A Few Comparisons - Cobalt Blues and Sage Greens

What's up friends? I had a few requests to do some comparisons on a couple polishes I've reviewed recently so I thought I'd throw 'em at ya today!

Press Sample | Purchased by Me

First is a comparison of some cobalt blue crèmes, motivated by my latest Rescue Beauty Lounge post. On my pointer finger is two coats of Nails Inc. Baker Street, on my middle finger is one coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (original formula), on my ring finger is two coats of Rescue Beauty Lounge All About Yves, and on my pinky is two coats of KBShimmer Low and Be Bold. If I was smart I should've switched my pointer and middle so this would've been an ombre ;) The closest color to All About Yves is probably Baker Street, but it's more of a crème and AAY is more jellyish. These all have amazing formulas. I can't pick one, I am glad I have them all.

Next is comparisons of some sage green shimmery/glittery polishes, prompted by my post on Illamasqua Melange. It's harder to get in the US now so people were asking about possible dupes. Sadly, there are none to be found here. On my pointer and pinky nails I have two coats of Illamasqua Melange, on my middle finger is two coats of discontinued Rescue Beauty Lounge Halcyon, and on my ring finger is two coats of Butter London Two Fingered Salute. I was actually surprised by how different these all are! I, again, love them all and can't pick a favorite.

If you were wondering about dupe possibilities or how these polishes compared to each other, I hope these helped you out! Love ya and we'll be together again soon :)

❤ Kellie

Some of the products mentioned were provided for an honest review, some were purchased by me.

Guest Post by Samarium's Swatches: Neon Watermarble

Hi folks! I'm almost recuperated enough to start swatching again but I do have another awesome guest post for you today, this time from Sarah of Samarium's Swatches. This gal is so fab, her photos and manicure skills make me envious! I also just love her blog style, delightful and so fun. I'm happy to show you her awesome nail art post here and be sure to check her out so you can keep up with all her awesome manicures!

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Hey guys! My name is Sarah from Samarium's Swatches!

Kellie asked me to help her out with a guest post and I gladly obliged after a few failed attempts! haha

For today's post I just knew I wanted to do something neon and bright!

First I started off with a white base, using Zoya Purity.

Using a wedge makeup sponge and the gradient sponging technique I used the following colors,

in the following order. 

For those unfamiliar you paint each color onto the sponge in a strip and then stamp the sponge on each nail. Then repaint and repeat once more onto your nails. I'd recommend using less colors though!

Illamasqua - Poke

China Glaze - Shocking Pink

Illamasqua - Gamma

Illamasqua - Rare

Illamasqua - Nurture

Illamasqua - Nomad

Illamasqua - Serenity

Then I mattified it with Butter London Matte Finish!

Then using A England Camelot, Glitter Gal Turbulence and Orly Nailtrition I tried a water marble.

I've been trying to practice at water marbling once a week lately, and I actually have improved some!

I'm not great at it but I really love how this turned out! Especially the pinky!

What do you guys think? I hope you like it!

Where to find Samarium's Swatches

Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

Butter London - Two Fingered Salute

Nordstrom has a trio of exclusive lacquers from Butter London out right now and today I'm going to show you my pick from the three. Two Fingered Salute is one of the hottest polishes on the market right now, it has been sold out online and even in stores all over. I finally was able to order it a few weeks ago and it just shipped :) Side note: I honestly hate how Nordstrom packages their shipments though, I've ordered one or two cosmetics from them a few times and they always arrive in a medium to LARGE box that weighs about an ounce because it's that one thing and packing paper. It's wasteful and makes me mad. But it must not make me so mad that I've stopped ordering from them...

Two Fingered Salute is a dusty mint green with gazillions of irregularly shaped copper flecks that gleam dusty pink in the sunshine. I FREAKING love this polish! This is basically Rescue Beauty Lounge Halcyon, only a little lighter and with more pronounced shimmer. I always adore the BL formula too, two coats on this one. Ga-ga-gorgeous!

How do you like this guy? I am in love. You can look for this at your local Nordstrom store or online at nordstrom.com for $14.

Products provided for review.

Guest Post by Ommorphia Beauty Bar: Butter London - Branwen's Feather

Please enjoy this guest post by my friend Eugenia from Ommorphia Beauty Bar!

