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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Ludurana - Magnifica


Hello lovelies!
I'm wearing another Ludurana holographic scored on Ninja Polish. This one is Magnifica and is a blue gem! I went with three coats with top coat, but it is easily opaque in two coats. I don't have a lot to say, just look at the pics lol!

Sun light

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Ludurana - Superior


Morning lovelies :)
The sun is finally back after weeks of rain and the holos in my untrieds were begging for some attention. Today I have for you Superior, a chartreuse holographic polish part of the Ludurana Aurora Boreal collection. If you remember, I posted about the multichrome collection few weeks ago. I bought Superior on Ninja Polish. I love it, it's like liquid gold and looks so precious. I love the yellow linear holo particles in it. It applied like a dream and smells so good! I can't get enough of Ludurana polishes. I went with three coats, topped with Seche vite and it didn't dull the effect. Enjoy!

Sun light

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Max Color - Neon


Good afternoon :)
Another duochrome on the menu! Neon by Max Color flashes from pink to violet, with a very small hint of blue. I received it in a recent swap from Brazil. I have never heard about it before and Google wasn't helping, so there is not a lot of information I could provide you on the brand :( I used two coats layered over Wet N Wild Black. All swatches are without top coat.

Artificial light

Let's smile today!


It's Sunday peeps!
Sending you a lot of love and positive vibes, especially to those going through hard times! I don't know why, but I woke up very thankful. Thankful for the life that I have, for waking up in good health everyday, for having a loving and supporting family. We take many things for granted and the nail polish world can be cutthroat at times. I have a mani that reflects my mood today, but that also says that there's hope that everything will be okay. I hope you like it!
I used three coats of Cacee BFF Summer. I like it because it's not the kind of in-your-face neon yellow. I did the eyes with a dotting tool and the smiles with a black nail art stripper :)

Artificial light

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Gold and silver nail art - Tutorial


Hey!
I'm testing my nail art skills. I'm getting better but I'm no expert. I love fast, cute and easy nail art. Not too much bla bla today, just pictures :)

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Hits Pega-pega

Hello Lovelies!

There is nothing better than raising awareness on important causes by doing something that you love. Hits Speciallita collaborated with GRAACC, a support group for children and adolescents with cancer, and launched Sou Fã de Criança a collection of five shimmery shades. This collection is a social campaign in itself and aims to fight against childhood cancer and promote the importance of early diagnosis. The five colors were inspired by the GRAACC logo and popular children's games. Of course, the profit made from the sale of this collection will go to the cause. I was very happy that my friend Claudia were able to get me Pega-pega, which is a fiery purple with pink shimmer. It is very sheer, even after three coats, so I layered one thick coat over Orly Royal Velvet and love the result!
All swatches are without top coat.

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Orly - Royal Velvet


You know sometimes you see a color and you don't know if you like it so you leave it and forget about it. That happened to me with this particular polish. I see it every time I go to the nail supply store and every time I put the bottle in my basket to remove it at the register (yes basket and carts, just to tell you how big and amazing that store is) I'm moving out soon and decided that I didn't want to regret not having Royal Velvet, so I got it. Now I feel stupid that I have waited that long. It's a beautiful purple to midnight blue duochrome. It applied easily in two coats and didn't need top coat. On to the pics!

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K's Special Fridays #11 - Moon Dust pigments


Hello lovelies!
I have another cool pigment collection from TKB Trading that is so great for frankening multichromes! The Moon Dust collection is comprised of five color shifting pigments. It is also made with smaller particle sizes than the Star Bites that I reviewed last week, so it has a smoother finish. I mixed half Wet N Wild Clear + Luster base + 4 straw scoops of each pigment to create those beautiful top coats. All swatches show two coats of each polish layered over Wet N Wild Black, without top coat. The following color shifting descriptions were taken from TKB's website. Let's see!


