Barry M Raspberry

Hello! I've been really lazy lately, I've mostly been waking up after noon and watching tv, and not doing much else, even though I'm pretty sure I have a ton of things to do. I even wrote down a to-do list, but I've pretty much abandoned it.

Anyway, I realise that I've been posting a lot of British brands lately, but that's probably because I'd uploaded them awhile ago and didn't get around to posting them. Do you see a trend here?

I did 2 coats of Barry M Raspberry with top coat. It would really look like a raspberry if it was a jelly, and maybe a bit lighter, but it's a creme and doesn't really remind me much of a raspberry.

 

Have a great weekend!

Barry M Cobalt Blue

Hi again! I think I've caught a cold, or some really bad allergies. It started out feeling like allergies but now it feels like a cold. At least it's not the flu!

I love Barry M's Nail Paints. Most of them (I can't say "all" because of one polish I had trouble with and haven't gone back to since) have really lovely formulas and cover nicely in two coats. Then again, I haven't tried any of their pastels so I don't know what those are like. And they're pretty affordable in the UK if I'm not mistaken.

Another quick post today because I need to go do my nails. I've been wearing the same polish for 4-5ish days, which is a bit long for me. I usually layer something over after the 2nd day. I feel like I've said this before.

This is two coats of Barry M Cobalt Blue with top coat. Again, good formula. I like their brush too. I don't think this photo is 100% colour accurate, but if you love blue, you'll probably love this.

Yeah, it isn't as dusty-looking in person as it appears in the photo. Imagine it brighter, more saturated.

I've been told that you can buy Barry M on their website, Harlow & Co., and NailPolishDirect.

Okay, I'm off. Hopefully the polish fumes will make my cold better. Ha.

China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le (take 2)

Hello! I'm super exhausted but still alive! I've posted this polish before, a long time ago, so don't look it up! Haha.

I think I'm running out of brain juice, so this post won't be too wordy. (yay?)

I did.. 3? coats. I think it was 3. I have no complaints about the formula. Not that I can remember anyway. Sorry the photo is a bit crap, I hadn't figured out that the flash on my camera was useable yet and I was still working out photo-taking spots!

I used this as underwear for another polish, but that will come much, much later. I don't think I'll have much time to post for a couple of weeks after this, as a lot of cramming is ahead of me. You know I'm dying to post a ton of photos though!

I'll be back! Or.. as Suzi would say.. Bach!

Color Club Coastal Creme (take 2)

Okay I know I said I was "back" and then disappeared for 3 weeks. I have been buried in lecture notes and study materials. I have way too many subjects this semester (five!).

My computer still has problems, so for the time being, I only have old-ish swatches. I have posted this colour before but I cringe at the post I made then (a million miles long and crappy photos) so I won't link it, but you can look under the Color Club label if you're interested (I hope you're not!).

I did 3 (or was it 4?) coats of Color Club Coastal Creme with top coat. Once again, application wasn't great but I love the colour. I also can't remember why I chose to wear a "work-safe" colour. It must've been important or something.

flash

I don't know why, but I am really into neutrals right now. I really want the entire OPI NYC Ballet collection! I don't think I have ever wanted an entire collection before for the colours (the Pirates of the Caribbean one doesn't count, I wanted those because they were PotC).

I'll go back to my studying now. I hope you guys are having more fun than I am!

China Glaze Pool Party

Hello! As promised, I dug through my giant backlog of photos to find some that were already edited/watermarked so I could write a post. I'm really sleepy so if anything I'm saying looks weird, don't mind me.

I did 3 coats of China Glaze Pool Party with top coat. It's my first neon, so I don't really know what the formula is supposed to be like but I felt like 2 coats weren't enough. It was fairly easy to put on and remove. No staining (phew!).

It's really pink in the bottle but dries a little more orange (you can see the difference in the last photo). Which is a shame, because I wanted something really neon pink, like a highlighter. 

I need more neons! I'm afraid to try yellow and green but other than that I think I'd like it! I need a red neon.

Neon is a funny word.

I hope you enjoyed that. I'm going to go read blogs until I fall asleep now. (:

Nature Republic RD501

I hate these number/code names.

Anyway, it's almost 3am and I am really sleepy. I kind of just did my nails so I'm trying to stay awake for another half an hour or so at least.

I have to write this post now because I have to post this polish before I can post the next mani. I would do it tomorrow (or.. later today?) but I'm going to my grandma's house for the weekend so I won't be able to post there.

