Shabby

Showing posts with label comparison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comparison. Show all posts

July 29, 2013

a england - Sleeping Palace

a england Sleeping Palace + stamped accent nail (a england Guinevere & Bundle Monster BM-313)
a england Sleeping Palace + stamped accent nail (a england Guinevere & Bundle Monster BM-313)
I'm sure this smoky purple nail polish with prismatic sparkles is a treat for your eyes! I'm wearing one of a england's newest shades, Sleeping Palace. Sleeping Palace was super easy to apply with perfect coverage in two coats. It's a pigmented shade, so I used it for stamping on a couple of accent nails (base colour is a england - Guinevere). I'm obsessed with this design from Bundle Monster plate BM-313.. I have the feeling this is not the last time you're seeing it on my nails!

Sleeping Palace reminded me of Misty Blush from Layla Cosmetics. They're definitely not dupes, although the base colour is quite similar. The prismatic effect of Misty Blush is much stronger. 
comparison a england Sleeping Palace & Layla Cosmetics Misty Blush

Thanks for watching! :)

*a england - Sleeping Palace and a england - Guinevere were sent to me for reviewing purposes.
For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

March 5, 2013

Cirque - Lonesome George

Cirque Lonesome George
Cirque Lonesome George
What better way to celebrate a sunny day than with a beautiful prismatic shade? I chose to wear Lonesome George from Cirque. Now, you may know that I have a weak spot for green prismatics, so it's no surprise that I think this one's extremely pretty! The formula was nice and smooth, I used two coats (no top coat).

I also want to show you a little comparison with the green prismatic nail polishes I own. No dupes here. If I háve to choose a favourite I'd go for Lonesome George because of the intense prismatic effect. Also, I like my prismatic sparkles a bit more scattered than smooth like you see in Reclaim.
comparions green prismatic nail polishes (Nubar Reclaim, Cirque Lonesome George + a england Dragon
Lonesome George is part of Cirque's Objet d'Art collection and is available on the Cirque website.

Thanks for watching! :h

*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes.
For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

March 30, 2012

a england - Bridal Veil

a england Bridal Veil
a england Bridal Veil
If there's one nail polish 'colour' I totally adore, it's black. I can wear it all year round without getting bored. My favourite black is Camelot from a england's The Mythicals collection. So imagine the joy when I received another black nail polish from this wonderful brand. This is Bridal Veil from The Legend collection. It's a very pigmented black with a subtle prismatic shimmer. Love it! It applied like butter, this is two coats.
Comparison: a england Bridal Veil, Catherine Arley #805 & Eyeko - Cosmic Polish
from left to right: a england - Bridal Veil, Catherine Arley #805 & Eyeko - Cosmic Polish
I made a little comparison for you with two other black polishes with prismatic shimmer. Out of these three I prefer Bridal Veil, 'cause it's super black and super pigmented.

The Legend collection is available now on the a england website.

Thanks for watching!
*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes.
For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

January 28, 2012

Speciallità - Hefesto & Recap Hits No Olimpo Collection

Let me first show you how magical Hefesto is. Hefesto is the prismatic top coat from Speciallità's Hits No Olimpo collection. I love this one, it's packed with prismatic particles! It's a top coat, so obviously it looks best if you apply it on top of another polish. This time I layered one coat over two coats of China Glaze - Bermuda Breakaway. Ohh, it's magic! ♥ This picture is taken in direct sunlight; in normal daylight Hefesto adds a silvery touch to the base colour.
I wondered how this layering would compare to (one of my all time favourites) OPI DS - Glamour. Here you can see Glamour on my ring finger nail and the layering with Hefesto on the other nails. There are differences, but I think this is pretty cool!

In the photo collage below you can see the entire Hits No Olimpo collection. Clockwise from the upper left corner: Dionísio, Hestia, Atena, Ares, Zeus, Artemis, Deméter, Poseidon, Afrodite, Apolo, Hermes, Hera & Hefesto in the middle.
I think Speciallità did a great job with this collection, look at all those wonderful colours.. Most of them have a super intense prismatic effect. I like! The formula on these was consistently good and so is the wear. I heard some people had problems with wonky and uneven brushes, but all my brushes were fine (other than a surprisingly big one in one bottle). I noticed they take some time to dry, so I recommend using a quick drying top coat. Please note that these nail polishes aren't Big 3 Free, they contain toluene and formaldehyde.

The Hits No Olimpo polishes cost around $4 (for 6 ml) at Speciallità. You can also get them for $10 at Llarowe.

I want to remind you that today is the last day you can enter my Speciallità giveaway! If you want to enter click →here←.

