I'm going to see Sara Bareilles in concert today! This mani was inspired by the colors of her Blessed Unrest album.
So excited!
So excited!
Formula X's Xplosive Top Coats collection is the most indie-looking part of this entire range. I love that these glitterbombs are becoming more mainstream because mainstream = accessible. All the pretty with none of the hassle of restocks or drama.
Formula X Demolition's glitter mix is turqoise, lime, orange, light pink, and white hexes in varying sizes. It applied as well as a glittebomb can. I really like this glitter mix. It took forever to decide what to put it over because it looks good over pretty much everything.
Formula X Demolition retails for $12.50 and is available at Sephora.
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| Demolition dabbed over 3 coats RBL Starfish Patrick |
Formula X Demolition's glitter mix is turqoise, lime, orange, light pink, and white hexes in varying sizes. It applied as well as a glittebomb can. I really like this glitter mix. It took forever to decide what to put it over because it looks good over pretty much everything.
Formula X Demolition retails for $12.50 and is available at Sephora.
12 October
8
comments
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| 3 coats |
Dior Abricot (sorry, the photo's mislabeled!) is a pale peach with gold pearl. Abricot! Why you so pretty?! It's such a delicate, elegant shade. It's also probably the most flattering polish in this color family that I've tried so far.
I know I rave about Dior's formula all the time, but I kid you not, Abricot applied flawlessly. The consistency is thin but not at all runny. No streaking or cuticle dragging. I'm going to go ahead and say this is a must-have if you like shades like this.
Dior Abricot retails for $24 and is available exclusively at Sephora.
11 October
7
comments
Petrol is the only polish that even remotely piqued my interest from Butter London's Holiday 2013 offerings. Usually they come out with some real winners, but half the collection is repromotes. Anyway, onto what I think is the star of the collection.
Butter London Petrol is purple/blue duo. It is promoted as an overcoat, but it actually looks better on its own. Considering it only takes 3 coats for opacity, that's pretty great news. Over black, it loses that squishy look and some depth of color. I will try other combos soon, as I think it has potential to make some shades look awesome.
The formula was just okay. It applied pretty streaky, and I had some dragging at the cuticle. I needed two coats over the black because the first coat was too streaky to leave it that way. I prefer for my layering polishes to apply perfectly in one coat.
Petrol reminds me of Sally Hansen Grape Going, but I no longer have that to compare the two. Might be worth looking into if you're looking for a cheaper alternative.
Butter London Petrol retails for $15 and is available at Ulta.
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| 3 coats, 2 coasts over 1 coat Illamasqua Boosh on pinky |
Butter London Petrol is purple/blue duo. It is promoted as an overcoat, but it actually looks better on its own. Considering it only takes 3 coats for opacity, that's pretty great news. Over black, it loses that squishy look and some depth of color. I will try other combos soon, as I think it has potential to make some shades look awesome.
The formula was just okay. It applied pretty streaky, and I had some dragging at the cuticle. I needed two coats over the black because the first coat was too streaky to leave it that way. I prefer for my layering polishes to apply perfectly in one coat.
Petrol reminds me of Sally Hansen Grape Going, but I no longer have that to compare the two. Might be worth looking into if you're looking for a cheaper alternative.
Butter London Petrol retails for $15 and is available at Ulta.
10 October
3
comments
It's a little unhealthy how much I love Deborah Lippmann mini sets. There has yet to be a set I've been disappointed with, and the Starlight set is no exception.
All of these swatches have 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Addicted to Speed. The glitters that could be layered were layered over one coat of Illamasqua Boosh and two coats of NARS Ecume.
Deborah Lippmann Blinded by the Light is a clear base with silver and holo sequins and microglitter.
Deborah Lippmann Champage Supernova is a peachy pink base with the same glitter as Blinded by the Light. This is perfection over white. I bet it would look even better over a white jelly.
Deborah Lippmann Cosmic Love is a pink jelly base with gold, purple, and pink holo hexes. Definitely my favorite glitter of the bunch. I can't wait to make a jelly sammich with this!
