My Picture Polish love affair continues – I’ve been waiting to show you this nail polish ever since my nails all broke – it’s been my one of my favourites all winter! (I am living in fear of it running out, and I’ve only had it 2 months!) But I felt it needed a nice even set of nails to show it in its full glory.

Picture Polish Escapades is another collaboration shade; this one with Nail Escapades (one of my very favourite blogs!). I am all over it! It came out at the tail end of 2014, along with Picture Polish Lollipop, which I reviewed here.

Escapades is a very deep, dark teal colour. In some lights it looks like a slightly-glowing black. It contains holographic flecks, as is almost signature in Picture Polish shades. There is an interesting quality to this nail polish though – it appears almost smoky but with a beautiful depth. Now I have to stop waffling!

Application: My bottle of Escapades was a little thick, so it benefited from adding nail polish thinner (I used Orly thinner). For the most part it is opaque in 1 coat, although occasionally there was some dragging so I used 2 coats for best effect. It dries quickly, and to a semi-glossy finish, but topcoat gives it the best shine.

I have to note that this colour will stain your nails, only slightly, if you don’t wear basecoat. The green also clings to any dried out areas of the nail (for me this is near my cuticle) – this disappears within a day or so but it’s worth knowing.

You can buy Picture Polish Escapades from Rainbow Connection UK (here) where it costs £10.75. Shipping for orders over £20 is £1. Alternatively, you can buy it from Llarowe (US), Harlow & Co (CAN), Picture Polish (AUS).

Let me know what you think of this colour! For me it’s the perfect non-black nail colour for dark days in winter!

If you want to have a look at my previous Picture Polish reviews, click here.

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You probably already know my undying love for Picture Polish, an independent Australian nail polish brand. I daren’t even think how much I’ve spent on their nail polish in the last year! You might also know that I’m not normally a big fan of cremes from indie brands – I tend to think that I’d rather spend the money on a unique nail polish, while cremes are ten a penny in most highstreet brands. But for some reason, this one really drew me in earlier in 2014, and I had to have it.

This is Picture Polish Wisteria – so-called after Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives (which I used to watch like an addict!).

From what I gather online, there are two versions of Picture Polish Wisteria around – the old is a bit deeper, more vibrant and red-toned, while the newer is blue-toned, muted and soft. I am 99% certain mine is the new version – which initially confused me when it arrived as it looks quite different to the old version. Both are beautiful.

Application is a breeze with this nail polish, as always with Picture Polish – it’s totally opaque at 2 coats, has a slightly jelly-ish consistency but without the translucency, and applies neatly to a lovely glossy finish. It dries quickly too. I find if you go over the same spot too much though, it can create a ‘bald patch’, so just be careful to make single strokes across the nail for each coat.

I know it’s not strictly the season for pastel-type colours but let’s just say I’m a rebel when it comes to fashion!

You can buy Picture Polish Wisteria from Rainbow Connection UK (here) where it costs £9.50. Shipping for orders over £20 is £1. Alternatively, you can buy it from Llarowe (US), Harlow & Co (CAN), Picture Polish (AUS).

Tell me I’m not the only one who enjoys light/bright colours in the winter!

If you fancy a little browse through my previous Picture Polish reviews, click here.

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On a happier note now, by random chance, today I am wearing Australian nail polish brand ‘Picture Polish’. They recently released a new set of nail polishes, and if you have been reading my blog for a while (or following my Instagram) you will know what a Picture Polish devotee I have become! I limited myself to three of the new collection, so today I have ‘Lollipop’ to show you. Which I LOVE, by the way!

Lollipop consists of a lightly tinted deep purple base, filled with tiny purple microglitters, and lilac and blurple metallic hexagonal glitters in several sizes. The slight colour variations in the glitters give it an extra dimension, in my eyes. It’s super glittery and particularly sparkly in the sun. The formula and finish is pretty much exactly the same as that of Picture Polish Columbia – pretty much my favourite red nail polish EVER.

