Hello heroines!

Would you believe how badly I'm lagging?! I've still got massive plans for the blog but it's really really hard to get anything done. I'm mostly stuck on a new name for the blog. I want to expand into more lifestyle articles and beauty products and I really want to share more of my life with you. Any ideas for a witty name that captures all that?

I've got my third review for Ozotic today! It's a gorgeous layering polish for sure. 

This was a coat of 901 over BL Cake Hole and with China Glaze Prism sponged on the tips.

Ozotic 901 flashes copper at certain angles, which makes it completely gorgeous!

Here you see a bit of the copper flash. I didn't want to layer it over white or black because they've probably been done to death. I saw Cake Hole and so I thought, why not?! Pink on pink, gorgeous!

901 adds this beautiful glass flecky look to the mani and I feel like it really adds dimension and depth to Cake Hole. It looks incredibly fascinating in real life, especially in the sun!

I sponged on Prism at the tips because we all know I can never leave a mani alone. 

This is also my weather mani because it's so incredibly hot and sunny in Singapore right now! It's as hot as the pink in this mani. Gosh.

I love the polishes in my China Glaze Prismatic collection because they sponge so well as glitter gradients!

Have you gotten any of the new Ozotic polishes? They're great, you need them!!! 

xx
Nicole

PS. Ozotic 901 was sent as a review but that in no way affected my opinions because I love Ozotic!

PPS. Lissa’s Polish Addiction - Nail Gun XS - Marie’s Manicure Madhouse - Tales From The Makeup Bag - Shatter Me Claire - A Polished Prance - Tee Bee’s Nails - Polished Peripherals - Lacquer Dreams - NananaisNails - Enamoured With Enamel - Pretty Polish Please - Adelle1985 - Kelly's Kolors - Nicki - Every Little Polish - All Things Charmed - Mel My Issta - Walk In My Eyeshadow - JennLojko - The Polish Haven - Nails In The Desert - Erinzi

Hello heroines!

I don't keep my love for piCture pOlishes secret and well, it's totally my aim to collect 'em all and to swatch 'em all. To set up a PP colour guide of sorts here. This brings me one step closer!

This was two coats of Ariel's Tale over Nails Inc Warwick Way.

Oh and one coat of Indian Ocean on my ring finger as an accent nail! It's an amazing gold shimmer with a flash of pink too. 

Ariel's Tale is a beautiful turquoise glitter in all shapes and sizes. I love the amazing depth it contains and although it's a one-coloured glitter, it's still beautiful to me.

Warwick Way is a beautiful bright blue creme. 

Ariel's Tale may not seem very unique, what with all the indie glitters out there these days. But there's one thing that really sets Ariel's Tale apart - its amazing formula. Ariel's Tale is incredibly smooth. It's the smoothest chunky glitter I have ever used. There was no need for any form of glitter food before my top coat. It was glassy smooth on its own! I merely topped it off with Poshe and I was so happy I didn't need to apply 5 or 6 layers of top coat to achieve that smoothness. That is what totally wins me over.

piCture pOlish is available through the Picture Polish website or through their network partners. Check out their Facebook page for heaps of contests and swatches!

xx
Nicole

PS. Ariel's Tale was sent for review but all opinions are my own.

Hello heroines!

I'm actually really really attempting to be a good blogger and to really get into the swing of things once again. I kind of got extremely discouraged and when I moved back to Singapore for the summer, it really threw me off balance but here I am, trying to make up for my absence. I've such big dreams for this blog but I honestly don't know if it's going to happen. Help me out a bit, won't you?

The challenge for the week is glitter! That's never an issue for me because I simply ADORE glitter. It makes my world go round! I was having a pretty bad day so I put on two polishes that really mean a lot to me. The first is my very first and also my only Dior polish. It was a welcome-home x you're-growing-up-because-you've-an-internship-now! gift from the boy. The other is of course, a Lynn. Nothing else screams glitter better than Lynns!

This is two easy coats of Dior Bengale and two dabbled on coats of One Nutty Fruitcake!

Dior Bengale is a lovely chocolate brown polish. I've never been into brown polishes but I'm definitely making an exception for this baby!

Look at how amazing One Nutty Fruitcake is? All adorable multi-coloured square glitters, which I'm totally in love with. I love how the square glitters come in all sizes and all colours! It makes for such a fun party polish - all bright colours with some black for some beautiful contrast.

I'm totally in love with this baby! I really love my Lynns. I wish that all polishes can come without drama. As far as possible, I try to keep this blog drama-free. That means that I don't partake in all the Lynn drama, or in clean up or die drama, or any drama, really. I try to remain as neutral and as impartial. I love my Lynns, but I won't go all out to defend her. I won't slam her either. I don't believe in slamming the bloggers behind clean up or die although I don't agree with their methods. I do believe in eradicating hate amongst bloggers though. Polishes should be pretty and fun, that's it. No drama, nothing. There's too much drama in my life without having the one thing that keeps me sane causing more drama.

I hope you liked what you see here today, I'm really hoping that I'll be able to work this all out soon!

xx
Nicole

PS. check out the other blogs! 

Lissa’s Polish Addiction - Nail Gun XS - Marie’s Manicure Madhouse - Tales From The Makeup Bag - Shatter Me Claire - A Polished Prance - Tee Bee’s Nails - Polished Peripherals - Lacquer Dreams - NananaisNails - Enamoured With Enamel - Pretty Polish Please - Adelle1985 - Kelly's Kolors - Nicki - Every Little Polish - All Things Charmed - Mel My Issta - Walk In My Eyeshadow - JennLojko - The Polish Haven - Nails In The Desert - Erinzi

Hello heroines!

