Swatch: Dandy Nails - Your Guardian Angel

Hi ladies! I have a very special polish to show you today, which I have been debating on whether I should actually show it, since it's such a personal polish - but it's just TOO pretty to hide away. A couple of years ago now, I lost my best friend in a car accident, it was probably the most difficult time of my life, I didn't want to go out or do anything remotely fun because I wasn't able to share it with the person which meant most to me in my life. It was a really dark time in my life, but there was one song, which was actually one of our favourite songs, that somehow managed to pull me from my spiralling depression and get back out into the world, that song was The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Your Guardian Angel. Yes, the song itself is actually rather sad/depressing, but you've gotta love irony, right?
Since I already have a tattoo in remembrance of her (which is actually a part of the song on my foot *apologies if you don't like feet*) I thought I would get a polish for her too, as we went together to purchase our first ever bottles! So Sandy of Dandy Nails was kind enough to design a custom polish for me when I approached her to make Fakes & Fibbers and This Charming Man for the giveaway. I gave her the rough idea of what I wanted - a pure White glitter polish and she worked her creative genius and created a bottle of nail polish which exceeded ALL of my expectations. Want to see what it looks like?

Your Guardian Angel is a Clear base packed with various sized White hex glitters, White bar glitters and tiny Silver glitters. The pictures don't do this polish the justice it deserves, the added Silver glitters just brings the whole polish together and adds that little bit of sparkle when it catches the light. I'm honestly in love and haven't taken this mani off in DAYS. I layered one coat (I did a thicker coat for my Ring & Pinkie fingers to show the density) of Your Guardian Angel over 2 coats of W7 - Black without a base/top coat for the photos above.

I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Sandy for creating this beautiful polish for me, even if I was a pain in the ass at times! Although Sandy isn't currently offering customs in her store, her Limited Edition Halloween polishes are still available for purchase via her Etsy shop and she will also be having a full restock soon! You can purchase a Dandy Nails polish of your own for just $8 each! Completely worth it for the quality of her polishes - that woman is a GOD I tell you! You can also keep up with her latest releases and restocks by liking Dandy Nails Facebook page!

Shimmer Swatch Series: Trisha

Hi ladies! I'm back with another Shimmer polish, this time it's Trisha! This is going to be a super quick post, so let's jump straight into the swatches!

Trisha is clear base packed with square Orange glitters as the main focus, with added Blue, Purple and Gold hex glitters in various sizes and micro Silver glitter. As I mentioned before, Shimmer polishes are so dense they only need one coat when over a base colour, or 2/3 coats for full coverage over a naked nail. I layered one coat of Trisha over Finger Paints Cordur-Orange without a base or top coat.

Shimmer retails at $12 for 15ml and you can even create your own custom polish for $15! You can find everything you need to know about the latest offers, releases and swatches for Shimmer polish via her Etsy, Facebook and Blog.

Shimmer Swatch Series: Kim

Hi ladies! I have another 'Swatch Series' for you, this time featuring various polishes from Indie brand Shimmer. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting various polishes from Shimmer, these won't be daily but I shall try my best to make them as frequent as possible! Shimmer Polish, created by a lovely lady named Cindy, was created earlier this year and has since been popping up on various blogs ever since. I must say, Cindy is a master of glitter combos with a mixture of shades to suit any ones preferences, she's definitely at the top of her game.
I want to show you one of my favourite polishes from Shimmer, which was created by Kim at Overall Beauty, which of course, is the reason it's called Kim.

Kim is a mixture of large and small hexagonal Purple and Blue glitters, as well as squared glitters and a small sprinkling of various sized Silver glitter for good measure. Since the polishes are so glitter packed, you'd think that they'd be a nightmare to apply, but you'd be wrong! The polish applies perfectly without any clumping or patching and even dries smooth without having to use a top coat. I layered 2 coats of Kim over BarryM - Blue Plum for the photos above, which have all been taken inside my light box, without a base or top coat.