Thanks for watching! :)

*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes.
For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

January 27, 2012

Speciallità - Apolo & Comparison

Well, what can I say..? Anóther stunner from Speciallità! Apolo is a deep, tealish blue coloured polish with a beautiful and strong rainbow effect. Just how I like it, Apolo rocks! The formula was good, I applied two coats, no top coat.
This is how Apolo looks next to Glamour from OPI's Designer Series. Both eyecatchers, but as you can see no dupes!

Thanks for watching!

*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes.
For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

January 21, 2012

Speciallità - Dionísio & Comparison

Hmm.. or could this be my favourite? ♥ Meet Dionísio, the purple prismatic polish from Speciallità. As you can see it's incredibly gorgeous, I love it! The formula was good. It is a bit on the sheer side, this is three coats (no top coat).
China Glaze - LOL, a england - Lady of the Lake, Teeez - Outta Control 01, Speciallità - Dionísio & Color Club - Wild at Heart
I made a comparison on a nail wheel with a couple of purple nail polishes with prismatic particles. Dionísio is the sheerest of these five, but the intense prismatic effect absolutely makes up for it! I can stare at these pretties all day... You can never have enough purple prismatics, can you? 

Dionísio is part of my giveaway prize, don't forget to enter! ^_^

Thanks for watching!


*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes.
For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

December 17, 2011

Comparison: Dark Prismatic Shades

I was curious how Speciallità - Zeus would look like next to other dark(er) prismatic polishes I own. So I made a little comparison with Catherine Arley #805 (pinkie nail - two coats), Chainmail Charm from Diamond Cosmetics (middle finger nail - two coats) and three coats of Zeus on the other nails. #805 from Catherine Arley is a true black, it's more pigmented and darker than Zeus. Another difference is the scattered prismatic effect of #805; it looks really different next to the other two. As you can see Chainmail Charm has a somewhat brownish base compared to Zeus' more charcoal base colour. I think Chainmail Charm has a beautiful prismatic effect, but it looks kinda dull next to the intense rainbows Zeus shows. My advice? If you can get your hands on Zeus, well.. get it! ^_^
Thanks for watching and enjoy your weekend!

November 24, 2011

Tinseled Poinsettia

I just received Tinsel Town and Poinsettia from China Glaze's Let It Snow collection and my hands were itching to use them. Can you blame me..? They're SO pretty! I applied three coats of Poinsettia, a super glossy blue-toned red, and the glittery Tinsel Town at the base of the nail. I really like to use glitter for accents, but I can imagine Tinsel Town looking totally awesome on its own. Can't wait to try it. :)
Poinsettia reminded me of one of my all-time favourites: Kristi from Zoya. And look how close they are! I used two coats here. As you can see Kristi is more opaque and maybe a bit darker; Poinsettia is much more glossier. But you can increase the opacity with an extra coat and use a top coat for a glossy finish.. so let me conclude by saying you probably don't need both.

Thanks for watching!

August 18, 2011

Comparison: Layering WIN & OPI DS - Glamour

A couple of days ago I posted a beautiful layering combination and apparently I wasn't the only one who loved it, thanks for all the lovely comments! My sweet blogging friend Deborah asked if I could compare this layering combo with OPI DS - Glamour. Well of course honey, this one is for you. :)
I applied three coats of Glamour on my ring finger nail, no top coat. As you can see Glamour is brighter and looks almost blurple next to the other nails. The prismatic effect of Glamour is kinda different too, the effect is lineair like Catherine Arley #667, but I also see scattered sparkles on my ring finger nail and the sparkles look more intense too (clearly visible in the 2nd picture). That must be the famous diamond-dust formula from OPI, don't you think? Although I'm deeply in love with the Kleancolor-Catherine Arley layering combination, nothing can beat OPI DS - Glamour. ♥
That's it for today, thanks for watching! :h

July 9, 2011

Catrice - Run Forest Run! (version I & II)

Catrice did it again. I found another new nail polish colour with an old name/number. *sigh* The name of both polishes I'm showing you today is Run Forest Run! I posted the first version, a forest green, a while ago. The old and the new version are both greens with a creme finish, but the new one is a lighter, medium green. A gorgeous colour, I really like it!
As you can see I also applied I Sea You! (what's up with all the exclamation marks?) from Catrice on one nail; in the bottle it looked pretty close to the second version of RFR, but on the nail they're obviously totally different.

The formula of Run Forest Run! II is good, it was perfectly opaque in two coats.

Well, what can I say...? Catrice, I think your nail polish colours are awesome and I like the names you come up with, but please, give each polish their own name. They deserve it.

Thanks for watching and have a great weekend!

