... piCture pOlish - Goldfinger ...

piCture pOlish - Goldfinger

Purchased from piCture pOlish - $9.50 AUD

*sings offkey* ♫ GOLDDDDDDDDFINGAHHHHHHHHHHHHH ♫

I won't lie. I'm a Bond groupie ... I've seen every movie [and own most on DVD] ... I'm also in that rare breed who thinks that Roger Moore was the best Bond *ducks for cover*  Even if you haven't seen this movie the odds are you've seen a parody or something from it.

The piCture pOlish tag line is "you can be a bond girl too" - although I'm not sure how many of you want to be the Bond Girls in this film. One dies after being sprayed in gold and the other is called Pussy Galore *insert immature giggle here*

"Auric Goldfinger.

Sounds like a French nail varnish!"

I was so excited to get this - mainly because of that swatch that appeared on the piCture pOlish homepage for so long that made it look so beautifully awesome but it's taken me forever to blog about it and I had to go dig out these forgotten photos off my memory card as I wanted to compare it to something else [thankfully my nails are no longer like this and I like to think my swatching has improved!!!]

This is 3 coats of Goldfinger and I really love the colour as it looks like you are wearing a foil rather than looking like a metallic which I love. But I'll be honest - I was really disappointed by this polish. It streaks, it doesn't dry fast, it's sheer and it applies unevenly with bald spots everywhere. I've tried twice now to love this polish but both times I'm getting the same results.

Surprisingly the photos don't show the streaks so bad but as soon as I took this it smudged beyond recognition *sad*. I was hoping to stamp on top but that's not going to happen.

** Final Verdict **
This is a really beautiful colour but the application really doesn't help to give it justice which is such a shame. I wouldn't put it top of my list of polishes to buy from piCture pOlish ... but ... I'm hoping to fix this polish at some stage in the future ! *grabs the franken gloves*

I'll leave you with a random fact about me ... I always sing the "Max Power" song from the Simpsons everytime I hear the Goldfinger tune throughout the movie!!

... Face of Australia Barbados - I Like To Mauve It ...

Face of Australia Barbados - I Like To Mauve It

Available from Big W, Priceline, Kmart

So here is another beauty from the Barbados range. I'm quite impressed with this one and who doesn't love a purple shimmer? I guess I would have preferred a less cliched name but what can you do? It's extremely pretty regardless of it's title.

"I Like To Mauve It" is as you'd expect. A mauve. It's a very pretty purple even though my swatches seem to have taken on a pink tone. This is 3 coats and while I did have issues on my thumb I am pretty sure that was purely because of my impatience as the other fingers were fast drying. Again no lumps or bumps but just pure awesomeness.

** Final Verdict **
Up there with my favourite colours from the collection!

... Face of Australia Barbados - Let's Go Scuba Diving ...

Face of Australia Barbados - Let's Go Scuba Diving

Available from Big W

I've been having a bit of a green streak lately. So many pretty shades of wonder! Anyway this is bound to be another favourite.

Let's Go Scuba Diving is a beautiful metallic green with a green shimmer just to add more magnificence to it! As with all the other colours it's fast drying and after yesterdays fun it was great to have a non-stinky polish back on my fingers!

The only downfall I could find is like most greens it isn't friendly towards cuticles so please apply with care. Apart from that - it's gorgeous!!

** Final Verdict **
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

Before I go ... if anyone wishes to be Facebook friends please leave a message or email me! I don't bite! In recent weeks I've found this most useful in getting info on sales and deals that otherwise I may have overlooked!

... Face of Australia Barbados - Another Daiquiri Please ...

Face of Australia Barbados - Another Daiquiri Please

Available from Big W, Kmart and Priceline

Who doesn't want another Daiquiri? If that's not you then feel free to send it my way!! Frozen Daiquiri are essential in my freezer during the warmer months!!  Another Daiquiri Please is a fierce red with a beautiful golden and red shimmer.

