Ruby Wing: Cupcakes and Champagne (Mini Set)

Sent for Review

Happy weekends lovelies!

Today, I have another new-to-the-blog brand to share with all of you - Ruby Wing! As you may already know, Ruby Wing is a line of polishes that changes colour in the sun (or more specifically under UV light) from the people behind the brand, Color Club!

I was offered the chance to try out a mini set of 4 from their Fall 2013 collection - Cupcakes and Champagne. I had thought these colours were too sweet for my liking but boy did they blow my socks off! Take a look!

Cinnamon Bun. 2 thin coats.
A light rusty brown to green duochrome foil that darkens to a beautiful reddish brown when exposed to UV rays. The reddish brown is much darker than the swatch above but I had to ditch my swatches of that because they turned out to be too blurry >< The second picture above shows the intermediary colour as the polish fades back to the lighter shade.

Sweet Cream. 2 thin coats over OPI Barre My Soul.
A clear base with strong pink to green duochrome shimmer that darkens dramatically into a deep purple (even darker than the swatch above). I really love the shimmer and how versatile this is. Quite possibly my favourite from this quartet.

Chocolate Mousse. 3 thin coats over OPI Barre My Soul.
Another clear based polish filled with iridescent flakies that shifts to a deep maroon-brown (darker than swatch above). Another dramatic shift. Although I love how delicate the flakies look in a clear base, I super love them when they pop against the dark colour when in the sun. Application is slightly tricky with this one because of the size of the flakies.

Doux. 3 thin coats over OPI Barre My Soul.
A clear base filled with shimmer-flakies that darkens to a deep purple (darker than swatch above). You know I can't resist a purple.

The colour change in these polishes really got me and I must say I absolutely love them! Colour changing in the sun? Duochrome too!? *grabby hands* These are simply perfect for the sunny weather in Singapore - demure work appropriate nails in a minute and va-va-vamp the next!

Not only that, each of these polishes are SCENTED! I am not usually a fan of scented polishes but these smell like their namesake - soooooo yummy <33 The scents seem to last quite long and I can still smell whiffs of the scents from my swatch sticks a week later!


Ruby Wing is available on their website. For Singaporeans, Ruby Wing (the entire range!) is also available at Vedure at Robinsons Orchard (Heeren), Level 1. PLUS, Vedure is having a huge promotion on their polishes and is offering up to 20% discount in the month of March if you print and present this flyer! Don't miss this wonderful offer! ;)

Apart from their ongoing promotion, I am pleased to announce that Vedure is also sponsoring a GIVEAWAY for you, my readers!

Three lucky winners will each walk away with one Ruby Wing colour of their choice! 

All you have to do is to share your favourite Ruby Wing colour on Twitter or Instagram and say why it is perfect for you! Remember to tag Vedure (@veduremb on Twitter OR @vedure on Instagram) in your post and hashtag #RWVedure ! You should also keep your profile public so we can view your entries. This giveaway is open to participants in Singapore only and will end on Sunday, 6 April 2014, 9am SGT. Don't miss this awesome opportunity - Good luck!! ;D



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

Last Sale

Hello lovelies! It has been a while since I have made my polishes available for sale and I must apologise for not responding to the various email requests sent to my inbox which have gone unanswered because I was so bogged down with work.

After much deliberation, I have decided to start accepting orders again for all the old colours one last time before I retire them. It pains me to retire my babies but it has become infeasible for me to keep a few of so many colours. I am probably not making these old colours available on the blog after this last sale unless I can find a solution to my problem.

As before, I will be making all the old polishes available for pre-orders on the form (to be inserted below) from tomorrow, Thursday, 20 March 2014, 9am SGT.

You can view pictures of the colours under the "TPW Polishes" tab or by browsing the blog posts labelled "franken". 

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

Please note that pre-orders will be filled as quickly as I can and they will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis according to the timestamp on the pre-order form.

As always, thank you for your love and support!
Which are your favourite colours and what polishes would you like to see from me next? ;)

JINsoon: Epidote

Sent for Review

It's the dreaded Monday~ I can assure you that my inner Garfield is not pleased at all.

Today, I have a new-to-me brand to share with all of you - JINsoon! Sounds familiar? Yup, it is the nail polish line from the Choi Jin Soon, well-known and highly sought after celebrity and editorial manicurist! Crowned the "Nail Guru" by The New York Times Magazine, Jin Soon is known for her ability to pinpoint current and emerging trends and translate them into the art of nail design. In 2012, she launched her own nail polish line comprising a range of 5-free polishes formulated with high-tech polymers and resins to ensure a glossy finish and long wear. Not only that, it also includes UV filters to prevent the colours from yellowing and fading.

