Showing posts with label mich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mich. Show all posts

piCture pOlish: Siren Song


Yay it is mid-week!
By way of an update, I have already mixed up enough polish to fill most of the pre-orders for the Catching Fire collection. I am expecting a shipment of the mini bottles today and I will be able to start pouring and packing them - hopefully by the end of the week! I also aim to get the Christmas duos done by this week so I can get them to you before Christmas! :D Pre-orders for the Christmas duos close tomorrow at 9am, SGT.

Enough side tracking! Today, I have another beauty to share with you:


Siren Song. 2 thin coats.

piCture pOlish's Siren Song is a beautiful seafoam green filled with micro silver glitters that give it a most delicate shimmery look. It is no secret that I love seafoam greens and this is just perfect! I must admit I love the name and the tagline too. Rebecca really did a great job with this one.

Application is a little streaky on the first coat but it evens out on the second. The glitters tend to stick to the side of the bottle so I would recommend a good shake before application.

So what do you think of Siren Song?

Siren Song is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

The Polish Well: Christmas Duo!



Happy weekends everyone!
Even though it is a gloomy rainy Saturday, I am still riding on a high from my most amazing nail mail week - you can catch a glimpse of the pretties that I've hauled on my Instagram page.

Since I can't do any swatching today, I looked through my pictures and I stumbled upon a prototype that I've made a while back during Halloween. I did not release it then because I've received a number of comments that it was more suited for Christmas! One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had mixed up another prototype to go with it as a Christmas duo.


Naughty or Nice.
A daring shade of deep berry-leaning red filled with holographic sparkles and a dash of holiday gold. Sparkly reds are Christmas classics so I simply had to try making one myself. More pictures below.

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Bottle shot - macro
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Shot under direct sunlight
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Trim the Tree.
A forest green filled with yellow and hot orange / red glitters. I hardly do contrasting colours myself but this one grew on me the more I stared at it.

So what do you think of these two colours? What do you like to wear on your nails for Christmas?

Pre-order Information:

As before, I will be making these polishes available for pre-orders from Sunday, 17 November, 9am SGT until 21 November, 9am SGT.

If you wish to place an order for the older colours, you may also include them in your order list and I will see if I have any available stock for you.

All colours will be available in the following sizes:
12ml @ US$10 each
5ml @ US$4 each

All orders will be mailed via Registered Mail and shipping rates are as follows:
International: US$6 for the first 12ml / US$3 for the first 5ml + US$2 for each subsequent 12ml + US$1 for each subsequent 5ml
Singapore: flat rate of US$4
IF YOU HAVE PLACED AN EARLY PRE-ORDER FOR THE CATCHING FIRE COLLECTION THAT IS STILL BEING PROCESSED, PLEASE INDICATE IN THE "REMARKS" SECTION AND I WILL COMBINE YOUR ORDERS FOR YOU.

Please note that pre-orders will be filled as quickly as I can (but I cannot guarantee they will reach you before Christmas!) and they will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis according to the timestamp on the pre-order form.


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The Polish Well: Catching Fire



Hands up those who are excited about the upcoming Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie!! *sticks arms up and jumps around wildly*

Ever since I've read the books last year, I have been completely hooked onto this series and there was no turning back. So when I found out that Catching Fire movie was scheduled for release this 21 November, I jumped right into bed that same evening and re-read the Catching Fire book in one night. Naturally, with the story swimming around in my head, my brain went on turbo mode and before I knew it, I'd already made up my mind to do a mini Catching Fire collection. :P


the-polish-well-the-wedding-dress

the-polish-well-the-wedding-dress1The Wedding Dress. (3 thin coats)
Heavy white silk with a low neckline and tight waist and sleeves that fall from my wrists to the floor. And pearls. Everywhere pearls. Stitched into the dress and in ropes at my throat and forming the crown for the veil.
A sheer white base filled with delicate shimmers and small silvery holo glitters. I nearly tore my hair out in frustration trying to capture this colour accurately. None of my pictures does it any justice. The glitters are more obvious and sparkly in real life. Under the light, it shimmers and glimmers with tiny holo sparkles. I am really happy with how it turned out.
the-polish-well-roses-and-blood

