Polishes -Misa - Dirty Sexy Money
catn2kittens 2/2/2012 10:38:00 PM
For the Aussie girls: I LOVE this shade but I had to get it from the USA as Misa is so hard to get here in Australia. I have since found that Picture Polish (Australian brand) Marine is a pretty good substitute (not a dupe but not far off) - it is a bit brighter, doesn't have that dusty, muted quality, but still a really unique blue-green creme, and the formula is great too, very pigmented, glossy and long-wearing. I am tempted to mix some of this with a bit of black or grey to see if I can get the shade a bit closer.
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Polishes -China Glaze - Snow Globe
catn2kittens 2/1/2012 8:25:00 PM
This is stunning! The glitter is iridescent and transparent so it always looks amazing - one thing I really really hate about normal glitter is that in some lights it looks black speckles, like pepper. Yuck. The formula on this is perfect, clear base PACKED with multi-sized glitter so you only need one coat, makes it perfect for layering without ending up with 6 coats of polish on your nails. I love the pastel iridescence that this polish gives, I am wearing it today over For Audrey and it is just super pretty :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Sally Hansen - Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in First Blush
catn2kittens 2/1/2012 8:20:00 PM
I had high hopes for this as I love the hard as nails range, but it is so streaky! I gave up and took it off after applying 3 coats and ending up with goopy-looking, streaky nails. I am used to china glaze's formula which is very user-friendly, so it may just be my lack of skills, next time I take my polish off I will try this again, this time using several extremely thin coats to se if it helps the streakiness. I can't handle patchy polish, it has to be totally opaque or it drives me crazy.
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Polishes -Chanel - Le Vernis LE-- Graphite
catn2kittens 1/12/2012 10:51:00 PM
Previous reviews have described this very well - deep charcoal with a golden sheen, beautiful formula. It has been compared to OPI's Lucerne-tainly Look Marvellous, and I didn't buy this initially as a lot of reviews said that if you have the OPI you don't need Graphite. However, after swatching it in store I caved and bought it, and here's why: 1) The OPI is just a deep charcoal, and is cool-toned with a very slight bluish sheen. Graphite has a very blingy golden shine in pretty much any light, as well as a lot more depth and "texture" with shades of microglitter ranging from light to dark. 2) The OPI takes 3 coats to be opaque and takes ages to dry, being one of those "gummy" polishes. 3) I read a review saying if you want to dupe Graphite, try mixing OPI's Glitzerland and Lucerne-tainly Look Marvellous. I tried several variations but couldn't even come close, the best was a thin top coat of Glitzerland but the gold sheen was streaky in some lights, and my nails were still "gummy" 4 hours later. Too much hard work! 4) The formula of Graphite is perfection - opaque in 2 coats, dries fast with a smooth finish, no top coat needed.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Kleancolor - Nail Lacquer - ALL
catn2kittens 10/14/2011 8:01:00 PM
I have Holo Chrome, it is AMAZING! Application is flawless, drying time is fast, 2 coats for opacity, and the colour is spectacular, a purplish blue with dusty undertones that sparkles insanely in any kind of light.I bought a backup! And it doesn't smell, yay! I love it more than my OPI DS original, which is another stunning purple holo but takes 4 coats to reach opacity - I can't stand visible nail lines :( I have 5 Kleancolors: Holo chrome reviewed above chunky holo black: very pretty flakie, great for layering but with a greyish base so it will darken the base polish. Spectacular over black polish. chunky holo candy: sheer but bright barbie pink jelly with holo glitter shifting through green, orange, yellow and red. Again, best holo results over black polish. This one smells strong :/ Firework: fun "clown puke" glitter - gold microglitter with large red, gold and blue hex glitter. Dries pretty quick despite having to do quite thick layers and push the glitter around. Fun for Christmas over a holly green or red polish. Metallic Purple: Smells a bit strong but the colour is amazing (I love purples) and IT IS OPAQUE IN ONE COAT!! Yes I wrote in caps on purpose :P ***One note about the chunky holos: they are all IDENTICAL over black, the same holo glitter (red/orange/yellow green shift) is used in each polish and they are very sheer (except for the red one). The only exception is chunky holo black as it also has flakies, not just glitter.***
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -Unlisted Brand - Ulta3
catn2kittens 10/6/2011 1:08:00 AM
I too am addicted to these polishes! I don't have patience for sheer shades and I love that so many of these are very pigmented. I recommend: Neons: Citrus (highlighter yellow), Fruit Tingle (hot pink), Tahiti (pinky orange), all opaque in 2 coats Metallics: Metal (gunmetal grey), Lollipop Lilac (pale pink foil), Snazzle (silver) Mermaid Green (creamy, dusty blue/green) English Rose (red with gold shimmer very similar to Zoya Elke) Black Plum (deep wine-red shimmer) Waterlily (deep purply-plum shimmer) and last but not least, Orchid, an amazing one-coat shimmery royal purple!
