How I store my Nail Polishes

Hi girls!!

I was asked a long time ago to show how I store my nail polishes. but I completely forgot about it, and today I remembered so I decided to do it. 

I store my nail polises in one drawer, so they are away from sunlight, and they will not dry as fast. 

I bought a little box with compartments from IKEA which cost me £13.27, and I think it is perfect for my needs, and fits all my nail polishes and more as my nail polish colection tends to grow almost every week!

I'll leave you some pictures so you can have an idea on how it all looks.

XOXO

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Olá meninas!!

Já á algum tempo uma menina deixou-me um comentario a pedir para mostrar como guardo os meus vernizes, mas esqueci-me completamente e só hoje me lembrei.

Eu guardo os meus vernizes numa gaveta na minha comoda, para os proteger da luz do sol e da humidade da casa de banho, assim eles não secam tão depressa.

Então eu comprei uma caixa que tem compartimentos no IKEA, e para mim é perfeita, os meus vernizes cabem lá todos, e ainda cabem mais o que é bom porque pelo menos de 2 em 2 semanas compro vernizes.

Então deixo-vos com as fotos para voces verem melhor como eu guardo os meus vernizes.

XOXO

Top Ten Favourite Summer Nail Polishes

From Left to Right:

Orly Rage - An amazing metallic rose gold. I love metallic nails in summer as they really catch the sunshine. This is equally pretty at Christmastime.

OPI Dim Sum Plum - I love this deep pink shade for toes in particular.

Orly Fancy Fuchsia - This is more vibrant in person than it looks in photos. Texture is a bit goopy but I really love the colour. It's a gorgeous Barbie pink.

Barry M Lemon Ice Cream - I did a post about this one a while back. It's a nice cheery yellow (:

CND Guava - A lovely peach. It's quite a soft colour so it's a good option for something which is still bright but not fluorescent or over the top. CND polishes are great quality too.

Revlon Tropical Temptation - I think this is the perfect coral shade. It doesn't have too much red, pink or orange in it - just the perfect balance!

Rimmel Coralicious - This is more of a red coral. I like this one on my toes especially with Tropical Temptation on my fingers.

Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream - A gorgeous sky blue!

Essie Coat Azure - This is a medium blue with a slight bit of shimmer. It definitely reminds me of the sea!

Rimmel Sky High - A nice medium turquoise colour.


Hope you like my picks for summer!

Yummy in Yellow

Barry M is one of my favourite brands for nail polish and this is my newest acquisition from them. It's called Lemon Ice Cream # 307 and it's just a gorgeous shade of yellow - bright but not garish. Unfortunately the texture of this one is not too fantastic. While it applies easily it is quite sheer so 3 coats are required which is a bit time consuming. For a few euro though I don't think you can complain too much! I'm really loving the colour yellow lately and I'm very much enjoying having this polish on my nails - i'ts lovely and cheerful! (: I'm wearing 3 coats in these photos followed by Illamasqua Top Coat.

Continuing on with my current yellow obsession I just bought this top from Zara for the summertime which I thought I would share with you. I've never previously owned any yellow clothes so this is definitely something different for me but I can't wait to wear it! I bought this polka dot skirt from Zara too which I think I'll wear with the top!

Is anyone else loving yellow lately?

Sping/Summer Nail Colours

Yesterday as I was talking to my sister, she asked me "What nail polishes colours are going to be the trend for Spring/Summer?".

Here are my ideas of the perfect Spring/Summer colours.

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Ontem quando estava a falar com a minha mana, ela me perguntou: "Que cores de vernizes se vão usar na Primavera/Verão?".  

Aqui estão as minhas idéias das cores perfeitas para a Primavera /Verão.

 Rimmel London Pro Nail Polish in Aqua Cool £4.59

Barry M Nail Paint in Blueberry Ice Cream £2.99

Models Own Nail Polish in Lilac Dream £5

Nails Inc Nail Polish in Porchester Square £11

Essie Nail Polish in French Affair

Chanel Le Vernis in Mimosa £17

Barry M Instant Nail Effects: Black and Silver Crackle!

