Quo for Orly~ Christmas Red NOTD

Full Sunlight

For my birthday this year (December 10th, so not too long ago) my sister gave me this little Quo by Orly polish along with a lovely shirt. This polish is a true red that doesn't lean blue, pink or orange. It didn't come with a name as it's a mini bottle but I believe in full size it is Red Hot. It's a perfect festive shade for the holidays, exactly the colour of Rudolph's nose or Santa's suit. All my photos are coming up a little orange but it doesn't have that cast in real life- it's a bright cherry red. 

(Truest to colour)

 I was actually really impressed by the formula of this little polish. It was almost completely opaque in one coat and it glided on really nicely. The brush though small was very good too, firm but flexible. 

In the photos I'm not wearing any base or top coat so as you can see it's quite shiny. It also seems to be wearing well so that's a bonus.

Beware those that have big fingers though! This bottle is tiny! I have small hands to begin with so you can sort of get an idea from the photo above. The little bottle stands about 2 1/2 inches high. But such a cute way to try a shade don't you think?

Quo by Orly polishes are available in Canada at Shopper's Drug Marts.

Overall, I like the colour, the packaging and the formula. Plus it's tiny so it doesn't take up a lot of room. Heck I may actually be able to finish a polish this size! Classic.

Sprite Rating: 9.5/10 Not sure why I took off a 1/2 point but I guess I just don't feel it deserves a perfect score. Maybe for the super small handle of the brush.

Would I buy this again? Yes, the formula was great and the mini is adorable, especially for colours you aren't planning on wearing too often.

NOTD: WnW Sea Witch and Color Club I always get my 'Man'darin

Click large to see the lime green shimmer in the orange!

 So I was quite bored last weekend and decided to do up my nails with two of my new nail polishes- Wet n' Wild's Sea Witch from their new Summer Collection and Color Club's I always get my 'Man'darin from their brights collection.

At first I was going to pass by both polishes because I was sure I had something similar and I've never been a big bright/neon fan. However the subtleties of these two polishes are really pretty and unique. 'Man'darin is a gorgeous super bright orange but in it there is this amazing hard to photograph lime green shimmer. It totally blows my mind every time I look at it. Totally intense and summery, I'm really happy I got it even if I find I can't have it on every nail due to it's intensity.

Sea Witch is also pretty awesome. Firstly, I love the fact that it's named after Ursula from the Little Mermaid. It is the perfect colour for her a deep rich red based purple with a neat light blue shimmer. The shimmer only really shows up in full sun but I really like it- almost a lit from within quality to it.

As for the formulas they aren't that great. Both polishes don't cost very much but I was disappointed with both of these polishes, though for different reasons. 'Man'darin though applies smoothly really needs four coats to be opaque and doesn't wear well. I've found that it starts to chip two days after application. 

Sea Witch on the other hand has a wretched brush and a super thick difficult to work with formula. It lasts fairly well but it's a pain to apply and it needs two to three coats to become opaque. I'm definitely going to need to add polish thinner to this one. 

Overall I do like both the polishes and would recommend them for their unique colours but not their formula. 

Would I buy them again? I'd probably buy 'Man'darin again because I adore the colour so much but Sea Witch's formula was so so difficult to work with I wouldn't purchase a second time.

Overall Rating: 'Man'darin- 6/10, Sea Witch- 5/10

NOTD: Wet n' Wild Morbid

This is Wet n' Wild's Craze Polish in Morbid a lovely dark shimmery green colour. I found this wore well and applied nicely but for some reason I'm just not digging it. It might be because I'm leaning towards pastels in the approach of spring though as there is nothing wrong with the polish. What do you think?

(Sorry for the awful cuticle condition, I have since fixed this!)

NOTD: Color Club Fashion Addict

Yet another awesome colour (and my last that I purchased) from Color Club polishes that I picked up over the holidays, and most certainly a spring one! I ADORE this, named Fashion Addict it is unbelieveable. Two coats, though almost opaque in one this applied wonderfully like the other Color Club shades I purchased and has worn well to boot. Take a look!

Rainbow wonderfulness!

Direct Sunlight

In direct sunlight this is so pretty I can't stop looking at it! It takes my breath away!

Overall Rating: 10/10 - Seriously amazing, can't believe how inexpensive and high quality this is, plus it's vegan too!
Would I buy it again? YES!

NOTD: Color Club Snakeskin

Please ignore the messed up thumb, look at the beauty of the polish in the bottle instead :P

It's been awhile since I've shown a nail polish post so I thought I'd upload my current favourite! This little is by Color Club (which means they don't cost much and they are vegan as well!) and called Snakeskin (Number 901). And honestly this colour is stunning! Metallic silvered green with gold and silver micro-shimmer. To me it honestly has the feel of some sort of reptile in a swamp, which is great as I'm taking a Herpetology class this semester! (Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians :D) I think this color is really unique, I love the fact that it has some variation to it because of the gold and silver shimmer so it looks really reptilian! 

