holycrapyouneedthis: Joe Fresh – Twilight

Joe Fresh, knocking it out of the park again. Starting with a close-up this time!

Ugh. Joe Fresh Twilight is a $4 polish, people. And it has flakies in it. Beautiful duochrome-tastic flakies. It has a sheer black jelly base (that, upon first coat, looks utterly crap), that builds to an opaque black in two coats. And suspended within it are the most hypnotic bits of misshapen glitter flakes (“flakies”) that flash blue, green, orange, and gold (the bottle photo below shows it particularly well).

Uggggggggghhhhh (just to be clear, all these guttural noises are meant to evoke feelings of desire and lust, and not of disgust).

I cannot contain my love for this polish. There was only one of these left on the racks at Superstore, and when I picked it up, I audibly said to myself: “Oh my freaking God”, and put it into my basket within two seconds of picking it up. I knew instantly I had to have it. I can even look past the fact that it shares a name with my least favourite teen vampire franchise.

I do realize this polish is better suited for the colder months—in fact, this would make a kick-ass Halloween manicure. But I don’t care that it’s May and was 16 degrees yesterday. I’m going to wear whatever awesome nail polish I want (keep in mind, this is coming from the girl who has been aching for the return of spring and summer for the past couple of posts now. What can I say? I just can’t commit to one season).

OPI Katy Perry – The One That Got Away

Totally kicking myself for not getting this one the first day I saw it.

Yup, it’s OPI’s The One That Got Away, from the Katy Perry collection. A mid-to-dark berry purple/dark pink colour with this wicked shimmer. The shimmer has the same quality as OPI’s Tease-y Does It – I think this is called “glass-fleck”? Well either way, I LOVE IT. A friend I bumped into a few days ago commented that it looks like it would be gritty to the touch (I agree; probably because it looks like the shimmer floats on the surface), but it feels absolutely smooth. It glitters gloriously in the sunlight. The above photo, taken under incandescent light, captures this somewhat.

Another photo of it under a fluorescent light; see how the shimmer looks sort of like it’s packed on the surface?

Strangely this one doesn’t look very impressive in photos. I can assure you, though, in person…it is gorgeous! Oh yes, and since it was part of the Katy Perry collection, which I’m sure you remember to have contained Black Shatter, this colour is also meant to be worn under the shatter polish. I don’t know though, I don’t really feel like covering up the amazing shimmer with some black shards of goop. *shrug*

The one that started it all: Chanel Paradoxal

And by “started it all”, I mean it’s the one that confirmed that I officially had a problem hobby.

Chanel Paradoxal is already a Chanel classic in its own right, right up there with Particulière, Black Satin, and Blue Satin. This is the first polish release for which I waited with bated breath. And then actively sought after. I even tried to get my brother to buy this for me in France (he couldn’t find it. Still don’t really understand how French Chanel beauty stores drop the ball on new releases, but whatevs). After weeks of lusting after it, I finally found it in the form of two bottles of Paradoxal I accidentally received for my birthday (one from my mom, one from my aunt). Well, we overshot the goal a bit but at least I got there!

Holy effing crap do I ever love Paradoxal. Am I hyping this up too much? I hope not! This polish is definitely not as flashy as the bottle suggests—the smoky dark purple-y gray creme base dominates, making the polish appear as a creme from further away. Almost none of that intense bright violet shimmer would appear on the nail.

But it’s still so freaking pretty. You don’t always crazy in-your-face shimmer for a polish release to do its job. Elegant, yet edgy. Conservative, yet has a hidden bit of excitement in the shimmer. The bright violet shimmer keeps Paradoxal from being a boring flat taupe-y purple gray that’s been reimagined hundreds of times. Especially if you look at your nails under sunlight or incandescent light, the shimmer jumps out at you from the centre of the nail.

Formula? Great. Applies like buttah. Two coats and you’re golden. Brush – like it a lot! It’s a traditional brush (which I usually find just average), but strangely, I found I could control this one very easily. Although that could be due to its exceptional consistency.