Now I say "red" but honestly it does depend on your lighting to whether you get a red or a dark pink. It's definitely not as neon as Bright Lights Pink City but it's still very bright and not a dull colour at all. I'd actually consider this one to be more of a jelly than a metallic or foil.

Like all the other Barbados colours it's quick drying with no lumps or bumps. Also it's very smooth and again removal is painless. There is a very visible nail line though.

I will say this though as compared to the other polishes in the series. This one really smells. I thought it was just mean until I took my kiddies to school and had a 5 year old in one of the classroom yell "Something smells like nail polish". That's extra bad considering I painted them a few hours before hand. It definitely wasn't noticable while painting ... but the smell just hung around and then lingered a bit longer like an unwanted houseguest.

** Final Verdict **
The bottle colour is so pretty but I'm not sure that this is a colour that suits me. Shame really as it is so beautiful. Also the smell ... that's what's put me off on this. There is nothing worse than being shamed as having smelly polish ... especially by honest children. I'd love to hear if anyone else has this particular colour to see if theirs smells too - or if I just have a dud!

... Face of Australia Barbados - You Blue Me Away ...

Face of Australia Barbados - You Blue Me Away

Available from selected stores such as Big W, Priceline and Kmart

Unlike the Sally Hansen polish with the similar name ... this is a blue metallic with silver shimmer polish and for some reason it keeps reminding me of the colour periwinkle. I'm not sure that's what I'd accurately describe it as but it keeps popping back into my mind.

As it's becoming a trend with this range - it's super fast drying and there were no unwanted lumps or bumps. I found the silver shimmer in this so friendly towards any ridges or imperfections in your nails. It just covered that right up! It also dried super smooth and I found it quite sturdy against those housework jobs without resorting to chipping. I'll be trying this one next time I head to the chlorine infested pool to see if it'll survive the ultimate test.

** Final Verdict **
I can see this polish being one of my favourites in the future. It's a beautiful colour and those silver flecks just make it something different. Also I was expecting removal to be painful but I was pleasantly surprised that it just came straight off. Definitely my fave polish of the collection so far!

[edit] OK did anyone else laugh immaturely at the link for this post ... no? It's just me with the humour of a 13 year old then!

... Face of Australia Barbados - Bright Lights, Pink City ...

Face of Australia Barbados - Bright Lights, Pink City

Purchased from Big W [again $3 off sale! Get there!!!]

Firstly bare with me today ... I'm struggling with the change that is the new Blogger interface. I'm sure it'll grow on me but being sleep deprived and ill means I don't have the patience for new things.

Out of all the colours in the range I was unsure about this one. I dunno why as I generally love pink, maybe it was because of how fluro it looks but I definitely changed my mind once I was wearing it. Anyway "Bright Lights, Pink City" is a bright neon pink but with a beautiful golden shimmer throughout.

This is 3 coats and unfortunately there is visible nail line. I'm sure that could be sorted out with a nude as a base coat but it didn't bother me as much as it does with other colours. Also like Calypso Gold it was super fast drying. I'm ashamed to say that I painted them in the local Westfield last night while waiting for a friend to appear and I was expecting horror results as I generally end up with a mess of polish if I try and do them in a rush as it doesn't dry and then I smudge it everywhere *sad* but wow! It was awesome.

** Final Verdict **

I love a polish that surprises you by appearing a lot more fantastic than you thought it would. If you are a fan of pink or something that's super bright then you may wanna give this one a try.

... Face of Australia Barbados - Calypso Gold ...

Face of Australia - Barbados - Calypso Gold

Purchased from Big W [they have $3 off any Face of Australia cosmetic product at the moment ... so seriously run down there now if you want these cheap!!]

Miss me? I've missed me too! Between school holidays, Easter and having the immune system of a granny and picking up every bug that's walked past my house I have had zero time to paint my nails and sadder still is the fact I haven't wanted too ... I guess that's how you could tell I was unwell!

Over the next few days I'm hoping to review the entire range of Face of Australia Barbados polishes. I have high hopes for them as last years Molten Metallics range still is my most used. I love it that much. So let's get too it!

