A vegan nail polish blog. A celebration of colour and light, as well as of justice for nonhuman animals.

Posts tagged ‘shimmer’

Black Dahlia Lacquer Dandelion Fields

This beauty is Black Dahlia Lacquer Dandelion Fields. I think it’s my favourite of the six BDL polishes I have so far! It’s a muted coral-leaning orange holo with pinkish-copper flecks.

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_ott2

This is two coats plus top coat, shown under Ott Lite. I found the formula slightly thick but not difficult to apply.

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_ott

Under warm halogen light it looks a bit more yellow than it really is:

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_halogen

With flash:

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_flash2

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_flash

In the shade:

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_shade2

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_shade

There was no sun when I swatched it, but there was the following day when I was wearing it as a mani. Here it is in the sun. The accent nail has a layer of Indigo Bananas Hay Ride, one of the new multichrome flakies (which are amazing!)

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_ib_hayride

This last photo was taken on the bus, sorry for the weird reflections! But it shows off the accent nail better than the full sun shot. πŸ™‚

blackdahlialacquer_dandelionfields_ib_hayride2

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Russian Blue

Today I have a cat-themed polish for you: Russian Blue by Kunimitsu Nail Potions on Etsy.

kunimitsu_russianblue3

It’s a shimmery greyish-blue with light blue microglitter and gold dot glitter to represent the cats’ eyes.

kunimitsu_russianblue2

Shown in three coats plus topcoat.

kunimitsu_russianblue

I did have to work a little to get the gold dots out of the bottle and placed onto the nail, but it wasn’t too problematic.

kunimitsu_russianblue4

I really like this fun, pretty polish!

kunimitsu_russianblue5

And here is my little blue boy, Julius! Isn’t he handsome? πŸ˜€ He is also just about the friendliest little guy imaginable; he loves everyone, including a dog named Fluffy who lives in an apartment down the hall from us.

julius

Julius was adopted from a local shelter where he had been brought as a stray kitten. He has a chronic upper respiratory infection (I had to clean some crusts off one of his eyes to prep him for his photo shoot, in fact). He’s been on every antibiotic in the book over the years but the infection always comes back. On a serious note, it’s really lucky for him that he was adopted by people who would never return him to the shelter for sneezing globs all over their furniture and stuff year after year, because that “shelter” isn’t a no-kill and I don’t know if cats returned for that kind of issue might then be deemed “unadoptable”… 😦

julius2

Love you, Julius! ❀

Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine and Comparison

I recently learned of Black Dahlia Lacquer, an indie brand based in Texas that just launched last fall, who make vegan polishes. The polishes looked great, so I had to place an order to check them out! πŸ˜‰

black_dahlia_lacquer_bottles

From left to right, Dandelion Fields, Beach Jasmine, My Butter Half, 90 in November (this one wasn’t part of my order but was sent as an extra!), Daffodil Petals, Austin City Limits. The polishes come in an 8ml ‘petite’ size, which is what I ordered, as well as regular 14ml full size. Today I’ve got swatches and a comparison for Beach Jasmine but I hope to also photograph the rest of them soon!

I love the bottles, the 8ml bottles have the same unique shape as the full size ones, which is a really nice touch! The brush, again even in the mini size bottles, is a flat wide brush, my favourite type.

blackdahlialacquer_beachjasmine3

Beach Jasmine is a light taupey-beige creme with lots of gold flecks. A beautiful nude colour!

blackdahlialacquer_beachjasmine2

I used two coats here. (My coats seem to have been a bit thinner on my index finger than the other nails and I think maybe it shows a bit in the photos…) The formula was smooth and easy to apply. Very happy with this polish!

blackdahlialacquer_beachjasmine

In the shade:

blackdahlialacquer_beachjasmine_shade

Since I love nudes with gold shimmer, I had a few in mind that this one reminded me of: Cult Nails Mazo, China Glaze Fast Track, and Essence Irreplaceable.

blackdahlialacquer_beachjasmine_compbottles

This first photo shows two coats of each polish. As you can see, Mazo is much more sheer than the others.

Left to right, 2 coats each: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Left to right, 2 coats each: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Next photos show 3 coats of Cult Nails Mazo on the index and 3 coats of China Glaze Fast Track on the ring (the third wasn’t really necessary but I wanted to better cover my ridges on that nail).

Left to right: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Left to right: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Mazo is more yellow-toned, Fast Track is browner, and Irreplaceable is just slightly more grey.

Left to right: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Left to right: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Irreplaceable is definitely the closest to Beach Jasmine though. Irreplaceable’s shimmer is slightly more dense and has a very slight green shift to it that doesn’t show on the nail, but the two are close. I believe Irreplaceable is hard to find now, so this polish is a good replacement (har, har!) for anyone looking for it.

