ManGlaze Matte is Murder

Black matte with subtle shimmer. The shimmer appears to be a mix of green, pink and holographic silver. It’s doesn’t really turn up but you can tell it’s not just a plain black.

The wear I got was pretty good; it lasted longer than traditional mattes. But the dry time was longer too – that can be either good or bad. If you’re looking to paint your nails five minutes before you head out, dents and smudges will still occur. But if you always wanted a matte that allows you to take your time while painting, then this is for you.

Generally, I struggle quite a bit with matte polish because I’m a slow painter – I prefer little to no cleanup. This was perfect for me. Then I ruined it when I attempted a tape mani – the tape pulled up bits of the polish (I waited fifteen minutes). So no pictures for the tape mani!

Polish peels:
• NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)
• ManGlaze Matte is Murder (2 coats)

OPI Spark de Triomphe

Collection: Serena Glam Slam! France (2011 Summer)

Champagne foil with silver and gold hexagonal glitter in two sizes: micro and medium. I wasn’t into glitter a year ago when this came out, but just seeing swatches made this the first one I ever wanted. And it doesn’t disappoint! I used this as a base in Polish Days: Geometry.

The formula is a little thick, which is good as it helps to suspend all the glitter. Three thin costs gave me good coverage but you can do less if you prefer. It does dry gritty so I put on a coat of Gelous to smooth it out.

Polish peels:
• PVA Glue (1 coat)
• OPI Spark de Triomphe (3 coats)
• American Classics Gelous (1 coat)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Layla Ocean Rush

Collection: Hologram Effect (2012 Spring)

Ocean blue linear holographic. I don’t know why I waited so long to put it on! The base color is so bright and eye catching so it doesn’t look boring even in the shade.

Ocean Rush has a finicky formula. You can’t use a normal base coat nor should you go over the same area while painting. These Layla holographics have a buffer that sold separately, but you don’t need buy it. I used a normal buffer that was lying around at home, the kind with a high grit and brings your nails to a shine.

Simply buff your nails shiny before painting your nails, no base coat needed. I found that the buffing gave me an easier application compared to using Nfu Oh’s Aqua Base. I wonder if this method will work for the Nfu Oh holos too?

Polish peels:
• Layla Ocean Rush (3 coats)

Aritaum 21 Tweed Jacket

Collection: Modi Glam Nails

Clear base with black and white glitter. There are small and medium squares, medium hexagons, and bar glitter. This is my first black and white glitter polish and I love it so much I had to show you right away! It’s obviously inspired by a certain Lynnderella but it’s not a copy.

As with many Asian polishes, 21 is the code for this shade. This brand also names their polishes – in Korean. Tweed Jacket is what Google Translate provides me with so I’m not sure how accurate that is.

There’s a good amount of square glitter in this, the other glitter shapes are sparser. That’s alright for me, because I have a huge weakness for square glitter. Hexagons are just, well, normal glitter ;)

The clear base is rather thick and dries fast – it was starting to get clumpy as I tried to spread the glitter. I recommend the dab and spread method as it gets more glitter on (as seen on the index). I used the normal painting motion for the other nails.

Polish peels:
• PVA Glue (1 coat)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy (2 coats)
• Aritaum Tweed Jacket (1 coat)
• American Classics Gelous (1 coat)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Aritaum is a cosmetics brand from South Korea. I discovered them while searching for swatches of Innisfree (another S. Korean brand) polishes. Like most of you, I don’t read, write or speak Korean. After a lot of googling, I bought their polishes from Qoo10 (our local Gmarket) and the package took around two weeks to reach me.

You can also find this brand on the Korean Gmarket site, or you can check out their brick and mortar stores. The Glam Nails shades are 10ml while the Juicy Nails are 7ml. I think the original shop prices are KRW2500 (7ml) to KRW3500 (10ml). They also have other interesting shades; a few are inspired by popular Deborah Lippmann colors.

OPI Don’t Touch My Tutu!

Collection: New York City Ballet (2012 Spring)

Sheer soft white jelly. The polish companies have been listening to us for the past year, fulfilling our many wants. But this collection – in my opinion – was a sleeper hit. When I saw the swatches, I knew I had to have the white!

If you prefer sheers, apply a coat or two and you’ll be done. But since I love jellies, three (or sometimes four) coats were perfect for me! I really love how soft this looks – white without the stark. The sheerness would also be great in jelly sandwiches.

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)
• OPI Don’t Touch My Tutu! (3 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

OPI Road House Blues

Collection: Touring America (2011 Fall)

Dark indigo cream. Look at how reflective it is! If only all creams could be like this! The color is not quite a true navy, there’s a drop or two of purple in there. I was eying this for a while until my best friend gave it to me for my birthday last year – she does know me very well.

The formula was excellent, being almost opaque in one coat. The second coat covered everything perfectly! It’s great as a base color (see it under Cult Nails Seduction) and would probably be good for stamping and nail art too.

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat (1 coat)
• OPI Road House Blues (2 coats)

Cult Nails Seduction

Collection: Divas and Drama (2012 Spring)

Sheer purple jelly with iridescent opal flakes. This is the polish that prompted my first Cult Nails order – I haven’t even touched the other colors! The sheer purple base can’t be seen here but Vampy Varnish has a good swatch of it at three coats.

The flakies are predominantly red and blue. The red does shift to orange and green, à la Nubar 2010. The polish itself was a little thick, but not any more so than other similar polishes. As you can see, one coat provides a good amount of flakes.

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat (1 coat)
• OPI Road House Blues (2 coats)
• Cult Nails Seduction (1 coat)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Essence Speed Of Light Blue

Collection: You Rock! (2011 Spring)

Baby blue with blue micro-shimmer. You know I always love a shy shimmer but this one is too hidden for me. I see it in the bottle but it just disappears on my nails!

The formula refused to work with me either; it was streaky and took three coats to even out. It wasn’t the worse, but since it didn’t give me any shimmer, it should have been a breeze to apply at the very least. (Don’t listen to my whining, three coats for a pastel polish is fine.)

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• Essence Speed Of Light Blue (3 coats)

Polish Days: Geometry

I’m so excited to be participating in my first Polish Days! It’s an event organized by Hannah for bloggers to post a themed mani simultaneously across the world.

Milani Cyberspace

Collection: 3D Holographic

Sky blue scattered holographic. If you don’t already know, I have a big weakness for holographics. This one reminds me of crushed diamonds, rather beautiful but just not my favorite. I have an inkling that I prefer linear to scattered.

It’s a rather sheer polish so don’t be afraid to apply thicker coats. It’s has a thin formula than evens out and dries pretty fast.

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat (1 coat)
• Milani Cyberspace (3 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Ozotic 509

Collection: Holographic

Silver linear holographic. I wore this for a holiday a month ago; the beautiful rainbow kept me staring at my nails at all times of the day! It didn't last very long on me as I went snorkeling, the wear will probably be better next time.

The formula was good but a little thick, it just needs a bit of thinner. I was hoping that this would be sheer enough to work as a holographic top coat, but nope, it made my base polish too silvery. I really want it to work though, so I'll give it another go after I thin it.

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)
• Ozotic 509 (3 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)