::pretty::tough::nails::: duochrome

Showing posts with label duochrome. Show all posts

Friday, May 30, 2014

CrowsToes Minion Swatch And Review

Happy Friday! Thank goodness this is a short week, it seems to have gone by like a whirlwind for me, and just like a whirlwind, everything is disorganized and haphazard. Hopefully I can pick up the pieces and get everything back in its place next week! As for the weekend, I hope to get some much needed relaxation and de-stressing. Perhaps a spa visit is required! Do you have any big plans for this weekend?

From CrowsToes Summer 2013 collection, I have Minion, a delightful purple shimmering duochrome that changes from dark navy to royal purple in the slightest shift of light. Embedded within are sparkling silver flakes that give break the uniformity of the purple shimmer and give the illusion of outer space and its twinkling stars. The formula was fluid and easy to manipulate, but use a light hand to avoid brushstrokes. I used three coats here for maximum opacity and finished with a layer of topcoat of shine.

CrowsToes Minion

I'm glad that I'm cleaning out my drawers for untrieds, otherwise this would have sat longer in there without getting any much needed appreciation. I always get weak in the knees at the sight of flakes, and then to put them into a purple duochrome base is a double whammy to my solar plexus. CrowToes somehow always manages to take polish to another level, beyond what is imagineable. It's probably her talented artists eyes that helps her create these lovely beauties. Oh how I wish I had those creative abilities!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce Swatch And Review

Purchased

Good morning! Today's going to be a long day full of meetings and paperwork, but fortunately one of my sales reps is taking me and some of the work crew out for a business expensed "work" dinner at a new highly rated restaurant. There may or may not be a coincidence that it's a few days after my birthday. I may not like aging another year, but I sure do like to celebrate my special day as many ways as I can!

I learned a new technique today from Fashion Polish, and that's how to minimize brushstrokes with frosts, metallics, chromes, and foils. I'm glad to find an easy solution to those unwanted brushstrokes, and that's by using a layer of matte topcoat before the final topcoat. How easy is that? My first test subject is I Love Nail Polish Reminisce, a duochrome green shimmer that has that glow within property, shifting from dark forest green to an emerald green. True to ILNP formula, I used three fluid coats for opacity and it dried with the expected brushstrokes, despite how carefully I applied it. I used a layer of Wet 'n' Wild matte topcoat and finished with my standard GCS/Poshe mix. I have to say, there was a visible improvement but if you look hard enough, you can still see some of the marks.

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce

The duochrome effect with Reminisce isn't terribly strong, so some may be disappointed if you were looking for a bold color morph. In some lights you may catch a hint of teal, but it's elusive and brief. The gradients of green fortunately create a glowing effect which is enchanting. And matte topcoat=Winning! I have another reason to love matte topcoats, and another excuse to stock up. Whodathunk matte topcoat would clean up frosts so beautifully? Have you tried this trick yet? Or do you have another matte topcoat trick that you'd like to pass along?

Purchased

Friday, May 16, 2014

I Love Nail Polish Sirene Swatch And Review

TGIF! I'm excited for today, as I mentioned in my last post I'm off from work and I have the day to myself - well, at least until 3:30pm. Hey, no complaints here! I'll take what I can get. DH keeps asking me where I want to go for my special dinner, but I have not a clue. It's hard to decide when there's LO in tow because I need something kid friendly but elevated enough for a special occasion dinner. I'm sure we'll figure something out!

Holy Carp! I've got a stunner for you tonight, and that's a glorious multichrome from I Love Nail Polish Spring 2014 collection called Sirene. There's no doubt that this is a multichrome, as it flashes deep saturated colors of green, teal, and purple. None of the shifting shades are shy either, and you can see all the colors easily at various angles. It's one of those delightfully distracting polishes that you'll be waving your fingers at yourself all day. Formula was similar to the last release of ILNP multichromes, and that's a sheer finish that requires 3 layers for opacity and careful application to avoid brushstrokes. As you can see, I couldn't avoid the dreaded brush strokes either, but the finish is worth it! No topcoat in these pics.

