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 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.

Roses 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.

No 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.

Breaking 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.

Catching 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

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.

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 ;)

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

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:

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? ;)

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

essence: Spring / Summer 2013

Sent for Review

Happy Sunday everyone! ^_^

I'm feeling particular exuberant today because the air in Singapore has cleared up somewhat in the last two days! The past week had been absolutely horrible. Fires raging in Sumatra caused a huge haze in Singapore with the PSI readings hitting the hazardous range for the first time in years. I have been shuffling to and fro work with a mask because the haze (oh the burning smell!) was giving me a tremendous headache. So I am really relieved that we have some brief respite over the weekends - finally some remotely breathable air! Of course, it would be even better if the government could declare a stop work order next week... yea, I've been told that I am too optimistic :(

Anyway, back to the polishes!

essence Singapore has recently brought in some new shades for spring and summer and they have most generously sent them over for me to share with you. I don't have much to say except that these colors are simply perfect springy/summery shades! Take a look:

Ice, Ice Baby! 4 thin coats.
A squishy off-white jelly that is slightly tinged beige. A little streaky on the first 2 coats but evens out to a perfect glossy finish. It didn't really need the top coat but I top-coated it anyway to speed up the drying process.

Peach & Cream. 3 thin coats.
A soft peach puff with slight pearly shimmer. The pearl finish is not that obvious on the nails after 2 coats so that's a big plus for me - I am not really a fan of that finish. I did not think the color was very flattering on my skin tone under some lighting but I wore it for a few days anyway because it went well with my new turquoise phone casing! :P

That's What I Mint! 3 thin coats.
A soft pastel mint with very very slight green shimmer (that is clearly not visible on the nails). You know my obsession with blue-greens - this was instantly my favorite. Of course, I wore it for a few days because it matches my phone casing too! ;) It is a tad lighter than China Glaze's For Audrey and they will make a good ombré manicure - I just need to find 3 more shades of turquoise / mint... See! That's why I need more shades of this color in my life. *nods solemnly*

Hello Marshmallow! 3 thin coats.
A delicate lilac with sprinkles of red and blue shimmer. The shimmers are not that visible on the nails but you can catch a few glimpse of the elusive shimmer where the light hits the nails. It is significantly less similar to China Glaze's Light As Air than I'd thought - more purple and brighter.

Flashy Pumpkin. 2 thin coats.
An eye-searing tangerine orange. It is so bright that I would even call it neon. Super summery but definitely not for the faint-hearted. Formula for this was exceptionally good. It is very pigmented and I suspect you can get away with one thick coat.

Prom-berry. 2 thin coats.
An intoxicatingly rich vampy purple with very subtle red and blue shimmers. The shimmers are not obvious on the nails but they give the nails a slight glowy look when the nails catch the light.

Miss Universe. 1 coat over black.
A sheer black base filled with intense sparkly blue and green microflakies.   It is very sheer and will need about three to four coats for full coverage on its own. Very similar to Zoya's Kotori except that it has that extra oomph from the bright green sparkles. Needless to say, I am head over heels in love with this too.






Overall, I am extremely happy with the new colors. The colors, brush and formula do not disappoint. As always, the pastels are slightly streakier than the other colors but they even out fairly nicely on the third coat so I have no complaints there. Plus, at only S$2.90 each, they are a steal - definitely one of my favorite affordable brands.

So, which colors caught your eye? :D

essence cosmetics is currently available at these Watsons stores: Ngee Ann City, City Square Mall, Causeway Point, Lucky Plaza, Plaza Singapura, Bugis Junction, Sun Plaza, JEM, JCube, Parkway Parade, IMM, Lot 1, Anchor Point, Rivervale Mall, Park Lane, Bedok Central, Beautyworld Centre and SMU.

Nail Ideas: Classy Studdicure

Sent for Review

Erm, so yes, I don't really know what to name this post BUT let's not dwell on my lack of creativity and focus on these pretty studs instead:

I was browsing through the Born Pretty Store online when I chanced upon this set of studs and I knew I simply had to have it. There are 12 different kinds of studs - oh, just imagine the possibilities!

Of these, the donut / wheel stud caught my attention immediately. I haven't actually seen it being used before so naturally I had to try my hand at it and this is what I (finally) came up with:

A simple design with a silver donut/wheel stud and two black studs, one in the center of the silver donut/wheel stud and the other just below it. I started with two coats of Orly White Champagne - a beautiful shimmery white. Then, I topped it with a coat of Seche Vite and stuck the studs on it before the topcoat dries. I thought the donut/wheel stud stuck out a little at the edges but it was surprisingly firm on the nail. I didn't leave it on for too long though so I am not sure if it will last beyond a day.

