a-england: Fonteyn & Dancing with Nureyev

Sent for Review

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.

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.

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



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

Mod Lacquer: Goblin & Revenant

Sent for Review

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:

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!

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 ;)



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

piCture pOlish: Shy Violet

Sent for Review

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 Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!



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

piCture pOlish: Frosting

Sent for Review

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 Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!



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

ILNP: Bottle Service, Contraband & Indie Go

Purchased By Me Sent for Review

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!?

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.

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. ;)

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!



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