Zoya Flame Collection - Crystal - swatches & comparison

Zoya Flame Collection

Zoya's latest collection brings us six new metallic colors. You might have heard of the Zoya Fire & Ice collection, well, this is the same thing! They changed it into the Flame collection, rumor has it that it's because of Revlon, who trademarked the Fire & Ice phrase ages ago. Anyway, today I'll be showing you one of the prettiest polishes in this collection: Crystal, a frosty blue sparkling metallic.

Crystal

I'm not sure what to think of polishes who get named after women's names. I think it's lacking originality and it's a bit too easy as well. Thankfully, it's just a name. Crystal is a gorgeous cold, medium blue frosty polish with a bunch of golden flecks to spice it up.

As you can see the golden sparks in Crystal really compliment the icy, snowy blue color. For me this is the ultimate winter color. This may sound ridiculous to you, but this polish reminds me of winter fairies with golden locks. I know, right?

Application

Most Zoya polishes don't dry that well one me. Crystal does dry rather quickly, so yay for that. The formula was spot on, not too thick or thin, and completely opaque in three coats. Two coats would be quite okay already though.

Crystal versus Reflecting Pool

From the moment the first promoshots rolled in, I knew it had to be similar to OPI's Reflecting Pool. Reflecting Pool is quite hard to get since it was exclusively sold in certain European countries. Nowadays you'll usually find it on eBay for ridiculous prices.

Well, I did suspect both colors would be similar, but I was surprised to see they're dead on dupes! The formulas are very alike as well, so if you couldn't get your hands on Reflecting Pool, this is your chance!

Where to buy

You can get Zoya nail lacquers from their website: www.zoya.com and eBay. Zoya Crystal costs $7 for 15ml.

Chanel - Côte d'Azur Collection - Le Vernis Riva - Swatches & Review

Back from my break!

Hello everyone! Long time no see! As you might have noticed I took some time off from blogging, but I'm back. And with a long awaited review on Chanel newest nail polish: Riva.

There is already quite a buzz going around concerning this baby blue polish. I've heard it will cost $39 a bottle and apparently it is already sold out before even hitting the stores. Well, this is not true! With all these rumors going around, I'm almost expecting it to get at least half as famous as its big sister Jade.

Chanel's latest nail polish releases really knew how to grab me, I absolutely loved the Khakis and Paradoxal made it to one of my favorite polishes of the moment. But, will Riva have the same impact as these OR Jade? Let's see.

Secret Shimmer

After the promo photos had been posted, quite a few people were hoping Riva would be a light blue version of Jade. The promo shots showed us a marvelous shimmer, the same kind of shimmer that made Jade beyond famous. Unfortunately, this shimmer doesn't translate really well onto the nail. You'll need to get out your magnifying glass to make sure it's there. Other than that, I really love the color. Le Vernis Riva is part of the Côte d'Azur Collection and it does give me that relaxing, but joyful vibe. I have to admit though, without the shimmer this polish is nowhere unique. Chanel is a brand that usually sets the trends, but I don't think that's the case here..

Chanel Riva catching some sunbeams, almost no shimmer..

Formula

The first Chanel polish I ever bought was Nouvelle Vague. I loved everything about it, except the formula. After that I managed to get my hands on Particuliere, Les Khakis and Paradoxal. They proved me that Chanel is capable of making fantastic polishes when it comes to application. But, I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed in Riva. Riva's texture is a bit thick and streaky, which can lead to some bubbling. I have to say though, I was expecting Riva to be very sheer, but luckily it builds up to an opaque finish in three coats. I can't comment on the wear yet, since I only just got it..

Comparison

A lot of people were expecting Riva to look rather similar to Nouvelle Vague. As you can see, Riva is much blueer than Nouvelle Vague. And a whole lot lighter as well. I went through my stash to see if I had something similar, and while I don't own a lot of baby blue, I thought China Glaze's Moody Blue is quite close! A little bit more saturated than Riva, but still. Unfortuanely, you won't find Moody Blue that easily anymore, since it's pretty old..

Overall

Riva is absolutely beautiful, there's no denying that. Awfully unique? No, I personally don't think so. The formula doesn't really make up for that either, but it's nothing a drop of thinner can't fix. I am quite fond of this color, but I can understand if people don't want to pay $27 for something rather dupeable... So, what do you think of Riva?

Exclusively available in CHANEL Fashion Boutiques starting December 1st 2010. The price will be 25 EUR or 27 USD for 13 ml. I'm expecting these will be sold online as well starting the 15th of November. If you're in the US and you want to pre order, you might want to check out this link.

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Low Budget (Euro) Matte Top Coats Compared!

Euro - Brick & Mortar

Hi everyone! It's saturday, woohoo! Finally a little time to spend on the blog. For today I have something that will mostly interest Europeans since these brands are not (that easily) available elsewhere, so sorry about that!

