Powder Perfect and Color4Nails Collaboration Trio - Swatches & Review

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Today I am so excited to share with you one of the first collaborations between Powder Perfect and Color4Nails.  In the past we have seen Powder Perfect exclusives with Color4Nails (meaning you can only purchase these from Color4Nails). It's great for the international fans but for us Aussies it means higher postage costs and a longer wait time.  But this collaboration is the best of both worlds - it is going to be available from both Powder Perfect and Color4Nails.  How awesome is that?

Anemone Awakening is a fantastic dark purple glitter polish with berry, blue and purple micro glitters.  This polish is so packed with glitter so it actually feels gritty when you apply it, but it applies easily and sparkles like crazy!  I'm totally in love with this one.  I used two coats for my swatch plus two coats of top coat to give it a perfectly smooth finish.

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Early Sunlight is a sparkling orange microglitter lacquer which flashes of gold and lemon glitters.  Normally I am not a huge fan of orange polishes but this one is gorgeous.  I'm surprised at how much I love this.  The formula is great and hs great coverage.  I used two coats for my swatches.

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Summer Horizon is a juicy hot pink polish brimming with pink and lavender microglitters.  The formula of this one is amazing as well.  It applies easily, has great coverage and it looks amazing indoors and outdoors.  Honestly, what else could you ask for in a polish?  I used two coats for my swatches.

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I honestly could rave on about this trio for ages but I'm sure no one would read it.  So to put it simply,  you need this trio!!  The polishes are all amazing.  They apply easily, have a ton of sparkle and they look fantastic in indoor lighting as well.  

The trio is available from Powder Perfect at 9am AEST Saturday 28th February or from Color4Nails at 3pm Las Vegas time Friday 27th February.

Celestial Cosmetics March 2015 Releases - Swatches & Review

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Today I am excited to share with you six of the nine new releases by Celestial Cosmetics.  There is a range of different polishes (colours and types) in this release so there is definitely something for everyone. 

Angelic Astra is a dark purple creme.  Beautiful colour and perfect for the colder months.  The formula is good and is opaque in two coats.

Betelgeuse is a purple/green duochrome full of gold to green microglitter.  Now this is by far my favorite that I have from this release.  It is also one of the trickiest to capture the colour shift but the shift is a little more noticeable in person.  I used two coats for my swatches.

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Garnet Star is a red/orange/gold multichrome filled with blue/purple shifting microglitter.  The colour shift in this isn't as strong as others but it is noticeable in certain lights.  The formula is great and is opaque in two coats.

Sunspots is a bright yellow creme.  I found the formula of this one to be really patchy and streaky.  I needed four coats to smooth it out and make it opaque.  I think using white undies might be the best option for this one next time.

Vegas Sparks is a shimmery base packed full of lavender and gold flakies.  This one is quite pretty and definitely really shimmery.  Careful application is definitely recommended as clean up of the shimmer is rather challenging.  I needed four coats for my swatch to be opaque.  I plan on layering this one in the future because I think it will look really pretty over a darker creme base.

Wing Of Navi is a blue jelly packed with navy, sapphire, teal and polar blue glitters in varying sizes.  When I swatched this on my swatch sticks I noticed that the base colour is quite sheer so I used a thick first coat and used a dabbing technique to help build up the colour.   I need three coats to remove any signs of a visible nail line.  

There are definitely some pretty polishes in this release (including the ones that I don't have - but will most likely be purchasing at some point in the near future).  My picks from the ones I received are definitely Betegeuse and Angelic Astra.

These polishes along with the other new releases will be available to purchase from  Celestial Cosmetics on March 1st.

OPI 50 Shades Of Grey Collection - Swatches & Review

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OPI have recently released a six piece polish collection inspired by the books and movie 50 Shades Of Grey.  Personally I have not read the books or seen the movie so really have no clue about what they are about but I do like fresh new polish collections.  I was lucky enough to receive half of this collection to swatch and review so of course I needed to buy the remaining polishes from this collection.  Grey isn't a colour that I typically go for in a polish but to my surprise I fell in love with this collection.

Cement The Deal is described as a stony, cool gray.  The formula is really easy to work with and only requires two coat for full coverage.

Dark Side Of The Mood is described as a brooding, stormy charcoal.  I found that this one applied a little patchy on the first coat but goes on perfectly on the second coat.  It's a really nice colour too.  I can see me using it a lot during the colder months.

Embrace The Gray is described as a chic, moody gray creme.  Now this polish would have to be one of my favorites from this collection.  The formula appears to be a little bit thin on the first coat, but is opaque on the second coat.  The colour is beautiful too.  I really wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I do.

