China Glaze For Audrey Swatch and Review

Alright so I said I wasn't going to update for a while but I miss nail blogging and right now it's this beam of light at the end of the tunnel. The weddings I shot went well - but now I have the biggest world of photo editing ever. Next week I am actually going to BlizzCon too - where does the time go? I was just ranting off to my friend about wishing my life was simpler but alas. Another rant for another time, I suppose. (Also I might sound offensive so I should bite my tongue, haha!)

Today I have a polish from China Glaze. You've probably heard of it. I am actually almost certain you've heard of it. This is For Audrey, which is commonly referred to as a "Tiffany" blue. The creme formula is surprisingly smooth, as most shades like this can apply patchy. It dried to a nice medium gloss finish. This is my swatch in two coats:









I think this polish would be super easy to dress up! It would be perfect for some white lace stamping, some studs, maybe even some tips. The possibilities are seriously endless and I can see why this polish is so widely recommended for a girl's wish for a "Tiffany blue" polish. It might not be exact but it's pretty damn close!

What's your favourite Tiffany blue polish? What's your preferred lifestyle? Would you prefer to be always on the go, or do you prefer to have some time to yourself?

Rainbow Honey Tiny Ruby Swatch and Review

Ahoy hoy! It's the end of the week here on Claw of Cthulhu and a little bit more for good reason, I promise - For one, my nails broke while I was out of town for the funeral at the beginning of the month (figures as much for so many reasons - stress, sadness, discomfort), and I've got weddings all weekend to shoot so I've got to set my priorities straight! But alas, I'll try to begin the hiatus with something pretty to leave the blog with while I attend to my weird life.

Here's another polish from Rainbow Honey's Summer of 199X collection. I actually ended up purchasing the whole collection because I think it's one of the top collections to come out in 2013. This one is Tiny Ruby, which is described on Rainbow Honey's website as "a shimmering ruby jelly, is filled with holographic glitters, glistening flecks, and the rarest jewels of Dalaam." Formula wise, it's surprisingly rich and opaque for a glitter. It applied very smoothly in an easy two coats. I always use a generous top coat with glitter polishes as I don't like having the glitter as texture. Here's my swatch in two coats with a coat of Seche Vite:









I used Rainbow Honey Tiny Ruby when I was playing around with some triangle nail art studs. Here's a refresh of that:







The only drawback to Tiny Ruby is that it's quite the... hooker... to get off your nails. This warning is not to be taken lightly - you'll be relying on the foil method for this one for certain.

Anyway I should be back sooner than later. I am hoping anyway - this is the weekend I've been anxious for a while about so it'll be good to get it off my chest. What do you guys do to calm your nerves? What do you think of Tiny Ruby? Is the Summer of 199X collection perfect or what?

Essence 'Ticket to Paradise' Tropical Heat Swatch and Review

Alright. So it's Cheap Polish Tuesday (*wink wink*) and today we are exploring another polish from Essence's "Ticket to Paradise" capsule collection found in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart. There was a set of three and they retailed for $1.99. My best guess is that if you can still find this collection, they are discounted even further.

Here's Essence 'Ticket to Paradise' Tropical Heat which is a sheer shimmery gold polish. Formula wise it goes on very sheer so you could either leave it at a two coater or a three coater. I am not a fan of wearing a thick wad of polish on my nails so I kept it at two coats. I left the bottle sitting for a couple of weeks before I wore this but found that it needed a good mixing before I applied. Be wary of separation! Here's two coats with no top coat:











I don't think this polish looks great with my skintone as I have yellow Asian skin tone but I think it's still alright for what it is. Not my favourite but would better suit someone else.

Ever have one of those days where you forget you have a meeting and you go to work wearing the t-shirt you slept in and a hoodie?... No? Oh me neither, hehhhh.... What do you think of sheer gold type polishes? What skin tone do you find it most flattering against?

