Fandom Cosmetics Usagi Tsukino Swatch and Review

EDIT: Sorry for the late edit, but Fandom Cosmetics just updated me that the Sailor Moon inspired nail polish collection will be called Sailor Senshi and it will be out and available for purchase on their shop on July 8th! With the purchase of the full set, buyers will also receive a free polish called Luna! Hope that helps!

SAILOR MOON NAIL POLISH, YOU SAY?!!?!!11 IN THE NAME OF THE MOON.... I'LL SWATCH FOR YOU! Something like that - welcome to Friday! All cheesy Sailor Moon inspired lines aside, today I'm showing off a polish from none other than Fandom Cosmetics! I've been having a lot of fun putting indie polish BFF duo Annie and Leigh in the spotlight all week, so again, if you haven't heard of these awesome ladies, check out their website and shop here. All their polishes are 3 Free and are inspired by everything rad and nerdly (or geekly, if you want to have that argument).



So here we have Fandom Cosmetics Usagi Tsukino from their currently unnamed Sailor Moon inspired collection. You heard it folks, IT'S THAT FRESH OFF THE PRESS. You can expect this line to be formally announced and sold in the next upcoming weeks. I'm excited, are you? Since there's no official copypasta from the shop, I'll have to muster up one (albeit you won't count on it being as creative or eloquent, damn my technical life, damn you!!!!).... Anyway, Fandom Cosmetics Usagi Tsukino will bring out your inner fighter for love and justice, drawing on notes directly from Super Sailor Moon's uniform. A foundation of lovely white shimmer, medium rose hex and moon glitters; sporting bold solid white, blue and yellow medium circle glitters throughout the mix. I'm pretty into it - there actually doesn't seem to be many polishes that are this obvious about being inspired by Sailor Moon. Just tossing in a bunch of moons doesn't make it a Sailor Moon glitter - GIVE ME MORE! Well, Fandom Cosmetics delivered.

Formula-wise, it's similar to Fandom Cosmetics Rumbelle - it went on very smoothly, there's no issues with fishing for any of the circle or moon glitter, but you may find it beneficial to do one coat, and if necessary, some patching for placement. The circle and moon glitters are a bit thick, so a nice top coat should do the trick to have a nice slick finish.

I'll start with my favourite combination first - here's a jelly sandwiched Fandom Cosmetics Usagi Tsukino with OPI In The Spot-Light Pink:

(Crescent Moon Wand by Kuma Crafts)

Here's two and a half coats of Fandom Cosmetics Usagi Tsukino over OPI White Alpine:

(Crescent Moon Wand by Kuma Crafts)

I'm prone to say that I much prefer a softer look with Fandom Cosmetics Usagi Tsukino in a jelly sandwich with OPI In The Spot-Light Pink. I think that the contrast may be a bit strong over a plain white, and it would actually benefit the polish by sandwiching, or perhaps layering over a pigmented base colour as opposed to a stark white. I also think that less is more and one and a half coats were substantially more effective than two and a half. My personal opinion, of course! I'm definitely going to wear this again over a different pastel colour.

So if you are interested in some Sailor Moon polishes that really draw from the source, be sure to check out and follow Fandom Cosmetics. If you are interested in seeing more sneak previews from their Sailor Moon inspired nail polish collection, be sure to also check out their Instagram where they've already posted sneak peaks of Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter's lacquers! Seeing that I have a Sailor Mars tattoo, I'm definitely going to have to pick up my home girl's polish.

Any fellow moonies out there? What do you think of Fandom Cosmetics' take on sailor senshi polish? How would you wear Usagi Tsukino? Any guesses on what the full collection will be called?

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

Fandom Cosmetics Another! Swatch and Review

It's a Backstreet Boys kind of day - I am sure my coworker is thrilled to hear it but he can blame Seth Rogen and Co. for that one! Today I'm continuing the Fandom Cosmetics week with Another!, a polish from their Avengers Initiative collection. Again, if you're new to Fandom Cosmetics week, they are a relatively new brand on the indie scene run by BFF duo Annie and Leigh, and inspired by all things good and nerdly! Their polish is also 3 Free. If you're interested in good nerdly sci-fi things (I know I am!), check out their shop site here.



