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Pretty & Polished: May Flowers

August 24, 2013, 5:44 am
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Happy weekend!

Thank you all for participating in the giveaway! I apologise for the delay in the announcement of the giveaway winner here as I did not have the time to schedule a post. But if you have been following me on Instagram, you would have already known that a lucky winner has been chosen and she is:

Alison Morrison

Alison has already replied to my email but here's a huge congratulations to you again! I have just finished packing your prize and will be sending them out this coming week. I sure hope you will like them ^_^

Today, I have a short and quick post before I take a break after all that shaking and mixing.

A while ago, I received an exciting email about a new stockist that will be based in Hong Kong! Fast forward a few weeks later, DAZZLEDis now officially open!

Here's a self-introduction from the founder, Denise:
DAZZLED was born from the passion and obsession of nail colours of founder, Denise - From a nail biter to total obsession. We strive to provide the gorgeous nail polishes to all ladies in Asia from around the world. Here you can find a wide range of indie polish brands just in one stop, with a more affordable shipping price and less waiting time.
I am always happy to hear from ex-nail biters because their stories are so inspiring and a huge motivation for all of us to keep our nails healthy and strong. Of course, I am even happier that Denise has taken her passion to the next level to bring in gorgeous polishes for us all! ;)

Although Dazzled is still new to the polish community, Denise has already gathered a strong line-up with brands such as a-england, Cirque, Happy Hands, NailNation 3000, Pretty & Polished and more!

Denise has kindly sent me some polishes to share with you and boy did they blow my mind when I opened the package. Pretty & Polished's May Flowers was the first that I've tried:


**random rant: Is it just me or does Blogger change the colour of my picture above? It looks really different from the picture in my local drive! >:( Thankfully Flickr doesn't alter my pictures (below).**

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May Flowers. 3 thin coats.
Eek! My very first thermal polish! May Flowers has a mix of pink, hot pink, purple, yellow, green glitters in hexes and dots (and even flowers! I didn't manage to get any on my nails but you can see it in the swatch sticks above) in a creme base that shifts from a delicate mint-green when warm to a bright green when cold. In the swatch above, I dunked my index and ring finger in cold water and my middle and pinky in warm water to show the different colours.

When left to its ordinary state, the thermal effect gave my short nails a very subtle gradient french tip effect. Love it so much!

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Of course, the effect is more obvious if you have more free-edge but I wasn't ready to sport long nails myself ;)

The formula is perfect. Application was very easy and fuss-free except that the larger glitters (the flowers!) need some fishing.

So what do you think of this or thermal polishes in general?

Pretty & Polished is now available at Dazzled. Denise currently offers flat rate shipping within Asia with free shipping for orders above a certain value. Do hop over to their website to check it out. You may also follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates!

Meanwhile, stay tuned for more swatches coming your way! ♥

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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a-england: Rose Bower, Order of the Garter & Love is Enough

August 30, 2013, 11:11 pm
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Arggggh! I swear the heat is going to kill me one day. It would be a good day for swatching except that my block of flats is being painted at the moment and I don't exactly fancy doing my thang when the painters are hovering outside my window. *awkward*

Thankfully I have some swatches in my camera so I can still blog away!

If you've caught my last post, you would know that I've received some pretties from Dazzled, a new etailer based in Hong Kong. So today, I will be sharing with you some from one of my favourite brands: a-england!



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Rose Bower. 2 coats (it is a one-coater but I did 2 anyway)
A gorgeous glowy red base with very subtle holo. Rose Bower is one of the new colours in Adina's latest collection, Burne-Jones Dream, inspired by Burne-Jones' paintings depicting scenes from Sleeping Beauty. Whilst the holo effect is the weakest in Rose Bower, the base colour more than makes up for everything. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the holo sparkles compliment the base perfectly.

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Order of the Garter. (3 thin coats)
A sheer deep blue base filled with electric blue glass flecks that shimmer impossibly when they catch the light. I can truly lose myself in the depths within.
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Love is Enough. (3 thin coats)
A sheer blackened base filled with shimmery metallic flecks giving it an overall olive hue with gold accents. Extremely glowy, sophisticated and edgy.







As with all the a-englands, the formula and application on these are perfect so no complaints there. In fact, it is one of the reason why I love a-england so much - painting is not just a process to getting pretty nails, it is an enjoyment by itself.

At the moment, a-england only ships within the UK but you can get your hands on these beauties through various distributors including Dazzled. Starting from yesterday, Dazzled is officially offering worldwide shipping (including countries outside Asia) so all you international ladies can satisfy your needs and lemmings too. On top of that, to celebrate 2,500 likes on Facebook, Dazzled is having a storewide discount of 10% with the code "2500FB". The code is valid until 6 September so don't wait! ;)

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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Pre-Orders September / October 2013!

September 2, 2013, 6:00 pm
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I have received some queries asking about the next restock so I thought I should do something about it.

