QUO by Orly: Summer 2014 Collection

You may remember back in April I shared the QUO by Orly Spring 2014 polishes, which was my first experience with the brand and I was very impressed.  Today I've got three of the the Summer 2014 polishes to share with you and, spoilers, these are amazing!  

Read on for the full review. 

Candeo Colors: Night Flight and Super Nova

Good morning! I hope you're all having a good weekend so far!  Today I'm showing you two new polishes from a brand that I haven't shared here in quite a while - Candeo Colors! 

Read on for swatches and review of Candeo Colors Night Flight and Super Nova.  

Lacquer Lust: Holy Grail, Lemming, & Lusty Loon

I've got three stunning polishes from Lacquer Lust to show you today! If those names in the title don't make you want them, wait until you see the swatches!! 

Navy Shimmer Comparison

While cleaning out my folders full of nail photos, I came across this navy shimmer comparison I did in the fall.  I've never actually done a comparison post before, but I figured these swatches weren't doing anyone any good hiding on my hard drive, so I'm sharing!  :)

I always say that my favourite colour is purple, but navy is a very close second, (if not a secret first.)  I wear way too much navy... That is, if there were such a thing as too much navy... Which I'm inclined to think there isn't.  It's such a classic colour that really goes with everything!  (And I'm a firm advocate that yes, navy even goes with black!!)  The most recent addition to my wardrobe?  These adorable navy velvet polka-dot pants from J. Crew; love them!! 

After all that, it should come as no surprise that I also own more than my fair share of navy polishes.  Here I've just compared the shimmers, but I've got at least two or three navy cremes as well.  Here we go!

Index to pinky, we've got Butter London Big Smoke (2 coats), LaCC 1974 (2 coats), Miss Ashleigh In The Navy (1 coat), and piCture pOlish Electric Blue (1 coat).  All swatches are without top coat.

The shimmer in Big Smoke is obviously lighter, and it's more brushtroke-y than the others.  1974 has a slightly darker base than the rest, and the shimmer is more coarse and irregular which gives it a slightly different look.  In The Navy and Electric Blue are almost identical dupes with a lovely smooth glowy shimmer, although I may venture to say that the shimmer in Electric Blue glows just a tiny bit more.  

As for my recommendation, it depends what is most important to you.  As much as I love Butter London, Big Smoke falls short of the others here because it lacks the same depth of colour.  Miss Ashleigh In The Navy and piCture pOlish  Electric Blue are both one-coaters, but have slightly thicker formulas that require a careful hand to apply evenly.  The formula on LaCC 1974 is flawless, but it does require that second coat.  

Do you have a preference here?  Or another favourite navy polish I should check out?  Let me know in the comments!  :)

Chita & 1999

Happy Friday!!  I'm so ready for the weekend... Anwyho, just a quick post this morning with a double-accent mani I wore a couple days ago.  :)

On my accent nails I used one perfect coat of Zoya Chita, and added three black studs from a Sally Hansen I <3 Nail Art kit using Seche Vite.  I wasn't too impressed with these studs, unfortunately; a lot of them are misshapen around the edges and have little pokey bits, and they stick up from the nail more than I'd like.  Although they did stay on for two whole days, without any top coat to seal them in!  (Didn't want to ruin the textured finish of Chita!)

My other nails are all two effortless coats of LaCC 1999, the most perfect black with a lovely deep shimmer.  Those nails are topped with one coat of LaCC 2013  top coat.  

Honestly, I was kind of indifferent about this mani.  Not that I really didn't like it, but I just wasn't a huge fan.  I love these two polishes individually, though!  What do you think?  

I've recycled the black nails in this mani and switched up the accent nails, so keep an eye out for that post soon!  :)

Vivid Lacquer: Theoretical Blogger & Talking With My Hands

Good morning!  I'm so glad today's the last day before Thanksgiving long weekend, I've been so tired and am really looking forward to three whole days off!!  

