Chanel Dragon

Are five photos too many for a red creme? Not when it's this red creme! This is Chanel's Dragon. Fitting name- this lacquer is hard to ignore. I wore this and loved it, especially for a Vaudeville-themed "speakeasy" night I attended a while back. This was probably the longest my nails have ever been, and I trimmed them down shortly after this manicure, but it was really fun to sport long, red nails for a couple days. Very retro and glamourous! 

What do you think of Chanel Dragon? Does it catch your eye?

Glitter Gal - Light As A Feather

I can't help but feel that my swatches don't quite do this one justice; this is Glitter Gal's Light As A Feather, a stunning white linear holographic. I haven't come across anything quite like this, and I remember when this first came out it was pretty unique. Now, with more and more indie makers creating fabulous polishes and exploring new combinations, it might not be as exceptionally unique as it once was, but it's still a fantastic lacquer. Behold:

I really love how light and ethereal this looks. It looked even more flawless in person- delicate and probably subdued enough to be work appropriate, but made special by the addition of holographic glow. Yep, this polish has definitely earned its coveted "awesome" tag.

What do you think of this gorgeous white holo?

Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso with Max Factor Fantasy Fire

Rescue Beauty Lounge's Piu Mosso is a deep navy blue with barely-perceptable golden shimmer (easy to see in the bottle, very hard to see on the nail). I've tried my best to catch the shimmer in these photos, but in reality, it mostly looks like a deep navy blue creme. 

Directly under artificial lighting- the most shimmer I could coax out of this polish:

Piu Mosso is the very first Rescue Beauty Lounge lacquer I've ever tried- and I have to admit, it didn't quite live up to expectations. While gorgeous in the bottle, that pretty golden shimmer doesn't really translate on the nail. And it certainly didn't look anything like it does in these swatches. Formula-wise, it can't be faulted (practically a one-coater, easy to control), but it was something of a let down. Especially with the high price tag (even higher once you factor in international shipping). 

Thankfully, I have a super awesome friend who is also into lacquer, and presented me with Max Factor's fabled Fantasy Fire for my birthday back in November! Amazing, right? Even better, she gifted me TWO bottles of Fantasy Fire. It's like she could see the dilemma coming- if you've only got one small bottle, you can only use it sparingly. But with a back-up, I can awesome-ize any boring manicure I want. Case in point: Piu Mosso gets taken from "meh" to "zomg!!1".

In the sun:

In the shade:

Utterly drool-worthy. And to think, I'd never expected to get my hands on this one. Fantastic birthday present, from an amazing friend. You know who you are!

Dandy Nails Bathed In Light (...the polish I wish I'd made!)

Today I'm going to show you an amazing polish; in fact, it's probably my favourite lacquer of the past year. This is Bathed In Light by Dandy Nails, and it's the polish I wish I'd made.

Bathed In Light is a glorious mixture of a pale grey/taupe base, golden/pinkish red duochrome flash, and fine holographic shimmer. The overall effect is very ethereal; it's very unique and actually has a lot going on, but is also quite subtle and wearable for any occasion. Behold!

So very, very pretty. And that's yet another reason why I adore indie polish. I can't wait to see what my fellow indie polish makers come up with in 2013!

What do you think of Bathed In Light? If you're as taken with it as I am, I'm pleased to tell you it's currently in stock at the Dandy Nails Etsy store.

Sally Hansen Concrete and A-England Merlin

Tonight I've got one of my very favourite polishes to share with you: Sally Hansen Concrete. What makes this polish so special? Well, it's the best neutral I own, and it's the colour I pull out whenever I want to feel professional and polished. Concrete is a perfect taupey-pinkish-beige (in some lights it pulls more grey, while in others it's more of a soft purple/pink). It's always incredibly flattering- more so than any other shade in my collection. It also holds the status of being the only truly back-up worthy lacquer in my collection- quite a distinction! Without further ado, here's my beloved Concrete: 

I also decided to add a gradient of A-England's Merlin to this mani; the fine, delicate silver glitter makes a nice addition to Concrete, although I didn't get the glitter dispersion as even as I would have liked!

What do you think of Sally Hansen Concrete? Can you see why it's perhaps my favourite shade of all time?

Do you have a favourite polish of all time? Let me know in the comments!

Enchanted Polish - Austin Powers

Today I have a gorgeous lacquer to show you- Enchanted Polish Austin Powers. This is my first Enchanted Polish, and I can't believe I've waited so long to try these! Austin Powers is a stunning gold holographic (the linear kind), and it's so blazingly holographic that even in low lighting it's practically glowing. Honestly, I wore this into a theatre one evening, and I could see it blazing away even in the dim lighting before the show began. Incredible! 

Here it is in artificial lighting:

This picture was taken indoors out of direct light, and in person I could still tell it was holographic, although it doesn't really translate in this picture. What's interesting is the way the gold particles look on the nail- I don't really know how to describe it. They're these slightly chunky gold particles, some of them leaning more copper. Very intriguing.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with this polish- and it's impressed me enough that it gets a coveted "awesome" tag. I've never seen such a polish so extremely holographic, and unabashedly gold. Very blingy, and perfectly "Austin Powers". 

