Snowflake Queen // Blue Jelly Winter Look with Glitter

Ah the jelly sandwich. This was actually my first go and it took so long but it looks great...I probably should've done this with actual gel thanks to all the layers that needed time to dry but fortunately I did this look on false nails and could come back every 30 mins or so to apply another layer.

I love them though; they're just so sparkly and shiny. They're also very different to what I would normally do; no peach or monstera leaves in sight!

Layers (Snowflake nails):

1 - Catwalk Queen

2 - Snowflakes

3 - ooh la lolly

4 - Catwalk Queen

5 - Snowflakes

6 - ooh la lolly

7 - Snowflakes

8 - ooh la lolly

9 - Snowflakes

10 - ooh la lolly

11 - Snowflakes

12 - 3D pop tint top coat

Layers (Glitter nails):

1 - ooh la lolly

2 - London Lane (sponged on til most of the nail was covered. This glitter shade did not like being sponged on. Took about 4/5 layers)

3 - ooh la lolly twice

4 - 3D pop tint top coat x2

5 - broken holo nail stickers

Woooo that's a lot of layers. I actually left them overnight and then applied some more top coat the next morning. I'm so glad these are false nails!

I was going to put some christmas text on one of the nails but I like how these could just be generic winter nails so I left it and just added some more snowflakes for the very top layer. I'll be doing a post on the Essie 3D pop tint soon as well because I love it; I wish I'd bought the others in TK Maxx now.

I also felt like the glitter nails were missing something so I added the little holo stickers. I did want to add  more 3D arrow like shape but I only have them in gold. Guess I need to go buy some more nail art wheels in silver!

Polishes/Tools used:

- Barry M // Catwalk Queen (blue glitter)

- Essie // ooh la lolly (blue jelly), Gel Setter 3D Pop Tints Top Coat (blue)

- Twinkled T // Glow Up (white)

- Nails Inc Winter Lights // London Lane (chunky blue glitter)

- Harunouta Stamping Plate // L056

- Essence // Broken Holo Nail Stickers

SWATCHES: Essie // Fall For NYC, But First Candy, Ooh La Lolly & Glowing Strong

More swatches! This time from Essie. I'm not the biggest Essie fan so I tend to ignore them when I see them in TK Maxx but last time there were a few shades that I just couldn't resist throwing in the cart (as well as interesting formulas).

Fall For NYC // orange clay creme

Collection: Fall For NYC

Release: Fall 2018

Coats: 2

I actually remember this collection being released and wanting specifically this shade along with Say It Aint Soho (an orange metallic) but Essie shades are £7.99 here and rarely on sale; the only times I do buy them are from TK Maxx, so I was very happy when this turned up in my local store for £2.99. This is one of those perfect autumn/winter shades. The formula itself is a little streaky and not that shiny but those issues are easily sorted out with a top coat (I just never wear one for swatches).

But First, Candy // dark green jelly

Collection: Glazed Days

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

Where did this range come from? I had never even heard of it so I was surprised to find it only came out last summer. I have been looking for this exact shade though; a true green jelly, so I was very happy when I saw this and Ooh la lolly in TK.  I wanted them for layering effects however, they appear to be a bit too dark and this one is a little streaky. It also takes forever to dry but that's like most jellies. I stopped at three coats, where it just about lost its transparency and marvelled at the shiny gel-like surface. 

Ooh La Lolly // dark blue jelly

Collection: Glazed Days

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

This is more like the formula I was after; no streaks and builds up nicely but still keeps its transparency. This is going to be perfect for jelly sandwiches (I've already got one planned). Again, it takes a while to dry but I love sticking glitter between the layers for that plastic gel look. Really pleased I managed to get this for £3 as it would've cost me that much anyway after p&p for a jelly polish from born pretty/eBay.