May 7, 2011

Comparison: Color Club - Alias and Orly - Out Of This World

Yesterday I showed you the stunning nail polish Alias from Color Club. When I was taking pictures of it, it reminded me very much of one of the nail polishes from the Cosmic FX Collection from Orly, Out Of This World. So I compared it with Alias, and I also used Space Cadet (also from Orly) on one nail.. just because I can, lol. If you hold the bottles next to each other Alias and OOTW look quite similar, but on the nail I see more differences. Alias contains smaller particles and has a denser look - OOTW looks a little deceiving in the bottle, denser than when it's applied on the nail. Alias is also lighter, has a stronger duochromatic/multichromatic effect and is less pigmented than the Orly one. I used four coats for Alias and three coats for OOTW, no topcoat.

It's obvious that Space Cadet and Alias show an other range of colours, but they both have the same multichromatic look and the density of the particles/glitter is not that different. I love these kind of polishes!

Well.. I hope this was helpful for some of you. :)

Thanks for watching and have a nice weekend!

April 13, 2011

Comparison: Teeez - Outta Control & Color Club - Wild At Heart

I was wondering how the pretty purple prismatic Teeez nail polish, Outta Control, would look like next to another purple pretty we all love and cherish, Wild At Heart from Color Club. So here's my comparison. Just like I thought: Outta Control is lighter and more blue toned than Wild At Heart. Another difference lies in the colours I see when I hold my nails in bright light, the prismatic particles in Outta Control show more green, blue and pink, whereas the particles in Wild At Heart show a lot more orange and magenta.

I think the prismatic effect is equally strong in both polishes, but the bigger contrast between the rainbow-y particles and the darker base colour of Wild At Heart can sometimes give the illusion of a stronger prismatic effect in the Color Club one. 

They applied well, two easy coats and you're done. Wild At Heart is a little more pigmented though, you could even get away with one coat. For this comparison I didn't apply a topcoat, because I wanted you to see them on their own.

Which one do I prefer? Can't choose, really. They're so beautiful, as a purple prismatic polish lover I'm drooling over both!

Which one do you prefer? :)

Thanks for watching!

April 6, 2011

Comparison: Teeez - Femme Fatale & China Glaze - Ruby Pumps

I told you earlier I was wondering how Teeez - Femme Fatale would look like next to one of the masterpieces from China Glaze, Ruby Pumps. First I want to point out that both colours look darker, deeper and more blue toned  in real life, with the first picture being the most colour accurate of the two.

Ok, let's compare these pretty reds: the base colour is very much alike, they apply well and are opaque in three coats. The biggest difference is what's floating in the base. Ruby Pumps is packed with rounded silver and red glitter, whereas Femme Fatale has little irregular shaped multicoloured flecks/flakes in it. What I really like about Femme Fatale is the violet flecks, they add a nice touch to the polish. But Ruby Pumps is more sparkly, love that too! 


What can I say..? It's nice to find a nail polish that can compete with Ruby Pumps, I'm happy to have both. :)



I also want to use this post to thank my readers, all those sweet comments and emails give me a warm feeling and make me really happy. I can't believe I have so much followers, where do you all come from? :O How about a thank you giveaway when I hit the 500 mark..? Stay tuned!

Oh, and I added a FAQ page, check it out if you want. 

Thanks for watching!

March 8, 2011

Comparison: Gamax - Rosa Shocking & Essie - Wife Goes On

The polish I showed you yesterday, Rosa Shocking from Gamax, reminded me strongly of another polish I have (and love): Essie - Wife Goes On. I made a quick comparison. As you can see they're actually very close, both are very bright and summery, but the Essie one has a bit more red in it. If I had to choose I'd go for Rosa Shocking; I love that it's slightly pinker and it applies better due to the flat brush.

And now I'm going outside to enjoy the sun, aahh.. :L Thanks for watching!

*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes. 
For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

February 23, 2011

Comparison: OPI - Glacier Bay Blues & China Glaze - Rodeo Fanatic

Yesterday I made a quick comparison with China Glaze - Rodeo Fanatic and OPI - Glacier Bay Blues. When you hold the bottles next to each other they both show more than one colour; in both is a blue green visible and also a beautiful purple. So I was wondering how they would look next to each other on the nail. And why not share my findings? :) 

Glacier Bay Blues is a true duochrome (look at the bottle in the 2nd picture, wow!), showing different colours at different angles. It's a dark blue polish that can look dark green sometimes and does show the blurple and purple you see in the bottle, whereas Rodeo Fanatic shows blue green most of the time with a hint of dark blue at some angles, but definitely no purple. GBB is obviously darker and more frosty than shimmery; you can see subtle brushstrokes after applying it. So.. different polishes for different moments I'd say. :O

I applied three coats of both and a topcoat. Rodeo Fanatic dries way faster, I always experience drying problems when I use GBB (bummer, cause it's a stunning polish!).

Thanks for watching!

