#TGPNPC Dupes! Match Untried with Tried: Day 42 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

Pin It

Hi lovelies,

Rolling towards the almost end of this challenge, we have a dupe match untried with tried challenge. And I present to you Zoya Veruschka (swoon!) v/s Faces Green versus Matte.

Here's a shot with the bottles included. I used Veruschka on the two middle fingers and Faces on the pointer and pinky.  After Picture Polish Kryptonite, Zoya Veruschka was one polish I had my heart set on. Unfortunately, it came out nearly 2 years before I got addicted to polish and there was no way I could lay my hands on it. Evil Bay was out of the question. So, I prayed (yes, I tend to do that for polish) and God heard (Thank you!) :) Zoya relaunched its Matte collection and I added Veruschka, a backup (as if I was ever going to finish 1 bottle), Savita (purple), and Posh (red) to my small collection of Zoya Mitzi (chartreuse green) and Harlow (magenta).

But there was a time in between that I decided to get hold of Faces Green versus Matte to satisfy my lemming. And I need to thank my dear friend Dhara from The Happi Therapy for being an enabler. She got me most of the Faces Matte range. This was before Faces launched a counter in Ahmedabad. 

As you can see, while Faces is a beautiful polish but it cannot match Veruschka's gorgeousness. Veruschka is darker than Faces. Veruschka is pretty opaque in one coat. I used two for perfection. Faces need three to four coats to be opaque. And the biggest bummer: It STAINED! Through two coats of nail polish! Now, that is something I can do without. 
I then layered both polishes with L A Girl Crowd Surfing, a sheer apple green polish with fine green glitter and green/orange flakies 
So, what did you think of this comparison? Don't forget to write your thoughts below.
Thanks :)
 
 

Pin It

#TGPNPC Most Expensive: Day 10 of the Neverending Pile Challenge

Pin It

Hi lovelies,

Today's challenge is quite interesting. It seems I have already shown you the most expensive polish that I own here. So the next untrieds are a couple of Picture Polish and KPT polishes. Here' I bring to you Picture Polish Geode.

Picture Polish Geode

Geode is a collaboration shade created with Ami from EverySensory. "It is an egg shell blue with multi-sized hex glitter in royal blue, sea blue and gold dusted with scatter holo, states the website.

Picture Polish Geode

It dries a bit textured, so I used two coats of (non-thick) Seche Vite.

Macro shot: Picture Polish Geode

 Here's a closeup of this polish which looks beautiful on dusky skin. Since there was an empty space (less glitter) on my ring finger, I stamped a sea-horse from BM 414 using Zoya Indigo (a dark blue metallic polish with a hint of multicoloured glitter).

Picture Polish Geode

 Did you like it? Don't forget to leave a comment below :)


Check out the other participants here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Pin It

31DC2013: Day 10 Gradient

Pin It

Hi lovelies,

The tenth day of my 31 Day Challenge threw up the theme of Gradients. I thought of sponging one, the most common way of getting gradient nails. Till, it struck me that I could use something really beautiful for this nail art.
So, this is what I came up with.

This is Inglot 204 (blue flakie near cuticle)  and NYX Peach Ave (golden flakies near the tips) layered over a coat of Colorbar Exclusive 76, a basic black. I just dabbed them on to create the gradient effect.
This is the mattified look. Doesn't it look gorgeous?
If you follow my blog regularly, you will be well acquainted with my internet woes.  So I continue to use my Instagram picture to keep the posts short. 
Liked this manicure? If you did, please leave a comment below. I would like to read your thoughts :)


Colours used:
Colorbar Exclusive 76 (black creme)
Inglot 204 (blue flakies)
NYX Peach Ave (Golden flakies) 


 P.S. Don't forget to connect with me.
Instagram: http://instagram.com/indianlacquerade#
Bloglovin: Click here
Google+ Circle: Click here
Twitter: Click here
Facebook: Click here

Pin It

31DC2013 Day 1: Red

Pin It

Hello lovelies,

Today is the first day of the 31 day challenge. The theme is red. If you have been following my blog, you'll know I do not like red much. But I cannot get away from the fact that this colour does look good on me.
Well, for those who do love the colour, here's a treat.