the-polish-well-roses-and-blood1Roses and Blood. (3 thin coats)
The smell of roses and blood has grown stronger now that only a desk separates us. There's a rose in President Snow's lapel, which at least suggests a source of the flower perfume, but it must be genetically enhanced, because no real rose reeks like that. As for the blood ... I don't know.
A delicate white base lightly tainted with red shimmers and a whiff of tiny bright red glitters. At least that is what I imagine President Snow's scent would be like in a nail polish bottle. Don't worry, I left it unscented.
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the-polish-well-no-nightmares1No Nightmares. (3 coats)
When I open my eyes, it's early afternoon. My head rests on Peeta's arm. I don't remember him coming in last night. I turn, being careful not to disturb him, but he's already awake.
“No nightmares,” he says.
“What?” I ask.
“You didn't have any nightmares last night,” he says.
He's right. For the first time in ages I've slept through the night.
Oh Peeta! You make me melt ♥ No Nightmares is a light blue-grey filled with delicate sprinkles of purple and blue micro-glitter and light shimmers. A beautiful accident for I did not set out to create this colour. For some reason, it gave me a warm, safe and fuzzy feeling - just like what I imagine Katniss would feel on a night like this with Peeta.

the-polish-well-breaking-out

the-polish-well-breaking-out1Breaking Out. 4 thin coats but also opaque on 3 thin coats.
A flash of white runs up the wire, and for just a moment, the dome bursts into a dazzling blue light. I'm thrown backward to the ground, body useless, paralyzed, eyes frozen wide, as feathery bits of matter rain down on me. I can't reach Peeta. I can't even reach my pearl. My eyes strain to capture one last image of beauty to take with me.
Right before the explosions begin, I find a star.
A deep blue jelly filled with silvery shimmers and micro-flakes that glow a a bright blue against the dark base. I tried very very hard to put in a lightning in the bottle but the closest I could get was how I imagine the night sky to look on the day of their break out. My camera freaked out a little from the shimmers buried in the base and I couldn't get a clearer picture of the delicate shimmery effect. You can see it on the swatchstick here. 3 coats are sufficient for opacity but I used four coats in the swatch above for a deeper blue.

the-polish-well-catching-fire1

the-polish-well-catching-fire2Catching Fire. 3 thin coats.
I look down, fascinated, as my ensemble slowly comes to life, first with a soft golden light but gradually transforming to the orange-red of burning coal. I look as if I have been coated in glowing embers — no, that I am a glowing ember straight from our fireplace.
A sheer black base filled with glowy red glitters and copper/gold shimmers for that glowing ember look where the glitters catch the light. Not as fiery as a fire but burning within nonetheless.



So, what do you think of this collection? Which one(s) caught your eye?

PRE-ORDER INFO:

As with the other collections, the Catching Fire collection will be made available for pre-orders from tomorrow, 10 November 2013 at 7pm SGT.


  • Colours are available in the following sizes:
    • 12ml - US$10 each
    • 5ml - US4 each
  • Shipping rates are as follows:
    • International:
      • US$6 for the first 12ml / US$3 for the first 5ml
      • US$2 for each subsequent 12ml
      • US$1 for each subsequent 5ml
    • Singapore: Flat rate of US$4
  • This pre-order ends 17 November 2013 at 7pm SGT
  • Form embedded at the end of this post.


If you wish to place an order for the older colours, you may include them in your order list and I will see if I have any available stock for you.

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate reaching 10k followers on Instagram, I am also holding a giveaway on Instagram! One lucky winner will walk away with a set of minis of this Catching fire collection. Please feel free to hop over to IG to participate in the giveaway :) Rules are available in this post.

May the odds be ever in your favour <3

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Chanel: Taboo


I have some serious backlog here but I didn't have time to do much swatching this weekend :( Instead, I've decided to share a twinsie post that I've done with the lovely Camila (@paintedmimi on IG) a while ago!

And the star of the post? None other than... my very first Chanel - Taboo ♥


To be honest, I wasn't on the hunt for Taboo in particular. Don't get me wrong. It is a gorgeous colour but the price tag always stopped me from getting any Chanels. My resolve wavered when I saw it in Hong Kong and tried it on my friend's nails (mine were painted, of course) and it was love. Thereafter, I hunt for it at every Chanel counter / store I came across. The prices in Hong Kong were still a bit steep at around S$30 so I took a gamble and decided to check it out at Changi Airport instead. The minute I saw that it was S$27, I crumbled, grabbed it in a heartbeat and checked out my purchase before I could stop myself. :P

And I must say, I don't regret it at all! Take a look:

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Taboo. 1 glorious coat.
A beautiful deep blue base packed with red shimmers and a scattering of electric blue sparks for that mysterious sultry look. Most of the time, it looks like a deep velvety purple because of the red shimmers in the blue base. Although there are several vampy shimmers in the market, Taboo manages to set itself apart from the rest. I love how the shimmers changed the overall colour. I also love how the random blue sparkles glow against the dark base. It is simply perfection ♥



I thought Taboo couldn't get any more perfect but boy was I wrong. Application was a dream. The formula was buttery smooth and extremely pigmented - one coat was all it needed. The brush was also easy to control and fans out nicely for easy application. To top it all off, the bottle is an elegant square which makes storage a dream! It certainly doesn't hurt that it has a lovely Chanel logo at the top too ;)

To sum up my first Chanel experience? LOVE.

What do you think of Taboo?
Do you have any high-end polishes? What do you think of them - are they worth the price tag?

Need more picture to ogle at? Don't forget to take a look at Taboo on Camila too!


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My Ten Friends: Astrochicken & Zero-G


Happy Sunday everyone!
So sorry for the brief absence! I had been busy with the pre-orders earlier so I didn't have the time to swatch/blog. I really ought to plan my posts in advance >< Anyway, I am happy to say that I have shipped out half of the orders and the other half are packed and ready to be mailed out this week! Keep a lookout at your inbox for email notifications with your tracking numbers!
Thank you for making this pre-order such a success!

With the pre-orders out of the way, I can finally do some swatching and blogging! Boy have I missed playing with all the pretties sitting in my drawers! I have some serious backlog by now so let's jump right into it, shall we?

Today, I have some pretties from a new-to-me indie brand - My Ten Friends - given to me by the lovely Denise from Dazzled!


Oh yeaa.. They look gorgeous, don't they? My mum walked into my room when I was swatching a bunch of polishes and Astrochicken immediately caught her eye. Her taste in polish is awfully trendy and bold for a woman her age. I am so proud of her ;)

my-ten-friends-astrochicken

my-ten-friends-astrochicken1Astrochicken. 3 thin coats.
A sheer yellow base packed with shimmers and a handful of red, lime green and gold glitters in various sizes. As delicious as it may look, I had a nagging suspicion that it is not actually inspired by some space cuisine. So, I had a quick look at google and viola~ The word “astrochicken” is a name given to an egg-like spacecraft imagined by Freeman Dyson, a theoretical physicist, which would be launched into space where it would hatch and move around exploring space. At least, that is what I got from Wikipedia. The rest of the words were beyond me #_# Interesting concept huh? If it were ever constructed, I hope it would look as delicious as this polish does ;)


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my-ten-friends-zero-g1
Zero-G. 3 thin coats.
A sheer black base that simply explodes with silver holo glittery goodness that defy gravity - from hexes to shards. One of those that give you instant galaxy nails. The base is an interesting one and I am not quite sure how to explain it. It is actually a load of tiny black particles suspended in a lightly tinted base. It is apparent on the first coat but it builds up to opacity very quickly on the second/third coat.




Application was good. Although the formula is slightly on the thick side, it is still easy to control and the glitters spread evenly on the nails without any dabbing or placement. No fishing needed to get the glitters out of the bottle either.

So what do you think of these two colours? What are your favourite My Ten Friends' colours?

My Ten Friends polishes are available on their website or through stockists like Dazzled. For more information and updates, you may wish to follow My Ten Friends on Facebook and Twitter.

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

The Polish Well: Halloween 2013 - Coraline and more!



Dear broadband, *clears throat to sing* how do I live without you~?
So our internet has been down for the past two days and it is driving us insane. But because I am flying off for a holiday this weekend (whooooohooo), I've decided to tether to my precious mobile broadband for a quickie post tonight to show you none other than... my mini halloween collection based on the movie - Coraline!

Oops! Missing a family shot because it slipped my mind so let's just jump to individual swatches shall we?