When I first saw a lineup of Butter London lacquers, I was immediately drawn to 'Branwen's Feather' - as much for the colour, as for the name....it sounded so gothically romantic to me! This is one of those intricate hues that is hard to pin down; nestled deep within its purple/prune base, is tons of micro glitter in shades of silver, red and even flecks of blue peeking out here and there. Although it can appear like a blackened prune in shaded light, the myriad reflections of its internal glimmer always keep it from looking too deep. Once you take this beauty out in sunlight, however, it's when you begin to appreciate all the varying nuances of colour it has to offer but it is a photo taken with flash, that truly shows off its entire brilliance. One of the more sophisticated varnishes in this colour family that I've tried in a long while, 'Branwen's Feather' is intense without going over the top, vampy without looking too flashy, and so very sophisticated on the nails. All swatches are with Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat, three very thin coats of lacquer, and a-england's 'The Shield' top coat.

The formula was in line with others in the Butter London range: excellent. Flowing easily but neither too thick nor thin, the first coat gave an almost sheer coverage, which quickly became opaque by the second coat, although I added a third coat here for photo purposes. Application was very smooth, with Butter London's medium-thin brush that has amazing flexibility, fanning out across the nail with great precision, with the result looking brush-stroke free, and a self-levelling finish. Although it wasn't as naturally glossy as some of this brand's creme shades (I suspect due to the addition of the micro glitter), it still had enough shine that was only intensified by the addition of top coat. Part of Butter London's core collection and thus not a limited edition colour, 'Branwen's Feather' is a must-have for anyone who loves mysteriously deep shades....as well as uniquely romantic-sounding names!

When Kellie first approached me to write a guest post for her amazing blog, I was not only surprised, but so thrilled that I jumped up and down, squealing like a little girl! This was not only so much fun to do, but such an incredible honour...thank you, Kellie! I have been a long time fan of all the work you produce, and love being invited into your corner of the world! Tons of hugs!!

I love this gal! She's in Canada (I LOVE CANADA) and gets some of the pretties that are released sooner than we do in America, so I'm always over at her blog drooling at all the new stuff I don't have yet haha! Thanks so much for contributing Eugenia!

Guest Post by Polish Pauper: Butter London - Bluey

Hello my dears! This is the start of a 'Guest Post' series that I'll be doing for a week or so. My nails are going through a horrendous ugly phase right now :( so I figured it was a good time to share with you some posts from my wonderful blogger friends that I love and admire! Please take a minute to check out their blogs if you like what you see, which I know you will!

This post is by my gorgeous friend Kisten from Polish Pauper, enjoy! 

Hey lovelies! I am super honored to do this guest post for the la la lovely Kellie! Butter London is one of my favorite brands so of course I had to pick up Bluey from the new fall collection. Described as a slightly metallic dark peacock blue, this one is gorgeous! Shimmery, glowy teal/blue goodness! My only complaint is that the formula was a little thin, but after two coats it was perfection. This is my typical combo, RBL prep, Butter London Horse Power, 3 coats of Bluey then SV. On a side note, Butter London uses British slang or terms for the names of its polish, which is hysterical, check it out here! On that note, thank you to all of you la la lovelies! Ta!

Til next time, thanks for reading guys n' dolls!

Butter London - Wallis

Hey folks, hope you're well. Today I have to show you one of the new Butter London colors, called Wallis. It came out in the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and is now a part of the Fall collection from Butter London. I am SO happy that this brand is now available at Nordstroms. I used to only be able to get them online, then when they came out in Ulta a few months ago, it took at least an hour drive to get to my closest store. Now, they are much more accessible to me which I am real happy about.

Wallis is a tarnished gold olive green foil shimmer. It is named after Wallis Simpson, the "saucy yank" that King Edward VIII left his throne for. I LOVE this polish, it's fantastically beautiful and complex. I have seen a few other bronzey green polishes come out this season, so it is definitely on trend. The formula is thin but builds on itself very well. This is three coats.

Butter London Lady Muck

Are you as big of a Butter London fan as I am? I doubt it! They are quickly making their way into my top 5 brands, which with the amount of lacquer this gal has on hand, means a LOT. I am a bit of an Anglophile (noun: a person who is friendly to or admires England or English customs, institutions, etc.) so anything remotely British is all right in my book...even though the company is based in Seattle :)

Lady Muck is a new 2011 color, which came out for the Spring/Summer season I believe. The BL site describes her as "Powdery periwinkle blue, slightly on the grey side and infused with pearl pigment for a soft, sexy sheen." This baby has definite micro-glitter going on too, giving it that subtle but very present sparkle. I think the pearl infuses with the base and instead of bringing a pearl finish it gives the blue more depth. There is a dusty hint but the pearl drags it up from being too somber. This is two coats with topcoat.

