Saturday, December 21, 2013

a-england: Fonteyn & Dancing with Nureyev


Good morning, everyone!!
I managed to squeeze some time for some swatches so I thought I would do a quickie post to share some beauties before I leave Singapore tonight ;)

As you might have suspected, I have been really out of touch with the polish world for a while now. Between work, my polish creations and my manga obsession, I hardly have any time to sit down and scroll through my feed! As I watch the number of unread posts increase exponentially, I simply couldn't bring myself to tackle them - you know how it is >< If Mei Mei hadn't contacted me, I wouldn't have known that a-england has recently released yet another gorgeous collection! Shame on me! :(


Dancing with Nureyev and Fonteyn are two of the four new colours from a-england's Ballerina Collection. This collection is inspired by one of the greatest classical ballet dancers, Margot Fonteyn. I don't profess to be a fan of ballet but it always takes my breath away each time I chance upon a ballet performance. The elegant dance moves and the beautifully dreamy costumes... *le sigh* Which was why I was instantly enamoured by Adina's latest releases - they are the perfect embodiment of the elegance and delicateness that I love in ballet.

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Fonteyn. 2 thin coats.
The lightest silvery lilac with the most elegant linear holo. I just have no words to describe it... A true beauty befitting of its namesake.

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Dancing with Nureyev. 2 thin coats.
A purple leaning steel blue with a strong but elegant linear holo effect. Nothing less for her dance partner, Rudolf Nureyev, who had such amazing chemistry with her on-stage.

As I've come to expect of a-england, the formula of these are impeccable. Nothing short of buttery smooth application. I am sure you've heard enough to know it by now ;)

So what do you think of these two shades?
You know I love me some strong dark colours so I am naturally in love with Dancing with Nureyev. But Fonteyn took me by surprise and I cannot stop staring at it on my nails. So... my take on it? You definitely need them both! Besides, it would be too cruel to tear the apart, wouldn't it? ;)

a-england is available in UK through their online store. Although they do not ship internationally, they are also available through their various stockists, including Mei Mei's Signatures! :D

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Mod Lacquer: Goblin & Revenant


Happy weekend lovelies!!
I am feeling especially pumped because... I AM GOING TO TAIWAN NEXT SATURDAY!! :D It will be a week long trip so I might be MIA for a while. I had wanted to schedule some posts but I am currently busy with the packing and settling other matters before the trip. I really shouldn't have procrastinated ><
Anyone else going away for a year-end trip too? ;)

Today, I have a new-to-the-blog indie brand to share with all of you - Mod Lacquer! I first chanced upon Mod Lacquer on Instagram. The cute bottle shape and gorgeous colours caught my eyes so when I was offered the chance to do a review for Jennifer, I was over the moon! Just take a look:


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Goblin. 3 thin coats.
A gorgeous olive green to chocolate brown duochrome complete with sprinkles of holographic sparkles. I really love this one. The colours are rich and the shift is strong. The name is really apt for the colours too!

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Revenant. 3 thin coats.
A beautiful shimmery blue base filled with scattered holographic sparkles with a flash of dreamy pink at certain angles. I love a good blue but the pink shift really makes this unique. *swoon*

Application for these Mod Lacquers is smooth. The formula is neither thick nor runny. The brush is slightly shorter than what I am used to but I had no trouble with control and application at all.

So what do you think of Goblin and Revenant?
Have you tried Mod Lacquer before? Which colours are your favourites?

I have more Mod Lacquers to share with you so do stay tuned for more swatches!
Mod Lacquer is available on Etsy. Do follow Mod Lacquer on Facebook and Instagram for more updates!
p.s. A little birdie told me that they are having a winter sale (use "SHOP15" for 15% off!) right now until 31 December 2013 ;)

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

piCture pOlish: Shy Violet


It is finally mid-week!!! *throws confetti*
I have been feeling especially happy because my shipment of mini bottles was finally released by customs and I could go about filling the pre-orders placed last month! I have already sent an email to the affected customers and I must say, their responses, understanding and support totally touched my heart and blew my mind. I simply have the bestest readers and customers - I LOVE YOU ALL <3

Because I am busy working on the pre-orders, I almost forgot to blog about this beauty from piCture pOlish:


Shy Violet. 4 thin coats.
A warm red leaning violet filled with small scattered holographic flecks. It is bright but not quite what I would call a neon. Interestingly though, it dried slightly matte/stain initially like the usual neon polishes but by the third and fourth coat, it dried to a slight gloss. I topped it with a top coat anyway to give it a better shine - just the way I love my polishes.

