Misa Fresh & Fruity Collection, Swatches and Review

Hi everyone! This may not come as much of a surprise, but I've really been enjoying all the pastel and bright colours that have been coming out lately. I don't care how many I've added to my collection, there's always room for a few more! ;) If you're feeling the same way, you will want to check out this collection.

Misa Fresh & Fruity collection

I first saw the Misa Fresh & Fruity collection posted on Work/Play/Polish, and I was really attracted to the fun colours. Work/Play/Polish always has the most flawless swatches, so I was also curious to see if they were as good as they looked. I've never tried Misa polishes, but I had a good feeling about these when I bought them from my local Trade Secrets store. The manager confirmed my suspicions when she told me that she believed the formula of the Misa polishes was superior to OPI and Essie (the store carries all three brands). Another interesting fact is that these polishes are vegan and cruelty free.

Since the application on all of them was similar, I will show you swatches first, then sum up my experiences at the end of this post.

Blueberry Blast is a pastel baby blue creme that is absolutely perfect on its own or underneath glitter polishes. I love blue, so this was one of my favourites. 2 coats.

Misa Blueberry Blast

Misa Blueberry Blast

Great Grape is a nice periwinkle creme. It was very flattering on my skin tone, and another great colour. 2 coats.

Misa Great Grape

Misa Great Grape

Lime Love is bright lime green with a gorgeous yellow shimmer. I don't normally go for lime greens, but this is amazing! Also 2 coats.

Misa Lime Love

Misa Lime Love

Lovely Lychee is a vivid fuchsia creme. It's not quite neon, but still very bright. Another great colour for summer. Again, 2 coats here.

Misa Lovely Lychee

Misa Lovely Lychee

Peach Passion is a pastel peach creme. When it goes on the nail, it's a bit brighter than in the bottle. This one was a bit more sheer than the others, but I still only needed two coats. My second coat was a bit thicker though.

Misa Peach Passion

Misa Peach Passion

Ripe Rashberry is a pastel pink with slightly cool tones. Another perfect summer colour and great on its own or under a glitter polish. Also 2 coats.

Misa Ripe Rashberry

Misa Ripe Rashberry

I'm so in love with these colours, and I can see myself wearing them a lot this summer. I'm also happy to say that the formula on all of these was flawless, these are seriously some of the best mainstream polishes I've tried in awhile. For all polishes, I needed two coats for full coverage, no exceptions. The polish went on absolutely smooth and even - and all of them were perfectly self-leveling. The formula on these was perfect consistency, not too thin, not too thick; they were a dream to apply. I really have no issues to report with any of them. All of them dried to a very high shine, with the exception of Lovely Lychee, which has a semi-matte finish.

As I said, I got these at Trade Secrets, but if you are in Canada or the US, Misa is also available through Nail Polish Canada. Misa can also be bought directly from their website. It seems they ship internationally, but shipping is a bit expensive if you are outside the US.

What do you think of this collection? Do any stand out for you?

Chanel Starlet 575 Le Vernis, Swatches and Review

Hi everyone! I'm badly in need of some extra sleep tonight so I just have a short post for you today. But before I get into it, I have a quick announcement - I have my swatch spreadsheet up!! :) For the last 5 1/2 months the 'Stash' page has been under construction, but I know some people have checked it out, so I figured it was high time to get that set up.

In regards to my stash spreadsheet, if there's something in my collection you would like to see swatched, please leave a comment on the Stash page, or send me an email. If there's enough interest, maybe it will be a regular "Reader Request" series - a short post every week or two with all the requests. If there's not too much interest, it will be an on-demand sort of thing.

Chanel Starlet 575 came into my possession a few weeks ago, when I was in need of some retail therapy. It's from the Spring 2013 Avant Premiere collection, which evokes the spirit of classic '30s Hollywood and European films. There are four polishes in the collection, and while I loved all four when I tried them in the store, my conscience would only allow one to come home with me.

Chanel Starlet 575

Starlet is a muted mid-toned peachy pink with a gorgeous shimmer. The shimmer is very subtle on the nail but is definitely visible and gives the polish a luminosity. It's definitely a more conservative colour, but very nice to wear for spring. For me, it's a break from all the brights and pastels I've been wearing. It's one of those colours that previously I wouldn't have been attracted to, but when I tried it on in the store it was an unexpected love at first sight. <3

Chanel Starlet 575

Chanel Starlet 575

The formula was perfect, it was almost a one-coater, but I used two coats here, plus top coat. It goes on very smooth and evenly and is perfectly self-levelling. Beautiful colour and perfect formula - swoon!! :)

Chanel Starlet 575 (direct lighting)

I bought this from Holt Renfrew, but it should still be available wherever Chanel is sold. I believe it might be limited edition, so if you like it I would act fast!

