Category: Swatch

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Knock-out Nails.

I went clearance shopping at my local Shoppers and Lawton’s on pay day, and found myself some fun goodies.

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Oh goodness, I love polish shopping. I especially love finding some amazing deals. I got all of these polishes for under $20. You can’t go wrong with that! Especially when you find polishes you apparently missed on the first go around (I’m looking at you Essence Metal Glam.)

For my first NOTD from the group, I went with a combination of the Del Sol polish I picked up, and the Essence Metal Glam gold topper.

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I’ve bought a Del Sol polish before, and was less than thrilled with it. While it did change color in the sun, I wasn’t a fan of the color or application–it was way too streaky. When I found this one though–named Knock Out–I was happy to see it wasn’t a metallic polish. It’s a off white, almost nude, creme base. The polish itself is very thin, and it took me 4 coats to get it almost opaque (with still slight visible nail line) but it’s very nice on the nail.

With that, I applied a layer of Essence’s Metal Glam gold topper, named Steel-ing the Scene. Apparently I missed when this collection first appeared at my local Shoppers, because I do not remember seeing it! I’ve been coveting a Gold Leaf top coat since they first appeared on the scene, but couldn’t justify spending a small fortune on it. (I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate me buying top coat over, you know, groceries.) Now this isn’t exactly like the other Gold Leaf Top coats that are floating around–it’s not real gold, so the flakes are much stiffer than its inspiration. However, for the $2 I scored it for, it gives me the look I was hoping for.

The best part of this NOTD comes, though, when you step into the sunshine.

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Pink!

Now the color isn’t as dark as what they show on the bottle, but it could be something to do with not enough sunshine, and my layers of top coat. Either way, I love the color changing effect. It makes me so happy. And the soft pink color goes so well with the gold top coat. It may come across as a simple manicure, but step into the sunshine, and *BAM!* it proves how awesome it is. Plus–Sunshine! Oh it is so nice to see the sun! It is finally starting to feel like spring here on the East coast, and my dress wearing self couldn’t be happier.

I don’t know what it is, but I LOVE color changing nail polish. When Claire’s first came out with their Mood nail polish line about 4 years ago, I owned every color and wore them constantly. Unfortunately, those polishes have been lost in the stash that disappeared from my parents house, and I haven’t been able to find any thermal polishes in a long while, even though I covet them madly. Thankfully, Del Sol’s polishes are a good replacement for now. =)

So what do you think of this NOTD?

Also, I must wish my Mom a Happy Mother’s Day, as she told me she was now following my blog. =)

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Favorite Polishes: Bizzare Blurple.

I’ve been trying to make an effort to go through my stash, and wear polishes I don’t wear as often. Sometimes I get a little too excited about new polishes, and forget about my old favorites.

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This is Bizarre Blurple, but China Glaze. It’s a darker purple base color, filled with itty bitty blue micro glitters. I’ll be honest, I bought this polish just because of the awesomeness of the name. I got it on a 3/15 clearance sale at the Chatters by my work in the beginning of the year, the same time I picked up my bottle of OPI’s My Boyfriend Scales Walls. I needed to grab two more polishes for the deal, and when I saw the name I was like “Yep! Mine!” However, the second I put it on my nails I realized just how beautiful this polish was. I’m a sucker for purple and blue polishes, and this is the best of both worlds!

It also makes a great base for nail art.

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The above manicure is from back in January, when I first picked up this polish. You can see the blue micro-glitters a little bit better in the flash. Just looking at this old picture makes me remember why I love it so much. Different lighting just changes it so much.

Have you ever bought a polish based strictly on its name? I have to admit–not the first time I’ve had to have a polish because the name was just too perfect. God, if I could get a job naming polishes, I would be set!

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Krazy for Kozmic Colors.

There is nothing I love more than a good nail polish deal. While I wish I could afford every single polish from every single collection, my paycheck just doesn’t allow for it. That’s why I’m always looking around for awesome polishes at a deal.

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My Mom actually found these Kozmic Colors polishes for me at our local Dollarama, for a mere $1.50 for the three. I’ve never bought any of their polishes before, but I’ve always noticed them when browsing there nail polish selection. I have to say, it’s kind of crazy how much Dollarama has to offer! I’ve found OPI polish strips, Revlon polishes, and NOPI polishes there in recent months, and even that As Seen on TV stamping kit for $3. I was really curious to see how the quality of these Kozmic Colors polishes would compare to others in my stash, as–according to what I’ve seen on other blogs–they are exclusive to Dollarama.

