Guiltfree Glam: B3F FTW!

"What is B3F?" is a question I find almost daily in my inbox, so for today I've got a little writeup on the matter. I always redirect everyone to this awesome post by All Lacquered Up, since I'm no chemist AT ALL, but the requests kept coming, so bear with me. I won't get into all the bad stuff certain ingredients can do, as I don't want to have people panicking!

B3F wha?

What are B3F or Big 3 Free nail polishes anyway? These are polishes that are free from Formaldehyde, DBP & Toluene. Formaldehyde in its pure form is a colorless gas. Formaldehyde is anti bacterial and acts as an anti dissolvant and improves adhesion. DBP or Dibutyl phthalate is used as a plasticizer which should keep surfaces smooth and unbreakable. Toluene is a substance that keeps your polish liquid.

Why?

Each of these ingredients have certain dangers attached to them. There is still debate over whether these are actually harmful: usually these ingredients only trip you up when you're exposed to huge amounts during a longer period of time or when they are being incinerated. However, long term consequences are still unknown and there are many people who suffer from allergic reactions from these substances. Formaldehyde is hardly used these days, except in hardeners/strengtheners. You might want to give those a body check. A product from Formaldehyde, called Formaldehyde Resin, is more often used nowadays, I'm not entirely sure about that one, but it's considered safe by the FDA. If you're allergic to Formaldehyde you might be allergic to the resin as well though.

Just a marketing tool?

I know a lot of people don't care at all, but better safe than sorry goes a long way. I know I don't want to to cause unnecessary harm to my health. Why risk it if there are plenty alternatives - especially when you're pregnant or breastfeeding! Maybe the fuzz is a little overblown and I do think a lot of brands are using this as a clever marketing tool, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.
A lot of older polishes are not B3F, but I can't wrap my head around the fact that companies still choose to produce nail polish the oblivious way. For example: Models Own polishes are still crammed with Toluene. Why?! I know producing non B3F polish is a lot cheaper than its healthy alternative, but the price of Models Own polishes ($8 each, where Nubar costs &7.49 & Zoya $7 each) hardly reflects that. It does take some companies a while to get their new formula to work, but practice makes perfect right?

Brands

You can check the labels to see whether your nail polish is B3F, but brands like Nubar, Zoya, SpaRitual, Orly, Chanel, RBL, Lippmann, Revlon, Del Sol (as pictured above), newer Misa, China Glaze and OPI are definitely B3F. However, some of these still contain Formaldehyde Resin.

I hope this was helpful and thanks so much for stopping by!
- With love, Michèle

Sources: Cosmeticsinfo.org, Wikipedia

Models Own vs. Chanel

Models Own Car Key Collection

After Chanel's Paradoxal, Models Own figured out how to gain success by duping another brand. They already had Purple Grey which is a close dupe to Paradoxal (minus the shimmer) but it only started selling like crazy after Chanel's release.

Obviously they're not stupid because in October Models Own will be releasing the Car Key (get it? haha!) collection. It's quite clear they're duping the Les Khakis de Chanel collection over here. Haha, I love this. These shades go by the names: Grace Green, Becca's Brown and Purple Ash. I'm not sure whether they're exact dupes (judging from this pic I don't think so) but who knows!

Release date: 6 October at Boots and on the site as well. Models Own polishes cost £5 each.

Edit:

BritishBeautyBlogger already did a comparison of these polishes versus the real deal. Just like I expected, they're not THAT dupey, too bad!

source & image credit: britishbeautyblogger.com

Eyeko - Vintage Polish & A Mint Green Comparison

Eyeko Vintage Polish

Hi everyone! For today I have another pretty Eyeko nail polish to show you. This is Eyeko's Vintage Polish, for jade green nails. Like all Eyeko polishes the packaging is really cute. But the formula didn't hold up really well next to the previously reviewed ones.

I applied 3 coats, and found the formula to be thick and droopy. It also was a bit streaky, but a good top coat will take care of that. This one belongs to an older collection (The Limited Edition collection) though, and their polishes have improved a lot since then.
I really like the color though, since it's a bit muted I think it would look good against a lot of different skin tones!

Mint Green

I always thought mint green was.. well, mint green. But good old Wikipedia is showing me all kinds of variations:

celadon	moss green	magic mint	mint green	mint

Mint Green Comparison

I also did a quick comparison with the light green colors I own. I've read that Eyeko's Vintage Polish and Chanel Nouvelle Vague are dupish, but I don't think they are, Nouvelle Vague is definitely more blue, but they do share some characteristics like the level of brightness and saturation.

