Going flaky

Hello lovelies,


I am going flaky over flakies. For those who don't know what these are (thanks to Indian cosmetic firms that do not think it necessary to go beyond gold, pink, red and maroon polish), these are sheer or semi-sheer polishes filled with irregular flakes that usually flash different colours in different lightings. It also changes colour according to the polish you have layered it on. Now, on to the beauties in my harem. 

Yes, these ladies are from the NFU-Oh stable. Why call them ladies? Check the unveiling ;)

NFU-Ohs numbers 44, 51, 52, 54 and 56

Aren't these the sexiest bottles ever! The cap is a corset top with the bottle as a full skirt bottom. I got them through a website in the US, fabuloustreet.com. 
Give me a second to stop drooling. Next up...

Deborah Lippmann: Ray of Light

Yes, yes, yes! My first Deborah Lippmann (yep, the one and only with the double P and double N :P ) 

Zoya Flecks effect: Maisie, Opal, Chloe

These Zoyas along with the DL are from Amazon.com. The trio is part of the sampler set but I compared them to other Zoyas and these are full-size bottles. Yippee! 

Oh, there is more...

Barielle: Elle's Spell and Buddha-ful

I got the Barielle polishes from transdesign.com. And we come to the end of my American haul. But for those who would like to own flakies, Indian websites too offer some choices.

NYX: Gilded glitter

This NYX polish is now known as Gold Glitter. It contains plain gold flakies, if you can call gold or flakies plain ;). It does not change colour like the other lovelies but is an excellent layering polish nonetheless. I got it through Stylecraze.com but I do not think it is available there right now. Hopefully, they will replenish their stock soon.

NYX: Pink Avenue and Peach Avenue

To kill your lemming for flakies, NYX Pink and Peach Avenue polishes are a very good option. They are available at a couple of sites including urbantouch.com. 

LA Girl: Crowd Surfing

Unlike the other flakies which were in clear or coloured jelly base, this beauty has a touch of green gold shimmer to it. Part of the Rock Star collection, it is available at stylecraze.com.

And last but not the least...

China Glaze: Luxe and Lush

This polish is not exactly a flakie. While the other flakes are thin, flat and malleable, these are more thicker and like glitter. As it does flash multi colours like flakies, I will club it with the rest. Luxe and Lush is part of ChG's recent Hunger Games collection. I got it through beautyjoint.com. 

So, how do you like my collection and which one would you like to see me swatch first? Do leave a comment :)

Flower power

Hi lovelies,

I had been wearing Revlon Powder Puff for 3-4 days. It was time for some jazz. So, I stamped it with the flower design from my OB plate series I got from the lovely Kejal Shah at http://nailartandthings.blogspot.in/. I chose plate 16 and Konad Red to refresh the mani.

I missed a couple of patches and did not want to risk staining my nails (red dread! ) so I topcoated it using Revlon Slippers, a combination of silver and red square glitter and some hologram hexagons, too. After all glitter makes everything better :)

How do you like my work? Do leave a comment below.

Swatch: Revlon Powder Puff

Hi lovelies,

Soon after turning into a polish and nail art addict began my quest for the perfect white. During my search, I was attracted to Revlon Powder Puff. It could have been the name (who does not want to be the Powerpuff Girls bashing all the baddies) or that it proclaimed to be a matte suede.

This polish is definitely not matte. In fact, it is also not a pure white. Rather, it is a sheer milky colour with an ice blue flash. 

Can you see the blue? Unfortunately, even this does not translate onto the nails. 

It is neither a creme, nor a jelly. Application was not a hassle. The polish was a bit runny but  it did not go on streaky like Faces (review soon). The first coat left bald spots. This is three coats but the polish is so sheer there is visible nail line (I do not mind it, so not a problem). Each coat took about 2-3 minutes to dry. The consistency, of course, means it is useless as a stamping polish. But it did wear well. I had it only my nails for 8 days!
What do you think? Do you like Revlon polishes? Would you buy Powder Puff? Do leave a comment below.


Product: 399 Powder Puff
Brand: Revlon 
Colour: Milky white
Finish: Matte suede
Qty: 14.7 ml
Price: Rs 130 (It can now be got for Rs 117 at healthkart.com).

Kayla Shevonne Giveaway!

Hi guys,

The lovely Kayla Shevonne is offering an awesome giveaway. The entire  China Glaze On Safari Collection! Check it out here:  Kayla Shevonne's giveaway

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DrinkCitra Summer Giveaway

Colourful giveaway!

Three winners
Prize 1: Sinful Colors Aquamarine, Innocent, Cloud 9, Timblrberry, and 24/7
Prize 2: Color Club Platinum Record, Get Your Lem-On, I Always Get My Man-Darin, and Gimme A Grape Big Kiss
Prize 3: Revlon 761 Scandalous, and 230 Popular

This international giveaway will be open till July 28.

Click the link to Enter
http://www.drinkcitra.com/2012/06/summer-2012-giveaway.html 

Stamping: Konad plate M74

Hi lovelies,

I got tired of wearing this dusty mint polish as it is, so I stamped on it with Konad m74.

I tried Faces White O White and OPI Alpine Snow to stamp but the outline was not crisp. Finally, I had to use Konad White. For the accent nail, I used NYX Dreamy Glitter (check out the cute pink star).

It perfectly matched my new top :) Did you like it?
Please leave a comment below. Thanks.

OMG! Giveaway

Hi,

For those obsessing over holos, here's one way to get your hands on 5 polishes from the HTF China Glaze OMG Collection. The giveaway is open internationally (yeaahhh!) and ends on August 15. So head to Kaki's giveaway.

