Nicole by OPI Nothing Kim-pares To Blue and CND Crimson Sparkle

Tonight I've got a couple swatches to show you that have been sitting in my unposted folder for far too long (I wore this manicure sometime during the summer, I think!). This is Nicole by OPI "Nothing Kim-pares to Blue"; a light periwinkle blue with silver shimmer. The formula was a little sheer. 

Ugh, these Kardashian polish names are killing me...

I then layered CND Crimson Sparkle overtop to amp up the shimmer. Love how it turned out, even if it's a little hard to see in the pictures.

I really love the combination of blue + red shimmer. What do you think of this manicure? Have you made peace with the Nicole by OPI Kardashian collections, yet? I'm still struggling... every time I walk by a display, my aversion to bad reality TV does war with my addiction to nail lacquer. As you can see,  occasionally the love of lacquer wins out. 

SpaRitual - Quietness (Meditate Collection Spring 2013)

Tonight I've got swatches of SpaRitual Quietness to share with you; this lacquer is part of the new Meditate Collection for Spring 2013. I haven't been able to find any other swatches of this collection online, so hopefully this helps some of you out! 

Quietness is a creamy pale beige that leans slightly yellow; it reminds me of a really milky iced coffee, or maybe of irish cream liqueur. Comparison-wise, it's more beige than Illamasqua Load, but not as yellow as China Glaze Kalahari Kiss. I used three coats to achieve full coverage, but the formula was fairly easy to work with; I did notice that it took a long time to dry, though- even thought I painted my nails in the afternoon, the polish was still slightly dent-able later that evening. 

The following two pictures, taken in late afternoon sun, show the polish looking a bit more yellow than it typically looks on the nail; I've included them here nonetheless.

The other lacquers in this collection follow in the subdued, dreamy/pastel trend- a tried and true combination for a spring collection. I think this collection with be more widely available in February, but it is currently available through Nail Polish Canada, which is where I ordered mine from. I've also noticed that it's begun popping up at other online retailers.

What do you think of SpaRitual Quietness? Do you think you'll be picking anything up from this collection?

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.

Smitten Polish - Bluebird

The thing that strikes me the most about nail polish in 2012 was that it was a great year for indie polish. We went from having just a few handmade choices at the beginning of the year to having a plethora of indie polish makers crafting unique and inspired lacquers. I'm thrilled to be able to say I've been a part of it! In addition to making my own polishes through Pirate Polish, I'm a huge supporter of the other wonderful ladies making handmade lacquer. Today I've got a polish from one of my favourite indies: Smitten Polish. This is Bluebird, a unique combination of different shades of reflective blue glitter in a taupe creme base. 

What do you think of Smitten Polish Bluebird? Do you have any favourite indies that really impressed you in 2012 (don't worry- you're not obligated to say Pirate Polish!)? I'm always looking for recommendations! 

Next time, I'll be showing you an indie polish that I really wish I'd made- it's really amazing, so make sure to check back to find out what it is! 

Sally Hansen Blue Frosting

Tonight's post will be a quick one- this is Sally Hansen Blue Frosting, a new-ish shade from the Diamond Strength line. Here I've layered one coat over a dark blurple shade (I thiiiink it's Essie No More Film, which is usually my go-to shade for layering). The finish on this reminds me a bit of the Sally Hansen HD polishes, and features a similar type of flakey shimmer (and in this case, some impressive duochromatic range). This shifts from blue, to purple, to teal. I'm very happy with this- it's pretty eye-catching in person. 

I'm intrigued to see Sally Hansen bust out some fun duochrome polishes, especially in the Diamond Strength line which I typically write off as a snooze-fest when browsing the cosmetics section. It's something a bit unexpected, but definitely welcome. What do you think of Sally Hansen Blue Frosting?

ManGlaze Fatty's Got More Blood

After featuring a deep matte red in my last post, I thought I should show you another one today: this is ManGlaze's Fatty's Got More Blood. Whereas Layla Soft Touch Queen Bordeaux is more of a deep brick red, Fatty's Got More Blood has quite a bit of plum in it- it leans decidedly more purple. It also features this extremely fine holographic shimmer in it. It's only visible in direct sunlight, and isn't so apparent in my photos, but it's really pretty. 

Of course, and as always with ManGlaze, we have to talk about the awesome label art. In this case, it features a badass vampire chick indiscriminately gorging on various decapitated body parts. Who doesn't wanna see that on a nail polish bottle?

In this next photo, I think it's almost possible to see the holographic shimmer...

So what do you think of Fatty's Got More Blood? Is this ManGlaze polish calling your name? What do you think of the name/label art?

Layla Soft Touch in #07 Queen Bordeaux + Jindie Nails Candy Cane

Today I've got another festive manicure to share with you- this is Layla Queen Bordeaux with Jindie Nails Candy Cane as an accent nail. I was extremely excited to try out the new Layla Soft Touch line; it features a fairly unique finish, a combination of suede/matte/rubber finishes. It's not as stark or chalky as a straight matte, and the shimmer isn't as evident as with the OPI suede polishes. This has a lot  of depth- it's not immediately apparent in these photos, but Queen Bordeaux has a fiery red metallic shimmer in it, although it's rather subtle. I don't have anything similar to it; Man Glaze's Fatty's Got More Blood is more plum toned, and has very different shimmer. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this manicure turned out. I also opted to do an accent nail using Jindie Nails Candy Cane, in order to amp up the festive holiday theme. Candy Cane is a lovely white jelly/creme with different sizes and shapes of red and green glitter in it. It's quite sheer, so expect to use 3-4 coats for full opacity. The end effect is glorious- like crushed candy canes on your nails! 

I think this picture in full sun brings out the depth of Layla Queen Bordeaux the most. Isn't she beautiful?

What do you think of my festive manicure? Are you intrigued by the Layla Soft Touch line, or have you had enough of matte/suede/rubber finish polishes?

Availability: I purchased Layla Queen Bordeaux from Nail Polish Canada, and Jindie Nails from her Etsy shop.