This is seriously seriously waaay overdue! Gosh. Bad blogger, bad, bad blogger. Well, this started when the lovely Jules emailed to ask if I would like to review some new Ozotics and a new Picture Polish glitter. I was so sad when I received the email because I was headed back to Singapore over the next few days. I voiced my concerns to Jules and told her that if she wanted to pick someone else who was actually gonna be in Aussie, I'd totally understand. She was so lovely though, she immediately said that they'd send my polishes to Singapore for me! And they did! When I received them, I was floored, they're gorgeous.

The ever lovely Elissa from the Aussie Nails FB group also came up with Aussie Nails Monday! EVery Monday (or so), a bunch of us post up manis according to the theme for the week. The theme for the first week was birthday, so here are my belated Superman's birthday nails! According to some Superman comics, his birthday during the Golden Age was in October, so I'm not entirely off there!

I've seen so many photos of Ozotic 905 layered over black or white or some other colour but when I looked at it, I realised that it was so much more versatile than that. It didn't have to be just a layering polish. I decided to use it as part of my nail art attempt instead.

This is Ozotic Beam 905 as chevron french tips over Picture Polish Kryptonite. I had previously received Kryptonite as part of my Blogfest package.

Ozotic 905 took three coats to build up to opacity which is really great for a layering polish! I freehanded the french tips and they turned out amazingly straight. I've never been one for nail art but I do love my french tips.

Ozotic Beam 905 is an amazing shimmery polish with multi-coloured flecks. It's got a glass fleck finish and it's an amazing enigma that you can stare at forever, even if it's just in its bottle. I just can't figure it out!

The formula gets a tad thick after working with it for awhile but it's totally worth trying to make it work. I recommend letting each coat dry before applying the next so as to reduce dragging. 

I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on the rest of the collection if every polish promises to be as dropdead gorgeous as this enigmatic beauty here!

Ozotic is available through the Picture Polish website or through their network partners. Check out their Facebook page for heaps of contests and swatches! I really love their amazingly personal customer service too. 

xx
Nicole

PS. All polishes used in this post were sent for review.

PPS. Check out the other blogs participating in Aussie Nails Monday!

Lissa’s Polish Addiction - Nail Gun XS - Marie’s Manicure Madhouse - Tales From The Makeup Bag - Shatter Me Claire - A Polished Prance - Tee Bee’s Nails - Polished Peripherals - Lacquer Dreams - NananaisNails - Enamoured With Enamel - Pretty Polish Please - Adelle1985 - Kelly's Kolors - Nicki - Every Little Polish - All Things Charmed - Mel My Issta - Walk In My Eyeshadow - JennLojko - The Polish Haven - Nails In The Desert - Erinzi

Hello heroines!

It's been a long time coming but I got really caught up with my move back to Singapore for the summer and well, I've finally got the giveaway winners for you!

First up, we'll have the winners for the Fountain Cosmetics Sample Packs Giveaway. All winners have been contacted and they've been given 48h to get back to me with their addresses so that I can get back to Fountain to mail the sample packs out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Secondly, we've the BB Couture Shades of Grey collection sponsored by OverallBeauty! The winner has been contacted and she has 48h to get back to me with her address as well.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I apologise for the radio silence but I've been working really hard on new posts because I want to give the blog an overhaul and to diversify into beauty and skincare products as well, which was the original focus of the blog. I promise I'll be back soon!

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

This comes belatedly, I know. Unfortunately, uni has had me overwhelmed over the past week as it was the final week of uni. I'm glad to say I'm done with second year and I'll be heading home to Singapore soon!

My leaving coincides with this fantastic giveaway from Fountain Cosmetics. I had previously reviewed some of their products here on this blog and they have generously offered to send twenty, yes, TWENTY, sample packs to my readers! All you have to do is to fill out the Rafflecopter form below. 

If you'd previously checked out their website, you'd know that they offer quality products but you may be hesitant to splurge, not knowing if you'd actually like the products. Well, this will be a great opportunity for you then!

Let's check out the prizes, shall we?

I've used the Skin C Serum and Skin Exfoliant over the past few days. The Skin C serum is a clear orangey liquid that is clearly not artificially scented. The Skin Exfoliant is a white, thick cream that contains AHA and it also does not contain artificial fragrances.

The Skin C serum left my skin feeling hydrated and plump, almost bouncy. I used it in place of my normal moisturiser and my skin seemed to drink it all up. 

The Skin Exfoliant totally sloughed the dead skin off my face! My skin was left feeling heaps softer and smoother and brighter. No doubt continuous usage would benefit my skin. I have really sensitive, acne-prone skin and Fountain's products are great because they're really gentle on my skin yet I do not doubt their effectiveness. Unfortunately, it being the end of the semester, there's no way I can afford to buy anything from them right now. There's always next year isn't there? I'll definitely have more money then!! I'd love to try them out properly. Well, in due time, I suppose.

Well, luckily for you, you get to try some of their products out! Remember to check out their Facebook page here and their website here. And yes, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

The giveaway will run for two weeks and Fountain Cosmetics will be mailing out the samples directly.

xx

Nicole

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello heroines!

