Catrice: Iron Mermaiden

I received my first ever Catrice polishes in a swap some time ago with the lovely Ina (see here) and I was lucky enough to score the cool toned duo-chrome Iron Mermaiden.

I actually think this is more multi-chrome as the metallic silver switches from pink to green-toned depending on the way it catches the light.  It was a little sheer in application so I needed three good coats to get full opacity but the result was worth it.  I loved the cold metallic, almost mirror finish and found myself checking out my nails more than once, tilting them this way and that to catch the flashes of colour.  These polishes are always a challenge to photograph and inevitably they look more eye-catching in real life but anyway here are LOTS of pictures...

Indirect daylight

Direct daylight

That's it for tonight!

REVIEW: Nude by Nature Natural Mineral Cover

The Nude by Nature range of mineral makeup products has been spruiked on Australian television for a few years now and I'm sure lots of you Australian readers have flirted with the Nude range.  I'm not always quick to jump onto trends (and clearly I'm way behind the pack here) but this was my first experience with their Natural Mineral Cover.  So, why not share my impressions anyway?  These are the impressions of an NC20 coloured, combination skinned, mildly pigmented middle aged female...

Firstly here are the claims as directly quoted from Nude's website:

"...Taking the concept of minerals to the next level, we took out the bismuth, that can irritate sensitive skin and appear cakey on the skin, and left only the ingredients that help to create the perfect, flawless, airbrushed complexion, NATURALLY!..."

"...Remarkably enhance and even out your natural skin-tone with a swirl of Natural Mineral Cover. This genius formulation is sure to impress when it covers redness, enlarged pores and birthmarks and is so gentle you can even use it on rosacea!"

"The beauty of this product is its ability to look like skin, not powder, with Kaolin Clay included, this Natural Mineral Cover allows it to mould easily with the natural oils in your skin. With no talcs, parabens and bismuth, you have a product that not only works, but is perfect for the most sensitive of skins.
It also contains SPF 15 ensuring you’re protected from the harsh damaging rays of the Australian sun."

There's absolutely no denying this is a fantastically gentle product and free from many nasties which can irritate sensitive skin but did I achieve that "...perfect, flawless, airbrushed complexion" that I crave?  

I've definitely been spoiled by the full coverage mineral makeup I've used in the past so my standards were set at a certain high-ish level.  I expected flawless, luminous coverage, and longevity of wear - and I've come to expect that kind of cover over bare (read:  moisturised but otherwise unprimed) skin.  Firstly I tried brushing this loose powder over bare skin and I found the coverage to be quite sheer, although I was able to build it to a medium coverage with repeated applications.  Whilst it did look natural I found I missed the glow I've become accustomed to, which is possibly due to the lack of boron nitrate - I'm no mineral scientist - I just did a direct comparison of ingredient lists and found the luminosity was attributed to boron nitrate in the other product.  Finally, the coverage disappeared from my t-zone all too quickly so I needed powder touch-ups throughout the day to cover my shiny and glowing nose.  

The good news is - ta-dah! - worn over primer the intensity and longevity of coverage was improved significantly so it lasted all day and into the evening.  Yes, I finally caved and introduced primer into my makeup repertoire which I didn't plan on having to do so that was a bit of a disappointment.  The other disappointment was the definite lack of luminosity but I suppose that is a matter of personal preference.  You're either going to go for the glow or the matte.  

Pros:

• Does not contain bismuth, talc or parabens
• Suitable for extremely sensitive skin
• Buildable coverage
• Non-cakey finish
• Creates a soft matte finish
• Non-mess packaging
• Contains SPF15
• Available in 5 shades - Fair, Light, Light / Medium, Medium & Dark

Cons: 

•  Requires primer to maximize coverage and wear time
•  Lacks the luminosity of some other mineral makeup brands

Would I buy this again?
I admit I'm enjoying wearing this product more now that I've introduced primer but I do miss my dewy glow.  This isn't a holy grail product for me so I know I'll be back out there on my journey looking for the next best thing in mineral makeup once I finish this pot.

Until next time,

Reverse glitter gradient manicure

Here's a quickie glitter art post for the weekend!

I've done a few glitter gradient mani's but this is my first ever reverse version. It requires the same application method but starting from the base of the nail rather than the tip, working one coat of glitter polish half-way down the nail, then finishing with another layer of glitter only going one-third of the way down the nail. 

I find glitter gradients such an easy way to dress up a plain manicure and I was really pleased with this regal combination of purple and gold:

Nail polish shades used from left:

OPI - Tomorrow Never Dies, Australis - Eureka

Thanks for looking!

OPI: Tomorrow Never Dies

Happy Friday everyone!

I try and keep my manicure colours season-appropriate as much as possible and that's the only reason why it's taken me so long to get around to wearing this mysterious beauty of a polish - Tomorrow Never Dies from OPI's 2012 Skyfall collection.