Thursday, May 24, 2012

Magnetics comparison


Hey everyone :)
Another comparison post, this time I wanted to try the magnetic polishes that I have. I bought a lot of them a long time ago and wore them separately. It's just practical for me to have them all under one post for future reference lol (truth is I was lazy to swatch them by themselves). The directions are often the same with magnetic polishes: apply one coat and let it dry, then apply a second coat and immediately place the magnet near the wet polish without touching it. I followed the same directions for every nail and held the magnet for 10 seconds. All swatches are without top coat.

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From left to right: Nails Inc Whitehall, Claire's Magnetix in Gold, Layla Magneffect No 13

Lynnderella - Mlle Violette de Bleu


I just love the name of this polish by Lynnderella. French being my maternal language, it revives a lot of memories in me, a song in particular "Mademoiselle chante le blues". It's a lavender, blue, and holographic gem, only for glitter aficionados! I had a beautiful aquamarine blue in my untried stash and thought it would be the perfect undie for MVDB. I was surprised to find out that the polish has a smoky base, so it will darken the base you have two shades down. It's not a bad thing, I just thought the base was clear. I dabbed one coat of Mlle Violette de Bleu over Mohda Bermuda, and topped it with one coat of Gelous. Love the oceanic look!

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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Finaflor Disfarce VS Impala Sex Appeal


Good afternoon!
I received both of these polishes from a swap with the lovely Claudia. I had seen online swatches while looking for duochromes and they looked so different in the pictures that I decided to have both. Fina Flor Disfarce is a pink to orange duochrome, so is Impala Sex Appeal. I layered three coats of each without top coat. I think they are dupes of each other. They have the same color shift. The only difference in my opinion and that is only visible to my eye is that Sex Appeal has finer particles, thus a softer finish. I wore Disfarce on my pinkie and middle finger, and Sex Appeal on my ring and index fingers. All swatches are without top coat

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Framed nails- Tutorial


Yep, I had to try it! Framed or Border nails is the name of this nail art. You either like it or not. I was in between and intrigued, so I decided to give it a shot. I went with a "centered" version instead and it was easy to achieve. On to the pics!

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Hits Phenomena - Borealis


Hello again!
I have wanted to try this polish since I received it and thought it would be a perfect match with the color I have on right now. Borealis is a clear base with multichrome glitter that shifts from gold to orange to different greens. It is inspired by the aurora borealis of the Northern hemisphere and is pretty gorgeous! Hits collections' themes are so cool, I love the No Olimpo holographic collection named after Grecian gods, and now this one on beautiful natural phenomena. It is another hit for Hits. You can click on each link to see Moonbow, Air Glow, and Afterglow.
All swatches show 2 coats of Borealis over Ludurana Admiravel, without top coat.

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Ludurana - Admiravel


Morning lovelies!
Another Brazilian swap pretty on the menu today. This is the last multichrome of the Ludurana Aurora Boreal collection. I already worn Emocionante, Fascinante, Reluz, and Show that you can see by clicking on each name. I wasn't expecting something great with Admiravel and I'm more than happy to be wrong. I was surprised to see it shifting from green to blue to puuurple (that was the wow effect for me), and it is really pigmented. Chapeau to Ludurana for creating this kick-ass collection: amazing scent, great opacity, best multichromes ever! All swatches show 3 coats of Admiravel without top coat.

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Monday, May 21, 2012

Diagonal french manicure!


Well I changed my nails! I didn't really like the marble one so I went for a cute summery nail art :) I started with two coats of Le Glamour - Fashion, a beautiful pink creme and did the diagonal french with Pop Rocks - Scalper. It's a red jelly base packed with holographic glitter, it is so sparkly in real life! On to the pics :)

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Dry Marble fail


Hello!
I'm starting the day with a failed manicure :( I tried to achieve a dry marble after seeing a picture on Pineterest. It looked simple, dropping different polishes on your nails and mixing them with a toothpick to get a marble effect. I went with pastels this time but I think that bold and bright colors, or gold and black will give a more contrasting look. I hope you like it!

