... Polish Fixation - Bad Postie! ...

Bad Postie!

Gifted from the fantastic Erika!

Today I've got for you a gorgeous franken from Erika at Polish Fixation! [go check her out *hint hint*]

This beautie is called "Bad Postie!". Obviously I'm Australian and here we call the Postman [or Mailman/Letter Carrier/Dude that brings your mail etc] the "Postie".  Here ours generally dresses in fluro colours like someone at a rave or with bad colour blindness and rides around on little motorbikes trying to avoid getting run over by reversing cars out of driveways - if you are lucky enough yours walks around on foot.

I swear mine as he is nasty and brings me unwanted bills and not enough parcels of love!! He also doesn't deliver on the weekend and I think as a general rule there should be parcel services on the weekend to brighten your day [no bills though - that just would put you in a bad mood!]

** Postie photo stolen from Google images as I thought I'd look too much like a stalker if I chased mine down the street with a camera **

So Erika has managed to pick up a "Speak like an Aussie" star of approval from me for using the word "postie"!!  Now back to the polish! It's a beautiful blue with holo flecks throughout! Pretty! Application was super easy and if you don't like feeling the holo particles then stick some top coat on for instant smoothness.

As always my camera doesn't want to play nice but all the lovely dots of white are actually holo particles.

** Final Verdict **
Beautiful franken. Fantastic colour. Holo Bonus! Plus I've had this song stuck in my head all day ... "Stop! Oh yes - wait a minute Mr Postman ... Wait! Waaaaaaaaaaaait - Mr Postman"

... Revlon - 375 Passion Fruit ...

Revlon - 375 Passion Fruit

Gifted by Lyncia

I know the scented polishes have done the rounds already but I've only just gotten my hands on some and I'm quite excited.

Firstly - this polish is a BTP [b*tch to photograph] ... the top pic is closer to the truth than the pink that turns up in the later pic. Judging from what I pulled on Google Images it seems I'm not the only one with this problem. So I've made some dot points about this polish for you all ...

DO use at least 2 coats [1 just doesn't quick do the trick]
DON'T make the coats too thick even though it's tempting with the amount that comes off the brush
DO enjoy the lovely look and smooth streak free coating
DON'T attempt to eat chips while waiting for it to dry or it will no longer be smooth
DO enjoy the fruity smell while on your nails
DON'T try to take a whiff out of the polish bottle to see what it smells like
DO show all your friends
DON'T shove your fingers under peoples noses and say "smell my finger"

** Final Verdict **
A nice refreshing change from having stinky polish ... the scent seemed to hang around for awhile aswell which I wasn't expecting. I thought it might disappear after a few washes. I keep getting a pleasant scent everytime I put my hands up past my face. I also found them this week in my local Target for $13.95 - woohoo! No excuses not to try! Get on it!

... Happy Spring Gradient ...

I decided to try something different today and try out some gradient art - now I've sucked badly at gradients in the past but practice makes perfect so I'll keep plugging at it. After failing badly at using makeup sponges to do this I received last week a cheapo sponge from Hong Kong as a freebie with an eBay order I placed. Basically it's the same shape as a Konad stamper but just has a foam base so I thought I'd give it a shot.

So I've started with yesterdays mani of Finger Paints in Art Nouv-Yellow and sponged Ulta3 in Crazy over the top.

Oooh ... actually doesn't look too bad - so to finish it off I've sponged Ulta3 in Sizzling Red on the top for a 3 way contrast.

And then I decided to get out the OPI White Shatter to see what that looked like on top. In hindsight I probably should have stamped on top but hey - next time! It still looks happy even though I should have waited longer for the red to dry as I have pink in a few places instead of white.

** Final Verdict **

I was quite pleased with myself with how it went so I'll definitely try this technique out again in the future!

... Finger Paints - Art Nouv-Yellow ...

Finger Paints - Art Nouv-Yellow

Gifted from the lovely Tamala

I've already said I've got a thing for yellow this spring! So this one was jumping at me out of my untested overflowing helmer drawer.

This is a beautiful yellow - it reminds me of bananas! Nom nom nom. I've seriously missed eating bananas and can't wait until they are back in production and cheap to buy again! [For those non-Aussies banana prices jumped to a seriously expensive $15/kg due to a cyclone that hit North Queensland last summer - they are only starting to drop in price now]

This is 3 coats and while there is some visible nail line going on it's still really beautiful. No lumps or bumps with this polish but there is a slight dent on my nail which I apologise for - that's my actual nail doing that not the polish.