As you know, I am currently waiting for a couple of shipment for my supplies so I will not be restocking my Etsy shop anytime soon.

Instead, I've decided to accept pre-orders starting from tomorrow, 4 September 2013!

Details are as follows:

  • Pre-orders are available from 4 Sept, 9 am SGT until 15 Sept
  • Orders will be filled in late Sept or early Oct (depending on when I get my supplies) on a first-come-first-served basis
  • International shipping available
  • 2 sizes available - 5 & 12 ml (yes, new bottle!) @ US$4 and US$10 respectively
  • Link to pre-order form will be posted here in this very post (I will update it)
  • Shipping and other details will be on the form
  • As a thank you for your support, orders above US$100 will also receive a little extra *winks*

In other news, I hope to work on some new releases but everything is still on the drawing board for now. So stay tuned!

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Cirque: Cape Liz & Hellebore

September 15, 2013, 5:04 am
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Hello loves!

I apologise for not blogging as often as I would like. Life got in the way again by way of a new camera and polish supplies! I finally caved in and got myself a sexy Olympus E-P5 last Saturday and spent that Sunday fiddling with it. I have yet to switch my camera for blogging though because I still need to get a macro lens / macro converter for my new camera. I spent this weekend in my lab mixing up some new colours with my new batch of supplies and I must say I am loving the supplies so far ^_^ For a glimpse of what I've been up to, you can hop over to my Instagram where I update more regularly ;)

Anyhow, I've dug up two swatches from my old camera to share with you - my very first Cirque polishes!



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Cape Liz. 3 thin coats.
A beautiful light blue-grey with blue and pink shimmer. I super love how delicate it is. Of course, I also love that it does not make me look too washed-out.

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Hellebore. 3 thin coats.
A clear base glitter filled with light green glitters in various sizes complete with a scattering of lavender glitters. Technically a glitter bomb but it looks so very delicate on the nails. Dries gritty but two coats of top coat restored its shine and sparkles.






This is my first experience with Cirque and I must say that I am very impressed. Although it is an indie handmade polish, every inch of its being exudes style and glamour of the highest class - from the quality of the lacquer right down to the packaging. The only gripe that I have is that the polishes are scented. I can't quite pinpoint the scent but it gives me a slight headache because I am rather sensitive to some fragrances (yup, I can only wear certain types of perfume for that reason). That said, not everyone is sensitive to scents so I don't think it is of any issue to most of you.

Cirque is available on their website as well as through their stockists such as Dazzled. They ship internationally so my sincere apologies to your wallets in advance. ;)


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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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Rescue Beauty Lounge: Più Mosso

September 29, 2013, 3:40 am
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A recent comment on Instagram rekindled my love and yearning for some Rescue Beauty Lounge so I dug through my stash for my precious RBL pretties:


To many, RBL is a high-end luxury brand that is known for their line of understated chic and elegance, most notably, their trademark subtle shimmer in many of their polishes. Much as I indulge in sparkly glitters, I still have a soft spot for delicate shimmers and almost inadvertently sport them on my tips on weekdays. Naturally, I could not keep my eyes, and hands, off RBL. I swear I tried my best to be good but I caved in twice to get these beauties - and never regretted my choice.

I was in the mood for some strong dark colours today so I decided to wear Più Mosso this week. Out of curiosity, I took my new camera for a spin and my eyes nearly popped out when I saw the swatch pictures. There was no way I could not blog about it. Take a look:

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Più Mosso. 2 thin coats.
A dusty inky blue that flashes a gorgeous copper when the shimmers catch the light. Più Mosso was inspired by the dark clouds that overtook the sky covering the last ray of sunlight before the storm. Romantic inspiration aside, this literally took my breath away when I stumbled upon swatches of it online. Dusty? Dark? Shimmery? I simply had to have it - it is exactly my cup of tea!

I've worn this a couple of times before this but nothing quite prepared me for what my macro lens captured:

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I died - a hundred times over - when I saw the picture on my screen. Isn't it magical!?!

I am very thankful that Ji brought this shade back so I had a chance to get it after missing the first release. At US$20 per bottle (excluding international shipping), this was by no means an ordinary purchase. But it certainly did not disappoint. Not only is the colour wickedly stunning, application was wonderful as well. The formula was smooth and the brush was thin but fans out nicely for easy application.

If there is one RBL you have to get, I would definitely recommend this.

What do you think of Più Mosso? Have you tried any other RBLs?

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The Polish Well: Halloween 2013 - Coraline and more!

October 10, 2013, 8:12 am
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Dear broadband, *clears throat to sing* how do I live without you~?
So our internet has been down for the past two days and it is driving us insane. But because I am flying off for a holiday this weekend (whooooohooo), I've decided to tether to my precious mobile broadband for a quickie post tonight to show you none other than... my mini halloween collection based on the movie - Coraline!

