Orly "Royal Navy"

"Royal Navy" is - like the name already suggests - a royal blue jelly loaded with  tiny turquoise glitter particles.


I already did a jelly sandwich mani with it here (please scroll down to the 5th photo), but I think it deserves another post to show it in all its beauty.


Unfortunately, the glitter in this polish tends to sink to the bottom of the bottle, so you'd want to give it a whole lot of shaking before using it or even turn it on its head for a while. 
This is what I did anyway to get the glitter to show up well. These pictures show 3 coats, but you can also get away with only two.


*Please click to enlarge*

Orly "Androgynie"

So I've heard lots of bad things about this polish & guess what: They're all true!
"Androgynie" looks stunning in the bottle. It's a black jelly with fine gold glitter, multicolored prismatic glitter particles as well as large multicolored hex glitter.
Doesn't that sound in fab...(at least in theory)?! 
So far, so good :-D


Well, now the bad news: 
The hex glitter particles don't make it out of the bottle! *duh* I'm not sure why that is. There are lots of them & they don't even sit at the bottom of the bottle or anything like that. Still they seem to be really shy & prefer to stay in the safety of their familiar bottle-home *lol*
I read thinning would help, but as the formula is already a bit on the runny side, I haven't tried it, yet. 
Instead I decided to layer "Androgynie" over a black base. As basecolor, I chose my favorite black of all time, Illamasqua "Boosh". It's opaque with one coat & simply the shiniest black I've ever seen.


Then I layered one coat of Orly "Androgynie" on top. The gold glitter shows up pretty well, but to get more of the lovely hex glitter particles to show up, I used a toothpick to apply a few more to my nails. It was a bit of work, but manageable.


*Please click to enlarge*

Even though I wish the formula was easier to work with & no "glitter-toothpick-ing" would be necessary, I've to say that I still like the polish. I don't have anything like it in my collection, so IMO it's worth the hassle.

YSL "Wintergreen" spiced up!

Last week I was so excited to finally get YSL "Wintergreen", a polish I was lemming since quite a while. It's my first YSL polish!
But to be honest: it left me a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice polish with an awesome formula (one thick coat is all you need), but it's not all that unique. 
It's quite a bit darker than it looks on most online swatches that I saw & the shimmer doesn't show up at all - unless you're holding your hands under bright artificial light. In the sun, you can detect a teensy hint of shimmer - but only because you already know it's supposed to be there *lol*
It's a dark blue-tinged green, boardering on teal with a very subtle teal shimmer. Even though the shimmer looks almost goldish teal in the bottle, there's not the slightest bit of gold once it's on the nail.


Wanna take a look? Here we go (as always: *please click to enlarge*):

If only it looked as awesome as it does in the bottle:

So I decided it needed to be spiced up :-D To do so, I used one coat of Nubar "Supernatural Gold" & one coat of CND Effect "Teal Sparkle":

While I like the result, I think you could easily achieve a similar look using a less expensive teal as a base. Something like e.g. CND "Urban Oasis" should do the trick as well.
Unless you're a huge YSL fan, I'd strongly recommend sampling it in store (if you have the chance to do so) before committing to purchase.

Cult Nails "Quench" Jelly Sandwich

Hi guys :-)


Today I'm wearing a jelly sandwich manicure with Cult Nails "Quench", a beautiful blood red jelly which I just got in a swap with a very sweet lady.
"Quench" has the perfect jelly formula: It's opaque with 2 coats! That rarely happens with jellies & is such a nice surprise.
Cult Nails is a small polish company owned by the blogger R3 Daily & she really has an awesome range of colors in her store.
Apparently the name "Quench" was inspired by her favorite TV series "True Blood".


Even though the color is very pretty on its own, I decided to spice it up by doing a jelly sandwich which means you apply one coat of glitter polish between the jelly polish coats. 
For the sandwich filling I used L.A. Girl "Animate", which has a clear base with differently sized red hex glitter particles. 
I did one coat of "Quench", then layered one coat of "Animate" on top of this &  finished with another coat of "Quench".
I really like how this turned out, but please see for yourself:

Thanks for looking :-)

Purple Princess

I'd like to show you another Overall Beauty mineral eye shadow, namely one that's called "Princess".


The Overall Beauty website says that it looks darker in the jar than on the lid & that's spot on.
It's a midtone blue-based purple with a beautiful shimmer. The color payoff is very good & it's easy to blend, too.
Applied over a base (here NYX jumbo eye pencil in "Purple") the color gets more vibrant.


As a huge purple lover, "Princess" is my favorite from the bunch of Overall Beauty eye shadows that I was able to test.

face: MAC Studio Sculpt SPF15 in NW25

cheeks: NARS Orgasm

eyes: NYX jumbo eye pencil in "Purple" on lower lid, Overall Beauty mineral e/s in "Princess" layered over it & also applied without base in the crease.

MAC "Vanilla" e/s to highlight.