Deborah Lippmann Fantastic Voyage is a blue jelly base with gold, blue, and silver hexes. There is also some blue microglitter in this one. Another love for me.
Deborah Lippmann Lost in Space is shimmery blue base with holo hexes. This dries matte and lumpy, but with some patience and some top coat, Lost in Space looks absolutely stunning.
Deborah Lippmann Twilight Tone is a black shimmery base with holo hexes. The black version of Lost in Space. Same story here. It takes a little manipulation to get it to not look lackluster.
The formula of the glitter bombs was what you would expect from a polish packed with glitter. A bit clumpy, and they need to be dabbed on rather than painted on. Blinded by the Light and Champagne Supernova were less dense than Fantastic Voyage and Cosmic Love.
The matte shades were a bit tricky to apply because they dried really quickly, and the glitter has a tendency to clump. None of these are especially top coat hungry.
The Deborah Lippmann Starlight set retails for $49 and is available at deborahlippmann.com
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| I mean, look at them. They're all glitters! |
All of these swatches have 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Addicted to Speed. The glitters that could be layered were layered over one coat of Illamasqua Boosh and two coats of NARS Ecume.
Deborah Lippmann Blinded by the Light is a clear base with silver and holo sequins and microglitter.
Deborah Lippmann Champage Supernova is a peachy pink base with the same glitter as Blinded by the Light. This is perfection over white. I bet it would look even better over a white jelly.
Deborah Lippmann Cosmic Love is a pink jelly base with gold, purple, and pink holo hexes. Definitely my favorite glitter of the bunch. I can't wait to make a jelly sammich with this!
Deborah Lippmann Fantastic Voyage is a blue jelly base with gold, blue, and silver hexes. There is also some blue microglitter in this one. Another love for me.
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| 3 coats |
Deborah Lippmann Lost in Space is shimmery blue base with holo hexes. This dries matte and lumpy, but with some patience and some top coat, Lost in Space looks absolutely stunning.
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| 3 coats |
Deborah Lippmann Twilight Tone is a black shimmery base with holo hexes. The black version of Lost in Space. Same story here. It takes a little manipulation to get it to not look lackluster.
The formula of the glitter bombs was what you would expect from a polish packed with glitter. A bit clumpy, and they need to be dabbed on rather than painted on. Blinded by the Light and Champagne Supernova were less dense than Fantastic Voyage and Cosmic Love.
The matte shades were a bit tricky to apply because they dried really quickly, and the glitter has a tendency to clump. None of these are especially top coat hungry.
The Deborah Lippmann Starlight set retails for $49 and is available at deborahlippmann.com
09 October
10
comments
I am more than pleased with this revamp of Sephora's nail polish
offerings. I was never super impressed by SOPI, so it's awesome to have
it replaced by a range so diverse and complete. They covered all their
bases. The first shade that caught my eye was a shimmer from the New
Classics collection.
Formula X Infinite is described as an aubergine pearl. I see it. It glows like nobody's business. Infinite's formula was just okay for me, but oh my goodness is it pigmented! Thinner will be necessary for the next time I wear this, so it will be interesting to see if it's still a one-coater when it's not as thick.
I popped a coat of Nfu.Oh 51 over Infinite, just to see what would happen to the color. Magic. That's what happened.
Formula X Infinite retails for $10.50 and is available at Sephora.
offerings. I was never super impressed by SOPI, so it's awesome to have
it replaced by a range so diverse and complete. They covered all their
bases. The first shade that caught my eye was a shimmer from the New
Classics collection.
 |
| 1 coat |
Formula X Infinite is described as an aubergine pearl. I see it. It glows like nobody's business. Infinite's formula was just okay for me, but oh my goodness is it pigmented! Thinner will be necessary for the next time I wear this, so it will be interesting to see if it's still a one-coater when it's not as thick.
I popped a coat of Nfu.Oh 51 over Infinite, just to see what would happen to the color. Magic. That's what happened.
Formula X Infinite retails for $10.50 and is available at Sephora.
08 October
3
comments