I know there are a gazillion matte top coats out there, but I know a lot of people don't like to buy online, so for the people who can get their mitts on these brands I decided to compare three low budget matte top coats!

What top coats?

The top coats in question, are made by Hema, Essence and Catrice. I'll be mainly focusing on their mattifying abilities and their price, and not so much the wear as this is different for everyone.

Likes / Dislikes

As you can see there is one top coat that noticeably falls behind: the Hema matte top coat. It applies very nicely, but it's more satin looking. If this is your thing, I'd say check it out, if you're more into true mattes: skip it! I have reviewed this product before, saying it was not streaky, but today it definitely was! Not so cool. The other two are pretty much identical. They're both made by Cosnova, applied the same way, so I was wondering if these might be the same product in different bottles? Unfortunately I couldn't find ingredients anywhere - which is a major letdown - I think all products should have their ingredients attached to their back.
What I didn't like about the Essence and Catrice top coats was the fact the brushes pick up color. You don't want your top coat to change color, so don't forget to clean up the brush if it got dirty.

Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest

The Essence Matt top coat costs €1.75 / 8ml, the one by Catrice is €1.99 / 12ml and the Hema will cost you €2.50 / 11ml. As you can see the one by Hema is the most expensive, but the least matte looking. If you want to go for a true matte, I'd suggest you look into the ones by Essence and Catrice. The Essence looks the cheapest, with its price of only €1.75, but is it REALLLLY? A little breakdown:

	Hema Top Coat Matt	Catrice Matt Top Coat	Essence Matt Top Coat
Price in €	2.50	1.99	1.75
Per ml	11	12	8
Price per 100ml	22.73	16.58	21.86

So, if you're looking for a decent, true matte top coat, for the smallest price, the one by Catrice wins hands down!

One product in this post was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Chanel Paradoxal Dupes?

Chanel Paradoxal

A while ago I bought Chanel's Paradoxal, from the moment I saw pictures, I just knew I had to have it. And I still don't regret splurging the $$$, because I have a thing for this purple taupe with its hidden shimmer. The wear has been great on me and I actually wear this often.

Dupe?

What exactly is considered a dupe anyway? According to the dictionary a dupe is a version identically copied from an original. So when you compare these colors, they have to be fairly identical before you can label them as dupes. This is why I don't consider Models Own's Purple Grey and MNY's #549 exact dupes of Paradoxal. Their base colors are definitely very similar, but they're lacking the shimmer. MNY tests on animals, therefore it's not an option for me.

The fun without the $$$

While I love Chanel, I have to admit: it is kinda pricey. Thankfully I've come across some cheaper alternatives: Barry M's Dusky Mauve and number 509 by Hollywood Nails (they even share the same number!). If you look at this comparison you'll notice how close Barry M and Chanel are! They have the same base color and pretty much the same amount of shimmer. The camera shows more blue in Barry M's shimmer, but I looked very hard and didn't notice this myself. #509 by Hollywood Nails is pretty close too, but the shimmer is different: the particles are smaller and more evenly distributed throughout the polish.

Application

The application of Dusky Mauve and Paradoxal is also quite similar, they both need 2 layers and they go on very nicely. #509 by Hollywood Nails is almost a once coater, win!

Chanel Paradoxal costs $23.00 for 13ml, Hollywood Nails #509 costs $4,25 for 15ml and Barry M's Dusky Mauve costs $4,75 for 10ml.

So, if you fell in love with this color too, but you don't want to hurt your wallet, I'd definitely recommend Dusky Mauve by Barry M, I actually consider this a dupe and it's not expensive at all! Yes, the one by Hollywood Nails is relatively cheaper and has better coverage, but I still don't know where you can buy it as it's mostly a salon brand.

Where to buy

You can buy Barry M products directly from their website or from Alice and Jo's Havesentials.

Review: Nfu Oh Aqua Base

Extra oomph?

Lately I've been reading a lot about a special base coat by Nfu Oh, the Aqua Base. This base coat is specifically designed to go under holographic nail polish. On several blogs I read this base coats gives extra "oomph" to holographic nail polishes, it would even make Nfu Oh 61 a dupe for Chanel Holographic. Oh la la. So my nail polish heart beat a little faster and I before I knew it I had ordered myself a bottle.

Application

Nfu Oh holos are notorious for their patchy application and bad wear, but this base coat makes application a whole lot easier. This milky base coat smells a bit funny, almost like glue, but luckily it doesn't have a very strong scent. I only need 2 (!) coats of Nfu Oh #66, when applied over the Aqua Base instead of the usual 3 or 4 to cover up any bald patches. So that's a huge plus for me! I can't really tell anything about the wear yet, but I promise to update this post when I know more.