Rainbow Honey Muffins! Swatch and Review

Holy crap, I was about to do a schpeel about Thanksgiving in Canada and yadda yadda, see you on Cheap Polish Tuesday but then I realized OMG today is Tuesday! I got lost in all the turkey and the mashed potatoes and the Pokemon!!! Oh gosh, can we just pretend it's Monday today and Tuesday tomorrow? OK let's pretend. HEY GUYS DID MY FELLOW CANADIANS HAVE A GOOD THANKSGIVING?! Well welcome back to the real world - today I've got a polish from Rainbow Honey.

Rainbow Honey Muffins! is a limited edition polish from the capsule release at BronyCon earlier this summer. Due to high demand, it's actually back in restock so grab it while you can! Muffins! is based on "Derpy Hooves", the grey and gold pegasus in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. While she's not a part of the Mane Six, she's definitely a fan favourite. From the Rainbow Honey website, Muffins! is described as "Whether you're delivering mail, making a mess, or admiring baked goods, this slate crelly full of yellow and iridescent glitters will go just great with your paper bag costume." Formula wise, this polish goes on quite thick and the glitters are a bit heavier than the base so a nice generous even top coat would do this one a favour! Here's my swatch in two and a half coats with one coat of Seche Vite:









Overall I think it's a really fun polish even if you aren't a fan of Derpy Hooves (I'm more of a Rarity gal myself!).

What do you think of Muffins!? Is this the ode to Derpy Hooves you were looking for in a polish? Where are my fellow Canadians at? Did you have a good Thanksgiving? If not, did you have a good POKEMON RELEASE weekend? What starters did you go with? If you aren't Canadian and you don't care about Pokemon... Well... I hope you had a good normal standard weekend!

NYC New York Color Tudor City Teal vs. Essie Turquoise and Caicos Comparison Swatch and Review

It's Friday, I'm groggy and I am eating Halloween Oreos. That sums up my life right now, haha. I am thinking about going to some Pokemon events tonight and tomorrow but I guess we'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I have a polish comparison post. Meet our contenders: New York Color Tudor City Teal vs. Essie Turquoise and Caicos. Tudor City Teal usually retails at Wal-Mart for $1.49 and Turquoise and Caicos can be found anywhere from $7.99 to $13.99 depending on where you buy your Essie polish.

So here's a quick look at the bottles:







You can see that Tudor City Teal is the slightest bit more richer or saturated than Turquoise and Caicos. Tudor City Teal looks a little more blue and Turquoise and Caicos is a bit more green. I would say that they are still both the same amount of dusty, though.

I will say this off the bat but I hate the formula for Essie Turquoise and Caicos. It's so awful. It's patchy and uneven and really thin for what it's supposed to be. Tudor City Teal on the other hand applies very nicely and smooth. Here's a check-in at one coat:







At two coats, Tudor City Teal is pretty much good to go whereas Turquoise and Caicos could use another coat. Here's two coats with no top coat:







Overall I think they're similar enough to not require having both of them in your collection. If I had to pick one, I would definitely go with New York Color Tudor City Teal because not only is it far cheaper in price, but the formula is just so much better.

What do you think of these two? Do you think they're similar enough? Is there one you prefer over the other?

OPI Casino Royale Swatch

Hey guys, just a vanilla post for you today. My nails all broke when I was out of town so I am dreading having to swatch anything. If you could believe it - my Cinderella hand is killing it! Haha, at least I've got an option for a last resort.

Today I'm sharing OPI Casino Royale from 2012's winter collection from OPI inspired by James Bond. Casino Royale is a vampy plum creme. Formula wise it goes on in two self-leveling coats. It finishes very smooth and glossy on its own. Here's my swatch in two coats:









Ugh I feel so weird lately. I am really just wanting to get drunk with a friend and take headshots while trying to do our make-up like Lady Gaga's in the music video Applause. I just think it would be a hilarious time.