Oops! Missing a family shot because it slipped my mind so let's just jump to individual swatches shall we?


Coraline.
A deep blue jelly with a slight green tinge filled with turquoise sparkles and blue-green flecks for the spunky blue nails that Coraline sports. I love the depth of this but be warned - it is a stainer.

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To the Other World.
A mysterious and inviting deep blue with blue and purple sparkles that give it a glow-from-within look. This was inspired by the tunnel to the other world - when the other mother was still playing nice of course. One of the more glowy blues that I have in my collection. I wore this as a full manicure once and received quite a few compliments - even my sister thought it looks good and she rarely compliments my frankens ;)

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Let Me Go!
A mix of gold sparkles in various shades buried in a rich dark chocolate base inspired by the tunnel when Coraline tries to escape. I do love myself some dark browns especially during this time of the year <3

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Evil Witch.
For the other mother of course. A deep green jelly with a mix of green glitters and delicate gold sprinkles. I have been meaning to mix a good green for ages but never really found the right colour mix until recently. Can you tell that dark greens are my weakness?


Hmm... perhaps these are not as halloween-y as I'd hoped it would be. Nonetheless, these colours are very wearable any time of the year and that's always a plus in my books ;)

Interested? Here's the release info:-

  • I will be accepting pre-orders for this collection from Sunday, 13 October, 9am SGT to the following Sunday 20 October, 9am SGT. 
  • Only available in 12ml sizes at US$10 each
  • Limited edition - will not be restocked in the foreseeable future
  • Shipping at US$6 + US$1 for each subsequent (SG - flat rate of US$4)
  • Link to pre-order form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MZdJZ4_qmM7ywfNjGuU3OVdNH_Oze7TtiDQo9mVtJEQ/viewform (will only be activated during the dates and times stated above)
  • If you have an outstanding pre-order with me, please add a note in the remarks field and I will combine your orders for you. 

Other colours that will be made available:

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Wrath. (re-release)
Finally... after what seemed like ages, I am finally able to recreate this popular shade from my first collection. A vampy blood red jelly filled with red, gold and black glitters of various shapes and sizes. You likey? ;)

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Rose.
A delicate white jelly filled with pink glitters in two shades and a sprinkling of tiny gold sparkles. Inspired by Lee Hi's song of the same name (you need to listen to it - it is hauntingly beautiful). A random bout of inspiration that turned into a shade that I really love.


Yup! That's all from me for now. I need to get myself some rest before my holiday!

What do you think of these colours? Did any catch your eye? :D

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My Ten Friends: Astrochicken & Zero-G

October 27, 2013, 4:53 am
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Happy Sunday everyone!
So sorry for the brief absence! I had been busy with the pre-orders earlier so I didn't have the time to swatch/blog. I really ought to plan my posts in advance >< Anyway, I am happy to say that I have shipped out half of the orders and the other half are packed and ready to be mailed out this week! Keep a lookout at your inbox for email notifications with your tracking numbers!
Thank you for making this pre-order such a success!

With the pre-orders out of the way, I can finally do some swatching and blogging! Boy have I missed playing with all the pretties sitting in my drawers! I have some serious backlog by now so let's jump right into it, shall we?

Today, I have some pretties from a new-to-me indie brand - My Ten Friends - given to me by the lovely Denise from Dazzled!


Oh yeaa.. They look gorgeous, don't they? My mum walked into my room when I was swatching a bunch of polishes and Astrochicken immediately caught her eye. Her taste in polish is awfully trendy and bold for a woman her age. I am so proud of her ;)

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my-ten-friends-astrochicken1Astrochicken. 3 thin coats.
A sheer yellow base packed with shimmers and a handful of red, lime green and gold glitters in various sizes. As delicious as it may look, I had a nagging suspicion that it is not actually inspired by some space cuisine. So, I had a quick look at google and viola~ The word “astrochicken” is a name given to an egg-like spacecraft imagined by Freeman Dyson, a theoretical physicist, which would be launched into space where it would hatch and move around exploring space. At least, that is what I got from Wikipedia. The rest of the words were beyond me #_# Interesting concept huh? If it were ever constructed, I hope it would look as delicious as this polish does ;)


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Zero-G. 3 thin coats.
A sheer black base that simply explodes with silver holo glittery goodness that defy gravity - from hexes to shards. One of those that give you instant galaxy nails. The base is an interesting one and I am not quite sure how to explain it. It is actually a load of tiny black particles suspended in a lightly tinted base. It is apparent on the first coat but it builds up to opacity very quickly on the second/third coat.




Application was good. Although the formula is slightly on the thick side, it is still easy to control and the glitters spread evenly on the nails without any dabbing or placement. No fishing needed to get the glitters out of the bottle either.

So what do you think of these two colours? What are your favourite My Ten Friends' colours?