If you haven't been living on Mars, you'll know what Barry M Instant Nail Effects is - it's this (not-so) newfangled thing called crackle or shatter polish. The reason why these polishes are called crackle or shatters is because, once applied on the nail, they dry up and contract very quickly, producing the coolest shatter/crackle effects ever.

Crackle polishes actually first made an appearance in in the late 90's (the brand was Covergirl back then, and the polishes were called Crackle Laquers), but went out of vogue until the trend was revived. Isn't it interesting how fashion - even nail fashion - seems to go in cycles? I mean, there were the Covergirl Crackle Laquers, and then the Sally Hansen Nail Prisms (holographic before holo became a trend), and the Maybelline Street Wears (all kinds of funky finishes and colours back in the day)! So you never know - that old dinky bottle of crap from 10 years ago might just be next trend!

Anyway, I'm sure you didn't want to hear a history lesson about nail polish (and yes, I am so much of a geek I know the origins of nail polish trends). I'm sure you wanted to see the awesome crackle/shatter effects.



There are many crackle polishes out there, of course, and Barry M and OPI were the first brands to have them out this time round. (Unfortunately Covergirl missed out.) But between the two, I personally prefer the Barry M Instant Nail Effects to OPI's Black Shatter - it's cheaper, and it shatters better. Yes, I said that Barry M's crackle polish beat out OPI Black Shatter! Now I'd better hide before the OPI fans come after me.

One of the things to note about applying crackle polishes is that they dry very fast. Very, very fast, as in almost immediately. So they're really like an instant way to glam up your nails!



One of the things about applying crackle/shatter polish is that the way the polish shatters/crackles on your nails is highly dependent on how thick or thin the coat of polish is. I've found that in general, thin coats tend to produce finer, smaller shatters, while thick coats tend to shatter in bigger pieces. Whether you prefer your shatters smaller or larger is personal preference, of course, but for me, I strive for a happy medium.

Here's Barry M Instant Nail Effects applied thinly. As you can see, it shatters in to tiny pieces, especially nearer the tip of the nail, where the coat of polish was the thinnest. Some people may like that, but for me, it's a bit too thin.



And here's the same shatter polish, applied thickly. This one I didn't like at all. It seemed a bit gloopy and clumpy instead of nicely crackling.



One of the last questions I faced when applying my shatter polish was - to top coat or not to top coat? Either way is possible, the topcoat just gives a glossier finish to the nails. Personally I prefer applying top coat, because the shattered bits can chip off quite easily without it.



I'm really loving my shatter manicure, and I'm so excited to try this out on top of other colours! *Waves nails around in the air*

Barry M Dusky Mauve

As soon as this Nail Polish came out, I bought it, as it is the perfect dupe for Chanel's Paradoxal, this was back in October/November.

Yesterday, I remember I had it, I don't know how could I have forgotten about this nail polish!!!

It has such as gorgeous colour, when the light hits has an amazing sparkle, I love it. It has to be my favourite nail polish of the moment.

 This pictures don't do it justice, I will take more tomorrow and post it here, when its day light.

So easy to apply, so smooth, silky, gorgeous.

Assim que este verniz saiu, eu comprei-o, já que é a perfeita cópia do verniz Paradoxal da Chanel, isto já foi em Outubro/Novembro.

Ontem, lembrei-me que o tinha, e não sei como me pude esquecer deste verniz!!!

Tem uma cor lindissima, quando a luz bate na na unha, tem um brilho espetacular, adoro-o. Neste momento é o meu verniz perferido.

As fotos não mostram o que realmente é, amanha tiro mais e ponho neste post, quando ainda for de dia.

É tão facil de pôr, tão macio, sedoso, lindo.

Orly Fantasea + Barry M Vivid Purple = Multidimensional Awesomeness!

There's something about the colour purple that I love so much, and I can't quite explain why. It could be that purple is a colour with enough oomph to not be boring, and yet still remains a colour that's pretty work-appropriate, or it could be that purple was the first colour of nail polish I tried, and fell in love with. Whatever the matter, I love purples, and I'm constantly trying to create more pretty purples to wear on my nails.

