Polisholic
Hi there! o/
I realized that I haven't made a nail post in a while but I really haven't had the time or mood to sit down and do nail art lately. I did get a bunch of new polishes this holiday season though, so I thought it might be fun to share some swatches instead!
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Generally, I don't care what brand of polish I use on my nail chips because hey, they're not my real nails and who cares if they stain or dry slow right? But I think you can afford to be a little picky with polish you use on your own nails, especially if you're like me and suck at painting them. I'm predominantly right-handed and as my left is virtually useless when it comes to crafts and such, the nails on my right usually end up looking like the handiwork of a five year old. orz
China Glaze is one of my current favourites! Although OPI is definitely more popular over here, I prefer China Glaze for their vibrant shades and slightly cheaper prices haha. It's probably even cheaper overseas too but over here China Glaze retails for about S$18-28 in department stores. Kiiiiind of expensive right? So yeah I usually buy them online to save costs.
The 2012 Halloween collection was what kickstarted my interest in them!
From left: Make A Spectacle and Ghoulish Glow.
Ghoulish Glow is supposed to be a glow in the dark top coat but I opted to wear it nude with 3 coats, and glazed a coat of Make A Spectacle over so it doesn't look too plain in daylight. Ngl, it was pretty cool to see my nails glowing at the Halloween party when the lights went off. People were surprised!
My small but growing collection of China Glaze lacquers. ;3;
From left: It's a Trap-eze, Optical Illusion, Blue Sparrow, Ruby Pumps and Flying Dragon.
I swatched some on my nail chips so you can see how it looks out of the bottle. [Disclaimer: I don't have the best macro camera or lighting at my place so it might be better for you to google the images for a better pic of what they actually look like. Most of the nail blogs out there have really awesome pics!]
Blue Sparrow and Flying Dragon are both neons with glitter from the 2008 Ink collection. I don't know if it's because they're neons or that their formulas are older than the others, but the application wasn't the greatest. The colours are so vibrant and gorgeous though, especially Flying Dragon with its blue and pink glitters! Word of caution, they dry weirdly semi-matte and do need a generous amount of topcoat to smooth out the ridges.
Ruby Pumps is a little darker and has more depth to it than my photo shows, the photo of it in the bottle is closer to what it looks like! It's the most gorgeous red jelly glitter, exactly like its namesake implies! I feel like it might lean a little too sophisticated for teens maybe, like a very 50s flirty red. But really, it's so pretty it makes me want to go grab some more from the same Wizard Of Ooh Ahz collection. Got my eye on Dorothy Who, C-C-Courage and maybe Ten Men too at the moment!
It's A Trap-eze is the only polish I got from the 2012 Cirque du Soleil collection so far. I'm still two minds about getting Def Defying or Running In Circles (both greens!) but I think I'll sit on it for a while more.
Personally I feel this looks best with two coats, so you get the nice somewhat opaque milky look with some glitters sandwiched between the layers. It's really not worth it to try and make it fully opaque with three coats because it could come out looking too thick and cluttered. Loving this polish a lot right now, it's just so cute and whimsical looking!
Optical Illusion is the surprise winner of the bunch. I was hesitant to get it at first because it didn't look pretty in the bottle. Then I daubed it on and felt justifiably disappointed because it seemed so dull in sunlight too, kind of flat looking y'know? Guess what, this glitter is FREAKING AMAZING under artificial light, it shifts colors and catches the light like crazy! Oh my god, it has to be seen in real person to be appreciated because photos don't do it any justice.
The glitter is so dense and yet the application was so smooth it's almost unimaginable. Seriously beautiful! Like mermaid scales! It's definitely a top coat eater though so be prepared to generously layer lots on top. (Tip: paint it over a black base to fully bring out the duochrome effect of this polish.) The Prismatic Chroma Glitters collection costs slightly more than the others, I might just get one more and call it quits. Need to put some money aside so I can get something from their Up & Away collection too! SO MANY POLISH, SO LITTLE CASH adkafjai.
Did you notice the running theme here is glitters? What can I say man, I'm weak for glitters. If it's pretty and shiny, I LIKE. Which brings me to the other brand that I love right now, because it has the most awesome glitters/sprinkle top coats! Cheap too yay.
Here, let me present Etude House's Dear My Party Nails collection. DA DA DA DUUUUUM
Oh no, I'm seriously dying for their new collection. Especially PWH905 and PGR702. *sob* ლ(╥_╥ლ).*reaches for*
I have a couple from their older selection, and they are all so, so pretty! A little thick and gloopy but c'mon let's not complain when they are so much cheaper than, let's say, a Deborah Lippmann.
These are the ones I own.
Sorry for the crappy lighting!
How they look swatched on my nail chips:
As you can see here, Club Party is fuchsia glitters suspended in a black jelly base. I guess you can wear it on its own too but I think it looks better layered over a base. So gothic! Crystal Glass is a clear polish loaded with shredded silver glitter. I really like irregular shaped glitters too so this one is a winner in my books. Kind of futuristic looking, ain't it? Fireworks is a really apt name 'coz look at that bright burst of colour! It instantly perks up any base polish that you apply it to!
Shucks, Sparkling Champagne looks almost invisible here doesn't it? It's actually a rainbow flakie that shows up real pretty over a base colour. Similar to Essie's Shine Of The Times if you want an idea if what it actually looks like; just less in density and maybe smaller in size of the flakies.
I swatched it and Club Party over the two China Glaze neons so you can see a little bit better.
Now don't they look much nicer?
Got to be honest, I wasn't too eager to get Evening Dress at first because it looked pretty normal in comparison to the others. But then I thought hey I haven't had a girly polish in forever and it really doesn't disappoint if you're looking for girly. It's actually holo glitters in a pink jelly base and what sets it out from the other pink glitters I've had is the tiny bar shaped glitters! It might not seem like much but it really does make a difference in the shine!
The other two glitters on the far right are from Etude House's 2012 Limited Christmas Edition -If Story- nail polish kit #4.
From Left: "If Snow Of Love Falls On The Christmas Tree" #3 and "If The Ice Witch Melts With Love" #4.
Both look very pretty don't they?
Here's the swatch provided by their company:
It's probably buildable to that level of density but I haven't tried it yet. What I love best here is the white glitters! It's not all that common for me to see white glitters used in lieu of the more popular *cough*boring*cough* silver, especially when it's sprinkled so generously along with bar glitters too!
Also, check out their Halloween -If Story- nail kits too.
From left: "If the Halloween Witch Casts a Spell" #1 and "If the Jack O' Lantern Lights Up" #2.
DISGUSTINGLY PRETTY. ლ(ಥДಥლ)
Ugh they even used square glitters here, hitting me all in the right spots. I really really want one set but I can't decide if I should get the purple or orange. Purple is honestly more appealing but the orange is unique among what I already own. DECISIONS.
...Oh man how did this post get so long. Think I'll split the rest into another post because all this typing and posting pics is pretty time consuming and tiring. /slumps
See you guys around in the new year, and hope your holidays went well!♥