My Ten Friends polishes are available on their website or through stockists like Dazzled. For more information and updates, you may wish to follow My Ten Friends on Facebook and Twitter.

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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Chanel: Taboo

November 3, 2013, 2:43 am
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I have some serious backlog here but I didn't have time to do much swatching this weekend :( Instead, I've decided to share a twinsie post that I've done with the lovely Camila (@paintedmimi on IG) a while ago!

And the star of the post? None other than... my very first Chanel - Taboo ♥


To be honest, I wasn't on the hunt for Taboo in particular. Don't get me wrong. It is a gorgeous colour but the price tag always stopped me from getting any Chanels. My resolve wavered when I saw it in Hong Kong and tried it on my friend's nails (mine were painted, of course) and it was love. Thereafter, I hunt for it at every Chanel counter / store I came across. The prices in Hong Kong were still a bit steep at around S$30 so I took a gamble and decided to check it out at Changi Airport instead. The minute I saw that it was S$27, I crumbled, grabbed it in a heartbeat and checked out my purchase before I could stop myself. :P

And I must say, I don't regret it at all! Take a look:

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Taboo. 1 glorious coat.
A beautiful deep blue base packed with red shimmers and a scattering of electric blue sparks for that mysterious sultry look. Most of the time, it looks like a deep velvety purple because of the red shimmers in the blue base. Although there are several vampy shimmers in the market, Taboo manages to set itself apart from the rest. I love how the shimmers changed the overall colour. I also love how the random blue sparkles glow against the dark base. It is simply perfection ♥



I thought Taboo couldn't get any more perfect but boy was I wrong. Application was a dream. The formula was buttery smooth and extremely pigmented - one coat was all it needed. The brush was also easy to control and fans out nicely for easy application. To top it all off, the bottle is an elegant square which makes storage a dream! It certainly doesn't hurt that it has a lovely Chanel logo at the top too ;)

To sum up my first Chanel experience? LOVE.

What do you think of Taboo?
Do you have any high-end polishes? What do you think of them - are they worth the price tag?

Need more picture to ogle at? Don't forget to take a look at Taboo on Camila too!


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The Polish Well: Catching Fire

November 9, 2013, 3:30 am
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Hands up those who are excited about the upcoming Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie!! *sticks arms up and jumps around wildly*

Ever since I've read the books last year, I have been completely hooked onto this series and there was no turning back. So when I found out that Catching Fire movie was scheduled for release this 21 November, I jumped right into bed that same evening and re-read the Catching Fire book in one night. Naturally, with the story swimming around in my head, my brain went on turbo mode and before I knew it, I'd already made up my mind to do a mini Catching Fire collection. :P


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the-polish-well-the-wedding-dress1The Wedding Dress. (3 thin coats)
Heavy white silk with a low neckline and tight waist and sleeves that fall from my wrists to the floor. And pearls. Everywhere pearls. Stitched into the dress and in ropes at my throat and forming the crown for the veil.
A sheer white base filled with delicate shimmers and small silvery holo glitters. I nearly tore my hair out in frustration trying to capture this colour accurately. None of my pictures does it any justice. The glitters are more obvious and sparkly in real life. Under the light, it shimmers and glimmers with tiny holo sparkles. I am really happy with how it turned out.
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the-polish-well-roses-and-blood1Roses and Blood. (3 thin coats)
The smell of roses and blood has grown stronger now that only a desk separates us. There's a rose in President Snow's lapel, which at least suggests a source of the flower perfume, but it must be genetically enhanced, because no real rose reeks like that. As for the blood ... I don't know.
A delicate white base lightly tainted with red shimmers and a whiff of tiny bright red glitters. At least that is what I imagine President Snow's scent would be like in a nail polish bottle. Don't worry, I left it unscented.
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the-polish-well-no-nightmares1No Nightmares. (3 coats)
When I open my eyes, it's early afternoon. My head rests on Peeta's arm. I don't remember him coming in last night. I turn, being careful not to disturb him, but he's already awake.
“No nightmares,” he says.
“What?” I ask.
“You didn't have any nightmares last night,” he says.
He's right. For the first time in ages I've slept through the night.
Oh Peeta! You make me melt ♥ No Nightmares is a light blue-grey filled with delicate sprinkles of purple and blue micro-glitter and light shimmers. A beautiful accident for I did not set out to create this colour. For some reason, it gave me a warm, safe and fuzzy feeling - just like what I imagine Katniss would feel on a night like this with Peeta.