Swatch: Deborah Milano Sense Tech no 4

Hi girls,

Matte polishes are the rage. And despite having a matte top coat, I could not resist buying a couple of matte polishes. The first one I tried, and loved, was Deborah Milano Sense Tech no 4. I cannot figure out why companies do not take out the time to name a product instead of numbering them?

While it seems a fresh mint green in the bottle, it is actually dusty not bright. Its finish is more satiny than just a flat matte, which makes it a pleasure to wear.

The instructions on the bottle specified that it is to be used without base coat, top coat or fast dryer. But I had applied Orly Bonder before I read it. This could be one reason why the first coat dragged. Then again, being a matte polish, it has to be applied fast or it will dry up even as you are painting your fingers (Thankfully, it still does not dry as fast as Zoya). If applied carefully, this could be a one-coater. I was not fast enough so I had to make it two coats. 

The colour is very pretty even on dusky skin. I love the bottle shape, flat and square, which helps in easy storage. The wear time is excellent, too. I wore it for five days without chipping. I did not use topcoat because I love the matte effect.  

Product: No 4,  Sense Tech 100% MAT
Brand: Deborah Milano 
Colour: Dusty Mint
Finish: Matte
Qty: 8.5 ml
Price: Rs 250 (It can now be got for Rs 238 at Urbantouch.com). It is also available at other online stores.

This is my first swatch/review. If you liked it, and even if you didn't, do leave a comment below.  

It is love...

I am in love. Warmth embraces me. The spiceness tantalises me and slick honeyed tan beckons me. I am hungry for more....

Erm, what I am waxing on about here is not a man [fortunate or unfortunate, you tell me  ;) ]. It is The Body Shop's Limited Edition Originals Spiced Pumpkin Bath and Shower Gel!

I am a sucker for good food and great scents. And this is a combination of both: sweet pumpkin and spicy cinnamon. How would I describe the smell? Luscious!

As soon as I brought it home, I opened the bottle and took huge whiffs of it (My family thought I had gone kooky, can't blame them). And I jumped straight into the shower to test it out. Though this is a soap-free product, its lather is rich and smooth. The gel was not very moisturising, a boon for me as I have terribly oily skin. I also realised that the fragrance is more spice than sweet. 

Searching online for other TBS products with the same fragrance, I stumbled on this (which by the way is on the packing too): "This is The Body Shop's first ever customer creation. In 2010, they launched a competition encouraging the public to create their own Limited Edition fragrance. Stephie from California won with her Spiced Pumpkin scent, inspired by her grandma's pumpkin pie."

This product definitely lives up to its name. Eight hours later, I can still smell the sweet spice wafting around me (Now my office mates think I am nuts too o_O). Who cares, I am in olfactory heaven

One word of advice: Do not open this bottle on an empty stomach :)

Summary


Product: Spiced Pumpkin Bath & Shower Gel
Brand: The Body Shop
Size: 250 ml
Main fragrance: Spicy cinnamon, sweet pumpkin
Ingredients: Pumpkin seed extract, community fair trade honey
Skin type: All
Pros: soap-free, lather-rich
Price: Rs 340 (I got it for Rs 170 at the current 50% sale)

For those who can decipher...
Full Ingredients: Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (Surfactant), Glycerin (Humectant), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Surfactant), Sodium Chloride (Viscosity Modifier), PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate (Emulsifier), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Parfum (Fragrance), Trisodium Sulfosuccinate (pH Adjuster), Mel (Natural Additive), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Eugenol (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzophenone-4 (Sunscreen agent, Ultraviolet Light Absorber), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Sunscreen), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Cucurbita Pepo Seed Extract (Skin Conditioning Agent), Denatonium Benzoate (Denaturant), CI 19140 (Colour), CI 14700 (Colour).

Elevation Polish giveaway

Hi lovelies,

If you still haven't visited Finger Polish, you must. Now. For she is hosting an amazing Elevation Polish giveaway. It contains everything your heart desires... sexy reds, beautiful blues, glimmering greens, GLITTERS and HOLOs!

What more would a polish addict want? The giveaway is open internationally (a boon for us deprived Indians) and ends on July 22.  The winner will be announced on July 24.

So hotfoot to the giveaway page.

And best of luck :)

Peel-off polishes

Hello lovelies,

I am still playing catch up with work. This is the only part that mars the afterglow of a super vacation.
Enough with the cribbing, and let me tell you about these amazing VOV peel off polishes I grabbed from a local store in Ahmedabad. The post is slightly long, kindly bear with me. I am making up for lost time ;)

I got these polishes in white, blue and black for Rs 100 each. And I stopped with that because the store keeper did not have any more :D Take a look at the picture:

My camera seems to have an aversion to anything with even the slightest hint of blue! Though it looks dark blue in the picture, it is actually a royal blue with slight shimmer. In comparison, the white and the black are more creme-like. All three dry to a rubberised finish.

The white applies milky but dries translucent which makes it an excellent base for light polishes as it does not alter its hue. The black, I found, is quite opaque and god-send for glitter polishes (ain’t that a pain to remove!).

These are two coats of each colour.
The one thing a wearer needs to be careful about is SNAGGING! You cannot do hard jobs with this on your digits as it begins to lift from the tips. I wore this for a week under a crackle polish Maybe the layering helped, but the wear was impressive. I expected it to look much worse. And I found another advantage: Stain-free nails. Hello, gorgeous greens and bonny blues!

To remove, just rub upwards at the tip and the polish will begin to lift. Tug at it carefully and you can actually remove the entire layer at one go. Cool or what?!

You can of course use polish remover or acetone to do the job, too.

Final verdict: This is a super product. I had a paint-and-peel polish as a kid but that was a gift from the US. I have never seen anything like this in India before.

Have any of you tried these polishes yet? What has your experience been?