I had the privilege of catching a glimpse of some of the JINsoon polishes during my last trip to Vedure and I must say they really stood out from the rest of the polishes on display with their chic packaging. As some of you may already know, I am a sucker for square nail polish bottles because they are so much easier to store as compared to other bottle shapes. Needless to say, the colours were classy and sophisticated - I certainly expected no less from a celebrity manicurist like Jin Soon! ;)

Amongst the JINsoon colours available at Vedure, Epidote (pictured) caught my eye with its gorgeous duochrome colours:

Epidote. 2 thin coats.

A rich glowy green that shifts to a beautiful hue of reddish brown. A perfect colour for fall although, given the duochrome-lover I am, I wouldn't hesitate to wear it any time of the year. I especially love how the shift in this is very strong and pronounced ♥

At the first coat, Epidote appears to be slightly sheer but it reached opacity very quickly by the second coat. No layering required for this.

Application was buttery smooth. The formula of Epidote had a wonderful consistency that wasn't thick or runny (as some duochromes may be) at all. The brush (pictured above) is similar to the pro-wide brushes of OPI but slightly stiffer and did not fan out as much but not difficult to control either.

So what do you think of Epidote?
I must say I really love how luscious the colour is. The rest of the Fall 2013 collection are equally gorgeous and I can't stop drooling over them. ♥_♥

JINsoon is available on their website. For Singaporeans, JINsoon is also available at Vedure at Robinsons Orchard (Heeren), Level 1. PLUS, Vedure is having a huge promotion on their polishes and is offering up to 20% discount in the month of March if you print and present this flyer! What are you waiting for? ;)

Apart from their ongoing promotion, I am pleased to announce that Vedure is also sponsoring a GIVEAWAY for you, my readers!

Three lucky winners will each walk away with one JINsoon colour of their choice! 

All you have to do is to share your favourite JINsoon colour on Twitter or Instagram and say why it is perfect for you! Remember to tag Vedure (@veduremb on Twitter OR @vedure on Instagram) in your post and hashtag #JSVedure ! You should also keep your profile public so we can view your entries. This giveaway is open to participants in Singapore only and will end on Monday, 24 March 2014, 9am SGT.

Good luck!! ;D



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

Introducing... Vedure!

I made it to the weekends!!! After slogging my guts out at work for the past five days, I can finally take a deep breath and have several sets of forty winks. I nearly even did a celebratory rain dance when I woke up to a promisingly cloudy sky (I haven't seen rain for more than a month)... well, except that it rained for the whole of a glorious five minutes. Still better than nothing I guess.

Random ramblings aside, I am very very excited to share today's post with you, especially fellow Singaporeans!

I am sure many of you will agree with me that Singapore is not one of the best places for a nail polish addict to live in. I have lost count of how many times I lamented about the mediocre selection of nail polishes in Singapore. Of course, I am not complaining about indie polishes as these have largely been taken care of by our online retailers. But, we do have a surprising lack of mainstream nail polishes. Until recently, the only mainstream nail polishes available in Singapore are probably only OPI and China Glaze and these were only found in nail salons. Thankfully, more brands are starting to make their way to Singapore. OPI and China Glaze are now available via blogshops. You can also find small pockets of polishes stashed away in counters at drug stores and departmental stores. But that's still hardly enough to satisfy a nail addict's needs.

I was more or less resigned to do major hauls during my travels until I came to know of a shop that might just change the whole 'nail scene' in Singapore! Ladies (and gentlemen)... say hello to VEDURE!

As some of you may be aware, Vedure is an award-winning medispa and aesthetic clinic that offers a range of services to pamper your face, body and nails. Not only that, I recently came to know that Vedure also has an incredible selection of polishes for sale! Just take a look:

Credit: Vedure

Didn't that just totally blew your mind away?! It certainly took my breath away when I first laid my eyes on it. Nail polishes are on your left, right and center and there's only one word to describe it - HEAVEN!

I didn't remember to take any pictures during my trip there because I was just too overwhelmed with the pretties before my eyes so I've used this picture from Vedure instead. The display is still the same but unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, I think there are more nail polishes on the shelves now.

Some of the polishes available for sale include:

China Glaze - no introduction needed
Ruby Wing (3-free, colour changing nail polishes from USA)
Ginger+Liz (5-free, vegan friendly nail polishes from USA)

Credit: Vedure

Morgan Taylor (3-free polish from USA)
FNUG (3-free, caviar-enriched polish from Denmark)
OPI - no introduction needed
JINsoon (5-Free nail polish from celebrity manicurist Choi Jin Soon)

Credit: Vedure

Vedure has since expanded its selection of Ruby Wing polishes and are carrying the full range of Ruby Wing polishes. They have also started carrying several LVX polishes and Sheswai polishes.

With so many brands available at Vedure, I am sure you can see why I was so mindblown. This must be the single largest selection I have seen at any counter in Singapore!
And that's not all! Vedure is keen to bring EVEN MORE nail polish brands into Singapore!! This is truly music to my ears and brings much joy to my little NPA soul ~♥

Apart from the nail polishes, Vedure also carries a neat selection of nail tools, nail care products and nail art kits (including some from Color Club) for the DIY-ers. If this isn't a one-stop shop for all our nail needs, I don't know what is.