I did actually layer this nail polish – so what you are seeing is two coats of Lollipop over one coat of Picture Polish Imperial (a similar colour of purple) – this is because the base is quite sheer and although the glitter is dense, it is easier to get an even finish when you start with a base colour.

Application: As mentioned, it is a little sheer – you can get it totally opaque at 2 coats but it ends up having uneven edges so I would recommend using a base colour. It dries quickly but to quite a rough finish – I needed 3 coats of thin topcoat to make it look and feel smooth but you could probably get away with 2 or even just 1 if you were using a thick topcoat.

Despite the slight application issues, this is such a gorgeous nail polish that to me it is TOTALLY worth it. I’m in love. I might even need backups. It’s so perfect for the party season and despite being a dark colour really stands out strongly.

You can buy Picture Polish Lollipop from Rainbow Connection UK (here) where it costs £10.75. Shipping for orders over £20 is £1. Alternatively, you can buy it from Llarowe (US), Harlow & Co (CAN), Picture Polish (AUS).

What do you think of this nail polish? Are you as super excited about it as I am?! :p

*Colour seems to vary on different monitors but it’s basically a lovely rich Cadbury-chocolate-packaging colour! I’m thinking Freddos! And now I’m craving chocolate!*

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So ‘Bette’ is meant to be a remake of Ozotic 617. They’re pretty much the same in my eyes, although if you want to see for yourself More Nail Polish did a great comparison here.

Bette is a beautiful, slightly grey-toned light blue jelly, that is so jam-packed full of miniature holo flakes that you really can’t see the base, other than in the overall colour. It’s beautiful! Picture Polish often do this quite unique style of holo shimmer, which is also seen in the Dance Legend Wow Prisms. It’s not quite linear but also not really scattered… difficult to pinpoint. Either way, it’s incredibly reflective, brighter than you would expect on the nail and beautifully glossy.

Application: The pictures show 2 coats – occasionally you may need a third, as this polish has a bit of a habit of dragging if you go over the same place too many times. My best application tip is to really load up the brush and just remove the excess from the brush once you have painted the nail. It dries quickly and to a lovely high shine. Topcoat just doubles the wow-factor of the holo

The reason I love Picture Polish so much (other than their fabulous colour options) is that the formula is just brilliant – I can usually get a good 3-4 days wear out of them before they start to chip or show signs of wear, which for me, is brilliant.

I love this a lot more than I expected to, so I am looking forward to hearing what you think!

I bought mine from Rainbow Connection UK (here) where it costs £11.50. Shipping for orders over £20 is £1. Alternatively, you can buy it from Llarowe (US), Harlow & Co (CAN), Picture Polish (AUS).

I’m tempted to use this for some festive nail art, as it’s nearly Christmas – eek!

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Columbia is from the Rocky Horror collection came out a couple of months ago. Please don’t hate me – I have to confess that I’ve never watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but the amount of people who are shocked by this tells me it must be good! As such, I wasn’t the first to jump for this collection – however I saw a couple of pictures of Columbia and fell. Hard. I’m not normally too keen on reds, but something about this caught my eye and dominated my every waking moment until I bought it!

Columbia is a raspberry red jelly packed full of red microglitter, and larger magenta and red metallic hexagonal glitter. The colour combination puts me in mind of roses and hearts and all those lovely things. I can’t actually tell you how wonderfully sparkly this polish is – the pictures just don’t do it justice. I am wearing 2 coats of topcoat for these pictures, and it looked a lot like a gel when I was wearing it. I’ve worn it a couple of times now and I keep thinking that I would actually wear this as a bridal manicure, I think it’s just so gorgeous and I am fully, fully in love with it!

Application: 

2 coats for opacity. The first time I used this, application was a dream, however since then the polish has thickened. The first coat applies easily (perhaps a little streaky), but the second coat can get lumpy and tricky to apply. It’s not too bad, but I found I needed to cleanup a fair bit afterwards. It dries quickly, and to a dull finish. I would definitely recommend using topcoat to get the most of the sparkle – I needed 2 coats of topcoat.

Despite the slight trickiness of the formula (which I’m sure a little thinner would sort), I am so so so in love with this and keep wearing it. I don’t think this one will be getting dusty on the shelf any time soon!

