Part of the 2009 summer collection called Kicks (I have Custom Kicks somewhere here…either in CA or AZ), I only purchased 2 colors because I’m not a neon fan and I felt this wasn’t worth the effort for me to swatch…sorry for the neon lovers out there.
It’s a fun summer color, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, it’s not a color for me.
Whilst going through a moving box that was innocuously labeled “Bathroom Junk” from three years ago (shhh….), I discovered this little gem – Chanel’s Violette. Released in early 2000, I’d actually venture to say about 2003 since that was when we were living in Scotland and I know that this is where I purchased this color, I had high hopes for this to be a dupe of my infamous lemming/lust/must have/WILL KUT YOU FOR of Chanel’s Brown Sugar nail polish. Released about six months after Rouge Noir – the original – in 1994, I went nuts for it. Loved it so much I scrimped my pennies to share it with friends because I’d buy them a bottle for their birthday.
Brown Sugar is a polish I can definitely wax lyrical on for…well, ever. Four years ago I saw a bottle of Brown Sugar on eBay. I stopped bidding at $40. It ended up selling for $60. To this day, that is one of my true nail polish regrets. I would, in all honesty, trade in all my bottles of nail polish just so I can have a good bottle of Brown Sugar. That is how much I loved that color.
While Violette hits the spot, it’s like eating a banana when you really want chocolate – you get the potassium you wanted, but it’s not the flavor or texture that would send you into your own happy place. There are also some very subtle differences – Brown Sugar was bit more beige-y, slightly mushroom-y and a tinge more purple. Violette is…well, more violet colored and a lot lighter. I felt Brown Sugar was truly the best neutral nail polish out there. It flattered all my friends’ skin tones.
All right, enough. I’ll stop. Here are the pics.
Formula on this was terrible! But I think this was one of the first bottles of 3 Free, but I could be wrong so don’t quote me on it. These were two thin coats with no top coat put on. It bubbled and I was immediately reminded why I had thrown this color into a box and conveniently forgot about it. My Brown Sugar never bubbled, but it took forever and a millennia to dry.
This is Nubar’s Fortress Collection from Spring 2010. While I love the names and the application of the polish this collection left me a bit underwhelmed. Even the one I had anticipated, Knight’s Armor, didn’t make me go squeeeee like I had hoped.
I apologize in advance for the bad application of nail polish – I was too excited and it really shows.
This wasn’t a harsh black, but more of a mellow black with a subtle silver shimmer through it. It appears grey in the bottle but when on me it looked a bit more like charcoal. I think the sun really washed out the potential but if you look at the shade shot it best represents the color.
Once I edit the other shots I’ll be posting them as soon as possible. I’m happy to be back in the loop!
The shimmer in here makes the color pop and look almost electric against my skin. It’s kind of cool, isn’t it?
Bon weekend, mes amis!
So the first color I’m showing is called Wing It!
I’m not a fan of this shade. It’s a bit too sheer for my taste…to make matters worse, I feel this pink is a bit too youthful for me. Like Fairy Princess kind of pink for a little girl. What may camera failed to capture was the pretty iridescence of the glitter. It’s actually prettier than the actual base color! So while I was disappointed in this color, it was a bit too pink/too close to coral for my taste.
Look carefully at this color…isn’t it gorgeous? It is, isn’t it? Scroll down for the reality.
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So here we are…literally dupes. You can’t see how gorgeous this (these) color(s) is(are) – it’s like mermaid scales. There is a slight green shimmer and gold glitter that runs through it. Absolutely gorgeous. What a pity that it’s a total dupe of Zoya’s Charla. So…surprise! If you weren’t able to get a hold of Charla, grab OPI’s Catch Me In Your Net.
Heck, here are the ding dang bottle shots!
The formula on this was runny and hard to work with. Both of the colors above were 2 coaters.
Attention: Nail tape newbie strikes again! yes, another epic fail on my part. But I do get credit for trying, right? 🙂 Also, I used the Diamond Top Coat that came with the polishes. It said it would be shiny…and it wasn’t. You’ll see in the pics. Also, I don’t have another Twilight shot because…I deleted it in my attempt to multi-task – you know, book plane tickets, pay bills and run some pics through Photoshop. I learned my lesson, I promise!
Anyway, the formulas dried fast, but I still wasn’t thrilled with them. I guess I’m hard to please? I feel like I’ve seen these colors before and I have – they are Orly’s Metal Goth collection. Sorry, Nubar…I wasn’t impressed with this collection.
Nail tape n00b alert! See? But you can’t really see the shine, can you?
This was sort of matte, sort of shiny…and the top coat wasn’t super shiny and you can see it on my ring and middle finger. I tried to leave the pointer and pinkie finger as a matte.
By nature, I abhor gold anything – jewelry, nail polish…you get the idea. Then I saw this…and had to have it. Go figure. Don’t know why I had to have it. Like I was going to stab someone if I didn’t have it kind of thing.
Now that I have it I go, “Oh. Can I have my money back?”
It was a lot more sheer than I expected it to be. It bubbled up on me because I did 4 coats. I gave up when I saw it bubbling. It took forever to dry in between coats. I took it off right after I swatched it. How sad. 🙁 Anyway, sadness below.
Butter London (oddly enough, it’s an American company!) came up with their version of it and called it…British Racing Green. It’s sexier, sleeker and one I’d gladly sport on my nails when I want a sexy green.
Even better news? Butter’s Three Free and claims they are vegan! 🙂 Just a small note – Butter doesn’t even smell like nail polish. It’s not harsh or overbearing.
Deceptive…yet lovely! Looks like another green polish here.
Then hello sunlight! Look at that subtle silvery/pearlescent-ish shimmer that runs through it and keeps it from being like the others!