Morgan Taylor - Under the Stars and New York State of Mind swatches

Olympia beauty is back and yesterday along with a couple of non-bloggin friends we fought with the crowds to grab the best bargains on offer.

I went along armed with my small list of things I definitely wanted to get and a few brands I just wanted to check out and get whatever took my fancy. One of those brands was Morgan Taylor. Hailing from the makers of Gelish I had seen a few swatches and heard raves about the quality of their formulas so was eager to try. Like a magpie I was drawn to two glittery and sparkly bottles.

The first one I saw was Under the Stars a dark navy blue jelly infused with silver holographic glitter. I spent a long time looking at this trying to decide if I had anything similar and I couldn't come up with any dupes, so I had to have it. The first coat went on sheer but by the second coat the opacity built up nicely but not too much as to cover the holo pieces. The formula was good but a little thick for my liking. It dried a bit gritty due to the glitter so if you want a smooth finish a thick layer of top coat is a must.

Here I have on two coats and a layer of top coat

This polish looks much more stunning in real life.

The second polish I got was New York State of Mind. This gorgeous pink, blue, purple and gold glitter in a black base is lovely for autumn, but now seeing it swatched I can't help thinking I have seen this colour combo somewhere before. I can't think of any dupes off the top of my head but I'll have a rummage through my stash later. This was another two coat wonder that needs a top coat if you want a super shiny finish.

Overall I'm pleased to add some Morgan Taylor polishes to my stash, the formulas were fab and dried really fast.

I'm not sure where these polishes are available but at Olympia Beauty they were selling them for £4.95 each.

Born Pretty Store Pretty Purple Holo #11

Today I have on an awesome purple holographic nail polish from Born Pretty Store. Not one to tire of holos I was eager to give this polish a try and I was definitely not disappointed.

The polish itself was quite sheer and required 3 coats for full coverage, however there was no dragging or any weirdness that happens with some holos we're more familiar with (GOSH) so if you don't have an aqua base in your stash you'll still find this easy to apply. The purple colour is strong and doesn't look too silvery when not in direct light.

I photographed under fluorescent daylight bulbs and you can see the holo effect is very obvious. In sunlight the effect is even stronger.

I later decided to spruce up the mani by stamping some feathers from a nail art plate I previously showed you guys and dabbing 'Freckles' by Lush Lacquer over them. What do you guys think?

This 6ml bottle of holo glitter is currently USD $5.59 and is available directly from the Born Pretty Store website along with loads of other nail art essentials.

They offer free international shipping so why not have a browse!

*This polish was provided for review

Lush Lavender and Shimmer - Julie

Hiya, hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Yesterday my bf and I, along with a friend decided to take a cycle trip to our nearest lavender farm. The journey there was pretty much all up hill and we had to make several pit stops (mainly because of me). After a couple of hours and more than a few wrong turns we made it to the farm. You could smell the lavender on approach which made me feel instantly more relaxed.

Mayfield Lavender Farm, Banstead, UK.

After the visit I decided to wear OPI's Planks A Lot with Julie by Shimmer Polish layered on top. I think the combination is very pretty and reminds me of my time at the farm. Julie is a mix of aqua, green, silver, gold, magenta, red and orange glitter. It's a complex blend with no one colour jumping out.

I only needed 2 coats to achieve an evenly distributed coverage.

Shimmer Polish is a glittery polish line created by Cindy and can be purchased from here.

Thanks for stopping by.
*Polish sent for review

Neon Kitty Kat

Hello ladies!

I love cats so it's no surprise this cute cat design nail art stamp template from Born Pretty Store caught my eye when I was browsing their online store.

The cat face in the middle of the plate is my favourite. There are so many nail art designs you could incorporate this cute face into and I'm sure I'll be using it in future manicures. To test out how well the design transferred I opted to do a very simple mani. Using Zoya Jacqueline as the base I stamped neon kitty faces on top. There's a lot of intricate detail but it all transferred perfectly.