Here in the UK you can get Columbia from both Sally Magpies and Rainbow Connection UK (although it’s unfortunately sold out in both!) for £12.50. I think the higher price is because it’s a special edition. It is however available from Picture Polish for AU$14 plus shipping. Remember this is international as they are in Australia! It’s also currently available from Harlow & Co in Canada, for CAN$16.50, and Llarowe (out of stock currently) for $12.50 in the US.

Let me know what you think of this polish, and also how you feel about coloured bridal manicures!

x

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Picture Polish has a small range of nail polishes with this finish – it’s a coloured jelly base filled with silver holographic flecks – they’re not glitter so I’m not really sure what they are but they’re stunning in the sun! I’ve collected quite a few of these now – Freya’s Cats, Shocked, Kryptonite, Shy Violet

So, as I mentioned above, this is a raspberry pink jelly base filled with silver holographic flecks. They aren’t super holographic – you can only really see it in direct light or sunlight, but even when they aren’t shining holo they still look really pretty as silver-white flecks throughout the polish. And who doesn’t love a good jelly!  This nail polish shines really bright in the sun too, while being a deeper colour in natural light.

Application:

Because this polish is a jelly, it will take a generous 2-3 coats for full opacity. It applies evenly, and it dries quickly. The finish is very glossy… no qualms here! I love it

Because Picture Polish is an Australian brand, it can cost a lot to order from abroad, so your best bet is to buy their polishes from one of our two UK resellers – I bought mine from Sally Magpies, and you can also buy it from Rainbow Connection UK (although it is currently out of stock, I believe RC are having a restock sometime in the next month). It costs £11.50 from either of these places, who both also do free shipping over £20.

x

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This isn’t an untried for me, but it’s kind of tricky to photograph  and last time I wore it I applied it badly so I haven’t posted about it before. It’s a gorgeous polish though and really ‘me’!

Black Forest is a gorgeous inky-black jelly filled with two sizes of metallic emerald hexagonal glitter, and also some little matte black squares that I never saw before – I only noticed them while I was applying this in the sunlight. The first coat goes on so evenly it’s just amazing, hence why I included the photo above. I almost wanted to wear it like that, I couldn’t tell you why but I felt that the pigmentation was so even it just pleased my soul somehow, hehe! The polish has a lot of depth which I think is just stunning, it’s like a jelly sandwich – the glitter peeks through with each coat like it’s underwater

Application:

While the first coat applied perfectly, I found the second coat a little more tricky. This is where the glitter started to drag with the brush and clump at the end of the nail – it required more of a dabbing than a painting, which you need to be careful with because if the layer is too thick it will take a while to dry. The glitter definitely likes to stick to the brush, even why applying topcoat. You can even see in my photos where the glitter has dragged along with the brush, leaving slightly bald patches or indentations. I’d highly recommend leaving a good 10 minutes between coats just to make it easier, and maybe even applying over a black creme to reduce the amount of coats you’ll need.
The first two photos and the close-up show two coats, while the third photo shows one. At two coats it does still show the free edge, particularly in sunlight it’s very visible. So I’d say you need 2-3 coats for opacity, depending on your preference. If the coats are thin, the polish dries in average time, however the thicker your coats get the longer it takes to dry – this isn’t a polish to paint and go, as it were, even with quick-dry topcoat. The other thing I found is that the polish itself is quite watery, which can make it prone to flooding the cuticles, so thin coats and conservative brushloads is honestly your best bet for a nice finish. Finally it does dry to a lovely glossy finish.

So I know I had a lot to say about the application of this polish but I always think it’s best to make sure you’re prepared, especially as Emily de Mollys’ do cost around the £11 mark. I bought my bottle of Emily de Molly Black Forest from SallyMagpies, where it’s currently showing as out of stock so I couldn’t tell you whether it’s going to be back. However it is currently in stock at Llarowe, for $13.50 (remember to add in international postage costs!).

What do you think of this pretty polish? This I’m willing to put up with application quirks for… how about you?