Put it to the test

But does it really spice up the holographic effect? I tried it myself, with Nfu Oh #66, a gorgeous lime green holo. I applied 2 layers of the Aqua Base and 4 layers on top of Orly Bonder. I skipped the top coat. Mhmm, honestly, I see no difference, do you? I'd totally recommend this base coat for its ability to handle holographics so well, though!

I wanted to end this post with a little bit of news for my Brazilian readers! Yesterday I stumbled upon this link, and found out a brand called Rivka is going to introduce esmaltes Holográficos in Brasil. Sanction Angel is also releasing (in 10 or 15 days) a bunch of - to die for - holos, how hot are THESE?!

You can order this base coat at NailXL or check out my faq for other etailers.

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

Eyeko - Vintage Polish & A Mint Green Comparison

Eyeko Vintage Polish

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

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

Mint Green

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

celadon	moss green	magic mint	mint green	mint

Mint Green Comparison

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

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

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

Eyeko - Posh Polish & a taupe comparison

Taupe

Lately I've been on a taupe kick. I'm not sure why because usually I like to wear bright, bold colors that stand out. But somehow I'm really digging taupe, I think it's a very classy color that's easily matched with a lot of outfits. It's a neutral, but definitely not boring in my book.

According to Wikipedia there are many types of taupe:

dark taupe	med. taupe	pale taupe	mauve taupe	sandy taupe	grey taupe	rose taupe	purple taupe

Eyeko Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails

Recently I received Posh Polish by Eyeko, and I quite like it. This creme polish applies pretty smoothly, completely opaque in 2 coats and no other funny problems worth mentioning. I didn't use a top coat this time, and as you can see it's not incredibly glossy on it's own.
Like all Eyeko polishes this one came in such a cute packaging, it says: Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails. And even I do feel like a lady wearing this, haha.

Taupe Comparison

However, I own a lot of taupes, and this one isn't my favorite of the bunch, simply because I like my taupes a tad darker. To show you how it compares to some other taupes I have, I threw in this little comparison:

I do feel like I should have included OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, Over The Taupe and maybe even Chanel's Particuliere, but I couldn't justify buying more of this shade after already owning all of these haha. So please forgive me!

As you can see Eyeko's Posh Polish is quite on the lighter side. I think my favorites are the two Catrice polishes: From Dusk To Dawn and Lost in Mud!

What is your favorite taupe polish?

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

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

Matte Top Coats Compared

Hi guys! If you love matte nail polish, you're bound to love matte top coats. I love these because you can transform any polish into a hot matte finish. There are many to chose from, even with different finishes, so let's compare the few I have!

As you can probably tell there are some differences between the four. Let's break it down a bit:

	P2 - Matte Top Coat (€1,55 / $1,95 for 8ml / .27 Fl. Oz.) This one has the most satin finish of the bunch. The substance is a bit cloudy, which you definitely can tell by looking at the nail. You could say it dulls the color a bit. Application is pretty smooth! This top coat is not that easily available since P2 is a German brand, but it is relatively the cheapest of the four. Drying time: slowest of the four, definitely needs a couple of minutes. Wear: Chipped after 3 days.
	ManGlaze - Matte-Astrophe (€10,43 / $13,13 for ?) Like everything ManGlaze, this one is special! Matte-Astrophe has a crackle effect (not always), which you either love or hate. (Most likely to happen when you apply the top coat when your nail polish isn't fully dry yet). Application is seriously the best, smooth, thin and not streaky. Mattest of the bunch. Drying time: pretty quick, 30-60 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 3 or 4 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges.
	China Glaze - Matte Magic (€5,16 / $6,50 for 9,6ml / .325 Fl. Oz.) Matte Magic has a truly flat finish, no shine or effect. This one's a bit thick though, which affects the application. Drying time: super quick, 15-30 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 1 or 2 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges.
	Essie - Matte About You (€7,94 / $10,- for 15ml / .5 Fl. Oz.) This one goes on super smooth, isn't thick and isn't as cloudy as Matte Magic. The color wasn't affected as much either, which is a big plus! Drying time: super quick, 15-30 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 3 or 4 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges. Common problem: after a while it's possible you'll find white specks in the polish.
Please note, wear can be different for everyone, depending on body chemistry and activities during the day

If I had to pick only one, I'd choose Essie's Matte About You. Matte Magic is a bit too thick for my taste and the one by P2 is way too satin. I love love love Matte-Astrophe though, but I'm not always in the mood for crazy crackle ;-).
So Matte About You it is, application and wear is really good. And, not totally unimportant, it respects the original color the most. Funnily enough I don't own this one myself yet, Daphne from www.nailswatches.com lend me hers, so I was able to this comparison, thank you Daph!!