I decided to swatch the blue creme polish first, as I already have colors similar to the other two.

There are no names on any of the polishes, and each set that I saw there contains three square shaped mini polish. Of the three in this group, two of theme were metallic polishes, and the blue was a creme polish. They had many other sets to offer though–glitter, and metallics, and cremes, and jellies (oh my!).

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First off, can I just say this polish has an awesome application. It’s smooth, and streak free, and reaches almost full opacity in one coat if you apply it thick enough. (For my swatches, I used two.) I’m not even sure what to call the color. In person it’s a deeper blue, but in pictures it comes across almost as a sky blue. When it dries, it’s not quite matte, but almost a satin-like finish. I should have taken a picture of it before I applied my top coat, but sadly I didn’t think. Silly me! Adding top coat gives it a gorgeous shine though, so either way this polish is a win. It will definitely be going in my Summer polish stash.

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So what do you think of this Kozmic Color polish? Do you have any experience with off-brand polishes–were they nail wins, or nail fails?

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ACO by Ardene nail polish in Bow Chicka Wow Wow and Tea Party

With it being Easter this upcoming weekend, I thought I would take a pause from the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge. I’m actually going to review some polishes by Ardene which I think are the perfect colors for Easter. For those who don’t know Ardene is a Canadian Clothing and Accessories store (similar to Claire’s). However in the last couple years, they’ve recently been expanding their nail polish collections, now including Sugar Effect polishes, and feather polishes.

I’ll be upfront and honest before–I work for the company. However, I’m not going to let this make me bias in my review. They have not provided me with the polishes–I went out and bought them on my own. That’s the reason why you see a lot of the ACO polishes in my manicures. I’ve accumulate quite the collection over my years with the company on my own accord. I’ve also found in the last year or so they’ve REALLY upped their nail polish game, with fantastic colors, and different effects.

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The polishes I’m going to talk about today are two speckled polishes–Bow Chicka Wow Wow which is a baby pink polish (on my middle, and ring, fingers) with tiny matte black glitters, and Tea Party (on my pointed and pinky fingers) which is a baby blue polish with tiny matte black glitters. Unlike some of the speckled polishes I’ve seen online by Model’s Own and Illamasquathe glitters are all uniform size and shape.

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Bow Chicka Wow Wow

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Tea Party 

The first thing I noticed about both polishes is that they are very sheer. It took me three coats to reach opacity on each nail and I still feel like it’s not fully opaque. My guess is that they are so sheer so that when you apply multiple layers, you can still see the black glitters underneath. However, because the polish is so sheer each coat dries quite quickly, which is a bonus. I had no bald spots with application, which is always something I like in a polish (nothing worse them having to go back and fix spots on your nail where it didn’t smooth out properly.) The black glitters do leave a little texture on the nail, but that is easily fixed with a coat of top coat or two.

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I was quite impressed with these polishes. They gave me the speckled egg look I was coveting, at a very reasonable price. (You can pick up ACO by Ardene polishes at Ardene locations, 3 polishes for $10.)

I can’t say anything about wear, as I’ve only had my polishes on for a couple of hours, but from experience Ardene polishes tend to hold up pretty well for me without chipping for 2-3 days–and I use my hands at work A LOT so chipping my manicure is always a fear. I’m also not sure how removal is going to go–Glitter is always a pain to get off. But with the foil method, I’m sure it will be no issue.

So if you’re looking for a fun, but not too expensive, polish to wear for your Easter festivities, I’d recommend hitting up your local Ardene and picking these up. I can’t wait to apply a matte top coat to these, and really upping the level of my mani!

 

 

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Rimmel Salon Pro by Kate Moss — Reggae Splash

Remember how I said I really love orange nail polish?

I present to you Rimmel Salon Pro Nail Polish in Reggae Splash.

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This super soft peach polish is from their Kate Moss collection (or, so the internet tells me). I picked it up at my local Shoppers Drug Mart on a whim while on the look to fill my stash with more Summer-worthy colors. According to the description, it has a gel-like finish, with no top coat needed, and is resistant to chips for up to ten days.

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