This polish not only looks really cool but the formula is awesome! Just as good as Revvvolution (Shown in this post!) you really can pull off only one coat with both of these two Color Club polishes I've tried. Though I did two coats in the photos, Snakeskin applies smoothly and without brushstrokes. (Quite a few of my nails are messed up in this manicure, but it's not due to the polish, rather the Top Coat I used. I'm on the last dregs of my favourite China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat and it has gone thick. In combination with not enough on my brush most times I destroyed most of the nails. *pout*)

Close-up to see the awesome shimmer!

Overall Rating: 10/10 This polish is amazing in my opinion. Great formula, Unique colour, Vegan and Cruelty-free brand and costs under $5 a bottle. Fantastic!

Would I buy this again? YES! Yes, yes yes! There is honestly nothing I dislike about this polish!

NOTD: Twilight Nox Debutante

This is one of the Twilight Nox polishes that was released in association to the Twilight novels and movies. And honestly, even if you're not interested in Twilight at all this polish seriously rocks! I love the crest on the bottle I think it's super cute, and I think the colours for the line are nice (even if some of them aren't super unique) but the best part about this polish is the quality!

As you can see above, Debutante is a lovely purple-pink with a strong gold duochrome. Very girly, a bit too much so for me but still a lovely colour. In some lights it appears lilac and in others it appears solid gold. A great subtle but still unique colour. The quality though is one of the best I've used. It was opaque easily in two coats and the wear has seriously lasted me over a week with very little tip wear. I'm so impressed! I'm really not easy on my nails and my manicure still looks decent even after spending time washing over 40 sponges and doing major cleaning this weekend in my townhouse.

Though as you can see there was some subtle brush stroke lines I'm still seriously impressed with this polish. It's held up so well and the duochrome is just so intense! I'd love to try some more from the line! The bottle contains 0.58 oz and cost around $6.99 USD. You can check them out further at there website here :D. Completely worth overlooking the vampire angle if you're not into that sort of thing! (And definitely worth looking into if you do like Twilight! :P)

Sprite Rating: 9/10 - Lost one point for brushstrokes and the fact it's kind of hard to find.

NOTD: Eyeko Vintage Polish

The last of my Eyeko polishes I ordered, Vintage Polish for Elegant Nails, is a slightly dusty mint green. It's lovely but I'm not really digging it for this time of the year, I'm sure I'll like it more when spring comes around. Shown is 2-3 coats depending on the nail, and I had some dragging issues with the polish application. Not nearly as bad as Rain was but not great either. 

I'm on my third day of wear now and it's going well no chips, some tip wear but that's normal. It's a lovely cream but I'm feeling a shimmer urge so I'll probably change it tomorrow after my paper for university is done (I've barely started, so things will be interesting tonight!).

Rating: 7/10

Something to keep in mind, there are different places to order Eyeko from. Of course it's up to you where you order from (or if you order at all), but I didn't have a good experience with Eyeko's customer service. Just a FYI.

NOTD: Eyeko Vampira and Halloween Makeup Tips

Vampira is a lovely polish. Most of the time it looks black, thus giving a very gothic feel but when the light hits it-

BAM! Amazing red glitter! I love this polish. The name is perfect for it and I think it gives the perfect elegant dark mistress touch!

This polish went on without a struggle which was much appreciated after both Rain and Indigo caused me issues. This takes two to three coats for an opaque finish and the glitter is apparent when you rotate your nails in the light for the most part, just not from a distance. I also recommend a top coat as this seems to need some extra oomph to make it shiny and glass-like which is how I prefer my darker colours to be.

It also seems to be wearing better than Indigo as well with a couple small chips and minor tip wear after four days which is about average for my polish. (I apologize for my super short nails, they decided to have a breakdown quite literally with peeling and breaking all at once after I removed Indigo and I was forced to give them the cut. *Sigh*)
Anyways I think this is a great polish, though I did notice it seemed to look scuffed up very quickly.

Rating: 8/10 Not quite as much red glitter as I would have liked and seemed to scuff up and thus look cloudy easily.

 As a bonus for this post, since I'm being a Vampire-thing for halloween I decided to include some make-up tips and hints for costumes.

