Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Teal of Fortune - Wet n Wild & Spectral Pup - Dollish Polish

HI!

Today I have a gorgeous polish to show you, sent to me by the wonderful Mimi from MakeupWithdrawal. Mimi is amazingly talented and I learnt not too long ago that those talents include knowing exactly the kinds of polishes that I would love when I, myself, seem not to know! Mimi sent me a package of goodies that I can't get here in NZ and every single polish was so perfectly me. Anyway, let's get on with having a look at one of those beauties...



Teal of Fortune, Wet n Wild, Spectral Pup, Dollish Polish, swatch
This is Wet n Wild 'Teal of Fortune'. It's a glorious blue colour with all sorts of little glass fleck pieces in it that make it shift colour, giving it a very ocean like appearance. I love the kind of flakie, glass fleck pieces in these kinds of polish. They intrigue me how they appear almost just like coarse shimmer from a distance then you see them close up and they're so much more. The depth that they give polish is what gets me every time.



Teal of Fortune, Wet n Wild, Spectral Pup, Dollish Polish, swatch
I paired 'Teal of Fortune' with Dollish Polish 'Spectral Pup' from her Halloween collection. Since the moment I saw that collection, I knew I wanted that polish, but I couldn't for the life of me think of something to layer it over. I think that this combo works well together though. I love the tealy blue with the orange in 'Spectral Pup'. I should also say that this glitter glows in the dark. It actually has a fine iridescent shimmer in it too, but this is quite hard to detect in these photos. The glow is pretty strong in this, which surprised me actually. Trouble is, I have absolutely no idea how to get photos of it that actually make it look good. If I ever work it out, I'll be sure to update this post.


Both these polishes were really easy to apply. I used two coats of 'Teal of Fortune' on my ring and pinky fingers and you can see a little bit of VNL, so I added a third coat to my middle and index fingers. There is just one coat of 'Spectral Pup'. One thing I will mention is that this blue stains like mad! BUT not if you remove it like normal. My index and middle fingers were fine, no staining. My ring and pinky fingers on the other hand... they are still a hot mess! I used the tin foil method to remove the glitter and it's as though I managed to melt big streaks of blue into my nails. Only in random patches, but it's the worst staining I've ever had in my life. Moral of the story... don't soak fingers in remover with this polish on. Other than that little mishap, I really enjoyed these polishes, so thanks Mimi!!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Milky Ways - Lime Crime & Tangled Web - CrowsToes

I have lost all track of time!! It never takes me long to be completely lost as to what day it is when I'm not studying. Anyway, I keep forgetting what days to blog. Maybe I should get in the habit of scheduling posts so I don't miss them. Anyways... I have another Lime Crime and glitter combo to show you today. This time, 'Milky Ways' with 'Tangled Web' on top.



Milky Ways, Lime Crime, Tangled Web, Crows Toes, swatch
I love this polish. The slightly peachy tone makes it stand out from your usual nudey, cream polish. I really needed a bit of a palate cleanser as I had just removed a blue polish that stained worse than I've ever experienced before and 'Milky Ways'  was perfect for the job.



Milky Ways, Lime Crime, Tangled Web, Crows Toes, swatch
'Tangled Web' was one that I thought looked kind of interesting from CrowsToes halloween collection and I just bought on a whim. It has ended up being one of my favourite glitters. It's so simple but the mix of black and blue and the sizes just seem to work so well together. The blue really catches the light and sparkles like crazy. It's so eye-catching.


I used 3 thin coats of 'Milky Ways' but I think if you use thicker coats or if you're really careful with application you may be able to get it down to two coats. As with the other Lime Crime polishes, it dries really fast so you need to work fairly quickly. It also dries to a satiny finish, so top coat really makes it come alive. I used just one coat of 'Tangled Web' and it's application was really easy. There is a lot of glitter in there so you can control the coverage quite well.

I bought my Lime Crime polishes from Harlow & Co (don't forget that there's free shipping over $50USD) and I bought 'Tangled Web' from Llarowe (I have just checked and it is still available, though I don't think it will be for much longer being that it was a Halloween polish).

