Rainbow Honey Sample (Large Grab Bag Christmas 2013) and OPI Pure 18k White Gold and Silver Top Coat Swatch and Review

I have returned. I had this hiatus going on for a while and I didn't mean for it - I was out of country, then backlogged in photos, then went through a break-up. It's been good times, it's been bad times but I've always had this nail blog in the back of my mind and I miss it - quite truly! It's my birthday today which means I have a birthday hail from Sephora to share with you this week as well but I figured I should kick off a comeback post with some actual NAILS!

So Rainbow Honey had a great promotion during the Christmas season and if you spent $75 or more, you would receive the "Large Grab Bag" - what I didn't know is that it would also include a FULL SIZE bottle of a "Sample". Now whether or not it's going to be some sort of upcoming shade, I don't know - but on a clutch, I was trying to figure out what to do for New Years' Eve nails and this is what I ended 2013 and started 2014 with! To glam it up even more, I added one coat of OPI Pure 18K White Gold and Silver Top Coat and I think it just killed it.

This Rainbow Honey Sample is a bit of a royal blue that has hint of purple shimmer. It's very subtle. Formula was a bit thick so it was best to do thin layers. This is my swatch in three coats with Seche Vite top coat:









And lastly, here's that OPI Pure 18K White Gold and Silver Top Coat. Just one coat brought this type of coverage! I'm pretty happy with it:









Anyway.

I just want to say thank you to any of you who have stayed by the blog and followed it. I want to give a special thank you to My Ten Friends Nail Polish for giving me a massive shout out on Facebook, giving me a surprise influx of Likes just in time for my birthday. I hope I won't have to go on hiatus like that again.

I'm also sorry for the shabby cuticle care - haha! There's something I'll have to resolve this year.

Anyway, let me know how your 2014 has been so far. Are you killing it this year? Any big changes? I hope all of you have had an amazing winter, and I can't wait to catch up on the trends and share our swatches this year.

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?