31 August, 2010

Zoya Trixie

I was wearing Zoya Trixie when my mail arrived, so I guess it's only fair if I blogged about it first.



This was 2 coats of the lusciously glitzy polish. When I wore it, I just kept thinking to myself that this polish is so festive! Like it should only be worn for special occasions, like maybe, during New Years.



As I've previously mentioned, Trixie is similar to China Glaze Millenium, just that it has an extra oomph with the fine glitter to give it that foil finish, as opposed to just a metallic finish.



And as always, a photo of the label:



Thanks for reading! And swatches from my recent haul are coming up! ❤

30 August, 2010

Haul Haul Haul!!

I can't contain myself! I'm so excited, but also confused at the same time because I don't know what to do now! I told myself no more polishes, no more! And I do mean it this time!

But I just received my backtracked packages today! You see, I've been lemming for Illamasqua and Models Own nail polish for the longest time but neither of them ship to Australia (Melbourne, that is). So I ordered them and sent them to my friend in the UK, who then passed it on to a friend who then passed it on to my boyfriend who just forwarded them to me. It's so complicated, I know! The things I do to get my nail polish...

So they arrived today and I'm just flabbergasted because... I don't know what to wear first. And I'm not even done going through my Zoyas! I really need help. I'm sick. I think I'm officially diagnosed with PHD.

Then, I decided why not just ask for feedback? Here are the choices:




Jo'Mina, Wink, Caress, Nudge, Blow



Lemon Meringue, Jade Stone, Top Turquoise, Beth's Blue, Blue Gem

So what do you think? Which should I wear first? What would you like to see swatched first?

29 August, 2010

DS Royal

I think I've developed a problem. I somehow just need to do something new to my nails everyday... But I guess this nail polish A.D.D. syndrome helps me go through my untrieds quicker.

Anyway, OPI DS Royal is a polish that I've had for about 2 years now. But I cannot remember the last time I wore it and I think I've actually only worn it once. Make it twice now, hehe.



This was 1 coat over Zoya Miley. The polish is quite sheer as well so I think it's best for layering over other colors. However, I suppose I should have painted 2 coats instead of one since it seems quite uneven in the photo.

DS Royal is a purple base with blue flecks that are bigger than shimmer dust but smaller than flakies.



Isn't it pretty?



Thanks for reading and have a nice Sunday! ❤

28 August, 2010

Zoya Miley

In this post, I present to you Zoya Miley. This was 4 coats because the polish is very sheer.



Sheer polishes have pros and cons in my book. On the one hand, it's a hassle to have to build up opacity (evenly) and I don't really like having a thick layer of polish on my nails.



On the other, the sheerness of the polish allows for a highly glossy jelly-like finish.



Apart from the finish, I also really adore the color. As must be evident by now, purple is my favorite color. I like all shades of purples: lavenders, lilacs, violets, indigo. Actually, indigo (or blurple as is commonly called) is my absolute favorite, but it's in the 'purple' family nevertheless.

What are your favorite colors?



This is Zoya Miley, everybody. Thanks for reading! ❤

27 August, 2010

Blue Hues

Comparison post!

I actually took these photos before I filed my nails down to the nubbies (which is growing out satisfactorily, if I might add). I decided to compare Essie Lapis of Luxury with China Glaze Secret Periwinkle.

To be honest, when I first got Secret Periwinkle, I was quite disappointed because it looked so plain and blue in the bottle. However, when I painted it on my nails, I was delighted to find that it is actually a little purple!



I then decided to get Lapis of Luxury because I wanted a blue of this sort and I'm happy with it even though it kind of pales in comparison to Secret Periwinkle.

These were 3 coats each, if I remember correctly. As you can plainly see, Secret Periwinkle has a tinge of purple to it whilst Lapis of Luxury is a more true blue.

The difference is not too obvious because these polishes are actually quite similar.



However, in certain light and upon closer inspection, one will definitely notice that Secret Periwinkle has much more depth to it and is more interesting due to the a slightly more purple hue.


Well, that's it for this post. Sorry for the abrupt end, and as always, thanks for reading! ❤

26 August, 2010

Ki + Nfu Oh 51

I decided to layer Nfu Oh #51 over Zoya Ki to cover the tip wear. Here are the results:





It didn't really do much to cover the tipwear because I only painted one layer and it's relatively sheer. BUT it did spice up my mani.







Sparkly, flaky match made in duochrome heaven, no?

Close up of the flakies in the bottle:



It really is the most beautiful polish there is.



Thanks for reading! ❤

25 August, 2010

Zoya Ki

So I'm back to my Zoyas and I'm currently sporting Ki.



This was only 2 coats, which was sufficiently opaque to cover my nail line. One thing that I noticed about Zoyas is that they don't last very long. These photos were taken two days after application and there is already visible tip wear.

Nevertheless, I do think that their formula is good (the ones that I've tried so far) and that they produce some unique colors. Plus, their bottles are super cute!



So as you can see, Ki is clearly a duochrome of purple and moss green. Note that I've mentioned previously that it's a trichrome of blue, purple and green, but unfortunately, the blue does not appear on the nails and is only prominent in the bottle.

Nevertheless, Ki is still an amazing polish because its duochrome effect is very obvious. Furthermore, it even has tiny flecks of shimmer that shines gold in certain angles/light.



I tried to capture the tiny speckles of gold shimmer, but I don't think I did a good job since it's not so obvious in these photos. But anyway, the duochrome effect is just so obvious (and gorgeous) that it's impossible not to capture.



