Tom Ford Spring 2014 Incandescent Nail Lacquer Review and Swatch

 So I thought I would start the first post of the year with some Tom Ford goodies so here we have the rather beautiful Tom Ford Incandescent nail polish. Packaged in the gorgeous old style of ivory and gold, it's a midtone rosy gold with silver shimmer, if anyone remembers Chanel Delight nail polish it is quite similar to that ( TF has less sparkles and is more pink toned) I do love this sort of shade- especially around summertime so I think I will be getting a lot of use from it this year! Onto the swatches!

Tom Ford Incandescent in natural light (left) and flash (right)

Chanel Delight (Left) and Tom Ford Incandescent (right)

I find the Tom Ford lacquers have standard lasting power on me (eg OPI, Chanel and so on). Photos above were with 2 coats and one layer of Seche Vite Topcoat as it wasn't particularly shiny on its own. You can just about make out a few brushstroke marks but nothing noticeable, if it wasn't applied in a hurry I'm guessing you could get it near on perfect.

Overall a big thumbs up. You can buy this at your usual department stores in the UK( Selfridges, Harrods etc...)but be quick as I hear it's limited edition and selling out fast!

Chanel Island Le Vernis 597 Swatch and Review

As I mentioned yesterday I've been using a combination of Dior Saint Tropez on my toes and Chanel's Island on my fingers. I wasn't expecting to buy Island as I thought it looked the most plain of the 3, still I did my usual getting caught up in Chanel regret and quickly went out to purchase it before it sold out ( I think this one sold out first). Anyway, it's a gorgeous milky cream shade with pink opalescence. In bright light the shimmer really stands out, I can't think of anything this is quite like it!

It is designed to be sheerish, I used 2 coats to get it how I like it, you could use 3 if you really wanted. I got about 5 days wear from this before I saw any tipwear- which is fantastic for me as I usually get about 3 days. If you can still get hold of this one it's definitely worth a look!

Swatches...

Dior Vernis 401 Saint Tropez Review and Swatch

So I finally caved and climbed aboard the Dior Saint Tropez bandwagon. It's a pretty, slightly dusty, turquoise creme. I think it was originally launched last year when they opened a new store in Saint Tropez and was an instant sell out. This time it has come out with the Summer collection- but I think it is still limited edition. Saint Tropez runs more blue than say China Glaze Aquadelic, Chanel Nouvelle Vague, Pop Mint Magic and Essie Mint Candy Apple, although it's not a ground breaking or unique shade by any means.

It comes with the Dior wide brush so application is super quick, the formula is quite thick but easy to work with and is opaque in 2 coats. I didn't get any weird bubbling and it didn't take long to dry. It's quite shiny so you could skip topcoat if you really wanted. I found this lasted on me for about 4 days before I noticed any tip wear. This makes a beautiful pedi shade, I've been wearing it combined with Chanel's Island on my hands. If you can find this in stores it is a lovely one to have but it's not hugely unique so I wouldn't start paying inflated eBay prices for it.

Autumnal Nails

As much as I love bright colors, sometimes it's nice to indulge in more autumnal shades like taupes, deep reds and metallic greens. So I've picked out my recent favourites...

 Chanel Quartz (metallic taupe), Particuliere (the infamous mushroom creme) and Graphite (blackened silver-gold)

 Monsoon Ruby Siren (deep metallic cherry red), W7 Metallic Saturn (golden olive green metallic) and Rococo Deadly Nightshade (blackened indigo navy with pearl)

Rococo Deadly Nightshade

W7 Metallic Saturn

Monsoon Ruby Siren

Dior Cosmo 158 Vernis Nail Polish Gloss Swatch & Review (Summer Mix)

Cosmo 158 Vernis Gloss by Dior is a bright honeysuckle pink with a jelly or "sorbet" finish. It applies pretty smoothly but it is not designed to be opaque so you will see some visible nail line. I used 2 coats and I get decent coverage with a shiny finish. This matches the Bikini lipgloss ( which I reviewed earlier) in the collection perfectly so if you like your make up to coordinate this might be up your street.

