Nail Polish

Eyeko Tea Rose Polish

May 17, 2011 7 Comments

The second I saw pictures of this polish I knew I had to have it, I don’t know why because I’m not the fondest of pinks but somehow it just ticks all the right boxes. Unfortunately, by the time I first saw it, it was no longer being sold by Eyeko (despite it’s picture being present in the ‘shop’ section of the Eyeko site, every time I was fooled by this I was informed that the polish was ‘out of stock’). Apparently all the polishes are Limited Edition all though a few of you may have noticed the recent return of ‘discontinued’ shades such as Cosmic Polish… I mean what’s that all about? What’s the point in it being Limited Edition if you’re just going to bring it back time and time again?
Anyway, I’ve since had this at the top of my wishlist for a few months now, and I finally saw it pop up on Adrienne Adores blogsale and I couldn’t resist! (Thank you so much Adrienne, I love it to bits!) I’ve also learnt that Tea Rose is available on The Powder Rooms, and it occasionally pops up on ye olde eBay.

Tea Rose is a beautiful muted pink, very dusky rose, quite unlike any I’ve seen before and I haven’t managed to find any matching objects yet. It is actually a very unique shade. It’s very elegant and sophisticated and one which I think can sit very comfortably within all age groups.

This polish is 1 coat, yes, 1, to get it to a totally opaque finish. My index and middle finger have 2 coats on, so you can see that the second coat really isn’t required. The polish dries very quickly too. It’s a beautiful creme which applies evenly.

My one issue – and this is an issue with all Eyeko polishes rather than this one specifically – is the brush. It’s a round-ended brush, with quite thick, uneven bristles. As a result the brush collects a large amount of polish, which is hidden by the outer bristles, and you end up with much more polish on the nail than you initially intended. Contrary-wise, if you squeeze out lots of the polish back into the bottle it becomes quite draggy. I’ve managed to get around this issue by first just loading a blob of polish onto my nail then squeezing out the rest of the polish from the brush against the neck of the bottle, which allows for a smooth and even application. (I know it’s not ‘good practice’ but it seemed to work for me). Also the brush doesn’t allow for much control when applying so bear that in mind.

More Eyeko polishes coming soon – I bought 6 from the website (but that’s a whole other story…!)

I hope everyone is doing okay, I feel a bit disconnected after my weekend of heavy revision + exam + blood test, I’m still recovering! I also have an awards ceremony in Canary Wharf tomorrow night for some piece of creative writing I entered in a competition which somehow won (I don’t even know which piece it was as I entered a couple of competitions for the same company through school!) but I suspect I’m going to have to read it out, which will be awful and I am totally totally dreading it. Anyways, hope you are all having a more successful week than me 🙂
Emma xxx

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Boots 17 Fast Finish Catwalk Couture

May 15, 2011 13 Comments

I’m sad to report that this polish has been a disaster. I don’t know if it’s solely due to the ‘Fast Finish’ nature of this polish, because the other Fast Finish I own, Peacock, wasn’t half as bad.
The colour is gorgeous, a very stunning aqua-turquoise. It’s similar to Barry M’s Pure Turquoise but more turquoise… I’m not very good at describing the differences am I? Haha. Anyway, Catwalk Couture has a very subtle silver microshimmer running through the polish, which only really shows up in direct sunlight, but when you can see it, it’s beautiful.
My issue with the polish is the application. Because it dries SO FAST, this polish drags like crazy. You absolutely cannot go over an already polished area unless it’s totally dry and you have plenty of polish on the brush. You literally have to load the brush with polish in order to avoid dragging. Of course this results in a thick coat and I find that it makes it very awkward to achieve an even finish – my right hand was worse.
It’s such a shame, I love love love the colour of this polish and the microshimmer, but that’s about it 🙁 all three times I’ve tried this one I’ve had this problem.
Also, if you do happen to try this polish (or Peacock), I’ve found that during removal it tends to leave behind a greeny-blue stain on your skin. This washes off after a couple of handwashes but it’s just something to be aware of.
So what do you guys think? Anyone tried this polish? Would a thinner help to rectify this? I really am reluctant to throw it out because a) it was a present and b) it’s beautiful and c) I am emotionally attached to all of my polishes!
Have you had troubles with the Fast Finish range? I find that the Lasting Fix range is amazing, absolutely no issues whatsoever but this one is the polar opposite.
My first exam is tomorrow- I’m so scared! Haha. It’s a retake so it’s not the end of the world if I don’t do amazingly but even so.
Emma xxx
Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Barry M Blue Glitter