Top to bottom: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Top to bottom: Cult Nails Mazo, Black Dahlia Lacquer Beach Jasmine, China Glaze Fast Track, Essence Irreplaceable

Now, I can’t show a polish with Jasmine in the name without showing my beautiful Jasmine. πŸ˜‰

bed_jasmine

Jasmine is the most feral of our cats; she’s almost 9 years old now and has been with me since the age of 6 months, but it’s just in the past two years that she’s really allowed me to pet her at all (and then, just in her ‘safe’ situations – but in those situations, she’s learned that she really likes it!).

bed_jasmine_and_friends

She’s much more comfortable with other cats than with humans. Here she is on the bed with Oliver (one of her littermates, who adapted much more easily to us humans), Seymour who is licking Oliver, and the baby of the family, Wu, on the right!

Zoya Autumn and Comparison

Zoya Autumn is from last fall’s Ignite collection. It’s a great metallic orange-copper base with sparkly gold shimmer flecks. Two coats plus top coat.

zoya_autumn_sun

Little Wu kept photobombing me. ❀

zoya_autumn_wu_photobomb

zoya_autumn_wu_photobomb2

zoya_autumn_sun2

Indirect light:

zoya_autumn_partshade

I compared Autumn to four other shades: OPI Bronzed to Perfection (2 coats), which has more of a creme base with added shimmer, Deborah Lippmann Phoenix Rising (3 coats), which has small bronze, pink, and greenish-gold glass flecks in a (I think) clear base, Sparitual Rusted Lux (3 coats), a rusty red jelly base with heavy gold glass fleck, and Sparitual Conduit (3 coats), a brownish jelly base with the same gold glass flecks. The differences show best in the shade and artificial light photos.

Thumb to pinkie: OPI Bronzed to Perfection, Deborah Lippmann Phoenix Rising, Zoya Autumn, Sparitual Rusted Lux, Sparitual Conduit

Thumb to pinkie: OPI Bronzed to Perfection, Deborah Lippmann Phoenix Rising, Zoya Autumn, Sparitual Rusted Lux, Sparitual Conduit

Shade/indirect light:

Thumb to pinkie: OPI Bronzed to Perfection, Deborah Lippmann Phoenix Rising, Zoya Autumn, Sparitual Rusted Lux, Sparitual Conduit

Thumb to pinkie: OPI Bronzed to Perfection, Deborah Lippmann Phoenix Rising, Zoya Autumn, Sparitual Rusted Lux, Sparitual Conduit

Ott Lite:

Thumb to pinkie: OPI Bronzed to Perfection, Deborah Lippmann Phoenix Rising, Zoya Autumn, Sparitual Rusted Lux, Sparitual Conduit

Thumb to pinkie: OPI Bronzed to Perfection, Deborah Lippmann Phoenix Rising, Zoya Autumn, Sparitual Rusted Lux, Sparitual Conduit

I love all of these!

Essence Gorgeous Bling Bling and Grey-t To Be Here

Essence Gorgeous Bling Bling, two coats. Burnt orange-brown creme with gold flakes. Back when my nails were long…

gorgeousblingbling

gorgeousblingbling2

Grey-t To Be Here, three coats. Light grey creme with pink shimmer flecks.

greyt

greyt2

greyt_shade

P2 Before Sunrise and The Lady Varnishes Orodruin

P2 Before Sunrise is a metallic burgundy red polish with duochrome that shifts to a plum-purple with a hint of blue at extreme angles. I got this polish in a swap with a lovely woman from the Netherlands. Two coats, although the second was hardly needed.

On the accent nail is Orodruin from indie polish maker The Lady Varnishes. It’s a shimmery copper-orange duochrome with a tiny bit of holo sparkle in it, that shifts to a golden yellow and then greenish yellow. It dries to a satin-matte finish; here I’ve used two coats plus top coat.

ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise7

ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise5

ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise3

ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise2

ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise

ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise6

ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise4

Shade:
ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise_shade

Ott light:
ladyvarnishes_orodruin_p2_beforesunrise_ott

A few odds and ends

I have a few random phone pics of relatively-recent manis to share today!

Quo by Orly Infinity and Beyond (same as Orly Milky Way), layered over Cosmetic Arts Sky High (which I think is the same as Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau). Accent nail is just the Cosmetic Arts by itself.

20140220-120319.jpg

Kleancolor Concrete, a one-coater, with Kleancolor Yogurt Raisins on the accent nail.

20140226-182450.jpg

Maya Cosmetics Big Chief, two coats. The glitter was a little sparse but other than that it had a great formula.

20140226-184231.jpg

And finally, Misa High Brow, a gorgeous vampy purple shimmer with a satin-matte finish. On my rarely-seen right hand:
20140226-184337.jpg

On my usual hand, with topcoat:
20140226-184354.jpg

Maya Cosmetics Turbo Classy

This lovely beige/taupe/nude polish is Turbo Classy by Maya Cosmetics! It’s a creme base with plenty of subtle shimmer in it. I used two coats plus top coat here; the formula was smooth and easy to apply.