Now, my point of contention…Chanel polishes are not cheap, obviously. Can’t remember the exact price but it’s gotta be at least $20CAD a pop. That’s not even the problem (after all, I didn’t pay for it, hahaha). Chanel polishes are just not ideal in the longevity department. I haven’t actually had this chip on me, but it’s because I don’t wear the same colour for extended periods of time. But on the second day of wear, you can already notice very noticeable tipwear, and it really gets on my nerves. Feh.

Sigh. I guess nothing truly is perfect. For the sophistication of the colour alone, though, it instantly made it onto my all-time favourites list!

China Glaze – Unplugged

Another nail polish I bought on my mini-spree over the past week:

Oooh, how do I describe China Glaze Unplugged (from Spring 2008′s Ecollection)? It’s…a very rich warm brown, ever so slightly red, packed with copper/gold shimmer. Another one of those shimmery dark polishes that’s dark round the edges, light in the centre…seems to be glowing and lit from within.

I like the colour, but I’m not sure about brown nail polish. Will just have to get used it it, I suppose!

I’ve actually only tried two China Glaze polishes before, and I’m kind of ‘meh’ about them. The brush is seriously way too skinny and small and doesn’t fan out over the nail very well, making it difficult to shape around the cuticles. I had to do a lot of fix-up with a brush and nail polish remover after. I suppose that’s compensated for with the runny formula (which I’m not a fan of), but the brush makes it sooo hard to control. The polish kind of accumulates at the top as you’re trying to wipe off the excess, and you’re left with a huge goop of runny polish on your nail. With the two China Glazes I’ve tried, I’ve had to be VERY careful about getting just the right amount of polish on the brush. Sigh.

At least it was inexpensive – a couple of bucks at Winners. Even at regular price it’s not too damaging on the wallet. I will have to try out a few more CG’s to see if they’re all like this, but it might be worth dealing with the less-than-ideal formula for their more unique colours!

H&M – Peppermint Fusion

I had a very interesting week. Probably the most stressful I’ve ever had. Two papers, two assignments (all due within 12 hours), and a crazy difficult Income Tax midterm on Friday night…goodness. GOODNESS. That explains my lack of posting. Though that didn’t stop me from picking up 5 new polishes during this stressful time…hey, everybody needs therapy, and what better than retail therapy?

I FINALLY had a free(ish) weekend and spent part of it pleasantly shopping with Alison (the ingenious one who christened the blog’s name), and picked up this number:

H&M Peppermint Fusion. I know that H&M makes nail polish and on several occasions have been thisclose to actually purchasing, but have always put them down. No real reason, maybe just my subconscious telling me: YOU HAVE TOO MUCH NAIL POLISH. Couldn’t resist this strange one though.

The base colour is a dusty, gray-ish periwinkle blue, shot through with very fine and subtle bright blue shimmer. Oddly enough, this $5.95CAD polish reminded me of a Chanel polish, what with the dusty base colour and very subtle, lit-from-within shimmer. Chanel Paradoxal is so similar to this in texture and finish, although of course in a completely different colour.

Check it out, the shimmer is way more obvious close-up and under a camera flash!

ooooOooooOoo. Pretty.

It went on with no problems, and was opaque in two coats. Not bad for an inexpensive polish!

Oh yeah, and Peppermint Fusion? I honestly thought it was labelled incorrectly, because what part of this colour reminds you of peppermint in any way? Whatever. Nail polish names…why can’t you and I ever get along?

Joe Fresh – Peacock

Hey everyone! I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s sad because Reading Break is over, and let me tell you…I did absolutely nothing. Honestly. I’m kind of ashamed of myself. And also extremely proud – I certainly can’t enjoy any more of this couch potato bull crap starting today :( Midterms and papers! Sigh.