In one of my experiments, I tried creating a multidimensional purple on my nail, and I layered Orly Fantasea over Barry M Vivid Purple. Now both are gorgeous purples in their own right, and a quick google will turn up plenty of pretty NOTDs featuring one or the other worn alone, but I just had to try them together.

Here is the result:



Orly Fantasea, one of those hard-to-find but oh-so-gorgeous polishes, is a very pretty colour, consisting of multidimensional shimmer in a sheer purple base. It's the shimmer in Fantasea that's showing up on the nail and giving the entire layering experiment it's complexity. However, Orly Fantasea is quite sheer when worn alone on the nail, which is why I chose to layer it. I didn't want to waste my precious bottle of Fantasea trying to build up the colour by using 4 coats!

Barry M Vivid Purple, the base colour, is a purple with gold shimmer that's opaque in 1-2 coats, and one of the standouts in the entire Barry M nail polish lineup (in my opinion anyway). The gold shimmer doesn't really show through after the layering, but I'm sure it's in there contributing in some subtle way.



I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the effect. The resulting purple is a gorgous deep purple with a certain multidimensional shimmer quality that I love. I can't quite describe it, but it seems to me to look like little flecks of shimmer just capture the light and wink at you. I can make out pink and blue, but I'm sure there are more colours in there I can't describe. It's not a duochrome, but it sure is pretty.

Application for both Barry M Vivid Purple and Orly Fantasea was smooth, and the entire combination lasted for about 4 days before chipping, which was average for me. I definitely love this colour, and I'm sure I'll wear it again soon!

Paradoxal vs Dusky Mauve

 

Chanel's Paradoxal is a great colour for the winter, I wanted to get it as soon as I saw it, the only problem was the price, so I had to wait for a cheaper version to come to the market. Barry M's Dusky Mauve certainly doesn't disappoint, there is barely any difference to the Paradoxal. So it is certainly a great addition to any nail polish collection. I am most certainly going to get it next time nail polish shopping, and at £2.99 is not going to break the bank, who doesn't like a good bargain?

Paradoxal de Chanel é uma cor ótima para o inverno, eu queria compra-lo assim que o vi, o único problema foi o preço, então eu tive que esperar por uma versão mais barata que chega-se ao mercado. Dusky Barry M Malva certamente não decepciona, não existe quase nenhuma diferença para o paradoxal. Por isso, é certamente uma grande adição para qualquer coleção vernizes. Eu vou certamente compra-lo na próxima vez compra de vernizes, e a £ 2,99 não vai se caro, quem e que não gosta de um bom negócio?

Barry M Blusher Swatches Part 2: The Brights

Barry M is usually known for their bright colours, but judging by last post's swatches, you wouldn't be able to guess. Fortunately, those who want blush (or blusher) shades that are brighter aren't disappointed, because today's swatches are all brights, and shades that I imagine are geared for more tanned women.

The blushers come in a plastic compact with a flip-top lid, and these colours are very nicely pigmented. I actually really like these, they're like a cheaper NARS or Illamasqua. The texture isn't as smooth or soft as Illamasqua's, of course, but for the price you can't complain. I'm a fan of these, and judging by the popularity of these blushes, I'm not the only one.



L-R: Raspberry 4, Apricot 5, Terracotta 6

Raspberry 4 is a gorgeous bright magenta pink. It's brighter and darker than Strawberry 3 (which was swatched in the previous post). This is one of those colours which virtually anyone could wear, although it does lean a little to the cool-toned side. It was probably created with the darker girls in mind, but fairer girls could apply this with a light hand to get a pink flush.

Apricot 5 is a bright red-orange, kind of a cross between those reds and oranges you see on the colour wheel...that kind of bright. Still though, I think this is rather wearable because it's bright but not neon. This isn't my shade, but I can imagine it looking lovely on darker girls.

Terracotta 6 is also another one of those shades that was probably created for darker girls, but is another one which I think fairer girls could potentially pull off with a light hand. It's a brown-red, but I think applied lightly could be a neutral pinky-brown colour on, and those types of neutral pinky-browns are usually quite universally flattering. I'm guessing that if colours like Bobbi Brown Slopes and MAC Blushbaby didn't show up on you, this one would.

