China Glaze Paint It Black Collection - Swatches & Review

You know when there is a new China Glaze Collection available I am going to grab it.  With the exception of the OMG! Flashback Collection.  I haven't grabbed it (yet) as I am still on the fence whether or not I need it.  What do you think?  Should I grab the OMG! Flashback Collection?  Let me know in the comments or on social media somewhere.  Anyway, there are two new collections from China Glaze and I have both of them.  Today I have this year's Halloween Collection.  Yes I know I am getting in super early but I have completed the swatches for this collection and have a few more swatches to do for the Ready To Wear (Fall) Collection.  

Ash & Burn is a black base with gold/copper micro glitter.  I really like the glitter in this one and the formula is awesome.  I used one coat for my swatch.

Picture taken in light box

Maliboo-Boo is a black linear holo. There isn't anything special about this polish.  It really is just your standard black holo.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  Black holos are nice.  The formula is great and is opaque in two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Night And Slay has a clear base that is packed with black glitter and silver holographic glitter in a few different sizes.  This one is seriously sparkly.  The formula is really thick, however it is still easy enough to work with.  I used three coats, however you can stop at two coats.  I found it to be a little too see through at the tips for my liking.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Pret-a-potion is a black micro glitter topper.  I really like this one - especially over China Glaze Chic Happens.  The formula is easy to work with and it has a great glitter payoff.  I used one coat over China Glaze Chic Happens.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Shadies & Gentlemen is a matte black.  Initially when I swatched this it split terribly on my nails.  Anyway I reswatched it without a base coat and it didn't split.  I'm not entirely sure why.  The formula of this one dries quite quickly so you need to move quickly and not apply polish in the same spot and it will then drag the polish off.  My swatch shows one coat.

Picture take in light box

Wicked Liquid is a blackened base with a golden/green shimmer.  I quite like this one.  There is something about the colour of it.  It's definitely perfect for the colder weather.  The formula is fantastic and you could easily get away with one coat.  My swatch shows two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

I think this is a great collection for Halloween.  I quite like that China Glaze have just gone with the black theme and have a variety of finishes.  My personal favourites are Pret-a-potion and Night And Slay.

What do you think of this collection?  Also don't forget to let me know if you would like me to swatch and review the OMG! Flashback Collection.

Emily de Molly May 2018 Limited Edition Polishes - Swatches & Review

If you didn't know, each month Emily de Molly usually releases a few limited edition polishes.  I have been a little hit and miss with grabbing these.  Sometimes it's because I completely forget, sometimes it's a lack of polish funds and sometimes (and this is definitely a reason that doesn't come up too often) the polishes aren't calling my name.  Anyway, rewind back to May this year and the four limited edition polishes had to come and live with me.  I have finally had some time with the sunshine and now I have my swatches and review to share with you.

LE98 is a bright green with blue shimmer.  I absolutely love this one!  I was actually a little sad when I had to take it off.  I'll definitely be grabbing this one back out in Summer!  The formula is easy to use and surprisingly opaque.  It did apply a little unevenly on the first coat but evens out beautifully on the second coat.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

LE99 is a blue/grey holo with gold shimmers, silver holo glitters and iridescent flakes.  Absolutely love this one as well!  It's such a gorgeous colour and the formula is fantastic.  My swatch shows two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

LE100 is a dark purple with strong green to pink shifting shimmer and assorted glitters.  I think this one is an ok polish.  I don't love it but I definitely don't hate it.  It could also be because I put this on after two stunners that I fell in love with that this one didn't sing out to me.  Anyway, the formula is great and is opaque in two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

LE101 is a purple holo with silver holo and iridescent glitters.  Super pretty!  The formula is fantastic and is so close to being a one coater.  My swatch shows two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Picture taken in direct sunlight

I'm so happy to have these polishes in my ever growing Emily de Molly collection.  Fun fact: I was actually putting away my new Emily de Molly polishes in their drawers today and I have nearly outgrown the four drawers.  I am going to have to do some serious re arranging of all the drawers in the near future.  Anyway, hands down my favourites are LE98 and LE99.