I hope you've enjoyed the swatches of Kim and you can except more beauties to come during my Shimmer Swatch Series! In the meantime, why don't you check out my previous Shimmer post, where I featured 6 polishes during my 30 Day Challenge!

Shimmer retails at $12 for 15ml and you can even create your own custom polish for $15! You can find everything you need to know about the latest offers, releases and swatches for Shimmer polish via her Etsy, Facebook and Blog. 

Swatch: Girly Bits - Wet Bikini

Hi ladies! I thought I would show you a swatch of a Girly Bits polish I bought recently during Harlow & Co.'s 15% off offer on their website whilst I was supposed to be on a no-buy...whoops. I did only stick to one polish though, so that counts right?! I've also recently bought a light box and am currently in the process of learning the best way to use it and get the most results, I only have one lamp at the moment, which I think does take away slightly from the overall effect, but that aside it means I can now swatch at night, not just during the day; in your face dark Winter nights! The photos you will see below have all been taken inside my light box using two different cameras, the slightly Yellowy tinted ones have been taken on my bridge camera, whilst the others have been taken on my compact camera. I'm so annoyed at my bridge camera because it comes out so Yellow, but it takes a lot clearer photos of glitter than my compact, which kind of outweighs it's flaws.

Enough Rambling, let's take a look at Wet Bikini!

Wet Bikini is a mixture of Aqua, Blue and Opalescent various sized Square and Hex glitters in a Clear base. I had no trouble with the application of Wet Bikini, it went on smoothly and spread evenly without any major clumps. Wet Bikini is more colour accurate in the 3rd and 4th photo, whilst the last two photos show the glitter more clearly. I layered 2 coats of Girly Bits - Wet Bikini over Finger Paints - Late Night Rendezvous without a base or top coat.

So there you have my light box debut! I obviously need a bit of a mess around with my bridge camera to get the white balance correct, but it can only get better from here right?! Hopefully you can expect more frequent postings now I am able to swatch at night, if there's anything in particular you'd like to see, let me know!
You can purchase Girly Bits polishes directly from Pam, the mastermind behind Girly Bits, on her Bigcartel for $10 each as well as various on line retailers such as Harlow & Co. and Llarowe for $11/12 each. To keep up with the latest Girly Bits news and releases, be sure to like them on Facebook!

Swatch Series: OPI - Skyfall Collection

Hi ladies! Welcome to the 'Skyfall Swatch Series' (say that 3x fast), I wanted to be a little different in showing you swatches of this collection, not that I have a problem with collection posts, I just feel as though I have done too many of those already this month. It wasn't until I was loading up the pictures to make the post that it hit me....Skyfall is being released here in the UK on October 26th, 13 days from now and there's a total of 12 polishes in the collection - so why not post one polish from the collection each day, in the order of when the corresponding movies were released until the launch of the newest movie, Skyfall.

For those of you unaware at what I'm even talking about, OPI's 'Skyfall' collection has been released in celebration to 50 years of James Bond, with each polish being named after 12 of 23 James Bond movies. Over the duration of 50 years there has been a total of 7 actors who have played James Bond, with Daniel Craig currently playing the character.So, for the next 12 days, I will post swatches showing each of the 12 shades along with a little snippet of information about each movie it corresponds with.

Starting us off is You Only Live Twice 

The 5th James Bond film

Starring Sean Connery as James Bond, Akiko Wakabayashi as Ski, Mie Hama as Kissy Suzuki, Donald Pleasence as the villain, Blofeld. With Burt Kwouk. Directed by Lewis Gilbert. Screenplay by Roald Dahl. Filmed in Japan.

Opening dates: UK June 12, 1967; US June 13, 1967.

Now onto the swatches:

You Only Live Twice is a Magenta base packed with Pink & Gold for a glass flecked finish. My photos don't really do this polish a lot of justice, it's a lot more vibrant in real life. This is two coats of You Only Live Twice without a base/top coat.