I also won't be able to change my polish (who knows what'll happen when I'm there, right?) so I'm going to bring some polishes to layer and hope it works well.

I got this polish from my aunt last Christmas. I did 2 coats with top coat. I know it looks kinda weird with lots of imperfections in the photos but it didn't really matter because I was going to do stuff with it.

I wish I didn't have to go to class tomorrow. I haven't even packed (and my mom would be horrified to know this).

Have a good weekend, maybe I'll be able to brighten up your Monday with the post I'll have ;)

OPI Stranger Tides

I realise I have pretty much been reduced to one post a week. There is a perfectly good reason for this. I am only posting when I feel like it. I don't want to force myself to write a post because then I'll feel like it's work and it's not supposed to be work. I have plenty of work to do and I don't need this blog adding to the work.

That said, I have a huge backlog now. I'll probably have to go through my entire bunch of photos in my computer and decide what to post.

I know I've swatched OPI Stranger Tides before together with the rest of the collection (Part 1 & Part 2) but I went to watch Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides in the cinema and what better polish to wear than this one? I am in love with the soundtrack from the movie. Hans Zimmer always does an amazing job.

I'm not really happy with the blue sky reflection in one of my previous Stranger Tides swatch photos. Unfortunately the blue sky shows up in at least one other mani in my backlog. Sky too blue, not enough sun, I can never complain too much about the weather.

I did 3 coats with top coat.

 

Excuse the fingerprint on my nail :/

I really love the whole Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. It's genius. I don't care much for Keira Knightley in the films. I like Penélope Cruz a lot more.

I have fantasized about being a pirate. Too bad I get seasick ):

Barry M Bright Purple

Hi. I'm sorry I look like I've been abandoning my blog lately but I just haven't felt like blogging about anything recently. I have a couple of really awesome polish/manis in my backlog which I will definitely post when I feel like it.

I was going to write this post yesterday but I fell asleep (with the lights on, and my brother switched off the lights, leaving me to wake up in a daze and in the dark). I decided I can't leave this any longer because if I don't post this sooner, I probably won't do it later either.

My mood has been crushed, blended and fed to the Kraken by the news of the death of my cousin's 12 year old dog. I've known her for the longest time ever and she was such a darling. She was so well-trained and obedient. She was afraid of fireworks and would tremble whenever they were played. I am absolutely devastated and heartbroken that I didn't get to see her in the last few months of her life and that I will never get to run my hands through her fur or scratch behind her ears and on her neck, feed her crackers or even just see or hear her running to the gate when someone came home. I will miss the way she used to cross her front legs when she lay down and how she would move them if I touched them, the way her nails clicked on the floor, how she would stand up her two hind legs and bring her front paws together when she saw the people she loved most.

Rest in peace, Angel. If there was ever a dog worthy of that name, it would be you.

Sorry for the sob story. Back to the polish. I did 2 coats with China Glaze Fast Forward. I love the formula of Barry M polishes, the only exception being Mint Green. Not too thick and not too runny, and opaque in two coats. Gorgeous colors too.

That's all. I apologise for the lack of enthusiasm in this post but I really don't have an ounce of enthusiasm in my body right now.

Comparison: Catrice Bye Bye Birdy! vs. China Glaze Happy Go Lucky & Lemon Fizz

I hope that title fits on Twitter.

I hope no one is disappointed by the lack of a very hot polish that was released by Chanel this year, Mimosa. I don't have it to compare, but if you want to see that comparison, Ivana showed me a link that compares Catrice Bye Bye Birdy and the Chanel. They're not dupes, Chanel Mimosa has a darker, more yellow base compared to the Catrice (this is what I can gather from looking at the pictures).

Anyway, I only have two yellows in my stash. I think. So I decided to compare for the sake of comparing. I knew there wouldn't be dupes because one has hidden shimmer and the other two are cremes.

I did 3 coats of everything. I prefer the brush and formula on the China Glaze polishes but again, not dupes and if you like yellow you might like (and feel the need to own) all of them.

 
L-R:
Catrice Bye Bye Birdy, China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Catrice Bye Bye Birdy, China Glaze Happy Go Lucky

I hope this gives you a clearer indication of what shade of yellow Catrice Bye Bye Birdy is.

I'm not a huge fan of yellows, so I don't have many. I could have 3 yellows and a million reds. I like red (:

Catrice Bye Bye Birdy!

And that is the last time I will be putting the exclamation mark in this polish's name.

