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Dance Legend – 034 Dance Club

January 27th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

Today’s post is about a Dance Legend nail polish. It is a Russian professional brand and it’s widely available in Russia. These polishes are quite expensive, about $5-10 per standard bottle depending on the line – there are duochromes, cracks, thermo and magnetic polishes, as well as creams, glitters and shimmers. I read somewhere that all of them are big3free.

I’m not really sure if Dance Legend polishes are sold in any other country besides Russia. Actually I doubt that you guys have seen, heard or tried it… Have a look at its bottle and brush:

Dance Legend Dance Club 034

It is a mini version of DL, shade #034 in a 6,5 ml bottle. I got it for free as a bonus to buying another nail polish. It’s my first product from Dance Legend and I cannot say that I’m impressed by its quality. First of all, I don’t like the brush, because it’s really small and thin. Maybe with the full sized bottle comes a better brush, but this one is very uncomfortable. The color is good tho, a very nice green teal shimmer with a kind of foil finish.

3 coats of Dance Legend 034 without bc/tc (daylight, indoors):

Dance Legend - 034 Dance Club swatch

It took 3 medium coats to be totally opaque, as the first 2 were rather patchy and the 3rd one covered it all up and smoothed it out.

The polish is really shiny in the sun:

Dance Legend 034

Overall, the color is ok as well as the polish itself, but I won’t buy DL in their mini version.

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Mother Road Rose – OPI NL S65

January 26th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (2 Comments)

Mother Road Rose comes from OPI Red Like Roses collection that was released for Valentine’s Day in 2007. Now it’s in the OPI Classic colors line.

I wasn’t so overwhelmed with Mother Road Rose in the bottle but I actually like it a whole lot on. It’s a deep rose mauve shade with a pink microshimmer, perfect for cold seasons. The color is classic and quite versatile, and it goes with almost anything. Mother Road Rose is not too light or dark, making it a good nail polish suitable for any occasion.

2 coats of OPI Mother Road Rose in the daylight:

OPI Mother Rose Road NL S65 swatch

Mother Road Rose took two coats, and dried to a perfectly smooth surface. The pink microshimmer is more apparent in the sun or artificial lighting.

In the sunlight:

OPI Mother Rose Road swatch

So overall I like the polish a lot, I know some people would call it “a boring classic shade for my mom”… but I like it anyway :)

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Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear – Ice Coffee

January 25th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

I like Sally Hansen’s Xtreme Wear line because it is really cheap. Moreover, it’s often on sale, and I can find them for less than $2. So even if after buying and applying a Xtreme Wear polish I suddenly realize I don’t like the shade on my nails, I don’t feel like I wasted money on it.
Today’s nail polish from the line is called Ice Coffee:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Brush

Can anybody tell me why on earth they named it Ice Coffee? I’ve never seen an iced coffee of this color… Anyway, I like this oddly named reddish brown polish. I would describe it as a rose terracotta shade with lots of subtle golden microshimmer.

2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Ice Coffee (daylight, indoors):

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Ice Coffee

Here’s a close up pic to show you the shimmering effect that is better seen in the bottle:

Sally Hansen Ice Coffee swatch

The formula is very pigmented, not sheer. I needed two rather thin coats to get full opacity, and both coats dried relatively fast.
Today we were lucky to have some sun in the morning, so I used the chance to take a couple of pics of Ice Coffee in the sunlight:

Ice Coffee - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Swatch

And a little bit closer…

Iced Coffee by Sally Hansen

Iced Coffee is one of those fall/winter shades that I would use for toes when I get tired of reds. It’s neutral, calm and goes with almost anything :)

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Sapphire Silk by Orly

January 24th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (2 Comments)

I knew I had to get Sapphire Silk ever since I saw it’s swatches last spring on other beauty blogs. The polish was released with the Orly Precious collection for Spring 2011.
Teal blue Sapphire Silk is one of mine favorites from those 6 spring shades, and judging by the collection reviews on the web, it’s definitely the biggest compliment thief of the lot.

2 coats of Orly Sapphire Silk (winter sunlight thru the clouds, indoors):

Orly Sapphire Silk 40747 swatch

Sapphire Silk is a dark and dusty teal cream that doesn’t look like silk to me, much less sapphire. I wonder why they named it so?… The formula is a little on the thin side, so the first coat comes out streaky. I used 2 medium coats for the pictures.

Daylight, indoors (without top/base coats):

Orly Sapphire Silk review

Such a nice winter and early spring color that goes great with my wardrobe :) Love it!

Thanks for stopping by :) Until next time, and take care!

Orly Sapphire Silk – Designs and Comparisons:

Orly Sapphire Silk & Yves Rocher Vert Abysses comparison

Orly Sapphire Silk & YR Vert Abyss Comparison

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Purple nail polish – Pupa Milano

January 22nd, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

When I’m in the mood for a dark color, a deep purple is often one of my go to’s :) For today’s swatch, I have one of the new polishes that I recently got: a purple cream by an Italian brand Pupa.

Pupa Nail Polish

It’s a classic deep aubergine cream without any shimmer. I wish I could tell you the number of the shade, but I lost the sticker from the bottle :( For the same reason I don’t know whether it’s big3free or not. The only description of the Pupa Lasting Color line on the official website is: “A new, ultra-technological and ultra-performing formula for a shiny and intense color in just one stroke. Long lasting. Dries quickly.”

1 coat of OPI base coat + 2 coats of Pupa nail polish:

Pupa Nail Polish Swatch

It does dry quickly and it’s well pigmented. If you are careful, it’s possible to get away with just 1 coat. I did 2 coats, but only because I’m used to the 2 coats application. The formula is fine, not running and not too thick. What I don’t like about the polish is its brush, it’s too long, thin and soft for my liking.