piCture pOlish June 2018 Releases - Swatches & Review

I am sure that you guys are aware but I have my very own collaboration shade with piCture pOlish!  It was released back in June along with five other shades.  Before seeing the other shades that were released along with mine I had decided that I wanted to buy them all.  As soon as I saw all of the shades together I just had to have them.  They all look so pretty together.  I have done nail art using all of the polishes together but I thought it would be nice to swatch them all and review them for you guys.  I apologize for the lack of sunshine pictures in this post but it's Melbourne and winter!  Sunshine is very hard to come by.

Destiny is an arctic blue with a jelly consistency that comprises of holographic flakes.  This polish is made in collaboration with Anna (Esteloskora Nail).  This one definitely has a lot of sparkle to it.  I think it is such a pretty colour and the formula is great.  I used two coats for my swatch.

Eternal is a tangerine orange with a jelly consistency that comprises of subtle holographic flakes.  This polish is made in collaboration with Debbie (@ladyandthe_stamp). This one surprised me.  I honestly thought it would look horrible on my skin tone, but it's not bad at all.  The formula is great and applied easily. My swatch shows two coats.

Fancy is a peony pink with a jelly consistency that comprises subtle holographic flakes plus golden sparks.  This polish is made in collaboration with Regina (@regina_arg).  This is quite a pretty pink and again the formula is really good.  I used two coats for my swatch.

Fresh is a lime green with a jelly consistency that comprises subtle holographic flakes.  This one certainly freaked my camera out.  I wouldn't say that this polish is a go to colour for me but it is pretty cool for something different.  It does apply unevenly, so I needed to use three coats for my swatch.

Princess is a soft pink with a jelly consistency that comprises subtle holographic flakes plus golden sparks. Super pretty colour. As expected, this one was a little on the sheer side and applied unevenly.  I used three coats for my swatch.

And last but certainly not least: my shade!

Royal is is a vibrant blue toned purple with scattered holographic.  Now in true purple style this one doesn't photograph 100% accurately (and it will also depend on your screen settings too) but it really is a gorgeous colour.  It's not too dark, not too light or not too bright so it suits everyone!  The formula is fantastic.  It applies evenly and is opaque in two coats.

I'm so happy that my collaboration shade got released along side each of these polishes.  Not only are they nice colours by themselves but they also work so well together.  My personal favourites are Royal (of course) and Princess.  I really am such a sucker for pink and purple polishes.

Which is your favourite polish from this release?  You don't have to say Royal.  I won't be offend I promise.

Lina Nail Art Supplies You're A Damasque 02 Stamping Plate - Swatches & Review

My pile of Lina Nail Art Supplies plates that I need to swatch is tiny now.  I only have two more plates to swatch (the All About Love 02 plate and Spookilious 02 - which obviously I won't be using until October).  I don't know about you guys but it feels nice to use all the things that you have purchased. That being said, I do have a bunch of new polishes to swatch.  There will definitely be plenty of blog posts coming.  I also would love to go through my polish drawers and use some of the untrieds that I have had for years.  How awesome would it be to say that you have no untrieds?  That might have to become a goal for me at some point I think.  Anyway, today I have the You're A Damasque 02 Stamping Plate from Lina Nail Art Supplies to share with you.

Image from Lina Nail Art Supplies

This mani I actually did a very long time ago.  If I am honest, I didn't actually remember that I had done one until I saw the mani sitting in the folder.  Polishes used are Grace-full Nail Polish Divine Ametrine and Essie Nothing Else Metals.

This next mani didn't quite work out the way that I had hoped.  Let's just pretend that this is a beautifully blended gradient shall we?  Polishes used are Pretty Serious Cosmetics Presence and Dance Legend Stamping Polishes in Blue and Mint.

I think I have come to the conclusion that I don't particularly love Damasque designs on my nails.  I really like the look and idea of this plate, but I don't think the images are translating to my nails the way that I would like.   What do you think of this Damasque stamping plate?