You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘lavender’ tag.
This is a polish I had planned to wear in April because I thought it was a pastel. I guess it worked out that I’m just trying it now because it turned out to be a springy bright! OPI You’re Such a Budapest (Euro Centrale, Spring 2013) is a light but bright periwinkle creme:
Picture taken in natural light. Although its appearance was streaky, this applied pretty well, needing three coats for full coverage. This actually has some very, very subtle silver shimmer, but it’s not noticeable unless you’re really looking for it, in bright light. It’s such a pretty color; I just keep thinking “airy” when I look at it. In some lights, it seems like a cool light blue, other times it looks more lavender, so periwinkle is a perfect descriptor. It is a light shade, in one of those categorically pastel colors, but it’s not a true pastel (It’s not bright in the whited-out, stark way). It’s not extremely electric and vibrant like Illamasqua Jo’Mina, another light but bright color, but it is rather bright for the type of shade it is. I paired this with Illamasqua Stagnate on my toes.
<3sarah
Easter comes early this year, so to close out the month I’m getting started on some of this spring’s new pastels. Pastels for spring is nothing new, but I’m excited to see some in an interesting new speckled finish. I’ll start with Illamasqua Speckle (I’mperfection, Spring 2013), a pastel lilac creme with black hex glitter and fine black glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied smoothly, particularly for a pastel, and a pastel with glitter at that. I needed three coats for full, even coverage. The glitter does not feel rough; one coat of topcoat should suffice to get a smooth feel. My only gripe was that soon after I applied topcoat, I experienced some wrinkling at the tips, but I feel that can be avoided by doing thinner coats next time, or just waiting longer before applying topcoat (I’d say total hardening time is relatively long). This pastel lavender is so pretty! It’s nice and stark without looking too whited-out. I’ve not tried many polishes with this speckled/sprinkle finish, but I love the look already! In this polish, the black glitter works so well against the stark, pastel base. Some of the hex glitter looks grey as it lies deeper underneath the surface. The hex glitter looks great, but what I feel makes this polish truly look like those candy eggs is that small glitter. I just want to eat my nails looking at them! I’m looking forward to trying the rest of these in the coming days. 
I paired this with Illamasqua Blow on my toes.
<3sarah
I’m halfway through this collection, and though these polishes pretty much have the same composition of glitter, I still want to try them all in a row. China Glaze Prism (Prismatic Chroma Glitters, Spring 2012) is a light amethyst glitter mixed with multicolored glitter and hex pieces:
Picture taken in natural light. This applied pretty well, even with the slightly thick formula. It had nice coverage at two coats and I barely needed a third but added it anyway for good measure. One coat of topcoat still leaves it a bit rough. While taking pictures of these polishes I’ve been angling my nails upward to avoid glare, which has also let me capture the different colors in a single shot. Straight-on, the color is an icy amethyst, but at different angles it looks more pink. I particularly love the addition of multicolored glitters in here. The purple color is very light and isn’t too strong (sometimes it can look silver!) so I think the multicolored small glitter, as well as the hex bits, keep the finish from looking too washed-out and uniform. Plus all those different colors stand out more against a lighter shade. I paired this with Sally Hansen Spectrum (HD) over Sally Hansen The Real Teal (Xtreme Wear) on my toes.
<3sarah
For the second half of the Olympics I have the second half of this metallic collection, starting with China Glaze Sci-Fi (Khrome, Winter 2009), a lavender-tinted silver metallic shimmer:
Picture taken in sunlight. The formula was smooth and pigmented, giving full coverage in two coats. The double-layered basecoat method I’ve been using seems to be doing the trick; I get less bubbles with each polish I try from this collection. Any visible bubbles I get now are from the topcoat. I don’t like topcoat bubbles either, but I can tolerate them much more than bubbles from the polish itself (plus, topcoat makes polish bubbles disappear ). This doesn’t look purple enough for me to call it lavender; it still falls under the silver category. At a quick glance this may look like a plain silver, but when compared side-by-side to a true silver you can clearly see it’s not. This is also a shade darker than your standard silver. I think the lavender tint may come from the shimmer. I love it; whenever I see a metallic polish that’s lavendery and silver I just automatically think “spacey.” It kind of reminds me of that silvery purple/green duochrome color combination. I paired this with Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede with topcoat on my toes.