Coraline.
A deep blue jelly with a slight green tinge filled with turquoise sparkles and blue-green flecks for the spunky blue nails that Coraline sports. I love the depth of this but be warned - it is a stainer.

the-polish-well-to-the-other-world

To the Other World.
A mysterious and inviting deep blue with blue and purple sparkles that give it a glow-from-within look. This was inspired by the tunnel to the other world - when the other mother was still playing nice of course. One of the more glowy blues that I have in my collection. I wore this as a full manicure once and received quite a few compliments - even my sister thought it looks good and she rarely compliments my frankens ;)

the-polish-well-let-me-go

Let Me Go!
A mix of gold sparkles in various shades buried in a rich dark chocolate base inspired by the tunnel when Coraline tries to escape. I do love myself some dark browns especially during this time of the year <3

the-polish-well-evil-witch

Evil Witch.
For the other mother of course. A deep green jelly with a mix of green glitters and delicate gold sprinkles. I have been meaning to mix a good green for ages but never really found the right colour mix until recently. Can you tell that dark greens are my weakness?


Hmm... perhaps these are not as halloween-y as I'd hoped it would be. Nonetheless, these colours are very wearable any time of the year and that's always a plus in my books ;)

Interested? Here's the release info:-

  • I will be accepting pre-orders for this collection from Sunday, 13 October, 9am SGT to the following Sunday 20 October, 9am SGT. 
  • Only available in 12ml sizes at US$10 each
  • Limited edition - will not be restocked in the foreseeable future
  • Shipping at US$6 + US$1 for each subsequent (SG - flat rate of US$4)
  • Link to pre-order form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MZdJZ4_qmM7ywfNjGuU3OVdNH_Oze7TtiDQo9mVtJEQ/viewform (will only be activated during the dates and times stated above)
  • If you have an outstanding pre-order with me, please add a note in the remarks field and I will combine your orders for you. 

Other colours that will be made available:

the-polish-well-wrath-rerelease

Wrath. (re-release)
Finally... after what seemed like ages, I am finally able to recreate this popular shade from my first collection. A vampy blood red jelly filled with red, gold and black glitters of various shapes and sizes. You likey? ;)

the-polish-well-rose

Rose.
A delicate white jelly filled with pink glitters in two shades and a sprinkling of tiny gold sparkles. Inspired by Lee Hi's song of the same name (you need to listen to it - it is hauntingly beautiful). A random bout of inspiration that turned into a shade that I really love.


Yup! That's all from me for now. I need to get myself some rest before my holiday!

What do you think of these colours? Did any catch your eye? :D

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Rescue Beauty Lounge: Più Mosso


A recent comment on Instagram rekindled my love and yearning for some Rescue Beauty Lounge so I dug through my stash for my precious RBL pretties:


To many, RBL is a high-end luxury brand that is known for their line of understated chic and elegance, most notably, their trademark subtle shimmer in many of their polishes. Much as I indulge in sparkly glitters, I still have a soft spot for delicate shimmers and almost inadvertently sport them on my tips on weekdays. Naturally, I could not keep my eyes, and hands, off RBL. I swear I tried my best to be good but I caved in twice to get these beauties - and never regretted my choice.

I was in the mood for some strong dark colours today so I decided to wear Più Mosso this week. Out of curiosity, I took my new camera for a spin and my eyes nearly popped out when I saw the swatch pictures. There was no way I could not blog about it. Take a look:

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Più Mosso. 2 thin coats.
A dusty inky blue that flashes a gorgeous copper when the shimmers catch the light. Più Mosso was inspired by the dark clouds that overtook the sky covering the last ray of sunlight before the storm. Romantic inspiration aside, this literally took my breath away when I stumbled upon swatches of it online. Dusty? Dark? Shimmery? I simply had to have it - it is exactly my cup of tea!

I've worn this a couple of times before this but nothing quite prepared me for what my macro lens captured:

rescue-beauty-lounge-piu-mosso2

I died - a hundred times over - when I saw the picture on my screen. Isn't it magical!?!

I am very thankful that Ji brought this shade back so I had a chance to get it after missing the first release. At US$20 per bottle (excluding international shipping), this was by no means an ordinary purchase. But it certainly did not disappoint. Not only is the colour wickedly stunning, application was wonderful as well. The formula was smooth and the brush was thin but fans out nicely for easy application.

If there is one RBL you have to get, I would definitely recommend this.

What do you think of Più Mosso? Have you tried any other RBLs?

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Cirque: Cape Liz & Hellebore


Hello loves!

