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: China Glaze // Diva Bride, Spring In My Step, My Sweet Lady, Sweet As Pinkie Pie & Magical

Ok, it's official; I can't stop buying pink polishes. I actually bought these back in June on the first day that TK Maxx re-opened. I have now just got round to swatching them. My desk has become cluttered with a thousand polishes that need swatching, why did I let them build up?

Diva Bride // Sheer Baby Pink Creme
Collection: ??
Release Date: 2010?
Coats: 3

This is a wonderful sheer pink that is streaky on the first and second coats but builds up nicely. It's also super shiny and delicate; perfect for wedding nails. This would also be great as the initial base for rose quartz nails. It does need to be applied slowly and carefully in thin layers but it's worth the extra effort. For fun, I added a red watermarble stamp on top; perfect for valentines looks.

Spring In My Step // Neon Pink Peach Satin Creme

Collection: City Flourish

Release Date: 2014
Coats: 4

This one is incredibly streaky with a satin finish but it does dry extremely fast. I love the shade but even after three coats there are still visible streaks and brush marks. This is not a shade where you can just load up the brush as it will flood the sides immediately. The key is to do two very thin coats, then load the brush up as the polish won't run everywhere. 

I will however let it these issues slide because this is the closest I've come so far to finding a dupe for Deco Miami's 'Cake' shade; my favourite neon peach/pink. It's cheap in the US but an arse to import over here.

Even though it needs four coats, this shade does dry extremely fast so overall I'm quite happy; I just wish it was less streaky.

My Sweet Lady // Soft Peony Pink Creme

Collection: Pastels
Release Date: 2017
Coats: 2

This has the best formula so far; not too thin but not too thick and very easy to apply. The first coat is quite streaky but the second coat evens everything out and leaves it super glossy as well. This is almost like a Barry M Gelly formula (but without the self-levelling magic).

Sweet As Pinkie Pie // Soft Peony Pink Creme

Collection: My Little Pony

Release Date: 2017

Coats: 2

I thought this was from a newer collection but I guess not. It's still a great shade that seems to magically change depending on skintone, lighting, weather, traffic conditions...honestly google swatches for this shade and they range from light pink to dark peach to hot pink. On me this is a light peachy pink similar to OPIs Barking Up The Wrong Sequoia. I do the love the shade though; these peachy pinks are my favourite this year.

Magical // Rose Gold Metallic Shimmer

Collection: Romantique

Release Date: 2009

Coats: 1

I was hoping this would be a vintage from 2009 however the bottle has four translations on the front and I'm pretty sure the older ones only had 2. Anyway, this is a one coat wonder with minimal brush strokes thanks to its shimmer finish. If this was a straight up chrome, the brush strokes would be pretty bad but all the shimmery pieces hide the lines.

I'm really impressed with this; it also stamps wonderfully as well thanks to it's intense pigmentation. It's similar to Barry M's Liquid Chrome shade in Razzle Dazzle but I much prefer this one.

A Woman's Deer-ivative // Quick Nail Art Looks

 

A super quick nail art look today! This wintery/christmas feeling look came about whilst I was swatching some OPI shades and in my head I was like "this is the perfect background for the super detailed images on that Fall In Love plate I bought last year". Inspiration comes from anywhere.

I even decided to leave the horns on as I couldn't bring myself to remove them; it just looked cute if very impractical. I was going to do more stamps on each nail but I thought it would overwhelm it.

As I said, this one is super easy; just 3 coats of A Woman's Prague-ative, then I picked up the deer image with Lumberjack and filled in the image with Café au Lait. I applied a layer of quick dry top coat to the chosen nail, let it go tacky and then stamped away.

Polishes/Tools Used:

- OPI // A Woman's Prague-ative (orange shimmer)

- MoYou London // Lumberjack (brown), Café au Lait (cream)

- MoYou London Stamping Plate // Fall In Love 01

SWATCHES: OPI // Feeling Frisco, Sweet Carmel Sunday & A Woman's Prague-ative

In a previous OPI swatch post I mentioned wanting to get Feeling Frisco and Sweet Carmel Sunday as they were the last two I wanted out of the California Dreaming collection and shortly afterwards I managed to pick them up on eBay for £4 each. Meant to be (even if I am disappointed with them).

Feeling Frisco // Cream Bisque Creme

Collection: California Dreaming Infinite Shine

Release Date: 2017

Coats: 3

Beautiful shade, shame about the formula. This is a streaky, brush stroke filled mess and it's the infinite shine version. I don't even want to imagine what the regular one is like. I would use this as a base for a look because I'm not happy with how it looks by itself.

Sweet Carmel Sunday // Copper Shimmer

Collection: California Dreaming Infinite Shine

Release Date: 2017

Coats: 2

I was surprised by this because I was expecting a chrome finish with brush strokes but it actually has a very thin formula which allows you to build up the copper shimmer with no fear of dragging/streaking. I also wasn't expecting the subtle holo and I mean subtle. It really brings the shade alive in direct light/sun light though as otherwise it's quite dull looking.

A Woman's Prague-ative // Chunky Orange Shimmer

Collection: Euro Centrale

Release Date: 2013

Coats: 3

This is a wonderful burnt orange chunky shimmer suspended in a raspberry red jelly. The first coat is a bit thin but by the third coat your nails will look like expensive wrapping paper. I absolutely love this shade; it's my favourite out of the three and is perfect for autumn and winter.

Slime Noir // Black And Green Dripping Halloween Nail Art Design

Time for another spooky look! Like I said, I'm obsessed with Zoya Pixie Dust and dripping designs so that's where this came from. Also, no stamping! I'm trying my best to use different techniques and I simply blobbed on the green polish using the brush and then drew on the cobwebs with a fine brush and some acrylic gouache. 

I'm also in love with the black. It's a one coat wonder and dries pretty quick as well. My local TK Maxx just got this massive shipment of L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Polish and I pretty much bought them all as they are super pigmented. I use them as stamping polishes that's how good they are. 

I did however spill a brown one all over my grey carpet when I was swatching them...I've tried everything. YouTube has failed me. Oh well, I'm going to say it's a style statement.

 

Polishes/Tools Used:

- L'Oreal Colour Riche // 674 Noir Noir (black)

- Zoya PixieDust // Cece (green)

- Holbein Acrylic Gouache // D925 Titanium White

- Windsor & Newton Cotman Brush //  0000 Round