Tomorrow Never Dies is a deep shimmery indigo purple, and just the kind of colour I naturally gravitate to as the weather closes in.  Of course purple is one of those colours my eye is drawn to first so I was never going to let this one get away in any case!  Two coats provided a beautiful depth of coverage and as it happened it was one very gloomy day when I chose to wear it - cue the moody, cloudy weather pics.  Apologies for the streaked middle nail - I didn't realise until after I'd taken the pictures.  Blame the manicurist (moi), not the polish!

Daylight Indoors

Outdoors

Have a great weekend!

Bourjois 10 Day Nail Enamel: 25

This Bourjois NOTD features one of the shades from their Sweet Paris 2012 Spring Collection.  While I'm late to the party posting it I believe (hope?) it's still available at some Priceline stores locally.

Shade number 25 is described on Bourjois' website as a spring pastel coral and I can't add to that except to say it's a glossy cream finish.  This was my first experience with Bourjois' 10 Day formula and first impressions were good as it applied quite smoothly and easily with the flat wide brush.  Now here's where things went downhill:  I decided to put it to the wear test - not 10 days because obviously I'm way too impatient - through a typical 5 day working week.  Even after reinforcing it with my usual base and top coats the performance was well below what I was expecting - tip wear within a few days, with very noticeable chips appearing within 5 days.  Honestly, some of my $3 bottles have performed better so I was disappointed.  Nice colour but don't expect any miracles in terms of wear time unfortunately.

All pictures were taken in cloudy conditions: 

Have you tried Bourjois 10 Day Nail Enamel?

How has it performed for you?

Luxe purchases: Diorshow Wet & Dry Eyeshadow and Dior Extreme Wear Nail Lacquer

I was in a bit of a self-indulgent mood over the past few weeks and floated past the prestige beauty counters several times before I settled on making a purchase from Dior - helped along by a Twitter chat with lovely Larie!  My original idea was to spoil myself only with a bottle of luxe branded polish (only, onlyyyy...*sigh*) but after I'd made my polish shade selection I started swatching Dior's rainbow of new Diorshow Wet & Dry Backstage mono eyeshadow knowing full well I was flirting with danger.  Okay, I admit my weakness and now I'm sharing the evidence with you...

Diorshow Wet & Dry Backstage Eyeshadow -

 826 Bikini

In all honesty I can almost justify this purchase because I'd just finished my pale pink highlight eyeshadow and Bikini filled that gap very nicely with its pearlescent pink shimmer.  Overall I was taken with the texture of the new Backstage eyeshadow shades as they swatched smoothly and silkily on the back of my hand and were richly and evenly pigmented.  Of course I would have expected nothing less of this brand - years ago I had a much treasured mono eyeshadow that applied smoothly all the way to the bottom of the pan and I was so disappointed to see it discontinued.

The pristine pan up close (it didn't stay that way for long!)

The other feature which helped me justify this purchase is the wet and dry formula.  The eyeshadow may be applied dry for a softly finished daytime eye, or when applied with a wet brush the eyeshadow transforms into a more intense, reflective shade for a more striking nighttime look.  The SA told me the eyeshadow won't change or degrade when exposed to the wet brush and returns to its normal state in the pan when the surface moisture dries.

Swatched dry and wet:

While I haven't tried a nighttime eye yet I've worn this pretty pink dry a few times now all over my lids for daytime looks and I'm loving the smooth, fallout free application and the long-lasting shimmer. No creasing without primer either - always a winner for me! I'm heading back to Dior for a facial soon so...should I look for a crease shade to work with this pretty pink?

Dior Extreme Wear Nail Lacquer -

355 Rosy Bow

This was the reason I went to Dior in the first place.  I don't often indulge in luxe brand nail polish so this is me being really extravagant! Rosy Bow is a medium, very slightly coral pink cream from Dior's Cherie Bow 2013 Spring collection.  I'm not usually a pink lover but there is something a little more chic and grownup about this pink polish.  I look forward to wearing this for a hit of pretty on my fingers.  In the meantime, I've done a quick nail-wheel swatch to give an idea of how this will look on the nails:

Until next time,

Rimmel Precious Stones: 001 Diamond Dust

UK brand Rimmel has released some new nail polish finishes over the past few months and the tiny Precious Stones collection (comprising only two shades) released for the 2012 holiday season, was always going to catch my eye.  You'd think I'd be jaded by glitters by now, but no, no, no - not yet!  There's always something new and different to try!

According to Rimmel the point of difference with Precious Stones polishes is they're not traditional layering glitter top coats but standalone opaque polishes.  I chose the darkly interesting Diamond Dust to try and applied two generous coats to get good opaque coverage.  Diamond Dust sparkles with holographic silver glitter and micro-glitter in a deep gunmetal grey base.  This polish dries down to a rough matte, kind of mean looking finish but I applied two coats of top coat to smooth it out and bring out the brilliance of the glitter.  It's a matter of preference and mood as to how you wear this one!

Indirect daylight indoors

Sun

That's it for now!