But what better than to cheer yourself up with an inexpensive nail polish? Those of you who live in Canada may be familiar with Joe Fresh, which sells affordable clothing, accessories and beauty products at Loblaws, Superstore, and various free-standing stores across the nation. This is the first nail polish I’ve tried from the brand and I have to say, I quite like it!

Joe Fresh Peacock is a deep teal (leaning on the blue side) with intense teal shimmer – in the bottle you can see a bit of a teal and purple/blue duochrome shimmer but it’s barely visible on the nail, except in low light. To me, it’s the teal version of the polish featured in my last post, Essie Sexy Divide. It has that same glowy quality (perhaps with somewhat more visible brush strokes, but they’re not at all obvious) – dark round the edges and light in the centre. So pretty!

The bottle is a bit clumsy though – the lid is really short and wide, making it a bit awkward to get a good grip on it when applying. However, I like the brush a lot. It’s very similar to the OPI ProWide brushes which I find very effective for neat application. Formula was good as well, as I only needed 2 coats to achieve opacity.

After checking out the colour range, I can say that Joe Fresh polishes are very on-trend (I can’t wait to try out some of the super pretty pastels). For $4 a pop, or $10 for three, it’s a great way to try out some new colours without making a huge commitment. Fair warning though: on a per-ml basis it’s not the cheapest polish around (it’s a bit more expensive than OPI), but I’m still going to pick up some more colours the next time I’m at Superstore! :)

Essie – Sexy Divide

If pressed to answer, I think I would say that my favourite colour is purple. It’s such a moody colour, and can look sophisticated and funky at the same time. Needless to say, I LOVE purple nail polish. Essie’s Sexy Divide just brings that love to a whole new level.

Okay, the name? I never understand nail polish names. But the colour! Sexy Divide is a deep purple packed with purple shimmer (or could it be a mix of blue and red?). The result is another one of the polishes that looks sort of like a creme from far away, but positively glows when the light hits it. There are no brush strokes to be seen, and no discernible bits of glitter either. It’s just an absolutely flawless, radiant purple polish.

Formula on this is divine – so smooth and perfect consistency. I got it at Shoppers Drug Mart – wait for the Essie’s to go on sale when you go there. I think they retail for~$11.99CAD but I’ve often found them on sale for $8.99CAD. Unfortunately they don’t sell the new collections, only a dozen or so classic Essie colours, but I’ve already racked up a few! Love.

butter LONDON – All Hail the Queen/McQueen

IT’S READING BREAK! Rejoice! Oh, and a happy Anna Howard Shaw Day to you (I give all my love to people who know that reference)!

How have I been spending it, you ask? Oh, not much, just sitting around at home being sick out of my mind, being spoon-fed medicine by my mother. I’m telling you, it’s truly an experience every time she brings me another dose of medicine. Currently she has me taking this cough syrup which is making me feel, uh, woozy. Drunk drowsy. Mind is fuzzy. You know the deal.

Thankfully I’m nearing the end of the illness (hopefully). Sore throat is gone, just have the lingering annoying cough. Maybe I’ll finally be able to enjoy my reading break starting tomorrow? Oh wait, I’ve still got a stack of homework and midterms to study for. Who has time for Valentine’s Day? No one wants to be close to a sick person, ha! So unfortunately I’ve had no one to share this lovely nail polish with:

butter LONDON’s All Hail the Queen (also known as All Hail McQueen). Ah, how I have lusted after you for weeks! Finally found this gem a few months ago at BeautyMark in Yaletown. Funny naming though – I’ve always known it as All Hail McQueen from blogs (this shade was created as a tribute to the legendary designer not long after his passing), but when trying to look for it at the shop, all I could find was a polish that looked very similar, but was called All Hail the Queen. Rest assured, some Googling afterwards confirmed that it was the same shade. Why the name change? Who knows, maybe some copyright issues?

