OPI Katy Perry Collection

Well here I am eating my words. I posted a month ago about Australia never getting the latest polishes and having to wait ages and whinge whinge whinge. Then not only did I get Chanel Riva pretty much around the same time as everyone else in the world, here I am posting about a collection which hasn't quite been released in the US yet. Ok, now I have to admit it is not so hard being a nail polish junkie here in the land Down Under :)

I should mention first up that there must be way more nail polish aficionados around my part of town than I realised, because I did not manage to pick up the Black Shatter polish - it had sold out in both stores I went to within hours. But I wasn't too phased by that, because, to be honest, crackle nail polish isn't really my thing. I did, however, manage to pick up all four colours in the collection.

On to the pics!

First up, Not Like The Movies:

This is 3 coats with no topcoat. This colour is hard to describe - its like a silvery grey with a green and pink duochrome. That doesn't really make any sense, but if you look at the pics you will know what I mean. I didn't think I'd like this colour when I saw it in the bottle, but it is actually very pretty on the nail. The pink flash is particularly attractive in the light, and this colour is pretty unique in my collection. I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

Next up, The One That Got Away:

This is 3 coats with no topcoat. The One That Got Away is a divine berry red with glass fleck shimmer. There is a gold flash in the bottle which doesn't translate onto the nail, but I still LOVE this colour. It is a bit like OPI's Let Me Entertain You from the Burlesque collection, but with more burgundy, berry red 'tude to LMEY's fuchsia fun. Delicious.

Onto the glitters...Firstly, Teenage Dream:

This is 3 coats with no topcoat. This is a sheer pink with tiny silver and holo glitter, and larger holo particles mixed in. It looks quite sweet on its own, but would definitely pack a punch when layered over other colours, perhaps different pinks or reds for full effect.

Lastly, Last Friday Night:

3 coats with no topcoat. Like its pink counterpart, this is very sheer with small silver and holo glitter and larger holo particles throughout. It reminds me a lot of Sinful Colours Hottie, which I have, so I will try to do a comparison at some stage. Looks nice by itself on the nail, but again, would look amazing layered over a range of blues, or even green or black.

So there you have it - apart from the black shatter polish - OPI's Katy Perry collection. I love it, and I'm looking forward to trying these glitters over some bolder colours to see how they look. What do you think?

MCB

Essie Luxedo

After all the reds and greens and bright sparkly bits of Christmas nails, I needed a palate cleanser in the form of a dark, vampy purple. So I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out Essie Luxedo:

The top pic is two coats with a top coat of Seche Vite. This colour is gorgeous - luscious and dark and super glossy and smooth. Just what I needed!

Of course, I couldn't resist the urge to see what it would look like with some stamping over the top, so I added a stamp from plate BM20 in Konad Purple Princess polish. I love it - all baroque and luxurious but understated and subtle as well.

In other exciting news, I managed to get my hands on all of OPI's new Katy Perry collection yesterday, except for the Black Shatter (crackle polish), so I will swatch those as soon as we get some sun here! Don't get me wrong, I am loving all of this rain, but it is not conducive to nice, colour accurate photos.

MCB

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you're all having/had a wonderful day and shared it with lovely family and friends. It was raining and somewhat cool here, which put me in the very best of moods, because the usual oppressive heat and sun are not my friends!

I thought I'd share my Christmas mani with you. I thought, right up until yesterday, that I would be doing a China Glaze Frosty/Party Hearty/OPI Funny Bunny combo (link to pic here) but at the last minute I decided to go with something different:

Pics are clickable, as always, so you can see the sparkly detail! This is two coats of Cherry Love by Rescue Beauty Lounge topped with one coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust and then Seche Vite top coat. The accent finger is one coat of BYS Matte White stamped with the holly stamp from plate BM12 and topped with a little heart gem (which someone I know will call a 'heartmonte' - ha ha) that I got from my lovely friends C and M in a package for my birthday this year (thanks my darlings :)).

As usual, the photos do not do it justice. It is so sparkly and colourful in real life. Very cute.

MCB

Christmas Konad

I went to a Christmas par-tay the other night, and so I decided to get into the spirit of things with a Christmas mani! I was kind of going for a candy cane look with an accent nail:

I kind of like it, but I think the accent nail doesn't really tie in with the other nails - its like 3 nails from one manicure and a random nail thrown in! Maybe if I'd used a white creme on the accent nail instead of a shimmery polish it might have tied in a bit better...

Anyway, this is one coat of OPI's Ali's Big Break for the red base, and 2 coats of China Glaze Frosty for the ring finger. The one coat of red wouldn't have been sufficient for a normal mani (I'd go with 2 coats) but I knew I'd be using a full nail stamp which would hide the minor imperfections, so I stuck with one.

I then stamped with my BundleMonster stamps - BM20 in Konad Special White Polish for the stripes and BM14 in Konad Green for the holly. I then dotted on the little red berries on the accent finger with a dotting tool and Ali's Big Break.

The only problem with the BundleMonster plates is that their full nail stamps are so damn tiny! You can see on the pics above that they only just cover my middle finger, and I'm glad I don't include my thumbs in the photo cos I tried to join up the stamp across them to make it fit and it was a hot mess :) But for the price, you can't complain really!

What kinds of Christmas manis have you guys been coming up with?