My Silk Tie is described as a silky, gleaming silver.  Personally I am not a huge fan of this one.  It's applies patchy if you go over the same spot more than once and has very visible brush strokes.  I used two coats for my swatch.

Romantically Involved is described as a luscious red creme.  Now this one is an interesting one to me.  I thought it looked like a very typically red creme.  Surprisinglyfghj though it has a brownish red look to it.  I don't think I am a fan of it on me, but appreciate that its unique in my collection of reds.  The formula is fantastic and really easy to work with.  I used two coats for my swatch.

Shine For Me is a shimmering silver with subtle blue sparkles.  This is one of my other favorites form this collection.  Formula is easy enough to work with.  I used one coat which I semi dabbed on over My Silk Tie.  I think it would need three coats to be opaque on its own.

I'm actually pleasantly surprised by this whole collection.  Not only am I surprised at how much I actually like grey polishes but I am really surprised that I don't really have any dupes in my collection.  The only one that I do have something very similar to is My Silk Tie.  If you are interested in seeing any swatch comparisons of this collection, let me know and I will do a post on them.

OPI 50 Shades Of Grey collection is out now and is available from Myer and David Jones.

Powder Perfect Egyptology Series: Part 1 The Lower Kingdom Collection - Swatches & Review

Powder Perfect recently released part one of their Egyptology series - The Lower Kingdom Collection.  These are a new addition to my collection so I thought it would be a great time to swatch and review them (especially since the sunshine has decided to come out and play).

The collection is made up of five gorgeous limited edition shades.  The formulas in each of the polishes are consistent - they are slightly on the thicker side but are really easy to work with.  They apply evenly and don't require any dabbing.  For each of my swatches I used two coats and then two coats of top coat (with the exception of The Cobra Goddess - I only used one coat of top coat) to give a nice smooth finish.

Bay Of Alexandria is described as a shimmering teal microglitter polish with flashes of aqua and pale green.  It's super pretty and very sparkly.  I absolutely love it.

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Deshret is described as a mysterious polish that flashes and sparkles from its deep burgundy depths.  This one dries really textured and actually looks really good without the top coat (I wish I had taken a pic without top coat).  Top coat gives it a whole new look.

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Inundation is described as a glittering black polish with bright flashes of holographic glitters.  This is one of those polishes that I think that everyone should have as a staple in their collections. 

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'Iteru' The River is described as a multifaceted navy polish with sparks of green and purple.  This is my absolute favorite from this collection.  It is absolutely stunning.

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The Cobra Goddess is described as a bright shimmering purple holographic microglitter.  Super pretty and so sparkly.

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This is such a beautiful and sparkly collection.  I am so glad that I got it.  My favorites are definitely 'Iteru' The River and Bay Of Alexandria.  I can't wait to see what the second part of this series will bring.

These polishes are all limited edition and are still available for purchase at Powder Perfect for $10 each or you can grab the whole collection for $45.

  

China Glaze Road Trip Collection - Comparisons

In my last post I shared with you my swatches and review of the China Glaze Road Trip collection.  I noticed when I first received them that some of the colours in this collection reminded me of other polishes that I have in my collection.  I didn't do swatch comparisons for the entire collection because I don't have things in my collection that I believed were similar enough to do swatches of.

China Glaze Boho Blues vs China Glaze Secret Periwinkle vs China Glaze Fade Into Hue
No dupes between these three polishes.  All polishes require two coats.  As for formulas, Boho Blues has a much runnier consistency but isn't hard to manage.

China Glaze Dashboard Dreamer vs Sinful Colours Cinderella

I have had a couple of people ask for a comparison between these two.  These definitely aren't dupes.  Cinderella is a darker base and has more prominent glitter/shimmer than Dashboard Dreamer.  Formulas are pretty similar and both require three coats.

China Glaze I Brake For Colour vs China Glaze Pop The Trunk

I know these two aren't dupes at all but I thought it would be good for people who are trying to decide between the two.  Both polishes have three coats in my swatch.  Formula wise and colour wise I prefer I Brake For Colour.

China Glaze I Brake For Colour vs Orly Teeny Bikini vs OPI Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It vs OPI Cajun Shrimp

No dupes with these ones.  Cajun Shrimp and Teeny Bikini are closest in colour to each other but Teeny Bikini is slightly darker.  Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It looks more orange toned in comparison and I Brake For Colour is much more pink toned.  All polishes are three coats.

China Glaze License & Registration Pls vs Ulta3 Block It Out vs Zoya Ling vs OPI Ogre The Top Blue

No dupes again but License & Registration Pls are exceptionally close in colour but Ling is slightly lighter.  Ulta3 has a pearly finish and visible brush strokes.  If you have to pick one of these polishes I would say go with Ling as it has the best formula out of this group (it's nearly a one coater).  All polishes have been swatched with two coats. 

