Instead of 'saving the best (of the batch) for last' as I always do, I've decided to toss that aside. Whenever I save anything for last, I always end up forgetting about it by being infatuated with a million other new things.

But back to this lovely deep emerald green. While I was contemplative about the other colors in A-England's The Legend collection (because I loved them all but don't need them all), I knew I HAD to get my hands on Saint George.

Below are swatches I took, with flash, the night they were painted. Flash shots tend to emphasize on the shimmer and holo shades making them more distinct than it looks in person.

Saint George has a deep emerald base, a truly gorgeous shade, and it's shot through with green, teal and some gold shimmer. In person, the shimmer flecks aren't as obvious as the photos and the shade sits at this beautiful deep emerald from a distance. I know I keep repeating 'deep emerald' but honestly even without the holo effect, I am still in love with the base color (but I still love the holo too, heh).

And here are shots in daylight which are a lot more true to what you will see in person. Sadly I chipped the nail on my index finger and had to file it down and live with that bald spot.

*small voice: deeeeeeep emerald!*

The light blue shimmers are a lot less obvious in person and I didn't notice how concentrated or present they were till I inspected the flash pictures.

One last photo and I am done with this mini nail polish fangirl moment.

These shots were with trusty Seche Vite topcoat over. While Saint George had a decent glossiness to it, I wanted more to truly emphasize the glimmer and holographic effect.

A-England is available for purchase through their website or Mei Mei Signatures (local e-store).

On a side-note, I caught Hunger Games and amidst the whole negative take on it, I was actually quite entertained through the show. Enough for me to be interested in reading the books that is. Or perhaps because I went in with all that negativity in mind to expect nothing, so perhaps it's a case of expectations?

Regardless, I have found or rather lugged home a new 'toy'. Sad to say while I love this shade, i wouldn't be having this on for very long.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Never thought I would say this but sheer polishes, yes the ones you have to pile on a couple of times, actually looks really lovely!

I think my experience with Megan Miller's Caribbean has made me understand and appreciate the translucent and almost jelly-looking quality these beauties have.

Not the usual post from my part but I thought I would highlight a collection I currently have my eyes on, the OPI NYC Ballet Soft Shades 2012.

(image credit: vampy varnish)

5 shades are sheer creams and 1 is a glitter!

While majority seems like your typical sheer polish, I'm actually attracted to the 3 on the right - (left ro right) Care to Danse?, My Pointe Exactly and Pirouette My Whistle

Here are swatches of those, courtesy to ThePolishaholic.

L-R: Care to Danse? / My Pointe Exactly / Pirouette My Whistle (1 coat) over My Pointe Exactly

The swatches above are 3 - 4 coats of the polish, unless otherwise stated.

My Pointe Exactly really lies in the grey zone (no pun intended) with it looking unique and interesting to own yet I'm afraid it would look muddy/blah on because it's a sheer grey. It seems, if not pulled off right, it could make your nails look sickly.

Yet, here's another (I think) pretty shot of it:

(image credit: alizarineclaws)

These are good shots of the polish but I have seen iffy shots of it too.... so I can't decide.

Sheer grey nail polish - yay, nay? It also looks really good with Pirouette over. Decisions, decisions.

What do you think about the shades, would you get My Pointe Exactly? Should I get My Pointe Exactly?

Thanks for reading!

Another leap year post and cheesy title, lets cringe in unison.

In truth I don't get the whole magical appeal of the  leap year thing but hey it's the first leap year my blog has been through so... here's another to add to my entries on the 29th of February.

Awhile ago I had received this really nifty accessory from Melissa of Posh Polish. The item came well protected in bubble wrap and a ziplock and the boyfriend got all curious about it. He remarked it looks suspiciously like illegal stuff.

Guys...

The accessory I received is, simple said, a nail polish ring! It's basically a ring a provides you another alternative to wear even more nail polish when your 10 fingers and 10 toes aren't enough.

I think the idea of it is pretty neat and it has this nostalgic vibe which reminds me of the old days where we had rings in the same concept but with cartoon stickers beneath. How we have matured, from cartoon stickers to nail polishes!