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the-polish-well-breaking-out1Breaking Out. 4 thin coats but also opaque on 3 thin coats.
A flash of white runs up the wire, and for just a moment, the dome bursts into a dazzling blue light. I'm thrown backward to the ground, body useless, paralyzed, eyes frozen wide, as feathery bits of matter rain down on me. I can't reach Peeta. I can't even reach my pearl. My eyes strain to capture one last image of beauty to take with me.
Right before the explosions begin, I find a star.
A deep blue jelly filled with silvery shimmers and micro-flakes that glow a a bright blue against the dark base. I tried very very hard to put in a lightning in the bottle but the closest I could get was how I imagine the night sky to look on the day of their break out. My camera freaked out a little from the shimmers buried in the base and I couldn't get a clearer picture of the delicate shimmery effect. You can see it on the swatchstick here. 3 coats are sufficient for opacity but I used four coats in the swatch above for a deeper blue.

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the-polish-well-catching-fire2Catching Fire. 3 thin coats.
I look down, fascinated, as my ensemble slowly comes to life, first with a soft golden light but gradually transforming to the orange-red of burning coal. I look as if I have been coated in glowing embers — no, that I am a glowing ember straight from our fireplace.
A sheer black base filled with glowy red glitters and copper/gold shimmers for that glowing ember look where the glitters catch the light. Not as fiery as a fire but burning within nonetheless.



So, what do you think of this collection? Which one(s) caught your eye?

PRE-ORDER INFO:

As with the other collections, the Catching Fire collection will be made available for pre-orders from tomorrow, 10 November 2013 at 7pm SGT.


  • Colours are available in the following sizes:
    • 12ml - US$10 each
    • 5ml - US4 each
  • Shipping rates are as follows:
    • International:
      • US$6 for the first 12ml / US$3 for the first 5ml
      • US$2 for each subsequent 12ml
      • US$1 for each subsequent 5ml
    • Singapore: Flat rate of US$4
  • This pre-order ends 17 November 2013 at 7pm SGT
  • Form embedded at the end of this post.


If you wish to place an order for the older colours, you may include them in your order list and I will see if I have any available stock for you.

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate reaching 10k followers on Instagram, I am also holding a giveaway on Instagram! One lucky winner will walk away with a set of minis of this Catching fire collection. Please feel free to hop over to IG to participate in the giveaway :) Rules are available in this post.

May the odds be ever in your favour <3

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The Polish Well: Christmas Duo!

November 15, 2013, 11:40 pm
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Happy weekends everyone!
Even though it is a gloomy rainy Saturday, I am still riding on a high from my most amazing nail mail week - you can catch a glimpse of the pretties that I've hauled on my Instagram page.

Since I can't do any swatching today, I looked through my pictures and I stumbled upon a prototype that I've made a while back during Halloween. I did not release it then because I've received a number of comments that it was more suited for Christmas! One thing led to another and before I knew it, I had mixed up another prototype to go with it as a Christmas duo.


Naughty or Nice.
A daring shade of deep berry-leaning red filled with holographic sparkles and a dash of holiday gold. Sparkly reds are Christmas classics so I simply had to try making one myself. More pictures below.

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Bottle shot - macro
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Shot under direct sunlight
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Trim the Tree.
A forest green filled with yellow and hot orange / red glitters. I hardly do contrasting colours myself but this one grew on me the more I stared at it.

So what do you think of these two colours? What do you like to wear on your nails for Christmas?

Pre-order Information:

As before, I will be making these polishes available for pre-orders from Sunday, 17 November, 9am SGT until 21 November, 9am SGT.

If you wish to place an order for the older colours, you may also include them in your order list and I will see if I have any available stock for you.

All colours will be available in the following sizes:
12ml @ US$10 each
5ml @ US$4 each

All orders will be mailed via Registered Mail and shipping rates are as follows:
International: US$6 for the first 12ml / US$3 for the first 5ml + US$2 for each subsequent 12ml + US$1 for each subsequent 5ml
Singapore: flat rate of US$4
IF YOU HAVE PLACED AN EARLY PRE-ORDER FOR THE CATCHING FIRE COLLECTION THAT IS STILL BEING PROCESSED, PLEASE INDICATE IN THE "REMARKS" SECTION AND I WILL COMBINE YOUR ORDERS FOR YOU.

Please note that pre-orders will be filled as quickly as I can (but I cannot guarantee they will reach you before Christmas!) and they will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis according to the timestamp on the pre-order form.


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piCture pOlish: Siren Song

November 19, 2013, 5:00 pm
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Yay it is mid-week!
By way of an update, I have already mixed up enough polish to fill most of the pre-orders for the Catching Fire collection. I am expecting a shipment of the mini bottles today and I will be able to start pouring and packing them - hopefully by the end of the week! I also aim to get the Christmas duos done by this week so I can get them to you before Christmas! :D Pre-orders for the Christmas duos close tomorrow at 9am, SGT.

Enough side tracking! Today, I have another beauty to share with you:


Siren Song. 2 thin coats.

piCture pOlish's Siren Song is a beautiful seafoam green filled with micro silver glitters that give it a most delicate shimmery look. It is no secret that I love seafoam greens and this is just perfect! I must admit I love the name and the tagline too. Rebecca really did a great job with this one.