The color is rich and winter-y, it’s just like they say – vampy without being too trampy :) It comes out on my nails a bit darker than the color in the bottle. Here I have a comparison swatch of today’s Pupa nail polish with Orly Velvet Rope (ring finger).

Pupa Nail Polish + Orly Velvet Rope

And the close up pic (both polishes – 2 coats):

Pupa Polish Orly Velvet Rope comparison

That’s all for today, thanks for taking the time to stop by! :)

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Maybelline NY Colorama 95 – Green Park

January 20th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

Today’s color is Maybelline Colorama in Green Park. I bought it about 2-3 months ago, so it’s another untried polish in my collection, and I think I’ll never try it again.

Maybelline Colorama 95 - Green Park swatch

The application was very thick and gloppy with lots of streaks, and the brush was like a sweeper. After three coats the coverage still wasn’t opaque :(

4 coats of Colorama 95 Green Park:

Colorama 95 Green Park - Mint Polish

4 coats took a while to dry, but at least the texture after it was dry looked ok. As for the color, I have no complaints – Green Park is a mint green shade that has a slight dusky quality which makes it seem kind of vintage-y to me.

Just overall, I like the color but I hate the application and the formula.

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Done Out In Deco – OPI NL B71

January 18th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

Another beautiful shade by OPI today, called Done Out In Deco. I got it on a blog sale almost unused so yay me :D The polish is from the OPI South Beach collection for Spring/Summer 2009.

Done Out In Deco is officially described as “a deco-dent shade of arty lilac”. Not much I can add to this, except that it’s a grey toned lilac/lavander polish with a glossy cream finish. This is a shade I can wear all year round. The color is not so bright and yet it is beautiful enough to make a statement.

OPI Done Out In Deco NL B71 swatch

The polish is fairly opaque. Here I have 2 coats of OPI Done Out In Deco without a top. As a base I used OPI, natural nail base coat.

Done Out In Deco is certainly a keeper, btw I read on several blogs already that the color was discontinued… if it’s true then it’s sad :(

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IsaDora 706 – In the Army

January 17th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

Today I’m wearing a khaki nail polish by IsaDora (for those who never heard of it – its a Swedish cosmetics brand). The name of the polish speaks for itself, it’s a classic military green shade with no shimmer/glitter added – actually, have you seen any in the army? :)
Here’s the polish hiding from the camera:

IsaDora 706 In the Army

I think it’s the first khaki nail polish in my collection. This cool green army shade is simple and chic at the same time.

2 coats of Isadora’s In the Army:

Isadora's In the Army 706 swatch

Isadora’s In the Army has a nice and thick (but not too thick) consistency that doesn’t clump up on my nails. With this color, I can get away with a very careful one coat, or just do 2 thin coats to get the opaque coverage I want. The polish dries relatively fast to a smooth glossy finish.

Khaki nail polish IsaDora

All IsaDora nail polishes are free from formaldehyde and toluene and their prices are very attractive. I remember a lot of fuss over Chanel Khaki Vert, so even if In the Army is not a dupe, it’s a cheap alternative at least :)

PS: when I was applying the polish, I had that very old tune “you in the army now” by Status Quo stuck in my head >< I don’t remember the whole song, only a couple of lines, but that was enough lol

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Big Apple Red – OPI NL N25

January 16th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

Big Apple Red dates back to the Fall of 2000, when OPI released their New York City collection of 12 nail polishes, including this very shade. The polish was a great success, so OPI made it a part of the Classic collection of colors.

OPI Big Apple Red swatch

Apart from having a trendy retro look, OPI’s Big Apple Red can be called a true red nail polish, suitable for almost any occasion. This red is absolutely pure with no blue/orange undertones and will work with many skin tones. The color you see in the bottle is exactly the shade you will get when you apply the polish.

2 coats of OPI Big Apple Red NL N25 + a top coat:

OPI NL N25 Big Apple Red swatch

Here I have a top coat over Big Apple Red, but the finish was glossy even without the top. Almost forgot – it’s gorgeous on toes!

When I was painting my nails with it, I remembered about another red nail polish I have and love – Sephora’s Cherry Popsicle:

Sephora Cherry Popsicle

Here’s a comparison of OPI Big Apple Red (middle and pinky fingers) and Sephora Cherry Popsicle (index and ring fingers). I did two coats of each polish:

comparison swatch - OPI Big Apple Red and Sephora Cherry Popsicle

On my nails Big Apple looks deeper and richer, more sophisticated perhaps, while Cherry Popsicle is lighter, more cheerful and on a warm side of red. As for the application, both polishes are perfect. Staying power… well, here OPI wins hands down, because Sephora fades on tips on the second day :(
Never the less, I’m happy I have them both in my stash :)

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We’ll always have Paris – OPI NL F20

January 14th, 2012 | Posted by Mari in Nail Polish Swatches - (0 Comments)

We’ll always have Paris comes from OPI France collection for Fall/Winter 2008. I know it is an oldie, but I really like this deep plum purple cream. It’s a fantastic vampy color for a snowy winter day. One of my favorites!

Here it is in the bottle (daylight):

OPI We'll always have Paris NL F20

The application is perfect and it’s good to go in 2 coats. Like the majority of OPI creams, this polish has an amazing glossy finish. I wore it several times already and I noticed that We’ll always have Paris always comes out a bit darker on my nails, comparing to the color in the bottle.

1 coat of OPI base coat, 2 coats of OPI We’ll always have Paris without a top (daylight, indoors):

OPI We'll always have Paris NL F20 swatch

That’s all for today, I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend! xxx

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