Artificial light

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Good news VS Not-that-Bad news


Three months... it's been that long since I started my blog. My initial intention was to share the collection of polishes that I created for the ladies in my birthday club. I would have never imagined the kind of attention and interest that this collection got and I am truly thankful to all of you for your support since I started this journey. I wished I could continue to make those polishes, but I can't. I am planning to moving to another country in two months, and I am still unsure of the viability and availability of suppliers there to enable me to continue making my flakies. I'm super happy because I will be closer to my family, but it's bittersweet...
Well that was the not-that-bad news: I'm moving out, so I'm closing shop. But the good news is that I have a small stock of the Birthday collection and everything must go. Starting today, I am having a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE sale on the 10 polishes of the birthday club collection until I have no more stock. Domestic and international shipping fees will still apply. You just need to complete the order form and choose your two polishes, and I will count one of them as free.
One close friend asked me if I have any regrets. Hell nooooo, no regrets at all for jumping in the indie adventure. I have met SO MANY kind and wonderful ladies since I started this blog that even though I stop making polishes, I will still be around :)
Thank you again and I'm an email away if you have any questions.


Hits Phenomena - Afterglow


Good afternoon!
I couldn't wait to try another Hits Phenomena, so I changed my mani to wear Afterglow. I was so excited about this one! On the Hits blog, it was described as mimicking the colors of twilight, shifting from copper to purple to blue. Well it does have a wonderful color shift, but I don't know there's something I'm not a fan of. Maybe it's the base I used. I'll try it over black and see if there is any difference. For this mani, I used one coat of Afterglow over two coats of L'Apogee Evita Peron. All swatches are without top coat.

Natural light

You won!


Hello again!
Just a quick post to thank you all for your participation in my second giveaway. I had a lot of fun reading all of your rocking combo manicures and was amazed at how creative you all can be. The giveaway is now done and the winner has been contacted. Congratulations to Melissa AKA PassionForPolish for winning those beautiful polishes! I'm so happy and surprised that it's one of the ladies who have been with me since the beginning that is winning this prize. Thank you all <3
xoxo


Hits Phenomena - Moonbow

Morning!
The Hits Phenomena collection of multichrome glitter released a few months ago had a huge success in a lot of nail polish groups I'm part of. I wanted them because they have a similar look to the Ozotic Elytra range, don't you think so? The Ozotics are gorgeous, but I went for the cheaper option. Today, I'm wearing Moonbow, that shifts from yellow, green, blue, to purple. I layered two coats over 5Cinco Witch, a dark teal creme. All swatches are without top coat.

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Saturday, May 19, 2012

Hits - Fox Trot


Good afternoon lovelies!
I'm back again with another layering manicure. I received a huge swap package from my Brazilian friend Claudia, so look for more pretties to swatch! Hits Fox Trot is a purple base with multicolored flakies. It's been on my wish list for 3 months, and I'm not disappointed! You get a full flakie coverage in one coat and it looks different depending if you are indoors or under the sun. Most online swatches show Fox Trot by itself, but the bottle is so small (6 ml) that I prefer to layer it. I used one coat of Fox Trot over two coats of Ana Hickman Techno (purple base with tiny pink and purple glitter), topped with Seche vite. As with most purples, I had a hard time to capture the true color. Hope you like it!

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Barry M - Denim


Hello!
Oh my! My first matte polish! I recently did a swap with my UK friend Aimee and this pretty was of of my "surprises". It is from the brand Barry M and is so gorgeous! It's a denim blue matte with silver shimmer. Denim wears its name so well, it just look like the pair of jeans I have on :) I love it, opaque in one coat, and the drying time is less than 2mn, which is perfect for me. On to the pics!

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Friday, May 18, 2012

K's Special Fridays #10 - Mauve There!


Hello!
I love pastels, but sometimes find them too light against my skin tone. I had an old purple pastel and wanted to darken it so I added a couple drops of Wet N Wild Black to it. I like it better this way and I think it suits me well. It's a mauve creme that I'll be rocking a lot on my toes this summer. I can't to try a gradient with it :) On to the pics!
All swatches are 2 coats of Mauve There! without top coat

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

ASBMF #14: Spring design


Hello Lovelies!
The April Showers Brings May Flowers is coming to its end. I had so much fun doing it and met so many nice ladies! For the last theme, which is the "Spring design of your choice", I decided to do a simple gradient with some polishes I freshly received from Brazil :) I love how it turned out and how easy it was. On to the pics, hope you like it!