 I get about 3 days with these Dior nail polishes before I start seeing any tip wear. Overall this is a nice colour (although the shade itself is quite dupeable) so if you like jelly finishies and your pinks bright but not neon it's definitely worth checking out.

As always all my work and photos are copyrighted so please do not republish or repost them.

Essie Bikini So Teeny Swatch & Review

Essie has launched its Bikini So Teeny Collection, I picked up Bikini So Teeny which is a lilacy cornflower blue with subtle silver glitter (you can't really see it on the nail). It has a nice consistency and was opaque in 2 coats with a shiny finish. The one thing worth noting is that if you use a topcoat it darkens the colour quite a lot and looks a bit more purple.

I get about 3 days wear from Essie polishes before I get any tip wear. Overall it's a very cute shade and I don't have anything else quite like it so thumbs up!

Dior Calypso 158 Vernis Nail Polish Swatch (Summer Mix)

 The next item from the Dior Summer Mix collection I have to show you is this Vernis in 158 Calypso. It is a beautiful warm toned red. Dior calls these "sorbet-like color" so these are designed to be sheer jelly finishes, while you do get a lot of colour the nail is still visible underneath. They have a lovely squishy effect and are super glossy. I originally put on Calypso's pink sister "Cosmo" with long nails and it looked pretty hideous with the amount of VNL but after chopping them down I think it looks much nicer.

I used 2 coats here and it looked fine- 3 seemed pointless as it is meant to be a jelly. I got about 3 days wear before any tip wear appeared which is about normal for me. Overall a pretty shade which I think will be lovely for pedicures and on short manis.

Chanel Distraction (549) Le Vernis Nail Polish Swatch & Review (Roses Ultimes)

This was my last purchase from the Roses Ultimes from Chanel. 549 Distraction is a creamy pinky-coral with fuchsia shimmer. It has pretty good coverage, I used 2 coats here for a totally opaque finish. In the bottle you can see a very pretty but subtle pink shimmer, although sadly this does not translate on to the nails (or at least I couldn't see it unless it was in full sun and I was squinting to see it). It has a glossy sheen so you can skip top coat if you really needed to. I typically get about 3-4 days out of Chanel nail polishes before I start to see any tip wear.

Overall this is a pretty shade and would make a lovely spring manicure, but it isn't my favorite by a long way. Both Miami Peach and Orange Fizz are similar enough not to warrant owning all three (unless you really want to!) and there seem to be a lot of these sort of shades on the market right now.

Chanel Distraction (flash)

Close up!

Chanel Holiday Le Vernis Nail Polish Swatch & Review (Summertime De Chanel)

Part of Chanel's Summer Collection is this beautiful bright redish-tangerine nail polish called 617 Holiday. It's very saturated in color so you only need 1 or 2 coats ( I used two here) and it has a glossy finish so you don't need top coat. It goes on smooth and opaque, not too thin or thick and lasts on me about 3-4 days before I get any tip wear. This makes a lovely change from a standard red or orange nail polish and no doubt will inspire many copies, I can see myself getting a lot of use from this one over the summer (it looks great on toes paired with Mac's Sail La Vie Lipstick and Chanel Delight on hands). Overall I highly recommend this one!

Chanel Tentation (541) Nail Polish Swatch, Review & Dupes (Les Roses Ultimes De Chanel)

Chanel Le Vernis in 541 Tentation is a medium-dark raspberry pink with fuchsia shimmer and was launched in the Les Roses Ultimes De Chanel. It's super smooth and pigmented, I used two coats for good coverage. Unusually for Chanel the shimmer is quite strong as is visible in non direct light. I couldn't find anything like this in my collection- the shimmer does make it stand out from the rest but the base color is similar to China Glaze Heli-Yum or Estee Lauder Fuchsia, Chanel's Pulsion is more blue toned. Tentation has a glossy finish and lasts about 3-4 days on me before I notice any tip wear. 

