OPI I Brake for Manicures with stamping

Today's manicure is one from my haul post and it's OPI's I Brake for Manicures. This has a really nice formula, easy to use and I'm always reminded how much I enjoy using the brushes from OPI. They make for quick - simple application. I Brake for Manicures is a dark purple based taupe and it is opaque in two coats.

Base colour: OPI I Brake for Manicures

Nail plate: Konad M70
Stamp colour: China Glaze 2030
Topped with Essie Good to Go

Another haul post

I must surely have the least self control of anyone I know. I had come to the realisation that it wouldn't hurt me to stop 'aquiring' polishes for a while and then low and behold my car just drove itself into a makeup market last week. And my wallet made me buy these polishes . . . . I know, I'm naughty ;p

CG 2030, OPI: I Brake for Manicures, Suzi Loves Cowboys, Green-wich Village, Got the Blues for Red, Senorita Rose-Alita, Flashbulb Fuchsia, Ate Berries in the Canaries, Mrs O'Leary's BBQ

Loreal: Smell the Roses, Essie: Downtown Brown, Mezmerised, Maybelline: Purple Trend, Autumn Leaves, Orange Blazes

The China Glaze polish was my absolute best find from a local online auction site for $10 - I know! Score! I'm looking forward to trying these Maybellines - they look to have a fabulous shimmer.

A England Perceval with flakies

Today I'd like to share with you the lovely Perceval from A England. Unfortunately my brain wasn't in gear and I didn't get any photos of it on it's own so you'll just have to take my word for it about how lovely it is! I applied a thick coat of Essie Shine of the Times and this was the result . . .

Please excuse the short nubbins and tip wear - washing the car does not bode well for a perfect manicure! And then as mentioned that my brain was not in gear I performed this amazing feat . . .

*Mental note to self* remove hand before slamming the car door! Doh! On the upside, it's not my swatching hand and hey, I didn't chip my polish!

Haul update

I thought I'd share with you some more polishes that arrived recently. I've slowly been adding to my A England stash and here are another three. These are a bit pricy for me but I took advantage of their 30% off sale recently (plus they have free shipping which is a huge saving for me!) and aquired Perceval, Elaine and Camelot.

Perceval, Elaine, Camelot

I also couldn't wait to get my hands on these Layla Hologram Effect polishes. I got Flash Black (see here for swatches), Ultra Violet, and Coral Glam.

Coral Glam, Ultra Violet, Flash Black

And then *drumroll please* I landed this beauty - Chanel Peridot . . . I logged on the the NZSale website and there she was for $21 - cheaper than OPI!

Peridot

Layla Flash Black - now available in NZ!

I'm thrilled to finally get my hot little hands on this amazing polish after seeing all your amazing blog posts. It's now available in NZ through CandyGirl. This is the most holographic polish I own and I can't stop looking at it - it could definitely be a driving hazard!

I applied Nfu Oh Aquabase and didn't have any trouble with application. This shows two easy coats. After photographing, I applied a coat of my go-to topcoat Essie Good to Go and it didn't detract from the holographicness (is that a word?) at all. It's even holographic inside under artifical light and in the shade. LOVE this polish! So here are the pics (sorry there's a lot!) . . .

Hehe everyone was after my sunny spot this morning . . . the temperature is definitely dropping now and we have the slow decline into winter.

Wonder what they're thinking? lol

Color Club Positively Posh with stamping

Today I have a Color Club polish called Positively Posh from the Untamed Luxury collection. Now while I love the colour - I do not love the application. In fact, dare I say it - it's among the worst I have used (sorry Color Club!) The formula was so jelly like and runny that I flooded my cuticles too many times to count. Clean up was a nightmare. Anyway once I got the application and clean up over with I really enjoyed this mid chocolate colour with purple undertones.

This shows three coats. Then to top it off my stamping was a disaster and I had to photograph my right hand instead so please excuse the wonky shots and bad cuticles! lol

So the highlight of my day was purchasing a bottle of China Glaze 2030 for $14 including shipping from our own Trademe (NZ equivalent of Ebay) SCORE!!

Base colour: Color Club Positively Posh

Nail plate: QA 16
Stamp colour: China Glaze 2030
Topped with Essie Good to Go

A England Lady of the Lake vs Wild at Heart

A Englands Lady of the Lake is a glorious rich purple with a scattered holographic effect. Hmmm what more could you want - purple and holographic! lol

This polish is as easy to apply as the others I've sampled and I've fast become a big fan. This show two easy coats.

And here's a comparison shot with Color Club Wild at Heart, which is more holographic. I really love them both.

A England Ascalon

Today I'd like to share another lovely A England polish. This is the elegant Ascalon which is a light grey scattered holo polish with lavender duochrome undertones. I'm loving the A England formulas which dry very quickly and are almost one coaters. This shows two coats just because I can't help myself. lol

While A England polishes are definitely on the expensive side (£9 each) I am thrilled to take advantage of free shipping which definitely makes it worthwhile. Couple that with the fact that the polishes were here within approximately 8 days of ordering makes me a happy camper.

With my little helper =)

A England Dragon

Oh my - I can't believe I haven't stumbled onto these gorgeous polishes sooner! A England Dragon has jumped into one of my all time favourites spot. It's green and holographic so what's not to love!

Dragon is a medium mossy green with a scattered holo effect. The formula on this is simply amazing and almost opaque in one coat - yes that's right one coat! I'm looking forward to seeing how this polish stamps. I did apply two coats just because I wanted to cover up some of the ridges on my nails - but as mentioned it really wasn't necessary. The formula glides on like butter and is quick drying.

Sadly my pictures really don't do it justice and it's much nicer in real life.

Hauls!

Here's some of the polishes that I've collected recently. They've been cluttering up my desk while I procrastinated about this post! So they can now be moved to their rightful places. lol Which reminds me I really need to reorganise my polish area . . . a wet day job me thinks!

Bridal Veil, Ascalon, Lady of the Lake, Princess Sabra, Dragon, Saint George

Kleancolor Chunky purple holo, Scarlet O'Hara, Bold & Beautiful, Honey Bun, It's a Genius, Angora Cardi, Braziliant

Shine of the Times, Sole Mate, Armed & Ready, Pretty Edgy, Going Incognito, Smokin' Hot

Riveting, Mahogany Magic, Harvest Moon, Electrify

Fairy Dust, Luxe and Lush, Stone Cold, Agro

Close up of Fairy Dust