So here we have Fandom Cosmetics Another!, which is an obvious and lovely ode to Thor when he tried beer for the first time. Oh lordy, it still makes me laugh when I think of the scene. Annie and Leigh describe Another! as "our Thor inspired polish filled with black, silver, and red hex glitter for Thor's clothing and hammer, and speckled with chartreuse glitter hex for his glorious hair. (We do not recommend replicating Thor’s enthusiastic approval, no matter how much you love this polish!)" I think Fandom Cosmetics is really digging me out of the closet with my love for gold because those chartreuse (apparently I learned a new word today) glitters are in perfect ratio to be the real highlight! Formula wise, this polish was a little awkward as I have the worst luck and one of my brush bristles were bent. I also found that this glitter is SUPER dense. Guys, this thing is easily a two coater hex glitter! So, with that said, in order to accomplish that feat, there was just enough suspension base to apply. With that said, my pickiness of the formula doesn't pull, or dry brush, or ruin the application so all said and done, IT LOOKS GOOD. DAMN GOOD. (Rawr.)

So, here's ONE coat of Fandom Cosmetics Another! over top of Joe Fresh Cherry with one coat of Seche Vite to finish:









I didn't build it to two coats for my swatches. I guess I just like this look enough, kind of in the same spirit as OPI Polka.com or The Living Daylights - just a personal preference. I also didn't want to risk overbuilding, because sometimes the glitters like each other too much and stick together. One coat, I feel like every glitter is showcased and sparkly. Just to show what one coat looks like without a blending base colour, here's one coat of Fandom Cosmetics Another! over OPI Don't Touch My Tutu, with no top coat:



And just for funsies, here's a jelly sandwich of Fandom Cosmetics Another! with OPI Don't Touch My Tutu!:









Overall, I thought I wouldn't like Another!, but I really liked it over red for an extra sparkly look. I think the ratio of the different coloured glitters is freaking awesome; like I said, those chartreuse glitters? Ah-mazing. Again, application is a little awkward but it doesn't interfere with the final result which is... in my humble opinion.... quite sexy. Again if you are interested in Another! and more awesome nerdy fandom polishes, check out Fandom Cosmetics website and shop. Annie and Leigh are super approachable so if you have any questions, they are more than happy to help.

What do you think of Another! and these types of hex glitters? Yay or nay? Do you prefer to build it to full coverage and are now mad at me for not showing it to you in two coats? (I'm sorry!)

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

Fandom Cosmetics Rumbelle Swatch and Review

Surprise, surprise - it's actually another full week here on Claw of Cthulhu as next Monday is CANADA DAY (weeeuuuu!!!) so I'll be away until next Tuesday. I'll be posting some Fandom Cosmetics swatch and reviews from today until Friday. Now, if you haven't heard of Fandom Cosmetics, they are a relatively new indie polish on the scene run by two BFFs (Annie and Leigh) who have a real penchant for glitter and not to mention - ALL THINGS FANDOM! (Just look at their logo!!!!) All their polishes are also 3-free. You can check out their website here.



So today I am kicking off Fandom Cosmetics week with a little polish called Rumbelle, based on one of Annie and Leigh's fave OTPs in Once Upon A Time. I must admit that I haven't watched Once Upon A Time, but I think my nail polish BFF Caitlin could school me and tell me what it's all about! (Although I totally Googled "once upon a time rumbelle" and the first hit was "rumbelle smut tumblr", haha, in the world of polish, I best be careful with what I'm getting into!)

Anyway, Annie and Leigh describe Rumbelle as: "Inspired by our personal OTP, because it's forever dearie. This polish was designed to represent the chipped cup, and all the Rumbelle feels it has brought on over the last two seasons. This is a white creme base filled with gold holo dust, giving the base a soft golden creme shimmer. It is filled with holographic gold flecks, marine holographic hex, and white circle glitter." I am loving the gold holo dust in this polish - it was probably my favourite! The white creme base is a little sheer, but I don't see that as anything bad as I really feel like my fave gold dust was really brought out over a darker colour. Formula wise, this polish went on smoothly and there was no problems with fishing for the circle glitter.

