China Glaze - Tronica

Hologram, Laser Lime, Mega Bite

Techno Teal, Virtual Violet

Electra Magenta, Hyper Haute

From the Tronica collection, I chose seven shades: Hologram, Techno Teal, Laser Lime, Virtual Violet, Hyper Haute, Electra Magenta & Mega Bite.

Not the most vivid holo effect, especially when compared with the OMG collection. The colours, however, are stunning.

Read on for swatches.

Black Shimmer Shadows - Blue & Green

The last in the Black Shimmer Shadows series of posts. Blues & greens are the featured shades here.

Dagger - Kat Von D

From the Metal Orchestra palette. In the picture, this looks far more blue than it actually is. The pan is a black base packed with blue shimmers. Best used wet for full shimmer effect. Soft texture that blends well & very pigmented.

Oddfellow - Kat Von D

Another from the Kat Von D palettes, this time it's from the Love & Fury (or Adora) palette.

Oddfellow has larger glitters than Dagger. Both blue & green glitter are packed into the black base, although, on the pictures, it looks predominantly blue. Whilst it's best used wet, it still has a good amount of shimmer used dry over a slightly sticky base.

Lightweight Black - MAC

A limited edition from the Summerwear quad, Lightweight black hasn't got the deepest of black bases. As with other MAC velvets, the shimmers blend right out of this when used dry. Using it wet will give a better result.

Black Shimmer Shadows - Pink, Purple, Rainbow & Random

Part three of the Black Shimmer Shadows posts. Here are the pinks, purples, rainbow shimmers & a random one that didn't seem to fit anywhere else!

My Dark Magic - MAC

A split duo mineralise that came out with the Disney Villains collection, comprising a pink & a purple side.
My Dark Magic has smaller shimmers than the Style Black mineralise shadows, but they're still very vivid. The black base isn't quite as dark as with the Style Black shadows either. To get the full effect, these are best used wet. When used dry, the shimmer is more subtle & the base less full-on black.

Young Punk - MAC

The pinky-purple shade from Style Black. Serious shimmer & glitter with this one. More purple-tinged than My Dark Magic, but not a true purple.
Definitely another to be used wet for full effect.

Black Shimmer Shadows - Gold & Red

The second in a series of posts on black glittery shadows. This one has blacks with gold & red shimmers.

Smoking - MAC

From the Smoking quad that came out with the Smoke Signals collection. Another velvet finish shadow like Black Tied, this isn't the darkest of black bases. As with Black Tied, to get the shimmers to show, this needs to be used wet. Using it dry & blending gets rid of nearly all of the shimmers.

Tijuana - Kat Von D


Tijuana has been in two of the Kat Von D palettes; Memento Mori & The Tattoo Chronicles palette.
Vivid gold shimmer that will show up if used dry but really pops when used wet. Nice, smooth texture that blends well & a good, solid black base.

Black & Silver Glittery Shadows

Since I did a post on matte black eyeshadows, I though a post on shimmery & glittery blacks would also be a good idea.
Because I'm easily lured in by blacks with shimmer, this is going to require more than one post. For this one, it's concentrating on blacks with silver shimmer.

Cinderfella - MAC

This came out with the Style Black collection a while ago. One of MAC's mineralise shadows.
Nice, dark base absolutely loaded with silver glitter. Goes on smoothly but, because it's a mineralise, there can be a bit of fall-out. Much more dramatic when used wet.

Night Breed - NARS

This is gorgeous. Very deep, black base with vivid silver glitter. This one will show up dry & absolutely pops when used with a damp brush. Great texture that's extremely blendable.
Makes a really pretty liner when used wet.

Decora look

I did this look over the weekend. It was a bit impromptu, I wanted to use Sugarpill Chromalust in Decora (seriously gorgeous hot pink with turquoise sparkles) but had absolutely no idea what I was going to use with it. Instead of spending ages debating, I just grabbed some other colours & ended up using Sugarpill's Weekender, Bulletproof & MAC's Bough Grey with some Kat Von D Autograph Liner in Black Metal Love.

