Essie As If!

Hey guys!

Today I have swatch and review of Essie As If! to share with you!
As If! is a dusty periwinkle blue with purple undertones.

The formula is amazing - it is smooth and easy to apply. It needed two thin layers to be opaque, but it is nearly a one-coater if you apply it a little thicker.

This shade is so beautiful and amazing for fall!
What do you guys think about this polish? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

BOW Thermo Top Coat Blue

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of BOW Thermo Top Coat Blue to share with you!
Thermo Top Coat Blue is a semi-sheer thermo polish that ranges from a bright cobalt blue to a light periwinkle blue with tiny holographic flakes.

The formula is okay. I applied it over the light blue polish Deborah Lippmann Blue Orchid and it applied streaky and difficultly on the first coat. On the second (thick) coat it evened out.
The thermal shift is definitely what is amazing about this polish and it shifts beautifully!

Above is the polish in its cold state and below is the polish in its hot state.

I am so excited to wear this polish and observe how it shifts in different temperatures!
What do you guys think about this thermal nail polish? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

F.U.N Lacquer Incredible

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of F.U.N Lacquer Incredible from the new F.U.N Lacquer 4th Anniversary Collection.
Incredible is a magnetic multi-chrome that ranges from magenta to gold to green.

The formula is great. Like with F.U.N Lacquer Believe I applied two coats over a black base and used a magnet to get the magnetic effect. The shift in this polish is not as intense as in F.U.N Lacquer Believe though.

I had to make this awkward hand pose to capture some of the magnetic multi-chrome effect.
And here's a closer look!

I have to say that I am a little disappointed with this polish after having tried Believe to compare this to.
What do you guys think about this polish? Let me know in the comments!

Stay polished.
- Louise

F.U.N Lacquer Believe

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of F.U.N Lacquer Believe from the new F.U.N Lacquer 4th Anniversary Collection.
Believe is a magnetic multi-chrome that ranges from aqua blue to emerald green to purple to magenta to copper red. The shift in this polish is insane!

The formula on this polish is great. I applied two coats over a black base and used a magnet to get the magnetic effect. The opacity is great as well and you can apply one or two coats over black depending on how strong of a multi-chrome magnetic effect you want.

The multi-chrome magnetic effect was so hard to capture on camera, but you can see the shift from aqua blue to emerald green to purple on the picture above.
Close up!

I am in love with the crazy effects in this polish!
What do you guys think about this shade? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

CND Nightspell Collection

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of the new CND Vinylux Nightspell collection to share with you!
This collection is SPONSORED by Insight Cosmetics Group, but everything I write about it is my own and honest opinion.

These polishes are all swatched on my bare nails and topped with a coat of CND Vinylux Weekly Top Coat.

First up I have Eternal Midnight, which is a deep purple with an aqua blue shimmer.
The formula on this one is okay - it is a little on the thin side and it does need three coats to be completely opaque.

Close up!

Next is Berry Boudoir - a deep berry crelly polish.
This formula is on the thin and runny side, which means it also needs three layers to achieve full opacity.

Next up I have Mercurial, which is an awesome gunmetal shimmer.
The formula was great - not too thin and not too thick. And best of all; it only needs two thin coats or one thicker coat to be opaque.

Close up!

Time for this stunning dusty purple shade: Lilac Eclipse.
The formula on this one is perfect - just a little on the thicker side, which makes it easier to apply and control. It does need two coats to be completely opaque though, but the dry-time is great as well.

Next up is Viridian Veil, which is a frosty, metallic teal.
The formula is great and it is opaque in two easy coats.

Close up!

Lastly I have Hypnotic Dreams - a really unique metallic multichrome shimmer that goes from green to gold to pink.
The formula is on the thinner side, and it needs three layers to reach full opacity.

Close up!

Concluding remarks:
The shades in this collection are really unique and perfect for fall. Most of the formulas are on the thinner side, but all manageable with a little patience.

What do you guys think about this collection?
Let me know in the comments!

Stay polished.
- Louise

Ps. I might have a give-away of a set of this entire collection planned for you guys - so stay tuned!

OPI Turn on the Northern Lights!

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of the beautiful OPI Turn on the Northern Lights! to share with you!
Turn on the Northern Lights! is a deep blurple with a pink shimmer.

The formula is great - it is smooth and easy to apply. It needs two coats to build up opacity, but a third coat to deepen the color to match the color in the bottle.

The shimmer was really difficult to catch on camera, but you can see it on the macro shot below!

This shade is so beautiful - especially in the sun where the shimmer really stands out!
What do you guys think about this polish? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

China Glaze Treble Maker

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of the awesome China Glaze Treble Maker to share with you!
Treble Maker is a green neon.