Under halogen light:
Maya Cosmetics Turbo Classy

Overcast natural light:
Maya Cosmetics Turbo Classy

With flash:
Maya Cosmetics Turbo Classy

And again with halogen light:
Maya Cosmetics Turbo Classy

Zoya Zuza, Wednesday, and comparisons

I should have posted this ages ago, but then I lost the photos of the nail wheel comparisons… or maybe I forgot to take the photos, I don’t know! So I took new ones recently, but they aren’t exactly colour-accurate… Ah well, I’m posting them anyway! πŸ˜€

Zoya Zuza

Here is Zoya Zuza, a beautiful shimmery turquoise. Two coats, and the formula was a little thick, according to my notes. I love Zuza.

Zoya Zuza

Zoya Wednesday

Zoya Wednesday, a slightly dusty turquoise/minty/tiffany blue creme. Two coats, three on my ridgey ring finger. The formula on this one was a little thin.

Zoya Wednesday

And here are the comparisons! The photos are not colour accurate; they photographed a bit too green and dark, which you can see by comparing Wednesday (3:00 position on the left wheel) to the swatch photos above. So keeping that in mind, the pic can give an idea of how similar they are to other polishes in the same colour family. Zuza is directly next to Wednesday on the other wheel, at the 9:00 position on that wheel. Should have numbered the polishes on the wheels, sorry about that…

(Not colour accurate, leans slightly too green.) Left wheel, clockwise from 3:00 position: Zoya Wednesday, Color Club New Bohemian, Orly Gumdrop, Nubar Mod Agua, Cult Nails Manipulative, Kleancolor Pastel Teal, Soulstice Kona, Sephora by OPI Natural Environ-mint, NYX Girls Pistachio, Essence You Belong To Me, China Glaze Aquadelic, Color Club Blue-Ming, NYX Salon Formula Surf, Barry M Mint Green, Orly Ancient Jade, Fingerpaints Choco Mint, NCLA Santa Monica Shore Thing, Fingerpaints Tiffany Impostor. Right wheel, clockwise from 9:00: Zoya Zuza, Nicole by OPI Diva Into the Pool, Manglaze ILF, Milani Golden Sea, LA Girl Delirious, China Glaze Custom Kicks, Kleancolor Teal Envy, Kleancolor Mystic Grass, Sparitual Rhythm of Life, Butter London Thames, Gosh Ocean, LA Girl Obsess, Kleancolor Teal Marble, Kleancolor Metallic Aqua, Fingerpaints Winter Sky, NYX Juliette, LA Girl Chromium Green, Kleancolor Metallic Jungle.

(Not colour accurate, leans slightly too green.) Left wheel, clockwise from 3:00 position: Zoya Wednesday, Color Club New Bohemian, Orly Gumdrop, Nubar Mod Agua, Cult Nails Manipulative, Kleancolor Pastel Teal, Soulstice Kona, Sephora by OPI Natural Environ-mint, NYX Girls Pistachio, Essence You Belong To Me, China Glaze Aquadelic, Color Club Blue-Ming, NYX Salon Formula Surf, Barry M Mint Green, Orly Ancient Jade, Fingerpaints Choco Mint, NCLA Santa Monica Shore Thing, Fingerpaints Tiffany Impostor.
Right wheel, clockwise from 9:00: Zoya Zuza, Nicole by OPI Diva Into the Pool, Manglaze ILF, Milani Golden Sea, LA Girl Delirious, China Glaze Custom Kicks, Kleancolor Teal Envy, Kleancolor Mystic Grass, Sparitual Rhythm of Life, Butter London Thames, Gosh Ocean, LA Girl Obsess, Kleancolor Teal Marble, Kleancolor Metallic Aqua, Fingerpaints Winter Sky, NYX Juliette, LA Girl Chromium Green, Kleancolor Metallic Jungle.

Ninja Polish Shillelagh

Yet another green indie. I love this – and the other few Ninja Polish Enigma collection polishes I own. I hope they start production up again soon; I’d love to get Mystic Glacier (and all the others I don’t have yet!)

Anyway, this one is Shillelagh, a green base with multichrome red-to-green colour shifting pigment. Three coats (it’s a little sheer to allow the colour shift to show prominently), no issues with application.

Flash photos, showing off the red-gold side of the colour shift:

Ninja Polish Shillelagh

Ninja Polish Shillelagh

Ninja Polish Shillelagh

And Ott Lite photos, showing off the green end of the colour shift, making this pretty much the glowiest glowy green ever!:

Ninja Polish Shillelagh

Ninja Polish Shillelagh

Ninja Polish Shillelagh