Swatch: ILNP - Ultra-Chromes

Hi ladies! The official release of the brand new Ultra-Chromes from ILNP is today (6th September) - at 12 PST to be exact. so I thought I would take a couple moments of your time to show my swatches of the 4 polishes from the collection. Before I get into the swatches, for those of you who aren't aware of the ILNP brand, here's a little snippet of information;

ILNP is created by a lovely lady named Barbra and is based out of Las Vegas, NV in the US. Barbra first opened shop in August 2012 and has since taken the Nail Community by storm. Housed in a sleek, branded box ILNP displays traits usually found in high end brands such as Illamasqua, Chanel, Dior etc, with 12ml of product in a tall, slim bottle complete with a matte Black rubberised cap for easy grip and a wide brush for easy application. Everything about this brand screams high end and mass produced, when in reality it's just an indie brand of which is hand created by just one mind. All ILNP polish are created using a 3-free suspension base.

I'm going to insert a jump break here due to the amount of photos in this post, I tried my best to capture the colour shifts but it's so darn difficult to do! I also tried narrowing it down to just 2 photos, but there's just no way you could see the amazing colour shifting in just 2. The photos below show 1 coat of each polish layered over Black *ring & pinkie finger* and 2 coats of each riding solo *pointer & middle finger* finished off with Dazzle Dry quick dry top coat.

Swatch: Jacava London - Chillax

Press Sample

Hi ladies! Next up from the vault we have a relatively new British Brand on the block - Jacava London. Before we get into the swatches, here's a little information about Jacava!

"Opulent nail polish, by JACAVA London, is the world's first '8-free' nail varnish. That's free from DBP, Camphor, Formaldehyde, Toluene, Cellophane, Parabens, Phthalates and Animal Ingredients.  No Animal Testing. A little treat, where nothing is denied, even the real 22 carat gold printing on the glass bottle adds subtle luxury.

All JACAVA nail polish use premium, high gloss and long-lasting formulations to helps to keep your nails stay stronger and grow longer . Designed in London and made in the UK, JACAVA is a quintessentially British nail polish brand."

The bottle isn't like those you'd see in other nail polish brands, with its long gold cap and real 22 carat gold lettering it screams luxury. You may not be able to see from the photos, but the bottle itself is a kind of rounded oval shape and the brush is quite long & thin, think a slightly more extended China Glaze brush. Sounds pretty glam, wouldn't you agree, ladies? So let's take a look at this luxury British brand in action!

Chillax is a gorgeous deep metallic Turquoise with a subtle, yet effective, Green/Blue shift micro-shimmer. It kind of reminds me of the way a pool glistens in the summer sun. There's less of a duo-chromatic shift than I originally thought after seeing the press release, but nonetheless it's still a beautiful shade! I found the formula easy to work with and extremely fast drying. The pigmentation is very high and if carefully applied, you can get away with just one coat. In order to cover up some slight streaking I applied 2 coats. I would also advise wearing a base coat with this particular shade, as it does slightly stain the nail - which I learnt the hard way!

A little on the pricier side, Jacava London retails for £14.50 and I personally wouldn't spend that much on just one bottle of Nail Polish - unless it was a HTF. Jacava, however, do run some 3 for 2 offers, so if you'd want to get a little more bang for your buck, I'd wait until then. Another tiny downside, is that due to the bottles long capped nature, it won't fit in your Helmer upright, which if you're like me, laying a polish down just doesn't flow right. Price and size aside, Jacava polishes are good quality, have good staying power AND they're completely toxin free. 

A full look at the shades Jacava have to offer can be found here! Also, to stay up to date with the latest offers and shades, follow Jacava via their Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest accounts!

Press Release: BarryM Autumn/Winter Launches!

Hi ladies! I bet it wasn't just me wondering when Mr Mero, of BarryM, was going to dazzle us all with some new releases. There's been radio silence on their end since the release of the Sequin & Confetti Nail Effects, but I am now pleased to announce, the silence has now been broken!

Below you're going to see the complete low-down *make-up items included* of all the products BarryM are releasing this Autumn/Winter. I'm sad to see Summer go, but I love the dark & vampy looks Autumn brings, I'm just not a bright coloured kinda girl, in clothes, make-up or polish.

Enough about me, let's take a look what to expect to see launching in Superdrug stores September 25th and Boots stores October 2nd! ARE YOU READY?

**Lash Vegas Mascara in Waterproof**

For EXTRA LARGE showgirl lashes search no further than LASH VEGAS! Its spiral shaped brush has been designed to separate, define & reach the smallest of lashes for show-stopping volume. Now available in waterproof.   

-Retail Price is £6.49

**Classic Matte Nail Paint**

Matte look nails were key on the catwalks for AW/13, as seen At Alexander Wang, DKNY & Helmut Lang.  Be it a berry, black or nude shade, make Barry M's new coffee shop collection of warm, wintery Matte Nail Paints your go-to polish this season.  Not only will they give you the statement grunge look, they will also leave enough change for you to buy an outfit to match! 

-Shades: ‘Espresso’ (Black MNP1), ‘Crush’ (Burgundy Red MNP2), ‘Caramel’ (Light Brown MNP3), ‘Vanilla’ (Pink Nude MNP4), ‘Mocha’ (Medium Brown MNP5)

-Retail Price: £3.99

**The Royal Glitter Collection**

The new Royal inspired collection from Barry M will make you feel like a glittering, glistening Princess.  With 5 shades in the range, these Textured Glitter Nail Paints will get your nails noticed in an instant. 

-Shades: ‘Princess’ (Pink TNP5), ‘Majesty’ (Gold TNP6), ‘Duchess’ (Nude TNP7), ‘Lady’ (White Pearl TNP8), ‘Countess’ (Purple TNP9)

-Retail Price: £3.99

**Crystal Glaze Topcoat**

Dazzle your nails with this glistening topcoat.  Perfect for a crystallised finish for the ultimate glam touch.   

-Retail Price: £3.99

**Berry Cosmo Nail Paint**

This is a new addition to Barry M's original Nail Paint collection.  A beautiful purple/burgundy winter shade

-Retail Price: £2.99

**3 Eye & Cheek Palettes**

New to the Barry M range are a selection of stunning eye and cheek palettes, which cater to every occasion and every outfit. With a combination of soft, light, dark and jewel tones, you can create your favourite beauty look with the ease of having all shades in one compact- complete with a large mirror and two applicators.

Getting glam has never been so easy!                                                         

Glamour Puss- "Bring out your inner glamour puss with these 6 shimmering party eyeshadows and hot pink blush"                                                      

Smokin' Hot- "Create a smokin' hot look with these 6 smouldering eyeshadows and hot peach blush"                                                                    

Natural Glow- "Enhance your natural glow with these 6 subtle eyeshadows in natural hues and pastel pink blush"

-Retail Price: £6.49

**Flawless Finish Foundation**

An oil free formulation, containing soothing moisturisers with skin healing properties, for a flawless matte finish

-Shades: Ivory (LF1), Nude (LF2), Beige (LF3), Sand (LF4), Tan (LF5)

-Retail Price: £5.99 

HELL-O! How amazing do those textured glitters look? AND a matte collection! Everything in this release SCREAMS Autumn/Winter! As I mentioned, these will be available for purchase in Superdrug stores from September 25th and Boots stores from October 2nd!
How many, if not all, of these do you see yourself purchasing? As always, stay tuned for swatches of the Nail Paints coming soon!