A Rose Gold Comparison

 Hi Hi!!

I'm back again with the rose gold review as promised. It's practically Christmas and the start of Christmas party season and all that so I think this comes at a fitting time. I've partnered up with Lucinda from Moden Makeup for this post and her review of the rose golds in her collection. We've probably got a few polishes in common but that's just a sign that you really need them in your life.

Over the past year or so I've managed to acquire a few rose gold polishes with my latest addition being the Orly I purchased yesterday. I started with Models Own Rose Chrome which was a devil in its own right but eventually grew on me and then Cirque released the Pièce de Résistance of their collection HALCYON and I lost my shit.

HALCYON (yes it deserves to be in caps and would be rose gold, sparkling and flashing if I was technically inclined) is the star of my collection, the best USD $13 plus shipping I ever spent and maybe my greatest achievement of my life. Yes, it's that good.

But back to business before I get too carried away.

Ok so first off...what the hell is rose gold. To me rose gold is what you get when pink and gold made a beautiful sparkly baby.

So let's get to it!! Below are the rose gold polishes in my collection.

Judging Point #1: Bottle Shot
At first glance, judging from what they looked like in the bottles, they all seemed rose gold in colour even though they were a range of different shades. There were also slight differences in the finishes. Models Own Chrome Rose comes in a completely opaque rose gold coloured bottled so that was left out of this judging stage.

Cirque Colors Halcyon

Cirque Colors Himalayan Pink

Orly Rage

Judging Point #2: Shade and Colour
When compared and swatched against each other Himalyan Pink, Rage and Chrome Rose were truer to the rose gold shade. Halcyon which I would've argued was a rose gold and was described as a rose gold by Cirque showed up a bit more copper beside the others. It was also the brightest of the bunch but that is most likely due to the finish. The pink base of Himalayan Pink appears to be a smidgin' darker than Rage but what really sets them apart is that Himalayan Pink features holographic glitter throughout while Rage has a silver sparkle. Chrome Rose with its molten metal finish is a similar shade as Himalayan Pink save the holographic glitter.

Indoor

Outdoor

Outdoor

Judging Point #3: Pigmentation and Finish
The pigmentation on all these polishes was good. I did two coats in the swatches shown but you could get away with one coat for Halcyon and Himalayan Pink. I haven't done an actual mani with Rage yet so I'm unable to comment on that one. Chrome Rose's formula requires a bit of work and patience for application but she's worth it in the end.

Price and Availability
Orly Rage is sold at Imart and retails for $19.95. Feel free to revisit my older posts to find out where you can purchase the others.

Hopefully this is a good starting point for those on the hunt for a good rose gold polish. Head on over to Moden and see what Lucinda's got for you cuz she's got a wash pan of things.

Until next time...

Review: Cirque Colors Himalayan Pink (Terms and Conditions Apply)

Hi Hi!!!

Back with another review of another rose gold. This time it's Cirque's Himalayan Pink !!!

This beauty was gifted to me by Lucinda and while handing it over she declared that once I accepted it I simultaneously agreed to start blogging again. It took a while but I'm back at it.

When I first drafted this post Himalayan Pink was shimmering away on my nails. This polish did things to me. From opening the bottle to putting it on!!! It was soooo pretty.

Everybody knows I believe in a Cirque polish. I hate to spend my money on mediocrity and I dislike inconsistency so thank God for Cirque. Annie Pham knows this polish thing talllll 'cuz I've got a few Cirque and not once have they disappointed me.

This polish went on like butter. The formula was a wee bit thicker than usual but still superb. I did one coat as opposed to my usual two and it covered my nails perfectly. Whilst it's called Himalayan Pink it's actually a rose gold polish and just as much goodness as Halcyon. Cirque's website describes it as a "rose gold sterling foil holographic (made with superfine sterling silver pigment)".

It remind me a bit of Halcyon but the formulation is different. It's a limited edition polish which was released in the Speckled and Sparkled Collection. Himalayan Pink is currently out of stock and I'm not sure if it will be brought back.

Sometime in the  near future there will be a comparison of Himalayan Pink, Halcyon and Models Own Rose Chrome.

Lucindaaaaaa thank you for feeding the addiction and adding to my pretties.

