Holos

A-England Ballerina Collection

March 24, 2014

Each time that A-England’s creator teases us with hints of a new collection, Adina’s eager fans wait with baited breath for what will be unveiled. The incredible formulas, the colours, the historic inspirations behind each collection… Many of us have become devotees of the brand! And today I have for you the gorgeous Ballerina collection. (For inspiration details, head over to Ommorphia’s launch post.)

A-England’s Ballerina is a collection of four beautiful, delicate holographic polishes in whisper-soft colours. The collection immediately reminded me of the tulle on dancers’ skirts… how perfect!

The first shade, and probably my favourite of the four (though it’s nearly impossible to pick a favourite) is Fonteyn. Fonteyn is a lavender-tinged silver holo with a formula so perfect, so divine, that it was a one-coater. It applied with buttery perfection, fully opaque on the first coat, and drying quickly to an incredible shine. (If you own any A-Englands, you’ll know that this brand is renowned for its high-shine finish!) Here is Fonteyn without top coat:

Full sun

In the shade

Dancing with Nureyev is blue-purple holographic with a metallic finish that almost changes colour depending on the light. It is a little more indigo in some light, then a little more purple, but always demure.

I paired Fonteyn with Dancing with Nureyev for a subtle holo gradient:

And two coats of the gorgeous Dancing with Nureyev, no top coat:

Full sun

In the shade

I had to include a macro of Dancing with Nureyev because it is so beautiful:

Encore Margot is described as an “icy blue prismatic hue,” a pale-silver holographic that dries to a cool dove grey shade. The holo effect on Encore Margot appears a little softer than that of Fonteyn or Dancing with Nureyev, but the effect is breathtaking. Another amazing formula, a little more fluid than Fonteyn, requiring two easy coats. Below, without top coat:

Full sun

In the Shade

Finally, Her Rose Adagio, a delicate soft pink holo described as “faded roses in a silver prismatic base, as romantic as it is ‘en pointe’.” Possessing a similar soft holo and formula like Encore Margot, I used two coats for the photos below:

Full sun

In the shade

What always stands out for me is A-England’s incredible glossy finish, and its beauty whether in sunlight or in the shade. These colours are so demure and perfect, so aptly named that it is impossible not to fall in love…

A-England is available directly from their website for those in the UK, or from several stockists this side of the pond (check out Where to buy), including Nail Polish Canada (with free shipping within Canada!). Don’t forget to follow A-England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and Nail Polish Canada on Facebook and Twitter!

Have you tried any of the Ballerina shades, and which one is your favourite so far?

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post and/or comment! I love to read what you think.

~xo

(Product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Shimmer Polish Cleo

February 9, 2014

Glitter, Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI, Shimmer Polish

2 Comments

Following up on yesterday’s introduction to Shimmer Polish Bella (named after my pretty dobe girl), I immediately wore Cleo, a purple jelly that was calling to me to try and lift up my spirits a little.

Cleo is a beautiful purple jelly base with purple, blue and a ton of iridescent glitters which give it a bit of an opalescent, mermaid-scale reflection. Cleo is absolutely beautiful even in the bottle.

I decided to layer it over one of my favourite OPI purples, Vant to Bite My Neck? from the Euro Centrale collection. I used only one coat of each, if you can believe, and finished it off with two coats of top coat (as these glitters can sometimes be top coat eaters). I thought I had a lot of favourite Shimmers but how can I not add this to the list?

Look at the different colours in this macro:

Do you love Cleo as much as I do?

Get your very own Shimmer Polish here on her Etsy shop! Follow Shimmer Polish on Facebook to participate in their contests and see more gorgeous photos and new creations, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

~xo

(Product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Glitter Gal – Celebrate, Sydney Style Collection

January 12, 2014

Glitter Gal, Holos, Nailpolish

8 Comments

Today I have for you one of two of Glitter Gal’s latest collections, a colour story called Celebrate – Sydney Style. Comprised of varying hues from soft pastel to vibrant to deep, the six gorgeous cremes should provide something for everyone. Swatches after the intro from Glitter Gal:

Glitter Gal Australia have created a crème formula that is like no other with superior Glitter Gal ingredients with Australian names. We have released 2 colour stories consisting of twelve colours. The two collections are:

· Holiday in Oz

· Celebrate – Sydney Style

In addition to the two collection, Glitter Gal is introducing three new unique “phenomenal” top coats:

· Gloss Boss – 15ml

How many times you have been asked for a top coat that doesn’t take away the holographic effects – well here it is! A top coat that can be used on crèmes or used to enhance holographic and special effect formulas. It is a high impact gloss top coat with a gel like finish. ABSOLUTELY THE BEST TOP COAT EVER!!!!!