MAC "Feline" kohl power e/p to line, smudged with "Princess" on the lower lashline.

lips: MAC "Ever Hip"

Thanks for looking :-)

*Overall Beauty e/s sent for review, all other products purchased by me*

Glitter anyone?

Today I'd like to show you some of the manicures I've worn in the past days/weeks.


Essie "Bermuda Shorts" with Nubar "Black Polka Dots" & "White Polka Dots" on top:

I've heard bad things about "Bermuda Shorts", mainly that it is a PITA to apply (sheer, streaky,...), but I didn't have any problems with it at all. It applied really nicely & was opaque with 2 coats. 
It's a neon fuchisa (even though Essie described it as purple ^^) & therefore dries matte, so a TC is definitely needed (unless you like the matte finish that is of course), but as I layered one coat of Nubar "Black Polka Dots" as well as one coat of Nubar "White Polka Dots" on top, the polish turned shiny anyways. I used one coat of Poshe over this combo anyways as I wanted the coats to dry as quickly as possible.


China Glaze "It's Alive" with Orly "Here Comes Trouble":

I did one coat of China Glaze "It's Alive", a dark olive green base with differently sized smaller & lighter green glitter particles from the 2011 China Glaze Halloween collection, then one coat of Orly "Here Comes Trouble" from the Orly Pinup summer 2011 collection which is a bright grass green with small glitter particles of the same color. Then I did another coat of "It's Alive" & topped everything with one coat of Poshe.
With combining those two greens I intented to lighten up the "fall mood" of "It's Alive" & I think it turned out kind of nice. What do you think?


OPI "Grape...Set...Match" with OPI "DS Temptation":

This is two coats of OPI "DS Temptation" the newest addition to the OPI DS collection over 2 coats of OPI "Grape...Set...Match" from the OPI Serena Williams "Glam Slam! England" release.
"Glam...Set...Match" texture is somewhat thin & somewhere between water-y & jelly. 3 coats (or 2 very thick ones) would be needed to reach opacity, but as I knew that I wanted to layer another polish on top, I only used 2 thin ones. Its base is a red-based purple that's full of deep pink (almost fuchsia) & blue microglitter. It looks amazing on it's own, too.
"DS Temptation" has a dark blurple base with lots of purple, blue, magenta & some silver glitter. It's really stunning & like the name suggests extremely tempting when you love purple & glitter :-D I haven't worn it on its own, but I think it's safe to say that it needs 3 coats to get opaque.
I think both go together very well & I couldn't stop looking at my hands while wearing this combo.


OPI "Chapel Of Love" with Cult Nails "Captivated" on top:

OPI "Chapel Of Love" is a vivid warm pink with a hint of coral & subtle gold shimmer. I used 2 coats for opacity & layered Cult Nails "Captivated", a coral-y jelly shoot with coral, gold (& IMO also a bit of lilac) glitter. It's absolutely gorgeous & very sparkly, but also a tad goopy, that's why I chose to layer it instead of wearing it alone. (Of course you can also wear it alone, it'll take 3 coats to get opaque.)
I only used one layer of Poshe, because I don't care if the surface is still a little rough, but if you want it to be totally smooth, you might want to add 2 coats of TC.


Orly "Royal Navy" & NYX Girls "Maven" jelly sandwich:

For this jelly sandwich, I used one coat of Orly "Royal Navy", a semi sheer (3 coats of opacity) royal blue jelly with turquoise microglitter, then - to enhance the glitter - I used one coat of NYX Girls "Maven", an aqua glitter that is better used as a glitter TC than worn alone since it's pretty sheer - & topped it with another 2 coats of "Royal Navy".
I also like "Royal Navy" on its own - it's one of my favorite jelly polishes ever - but I wanted to do something a little different hence "Maven" came into play.
While I like the combo, I think I still prefer "Royal Navy" on its own :-)


Nicole by OPI "Too Rich For You" with OPI "Sparkle Teal Sunrise" on top:

This is two coats of Nicole by OPI "Too Rich For You" from their Gossip Girl collection (which is said to be a dupe for the OPI Ulta exclusive "Shimmer Into Summer" collection "How Are You Blue-in"), deep teal blue shimmer polish topped with OPI  "Sparkle Teal Sunrise" from the same Ulta exclusive collection. "Sparkle Teal Sunrise" is a sheer green (almost teal) jelly loaded with small multi-colored glitter particles. It's best worn as a TC since it's way too sheer to ever reach opacity.
I think this combo is really lovely!



Thanks for looking :-)

Illamasqua "Faux Pas" Nail Varnish & "Kontrol" Lipstick

As I already told you, I have a few Illamasqua products to show you & I decided to begin with the nail varnish & the lipstick.

"Faux Pas" is a blurple (= mix of blue & purple) polish with a rubber finish. The rubber finish is - like the name already suggests - a non-shiny rubber-like finish. It's like a mixture between shiny & matte & I've to admit that I really, really like it :-) 
It's a bit reminiscent of the Orly Plastix collection polishes from last year which I also liked a lot.
Even though I have a slight aversion to matte polishes (mainly because they show any - even the slightest *ugh* - imperfection of the nails), the rubber finish is much more forgiving & flattering - & it gives a really cool effect.