The end result was something that I really liked & would definitely do again.

Illamasqua - Toxic Nature

Last Thursday night I attended the Toxic Nature event at my local Illamasqua counter. There was a great demo with the new products that showed us how to use them, which was great & the look done on the model was fantastic.

I came home with four of the new Cream Pigments, a lipstick in Atomic, Precision Ink in Glister & nail polish in Radium. I also picked up the lip brush after seeing it used as an eye brush. It sounds peculiar but it's fantastic for crease work & lining the lower lids. I may have to buy another, I've not used anything else since I got it.

The four Cream Pigments I chose are Bedaub, Emerge, Mould & Dab.
These are amazing, they go on as a cream but dry to more of a powdery finish that's more matte. Although it is a matte finish, it's not dry & certainly not flat.
Cream Pigments can be used anywhere on the face & body. Bedaub & Emerge (mint green & peach) were used in the demo as colour correctors with Bedaub also being used as part of an eye look that also featured Dab & Mould as a liner. Mould was also used to stunning effect as a liner with Atomic lipstick.

Sugarpill Look

I don't usually post looks because I tend to be a bit camera-shy & I just can't seem to get any good pictures of looks I've done.
I persevered today because I absolutely loved this once I'd finished it, so decided to share it on here.
New stuff always makes me want to play with it & the Sugarpill Chromalusts are no exception. I used two from my recent haul along with some eyeshadows I already had.

Sugarpill Darling, Weekender, Poison Plum & Illamasqua Idol

MAC - Jeanius eyeshadows

The only thing I went for from the Jeanius collection; the four eyeshadows. All four are frosty, no mattes or satins here. The denim-print on them is really cute.

What I would change about these is the size. I wish I could depot them, as they're the same size as a Cream Colour Base, I have nothing to put them in to once depotted. I'm obsessively organised when it comes to my eyeshadow collection, so having these just floating around bugs me.

Anyway, the four colours are Stovepipe Black, Motorhead, Diva in Distress & White Jeanius.

Sugarpill - Chromalusts

Since I'm rather fond of the three Sugarpill pressed shadows I have, I figured it was time to give in to my hankerings & try out the Chromalust loose eyeshadows.

Although I've fallen in love with quite a lot of the colours, I restrained myself & went for Stella, Magpie, Darling, Weekender & Decora.

Apart from swatching, I've only used one (I only got them yesterday!), Magpie, but I've already fallen in love with these gorgeous shadows.

Back in Matte Black

This is something I've been working up to doing for a while now, a comparison post of matte black eyeshadows.

As it turns out, I had a few more matte blacks than I thought. I wonder if there's a rehab programme for black shadow addicts?

All together, I've included 12 in this post by various brands. Some are solid, matte black whilst others are more of a charcoal.

Sugarpill - Bulletproof


This is one of my favourites. Rich, well-pigmented & great texture. It's a dream to apply & blend. Don't have as much trouble with fall-out when applying as I do with some other matte blacks.
Packaging is gorgeous, cute Sugarpill logo on a clear lid with a black plastic base. It's also sturdy too.
One of my top matte blacks.

Urban Decay - Black Dog


From the Black Palette. You want an extremely pigmented, blendable, blacker-than-black matte? This is the one for you. Upon swatching all of these shadows, I noticed that Black Dog is darker than the others. When it says black, it means business.
The downside? You'll have to buy this as part of the palette.

China Glaze - Crackle Glaze

Lightning Bolt, Broken Hearted, Cracked Concrete, Fault Line.

I've already done a post about Broken Hearted, but since my other shades arrived, I decided it was time to do one with better pictures.

Of the six shades available, I chose the four pictured. I skipped the black because I've already got the Barry M Instant Nail Effects, I didn't feel the need to have two black crackle polishes. I also opted not to get the OPI version, purely because of OPI's brush size, not so easy to work with for us folks with smaller nails.