The formula of Shy Violet was slightly on the thin side so you will have to be careful with pooling at the sides of the nail or the cuticles. It was also a little sheer so you will definitely need at least three coats for decent coverage; I used a fourth for a deeper stronger colour.

What do you think of this colour?

Shy Violet is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on InstagramTwitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

piCture pOlish: Frosting


It's Wednesday again! Ordinarily I would be really happy because it is mid-week but I have an upcoming function this Friday that I absolutely dread so... ugh. It's Wednesday :(

Unhappy function aside, I've another piCture pOlish pretty to share with you today!


Frosting. 2 thin coats.

A sheer milky pink nude base filled with fuchsia, purple and silver hex glitters and a smattering of *gasp* silver hearts! Really sweet combination I must say! I had initially intended to go with 3 thin coats but I love that slightly sheer and delicate look at 2 coats so I didn't go further than that.

The formula of this one is slightly tricky. The base is slightly thicker than the other piCture pOlish shades to hold up those heavy heart glitters but not completely unmanageable. I might thin it a little the next time I use it though. I also gave my bottle a few hard shakes to loosen the glitters before application.

So what do you think of this collaboration shade with Michelle of Cosmetic Cupcake? I must say I am really loving the collaboration shades done by piCture pOlish!
p.s. they have released some new shades and Bewitch is... *swoon*

Frosting is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on InstagramTwitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Sunday, December 1, 2013

ILNP: Bottle Service, Contraband & Indie Go


Today,  I have a new-to-to-this-blog indie brand to share with all of you. Like me, many of you would have heard of it through other blogs. It started recently in 2012 and quietly took the world by storm with its gorgeous creations and professional and stylish packaging. Yup, this brand is none other than ILNP (I Love Nail Polish)! I have drooled over the gorgeous swatches online and finally decided to take the plunge to buy some for myself when Barbra released a mind blowing set of holos - honestly, how could I ever resist that!?



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Bottle Service. 2 coats.
A champagne silver nude with delicate holo sparkles and the most beautiful golden sheen. I am not usually a fan of frosty/metallic shades but this was wayyyyyyy too beautiful for me to skip it. It is certainly a plus that the brushstrokes are very minimal for this one.

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Contraband. 2 coats.
A deep eggplant purple filled with electric blue shimmer flakies and micro red shimmers. This is a hell of a stunner. It even reminds me a little of Chanel Taboo - similar but not dupes. If you can't bring yourself to splurge on Taboo, this is definitely a good alternative. Even if you already have Taboo and love it, this beauty is not one to be missed. After all, one can never have enough of such vampy shades - fact. ;)


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Indie Go. 2 coats.
A deep brilliant blue with a slight purple shift that bursts into a beautiful holo under the sun. Simply too gorgeous. I can't even.. I am just speechless.

The formula of these ILNPs are wonderful and I had no problems with application at all. It went where I wanted it to go and I had little need of clean up.

So what do you think of these colours? Have you tried ILNP before? Which ones are you favourite?

ILNP is available through their website. Do follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more updates!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

piCture pOlish: Sunset


Happy Hump Day everyone!

Today, I have another gorgeous colour from piCture pOlish to share with you:


Sunset. 2 thin coats over white.
Oops! I should have warned you to put on some shades first. My bad! Sunset is an eye-searing neon orange with just a touch of coral to make me go weak in the knees. I am thankful that it is technically summer all year round in Singapore so I always have an excuse to rock some neons though I suspect I would wear them all the same elsewhere whenever I need to brighten up my day ;)

As with most neon shades, Sunset is slightly sheer and applies like a crelly. I believe it would have reached opacity on its own but I chose to wear it over white to make the colour really pop!