The formula is nice - it is easy to apply and it is not too thin or too thick. It did need three coats to achieve full opacity though, but the dry time between each layer is quick. It dries down to a satin finish, but it is nothing a good top coat can't fix.

I applied some neon studs from Born Pretty Store to my ring finger to give this mani a pop.
Here's a closer look!

This mani is so fun and eye-catching!
What do you guys think about this China Glaze shade? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

Essence Pure Beauty

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of the stunning Essence Pure Beauty to share with you!
Pure Beauty is a nude creme polish with a muted pink undertone.

The formula on this polish is a little on the thick side, which makes it a bit difficult to apply to the nails. It does not run anywhere though, which is nice. The opacity is great and it is opaque in two coats.

Close up!

I think this color is both pretty and chic!
What do you guys think about this shade? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

piCture pOlish O'Hara

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of piCture pOlish O'Hara to share with you!
O'Hara is a red crelly with a scattered holo.

The formula is amazing - it is a little on the thick side, but incredibly easy to control and apply to the nails. The opacity is great as well and it only needs two coats to be completely opaque. And even though this polish is packed with holo, it is as easy to remove as any creme polish is.

This polish is one of my favorites in my entire collection, so it is about damn time that I did a proper review of it! It is so stunning!
What do you guys think about this shade? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

Essie Lady Like

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of Essie Lady Like (Essie's Color of the Month for March).
Lady Like is a nude taupe creme.

The formula on this polish is great - it is smooth and easy to apply. The opacity is good as well and it needs two easy coats to be completely opaque. It also dries down fast, which is nice and makes for a quick manicure.

On my ring finger I added a triangle piece of iridescent nail foil.
Here's a closer look (not color correct to the polish though)!

This neutral polish is perfect for the office and it is so pretty.
What do you guys think about this nail polish? Let me know in the comments!

Stay polished.
- Louise

China Glaze Flame-Boyant

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of China Glaze Flame-Boyant to share with you!
Flame-Boyant is a bright (almost neon) red creme.

The formula on this polish is perfect - it is a breeze to apply and even though it is on the thin side, it is not runny at all. The polish is really self-levelling, which means no streaks and an even opacity on the first coat. It did need two coats to be completely opaque though, but that is to be expected of shades like this. It dries down to a satin finish, so I do recommend a top coat to make it shine.

I think this shade is incredibly beautiful and perfect for summer!
What do you guys think about this nail polish? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

Essie Summer 2017

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of the new Essie Summer 2017 collection.
This collection is SPONSORED to me by Essie, but everything I write about it is my honest opinion.

First off is Éclair My Love, which is a pink-leaning red creme.
The formula on this one is amazing and it is a dream to apply - it has the perfect thickness and it is opaque in one or two coat depending on your application. I applied two coats on the picture below, as it had a few dark spots after the first coat. It also dries a little darker than it is in the bottle.

Next up I have Blue-la-la. Blue-la-la is a sky blue creme.
The formula on this one was great as well - a little on the thin side, which is why it needed two to three coats to be opaque (depending on the application). The shade is so worth it though - such a stunner!

Next up is Baguette Me Not - a pink creme with a strong purple undertone.
This polish was such a joy to apply - it is a little on the thin side, but it is easy to apply nonetheless. It needs two easy coats to be fully opaque.
This shade is my favorite from the collection! It is so beautiful!

Time for some S'il Vous Play, which is a metallic pink foil.
The formula on this one is amazing. It needs two thin layers to reach full opacity as it has a few bold spots after only one coat. The dry time is incredible and it quickly dries down to a matte finish.
The only downside to this polish is that it is a pain to remove, but the shade is really unique so it is totally worth it.

Close up!

Next up is Sweet Soufflé - an off-white polish with a few drops of bluish grey and a golden shimmer.
This polish is the only one in the collection that was hard to apply. It needed three runny layers to be completely opaque. The dry time between the layers was good though.

The shimmer was so hard to capture on camera, but you can see it in the close up shot.

Lastly I have Fondant of You, which is an orange polish with a beautiful golden shimmer.
The formula on this shade was good and the dry time between the layers was great. It needed three coats to be fully opaque, as it had a few dark spots after only two coats.
The golden shimmer in this shade looks the same as the shimmer in Sweet Soufflé.

And here's a closer look, where the shimmer is really in your face! So pretty!

My favorites from the collection is Baguette Me Not, Blue-la-la and Éclair My Love, which is the most stunning creme shades for summer!
What do you guys think about this collection? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

Le Mini Macaron Gel Manicure Kit

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of the Gel Manicure Kit from Le Mini Macaron in the color Cherry Red.
This kit is SPONSORED but everything I write about it is my honest opinion.

The kit contains an LED lamp with USB-cable and power supply, a 10 ml bottle of gel polish, a cuticle pusher, a mini nail file, 10 remover pads and instruction folders.
A cool thing about this set is that the tools (including the LED lamp) matches the color of the gel polish!