1. Make-up is a great cheap way to really flash up your look, and halloween is the one time of year when more is well more! Don't be afraid to go crazy with your look.
2. Do a Make-up trial run or 'dress rehearsal' before the big night or witches party. Finding out it takes 15 minutes to get the eye look you want or that it takes 30 minutes to get false eyelashes on right before you need to leave is not going to lead to a great start to the night.
3. Hunt through your make-up stash for items that will already work before you hit the drug store. For example, I'm going to be a vampire and thus I want to be even paler than I am. How to do this? Use a matte white eyeshadow (I recommend Annabelle's Snow).
4. To get a darker lip colour of any shade of lipstick you have put on a thin sheer coat of black lipstick (easily available this time of year) and then apply the lipstick over top and smoosh around on your lips. This is a great way to get more bang for your buck!
5. Futuristic looks are easy to pull off if you have any highlighers or illuminators. Just put them on all over, especially if they are silver, gold, bronze or a mix of these. Metallics in other colours make great futuristic contrast. 
6. A ghost is really easy for a last minute costume. Find white pjs, cover your face with white eyeshadow, take a white eyeliner pencil and colour in your brows and line your eyes and inner rims too. Take foundation and cover your lips. If you have a lip safe blue eyeshadow (any shade and finish of blue!) pat it lightly on top of your lips and presto! Instant ghost. (This is also a great base for a zombie look too! All you need after that is some blood and stitches.)
7. If you've got a more complex costume, don't be afraid to bring you're makeup down from just your face. Black liquid liner makes excellent temporary tattoos.
8. Try to avoid halloween face paints if you can. I only say this as they're not up to the standards of regular make-up for the most part, especially if you're sensitive in any way or acne-prone. That being said don't go out and buy a bunch of products you're only going to use once either. Sometimes opting for a mask or a half mask is the way to go.

Wet n' Wild Sleep Walker over WnW Black Fog.
Pretty Orange Shimmer in Black :D
Left with top coat, right without top coat (it obviously really needs one don't you think?)

Wet n' Wild's Sleep Walker
Awesome Haunted Halloween colour!

Wet n' Wild Night Owl and First Franken!

Wet n' Wild Night Owl Coloricon polish came out recently as a limited edition part of the insomnia collection. I got it for $2.99 and honestly was disappointed in it. Although the colour is very halloween suitable- a dark almost black burgundy-plum, that sometimes looks like dried blood- it just didn't work well. To get it completely even it really needs three coats, it drags and it goes on unevenly, it also dries a strange half-matte finish as well (thank goodness for top coats). It chipped fairly quickly as well even with my top and base coat, it only lasted about three days (with Gelous base coat I usually get a minimum of four). So unless you love the colour, I don't recommend it it didn't live up to Black Fog's formula unfortunately.

See the weird ripples/bubbles/ridges? It just wouldn't smooth out!

Natural Light

However, I was in Zellars today and they had just put out the Wet n' Wild Fantasy Makers display out, a Halloween display made for wacky costume make-up and I found a little gem.

Fantasy Makers Display

Glitter Liners, Glitter Body Gel

More Glitter liners, Purple glitter, HOLOGRAPHIC GLITTER!

From my capitals I'm sure you can guess what the little gem was for $4.99. A vial of silver holographic glitter. Seriously this stuff has the whole rainbow spectrum when you move it!

So I made a Franken because I was so enthralled with this little beauty! For those of you who don't know a Franken stands for a nail polish colour of effect you've made yourself- it stands for Frankenpolish. I took Night Owl and made it into my new polish which I've names Owl Eyes.

 Gorgeous right? I am loving it! I decided to name it Owl Eyes because the original was Night Owl and the sparkles kind of look like eyes in the dark. Silly, and overly dramatic but that's just the type of person I am :D. I only did one nail as I'm about to do my nails in Sephora Sample Sale (an awesome Candy Apple red) for Thanksgiving this weekend, but I'm really pleased with the colour now, so I can put up with the not so great formula.

The holo captured!

What do you think? Any polishes you want to spice up? Have you Frankened before?

NOTD: Estee Lauder Surreal Violet

 Estee Lauder Surreal Violet was released this fall with the Blue Dahlia collection, and honestly the colour is to die for gorgeous! A greyed lavender with copper reflect this colour changes in every lighting.   Even looking at it in the bottle is lovely as the ice cube-like glass seems to capture the subtle copper shimmer well.

 The good about this polish unfortunately ends here. It was costly, a whopping $25 CND dollars for only  9 ml (0.3 oz) of polish. That's a little over half in comparison to China Glaze which has 14ml (0.5 oz) of polish which costs about $8.00 CND here. The formula on this is thin too. You really need three coats as two does cover but can look patchy afterwards (as is evidenced on my thumb in later pictures). Though the polish went on nicely it also didn't last very long. With my normal system (Gelous base coat and China Glaze quick dry top coat) it lasted three days before I got major chipping and tip wear.

Trying to capture the glow!

See near the base of the thumb? It looks patchy despite two coats. *sigh*

Rating: 5/10

Overall, though the colour is unique (I've never seen anything like it!) I've vowed to myself to never fall in love with another Estee Lauder nail polish. The lack of wear, the thin formula and the exorbitant price aren't worth it. Though I love this colour and am happy I got it in the future I'd rather spend my pennies on a polish I know is going to last longer than three days. Like Wet n' Wild coloricon or Nubar.