All the blushers are matte, or if they had a shimmer it was so slight that I can't remember it as being shimmery. The darker colours (swatched in this post) tended to be more intense and more pigmented than the lighter colours (swatched in the previous post), and to my mind, they seemed to have a slightly better texture too. Cheap and pigmented blushes are a rarity these days, so these are definitely picking up if you want some oomph but don't wish to spend too much.

Barry M Blusher Swatches Part 1: The Pinks

Barry M is one of the more popular UK drugstore makeup brands for a reason. Their products are generally very pigmented, and they have a good colour range that has something for everyone. It thus seems a pity that despite their gazillion Dazzle Dust shades, they only have six blush shades. Fortunately, the six encompass a good range of colours that are pretty wearable.

Almost all Barry M Blushers (yes, they call them blushers! It seems to me that it's "blush" in the USA, and "blusher" in Asia/Europe, although the geographical boundaries seem to be blurring) are matte, and very pigmented. The only slight drawback is that the powder isn't silky-soft like some of the high-end brands. Still though, for the price these are worth having. I rather like them.



L-R: Pink Orchid 1, Rose 2, Strawberry 3

Pink Orchid 1 is a cool-toned light pink colour that's light but not quite pastel...very nice but quite common - I mean, doesn't every brand have a colour like that? Still, this one is a good basic, and it's probably better than your pastel pink because it has better pigmentation. Probably a very popular colour

Rose 2 is a slightly muted magenta pink. I think this one is also very pretty, and reminds me a bit of NARS Desire or Bobbi Brown's Pale Pink. You know, one of those bright pink shades. A bright, clean pink.

Strawberry 3 is a medium rose pink. This one is pretty intense, but I think it will probably be quite universally wearable - I think lighter skintones can apply this one lightly for a slight flush, and darker skintones can carry this off beautifully too. I love it when companies make colours like this that everyone can wear.

I imagine these colours must be pretty popular - I mean out of the six blusher shades, four of them are pink, so people must like pink. They do have some (okay, fine, two) non-pink shades though, which you'll see in the next post.

Nail Polish Haul Cardiff

Just got back from a trip to Cardiff a couple of days ago. While I was there I picked up a couple nail polishes. After recieving my Models Own polishes, I definitely wanted to try more of them, so I went to Boots to have a look. Unfortunately they didn't have all the colours in stock so only picked up 2 colours. Magenta Pearl and Purple Mystique. I love these colours! They were a bit more sheer than the cremes so I applied 3 coats to get them nice and even.

Models Own - Magenta Pearl

 

Magenta Pearl (3 coats, no topcoat, flash)

Models Own - Purple Mystique

Purple Mystique (3 coats, with topcoat, flash)

With that purchase I recieved a £5 off voucher for the N°7 and Ruby & Millie line. So before going home, I made quick stop at Boots. I wanted a nail polish that didn't look like anything I already had and Night Silver from N°7 caught my eye. It's a very dark silver, gunmetal kind of colour. Looks darker in person than on the photos (due to flash).

N°7 - Night Silver

Night Silver (2 coats, no topcoat, flash)

Lastly, I went looking for Mushroom from Barry M. After I heard Lollipop26 (check out her youtube channel here and blog here) talk about it, I decided I had to have it lol. She compaired it to Essie's Mink Muffs and Chanel's Particulière in this blog post.

Again, this colour looks alot lighter in the pictures because of the flash. Also took a picture with artificial lighting.

Barry M - Mushroom

Mushroom (2 coats, no topcoat, flash)

Artificial light

When I saw it in person, I thought it would look alot like a polish from Catrice I already had. But when I compared them, they looked less similar then I thought they would. I also compaired it to Models Own's Nude Beige. Nude Beige is alot lighter and From Dusk To Dawn from Catrice is more of a taupe.

From left to right:

Catrice - From Dusk To Dawn, Barry M - Mushroom, Models Own - Nude Beige

(2 coats, no topcoat, artificial light)

That's it for today. I'll be posting my make up haul soon!



Have a nice weekend!


x
Tanja

Barry M Fine Glitter Dust Swatches Part 2!