I purchased this lacquer via Llarowe, who stocks several Enchanted Polish lacquers, but you'll have to snap them up quick when they get re-stocked, because they tend to disappear in a short space of time. **Edited to add: it seems this lacquer has been discontinued- I'm not sure about any plans to reintroduce it in the future, but if I hear anything, I'll be sure to let everyone know!**

I'll end this post with a bit of exciting news- I've been working hard on a Pirate Polish Halloween collection, and my delightfully ghoulish shades will be revealed in the coming week! Stay tuned. ;)

Ricki's Coral Caspia

Tonight I have an unexpectedly awesome lacquer to share with you: this is Ricki's Coral Caspia.

I found this at the Canadian clothing retailer, Ricki's, for a few bucks. I'm really happy I did pick this up, because it's a diamond in the rough. Coral Caspia is a borderline neon coral with a gorgeous silver/blue shimmer. I didn't manage to capture this in the pictures very accurately, but in person it was very beautiful.

The first two pictures are the most colour accurate, but in this next picture (under artificial lighting), I think the silver/blue flash is most evident. Gorgeous.

What do you think of Coral Caspia? I'm so taken with it, I'm giving it a coveted "awesome" tag. Entirely unexpected, coming from a sale bin at a clothing store!

Dollish Polish Expecto Patronum

HOLY AWESOME POLISH, BATMAN! 

Behold: Dollish Polish Expecto Patronum, two coats, good formula, wore like iron. It has a milky white base with pretty blue glitter of various sizes, and these amazing little copper flakes (hard to see, but in the right light you can see them).

Yep, solid top 10 material for me, and definitely worthy of an "awesome" tag. Good stuff.

Claire's Magnetix - the best magnetic polish I've ever tried!

I'm really loving the magnetic polish trend; I think the pattern created usually looks interesting, and frankly, the whole concept is just cool. They can be a bit hit and miss, though: the Nails Inc design is great, and very user-friendly, while on the other hand, China Glaze kind of missed the mark with their magnetic polishes (awkward to use, hard to get a clear design).

Unfortunately, magnetic polishes are often a good deal more expensive than regular lacquer. That's why I'm thrilled that my new favourite magnetic lacquer is also the cheapest I've ever come across! Claire's Magnetix line costs about half the price of a Nails Inc or Layla magnetic polish, and applies as well or even better.

Have a look at the green polish from Claire's Magnetix line:

Sadly, this colour doesn't have a specific colour name assigned to it; I guess I'll just have to call it "awesome". Because it is, isn't it? Great application, easy to use design, vivid colour, crisp magnetic pattern. All in an affordable polish! I'm a happy, happy lacquer tracker.

If you like magnetic polish, or want to try it for the first time, this is the one to pick up. Now all you have to do is muster up the courage to actually go INTO Claire's... I know I always feel utterly conspicuous going in there to peruse cosmetics along with all the pre-teens. Luckily, this is well within the boundaries of "things I will do for pretty nail lacquer".

What do you think of Claire's Magnetix green?

Pretty and Polished Jawbreaker

Yes, this polish is every bit as awesome and you could have imagined:

And it does, in fact, look just like a jawbreaker. Awesome. Completely unique- I received so many compliments on this. It's a very striking effect, sort of similar to a jelly sandwich manicure, without the need to layer several different polishes.

This polish has definitely earned it's "awesome" tag! What do you think?

I purchased my bottle of Jawbreaker via the Pretty and Polished Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettyandPolished. Currently the shop is closed, but you can click the button to be notified by email when then shop re-opens.

A-England St. George (featuring more Space Guerrillas! Part 3)

Today I have A-England's St. George to share with you, and it's a knock out. I know I've raved about A-England's formula before, but I have to do it again. It's awesome. Just fantastic. And I think I'm prepared to take the step of calling it the BEST formula I have ever tried. It's thick and pigmented, self-leveling, easy to control... practically applies itself! I adore it. What you see below is two coats of St. George, but if I'd taken my time it could have been perfect in one.

The holographic effect isn't as pronounced in this lacquer as in others, but I like that. This is such a lovely teal with so much depth, I don't feel that it's lacking anything by not being blindingly holographic. Gorgeous.

Now, you might have noticed that I've been having issues with Space Guerrillas purloining my precious polishes as of late. And I really must say, they are eyeing A-England St. George in a rather surly fashion...

Uh-oh...

Okay, this schtick is getting a little old, guys. First my China Glaze, then my Dollish Polish, and now my A-England? Not cool!

If only someone could stop them...

Oh, valiant tiny Domos! You'll help me retrieve my lacquers, won't you?

Hmm. Well, they make up for what they lack in stature with bravery. It's very endearing. What will become of our valiant heroes? I have a feeling my next post might include the thrilling conclusion to our story.

Well, what did you think of A-England St. George? Do you love A-England's formula as much as I do? And more importantly, what do you think will become of those tiny Domos?