mani (see ChitChatNails) I used Zoya 'London' on my pinky and stamped with Revlon 'Royal' and Bundle Monster BM-418. On my ring finger is a gradient using OPI 'Skull & Glossbones', OPI 'No Room for the Blues' and Revlon 'Royal'.

Next up is one of my favourites - 'Terracotta Army'. This is my perfect kind of polish. A most wonderfully saturated, burnt orange holo - what's not to love? I adore the colour of this polish. And to make things even better, this is really easy to apply and opaque - I think I used 2 coats for these photos.

Here's the kicker - NZ Post is really strict when it comes to sending polish out of the country (learnt the hard way here) so these polishes are only available to kiwis at this point. But for all you kiwis, head over to Star Kin on Etsy and show them some love.

The Angels Have The Phone Box - Dollish Polish

HI!!

How are we all? I have a really lovely polish to show you this evening that was recently released as part of the Dollish Polish Ultimate Fandom Collection. This is 'The Angels Have The Phone Box'…

'The Angels Have The Phone Box' caught my eye straight away and I expected to receive a nice blue holo in the mail. This polish is much more than a nice blue holo. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised when I put this on my nails. The shade of blue is really unique in my collection. It's such a perfect blue and the holo - well let's just leave it there because we all know how I feel about holo.


What would make this better… a perfect formula of course! One coat was fully opaque for me, but as usual I did 2 for photos. No dragging, no bald spots, all-in-all pretty foolproof application.


Head on over to Dolly's Big Cartel shop because I've just checked and this polish is in stock right now. Make sure you follow Dollish Polish on her various social media sites to keep up with updates (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram)

a-england - Excalibur Renaissance

Press Sample

Hi!!

I've finished exams! YAHOOO. Although I am not having a break, it is nice to be back in the lab and be able to come home in the evening and relax a bit (and do my nails). I have an a-england to show you today which will most likely be a bit of an old friendly face despite this being a new release. Excalibur was originally retired and revamped (you can see that version here), but recently 'Excalibur Renaissance' was released.

'Excalibur Renaissance' is a gorgeous platinum/silver metallic foil polish. This is quite a striking polish when worn as a full mani. It seriously catches the light in the most eye-catching way. Gorgeous. This is very similar to the original 'Excalibur', but to my eye the shimmer is a little finer. I think that makes this polish a little smoother and less brush strokey than the original.

My favourite way to use 'Excalibur' has always been as a stamping polish as it's so darn opaque. 'Excalibur Renaissance' lived perfectly up to my expectations and stamped just as easily as its predecessor. Here, I have stamped using 'Excalibur Renaissance' and MoYou plate 01 from the Artist Collection - underneath is OPI 'Manicurist of Seville'.


Overall, this polish was up to the usual high a-england standard as far as formula goes. Opacity is ridiculously good with one coat being super opaque. The only thing is that a little care needs to be taken  to minimise brush strokes, but it's not too bad.

a-england polishes can be purchased from a lot of places around the world. Unfortunately, you can only order direct from them if you are in the UK, but be sure to check out their list of worldwide distributors to find a place close to where you live. You can also follow a-england on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the latest news from them.

This product was provided for review. This is my personal, unbiased opinion.

For more information, see my disclosure policy.

I'll tumble For Ya - Dollish Polish (+ Gradient)

Hello!!

I'm half way through my exams! WOOHOO. Today I have a little mani to show you that I wore for about the last week. I haven't worn a glitter for ages (I don't have time for the removal process), but I was really feeling like wearing one. So naturally I had to look in my Dollish Polish drawer in my helmer. I came out with 'I'll Tumble For Ya' and thought I might do a gradient inspired by the glitters like I did for some of my last few Dollish Polish posts (here, here and here). So here you go…

I love 'I'll Tumble For Ya' so much. There's something about white polish that is just so clean. The glitter colours in this polish are just so perfect together too. For the gradient I used Avon 'Strawberry', OPI 'No Room For the Blues' and OPI Greenwich Village'.


I used 3 coats of 'I'll Tumble For Ya'. As you can see in the bottle there are stars and bigger glitters, these didn't wanna come out and play too much and I couldn't be bothered fishing too much so I just made do with exactly what came out on my brush - I don't mind that it's slightly more subtle. The formula was really easy to work with though and really opaque too.


Head on over to Dolly's Big Cartel shop because I've just checked and this polish is in stock right now. Make sure you follow Dollish Polish on her various social media sites to keep up with updates (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram)


Hope you are all doing well and I will see you on the other side of my exams next week :D