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

If there's a definite must have from ILNP, I would absolutely recommend this one, and that's before I've finished swatching the rest of my ILNP haul. I don't think there's any other multichrome that could compare to the beautiful shifting colors in Sirene, but maybe that's because I'm a huge fan of purple, teal, and green. Make sure you snatch this one if you're doing the pre-order this weekend, you won't regret it!

Saturday, March 29, 2014

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Swatch And Review

Purchased

I'm so stoked. I finally splurged and bought my HG facial moisturizer, Kiehl's Rose Artica, after going on a vacation from it for a few months. I was being stubborn and wanted to find a similar moisturizer for cheaper using the Sephora VIB discount. I tried both Dior Hydra Life and Korre's and neither were heavy enough for my super dry skin in the winter. I've always appreciate a good Dior product and Hydra Life has a nice light texture but was more suitable for normal skin. Korre's, which was super popular on the Sephora website and had tons of great reviews, was similar but had a stronger smell and a lower price point. After my skin going through a number of break outs this past month I decided to suck it up and spend the extra money to buy a product that I know works for me. Do you have this problem? Are you stuck on an expensive product with no cheaper option available? What's your HG moisturizer?

Today's eye candy is I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier, metallic light blue duochrome that shifts from a metallic cobalt blue to silver. Formula is on the thin side but easy to manage with the wide brush and applies with minimal pooling and thankfully no major brushstrokes. I used three coats here with no topcoat.

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier

This is one of those colors that you HAVE to stamp over, so I pulled out my neglected Bundle Monster plates and used the peacock print. I wanted a dark blue cream but ended up using China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway which I don't think was dark enough. It a subtle print, but is pretty to look up when seen up close. I finished this with a layer of topcoat.

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Stamping

My nails are still too long to take to a regular stamping image. I wish there was a better selection of larger stamping plates out there that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I seem to be in a nail art rut as well and haven't done any other techniques lately. When this happens, what do you use for inspiration?

Purchased

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

I Love Nail Polish Undenied Swatch And Review

Purchased

Have you discovered Yellow Stopper from Sally Beauty Supply? I'm not sure who makes the product, but it looks to be the same type of bottle as Gelous except with a yellow top. I just started using recently, and it works fabulously as a peel a way basecoat, especially for glitter polishes. I was using a homemade PVC glue basecoat but one of my nails would always pop off day later at the most inopportune time. Yellow Stopper doesn't pop off like that, and peels off easily like the PVC basecoat. There's no worry about getting it wet either, whereas the PVC seemed to pop off more easily when I washed my hands more often than usual. I'm still experimenting with it, but so far I really like it.

It's been awhile since I've used a good duochrome, and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity when I received my recent I Love Nail Polish spring collection order. The first one I pulled out was the purple duochrome called Undenied. This is a mostly a dark plum that shifts eggplant to red and orange. Like previous ILNP duochromes, this has a metallic formula that applies with streaks if your not careful. I used three coats here for good measure and the application was smooth and easy with no pooling or streaking. No topcoat here so you can see it's natural shine.

I Love Nail Polish Undenied

I do enjoy this polish for it's vibrant plum color, but the duochrome finish appears flat and other colors seem shy unless exposed to extreme light angles. Undenied isn't made to be as color shifting like ILNP's gorgeous multichromes, but I guess I'm spoiled now that I've tried them. Will I ever be able to go back to a regular old duochrome? It's incredible how far polish has come the past few years, back when holos and duochromes were unheard of and scarce, to now where there's an abundance to the point of over saturation. Have you noticed this phenomenon, and how do you feel about it?

Purchased

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Digital Nails Leviathan Swatch And Review

Purchased

It's another one of those really slow weeks.... I keep thinking it's Friday and scheduling my work wrong. I can't wait for this week to be over already!