Until next time...

Review: Cirque Colors Halcyon

Hello hello hellooooo!!

I'm excited for this post. Can you tell?!?!? This post is a year overdue but it's here nonetheless. It may get a bit wordy but it's just me fawning all over this polish.

Today I'm reviewing a precious baby. She wasn't on the lemming list but just had to be mine. She was first released a year ago and first pictures released were nothing short of magic in a bottle and I was ready to wage all out war if necessary to get one of my own.

CIRQUE COLORS HALCYON (if I could make this flash the colour of the polish I would)!!

This polish has got to be the Goddess of the Cirque line of colours.

Cirque Colors was created by Annie Pham and is a New York based beauty brand which specializes in creating 3-free polish. The polishes are all mixed by hand in small batches and also poured by hand. This means that there may be slight variations in each batch but still the same amazing polish and colours. So that's a little history on the brand. Back to the business at hand.

Lemme just borrow Cirque's description here. This polish is "a highly reflective rose gold lacquer made with pure silver-coated micro-flakes". The reflectiveness is no joke.

My description: this is a special occasion, pick me up when you feeling down, run off the road cuz yuh starin at yuh nails kinda colour. This is ALL you need in life!!!

This is a true rose gold and I loved it off the bat unlike Models Own Chrome Rose (reviewed here) which I was on the fence about for a bit. Two different finishes/formulas but both perfect for special occasions or if you just want a fancy nail.

I used two coats to achieve opacity but you could use one if you wanted to and with the amount of refection going on no one would notice any naked patches. The formula was perfection like all Cirque colours...went on smooth like buttah. The consistency of the polish was also on point as usual. The flakes aren't a pain, they lie flat on the nail and don't hang off the nail edge.  This thing is jam packed with flakes which makes it tremendously difficult to tell if it's a clear based packed with rose gold goodness or a coloured base with the flakes. Whatever it is, know that it works and you need it in your life!!!

Clean-up on this polish was easy-peasy. I thought it would've been a pain given the finish but I was sooooo wrong. If you just soak a cotton pad in acetone and place in on the nail for a minute or so, with one swipe everything is gone. Now that's my method 'cuz I don't do the rubbing thing. I think if you rub though the flakes may get everywhere.

Halcyon was first released as a limited edition polish and Annie's bringing it back this year as part of the Holiday 2016 collection. The collection will be released on November 16th but there's a giveaway going on right now and the entire Holiday 2016 collection is up for grabs. After that I'm not sure how much longer it will be available so head on over to Cirque and see if you can get your hands on a bottle.

All in all this polish is gorgeous no matter what kind of light you're in, daylight, night light, flash light, twilight, it is just gorgeous. Annie girl you outdid yourself with this one!!

P.S. I don't know Annie Pham (but credit should be given where it's due) and this was purchased by me.

I've personally been making a conscious effort to purchase polishes which are 3-free, 5-free, vegan and haven't been tested on animals where ever possible. This is also another plus of purchasing from indie brands. Most of their polishes are made in someone's house or a small scale operation and the focus is purely on creating a great products people will love but are better than the mainstream products and the other reality is that several of the chemicals larger companies use may not readily be available to smaller producers.

So that's it for my rave on Halcyon. Make sure you get it on November 16th or a back-up if you've got it already. It's 13USD and it's the best 13USD you'll ever spend.

Until next time!

Review: Models Own Part 2

Hey guys!

I'm back with part two of the Models Own Review today. Clearly when I said in Part 1 that the other half was coming next wk I forgot a week was 7 days. Today I've got the last two I purchased back in September along with the last one which was gifted to me by my sister.

Sound Factory

This colour was the last one  my sister got me a while back. It was released as part of the Disco Pants Collection. It's a blue polish with blue flecks throughout...describing the shade of blue was a bit hard for some reason. The formula on this was a bit thin. I used two coats but my VNL was still visible so I'd suggest three for full coverage or maybe a thicker second coat. This shade is really pretty however it does stain badly so double up on base coat  and maybe use a white base or be prepared to buff for your life after you take it off. I wore this polish over three weeks ago and I'm still waiting for the staining to grow out.