I always want to laugh at the name of Barry M's Fine Glitter Dust - as I've mentioned before, the glitter is chunky, and not exactly fine! But still, if you aren't glitter-averse like me, you will probably like some of these shades. I know if they didn't have the glitter I'd be all over a couple of them. I don't know what it is with me and glitter, really. I hate glitter in my foundations, powders, eyeshadows, lip products, blushes, eyeliners...I think I just hate glitter. I mean, I'm fine with shimmer, but big glitter bits are a no-no. Seriously, what's wrong with me?

Anyway, fortunately for non-glitter-loving people like me, there are a few shades that don't actually have the chunky glitter - they have a finish that's more akin to the Dazzle Dusts instead. I believe they still have glitter, it's just not chunky.

Here are the swatches:



Silver 4 was swatched before as well, and this is one of those chunky-glitter colours.

Denim 20 is a bright colbalt blue.

Opal 21 is supposedly one of the newer colours, or so says the display. This one had a cool irisdescence in the packaging that my camera couldn't capture, and that didn't seem to show up as much during swatching.

Black Purple 23 is one of those colours I'd love if I liked glitter. This one is a blackened purple base with purple-blue glitter. Very cool. Like stars in a night sky!

Black Gold 22 is also another colour I'd admire and love from far but daren't wear. It's a blackened base with gold glitter. The glitter really stands out on this one.

Toffee 24 is a shade that doesn't have the chunky glitter. I actually really like this neutral antique gold. It sort of reminds me of MAC's Patina, without the pink irisdescence, and with more glitter. The base shade is in the same colour family.

Forest Green 25 is a green with gold flash. Very pretty. Also one of the colours where the glitter isn't that chunky.

Aqua Frost 26 is also really pretty! It's a aqua blue with gold flash.

As you can see, the glitter on the last three colours is finer than the glitter in the other shades. I'd be wary of fallout, especially when using colours like Silver, but if you have a good base that holds all the glitter in place, some of the colours are really pretty. For the rest of us, there's always the Dazzle Dusts!

Barry M Fine Glitter Dust Swatches Part 1!

Remember the last time I swatched the Barry M Dazzle Dusts, a looong time ago? (Roundup post with links to each of the six parts - yes six! They have that many colours! - is HERE.) And remember at some point in the series of swatches I said I had also swatched the Fine Glitter Dusts and would be uploading them soon? Ummmm, turns out I forgot about them when real life got in the way, and soon means a month later. Yeah, I can't believe I let my real life get in the way of blogging, LOL. :P

Anyway, Here are the Fine Glitter Dust swatches! Fortunately for me this is in just two parts (as compared to the six of the Dazzle Dusts) because they have fewer colours. One thing to note though - the feel and pigmentation of the Fine Glitter Dusts is largely similar to the Dazzle Dusts, BUT - and this is one big but - the Fine Glitter Dusts have holey-moley huge chunky glitter - not fine at all! While most of the Dazzle Dusts had a shimmery or frosty finish, the Glitter Dusts tend to have huge chunks of glitter. I'd beware fallout with these ones.

Here's the first set of swatches. See what I said about big chunky glitter? I'm sorry the photo is a bit blurry - it was the best out of the bunch. I know it isn't my usual swatching standard, I promise Part 2 is clearer.



Yellow Gold 10 is a primary yellow gold with glitter.

Crimson 7 isn't really crimson, it's more of a pale pink with glitter.

Purple 18 is a blue-based purple, also with glitter.

Bright Blue 5 isn't neon bright blue as you might think. It's a slightly muted blue. Goes without saying that it also has glitter.

Aqua 6 is a greenish aqua.

Blue Silver 13 is silver with hints of blue, that just swatched up as silver on me. Bah.

Gold Irisdescent 15 is really pretty. Me likey! It's a gold colour that would be suitable for even the cool-toned ladies, as it doesn't veer too orange.

Silver 1 is chunky silver glitter.

For some reason, the Fine Glitter Dusts seem to have this glitter. There are a few colours that don't have huge chunky glitter, but the ones that are swatched for today are all glittery. This automatically makes them unwearable for me, but they do have some pretty colours and might be better over a sticky base like UDPP (Urban Decay Primer Potion, if you don't already know), and would probably appeal to someone who doesn't mind the glitter.