The glass orb surrounding the polish tends to magnify the glitter brilliance that it has and enhancing textures. The ring I picked up is #51 (from the Glitter, Flakies & Rainbows Collection) which I found out later is Nfu Oh's 51. A quick google on that shade and I realize that it actually shows up differently on the ring than it does on swatches.

Here's the swatch of NfuOh's 51 and a picture spam of the ring in all it's gorgeous-ness from various angles.

(image courtesy of lacquerized)

It is fascinating to consider that the same nail polish can actually end up looking this different. The flakies are pretty similar, glowing a reddish gold at angles and greenish at others however the base color seems completely different! The ring pulls more blue-ish and glints magenta however on the nails it's a very strong purple with hardly any hints of blue.

One word, gorgeous! I spent a good while tilting it in angles and marveling at the color shift. I typically do the same for nail polish sometimes but with a magnifying orb over, I get a better look at the flakes and how light reflects off them.

I believe even if you have this polish on your nails and top it off with this ring, it will almost be like 2 different shades of polishes with a similar reflect effect.

I don't own Nfu Oh's 51 and don't have it on my nail but here's an idea of what the ring looks like a little zoomed out since this would be the usual proximity someone speaking with you would keep.

These nail polish rings are going for S$12 (inclusion of local normal postage) or USD10 (inclusive of overseas shipping).

They are handmade upon ordering and the bands that they are attached on seem sturdy enough and most importantly, are adjustable.

I have a huge problem when purchasing rings online because they are almost always too big. True enough, upon receiving this I had to tighten it slightly, so... thankfully it is adjustable.

Melissa has launched 3 collections thus far and I am really fascinated (overusing the word now...) with the whole moon-surface effect in her latest collection, Out of this World.

It is also very appropriately called Moonstone.

(image from Posh Polish)

I'm definitely intrigued in this recent fad of nail polish rings. Imagine all those creative manicures that we could do on our nails translated into rings such that they will never chip and we wouldn't have to remove them!

Do check out Posh Polish to take a look at her other designs!

Thanks for reading!

What's your take on Nail Polish rings?

Disclosure: 
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

Boy, has this been one heck of a week! One main cheery factor amidst this work-laden period and feeling mildly under the weather would be my nails for it's bubbly, fun color. Not even kidding here.

I've received this jovial looking bottle from Mei Mei Signatures before Chinese New Year and had to put off swatching it due to my nail stickers. Now that those are off (they didn't look bad but were just starting to catch my hair when I am shampoo-ing), I can finally swatch away!

Megan Miller is not a nail polish brand I am familiar to and when I first saw images of it the very first thing that came to mind was that I loved the packaging. The typical 'plastic' top has been replaced with natural cork and a little raffia string knot to give it that woody, au naturale, feel. Though a simple change in design, it's still adorable and embodies what the brand wants to promote: a very rustic, natural elegance.

For those conscious about polish ingredients, you would like to know that Megan Miller refrains from using Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene and Formaldehyde. If you wish to find out more about this 3 FREE initiative, do read the detailed break down from Megan Miller's Production Information page.

Upon receiving the bottle in person, it is all that much cuter!

Overly cheesy, maybe, but The Police's Message in A Bottle started looping in my mind as I sat taking photos of this adorable bottle.

Megan Miller's logo, the peacock feather, sits atop the light (weight-wise) cork cap.

Enough of me gushing about the exterior, how does this polish apply?

The first coat left me feeling a little bummed probably because I have become accustomed to 'straight-out pigmented' cream and shimmer finishes that this initial coat seemed a little lacking.

Though I can't entirely fault this because Caribbean, the shade I have here, is more of a jelly-finish polish instead of a solid cream. Thus I would have to give it it's fair chance of doing well in its own genre instead of trying to compare it to something else.

2 coats give it a good finish with the nail bed still mildly visible but I found myself satisfied only after 3 coats.

No in-picture caption but 3 coats:

Random note: Those little itty black bits you see are from the nail stickers, resilient little things... but I'd rather them to glitter polishes any day.

While I wasn't feeling it initially, I've grown to like that jelly-base appeal of the polish, it reminds me of that one time when I had a french tip done at a nail store and my nails looked super 3D, as if I had a gel coat over.