This is a basic red polish, layered with NFU-Oh 44, an orange jelly packed with gold-orange-green flakies. I am keeping this post short as my internet issues haven't been sorted out yet. 
I already posted this manicure on my Instagram account @indianlacquerade so that I am still in the challenge.
If my net acts up, I shall upload the posts whenever it is working. But do follow me on Instagram to check my progress :)
Here's another picture so you can see how squishy this beauty is

Check out other participants on Instagram under #31dc2013. Cheers!

Pin It

Swatch: NFU Oh 51 Flakie heaven

Pin It

Hi lovelies,

I continue to live in flakie heaven. My company: Nfu-Oh 51. It's a bottle full of purple multichromatic flakie awesome-sauce :)

While camera just refused to pick up its awesomeness, this is the most colour-accurate picture I could manage. Isn't it a beauty? In sunlight, the polish takes on a rich purple tone with copper and gold flakies shining through. This is what I had expected Deborah Lippmann's Ray of Light to be like. 

Check out the bottle! It had to be some clever mind to design such a stunner: A corset-bodice for a handle and a full-skirt bottom as the bottle. It's like a piece of art. I know for sure I am not throwing out THIS bottle when I finish the lacquer. 

Check out the flakies! Golden green, copper-gold, deep purple... This one has it all! This beauty is loaded. It not only has large flakies, it has micro ones, too. And since this polish has a tinted base, it can be layered over dark colours. I want to try it over a blue, green, red and black. Do you have any other colour bases in mind?

The tint is sheer. So, I used four coats to achieve this opacity. Doesn't it looks like a dupe of Clarin's 230 here? The formula is nice, a bit thick but that is expected considering it is loaded with flakies. The brush is a little stubby but not unwieldy. 

Wait for a few minutes between coats to avoid dragging or creating bald spots. You might also need to push back flakies hanging over the nail tip as it will dry hard and feel sharp later. Since this is a flakie polish, wrapping it around the tip might be a problem. But the polish has lasting power. And amazingly, it dries smooth. 


I know my pictures have not done complete justice to this beauty. I promise to take better shots the next time I wear it. And I stamped over this beauty. That's for tomorrow :)

 Product: 51
Brand: Enfu-Oh
Colour: Purple with multichromatic flakies
Finish: Jelly
Qty: 17 ml
Price/Availability: $12.50 but can be bought for a discount at times (Not available in India. Can be ordered through fabuloustreet.com) 

Pin It

Swatch: Barielle Elle Spell

Pin It

Hi lovelies,

I am under a spell. Of this amazing polish called Elle Spell by Barielle. 

Barielle Elle Spell with a coat of holographic glitter

Can you see how this beauty glows? The bottle shows a deep red jelly packed with flakies that shift between gold-orange to green depending on the angle.

The polish was originally released as part of the Holiday Hustle Collection in 2010 but this one turned out to be such a showstopper, it turned around the fortunes of the decades-old beauty company. Now, this gorgeous has been included in their core collection. 

While many prefer layering it over a black base to bring out the beauty of the flakies, I loved it the way it was. Darker in the bottle, it shifts between a deep strawberry pink (in sunglight)  to a squishy cherry red (in the shade).

Elle Spell without topcoat

This is three coats of the polish, without a topcoat. It has a slight texture, but nothing that a lick of topcoat won't solve. I enjoyed it the most on its own but I might layer it over a red next time to conserve the polish.

Elle Spell with topcoat

Forgive the awkward finger pose. But I just had to show you how ah-mazing Elle Spell is in sunlight. The flakies embedded in the jelly gives it a 3D look. When the light hits it at certain angles, it seems as if your nails are on fire. 