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Polishes -Orly - Meet Me Under The Mistletoe
catn2kittens 10/5/2011 8:29:00 PM
When I put the first coat on, I thought this was going to be a disaster, it was quite sheer and patchy, but the second coat went on like a dream and I probably didn't need the 3rd coat, which i did anyway, to bring it to full opacity. I did the second layer quite thick and smoothed it out to try and get as much glitter on as I could. It didn't bubble, and it dried very quickly, surprisingly quickly. The colour is deep forest green with heaps of bright green microglitter with some gold hints, definitely a warmer green. This is one of those polishes that i will use a lot because it is an unusual colour that is quick and easy to apply :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Top/Base Coats -Sally Hansen - Diamond Strength Diamond Shine Top and Base Coat
catn2kittens 9/19/2011 11:00:00 PM
BUBBLES. Millions and millions of horrible bubbles. My nails look like coldsores, or like they are covered in dozens of tiny warts. I used this once as a top coat and blamed the nail polish for the bubbles. This time I used it on all but 2 fingers, those fingers are fine, the rest are disgusting. Maybe for Halloween I will do an olive-green polish and use this for a top coat, I can have "toad nails".
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Polishes -Chanel - Le Vernis - Peridot
catn2kittens 8/8/2011 1:49:00 AM
I have never bought a Chanel nail polish, they are $39 here in Australia! Unfortunately Peridot caught my eye as I walked past the counter, and I was hooked. I put 2 coats on my pinky nail to test, where it sat being all beautiful and eye-catching for 5 days without chipping. I tried to resist, I ummed and ahhed, and a few days later walked past the counter and it was sold out. And I was devastated! Went past again yesterday and they still had the tester out, turns out they got more stock! That same day i had been given a $20 gift voucher for the store in question, so it was a sign!! In a nutshell, without all the rambling: The colour is amazing, the staying power so far has been excellent, and it is perfect in 2 coats. *Love it*
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -MAC - Tartan Tale: 6 Beauties Play It Cool
catn2kittens 7/29/2011 12:03:00 AM
I only just bought this, as it was a great price on ebay and my 2009 cool palette (which is very similar), is starting to run a bit low. Pigmentation is great, and the shadows are blendable and true to the colours in the pan. Creasing: With respect to the reviewer below, I did notice that To the Ball, the top right dusty lavender colour, tends to crease on me by lunch time, and I don't normally have that problem at all so I was surprised. I have not had trouble with the other colours creasing or fading so far, but I have not used Hold my Gaze or Altered State yet (I have these in the 2009 palette and they are fine but you can never tell). I will update if they crease.
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Polishes -OPI - I'm Not Really A Waitress
catn2kittens 7/24/2011 9:20:00 PM
This is a beautiful dark red for my pale skin, it can look a tiny bit brownish to me in some lights which i don't like, but for the most part it is a deep blood-red with a slight shimmer. Regardless of whether I personally love the colour I would have to give this 5 stars for: 1. Application - smooth to apply, opaque and flawless in 2 coats. 2. Staying power - I took it off after 5 days because i got a new colour i wanted to try, but it was still perfect, tiny bit of tip wear because I type all day. 3. Longevity - I have had the same bottle for 11 years and it is still perfect!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Makeup Brushes -Sigma - F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki (was SS197)
catn2kittens 7/4/2011 2:04:00 AM
This is perfect for liquid foundation, the brush is amazing, so soft, and gives a beautiful airbrushed finish. I don't know how I lived without this! (For thicker creme foundations I use the F82 and it is awesome as well!)
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Makeup Brushes -Sigma - F82 Round Top Synthetic Kabuki
catn2kittens 7/4/2011 1:59:00 AM
I got the set of 3 brushes, intending to keep one and give the other 2 away. I still have all 3 :) I didn't like this brush initially because I used it with a liquid foundation and it was a bit too dense and solid, it left streaky brush-marks and took the foundation off if I went back over the same area. Then I tried it with cover girl simply ageless foundation, which is a solid creme, and I got that beautiful airbrush finish I wanted! I have since experimented and can say that for me anyway, this brush is perfect for cream foundations and denser products, while th F80 has slightly longer, more flexible, less dense bristles, and applies liquid foundation flawlessly. So I really can justify having both!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -China Glaze - First Class Ticket
catn2kittens 7/3/2011 7:50:00 PM
This is the most beautiful aubergine purple with a glossy finish. It is dark but never looks black, it has teeny blue sparks in it if you look closely, but it is really just an awesome rich purple. I have had so many comments on this colour, seems like everyone loves it as much as I do! I used to only use OPI but I am liking china glaze better now, it seems to have a better formula. This was opaque in 2 coats and I still have no chips after 3 days which is great for me, I am very rough on my nails!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Polishes -OPI - Mermaid's Tears
catn2kittens 6/13/2011 7:42:00 PM
Ohhhh this is so pretty! Like th reviewer below I am pale with pinky tones to my skin, this green is so flattering. As with every other OPI I have tried, application is a breeze, and so far the staying power is great (4 days on my housework-abused nails and not a single chip or even tip wear!).
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No