So, do you like neon colours? When will you wear them - only in summer or all year round?

Sunset is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on InstagramTwitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

piCture pOlish: Siren Song


Yay it is mid-week!
By way of an update, I have already mixed up enough polish to fill most of the pre-orders for the Catching Fire collection. I am expecting a shipment of the mini bottles today and I will be able to start pouring and packing them - hopefully by the end of the week! I also aim to get the Christmas duos done by this week so I can get them to you before Christmas! :D Pre-orders for the Christmas duos close tomorrow at 9am, SGT.

Enough side tracking! Today, I have another beauty to share with you:


Siren Song. 2 thin coats.

piCture pOlish's Siren Song is a beautiful seafoam green filled with micro silver glitters that give it a most delicate shimmery look. It is no secret that I love seafoam greens and this is just perfect! I must admit I love the name and the tagline too. Rebecca really did a great job with this one.

Application is a little streaky on the first coat but it evens out on the second. The glitters tend to stick to the side of the bottle so I would recommend a good shake before application.

So what do you think of Siren Song?

Siren Song is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Saturday, November 16, 2013

The Polish Well: Christmas Duo!



Happy weekends everyone!
Even though it is a gloomy rainy Saturday, I am still riding on a high from my most amazing nail mail week - you can catch a glimpse of the pretties that I've hauled on my Instagram page.

Since I can't do any swatching today, I looked through my pictures and I stumbled upon a prototype that I've made a while back during Halloween. I did not release it then because I've received a number of comments that it was more suited for Christmas! One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had mixed up another prototype to go with it as a Christmas duo.


Naughty or Nice.
A daring shade of deep berry-leaning red filled with holographic sparkles and a dash of holiday gold. Sparkly reds are Christmas classics so I simply had to try making one myself. More pictures below.

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Bottle shot - macro
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Shot under direct sunlight
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Trim the Tree.
A forest green filled with yellow and hot orange / red glitters. I hardly do contrasting colours myself but this one grew on me the more I stared at it.

So what do you think of these two colours? What do you like to wear on your nails for Christmas?

Pre-order Information:

As before, I will be making these polishes available for pre-orders from Sunday, 17 November, 9am SGT until 21 November, 9am SGT.

If you wish to place an order for the older colours, you may also include them in your order list and I will see if I have any available stock for you.

All colours will be available in the following sizes:
12ml @ US$10 each
5ml @ US$4 each

All orders will be mailed via Registered Mail and shipping rates are as follows:
International: US$6 for the first 12ml / US$3 for the first 5ml + US$2 for each subsequent 12ml + US$1 for each subsequent 5ml
Singapore: flat rate of US$4
IF YOU HAVE PLACED AN EARLY PRE-ORDER FOR THE CATCHING FIRE COLLECTION THAT IS STILL BEING PROCESSED, PLEASE INDICATE IN THE "REMARKS" SECTION AND I WILL COMBINE YOUR ORDERS FOR YOU.

Please note that pre-orders will be filled as quickly as I can (but I cannot guarantee they will reach you before Christmas!) and they will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis according to the timestamp on the pre-order form.


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Saturday, November 9, 2013

The Polish Well: Catching Fire



Hands up those who are excited about the upcoming Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie!! *sticks arms up and jumps around wildly*

Ever since I've read the books last year, I have been completely hooked onto this series and there was no turning back. So when I found out that Catching Fire movie was scheduled for release this 21 November, I jumped right into bed that same evening and re-read the Catching Fire book in one night. Naturally, with the story swimming around in my head, my brain went on turbo mode and before I knew it, I'd already made up my mind to do a mini Catching Fire collection. :P