Remember to check out the other lovely ladies’ posts for today’s letter ‘B’

– Anna
– Charlie
– Kerrie
– Sarah

x

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I don’t usually pair purple and pink together but something drew me to this pairing

This is a clear base with a really pretty mixture of lilac and purple glitters in various sizes, with some being metallic and some matte. It also has some lovely iridescent green/blue squares in. I love the mixture of matter and metallic, it gives a lovely varied finish, especially over a nice crelly polish

Application:

There’s a nice density of glitter in this polish, however if you’re not careful the clear polish can get quite thick and hence takes a while to dry. I haven’t quite mastered application with this one because thin coats don’t hold enough glitter but thick coats just will never dry – it’s a work in progress! The polish does however dry nice and glossy which is one bonus.

As I said this is discontinued, but you may find it popping up from time to time in blogsales and Facebook sales pages

What do you think? This reminds me of fairies and magic things, I think it’s really cute

x

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On that note I have a very beautiful glitter topcoat to show you you may remember a while back I reviewed Glam Polish Day Dreamer (I have since shortened my nails quite a bit and looking at those photos makes me shudder – no offence to ladies with long nails, I think they look lovely on others but on me I’m just not a fan!!) but anyway, this is the polish I bought with it and I have to say is my favourite of the two – Day Dreamer sadly didn’t quite do it for me!

Would You Believe? starts with a clear base, packed with holographic microglitter, then you have three pastel shades (mint, baby pink and lilac) of small satin circles, followed by bigger metallic baby pink circles, with giant holographic pink and holo silver circles too. It’s a beautiful combination of colours and makes me think springy but also slightly magical! I layered one coat of Would You Believe? over two coats of Ciaté Purple Sherbet (which is a slightly pinkier version of Ciaté Sugar Plum) – I tried quite a few combinations and felt that lilac was the best underwear, however the second I get my hands on that Barry M Rosehip Gelly I will be wearing this all over it!!

Application:

The polish has a nice consistency and the holo microglitter is spread evenly throughout. I find the best way to get the circle glitters out is to dip the brush in the bottle and take it straight to the nail, dab on the glitter in a blob, get rid of excess polish from the brush and paint from there. One brushload will be full of circles and the next will have none. It’s quite hit and miss but not much hassle to get the glitters on the brush. The giant circles will require fishing and manual placement though. The polish dries in average time so I’d recommend a quick-dry topcoat to speed it up and protect the larger glitters. The glitters lie quite flat which is always a nice surprise with circles – they can be a pain!

I am going to sound really sad and cliché right now but something about this nail varnish makes me think of unicorns and mythical creatures and magic and fairies, I’m not really sure why, it’s probably the combination of pastel colours, hehe!

I bought my Glam Polish from Rainbow Connection UK for £9.80, however it’s currently sold out there. You can also buy from Harlow & Co (Canada), MeiMei’s Signatures (Singapore), Color4Nails or direct from Glam Polish if you live in the US or in Australia.

x

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Pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, is a beautiful mineral that I used to collect when I was young, as it’s all over the place! I remember one beach on Seil Island in Scotland being particularly abundant with it in its natural state… it’s a beautiful mineral that is a pale brassy gold and metallic in appearance. It used to be sold a lot in museums and by mineral collectors.

This is a lovely grey crelly with gold shimmer running through it, and gold hexagonal metallic glitter in two sizes, and holographic silvery white hexagonal glitter in two sizes. I love how simplistic this polish is and yet it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s definitely a treasure in my collection.

Application:

This took 2 coats for full opacity. It is a little on the thick side so it can drag or get a little streaky if you apply the second coat too soon, so make sure you leave 5 minutes or so between coats. It dries quickly enough, but I’d recommend using a quick-dry topcoat to even out the finish.

I bought my lovely bottle from Sally Magpies, although I’m not sure whether it’s going to be back in stock any time soon – the best way to be in the know is to follow them on Facebook! I believe you can also buy Emily de Mollys from Llarowe, although the site isn’t playing ball tonight so I can’t get the link sorry!

x

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