My mum never fails to remind me that I never had brows till I was 1 and well, even now, my brows are sadly lacking. So of course I'd to try out the NYX Grow Brow Serum. I bought it off Cherry Culture when I placed a massive order on their site. It was $25 but from what I've seen of the results thus far, it's pretty much worth it because I'm pretty much desperate to grow some brows!

This is basically what is promised.

It has an all-natural formulation with lavender oil, argining, biotin, soy proteins and gingko biloba. And it's clear!! I like how it's fragrance-free because I'm kinda sensitive to scents.

Week 0. This is how my brows started off. 

I've been applying it most nights and it has a clear consistency. It doesn't feel too heavy on your brows either, like there's obviously something on my brows. It's not goopy or runny, which is good. I just swipe them on every night (if I remember) and head to bed after. You can't get easier than that!

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

Today I bring you the second part of the China Glaze Wicked Halloween 2012 collection and boy, am I glad that I got this out of my hair! I love the polishes in this part, they're more unique and well, I love my sparklies.

*All swatches done with base and top coats.

This is three coats of Cast A Spell.

I've heard of Cast A Spell being like Wagon Trail but with those multi-coloured sparklies in them. What can I say? I definitely love this blinged up version. I adored Wagon Trail and having it as a base colour is just ingenious.

Look at how complex this baby now looks and how multi-dimensional she is!

Great formula that didn't give me any trouble, applied beautifully.

Definitely a keeper in my books!

This is two coats of Make A Spectacle over Roguish Red, Bizarre Blurple, Immortal and Cast A Spell.

When I first saw Make A Spectacle, my first thought was that China Glaze had begun an OPI and started duping itself because MAS and Snow Globe could very well be identical twins! They're more like siblings though, Snow Globe is definitely different.

MAS consists of multi-coloured translucent glitters that look different on different bases, as you can see here.

I love how versatile it is and I'm just thinking of so many ways in which I can layer them.

No glitter manipulation required, this baby goes on easy.

This is three coats of Glitter Goblin.

Glitter Goblin consists of some crazy micro holo particles and a predominantly orange and copper glitter mix.

Very Halloween and most definitely very fall.

I'm a sucker for glitters that look like this and that build to opacity so beautifully. Very much like the OPI Burlesque glitters. Love.

I very much prefer this half of the collection. Or the way I halved it, at least. What about you?

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

I received these babies in a swap more than a month back and they sat on my desk for a month, winking at me everyday and screaming at me to swatch them. I left them for a month, before I realised that swatches were starting to appear, which defeated my purpose of getting them early so that I could swatch them before most other people did. So I finally got off my ass one day and dusted them off to swatch them. Swatch them I did, and the photos sat in my camera for a few weeks while life got busy and now I'm finally getting around to posting them up just as they launched on Transdesign and all our other favourite websites. If you haven't ordered them yet, maybe my swatches will sway you a bit.

*All swatches with base and top coats.

This is three coats of Bizarre Blurple.

Bizarre Blurple is a gorgeous royal purple with an electric blue shimmer runnng through it.

The blue shimmer almost makes it look like a duochrome polish and that makes for a lovely combination.

It's not a unique shade per se but the formula was beautiful and you can't fault that. 

Look at her here, she quite certainly looks like a royal blue instead of a purple! Love.

This is three coats of Immortal.

Immortal looks like Elephant Walk from the China Glaze On Safari collection, but with these crazy holographic particles going on

The holographic particles take Immortal from just being a boring grey creme to being this beautifully subtle, interesting grey polish.

I've recently discovered a love for grey polishes and this hits the spot.

Definitely a unique in my stash.

Beautiful formula, really easy to apply and it's the thick kind of flowy, not the thin and runny type.

This is three coats of Roguish Red.

Roguish Red - a bright red that leans orange. Quite retina-searing actually, now that I'm looking at my photos. Wow, it's bright indeed.

Beautiful formula, nothing much I can say about it really. All reds stain my skin. I just have a very stainable skin, I suppose. No doubt if this had gotten onto my cuticles or skin, it would've stained too. As you can see, I applied very very very carefully.

Just another typical red that they seem to need to insert into every single collection. Y'know, the ubiquitous red. We all know them, we've all seen them.

I promise tomorrow's half will be heaps more interesting, so check back again tomorrow!!

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

This is long overdue but hey, I've got a polish from Orly's Fall offerings for you today!

First up, the press release: 

This is two coats of Rapture, with a top and base coat.

Rapture is a chocolate brown creme, as Orly described it. I love how it looks like dark chocolate melted all over my nails.

The formula was brilliant, it was too thin, neither was it too thick. It went on smoothly like melted chocolate and it didn't pool or pull. I loved the formula and I want to marry it so we can be together forever.

It's not really a colour that I would wear often but it might be good undies for the heaps of glitters I have!! 

These babies are actually supposed to be Spring releases for Aussie but I'm sure we can all agree that when we look at the colours, all we see are falling leaves and pumpkins. I love how most of the colours have this gorgeous glow to them and I really wish I had the other colours to review too.

They hit Aussie shelves on 1 September so now's as good a time as any to go grab them!

xx

Nicole

PS. This polish was sent for review but all opinions are my own. 

Hello heroines!

Today, I've got the BB Couture Shades of Grey collection for you! I was so excited when I placed my order for this because I love love love the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. As I've been telling everyone, I don't understand the whole BDSM hype because when I read the books, all I saw was girl meets boy, they fall in love, they get married, they have kids. Nothing much else to it. But that's just me, I suppose.

