Zoya - Ivanka

Ivanka

If anyone knows how to do glass fleck, it's Zoya! They're not as brilliant with their nail polish naming though, as the name 'Ivanka' doesn't peak my interest at all... boring! However, Ivanka sure is pretty and that's what matters in the end.
This green glass flecked polish belongs to their Sparkle Collection that came out last summer. Ivanka is a grassy, almost forest green with flecks that show both green and gold. Green can be a difficult color to wear, but since Ivanka is cool toned it's a suitable color for lots of different skin tones. In the bottle you can definitely see some blue flecks as well, but sadly the blue flash doesn't translate well onto your nails at all.

Formula

Ivanka applied beautifully: the three coats went on smooth and even. With glass fleck you can have the fun that glitter brings, without having the difficult removal process after. I did notice Ivanka didn't dry that quickly, in conjunction with my Revlon quick drying top coat...

You can order Zoya nail polishes at Art of Beauty for 8 USD per 15ml.

CND Effects Sapphire Sparkle - Beetle Sparks

CND Colour & Effects

This may be one of the polishes I've used and loved the most, ever! It's not a regular polish, it's actually a top coat you can use for impressive layering.

Sapphire Sparkle is part of CND's Colour & Effects line and my most favorite of them all, just look at the dazzling duochrome finish: the color shifts from purple, pink to turquoise and blue. These colors just seem to compliment each other so well.
The great thing about these is that you have a multitude of options, you can pretty much layer your way to oblivion with these amazing top coats.

Sapphire Sparkle layered over Misa's 'A sin worth commiting'

Sapphire Sparkle particularly looks great on top of darker hues, like black, grey, taupe, green and blue. Of course you can try anything you'd like. This time I've decided on Misa's 'A sin worth comitting', a beautiful shimmer-y blue with flawless application. Doesn't this combination remind you of the Purple Coleoptera or Beetle?

Application

The application of these CND Effects does not disappoint: they apply smooth and easy. Because of their dense pigmentation, just one layer will suffice. They also dry extremely well and fast, which I find important, as I mostly use these to spice up an older manicure without adding another layer of top coat.

Since Sapphire Sparkle consists out of glass flecks, instead of glitter, you'll get an extremely smooth surface. And removal is super easy!

You can buy CND Colour & Effects polishes for $5.50 each, online at www.transdesign.com, or you can use the CND Store Locator.

Beetle picture via TrekNature

ORLY Cosmic FX - Galaxy Girl

Galaxy Girl

Hi guys! For today I have another stunning piece from the ORLY Cosmic FX collection: Galaxy Girl. Galaxy Girl is a brownish burgundy base filled with those amazing flecks. The flecks in this polish flash a color somewhere between teal and cyan and sometimes a bit of purple too. I love how it's dark with a twist, so it's still 'fun' - if you know what I mean. I'd say it's a pretty unique color, although there is already a dupe available in Mac's Venomous Villains Collection: Formidable! For me this is definitely a great color for Fall.

Application

Just like Space Cadet, I had no problems applying Galaxy Girl. I threw on three coats and it dried pretty quickly. I love how the sizes of the flecks are irregular, but the finish still remains smooth as glass.

I will write about every single polish in this collection soon, I could have made one post about all six of them, but I have more fun when I'm writing about them separately - if that makes any sense. Dd you get any of the ORLY Cosmic FX's? Which one is your favorite?

ORLY polishes from the Cosmix FX collection cost 10 USD each. You can get Galaxy Girl from eBay, TransDesign, Head2ToeBeauty etc.

ORLY Cosmic FX - Space Cadet: Sci-Fi on your Nails

Normally I would save the best for last, but I'm so infatuated with this polish I just had to show it first. Space Cadet belongs to ORLY's latest 6 piece collection for fall: Cosmic FX.

According to ORLY

ORLY introduces its latest addition to its portfolio of textured finishes with Cosmic FX. The new, limited-edition collection delivers multi-dimensional flashes of intense shimmering shine that is so electrifying your nails will explode with color! This lighting phenomenon is achieved by ORLY’s exclusive MINERAL FX technology.
The innovation infuses natural rock minerals, crystals, and glass to give nails a special optical effect with extreme luster, rich pearlescence, and a smooth, sparkling spectrum of concentrated color.

Space Cadet

Wow, is all I can say. Since I started blogging I've seen so many different colors and finishes, oversaturation is inevitable. It takes a lot to leave me stunned like this.
Space Cadet is a very sparkly foily multichrome. It flashes an incredible array of colors, there is purple, orange, golden green and mauve all chucked together in a teal-ish base. In times like these I'd wish I had a video camera to capture the beauty of this polish. I think it's safe to say Space Cadet already made it to my favorites of all time. Damn baby.

scary macro shot

Application

Application was fine, 3 thin coats, which surprised me, somehow I expected I wouldn't be able to wear this polish on its own. The drying time was another surprise, it dried in a ZzZap! The wear was pretty good as well, stayed on for about five days with minor tipwear.

I will write about every single polish in this collection eventually, I could have made one post about all six of them, but I have more fun when I'm writing about them separately - if that makes any sense.

ORLY polishes from the Cosmix FX collection cost 10 USD each. You can get Space Cadet from eBay, TransDesign, Head2ToeBeauty etc.

ARTDECO - 275 - Sparkling Lilac

ARTDECO Crikey. Monday already. Everybody ready for a brand new week? Today I'm showing you another German gem I couldn't resist picking up: Sparkling Lilac (275) by ARTDECO. ARTDECO is a German brand but is sold throughout Europe and even Brazil and other exotic and faraway countries. In The Netherlands you can find this brand at Douglas stores. This exceptional sparkly thing belongs to Glamour Noblesse Makeup Collection, ARTDECO's collection for last winter. In the bottle it's quite duochrome-y and this definitely shows up on the nail in certain lights. This is a glass flecked polish, not glitter, so no bumpy finish! I think it's super cool. The finish is actually reminding me a lot of those smashing new Zoyas.

Formula

What about 275's application? Less spectacular than its looks. The formula is a bit on the viscous side, but nothing unmanageable (yay for thinner). I applied 3 coats, 2 was almost enough though! Since I accidentally threw out my receipts that day, I'm not sure what the price tag is, but if I remember correctly ARTDECO polishes cost 5-7 EUR, which is not very cheap for 6ml.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
- Michèle

China Glaze - Watermelon Rind

Summer Days Hi guys! I know this isn't the most recently released polish out there, but I think Watermelon Rind is so stunning I needed to post it. China Glaze's Watermelon Rind belongs to the Summer Days collection that came out in 2009. Ever since I laid eyes on swatches of this gorgeous thing I knew I had to have it. As you might have noticed I don't post a lot of China Glaze, simply because I was disappointed in some of their polishes. But I can wholeheartedly say, that this one didn't! Formula This glass flecked polish has a jelly texture, it needs 3 coats for perfect coverage and that's not half bad for a jelly. And It applied really well. Normally I wouldn't think teal would make such a perfect color for summer, but this one looks kinda... juicy. And fresh. It's perfect. What's your favorite polish this summer?