· Galaxy Holo – 10ml This has the most outstanding holographic effects.

· Dorothy’s Revenge – 10ml A holographic, red based sparkle top coat. Can be worn alone as well as over crèmes.

A beautiful, soft peach shade, Tan Line is just this side of a nude, with a pale peachy finish. No application issues and I absolutely love this shade’s muted peach hue! Two coats in the shade, with Gloss Boss top coat (more on that Gloss Boss later):

Another soft shade, Booze Bus, a pale pastel lilac shade. As with many white-based shades, this one needed a bit of care, but I had zero application issues. Below are two coats, no top coat:

And Booze Bus with Glitter Gal’s new holo top coat, Galaxy Holo, and finished with Gloss Boss top coat:

The Galaxy Holo top coat is a clear topper filled with irregular shards of holographic pigment that reflect in beautiful, rainbow-like colours in direct light. Click on this macro to see the full-size pic:

The effect is much more noticeable in sun but unfortunately, no sun on this Canadian winter day…

She’s Cactus a bright mint green that can veer every so slightly into neon territory. A gorgeous soft green if you like greens!

I thought She’s Cactus and Tart Yourself Up made for a very beautiful combination:

Tart Yourself Up is a vivid medium blue shade, and probably my second favourite of the bunch. Blue is my favourite colour, and though I don’t wear it often on my nails unless it’s dark, I can’t help but gravitate towards it! Tart had an amazing application and was almost a one-coater. Below are two coats with an accent of Galaxy Holo on the ring finger, and Gloss Boss top coat on all nails. See the large bottle of Gloss Boss: (I love the large square bottles!)

She’ll be Right is a dark, vampy (yes, vampy!) purple crelly (jelly/cream), which as you know, makes for an incredible shiny finish. She’ll be Right’s formula was a bit on the thick side, and could drag if you went over an area too often, but well worth it for this in my opinion! Probably one of my favourites of the collection… Two coats, with an accent of Galaxy Holo top coat, and no top coat:

Off Your Rocker, a bright pink, had an amazing formula like Tart Yourself Up, being almost a one-coater (seriously, you can just do one coat and top coat it but I usually do two for consistency). Another favourite:

A few words about Gloss Boss: Though not a traditional “quick dry,” Gloss Boss truly dried incredibly fast to the touch, and to a mirror-like, gel-like finish. I personally LOVE gel-like top coats as they provide a thicker, glossier look without bulking up your nail polish! And they have this jelly feel to them that I love!

Glitter Gal is Big 5-free (Camphor, TFR, DPB, Formaldehyde, and Toluene), cruelty-free, long-wearing and fast-drying, and has become famous for their linear holographic polishes.

Glitter Gal is available directly from Glitter Gal’s online shop (they now ship from within the US to save on shipping!), or from online shops Llarowe, Harlow & Co, or check out the full list of stockists here. Glitter Gal’s entire range is now available in a 10ml size, or the premium 15 ml bottles.

Don’t forget to follow Glitter Gal on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and previews!

Which one is your favourite shade from this collection?

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Liquid Sky Lacquer

December 4, 2013

Holos, Liquid Sky Lacquer, Nailpolish

6 Comments

Today I’m excited to show you some beautiful polishes from an indie that is brand-new to me – Liquid Sky Lacquer. Liquid Sky Lacquer creates beautiful holo and thermal polishes, and I was super excited to try them; especially the three that I have here!

Sugared Berries is a very delicate, pale lavender linear holographic polish. The holo is extremely strong and gorgeous on this – look at the flash in the bottle to see the intensity! Seeing how light Sugared Berries was, I decided to layer it over OPI’s Miss You-niverse on my ring finger to show you its diversity. I think I would also love to see it layered over a white or another unexpected shade. Two coats on all fingers except ring:

The next colour is an absolute beauty! Walk on the Wild Side is a vivid purple linear holo that is just this side of dusty in the shade, its intense holo still visible:

In the sun, Walk on the Wild Side sparkles brilliantly in a cosmos of rainbow hues! Here are two easy, quick-drying coats over basecoat:

Finally, a fun, THERMAL holo polish: Jekyll & Hyde!

This was my first thermal polish, and I have to be honest… as I applied this medium-brown holo polish, I wondered why it was ‘fading’ slightly as it dried. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? I applied a second coat and this time, the ‘fade’ was much more noticeable. Ok so I had a bit of a bimbo moment, I admit, but it finally dawned on me that this must be a thermal polish! (Yes, and the name finally made sense… lol.) How excited I was! I immediately ran my hands under cold water to get the ‘original’ bottle shade – that gorgeous holo brown:

And when it warmed again, it turned into a gorgeous nude-orange shade, leaving a French manicure-style fade of brown at the tips:

Ok I’m a little behind on the thermal polish train, but how cool is that dual-toned manicure! I absolutely loved the effect and cannot wait to experiment with it now that it’s wintery and cold!

Liquid Sky Lacquers are available at Llarowe and on their shop website! Don’t forget to follow them on Facebook.

Do you have any Liquid Sky Lacquers? And have you ever tried a thermal polish?

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Picture Polish Bewitch & Demeter Comparison

December 2, 2013

Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed, piCture pOlish

2 Comments

Happy Monday!

Today I wanted to bring you a quick post featuring a comparison of my recent picture polish collaboration shade, Bewitch, to another collaboration shade, Demeter, created by the amazing Katie from Harlow & Co!

When Bewitch launched, I read a few comments and questions around it being brown, so what better way to showcase the difference than to compare it to a beautiful brown shade! Bewitch can sometimes lean really warm due to its intense gold shimmer, but in reality it possesses a cool purple base – a really dark, vampy purple. 🙂 Demeter, on the other hand, is an earthy, mid-toned brown holographic polish; very warm.

Index and middle finger: Bewitch
Ring and pinky: Demeter (click to enlarge image)

I wanted a sun shot to better show the beautiful holographic property of both polishes, but unfortunately, the sun has been hiding the last few days… As you can see, the colours are very different, and both are among my very favourites for good reason. I think I know which two shades I will wear next!

Get both directly from piCture pOlish (they ship internationally!), or from their Network, including Harlow & Co and Llarowe! Don’t forget to follow piCture pOlish on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

See more of my comparison photos on The Obsessed’s Instagram feed!

~xo

Glitter Gal Hot Chili & Transfusion!

November 18, 2013

Glitter Gal, Holos, Nailpolish

6 Comments

Happy Monday!

It is getting impossible to ignore the chill of the approaching winter (at least for us in the Northern Hemisphere) and what better way to warm up than “Hot Chili!” Today I have for you two beauties from Glitter Gal that are in limited availability – Hot Chili and Transfusion, perfect shades for the season.

Hot Chili is an appropriately named chili-pepper red linear holographic. A warm and flattering, easy-to-wear red. Application was easy, however it was very sheer on the first coat. I would recommend a generous second coat, which gave me perfect opacity. I noticed that both Transfusion and Hot Chili dried to a slightly satin finish, so top coat was a must for me. I used China Glaze’s Fast Forward and it did not diminish any of the holo effect.

Two coats in soft sunlight:

and in the shade:

Transfusion is deep blue-based berry shade with vampy qualities – definitely my favourite of the two! The holo provides it with a deep red/purple effect that I just loved. The formula on Transfusion was slightly crelly (cream-jelly), and it reached full opacity at two generous coats. Again, Transfusion dried to a somewhat satin finish and I added top coat which brought out a very high shine.

Two coats in natural light:

in sunlight:

Finally, a macro to show you the gorgeous holo effect:

Glitter Gal is Big 5-free (Camphor, TFR, DPB, Formaldehyde, and Toluene), cruelty-free, long-wearing and fast-drying, and has become famous for their linear holographic polishes.

Glitter Gal is available directly from Glitter Gal’s online shop (they now ship from within the US to save on shipping!), or from online shops Llarowe, Harlow & Co, or check out the full list of stockists here. Glitter Gal is available in premium-boxed 15 ml bottles or the newer 10 ml bottles.

Don’t forget to follow Glitter Gal on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and previews!

Which one is your favourite shade, Hot Chili or Transfusion?

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Colors by Llarowe – Tribute to Michael Jackson Part 3

September 6, 2013

Colors by Llarowe, Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed

3 Comments

Happy Friday!

So far I’ve shown you four of the gorgeous polishes from Colors by Llarowe’s latest collection, Tribute to Michael Jackson (catch up here and here), and today, we wrap up the collection with the final three. (There is an eighth polish named Thriller but unfortunately, I don’t have that one to show you swatches.)

The final holo I have for you is another jaw-dropper: Beat It (Just beat it, beat it, no one wants to be defeated…). Beat It is described as a deep charcoal holo with blue flash, and just like Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal, the holographic effect is insane! I used two coats for the swatches below, and even without top coat, Beat It dried to a high shine:

and with flash so you can see the beautiful holo effect:

Next I have a red wine-coloured polish (Leah Ann, how did you know??) named Billy Jean. A Deep red wine crelly with intense golden red to green shimmer, no photo can do this polish justice. The wine cream-jelly base is incredible on its own, but the tiny shimmer adds such depth to this polish, making it dance in light and reflect hues of gold. I used two easy, self-levelling coats for the swatches (seriously, this was one of the nicest formulas!), with a coat of top coat to bring out the shine and shimmer:

Indoors:

And a macro shot so you can see the tiny golden shimmers in this polish:

Last but not least, I have for you Bad, a slight duochrome indigo blue with subtle pink shift. Llarowe’s website advises finishing with a good quality top coat as it dries to a satin finish. Another beauty, it leans purple and even hints at green flash in certain light. Bad has a slight metallic finish, so brush strokes may be slightly visible; however, it’s an easy polish to work with. You can see some of the pink and green reflection in the photo below. I used two coats with top coat:

And one more where you can see it shifting slightly green on my middle finger:

This collection launched on August 17th and is currently mostly sold out, but make sure you head over to Llarowe’s shop for all the restock news! (I know Llarowe is out of pigment for Beat It but promises it will be back soon!)
All Colors by Llarowe polishes are 3-free and cruelty free, and come in a 15 ml square bottles with easy-to-open rubber-grip cap. Don’t forget to follow Llarowe on Facebook, Pinterest and on Instagram!

Have you snagged any of these Tribute polishes yet?

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Colors by Llarowe – Tribute to Michael Jackson Part 2

September 5, 2013

Colors by Llarowe, Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed

3 Comments

If you liked yesterday’s post showing two of the new Colors by Llarowe Tribute to Michael Jackson collection, you will love today’s review!

Much like Smooth Criminal, Dirty Diana is another stunning linear holo, this time in a magenta shade. Hot, yet with a slight subtleness to it, Dirty Diana is gorgeous! I used two easy coats for the photos, no top coat. Application, by the way, was a breeze with this perfectly-flowing, self-levelling polish.

With flash:

In natural light:

Is that not pretty?

Man in the Mirror is described as a dense silver microglitter with holo microglitter, and it is so dense it can be a full coverage glitter in two coats. What a perfect name for this polish… perfect for the song and reminiscent of MJ’s silver glove. I used it as a gradient over Dirty Diana. Perfection:

And of course, I have to throw in a macro (feel free to click and enlarge the pic):

The tiny glitter in Man in the Mirror is so hard to capture! It is much more holographic and sparkly in real life! SImply gorgeous.

I’ll be showing you more of the Tribute to MJ polishes over the coming days!

The collection launched on August 17th and is currently mostly sold out, but make sure you head over to Llarowe’s shop for all the restock news!
All Colors by Llarowe polishes are 3-free and cruelty free, and come in a 15 ml square bottles with easy-to-open rubber-grip cap. Don’t forget to follow Llarowe on Facebook, Pinterest and on Instagram!

Which of the MJ Tribute polishes is your favourite so far?

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Colors by Llarowe – Tribute to Michael Jackson

September 4, 2013

Colors by Llarowe, Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed

10 Comments

When Llarowe recently announced that she was working on a Tribute to Michael Jackson Collection, I was overjoyed! I am a huge MJ fan, still deeply saddened by his untimely passing and still a huge fan of all of his timeless and incredible music. Superfan? Sure! And I could not wait to see what Leah Ann would create in his honour.

The first shade I have for you today is Smooth Criminal, probably my favourite of this collection, and currently my pedi colour because I could not get enough.
Smooth Criminal is a complex shade; I consider it a blurple linear holo – a gorgeous mid-tone, cornflower blue with just a hint of purple, greyed out enough to provide a steel-looking finish. It is spectacular!! And the holo is insane!! Even as I waited for the sun to peek out on a cloudy day, the holo blazed on my nails.

I used two coats, and this high shine is pre-top coat!

And check out the gorgeous holo in this macro shot:

I like to play with glitter toppers, so I decided to add a coat of Black or White to Smooth Criminal. Black or White is an aptly-named polish made up of black and white multi-sized circle, hex and bar glitter in a clear base. It is glitter heavy but still requires a good shake to get a good mix of glitter on your nails.

I’ll bring you more Tribute to MJ polishes over the coming days!

Have you snagged any of these Tribute polishes yet?

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

San Francisco by OPI

August 19, 2013

Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI, Textured

8 Comments

For Fall/Winter 2013, OPI launched a West Coast-inspired collection, San Francisco by OPI. The collection features a palette ranging from sky and sea-colored hues of blues and gray to reds, burgundies and browns inspired by some of the city’s most iconic elements – Chinatown, the Golden Gate bridge and the Embarcadero.

Today I bring you four of these beauties: two cremes, a duochrome and one of the three new Liquid Sands!

First up, Lost on Lombard is a garnet creme – I would consider it a chili red. It is gorgeous and is sure to become a new twist on the classic red! I used two coats for the pictures below, and the formula was dreamy! It was non-staining and dried to a high shine!

It looks a touch lighter in the sun:

The second creme I have for you is Incognito in Sausalito, a near-black blue. Similar in formula to Lost on Lombard, it flowed easily and was almost a one-coater! It’s right up my alley – hello, vampy shade!

And in the sun:

These two cremes have quickly risen to become favourites, and I cannot wait to wear them in the fall!

Now for a twist from OPI, one of the two duochromes in this collection: Peace & Love & OPI, a grey-based polish described as a sage and eggplant holographic. I was pleasantly surprised by the duochrome effect and the consistency. Most polishes like this are quite sheer so I layered it over Lost on Lombard; however, it was opaque on its own! Look at the amazing effect in the shade:

In the sun it sparkles with a subtle hint of the purple flash:

And last but not least, one of the standouts for me, a new Liquid Sand shade called Alcatraz… Rocks, a steely purplish shade with multi-hued sparkles in the sun that just dance, and dance, and dance in the light! This is a complex, gorgeous, GORGEOUS polish, and no words will describe its true beauty!! I used two coats for the photos below:

I love a good macro shot so look at this beauty – look at the multi-coloured sparkles on my pinky:

(click to enlarge)

And finally, Alcatraz… Rocks with top coat looks INSANE! The top coat draws out the multi-chromatic shimmer, making it blindingly sparkly! I am totally obsessed with this polish!!

This collection just launched at Professional Salons and Spas, so run (don’t walk) and get your favourites, because I predict this will sell out! I will be running out to get a few more… 🙂

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Which ones are your favourites?

~xo

(Product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

—The Obsessed

The Obsessions and musings of a product junkie…

Archive

Holos

A-England Ballerina Collection

Shimmer Polish Cleo

Glitter Gal – Celebrate, Sydney Style Collection

Liquid Sky Lacquer

Picture Polish Bewitch & Demeter Comparison

Glitter Gal Hot Chili & Transfusion!

Colors by Llarowe – Tribute to Michael Jackson Part 3

Colors by Llarowe – Tribute to Michael Jackson Part 2

Colors by Llarowe – Tribute to Michael Jackson

San Francisco by OPI

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