The jelly finish of it also prevents that light teal from being too stark on, giving the color it's own opaque yet translucent flare.

Kicking myself for not taking comparison photos but bottle-wise it looks similar to China Glaze's For Audrey however because of it's jelly finish nature, the color has a softer tone when applied, compared to For Audrey. No swatch comparisons but I can say this because I have For Audrey on my toes and no, my toes will not make their appearance on here.

The polish itself has a very glossy finish and probably wouldn't call for a topcoat. However, in these swatch pictures (save for 1 coat & 2 coats) I did slick on a thin layer of Seche Vite Fast Dry over, purely for the 'fast dry' effect. Gloss-wise it looks the same before and after Seche Vite.

I wouldn't say it takes eons to dry but perhaps I have been spoilt by much quicker drying nail formulas and the fact that I wanted to get to bed probably attributed to my impatience.

In all, I love this particular color though if teals and bright shades aren't for you the collection has some lovely reds and earthy shades too.

They are going for S$18 a bottle on Mei Mei Signatures, shop here.

Alternatively if you are outside of Singapore you can purchase them from the
Megan Miller website at USD12 per bottle.

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

I'm not one for red polishes and I know I'm a little early for Chinese New Year. You and I both know this nail manicure isn't going to last me for the next 2 weeks purely because I would switch it out due to boredom.

Despite being 'early in schedule', I decided to swatch this Blaze polish that I had received from Mei Mei Signatures over the rare sunny period window that we had. It's quite a pity the rain is back again now.

"Why wait for the sunny period?" You might think. Well.... it's because these are color-changing polishes!

Color-changing polishes?
The idea behind these Blaze polishes is that they are UV Color Changing, which means they tend to morph into a different shade when exposed to the sun. In short, it's like having 2 nail polish shades on under different circumstances when you really only have one!

The shade I received is Daring Red to Caviar Dream and I thought it would sit well in my stash since I don't have many reds. I received the polish around New Years or just before, so I figured it would go on well with the whole festive mood.

The polish is as you see it, a bright, vibrant red. It doesn't seem to lean too warm or cool which I feel would make it suitable for a good number of skintones, especially those who might fear the red!

From what I know, Blaze has different polish finishes from pearlescent to matte and also glitter. The one I have here happens to be from the glitter finish family. As you can see in the next photo, the glitter bits are pretty minute but defined and quite compact amidst a clear base.

The combined effect is a gorgeous intense red yet this is still a glitter polish so I expected there to be some layering involved to build it up.

True to what I thought, the first coat will leave you with a clear base and some glitter bits. Coverage-wise this makes it good for layering over a 'base color' but if you're looking to wear this alone you'll have to go over it a couple more times.

Here's one coat:

For one coat I'd say that's decent! I settled for 4 coats in the end because I was trying to hide the nail bed as best as I could. 4 sounds a bit much but I didn't notice any gloopy-ness after that many coats and the dry down time was fairly quick.

Four coats and Seche Vite Fast Dry over, taken with camera flash:

I can't help but feel that this polish, despite the extreme red-ness and Chinese New Year around the corner, actually has a Christmas-sy feel to it. It might be the glitter flecks and how sparkly it is but I wish I had swatched this over Christmas instead!

❧

Now that I have given you the rough idea of the polish, this is where the fun begins, the color-changing!

Now the irony is that the following pictures are taken with natural lighting, yet not all display the color-changed effect. I have noticed that the polish changes fairly quick under exposure to the sun yet if you are indoors where the sun still can reach you but isn't shining directly on, the color remains as-is.

Am I making sense?

If anyone is wondering about the efficiency of the color-change, it is most noticeable under a decently sunny day. In my office I do get some weak rays of morning/afternoon sun on certain parts of my desk and I enjoy watching my polish change slightly as I type on the keyboard. In short, the stronger the sun, the quicker the change!

I have labelled the images 'With' and 'Without' sun exposure so you can look to those for reference. I'll let pictures do the talking now!

While the above shot is still considered 'Without Sun Exposure' you can see it darkening slightly around the edges, compared to the previous shots. That's because I had my hands close by the window for quite some time to get these shots.

And now for the transformation!

