The mystery of the mis-labeled OPI...

A few weeks ago I was browsing eBay and noticed a pretty shimmery OPI shade I couldn't place, and there was no shade name supplied within the description page. I didn't have time to contact the seller or try to search Google as the polish had a little under three minutes left, but as the polish was still at 99p I decided to indulge my curiosity by bidding. No one else bidded, so I won & received my polish several days later.  

My curiosity wasn't about to be satisfied...

First Glimpse; Lite Brites summer 2016 nail polish collection by China Glaze...

I was on Nail Polish Direct looking for the release date for the OPI New Orleans collection, when I found the following promo picture for the upcoming China Glaze summer collection.

Yep, we're still in January but are already getting to have a glimpse into China Glaze's annual neon collection...

Get it now: The House Of Color nail polish collection by China Glaze...

Who wants a bit more colour splashed into their wet and grey January?

I've fallen a bit behind when it comes to China Glaze; I only got around to buying two shades from their Christmas collection yesterday, when I found a duo set in TK Maxx. They released a collection of glitters called the Star Hopping collection shortly after releasing the Christmas one, which you can see & buy by clicking the link.

However; as its a new year I want to focus on the new collection, so let's take a look at what's on offer in the new spring/summer collection from China Glaze (thanks to ChicProfile)...

Sneak Peek: The New Orleans s/s 2016 nail polish collection by OPI...

Urgh. Winter blues going on over here - all the excitement and planning that goes into holidays and Christmas is now over so my savings have gone and there's nothing to look forward to, and its cold, wet and grey outside

.

However ChicProfile has got their preview picks of the new OPI spring/summer 2016 collection, and they've gotten their inspiration for it from one of the places I've wanted them to do - New Orleans!

Who's ready to have some colour added to their day?

NOTD: Santa's Sunburn by Pretty Serious...

Many thought that Santa's Sunburn was discontinued. That story isn't true. This favourite from the Christmas Without Snow collection was simply ahead of it's time, literally. It left the Pretty Serious line up and returned to it's home in the Christmas Future, and now it has returned with some friends - The Ghosts of Christmas Future collection.

For my last post in 2015 I wanted to focus on something super festive, so I'm going to review a new purchase from the new Pretty Serious Christmas range - a red metallic nail polish, that was first released in 2012, that has proven to be so popular that it has just been relaunched in The Ghost Of Christmas Future collection...

Are they dupes? Harvest Moon by China Glaze vs Autumn by Zoya...

Well, this is going to be a short post as you can tell straightaway that the two polishes won't be dupes, but as its now autumn I thought I'd still go ahead and compare these two gorgeous seasonal shades to see just how similar the shades are once applied, as well as how the two formulas compare.

The China Glaze polish can be bought for over half of the price of the Zoya one - so if the colours and formulas are close enough, then you can see if you just want buy the cheaper option and save yourself some money...

Cheers to that: Cheers Holiday 2015 collection by China Glaze [updated]...

Today I'm following on from my post in July; I've finally found some more information on the China Glaze Holiday 2015 collection; Cheers.

I have a swatch wheel of the polishes, links to a video review & where you can buy the polishes and sets at affordable prices...

First star I see tonight: Starlight Holiday 2015 collection by OPI...

I  posted a preview of store displays - and a link to a site which has details on the gift sets - for the Starlight: Holiday 2015 collection by OPI back in June, but I wanted to do a quick post now with product swatches so everyone can get a good look at what is on offer this year.

Tag: All About Polish...

I haven't actually been tagged for this; over the last week I've been watching videos by some of my favourite YouTube bloggers as they've been taking part in this tag [Including Jess], and I decided to jump onboard and answer it myself today because I'm bored I have some free time to thrill people with my insightful answers...

NOTD: To Be Or Not To Beagle by OPI, over Rose Among Thorns by China Glaze...

Hello summer!!!

I'm getting into neon polishes for the first time ever, so whilst the sun is out I want to share one of the best formulated ones that I've found so far. I also love a black glitter, so whilst I'm spotlighting the neon I'm also going to top it with one if my newer glitter purchases...

Are they dupes? Avon Mineral Crush in Rose Quartz (aka Stardust inCrystallised Rose) vs Illamasqua Trilliant ...

I recently bought Illamasqua Star Burst polish in the shade Trilliant, and felt all smug at finding a £15 polish for £3.99 (I found my bottle in TK Maxx). However my smugness would soon turn to sheepishness when I was rummaging though my stash and saw this...

Yeah - looking at the polishes in the bottles I'd call them dupes, but do they swatch similarly?

NOTD: Life Preserver by China Glaze...

Life Preserver is originally from the Anchor's Away spring 2011 collection, and it was added to the China Glaze core line.

China Glaze retired a bunch of shades at the beginning of the year (Unfortunately I can't find the Instagram post I read with all the names on to share on the blog), and I remember that Life Preserver was on the list of doom. So I wanted to let it enjoy the spotlight now, as at the minute it is still widely available for as little as £4 - but when it's gone, it's gone.

NOTD: Trilliant by Illamasqua...

Trilliant is one of three shades in Illamasqua's Star Burst range of nail polishes - this range of polishes have shimmery formulas that are also filled with silver 3D glitter particles.