♫ Sunshine ♫

♫ On my window ♫ 

♫ Makes me happy ♫

♫ Like I should be ♫

I so loved that song when I was 17 ... sure that's not the Barbados Calypso but that's what I kept thinking of while doing this swatch ... showing my age there!! Like sunshine "Calypso Gold" is what I would describe a bright white gold. It's not white ... it's not gold and it's not what I'd put as cream but it definitely has the magic touch and some beautiful sparkle going on.

This is 3 coats and this polish had some super quick drying time going on. I mean wow! Didn't need to whip out the Seche Vite or anything. As it is a foil/metallic look you will need some ridge filler if you have imperfections you want to hide as they do show up unfortunately. The only thing I didn't particularly like is that I had some bumps appear on 2 fingers but I'm hoping that's more to do with my application rather than the polish itself.

** Final Verdict **
Easy to apply, fast drying time and for the current Big W price well worth a look.  Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with another FoA beauty :)

... Cate Ruby - New Yorker ...

Cate Ruby - New Yorker

Purchased from Cate Ruby - $14.95 AUD [with free shipping!]

♫ Start spreading the news ♫

♫ I am leaving today ♫

♫ I want to be a part of it ♫

♫ New York ... New York ♫

This is the latest polish from Cate Ruby. Isn't she pretty!! A beautiful bright red to sweep the blues away [ooh - bad colour pun]

Anyway ... it's fast drying and honestly you could get away with a single coat if you wanted too. I've used 2 for these photos but only cos I wanted too. Application was a dream ... smooth and painless.

For some reason my camera hates reds [and blues, and purples ... ugh] so the actual colour is more like the original bottle shot that I've shown. I was hoping to rephoto this on my husbands camera tonight but I've just managed to snag a nail so I'm back to nubbins *sad*

It came wrapped in a pretty bag! How cute is this!

** Final Verdict **

A beautiful red that is bright and happy. I've had a love/hate relationship with reds as a lot don't play nice with my skin tone but this one definitely does.

PS - Excuse the blog mess ... I decided for some reason in the middle of the night to get up and fiddle with the blog settings and lets just say I now wish I'd just let it be. Bare with me!

... A England - Perceval ...

A England - Perceval

Purchased from A England - £9.00 [Aussie price depends on exchange rates]

I can't believe I had this sitting in my Helmer still with the bubblewrap on for so long. This is Perceval and it's a beautiful dark metallic red.

This is 3 coats and it's gorgeous. It's glossy and shiny and really pretty. I found it easy to apply and fast drying but if you have ridges I would highly recommend going for a base filler before hand as being a metallic it does like to show imperfections.  The true colour is slightly darker than what the picture shows [well on my folks monitor anyway!]

** Final Verdict **
If you like bright shiny reds on your fingertips then you'll want this one for your collection and with free shipping if you buy from A England site it's worthwhile waiting for a great day on the exchange rates!

... Essence Sun Club - 04 BBC Orange Sunset ...

Essence Sun Club - 04 BBC Orange Sunset

Purchased at Target - $3.50 AUD

Colour number 4 is Orange Sunset and well it's definitely orange. I'm generally not a huge fan of extremely bright colours and tend to use it mainly for nail art but this grew on me. Especially as it hides a lot of imperfections and just looks fantastically bright and happy.

This is 3 coats and as with Pink Heat - you need 3 or you will have a visible nail line showing. This applied like a dream and as you would expect from Essence is fast drying and awesome.

** Final Verdict **
If bright polishes don't scare you then give this a go! To me it is a happy and fun polish so give your nails some summer brightness!

... Essence Sun Club - 03 BBC Splash Refresh ...

Essence Sun Club - 03 BBC Splash Refresh

Purchased from Target - $3.50 AUD

 And we continue on from where we left off yesterday - we're up to polish 3 in the Bondi Beach Collection and I'm quite liking this one. This is Splash Refresh and it's a Aqua colour that seems to shift from more green to more blue depending on your lighting. Definitely reminds me of the Pacific Ocean!

