Essie Bordeaux

Rich maroon jelly. Maroon, defined as a brownish crimson shade, is the perfect description of red Bordeaux wine (also known as Claret). It looks brighter on the nail (compared to the bottle), but it deepens in low lighting. It’s still looks red, just deeper and sexier.

The formula has a tendency to be patchy. Be sure to give it a few more minutes between coats and to paint with a light hand. I prefer doing three coats to bring out the richness of the jelly.

Doesn’t this look gorgeous? It was taken directly under a fluorescent daylight bulb. It’s distinctly darker because it was taken at night. While it may be lighter in daylight, it certainly matches the bottle color here. I think it looks beautiful either way.

Thanks for looking!

Aritaum 14 Vacation Blue

Collection: Modi Glam Nails

Happy 43^rd Earth Day!

Teal blue jelly with gold foil. The foil particles remind me of the Zoya foils, especially Charla. When I first got this, I thought it was a dupe, but nope. Charla has a greener base with a lot more foil.

Vacation Blue has the same thin jelly consistency that is easy to control. My smile line can still be seen here, but I barely noticed as the gold foil is so eye-catching in real life.

One important note: please use a good stain prevention base coat. I used a cheapo base coat and my nails turned blue! After just one hour! I haven’t done a full manicure with it yet. My tips are to paint carefully so it doesn’t get on the skin (see my ring finger) and to remove it in one swipe (instead of rubbing it and getting the color everywhere).

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat (1 coat)
• Aritaum 14 Vacation Blue (2 coats)

Orly Stone Cold

Collection: Mineral FX (2011 Fall)

Sapphire blue jelly with small blue flakes. Light It Up Blue is an annual event on April 2nd for Autism Awareness. The date might be over but the whole month is dedicated raising awareness so I wanted to contribute this gorgeous blue manicure.

For more information on autism, please visit:
• Autism Society
• Autism Speaks
• Autism Association (Singapore)
• Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)

This polish has a thick base, presumably to suspend all the little blue flakes. In the photos above, the jelly base appears sheer at the tips but they are opaque in person.

Thanks for looking!

Polish peels:
• Michelle Base (1 coat)
• Orly Stone Cold (3 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Tony Moly GS09 Shooting Star

Collection: Glitter (2012 Spring)

Sheer lilac jelly with multi-colored glitter. There’s small and medium hexes, plus a sprinkling of gold micro glitter. The lilac base reminds me of OPI Care To Danse? – not just the color but the opacity too.

I found that the glitter doesn't distribute evenly, there was some dabbing and pushing around to get a good spread. It’s not a deal breaker for me but I wish I love the finished look more. It's very delicate looking but I don't favor so many colors of glitter.

Polish peels:
• PVA Glue (1 coat)
• Tony Moly Shooting Star (3 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Polish Days: Bling

Collection: All Night Stars (2003 Winter)

We all know that the yearend festivities are usually showy and sparkly. But this month’s topic was also chosen because Hannah, the amazing lady who organizes the Polish Days, has gotten engaged recently! Her new ring (and fiancé) inspired her to call us to go blingtastic!

Just a year ago, I hardly had any glitter polishes. Estessimo TiNS The Neptune was probably the first full out glitter I bought. Since I had not tried it yet, I figured this would be a good time.

Royal Fire

I did this as my birthday manicure earlier this week; it’s Max Factor Fantasy Fire over Revlon Royal. I saw this combination some time ago and fell head over heels! The bottle of FF shows a purple base, but it’s pretty sheer so it hardly alters the blue base of Royal. And if any of you were wondering, that’s henna on my index finger; a friend did a design on the back of my hand over the weekend.

I got Fantasy Fire in April but this is the first time I’m wearing it since I wanted to save that tiny bottle (my precious~). I still have the manicure on currently, and let me tell you: the wear is amazing. I’m not sure if it’s Revlon, Max Factor or the combination of both, but there’s only a small chip and slight tipwear. And I’m not gentle on my hands; I don’t use gloves when I wash dishes and have a bad habit of using my nails to pick at things.

Essence Blue Addicted

Collection: Color & Go

Deep blue jelly with blue and green hexagonal glitter, and small blue square glitter. I’ve had this for months but dreaded putting it on because I dislike glitter removal. But with PVA glue to make it trouble free, I’m so in love! Doesn’t it look like the deep blue sea?

The formula was very gloppy – it needed around 20 drops of thinner, which is a lot for a 5ml bottle. There’s a lot of glitter in this polish so there’s no need to fish for them even after thinning. In fact, I try to get fewer hexes on the brush or else my nails become too clumpy.

Polish peels:
• PVA Glue (1 coat)
• Essence Blue Addicted (3 coats)
• American Classics Gelous (1 coat)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

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)

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.