What do you think to this post? It's completely different to what I'd normally do, so I want to make sure you're all liking the direction I took for these swatches! Stay tuned for tomorrows instalment of the Skyfall Swatch Series!

You Only Live Twice

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Live And Let Die

The Spy Who Loved Me

Swatch: Purple Professional Spam

Hi ladies! I have another little 'collection' post for you from the brand Purple Professional, a Portuguese brand. I first heard of Purple Professional through my good friend Betty Nails posts and I was a little disappointed when I learnt they're only available in Portugal, but thanks to a swap with Rosa of The Nail Polish & The Blog, I was able to try my first Purple polishes. Since then, I have also been chosen as one of the International bloggers to sample some of Purple Professionals line as they are currently making plans to expand throughout Europe and possibly Worldwide too!
Today's post consists of just over half of my Purple collection, I've also done a few posts previous to this featuring some Purple polishes too, to see the collective posts, click here. The main reason why I love Purple Professional, is their formula, it's pigmented - you only need 2 coats for the majority, it's the right consistency - it's neither too thick nor too runny and the best of all...it's fast drying with a high gloss finish. Since there's a few photo's in this post, I have included a jump break.

SWATCHES AFTER THE JUMP!

Swatch: Essie - Bikini So Teeny Collection

Hi ladies! I'm back again with another 'collection' post for you. This time it's the Bikini So Teeny collection from Essie which was released as their Summer 2012 range and is described as  'a collection of bold summery shades in shimmer and high gloss finishes'. I don't know if it's just me, but I always find Essie polishes to be a bit too thin not that it affects the application too much, I just think they're a little bit runnier than the formula from other 'salon brands' such as OPI and China Glaze.
Anyway, enough of the pointless typing, I'm sure you're wanting to see some swatches! This has quite a few photos, so I have included a jump break.

MORE SWATCHES AFTER THE JUMP

Swatch: Killer Colours - Belladonna & Firewater

Hi ladies! Wow, September really is my blogging month! I hope you're not sick to death of me yet. As you may know, I'm a huge supporter of British brands so today I have a new British brand to show you, Killer Colours. Killer Colours officially launched their collection at the beginning of this month with their range consisting of 5 fashion ready shades. Before I get into the swatches, I want to give you a bit of background into the Killer Colours brand.

"Like the best ideas, our brand story is simple: Killer Colours collaborates with fashion insiders and trend forecasters to bring you what's hot this month...this week...this very minute. The 5 Killer Colours are today's absolute 'must haves' and every one is a limited edition so when stock is gone, it's really gone - Killer Colours is already on to the next micro-trend. 

The Killer Colours professional formula contains intense pigments for rich, deep colour payoff. A blend of 4 plasticisers provides the ideal 'flex' on the nail to prevent chipping, flaking or peeling. It is big 3-free and was proudly created and made in the UK"

The thing that interests yet confuses me at the same time about Killer Colours, is the fact that all of their shades will be limited edition, I've never seen that in a brand before. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing, sure it's a good thing that they will constantly be bringing out new and exciting shades to match the seasons fashion trends, but a bad thing because you'll never be able to buy a certain shade again once it's gone. I guess it's a matter of preference as to which category you're in.

Let's get into the swatches shall we?! All swatches below are taken indoors in natural light without a base or top coat.

Image from Killer Colours.com

What I say; Belladonna is a super pigmented Indigo Blue creme. Although it applies streaky on the first coat, it evens out with the second. I applied 3 coats of Belladonna overall for full opacity. I had no issues with the formula in terms of thickness or being too thin, it applied smoothly and dried within minutes. I did notice that there was slight bubbling in the polish, but that may have been due to me applying near an open window.

