SWATCHES: Essie // Stripes & Sails, You're A Gem & Spaghetti Straps

Found these three beauties in TK Maxx for £2.99 each so of course I had to bring them home with me!

Stripes & Sails // Sacramento creme

Collection: Spring 2018

Release: 2018

Coats: 1

This one-coat wonder is a self-levelling thing of beauty. I love dark green/teal shades and I'm happy to have this as part of my collection. I'd say a cheaper dupe for this would be Rockpool by Barry M. It also does well as a stamping polish due to it's thickness.

You're A Gem // Rose Gold Linear Holo

Collection: Gorge-ous Geodes

Release: Spring/Summer 2019

Coats: 2

Who knew that mainstream polish brands could do holo so well??

I looked up the rest of this collection and I think I may need to track the rest of them down because hot damn, what a formula. 

Spaghetti Straps // pastel pink crelly

Collection: ?? Core Colours?

Release: <2010? or 2017?

Coats: 3

This is such an old shade I can't actually find when it was released! I know that this is a newer bottle though because it has the wider flat brush so I think this particular one is from the core colours that were re-released back in 2017.

That said, I LOVE THIS POLISH. Sorry for the caps but it's just such a soft, baby pastel pink with a slight hint of peach. This is my polish for all quartz looks now. It can be ever so slightly streaky if applied in a too-thin layer but other than that, it's the perfect sheer. I'm wearing three coats and I can't get over how classy and elegant it looks. Apparently there are some other amazing Essie sheers out there now in similar shades and I'm going to have to hunt them down.

SWATCHES: China Glaze // Cali Dreams Spring 2021 Collection

It's here! It's FINALLY here! These actually came out for spring in the US but over here in the UK, the only place that stocks new CG collections are Nail Polish Direct and so I waited patiently. I was pretty much checking their site and blog daily for any hint when I asked on instagram if they were getting the collection and they said in about 4 weeks. As soon as the in stock alert hit my email inbox I bought the entire lot because it's quite possible my favourite release ever released.

Look at those colours! A pastel creme girls dream. CG are known for doing weird formulas in their collections so I'm super happy this is just a straightforward set of cremes in a range of beautiful sunset shades. Coupled with the amazing neons in the Havana Nights summer collection, CG has pretty much won this year in terms of nail polish (for me anyway). Let's get into some swatches!

Shore Feels Good // pool blue creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I think this is my favourite blue that has ever blued. Never have I seen a blue that has matched my skin tone so flawlessly. My favourite thing about this shade is that it's really bright, even in dark rooms. It has an almost teal tinge to it which gives it a little something extra as well. It is on the jelly side so you can get away with one coat because it's not streaky or you can add another for full on shiny coverage.

Surfside Skies // pale periwinkle creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I can't decide if this is a purple toned blue or a blue toned purple...China Glaze describe it as a cool toned purple so I guess it's supposed to be that. Either way; it's amazing. This is the perfect transition shade for sunset gradients or the perfect start. The first coat can be a little streaky and difficult to apply but the second covers up any imperfections. It's a much better application than most CG polishes I own anyway.

My camera captured this way more blue than it actually is so I had to do some colour correction on the photos to make them more representative of the shade irl.

Live In The Mo-Mint // pale mint creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

CG say this is a pale mint green but it looks pale pastel blue to me. But it doesn't matter because I love pastel shades. On the nails, it has more of a green tint to it but I feel this is another chameleon shade. For this one, the best result is one thin coat followed by a slightly thicker second coat; leaving you with wonderfully glossy/plump nails. The only similar shade I can find in my collection is Ferris Wheel by Ciaté but that's way more expensive.

I'm No Tourist // cool toned pink/beige creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

If my skin tone was slightly lighter this would be the perfect nude for me. It's not often you come across cool-toned nude shades so I really appreciate this one. This is a perfect base to add neon accents on; I can already see the neon slime drips with this. Here's a quick look I did using CG's Pool Party and Flip Flop Fantasy V2:

Honestly obsessed with nude bases and neon accents this year. I think that's my "thing" for this year.

Vacay Dreams // pastel pink/peach creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

This seems very similar to More to Explore from their 2015 summer collection in the bottle but on the nails it's way more pink. I did a little comparison to show. If you know me though (and seen some of the posts on this blog), you'll know peach/pink pastel shades are my favourite. This is a nice light peach though that will go great with greens.

Sunset Crew // rose pink creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I'd say this is my least favourite shade in the collection; not because it's bad, shades like this just clash too much with my skin tone. I think the shade is beautiful though. I'll probably use this as decoration or within gradients. If I'm going to wear a pink; I'd prefer it be on the neon side. Formula wise, this is what I would call the 'typical' china Glaze formula; i.e., it needs to be applied in thin layers or you're gonna have a bad time.

Sunny You Should Ask // pale mustard creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I love this shade; I have a thing for teal and orange combos; it's just so striking so I love that I got this in the collection. The first coat is a bit streaky but the second is perfect. This isn't a shade I would wear completely by itself but in gradients it's going to be fantastic.