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Tristam - a-england, with a Side of Stamping and Dots

Hi!

I have a little mani to show you that I did a fair while ago. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (@PinpointPolish), you will have seen this while it was in progress. Basically this is inspired by a book, a recipe book to be exact. Weird I know, it's a long story, but basically it is black with white text on it and a big silver circle. This is a pretty abstract take on it, but I loved how it turned out.



For this mani I used a-england 'Tristam' and 'Bridal Veil' for the bases. For my ring finger I used Konad Special White for the stamp (BM-311) and for the dot gradient I used a-england 'Excalibur' and Rescue Beauty Lounge 'IKB:2012' (over white dots).



I love 'Tristam' so much! I really need to take some proper photos of this bad boy in all it's glory. It's such a gorgeous inky blue verging on blurple. So pretty! This was one of my first a-england loves! It is just the perfect shade of blue to me!


As usual, 'Tristam' and 'Bridal Veil' had that brilliant a-england formula that we have all grown to love. I used two coats of 'Tristam' and just one coat of 'Bridal Veil'.


a-england polishes are available from their website and are £9 with free shipping worldwide.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Lavendairy - Lime Crime & Igor - Enchanted Polish

Hi folks!!

I have finished exams and I am a little lost as to what to do with myself! It always takes me a week or so to settle into the fact that I can relax without thinking I should be studying! Anywho, tonight I have another Lime Crime to show you. This time it's 'Lavendairy' with a bit of Enchanted Polish 'Igor' to top it all off...



Lavendairy, Lime Crime, Igor, Enchanted Polish Falloween, swatch
Just like 'Peaches ♥ Cream', 'Lavendairy' is pastel but kind of neon-ish at the same time. I have so much love for these Lime Crime polishes!!



Lavendairy, Lime Crime, Igor, Enchanted Polish Falloween, swatch
Speaking of polishes I have lots of love for... Enchanted Polishes are definitely some of them. I kept telling myself that I didn't need any of the Halloween collection, but then I noticed some were in stock on Llarowe (that shop is so dangerous) and so I thought oh why not! Anyway... long story short, I am so glad that I picked 'Igor' up! It's difficult to see but it actually has little wee holo bits all through it too. Love love love!


'Lavendairy', like the other Lime Crimes that I've tried was so surprisingly opaque for a colour like this. It dries to a sort of satin/matte finish and it dries really fast. I used only two coats for perfect coverage. 'Igor' had really great application too. I just used one regular coat of that. Overall I love these polishes and I think the combo works really well.

Lime Crime polishes are available from Harlow & Co (don't forget that if you spend $50 you can get free shipping). I purchased 'Igor' from Llarowe, but I have just looked and I don't think it's available anymore, but check out the other Enchanted Polishes at both of these shops!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

To Infinity & Beyond - Takko Lacquer

I have another Takko Lacquer polish to show you today, this time from the new collection. This is called 'To Infinity & Beyond' and it is a beauty! I have spent so long trying to whittle down to a reasonable number of photos, but I warn you now, there are still a fair few as this is a multichrome polish with about an infinity worth of different colours to it ;)



To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch
Right, let's start with the amazing purple flash of it. This is so eye catching and electric and it stands out beautifully against the dark blue/green undertones.



To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch

To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch
In the sun, 'To Infinity & Beyond' gets a slight silver cast over it. It's quite nice to see the jade and teal and purple, etc, with this silver veil over it. Plus check out that holo! It's that kind of scattered holo that appears a little linear. Does that make any sense? No? I didn't think so ;)



To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch
Very different to the look of 'To Infinity & Beyond' in the sun, in the shade or with back lighting it darkens to a dark purple or navy and at times a deep jade colour (like on my index finger).



To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch

To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch

To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch
Do not adjust your set, I promise you this is the same polish! Look at that green! At the top, you can see an almost golden hue to the green, in the middle, the gorgeous teal colour peeks through, coming down to the bottom photo where you can see a darker more mysterious green. MMMMMMMMmmmmmm Is this polish friggin' sweet or what?!



