OPI Grape Set Match + OPI Servin’ Up Sparkle

I have worn this manicure for a full week, which says quite a lot!

I love how it really sparkles, Servin’ Up Sparkle really transforms Grape Set Match into something else altogether 😉

Sorry I do not have Grape Set Match worn alone 😦 But it’s a really rich royal purple/blue. Super amazing on its own too!

Look at the sparkles inside Grape Set Match!

Swatch & Review: Zoya Charity

Zoya Charity is described as a “faded mauve-purple with copper colored duochrome shimmer”… But I feel that it looks brown under certain lights and angles which make this a very interesting nail polish indeed.

2coats:

Color Family: Purples

Finish: Metallics

Intensity: 5 (1=Sheer – 5=Opaque)

Tone: Cool

I usually stay away from colours like that for fear of looking dated or too dull. This one reminds me a lot of Zoya Deidra which unfortunately, seems to have been discontinued as I couldn’t find it on Zoya. They even look similar in the bottle just that Charity has a lot more brown undertones as compared to Deidra.

 Zara is the other purple from Zoya that I currently have in my stash.

with flash

This colour has an understated elegance that is usually mistaken for “boring”. I find that this takes me very well from work to play as it looks different under different sets of lighting. It looks darker in real life (almost like a rosy brown) under fluroscent lamps but in the sunlight this looks like a pretty purple with subtle gold shimmer flecks. Formula is fantastic as with all Zoyas, this one covered well in just two coats.

Zoya Charity on my tips 😉

Swatch & Review: ZOYA Zara

Another purple for today!

Zoya Zara (3 coats):

Color Family: Purples

Finish: Metallic

Intensity: 5 (1=sheer, 5=opaque)

Tone: Cool

Original Collection: Flourish

I apologize for the bad quality, it was raining this morning and the skies were really dark.

Zara is a “vivid blue-toned light purple with strong golden duochrome shimmer”. It looks mauve-ish in some lights but it definitely is pretty! I’m usually not a fan of these light purples but it is too highly-raved to miss out on. It looks slightly dull without a top coat but a coat of Poshe really brings out the golden shimmers! This is a gorgeous gorgeous colour that wears well on fair skin tones. Tanner ladies might find this colour a little washed out.

The consistency and formula is great as usual. Goes on slightly sheer on the first two coats but 3 coats is just nice to cover VNL.

The sky is the limit with NUBAR 2010!

Nubar 2010 was created to celebrate and commemorate Nubar’s 10th anniversary of ten years of creating safe and innovative nail lacquers free of DBP (phthalate), formaldehyde, and toluene.  This fantastic shade consists of flakes of reflective glitter in a  polychromatic base, and displays its many shades when worn alone as a sheer polish or layered over other nubar nail lacquers for a dramatic effect. 

It is truly an astounding polish containing flakies that appear as fiery orange, green or gold depending on the light hitting it. You can layer it over any polishes (whether dark or light) and it adds dimension to different colours.

OPI Pamplona Purple (2 coats) + Nubar 2010 (2 coats):

This is truly an astounding polish and adds a uniqueness to any boring creme polish. I’ve been trying to get Nfu-Oh flakies for the longest time ever but they are so expensive and HTF in Singapore. Nubar 2010 is the closest flakie polish I can get. The flakies distribute easily and evenly and instantly transforms a polish. It is super pretty especially in sunlight ;0)

Swatch & Review: ZOYA Mimi

Zoya Mimi is described as a “royal purple sparkling metallic”. It looks really pretty in the bottle full of purple and pink micro glitters. As usual, it is impossible to capture purples so it looks too blue in my pictures but it is similar to the China Glaze Grape Pop-kind-of-purple.

ZOYA Mimi (3 coats):

Color Family: Purples

Finish: Metallic

Intensity: 5 (1=sheer, 5=opaque)

Tone: Cool

Original Collection: Sparkle

Excuse the wrinkle on my index finger, I have no idea where that came from. This applies like a dream as usual (as with all ZOYA sparkles), and it’s really gorgeous. It has a lit-from-within glow which is simply amazing 😀

As far as purples go, this is definitely an instant favourite!

Swatch & Review: OPI Who Needs A Prince & OPI Houston We Have A Purple

OPI Who Needs A Prince (3 coats):

You can see the opalescent shimmer here:

Released with the Princess Charming Collection.

Looks like a crisp white in bottle with a tint of pink. A dream to apply. Perfectly opaque in 3 coats, but it wears well as a sheer. This colour is very clean, fresh and bridal-like. Great if you need to look polished without going OTT. Some people described this as a jelly but in my opinion, it still falls short. It’s still gorgeous nonetheless!

OPI Houston We Have A Purple (2 coats):

So glossy it should be made illegal!

Time to break out the jellies while my nails are short and stubby! Houston We Have A Purple is released with the OPI Texas Collection and it’s a pink/red violet. Reminds me of raspberry lollipops.  OPI describes this new finish as a “sorbet” but we all know it’s just a jelly. This however, looks so much glossier and “squish-ier” than a regular jelly polish. I have a love-hate relationship with jellies – they are so glossy yet so hard to apply evenly. If you aren’t careful, spots where you apply more polish turns out darker than spots you might have missed. Nonetheless, this is a beautiful color with an even more beautiful finish. I can never get enough of the glossy awesomeness.

That said, I would probably not wear this on long nails because of the VNL. It sure looks good on shorter nails too 😉

OPI Pamplona Purple

A few unfortunate things happened over the past few days.. I got sick with flu, cough and fever despite the heatwave and yesterday I broke a nail. 😦 My nails are down to tiny little stubs now and that’s not even all. There’s a break on my right thumb halfway down my nail bed, which I know is going to take a long time to grow out of 😦

My parents had also decided to carry out some renovation and painting and I tell you, the fumes from the lacquer and thinner are unbearable!

Anyway. I collected OPI Pamplona Purple last week but hadn’t had a chance to use it but I managed to put it on yester-night after my fever had subsided.

OPI Pamplona Purple (2coats):

See how short and stumpy they are now. It’s time to break out the dark vampy colours.

Another winner from OPI although I had experienced a lot of bubbling with this polish on my first try but it could be due to too much shaking. It is a super creamy medium-dark purple creme which looks outstanding against many skin tones. I got this because it was said to be a Zoya Demi dupe. I much prefer the prowide brush from OPI and they are cheaper to get so I passed up on Zoya.