A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

OH HAI MOST PRETTY POLISH IN THE WORLD.  WHERE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?

You know, it’s funny.  The nail polish community online have been crying out for moar holos, moar party glitters, and moar duochromes from the industry leaders for a few years now.  We haven’t really seen anything significant come from these requests and so something very interesting has happened… the rule of the indie/franken brigade is now upon us!  You might still be looking to OPI, China Glaze, Zoya et al to see where the polish trends are heading, and if so… you’re looking in the wrong place.

Get. on. Etsy.

I picked up this Darling Diva Polish in Space Beetle a few weeks ago and it’s the most beautiful colour-shifting holographic that I own.  Ok, it might be the only one, whatever – I don’t have a 9359435 billion nail polishes (well, not quite).

Ain’t she beautiful?  Trust me, she’s even better in sunlight.

I know that she’s been compared to Dollish Polish’s Toxic Avenger… of which, I know very little about – so I’m just going to take this polish on its own merits and tell you why you need to go and buy it.  I don’t think it’s going to be a tough job to be honest.

Space Beetle is a linear holographic-slash-duochrome that’s absolutely packed with prismatic bounty.  The highlights flash the most delightful candyfloss pink which is what makes this so unique.  The swatches show the polish applied over a bare nail, two coats – both of which, applied faultlessly.

I haven’t tried layering it yet, but I can’t wait – I’m curious to see what effect those pink flashes have on a variety of base colours.

Darling Diva Polish Space Beetle (£7.86) is available to buy online from the Darling Diva Polish Etsy shop which ships internationally.  I have my beady eye on Ceylon next (I’m a sucker for a Periwinkle!)

When I heard that Glitter Gal polishes had made it across to the UK last month, I immediately skipped over to the UK stockist and placed an order for the two polishes that I’d been wanting for a while.  I first tried a Glitter Gal polish a couple of years back, and very pretty it was too – since then, the line has expanded greatly and my heart was going pitter-patter for their holographic RED… but more on that one another time (i.e. when I’ve done the photos).

Light As A Feather is a subdued holo which compliments the soft, ethereal shade beautifully.  It looks plumpity and squishy on the nails with a little visible nail line peeping through despite three coats.  I think it actually suits the calm demeanor of this shade to be a little sheerer.  Sure, it’s not a wham-bam in your face holo but it feels like a demure, more grown up version of the trend – ideal for those of us looking for a work-appropriate bit of sparkle.

Once the light hits it (please excuse my dry hands and nails), the holographic particles spring forth and dance a little jig on your fingertips.  They’re linear in placement and sparkle rather than dazzle with their prettiness.  Jenni has a great swatch of it here.

Glitter Gal Light As A Feather is priced at £8.75 and available to buy online in the UK at Sjmwell Nail’s & Beauty

It’s more than I can do to write this post without pointing out the horrible spelling of a beautiful name.  It’s only my opinion so cool it with the evils oh “Layla’s” of the world.  But just so you know, it’s L.E.I.L.A.  Ok?

Anyway, back to the polishes… I’m just gonna let the pictures do the talking here.

Coral Glam

Mercury Twilight

Flash Black

Layla is an Italian brand of which I know practically nothing about.  Each shade shown above was a quick-drying three coater.  Wear was fairly crappy despite the nail prep (you’re supposed to buff the nail beds to a ridge-free shine before applying).  Admittedly, I didn’t experience chipping but I did have tip wear by the end of the first day (tried both with and without a top coat).  Still, when something is this beautiful – you tend to be a little more lenient on it no?

The bottles are 10ml each and the holographic effect is beautifully dramatic in each of them.  You should note that although Flash Black looks a touch duller than the other two, it’s only because the sun was starting to set by the time I was able to take photos.  Poor Flash Black, it’s just as a vibrantly blingy in real life.

Do you like these?

I paid £11.25 for each of these and bought them online from Simply Occasions, who I believe is the only UK stockist.

I liked this delicate combo of Beauty UK’s Smokey Lilac with OPI Golden Rainbow on top.  A dusting of holographic sparkle always goes a long way to brightening my day!

Of course, the Beauty UK polish is a bargainous snip at only £2.49 a bottle, though I believe that OPI’s Golden Rainbow might be a little harder to come by I’m sure that the effect can be reproduced with something like Northern Lights Holographic Top Coat.

The above mani shows three coats of the Beauty UK and a single coat of OPI Golden Rainbow.  Pretty!

What are you wearing on your nails today?

…you see, the Mary Quant store is next to the Liz Earle flagship store just off the Kings Road and I was mooching around killing some time before a facial.  I’d done Zara, drooled over the pastries in Pat. Val and there was really only Mary Quant left.  I would make a rubbish defence lawyer.

