Femme Fatale Cosmetics October 2015 COTM Haunting Spectre - Swatches & Review

This year Femme Fatale only released one Halloween polish which is their Colour Of The Month.  I am a huge fan of the Halloween shades that Femme Fatale have done previous years, and this year is no exception.  My only disappointment is that there is only one Halloween polish (however my wallet is happy about that).  

Haunting Spectre is described as a washed out grey-green base filled with copper and iridescence.  Such a unique polish and great formula.  I used two coats for my swatch.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

How cool is this polish?  I don't know what it is that I like so much about it.  It's definitely not the usual polish that I would normally gravitate towards.

Unfortunately, this polish is no longer available from Femme Fatale.  However it may be available from one of the international stockists.

Uberchic Beauty Halloween 01 and Zombie Love Stamping Plates - Swatches & Review

Welcome to day two of my Halloween week.  Today I have some swatches and a review of two of Uberchic's recent releases - the Halloween 01 plate and the limited edition Zombie plate.  I'm not sure how much use I personally will get from the Zombie plate but I have seen so pretty awesome manis on Instagram using it so naturally I had to grab it myself.  Does anyone else do that with stamping plates or is that just me?  Now it's no secret that I love Uberchic plates and these are no exception.  I think there is a great mix in designs on both plates to create some great manis.  For the images that I have used both of these plates stamp great as well.

Halloween 01

Uberchic Halloween 01

Mani done using Halloween 01

Mani done using Halloween 01

Zombie Love

Uberchic Zombie Love

Mani done using Zombie Love

Have you picked up either of these stamping plates?  What are your favorite Halloween stamping plates?  Let me know in the comments below.

Shades Of Phoenix Vintage Horror Halloween Duo - Swatches & Review

Halloween is fast approaching, and while Halloween isn't a big deal here in Australia (my daughter on the other hand has different ideas about this - we are having a small Halloween party for her) I thought it would be fun to do a week of Halloween polishes and nail art this week.  Why this week?  Mainly because I figure it gives people a chance to see some of the Halloween polishes/plates that have been released this year and maybe give some nail art ideas ready for Halloween.  I may extend more Halloween things into next week as well, but we will see. 

To kick off my Halloween week I have Shades Of Phoenix's Vintage Horror Halloween Duo to share with you.  It's been a while since I have purchased any new shades from Shades Of Phoenix, but as soon as I saw this duo I knew that it had to come and live with me.  And I am so happy that it has.

Pictures taken in direct sunlight and light box

1313 is described as a deep purple jelly polish with shimmer and a slight red to green duochrome added to the mix.  I couldn't really see the colour shift in this one but the polish sure is pretty.  I think it's perfect for the cooler months.  I found that the polish tended to drag if you used multiple brush strokes on the first coat so the less brush strokes you can do, the better it will be.  I used two coats overall for my swatch although I probably should have done three as I did notice some slight patchiness when in direct sunlight.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Underwater Stalker is described as a green/blue/teal jelly base filled with holographic glitters in purple, silver and orange.  The formula is easy to work with, but I found the base to be a little bit too sheer and the glitters to fine and sparse for my personal taste.  I used three coats for my swatch but I can see still see a visible nail line.  Next time I would definitely wear a base colour underneath.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Overall, I quite like this duo.  I really like that it doesn't scream Halloween which means it can be worn at any time throughout the year.  1313 is definitely my favorite from this duo.

The Vintage Horror Halloween Duo is still available from Shades Of Phoenix but it is limited edition, so you better get in quick before it sells out.

Pretty Serious Cosmetics Pet Names Collection - Swatches & Review

Today I have some swatches and my review of Pretty Serious Cosmetics Pet Names Collection (well actually is called The Well Meaning But Ultimately Quite Awkward Pet Names Collection but who can be bothered calling it that all the time?).  Anyway, I have actually had these polishes since they were released but have only just gotten around to swatching them.  What?  Well honestly when they arrived I was a little disappointed.  I was expecting them all to be the bright, vibrant colours like the initial swatches provided.  Sadly, in comparison they look darker and dull.  Let's jump into my swatches and my thoughts on each of the shades.

Image from Pretty Serious Cosmetics

Cuddle Bunny is described as a lavender creme with a gentle shimmer.  This is one of the polishes that I was quite excited for.  The initial swatches made it look so vibrant.  I actually had to double check the label to make sure I had the correct polish.  Aside from the colour not being what I was expecting, I found this polish to be on the thick side (but easy enough to work with) and slow drying on me.  I used two coats for me swatch (note: my swatch does make this polish look slight more blue toned that it is in person but my camera doesn't get along with purples too well).

Picture taken in light box

Honey Puff is a yellow creme.  Formula of this one was a little streaky so I needed three coats for even coverage.  Colour wise this was similar to the swatches provided.

Picture taken in light box

Pookie is an aqua blue creme.  Now this polish I was most excited about in this collection.  I am always looking for the perfect blue polishes (in particular neons but anything close is fine by me).  Again the swatches of this one was bright and so vibrant.  Sadly, the polish doesn't match the swatches.  The formula was easy to work with and only required two coats to be opaque.