PS. I haven't tried it but using a white base should reduce the number of coats needed and give a more even finish.

Lilac Icing

Lilac Icing is a gorgeous colour. It was released as part of the Icing Collection which featured a range of five pastel colours. This colour isn't a true lilac as you'll hopefully be able to see from the pictures, it's got a bit too much pink to be a lilac in my opinion but pretty nonetheless.

The formula on this was a bit thick so it was a one coater for me. I've got a slight fear that in a year or so I may need to pull out the thinners for this one or it'll be tricky to work with. The pigmentation is also amazing. Since I got it I've worn it a couple times and it makes for a great toe colour particularly for spring or summer if you live in a country where seasons change...in Bim it's just always hot. It's actually on my toes right now.

This is one that I would definitely recommend you get if you're looking for something from the brand or in the colour range.

Northern Lights

This colour lives up to it's name perfectly.It's a pale pink microglitter with holographic microglitter littered throughout. For some reason it had a tendency to give off an almost champagne coloured effect on the nail and in certain lights. The holo glitter in this polish though is it!!!! I don't think there's another scattered holo amongst the babies with this crazy a holo effect.

I wore this as a full mani for old years but that was a crazy wkend and no nail pics were taken. If I do it again sometime I'll update this post but as you can imagine getting this polish off was a pain. Peel-off base coat I see you!

The glitters sit in a clear base so more than one coat will be needed. I'd say three if you're painting but I painted one coat and sponged the second and that covered the empty space really well. Any visible nail could'nt be seen cuz this polish was busy blinding me. The consistency was really good for a glitter, not goopy or anything.

That's it for the Models Own until I break my no-buy and I've been doing pretty good so far, not due at all to my own self control but the fact that car insurance and road tax about to be due.

I hope you enjoyed the last two posts.

Until next time...

Review: Models Own Part 1

 Hi Guys!!

This post has also been sitting in draft for a while waiting patiently for me to complete it and to  make matters worst I lost all the pictures I initially took. *womp womp*.

Continuing on with the reviews today I've got the Models Own review for you. This post is a bit lengthy so I think I'll split it in two. Models Own is an English brand of nail polish with a huge range of colours and finishes so definitely worth your time to check out.

They're seven polishes I'm going to be reviewing in total and four of these polishes were gifted to me by my sister last year but I never got around to reviewing them.

Chrome Rose

Chrome Rose was one of 10 colours released as part of the Colour Chrome Collection last year. The collection featured chrome/liquid metal finishes. Models Own just released 5 new polishes in the line. Chrome Rose is the rose gold of the collection and while not on my wishlist by name I picked it up cuz I've been on the hunt for a nice rose gold polish.

So like I said it's a rose gold polish with a serious liquid metal effect. The formula was good and so was the pigmentation. Let me tell you though, this polish needs some work. I needed to give it a good shake before I applied it. I think because of the molten metal effect, whatever pigment they used just settles to the bottom. So heed that "Shake Well" label on the bottle. Application also took some work, it's brush-strokey as hell but again that's because of the finish so be sure to paint as straight as possible. I also realised there was some dragging as I did my first coat and ended up with a few patches of naked nail. My suggestion would be to apply this with as light a hand as possible and make sure your first coat is dry before applying the second. I used two coats in my swatches below. Another thing is, unless you've got perfectly smooth nails or you buff your nails smooth, you will without a doubt need a ridge filling base coat because this polish shows up every indentation in your nail.

Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this, initially it looked too copper and rusty almost but then it kind of grew on me and I ended up wearing it for a few days.

Blue Chrome

This is a nice icy blue, almost looks like a slightly blue tinged silver in some lighting to my eye. The formula on this was quite similar to that of Chrome Rose.  Same good shaking required, same drying time between coats etc if you've got or tried a great rose gold polish let me know in the comments below.

Red Lustre

This is a classic blue toned red...you know that traditional ole faithful polish colour you pull out for a timeless look. This polish is one from the HyperGel line which boasts a gel like finish with no UV/LED light. The polish applied smoothly and evenly. I used two coats to be "politically correct" but could have gotten away with one. This polish also dried to an extremely glossy finish with no top coat. The line does carry it's own top coat which I didn't pick up because I personally didn't think it was necessary for me. I top coated with my ole faithful HK Girl.