So, when I'm running out of Matte Magic, I'm going to order Essie MAY myself.
If you're happen to be Dutch, I have some good news for you! Hema just released their own matte top coat, I'm so excited. Unfortunately I couldn't find it in the stores I've been too, but I've seen swatches, and it sure looks promising.

Well this was it already, thanks so much for reading and have a great day -
Michèle

Catrice - I Sea You

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading and till next time!
- Michèle

Coral Comparison featuring OPI, Essence, P2 & Catrice

Hi guys! After swatching Catrice's I Scream Peach! the other day, I really felt like doing a comparison! I picked out four colors to compare: Essence - What do U think?, Catrice - I Scream Peach!, P2 - Flamboyant and OPI - Shootout at the O.K. Coral. As you can see, these are somewhat similar in the bottle.

On the nail, they are quite different, well two of them are. What do U think and I Scream Peach! are almost identical, I think the latter is a teeny tiny bit darker. Like I mentioned, these are really close dupes of Chanel's Orange Fizz!
The formula of these are really similar too, they're both cremes and they both need 3 coats. The one by Essence is more smooth when it comes to application.

P2 Flamboyant is darker and more vibrant, a bolder color. The finish of this one is kinda where a creme and a jelly meet. It took me 4 coats to get rid of the evil VNL, but other than that, application was perfectly fine.

OPI's Shootout at the O.K. is really different from the others, it is slightly duochrome, alternating between orange and pink. The formula of this one is really good, still needing 3 coats, but applies like a dream.

I think coral is a difficult color though, I love how summer-y it looks, but I do think colors like these tend to look better on someone with a tan, and obviously I don't have one haha. Will you be wearing coral this summer?

Thanks for reading and see you next time!
- Michèle

Blue shimmer comparison: Misa VS. OPI

Hi guys! Initially I wasn't planning on posting this tonight, because I had another great polish in mind. Unfortunately my David top coat decided to eat half of it, I've never ever experienced this before, but my pretty polish became victim of the dreaded 'shrinkage'.
Therefore, I'm not going to bother you with some lousy pics of this mishap.

Instead, I have a comparison for you to look at. I've been wanting to compare these two for a while now: Misa's 'A Sin Worth Committing' versus OPI's "Yoga-ta Get This Blue!". I found out about the similarities between the two when I was reorganizing my Helmer. At first, looking at the bottles, I thought they were blatant dupes, but they're not, albeit almost. It's hard to pick up on, but the shimmer that lives inside 'Yoga-ta Get This Blue' has a more turquoise hue to it. But they're so incredibly close that if you'd wear these two polishes at the same time, I'm sure no one would notice! So, I'd say these two are rather dupe-y.

The main difference lies in the formula though. 'A Sin Worth Committing' beats 'OPI's Yoga-ta Get This Blue' any day! I only needed to apply 2 coats of the first and 3 coats of the latter. ASW just glides on, where YGTB is more sheer and a wee bit on the gloppier side. Thanks to her flawless application Misa is a true winner here. If you ever have to decide between these two, you know which one to pick.

With that said, I want to thank you all for stopping by! Have a great night everyone!

You can read individual reviews here:

Misa - A Sin Worth Committing

OPI - Yoga-ta Get This Blue!

(Misa - A Sin Worth Committing is available at Head2ToeBeauty - not affiliated)

Essence - Cute as hell - Naughty but nice

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

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

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

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

What's your ultimate spring color?

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

Big on blue!

Hi guys! Did everybody enjoy the game? I'm totally clueless when it comes to American sports, lol. I'm quite busy since I'm moving so I'm hoping I'll find time to update my blog the next few days. *Crosses fingers*.

Anyway, Yesterday my mom, Romika, did a fun purple comparison, which really is her color. So I decided I'd do a blue one! As you can see the pinkie doesn't fit in with the rest, but it looked a lot darker in the bottle.

Here's what you're looking at:

Index: Nfu Oh - 280 - 3 coats
Middle: OPI - Dating a Royal - 3 coats
Ring: Herome W.I.C - Frankfurt - 2 coats
Pinkie: Claire's - Blue Fash (isn't labeled but this is what the receipt said) - 4 coats

As you can see the OPI and Nfu Oh are so close! I'd say they're almost a dupe. Almost, because Nfu Oh is the tiniest bit brighter, not that any 'normal' person would notice... ;-). The formula of the two is pretty much the same (being okay!), but Dating a Royal is a little bit more sheer.

These are all jellies, don't you just love that? The Herome nail polish is bordering on creme though, but it does own some of those great jelly characteristics. I love how this one is a more sophisticated, serious shade of blue. The one by Claire's took 4 coats for it to be opaque, that's not how we roll right!? For a full manicure I decided on the Nfu Oh. I love it! What's your favorite of the bunch?