Great Aussie Swatch Watch (Tourist Edition) - The Face Shop

Ok, so I'll 'fess up straight away that The Face Shop is not an Australian brand.  It's Korean.  But I figure that many of you may not have access to these really fabulous lacquers.  So consider this the Great Aussie Swatch Watch (Tourist Edition).

Going into The Face Shop is a joy for me.  Not only are the products super cheap, but they are also super effective.  I absolutely swear by their White Mud Nose Pack (which is the best thing I've found to remove blackheads), their hand creams are gorgeous, and perhaps due to the fact that I am in there on a weekly basis, they are uber generous with their samples.

The rules of this competition are the same as always.

1. Pick your favourite The Face Shop lacquer.

2. Scroll down to the entry form.

2. Select your favourite The Face Shop Lacquer from the drop down box.

3. Fill in your name and email address.

4. Click 'Submit Entry'.

5. Do a happy dance because you've just got your entry in.  This is mandatory - YOU MUST DANCE.

6. This competition is open to everyone (so long as your postal service can accept nail polish) and will close on 5pm, Sunday 22nd May 2010, Australian Standard Time.

If you're the lucky winner, you will win the lacquer you voted for PLUS you can choose one other lacquer from the ones swatched. 

So quit reading, start peeping and vote after the jump!  All photos have been taken in diffused light.

The Face Shop - RD304

I have pretty much all of The Face Shop's lacquers. Part of the reason is because these are just so cheap - $3 each. They are also great quality. The colours are on trend (even if they're not exactly cutting edge). And, with a good top coat, these last for days. What more could you ask for in a lacquer?

RD304 (here we go with the Asian brand naming conventions again) is a deep red berry shimmer. This is a type of colour that I have a billion of in my collection. And I love every one of them.

This was opaque in two coats and was dry within five minutes. As in, Seche Vite rock hard dry. If you're the type of person who doesn't want to invest time in a manicure, then this is the colour for you.

What sets this apart from my other berries, is the pink component. This is pinker than most berries, which makes it a little unique for me. I feel it's less of a 'statement' or 'look at me' shade but it still looks suitably glamorous and sexy. Does that make sense?

Stay tuned later today. I've been shopping. I won't tell you how many lacquers I bought - it seems obscene - but they were all super cheap (between $2-$3 per bottle). I'll post some haul photos up later today and tomorrow. There are some really gorgeous colours that I know you guys will love.

You've Got Duped - Chanel Jade

I mentioned on Sunday that I may have stumbled upon a dupe for the mythical (I call it mythical because I don't have it and - since I am little more than a petulant child - I won't believe it exists until I own it) Chanel Jade.

Sportgirl's Apple is a very close dupe to Chanel Jade, but without the gold-esque shimmer. So I took The Face Shop's YL701 and got to work.

What you see is three coats of Apple with a very light layer of YL701 over the top.

I think the closest to the Chanel Jade colour is on the index finger. With the other fingers, there is just too much yellow in the mix.

So, I know it's not a perfect dupe. YL701 is just that little bit too yellow and I think a clear shimmer might work better. Besides which, I think I'd still fork out the money for Chanel rather than a dupe, but what do you guys think? Am I close or do I need some new glasses?

The Face Shop - YL701

The Face Shop is a Korean beauty brand that combines the best in nature at an absolutely affordable price.

I've tried pretty much all their products but it's the lacquers that make my heart sing, my wallet squeal with delight, and my husband breathe a sigh of relief. Each of these babies will set you back $3. That's less than the cost of a coffee and - trust me - the high I get from wearing these lasts much longer than any caffeine rush.

The colour I am wearing here is named YL701.

Although this looks like a shimmery yellow in the bottle, there is a fair chunk of gold in it. The gold seems to lift the yellow and stop it from looking like my hands are jaundiced.

Application is super-duper easy. The polish brushes on like a breeze, giving you enough time to get the application right, but drying fast enough so that, by the time you finish all ten fingers, you are ready for the next coat.

And the next.

And the next.

The swatch on the left is four coats. Which I don't mind as I quite like the subtlety of seeing my nails. But if you're an 'it's opaque or nothing' kind of girl, then this is probably not for you. I suspect this would be a fantastic colour for layering, or to jazz up a dark red or even a purple.

YL701 (ok, The Face Shop, we're going to have a serious falling out if you don't come up with a better naming convention) is a little bottle of sunshine in my nail collection. Sometimes (ok, you're all going to think I'm really weird here) I will just hold the bottle up to the light and stare adoringly at it. It's pretty and shimmery and oh-so-very Spring.