Showing posts with label Fall 2010 Collections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fall 2010 Collections. Show all posts

ORLY Halley's Comet-Cosmic FX

I have another shade from ORLY's Cosmic FX Collection today, Halley's Comet. This vivid turquoise shade with foil flecked glitter is similar to other manufacturer's polishes, so I didn't find it to be terribly unique.

Above & Below: This has a somewhat metallic finish that becomes almost foil-like in the shade (below), but without the dreaded brush strokes, which is often a problem with this type of finish.

Below: The glitter is delicate but abundant, and reflects shades of gold, green and blue.

This is a nice shade--bright, turquoise, sparkly--but if you already have Zoya Charla it's an exact match. I've also heard the same about OPI Catch Me In Your Net, which I don't have to compare it to. I tried to find any difference at all between Halley's Comet and Zoya Charla, and from what my eyes see, there is none. I would say the the ORLY polish is a little more pigmented because it gave me more even coverage on the first coat, but not enough to sway me that it's better. I still ended up going with three coats and now that ORLY is generally more expensive these days, I guess it's just a matter of personal preference.


Posted in , , , , ,

Jessica Muse Collection: Fall 2010

Jessica Cosmetics has a new collection coming out for Fall and I have swatches for you today. This collection contains 6 shades that are perfect for the season, including 2 shimmers and 4 cremes.

Jessica's MUSE collection presents mesmerizing rich tones that reflect the beauty and sophistication of Fall Fashion. Each colour individually allows you to become inspired and exert your inner MUSE!

Are you ready to exert your inner MUSE? Let's do it!

Above & Below: Intrigue, a haze of purple according to the press release, is one of my favorites from this collection. In the bottle is appears as a pale mauve creme, but once on the nail, this one reveals taupe, grey, and mauve depending on the lighting.


Below: Bittersweet is described as chocolate brown, but it has more than that going for it. This lighter cocoa shade is laced with fine gold shimmer within the brown creme adding a touch of elegance.


Below: Victorian Crush is an army green creme that is sure to please those of us with an affection toward the olive green family.


Below: Scarlet is a daring red creme with warm tones. The first photo below is a little washed out by the sunlight, and I'd say that the second photo is more true to color.


Below: Majesty Blue, a royal blue with silver shimmer is a very nice dark bright navy blue color. The shimmer is fine and seems to remain quite subtle even in the sunlight (below). It's more noticeable in brighter artificial light, as evidenced in the second photo.


Below: Crimson Reflections is a burgundy wine creme that has a near jelly finish. This shade appears as a medium berry shade in brighter lighting, and a burgundy shade in lower lighting.


Jessica's Muse Collection is a nicely done assortment of Fall shades with some fairly common shades and some shades that are a little more daring and trendy. As I've found with all Jessica polishes, these applied very well and I used two coats on them. If you haven't had the pleasure of using this brand, I highly recommend giving them a try. Their formula is superb, their color and finish range is expanding nicely, and with the pricing of many other brands increasing, these are very reasonably priced for the quality.

You can find the most current shades on the Jessica Cosmetics web site (the MUSE collection will be available within the next month), and I have purchased many of my Jessica polishes from hellogorgeous.net. They have a large inventory of shades and are priced at $4.95. A Google search will often yield a coupon code for $5.00 off and their shipping and response time is very good.

How many of you have tried Jessica brand polishes? If you have, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts about them.

*Products featured were furnished by the manufacturer or PR firm for review.


Posted in , , , , , , , , , , ,

Let's Mix All Of The ORLY Cosmic FX Shades!

I don't know why, but ever since I first the ORLY Cosmic FX collection promo pictures, I've wondered what the final outcome would be if the shades were all mixed together. Clearly, some things are not meant to be tampered with! I mixed 10 drops of each shade together for this new shade which is shown below in various lighting, both indoors and outdoors.







I'm not sure what I expected, but this wasn't exactly how I'd envisioned it. Not a bad color--sort of a deep green, a hint of charcoal with multi colored glitter--oh well, now I know!