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the-polish-well-the-wedding-dress1The Wedding Dress. (3 thin coats)
Heavy white silk with a low neckline and tight waist and sleeves that fall from my wrists to the floor. And pearls. Everywhere pearls. Stitched into the dress and in ropes at my throat and forming the crown for the veil.
A sheer white base filled with delicate shimmers and small silvery holo glitters. I nearly tore my hair out in frustration trying to capture this colour accurately. None of my pictures does it any justice. The glitters are more obvious and sparkly in real life. Under the light, it shimmers and glimmers with tiny holo sparkles. I am really happy with how it turned out.
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the-polish-well-roses-and-blood1Roses and Blood. (3 thin coats)
The smell of roses and blood has grown stronger now that only a desk separates us. There's a rose in President Snow's lapel, which at least suggests a source of the flower perfume, but it must be genetically enhanced, because no real rose reeks like that. As for the blood ... I don't know.
A delicate white base lightly tainted with red shimmers and a whiff of tiny bright red glitters. At least that is what I imagine President Snow's scent would be like in a nail polish bottle. Don't worry, I left it unscented.
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the-polish-well-no-nightmares1No Nightmares. (3 coats)
When I open my eyes, it's early afternoon. My head rests on Peeta's arm. I don't remember him coming in last night. I turn, being careful not to disturb him, but he's already awake.
“No nightmares,” he says.
“What?” I ask.
“You didn't have any nightmares last night,” he says.
He's right. For the first time in ages I've slept through the night.
Oh Peeta! You make me melt ♥ No Nightmares is a light blue-grey filled with delicate sprinkles of purple and blue micro-glitter and light shimmers. A beautiful accident for I did not set out to create this colour. For some reason, it gave me a warm, safe and fuzzy feeling - just like what I imagine Katniss would feel on a night like this with Peeta.

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the-polish-well-breaking-out1Breaking Out. 4 thin coats but also opaque on 3 thin coats.
A flash of white runs up the wire, and for just a moment, the dome bursts into a dazzling blue light. I'm thrown backward to the ground, body useless, paralyzed, eyes frozen wide, as feathery bits of matter rain down on me. I can't reach Peeta. I can't even reach my pearl. My eyes strain to capture one last image of beauty to take with me.
Right before the explosions begin, I find a star.
A deep blue jelly filled with silvery shimmers and micro-flakes that glow a a bright blue against the dark base. I tried very very hard to put in a lightning in the bottle but the closest I could get was how I imagine the night sky to look on the day of their break out. My camera freaked out a little from the shimmers buried in the base and I couldn't get a clearer picture of the delicate shimmery effect. You can see it on the swatchstick here. 3 coats are sufficient for opacity but I used four coats in the swatch above for a deeper blue.

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the-polish-well-catching-fire2Catching Fire. 3 thin coats.
I look down, fascinated, as my ensemble slowly comes to life, first with a soft golden light but gradually transforming to the orange-red of burning coal. I look as if I have been coated in glowing embers — no, that I am a glowing ember straight from our fireplace.
A sheer black base filled with glowy red glitters and copper/gold shimmers for that glowing ember look where the glitters catch the light. Not as fiery as a fire but burning within nonetheless.



So, what do you think of this collection? Which one(s) caught your eye?

PRE-ORDER INFO:

As with the other collections, the Catching Fire collection will be made available for pre-orders from tomorrow, 10 November 2013 at 7pm SGT.


  • Colours are available in the following sizes:
    • 12ml - US$10 each
    • 5ml - US4 each
  • Shipping rates are as follows:
    • International:
      • US$6 for the first 12ml / US$3 for the first 5ml
      • US$2 for each subsequent 12ml
      • US$1 for each subsequent 5ml
    • Singapore: Flat rate of US$4
  • This pre-order ends 17 November 2013 at 7pm SGT
  • Form embedded at the end of this post.


If you wish to place an order for the older colours, you may include them in your order list and I will see if I have any available stock for you.

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate reaching 10k followers on Instagram, I am also holding a giveaway on Instagram! One lucky winner will walk away with a set of minis of this Catching fire collection. Please feel free to hop over to IG to participate in the giveaway :) Rules are available in this post.

May the odds be ever in your favour <3

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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Chanel: Taboo


I have some serious backlog here but I didn't have time to do much swatching this weekend :( Instead, I've decided to share a twinsie post that I've done with the lovely Camila (@paintedmimi on IG) a while ago!