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 9

Random colours that didn't go anywhere else! :)

1. OPI - All-A-Bordeaux The Sled!
2. Nails Inc. - Victoria
3. OPI - Black Cherry Chutney
4. MAC - Formidable!
5. China Glaze - Sangria
6. OPI - DS Reflection
7. OPI - Calendar Girl
8. China Glaze - Orange Knockout
9. China Glaze - Japanese Koi
10. Precision - Glam Metal
11. China Glaze - Cords
12. China Glaze - Party Hearty
13. OPI - You Don't Know Jacques

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 8

Reds

1. OPI - Don't Toy With Me
2. OPI - Smitten With Mittens
3. OPI - I'm Not Really A Waitress
4. China Glaze - Cranberry Flame
5. China Glaze - Sacred Heart
6. China Glaze - Long Kiss
7. China Glaze - Riveter Rouge
8. China Glaze - Stroll
9. China Glaze - Foxy
10. China Glaze - Short n' Sassy
11. China Glaze - Cowgirl Up
12. China Glaze - Sugar Plums
13. China Glaze - Crystal Ball
14. China Glaze - Masai Red
15. China Glaze - Ruby Pumps
16. Zoya - Delilah
17. China Glaze - High Roller
18. China Glaze - Go Crazy Red
19. China Glaze - Rose Among Thorns

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 7

Pink

Aaargh! Yet more polishes that won't play nicely with the camera. It seems to be the brighter ones that aren't behaving themselves.

1. Essie - Flirty Fuchsia
2. Color Club - Pink Flame
3. Color Club - Just Chill
4. Nails Inc. - Piccadilly Circus
5. Zoya - this one has no name on the bottle!
6. Zoya - Ali
7. Zoya -Lola
8. Zoya - Katy
9. Zoya - Michelle
10. Zoya - Starla
11. Zoya - Nova
12. Zoya - Gilda
13. Nails Inc. - Elizabeth St.
14. China Glaze - It's 5 o'Clock Somewhere
15. China Glaze - Bing Cherry
16. China Glaze - Fly
17. China Glaze - Raspberry Festival
18. China Glaze - It's Poppin'
19. China Glaze - Shocking Pink
20. China Glaze - Pink Voltage

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 6

Purple

There's a couple of shades here that just don't seem to want to photograph well, despite trying several times. Oh, for a better-lit house!

1. DS Mystery
2. China Glaze - First Class Ticket
3. Sinful - Diablo
4. OPI - Ink
5. OPI - Siberian Nights
6. OPI - Merry Midnight
7. Zoya - Savita (matte)
8. Zoya - Mimi
9. China Glaze - C-C-Courage
10. China Glaze - LOL
11. OPI - Ink (Suede)
12. China Glaze - Flying Dragon
13. Color Club - Rev'd Up
14. OPI - Mad As A Hatter
15. OPI - Purple With A Purpose
16. Zoya - Charisma
17. Essie - Perky Purple
18. China Glaze - Grape Pop
19. China Glaze - Grape Juice
20. OPI - A Grape Fit

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 5

Turquoise & teals.

1. Color Club - Emerald Depths
2. China Glaze - Turned Up Turquoise
3. China Glaze - DV8
4. China Glaze - Atlantis
5. China Glaze - Custom Kicks
6. China Glaze - Four Leaf Clover
7. China Glaze - For Audrey
8. Sinful - Envy
9. OPI - Austin-Tatious Turquoise

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 4

Green, gold & yellow.

1. China Glaze - Gussied Up Green
2. Zoya - Akyra
3. Zoya - Veruschka (matte)
4. China Glaze - Emerald Fitzgerald
5. OPI - Cuckoo For This Colour
6. China Glaze - Jolly Holly
7. China Glaze - Emerald Sparkle
8. Zoya - Ivanka
9. China Glaze - Watermelon Rind
10. OPI - Jade Is The New Black
11. OPI - Green-Wich Village
12. China Glaze - Paper Chasing
13. China Glaze - In The Lime Light
14. China Glaze - Mistletoe Kisses
15. China Glaze - Cherish
16. China Glaze - Entourage
17. OPI - Electric Eel
18. Zoya - Southbeach Ice
19. China Glaze - Sour Apple
20. MAC - Peppermint Patti