What do you think of this? Do you own any Chanel polishes, and if so, which ones are your favourite?

Different Dimension Echoes Collection, Swatches and Review

Hi everyone! For all Canadians out there, I hope you had a good Victoria Day! If you're not from Canada, basically Victoria Day is the day when Canadians across the land shed their Victorian morals and propriety by drinking copious amounts of alcohol! And we get a day off of work and school to do it! Yeah! Unfortunately tomorrow it's back to work. :(

Last week I received the new Echoes collection to swatch and review. All six polishes are awesome so I had to get them on the blog right away! Different Dimension was one of the first indie brands I bought last summer when I started collecting, and the polishes and collections that creator Missi Barry has since come out with continue to be excellent. So I was very excited when I was contacted to review this brand.

Different Dimension Echoes Collection

This collection is inspired by the music of Pink Floyd, and even if you aren't familiar with his music, some of the names should be familiar. I enjoyed seeing how Missi used the music as a starting point. This collection is also fun because it incorporates two current popular trends in indie polish - circle glitter and neon glitter. I love both, so every polish in this collection was a winner for me.

Another Brick In the Wall is a clear-based glitter polish with tiny black and silver holo hex glitter, black and white rectangles, and neon pink small/medium squares and medium/large hexes. I layered one coat over Misa Lime Love. I adore this combination - neon pink and lime green are great together so this was insta-love for me. The glitter payoff was great, and I didn't have a problem getting the larger glitters out. It was also a breeze to apply.

Different Dimension Another Brick In the Wall

Different Dimension Another Brick In the Wall

Comfortably Numb is another fun glitter topper. It has a pink shimmer, satin yellow tiny hexes and small/medium squares and hexes, and neon pink small/medium hexes and squares. This is a very bright and bold colour combination, perfect for summer. I layered one coat over Misa Ripe Rashberry, but I'd love to see this over a cool-toned colour like blue or green. Application was perfect and again no problems getting enough glitter on the nail.

Different Dimension Comfortably Numb

Different Dimension Comfortably Numb

Hey You is a pale lavender crelly with lavender holo micro-glitter, tiny/small metallic purple hexes, purple neon hexes, and small metallic fuchsia circles. I noticed in the bottle that the small metallic purple hexes look like they are slightly curling, but it is not noticeable on the nail. I wore it on its own, but it would look great with one or two coats layered over a matching base polish. I used three coats here for full coverage, and the application was great.

Different Dimension Hey You

Different Dimension Hey You

Money struck me immediately as being a unique polish. It's a white crelly with small gold squares, neon green and yellow hexes in different sizes, small/large metallic blue circles, and large black and silver circles. It definitely evokes the theme "money"! I used three coats for these swatches and you can faintly see some of the nail line, so you might want to layer it over a base polish. Otherwise great formula and I had no issues getting enough glitter, including those large circles!

Different Dimension Money

Different Dimension Money

Time looks very similar to Another Brick In the Wall at first, but they are different enough to justify both! Time is also a clear-based glitter topper, and it has tiny silver holo glitter, small/medium matte grey hexes, and matte black squares, diamonds, stars and large circles. Then it also has these gorgeous holo pink stars and circles. This is one coat over Misa Great Grape. Application was great and I had no problem getting the larger glitter on the nail.

Different Dimension Time

Different Dimension Time

If you love sparkly, holo glitter, Wish You Were Here, is amazing! It has silver, fuchsia and blue glitter in a variety of shapes and sizes, including tiny/small hexes, small squares, and small/medium/large circles. Most of the silver glitter appears to be holographic, while the fuchsia and blue glitter is metallic but sometimes has a duochrome quality. This one is also clear-based and like the other glitter toppers there was great glitter payoff. I did have to shake it a bit in order to get the large circles out. This is one coat over Misa Blueberry Blast.

Different Dimension Wish You Were Here

Different Dimension Wish You Were Here

Different Dimension is available on Etsy, and through Llarowe, Mei Mei's Signatures, Edgy Polish, and Ledoux Nuage. Follow Different Dimensions on Facebook and Instagram (@missibarry) to keep up with updates.

What do you think of these? Do any stand out to you?

*Polishes provided for review, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more details.*

Seven Deadly Sins Challenge, Day 7: Sloth

Hi everyone! Another blogging milestone today ... I made my first video tutorial! But more on that in a bit.

So the theme for today's challenge was as follows: "Don't try too hard but explain to everyone how to do something really easy... (tutorial)"  I've been putting off doing tutorials since I started this blog several months ago. So this prompt was exactly what I needed to take that leap.

I've been asked several times how I do glitter gradients, so that was the topic of my video tutorial. I'll let the video do the talking (literally haha!).