Barry M Shimmering Lip and Eye Crayon Swatches

Barry M's Shimmering Lip and Eye Crayons are supposed to be highlighters for the eyes and lips, although looking at the colour range that is available at my local Superdrug, you'd probably end up using them more on the eyes than on the lips (unless you wanted an unusual lip colour). The colour palette for this is very pastel with some shimmer.



Gold 1 is a light pastel gold with shimmer.

Turquoise 4 is a light pastel blue with shimmer. It looks a little more blue than Turquoise to me, but it could just be the pastel-ness of the colour.

Marshmallow 5 is a shimmery light pink.

Violet 6 is a cool-toned pastel violet shade. I quite like this one, it's a colour that's right up my alley.

Bronze 7 is one of the colours that pops a little bit more, being less pastel. This one is a very gold-orange bronze with shimmer.

Green 8 is also one of the less pastel colours that stands out a bit more. This one is a muted pastel-ized forest green with shimmer.

The only thing I have to mention is that while I was swatching, these don't seem to "set" on their own very well, and are a little bit smudgy. They would probaby work best as an underlay or overlay for other eyeshadow colours. If you wanted a sheer wash of colour these are perfectly fine worn alone too.

NOTD: Barry M Mushroom: I haz it!

Today's NOTD is Barry M Mushroom, and I have it thanks to Jellyminx, who writes the blog Jellyminx Thinks. Remember how a few posts back HERE I was whining about how I couldn't find it? Jellyminx had one, and she offered to send it to me! She's like the nicest person ever!

So anyway, here is Barry M Mushroom. I know some people will be wondering if this is a dupe for Chanel Particuliere. Unfortunately I don't have any comparison swatches, but by sheer fortune I was able to compare to my friend, who was wearing Particuliere on the exact same day I was wearing Mushroom. By comparing our fingers, we were able to do a quick visual comparison, and while I don't have photos, I can say that it isn't a dupe, although it is a similar shade. Mushroom is a tad darker than Particuliere, but otherwise they're both close, being brown-grey based shades with comparatively little purple (as compared to other mushroom shades).

Anyway, here is the NOTD:



And here's another picture of my crabby-looking hands with the bottle:



Gorgeous isn't it? How do you guys like this taupe trend? Still hot, or dying out?

Summer Bronzing: Barry M Natural Dazzle Bronzer Swatch

It's summer, so I'll be attempting to swatch more summer items, like bronzers! Now personally I'm not a fan of bronzers, as being Asian I've spent my entire life being indoctrinated with the kooky belief that fairer=good, and as a result I always want to be that shade of pale that's always out of my range. LOL! Nevertheless, I can certainly appreciate a beautiful tan on another girl. And why not? A tan is so summery, and it makes a lot of the seasonal colours so in vogue now pop a little more. So while I'm intent on sloughing on all the sunscreen I can lay my hands on, for everyone else who is more normal (LOL!) I'm swatching a couple of bronzing items for you guys!

Today we start off with a cheap but good one - good ol' Barry M. Barry M strangely only has one (yes, one) shade of bronzer, and this is called Natural Dazzle. So that makes the Barry M Bronzing line easy to swatch, hah! Anyway, given that this has to be a one-size-fits-all shade, I think they've done a pretty good job. The bronzer in question is a nice shade of medium neutral brown, although there still is a teensy hint of orange that might make it not too great on very pale girls with cool undertones. It also has some shimmer, but not enough to be horribly distracting or OTT. I think it's a good amount, and the shimmer is fine enough to not be too obvious.

Here is the swatch:



As you can see, the name "Natural Dazzle" is a bit of a misnomer, because the shimmer isn't THAT dazzly. But tht's what makes it good, in my opinion. I think the level of shimmer is just nice. This would make a good bronzer, although I doubt anyone would want to contour with it (the Sleek contour palettes are probably better for that), because in general contour shades used to shadow your face (the ones that are darker than your skintone) should ideally be devoid of shimmer. But for light and medium girls with neutral-to-warm undertones, this would probably work well as a bronzer.