May 14, 2011 12 Comments

2 coats. Yep 😀
EDIT: This polish may look matte/suede in the photos but I assure you that’s just my rubbish photography paired with a non-co-operating camera, it’s VERY sparkly in person, could perhaps benefit from a topcoat but really doesn’t need it!
Blue Glitter is exactly that – a very bright, cyan blue glitter suspended in clear polish (although you’d barely know the clear polish is there!) The first coat applied well but with a fair amount of bald spots, however this evened out fine with the second coat.
My only issues with this are that firstly, the polish took a little bit longer to dry than most glitters. I guess this is on account of the fact that there was barely enough clear polish to go round all the glitter, not really sure. Anyway, within 10-15 mins it was dry enough to touch it without smudging the whole nail. The second coat was the same. But balanced by the two coats fabulousness, I think I’ll let it off. Secondly I did get a big chip and an average mount of tip-wear on the second day of wear, but I suppose that’s only to be expected when one doesn’t apply a topcoat. Lastly, the colour of the glitter seemed to have faded to silver, only very slightly (only noticeable to my scrutinising eyes) which actually was quite pretty.
Looking at online photos, this looks rather like a gold-less dupe of OPI’s Absolutely Alice – anyone care to compare? 😛
Very pretty polish, perhaps a bit jazzy for everyday wear (unless you’re like me and just don’t give a… about what’s appropriate for day wear!) but most certainly a good one for parties or occasions 🙂
Sorry for my blogging hiatus, partly due to Blogger being down but also partly due to cramming my brain full of information for my exam on Monday – I’m absolutely stressed out of my head, not quite sure why but I suppose that’s just me 😛 How are you all? Let me know 🙂
Oh and here’s Pink Flamingo’s fate:
I’m actually quite proud that I somehow managed to keep the dots in straight lines on both hands!
Emma xxx
Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Barry M 305 Pink Flamingo

May 11, 2011 6 Comments

Average-ish tipwear after around 24 hours of tough wear.
I think this is the most colour-accurate photo.
Here is a very pretty pink creme, I’d place it as a light brink pink (a colour formulated by Crayola, believe it or not!) it’s lovely, not quite as cliché as Barbie pink, and definitely a more interesting colour.
Formulation was lovely, opaque in two coats which both dried surprisingly quickly (for Barry M!) streak-free, very pigmented formula which was easily controlled. A very Spring-y shade methinks 😛
This polish is similar, but not the same as, Boots 17 – Pink Grapefruit, which is a shade or two darker.
For some reason pink polishes and I never really hit it off until recently I noticed my inundation of blue polishes, and decided to balance this with some pinks. I’ve had the same with reds, I think it’s just because before my obsession with polishes I only really wore a shimmer or creme red, or a hot pink (as a young girl), so I suppose I inadvertently avoided them. Anyways, I bought this colour as it was relatively unqiue (I say relatively – I’m talking in comparison with other UK high-street brands) and once again because at £2.99 this is  a steal when compared with some of the higher end brands.
I’ve decided to wear this a second day, such is my satisfaction with this colour 🙂
Hope you are all doing okay, my first exam is next Monday (hence the absence – very busy revising hard!) but then I have a month to go before the next 5 (a month seems too short.)
Emma xxx
Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Flower Nails :)

May 7, 2011 6 Comments

The product of revision-induced misery.
What I used:
Nails Inc. Fashion Fawn (base)
Nails Inc. Chester Place (dark pink)
GOSH 571 Wild Lilac (dark lilac)
Barry M 308 Berry Ice Cream (pale lilac)
Barry M 309 Strawberry Ice Cream (pale pink)
Rio Nail Art Pen Green
Cocktail sticks to poke the polishes into one another to create a more 3D effect (which failed) but generally to make the colours merge a bit since neatness seems not to be my forté.
On an irritated note Blogger still isn’t working for me – on the Dashboard it claims I’m not following any blogs where in reality I’m following about 200… so basically I can’t see your updates 🙁 I’ve contacted Blogger but to no avail, woe is me 🙁
Emma xxx
Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.