Here's two coats of Fandom Cosmetics Rumbelle over Essie No Place Like Chrome. I used a coat of Seche Vite to give a nice glossy even look:









I saved my favourite combination for last but here's two coats of Fandom Cosmetics Rumbelle over OPI Black Onyx. Again, I used a coat of Seche Vite to even the glitters out and make it all glossy:









I definitely have a preference for Fandom Cosmetics Rumbelle over a darker colour because all the gold dust, holo flecks really come out to play.

So, does Fandom Cosmetics make a great ode for their Once Upon A Time OTP? What kind of base colour would you layer this over? Again, you can check out Anne and Leigh's shop right here if you are interested in this polish, or other excellent nerdly polishes of the sort!

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

Joe Fresh Twilight Swatch and Review

Welcome to Cheap Polish Tuesday where we explore and adventure into the world of polishes priced at $5 or less! Today we have a brand that is no stranger to Cheap Polish Tuesday - Joe Fresh! So far, we've seen a lot of cool shades and decent formulas from Joe Fresh. Bonus: They are 3 Free! They are found at the Real Canadian Superstore for $4 a pop, or 3 for $10 - definitely a possible danger when picking up your groceries for the week!



Today I've got Joe Fresh Twilight, which I actually picked up in 2011 when I first started getting into polish. It was my first flakie - AW MEMORIES. Joe Fresh Twilight is a sheer black jelly, packed with large flakies, similar to the colour shift of the flakies in Essie Shine of the Times, an orange to green shift. Application wasn't an issue - I love the Joe Fresh bottle and brushes as I am biased towards shorter and wider brushes. Formula wise, it's sheer, requiring three coats but it works out wonderfully because the end result is a wonderfully layered look, packed with large flakies. Flakies can tend to dry a little bit lumpy, so I added one coat of Seche Vite:









Sorry for the picture porn, this flakie can be tricky to photograph with all the colour shifting! Lastly, nothing does a flakie right like a matte top coat, so here's Revlon Matte Top Coat over top of Joe Fresh Twilight:



So, are flakies sooooo 2011, or are you still enamoured with flakies as much as I am? There's much to be said about your first love, am I right?

Animal Crossing: New Leaf Raccoon Clock Best Buy Nintendo Zone Exclusive Inspired Nail Art

EDIT: Apparently you can download the DLC Best Buy exclusive items from your very own home. Check out this forum I found from the Animal Crossing: New Leaf page. Thanks Internet!

Welcome to Shitty Nail Art Monday where I am most likely the most predictable human being on the planet posting none other than... ANIMAL CROSSING NAILS! Haha, I bet all of you saw that a mile away since I kept talking about it in my posts and comments for all of last week! Anyway, today's art is based on the Best Buy Nintendo Zone download exclusive item in Animal Crossing: New Leaf - the Raccoon Clock! I'll go over the details after the nails on how to get your own in case you don't know so I'll spare the rest of you the grossly verbose nerdy details!

Here we go - Best Buy has some exclusive downloadable items all summer via their "Nintendo Zone". (Link here for more details.) Last week and this week, the item is a Raccoon Clock, which bears an undeniable resemblance to the evil Tom Nook:

(Thanks for the upload, Animal Crossing blog!)

I was wanted to do Tom Nook nails but I figure I'd take the opportunity to do this design (as it's also much simpler, haha!). I didn't have the right colours, but I used Color Club Earthy Angel, a nude-ish tan creme for a base, and then used Color Club Rad Nomad for the tips (inspired by the clock's tail) and a highlight nail. I did the highlight nail with a dotting tool, and finished it with a high gloss coat of Seche Vite:





And here's a matte version with Essie Matte About You:





I am really glad I went with this design because it's simple and much cuter than if I had tried to do a directly inspired Tom Nook design as it would have called for more details. I also wish I had the right colours but c'est la vie!