Posted in , , , ,

ORLY It's Not Rocket Science-Cosmic FX

ORLY'S Cosmic FX collection is a mixed array of shades that I'm finding to be quite unique, although It's Not Rocket Science is a close match to China Glaze Zombie Zest and SpaRitual's Optical Illusion. I did a quick swatch test and found the ORLY to have better coverage, but if you're looking to save some $$ and already have one of the others, you don't technically need It's Not Rocket Science.

Above & Below: The photo above was taken with a flash, while the photo below was taken in the shade. This olive green shade required 3 coats and is packed full of golden olive foil glitter.
Below: This photo was taken in full sunlight and I don't know what it is about this line, but I have a hard time getting the detail to photograph in brighter lighting.
Because I already have the China Glaze and Spa Ritual shades mentioned above, I didn't find this one to be as unique as the others I've swatched so far in this collection. I still recall my excitement over Optical Illusion, which was my first foray into this shade, so if you're thinking about getting this one and don't have the others, you'll love it.

I have heard about the price increase from ORLY and while I can't tell you why they chose to go with an increase because I have no idea, Yen from VNS has asked me to pass along the suggestion that you send her your order in an eMail to get accurate pricing. I picked mine up before the price increase, so I can't tell you what her new price is, but she'll be happy to let you know.


Posted in , , ,

ORLY Space Cadet-Cosmic FX

Today I've swatched my second shade from ORLY's much anticipated fall collection, Cosmix FX, and they seem to get more interesting each time! Space Cadet is a glitter/foil/duo chrome with shades of purple and olive.

Above & Below: The top photo was taken with an Ott lamp, while the photo below taken outdoors in the shade, reveals a more foil finish.
Below: In full sunlight, the purple glitter takes center stage, while the photo below this one again shows the foil tendencies in partial sun.

Below: The purple in Space Cadet seems to sit more on top of the green, almost as if I'd applied a purple glitter over an olive tone.
Below: My first thought when applying Space Cadet was that it was similar to the concept found in Sally Hansen's Emerald Amethyst (below). Certainly not dupes by any stretch, but the same color combination and duo chrome flash.
As with Galaxy Girl yesterday, I went with three coats on Space Cadet for even coverage. Like most of you, 2 coats is generally my standard, but these are definitely worth taking the short time needed for a second coat. The drying time on today's shade seemed closer to normal, and again, I am having a hard time photographing these shades for some reason. The color in real life is more vivid, and the glitter detail and duo chrome are more pronounced and defined.


Posted in , , , , , ,

ORLY Galaxy Girl-Cosmic FX

Orly's Cosmic FX collection is one that I've been excited about ever since I saw the first promo pictures. Now that I have them, I'm not disappointed in the slightest. Galaxy Girl is a deep grape shade with hints of wine or burgundy. There is no shortage of glitter in this one and the aqua/green glitter contrasts nicely with the base color.


Below: A macro shot of the finish shows the complexity of colors that Galaxy Girl contains.

I don't have any sun to work with today and I did find this shade to be a bit difficult to photograph properly, probably because it has a lot going on with the glitter and the colors. I ended up going with 3 coats to get even coverage and it seemed to dry a little slower than what I'm used to. The formula itself wasn't problematic, but it's just different--I'm guessing because of the mineral ingredients. The foil glitter seems to shift color with movement, giving it a definite duo chrome feature while adding sparkle at the same time. This collection will definitely be included in my Best of the Best Polishes & Collections for 2010.

I was very happy to see ORLY branching out in their social media circle by signing up with Twitter recently. If you'd like to follow them, you can join them here.


Posted in , , , ,

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Hotsy Totsy Set

I finally got around to swatching the second set of China Glaze Vintage Vixen shades--I guess that's not too bad, considering I still haven't touched my Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection from last year yet! The Hotsy Totsy set contains a perfect mix of shades for the Fall season and I was not disappointed with any of them. Like the others in this double-set collection, they all applied nicely using 2 coats.

Above & Below: Hey Doll is a rose mauve shimmer with multi colored tiny glitter. I didn't think I would like this with my skin tone, but I was pleasantly surprised by it.