What Killer Colours say; "Designed as the soulmate of Chanel's blue crystal eyebrow - this blue will electrify your fingertips"

Where Killer Colours saw it;

• CRYSTAL BLUE BROWS AT CHANEL
• ELECTRIC BLUE FINGERNAILS AT ERDEM
• BRILLIANT BLUE LASHES AND SKATER DRESSES AT STELLA MCCARTNEY

Image from Killer Colours.com

What I say; Firewater is a deep Berry Red with an almost Jelly like finish. As pigmented as it is shiny, Firewater, although not as streaky as Belladonna, still has some slight patching with the first coat but it evens out nicely with the second. I applied 3 coats of Firewater for the photos above. Again, I had no trouble with the formula in terms of it being too thick or too thin and the drying time was spot on.

What Killer Colours say; "Because it's all about being 'matchy matchy' this autumn we decided to provide you with one half of this season's perfect couple - the red wine nail...to go with the burgundy lip of course!"

Where Killer Colours saw it;

• BADGLEY MISCHKA LIPS (& ON THE EYES TOO)
• WINE STAINED LIPS AT NICOLE FARHI
• GOTHIC LIPS AT GUCCI

Overall, I'm impressed with Killer Colours nail polishes and I can't wait to see what they come out with in the future. Killer Colours are available for purchase on their website at £9 each for 10ml of product and come in 5 shades; Twisted Silk, Gunmetal, Quicksand and of course Belladonna & Firewater. There's also FREE UK DELIVERY on all orders also if you enter the code RK01 at the checkout, you will receive 15% off of your order!!! As I said before, these are all Limited Edition shades, so grab them whilst you still can! To make sure you don't miss out on announcements and new collections, be sure to follow Killer Colours on Facebook & Twitter.

Swatch: BarryM - Gelly Nail Paints

Hi ladies! You may remember last week I posted the Press Release for the new BarryM Gelly Nail Paints, well today I have 4 of those to show you! When BarryM announced they are releasing these new polishes, I thought they were going to be Jelly finishes, but they are actually a 'tribute' to Gel Nails with their high gloss finish and one coat application but do not need to be cured under a UV light in order to achieve such shine.
Like with most BarryM polishes I have tried, I had no trouble with the formula or application, they are super pigmented and are dry by the time you have applied the first coat on one hand. Just as Gel Nails intended, the Gelly Nail Paints dry to a 'wet look' finish, by which I mean that they look as if they are freshly painted & are still in the process of drying. As some of you may have noticed, BarryM has also stepped away from their usual Matte Black caps and replaced them with these gorgeous shiny Silver caps too! This may just be to separate the Gellys from the regular line, but I really like them.

All the photos below have been taken indoors in Natural lighting without a Base or Top coat.

CLICK THE JUMP TO SEE SWATCHES

Swatch: BeautyUK - Candy Collection

Hi ladies! You may remember a couple days ago I posted this press release of the new Candy collection being released by beautyUK, well today I have those swatches to show you! If you've not heard of beautyUK, they're a British beauty brand which can be found in most Superdrug stores or on www.beautyukcosmetics.com. Here's a little snippet I took from their website describing their brand;

"Born and bred in the UK (hence the name), beautyuk has grown from strength to strength since its humble beginnings five years ago. We are a family run business, which is quite nice really in a world full of big, scary, faceless corporations, and it means we can provide a much friendlier, more tailored service for our customers.

We have big plans to become the number one colour cosmetics brand in the market and we think our website makes our statement quite nicely - we hope you like it."

CLICK THE JUMP FOR MORE SWATCHES!

Swatch: BarryM - Silver Multi Glitter

Hi ladies! I have one of the recently released BarryM glitters to show you today that have been sitting in my 'to post' folder for a while now. Silver Multi Glitter is a finely milled mixture of Silver, Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow & Pink glitters, reminiscent of their now discontinued shade 'Silver Cascade' which was also dubbed the OPI - Mad As A Hatter dupe. Although, not owning Silver Cascade myself, from photos I've seen around the web the glitters in Silver Multi Glitter appears to be a lot finer than those in Silver Cascade. For the photos below, I used 3 coats of Silver Multi Glitter alone without a Base/Top coat. As with all BarryM polishes I have tried, I had no issues with the formula and they dried relatively quick!