As with the other colours so far - this is 3 coats with quick drying time. No lumps and definitely not watery like yesterdays effort!

 Looking more blue

And the same polish looking more green.

** Final Verdict **

My favourite polish from this collection so far. I love the way the colour changes depending on the light and I really like how beautiful it is!

... Essence Sun Club - 02 BBC Chasing Waves ...

Essence Sun Club - 02 BBC Chasing Waves

Purchased from Target - $3.50 AUD

Chasing Waves is the 2nd polish from the Essence Sun Club "Bondi Beach Collection" [I can see why they shortened it to BBC! That's a mouthful!]. It's a rather pretty pastel green. I'm not sure how that relates to waves at Bondi though as I'd be seriously worried if I was to go swimming in something this particular colour. It's not exactly a sea green. I guess if I squint it kinda looks the same.

[Photo sourced by Google Images - care of bondibeach.com]

Enough of that - this is 3 coats of Chasing Waves and first impressions are that the polish is slightly runny but that seems to work in its favour as it's easy to eliminate any streaks. As with majority of Essence polishes the dry time was rather quick which is great if you are in a hurry.

** Final Verdict **
If you have the patience and don't mind working with a runny polish then you might want to pick this up if you are in need of a green. Really green is understated and there should be more green polishes in the world! It's a pretty colour [even if I don't agree totally with the name] and the price on all these Essences is enough to really make you want to go and try it without breaking the budget.

... Essence Sun Club - 01 BBC Pink Heat ...

Essence Sun Club - 01  BBC Pink Heat

Purchased from Target - $3.50 AUD

So ... strolling through my closest Target I came across this beautiful stand of goodies! Now Essence is fast becoming on of my favourite overseas brands ... simply because their products don't seem to be marked up a billion times for us Aussies.

Obviously this was the stand before I attacked it!! Bah ha ha!

The first polish in the series is Pink Heat. According to my little swatch doofy it matches the colour Magenta of my colour printer but it's a strange one as it definitely looks red on my nails [which I'll explain in a minute]. Also this is one of those pain in the butt polishes that doesn't like to photograph in the correct colour!

Application was a breeze. Three coats which were super fast drying and no unsightly bits. If you apply a nude underneath you could possibly get away with 2 coats as that pesky visible nail line seems to appear without it.

** Final Verdict **

Apart from having issues capturing the true colour - this polish is easy to wear and is a fun summer colour.

In my search for what I could actually compare this colour too to actually represent the true colour and I found this ...

Old Spice Nails? Look at the polish ... now back at me ... now back at the nails ... now back at me! Anyway I think it's pretty damn close and really shows that it's more of a red than a pink.

Also ... I've started a Facebook group for any Aussie chicks who want to talk nails!! I totally love the groups I'm currently in but I thought I'd put it out there for a Aussie only group.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has to result to sending emails or asking on Blogger for advice [especially on where to buy things] as it's hard to track down another Aussie throughout the 100s names. So join - I don't bite! Should be fun!!  The link is Aussie Nails! See you there!

... Modelista Flash Nails - On Location Berlin ...

Please bare with me for this post as I've been trying to figure out photoshop and have no idea what I'm doing. I need to simplify the way I've been doing my photos as I definitely have been wasting way too much time on it lately as the program I use is rather slow and likes to appear with errors. There needs to be a 1 button does all for impatient people like me!! Argh! Comments or Tips on Photoshop really appreciated!!!!!!! Thanks in advance!!

Modelista Flash Nails - On Location Berlin

Purchased from Target [clearance bin!] - $4.89 AUD

Apparently Modelista is an Australian brand but I've never crossed paths with it before but it's obviously been around a bit judging from the date on swatches I pulled from google. Couldn't seem to find anything on this particular colour though.

First things first - On Location Berlin is a black polish with a subtle blueish silver shimmer throughout. I've used 2 coats for this swatch but I'm sure 3 wouldn't harm it. It is surpringly quick drying and I didn't find any lumps or bumps and it definitely dries smooth without a top coat.