Application of "Faux Pas" was absolutely flawless. It simply glides on the nail & gives very good coverage with just one coat. Out of habit, I did two, though.
This is what it looks like:

I think it's not only perfect for fall, but for all year around - especially when you're such a purple lover like me :-D


"Kontrol" matches "Faux Pas" very well, as it's in the same color family. It's a matte blurple lipstick that applies extremely smooth. Smoother than other Illamasqua lipsticks that I own & that sometimes require a little more work to apply evenly.

This color isn't for the faint of heart, but it's right up my alley as I was lemming a shade like this for quite a while. Even though it's a matte finish, it's creamy & has very good staying power without drying out the lips.


This is how it looks on my (rather pigmented) lips:

If you're now curious about the "Theatre of the Nameless" collection, here's an overview of the items it contains: 

Cream Pigment £17.00

 Brazen new shades – Androgen(Coral) and Depravity (Magenta) –introduce new levels of excess to this uniquely Illamasqua, intensely colour-rich and crease resistant matt formula.

Pure Pigment £15.50

 These versatile performers are there to be played with, giving a high-shine metallic finish of pure colour in shimmering Zeitgeist (Dark Shimmer), Beguile (Light Shimmer) and Berber (Auburn Shimmer). 

Precision Ink £17.00

 Our most exotically coloured Precision Ink yet, Havoc (Aubergine) lets you scrawl hidden messages across your naked flesh, to be discovered at midnight by your secret lover.

 

Nail Varnish £13.50

Taking a lead from the colour-coded specialities of the Wittenberg Platz’s domineering Boot Girls, Illamasqua introduces confident new shades in Taint (Stone Brown), Kink (Bottle Green), Vice (Deep Cerise), and Faux Pas (Blue Violet).

  

Shimmer Blusher £16.50 

Mirroring the glimmer of starlight that illuminates this insomniac’s lair of unending night-time pleasures, the dusting of shimmer in our new blushers, Ambition (Neutral) and Morale (Rosed Flush), adds a rich radiance to your face.

Lipgloss £13.00 

Full, glossy lips in dark, sultry Intense Lipgloss Façade (Grey Pink), Belladonna (Deep Pink) and Sheer Lipgloss Violate (Dark Green Shimmer) give you the ultimate high-shine power-pout that will stop them in their tracks at a hundred paces.

Lipstick £15.50 

Colour-intense lipstick with a highly pigmented formula in the dark, sultry and powerful shade Kontrol (Blue Violet) to give you the deep-down confidence to dominate any situation.

 

False Eye Lashes £16.00

 The Theatre of the Nameless brings two new lashes to our extensive handmade range of styles and colours – the fluttering, tapered extravagance of the aptly named Grandeur and the thick, long, luxurious Blackened Auburn Weimar.

Thanks for looking :-)

*Items received for review*

Attention Please: Last Exit!

I'd like to show you another Overall Beauty mineral eye shadow: "Last Exit" which is also part of their Road to Nowhere collection.


The Overall Beauty website says the following "Think late at night with gray skies with just a few stars shimmering in the night. Spooky gray - think about what does the last exit at night always seem to look like."


It's a light to medium shade of grey with silver & a few pink glitter particles that sparkle very nicely when the light hits them.
Adding a base (in this case NYX "Milk" jumbo eye pencil) makes the grey look more metallic. 

& last but not least a funny pic (please don't ask me what made me look that thunderstruck - I've no idea *lol*):

face: MAC Studio Sculpt SPF15 in NW25


cheeks: MAC Amazon Princess (the lighter side)


eyes: Overall Beauty "Last Exit" on lower lid (with NYX jumbo eye pencil in "Milk" as base" & without base in the crease. Highlighter MAC "Vanilla" e/s, Essence liquid eyeliner in "Berlin Story" to line upper lashline. MAC "Feline" kohl power eye pencil to line lower lashline.


lips: MAC "Play Time"


Thanks for looking :-)

Illamasqua "Theatre Of The Nameless"

Just a few days ago - on September 2nd - Illamasqua released their new collection "Theatre of the Nameless" which was inspired by Berlin in the 1920s - please read more about it on their website.

The lovely people at Illamasqua were so kind to send me a few items to review & I was really smitten when I opened the deliciously smelling package - yes, it smells great of what I'd describe as a sandelwood mix :-)

My package contained the following items:


Nail varnish in "Faux Pas", described on the Illamasqua website as a blue violet which is spot on. It has a rubber finish, meaning it's not shiny as most polishes, but also not matte, either. 


Lipstick in "Kontrol" which is also blue violet & matches the nail varnish very well.


Pure pigment in "Zeitgeist", described as a dark shimmer. It's black with pink & silver flecks & indeed very shimmer-y.


Precision ink in "Havoc" which is aubergine.

Please stay tuned for swatches & product reviews which I'll post within the next view days!


Thanks for reading :-)

*Products sent to me for review*