Chanel Tentation (flash)

Chanel Tentation (daylight, outdoors)

Chanel Delight Nail Polish 607 Swatch & Review (Summertime De Chanel)

Chanel Le Vernis in 607 Delight is a pale bronzy rose-gold. This has been released with the Summertime De Chanel Collection so I'm not sure if it's limited edition or not. I've seen many photos of it online but they haven't captured it that accurately (it sort of looked quite dark and bronze) so I wasn't really expecting to like it. In real life however it is much paler and looks like rose gold to me, it's pretty much everything I wanted Deborah Lippmann's Glamourous Life to be! It applies smoothly and with opaque coverage (I used two coats here), plus it dried quickly with a shiny finish so I didn't need topcoat.

Texture wise it's very similar to Graphite from the Autumn collection so it's very sparkly but as it's Chanel it has been done in a very refined way. This lasted me 4 days before I noticed any tip wear, the photos were taken on day 3 with no top or base coat. Overall I really (and unexpectedly) like this colour, no doubt it will inspire many copies but if you're like me and are a bit of a Chanelphile then this one is a must-have.

Revlon Red Bikini (Escapism Collection) Swatch & Review

Revlon Nail Enamel in Red Bikini is from the Escapism Collection by Gucci Westman for summer 2012. It's a vibrant orange toned red creme with a glossy finish. It is pretty opaque in one coat but I used two for good measure. This sort of reminded me of Chanel's Coromandel nail polish which I reviewed earlier, just without the subtle shimmer.

It dried a bit quicker than your standard polish which was a bit of a bonus and I found it lasted 2-3 days before I noticed any tip wear. A word of warning though, make sure you use a base coat with any sort of bright red as they can stain your nails for several days after removal. As far as I know this is a limited edition shade, so if you like it check it out sooner rather than later!

Dior Vernis Safari Beige 219 Swatch & Review

Dior Safari Beige nail polish is a creamy nude, I think it can change a lot in tone depending on your skintone. In the bottle it pulls a little grey but on me it goes more pinkish. I've been trying to find the perfect nude nail polish for a long time so I thought I'd give this one a go as it seems to have a bit of a cult following. It's quite thick as polishes go but goes on relatively opaque (I used 2 coats but it could have done with 3 if you want a perfect finish).

Like other Dior polishes this has a wide brush to make application fast and easy. I did notice that it dried pretty quick- I was outside painting my nails and it was drying in between brushstrokes! It has a shiny finish but for a real glossy look you would need a topcoat. I find Dior nail polishes last on me 3-4 days before it shows tipwear.

Models Own Hed Kandi Balearic Cool Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Finally the last of the Models Own Hed Kandi Collection- this is Balearic Cool which is a creamy bright (but not neon) turquoise blue. It's very pretty but not the sort of color I usually go for! But I can see it would look great maybe as a pedi with a bit of a tan. This one was on the thin and sheer side, I used 3 coats here (I never have the patience for any more coats!) and you can still see a bit of VNL.

This lasted about 3 days before it started to show tip wear which is about normal for me. It dries to a semi shiny finish so you'll need a topcoat for the glossy look. Overall I've been really impressed with this collection, both on formula and colors.

Models Own Hedonist Hed Kandi Swatch & Review

Models Own Hedonist Nail Polish is a very, very (almost neon) bright coral red. This is from the Hed Kandi Collection and is probably my favourite of the bunch- I do have a weakness for anything coral! This is highly pigmented and you could probably get away with 1 coat if you were careful but I used 2 here for good measure. Like a neon this dries to a rubbery, matte finish so you need a topcoat to get a shiny finish.

I got 3 days wear from this before I noticed any tipwear (although if I didn't use topcoat it started to chip after just 1 day). Formula wise this was a bit thicker than most polishes but it didn't make any difference to its application in any way.