Tangerine Heat // orange/yellow creme

Collection: Cali Dreams

Release: Spring 2021

Coats: 2

I wouldn't really call this tangerine...it's more pastel yellow than orange. It doesn't particularly suit my skin tone either but I can make it work with decoration. With a second coat, it kind of goes a bit neon in darker rooms. I'd say this one is the streakiest out of them all and the hardest to apply.

// Verdict

I can't get enough of this collection. The formula for the most part is absolutely bang on. Knowing my love for pink/peach shades you would've thought my favourites would be Vacay Dreams and Sunset Crew but it's actually the striking Shore Feels Good and Sunny You Should Ask. I wish I could get these in gel as well to paint with as they dry quite fast.

Overall, if there is a set to buy this year, it's this one. For the UK, it's only available on NailPolishDirect right now for £42 for all 8.

Days Like These... // Birchbox October 2018 Beauty Box Nails

Time for another Beauty Box nail design! Birchbox is quite possibly one of my favourite beauty boxes on the market (I'm subbed to 4 currently...) due to it's beautiful design each month and interesting products. I've been subbed for a year now and never had a repeat product in my boxes and it's the subscription that I've bought the most full sizes from after trialling.

This months design embraced autumn with a beautiful light blue/grey lined box decorated with orange, red and blue leaves. Ever since I saw the design I couldn't wait to try and recreate it however, I came up short with the leaves. I have about a bazillion flower decals but only a few were the orange shade. I currently have a set of autumnal decals in my cart on eBay but I've spent my beauty budget for this month so they'll have to wait for next month. 

Instead I had to make do with some oranges and tropical/esque leaves.

Compared to the box, it doesn't look like too much of a change and the lines turned out perfectly. Rain Washed was such a good match and because it wasn't a stamping polish it's softer and more pastel; just like the box design.

Those decals were an absolute bugger though and so fiddly. This look took me way longer than I expected due to the decals sticking to each other or just refusing to stick to anything. Sometimes they would break up as I was trying to slide them off, however they did cost around 75p per sheet so it wasn't exactly breaking the bank.

This is definitely one of those looks though where I wish I could've been bothered to do it on the other hand.

Polishes/Tools Used:

- Essie // Blanc (white)
- Revlon // Quick Dry Top Coat
- Avon Mark. Gel Shine // Rain Washed (light blue pastel)

- Barry M Molten Metal // Bronze Bae (metallic gold)

- Revlon // Colorstay Diamond Top Coat

SWATCHES: Morgan Taylor // Sweetest Thing, Ella Of A Girl & No Way Rose

Look at those magnificent pink beauties. I'm currently subscribed to a beauty box called Latest In Beauty where you can choose 9 items a month for £18, and this month these 3 polishes were added to the selection and well I chose them faster than you can say "it's not a problem anymore". (I am thinking of cancelling this sub though for Mani & Lola which is a nail polish box instead of mixed beauty products).

I've never heard of this polish brand before, but they look fancy AF, I love pink and well, just LOOK at that rose gold sparkle:

Let's start with the most basic; Ella Of A Girl.

She's your basic pink. I was expecting this to be slightly more sheer and pastel-y than the solid Barbie pink colour it is. I think it'll make a great base colour for other pink sparkles however it's not really the kind of shade I would wear naked. It also takes about 17 years to dry, even with a quick dry polish.

Next up is No Way Rose:

This is a beautiful metallic rose gold shimmer. It dries with no streaks (unlike some other metallic polishes I've come across) and one coat is pretty good (but I like two anyway). I'm in love with this shade, it's more on the pink side of rose gold which is perfect as I have a few that are more gold/copper but this captures rose gold perfectly.

Then last is Sweetest Thing:

Look at that! JUST LOOK AT IT! Sorry for the caps but it's frankly a sight to behold. It strongly reminds me though of some pure cut glitter I have called Sweet Pink.

Similar right? Because this is in a polish though, I used the sponge technique to get that ultra sparkly, opaque look however it does come at a price as it isn't a smooth as burnishing pure glitter onto your nail. It's still a great polish though and out of all them this is design I didn't want to peel off. The accent nail using the other two polishes didn't quite turn out how I wanted as I forgot to apply a base coat, so the light pink is more of that "inverse" nail trend but they did blend together quite well. Oh, as a bonus, here's Sweetest Thing under some indoor lighting:

Look at that holo come to life. 

The actual Morgan Taylor website doesn't seem to have prices on it however I found all these polishes stocked on NailPolishDirect for £6.95 each, winning! I also found out that polishes are circa 2015; Ella of a Girl is from their Cinderella collab with Disney for the release of the film. These used to retail at £11, so go grab yourself a bargain.

Polishes:

- Ella of a Girl // Light Pink Creme (nailpolishdirect)

- No Way Rose // Metallic Copper Rose Shimmer (nailpolishdirect)

- Sweetest Thing // Pink Duochrome Glitter (nailpolishdirect)