** Final Verdict **
Ah yellow ... such a happy colour. I would have loved it if this particular yellow was thicker but it's still a beautiful polish. Makes me smile!

... blogroll ...

Howdy everyone!

I'm hoping I'll be back up and blogging from tomorrow. I've really just been waiting for 2 cuts on my hands to heal up after an altercation involving me and flat pack furniture that wouldn't play nicely. Unfortunately both cuts were right near my nail and obviously nail polish remover really stings!

While I've been out of action I've updated my Blogroll. If you are a follower then please check that you are listed on my "Blogroll" Tab and over on the left hand side if you aren't viewing this via mobile blogger.

I have a lot of blogs on my dashboard these days and while I'm not complaining because I love finding new things to read - some days due to time I seriously only look at those on my blogroll. So if you want me to continue to swing by regularly then please make sure you are there!!!

I've tried to link as many of you as I can over and I'm super sorry if I've missed you - it's totally nothing personal just an oversight on my end. But please let me know so I can add you! Cheers!

... Zoya - Dove ...

Zoya - Dove

Gifted by the lovely Lyncia ♥

Wowsers - it's my first Zoya. Seriously I jumped around like a kid in a candy store when I opened my mail to find this!

This is dove and it's a beautiful grey creme with a tint of blue. I sat looking at it for ages trying to work out what it reminded me of until it hit me ... blu-tack! I'm sure I wasn't the only one in Primary School who put blu-tac on their finger nails and pretended it was polish ... c'mon ... own up!!

Unlike blu-tack this polish isn't sticky and looks amazing! It's such a pretty colour. Application was a breeze and this is 2 coats which covered my nail completely and dried quickly.

[please excuse the 2 fingers with cuts ... the new Ikea furniture won that particular round! Lots of swearing involved. Damn things!]

** Final Verdict **
Love the colour, love the application - all in all ... I need more Zoyas!

... A England - King Arthur ...

... A England - King Arthur ...

Won! [Hoorah] but available online at the A England website

Awhile ago the A England Facebook page had a "tag and win" competition on their beautiful range of polishes - and I was lucky enough to win one of them!! Woohoo!!!!!

So I was so excited when it arrived! We all know Australia Post isn't fast at the best of times but I'm glad it finally got here in top condition [as any King should!]. I also got a little card from Adina! YAY!

I've seen swatches of A England around but nothing could prepare me for how wonderful these actually are. King Arthur is a beautiful dark grey - reminds me of that dark murky colour of armour and swords. My camera didn't capture how wonderful this polish actually is - it seems to slightly change colour in different light to more of a blue grey. Brilliant! There is a slight shimmer that is visible that varies from pink to green to silver to blue. Wow!

This polish just glides on and it's beautiful. This is only 2 coats of pure awesome. King Awesome! Super fast drying with no unslightly bumps or anything. Gorgeous!

[ooh - the shadowing makes my thumb look evil!!]

** Final Verdict **
It's been awhile since a polish blew me over like this. It's fantastic in colour and even better in application! So over the weekend I've ordered a few more of this collection in hope that they are just as wonderful! Also ... they have free shipping worldwide!!!! FANTASTIC!!! You know you want it! DO IT!!!!!

... Chemistry 242 and Haul photos ...

Chemistry 242

Purchased from edistribution - $4.70 AUD

So I finally dragged my butt down to the edistribution warehouse last week [aka Polish Heaven] as I haven't been for awhile. This is the warehouse to get Chemistry polishes from and as I've explained before they are Ozotic dupes [although some batches are slightly different to Ozotics as we are finding out]

Sadly to say the top shelf is the 500 and 600 shelf ... and it's looking a bit sad and sorry for itself. If it's been restocked then it's also been quickly raided.  This was the only photo I took but to get an idea of this place multiply these 3 shelves by 4 or 5 across ... very drool worthy!

I'm embarrassed to say this is how many I walked away with this trip ... I've been trying to condole myself by saying that most are for other people so I don't feel so guilty about it.

Also heads up to anyone heading that way that apart from a few crusty bottles that look like testers - the square Essential Beauty polishes aren't in stock either. I couldn't bring myself to buy a half empty bottle ... Bummer really as they look so good.