Anyway, this polish is really nice and vampy. Just right for the fall and winter season (although I am the type to wear a colour like this all year round!) It's not that unique but it's still a pretty polish.

What do you think of vampy colours like this? Did you pick up any polishes from the James Bond collection?

Essence 'Ticket to Paradise' My Treasure Island Swatch and Review

Hi guys, welcome to Cheap Polish Tuesday! Because I haven't done these proper posts in a while... But first - thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway! The Rafflecopter widget has announced the winner and I am mailing the prize tonight. But thank you to everyone who followed along - I'll do another in the future, but hopefully we can still be nail polish friends in the meantime? I hope so!

Today I have an Essence polish that I picked up from Shoppers Drug Mart, which is the only store in Canada to sell the brand. Essence had a 'capsule' collection in the summer called 'Ticket to Paradise' with three polishes. Each polish retailed for $1.99. This is Essence My Treasure Island which is a smooth jelly fuchsia leaning pink. Application was very smooth and it finished very squishy after two coats. I wasn't sure if I liked this polish because I am so anal about seeing where my nail's free edge starts, but that's what a jelly polish is all about! It quickly grew on me and I really like it! Here's my swatch in two coats with no top coat:











And for funsies, here's one coat of Fandom Cosmetics Ladies First. This polish is meant to be built up to opacity but I think it's totally passable for a glitter topper as well!









I think with and without glitter, Essence My Treasure Island is a winner in my books!

What do you think about jelly polishes? Do you enjoy the squishiness? Or do you prefer the opaqueness to hide where your nail's free edge starts?

Born Pretty Store Twin Stars Water Decals Nail Art Review

My giveaway is now live so feel free to enter if you are in Canada or US. Link is here if you want to enter.

I am updating this from a hotel room so if it's awkward, I apologize. Also my nails all broke, which seems to happen when I travel so there's that as well. Today I have another item from the awesome online nail art retailer Born Pretty Store. They have probably the biggest selection of nail art tools and my blog coupon ARBQ10 will grant you 10% off and free shipping worldwide. If you're brand new to nail art, check out Born Pretty Store - I can't deny the great prices they have and free shipping is always a winner in my books.

I haven't tried water decals before so that's one thing I wanted to try. I am also a huge Sanrio fan, with the Twin Stars being some of my first characters that I loved so this was a no brainer. They are labelled as Nail Water Decals Sticker Lovely Cartoon Baby Star Moon Rainbow Pattern (item 6075) on the Born Pretty Store. I can't beat around the bush, though - It's the Twin Stars. Here's the packaging, it's fairly simple and straight forward with instructions:





Here are the instructions:

1. Trim, clean and polish the fingernails: paint the background color on the fingernails and dry it out.

2. Remove the film of the product, cut out the patter and plunge it into water 10-20 seconds (use warm water in winter)

3. Moisten the fingernails, stick the patter in position

4. Sop up the water with a paper towel and blow dry.

5. Cap with clear nail polish and blow dry.

It was very easy to apply. Basically the water just separates the decal from the paper backing and if you want to change the position, it's VERY forgiving. I love it. You don't need to be perfect. You can always change where you want to place it. The background color of the decals are white. I used OPI White Alpine. Here are my results with no top coat:









As you can see, there are no issues and the shape and colour remained very consistent even though I had to reposition a few. My only criticism is that the background is a bit plain so I took it upon myself to sponge on some colourful tips and add a top coat. I like it much better like this:







I definitely have been a bit hooked on water decals. I even spotted some Breaking Bad themed ones on eBay that I might just have to pick up! I definitely recommend these ones if you are a Twin Stars fan and if you aren't, Born Pretty Store has a ton of water decals to choose from. I know that I'll be picking some up soon. Again, if you want to try them out, my blog coupon is ARBQ10 for 10% off your purchase, and as always included is free worldwide shipping.

What do you think of water decals? Are you familiar with Sanrio? What was your first Sanrio character?

Full disclosure: This sample was provided for an unbiased review.