Natural light

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Leopard tape manicure- Tutorial


Hello!
I received some stripping tape so I decided to play with it. It's the second time I'm using it and I still have to get a hang of it. I wanted to do a holographic tape manicure, but it's raining today :( So I got two polishes received in a swap and let my creativity do the rest. On to the pics!

Artificial light

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A little layering (pics heavy)


Hey lovelies!
I'm so happy that we have some sun because I can finally rock my holo polishes! I wanted to have something with depth, something distracting and screaming hey you there!! so I decided to do a layering manicure. I followed Nail Polish Anon layering technique and here is the final result, Hope you like it!

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Preppy nails - Tutorial


Morning!
Hope you are having a wonderful start of the day. I was playing around with some polishes I received in a swap and came up with this cute design to match my all - white outfit. I'm not really satisfied with the end result, now I'm thinking that I should have added some white hexagons too. Oh well...

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Monday, May 14, 2012

Star Gazer 305 - Duochrome goodness!


I'm bored... and annoyed by the new collections coming up in the US, there is nothing new, always the same colors/finishes remixed and recycled. Or maybe it's just me... I wish some of them take example on Layla and Hits and come up with new concepts. Well, to make up for my lack of interest in what we have here, I have been swapping a lot in order to discover international brands. You already know my love for Brazilian and European polishes. Today, I have a pretty received from my UK friend Aimee at Persistently Glittery and it's a duochrome! Star Gazer 305 is a blue to purple glassfleck duochrome. It has a very rich pigmentation and is opaque in two coats. Can I say WOW!!
All swatches show 2 coats of 305 without top coat

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Corset nail art - Tutorial


Hello!
Phew I was expecting a disaster with this manicure, but I somehow managed to avoid it. I have a nail art bucket list and decided to do more of those, so I picked the corset manicure for today's nails. I love how versatile this look is because it can work with any base, and it does add a sexy look. On to the pics!

Artificial light

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Gold to Green duochrome comparison: OPI, Jessica, Ozotic, Catrice, and Hits Mari Moon


Hello Ladies,
As promised, here is a quick comparison of gold to green duochrome polishes that I have in my stash. Pics first and talk later! All swatches are 3 coats of each polish without top coat.

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Skittles and flowers


Hello lovelies!
I don't own a lot of Orly polishes, but the ones I have are just breathtaking! Rock The World, that I'm wearing on my middle finger and pinkie, is a beautiful warm pink with gold shimmer. Space Cadet, which is on my index and ring finger is a glassfleck multichrome! It flashes from green, gold, orange to plum. I love it! They dried fast and were opaque in two coats. What are your favorites Orly polishes?

Artificial light

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Random nail art


Hello!
This is a quick post to show you five random nail designs that I did a long time ago. It's just fun to go back and see how I improve or not :) My fav has to be the galaxy mani, which one is yours?

Chevron manicure with Dior Metallic Silver and A England Tristam.

Julep skittles


Morning lovelies,
Julep skittles are on the menu! This will be a quick post because I'm falling asleep Zzz
All swatches show two coats of each polish without top coat.

Elizabeth is a dark blue with a hint of shimmer (index)

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Friday, May 11, 2012

K's Special Fridays #9 - Black Gold & Amour


Afternoon lovelies,
While looking back at my franken posts, I noticed that I showed you a lot of jellies, so for the following weeks, K's Special Fridays will be more about cremes, shimmers, multichromes and holos (my favorites!) Today, I'm wearing Black gold, one of the first franken that I made from a shimmery golden/olive eye shadow pigment.  I really like it because of its opacity and I have no other color like this in my stash. It dries so shiny that I didn't use any top coat. On to the pics!

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Paws and bones nail art (pics heavy)


Good morning lovelies!
Today is my dog Blacky 3rd (or should I say 21st lol) bday, so I have done this cute paws and bone manicure. He is very playful, love to swim and makes me so happy! I only wanted to do paws, but decided to add a bone on my pinkie as that's his favorite meal. I love how the mani turned out, hope you like it!