Simple and cute.

Although I haven't used any of the other designs I tested out how well they stamped and I can say there was no issue. The plate comes covered with a protective plastic film on the front and back. The lack of a proper backing means the edges are a little sharp.

Image taken from Instagram.

I have another Born Pretty Store plate to try out but I'm beyond impressed with the quality of them.
What do you think of this mani? Have you tried Born Pretty Store plates before and are there any you would recommend?

You can get this adorable plate here for $1.99

*Product sent for my honest review*

Swatch - Chanel Taboo

Does this need any introduction?

My photos do no justice! Too gorgeous.

Oh Chanel why do you create such stunning polishes?

2 coats plus a coat of topcoat.

JUST BUY IT!

Cath Kidston inspired nails

Hi ladies today I have for you Cath Kidston inspired nails. It's been on my to do list since I bought the my card holder months and months ago. The Cherry pattern is very cutesy like a lot of Cath Kidston prints which may not be to everyone's liking but I think the print translate well on to the nails and is so easy to recreate. It's been a while since I did any freehand stuff so it's not perfect but I'm really happy with the results.

Base
Zoya - BLU

Cherries

Deborah Lippmann - It's Raining Men

Color Club - I believe in Amour 

Alessandro - Sophisticated Red OPI - Alpine Snow

Stem and leaves

Color Club - Twiggie

Hello Kitty (Superdrug) - Whatcha

Will you give this a go?

Goodbye Google Reader... Hello Feedly

Eeek! Google Reader will be no more from tomorrow. Have you found yourself a new RSS reader yet? I've only just got round to importing my Google subscriptions despite being constantly reminded by my BF who was on my case since Google announced the closure.

There are a number of readers available with one of the popular ones being Bloglovin'. If you're using it already then you can subscribe to this blog by clicking the button below:



If you haven't chosen an alternative reader Bloglovin' is very easy to use. Just follow the step-by-step instructions and your subscriptions will be imported and saved.

There is also Feedly another Reader that's easy to use. The interface can be arranged so it's similar to Google Reader for those who don't want a huge change and the iphone App is very slick. This is the one I have chosen to use on my phone.

Don't leave it until it's too late!

Anna x

Geometric nails using OPI Euro Centrale

Since receiving a set of 4 OPI Euro Centrale polishes from my BF I have been trying to come up with a mani that incorporated most of the polishes. I finally got round to it today.

Using Suzi's Hungary AGAIN!, Can't Find My Czechbook and Vant to Bite My Neck this simple looking geometric design was actually a real pain to do. Getting the triangles even and in the centre took some patience and not to mention the tape itself was damn fiddly.

Those who do a lot of tape manis hats off to you because I doubt I'll be doing another in a hurry! I am pleased with the results though and quite like the bit of naked nail peeking through.

Pink - Suzi's Hungary AGAIN!, Blue - Can't Find My Czechbook, Purple - Vant to Bite My Neck?

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Rave party on my nails feat. Lush Lacquer Clowning Around

I don't have many indie polishes in my collection not because I don't like them but purely because I'm too lazy to sit down and order them. This explains why it has taken me an absolute age to get my hands on  Clowning Around by Lush Lacquer despite falling head over heels the moment I first saw it online. Varied sizes of neon glitter suspended in a clear base may not sound anything special but looks can be deceiving because once on the nail (especially over a light base) this glitter comes alive like a little rave party.

The following mani could be my favourite EVER!

Winning combination:
OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls
Boots 17 Monochrome
Lush Lacquer Clowning Around

I never want to take this off...
(I bought my bottle of Clowning Around from eBay as Lush Lacquer (etsy) no longer ship to the UK)

Glittery Nude using Barry M Lychee and Amethyst Glitter

The other day I decided to have a little look through my Helmer to rediscover some forgotten nail polishes. There are so many untried gems that I've made it my mission to swatch them or at least use them in a mani this month (famous last words).