I'm actually in love with how gorgeous the After Sun color is and if you are wondering about the 'girly-science' of it, you will notice that the base that was clear before has actually darkened to a black jelly color.

While there was the initial hassle of layering the polish to build it up, I think it pays of well because there would more layers of clear base to 'darken' which will result in a more obvious color shift.

I tried coating 1 layer of Daring Red to Caviar Dreams over a Canmake polish (Canmake No. 48) and under the sun it only darkened a little.

If I were to wear this polish again I think I would actually prefer going through the process of layering it since it provides the best results.

Overall I think the idea of UV color-changing polishes is pretty fun. They don't cost all that much more then some of the nail polishes out there and they have proven to work. The base colors (vibrant red) are quite pretty themselves so just imagine them shifting shades under the sun, oh what fun! It could be an interesting conversation starter too.

Blaze nail polishes are available at Mei Mei Signatures for S$15.90 per bottle. They carry all the ranges and items currently available on Blaze's website so you can check it out here.

You can also visit Blaze Nail Polish's website or Facebook page for more information about the brand. It does cost more to purchase from the site if you are from Singapore (~S$17).

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

Speaking of holidays in my earlier entry, here's more bling to get the festive mood going!

I received a package from Mei Mei Signatures a day ago and aside from a very thoughtful Christmas card (and some cute rhinestones), I had also received a bottle of polish by the brand SueSa.

Turns out, SueSa is actually Mei Mei Signature's house brand and has been available on Mei Mei Signatures since the launch of the website.

The range itself consists of a bunch of glittery suede/matte finished polishes available in different shades, the one I had received is in (blingin') Silver.

Digressing a little, I want to comment on how there's always a fear when shipping polishes because they are fragile things and every now and then SingPost feels a little tough love is the way to get things along. When I received these polishes they were extremely well cushioned that it even took me awhile getting through the bubble wrap.

The following is the amount of bubble wrap for just one bottle!

Back from the break and on to the polish!

The polish seemed to feel quite liquid as I tilted the bottle around so I didn't foresee a very dense glitter application. I expected them to be rather spaced out on one coat, however, I was so wrong!

While photographing the bottle, I decided to do a quck swatch over my Bad Romance manicure and was totally surprised at the glitter pay-off with just one coat.

You can still see a hint of the Bad Romance amidst one coat but I would say it's pretty solid over a colored base!

❧

Eager to get obnoxiously blinding nails, I removed Bad Romance and got my bling on.

Here is one coat on it's own without a base beneath.

The glitter applies very well and very prominently yet with one coat it still leaves little gaps and spaces between which makes it possible to layer over base colors. I think I want to try a black base beneath and perhaps try to ease this thinly over, that would be quite interesting!

To get an even glitter coat all over the nail, 2 coats will do the trick. I want to say it's more like 1 and a half because my second was just a thin layer to fill in the gaps. The polish also dries very quickly which makes it easy to apply if you're in a hurry and don't have all day to fan your nails down.

On it's own the polish has a matte/seude quality to it which is pretty if you like that. I personally prefer my nails glossy so I topped it off with Seche Vite Fast Dry over (found out it's also available on Mei Mei Signatures).

I didn't manage to focus on this in earlier shots but the bottle's wand handle has a Etude House esque design, so cutesy!

And since we're talking about glitter.... *cue mildly autofocus shots*

So much bling!

I'm really in love with this polish even though I'm not one for bling but perhaps the whole festive mood is getting to me.

If you're one for nailart and artsy nail stuff you might want to check out this extremely cool Galaxy Nail Art that Mei Mei had done using some of her SueSa colors. I know I'll stick to what I know, one color all over or french tips. heh.

Retailing at S$12, these polishes come in more glittery goodness with shades like Gold, Strawberry Pink, Ash Brown, Light Purple Grey, Green, Navy and more...

Check it out here!

Thanks for reading!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

Bad Romance was actually the color from Deborah Lippmann that caught my eye and had me finding out more about the brand. When Luxola opened their online store, I rushed over hoping to get my hands on this color, and I did!

I swatched and went through my other Deborah Lippmann polishes first before finally making it to this because I fancied it the most!