The Star Burst polish range is meant to give the same look as OPI's Liquid Sand polishes & Zoya's PixieDust line, but do I feel that they compare to those brands hard wearing formulas?

Hey! Sweetie pie!! [Duo pack by Essie]

As a whole Essie has never really stood out to me as the polish shades aren't terribly unique, but I bought the Hey Sweetie Pie duo pack recently because I've been eyeing up their Tart Deco shade for a few months now, and this way I'd get another Essie polish for £5 instead of the usual £8.

So was Tart Deco worth the wait, and was Splash Of Grenadine a nice extra?

Make Some Noise for the summer nail polish collection by Essie...

Pack your bags, grab your friends, and hit the road: the Coachella music festival is coming. Sunny days and starry nights in the California desert are even more amazing with an endless parade of breaking bands, headlining acts and festival style galore. Whether you sway towards boho romance or have a penchant for punk, music festivals are the perfect place to showcase your edgiest looks...

... And what goes better with wristbands than shades – of polish, of course? Nothing. So, get ready to make your stylish mark and stand out in the crowd with street style-ready, eye-catching essie neons. Let’s be honest: the music is just an excuse to get together and look fabulous! The stars on stage are nothing compared to the throngs of fashion tastemakers in the stands. essay’s six new shades of neon boost your fashion quotient with amped colour that hits the perfect note of self-assured chic. Rave-worthy pink and turned-up electric blue create major impact. Ridiculously haute neon lime and it-girl magenta command attention in the stands and inspire likes, shares and instant social media mania. So, polish up and let the festival season begin!

Sunny days are the perfect time to have an all access pass to the outdoor festivals filled with free spirit and vibrant vibes. My groove is in the heart and I always love discovering the next coacha’bella. Now, shake your melody maker and make some noise!

I found one!! My Sally Hansen Pacific Blue dupe by Miss Cop...

 

Flash              No flash

I've already spoke about how Pacific Blue is one of my favourite Sally Hansen shades, but it was reformulated last year (it's now a darker blue with shimmer in) and I can't find bottles of the original formula on UK sites.

In America and Canada you can still find bottles of the original Pacific Blue at the back of store displays, but as Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear line isn't officially sold in UK stores* us Brits can't rummage through store displays to try to find any remaining bottles of the older polish hiding amongst the newer ones.

*sometimes the odd bottle of Xtreme Wear turns up in Pound World & Pound Land.

As much as I love it I haven't been wearing my bottle of Pacific Blue as I don't want to use it up, so I'm always on the look out for a dupe that us Brits can buy so that I can feel free to wear my beloved colour whenever I feel like it. Well, that time is now...

Miss Cop is a French cosmetics company, whose products are sold on Amazon, which is where I bought my bottle of Electrique nail polish from. Based on the product picture I thought that I'd be getting a close match to Pacific Blue, but It turned out to be better than a "close match".

Read on to see swatches and comparison photos.

TAG: CONFESSIONS OF A NAIL POLISH ADDICT

 Okay I haven't actually been tagged for this; for the last few weeks I've been watching videos by some of my favourite YouTube bloggers as they've been taking part in this tag, and then when I read Allie's post over at Brit Nails I decided to jump onboard and do it myself.

I had to have it: Cupcakes and Unicorns FX polish by Orly...

I'm not a fan of bar glitter, but come on... look at the name...

Cupcakes and Unicorns is a polish in Orly's FX line; think of the FX polishes as glittery toppers to transform creme ones. I've not come across any FX polishes that are opaque on their own, so don't be surprised when they apply a lot sheerer then the appearance of the polish in the bottle.

As well as the red bar glitter, Cupcakes and Unicorns has a pink shimmer in the base (that flashes purple) that doesn't photograph very well, but looks stunning in natural daylight.

When I was googling for pics of this polish in action to see if I really had to have it I found that there are hundreds of photos showing Cupcakes and Unicorns over black nail polish, a few of it over pink, and nothing else. Layering the polish over black (or grey) is stunning and gives the most dramatic effects, but I wanted to be a little different, so I thought that I'd put my spare nail wheel to use and post some more colour options. 

In my mind cupcakes + unicorns = My Little Ponies, so what better way to test my bottle of Cupcakes and Unicorns then over a selection of polish shades that remind me of my childhood collection of My Little Pony figurines?

NOTD: Cracked Concrete by China Glaze, over Cole by Zoya...

I've been keen to use my new Crackle Glaze polishes, and I started to mentally list which colours I wanted to try underneath the grey one as soon as I saw it, so here we are.

Today's Spotlight combo turned into a mellow tiger effect: peach, covered with my grey crackle...

Is Illamasqua Cameo a dupe for the original formulation of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue?

... That was the question that went through my mind when I saw the Illamasqua polish on the shelf in my local TK Maxx store (selected stores now sell Illamasqua polishes for £3.99). 

Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear line isn't officially sold in the UK (sometimes the odd bottle turns up in Pound World & Pound Land), so us Brits can't rummage through store displays to try to find remaining older polish bottles. Amazon and EBay sell various shades, however my favourite one - Pacific Blue - was reformulated last year and I can't find bottles of the original formula on UK sites.

Will Cameo fill the gap left by the formulation change to Pacific Blue?