When reading this review bear in mind that this is my first time ever trying gel polish.

First off, this gel polish is opaque, shiny, leveled out and beautiful in two coats. I did find the gel polish a little hard to work with though. It shrank away from the cuticle area and the tips of the nails after application. This made it hard to apply as I was trying to apply it as close to my cuticle area as possible without touching the cuticles at the same time. Other than that the formula was smooth and easy to work with.

The dry time is great (30 seconds between each layer), but you can only cure one nail at the time, which slows the process down a lot. A good tip is to apply polish to the next nail while another nail is curing in the LED lamp. But I would still say that regular nail polish is faster to apply when using a quick drying top coat.

My last concern is that my nails were stinging a little bit when curing in the LED lamp. I do not know if this is normal, as I have never tried gel polish before, but it felt uncomfortable nonetheless.

I did not have the opportunity to test the lasting time on this polish (they promise up to 10 days lasting time), but let me know if you would like me to test it!

What do you guys think about this review?
Let me know in the comments!

Stay polished.
- Louise

piCture pOlish Summer

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of piCture pOlish Summer.
Summer is a medium coral polish with holographic glitter and holographic flakes.

The formula on this polish is amazingly smooth - it stays exactly where you put it and it is not too thick and not too thin. The glitters might need a tiny bit of manipulation with the brush to get them evenly distributed, but it is not a big problem at all. The opacity is great as well and it only needs two coats to be completely opaque. Another incredible thing about this polish is that it dries in no time.
The only bad thing I have to say about this polish is that it dries down a little gritty, but it is nothing a good top coat can't fix.

Close up!

I was positively surprised by this polish - the color and the formula is perfect!
What do you guys think about this beauty? Let me know in the comments.

Stay polished.
- Louise

Lemming

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of a long time lemming of mine: the beautiful Cupcake Polish Berry Good Looking!
Berry Good Looking is a purple linear holographic nail polish.

The formula is amazing and it applies smoothly to the nails. The opacity is incredible as well and it is almost completely opaque in one coat (I applied two coats on the pictures below though).

Close up!

What do you guys think about this nail polish?
Let me know in the comments!

Edit: I have been made aware that there is numerous formulations of this polish - this one being a darker purple than the original (that I have seen swatches of online). I have to say that I am disappointed and even though it is a stunning shade, it is not what I expected.

Stay polished.
- Louise

piCture pOlish Blue

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of piCture pOlish Blue.
Blue is a bright cobalt blue creme (it is actually a dupe to Chanel Vibrato - let me know if you want a comparison).

The formula is amazing on this polish! It stays exactly where you put it, which makes it incredibly easy to work with. The opacity is good and it needs two coats to be completely opaque.

I always gravitate towards this shade of blue - seriously so beautiful!
What do you guys think about this nail polish? Let me know in the comments!

Stay polished.
- Louise

Essie Lapiz of Luxury vs Essie Lapiz of Luxury

Hey guys!

A while ago I fell in love with this beautiful cornflower blue polish called Lapiz of Luxury by Essie. I ordered it home from eBay (from an American seller) and it looked nothing like the swatches online - instead it was a dusty lavender polish. I then recently found the polish in Denmark with another color, but the same name? There seems to be more than one version of this polish, with different colors and formula, but the same name.

Essie Lapiz of Luxury vs Essie Lapiz of Luxury.

The two polishes look nothing alike (albeit they are both beautiful).

It has been seen before that Essie have reformulated some of their polishes or that there is a difference in the American and European polishes with the same names. In this case I think it is a reformulation, which is a shame.

Stay polished.
- Louise

ILNP Mega (S)

Hey guys!

Today I have a swatch and review of the beautiful ILNP Mega (S) to share with you!
Mega (S) is a silver holo (it is a perfect mix of linear and scattered holo).

The formula is perfect - it is not too thick and not too thin, and it glides onto the nail with ease. The opacity is good, but it needs three layers to be completely opaque.
The holographic effect on this one is crazy and I am so in love with the mix between linear and scattered holo.

Close up!

This polish is stunning on the nails!
What do you guys think about it? Let me know in the comments!

Stay polished.
- Louise

Essie Borrowed & Blue

Hey guys!

Today I have some very simple negative space nail art to share with you featuring the beautiful and delicate Essie Borrowed & Blue.

For the manicure I started off with a light blue base of Essie Borrowed & Blue on all my nails. On my accent nail I only applied Essie Borrowed & Blue to the bottom two-thirds of the nail and added a piece of silver striping tape to finish it off.

Close up!

This accent nail is turning into my signature accent nail!
What do you guys think about this simple negative space manicure? Let me know in the comments!

Stay polished.
- Louise