60 Glowing Strong // peach/pink creme

Collection: Treat Love & Color

Release: Winter 2018

Coats: 3

Of course I bought the peach/pink shade. For some reason I was expecting this to be a thick and gloopy creme but it's actually quite thin. It took me three coats to get the coverage I was happy with but it was easy to apply and dried relatively quick. This shade just makes me wish is was summer though...I miss the warm weather and being able to cycle without being battered by a 20mph wind.

SWATCHES: Ciaté // Mango Martini, Holiday Blues & Strictly Legal

One of my favourite things about buying nail polish from TK Maxx is that they're, more often than not, really old shades. I was attracted to these beautiful Ciaté shades for the brightness and shimmer and then stayed for the £1.99 price tag. When I got home and researched them a little I was shocked to find out how old they are!

Mango Martini // orange jelly
Release Date: July 2013
Collection: Suncatcher Collection

This is a true jelly shade which means it applies with no streaks, even though it's sheer. That means you can either wear one coat for that transparent glass effect or build up the coats for a glossy mani. I'm wearing 3 coats in the swatch and even though it looks like quite a bright orange in the bottle, it's actually more muted on the nails and isn't "in your face". The shade reminds me of cocktails and lying on the beach; clearly it captured the "Suncatcher" theme. It's been a long time since Ciaté have released a polish collection though apart from random shades every now and then! When researching this collection I was shocked to find I now only need 2 more shades to complete it! I'm missing Afterglow (a glow-in-the-dark white) and Palm Trees (lime green).

You can find out more about the collection in a post here: http://nailcandy101.com/launches-ciate-suncatcher-collection/

Holiday Blues // blue jelly
Release Date: Spring 2012
Collection: ???

This isn't my favourite blue; it's a bit too dark. It also has a warm undertone and I have a feeling this will stain your nails real bad if left on for more than a couple of hours. It's also a streaky jelly and needs at least three coats. By the time the coats have built up the colour changes slightly to an ocean blue. This is definitely a holiday shade though.

Strictly Legal // metallic grape purple
Release Date: 2009?
Collection: Metallics

This is going so far back in Ciaté's history that I can barely find any info on it. The early days of blogging! I had never seen the old Ciaté logo, it looks so weird! Unfortunately this is not an original from 2009 as it has the new logo but it's still pretty old as it has the old thin brush as well. It does apply pretty well but it's getting a little thick. This is a great shade for Autumn and Winter and I can see it with some gold designs on top for Christmas parties. It's also ready in one coat...although that could just be because it's gotten a bit thick.

SWATCHES: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine // Iced Latte, Berry Sorbet, Pink Lemonade

It's March!!! 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉And that means spring is finally right around the corner; oh god it's been so long since I felt the sweet sweet warmth of the sun. In other news, I was not spending money in Superdrug and did not buy more nail polish....

Pink Lemonade // Muted Pink Creme
Release Date: Spring/Summer 2016

Oh boy do I love this shade. It looks like more of a dusty dark pink in the bottle but on the nails it's just a true soft neutral pink. This is a perfect spring shade for floral mani's. It also dries quite quickly for the Gelly range. One coat isn't quite enough, but two does the trick and it dries nice and glossy.

Iced Latte // Vanilla Creme
Release Date: January 2020

This is a fantastic vanilla shade that isn't too yellow. This is the type of shade that will look good on any skintone. I can imagine this would make a nice coffee watermarble with a brown polish. This one definitely needs two coats as the first is quite streaky.

Berry Sorbet // Pale Blue Creme
Release Date: January 2020

Two coats is still a little streaky for this one as you can slightly see through the polish still but three coats isn't abhorrent for a gelly polish...in fact it's kind of the norm. I love this shade though; it's halfway between pastel blue and mint.