You can purchase Silver Multi Glitter directly from their website, which offers worldwide postage, or if you're in the UK Silver Multi Glitter is also available for purchase at Superdrug & Boots stores nationwide for £2.99 each. What do you think to Silver Multi Glitter? Can you see yourself purchasing it any time soon?

Swatch: Purple Professional - 36

Hi ladies! Before I get into the post, I just wanted to announce that I have finally purchased my own domain name! Which means my blog is now polishedcriminails.com instead of polishedcriminails.blogspot.com! How exciting is that!? I've been wanting my own domain for the longest time, but never got around to doing so until last night, so it's still in transition mode at the moment, so if certain features of my blog isn't working, that will be why!
I have another Purple Professional polish to show you today, if you haven't seen my previous Purple Professional posts, you can click HERE to be taken to those! Purple Professional is a Portuguese brand which is currently in the process of expanding their line to various other countries, which is exciting news! I thought I would show you Shade 36; a dark Lilac creme. The photos below are 3 coats of 36 without a top/base coat taken Indoors in Natural Light (sunshine, where are you?!?)

Sorry for the short post! But a short one is better than none right? What do you think to Purple Professional? Have you tried any of their products yet, if so which ones?! Purple Professional polishes retail for around €3 and can be ordered through any authorised retailers listed here or directly through their Facebook page. They are also currently looking for distributors! So if you think you'd be interested in stocking Purple Professional products in your shop, please e-mail paula.purpleprofessional@sapo.pt

Swatch: eye CANDY - Colour Flip

Hi ladies! Ever since eye CANDY London sent me Liquid Gold to review, I have been desperately trying to find the remaining three Colour Flip polishes I needed but unfortunately I live in a small town with a limited 'beauty range' in my local Sainsburys so I've never been able to find them! However, last weekend I was on my way to catch the ferry over to Bruges and stopped at a random Sainsburys store to stock up on some snacks for our overnight trip and whilst I was there I thought I would check out their beauty section to see if they had any in stock, loan behold they had ALL of them! Since you're reading this post, I obviously snagged them all.

For those of you who haven't seen any of my previous eye CANDY London posts here's a little bit of background behind the brand; Originally only sold in selected Sainsburys stores, eye CANDY London is a 3-free brand which is sourced, created, designed & manufactured in the UK and offers high end quality without the price tag. They have since become available for purchase from Amazon.co.uk & Sainsburys online as well as distributors in Holland, Italy and Finland, which will be announced in the upcoming months! Now that's out the way, lets get on to the swatches!!

SWATCHES AFTER THE JUMP!

Swatch: BarryM - Magnetics

Hi ladies! I have the new Magnetic releases from BarryM to show you today! BarryM has always been the one staple brand in both my polish and make-up collection for the past 7/8 years, simply because I find their products amazing AND you don't have to sell a kidney in order to buy them. However, I'm not going to lie, had I not been sent these polishes to review, I wouldn't have purposely gone out and bought them because of my opinion on magnetic polishes; I've always found them to be hard to work with and very time consuming if you don't get it right the first time. Although, after trying out the Magnetic polishes from BarryM, I think my opinion on them has drastically changed. All but one of the polishes/magnets below were super easy to work with, there was no formula issues, they dried reasonably fast..but not so fast that you couldn't get the pattern and the magnets themselves were really strong. I also noticed, that the 'name' of the polish on the website is different to what we see on the bottom of the bottle, which is disappointing seeing as the polish names on the website are a lot more interesting than those on the bottle!
All swatches below are 2 coats of polish without a base/top coat.

CLICK THE JUMP FOR SWATCHES