Application is a little streaky on the first coat but it evens out on the second. The glitters tend to stick to the side of the bottle so I would recommend a good shake before application.

So what do you think of Siren Song?

Siren Song is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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piCture pOlish: Sunset

November 26, 2013, 5:00 pm
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Happy Hump Day everyone!

Today, I have another gorgeous colour from piCture pOlish to share with you:


Sunset. 2 thin coats over white.
Oops! I should have warned you to put on some shades first. My bad! Sunset is an eye-searing neon orange with just a touch of coral to make me go weak in the knees. I am thankful that it is technically summer all year round in Singapore so I always have an excuse to rock some neons though I suspect I would wear them all the same elsewhere whenever I need to brighten up my day ;)

As with most neon shades, Sunset is slightly sheer and applies like a crelly. I believe it would have reached opacity on its own but I chose to wear it over white to make the colour really pop!

So, do you like neon colours? When will you wear them - only in summer or all year round?

Sunset is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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ILNP: Bottle Service, Contraband & Indie Go

December 1, 2013, 1:00 am
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Today,  I have a new-to-to-this-blog indie brand to share with all of you. Like me, many of you would have heard of it through other blogs. It started recently in 2012 and quietly took the world by storm with its gorgeous creations and professional and stylish packaging. Yup, this brand is none other than ILNP (I Love Nail Polish)! I have drooled over the gorgeous swatches online and finally decided to take the plunge to buy some for myself when Barbra released a mind blowing set of holos - honestly, how could I ever resist that!?



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Bottle Service. 2 coats.
A champagne silver nude with delicate holo sparkles and the most beautiful golden sheen. I am not usually a fan of frosty/metallic shades but this was wayyyyyyy too beautiful for me to skip it. It is certainly a plus that the brushstrokes are very minimal for this one.

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Contraband. 2 coats.
A deep eggplant purple filled with electric blue shimmer flakies and micro red shimmers. This is a hell of a stunner. It even reminds me a little of Chanel Taboo - similar but not dupes. If you can't bring yourself to splurge on Taboo, this is definitely a good alternative. Even if you already have Taboo and love it, this beauty is not one to be missed. After all, one can never have enough of such vampy shades - fact. ;)


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Indie Go. 2 coats.
A deep brilliant blue with a slight purple shift that bursts into a beautiful holo under the sun. Simply too gorgeous. I can't even.. I am just speechless.

The formula of these ILNPs are wonderful and I had no problems with application at all. It went where I wanted it to go and I had little need of clean up.

So what do you think of these colours? Have you tried ILNP before? Which ones are you favourite?

ILNP is available through their website. Do follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more updates!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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piCture pOlish: Frosting

December 3, 2013, 5:00 pm
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It's Wednesday again! Ordinarily I would be really happy because it is mid-week but I have an upcoming function this Friday that I absolutely dread so... ugh. It's Wednesday :(

Unhappy function aside, I've another piCture pOlish pretty to share with you today!


Frosting. 2 thin coats.

A sheer milky pink nude base filled with fuchsia, purple and silver hex glitters and a smattering of *gasp* silver hearts! Really sweet combination I must say! I had initially intended to go with 3 thin coats but I love that slightly sheer and delicate look at 2 coats so I didn't go further than that.

The formula of this one is slightly tricky. The base is slightly thicker than the other piCture pOlish shades to hold up those heavy heart glitters but not completely unmanageable. I might thin it a little the next time I use it though. I also gave my bottle a few hard shakes to loosen the glitters before application.

So what do you think of this collaboration shade with Michelle of Cosmetic Cupcake? I must say I am really loving the collaboration shades done by piCture pOlish!
p.s. they have released some new shades and Bewitch is... *swoon*

Frosting is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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piCture pOlish: Shy Violet

December 11, 2013, 5:49 am
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It is finally mid-week!!! *throws confetti*
I have been feeling especially happy because my shipment of mini bottles was finally released by customs and I could go about filling the pre-orders placed last month! I have already sent an email to the affected customers and I must say, their responses, understanding and support totally touched my heart and blew my mind. I simply have the bestest readers and customers - I LOVE YOU ALL <3

Because I am busy working on the pre-orders, I almost forgot to blog about this beauty from piCture pOlish:


Shy Violet. 4 thin coats.
A warm red leaning violet filled with small scattered holographic flecks. It is bright but not quite what I would call a neon. Interestingly though, it dried slightly matte/stain initially like the usual neon polishes but by the third and fourth coat, it dried to a slight gloss. I topped it with a top coat anyway to give it a better shine - just the way I love my polishes.

The formula of Shy Violet was slightly on the thin side so you will have to be careful with pooling at the sides of the nail or the cuticles. It was also a little sheer so you will definitely need at least three coats for decent coverage; I used a fourth for a deeper stronger colour.

What do you think of this colour?