And if you are not in the mood to do your own nails (yes, nail girls do have such moments) or when you simply want someone to fuss over and pamper your nails OR when you simply want to try one of the colours without committing to buy a full bottle, you can opt to have one of Vedure's manicure/pedicure or nail spa services!

Credit: Vedure

I have yet to try the services myself but I do intend to. Not only have I heard good reviews about their services (award-winning!), I am sorely tempted by their selection of polishes. Apart from the brands listed above, they also have colours from Layla (yup, the brand that caught the nail community by storm with their crazy holographic and chrome polishes)! This is truly something that cannot be offered by many other nail salons in Singapore.

So... are you as excited as I am?! Do you see why I was nearly delirious with joy when I had a tour of their store at Robinson Orchard?!
What colours/brands are you most excited to see? What other nail polish brands would you like to see at Vedure?

Vedure has outlets at Robinsons JEM, Wheelock Place and Robinsons Orchard (Heeren). You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates!

p.s. to top everything off, the Singapore Illamasqua counter was just a couple of feet away! I would have popped by Illamasqua if I weren't rushing off for a meeting that day :(

Do share this little nail polish heaven with your friends and stay tuned for some swatches and more goodies coming your way ;)



**The views expressed in this post are what I truly felt and are in no way affected simply because I was invited for a tour of their outlet. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Mint Polish: Esmeralda & Czarina

Sent for Review

I hope everyone has had a great weekend! I had a pretty awesome Saturday myself. I spent the whole afternoon shopping with my mum and sis and bought some presents for my niece and nephew. I also got a new external hard drive (yay to more storage!) and a new fragrance for myself. I was deciding between Trussardi's My Name and Gucci's Guilty Stud (LE) but settled on Guilty and got a free Issey Miyake Floral sample to try. I quite like all of them but I am trying my best to resist my hoarder instincts because they can't be kept for long.. well not as long as I would like them to anyway!

Anyhow, I have a new-to-me brand to share with all of you today - mint polish! I am sure this brand is not unfamiliar to many of you. I have had these two bottles with me for a while now but only got around to swatching them recently.

Esmeralda. 2 thin coats.
A creamy royal purple that glided onto the nails. I love how fun this shade looked - which totally fitted the name. If you are a purple fan, you would love this!

Czarina. 3 thin coats.
A shimmery emerald that is so slightly duochrome. I couldn't capture the colour shift but you can catch hints of it in the bottle. I had expected this to be very sheer but it built up nicely in two coats. I added a third one for good measure and a richer tone.

I have no complaints about the formula and application. I did take a while to get used to the brush wand which was slightly longer because of the longer bottle shape but it didn't hinder my application at all. You should be careful to get excess polish off the wand when applying because the runnier polishes may run down the wand and pool at the brush tip after a while.

So what do you think of these colours? Have you tried Mint Polish before?
I do think that Mint Polish did a pretty awesome job at sticking to their mission of making good clean colours!

Mint Polish is available on their website or through stockists like Dazzled.



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

Jindie Nails: Barbie's Nightmare & Sexy Barbie

Sent for Review

Before I knew it, another weekend has passed! I spent the entire Saturday at the Singapore Expo for the NATAS travel fair so I am totally beat today. On the bright side.... I will be going to TIBET with my family come this July!! Woots~ I hesitated to take up this tour package at first because of the cost but in the end, I couldn't resist the exotic pull of Tibet and the rest was history. Now, all I need is my boss' approval for my leave before the trip is confirmed! I am so excited!!! Has anyone been to Tibet before? Do share your experience with me if you have! :D

Trips aside, I am sharing two shades from a new-to-me brand, Jindie Nails!

Barbie's Nightmare. 4 thin coats.
A white jelly filled with large glitters of various shapes - star, crescent, square, dot - and colours - black, silver, neon pink and red. I love the colour mix and the unique glitters in this colour. I suspect fans of large glitters may love this shade though I would love it more if it has some smaller glitters or shimmers in the mix too.

Sexy Barbie. 4 thin coats.
A bright neon pink jelly filled with dots of various sizes and colours - silver, fuchsia, red. The pink is really bright and squishy but appears to drown out some of the smaller glitters.

Application is slightly tricky for these colours. The formula is great but, as always, the large glitters need some fishing from the bottle and prodding on the nails - which explains my love-hate relationship with such glitters. Oh wells. We can't always have the pie and eat it too. Some of the glitters in these colours appear to be slightly thicker than usual so you may require an additional coat of top coat or two for a smooth finish.

What do you think of these colours? What other shades from Jindie Nails do you love?

These two shades from Jindie Nails are exclusively available from Mei Mei's Signatures.



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