I apologise for not blogging as often as I would like. Life got in the way again by way of a new camera and polish supplies! I finally caved in and got myself a sexy Olympus E-P5 last Saturday and spent that Sunday fiddling with it. I have yet to switch my camera for blogging though because I still need to get a macro lens / macro converter for my new camera. I spent this weekend in my lab mixing up some new colours with my new batch of supplies and I must say I am loving the supplies so far ^_^ For a glimpse of what I've been up to, you can hop over to my Instagram where I update more regularly ;)

Anyhow, I've dug up two swatches from my old camera to share with you - my very first Cirque polishes!



cirque-cape-liz

cirque-cape-liz2
Cape Liz. 3 thin coats.
A beautiful light blue-grey with blue and pink shimmer. I super love how delicate it is. Of course, I also love that it does not make me look too washed-out.

cirque-hellebore

cirque-hellebore2
Hellebore. 3 thin coats.
A clear base glitter filled with light green glitters in various sizes complete with a scattering of lavender glitters. Technically a glitter bomb but it looks so very delicate on the nails. Dries gritty but two coats of top coat restored its shine and sparkles.






This is my first experience with Cirque and I must say that I am very impressed. Although it is an indie handmade polish, every inch of its being exudes style and glamour of the highest class - from the quality of the lacquer right down to the packaging. The only gripe that I have is that the polishes are scented. I can't quite pinpoint the scent but it gives me a slight headache because I am rather sensitive to some fragrances (yup, I can only wear certain types of perfume for that reason). That said, not everyone is sensitive to scents so I don't think it is of any issue to most of you.

Cirque is available on their website as well as through their stockists such as Dazzled. They ship internationally so my sincere apologies to your wallets in advance. ;)


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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Pre-Orders September / October 2013!



I have received some queries asking about the next restock so I thought I should do something about it.

As you know, I am currently waiting for a couple of shipment for my supplies so I will not be restocking my Etsy shop anytime soon.

Instead, I've decided to accept pre-orders starting from tomorrow, 4 September 2013!

Details are as follows:

  • Pre-orders are available from 4 Sept, 9 am SGT until 15 Sept
  • Orders will be filled in late Sept or early Oct (depending on when I get my supplies) on a first-come-first-served basis
  • International shipping available
  • 2 sizes available - 5 & 12 ml (yes, new bottle!) @ US$4 and US$10 respectively
  • Link to pre-order form will be posted here in this very post (I will update it)
  • Shipping and other details will be on the form
  • As a thank you for your support, orders above US$100 will also receive a little extra *winks*
Link to pre-order form: http://bit.ly/14oHr8G

In other news, I hope to work on some new releases but everything is still on the drawing board for now. So stay tuned!

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a-england: Rose Bower, Order of the Garter & Love is Enough


Arggggh! I swear the heat is going to kill me one day. It would be a good day for swatching except that my block of flats is being painted at the moment and I don't exactly fancy doing my thang when the painters are hovering outside my window. *awkward*

Thankfully I have some swatches in my camera so I can still blog away!

If you've caught my last post, you would know that I've received some pretties from Dazzled, a new etailer based in Hong Kong. So today, I will be sharing with you some from one of my favourite brands: a-england!



a-england-rose-bower

Rose Bower. 2 coats (it is a one-coater but I did 2 anyway)
A gorgeous glowy red base with very subtle holo. Rose Bower is one of the new colours in Adina's latest collection, Burne-Jones Dream, inspired by Burne-Jones' paintings depicting scenes from Sleeping Beauty. Whilst the holo effect is the weakest in Rose Bower, the base colour more than makes up for everything. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the holo sparkles compliment the base perfectly.

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Order of the Garter. (3 thin coats)
A sheer deep blue base filled with electric blue glass flecks that shimmer impossibly when they catch the light. I can truly lose myself in the depths within.
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Love is Enough. (3 thin coats)
A sheer blackened base filled with shimmery metallic flecks giving it an overall olive hue with gold accents. Extremely glowy, sophisticated and edgy.







As with all the a-englands, the formula and application on these are perfect so no complaints there. In fact, it is one of the reason why I love a-england so much - painting is not just a process to getting pretty nails, it is an enjoyment by itself.

At the moment, a-england only ships within the UK but you can get your hands on these beauties through various distributors including Dazzled. Starting from yesterday, Dazzled is officially offering worldwide shipping (including countries outside Asia) so all you international ladies can satisfy your needs and lemmings too. On top of that, to celebrate 2,500 likes on Facebook, Dazzled is having a storewide discount of 10% with the code "2500FB". The code is valid until 6 September so don't wait! ;)

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**