Anyhoo ... on to todays swatch. This is 242 and I've found some real gems in this 200 series. This is a blue to greeny-gold duochrome - pretty!

I'm not sure if it was the brush or the polish but this one did come out a bit streaky but not enough to make me throw it in frustration. It still dried really quickly though.

Pretty blue

Turning light blue

Weird greeny gold colour - dunno how to describe it but it looks fantastic

** Final Verdict **

For the price really you can't go wrong. The other duochromes in the 700 series are just as nice but more expensive. The only downside was the slight streaking but that can be easily overlooked when it changes colour before your eyes.

End Note - If I brought some of these polishes for you for whatever reason I'll be emailing you today to let you know what's going on! Cheers

... It's all in a name & NOTD ...

I seem to have offended someone lately with this so I'll come clean. Personally I don't see the big deal - as a name is a name but I don't want anyone feeling unloved that they didn't know and I don't want anymore hurt feelings.

For those of you who don't know technically my name isn't "Claire" - It's not the name written on my birth certificate and really it's more of an alias. A portion of people in my real life that I have met in the past few years call me Claire which is a really long story that I don't have time to type up but it started with someone believing my name was Claire and calling me that constantly. Dunno where it came from but it became more of a humourous point of my life than an annoying point - my husband and I get a huge laugh from it and I seriously don't mind being called Claire - she seems to have a lot of fun!

I'm a big believer that if you tell someone that "they don't look like a *name goes here*" then the reason is simple ... you know someone with the same name and that the 2 people don't look alike. I struggled in high school reading a book about a character named "Homer" as all I could think of was Homer Simpson [doh!] ... so I must look like a Claire!

When I started getting back into polish I had a dream about a blog and I was going to call it "Shatter me Claire" - I don't often remember dreams so it was a weird occasion for me but I took my own advice and here we are today.

So ... there you go. Feel free to call me Claire still ... or you can go to Sarah Claire which is what I'm on Facebook as these days. Honestly I'm not fussed but I don't want anyone else to feel upset over it.

And with that out of the way .... here are my nails of the day.

This is Finger Paints Add & Abstract with China Glaze Fairy Dust over the top ... pretty. The sun is out today so holo away my beauty! I've already done a swatch of Add & Abstract in the past but I'll do a full one on Fairy Dust soon!

Have a good one *heads out into the sunshine*

... NYC Color - Frappé ...

NYC Color - Frappé

Purchased from Woolworths Supermarkets - $2.00 AUD

Remember a week or so ago when I posted a big bin of NYC polishes at my local Woolies - well that's now gone. I can't believe how quickly that massive bin emptied. I'm now seriously hoping they restock as I only walked away with 6 or so polishes.

Anyway I'll come out and say it ... Frappé really should have been named "Crappé" - ugh. This polish was awful for me - streaky and took forever to try and then still smudged. It was also quite sheer and it's really disappointing considering how beautiful this is in the bottle.

Firstly obviously what I think as the colour "frappé" isn't the colour at all as this is the second polish with this name in my collection and both are similar colours being more of a pinky purple and not browns at all.

On the outside it looks like a beautiful dusty pink that nearly looks like a metallic in the bottle - in reality it's an extremely sheer light pink.

This is 3 coats of frappé and it's not entirely opaque plus you can see a lot of streaks. There is no bubbles but the drying time leaves something to be desired. Even with a top coat this only lasted a day before I started to get chips and tip wear - seriously disappointing.

** Final Verdict **
Rather disappointing and I won't be wearing this again ... well not like this. I'm hoping to be able to franken it into something wearable though.

... Rilakkuma Nails part 1 ...

I'm determined to get this eventually but I'm not happy with it so far so have some progress pics while I struggle with it. I've always been told that if you don't document where you started then you won't be able to look back and see the progress.

A friend suggested some nail art featuring Rilakkuma which is a Japanese character from San-X

[* photo sourced from Google images * ]

So attempt #1 really looks more like dog faces or something - I have the eyes totally in the wrong space *sad* I'll try again in a week or so and hope for more luck!

Colours used are Mode - Glitzy Glam, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - 21 White On, Rimmel 60 second - 800 Black Out

... pink holo comparison ...

Today I have a bit of a quick one for you that was requested at some stage in the past and as usual I totally  forgot about it. Firstly - how does Ozotic Pro 601 compare with Chemistry 601 and how do they both compare to Glitter Gal pink polishes. I'd seen swatches of Ozotic 601 and from there really wanted to get hold of it as it looked slightly different from Chemistry 601 but until I put them together I wasn't 100% sure

So here are the contenders ....