Glitter gradient manicure with Shimmer Polish Sarah

If you're not watching the video, I used Sinful Colors Sugar Rush as my base colour, and Shimmer Polish Sarah as my glitter. Sarah is a gorgeous glitter polish, my photos or video do not do it justice. As with all polishes from Shimmer Polish you really need to look at it in the sunlight to appreciate the full effect. I think next time I review one of these, I will try to do some sunlight photos. :)

Glitter gradient manicure with Shimmer Polish Sarah

Sarah has a slight blue-tinted base, and a beautiful mixture of teal, purple, and green glitter. There are also blue hexes that are slightly larger than the other glitter, but still small in size. There are also hints of gold glitter in the mixture. Like the Shimmer Polish I reviewed previously, this one also is mainly comprised of tiny sized glitter. It's a perfect polish for a gradient.

Glitter gradient manicure with Shimmer Polish Sarah

I tried to embed the video, but it didn't work, so the link can be found HERE. If you do watch the video, I'd really appreciate any constructive feedback you may have. A word of warning though, I tend to say "umm..." and "sooo..." a lot. You've been warned! ;)

Thanks for reading and watching!

*Shimmer Polish provided for review, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more details.*

Spring Skittlette With Shimmer Polish Leslie

Hi everyone! If you follow me on Instagram you know that last week I received an epic package from Shimmer Polish. Cindy, the creator of Shimmer, sent me 14 polishes to review and I was blown away by all the gorgeousness in that package. I could just rush through them and show you two or three posts of swatches, but that didn't seem like fun, and I've already seen many swatches of these polishes on the blogisphere. Instead I decided to do some nail art with each one. My aim is to feature one or two polishes each week and come up with different nail art designs for each one.

If you aren't familiar with the brand, Shimmer Polish had done well focusing on one main type of polish - glitter bombs. They consist mainly of small to tiny sized glitter suspended in either a clear or tinted base. What I love about these is that they can be layered, or built up to full coverage in 2-3 coats. Also I love the complexity of the glitter in each one. I could stare at a polish for ages and still not be able to adequately describe the mixture of glitter in it.

Shimmer Polish Leslie

First up is Leslie. I love blues so naturally I gravitated to this mixture of blue, lavender, and cyan glitter. Leslie also has hints of gold and tiny red glitter. Overall it has a periwinkle colour, which comes out of the blend of several different colours of glitter. It's fascinating and gorgeous all at the same time! Leslie has a clear base so it's perfect for layering over a variety of different colours.

Spring skittlette with Shimmer Polish Leslie

With that in mind, I decided to do a fun springtime skittlette with several polishes from the Sinful Colors Sugar Rush collection - Sugar Rush, Orange Cream, Sugar N Spice, and Sweet Tooth. On the accent nail I did some simple outline hearts, filled them in with the Sinful Color polishes and a bit of Shimmer Polish Leslie on top.

Spring skittlette with Shimmer Polish Leslie

At first I was not too sure how I felt about the hearts. They have a cartoonish look, where the glitter gradient is more delicate. But then the contrast started to appeal to me. Some nail artists do a very good job of working in different styles, and combining different styles on the same hand, and I wish I was better at doing mix and match designs that way.

Spring skittlette with Shimmer Polish Leslie

Overall, I really loved Shimmer Leslie. The colours are gorgeous and it was perfect for doing glitter gradients. As you can see from the skittlette it also works with a variety of colours.

Shimmer Polish is available on Etsy, from Harlow & Co. (note: Leslie is not available at Harlow & Co.), and Overall Beauty. Follow Shimmer on Facebook, and the Shimmer Polish blog for updates.

What do you think of this design? Have you tried Shimmer Polish?

*Shimmer Polish provided for review, all opinions are my own. See my disclosure policy for more details.*

HARE Polish The Last Queen of France: Spring 2013 - The Glitters: Swatches and Review!

Hi everyone! The Last Queen of France collection consists of two parts - the glitters, clear-based glitter toppers meant to be layered, and the jellies, polishes that can be worn on their own. I decided to pass on the jellies, mainly because I had bought the Finder's Keepers collection from the previous fall - also jellies - and found them to be difficult to work with.

The glitters, however, really intrigued me. Some of them I was drawn to instantly, while others left me puzzled, almost confused. By confused I mean the kind of confusion that you have when you are not sure whether something is aesthetically pleasing to you or not. Some of the polishes in this collection I found to be jarring, bold, and unexpected. But as I looked at them more, I realized that this bold, jarring quality had an appeal of its own. For me they almost capture the ostentatiousness of Marie Antoinette and the French court in the Rococo period.

