Swatches & review: Orly Mirrorball

Hi everyone!

As with most nail polish brands, Orly has come out with a Holiday collection and it contains a STELLAR shade (if I do say so myself). Mirrorball is an amazing silver holographic glitter, densely packed and completely opaque in three coats.

And even under indirect light, the holographic goodness still comes out to play.

Have you picked up this beautiful shade yet?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

Read more…

Swatches & review: My own Picture Polish Enchanting collaboration shade!

Hi ladies!

You have no idea how excited I am to be sharing this with you ^^ This is a secret I have been keeping for the past year and I am finally able to reveal it!

To be honest, I wasn't sure of what shade to go with at first when I was initially asked to be a part of a Picture Polish Collaboration release. I really wanted to create a purple shade because well...I adore purple! Picture Polish already has heaps of nail polishes in this colour though. Then I wanted to create a shade to reflect the beauty of Hong Kong, my home country, and slowly the final product was formed.

Picture Polish Enchanting has a holographic finish in a bright, medium green shade. Whilst the lush and lesser-known nature of Hong Kong was my inspiration, I felt a brighter shade of the colour would work better in nail polish form and be more wearable. The girls at Picture Polish did a really good job translating my envisioned shade into reality, with it being just a tinge brighter than I expected. I love it all the same though! ♥

When I hear people talk about Hong Kong, it usually revolves around the hustle and bustle of the city. I want to draw attention to the gorgeous natural landscape of the outer districts, to a more serene, quieter and just as Enchanting environment.

I also tried my hand at putting together a collage of Enchanting, inspired by @lakodom on Instagram. It's in no way as beautiful as the ones she puts together, but I still wanted to show off the inspiration behind my shade.

It's been such a privilege working with the ladies and brains behind Picture Polish. It really is a dream come true to have a shade I helped come up with launching on the website. I really hope you will all love Enchanting as much as I do! :)

Picture Polish Enchanting is now available at www.picturepolish.com.au.

Thanks for reading!
~Sharon

Read more…

Swatches and review: Kitty Got Claws

Hi everyone!

Today, I have a new-to-me brand to share with you all. Kitty Got Claws is an Australian brand established by Deana Sarwari, who says:

"Our nail polishes are quick drying, chip resistant, non yellowing, high gloss finish, UV protected, easy to apply, suitable for vegans."

That's a rather huge claim, so let's see if the nail polishes live up to the description!

First up is Bridal waltz, a beautiful light taupe fit for any occasion. I'm a huge fan of neutral looking nails at the moment so this one is a welcome addition to my stash. Bridal waltz has an easy formula to work with, meaning flawless application. I reached opacity in two coats.

Day dreamer is a bright mint crème which is just so fitting for the Spring and Summer months here in Australia! I found it a little harder to work with this polish, but was able to apply two thicker coats. A top coat helped even out the finish.

Meow was the problem child of the three nail polishes I tried. I found the formula hard to work with and it was still a little streaky even after three coats. Top coat definitely helped even out the overall finish though. Meow has a lovely silver shimmer which is unfortunately more apparent in the bottle than on the nail and in photos.

For the three polishes, I sealed it all in with Kitty Got Claws Instant Crystal Top Coat. It's not a fast drying top coat and not the shiniest one I own, but it does a decent job at evening out the nail polishes. I've also used it over an OPI nail polish, but found the wear time average, with tip wear apparent by day two. Despite the quick tip wear though, there was no chipping in the three days I had the manicure before changing it up.

In terms of aesthetics, I am a huge fan of the bottle shape and it's similar to the Picture Polish one except with a glossy bottle lid. It's compact and very easy to store - I just wish all nail polish bottles were this easy to sort and put away! The minimalistic appearance of the bottle helps draw attention straight to the shade and the nail polish name and ingredients can be found on the bottom of the bottle.

Kitty Got Claws retails for $23 and the top coat for $25 at bottle. You can purchase the nail polishes at the website. For international ladies, check out the international tab.

What do you think of these nail polishes? Are you eyeing any and putting them onto your wishlist?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

Products provided for consideration.

Read more…

Swatches & review: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Street Flair

Hello everyone :)

So Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel may be old news now, but here are my thoughts on Street flair anyway. A few months back, the Miracle Gel line was launched in Australia, with the selling point being the ease of removing normal nail polish, but the lasting power of gel nail polish. I have a three part post featuring some looks using a few of the nail polishes, so stay turned for my review of its lasting power!