 Heads up - this one is a bit of a stinker. The smell hits you as soon as you open the bottle which I'm sure will be a bit off putting to some users. Also the polish itself is a tad runny. I had to make sure I had super steady hands for this as we all know that removing mistakes in dark polish colours is generally a pain in the butt!

 ** Final Verdict **
If you can see past the stench and have patience to apply [or remove!] then it's not a bad polish. The colour is beautiful with that shimmer surprise inside. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some other colours from this line,

Oh and as promised here are some holiday vacation shots ... we only travelled to Victor Harbor which isn't too far away from home but hey - time away is good wherever you are!

Our temporary home ... which collapsed by half way due to strong winds! Whoops - either new poles or a new tent is needed before the next trip. The caravan park was really good with decent kids activities aswell.

It's the Southern Ocean - next stop Antartica!! Figure most of you never would have seen this particular ocean before.

And the pretty horse drawn tram with a carriage full of tourists that day - was choc-a-block as it was finally a cooler day after 3 days over 37'C [100'F]

... Sarah Claire's Fave 5 Oz polishes of 2011 ...

Everyone else seems to be doing top lists at the moment so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. These are my favourite 5 Australian polishes that I've been wearing this year. I've really based this on which colours I wear the most - I don't blog every time I change my polish so a lot of days go unnoticed blogwise but these are definitely the 5 I pull out of the helmer most often. [And I know 2 aren't exactly from 2011 as such but pfffft!!!]

Face of Australia Molten Metallics - White Gold
I will never ever get sick of this entire range but the white gold is definitely my favourite out of the series. Especially in regards to stamping. It just seems to go well with nearly every polish and it is a dream to work with.

Glitter Gal - Purple 3D Holo
I will never regret the day I stumbled into the Perfume Connection and came across Glitter Gal polishes. The bottles may be on the small side [which they are making bigger next year! Hurrah!]. This is a beautiful colour purple regardless but the holographic makes it WOW! A lot of people in real life who are non-polish fantatics have asked about this range and I've probably kept at least 1 eBay seller in business because of this. I hate to think how much I've spent on Glitter Gal this year for people but it's been so worth it.

Cate Ruby - Tate
Seriously ... Cate Ruby was my biggest find for 2011. I stumbled across them via Google and I really need to expand my collection of their polishes in 2012. Tate is the most vibrant pink and as I wear pink the most often out of my vast wardrobe it matches perfectly everytime. I also cannot get enough of the bottles and love the diamonte ring. It is so different and innovative! Also the owner Tracey is extremely lovely and as a new blogger to the scene this year it was such a thrill to get a mention on their Facebook page for reviewing their products - especially without sending a million "look at me" emails! I look forward to seeing what 2012 holds for Cate Ruby

piCture pOlish - Jealousy
I don't know how piCture pOlish manage to do it. I've brought so many glitter polishes this year but none compare to Jealousy and it's smoothness and lack of uncomfortable grittiness! This is my favourite polish to turn too when I know I won't be able to change/remove my polish for a few days just because of how long lasting it is. I never get chips or peels ... just a little tip wear and that's it.

Ozotic Pro 504 Twilight [now just renamed Ozotic 504]
I really need to reswatch this as looking back on my original swatches during my first week of blogging just make me cringe. Oh well - you've got to start somewhere! This is one of my favourite multichromes and it shifts from blue to purple to reddy bronze - beautiful.

... No Nails today - just what I got from Santa ...

Must have been a good girl this year! Santa brought me this beauty - Make Up Store "Britta" [or just "Britt" according to their website ... mmm ... someone must have made a boo-boo]

As always the sun has disappeared because I want to wear a holographic polish - but I promise I'll photo this one sooner rather than later as it really does look pretty and I hope that it comes out as fantastic as it does on photos I've seen on Google.