From left to right ... Glitter Gal Fuchsia, Chemistry 601, Ozotic 601, Glitter Gal Frappe

Just from the bottles you can see that the 601 polishes look identical. GG Fuchsia is close but there is more of a rainbow and Frappe is a lighter colour all together.

Again left to right  ... Glitter Gal Fuchsia, Chemistry 601, Ozotic Pro 601, Glitter Gal Frappe

These are 2 coats of each on the colour wheel and you'll notice that the Glitter Gal Fuchsia and Chemistry 601 are a similar shade of pink but the difference is that the Glitter Gal is a linear holo with that full rainbow appearing while the Chemistry is a scatter. Frappe is definitely a lot closer in colour to the Ozotic in this shot [although again one is linear one is scattered] - they aren't as similar as the Fuchsia and Chemistry though.

Left to right ... Chemistry 601, Ozotic 601, Chemistry 601, Ozotic 601

Pretty close but slightly different - the Ozotic is a lot more sheer than the Chemistry. This is 3 coats of Ozotic and 2 of Chemistry. Plus the Chemistry is noticeably darker and doesn't show the white dots of holo so much when they aren't out blinging in the sun.

** Final Verdict **
All up it's a hard call when you compare scattered and linear holos. I love Chemistry 601 and definitely prefer it over Ozotic 601 just because it is a brighter pink and doesn't have the white spots in the shade. Both the Glitter Gals are pretty nice but I'd definitely pick of Fuchsia just because Frappe is rather sheer.

... Cate Ruby - Hello Yellow ...

Cate Ruby - Hello Yellow

Purchased from Cate Ruby - $14.95 AUD

Seriously yellow polish is under rated - I'm not sure why so many people don't like it. It's the second week of spring here and I'm seriously wanting to get out all the bright happy colours and hoping that the weather will follow suit!

This beauty is the latest colour from Cate Ruby called "Hello Yellow". It's a lovely vibrant yellow that fully covers the nail in 2 coats. I didn't have any issues with streaks or bubbles - just pure fantasticness.

Now regular readers know that my ultimate nail polish lasting test revolves around the disgusting chemical filled public pool I visit. Until now I'd only had 1 out of many many polishes last the test until this became number 2 - hoorah! So I officially give this the "Shatter me Claire longlife wear tick of approval" - I wore this for 3 days including being in the chlorine infested pool for an hour and walked away with zero chips. FANTASTIC!

Now I know yellow isn't everyones cup of tea - especially this one as it's so bright but I decided to give it a stamp to soften the colour slightly and decided to use BM-221 with Konad black polish ... and even though I smudged the black in a few places [must practice some more!] I got SO many comments on this it wasn't funny. Even one lady at a beauty/polish shop didn't believe they were real and thought I'd put stickers on. I'll be definitely wearing this design again at some point in the future - love it!!

** Final Verdict **

If you don't mind wearing a bright yellow then you might want to consider picking this one up. I had zero issues with the application and I know I'll be wearing again in the future. Now ... come on Spring!!!

... Glitter Gal - Passion Kiss ...

Glitter Gal - Passion Kiss Lip Gloss                                   

Purchased from Glitter Gal Cosmetics - $9.95 AUD

Yes this still Shatter me Claire and No I haven't turned into a beauty blog - I'm still a nails girl - but this came across my path recently and I wanted to share as I know that some of you readers would be interested in this.

I know that everyone knows that Glitter Gal has fantastic 3D holographic nail polish - but do you know what other items they sell?? I've ordered via their site numerous times and I had no idea - I seem to bypass everything and run straight to the polishes. I'd seen the mascara around but only as it was being sold at Perfume Connection as part of the "Bling" collection right next to the 3D polishes but that's about it.

So here goes - this is a lip gloss from their "Kissing Booth" range called Passion Kiss which is a gorgeous reddish brown with gold shimmer throughout. Kinda reminds me of the red dirt you get in the northern areas of Australia ... but a shiny version!

I've been racking my brain as to what it smells like as it really does bring back childhood memories for some reason but I can't put my finger on what - I keep thinking "Hubba Bubba" but I can't find any of todays flavours that match [yes I went out and brought a heap!]. It's something fruity anyway [would love to know if you guys have this gloss and have an idea!]