<3sarah
I’ve been wearing so many pinkish shades lately that I wanted to go a different route. Illamasqua Jo’Mina (Body Electrics, Spring 2010) is a bright, vibrant lavender creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. (This is a must-see in person. The photo doesn’t convey just how electric it looks.) It was nicely pigmented applied very well in only two coats. It’s a creme but it does have that fine particle finish that’s unnoticeable after topcoat. I’m inclined to call this a lavender just because it’s a light shade of purple, but it’s unlike any other lavender I have in my collection (or any other purple, for that matter.) Despite having that particle finish, it’s not dusty at all. It’s more than just a bright, but it’s not headed in the neon direction. It just has this brilliant vibrancy to it, which makes sense when you think of the theme of the collection. It’s gorgeous and amazing, and I’m kicking myself for being way late to the party with this one. I paired this with Sephora by OPI Diva-in-Training on my toes.
<3sarah
As long as I’m continuing with these dusty polishes, including a lavender was a must. Illamasqua Velocity (Dystopia, Fall 2009) is a dusty lavender creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. This wasn’t as solid and pigmented as I expected from Illamasqua, but it still applied very smoothly and I got full coverage in two coats. I’ve gotten so used to pastel lavender polishes over the years that I’ve come to think of lavender as a much lighter, starker shade. But this color instantly reminded me of actual lavender flowers, it’s lovely! I like that it’s dusty but not overly muted, so the nice lavender color comes through without looking too greyed. It’s refreshing to see in a fall collection, and it totally works for spring as well. I paired this with Sephora by OPI Metro Chic on my toes.
<3sarah
While I’m on this tangent of soft, romantic shades, I thought I’d definitely have to try this. Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant (Iconic/Ironic, Spring 2011) is a smoky lavender with purple and turquoise green shimmer:
Picture taken in sunlight. This was quite pigmented and applied very well, going on smoothly and effortlessly in two coats. This polish is gorgeous, and unlike any other lavender I’ve tried. I like that it’s a smoky, dusty shade rather than a pastel. I especially love the unique twist of the purple and turquoise shimmer. It’s subtle but still noticeable; you can definitely distinguish the different colors of shimmer mixed in there. It all works perfectly well together; I catch myself staring at it a lot. Oh, and thanks for teaching me a new word, RBL! When I looked up what “insouciant” means I thought it just made sense that the word was used for the name. These kinds of soft, romantic, subtly shimmery polishes inspire a sort of carefree feeling. I paired this with Barielle Myrza’s Meadow on my toes.
<3sarah
I started the month with a gorgeous American Apparel pastel, and I’m ending this month of soft, springy colors with another one. American Apparel L’Esprit (Summer 2010) is a pastel bluish lavender creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. The formula was a little runny but I still had good control over it. It was so pigmented that it was almost even and opaque in just one coat, but I ultimately needed two. I have several lavender cremes, but none as cool-toned as this. It has so much blue in it that sometimes it looks more like a blue than a lavender polish. But I’m pretty sure this is a blue-toned lavender, rather than a lavender-tinged blue. Either way, I love the color! It’s so light, airy, and fresh, plus it has a very nice stark quality. I also adore the name; it suits the polish perfectly. I paired this with Essie Red Nouveau on my toes.
<3sarah
I thought it was about time to put on an actual pastel polish for today’s NOTD. OPI Rumple’s Wiggin’ (Shrek Forever After) is a pastel lavender creme:
Picture taken in natural light. This applied well for the type of color and finish; I used three coats. It’s not very whited-out and not as stark as a typical pastel but it still stands out on the nail. The color is light and delicate but not washed-out. The oafish-sounding name seems like a mismatch for such a soft, springy color; then again, it does come from a Shrek-themed collection. I paired this with Barielle Polished Princess on my toes.
<3sarah
Mmm, I really love these scented polishes; no wonder I’ve tried three of them in the span of about a week. Revlon Gum Drop (Scents of Summer, Summer 2010) is a pale lavender creme:
Picture taken in natural light. This applied fairly well; the formula was not very pigmented so I needed three thickish coats for even opacity. This is a very cool-toned, more blue-based lavender. It’s quite pale, but lacks the truly pigmented, whited-out pastel quality. It’s stark enough, however, to have a nice presence on the nails. The color looks very light and airy. I’m not sure if gumdrops have a distinct smell, but the scent of this polish is vaguely sugary sweet. I paired this with Revlon Peach Petal on my toes.
<3sarah