Anyway, so just in case any of you are playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf, you can go to a participating Best Buy and download the raccoon clock until the 29th! You can only download it once so if you plan to sell it, it's gone as it's not an item you can purchase from any shops.

Here's a copypaste from the Nintendo Zone page:

How to Download SpotPass Items

1 - Bring your Nintendo 3DS and Animal Crossing: New Leaf game to a participating Best Buy store with Nintendo Zone.
2 - Make sure the wireless feature of your Nintendo 3DS system is on.
3 - Open and load the Animal Crossing: New Leaf game.
4 - Check your pockets—make sure you can carry a new item.
5 - Go to the Post Office on Main Street.
6 - Talk to Pelly at the counter, and select “Ask about a Present.”
7 - Agree to connect to the Internet and download the item.
8 - Once the download is finished, you can see the item in your pocket.
9 - Make sure you save the game before exiting or shutting off your Nintendo 3DS.*
10 - Your new gift will be in your pocket when you start the game next time. Now you’ve got an exclusive item to decorate your home!

*Be careful—if you shut off the system or exit the game without saving, the exclusive item may be lost. But, if you save the game properly, you can safely exit the game or shut off your Nintendo 3DS.

Please Note: If you give this exclusive item to another player, you will not be able to get it again, even if you visit Best Buy with Nintendo Zone again, during this limited-time offer.'

One note that they didn't make clear was that you have to go to your Settings, select Internet Connections and set up a Best Buy Internet connection. You may have to ask a sales representative for the password. The whole marketing is a little misleading because it says something like "come to a Best Buy with a participating Nintendo Zone!" yet it doesn't really have anything to do with the Nintendo Zone app on the Nintendo 3DS OS. I find that part to be confusing and there were clearly some people who didn't read the instructions as my local Best Buy sales rep had some angry people at him. They were adults too, ah the shame! Haha!

EDIT: OR JUST DO IT THIS WAY (Source.) Copypasta:

Step-by-step walkthrough:

1) Change your SSID on your router to "Bestbuy" (you can also use tethering on your cell phone)
NB in Europe use "_The Cloud".
2) Make sure you can connect to it via your wifi settings
3) You should get a message on your 3DS homescreen indicating you're connect to a Nintendo Zone
4) You do NOT need to load up Nintendo Zone. Simply boot up New Leaf and go to the post office for your DLC!

Anyway, I hope all of you are having a better Monday than me! Let me know if you are done with my Animal Crossing: New Leaf nail art, or if you want me to explore something else! (But I hope you don't mind the Animal Crossing, hehehehe... There is just so much cuteness everywhere!)

Enchanted Polish Time To Pretend Swatch and Review

After I saw Djinn in a Bottle on Caitlin's blog, I had to figure out what this whole Enchanted Polish fuss was about so when Nail Polish Canada restocked their Enchanted Polish last week - I had to pick up one (or three, rather). Definitely on the pricier side of things - I paid $15 each, which is insane and I must have been out of my mind when I ordered them.

Anyway, here's Enchanted Polish Time to Pretend, straight out of the Time to Pretend collection, which is most definitely a reference to MGMT. I can't find anywhere that says it's based on MGMT but regardless, here's the song Time to Pretend. I definitely was a fan for MGMT for Kids and Electric Feel but haven't quite been into their new stuff; I always thought their songs sounded cheery, colourful and happy and that's what this polish is all about.



So here's a holo shot of Enchanted Polish Time To Pretend. As I've stated many times, duochromes and holographic polishes are difficult to photograph - and with that said, Time to Pretend is a duochromatic holographic nail polish. (One would think!) So before I blabber on, just know that no photo can do this polish justice. I've seen this polish on other blogs and even though they've highlighted the holographic nature... It just doesn't quite deliver the magical feel. Anyway, going back, Time to Pretend to a duochromatic purple to bronze shift, packed with a VERY potent holographic effect. I don't mean to give any sort of bias but...