Today's polish is from a new order that I received from Digital Nails. I've realized that I've become addicted to this line because I love the playful nerdiness and beautiful innovative glitter combinations of the polish. Leviathan is an incredible microglitter that color shifts from blue, purple, and pink and orange in a clear base. I chose to use four coats here, but I can see it being layered over a purple or blue base if you prefer more of a solid colored application. The formula was on the sticky side, but that happens to work for this polish because it allows for easier and precise application of the microglitters, especially towards the cuticles. I finished this with a layer of topcoat for added shine.

Digital Nails Leviathan

Can you see the color shift and holographic glitters? It's such a dynamic sparkling polish, shifting and changing colors when hit by different angles of light. Unfortunately it wasn't easy to capture on camera - it's definitely one of those polishes that you need to see IRL to appreciate. I'm very satisfied with my order from Digital Nails, and I look forward to swatching the rest of my treats. If you haven't checked out her Etsy store, give it a browse. I'm sure you'll find something you'll like!

Purchased

Saturday, January 18, 2014

I Love Nail Polish Nostalgia Swatch And Review

Purchased

Hello my dears! Thank goodness for the weekend! It's been a super busy and tiring week for me, and I'm looking forward to getting some much needed rest over the weekend. I think I might be coming down with a cold(again), which is something I'll have to get use to while LO is in daycare. The joys of parenthood, LOL.

I tried to resist purchasing this beauty that I'm going to show you today, but being the multichrome junkie that I am, I could not. This is I Love Nail Polish Nostalgia, her most recent multichrome creation made for the holiday season. I think this is the first I've ever seen of this particular shade of color shifting polish, and this beauty goes from burgundy to copper to vibrant green with utter ease. Application was not easy however, as with multichromes it wasn't highly pigmented and need three coats for full opacity, and with more coats comes more brushstrokes. The photos below are without topcoat so you can see how it finishes on its own, complete with brushstrokes.

I Love Nail Polish Nostalgia

I don't think calling it multichrome gives the color shifting properties any justice, if anything, it's more of an uberchrome, or superchrome! Regardless of what angle or light you look at this polish, you can always see multiple colors across the nail. The beautiful results are worth the tiny bit of extra hassle of application, guaranteeing many moments of random admiration throughout the day. I'm loving the boom of multichromes with all the indies, but none of yet have come up with this particular combination of color shifts making Nostalgia unique amongst all of them. I'm glad I had a lapse of willpower when it came to purchasing this beauty! Have you fallen off the wagon for any pretties lately?

Purchased

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Essie Encrusted Treasures On A Silver Platter Swatch And Review

Purchased

How is your first weekend of the year going ladies? I'm still trying to find ways to entertain my parents, and today is their last day in town. Maybe we'll go to the beach, maybe we'll go to the Getty, or maybe we'll just go to the park and play with LO. What are you planning on doing today?

I'm still trying to bring on the bling for you and today I have an Essie from their limited edition collection of textures called Encrusted Treasures. It's aptly called on a Silver Platter because of its strong metallic pale gold microflakes in a clear base. To accent there are some holographic blue hex glitters added into the mix. In some lights this polish appears platinum, shifts to a pearlescent silver, and then to a shimmering gold. Regardless, it's one helluva sparkly polish. You can probably layer this over other colors but I chose to wear it alone to maximize its effect. I used four thin coats here, with no difficulty during application such as balding or clumping. IRL I could have probably used two to three coats without VNL. It dried surprisingly quickly on its own but I added a layer of topcoat to increase duration of wear.

Essie Encrusted Treasures On A Silver Platter

I haven't seen too much of the Encrusted Treasure collection which is unfortunate. I think this is a glamorous and unique color along with the rest of the colors in the collection. Have any of them caught your eye or do they not appeal to you?

Purchased

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Friday, May 30, 2014

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Friday, May 16, 2014

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Sunday, January 5, 2014