And the star of the post? None other than... my very first Chanel - Taboo ♥


To be honest, I wasn't on the hunt for Taboo in particular. Don't get me wrong. It is a gorgeous colour but the price tag always stopped me from getting any Chanels. My resolve wavered when I saw it in Hong Kong and tried it on my friend's nails (mine were painted, of course) and it was love. Thereafter, I hunt for it at every Chanel counter / store I came across. The prices in Hong Kong were still a bit steep at around S$30 so I took a gamble and decided to check it out at Changi Airport instead. The minute I saw that it was S$27, I crumbled, grabbed it in a heartbeat and checked out my purchase before I could stop myself. :P

And I must say, I don't regret it at all! Take a look:

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Taboo. 1 glorious coat.
A beautiful deep blue base packed with red shimmers and a scattering of electric blue sparks for that mysterious sultry look. Most of the time, it looks like a deep velvety purple because of the red shimmers in the blue base. Although there are several vampy shimmers in the market, Taboo manages to set itself apart from the rest. I love how the shimmers changed the overall colour. I also love how the random blue sparkles glow against the dark base. It is simply perfection ♥



I thought Taboo couldn't get any more perfect but boy was I wrong. Application was a dream. The formula was buttery smooth and extremely pigmented - one coat was all it needed. The brush was also easy to control and fans out nicely for easy application. To top it all off, the bottle is an elegant square which makes storage a dream! It certainly doesn't hurt that it has a lovely Chanel logo at the top too ;)

To sum up my first Chanel experience? LOVE.

What do you think of Taboo?
Do you have any high-end polishes? What do you think of them - are they worth the price tag?

Need more picture to ogle at? Don't forget to take a look at Taboo on Camila too!


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Sunday, October 27, 2013

My Ten Friends: Astrochicken & Zero-G


Happy Sunday everyone!
So sorry for the brief absence! I had been busy with the pre-orders earlier so I didn't have the time to swatch/blog. I really ought to plan my posts in advance >< Anyway, I am happy to say that I have shipped out half of the orders and the other half are packed and ready to be mailed out this week! Keep a lookout at your inbox for email notifications with your tracking numbers!
Thank you for making this pre-order such a success!

With the pre-orders out of the way, I can finally do some swatching and blogging! Boy have I missed playing with all the pretties sitting in my drawers! I have some serious backlog by now so let's jump right into it, shall we?

Today, I have some pretties from a new-to-me indie brand - My Ten Friends - given to me by the lovely Denise from Dazzled!


Oh yeaa.. They look gorgeous, don't they? My mum walked into my room when I was swatching a bunch of polishes and Astrochicken immediately caught her eye. Her taste in polish is awfully trendy and bold for a woman her age. I am so proud of her ;)

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my-ten-friends-astrochicken1Astrochicken. 3 thin coats.
A sheer yellow base packed with shimmers and a handful of red, lime green and gold glitters in various sizes. As delicious as it may look, I had a nagging suspicion that it is not actually inspired by some space cuisine. So, I had a quick look at google and viola~ The word “astrochicken” is a name given to an egg-like spacecraft imagined by Freeman Dyson, a theoretical physicist, which would be launched into space where it would hatch and move around exploring space. At least, that is what I got from Wikipedia. The rest of the words were beyond me #_# Interesting concept huh? If it were ever constructed, I hope it would look as delicious as this polish does ;)


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Zero-G. 3 thin coats.
A sheer black base that simply explodes with silver holo glittery goodness that defy gravity - from hexes to shards. One of those that give you instant galaxy nails. The base is an interesting one and I am not quite sure how to explain it. It is actually a load of tiny black particles suspended in a lightly tinted base. It is apparent on the first coat but it builds up to opacity very quickly on the second/third coat.




Application was good. Although the formula is slightly on the thick side, it is still easy to control and the glitters spread evenly on the nails without any dabbing or placement. No fishing needed to get the glitters out of the bottle either.

So what do you think of these two colours? What are your favourite My Ten Friends' colours?

My Ten Friends polishes are available on their website or through stockists like Dazzled. For more information and updates, you may wish to follow My Ten Friends on Facebook and Twitter.

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**