All Hail the Queen is a very unique neutral polish with lots of microglitter – it’s not immediately evident, but it clearly has a slight holographic thing going on. The glitters very subtly reflect “rainbow”, similar to GOSH Holographic. It’s definitely the most interesting neutral polish I own, and makes it so awesome – suitable for everyday wear in an office, for example (or at school if you don’t want people looking at your nails strangely, haha). But it still has enough interest with the holographic glitter for a polish lover like myself. Kind of eccentrically sophisticated. Loves it.

butter LONDON is a pretty new brand to me, but my experience with this polish was pleasant. It comes in an classy rectangular bottle with a removable cap – very much like Chanel. The brush is also Chanel-esque; rounded and long. The price was  quite steep (can’t remember exactly, but it was around $20CAD), but the polish applies with great ease and is just the right consistency. It’s also a 3-free lacquer, meaning it contains no formaldehyde, toluene, or DBP, and claims to be not carcinogenic.

It’s not often that I drop over $10 on a polish, but when I do, I expect it to be amazing. For the uniqueness of the polish alone, I think the price was worth it.

OPI – Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not

Hope you’re having an awesome Wednesday! And not sick like me :( Ended up skipping two classes and went home instead. Sigh.

This polish though, is exquisite.

OPI’s Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not from their Fall 2008 France collection, has quickly made its way into my favourite purple polishes, if not my favourite of all time. Right now as I’m looking down at my nails, it looks like quite a dark neutral purple. But under more bright lights, the polish looks more like a mid-toned very red-tinged purple with tiny blue (or purple?) and pink shimmers. I love these kinds of polishes the most – they’re not so shimmery that they border on frosty and leave behind brush strokes. In low light they almost look like cremes, but in sunlight KA-POW, the shimmer really jumps out. The best way I can describe the look is “glowy” – like the shimmers are lit within. A bit hard to see in the above photo, but trust me on this one! :)

Two coats were needed – application was easy-peasy. And of course, topped off with a top coat.

Ah! I just love this so much! I’ve used Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not so much that you can actually see what level the polish is at – I know that sounds trivial but it’s super rare for me to use up a coloured polish that fast. It’s my go-to purple polish and I always get so many compliments on it. I think it’s because it’s very noticeably purple (not like the inky near-black purples), but muted at the same time. A perfect combination!

Holographic Shatter!

Hello again, hope your weekend was swell :)

So if you’ve been reading my previous posts,  you’ll know I was at the kid’s salon looking for OPI Black Shatter. I saw a Katy Perry display but there was none to be found. Worried, I asked the owner if she had any more. Turns out she had stored them elsewhere and said I could only buy it if I also bought another polish. Ha! Like she thinks she can deter me from buying one polish by forcing me to buy another. I was happy to have an excuse to buy one more, thank you very much.

Enter GOSH Holographic. This is one of those rarities that seems to elude you. I have been stalking the GOSH section of Shoppers Drug Mart for months looking for this! To this day I still can’t find it. I had to buy this in Hong Kong for ~$10CAD, and for only 8ml! That’s $1.27/ml. By comparison, an OPI polish is 15ml and costs around $8CAD, or $0.53/ml. Ridiculous.

Nonetheless, I think it was worth it. This polish is NUTS. Look at that crazy holographic rainbow. Even messed up my camera’s focus so everything looks a bit off for some reason. Just…wow. So amazing it probably deserves its own post.

Time to shatter it up!

Hmm. I think the coats I applied were too thin, so the cracks were also thin.  You can’t really see the cool holographic qualities of the GOSH polish underneath. Thicker coats would be better next time.

This works best over polish that is dry to the touch, or else it doesn’t shatter properly. I think this could also be my issue. Check out the cap of the bottle – the shape of the shatter looks much different than what is actually on my nail, which ended up looking like lightning or tree branches. Still cool, but not what I imagined. Also, a top coat is needed over the shatter to protect it. It dries super fast to a matte finish, but is pretty fragile and can chip off easily.

Worth the hype? I think yes. Gives a really cool effect without much effort. Apparently shatter polishes have been around for a while (I wouldn’t know), but the formula of this OPI one is superb. So ladies, if you want it…better act fast! They’re flying off the shelves.