To be honest, I am on the fence for this one. It looks a little strange close up but I think it looks rather classy at a distance - probably something I can wear to a semi-formal event?

What do you think of this manicure?

Just in case you are wondering, you can find this set of studs (Item ID: 4993) at the Born Pretty Store here. And it looks something like that:

It is such a convenient and neat way to keep the studs! All you have to do is to turn the plastic cover and position the hole over the studs that you want.

Here's a quick view of all the studs in their little compartments without the plastic cover:

Born Pretty Store also has a wide range of nail art products and provide free worldwide shipping! Feel free to quote "HDL91" for a 10% discount when you checkout:

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

News Flash: I'm Still Alive!

Ooof! Another week has passed and I've yet to update my blog. Shame on you, mich!

Buuuuuut.. in my defense, I've been really busy making polishes to fill up the pre-orders that some of you have placed at the end of last year!
After a long two months, I've finally managed to get more suspension bases to mix up a storm. Unfortunately I had trouble securing some other supplies for Wrath, Lust and Envy. I've already been contacting some of you to confirm your orders and there are a few who did not reply so I had no choice but to offer the polishes to the next person on the list.
So... If you have placed a pre-order with me, please check your inbox (the paypal email address that you've used) and the spam folder for updates! 

Apart from filling pre-orders, I have also been working on some new colors. Here are some quick and dirty swatches that I've posted on Instagram:

Spring Kisses. 2/3 coats on its own.
Delicate pink flowers blossoming amidst a snowy white base - this is partly inspired by a picture posted on IG by A Lacquered Affair a while ago. I added some fine lavender and holo sprinkles to complete the look.

Water Snake. 3/4 coats on its own.
As this year is the year of the water snake for the Chinese, I mixed up this reptilian franken. It is a dark green (near black) with green flecks and sprinkles of gold.

Blue Bell Bottoms. 2 coats on its own under indirect light.
My first attempt at making holos! I had wanted to try duping DS Glamour but it proved to be impossible. So I gave up and focused on making a blue holo that resembles denim. This picture turned out slightly color inaccurate methinks - it is not as bright and slightly darker IRL. The holo effect is not mindblowingly strong but I'm quite happy with how it looks on this blue. I will definitely try sourcing for some spectraflair to play with next time.
Meanwhile, I will continue to pray that I will find a bottle of DS Glamour some day. I want it soooo much. *writhes about in agony*

So what do you think of these new colors?
Just in case you are wondering, I haven't set a release date yet because I am still sorting out the pre-orders and working on other new colors. Do let me know if you have some ideas you'd like me to try! ^_^

Till next time! <3

xoxo,
mich

The Polish Well: The 7 Deadly Sins Collection

I really ought to be studying for my exams but I couldn't wait to share this with all of you! After a long wait, I'm finally ready to release my first collection!

I have been working on this for a few months now and it sure was hard keeping this exciting piece of news to myself! So without further ado:

Please note that there has been some minor changes to some of the polishes. Please check swatches below!

P.s. Please also excuse the hurried swatches! I didn't manage to find time to do detailed swatches for everything!

First, the jelly glitters...

Wrath. (2 coats over Michelle 55 on index and middle; 3 coats on its own on ring and pinkie)
A blood red jelly with a mix of red, gold and black glitters for that wild, unadulterated fury. In this reformulated version, I added some red-gold shimmer-flakes for that extra oomph - in real life, it is more obvious than what you see here. Honestly, I really love how it turned out *shameless*

Greed. 3 coats on its own.
Inspired by the filthy rich, Greed is a black jelly with gold and brown glitters. There are small brown glitters in the mix that are hard to capture on camera but when the light hits them, they give an added sparkle. You can layer this over a black for a more opaque look but I prefer the depth and squishiness in the jelly base.

Lust. 3 coats on its own.
This is a reformulated version. Lust is a seductive deep plum purple/berry jelly base filled with a whole bunch of glitters - mostly fuchsia, red and black - and a smattering of bronze shimmer-flakes to complete the smoldering look. The original Lust was surprisingly popular so I did my best to replicate the original but they are not identical. Please take note of that before you pound on my door!

Oops sorry for the three-finger swatch! I accidentally bumped my index finger and dented the polish.