This is my first entirely grey collection, although if you ask me, half the shades don't really classify as proper greys. 

*All swatches with base and top coats. 

First look of the collection. See what I mean?!

This is three coats of Briquette.

Briquette is a gorgeous medium grey - the base colour reminds me somewhat of China Glaze Elephant Walk but Briquette has got some light grey microglitter particles in it.

It's pretty interesting because of the microglitter, I reckon. Beats a normal grey creme any day.

Formula was great, I had no issues applying it at all. It was a little on the thick side, which I prefer as it allows for better control of the polish. I only did three coats out of habit.

This is three coats of Grey Matter.

Grey Matter is a light grey polish with a green tinge. I love the holographic particles in it. It really sets the polish apart by making it more interesting.

The formula was a little on the thin side and the first coat was streaky but it built opacity nicely.

This is definitely one unique polish in my stash and I'll definitely be keeping it.

This is three coats of Puce.

Puce is one of the colours that I don't consider grey at all! It's like a maroon?! But look at the holographic particles gleaming in this baby!

I wish the holo particles shone through more, I would've loved it if it was a scattered holo.

Regardless, this baby has got a great formula like Briquette's. And I don't have anything like it in my stash so it stays!

This is three coats of Shaded Ash.

Shaded Ash is a grey that leans pretty green. It's got a very very subtle gold shimmer.

I loved the formula and it's something that I'm beginning to expect of BB Couture.

This one's a keeper because I'm really beginning to love shades like this.

This is three coats of Smoke.

Smoke looks so damn amazing in the bottle. Just look at it!!

On the nail, it's a light grey with this amazing brown..I don't know what to call it, really. It isn't a glitter, it isn't a shimmer. I'd call it particles. Vampy Varnish called it shimmer though hmm.

Great formula on this one too!! And I love it. It just looks like a slab of granite on my nails, though it wouldn't make sense to like granite on nails.

This is three coats of Starry Starry Taupe

Another colour I wouldn't exactly consider a grey. Gosh. Maybe it's just me.

Lovely lovely sparkly holographic particles in this brown polish. Perhaps it's a greyed out brown?

Great formula although I wish it was more holographic and I don't know if I can wear browns hmm.

Okay now that you've seen the collection, what do you think? I really need to stop buying polishes just because they're anything vaguely related to being shades of grey! 

Kim from Overall Beauty has kindly sponsored an extra set of this collection for one of my readers! This giveaway is open internationally. 

PS. I paid for my set. I know this doesn't make sense but it's a really long story behind it all. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

I've got something different for you today. Awhile back, Fountain Cosmetics, an Aussie company, contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing a few of their products on my blog. They used to sell other brands of skincare products but they've recently diversified into their own brand. While they are still working on developing more products to add to their range, they have very kindly sent me samples in the form of Welcome Packs to test out.

This is the first Welcome Pack that I opened.

It contained moisturisers for different skin types. Here, I'm showing you the one I used - Normal to Oily skin

These are the other ones available, along with the Cleansing Balm that caters to all skin types.

Now, I've acne-prone, oily skin. I've tried tonnes of different skincare products over the years and my skin has gone through so many different strong chemicals and also some of the most confusing and long skincare regimes ever.

I thought I was going to be able to squeeze out two washes and two moisturisers out of these little samples but it didn't quite work out that way. Ideally, I would have liked to use the products for two to three weeks at least before commenting on them because skincare products don't quite work the same way as makeup or polishes - the results don't develop overnight.

The cleansing balm was incredibly gentle and I was thankful for that. After submitting my skin to heaps of harsh chemicals, I reckon my skin was pretty glad that this cleansing balm cut it a break. It left my skin feeling soft and clean. Not squeaky clean such that it's dry but it didn't feel like it stripped my skin completely of its natural oils, which is good because your skin will produce more oil if it feels like the oil has been harshly stripped away. The cleansing balm retails on their website for 38AUD for 250ml.

I used the Actual Moisture Moisturiser for Normal to Oily skin after using my own Body Shop Tea Tree Oil toner. It left my skin feeling really hydrated and soft. Bouncy, to an extent. The moisturiser contains AHA and costs 62AUD for 100ml on their website.

From the products that I've tried so far, I've noticed that the products do not have very strong scents, which is good because these products are on your face and if you don't like the smell, you'd have to bear with it all day.

They use heaps of botanical extracts, anti-oxidants and vitamins in their products so they're definitely going to be good for your skin! It's also great to know that they're keeping it as natural as possible. The products are not organic although they contain a number of naturally-derived ingredients. Good news for the animal lovers - They're cruelty-free! It's nice to know that there are companies that care. Their products also do not contain parabens. All products are also unisex, so you can share them!

Check out Fountain Cosmetics on their website, Facebook page and Twitter.

xx

Nicole

PS. These products were sent for review but that in no way affected my opinions on this issue.

Hello heroines!

Because Zoya loves us so much, they had to release three different collections in three different finishes for the same season. I'm not complaining but my bank account sure as hell did!

Let's look at the last collection, I definitely love my jellies!!

*All swatches with base and top coats.

** Swatches show five coats

This is Frida.

Frida is a gorgeous emerald jelly. I'm in love with greens so it's no surprise I love this.