HARE Polish The Last Queen of France: Spring 2013 - The Glitters

The challenging part was what to pair these with. And when I was about to swatch the Essie neon collection (reviewed here), I had a eureka moment. The bold vibrant colours were the perfect complement for this collection, so all but one have been paired with polishes from the Essie collection. I don't often say this, but I'm really in love with these colour combinations, and I hope you enjoy them as well. :)

A few quick notes about the collection as a whole. These are all clear-based glitter toppers and all of them have a shimmer. For the most part the glitter has a matte/satin finish, with the exception of the ones that contain metallic gold and silver glitter. Formula-wise all were excellent. They went on very smooth, with little fussing over glitter, and great glitter payoff.

Dauphine of Decadence is not your standard gold glitter topper. It has a beautiful gold shimmer with tiny gold hexes and small gold squares. What makes this polish stand out is the pale blue-grey small hex glitter - the fact that they are matte is also very unique. The formula was perfect and the glitter payoff was excellent. This was one coat over Essie Boom Boom Room.

HARE Polish Dauphine of Decadence

HARE Polish Dauphine of Decadence

Married to the Monarchy was one of the polishes that originally did not appeal to me, but has since grown on me. Matte red and teal hex glitter are paired with a silver shimmer. The vivid colours of the glitter are just amazing! This is one coat over Models Own Lilac Dream.

HARE Polish Married to the Monarchy

HARE Polish Married to the Monarchy

Own Your Opulence is one that instantly appealed to me, and do you blame me!? It has a gold shimmer, tiny gold hex glitter, small silver hexes and squares, small black hexes, and small matte pastel pink, blue, and yellow hexes. Got that? The combination of metallic, black, and pastel is so unique, at least for me. And the shimmer brings it all together. I used one coat over Essie DJ Play That Song.

HARE Polish Own Your Opulence

HARE Polish Own Your Opulence

The Teen Queen screams girlishness galore! It has an amazing blue shimmer paired with matte glitter in pastel pink and a vivid pure blue. The pink glitter comes in small and medium hexes and medium squares, while the blue glitter comes in tiny and small hexes. This is such a fun combination and makes me think of parties for some reason. I used one coat over Essie Bottle Service.

HARE Polish The Teen Queen

HARE Polish The Teen Queen

What I Wore to the Revolution is another one that confused me at first. My first impression was that it was more appropriate for Halloween than a spring collection. But then it was this jarring, bold quality that won me over. This one also has a silver shimmer with matte black small hexes and matte/satin hot pink and hot orange hexes and squares. The hot pink is really hard to discern and it looks mainly red. I used one coat over Essie Bouncer Its Me.

HARE Polish What I Wore to the Revolution

HARE Polish What I Wore to the Revolution

For glitter toppers, I find the polishes in this collection to be very unique. They may not appeal to everyone, but I love what HARE Polish has done here. The combination of matte and metallic glitter with shimmer is visually stunning. The colour combinations can be unexpected, or delicate and beautiful.

I bought these from Llarowe, and they are currently on sale, which to me suggests that they are on the way out. HARE Polish is also available on Etsy, and from Shoppe Eclectico.

What do you think of these? Do any stand out?

Seven Deadly Sins Challenge, Day 8: Sloth

Hi everyone! So with this post I've officially completed half of the Seven Deadly Sins challenge, yeah!! I haven't completed Day 7 yet, but that one involves putting together a tutorial so I'm going to tackle it on the weekend when I have more time.

The prompt for Day 8 is as follows: "(Only if you want) Create a manicure inspired by your laziness... or whatever... I'm so tired..." This is right up my alley! Lol!

Simple stripes and studs nail art

As I told you in my blogging goals last week, I wanted to do a no-buy for a week. Well I finished that, so I went out today and bought polish to celebrate!! :D And I got my first OPI Liquid Sand polishes - Tiffany Case and Solitaire from the Bond Girls collection. I couldn't wait to try them out so I did some simple nail art with the two.

Simple stripes and studs nail art

I can't take credit for this design, I got it from Chicago-based nail artist AstroWifey, she posted a similar design on her Instagram several days ago calling it a "SUPER easy and lightening fast nail art look." Her design used a nude and a pale yellow polish, but I thought it would work well with my two new Liquid Sand polishes. And I love how this turned out!

Simple stripes and studs nail art

In terms of how-to, it's very simple. Paint your nails with your base colour. When it's dry, paint a stripe with your second polish. Don't go all the way down to your cuticles, just go slightly past mid-point. You don't need to use a special nail art brush, just use the brush that comes with the polish. Add a small stud as an accent, and done!

Simple stripes and studs nail art

I used two coats of Solitaire, and it applied like a dream. Tiffany Case is almost a one-coater, so I only needed one stroke to get a perfect stripe. I did end up using top coat on this design, only to keep the studs on. And while I lost some of the texture, it still has the appearance of texture if that makes sense.

What do you think of this design? Have you tried any of the Liquid Sand polishes?