I'm not big on lip glosses personally as most of the colours I've really liked in the past have a formula that I hate - that formula that dries your lips out and makes them start to peel and look dry and disgusting! You know the one I mean. This one is different and seems to keep them moist and also this one doesn't feel like your lips are sticking together

The size is 15g which seems huge compared to some of the other lipglosses I have lying around the place. Now I've never swatched lip gloss so please be nice - hopefully you'll get an idea of the colour.

Straight out the tube! [yuck - my skin looks gross up close]

Ooh smudgy!

** Final Verdict **
I totally didn't expect this lipgloss to be so nice. It looks a lot darker in the tube then what it appears and I really wasn't sure how this would look on me. I also had a nice surprise on how nice the formula is - I won't have dry gross looking lips for a bit!!  If you find yourself ordering from Glitter Gal in the future then I'd recommend checking out their makeup section - you might be surprised!

I'll be definitely be back to some nail swatches tomorrow for you all! See you then!

... China Glaze - Passion in the Pacific ...

China Glaze - Passion in the Pacific

Brought in a BlogSale

I brought Passion in the Pacific on a blog sale back when I was still super dooper new at blogging from the lovely Flossy Locks [who I wish would come back soon!]

Anyway this is a lovely teal polish and I've used 3 coats as it was slightly opaque. It's got a lovely shimmer  throughout aswell and honestly it's got to be bordering on being a metallic. Gorgeous. No bumps or streaks but I had a slight issue with drying time which I think it's cos the 2 times I've used it I've been in a huge rush - ugh.

** Final Verdict **
It's a gorgeous colour and easy to wear and it matches a lot of my clothes! Fantastic! Also I thought I'd stamp one nail for some punch and to spice this up a bit! I've used Konad black polish on Bundle Monster plate BM205. Love this design!

... Blue Monday. Beauty Style - Blue Knight ...

Beauty Style - Blue Knight

Purchased from Priceline - $2.99

Dear Blogger - I love you but the new interface sucks and keeps posting things when I don't want them to appear.

This is a cheapo polish that I picked up for free last time I had vouchers for Priceline. I've seen a few of this brand swatched in the past week so I thought I'd finally get mine out of the plastic and give it a whirl.

This is "Blue Knight" and it's an ok polish but it's nothing super special. Straight away the first impression is that it's tiny - the bottle only holds 6.24ml.

The colour is more of a dark blue - oddly it actually goes on slightly darker than the bottle [how does that happen?].  The brush on this bottle is small and a pain to use. Give me a regular brush anyday - but surprisingly the polish  fights back and overcomes any streaks left by the brush to make a smooth polish. It actually looks a bit like a jelly when it's on and dried.

I ended up making this a matte which I liked a lot better which really is not like me at all. I generally like shiny things. I used Essie "Matte about you" which I received from the lovely Tamala in a swap recently and it's awesome - dries quick and makes everything pretty!

** Final Verdict **

It's small and it's got a horrible brush ... but if you overlook that there is a pretty blue polish waiting to appear and make your day!

... Finger Paints - Add & Abstract ...

Finger Paints - Add & Abstract

Gifted from the extremely lovely Tamala

Firstly ... I haven't been around for the past few days as I haven't felt like swatching or even changing my polish. I caught my right hand middle finger badly and it caught well below where it should [ow ow ow ow ow ow]. 

I know it's silly but I felt really crappy about it and didn't want to do much with my nails - but I missed you guys ... now I'm aiming to have it grown out in time for my brothers wedding in October *crosses fingers* ... Now moving on!

This is my first finger paints and I was so excited to receive it! If you ever hear random squeals of excitement then it's only me receiving wonderful mail! This is a beautiful colour which I'm going to say is a teal. It's definitely a green blue in the shade and more of an azure blue in the sun. There is a slight shimmer aswell which is beautiful

These swatches are 2 coats on nude nails. I found it easy to apply with no streaks or bubbles appearing. Also the drying time was really good so no need for a quick dry.

Inside looking greeny-blue

In the sun looking more of an azure blue

* Final Verdict *

I love this polish. It was beautiful and easy to wear plus seriously this polish reminds me of my first car - my beloved Mazda. Sadly we departed ways under a year ago and I still miss her. I know it's sad to have an attachment to a material item like a car but we were together a long time. Technically she was blue but she used to shift in the sun like this polish *loves*

{photo taken from Google image search}