China Glaze - L8R G8R

I've put off swatching China Glaze's L8R G8R because I was underwhelmed by how it looked in the bottle.  I looked at and totally gave it a snobby side eye. 'Meh, I'll swatch YOU when I'm desparate'.

But colour me convinced and red-faced because this is a banging holo.  As with every lacquer in this collection (and really, this could be the best collaction of all time), the formula is phenomenal and easy to work with.  And the holo....... well, let's just say that, with holo-icity like this, I will forever be a holo ho.

Just on a blogging note, you'll note that I'm now including a third photo of just the colour itself.  I think it provides a nice representation of the colour without the distraction of nails.  I saw Helen doing this with her swatches and thought it a good idea (credit to Helen, she always has great ideas).  Let me know in the comments if you like or loathe.

Barbara Daly - Electric Blue + Layering Experiment

Another Monday, another gift from my mother in law, Kath.

This time, it is Barbara Daly's Electric Blue.

This is a dream to work with. Two coats to opaque. Deliciously creamy. Dries quickly. Looks glorious on the nail.

Colour wise, it can look bright - almost neon - in some lights and, in other lights, almost like a dusty denim / cornflower blue.  Fab, fab, fab.

But wait!  There's more!  I layered a cheapie lacquer, ID's Dancing Shoes, over the top of this to bling it up a little.

These photos do not do this manicure justice.  Let's just say that this manicure could be used to guide planes in deep fog.  That's how blinging and fierce it is, that it doubles as a safety device. How many manicures can do that, huh?  Well.... besides this one.

Entering Grandpa Simpson territory again so I'll sign off and see you guys tomorrow!

Naily News #44

There is still time to enter my August Giveaway.  Click here to find out how you can win Chi Chi's Eye Magic.

Nihrida shows what happens when American Apparel meets Essence.

Kris is wondering why Nubar's Knight's Armour doesn't get more love.  Looking at her swatches I have to agree.  Why don't I have this?!

Just click.  You'll thank me.

Oh De-Luce-Cious...... I love you.

Milani Bare it All is like the nail polish world's equivalent of Urban Decay's Naked Palette.  In other words, awesomesauce.

Kaz is rocking the Hard Candy.  Check outs Part I and Part II.

Somewhat nail related, please check out my girl, Anita's, site.  She's just awesome, she loves Veruca Salt like I do and, quite frankly, if she was into girls and I was into girls, I'd totally stalk her.

If you have a great nail related post to share, paste a link in the comments.

Otherwise, read on to find out about my week .

Ulta3 - Little Boy Blue

Another triumph from litte Aussie brand, Ulta3!

Little Boy Blue is a beautiful, sparkly sea blue.  It glides on easily, is opaque in three coats.  If you want a smooth finish with this one, paint a coat of Seche Vite and you'll be good.

Best thing about this for the Aussie girls?  If you loved kit's Island Hopping, and didn't we all, but felt physical pain that it was only a limited edition - this lacquer is as close as a dupe as you're going to find.  kit's formula is easier to work with but the end result is very close in appearance.

Borghese - Bellisima Rose

A very quick one today because I'm a little frantic at work and my boss will start giving me the side-eye if I don't get a report to him by the end of the day.

It's pink.  It's a creme. It's opaque in two coats.  What's not to love?

BYS - Wonderland Collection

Ms Nixxy if you're nasty alerted me to the BYS Wonderland Collection. 

At the first opportunity (ie 6.30am in the morning), I raced to the local 24 hour K-Mart, secured the lacquers, did a happy dance, drew the attention of security, answered a few questions, submitted to a drug test, and then went home.

Ok, I may have made up the bit about the drug test but the rest is a true story.

This is a superb collection.  All killer.  No filler.  And I picked up two sets which means that, if you love this, you could win the collection in next month's giveaway.  Glitter bombs for everyone!

Jump it ladies.....

Borghese - Stellar Notte - Take II

Oh, now this is the shiz.

This time, I made sure to do enough coats (four here) and you can finally see why I was raving about it.  In this photo, it's flashing green and it's just amazing.

On the left of the bottle, you can see the purple peeking through.  As is the case with purples, it is really hard to catch and I will try again to get it.

But, for now, enjoy the exquisite Stellar Notte.