MCB

GOSH Holographic

Time for some holo goodness on this blog! I picked this little beauty up on a recent trip to the UK - just found a few random GOSH polishes in a little pharmacy in the local train station, and they all happened to be ones that I wanted - love when that happens!

When you're painting this one on, it doesn't look that great...then it dries...then you go in the sun...and then THIS happens:

This is two coats with no topcoat. Some people have said that they find topcoat dulls the effect of the holo, so I just didn't use any. I didn't need it anyway. Dry time on this was super fast.

This colour is a lot of fun, especially in the sun! I still think my Nfu-Ohs are the best holos though - will have to review them soon for you so you can see! Only problem is that they're so hard to get here in Aus - there's only one distributor (who I got the ones I have off) but I can't figure out how to order off their website anymore (I swear its a confusing website and not me being slow).

Til next time!

MCB

Clarins 230

Yes, you read that title right. Unicorn pee (as it is commonly referred to). I finally have it. One of the most sought after, coveted and expensive polishes in the world. I have wanted it since I first got into polish, and I never thought that it would actually be mine.

I can't tell you how much I paid for it, because some of my friends read this blog and they would come around to my house and slap my for my impulsive stupidity. But I don't regret it for a second!

This is the most beautiful polish I own. If I could only pick one polish to wear for the rest of my life, it would be this one:

Sorry the last pic is blurry - I was trying to show the green shimmer as well, and just couldn't get a good shot of it in normal light (and low light + no tripod = blurry).

I love, love, love this polish. This is two coats layered over one coat of Barry M Indigo, and topped of with Seche Vite. Definitely the jewel of my collection!!

MCB

Chanel Riva

Remember that post I did on China Glaze Moody Blue? And I whinged about how we never get the popular, awesome polishes down here in Australia, and they always take ten years to get here and by the time they get here everyone's forgotten about them anyway?

Yes. Well. I have to take that back in Chanel's case...because I have, in my hot little hands, a little bottle of Riva.

All is not forgiven though, because there was still an impossibly long waiting list for this polish, and it was only through a lucky twist of fate and some pretty awesome customer service that I obtained this beauty. Also, I paid $39. $39!!! For one little incy wincy bottle. Ugh. And that didn't even include shipping.

Anyway, here are the pics:

This is 4 coats of Riva and one coat of Seche Vite.

I have to say straight up that I don't like this as much as I thought I would. It has more of a grey tinge than I was imagining, and was a little streaky and difficult to apply. Nothing too troublesome, but for the amount I paid for it I expected perfect application, and this was not that.

A lot of reviewers/bloggers have said that the shimmer disappears on the nail, and this is definitely true in the shade and low light, but in the sun I have to say that the shimmer showed up beautifully (albeit subtly) and it was gorgeous. If you look at the sunlight pics above you can definitely see the little crystals of blue microshimmer peeping out of the jelly-ish base.

So although I don't like this as much as I thought I would, I still like it. It is a nice colour, and the shimmer makes it unique in my collection. However, unless you are completely in love with it, I would have to say that China Glaze Moody Blue or Hard Candy Sky will satisfy your lemming, even though they are not exact dupes.

MCB

Butter London All Hail The Queen

This polish was originally released as part of a tribute to fashion designer Alexander McQueen, and was named "All Hail McQueen". I'm not sure what the problem was (maybe his estate took issue with the name?) but the name has been changed to "All Hail The Queen", and that is what my bottle is labelled with.

Here are the pics:

This is a gorgeous taupe/light brown polish with what looks like a silver microshimmer under most indoor light. But bring it out into the sun, and the secret holo comes alive! This is not an in-your-face kind of holo - it is very subtle and shy. This is two coats topped with Seche Vite.

I absolutely love Butter London, and this one is no exception. I think its muted enough to get away with it in a conservative environment, but with the added extra of the shiny, sparkly holo that only you will know about! Kind of like wearing sexy lingerie under your suit :)

MCB

Snowflake Konad

Now, I know its summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, and temperatures are quicky climbing to their typically stifling and uncomfortable levels as is the norm here in Aus. Christmas day is usually a nightmare - humidity is at about a million percent and walking outside is like wading through hot pea soup. Try putting makeup on and arranging your hair into some sort of socially acceptable style in that!

On that note, here are two random facts about me - firstly, I hate summer. I hate the humidity, the heat, the discomfort and the inability to even breath without sweating and generally looking like you've just walked out of a particularly strenuous session in a Bikram Yoga class. Winter is my bestest friend :) Secondly, and this fact is likely a direct consequence of the first, I love air conditioners. Sweet, sweet air conditioning. Wreaks all types of havoc on your skin and eyes, but removes all that evil heat and humidity and generally makes my world a better place.

So why am I regaling you with these inconsequential and probably uninteresting details? Basically its a long winded introduction to my current mani of snowflakes. Because even though temps outside are climbing, I am taking a leaf out of my Northern Hemisphere girls' books and embracing all that is cold and icy.

Ok enough talk:

This is three coats of Zoya Crystal as a base. I then randomly added snowflake stamps from Konad plate M59 and Bundlemonster plate BM14. Just to make it super sparkly, I topped it off with a coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust and sealed it all with a shiny coat of Seche Vite. The rhinestones on my ring finger were added in between the Fairy Dust and Seche.

As usual, the pics do not do this justice. It is so sparkly and icy in real life. Oh well, even if it is getting hotter here, my nails can remain in denial :)

MCB