Today I have for you Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Lychee and Amethyst Glitter. Lychee is hands down one of my favourite nudes. The formula is wonderfully smooth and opaque only requiring 2 coats for an opaque finish. I found it dried really quickly and not to mention to a high shine. And it's perfect for my skin tone.

Amethyst is a mix of small blue, black, purple, red, pink and gold hex glitter in a clear base. It's a very pretty mix of glitter that is very eye-catching alone (3-4 coats) or layered over a base like I've done here.

I used Essie Matte topcoat

One layer of Ameythst over 2 coats of Lychee

I never really thought about using a nude base for my glitters but after this I'm definitely going to try it more often. Do you ladies have these polishes? What do you think of them and how do you wear them? Take care A x

Skittle mani featuring Maybelline Chalk Dust

Simple and eye-catching.

Thumb - Color Club Take me to your Chateau
Index - Barry M Papaya
Middle - Look Beauty Milk
Ring - Zoya Neely

 Little - Color Club Lavendarling

Sparkly Moons with Shimmer Erica and Sally Hansen Green Tea

A quick post showing a mani I created using Sally Hansen Green Tea as base and Shimmer Polish Erica for the triangle moons which I created by masking the area with tape. Let me know what you think. X

Dior Diorling and Windsor - Harrods Exclusives

Hi ladies today I have for you the two limited edition Dior polishes that were available exclusively at Harrods during their Dior at Harrods promotion.

Diorling is lovely light pink polish that is quite sheer but builds nicely in 3 coats. It's similar in colour to Dior Tutu but slightly more skintone/nude.

Dior - Diorling

Jelly sandwich with OPI Pirouette my Whistle

Windsor, a dark shimmery charcoal grey is the complete opposite to Diorling. You only need one coat for complete coverage, however, because it's a bit brush strokey you may need two to even the finish.

Dior - Windsor

Embellished with studs I bought in HK

Thanks for reading. xXx

A word of warning

I had heard stories of Royal Mail clamping down on nail polishes being sent internationally but had not been a victim of their searches until today!

I got a snotty letter and the original envelope with all the content missing (including a lipgloss!!! yes because that's going to bring down a plane). What I don't understand is why they couldn't return the nail polishes. They let us send to UK addresses so what difference would it make? My theory is that they keep it all and sell it on.

Luckily this was a test package and I didn't send any polishes that were HTF!

Sorry it didn't get to you Barb :(!

Have any of you ladies been a victim?

China Glaze Fancy Pants topped with Penelope Luz Geisha

The lovely Barb generously sent me Penelope Luz 'Geisha' which I have decided to pair with China Glazer 'Fancy Pants'.


Geisha is similar to China Glaze Scattered & Tattered but instead of having foil glitters it has matte ones.

China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On and OPI gold flakes

Hello is there anyone there!?

Work/life has been getting in the way of my blogging as you can probably tell but don't worry I'm not about to quit. Although I have to admit nothing has been wowing me recently and I've not had any urgency to buy or get swatches of new collections posted. I'm saving money as a result so it's not all bad!

Enough talking, here is the lovely China Glaze "Keep Calm, Paint On" topped with some gold flakes (OPI "The Man with the Golden Gun"). KCPO is a lovely minty green with silver shimmer. The formula was a little odd on this one as it dragged when I was a bit eager to paint the 2nd/3rd coat. It was ok when I put thicker layers on and let them dry properly. TMWTGG required a bit of fishing around but I expected that as it was a flaky. Overall I love this combo. Do you?

Subtle Gradient using OPI Stay the Night and The Impossible

OPI Stay the Night

OPI The Impossible on the tips

Spring-y Easter-y Mani

Not what I had in mind originally but love the way this mani turned out.

Base: OPI My Vampire is Buff 

Sponged: Color Club I believe in Amour, Zoya Neely and BLU 

Plate: DRK-A