// Verdict

Well, I enjoyed these new spring shades so much I went out and bought 6 more Gelly polishes...They had a 3 for 2 on Feel Unique, don't judge me. This is my first time buying a Gelly shade in about 7 years and I'm not sure why I haven't bought more. They really do look like gel polish. I recently bought some gel and lamp (more on that in a post though) and these polishes have the exact same consistency as the gel ones. With the plumpy top coat on top, you can't go wrong.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine

£3.99 each

SWATCHES: China Glaze // Shades of Paradise 2018 Mini Collection

I first saw this collection and thought my dreams had come true; a beautiful collection of bright summery cremes to create leaf/palm print looks with. What I got was 1 creme, 1 shimmer and 4 mattes; not what I was expecting. There are 12 shades in the entire collection but I feel like this micro set contained the 6 worst. 

Cabana Fever // Matte White

At first I thought it was just my swatch wheel that made this dry matte as polishes can have a weird finish on them sometimes but this a matte polish and I don't like it. If I want it matte, I just use a matte top coat. The shade dries with a ridiculous amount of brush strokes in it and is riddled with streaks. The fact that it then dries matte highlights these flaws even more. It does dry super fast and you can sometimes see it hardening as your applying it if a thin enough layer is used but this just creates a lumpy, streaky texture. I'm wearing 3 coats and that just about covers patches but I just hate the effect; it's bumpy, uneven and amateur looking. It is a little annoying though that on camera, it doesn't look that bad.

Don't Be Sea Salty // Neon Pink Jelly with Shimmer

A sheer neon jelly silk shimmer? There's a polish description I never thought I'd say...or write. I've done two coats and it does have amazing pigment however it dries with a silk finish. Again I would've preferred a creme with the ability to become matte with a top coat. The shade itself though is kinda like a cheap highlighter felt tip...guess I am being sea salty. I much prefer this with a nice shiny top coat applied as it then becomes a nice flamingo-esque shade and the shimmery pieces stand out more.

All Sun & Games // Neon Pastel Orange Jelly with Shimmer

This is the same formula as Don't Be Sea Salty and again, it's got that same felt tip highlighter feel to it. It dries with a silk finish which once again highlights the imperfections and streaks. So far all of these shades have dried within 60 seconds which is honestly the only good thing about them. For this swatch I'm wearing 2 coats.

Boujee Board // Sheer Silk Plum

When I first applied this I thought I'd finally found a nice creme, but no! It's another matte polish. The shade itself isn't as bad as the other three and wheres it's sheer; it's not streaky.  I'm wearing two coats. With a nice glossy top coat, I think it's a nice fun shade but nothing special. I had difficulty photographing this one though as the photos kept coming out as pale lilac...very strange. 

Mer-Made For Bluer Waters // Sheer Sea Blue Shimmer

Finally! A nice shiny polish. This is much weaker than I was expecting though. I thought this would be a pigmented ocean blue metallic, instead it's sheer shimmer. I'm wearing three coats and it's not a terrible shade but there are many basic blue shimmers just like this. It is lovely and summery though and reminds me of a deep pool with light reflecting off the surface. 

Water-Falling In Love // Sheer Baby Blue Creme

A creme! A real creme finish! It's a miracle. After the weirdness and inconsistency in formulas it's nice to be back in familiar territory. The first coat goes on quite streaky but the second evens everything out. Because it's a sheer polish you could go for a third coat but I think two is acceptable. This is my favourite shade out the set mainly because this is what I signed up for. If the other shades had been this formula I'd be singing a different song.

//Verdict

Er yeah, not great. I wish I had done some research on the set before I hastily bought it as the I don't think I'm going to use these shades again. I'm not quite sure what China Glaze were thinking with all the strange finishes. I can see why you'd have a white polish to help with the neons but why make it a matte? I don't have many polishes that dry matte for good reason; they look weird.

I've learnt my lesson though. Between this and the OMG collection, I feel like I've kinda been turned of China Glaze. I thought the Merry Whatever shade I got in the December Mani & Lola was amazing but I think I'll stick to my Cuccio and Barry M for the time being. 

China Glaze // Shades of Paradise Mini Collection 2018