Very sheer coats, as you can see. But I'm pretty sure it'll eventually build up to opacity. In like, seven coats or something. Kidding. I'm honestly not too sure. I'd probably only use this in jelly sandwiches because I can't stand VNL.

Lovely colour and I definitely don't have any other jellies like this.

This is Katherine.

Katherine is a lovely plum jelly. Plum jelly just sounds so delish, doesn't it?!

Significantly more opaque than Frida, as you can see. I can actually wear this on its own because there's barely any VNL.

I love how vampy she is and how she invokes beautiful memories of the only few autumns I've experienced.

This is Paloma.

Paloma is a medium pink jelly. Kinda reminds me of the OPI Texas Sorbets but more muted.

Paloma can be worn on her own too. Why did Zoya name her Paloma, knowing that it means Dove, when they already have a Zoya Dove that's actually grey?!

Gorgeous colour all the same.

I know some people found this collection to be severely lacking but I honestly loved them. I love my jellies and the endless possibilities they offer in spite of the infuriating number of coats they require. 

Did you buy them?

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

Today I have for you the Zoya Fall NYFW 2012 Designer Collection swatches. They're the creme counterparts to the Diva collection I posted a few days back and while I've never really been a great fan of cremes because I always thought they were boring, well, this has changed my mind completely. I'm in love with the formula and the colours. I love fall collections!

*All swatches with base and top coats.

This was three coats of Erica.

Erica is a lovely dark purple with a tinge of dustiness. Actually, I reckon it's more plum than purple but let's not split hairs over it.

Superb formula, I've absolutely no complaints whatsoever. Went where you wanted it to go and then stayed put.

It's a beautiful fall colour and although it may not be very unique (I'm pretty sure I've a few dupes at least in my massive purple stash), I love it.

This was three coats of Evvie.

Wow. Just wow. I love Evvie!!! The name reminds me of Eevie, the pokemon, but heck, this is a thousand times more beautiful!

Evvie is a gorgeous dusty grey with a tinge of green. It's a very camo colour, I reckon.

I'm not sure if I'm simply more inclined towards greys lately but I'm in love with Evvie.

This was three coats of Natty.

Natty, Natty, what can one say about thee? I can wax lyrical about Natty all day because I love blues, let alone blues with a tinge of grey or greys with a tinge of blue? And it's dusty! I've never been so happy about dustiness.

Such a beautiful and unique colour. O, how I love thee!

Definitely another first in my stash, I reckon. And a keeper.

This was thre coats of Noot.

Noot is a dusty olive beauty that somehow brings to mind an exotic desert. Yeah, my mind clearly works in a weird way.

Very versatile colour, I reckon. With a brilliant formula to boot, what's there not to like about Noot?

Noot may remind me of moot but this polish certainly will not amount to that. Apparently there's a dupe coming up in OPI's Skyfall collection though..

This was three coats of Rekha.

A gorgeous, blue-leaning red that isn't too overtly bright and in your face. Did I say the same thing in the previous Zoya review? I can't remember.

Reds don't ever play nice with my skin, they tend to stain my cuticles no matter how hard I try but I reckon it may just be me so it may not be the same for you!

Not the most unique colour but hey, I love my sexy reds. Meow.

This was three coats of Toni.

Ooh Toni, lovely Toni. A great plum shade for fall. Very vampy, very pretty, still dusty though.

Applied like buttah and smoorth as anything! Gorgeous.

It has just occurred to me that this looks a tad like Purrfect Plum from China Glaze's On Safari Collection hmm. I reckon I'll do a comparison post of sorts soon.

I love Zoya cremes, they always apply so damn smoothly, you just feel like licking them off. No, I'm not the girl on My Strange Addiction, I just meant they always make your nails look finger lickin' good. They're probably two-coaters because they're opaque enough but I always do three because I can, y'know?!

What do you think of Zoya's fall offerings so far?

xx

Nicole

Hello Heroines!

I got pretty caught up again over the past week or so but as promised, here are the Zoya Fall NYFW 2012 Diva collection swatches!

Okay, so I received them in the mail pretty long ago and I swatched them pretty long ago, but better late than never, hey? I love my shimmers!

*All swatches with base and top coats!

This was three coats of Daul.

Daul is a purple with some seriously heavy gold shimmer in it. It's also got some holo particles in it as you can see!

She's gorgeous but she does remind one of Faye and Jem (when Zoya duped itself) and of OPI It's My Year doesn't she? For one, Faye and Jem lean more pink than Daul. For two, OPI IMY supposedly has a lighter gold shimmer. That's great news - now you can own them all!

Great formula as always - no dragging, no pooling, nothing. Stays where you place it, applies like butter. What more can you ask for?

This was three coats of Elisa.

Firstly, WOW. Look at her glow!! I love it when my polishes have this inner glow thing that they say only pregnant women have. Bullshit! My polishes have inner glow too!

Secondly, you would've already gotten a sneak peek of her in my National Day mani, but isn't she fully deserving of a full mani on her own? She's a beauty. It's no secret that I love my reds. I'll never be brave enough to wear a red dress but to dress my nails in red? Definitely! She isn't the usual vampy red that everyone rolls out when autumn rolls around but she's not that bright and in your face either. I'd say she's a blue-toned red with a subtle shimmer but outstanding glow.

I always have issues with reds staining my cuticles and sadly this isn't much of an exception but she's worth it. In every way. Amazing formula, not too thin or too runny.