Brunette Red

This is also from the HyperGel line and is a pretty burgundy colour. This formula is just as amazing as that of Red Lustre so I don't think there's much more to type. Also worth mentioning is that the drying time on this polish is AMAZINGGGGG! If you're looking for a quick drying one coater polish then these would be ideal.

Part two of the review comes next week and its got my favourite Models Own polishes so hopefully this one didn't bore you to death and I'll see you then.
Until next time...

Review: Glam Polish

Hiya and Happy New Year to one and all!

I've been MIA again these last few months but now I'm back to continue with the reviews. Hopefully I can be a little more consistent this year. (P.S. That's not a resolution or anything.)

Once again though I will continue to try to purchase more indie brands and support the smaller companies this year. That being said I've got a gift card for Mozaic (the OPI store here in Barbados) that I fully intend to take advantage of. OPI Purple Palazzo Pants I see youuuuu!

Anywhosie, guess who got two more Glam Polish babies on her trip to England last year. Told ya Unforgettable Dream was the first but wouldn't be the last! Weeks before I left for England I was scouring the European stockists sites for polishes I wanted. Only two of the ones I got were on my wish list but they're both gorgeous.

So I got me Charmed and Are You Sea-rious? which was a relatively new release at the time and my fave of the two. I purchased these from Rainbow Connection, an English stockist for indie polishes.

So let's talk about them.

Charmed

Charmed was released early in 2015 as part of the Cast A Spell Part 3: The White Witch Collection. It's a rosy mauve with varying sizes of holographic glitter and legit comes alive in sunlight. Seriously, this has joined my Cheer Me Up Collection, those polishes that keep you happy when work's not so great, the ones that break your concentration when you're driving or keep you entertained when you're stuck in traffic. Y'all know what I mean!

So this gorgeousness in a bottle applied pretty easily for me given all the glittery goodness inside. I used two coats because it didn't cover completely in one. The pigmentation was superb and the formula wasn't bad either. Make sure to give it a good shake so the glitters are evenly distributed. Because they're so many glitters in there you're gonna need a top coat to smooth it all out, otherwise it'll dry with a textured finish.

Are You Sea-rious?

Are You Sea-rious? was released as part of the Under The Sea Collection. When this baby hit Instagram I took a screenshot of every one I saw. Lemme tell you, I haven't wanted a polish this bad in long. This baby is everything I love. It's that perfect blue green that reminds you of the beach. It's got what looks like tiny turquoise glitters mixed in with the holo glitter. This thing comes alive on your nail. No lie, it made me think Accra beach, a Cuz Cutter and a coconut snocone with milk. Another one added to the Cheer Me Up Collection.

Ok so to the nitty gritty. Are You Sea-rious? is a gorgeous blue-green, aquamarine colour filled with holographic glitter and tiny turquoise glitter. The formula is amazing, goes on perfectly. This can be a one-coater if you do a heavy coat.

My only problem with these are the brushes, I'm not a fan of Glam Polish brushes but that's a small issue given the quality of what's in the bottle.

Because these polishes are so packed with glitter, make sure to give them a good shake just to get all the good stuff well mixed before you put it on your nails. Like I said earlier you may also need a coat or two of top coat to smooth it all out because the glitter makes them dry a bit textured.
FYI These polishes are all hand mixed in batches so the formulas may vary by batch. That being said they are amazing and worth every penny.

Glam Polish can be purchased directly from their site or from any of their stockists.

I hope you liked them and if you do decide to get them that they make you as happy as me.

Until next time...

Shop The Stash: LA Girl Sparkle Ruby

Hi Hi!

I've been digging through the babies again this week and rediscovering stuff I bought forever ago and loved.

Soo this week I found my LA Girl Sparkle Ruby. This was one of the scattered holos LA Girl released a few years back. This is actually the only collection I own in its entirety and coincidentally these polishes are some of my faves. Although the holo effect isn't that strong the polishes are gorgeous.

Lucinda over at Moden Makeup has also been shopping her stash and rediscovered an oldie but goodie Color Club Snakeskin.

Have you found any oldies but goodies in your stash recently?

Until next time...