Picture taken in light box

Snugglebutt is a purple creme.  This polish in the inital swatches again is lighter and much more vibrant than the polish is in person, but to be fair I couldn't get this polish 100% accurate either.  My camera turned it to blue (very frustrating), but this is more of a darker purple.  Formula wise it was easy to use and only needed two coats to be opaque.

Picture taken in light box

Stud Muffin is a red creme.  I was a little undecided whether or not I should get this one (you can see a visible nail line in the initial swatches) but for the sake of having the full collection I grabbed it.  The polish is a little on the runny side and a little sheer in colour (which is why you can see the visible nail line) but it's easy enough to work with.  I used three coats for my swatch.  You can see see a visible nail line after three coats so it could do with a forth coat.

Picture taken in light box

Sugar Cakes is described as a neon pink creme.  Again, this polish is actually a different shade of pink than the swatches provided prior to the collections release.  It's a gorgeous colour so I am actually happy with it still.  Formula wise it is quite thick (and definitely needs some thinner added).  I used two coats for my swatch.

Picture taken in light box

Overall, I think this collection is nice but disappointing.  The polishes aren't what I was expecting at all based on the swatches provided.  My favorite from this collection is Sugar Cakes.

The Pet Names Collection is available from Pretty Serious Cosmetics.

Powder Perfect Botanic Duo - Swatches & Review

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I am sooooooo excited to be able to share with you the Botanic Duo by Powder Perfect.  I have had these swatched for such a long time and have been dying to share them with you.  Be warned, there is going to be lots of praise for this duo.  I think it would have to be my favorite Powder Perfect duo ever.  Both polishes are gorgeous (and are a must in all collections in my opinion) and the formulas are amazing.  Now let's dive into the pictures.

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Forgetful Gardener is a green holo with teal, silver and purple glitters.  Look at how pretty she is. Don't you just love her?  I used two coats for my swatch.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Purple Succulent is by far the most amazing purple holo ever!  That's not it's official description but it really should be.  Officially, Purple Succulent is a a purple holo with purple-blue shifting flakies.  I am sooooo in love with this polish.  Love, love, love it!!!  I used two coats for my swatch.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Now did I mention that I love this duo?  It seriously is my favorite duo from Powder Perfect.  The green is absolutely stunning, but that purple is to die for!

This polishes is available now in limited quantities from Powder Perfect and is also available from Mei Mei Signatures.  Definitely grab these while you can!

Throwback Thursday: Celestial Cosmetics Moonglow & Sea Of Tranquility

There has been a bit of an unintended break from Throwback Thursdays, but they are making a come back.  After unpacking all of my polishes again, I kept seeing so many untried beauties in my collection and they really deserve to see the light of day.  Today is a slightly different Throwback for you.  Not only were these polishes released a little while again (they are from the start of this year if my memory serves me correctly) but these are actually swatches that I did early to mid this year.  It's like a double throw back.

Pictures taken in direct sunlight

Moonglow is a dusty light pink linear holo.  Super pretty and so girly.  I really like this one.  Now for some strange reason I don't actually have any notes written about this polish (no idea why not) but I am going to guess and say that it applied easy and needed three coats.

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Sea Of Tranquility is a baby blue linear holo.  Another pretty holo.  I quite like pastel holos and really should wear them more often.  The formula of this one was easy to use but was a little patchy.  I used three coats for my swatch.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

From my quick little search it appears that Sea Of Tranquility is no longer available, however Moonglow has been re-released for a limited time only.  So head over to Celestial Cosmetics ASAP to grab a bottle before it disappears again.

Femme Fatale Cosmetics Shiro Cosmetics Exclusive Polishes - Swatches & Review

I feel like I have had exclusives after exclusives lately.  Not entirely sure how that has happened, I guess all the brands are releasing them at roughly the same time.  Anyway, today I have the two polishes from Femme Fatale Cosmetics that are exclusive to Shiro Cosmetics.  I was lucky enough to grab these during one of the pre-sales that Femme Fatale have each month.  Sadly, this was a one off so Aussie peeps, if you didn't manage to get the during the pre-sale you will need to get them from Shiro Cosmetics.

Pictures taken in light box

Shadow Stair is described as a faded grey with a strong luminescence and silver flecks.  Formula wise it is easy to use, however I did find it a little on the sheer side.  After two coats I could still see a visible nail line so needed to add the third coat.  If you have short nails with no free edge then you would be able to get away with two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in light box

Sorrow Wing is described as a teal with purple-pink shimmers and microglitters.  The formula was easy to use and only needed two coats to be opaque.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

I do like both of these polishes but honestly they don't excite me very much.  That's just me though.  I'm sure that there will be many people who would disagree with me.  The formulas on both are great.

As mentioned earlier, these polishes are exclusive to Shiro Cosmetics.  Unfortunately Shadow Stair is currently out of stock (hopefully it will return soon) but Sorrow Wing is still available.