On the bottle it says 2x Coats/Auftragen (which I think means coats?). This is a LIE. It was still streaky at two coats. So I had to do 3. It was thick, and bubbled. The brush shape/size was okay but it was a bit hard.

Apart from that, it's a yellow with hidden shimmer. It's barely visible, but it's there. I did take pictures but they sucked the first time round so this is a reswatch. Not that it's important. I think.

If you click to enlarge the images you'll be able to see the shimmer. Or you could just put your face really close to the screen :D

 

While I was removing this, I found these. Weird, huh?

I was hoping the shimmer would be a little bit more visible, but hidden isn't so bad. I have a comparison post ready so that will be next.

Oh and in case it isn't past 6pm where you live yet, I have lived past 6pm and obviously, I am still alive. This post was not scheduled to make it look like I survived the rapture that didn't happen. So stop worrying, you are not going to die in an earthquake or zombie apocalypse. Yet.

Models Own Black Magic

Okay, I'm pretty sure that's the name of the polish. Pretty sure.

After all that Silver Shatter, I thought I'd show you something more normal and simple. A plain black creme. Actually, I don't really need to post this, because we all know what a black creme looks like. Who doesn't have a black creme? Right?

Black is one of my favourite colors to wear. I deliberately nubbin-ised my nails for this because I didn't want to have long black nails. Black feels good on short nails to me for some reason. So, here are my nubbins. Be nice to them. Haha.

I did 2 coats with top coat. I don't know if this is blue or green based, but does anyone really care? It turns out black anyway. Nobody is going to say "Hey, that blue based black does NOT go with your skin tone". No.

Black and white were the first 2 colors I wore, many years ago.

Black polish, yes or no?

Blue Ombre Mani

It has been a long and tiring week for me. I have been studying almost non-stop for the entire week. I took a break from studying today after my test and and will take another day off before I start studying again for another test next Tuesday. Then I have 2 weeks to study and then my final exams for this semester. I love life.

I had a huge scare earlier because I knew there was a rat in one of the rooms in my house, which is the tv room, which has two huge sliding doors. I had to use a broomstick to close the doors. I couldn't even bring myself to set up the rat trap my brother asked me to. I think the rat is still in there. But my post is delayed thanks to that little guy.

No royal themed mani today, because I didn't have time and I know some of you are sick to death of that.

I did this mani in honour of Autism Awareness month. I love my blues. I like every blue I've ever tried on me, which is why it's on my list of favourite polish colors after red. Red. I think red month doesn't come until October, which is AIDS Awareness month.

This was done before I went on holiday about 2 weeks ago. I didn't really have time to take pictures before, so if you see lots of tipwear, forgive me, because I probably took those after I returned. And I did edit the photos because some parts were too monstrous.

 

Pinky: Models Own In The Navy, 2 coats
Ring: Barry M Cobalt Blue, 2 coats
Middle: Barry M Pure Turquoise, 2 coats
Index: Elianto Alice Blue, 3 coats
Thumb: Wet 'N' Wild French White Creme, 3 coats

The Elianto polish was the hardest to work with. I think I had to redo it like 3 or 4 times.

I need to mention how much Twitter has entertained me recently. Even people who are in crisis manage to make others (me) feel better after my rat scare. Me and my two skins. Haha. It's hard enough to make me laugh out loud at stuff I read/watch, which is one of the reasons why I never type 'lol'. I do think with the word 'lol' but I rarely, if ever, type it or say it.

Which reminds me, I HATE when people say 'lol' or 'lmao' or 'rofl' in a real life conversation. If it really is funny, you'd be laughing out loud, not saying 'lol'. It's one of my hugest conversation pet peeves. My friends do it and I feel like slapping each of them each time.

My mom just got the iPad 2 so I'll be going into my room to play with that now! Haha. Have a good weekend, I'll have a new post tomorrow (or later today for me). (:

OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Part 2

How excited are you to see this post? About damn time, right? I am so excited to publish this!

As you know (or not), I have been swamped with loads of work. But I still manage to prioritize. My nails are all done, and now I can do work!

I have a lot to study for tomorrow's test, so this shall be short and sweet (and promoted on my Twitter as many times as I feel is appropriate).

This time I have saved the best for last, so as you go down the photos will get better and it'll be in increasing favorite-ness (is this a word?). I feel a bit high today. I drove like an absolute nutcase this morning and probably pissed a lot of people off. I wasn't even late or anything.