Today's post  features a simple nail of the day look using Street flair, a dusty purple shade. It's not only purple, but also my favourite shade of purple, so it was only right for me to try this polish on first ;)

I applied two coats and then sealed it with the gel top coat (also part of the Miracle Gel range), which dries and hardens under natural UV light.

I have to admit, I wasn't used to the slower* drying time, but that may be because it was my first time using the gel top coat. I'd say the manicure was completely dry in 15-20 minutes. Maybe I should have had brighter lighting instead of sitting in the dim lighting and watching a movie!

For a first time user though, it was pretty simple and straightforward. Stay tuned for the next couple of posts!

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

*by slower, I am comparing it to quick dry top coats such as Dazzle Dry Quick Dry Top Coat and Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

Product provided for consideration.

Read more…

Swatches & review: OPI Nordic collection

Hi ladies.

This is super late, but it's better late than never, right? :) I have my picks of OPI's Nordic collection for you today. They're all crèmes and definitely right up my alley! To save from repeating myself, all the shades have a great formula and were opaque in two easy coats.

First up, I have the delightful My dogsled is hybrid. It's a beautiful shade and I can see myself grabbing for it often as Spring settles here in Australia.

Can't aFjord not to is a pretty orange. It's not too bright to be in your face, so for someone like me who usually hesitates with orange shades on my nails, I can see this being quite wearable.

Suzi has a Swede tooth is a surprise love for me. Not one to reach easily for pink on my nails, I found this one very wearable against my skin tone. Another one I'll be using often in the upcoming warmer months!

Do you have this color in Stockholm is pretty different to the last three shades. This one is wham-pow in your face in comparison! Not neon bright, but definitely very saturated and and amazingly rich in colour. Being a purple lover, this is of course another one which will be given a fair bit of attention amongst my stash.

I know it's been a while, but have you picked up any of the shades from this collection? What are you thoughts on these four nail polishes?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

Products provided for consideration.

Read more…

Ulta3: Celebrating 100 shades

Hi everyone~ New nail shape alert! :) I decided to give the oval look but I'm not sure if I love it too much.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on Ulta3's 10 new additions to their current nail polish range - making it a total of 100 shades available now! All of my swatches show two coats.

Cloud nine is a nice and light neutral. I know I'll be using this often as a base for nail art.

Untold secret is a pink-tinged neutral which surprisingly looks good against my skin tone. Yay, another wearable pink added to my list! :)

Wild heart - is it a purple-y brown or a brown-y purple? I'm not sure of how to describe it. A nice shade fit for the cooler months though.

It's a bit grey is a dark grey. Another nice shade for the cooler months here in Australia right now!

Hearts desire, what a nice change to the darker shades! I love this brighter raspberry shade :)

Moody blues, how what a beautiful blue you are! I love these shades of blues and can never get enough of them, so expect to see this lots on the blog ;)

Pop art is definitely one of my favourite shades of the collection. It's actually not too colour accurate here, picture a brighter pink instead.

Rising sun is a nice dusty red shade which suits the cool weather. It's not too in your face, so  nice start for those venturing out into the red nail shades.

On the green has shot up my favourite green list and become number one! A lovely toned down mint look, I love that it doesn't make my fingers look red too.

Purple primrose is the only shimmer in the collection. I'm not a huge fan of red-toned purples, so I feel a little meh towards this one.

All in all though, a nice round up of 10 new Ulta3 shades to add to the collection! I know I'll be making use of the many crèmes in future nail art.

What do you think of the shades?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

Read more…

Swatches & review: OPI Tinted Top Coats collection

Hi everyone! My apologies for my sudden absence - real life required some extra time so I wasn't able to spend as much time on the blog. But I'm back now (with some exciting giveaways planned!), so I'll dive straight back into the polish :)

I did some quick swatches of OPI's Tinted Top Coats collection a while back and from index to pinky:

Be magentale with me, Don't violet me down, I'm never amberrassed, I can teal you like me.

My swatches show two coats over a white base.

In terms of formula, it was thick and goopy and prone to bubbling. I had to be very careful to let each coat dry between coats to ensure no bubbling.

I decided to do some quick nail art with the four shades! I simply used the brush from the bottle to make swipes over a white base.

The Tinted Top Coats collection is now available in David Jones, Myer and selected salons across Australia. Each bottle retails for $19.95.

What do you think, have you picked up any of these shades?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

Products provided for consideration.

Read more…