Today I've got two polishes from a new-to-me indie brand to show you, Theoretical Blogger and Talking With My Hands by Vivid Lacquer.  Continue reading after the jump!

LynBDesigns: Oobleck

How about a flashback to your good old childhood days to brighten up this Monday morning, eh?  Today brings yet another awesome polish from LynBDesigns (see the previous two Sherlock-inspired polishes here) and today's inspiration is Dr. Seuss! 

Read on to find out more about this polish and the inspiration behind it!  :)

LynBDesigns: So Changeable & Purple Polish of Sex

Who's ready for two amazing polishes inspired by everyone's favourite high-functioning sociopath?  You better all be raising your hands.  Today is a first for me, as these are my first Sherlock-inspired polishes!  I've been a fan of the BBC adaptation for quite a while, and I've even read a good number of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, so I was pretty darn excited to get these polishes from LynBDesigns! 

Read on after the jump for more photos, a full review, and a dose of fangirling!  

CrowsToes SpringTHIS Collection

As I've mentioned at least a few times over my last several posts, life is super busy right now and so on and so forth.  I'm still doing my best to try to post somewhat regularly though.  I've had swatches of the CrowsToes SpringTHIS Collection sitting in a folder for ages; I found them again the other day and was reminded how awesome this collection is!  I figured it was time I share, being in need of a quick post today.  :) 

Moderately picture-heavy, so read on after the jump for more swatches and a review!  

Lacquer Lust: Swatch and Review

Today I've got six awesome polishes from Lacquer Lust to show you!  This post is quite picture-heavy with a couple colour-changing gifs thrown in there (because colour-changing polish gifs are awesome) so read on after the jump!  :)

$weetcheeks Polish: Eric & Jetta

If you missed yesterday's post announcing the winner of my 1-Year Blogiversary Giveaway, go check it out now!  Today I've got two cool polishes to show you today from a relatively new indie brand, $weetcheeks Polish.  

Read on after the jump for more photos and a full review!  :)

Cadillacquer: Such Is Life Collection

You may remember that last month I posted about a relatively new indie brand from Switzerland, Cadillacquer.  Madeleine's brand is quickly growing, and today I've got her third collection to show you.  This is another collection of delicious glitter-filled crellies, which is called Such Is Life.  

Read on for more photos and a full review after the jump!  :)

piCture pOlish: Twinkle

There's no new Castle episode tonight, and therefore no Castle Mani Monday post.  I do, however, have another beautiful piCture pOlish shade to show you!!  Take a look.  :)

This is piCture pOlish Twinkle, a cool-toned pinkish-lilac with a very subtle silver shimmer.  Formula was great as usual with this brand; it was almost a one-coater but I used two to avoid any patchiness in the photos.  Topped with one coat of LaCC 2013 top coat for a shiny finish! 

I really like this polish, even though these cool-toned pinks/purples don't tend to look very good on my skin tone.  Still a super pretty polish, regardless!! 

piCture pOlish is available at picturepolish.com.au as well as through lots of other network members around the world. Check out the Network for a full list. 

How do you like this polish?  I think it's perfect for spring (even though the weather is still winter here), but is it something you'd wear in the coming months?  :)

Disclaimer: The product in this post were sent to me for review and my honest opinion. 

Striped Birthday Suit

Sorry, I'm awful at making titles for posts, hahaha!  It's relevant though, I promise!  Today's look is a simple double-accent nail mani; I'm kind of 'meh' about this one, but figured I'd post it anyways in hopes that maybe some of you will like it better.  

I started with a base of Essie Topless and Barefoot on my accent nails.  While that was drying, I applied three easy coats of CrowsToes Birthday Suit on most of my other nails. This shimmery nude is part of the new CrowsToes springTHIS collection, I'm almost done swatching and will have a full-collection review post up soon!  :)

On my right hand, I also have two accent nails that tie in with the colour scheme of the stripes.  My index finger is LaCC 1963, a light but bright coral, and my middle finger is a soft and pretty lilac, LaCC 1972.  

