Marks & Spencers - Rainbow

My lovely mother in law, Kath, sent me some more lacquers.  I saw this, thought 'oh yeah, it's a grey, cool' and didn't think anymore about it.

Until I came to swatch it and I realised..... HOLO!  Being the holo ho that I am, I immediately got my lucite heels on and did a happy dance around the pole.

This is a very subtle holo.  It's definitely not a China Glaze blinging holo but, given how hard those holos are to come by these days, this is a great substitute.

From a formula perspective, this is a solid two coater.  Those more madly skilled could probably get away with one.

Just delightful. Kath is amazing.

Marks and Spencers - Mint Green

Marks and Spencers Mint Green came courtesy of my mother in law.  I'm not sure whether you can buy this online or if you have to actually physically go to an MandS to find it.

The obsessive compulsive in me is still a little upset at the off center labeling, but I'll get over it.  Perhaps.

It took four coats to get to bottle colour, which is probably one more than I consider to be an acceptable number, or have patience for, but the formula is such that you can apply four coats and still be touch dry within five minutes.

And the colour is just beautiful.  A perfect minty green creme without a hint of shimmer.  With a top coat, this will last for up to a week with minimal wear on the tips.  And it never chips.  I have no idea what MandS are putting in their formulas, but it makes for a great value / great quality lacquer.

I know what some of you are already thinking.  Is this a dupe for Essie's Mint Candy Apple.  Here's a side by side of the two.

Aside from the lighting differences, and the fact that my hands are more tanned at the moment because it's summer, these are very similar.

Mint Candy is slightly more icy, but it's marginal.  I suspect you wouldn't be able to tell much difference in person.

The formula on the Mint Candy Apple is superior to the MandS (two coats vs four) but other than that, these are on par for longevity and wear.

So, ladies, what do you think?  Do you like Mint Green?

Hey There, Wait A Minute Mr Postman - Kit + A gift from the UK

Ladies, I've been shopping.

So, throughout this week, along with some killer Valentine's Day manicures, I'll be posting evidence of my terrible, terrible habit of buying lacquer on a near daily basis.

The first haul is from Kit Cosmetics.  From left to right, we have Blue Surf (from Kit's Dulux Nail Polish Collection), Pool Party (which is part of Kit's February promotion where, each Monday a new lacquer is made available online.  Each lacquer is only available for one week before it disappears forever), and Speed Demon (which is part of Kit's High Velocity Collection.

The second is a gift from my mother in law.  This came courtesy of a care package.

Mint is from Marks and Spencers. I had no idea these guys even made nail polishes.  This is such a beautiful, pale mint.  I don't think I have anything even close in my collection to this.  But, tell me, what is up with the dodgy off center label?  Quality Assurance Fail.

So, ladies, do you like any of these lacquers?

Oh, and can someone please check on green and blue loving Nea because I suspect her eyes have rolled into the back of her head right about now.

Stay tuned later today for a blisteringly bright manicure.  Ladies, I'm not your nagging mother, but you might want to wear new underwear and sunglasses for it.