The polish has an almost black jelly like base color with bits of purple/magenta glitter within it. I say almost black because one coat will give you a translucent black finish where you can still see the nail through. The swatches in this post were done with 3 coats on.

The glitter flecks vary from small bits to larger hexagonal shapes which I felt were a little sparse within the polish, at least compared to Marquee Moon. The good thing is that the smaller flecks do make up for it and you don't have to fish too hard for the hexagonal bits but it might skip some nails.

It is a gorgeous shade and I love how it looks black but when it hits any sort of light the magenta flecks just show up and gives the polish a very dimensional look.

I find that I must wear this with a top coat (used Seche Vite's Fast Dry Topcoat) for that extra glossy shine over and also to even out the surface texture.

The only thing I didn't like about this is how present the glitter flecks are. With a top coat I can still feel the flecks along the surface though that might be quite inevitable. Some flecks that cut off near the edge of my nails took some filing to shape down so I don't end up scratching myself with those.

It takes a little work with getting it on and a little more after so I don't see this as something I reach to when I'm bored and just changing it up but as a special gorgeous color for occasions, that sounds pretty good!

Thanks for reading!

ALAS!

I have been waiting for this collection for a good while, or at least ever since the promotional images started floating online!

I wouldn't say I'm a fan but I have heard of Gareth Pugh before this (stumbled upon while researching for projects during college years) and admired his structured avant garde pieces with a geometric flare so I was honestly pretty stoked about the collaboration.

From what I know (about the collection) the prices are a little on the crazy side, like that one collection that MAC puts out every year that you might not even care to consider because it's not worth it. Though I would say I'm too hung up on the collaboration idea and needed at least one thing from this collection but I ended up with 2.

Here's one of Gareth Pugh's trademark runway pieces...

...and also of his more wearable ones (really like that dress!)

But anyway on to the makeup products.

From reviews online nothing really stood out to me aside from the nail polish in Ascension (see Temptalia's swatch/review). It was that one thing I would pick up just cause. However when I chanced across the collection at TANGS Orchard it was already sold out, how sad.

I ended up picking up another polish, Inert, which in truth isn't too special or unique but I did like the creamy grey look from within the bottle.

MAC Nail Polish in Inert

The Gareth Pugh polishes cost about S$43, which is even more then Chanel and that's kind of crazy but I am just going to sit in the bliss of the haul and try not to think about that. heh.

Color-wise Inert is a light neutral-toned (maybe a little tipped on the cool side?) grey and for a MAC polish it swatches pretty well. My last encounter with a MAC polish was during Give Me Liberty of London so it has been an improvement since then or at least this time around.

I don't have very many true greys (not grey-blues) in my collection so I know this is unique in my stash though in the polish realm it's probably very dupable by polishes a fraction of it's price.

If you happen to know of a dupe or think something is dupable, do let me know! One can never have too many grey polishes!

I'll also do a general swatchfest with the greys in my stash and I'm thinking I'll only need 1 hand to swatch them all. That's how little greys I have!

The next item is one that many have casted aside in this collection and I really don't blame them because I see the rationale in that but again, I couldn't help it!

MAC Beauty Powder in Elude

Before I get to the product, this beauty powder is certainly not travel friendly because the casing is really quite heavy! I'm not a material expert so I don't know what was used but it doesn't seem all plastic. On a frivolous note, I also like how all the compacts (eyeshadow, blush, beauty powder) snap to a shut with magnets.

The powder itself is embossed with a geometric design that looks like it could withstand some usage. Shade-wise it looks befitting to be labeled a highlighter with the pale yellow-toned shade. It also contains very subtle bits of shimmer within, so subtle that you don't have to worry about the disco ball effect but to shimmer lovers this could be too plain.

The powder picks up easily and is soft to the touch though I can't use terms like creamy or luxurious to describe it. Texture-wise it's good but sitting on basic.

When swatched heavily it does leave a white cast so while it's termed a beauty powder, I wouldn't suggest dusting it all over unless you are very fair or do it very light-handedly.

Once blended out it becomes a very subtle glimmer. In photos it disappears to nothing though you could see a faint highlight where the swatch was.

The creepy close-up shows the subtle shimmer within the blended out swatch above.