... Enchanted Polish Time to Pretend is fucking awesome.

Formula was amazing, covered gracefully in two coats, quick drying. I am actually still wearing this as of today and not a chip can be found! I painted it on my nails on Sunday - so in addition to it being "fucking awesome", it's also fucking durable. Here's some photos that show off the duochrome shift (again, the holographic effect is difficult to photograph as I am shooting with artificial lighting):









To me, this polish is definitely unique, duel wielding some of the most fetishized polish effects: duochromatic and holographic, binding it in one magical polish. However, the price is not for everyone. I did feel a bit of a wrench in my gut when I received the polishes and remembered how much they costed. With that said, if I do have some extra budget after some annual expenses of mine, I would like a couple more of these polishes. They're great.

One thing that really surprises me is that Enchanted Polish is still using sticker labels for their bottles. I know this is a very small detail but sitting at over 20,000 Likes on Facebook and being able to sell out polishes within minutes of launching on both their retail website as well as partner sites - I am wondering why Enchanted Polish hasn't moved onto screened labels. I really think it would be in their benefit to make the switch.

What do you think of the Enchanted Polish hype? Is it worth all the rave reviews it's getting? Would you pay $15 for a polish? (Am I being too hard on them for the sticker labels?)

Essie In The Cab-Ana vs. Essie Where's My Chauffeur Comparison Swatch Review

Eyyyy guys, it's Hump Day! It's not any particular theme of the week but I'll be honest - I can't stop playing Animal Crossing so I'm going to get this post up so I can get back to farming beetles on the island, haha. A few notes here first: I'm not sure if I made it clear, but going forward, I will be posting photos with a new natural white balance indoor lighting approach as opposed to my sterile white photos. With that said, I've got a few where I was doing both, and quite a few with the white light swatches so while I cross over, I may be burning off the back log in the meantime.

So here we go! Obviously whenever Essie comes out with a new turquoise, teal, pastel "tiffany-esque" blue, I am sold. I am a sucker! So when I saw Essie In The Cab-Ana, I just did it anyway.... But one second, don't I have something like this? Even recently from the Winter 2012 collection? Wasn't it called Essie Where's My Chauffeur? Well, let's take a look here. (With the white photos first...)



One thing that Essie has done more recently is the bottle change. I personally don't like them. I could do without the molded branded bottles, and especially the fact that they moved the name label from the top of the bottle to the bottom - Gah, not very Helmer-friendly! I like seeing all the names of my polishes from the top! Personal preference, but I don't like them.

Now how's about the actual shades? Well, see for yourself - I'll let you take a guess at which one's which:







Did you get your guesses in? Let's see if you're right:

The index and ring finger and sporting two coats of Essie In The Cab-Ana and the middle and pinky fingers have Essie Where's My Chauffeur. Did you get them right? Give yourself a pat on the back! (Oy, not that hard!) So formula wise, they both cover in two coats, however In The Cab-Ana is SUBSTANTIALLY thicker. In a not so great way. It was workable, but definitely not my preference! I know many others don't take issue with the formula but maybe I'm just being picky. I definitely prefer the smoother formula of Where's My Chauffeur.

Shade-wise, you can easily see that they come from the same family, however In The Cab-Ana is much brighter, and Where's My Chauffeur has more mint undertones and more of a dusty feel. I've seen In The Cab-Ana described as dusty, but I associate dusty with some desaturation and I think In The Cab-Ana is super vibrant. As much as I love these kinds of shades, they both definitely better suit a more fair skin tone, as you can see it sort of clashes with mine.

Here's my removal pad:



And here's the same photos from above, but in my "new and improved" white balance settings - (I like them a lot better and think I should have probably led into this post with them. Oh well.):











So as you can see, both finish in gloss quite nicely. All the swatches above do not have a top coat - it's all in the formula!

Do you have a preference in this family? If you own In The Cab-Ana, did you take issue with the formula, or is that just me being picky? (Is anyone else totally hooked on Animal Crossing: New Leaf? LOL.)