Models Own Disco Heaven Hed Kandi Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Models Own Disco Heaven Nail Polish is a gorgeous mix of gold and turquoise/blue small glitter (the aqua is more noticeable in real life). It goes on surprisingly opaque for a glitter- this is 3 coats but you could also wear it layered over a different nail polish. I think the addition of the aqua glitter is what really sets it apart from your standard gold polish, I don't have anything else like it in my collection. Being a glitter this dries very quickly but the payoff is that it's a pain to remove (best method is to soak a cotton pad in acetone remover and hold onto the nail for a good 45 seconds).

I found this lasted 4 days before I noticed any tip wear. It's also worthwhile using a topcoat to give a smoother, glossier finish (but this isn't particularly gritty as glitters go).

Bourjois 1 Seconde 10 Rouge Poppy Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish in 10 Rouge Poppy is a bright creamy coral red. These new nail varnishes from Bourjois are supposed to have a gel-silicone texture, I'm not sure how different they are supposed to be from your average polish- they don't seem that incomparable. It is nicely pigmented though, this was 2 coats and I have no VNL. The brush is one of those pro wide wands which makes it super fast to apply, the first coat dried quickly but once the second was on it was a good 20 minutes before it was dry enough no to worry about smudging it. Having said that, I did dent it about 40 minutes afterwards so I would strongly advise putting on a quick dry topcoat.

As you can see it has a lovely glossy finish and it is a beautiful color - very similar to the YSL polish I reviewed the other day. I found this lasted about 2-3 days before I noticed any tip wear.

YSL La Laque Couture 4 Corail Colisee Swatch & Review

I came across this the other day from Yves Saint Laurent, I think they might have launched a new nail polish collection recently as I've never noticed it before. Anyway I picked up number 4 Corail Colisee which is a very bright coral red. It dries a little bit darker than you see in the bottle but it's still very pretty. It is on the sheer side, almost like a jelly, I used 2 coats but it needed 3 looking back at the photos as you can see a fair amount of VNL.

They've included a wide brush, a bit like the ones from OPI, which makes painting nails super fast. It dries nice and glossy (I didn't use a top coat here). This manicure lasted me about 3 days before I saw any tip wear which is about average for me as I'm quite heavy handed.

Models Own Beach Party Hed Kandi Nail Polish Review & Swatch

Models Own Beach Party nail polish from it's collaboration with Hed Kandi is a neon orange, I haven't seen this color around much, it's far paler than most neon oranges on the market, it's almost somewhere between yellow and orange. I think this would look much better on tanned skin so I might keep this one back for the summer.

This went on surprisingly opaque, I used 2 coats here and I can't see any VNL. I get about 3 days wear on average from Models Own nail polishes. It dries very quickly and almost matte so you'd need to use a top coat for a shiny finish. You can see my review for the Hed Kandi polish in Ibiza Mix here

Models Own Ibiza Mix Hed Kandi Nail Polish Review & Swatch

Fresh back from my trip to the UK and the first of my many beauty purchases I've got to review is this- the Models Own Ibiza Mix nail polish from their Hed Kandi Collaboration. It's a really pretty one made up of bigger turquoise, lilac, gold and copper glitter pieces and gold, pinkish and bright blue smaller glitter bits in a clear base. This is one of those polishes that you need to dab on to get an even placement of glitter and you do need to wait until each coat is dry before attempting the next, otherwise you can accidentally move them around.

I used 3 coats here and I have pretty good coverage, but I think this was mainly designed for layering over other colours. As with most glitters this dries very quickly, I haven't used a top coat here but I think adding one would give it a nice glossy shine. I get about 5 days wear out of these, the glitter seems to hang on to my nails like glue so removal is a bit of an effort (I think the key is to soak a cotton pad in remover and press against each nail for a good 45 seconds then wipe off). The only thing I'm not so keen on is the smell, don't get me wrong- nail polish never smells good but this one seems particularly noxious! For those who are curious, this is nothing like Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday or one of the many imitations as it doesn't have the rainbow of glitters.