 

Sparrow Me The Drama

Don't you just love this name? I did 3 coats with top coat (no base coat). I'm not really a fan of pinks, because a lot of them don't look good on me, but I'll wear this just because it's to do with Pirates :D

Sparrow Me The Drama

Planks A Lot

I love purples and I love this. I don't have one like this (but my stash is a lot smaller than most of yours). I did 3 coats with top coat and no base coat. Which is why my nails were stained blue when I took this off. I wore this for a couple of days. Wear a base coat, guys!

Planks A Lot

Mermaids Tears

I am in LOVE with this. 2 coats with top coat and base coat because I am wearing this as a full mani now. I did the second coat a bit thicker because I didn't want to do a third. Also, the sun came out for this one! That's how awesome it is!

Mermaids Tears

I might be a bit biased, being a huge Pirates fan, but I think this collection is AWESOME. Not exactly the kind of colors you'd think about for Spring but I don't have Spring so it doesn't really matter. I am glad I have the entire collection. I will cherish this until the day I die.

I hope you enjoyed that! If you missed Part 1 of the collection you can see it here!

In case you haven't noticed, my nails are much longer now, which I kind of like, but this is only because I haven't had time to file them down (really) and I have to pray that they survive being long until I get to file them to a safer length.

Okay that wasn't as short as I thought it would be. Have a good week! (:

OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Part 1

Hi! I miss blogging so much. I have such a huge backlog now, if I used it to build a dam it could probably block the Niagara Falls.

I did a couple of blue manis, which I'll have to post within the next week or so because April is almost over! Anyway, for once I'd like to be the early one (didn't exactly happen with Teenage Dream) and post some pretty crappy swatches of OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean collection.

Pirates is one of my favourite movie series. How could you not love it? The moment I knew OPI was releasing a Pirates collection, I nearly shat myself (not really). I didn't really care what the colors were going to be like (unless they were really bad) but holy crap, it was PIRATES.

I wanted to swatch the entire collection at once but the weather, unsurprisingly, changed from super hot and sunny to gloomy followed by a huge thunderstorm. And I was racing against time, because I knew the weather was going to turn bad (the clouds were forming and all) and I had 700 words of a very boring essay to churn out.

So excuse the very shitty pictures (you'll know them when you see them). All swatches were without a base coat and with top coat. I initially wanted to only do them on my right hand, which is more photogenic, but again, that would've taken much longer. The photos will get worse as you scroll down :/

Skull & Glossbones.

I LOVE this. Not only was the application easy peasy, I loved the color too. I did 3 coats. The name is pretty cute too. Haha.

Skull & Glossbones, in the shade.

Stranger Tides.

This was a little harder because I was painting with my really shaky left hand. The formula was okay though. 3 coats. I smudged my pinky nail so I'm showing you only 3 nails. I liked this too.

Stranger Tides, in the shade.

Steady As She Rose.

Oh god. Told you the pictures would get worse. Just look at it. I actually tried this on my right hand first but it was so bad that I had to re-do it on my left hand. I suck so bad at painting. This was one coat and top coat over 3 coats with top coat. I wasn't happy with it for some reason and decided to add another layer. I make bad decisions huh :/  The formula on this was somehow the worst so far.

 

Steady As She Rose, in the shade.

This was before I added the extra coat. (this is 3 coats)  Now I can't remember what was wrong with this :/

I'm really bad at describing colors, so I hope the pictures give you a general idea of what the colors look like. They are all cremes and all very murky/dusty/grungy-looking.

I hope that is enough to hold you over for a couple of days. I would've swatched the other 3 today but the weather was MAD. And I had a long night. I was finishing up my essay after a lot of procrastination and only got 2 hours of sleep last night.

I was so uninspired, I couldn't think of what I wanted to include in my essay. Then I had a mini panic attack thinking I wouldn't be able to finish on time and I'd get zero marks. I drank coffee at 1.30am, ate Pods and an ice cube, went to bed when I really couldn't continue and woke up 2 hours later to finish the essay. Then I had to run all over campus to find a stapler, my lecturer wasn't in his office and I was going to be late for my movie.

On the bright side, I watched Source Code with my friend today because my mom got a pair of free tickets to the cinema and she gave them to me. I liked the movie, although I think it's a little too paradoxical. It was pretty good though.

Anyway, I hope you guys are having a good week. Oh, and happy (?) Good Friday! (I am still extremely bummed that I don't get to go for my Good Friday ritual with my family because I need to study for some upcoming tests)

If this post has sounded/looked weird in any way, it's because I'm high.. on sleep debt.

EDIT:
If you're looking for Part 2, it's here. (:

OH and the trailers for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides!