Pages

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Kiko 345 and topped with Lynnderella Love, Lace and Lilacs

I picked up this polish when Kiko debuted state-side earlier this year. I've worn it a few times since then, but only took pictures of it this week so I could update my nail polish spreadsheet!

I love the bottle shape of Kiko polishes. The brush is a bit stiffer than I'm used to, and is a little less wide than OPI. The formula itself is nice and creamy, if not a tad thick. I may thin it a bit next time I go to use it. Opaque in two coats is pretty great, especially for a mint like this.

Kiko 345 (2 coats)



I purchased this (among many other mint green polishes) in hopes of finding a dupe (or better) of American Apparel Office (which takes 3 coats for opacity, and I hate the super long brush stem)

Kiko 345 is not a dead on dupe for the AA, but it is the closest I've found, and I think I actually prefer it to AA Office. AA Office is long gone from my stash now, but I posted this swatchstick comparison picture back in March:



For my second day, I topped it off with Lynnderella for my NOTD:

Lynnderella Love, Lace and Lilacs over Kiko 345 (there are no black flecks in LLL; the flash is just reflecting strangely off the microshimmer)



Monday, October 27, 2014

Re-swatch: Zoya Valerie

Again, another long lost re-swatch I forgot to post... Zoya Valerie. My favourite undies for Lynnderella Very Pretty Vampire.

Zoya Valerie


Man, my application was so nice back in the day... haha, I don't think I'd have the patience to do such a good clean-up job these days!

Re-swatch: Nina Ultra Pro Never Glum Plum

Another very old re-swatched polishes that I failed to post. I haven't worn this one in a while; I wonder if I'll still love it as much as I used to?

Nina Ultra Pro Never Glum Plum

Illamasqua Baptiste, Collide, Rampage

I've been updating my spreadsheet and Pinterest nail polish stash board and just realized I don't think I ever posted swatches of Illamasqua Baptiste or Collide, and didn't post a re-swatch of Rampage.

Unfortunately, since Illamasqua backed out of the North American market, I don't know where you can buy Illamasqua in person anymore. You should still be able to purchase from their website online, but I'm not sure if there are shipping restrictions on nail polish still out of the UK.

That's OK, though. The bottle/cap annoyance I whined about before is enough to deter me from new colours, so I'm happy with the 5 bottles of Illamasqua I now still own (Baptiste, Collide, MILF, Raindrops, and Rampage).

Illamasqua Baptiste

Illamasqua Collide

Illamasqua Rampage

Sunday, October 26, 2014

NOTD: HARE Rococo Grandeur

*sidesteps in*

Hello. I just thought I'd post my NOTD. I'm going through some of my polishes that I hadn't gotten around to photographing. HARE Rococo Grandeur was one of them. There's a couple chips on my nail here (sorry) because I'm also testing NPB Glitter A-Peel and seem to have lost a bit on the free edge of my index and middle finger. I have no idea if I'm going to suddenly lose an entire nail's worth of polish at work this week. It's likely, though, isn't it?

Unfortunately this shade is LE from a a year or two ago. I love the light blue base and the glitter mix. It's a pretty thirsty glitter, so I topped it with a gel top coat out of frustration. It's massively pretty though, isn't it?

HARE Rococo Grandeur: 2 coats, topped with gel topcoat (Harmony Gelish Top It Off)