Shy Violet is available at piCture pOlish's website and through its network members. You can follow piCture pOlish on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for more updates and new releases as well!

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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Mod Lacquer: Goblin & Revenant

December 14, 2013, 10:11 pm
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Happy weekend lovelies!!
I am feeling especially pumped because... I AM GOING TO TAIWAN NEXT SATURDAY!! :D It will be a week long trip so I might be MIA for a while. I had wanted to schedule some posts but I am currently busy with the packing and settling other matters before the trip. I really shouldn't have procrastinated ><
Anyone else going away for a year-end trip too? ;)

Today, I have a new-to-the-blog indie brand to share with all of you - Mod Lacquer! I first chanced upon Mod Lacquer on Instagram. The cute bottle shape and gorgeous colours caught my eyes so when I was offered the chance to do a review for Jennifer, I was over the moon! Just take a look:


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Goblin. 3 thin coats.
A gorgeous olive green to chocolate brown duochrome complete with sprinkles of holographic sparkles. I really love this one. The colours are rich and the shift is strong. The name is really apt for the colours too!

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Revenant. 3 thin coats.
A beautiful shimmery blue base filled with scattered holographic sparkles with a flash of dreamy pink at certain angles. I love a good blue but the pink shift really makes this unique. *swoon*

Application for these Mod Lacquers is smooth. The formula is neither thick nor runny. The brush is slightly shorter than what I am used to but I had no trouble with control and application at all.

So what do you think of Goblin and Revenant?
Have you tried Mod Lacquer before? Which colours are your favourites?

I have more Mod Lacquers to share with you so do stay tuned for more swatches!
Mod Lacquer is available on Etsy. Do follow Mod Lacquer on Facebook and Instagram for more updates!
p.s. A little birdie told me that they are having a winter sale (use "SHOP15" for 15% off!) right now until 31 December 2013 ;)

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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a-england: Fonteyn & Dancing with Nureyev

December 20, 2013, 5:00 pm
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Good morning, everyone!!
I managed to squeeze some time for some swatches so I thought I would do a quickie post to share some beauties before I leave Singapore tonight ;)

As you might have suspected, I have been really out of touch with the polish world for a while now. Between work, my polish creations and my manga obsession, I hardly have any time to sit down and scroll through my feed! As I watch the number of unread posts increase exponentially, I simply couldn't bring myself to tackle them - you know how it is >< If Mei Mei hadn't contacted me, I wouldn't have known that a-england has recently released yet another gorgeous collection! Shame on me! :(


Dancing with Nureyev and Fonteyn are two of the four new colours from a-england's Ballerina Collection. This collection is inspired by one of the greatest classical ballet dancers, Margot Fonteyn. I don't profess to be a fan of ballet but it always takes my breath away each time I chance upon a ballet performance. The elegant dance moves and the beautifully dreamy costumes... *le sigh* Which was why I was instantly enamoured by Adina's latest releases - they are the perfect embodiment of the elegance and delicateness that I love in ballet.

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Fonteyn. 2 thin coats.
The lightest silvery lilac with the most elegant linear holo. I just have no words to describe it... A true beauty befitting of its namesake.

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Dancing with Nureyev. 2 thin coats.
A purple leaning steel blue with a strong but elegant linear holo effect. Nothing less for her dance partner, Rudolf Nureyev, who had such amazing chemistry with her on-stage.

As I've come to expect of a-england, the formula of these are impeccable. Nothing short of buttery smooth application. I am sure you've heard enough to know it by now ;)

So what do you think of these two shades?
You know I love me some strong dark colours so I am naturally in love with Dancing with Nureyev. But Fonteyn took me by surprise and I cannot stop staring at it on my nails. So... my take on it? You definitely need them both! Besides, it would be too cruel to tear the apart, wouldn't it? ;)

a-england is available in UK through their online store. Although they do not ship internationally, they are also available through their various stockists, including Mei Mei's Signatures! :D

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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DIY Glitter Phone Cover

January 25, 2014, 1:20 am
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Hello lovelies!! *waves furiously*
It has been way too long since I've been here and I've really missed the blog and YOU so much! I owe all of you an apology for being absent all this while. I had spent a wonderful time in Taiwan in the last week of 2013 but caught a very bad cough/flu after I returned to Singapore. I went around with a fever for almost one whole week and basically spent all my non-working hours trying to sleep it off. Even after the fever went down, I continued hacking my lungs out >< My cough and flu finally eased up a few days ago so I am slowly getting back to my routine.

