Illamasqua Scarab

Hello lovelies!

First of all, my apologies for the lack of posting, but I had a job interview last Thursday (and got the job - yay!) and I've been rather busy with work and other things in my life lately. I hope I'll be able to post more often from now on!

Today's post is dedicated to Christina, who asked me to post pictures of this polish ages ago, because she wore it on the flight back from London. <3

Illamasqua Scarab is a gorgeous deep red shimmer. It's really hard to describe the colour, to be honest. It has that vampy, lit-from-within quality, and while it's definitely red I'm almost tempted to say it has some green to it. See for yourself:

(sorry about the crappy clean-up job.)

This is two easy coats plus topcoat, but essentially this is a one coater so if you're patient and take your time you probably won't need the second coat. I found that drying time was a bit on the long side on this one, but not abysmally so. It wore quite well, too. It reminds me a little of China Glaze Heart Of Africa, but to me Scarab is a little more...exotic.

I really love this polish! It's such an elegant, yet sexy and mysterious colour, and I love how it looks with my pale skin, though I can see this looking absolutely gorgeous with a darker complexion as well.

What do you think? Do you own any Illamasqua polishes? Which is your favourite?

Pink Wednesday: Zoya Anthea

Hello lovelies!

I know it's still Wednesday somewhere in the world and you know what that means...

I'm tired today, so this is going to be short and sweet. :)

Anthea is a gorgeous coral-leaning pink with subtle gold shimmer. It's slightly darker in real life, but no less gorgeous. This is two easy coats plus topcoat. I wouldn't have added the second coat if I hadn't been taking pictures.

That's it from me for today. What are you wearing on your tips today? :)

Revlon Pineapple Fizz

Hello lovelies!

I hope you've all had a good weekend. I just came back from a girl's weekend with my mum, which was a lot of fun. :) Anyhow. On to the polish!

Revlon Pineapple Fizz is part of their new scented line. I picked this up along with two others from the collection while I was in Canada and after wearing this, I really wish I'd bought more.

I remember reading somewhere that these were really sheer, so I started out with two coats of OPI Ridge Filler as a semi-opaque white base. I used three coats for the pictures below, plus topcoat. Application was a breeze, but this took ages to dry. As in, after several hours it was still wet. I ended up adding another coat of Seche Vite at that point, which took care of the issue. I'm not sure if this was something I did or the number of coats or just the nature of the polish, but I thought it was a bit of a bother.

However, the end result more than makes up for it. The sheer depth of the polish blows my mind. I adore glass flecks. <3

Isn't it gorgeous?! Also, this is a bit of a chameleon; I was convinced it was a sunny yellow and then in some lights it looked more highlighter yellow. Strange, and awesome.

As for the scented aspect... I thought it smelled gross, to be honest. Even through two layers of Seche Vite it smelled sugary sweet and artificial, like someone who's never eaten a pineapple might think a pineapple smells. Not bad enough to make me take the polish off, but it did give me a bit of a headache if I kept my hands too close to my face (i.e. while sleeping).

Still, the awesomeness of the polish makes up for all of it, if you ask me. :)

Did you pick up any of the scented Revlons? Are you going to?

American Apparel California Trooper

Hello lovelies!

I know, I've been failing with the Pink Wednesdays. :( I promise next week I'll wear pink, so I can sit with you. <3

Today I have an American Apparel polish for you. California Trooper is a beige creme; nothing fancy, but I really like it. And it does have a sort of "dirty" look to it. I'm not sure whether this is two or three coats, but I remember application being a little tricky. The polish is rather thick and streaky and the brush isn't exactly the best, but I've had worse.

That's it from me for today. What do you guys think? Do you own any American Apparel polishes?

A England Lady of the Lake

Hello lovelies!

I apologize for my lack of posting, but hopefully this little gem makes up for it. :)

When I was in England at the beginning of July I was fortunate enough to meet Adina, the heart and soul behind A England, a fairly new nail polish brand. Adina is an absolute sweetheart, as is her gorgeous kitten Tristam, and her polishes are some of the best I've ever tried. To top it all off, her polishes are inspired by the Arthurian legend. Needless to say, I've fallen in love.

Lady of the Lake is a stunning purple holo. The holo effect is subtle and elegant and simply perfect for its namesake. Not only is the polish beautiful, but the formula is wonderful as well. I loved the brush, too. I did two easy coats for this. (I did use topcoat in these pictures, but if you're patient enough to let the polish dry on its own, you won't need it. It's crazy shiny.)

Isn't she a stunner? <3

I have a few other A England polishes to show you and I can tell you, they're just as beautiful as the Lady. :)

Have a lovely day, everyone!