Initially I thought it was similar or close to NARS Nico but the minute I took Nico out I saw the difference - Nico is pink-toned while Elude is more yellow-toned and a shade lighter.

In the swatch Elude seems to disappear into my skin and I want to reason because it is yellow-toned and in tune with my skintone, as compared to Nico that is pink, but I also agree that Elude is not the most prominent highlighter.

I still like Elude for the subtle pearly finish. I say pearly because the shimmer factor doesn't show up and the word sheen fits Nico's effect more then what Elude does, which is more of brightening when the shimmer flecks in it catches the light. It seems to lighten the spot in a gentle way that doesn't make the shimmer or sheen too apparent.

For S$115 one would wish for it to show up a little more on the skin but I guess I'll stick to being one of those consumers suckered in by their marketing tactics. I had read the not-so-favorable reviews of the highlighter before getting it and my intention was along the lines of collecting it over it's usage. I mean, I feel my ELF Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder could do a more preferred highlighting job and it's only what, USD1?!

❧

So with this I have settled my own Christmas present to myself, heh.

Are you going to gift yourself anything special for Christmas?
Or at least justify one of your upcoming purchases as that so you feel a little better about it :p

I'll bet by this stage you aren't surprised by the influx of nail related entries anymore! If I post something makeup related then that will be new! But bear with me and my current nail polish craze/phase alright?

First up, an unannounced haul.

Luxola had a couple of flash sales awhile back and during one of them, Deborah Lippmann's Waking Up in Vegas was going at 30% off (I think it's 30...), making it about S$10 cheaper then usual. I scraped all ideas of feeling bad about having them come all the way to deliver a bottle of nail polish to my door step and bought it without a second thought.

With that, I have FINALLY swatched and tried on the Deborah Lippmann polishes.

I couldn't just stop at trying one color so I did an accent using Marquee Moon since I am intrigued about how that applies.

Left: Waking up in Vegas / Right: Marquee Moon

I remember tweeting about my 'surprise' with the opacity and ease of application with Deborah Lippmann polishes. The following swatches are done with just 1 coat with Seche Vite's fast drying topcoat thrown on for that extra shine.

Above 2 Taken with Flash

Taken with Daylight

I know Waking up in Vegas is the color that I wanted to get since forever but can I digress a little and focus on how gorgeous Marquee Moon is?

With flash on its about as metallic as metallic can get yet in daylight it doesn't stick out too much but is still so pretty. And can you spot the little hexagonal sequins within the polishes? Sadly those didn't stand out as much as I wanted them to but it still added an interesting touch.

Did I already mention the above were all done with just one coat?

Yes, even Marquee Moon and while that is a metallic polish, some streaks are inevitable but I don't find it particularly hard to work with. You might need to fish the hexagonal bits out but it just takes a bit of rotating the brush around the polish - No need to really dig at it (as with some other examples).

I think the next time around (not the next manicure, but when I reach for Marquee Moon again) I would want to try it on all 10 fingers. That would be so futuristic!

Thanks for reading!

Finally decided to check out Etude House nail polishes in person and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were having a store-wide 20% discount. I'm not sure if the offer is still on right now as I had not notice the display to begin with.

I was so tempted to get loads more but decided to stick to four shades first.

Left to Right: PP911, WH702, GR601, BL505

The greyish shade (WH702) has little flecks of glitter in the polish so I chose this over the cream grey.

No particular reason why I chose these colors except they seemed the most unique in my stash? I definitely want that nude brown and darker chocolate brown shade they have but I'll save that for the next visit.

The above bottles originally retail for S$5.90 (save for the pink cap one which is S$2.90) but with the discount it averaged out to be about 4 plus per bottle, even cheaper then what it retails for online.

I swatched on the purple (PP911) and periwinkle blue (BL505) the minute I got home.

Left to Right: PP911, BL505 (With flash)

Left to Right: BL505, PP911 (In natural light)

These two are shades that apparently don't capture very well on camera. The blue looks a tad more periwinkle in person, something similar to the bottle shot and the purple is more vibrant.

But eitherways, the two colors are lovely though I do find the 5.90 range does wear a little better. Can't wait to have alternate silver-grey and teal-ish nails next.

Thanks for reading!