February 12, 2011

Comparison: Catherine Arley #677 & OPI DS Extravagance

I know these Catherine Arley polishes aren't so easy to get (intact that is.. :brow), so I like to show you comparisons with other polishes to see if they're really worth getting. This time I made a comparison with #677 and OPI DS Extravagance. As you can see DS Extravagance is darker and more a purply berry  than  cranberry coloured like #677. Both polishes have a scattered prismatic effect. DS Extravagance seems to have prismatic particles of different sizes, which makes it (for me) more interesting to look at, even in low light. 

The application of both is good, they're both pigmented so I applied two coats, no topcoat.

Thanks for watching!

February 7, 2011

Comparison: Catherine Arley #673 & OPI DS - Original

Here we have my promised comparison between Catherine Arley #673 and one of the OPI Designer Series polishes, Original. Looking at the bottles side by side they were quite similar to me, apart from the prismatic effect (which is way more visible in DS Original) and #673 being a bit darker. On the nail the differences between these two are more apparent. 

OPI DS Original is lighter and I'd call it more lavender than lilac. To be more precise: DS Original is more blue toned than #673. But the biggest difference lies in the prismatic effect! Under bright light (last picture) the Catherine Arley polish has no chance, becoming almost boring next to DS Original. For me the latter one is definitely winning this battle, because let's face it.. there aren't much polishes strong enough to beat DS Original, right? :i But if you're in the mood for a more subtle prismatic polish, you could give the pretty #673 a try. 
The application of both polishes is very nice, with #673 being the more pigmented one, I needed only two coats against three coats for DS Original.
Thanks for watching!

January 31, 2011

Comparison: Catherine Arley #674 & Milani - Cyberspace

Here we have the comparison I promised with #674 from Catherine Arley and Cyberspace from Milani. I applied three coats (no topcoat) and the picture is taken in normal daylight.

First the similarities: they're both baby blue polishes with prismatic particles. The application is very nice, they dry rather quickly and removing them is easy.
The differences: Cyberspace is a bit darker and more opaque; the Catherine Arley one seems to have a tini tiny bit more yellow in it. The prismatic particles in Cyberspace are chunkier and they give a scattered prismatic effect (best seen under bright light), whereas #674's prismatic particles are more delicate and they show off a nice rainbow even in low light.

I prefer the opaqueness of Cyberspace, but I love the rainbow effect of #674. What can I say? I'm happy owning both. :O

Thanks for watching!

January 28, 2011

Catherine Arley #800


Let me tell you first that photographing this polish, #800 from Catherine Arley, was SO frustrating. xo I love my camera, but sadly it does have some flaws, like picking up coral looking colours. So when you look at the pictures you have to add a good dose of coral to it, bright coral actually (like the colour dot on the left), 'cause this ain't a subtle polish. The prismatic effect of #800 isn't extreme, but clearly there. Just beautiful, I love it! It makes me wish there were more reddish prismatic polishes out there. I think this one would be fa-bu-lous for summer (hmm, I'm saying that quite a lot the past days.. Wearing bright, prismatic polishes in wintertime, great idea! Lets just say I'm well-prepared for summer, lol).

The application was very good, I'm pleasently surprised every time I try another Catherine Arley. They glide on so easy! #800 is very pigmented, this is two coats without topcoat.

And I have another comparison for you featuring one of the OPI Designer Series polishes, Reflection. What a great shade! The main difference you see is the golden flash Reflection has, whereas #800 has more of a pink flash. You can place both polishes in the same colour family, allthough #800 has more coral in it. They both have a nice amount of prismatic particles, but Reflection seems to have particles of different sizes and the effect is more scattered.

Well, that's it for now.. I wish you all a great day and thanks for watching! :h


January 27, 2011

Catherine Arley #803

normal daylight - sunlight
It may come to you as a surprise, but I have another Catherine Arley polish for you today! This time it's #803, a lime green prismatic polish. If ogre Fiona would want a sparkly nude, this is the one for her. :O It's very sparkly, especially in sunlight! The prismatic particles don't show a full-on rainbow, most of the time you'll see yellow, orange, green and a blue green. I hate to say it, but I don't like this colour on me at all, it's too yellow-toned and apparently that doesn't compliment my skin tone. But I'll definitely try it again in summertime, when I have a little tan!

I also have a little comparison for you guys with Hi-Tech from Milani. As you can see the Milani one is much lighter, less yellow-toned and less bright if that makes sense. Another difference is the size of the prismatic particles; the ones in Hi-Tech are a bit bigger. Application wise: no differences actually. If I had to choose one I'd go for Hi-Tech, because the colour looks better against my skin tone. 

The application of #803 was good! I wouldn't say it's sheer, but I still needed three coats. It applied very nicely, so I don't mind. :) I didn't use a topcoat.

Thanks for watching!







PS, I recommend looking at my post about #667 again, because I added a picture which shows real holo yummyness. Oh, how I love the sunshine! These polishes definitely come to life when sunlight is added.. :L