Eyeko polishes cost £3.50 (€4.- or $5.40) for 8.5ml. Eyeko products can be bought online at www.eyeko.com. Their shipping is extremely cheap: either free (if you're in the UK or Europe) or $5.40 for all international orders.

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

Models Own - Lilac Dream

Hi guys! What's up? I've had a nice and relaxed weekend, I even managed to ignore my inbox and blog, sometimes I just have to, to keep things fun. But I promise you I'll be back with full force this week ;-). And if you emailed me, replies will follow soon, so keep an eye on your inboxes!

I wasn't planning on posting tonight but the fact I hadn't posted in a while was gnawing at me, haha. It is in the middle of the night so I'll get to the point: You're looking at Lilac Dream by Models Own. I love their huge selection of great colors and this pretty lilac is no exception. I was planning on doing a comparison with Lilac Dream, but as it turns out, I don't have anything like it!

Application was alright, only 2 thin coats are needed for full coverage. I did find the formula on the thick side, so it could stand some thinner.
I actually somewhat tested the wear of this polish and after 3 days it was looking as good as it was on day one! It didn't make it to a 4th day, but let's blame my obsessive compulsive need to change polish for that!
I'm not big on cremes, they usually bore me pretty quickly, but I'm really enjoying this color.

What do you think of cremes? Please let me know: Beautiful or boring?

Models Own products can be purchased at www.modelsownit.com.

Catrice - I Sea You

Hello everyone! Everybody enjoyed their weekend? I was feeling a bit under the weather so I didn't really do much, like, totally nothing. But I do have a post for you today!

We all know the European brand Catrice for coming up out of nowhere with an amazing collection, filled with trendy colors. This brand used to be so bland, and now they're dominating Dutch drug stores with their unbeatable coolness. I've drooled over some of their colors before, and today I want to introduce you to: I Sea You. This one is just gorgeous, a beautiful dusty aqua/turquoise-y green creme. Application wasn't that great, but my P2 thinner was there to save the day, and after applying 2 coats, all was good.

It isn't the uniquest color out there, it sure is similar to some other polishes we all know and love. Let's take a look at this comparison I did:

As you can see: I Sea You is incredibly close to Misa's Dirty Sexy Money. It's a bit lighter and maybe a bit more on the blue side, but still very similar. Slate green is a whole bit lighter and Nfu Oh #431 is less dusty. What's your favorite?

Thanks for reading and till next time!
- Michèle

Models Own - Peacock Green

Hi dear reader! Today I'm showing you something I'm really excited about: Peacock Green by Models Own. Trust me when I say these pictures don't do any justice to the color, depth and overall beauty of it! This is what it looks like when green meets blue, and they click ;-). It's super glowy and it almost looks like a duochrome. I stole this one from my mom's helmer, and I can't believe I didn't order this one myself. The formula is nice, it's a 3 coater though, but application was really smooth.

I also found out Models Own is hosting a contest where you can win 12 of their most wanted colors. And if you don't win you'll get a 30% discount on your next order :-). You only have to fill out a survey. Sounds pretty nice huh? So if you're into this brand please check it out. This contest ends the 29th of March, so you'll have 1 day left! So we're at the end of this post again, thanks for stopping by and enjoy your sunday!

Models Own - Green Tea - Spring nails!

Hi everyone! You must be thinking: Konad? What's that? Is this Lacquerized? She must be sick or something.. Ha well not exactly. Everyone that knows me, knows that normally I really don't care for Konad or any other nail art. Well, on me that is! I see lovely designs that I absolutely adore on others, and when I try it myself, it just doesn't feel right. Most of the times this is also caused by the fact I have to double stamp, I'm just no good at it!

But today, Michelle from The Lacquer Files talked me into it! On the Dutch boards we have a theme going on and it's spring! So it was time to dig up my flower again and do some stamping :-D. Luckily my mom is really into nail art so I confiscated some of her Konad stuff ;-). I picked out this leaf design, it's on one of those FauxNad plates (a20). I like these a lot because the patterns are a bit bigger, yay!

The base color I used is Green Tea by Models Own, and no matter what I tried, the real color won't show up on photos. It's a true green, with hardly any blue to it. The application was the best of all the Model Own polishes I've tried so far! Funnily enough, I thought this was going to dry like a jelly, but it dries matte. I've read several reviews on this color but I've never seen this mentioned, so imagine my surprise! I will make a blog post some other time showing you how pretty it is on its own, today the lighting just didn't feel like cooperating.

