Tuesday 18 October 2011

Laura's Look Book - Konad Nail Art - Girly Floral

I have wanted to do a girly nail look for a while, and so I decided to do one today.

photo-64

photo-63

Products used;

China Glaze Good Witch?
China Glaze Harmony
BM plate 224

I love this look, the pink sparkly base with the purple metallic design couldn't be any girlier if it tried! I have provided a natural light picture and an artificial light picture, however it was so difficult to photograph how it looks in real life, as it doesn't show the glitter as well and it captures too much shine, and I don't think it captures how metallic the purple is. Picture difficulty aside, I hope you like it :]

Friday 14 October 2011

Laura's Look Book - Konad Nail Art - Blue & Silver Swirls

I've not done some Konad in a while, so since I have some time off I thought I'd get to it :]

nail art look

Products used;

Calvin Klein Indigo Blue,
China Glaze Devotion,
BM plate 19

I have been dying to use a China Glaze Romantique polish for some nail art since the swatches I did in my review of the collection. I used one of my favourites from the new bunch of Calvin Klein polishes I bought as a base too, so really it was 2 birds 1 stone :] It came out OK, but the BM plate design is quite skinny, so I found it hard to cover my entire nail (and I have small nails too), so the designs are harder to use then the Konads where the design is bigger and therefore it's easier to cover the whole nail with the design. With this bm design I had to do a bit of patching up at the sides, hopefully it isn't too noticeable. Either wau I think the design is nice and I like this colour combo :]

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Calvin Klein Nail Varnish Haul & Reviews

So, I recently managed to get these polishes for around £3 each on sale. I had seen them before and so had alsways wondered what the quality was like, as you can get them so cheaply considering the RRP is £11 and I have only ever seen them sold for £5 max, it made me wonder how come they were so cheap. Where they rubbish? Some are mislabelled is this the reason for the cheap price? So, here is my review, see below my thoughts on them. (Natural light swatches appear more true to life).

Navy Sparkle

CK Navy Sparkle
Artificial light

CK Navy Sparkle
Natural light

Navy Sparkle is a deep blue varnish with green shimmer shot through, which gives it an iridescent effect. This looks blue, however when light hits it green shows through, however the picture does not show this all that well. The formula is thick, pigmented and covers well, but also dries quite quickly. Overall, it is a beautiful and good quality polish. 2 coats was all that was needed.


Hannah Pinktana

CK Hannah Pinktana
Artificial light

CK Hannah Pinktana
Natural light

Hannah Pinktana is a sheer pinky purple colour with holographic shimmer. The colour isn't sheer enough that you don't see it which is nice, and the shimmer is enough to give a holographic effect (not shown very well in the photo. For the best effect I'd say 3 coats, however my picture is only 2 coats and I think it looks really good. It dries pretty quickly, and overall is a lovely colour and quality varnish.


Madly Mauve

CK Madly Mauve
Artificial light

CK Madly Mauve
Natural light

Madly Mauve is a deep purple with blue microshimmer, making it an iridescent colour that shows through as purple and blue. The formula only needed 2 coats max, dried pretty quickly and is a really lovely colour to look at and wear. This colour was so difficult to photograph, so the pictures do it no justice.


Tutu

CK Tutu
Artificial light

CK Tutu
Natural light

Tutu is not really a tutu kind of colour, it is black with multi-coloured glitter, however, the main glitter that shows through is a bronzey colour, as the seems to stand out better against the black. This is a minimum of 2 coats, as one coat was still too washed out looking, however I used 2 coats in the picture so I guess 2 would do. This is a lovely unique shade, and a little different. The glitter is very fine so the finish isn't rough or lumpy. A lovely shade and a workable formula.


Hint of Pink

CK Hint of pink
Artificial light

CK Hint of pink
Natural light

Hint of pink in the bottle looks like a dusty rose, however on the nail it appears brighter and more baby pink. This went on perfect in 2 coats, however the colour isn't exactly unique, however it is nice. A staple barbie pink for those pink lovers, good quality, but not overly unique.


Bombshell

CK Bombshell
Artificial light

CK Bombshell
Natural light

Bombshell is a bright red verging on the pink side. Very nice texture and a little different from the average red, as it is quite bright and pinkish. 2 coats was enough to get the best coverage, however the finish wasn't overly glossy. Good quality, nice colour, and a colour that is bright and pretty.


Indigo Blue

CK Indigo blue
Artificial light

CK Indigo blue
Natural light

Indigo blue is a gorgeous bright and vibrant blue with silver shot through to give a metallic look. This has to be one of my favourite blues in my whole collection. In 2 coats it was perfectly opaque and the colour pay off was good. This is the glossiest out of the bunch, and it is a lovely shade, with a lovely texture and finish. Overall a really good quality varnish.


Crushed Rose

CK Crushed Rose
Artificial light

CK Crushed Rose
Natural light

Crushed Rose is a colour which I thought would be my favourite, it looked pinky in one light, but coral in another (in the bottle). However, when applied it was very thick and and gloopy, it also streaked pretty bad and didn't dry as well as the others. It is a lovely pink/coral colour, but the formula lets it down. It's a case of loving the colour but not the formula.


Fuchsia Rama

CK Fuchsia Rama
Artificial light

CK Fuchsia Rama
Natural light

Fuchsia Rama is not just a cool name, it's a cool colour too. In the bottle it is a deep purpley pink, however on the nail it appears more bright pink with a purple tinge. It is a lovely colour, fairly unique. The formula applies well and covers well as 2 coats worked out fine and gave a lovely opaque finish and drying time was good, however the finish itself is anything but glossy. The finish appears to be in the middle of matte and glossy, it isn't overly matte or glossy but somewhere in between. Therefore I find this lets it down, as it looks like the finish isn't supposed to be like that.


Silver Streak

CK Silver streak
Artificial light

CK Silver streak
Natural light

Silver Streak is a lovely metallic silver. This is just like any other silver pretty much, however the texture is good, though a little on the thick side and the finish is ok. I'd say 2 coats is all that is needed. It covers evenly and the drying time is good. Overall a lovely silver polish for those metallic lovers.


Overall, good quality varnishes, especially since they can be acquired to cheaply. A lovely variety of colours, and great value for money. Why are they so cheap? Well, although good colours, not all of them appear high end on the nail, while others do, so maybe it is the mislabelled bottles and the fact they haven't built up this high end cult following like brands such as OPI and designers like Chanel and YSL.

Hope this review has helped :]