China Glaze Pinking Out The Window vs OPI Sorry I'm Fizzy Today

These two actually surprised me at how different they look on the nail because in the bottles that look nearly identical.  Both apply slighty patchy and require three coats to be fully opaque.

China Glaze Sun's Up Tops Down vs China Glaze Happy Go Lucky vs OPI I Just Can't Cope-acabana

I know these aren't dupes or even close because Sun's Up Tops Down is a shimmer polish but given that the shimmer doesn't stand out unless you are in certain lights I thought I would compare it to some cremes.  Personally I say skip Sun's Up Tops Down and go for I Just Can't Cope-acabana (it's one of my favorite yellows) or Happy Go Lucky.  My swatch shows four coats of Suns Up Top Down, three coats of Happy Go Lucky and two coats of I Just Can't Cope-acabana.

So there you have it.  I don't have any dupes in my collection for these polishes but I do have a few things that a pretty similar.

China Glaze Road Trip Collection - Swatches & Review

Today I am super excited to share with you my swatches and review of China Glaze's Road Trip collection.  When I receive these in the mail I drooled over the colours.  They all look so pretty.  I just knew that I had to try them all as soon as possible (something that doesn't happen all that often in a collection as large as mine) and review them.

To save me from repeating myself multiple times throughout this post I figured I'll give you a quick overview on the formulas.  I found that the formula on the majority of this collection was quite runny (to the point of dripping straight off the brush) and applied patchy and streaky.  I have some seen some other reviews who didn't appear to have the same issues as I did with these polishes so I am guessing that I either got a bad patch or have issue with the formulas because of my curved nails. For me, I will continue to use a polish with a formula I don't like if I love the colour enough.  

Boho Blues is described as a soft indigo blue creme and OMG! this colour is to die for.  It's definitely one of my all time favorite blues.  This polish has one of the better formulas in this collection.  My swatch is of two coats.

Dashboard Dreamer is described as a powder blue shimmer.  While the formula was a little patchy and had the tendency to slide off my nails, the colour itself is beautiful.  The shimmer isn't very obvious by under certain lights gives the polish a beautiful glow.  I used three coats for my swatches.

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I Brake For Colour is described as a bright red-pink creme.  The formula of this one is good.  I didn't have any of the patchiness or running issues that I did with some of the others in this collection.  I used two coats for my swatch.

License & Registration Pls is described as a marine blue creme.  The formula on this one was rather unusual.  It is runny so drips off the brush quickly but it doesn't slide off the nails like some of the other polishes in this collection.  If you are careful you could probably get away with one coat.  I used two coats for my swatch.

More To Explore is described as being a soft coral creme.  I absolutely adore this colour.  It's bright without it being neon and just a really pretty colour.  It applies patchy on the nails so you need to be careful not to go over the same spot multiple times.  I used three coats for my swatch.

My Way Or The Highway is described as a bright turquoise creme. Surprisingly I don't actually have anything like it in more collection.  Now this polish may actually stain nails.  I didn't use a base coat and it appeared to leave a slight stain behind and I only had it on for about half an hour.  So definitely wear a base coat.  My swatch shows two coats.

Pack Lightly is described as a powder peach shimmer.  This is another really pretty colour but unfortunately it has one of the worst formulas in this collection.  My swatch shows four coats, which were really patchy and streaky.

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Pinking Out The Window is a salmon pink creme. The formula isn't the greatest but definitely wasn't the worst.  It applied slightly streaky and needed three coats for full even coverage.

Pop The Trunk is described as a bright orange creme.  I had no issues with the formula on this one.  It applied easily and only needed two coats.

Sun's Up Top Down is a bright yellow shimmer.  I'm not a fan of this one at all.  The formula was really patchy and streaky and need four coats for even coverage.

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Trip Of A Lime Time is a lime green creme.  This is a two to three coat polish depending on your application.  I used two overall but I did need extra polish on some nails because of the patchiness.

Wanderlust is described as a powder purple shimmer.  Again, this is a really pretty colour but the formula is a pain to work with.  I used three coats for my swatches.

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This collection has some beautiful colours in it but some of the formulas are just hard to work with.  Am I the only one that will deal with horrible formulas if the colour is super pretty?  My picks from this collection are definitely Boho Blues and More To Explore.  I have used both of these a few times now and fall in love with the colours over and over again.  I will be posting some swatch comparisons in the next couple of days.  If there are any polishes that you would like compared let me know in the comments below.

I'm not entirely sure where in Australia sells China Glaze but I always get mine from Head2Toe Beauty.