Elle Spell: Green flash

The polish is sheer even at three coasts but I do not mind VNL, so no issues. Application was great though it had a slight tendency to build up near the nail tips. Nothing that cannot be managed, though. The colour made my hand look fairer and I could not help checking out the various shades of flakies every other moment. After wearing it for some days, it began to chip. So, I added a coat or two of this ADS holographic glitter in a red base I had got a while ago.

ADS red holo glitter

This polish turned Elle Spell into a more truer red but the glitter was really the icing on the cake. 

This polish was so beautiful, I just did not find it in me to cover it with stamping. So, what do you thing about this one? Do leave a comment below!

Product: Elle Spell
Brand: Barielle
Colour: Red with gold-orange flakies
Finish: Jelly, slightly textured
Qty: 13.3 ml
Price/Availability: $8 but can be bought for a discount at certain websites (Not available in India. Can be ordered through Amazon and transdesign)

Pin It

Swatch: Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

Pin It

Hi lovelies,

Recognise this beauty?

Guess what?

You are right! This is the coveted Deborah Lippmann's Ray of Light, which is described as 'electric indigo blue' with a '3D holographic' finish.

DL Ray of Light

Without its packing....

DL Ray of Light, blurred

As you can see, there is nothing electric or holographic about it. This is a dusty navy blue jelly based polish, packed with irregular copper red flakies that flashes blue/green/yellow at certain angles. 

Shade: DL Ray of Light 

Surprisingly, the formula on this baby was pretty thick. Super thick, in fact. It was not that easy working it on the nails. I was very tempted to add a dab of thinner to the polish but I didn't know what effect it would have on the flakies. So resisted. For such an expensive and touted polish, this was a disappointing result.

DL Ray of Light

Three coats make it pretty opaque. But wait for 3-4 minutes between each coat to avoid clumps or dragging. It is a bit of problem wrapping the tips with this polish as the flakes tend to stick out. That is what happened to my ring finger, trying to clean up the errant flakes.

Shade: DL Ray of Light

I was a bit disenchanted by this polish. I expected the flakies to glow through the polish. No such luck. I felt the flakies had sunk to the bottom of the polish, making it look chunky. Also, despite being a jelly, the finish is not smooth. But this is nothing that a lick of topcoat won't solve.

DL Ray of Light

This was my favourite flash. I simply love the blue-green combination on anything and everything. 
I also stamped on it here.
Excuse the varying hand positions in my posts. I was trying to catch all the colours this polish had to offer. What do you think of this polish? Do leave a comment. 


Product: Ray of Light
Brand: Deborah Lippmann
Colour: Blue with copper flakies
Finish: Jelly, textured
Qty: 15 ml
Price/Availability: $16 to $18 (Not available in India. Can be ordered through Amazon)

Pin It

Happy Friendship Day

Pin It

Hi lovelies,

Happy Friendship Day! This is a day that my fellow beauty bloggers at The Beauty Cafe on Facebook were looking forward to eagerly. They formed a 'Secret frand' list and sent out gifts to each other, sharing their love and admiration. This manicure is for them :)

What's this, you ask? Let me explain....

Strawberry twins: Bundlemonster 306

 The pointer shows the Secret Friends. As cozy as two strawberries in a pod. I know, I know, it is supposed to be peas. But hey, strawberries are sweeter and cuter. And these totally look like they have gone undercover.

A closer and touched-up look of the thumb:

Gift box and chocolate cupcakes: Konad M14

Sorry I could not get a better picture of this. I realised I should have kept the base more simple, but I really wanted to get the most out of the Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light ($18 polish just cannot be wasted o_O ). The stamps are gift boxes, some of which contained chocolates :) And other goodies.

Purses: Bundlemonster 307

Lips & lipstick: Bundlemonster 303

The girls gifted each other lipsticks, shower gels, creams, liners and so many many other wonderful things. These were all so thoughtful because they read each other's blogs and tried all methods (overboard and underhand ;) ) to zero in on the perfect present!
Way to go! The girls are extremely friendly, gracious and accepting. So, this post is being dedicated to them. Keep loving!

Pin It

Going flaky

Pin It

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 :)

Pin It