The first thing I was drawn to was the display cabinet filled with (mostly) eyeshadows.  They come packaged as pans, the palettes are sold separately for around £7 upwards.  Sadly, even the largest palettes didn’t really hold a great deal so I decided to just buy the pan and work out what the heck I was going to do with the shadow later.

S-36 is a pretty, neutral taupe jam packed with multicoloured sparkle.  The sparkle is smooth… simillar to what you’d find in a well-milled pigment rather than something like an UD eyeshadow.

My swatch doesn’t show the multi-coloured sparkle at all sadly.  I believe this shade is limited edition (Spring 2011) and was priced at around £7-£9 (I’ve lost my receipt, sorry!).

The second item I gravitated towards was this nail polish that charmed my inner magpie for all things sparkly.

The image above shows two coats layered over a black creme.  The glitter particles are holographic and the clear base is packed with a pink/red pearl which turns the black base a lovely aubergine/purple shade.

This is a small 5ml bottle and it set me back around the same amount as the eye shadow.

There’s only one store in the UK but you can order from them through a mail order system by giving them a call on 0207 881 9833 or emailing them at mq.shop@maryquant.co.uk

Steady yourselves ladies… this is a sparkler…

I received a bottle of Glitter Gal Cosmetics Marine Blue holo nail polish via R8Beauty (check them out on Facebook if you haven’t already) and when I first pulled it out of the envelope, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed.  I was right.

The holo effect is so wonderfully intense that it can even be easily detected without direct sunlight.  The formula was a touch thin and took three coats to achieve a fully opaque finish – I wouldn’t normally mind this at all, but as the bottle is only 9mls and I can see myself working through it quite quickly.

I’ve had SO many compliments on my nails and even got a “WOW!” from an SA in Superdrug yesterday!

The finish is smooth and doesn’t *really* need a topcoat though the addition of one does amp up the shine a touch, so if you can be bothered, I’d recommend.  The brush, although stumpy, didn’t give me any application issues and wear has been perfectly adequate.

Glitter Gal Cosmetics are an Aussie brand and there are currently no UK stockists.  You can purchase the Glitter Gal Nail Polishes online priced from AUD$9.95 each.  Sadly, when I added a few polishes to my basket, I was quoted a prohibitive AUD$25 for shipping.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a UK stockist soon.

On Thursday evening I unzipped my purse and shook it’s contents onto the desk infront of me.

Once the dust had settled and the moths had flown off to pastures new, I discovered that I had just enough left for one polish (we’ll ignore the little Chanel haul that spontaneously occurred the next day).

There was really only one polish the money could have been reserved for…

Butter London‘s All Hail McQueen!  A neutral beige/nude shade with a ton of holographic sparkle!  Ok, so it’s not the most sparkliest holographic in the world… but when the sun catches it, it sure is purdy!

Plus, I don’t own a beige holographic polish… are there any others about?

The formula on this polish is a joy.  Thin, smooth and heavily pigmented… 2 careful coats will give you enough opacity to lose the visible nail line, three will give you a perfect finish.  Thanks to the thin formula, drying time is great aswell.

I’ve just gone back to Zuneta (who delivered blisteringly quickly btw!) to pick up Victoriana.  I’m sorely tempted by Marrow too, heck, I’ve been banging on about it since NYFW… but the swatches I’ve seen so far are holding me back.  It’s lost that dusky, durgy quality the Vena Cava mix had.

Anyway, what do you think of All Hail McQueen?

Hyperventilate with me polish lovers!

Ok, so it’s not the holo-est holo I’ve ever worn… but my god it’s pretty!  Wild at Heart is a beautiful purple that’s absolutely packed with multicoloured sparkles… when the sun hits it?  KAPOWW!

The formula on the Color Club’s that I’ve tried so far (I bought this the same time as Uptown Girl) have been impressive, particularly for the price.  The photo above shows 2 coats and I bought my bottle on eBay.

Now I’m yearning for a mega-holo… what’s the holo-est holo you know?

Looking for an amazing holo with more sparkle than should be legal?

Look no further…

Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm is an awesome display of holographic loveliness set in a dark charcoal base.  Think OPI My Private Jet but kick the holo up a notch and lower the price by about £5.

Application was fabulous, 2 coats will work very well, but I did three for a flawless finish.  Despite being full of sparkle, the polish is smooth to the touch and has a beautiful glossy finish without need for a top coat.  If this weren’t enough, longevity is a little bit mind blowing.  I’m on the 5th day and I have barely noticeable tip wear.

Seriously, just buy this polish.

Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm is available in the UK from FlashyNails and will set you back a measly £3.00