Once the base on my accent nails were dry, I applied the striped water decals from the Born Pretty Store.  They were surprisingly easy to apply, seeing as it was my first time using water decals.  They got slightly messed up at the tips, but that was due to my own clumsiness where I bumped them on my camera.  Luckily it's mostly covered by the glare on the nail in my photos, haha! 

As I said before, I'm not quite feeling this look.  I don't dislike it, but I'm not really a huge fan of it either.  I'll definitely be using the water decals as accent nails again though; I quite like them, despite the fact that they may look like stripey pyjamas!  :P

CrowsToes ValenCrows

I'm pretty excited about today's post, because it's the first post consisting completely of pictures taken with my new camera!!  I've got three of the four CrowsToes ValenCrows polishes today, and they're stunning!  Take a look!  :)

First is my favourite of the three, Heartless.  It's described as a mix of holographic and deep berry microglitters, but there's definitely a whole mix of colours in there.  I see pink, red, fuchsia, purple, and black at first glance.  

You're seeing one coat of Heartless over Butter London Queen Vic, with two coats of Seche Vite for a smooth finish.  Formula wass on the thick side, but pretty easy compared to the normal more-glitter-than-base CrowsToes formula.  I absolutely love this one!! 

Umm, No... He Went To The Pawn Shop is a mix of copper, gold, turquoise, and colour-shifting iridescent glitters in a clear base, though this is one of those tricky formulas with more glitter than base.  

I layered one dabbed coat over La Couleur Couture 1977, and topped with one coat of La CC 2013 top coat for swatches, though you'd probably need two coats of a thicker top coat for a smooth finish when wearing.  I think this is a really unique glitter, and would be great over lots of colours for different looks year-round!

Last for today is Love Stinks, a bright pink with a very strong colour-shifting shimmer that is mostly blue, but at certain angles will change to pink and sometimes red!  

I've shown three coats of Love Stinks alone, and it without question has the best formula of any CrowsToes polishes I've tried, it's great!  Realistically though, that's most likely due to the absence of glitter. This polish isn't very "me" and not something I'm likely to wear, but I think it looks pretty awesome in the photos!  

Actually, I think all the photos look pretty awesome.  I'm SO glad I invested in a new camera!  I know lots of bloggers take fantastic pictures with old cameras (case in point), but I would have needed my own camera eventually for when I move away next year anyways.  My parents obviously can't have me taking their old (and only) camera with me!  

CrowsToes ValenCrows polishes are available through Llarowe; some are out of stock, but check her Facebook page for restock dates and times so you can snag your own bottles of these beauties!  

What do you think of my new photos?  Can you tell the difference?  And most importantly, which of these polishes is your favourite?  ;)

Disclaimer: The products in this post were sent to me for review. 

La Couleur Couture Swatches

I have all these swatches sitting on my computer, so I figured I might as well show them to you!  If you keep an eye on Llarowe's Facebook page, you may have already seen some of them.  I've got twelve polishes (whew!) to share today, including some pictures taken with my NEW camera!!  Exciting stuff, so read on!  ;)

La Couleur Couture is "a unique vegan friendly nail polish collection. Classy and edgy with couture quality staying power, la couleur couture is available in a range of fashion-forward and trendy colours. Founder and creative director Farima Hakkak’s mission is for all women to not only look good and have healthy nails, but to be strong and to create their own possibility."   

Full swatches and review after the jump!  :)

piCture pOlish Electric Blue

Once again, Castle Mani Monday has slipped my mind.  Next week, I promise!  For now, I've got an absolutely stunning shade from piCture pOlish to share with you, Electric Blue.  

Electric Blue is a deep jewel-toned navy blue, with a gorgeous shimmer running through.  This polish has one of the best formulas I've ever encountered; it flowed onto the nail easily and was highly pigmented and opaque, and dried to a high shine.  