Sally Hansen - Pink Pearl

Ahhh, you didn't think we'd have a week WITHOUT a caca swatch did you?

This week, it's Sally Hansen's Pink Pearl.

I think this is a good polish.  It's just not good on me.  Four coats, very visible nail line, dries to a satin matte finish.  For many reasons, I do not heart.

Stay tuned because I have another post coming up today.  A rehash of Borghese's Stellar Notte that is far superior to my initial caca swatch.  It's the nail blogosphere good story of the year!  You won't want to miss it.

CND - Shellac

As I mentioned last week on Twitter, I have indeed been Shellac-ed!

I had mine done at a fab salon called Feeling Smooth in Port Melbourne.  Michelle, the owner, is just beautiful and very knowledgeable about how the Shellac works.

In the interests of full disclosure I paid full price for my manicure.  For those who are interested, the price was $55 which is cheaper than what I pay for gels but, naturally, more expensive than a basic manicure.

So read on for a step by step review of this most awesome manicure!  But, as a word of warning, there is a photo of my poor, dehydrated nails under the jump. I'd suggest you don't have food or drink in your mouth when viewing. :-)

China Glaze - FYI

Ok, I'll admit it.  I'm a holo hoe.  If someone were to buy me lucite heels and a stripper pole, the transformation would be complete.

FYI is not my favourite holo.  I think the base colour (a silvery beige) is a little too close to my skin colour, giving me a case of mannequin holo hands. 

But it's still a holo and the formula is stonkingly bad-a**.  I'm having a party on my nails and you're all invited.

Now that I think of it, Mannequin Holo Hands sounds like it could be a great Tim Burton Film.  Maybe a sequel to Edward Scissor Hands, starring moi?

Naily News #43

Kaz investigates Essie Dominica Green dupes AND shares her haulage.  She's the blogger that lives to give. 

Nixxy Von Nixxerson discovers a new BYS collection inspired by Alice in Wonderland.  Enjoy!

Lava Rocks.  So does Scandalous Ange.

MeganChair does the BEST Nfu-Oh manicures.  Oh baby.

Diana is an artist. That's all.

Nicole shows how Brisbane Bronze should be done.

This Rimmel. I must have.

I never ever get tired of Claire's Mood polishes.  Konadomania rocks it out.

The Flinstones rock the 80s.  Seriously, manicure of the week.

Leanne totally nails (heheh, see how I worked that pun in) water decals.  And she uses Illamasqua just to make it even better.

If you have a nail related post to share, paste a link in the comments. Shake the link love!

Otherwise, read on to read some smack talk. No, seriously, it's not work the effort of clicking on the jump.

Borghese - Stellar Notte

This is another first for me - Borghese - and it's a total caca swatch.  I thought I had done enough coats but clearly I didn't and so it's just a streaky mess.

I promise I will redo this one next week so that you can see it in all its glory.

Honestly, Stellar Notte is a lacquer that every person should have in their collection.  It flashes about ten different colours depending on the light.  On the nail in this photo, it's grey but, if you have a look at the bottle, you can see a plethora of colours shining through.

Awesome.

Wet 'n Wild - Glitz + a Boosh Mosh Up

It's a special day, as this is my very first Wet 'n Wild!

And what a fab lacquer Craze Glitz is (thanks to Halifax in the comments for correcting my dumb a** on the name of this).  Ok, it's a glitter which means it's a pain in the a** to both apply and remove but.... hot damn, I love this.

This works well on its own (the above is four coats) and as a layering lacquer.  Jump to see a Craze Glitz / Boosh Mosh Up.

Illamasqua - (the mighty) Boosh

On my recent trip to Sydney, Mikele at Illamasqua (he's on the far left in the link, isn't he GORGEOUS) gave me a beautiful little gift bag to take away.

Included in this goodie bag was Boosh which, I'm hopeful, has been named after one of my favourite tv shows, The Mighty Boosh.  A girl can live in hope, right?

This is a beautiful, glossy black. Typical of Illamasqua lacquers, it glides on like a dream and, unlike many blacks, which I find tend to mattify, it dries to a high shine.

I hate to think what's going to happen when Illamasqua open their Melbourne counters.  I think it's a safe bet though that I will create a scene whenever I visit.





The lacquer featured in this review was provided by Illamasqua. For more information on YGN's Disclosure Policy, please click here.