To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch

To Infinity & Beyond, Takko Lacquer, swatch
These last two photos give you an idea of how strong the shift is in 'To Infinity & Beyond'. Multichrome perfection with that added glorious touch of holo for good measure.


Sheryl, how do you keep doing it? This polish is pure deliciousness!

The formula was easy to work with. As with a lot of Takko Lacquer polishes, it was on the thick side, but totally manageable. I used two medium to thick coats and it was perfectly opaque. Again, this dries to an almost matte finish and so top coat is recommended to see all the shifty, sparkly glory.

Takko Lacquer polish is available from Etsy. I purchased 'To Infinity & Beyond' for $15USD, but I think prices vary depending on the different polishes. Keep an eye on Sheryl's Twitter for updates on restocks etc and pop over and have a look at her blog for other updates.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Polish Days: MAN-icure


My first Polish Days! I'm very excited to have finally joined up with this awesome idea. This months theme is MAN-icure in tribute to Movember. I instantly knew what my MAN-i would have to be, as it is something that I get teased about loving, due to its manly nature (according to my friends). One of my big loves in life is Formula 1, namely Sebastian Vettel.



Formula One Nails, Polish Days
For those of you that don't know, Vettel is the current world champion, having won the championship for the last two years in a row, so he is car number 1. The 1 on my ring finger is the one on his RB8 (car) this season. The water marble is taken from the Red Bull colours (his team).


This is a quick snap of my Red Bull cap. Unfortunately I got this before Vettel won the championship the first time so it has number 5 on it. Anyway you can see the colours of the team there nicely.

The final MAN-i that you have just seen was actually attempt number two... I originally wanted the bright yellow from the nose cone of the RB8 in the water marble, but it didn't quite work as I had wanted...


Formula One Nails, Polish Days
As you can see, the colours all sort of muddied together. Much as I don't hate this, I am glad I redid the two nails. I love how the F turned out in the top one anyway.


I used a whole lot of polishes for this MAN-i...
a-england - 'Excalibur' & 'Camelot'
OPI - 'Red Lights Ahead... Where', 'I'm Not Really A Waitress', 'Yoga-Ta Get This Blue', 'No Room For The Blues', 'The 'It' Color'
Nicole by OPI - 'Listen To Your Momager'
Sally Hansen - 'White On'
Konad - Special White

If you have any questions about what I used where, please leave a comment and I'd be happy to tell you more :)

For the middle finger I used LeaLaC XL - B stamping plate and for my ring and pinky finger I used striping tape to get all the lines nice and straight.

I had lots of fun doing this MAN-i and it actually served as the perfect distraction to take my mind of the pain in my tummy while I was sick :)

If you want to sign up for the next Polish Days, hop over to Polly Polish for information.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Bone Daddy - CrowsToes

I have a potential fail to show you today... I decided to try layering CrowsToes 'Bone Daddy' over something that wasn't grey. I love the look of that, but it's all I could find swatches of. Being that it's a Halloween polish and we were coming up to Halloween at the time, I thought I'd try something a little weird... So I ended up layering 'Bone Daddy' over China Glaze 'I'm With The Lifeguard'...



Bone Daddy, CrowsToes, I'm With the Lifeguard, China Glaze, swatch
I ended up with two fairly thick coats of 'Bone Daddy' over top and I wish I had left it at one. I kinda love how weird it is, but I'm still a little on the fence...



Bone Daddy, CrowsToes, I'm With the Lifeguard, China Glaze, swatch
I love the little blue flashing glitter in this polish! It's really eye-catching. I think this blue plays kind of well against the green... the grey jelly base of 'Bone Daddy' just nicely toned down 'I'm With The Lifeguard'.


So, as I said at the top, potential fail, but I somehow dig it... I had lots of comments about it, so it certainly made people notice haha. What do you think? I like playing with weird combo's with my glitters and pairing things that you might not think would suit. Sometimes it just works better than others ;)

I purchased Bone Daddy from Llarowe for $13USD and I've just seen that there's heaps of CrowsToes in stock (including 'Bone Daddy') right now!