To kick-start a new year, I have a special post to share today! Since I've started working, I have been cruelly separated from my precious glitter polishes so much so that they have started to accumulate dust in my helmer. *heartbreaks* So when I saw the gorgeous glitter phone covers that Kathy of More Nail Polish and Bec of Nail Gun XS had made, I swore to myself that I would never rest until I have one of my own. This year, I finally did:


My very own glitter rainbow! ♥

All I did was to use a transparent phone cover/case and painted/dabbed my favourite glitter polishes on the inside of the case before finishing with a thin coat of black (to make the glitters pop) and a thin coat of top coat. I left it to dry for a day and a half - and I simply couldn't wait any longer ;)

The colours I've used for this cover are all from Femme Fatale Cosmetics (I'm a huge fan) (from left to right):
World of Shadows
Nightsong Grotto
Hydraxia
Coldwraith
Stonemother's Kiss
Vortex Remnants
Wickerman Embers
Wild Magic

The colours are not perfectly blended but I am in love with the cover anyway! ♥♥♥♥
Because I cannot resist... PICTURE SPAM!!







Ever since I've posted a picture of this cover on Instagram, I've received a lot of requests asking me if I will be selling these. I am honestly very flattered and happy that this is so well received but I wasn't sure if I can sell them at reasonable prices without making a loss - after all, the polishes do not come cheap. Instead, I have decided to do a giveaway and make a custom phone cover (whether similar to this or in a different colour) for a lucky follower on Instagram! For more details, please see my original post here.

So, what do you think of my new phone cover? Have you tried making a DIY item with nail polish before? What do you think I should try next? :)

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Press Release: The Holo Grail Box

February 4, 2014, 5:10 am
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Hello lovelies!

I have a very exciting piece of news to share with all of you today - especially the holo lovers! This is because... Dazzled has just launched the first ALL HOLOGRAPHIC polish monthly subscription box!!!

Without further ado, here's what Denise has to say about the Holo Grail:




Price: HKD465/ appx. USD59.60 (shipping not included)
Brands: Aly’s Dream Polish, Emily de Molly, Foxy Paws Polish, Lilypad Lacquer, Literary Lacquers, NailNation3000, Philly Loves Lacquer, Too Fancy Lacquer
Launch Date: 1st February

Each box will contain 4 polishes, Too Fancy Lacquer is the core brand of the box with 3 other brands rotating.

There will be a theme each month and it will be announced when the box is available for pre­order. The shades will remain a mystery until customers receive their box, however, there will be a collage of photos showing the inspiration from each brand.

We have already chosen a theme for March and April, they will be Meet The Makers Part I & II. Although some of the brands are already very well known, some are not. We want to introduce all the brands in our lineup to the fellow nail polish lovers, so the brands will make what they are best at in these introductory boxes.

But starting from May onwards, we will be open for suggestions from customers on our Facebook page, we will still be the one to decide the theme of the box. But once the theme picked is from the suggestion of a customer, the person will get a free box for that month.

March: Meet The Makers Part I
Too Fancy Lacquer
Aly’s Dream Polish
Foxy Paws Polish
Lilypad Lacquer

April: Meet The Makers Part II
NailNation3000
Emily de Molly
Literary Lacquers
Philly Loves Lacquer


The Holo Grail is now available for pre-orders at: http://shop-dazzled.com/products/the-holo-grail-box
Pre-orders are open for 2 weeks until 14 February 2014. All shades are exclusive to The Holo Grail Box and will not be available for sale after the pre-order so you don't wanna miss this out!

Are you drooling yet? ;)

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NailNation 3000: Glow Worm & Awesome Sauce

February 15, 2014, 8:03 pm
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Good morning lovelies!! I trust that you are all enjoying the Valentine's weekend? I had completely forgotten that it was Valentine's Day on Friday (you can't blame a single for not remembering that, can you?) and happily painted my nails black on Thursday night. Everyone must have thought I was super anti-Valentine but I swear I am totally neutral on this. I'm blaming Jayo for my sudden urge to wear black. We were having dinner one night when she told me she once wore black nails to work and I was just itching to try the same and see what response I get from my boss. Well, he didn't say anything - I wasn't sure if he had noticed in the first place. Next on my to-try list? Chrome nails ;)

After two days of black, I needed something really bright for a change so I trawled through my to-swatch pile and found these two pretties from NailNation 3000:


Awesome Sauce. 3 thin coats.
A brilliant orange holo with a tinge of coral. It looks like a dirty orange in the bottle but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was such a saturated and vivid hue of orange on the nails. With the sun in Singapore, I just need a hat on my head, some margarita in my hand and sand in my toes for it to be a perfect Sunday!


Glow Worm. 3 thin coats
A lime green holo with a beautiful golden sheen. The holo effect is stronger on this one. I don't usually reach for light greens but this is making me think twice.

Application for these two colours are great and no special base coat is needed. The formula was thin but not runny and applies easily over the nail.

So what do you think of these two colours? What are your favourite NailNation 3000 colours?

NailNation 3000 polishes are available on their website or through stockists like Dazzled (p.s. do you know that Dazzled is now offering a subscription box for all holo lovers? Check out this post for more information!). For more information and updates on NailNation 3000, you may wish to follow My Ten Friends on Facebook and Twitter.

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**
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