Kazemlu - Pretty in (Random) Pink Collection - Part II

If you've missed it, here is Part I of the fabulous Kazemlu 'Pretty in (Random) Pink' Collection.

Once again, I can't thank Kaz and Em enough for these. They make me happy.

What I'm not happy about, however, is Em hogging all the Cadbury Creme Egg Twisters. I don't want to exaggerate the seriousness of this situation, but Hitler invaded Poland for less.

Jump to see the awesomesauce....

China Glaze - For Audrey + TBN Aqua

Hot damn, I now know why For Audrey is a classic.

This is luscious. Creamy but easy to apply.  Opaque in two coats. High shine. I'd sell my first born to buy the last bottle of this in the world. Maybe.

But wait, there's more!  I recently trialled TBN's Aqua and thought it might be a great layering lacquer when matched with For Audrey. 

Well, under the jump, check out the results of this most excellent layering experiment!

Sally Hansen - Opulent Cloud

I think I'll get this week's caca swatch out of the way nice and early.  Actually, there's another one coming up later this week but I'll give you plenty of warning.

I will apologise today for my photos this week.  I'm not well, my hands are showing the effects of being being dehydrated and I'm struggling with neat finishes due to this damn bronchitis.  Sorry guys. :-(

I had huge expectations for Sally Hansen's Opulent Cloud. I'd seen it on so many blogs and, each time, it took my breath away.

And it doesn't disappoint in real life.  A lovely grey with gold throughout. The shimmer is what makes this special.  It's hard to describe but it's almost like the shimmer dances on top of the lacquer.  It's just gorgeous.

Don't you love it when a long-term lemming becomes a lemming done good?

Naily News #42

 

This month's giveaway is being hosted on You've Got Face.  Click here to find out how you can win two sets of Chi Chi's Eye Magic.

I really think Kaz could make caca look good.  She rocks some vintage Urban Decays with suitable aplomb.

Liz trials Seche Vite's Ultra V UV Activated Top Coat.

There are many reasons to love Scandalous Ange.  She is beautiful and she makes a mean blueberry cobbler.

I want to know why none of you have told me about Pucca-licious before now?  Heads are going to roll.

I need this lacquer made into a frock.  It's divine.

Want more TTYL.  My little sister has the inside goss.

Shiny denim.  Sounds good, right?  This lacquer totally owns shiny denim.

Hands down, pants down, nail art of the year.  Give Andrea a medal!

If you have a great nail related post to share, paste a link in the comments.  Naily News is all about sharing the link love.

Otherwise, read on for some random goodness.  Or random smack talk.  Both are an accurate description.

Brush-Amour - #71

 **If you follow my Twitter, you'll know that I am contributing to a Charity Blog Sale, hosted by the lovely May of May Loves Makeup.  Chi Chi neons, Australis and BYS lacquers are all up for grabs.  Please check it out.**

I picked this little beauty up at a cheapy shop called Stuff and Nonsense.  The name alone of this establishment filled me with the utmost confidence that I was getting something special.  Like the clap.

Ok, so I'm being dramatic but I did pick up a nifty little lacquer for under $5.

The brand is Brush-Amour and I have no idea who makes it or where it comes from. Private label? 1960s bin?  Depths of hell?  You decide!

Edit: Thanks to Silhouette in the comments, the brand is actually Blush Amore and they have a website!


Enough of the smack talk.  This is a great little lacquer.  A luscious khaki green with swathes of gold throughout it.  Three coats (although, looking at my little finger, I could have probably done with four) and applied like a dream.

China Glaze - IDK

I figured out what my grumpy mood was all about yesterday. Bronchitis.  Delightful.

So this one is a quickie post with no commentary.  Disappointed?  Don't be.  My smack talk will be back up and running soon enough.  You'll be rolling your eyes at my stupid by the weekend.

Le Beauty - Chuffalicious

I've gotten so jacked about Le Beauty not naming their lacquers that I'm now naming them myself.  And, so, here is Le Beauty's Chuffalicious.  Named, of course, after my beautiful 5 year old who picked this lacquer saying 'Mama, this is sooooo cool'.

Once again, an absolute winner.  Creamy, two coats, gorgeous colour, if it were a hot man at the bar, my knickers would be flyi...... well, let's not get into my personal life.   ;-)