Lumina Lacquer Camouflage

CAMOUFLAGE! I am loving camouflage right now so Camouflage by Lumina Lacquer is the perfect polish to sport on my nails. I layered Camouflage (1 coat, dabbed) over ORLY Melodious Utopia (blogged about here). I love this combination - it's bright, summery, and fun. The combination of neon green, black, teal and deep green glitters is brilliant; there are stars, circles, hexes, and hearts! Hearts in a polish called Camouflage... it couldn't be more perfect for me (or anyone for that matter). Like Lumina Lacquer Sea Star (blogged about here), Camouflage applied easily and evenly using the dabbing method. No fishing or fiddling because this polish is loaded with glitter! I really am loving Lumina Lacquer and cannot wait to try the other polishes I have lined up to wear. 

All of the following pictures show 1 coat of Lumina Lacquer Camouflage over 3 coats of ORLY Melodious Utopia.

Lumina Lacquer links: Shop // Facebook // Instagram

Lumina Lacquer Sea Star

We recently returned home after an amazing vacation by the ocean. Feeling the ocean air and seeing its beauty was inspiring and rejuvenating. The combination of Butter London Trustafarian (blogged about here) and Lumina Lacquer Sea Star captures (some) of the beauty of the sea on my nails. It also reminds me of a mermaid which is a total bonus.

I recently discovered Lumina Lacquer through Oh Three Oh Four. I fell in love immediately and had to get my hands on as many as possible! Luckily I was able to snatch a few many bottles at a recent restock. Sea Star really caught my eye as a subtle yet whimsical glitter topcoat. The beauty of this polish speaks for itself in the following pictures. As for the formula, it's absolutely dreamy! The glitter is suspended in a clear base with the perfect consistency... and my oh my is there a ton of glitter! As always with glitter topcoats, it's best to dab on the polish rather than brush as you would a regular polish. I am so pleased with this combination and cannot wait to try Sea Star over some other polishes (I am thinking pastel next... probably something from the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Collection from 2011).

I haven't forgotten about Butter London Trustafarian: it's the perfect holographic polish when you want something not too in-your-face but nonetheless holographic. Golden, green-y holo goodness! This polish will definitely be a staple in my collection.

All of the following pictures show 1 coat of Lumina Lacquer Sea Star over 2 coats of Butter London Trustafarian.

Lumina Lacquer links: Shop // Facebook // Instagram

Shade

Sunlight

Diffused Flash

Natural Light

Butter London Trustafarian

Oh, Butter London Trustafarian! It's the perfect holographic polish when you want something not too in-your-face but nonetheless holographic. Golden, green-y holo goodness! I picked up Dodgy Barnett when it came out and fell in love immediately. I realized that I had to try Trustafarian which is Dodgy Barnett's golden/green counterpart. This polish will definitely be a staple in my collection.

All pictures show 2 coats of Butter London Trustafarian in direct sunlight. 

The Dark Side of Beauty: Giveaway: Chanel 'Taboo' Nail Varnish

The Dark Side of Beauty: Giveaway: Chanel 'Taboo' Nail Varnish

Butter London - Poole

Butter London's Poole from their Summer Holiday 2013 collection is a colour well-suited for summer. 

It is a beautiful turquoise that brings to mind both the pool (without the e) and the ocean.

Poole is opaque in two coats and applies well without streaking. 

When I saw it I instantly thought up this manicure in my mind.

I applied OPI's Goldeneye, from the Sky Fall Collection, free-hand on a diagonal at the top corner of each nail. I started out taping the angle but because Goldeneye needs more than one coat for full opacity it just worked better to apply the angle without a guide. 

BTW I love Goldeneye it's pure brilliance and pure gold! 

ORLY Melodious Utopia

Melodious Utopia by ORLY is a beautifully soft canary yellow with flecks of pink shimmer. It's a lovely polish that applies easily in 2 coats (though I used 3 for the pictures). This polish is from the Spring 2013 Hope and Freedom Collection, inspired by music festivals and hippie culture. I was lucky enough to find this a week or so ago at a Sally Beauty Supply for $5! A steal indeed. While I certainly LOVE this colour and formula, this polish stains nails like no other (except maybe another ORLY... I'm looking at you Buried Alive). I wore this on my nails for 3 days with a base coat and after a week they are still severely stained. You've been warned! I might layer it over a white or other pale yellow to avoid the unpleasantries of staining. While I love ORLY (and this polish in particular), I find that their polishes have a tendency to stain more than other comparable polish brands.   

Also, this polish name really speaks to me. Maybe it's because the use of "utopia" reminds me of one of my favorite books Cruising Utopia by José Esteban Muñoz (I'm a grad student and I also love theory).

MAC - Pink Pearl Pop

Pink Pearl Pop by MAC is a lipstick we have been meaning to get our hands on ever since it was released last August.

It's a perfect shade for Spring and Summer I think. The sheerer coverage and glossy finish makes it a great lipstick for Summer when things are light and airy :)

It looks a lot brighter in the tube than it does on the lips.

The camera isn't picking it up here but when you look at Pink Pearl Pop in the tube you can detect a sparkle that I believe aids in the glossy appearance on the lips. 

As you can see it isn't too bright. I would say it's a true bubble gum pink colour. The blue base and the sheen of this lipstick really help to make your teeth look white. I will say you do need to apply a few swipes to achieve full coverage however it doesn't deliver full opacity. Your lip colour continues to show through, somewhat. As with many cremesheens, it will need to be reapplied throughout the day. 

Having said all that I do love the colour of this lipstick and I am definitely pleased to finally own it.