BYS - Matte Pink + Potential Celebrity Manicure?

Another BYS matte I tried this week was Matte Pink.

This is just lovely.  The formula is wonderful and intuitive and glides on easily.  It took just two coats to get to opaque and, like other BYS mattes, dried to a satin matte finish.

Click on the jump to see what this looks like as a gloss.

PLUS if you're interested in celebrity manicures, this might be a great lacquer to get if you're wanting to be like California Gurls.  Check out what I mean after the jump.

Illamasqua - Prism + Comparison with City Girl 2000 #19

This is one very special bottle of lacquer.

Not just because it's Illamasqua, which automatically makes it super special in my eyes. It's the route, and the time, it took to get to me that makes it special.

This was sent way back in April by the lovely Alex of Illamasqua. It arrived this week. That's two months it took, thanks to the volcanic ash and, for whatever reason, a brief sojourn in Switzerland. Damn lacquer wanted a nice round the world trip before it got to work. ;-)

But, oh, it was so worth the wait.  I couldn't decide which photos I liked, so I've included them all.  Prism-palooza!

Illamasqua seem to have tinkered with their formula a little.  I thought their previous one was good, but this is utter perfection.  Based on this lacquer, I can safely say I have found a lacquer that measures up to Chanel.  Perfection.

This isn't designed to go opaque.  The above swatch is three coats and you can clearly see my nail line.  This is like a CND Effects lacquer in that, although it can be worn by itself, it will transform a lacquer.  I have another Illamasqua coming up later this week where I layer this over the top and the difference is startling.

Of course, as soon as I started applying this, I thought that the City Girl 2000 #19 might be a dupe.  I have lined them up side by side after the jump.

Swatch Watch - Coral Colours **Voting Now Open**

I know my Australian readers are thinking something along the lines of 'WTF?' 'Coral Colours!' My nanna wears Coral Colours'. 'She's finally lost it.  Jacie, that is, not my nanna'.

And you'd be right.  Coral Colours has an unfortunate reputation for being nanna-ish in its colour selection.

However, they have recently started rebranding themselves and the results are on-trend, high quality lacquers that are to die.  The bottles still need work (seriously, a gold handle) but I'm seriously impressed with this brand's re-invention.

So much so that they are this month's Swatch Watch lacquer.

The rules of this competition are the same as always.

1. Pick your favourite Coral Colours lacquer after the jump.

2. Scroll down to the entry form.

2. Select your favourite Coral Colours 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, Wednesday 30th June 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.

And now, for the additional prize.  If you are selected as the winner AND you are also a follower of YGN (this is mandatory if you want to win the additional prize - I want to be able to offer followers an additional 'Mwah, I love you lots' prize), you will receive, in addition to the two lacquers of your choice, a bottle of Pewter Polish.

So quit reading, start peeping and vote after the jump! 

BYS - Matte Deep Purple

Whatever happened to the matte finish.  When I started blogging, everyone was matte-fying everything.  And now..... bupkis.

Never let it be said that I'm ever ahead of a trend, so here's another matte lacquer.  This time, it is BYS' Matte Deep Purple.

Now, here's the deal.  I don't normally like creme mattes.  I think, in order for a matte to work, it has to have some depth in it. A shimmer.  A different undertone.  Something.

This doesn't have any of that depth but it still works a treat.  I think it's the finish.  It's a satin matte which makes it not so harsh and is more forgiving of the large block of colour.

Of course, I couldn't do a matte without applying a top coat to see how it came up.  Click on the jump to see the results.

Pewter Polish - #824

I was trawling eBAY searching for some cheap lacquers when I came across this little gem.
 
For the Aussie ladies, if you love Orly's FX Collection, then you will be interested in this lacquer for no other reason than it's a shedload cheaper AND you get the same end look.

Sound too good to be true?

Yah, it is.  The formula on this is problematic - a little gluey.  Not unworkably so but you need patience and time.  And the brush is terrible.  I gave up with it and ended up using a Pro-Wide.

BUT, the colour and finish (a little rough but nothing Seche Vite can't fix) can't be argued with.  For under $5, this is a bargain.

And, it will feature as part of this month's Swatch Watch, kicking off on Wednesday.