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 3

Blues

1. Illamasqua - Phallic
2. Zoya - Indigo
3. China Glaze - Calypso Blue
4. OPI - Yoga-Ta Get This Blue
5. OPI - Russian Navy
6. OPI - Midnigh Blue Glitter
7. Zoya - Kotori
8. China Glaze - Midnight Mission
9. China Glaze - Blk-Bila-Bong
10. China Glaze - Little Drummer Boy
11. China Glaze - Meteor Shower
12. China Glaze - Bermuda Breakaway
13. China Glaze - Blue Paradise
14. China Glaze - Rodeo Fanatic
15. China Glaze - Dorothy Who?
16. OPI - Absolutely Alice
17. OPI - Simmer & Shimmer
18. China Glaze - Blue Sparrow
19. Essie - Aruba Blue
20. China Glaze - Frost Bite

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 2

Greys, silvers & whites.

1. OPI - Brand New Skates
2. OPI - Lucerne-tainy Look Marvellous
3. China Glaze - Recycle
4. China Glaze - Let's Do It In 3-D
5. Zoya - Trixie
6. OPI - DS Coronation
7. China Glaze - Millennium
8. China Glaze - Devotion
9. OPI - Sheer Your Toys
10. China Glaze - OMG
11. China Glaze - Sexagon
12. China Glaze - Techno
13. China Glaze - Tinsel
14. Man Glaze - Hot Mess
15. China Glaze - Fairy Dust
16. China Glaze - White on White
17. China Glaze - Platinum Pearl
18. China Glaze - Glacier
19. China Glaze - Pelican Grey
20. Zoya - Freja

All The Colours of The Rainbow - nail polishes part 1

Aside from eyeshadows, my other weakness is nail polishes. Mattes, cremes, glitters, I love them all. I recently did a reorganise of my polish collection, mainly due to a box of them crashing to the ground in the dead of night, scaring me witless. They escaped lightly, only one bottle was lost. The mess left behind was something else altogether, I wasn't tempting fate & leaving them as they were.

Anyhoo, I came across these nail wheels online. They're cheap & a really great idea, no more digging around for the perfect colour. I number each wheel & keep a list of which colours are on each wheel, no more scrabbling through bottles of polish.

With that in mind, I thought it may be useful to post these as a reference for anyone wanting to know more about shades (if the one they're searching for happens to be here, of course).

To start off, this post concentrates on blacks and greys.

Kat Von D - Truth palette

The new Kat Von D palette - Truth.

As with the previous palettes from the line, there's eight shades inside. Truth includes Sugar Skull, Long Distance, Snake Eyes, Finland (cream), Prague, Galeano, Rehab & Sister.

Sugar Skull and Galeano have been in previous palettes, Memento Mori & Beethoven respectively. The six remaining shades are all new. As with Memento Mori, Truth concentrates more on bright/pastel shades instead of smoky colours. Unlike Love & Fury, which boasted three cream shadows, Truth has just the one.

Kat Von D - True Romance Pigments.

Starcrossed, Rapture & Torment

Of the six new True Romance pigment shades, I chose three. Starcrossed, Rapture & Torment. The gorgeous packaging fits in well with the rest of the Kat Von D line. Unlike MAC pigments, these come with a sifter dispenser, less messy but I prefer the ease of getting at the product that comes with an open jar.

Starcrossed

Starcrossed is descibed on the Sephora site as a golden beige shimmer. On skin, it looks like MAC's Pink Opal's peachy cousin. It's a neutral with a peach glow to it. Really pretty. Makes for a great highlight or lid colour. 

Looking through my pigment collection, I can't find an exact dupe for this one.

The above comparison swatches are MAC Goldenaire, KVD Starcrossed, MAC Shimmertime & MAC Gold Mode.
As far as texture goes, the True Romance pigments aren't as finely milled as the softer MAC pigments. Yet, they're not as chunky as pigments such as Rose, they lie somewhere in the middle. A damp brush is definitely the way forward to get a smoother application & help prevent any fall-out you may get.