Sun light

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Julep Megan and colorblock accent nail!


Good afternoon!
We continue with more Julep swatches. I used to be a Maven a long time ago (It Girl) but canceled my susbcription because I wasn't satisfied with the new colors choices. I'm wearing a fun mani with Julep Megan  as a base. It is an aquamarine shimmer that is opaque in two coats. The formula is a little bit runny so I recommend using thin coats. I have an easy color block accent nail, that I did with a white base, NYC Fashion Ave Fuchsia and Julep Megan. I used a dotting tool and Sation Black for the lines. Hope you like it! 
All swatches are with top coat.

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Julep Trina and abstract accent nail!


Hello lovelies,
Today I'm wearing Julep Trina, a dark aubergine shimmer. It has so much depth in real life! It's not really your spring color, but I was in a hurry for an appointment and needed discreet nails.The application was nice and smooth in two coats. I didn't add any top coat because it has a very shiny finish. Trina is the kind of polish that you don't want to take off, I love it!

Artificial light

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

OPI - Number One Nemesis


Hey!
I have another favorite of the OPI Spiderman collection that is Number One Nemesis. I didn't like swatches of this one but I needed it when I saw it in real life. It is a silvery foil base with gold and green shimmer (the green was hard to capture in the pictures). It is very sheer at one coat but the second one evens it out and reveals its true awesomeness! Thanks to OPI for stepping up! What are your favorites colors of this collection?
The following pictures show two coats of Number One Nemesis without top coat.

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OPI - Just Spotted The Lizard


Hello!
Hope you are having a fabulous start of the day, I woke up in a happy mood and want to spread some good vibes in here :) Today, I'm wearing Just Spotted The Lizard (JSTL), the star from the newly released OPI Spiderman collection. It is a beautiful gold to green duochrome that applied easily in two coats, with minimum brushstrokes. I'm sold on this one, love it! While looking into my stash, I noticed that I have some polishes that are similar to this one, so look forward to a comparison between JSTL, Jessica Iridescent Eye, Catrice Genius In The Bottle, Ozotic 507, and Hits Mari Moon Trendy. The following swatches are without top coat.

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

ASBMF #13: The Paper Gal


Hello again !
Newspaper nails have been in my to-do list for ever but I thought it would be difficult in practice. Actually, it's super easy and so fun! I wanted a grey base but didn't have one, so I decided to franken one by mixing Wet N Wild white and black polishes. Here is Retro Pop, at two coats and without top coat.

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Depend - no 122


Hello!
Another Swedish brand that I discovered thanks to a swap is Depend. This polish doesn't have a name, only a number so we will call it no 122. It is a frosty fuchsia base with purple shimmer. It comes in a small 5 ml bottle but I love it. It's not boring and has so much depth. What you will see is three coats of no 122 by itself without top coat.

Artificial light

Monday, May 7, 2012

Twee & Honey - Revolution


Good afternoon!
I ordered a few frankening supplies from a fellow indie polish maker, Twee & Honey, who is so nice that she included a mini bottle of one of her creations as a gift. Revolution is a clear shiny base with silver hex glitter of different sizes. I layered one coat over IsaDora Silver Sky. Can I say OMG!! I didn't even need top coat :) I LOVE it! It applies like butter, you don't need to fish for the glitter and you can apply it like normal polish :) On to the pics!
* I labelled the bottle myself

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IsaDora - Silver Sky


Morning Lovelies,
I'm discovering some new brands, thanks to my Swedish friend Tracy who sent me a couple of local pretties. IsaDora is one of these brands and Silver Sky is the polish I'm showing you today. I love the bottle design and even more the polish in it! It is a dusty denim blue with tiny silver glassflecks. It has a great consistency and applies perfectly in two coats.
All swatches are without top coat.

