From the Untamed Luxury Collection - $2.49 at transdesign.com and $2.75 at 8ty8beauty.com
Here are two Autumn beauties I purchased recently from the new(ish) Untamed Luxury collection from Color Club. Jewel of a Girl is a rich plum-wine and Nothing But Truffle is a neutral glowy brown. Both are a very smooth shimmer finish that can be sort of glowy in some lights. They both have a hint of frost to them, so the depth in the shimmer isn't what it could be, but they're both equally beautiful no matter which way you slice it. Color Club polishes are of great quality for such a low price, so if you're looking to beef up your collection of vampy Fall colors, Color Club is a good place to start. The application on both polishes is great; they're two coaters and are decently pigmented. They dry quickly but do dry down a little dull so a topcoat is recommended.
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Ulta Professional Nail Lacquer Set in Glam Goth - 9.99 at Ulta stores
This set of minis from Ulta Professional is available at Ulta stores, though I don't know for how long. I imagine it's limited edition because I bought this set for myself and one for a pal a week ago, and now it's gone from the site. Make sure to check your stores, though, because I've heard they keep them at the counter and you might get lucky.
This set is 5 mini polishes, each blackened versions of one color or another and all different in finish. The colors included are Underground (blackened smoky blue with blue shimmer), Tainted Love (sweet lush green with large golden shimmer), For Bitten (black with duochrome micro-flakes), Black Lace (creamy blackened slate grey), After Hours (deep eggplant with smoky purple frost). All five are quite pretty but Black Lace, For Bitten, and Tainted Love really stand out of the group as being more unique. If you'd like to take a closer look at each shade, keep on reading!
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OPI DS Mystery - $7 at transdesign.com
I adore the OPI Designer Series line of polishes. While it's true that most of them are holographic, even if it's just a bit, there are a few that aren't holo but are just plain cool. DS Royal is one of those, and Mystery is another. I've been debating over Mystery for some time and I finally just bought it off eBay. I got mine for about $10 total including shipping, so basically less than retail if you were to get it at Ulta or some such place. The polish is a bit different than I imagined from the bottle, and I haven't seen (or really looked for online swatches for) it so I was a little surprised. It's a lot more opaque than I thought it would be with all that shimmer in the bottle. The first coat reveals that the base is a very deep blue-toned purple with some translucent large shimmer particles. The weird part about this polish is that inside in indirect light the shimmer is gorgeous! It's like lots of autumnal green-gold and brown shimmer running through the base. Then you go outside and half the shimmer disappears and blends into the base but there's a little bit of copper-toned shimmer peeking out. I only really like this polish when it's not in indirect light. I think this would be a lot better for the winter months when there isn't much sun. This polish didn't blow me away, but it's got some nice qualities.
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Both photos: Index to pinkie - Rimmel Art of Noise, Zoya Yasmeen, China Glaze Let's Groove, Illamasqua Baptiste
Rimmel Art of Noise - One of the lighter polishes in this comparison, this one is very similar to Yasmeen but the shimmer is just a bit more on the pink side.
Zoya Yasmeen - Similar in base to the Rimmel but the shimmer is brighter, more plentiful and a bit more orange.
China Glaze Let's Groove - Just a tad darker than the previous two, and with less overt shimmer, but very vibrant.
Illamasqua Baptiste - The shimmer in this one is most visible in bright lighting, but it's very rich. The darkest of the bunch.
click to see a couple more pics of these polishes in indirect and lamp light.
Illamasqua Baptiste - $14 at sephora.com
Another home-run from Illamasqua! I adore these polishes, and can forsee an intervention being staged on my behalf at some point in the future. In the meantime I'll just keep on keepin' on. This British brand of dramatic cosmetics is so fun, and the nail polishes are some of the coolest members of the family. Baptiste is a very rich and saturated royal purple full of twinkling blue and violet-pink shimmer. It's super dark on the nail and the shimmer is most visible in direct lighting but does allow it to not look black in indirect light. It reminded me a lot of China Glaze Let's Groove in the bottle but it's just a bit deeper and the shimmer is a little more subtle, but the idea is similar. Below are more photos of Baptiste in different lights. Check it out!
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Phallic - $14 at Sephora.com
The richness of Illamasqua polishes keeps on blowing me away. This deep blue with gorgeous sparkles had me at, "wait, is that really the name?" Phallic might be just one of a plethora of midnight shimmers on the market, but it's worth having for so many reasons in my opinion. The formula, like all the other Illamasqua polishes I've tried, is buttery perfection. It's incredibly pigmented but somewhat translucent making it easier for the sparkles to shine through a bit in the sun. You can see along my cuticle what one coat would look like due to my sloppy application. For fans of Chanel Blue Satin, or those who missed out on it, this is a gorgeous sister polish. The depth of the blue is incredible; super deep but never appearing black. It's probably the deepest blue I can think of that can do that trick. Like I said, if you're familiar with Chanel Blue Satin, you'll find Phallic familiar. The application and color is much the same but Phallic has that bit of added sparkle instead of that vibrant embedded shimmer that you see in Blue Satin. The above photo is with flash, and below you can see more photos including one in inside indirect light.
Click for more photos of Phallic!
What's on your nails right now? I'm sporting one of my favorite shades from the China Glaze Retro Diva collection, Let's Groove. It's described and a rich eggplant shimmer, but that's sort of an understatement. For fans of Zoya Yasmeen and OPI Who Are You Wearing, this will hit the spot. It's the perfect compromise between the two purple-with-red/orange-shimmer stunners, neither too light nor too dark. The application is superb; one coat will nearly do ya, but two gives the best coverage and a lush look, and the shimmer is to-die-for. Sadly, though it's barely been on a day (can you believe how shiny it still is?) I have to remove it because my Up & Aways just arrived, and I'll be playing with those. Pics soon!
Clickety click, nailies, more photos after the jump
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Color Club With Abandon from the Wild At Heart collection. Available at head2toebeauty.com for $2.50
With Abandon is a dark cool brown jelly base with large duochrome shimmer pieces that shift in a range of colors from warm olive to coppery pink.
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Zoya Angelina - Available at zoya.com for $7
Angelina is a creme that borders on a jelly. The application of this polish, like most other Zoyas is pretty flawless. This is one of the innately glossy polishes I've come across and that paired with it's smooth dark chocolate appearance, it's a polish I can't help but love. There's not much to say about this polish except that it's application, appearance and wear is exemplary.
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