This was three coats of FeiFei.

I really have got no idea what to say about FeiFei. How do I even begin describing her? She's like, wow. Wow. Blueish greyish base, multicoloured microglitter shimmer thingamajig?! With holo particles?! Wow.

Totally streaky with bald spots with the first coat but builds up opacity after. Not exactly typical Zoya formula but this isn't exactly a typical Zoya.

This was three coats of Ray.

Ray is similar to Elisa, with the same inner glow. Ray is a gorgeous forest green. I love greens.

Ray is a tad brushstrokey but thankfully, she's dark enough to hide the brushstrokes.

Formula was good as always, I'm really starting to like Zoya.

This was three coats of Song.

Song is amazing. Simply breathtaking and I've never seen another blue like Song, ever.

Look at that glass fleck-y finish! It's so electrifying.

Amazing formula, didn't stain. Just amazing. Amazing.

This was three coats of Suri.

Suri reminds me of Shattermeclaire's Tall Poppy, except Suri's got this amazing inner glow thing that I keep harping on about and Suri's a tad darker.

Suri has got an interesting red and blue shimmer going on. Very different. I totally love it. Then again, it's a purple, of course I love it.

Amazing formula as always, I've probably said enough about Zoya's formula!

Overall, I did love this collection. The stand out for me has got to be Elisa although FeiFei is pretty much breathtaking as well. I hope Zoya will continue releasing amazing collections like this one!

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

Singapore's National Day actually happened on the 9th of August but on that day, while I was driving out to grab some Singapore grub to celebrate National Day, I got into a car accident and thus, this mani never made it onto the blog. Sad story.

I promptly forgot all about it and when I was editing through a tonne of photos, I suddenly found it again! So here we go!

This was two coats of Zoya Purity with Zoya Elisa for the funky french tips and also as undies on the accent nail. I'm wearing Lynn Ruby Red Ruby on my accent nail.

I was actually pretty tempted to photoshop the tips on this so that it'll be straighter but I've recently resolved to photoshop less so now you get to see my wonky tips in all their macro glory!

Elisa is drop dead gorgeous and I'll be featuring her soon.

Purity was not as streaky as I thought she would be.

Ruby Red Ruby is a gorgeous polish filled with heaps of red glitters in hexes and squares. Absolutely to die for.

I dabbled RRR on so that it wouldn't go on too thick. 

I know heaps of people have been selling their Lynns and slamming her and while I've been mostly staying out of it all, I grabbed hold of this opportunity to purchase my first Lynns and I don't regret it because they're highly complex and gorgeous! I just want the polishes without the drama. Polish is supposed to bring us all together, not tear us apart!

And well, happy belated National Day, Singapore! Majulah Singapura!

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

Is anyone still around for EmilydeMolly week? *crickets chirping*

I know, I know, I'm horrible for teasing you all with polishes that most of you can't obtain but hey, looking is free, no? Anyway, you'd be glad to know that today is the last day of EdM week and I've got Zoya Fall swatches for you coming up next!

I wore this mani as a full mani for a few days without chipping. Go me!

*This mani features base and top coats.

This was one coat of Volcanic Sparks over Blue Eyed Freak.

Volcanic Sparks is a duochrome top coat.

Just one thin coat will suffice to spice up any mani!

Of course I couldn't leave it alone. I wore Touch of Vintage on my thumb, which is unfeatured here.

Jagged Stratus on my index.

A Black & White Affair on my middle finger. ABWA was previously unfeatured but I've worn it over EVERYTHING previously because I fell in love with its simplicity and complexity.

Death Defy on my ring finger.

Ode to the Elite on my pinky!

It was a fun mani and I thought it would be a great way to end off EmilydeMolly week on the blog. How're your wishlists holding up? I, for one, know that I'm dying to place an order for her new creations that I've yet to own!

Remember, the discount code - notskindeep10 runs till the end of August!

xx

Nicole

Hello Heroines!

We're nearing the end of EmilydeMolly week and I'm beginning to get all sentimental about it bleah. Nevertheless, the show must go on because I've got three more fantastic polishes to show you today and I'm sure you don't want to miss out!

*All swatches are done with base and top coats.

This was one coat of Remnants over OPI Do You Lilac It?

Remnants is a colourful mix of hexes, squares and bars in different colours. They're metallic glitters, not matte. Rest assured I haven't spotted any curling yet!

It's so pretty, it reminds me of Clown Puke.

Great formula, I didn't have to fish for glitters because it was jam-packed full of 'em. 

I know we've all seen tonnes of multi-coloured glitters and variations of them but I think the squares add a little something different to this and I'm in love!

This was two coats of Sugar and Spice over China Glaze Purrfect Plum.

Sugar and Spice is a pretty polish consisting of red and pink squares and hexes in a slightly pink-tinted base. Very different from what I'd normally wear.

I love that it's subtle on red/pink/plum polishes, which is what we need for work-appropriate manis sometimes you know? No fishing required, it's got perfect formula too - not to thick, not too runny.

This was two coats of When Planets Collide over BB Couture Cleopatra.

Cleopatra was perfect matchy-matchy undies for When Planets Collide and as much as I wanted to wear WPC on its own, I didn't want to sit there forever applying a thick wad of polish on my nails! 

When Planets Collide consists of orange, blue, green and red hexes and tiny blue microglitter is a very very very lightly tinted base. It's beautiful.

No fishing required, the glitters cling to the brush, excited to be placed on your nails! 

When Planets Collide is truly a beautiful polish. It's what I would think of if I think of planets meeting in space. It's perhaps deserving of being known as one of Hayley's most famous polishes.

Don't forget the discount code offered to my readers! notskindeep10

xx

Nicole

Hello heorines!

Today I've got some pretty dark shades from EmilydeMolly for you! I'm sure that everyone knows by now just how much I love my dark polishes and I reckon these muted glitters are perfect for when you still want some bling without standing out too much!

*All swatches done with base and top coats.

This was three coats of Black Crystal.

Black Crystal is a black jelly with holographic particles. It's not a linear holo.

Black Crystal is one of my favourites because it's gorgeous. Doesn't it look somewhat like the night sky? It's also kinda what I imagine the galaxy to look like. It's beautiful.

Formula was brilliant but as with all jellies, wait in between coats to prevent dragging.

I love how simple yet eye-catching it is.

This was three coats of Black Forest.

I didn't want to layer Black Forest because I wanted to retain its squishy qualities. 

The end result turned out to be like a jelly sandwich with a syrup polish. 

I'd probably try layering it in future but it's a gorgeous polish, with green hexes and little black hexes in a black tinted base.

Formula was good but wait in between coats to let the polish dry sufficiently to prevent dragging.

This is three coats of Muted Madness.

Muted Madness is another black tinted jelly with glitters in it. I'd say it's the black cousin (is that offensive?!) of GlossnSparkle Unicorn Droppings. They share the same qualities - jelly base, holographic particles, matte multi-coloured glitter.

I love this as much as I loved Unicorn Droppings except that this built to opacity in three coats but that is due to the nature of its colour.

I love love love love love this baby. I don't think I can say it enough. It's black without being goth.

Absolutely brilliant formula too. Although removal is the same as every other glitter removal - PITA.

I love the polishes I showcased today and I'll definitely be wearing them often when I'm at a loss of what to wear.

I realised that EDM doesn't offer international shipping for now but rest assured, Hayley is working something out! We wouldn't want you international ladies to be deprived do we? For now, I guess you can add to your wishlists first! The discount code for my readers is notskindeep10 and it runs till end August.

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

Yes, I know I'm a bad girl for blogging so late but here in Perth, it's technically still Wednesday so I'm safe. It's also Wednesday in the US, the UK, etc. You get the point. 

Let's just head straight to the polishes shall we?

*All swatches done with top and base coats.

This was three coats of Blue Eyed Freak.

Blue Eyed Freak is a medium blue metallic neon.

It applied really smoothly, flowing off the brush beautifully. 

It's a gorgeous, eye-catching colour.

I really really liked it! I'm a sucker for blues.

Then I decided to layer these gorgeous glitter top coats over!

From left to right: Touch of Vintage, Ode to the Elite, Jagged Stratus, Death Defy

Touch of Vintage consists of gold hex glitters in different sizes and holographic hex glitters in different sizes. It also has tiny holographic particles.

Ode to the Elite consists of silver and holographic glitters in different shapes and sizes. So far, I've seen stars, bars, hexes and squares. Who knows what else is in that treasure chest of a bottle?

Jagged Stratus and Death Defy are matte white and black glitters respectively. They're basically like Connect the Dots or EDM's B&W Love Affair, separately. Both consist of hexes, swaures and bar glitters. I love having the option of wearing them separately.

I really like EmilydeMolly's glitter top coats, what do you think of them?

Remember to check out Hayley's etsy shop here! The discount code, notskindeep10, runs for two weeks until the end of August.

xx

Nicole

Hello Heroines!

Wow it's day three already?! We're halfway through EDM week here at The Epitome of Superficiality!

Let's look at some more pretty polishes!!

*all swatches done with base and top coats.

This was three coats of Flurocious.

Flurocious is a retina-searing neon pink with White and black hex glitters and white and black square glitters.

The formula was fantastic and presented no issues at all. I also love the random placements of glitters.

I fell in love with just how bright this baby is.

It's also a unique in my stash.

This was three coats of Frozen In Time.

Frozen in time is a teal jelly with white hex and square glitters.

I love how the glitters look like they're suspended in the jelly, or rather, ice trapped underwater?! Does that even make sense?!

Brilliant formula as always, doesn't stain either!

This was three coats of Ursula. 

Ursula is a purple metallic polish with black hex and square glitters of different sizes.

Great formula as always.

However, I did feel like the base obscured the glitters a tad too much and somehow I just wasn't fond of the eventual effect.

Still a pretty polish nonetheless, I'm just not sure it's for me.

Are you sick of EDM week yet or are you looking forward to the next four days? Hang in there!

Once again, Hayley from EDM has kindly offered my readers 10% off! Just apply the code "notskindeep10" at checkout. Hayley also ships internationally.

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines! 

Welcome back to day 2 of EmilydeMolly week here on The Epitome of Superficiality!

I apologise for adding on to everyone's toilet roll-long wishlists but well, they're really pretty polishes!! Your wallet may hate me but I'm sure your collection will thank me and send me flowers!

*All swatches done with base and top coats.

This was three coats of Somber Party.

Somber Party is a grey jelly with adorable little micro-glitters in blue and pink.

The little specks of colour definitely do not sink and are very visible when on the nail!

The formula went on beautifully - not streaky at all.

I really like how Somber Party looks - it isn't entirely in your face but it's still a prett glitter all the same.

This was three coats of Milky Way.

Milky Way comprises pink and green hex glitters and blue micro glitters in a slightly milky greyish-tinged base.

The larger hex glitters required some manipulation but no fishing was required to get the glitters out.

The formula was good but remember to factor in some drying time so that the hex glitters won't be dragged when you try to apply another coat!

It wasn't quite what I expected, honestly but maybe it's because I tried wearing it on its own.

This was one coat of Milky Way over Color Club Masquerading.

I layered it over the nearest polish I had on my desk and I can't decide if I prefer this look! Obviously the milky grey base is not visible now.

Regardless, I do like this polish and how it looks on the nail.

It's really different in a good way!

One last look at the popular Mllky Way. Mmm makes me want some chocolates.

This was three coats of Speckled Pig.

Speckled Pig is a pink jelly with black hex glitters.

It's got great formula and the glitters aren't a pain to remove either!

It was a very different look for me because I'm rather anti-pink and all that jazz. Basically, this polish is too cute.

I ended up liking it though because it's different. Hopefully I'll wear it again!

This marks the end of day two of EmilydeMolly week! Did you add any to your wishlist today?

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

I've noticed an increased interest in Aussie indie maker Hayley's EmilydeMolly creations in the nail polish world recently so I contacted her recently and asked if she'd be happy to be part of an EmilydeMolly week on my blog! She kindly agreed and so I'm kicking off with three of her polishes for you today. While swatching, I realised that I actually own most of the polishes in her shop. Oops. I'm a naughty girl.

Cathy from over at More Nail Polish has been swatching some of her polishes recently too so I was slightly nervous about presenting my swatches but well, here we go!

*All swatches presented with base and top coats of course. i'm a good girl like that.

This was three coats of Regal Beginnings.

Regal Beginnings was a purple jelly filled with black and gold hex glitters and blue and gold square glitters.

It was beautiful because it did seem like a baby royal of sorts, you know, purple being a royal colour but this isn't a royal purple, instead it's a pastel purple which is a soothing baby colour. You get my train of thought right?!

The formula was great, not much manipulation of glitters required - I just swiped the polish on.

It's a pretty and unique colour that I really liked and I wore it for my Perth Fashion Festival interview.

This was three coats of It's Complicated.

It's Complicated has got to be one of my favourites! A white milky jelly with black and purple glitters and black shards - what's there not to like?

I love how the jelly formula layers the glitters and how they all look suspended yet you can still see the purple glitters clearly.

Great formula - it isn't too streaky, thick or unmanageable for a white jelly, or even a white polish for that matter.

Definitely a unique colour in my stash too. Very well thought out, I love the concept.

This was three coats of Ego Friendly.

Ego Friendly is a lovely mint jelly with green shards and green and pink hex glitters.

It layers on beautifully and makes the glitters look suspended in that milky base.

The formula wasn't streaky and it went on well - beautiful!

I wasn't too sure about this baby when I first saw her but she won me over!

I hope you enjoyed the first three EmilydeMolly polishes that I've shown you. I'll be showing you 19 other polishes over this week so please check back daily! 

Hayley has also kindly given me a discount code for my lovely readers so please enter notskindeep10 into the discount code box to enjoy 10% off your total purchase! She ships internationally.

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

Yes, I'm on a glitter gradient kick, as you can see. These were manis that I did sometime back so well, no better time to post them hey?

I decided to do a glitter gradient for this mani simply because I did a horrible paint job in the car. No, I wasn't the one driving. But I figured I needed to cover up the ugliness!

This was three coats of China Glaze Watermelon Rind, with China Glaze Full Spectrum and Nicole by OPI Nicole...Spotted! sponged on.

I prefer inverted glitter gradients because they're less likely to chip!

Watermelon Rind is a gorgeous emerald polish with a pretty metallic-y finish.

NOPI Nicole...Spotted! is a gorgeous glitter filled polish with tiny green and holo particles. Beautiful.

Full Spectrum leans mostly purple, with holo particles in it. I've found the Prismatic collection to be really good for sponging!!

Do you love glitter gradients as much as I do?

Also, I'm in the midst of planning to switch my blog over to blogger, so hang in there!

xx

Nicole

Hello heroines!

I wore this mani when I wanted a subtle glitter gradient for an interview that I was conducting. I ended up feeling like I was getting interviewed instead but minor detail there. This was taken with my old lighting setup so it isn't as clear but I wanted to show you guys how my glitter gradient turned out anyway!

This was two coats of Cult Nails Vicious, sponged on China Glaze Electric Lilac at the cuticles and Mode Rock Me Sweet to ease the gradient.

Blurred shot to show the holo sparklies!

Vicious applied very smoothly, it was a dream. Opaque in two coats, nothing I wouldn't expect from Cult Nails.

I liked how subtle it is - it's probably the closest thing I have to a work-appropriate glitter gradient mani for now.

Rock Me Sweet was one of the glitters Mode released in a mini collection of sorts. It's really pretty and it actually looks somewhat juicy. Maybe I'm just screwed up.

Electric Lilac - one of the glitters released in China Glaze's 50 Specialty Glitters collection. 

It consists of tiny lilac glitters and tonnes of tiny holo particles. In a slight lilac-tinged base. It's gorgeous. To die for.

What do you think of my subtle inverted glitter gradient?

xx

Nicole