Make Up Store has recently appeared in my corner of the world and in a good and bad way it's right across the road from my husbands workplace. Good that I can go there easily now for a drool ... Bad cos of the prices. Their beautiful holo polishes will set you back $AUD 26 a piece :( Annoyingly I really want their Aqua Base so I'll have to get saving for next time a treat is in order.

... Essie - Aruba Blue ...

Essie - Aruba Blue

Gifted by Stephanie <--- check out her blog!

I can't believe I've actually had to sit and force myself to do this post. Stupid time - I've had zero time lately to commit to Blogger. I'm so far behind in blogs and I've been debating putting an RSS app on my phone but that's still not going to help me find time to read or comment. Ugh.

Anyway have this gorgeous blue to take your mind off all that. And I mean gorgeous. It's bright and shimmery and vibrant. Something about this reminds me of the deep blue that you get at the beach beyond the waves. Even without that it's a fantastic colour.

This is 3 coats of Aruba Blue but I could have gotten away with 2. Application was flawless and as I was super slack and didn't change my mani it was still spotless 4 days later when I eventually got around to removing it - fantastic for those who don't like to change their polish daily.

For the Aussies - Essies are available from Myer or Hairhouse Warehouse but if you want to save cash then I'd shop around online.

Oh and as it's Christmas I went for some stamping. I know it's summer in Australia and we don't get snow at Christmas etc etc but I went for the standard snowflake anyway. 

The stamping is from plate BM14 and the polish is Essence Multi Dimension XXXL Fall for me

** Final Verdict **

Long lasting, easy to apply and a gorgeous colour. What more do you want?

... Butter London - Yummy Mummy ...

Butter London - Yummy Mummy

Free with Madison Magazine - $AUD 8.95

Firstly ... I has a sad ...

I ripped my middle nail off last week - ouch. Annoying right below the nail line - but this now means that I filing them all down have finally got rid of that pesky orange stain that I've been growing out for months! Hoorah!

So this is the 2nd of the Butter London polishes available with this months Madison magazine called Yummy Mummy. 

Yummy Mummy is a beautiful fawn/beige/netural colour and there is definitely a silver shimmer going on in the bottle [I'm not sure if you can notice the silver streak on the bottle in these shots on the left hand side]. Honestly this colour really isn't what springs to mind when I think "Yummy Mummy"  as I associate the term with more vibrant colours but I've read that this polish seems to suit every skin colour - interesting theory.

This is 3 coats which like Trout Pout was extremely easy to apply which no lumps and quick drying time! Awesome. Being close to your skin colour it was however hard to see how much more to apply but hey - that's the point with natural nails.

** Final Verdict **A beautiful polish. Very easy to wear and definitely easy on the eye. The extreme subtle shimmer makes it stand out from being just another nude varnish.

Also I was lazy when I wore this and went through a phase of not redoing my mani and 3 days later here is the result.

Some slight tip wear but that's about it. Also when it did finally chip it was only noticeable on the white tips - you couldn't notice unless close up on the actual nail. So for those reading who don't like changing their polish often this might be worth a look.

... Butter London - Trout Pout ...

Butter London - Trout Pout

Free with December issue of Madison magazine - $AUD 8.95

So I was late getting onto the train for the free Butter London polishes that came with this months edition of Madison magazine - Thanks to Emma at Nails in the Desert for letting me know about this!!  So I had to remedy that and managed to find both colours to add to my collection.

Sadly there was only 2 colours to pick from but hey - can't complain. The first one I picked up is Trout Pout which is a pretty colour I'd describe as coral. It's not pink yet it's not orange - just a beautiful combo. I've used 3 coats and application was easy with no lumps or unsightly bits and fast drying time.

Annoyingly the photos I've taken seem to show a slight visible nail line which I can't see in real life [if it's there I must need glasses]

** Final Verdict **

It's a beautiful summer colour. Bright, vibrant, tropical. I'll be honest and say I probably wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't for free but I'm glad I have it. It just seems to be such a happy colour and what made it better was having zero application issues. Awesome!