Spring 2011 Greys Comparison

Today I have another comparison of some of the latest shades. This time it is the greys from this years spring collections. Looks like they are really popular :) The polishes I compared were Zoya Dove (D), China Glaze Pelican Gray (PG) and Misa Working Hard Or Hardly Working (WHOHW). I don´t have a favourite here, I like them all. Which one would you choose?

Misa Coffee Pick Me Up versus China Glaze Below Deck

I am sorry it took me so long to get to these comparisons. The first one is the one you asked for most. Two beautiful colors from the spring 2011 collections - China Glaze Below Deck (BD) and Misa Coffee Pick me Up (CPMU). When I had these on the nail I couldn´t tell the difference and thought I would write you here that they are dupes. But looking at the pictures you can see a very slight difference. Misa is slightly more grey. I don´t think you need both of these because they are soooo close, so you just decide on which brand you like more :)

P.S. I already made a comparison of China Glaze Below Deck here.

Nubar Verde

A beautiful green with golden flecks. Two coats for perfect coverage I like the color of the polish very much, it is perfect for fall and winter but right now I just need spring to come! We have freezing weather in my country, no sun :( Hate it. Even my dog doesn´t want to go out :)

Zoya Intimate Collection Spring 2011 - Swatches and Review

Today I have for you another beautiful spring collection. Waiting for this one was neverending for me as I was really looking forwrard to it. The new spring collection from Zoya is called Intimate and consists of six shades.

What Zoya says: "Temptations, whispers, dreams, secrets, illusions, liaisons, trysts... lingerie... kisses.Zoya Nail Polish presents six new, elegant, full coverage yet revealing, metallics and creams for Spring 2011 to rendezvous with."

The swatches are all without a base or top coat and are in natural daylight (no sun or lightbox).

DOVE

The name of this shade says everything. It is a dove grey creme. Looks like greys are very popular this spring and I promise to make a comparison for you. This was two coats.

MARLEY

Oh Marley, I love you! One of my favourites from the collection. It looks almost like a creme but it has very subtle shimmer. I like that a lot! The color is a very light lavender, not too blue not too pink. I loved the way it looked on my nails, very sweet and elegant. Two coats.

CAITLIN

The second creme of the collection and maybe my least favourite. Doesn´t look like a very spring color to me. On the other hand I found the application absolutely flawless and it was opaque in two coats.

DANNII

Dannii had to be mine from the first moment I saw this collection. You know I love purple in all forms and I had nothing like this in my collection of purples. In reality it was just as perfect as I hoped. Two coats again and for me a must have.

JULES

A golden champagne. Looks very elegant. Has the same finish as Dannii. And again perfect in just two coats.

GEMMA

For a lot of people the most popular shade of the collection. Well, not for me but I must say that this shade really is unique. I like the blue shimmer it has. Two coats.

I like this collection, in fact I like it a lot. It has different finishes to choose from and there is a nice range of colors. From very light to Gemma which is really unique. My favourites are Marley and Dannii, I am always happy when a collection has a good purple.

What are your thoughts about the Intimate collection? It is already available so let me know which colors you got.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Nicole By OPI Prized Possession Purple

What is my favourite nail polish color? Yes, it is and always will be purple. When I started with nail polish ages ago I had only purples, now I can wear any color but I always enjoy wearing a good purple. I was very curious about this one. It is from the Justin Bieber collection. Although it is a bit sheer (you will need at least three coats) I like it. I like the very light pink shimmer in it :) What about you, do you like it?

I had a bottle of China Glaze Coconut Kiss (my big love) on my desk and they seemed close to me so I made a comparison of these two. They are surely not dupes, China Glaze is lighter but they both need three coats. Which one do you like more? I am glad I have both, there is never enough of purple polish, don´t you think? :)

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Misa 9 - 5 Collection Spring 2011 - Swatches and Review

I am so happy I can show you the new Misa collection for spring 2011 called 9 - 5. Not everybody has the luck that they can wear bright colors, neons or glitters to work. This collection is exactly for them. Six shades that are office appropriate.

The swatches are all without a base or top coat and are in natural daylight (no sun or lightbox).

PAY DAYS ARE HAPPY DAYS

Light taupe creme. Typical Misa formula, I had no problems with this one. Two coats.

COFFEE PICK ME UP

Purple beige creme. I love these colors. Looks like I will have to make a comparison with other polishes I have. Two coats.

PAINT MY NAILS @ WORK

This one was a bit thicker that the others, so I had some problems with the application. Next time I will do thinner coats and it should be fine. Two coats.

BLUSH HOUR

A very very light cool toned pink. Not a very unique color but I like it. I am looking for a new job and I think I will reach for this often :) Two coats again.

WORKING HARD OR HARDLY WORKING

I love the name of this one :) It is a grey creme with a hint of blue. Again I think this one is on my comparison list. I like greys like this. Two coats.