Photo of the label:



I hope you enjoyed this post and polish! Thanks for reading! ❤

23 August, 2010

Nouvelle Vague II

Just a quick post today about this limited edition polish that is sold out in all chanel stores everywhere (in my area, at least). I searched all over for it but was disappointed over and over until I gave up. But, as I've mentioned, my sweet housemate picked up on this and surprised me with one she got on eBay :D

I've heard stories about how high the bids actually go up to, for a bottle, and it's really surprising that some people were willing to get them for almost a hundred dollars.

Anyway, let's get on to some pictures!



It wasn't particularly sunny today when I took these pictures, so I had to edit the colors for a more accurate representation. Unfortunately, it washed out everything else.



This was 2 coats. Application was quite good! I had no problems whatsoever. I've read in some other blogs that there was a problem with the application, but I honestly didn't experience any.

Moreover, the wearability of this polish is great. Photos were taken after 3 days and there is hardly any noticeable tip wear!



The above picture was taken under more direct light and is actually what it looks like most of the time. The picture below was taken in the shade and it seems more like China Glaze For Audrey.



Here's a picture comparison with a Tiffany Box. The box is clearly brighter and lighter than the polish but I think it's pretty damn similar!



That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for reading! ❤

22 August, 2010

Nouvelle Vague I

My housemate surprised me with a bottle of Chanel Nouvelle Vague that she won for me on eBay as my (belated) birthday present. How sweet is that! We had exams on my actual birthday so she couldn't get me a present on time but I prefer it this way because it really was unexpected! I like surprises but sometimes it's quite difficult to surprise me because I'm quite a paranoid. Haha



I was so excited, I immediately removed my previous manicure just so I could put this on. Swatches coming soon. Thanks for dropping by! ❤

20 August, 2010

Zoya Gaia

I've had Zoya Gaia on my lemming list for quite awhile now and my lemming craze basically compelled me to go on eBay and search for it. That then subsequently lead to a purchase of 6 other Zoya polishes. I know, it's bad. I have a nail polish problem... ツ

But anyway! As I've mentioned, I'm currently wearing Zoya Gaia and I'd like to show you what it looks like. So here are some pictures of this gorgeous polish.






It's a soft slightly off-white sheer polish with gold microshimmer that is iridescent when it catches light. It's not stark or chalky like some other whites (OPI Alpine Snow, for example), and is actually quite delicate.





This is 4-5 coats, I've lost count along the way. It is quite difficult to build up the opacity because this polish is very sheer. And although I don't think it's too visible in my photos, if you're not careful enough while layering on the coats, the uneven layers might show.



But I do think that it is worth the effort of painting so many layers. Just look at that shimmer!



Some more pictures just to illustrate the beauty of Zoya Gaia. I don't know why my fingers look so red, I think it's just the lighting in this photo.



I don't know if you can see the shimmer at the top part of the bottle, but the above picture is just to illustrate the iridescent quality of the shimmer. And the one below as well, to show how it looks like in dim (yellow) light.







And finally here's a photo of the label.



I've dispensed with the usual greetings at the start of posts because I'm starting to feel weird going 'Hello', 'Hi' and 'Hey there' every time. I hope that doesn't affect anything! But I will keep my tagline at the end. So...

I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading! ❤

19 August, 2010

ZOYAAA!

My ZOYAs arrived today and I couldn't be more excited!! There really isn't much to say at this point so I'll just let the pictures do the talking :)


Charla, Ki, Zara, Miley, Lulu, Gaia, Trixie

I was actually quite surprised at the size of these bottles because they look so big in pictures! But in reality, they're shorter than OPIs. I guess these pictures are very deceiving because the bottles are taller than the handles. But I think that they are really cute!


Gaia: Sheer white with gold shimmer. I'm actually wearing this now and let me just say that it's more than mere gold shimmer, it seems to be more iridescent! It's just gorgeous! Swatches coming soon. Stay tuned!


Charla: To be honest, I wasn't interested in this color when I first saw it on blogs. But it got to me and I just had to have it. It really does remind me of a mermaid's tail.


Ki: I was sold on this when I read that it's a tri-chrome color consisting of green, purple and blue. Just look at that!


Zara: Purple with gold shimmer. Need I say more? ;)


Miley: I think you can probably tell by now that I really, really, really like purples!


Lulu: I read that this light peach was very sheer and jelly like. I can't wait to try it!


Trixie: Frosty silver. It looks somewhat like China Glaze Millenium that I have, but prettier because of the frost.

Can't wait to put these on! I'll be posting swatches when I do. Thanks for reading! ❤

18 August, 2010

My Private Jet

Heeellooo!

Wow it feels like I've been gone for awhile! It's been raining practically everyday here and it's so gloomy and freezing cold that there are no opportunities for me to take nice pictures! But I guess what I've got will have to do...

Here I have OPI My Private Jet. I've read in a couple of other blogs that the original version has been discontinued and replaced with a less impressive substitute. But judging from the pictures, I'm pretty sure what I have is the original because the holo effect shows up on the bottle quite distinctly as compared to the newer versions where you can hardly see any holo effect at all.



Despite the fact that it's the original version, I feel like the holo effect is definitely more obvious on the bottle but less so on my nails, which is a shame because unlike the shaped glitters, I like holos to be blingy and brilliant on my nails.



Regardless, I still think the polish is gorgeous but it was difficult for me to capture it on my camera because there was hardly enough sunlight due to the bad weather! So I tried to get a picture with flash.



As with all holos, flash definitely brought out its full effect, but to be honest, it would not look like that most of the time. It only looks like this when it catches light. Moreover, I believe that this is nowhere near as dense as OPI Designer Series or Nfu Oh holos or even China Glaze's for that matter. But it's still a classic polish nevertheless.



So anyway, that's My Private Jet for you. I hope you liked this post. See you again soon! ❤