Above & Below: Foxy, a darker rich copper shade, is a shimmer with coppery golden highlights. This is a nice shade of copper for me, as it doesn't seem to pull too much orange.


Above & Below: Jitterbug is a darker silver grey shade, with a metal flake glitter finish. The finish on this is smooth as glass and virtually brush-stroke free.


Above & Below: Swing Baby has the same metal flake glitter finish as Jitterbug, and is a shade that look more gold in brighter lighting (above) and more of a darker golden taupe in lower lighting (below).


Above & Below: Ingrid is a rich taupe creme with gold micro glitter that shifts to green and pink. Taupes are a favorite of mine and the shimmer colors add a nice touch.


Above & Below: Bogie is the slightest bit frosty, but don't let that bother you. This toned down purple with multi colored micro glitter is still a beautiful shade, and I love the actual shade of purple, because it's almost a dusty or muted version of grape.

The polishes in both of the Vintage Vixen sets are so pigmented that the application was quick and easy on all of them. I don't think I can pick a favorite because they're all beautiful and perfect for the upcoming season. I love the varied shimmer/metallic finishes and am thankful they aren't actually frosts, as we thought they were from the promo wording! China Glaze has once again come out with a fabulous collection, and I think we all appreciate not only their pricing, but also their willingness to listen to what their customers want .


Posted in , , , , , , , , , , ,

Color Club Untamed Luxury Indulgence Collection: Part II

The last four shades from Color Club's Untamed Luxury Indulgence Collection were all great as far as the application goes...except for the last one, Pretty In Platinum. I used 2 coats on these as I did with the others in this huge collection, and overall, I'm pretty pleased with all of them other than Pretty in Platinum. De-Luxe-Cious and Miss Hautie from the Glitter collection were disappointing not because of the shades, but because of the finish. They're somewhat dull and lack the ability to bring the glitter in them to their full potential. I'm going to try them with a high gloss top coat to see if that doesn't help things out.

Above & Below: Soft as Cashmere is a "Love", "Perfect 10", "Thumbs Up" for me. This putty grey taupe shade applied like a dream and has a little something extra in the formula to give it a totally unique look. What makes this one unlike any similar shades (comparison below), is a dull olive green. When I removed it, the only color on the cotton ball was straight up olive.

Below: The middle and pinkie fingers are wearing Soft as Cashmere, while the index (top) finger is Color Club High Society, and the ring finger is American Apparel Mouse.
Below: Positively Posh had a very nice formula also, but it's not quite as unique as Soft as Cashmere. This dark taupe or light milk chocolate shade has some pretty close dupes, as you'll see a few photos down.

Below: A comparison with Essie Mink Muffs (top-index), Positively Posh (middle), Orly Prince Charming (ring), and OPI You Don't Know Jacques (bottom-pinkie). It's very close to OPI YDKJ.
Below: Wild Orchid is a lighter gray creme with tiny multi colored (pink and blue/green) micro glitter. The blue/green glitter is the most prominent in this shade. The photo below was taken indoors with a flash, while the others were taken outdoors in the sun.




Below: In the shade, it takes on a blue/grey look.

Below: My first thought when I saw this in the bottle, was that it reminded me of Orly Pixie Dust. In reality, Pixie Dust (on my top-index and middle fingers) is more blue, while Wild Orchid is clearly more grey (ring and pinkie fingers).
Below: Pretty in Platinum sounds nice, and looks nice in the bottle, but no. Just no from me on this frosty pearly white with a pale grey tint. Is anyone in agreement with me here?

You can scroll back through the last couple of days to see all of the shades in this collection, if you're interested. All in all, there are some nice shades in both sets that make up the collection, and there are a few that are not anything terribly unique. 13 of 14 had excellent formulas and application (sorry, Pretty in Platinum!), and my personal favorites are probably Snakeskin and Soft as Cashmere. Do you have a couple of favorites?


Posted in , , , , , , , , , ,
Save Free beauty tips on social network:
RSS FeedSubscribe to our RSS feed!