OFFICE POLISH-TICS

Last is my favourite of the collection. Not because it is much darker than the rest but because of the color. I think I don´t have anythink like this. The formula on this one was perfect. If you were to get just one polish from the whole collection, I suggest you get this one. Two coats.

If your boss doesn´t let you wear bright polishes I am sure you will love this collection. It is not super unique but I still like it. The formula was a bit thicker but it wasn´t a problem application wise. My favourite of the collection was Office Polish-tics but as I said, I am looking for a new job so these will come handy.

Now what do you think about the collection after seeing these swatches? And what polish do you wear to work? Can´t wait to read your comments :)

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

CND Smoochie

It started snowing outside again. I know it is normal in February but I want spring! Hope that wearing happy colors like CND Smoochie will make it come faster :) It is a very bright creme. The application was as with all CND polishes - flawless. Two coats for perfect coverage.

Reminder - Illamasqua Competition!

Just wanted to remind you that the AllYouDesire & Illamasqua Competition ends today. Don´t forget to enter, there is a lot to win!

Illamasqua Gamma - Exclusive Swatches and Review

As promised I have swatches of Illamasqua Gamma. This shade is part of the Spring/Summer 2011 Toxic Nature Collection and will be released in mid March. I have the opportunity to show it to you today which is really exciting. So let´s have a look at the swatches and pictures.

First I have to say that I found the color impossible to capture. I think I made at least three hundred pictures and only about ten were color accurate :) The color is a very bright orange. Not too red not too yellow, just a perfect vibrant orange. It is a creme and I loved the formula. The polish applies like a dream (what else to expect from Illamasqua), there were no streaks. The coverage is also very good, you only need two coats.

As you can see from my swatches the polish is really very bright. I am wearing it as a full mani now and it makes you smile whenever you look at your nails. I can imagine that it will be a great pedi color for summer too.

My overall thoughts? I can still remember how I didn´t like colors like this about two years ago. Well time changes my taste and I love Gamma. Makes me even more curious about what is to come from Illamasqua. I am so curious about that purple lipstick (edit: it is Intense Lipgloss in 'Fierce')! What about you? Do you like Gamma? Let me know in the comments, I love to read your thoughts.

As I said, Illamasqua Gamma will be available in mid March. If you can´t wait to get your hands on this beauty, try your luck in the AllYouDesire & Illamasqua Competition. Hurry, because it ends tomorrow!

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company

Illamasqua Strike

Looking at this polish makes me want summer so badly! Just look at it. I dream of the sea in Greece which I love so much. As you can see from the pictures the only negative thing about it are the brushstrokes, which are more visible on the pictures than IRL. This was two coats and the polish was a bit thicker but still I love it. The color is so perfect, I am a sucker for such polishes.

If you like Illamasqua polishes like me, don´t forget to enter the AllYouDesire and Illamasqua competetion. There is a lot to win!

Nubar Vaso

This is from the Venetian Glass Collection and is the only one that could easily be in a spring collection too :) Lately I don´t wear dark colors much. Guess I think that wearing lighter colors will make spring come faster. Vaso is a very light purple foil. The first coat was very sheer, I thought I would need three but ended up with two for full coverage. I really like this one.

The Illamasqua & AllYouDesire Competition - win Nail Varnishes Grab, Scorn, Throb and the brand new exclusive Gamma Nail Varnish!

I have something very exciting for you today. Illamasqua, one of my favourite nail polish and makeup brands, wants to give you the opportunity to win their best selling nail varnishes plus an exclusive shade not yet available. Isn´t that cool? Illamasqua makes some of the best quality nail varnishes I have ever tried. They apply like a dream and I just love the color range. If you want to have a look at my Illamasqua posts, click here.

This competition is also a big thank to my followers! I now have over 2000 which is unbelievable. So thank you for your support and hope this will be fun :)

You can win

Nail Varnish in 'Gamma' (the new, exclusive shade that makes up part of Spring/Summer 2011 Toxic Nature Collection that isn't on release until Mid March!) and Nail Varnish in 'Grab', 'Scorn', 'Throb'. The winner will be picked randomly by Illamasqua and it looks like the lucky girl will have a lot to play with!

How to enter

It is simple :) Visit http://www.illamasqua.com/ayd fill in your name, email and answer the question. I am sure it will not be hard for all those Illamasqua lovers out there. The competition will be running from now and will close at midnight Wednesday 16th February 2011 GMT.

Now I showed you my swatches of the Throb Collection here and even did a video. I will have the Gamma polish for review soon so keep an eye on my blog for my swatches and thoughts. Looks amazing from the promo pictures (please click on them to see them full size)!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H.

A polish my friend Day gave me to try. When I opened the box I was so excited about the polish. It looks so magical in the bottle with the purple shimmer. Sadly for me it looks a bit boring on the nail. Sad and boring :( I really hate to say that but I was hoping the polish would look the same as in the bottle. On the other hand the formula was great as you would expect from RBL. Do you like it or not? :)