For stamping I used a mint green by Konad's special polish, unfortunately I can't find a number or name.

This was it for today, thanks you all so much for reading and I wish you a great day :-).

Essence - Cute as hell - Naughty but nice

Oh my, it feels like spring around here! The weather is so nice, the sun is shining, the sky is blue.. Finally the world looks alive again. Today I received a package from the wonderful Natasja! She did some P2 shopping for me and my mom, and she got me Naughty But Nice from the Cute As Hell collection by Essence. She even gave us two amazing nail polishes as a gift! Expect a post about this very soon! So if you're reading this, Natasja, thank you ever so much!!

So, since the weather is almost springlike and I got this lovely yellow pastel in the mail, I just had to wear it. It's a really pretty soft yellow creme, which applied surprisingly well. Of course it was a bit on the streaky side, almost every yellow pastel does that to me. I applied 3 coats to even it all out.

Index and ring: Models Own - Lemon Meringue, middle and pinkie: Essence - Naughty but nice

I compared it to Lemon Meringue by Models Own, I thought they were dead on dupes, but they're different! Lemon Meringue is a tad cooler and lighter, I love them both! I do think the formula of Naughty But Nice is better though, especially when you consider that Models Own nail polishes aren't 3free.

What's your ultimate spring color?

This was it for today, take care and till next time!

I'm scared...

Models Own heeft mijn gedachten gelezen... *zet aluhoedje op*

Models Own read my mind... *puts on tinfoil hat*



Zie je?! Paarse modderkleur! Ze weten het!
Dit is een van de lakjes die ik van IceRozie heb gekregen voor mijn verjaardag. Prachtig! I kon er niet eens overheen konadden. Je moet niet rommelen met perfectie.

See what I mean?! Purple Mud! They know!
This is one of the polishes IceRozie gave me for my birthday. Beautiful! I couldn't even konad over it. You shouldn't mess with perfection.




De naam is Purple Grey and dat klopt precies. Prachtige rijke mooie modderige paars-grijs. Als ik Models Own om haar hand zou vragen zou ik dan met haar mogen trouwen?

The name is Purple Grey and it is just that. Gorgeous lushious beautiful muddy purple grey. If I would ask Models Own for her hand, do you think they will let me marry her?

Models Own - Beth's Blue

Hi everone! How's everybody? I'm so excited! Almost 250 followers, that means I can almost unleash my giveaway upon you guys :-D. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get OPI Reflecting Pool, it's not in stores here anymore, I was so surprised! But I think I managed to come up with some nice stuff anyway! Well, you'll see it soon enough ;-).

Today I'm wearing Beth's Blue by Models Own, another great pastel creme. The name's suggesting it's a true blue, but it has a hint of lavender to it, which I really love by the way. The formula was okay, a bit on the thick side, but nothing I can't handle! The only issue you might have with these nail polishes, is that they're not 3free. But then again, some of my prettiest nail polishes aren't..
This color was completely opaque in 2 thin coats, one thick coat would probably work too I think. I'm just loving these pastels at the moment, there's something so sweet and delicate to it.

Interested in this brand? Models Own recently started shipping internationally and they do accept PayPal. Their website is www.modelsownit.com (not affiliated).

Well this was it for today, thanks for reading and till next time!

Models Own - Lemon Meringue - Can't wait till spring!

Hi everyone! I'm back! I hope everyone's doing great and enjoying their sunday. Happy Valentine to all of you!! Moving went well, even my nails survived this lovely adventure. After all that jazz we had to reorganize the house, pre-spring cleaning!

Talking about spring: I wanted to wear a happy light color and since my Models Own package arrived last week, the choice was easy! This is Lemon Meringue, a very soft and sweet pastel yellow creme. The application was ok, a bit streaky, but somehow yellow always seems to be. I had to use 3 coats to even it out. I love how light and happy it looks, can't wait for sunny days!

Models Own - Disco Mix

It's friday, it's weekend: that means party colors! And this one sure looks like a party. This is Disco Mix by Models Own. I placed an order there last friday but it hasn't arrived yet, but I do have this one already to show you! This one I picked up at River Island, I just couldn't resist it..

It's blue, it's purple, it's fuchsia, hell I don't know, what I do know is that I like it very much! The glitter is so dense, you're looking at only 2 coats, yes, it's that great. This finish wasn't that bumpy either after applying one thick layer of top coat.

What do you think about hysteric nail polishes like this one?