Sloth. 3 coats on its own.
Inspired by the puffy white clouds in the sky that pulls everyone into dreamland, Sloth is a white jelly filled with baby blue and iridescent glitters. If I say that the glitters in Greed are hard to capture, the glitters here are about 5 times harder to capture. I nearly pulled out all my hair trying to get decent swatches of this. It's still far from what it looks like in person but it's the best I could do. If you look closely, you will spot patches of blue and tiny sparkles in the polish. In real life, the white is as soft as what you see on the nails but the glitters on the nails look more like what you see in the bottle.

Next, we have the glitter toppers...

Envy. 1 coat over Illamasqua Rampage.
Another oldie but with approximately 20% more glitter. Envy is a mix of green, black and green-gold glitters. I toyed with the idea of giving it a jelly base but I liked what the lovely Marisa (from Polish Obsession) did with it so I left it as it is.

Gluttony. 1 coat over Michelle A47 on my index and middle; 1 coat over China Glaze For Audrey on my ring and pinkie.
I had a difficult time finding inspiration for this because I LOVE food of all kinds! I toyed with the idea of making a chocolate-inspired one, a cheesecake-inspired one... well, you get the idea. In the end, I settled for one inspired by cupcake sprinkles because they are so colorful and fun!

Pride. 1/2 coats over black.
And finally... Pride. The mother of all sins - or so it is said. I had an incredibly hard time coming up with ideas for this one. I nearly gave up completing this collection because I couldn't find the inspiration for this. And then, I had a...

[source]

moment out of the blue. So if you haven't already guessed, this is inspired by the ice queens that are rumored to be cold and haughty. It may look like a piece of unassuming ice block in the bottle but layer it over black (or other dark colors) and watch it explode into shards of icy blue.

Now that we've gotten the swatches done, here are the details of the small 'launch':

• I will be opening my Etsy store tomorrow, Thursday, 8 Nov, at 9am, Singapore Time. Sorry for the late notice but it's either now or we'll have to wait until December!
• There will be very limited stocks because The Wallet and I weren't ready to jump straight into the business without testing the market first.
• Polishes will be available in 2 sizes for now: US$4 for a 5ml bottle and US$8 for a 10ml bottle.
• International shipping will be available and will be fixed at US$5 for the first and US$0.50 for each subsequent. Shipping within Singapore will be a flat rate of US$3. I'm sticking with registered mail for all my packages.
• I will also be making one or two sets of the whole collection available in one listing for those who are interested.
• I aim to have all orders ready and shipped within a week.
• I may consider a restock if there is a demand for it and if I can find the supplies. However, if I do restock, it will only take place in December (after my exams)!
• I've done up an email list for those who wish to be notified of future restocks and/or place a pre-order (to be filled in December after my exams). If you opt to place a pre-order, be assured that you do not have to pay anything now - invoicing for pre-orders will be done only when I am ready to ship out your package. You are also free to cancel your pre-order by emailing me anytime before that. I will be giving priority to the pre-orders before restocking the Etsy store. 

Phew! That was quite a lot of information!

Do let me know what you think of these polishes! I would love to hear from you! :$

xoxo,
mich

Sparkles by Julie: Bubble Gum and Waterlily

Today, I have another new-to-me indie brand to share with you - Sparkles By Julie!

Waterlily. 2 coats.
A delicate shimmery-white with silver, gold and blue glitters. The white base reminds me of Orly Au Champagne - very soft and pretty. I'm especially loving how the gold and blue glitters go with the white base - it looks like something a Greek goddess would wear. :L

Bottle Shot of Waterlily

Bubble Gum. 2 coats.

The most girly color since pink was invented! This is what Barbie would wear on dates with Ken. This nail polish is a sheer pink base packed with purple, pink and holographic glitter in different shapes and sizes.

Bubble Gum is a stunner in the bottle. Holographic glitters swimming in a rich coral-pink base. The polish has a frosty finish though so you have to be careful with brushstrokes. I have also noticed that the frosty base tends to swallow up some of the smaller glitters. It dries bumpier than Waterlily so I used a second coat of top coat for the swatch.

Bottle Shot of Bubble Gum

Application is pretty good. The brush (I used a mini bottle) is easy to control and the formula is smooth. My only gripe is that the larger glitters are harder to fish out as they tend to cling on to the sides of the bottle even after a few hard shakes. The smaller glitters needed no fishing though and they spread out evenly onto the nails.

No prizes for guessing which one is my fav! I'm in love with Waterlily! It is really unique and the color combination is just breathtakingly gorgeous.

What do you think of these polishes? Have you tried Sparkles by Julie before?
If you wish to get some Sparkles by Julie, you can hop over to her Etsy store or check out Mei Mei's Signature (the exclusive stockist in Singapore)!

xoxo,
mich

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