You can get Butter London polishes at www.butterlondon.com or at Ulta stores for $14.00 each. They have some amazing new shades coming up for Fall, I can't wait for them! Give them a look-see over on my friend Charlotte's blog Lipglossiping. Have a great rest of June ;)

Butter London All Hail the Queen

Butter London is now being stocked in Ulta stores so it is now readily available to more consumers than it was before. Thank goodness, because even though I don't mind shopping online for bargains, full priced items can get expensive with shipping costs. The nearest Ulta store to me is about 45 minutes away but I occasionally get up there running errands, often enough to nurse a polish purchase every now and then. I was happy to see an end cap display at my local store this past weekend and I knew the shade I was going to get in half a second. All Hail the Queen.

This shade used to be known by a different moniker, slightly tweaked, All Hail McQueen, named for the late couture designer Alexander McQueen. I couldn't tell you the reason for the switch, be it for copyright issues, out of respect for the deceased, or simply for mass appeal. Whatever the rational behind the switcharoo, the lacquer remains the same quality shade so no matter. I do wish I would've picked up a bottle before they made the change however, as I do love the designs of McQueen and I expect those bottles are now becoming increasingly rare, always a neat characteristic to have in a nail polish in my opinion.

AHtQ is a light nude beige brownish crème shade with sprinkles of micro glitter that appears rosey nude at first glance but then shine holographic in the sunlight. It's not terribly flashy or ornate, but beautiful nonetheless. It's a smashing polish, one that I cannot believe I waited this long to own. This is two coats.

Do you like this lovely shade of beige or is it too toned down for you?

Butter London No More Waity, Katie

Helloooo dearies! (said in a British accent of course) I have to show you a much anticipated lacquer from Butter London. No More Waity, Katie is a cheeky polish whose name refers to the future wife of Prince William, Kate Middleton. I have heard that was her nickname in the tabloids because of the long wait for the proposal. It looks a bit different than the promo photo, but I'm pleased with it.

"In celebration of the upcoming Royal Wedding, butter LONDON is excited to announce No More Waity, Katie limited edition nail lacquer. Designed by Founding Creative Director, Nonie Creme, this exclusive colour transforms nails with the perfect amount of sparkle for a royal touch."

No More Waity, Katie is a soft grey purple watery crème with lilac glitter. I found it to be super sheer on the first coat, like unbelievably so, but it did end up building on itself just fine. Although, I did have to manipulate the glitter a bit to discourage patchiness. This is three-ish coats.

xoxo,
kelliegonzo

Butter London Billy No Mates

Hello hello my dear friends! Hope your weekend is treating you well and that you are staying nice and warm. I have been packaging and wrapping my brains out, thanks to my blog sale, which is still on-going if you are interested :)

Today I have to show you butter London's Billy No Mates polish. It's an odd color, just the type that reels me in helplessly. It's a grey with a terribly slight bit of blue. I imagine this type of color to be seen in a seersucker suit on a man who owns a Nantucket beach house. Weird I know, but sometimes I let my imagination get the best of me ;)

The application was less than perfect, a bit thick and streaky. This is three coats :P It is a great color though. And you know I luvs me some bL bottles.

xoxo,
kelliegonzo

Top 20 of 2010

Here are my top 20 of 2010, meaning these are my favorite nail polishes as of the end of 2010--not that they have all come out in 2010 :)

20. Mac - Ming Blue

19. Deborah Lippmann - Bad Romance

18. Gosh - Gasoline

17. Ulta - Tainted Love

16. Zoya  - Gloria

15. Man Glaze - Fuggen Ugly

14. Sally Hansen - Hidden Treasure (seen here over Rain by Eyeko)

13. China Glaze - Heli-Yum

12. Zoya - Edyta

11. OPI - Smitten With Mittens

10. China Glaze - Ingrid

9. Glitter Gal - Copper

8. Butter London - Marrow

7. Gosh - Holographic

6. China Glaze - Groovy Green

5. BB Couture - Coal Miner

4. Zoya - Kelly

3. Deborah Lippmann - Across the Universe

2. OPI - Glamour

1. OPI - Merry Midnight

Oh dear spaghetti monster, zeus, and cthulhu if I forgot any please don't strike me down haha! I hope everyone had/has a happy and safe new years!!

xoxo,
kelliegonzo