Happy 47th Singapore!

Singapore celebrates her birthday today! Over here, we always have a parade with lots of marching, performances and fireworks. The fireworks are a real treat as it’s illegal to set them here bar exceptions like these.

I knew that drawing stars and a crescent was out of my league so I didn’t try. I wanted a soft white (instead of stark) and a dark red (instead of bright) so it’s what I used. Then I spied Dorothy and just had to put her on my thumbs!

(Please ignore the retarded claw pose) Did you manage to see the holo? Thanks for looking and have a great National Day!

Polish peels:
• NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)
Index / Middle
• OPI Don’t Touch My Tutu! (4 coats)
• Spectraflair Top Coat (2 coats)
• Cult Nails Wicked Fast (1 coat)
Ring / Little
• Essie Bordeaux (3 coats)
• Ozotic 518 (1 coat)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)
Thumb
• Essie Bordeaux (2 coats)
• NYX Girls Dorothy(1 coat)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Megan Miller Foxy

Taupe grey jelly. I’m very excited to share this polish with you! Why? Because it’s the first time I ever won a giveaway! Also, I’ve heard good reviews of this brand and I’m always excited to try something new!

Before my review, take a look at that adorable bottle! I really like how it’s put together – the cork cap and rounded body shape, finished with the tied raffia. Just looking at it makes me think of resorts, beaches and relaxation. According to the website, the bottle shape was custom designed and the cork was specially fitted for it. No two bottle are the same – how’s that for personalization! I’d say they definitely achieved their vision of a rustic, natural elegance.

I love jellies and this one is no exception. The formula was just right; it wasn’t runny, gloppy, or too thin. Three coats gave perfect coverage and that glossy shine I’ve come to love in jelly polishes. The first picture in the shade is the most color accurate, but it does take on different tones in different lighting. I’m really glad I had the chance to try this, thanks to Mei Mei!

Polish sandwich:
• Megan Miller Foxy (3 coats)

Sasatinnie FCGL002

Dark purple jelly with red/ green flakes, blue/ purple glitter & silver shimmer. This is supposedly a dupe for OPI Merry Midnight and Orly Fowl Play. I don’t have either but I did find someone who did a comparison between the three. In my opinion, this looks identical to FP while having the sheerness of MM.

Sasatinnie (left) vs. Essie (right)

I have a love-hate relationship with the Sasatinnie brush. Although the shape and size allows me good control, the stem is too short and the cap too bulky for my liking. The bristles are also a little stiff and uneven in length.

As I mentioned, this is one sheer polish. When I decide to do a full mani, I’ll layer this over a base color instead. Still, it’s a good alternative for local ladies who want FP or MM at a cheaper price. I bought it at two for SGD $5 at Sasa together with another flakie.

Thanks for reading!

Polish sandwich:
• Michelle Base (1 coat)
• Sasatinnie FCGL002 (4 coats)

Elianto Indigo Shine & China Glaze Midnight Mission

Elianto Indigo Shine: index and ring fingers (three coats)
China Glaze Midnight Mission: middle and little fingers (two coats)

The base of Midnight Mission is blue while Indigo Shine has a teal base. Because the glitter in both is silver, the base tints it. Both are similar but definitely not dupes!

Midnight Mission is more opaque, needing only two coats. Indigo Shine needs three but I think it’s worth it. Which do you prefer? Should I keep both?

Elianto Racing Green

Collection: Sparkling Diva

Green jelly with gold glitter. This is the most well-known polish of this collection; it made the Elianto brand famous on MUA! It’s a gorgeous green that’s similar to Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. I don’t have MMUTM but I heard that Racing Green leans a little more yellow, so they’re not dupes. I’m glad I found RG because it killed my lemming for MMUTM.

Two easy coats gave me great coverage. As usual, the finish was shiny and smooth, so it’s alright to skip the top coat. This is the last of my Sparkling Diva polishes so I hope you enjoyed them! I wanted to post this up last week but it slipped my mind, so here's a bonus bottle shot! Thanks for looking!

From the left: Glittery Nickel, Racing Green, Indigo Shine

Polish sandwich:
• Elianto Racing Green (2 coats)

Elianto Indigo Shine

Collection: Sparkling Diva

Dark teal jelly with silver glitter. When I first bought this polish, I thought it was blue. But when compared to a true blue based polish, it’s very obviously teal. The best thing I really like about silver glitter is how it reflects the base color beautifully. In Persian Indigo, it was purple, and here, it’s teal!

The formula was a bit thin and sheer, needing three coats for full opacity. Still, there are no bumps despite the glitter, and it dries with a high shine. Thanks for reading!

Polish sandwich:
• Elianto Indigo Shine (3 coats)