Artificial light

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Lynnderella - Snow Angel


Good afternoon lovelies!
Lynnderella is the first indie polish brand that I got last year. Snow Angel is a frosty base with white glitter of different sizes and shapes. I wore it a few times over white but never got to layer it over other colors. I decided to give a twist to my old mani and layered two coats of Snow Angel over Catrice Sold Out For Ever. It is very subtle, I wonder how it will look over black, it might pop more. What do you think of it?
All swatches are without top coat.

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Catrice - Sold Out For Ever


Hello!
We continue with some Catrice swatches as today I'm wearing the beautiful Sold Out For Ever. This one had bubbles when I applied it (maybe because I shook the bottle too much) but I was able to even it out in two easy coats. I love the finish of this polish. It is a pastel mint creme with green shimmer. All pictures show two coats of Sold Out For Ever without top coat.

Artificial light

Saturday, May 5, 2012

ASBMF #12: May Flowers!


Hey Lovelies!
Theme 12 of the ASBMF challenge is May flowers and I have for you an easy nail art inspired from Tartofraises YouTube tutorial. The trick is to be fast and not let the polish dry. I used two coats of OPI Planks A Lot as a base, and Icing Magenta, NYC Prince Street, and a Kleancolor silver nail art stripper to achieve this look. Hope you like it!



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Catrice - Genius In The Bottle and zebra stamping!


Good morning!
I'm starting the day with a beautiful swap polish that I got from a NP friend in Sweden. Catrice is one of my favorite European brand and I love all of their polishes. Genius In The Bottle is a gold to green duochrome with metallic finish. It was a long lemming of mine and I'm so happy to finally get my hands on it (or get it on my hands lol) It was opaque in two coats and I didn't add any top coat because it has a nice glossy finish. Enjoy the pics!

Artificial light

Friday, May 4, 2012

K's Special Fridays #8 - Star Bites


Good afternoon lovelies!
Today's frankens were made out of raw materials that I bought on TKB Trading, the go to place for any indie polish maker. I was interested in the Star Bites collection after seeing it on More Nail Polish blog. I caved in and ordered a sample of Shanika Sun, Marinda Star, and Cherika Moon in order to make some cool color morphing top coats. According to TKB, the Star Bites are "extra bright, small glittery iridescent color additives which appear as a white, semi-irridescent powder until rubbed on the skin, or set against a dark color."
I love them! They have a multichrome glassfleck finish and the color shift is so strong.
The following recipe is for a 15 ml bottle: Luster base (you can get it from TKB) + 8 straw scoops of each pigment. I made them super pigmented so you might want to use less. All swatches show two coats of each polish over Sation Black, without top coat.

Glitter Gal Shade Shifters - Furnace Glow


Hello lovelies!
I have another Shade Shifters from Glitter Gal to show you and this one is right in my alley! I love warm toned colors so I was attracted to Furnace Glow and ordered it on Ninja Polish as soon as they got the new collection in. It also comes in a 15 ml bottle and applies nicely. I like both Shade Shifters that I own because they have a shiny finish and dry fast, so there is no need for top coat. All swatches show three coats of Furnace Glow by itself (index and ring finger) and one coat over Sation Black (middle finger and pinkie) without top coat. As you will see, there is not a big difference between wearing it by itself or over a dark color. It will flash from a warm gold/orange to copper/pink. Reminds me of a beautiful autumn. On to the pics!

Natural light

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Glitter Gal Shade Shifters - Daybreak


Hello peeps!
I have been waiting for this collection since Glitter Gal announced its launching a few months ago. It is an Australian brand that was known to me because of the beautiful holographic polishes they make, but now they are stepping up with multichromes or Shade Shifters. This collection is described as "a metallic shade shifting / changing finish with intense primary color effect which reflects a different colour spectrum when viewed at a different angle.I jumped on the occasion and bought Daybreak on Ninja Polish when it was announced on their website that a one week promotion was going on this collection. It comes in a 15 ml bottle and applies nicely. All swatches show three coats of Daybreak by itself (index and ring finger) and one coat over Sation Black (middle finger and pinkie) without top coat. As you will see, there is a big difference.
By itselft, Daybreak flashes from pink to a greyish purple, but layered over black it goes from pink to purple to blue with more vibrancy in colors.

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