You ready for this?  One coat.  With no top coat.  Absolutely perfect.  *picks self up off floor*

Electric Blue and other piCture pOlish shades can be purchased directly from the piCture pOlish website, or through their international network.  For more information, you can find piCture pOlish on Twitter and Facebook. 

I used this stunning polish as a base for some exciting nail art, so expect to see that soon!  :)

Disclaimer: The products in this post were sent to me for review. 

Denim & Fairy Cake

You may remember that I went to a dance convention in the US over the last weekend in January.  Being from Canada, I of course had to pick up a few (well... eleven) polishes, since they're so much cheaper in the US!  I got five Butter Londons, four NOPIs, and two OPIs, but I ended up only paying half of what they were all worth!  :)

Today I've got some nail art using two of my new polishes, take a look!

While perusing the interwebz last week, I came upon this look by Pshiiit and knew that I had to recreate it!  I started with NOPI Denim To Earth, a lovely indigo base with subtle purple shimmer that is camera-shy.  Once that was dry, I taped off my chevrons and painted on two-ish coats of Butter London Fairy Cake before quickly removing the tape.  

I wasn't sure if I wanted to add the matte tips, but the look was missing something so I decided to just go for it.  Boy, am I glad I did!  One freehanded coat of Essie Matte About You over the tips definitely pulled the look together and finished it off!  

I'm starting to collect more Butter London polishes and really loving them, much to the dismay of my parents because of the price tag! ;)  I'm really happy with these polish purchases, they look great together!  How do you like this look?  Would you try it in different colours?  :)

Indie January: A England She Walks In Beauty

It's the last day of Indie January!!  I'll have a round-up post later today, but for now I've got one last post featuring a beautiful polish, A England She Walks In Beauty. 

This polish is a clear base packed with micro gold, green, and pink shimmer as well as multiple sizes of rose pink glitter.  It can be built up to opacity by itself, but I chose to layer one coat over Butter London Teddy Girl for a cleaner look. 

Application on this polish was absolutely perfect, and I've used one coat of Seche Vite for a smooth finish. 

The polish reminded me so much of my Mirliton costume from The Nutcracker this year, with the glowing gold shimmer and pink glitter!  I honestly wasn't a fan of this when other bloggers' swatches started popping up or even when I saw it in the bottle, but I'm so glad I was proven wrong when I put it on!

A England polishes are available through Llarowe and the A England website, and you can keep up with the brand on Facebook.  

I felt like I had a tricky job to do with this polish... I saw pictures from some amazing bloggers and still didn't like it until I got it on my own nails, so I'm curious, did you like my pictures of it or not?  Did I succeed in making you want this polish?  Have you been in a similar situation where you didn't like a polish until someone gave it to you, and then absolutely loved it when you put it on?  :)

Diclaimer: The products in this post were sent to me for review. 

Indie January: Daring Digits Love Dragon

It's Day 22 of Indie January, and today's polish is Daring Digits Love Dragon, a sheer colour-shifting polish that flashes purple, pink, and copper.  I had ordered the set of Harry Potter polishes from Daring Digits for my sister for Christmas, and I was so excited when I opened the package and found this extra polish in there too! 

Since Love Dragon is meant to be an effect topper, I layered one perfect coat of it over OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest, and finished with one coat of Seche Vite.  

You can see the pink/purple shift in the photos, but I was having some trouble capturing the copper since it only showed at extreme angles (like the green flashes in Fantasy Fire).   

I wore this in the middle of a long glitter-only streak a week or two ago, so the colour-shifting shimmer was a lovely change!  

You can find Daring Digits on Etsy, their website, Facebook, and Tumblr. 

I mentioned at the beginning of the post that I got my sister the Daring Digits Harry Potter polish set for Christmas, and she has kindly (slightly begrudgingly) agreed to let me swatch them, so I'll have those on here soon too!  Love Dragon is a really beautiful polish, and I really enjoyed wearing it.  Thank you so much to Ashley for including this extra polish!  :)