Illamasqua Nail Varnish Competition - Win bottles of Illamasqua's contest shades!

Don't forget- tomorrow is the last day to enter! I want everyone who wants a chance to win to be able to enter before it ends!




(I'm going to bump this to the top of the page so it doesn't get buried- still a long time to enter)

Illamasqua wants to give you a chance to win all three of their Contest winning shades! You know the ones- Eclipse, Shrapnel, Raindrops- the final three user-submitted creations chosen from over 6,000 entries? You can see swatches of them here and here if you're not familiar with them.

Illamasqua is holding a competition (more of a give-away, really!) in October where you can enter to win all three Contest Winner polishes. All you need to do to 'compete' is answer an Illamasqua trivia question!

Visit http://www.illamasqua.com/scrangie/ from now until October 16th 2010 (11:59pm GMT) and enter your name and email address and answer the trivia question to be entered into the giveaway. Illamasqua will choose a winner at random on October 20th 2010.

The winner receives a bottle each of Eclipse, Raindrops and Shrapnel PLUS bottles of Illamasqua's basecoat and topcoat for the full Illamasqua experience (worth $66.00 USD!)

Edit: This contest is open worldwide! International readers may enter!
Edit number two!: Only one entry per person, please!

Whoever wins the competition, I want to see your swatches! If you're the winner and a blogger, send me a link if you post them!


(Disclosure: I don't work for Illamasqua and am not getting anything in return for this- it's just for fun! )

Closer look at the Illamasqua Contest Winners

So, I've now seen them in sunlight and worn them each for a little while and here's what I think.

Eclipse. Let's just get the one out of the way first. This color is nothing like I expected it to be based on the early images. In reality, Eclipse is a dark blue with silver frost. It is slightly purple- it is more obvious in real life, but there are definite purple tones in this. The color is nice but I'm just not really on board with this new Frost Revival thing going on. It's really not a bad polish at all, but my expectations were just super high for this... This was what I hoped it would look like:

Dark purple, blue, green- duochrome looking with glitter or even flakes. Isn't that what it looks like there? It looks incredible. I was so excited about this shade. But now all I can say is this:



Raindrops. Actually... my blurry low-light picture of this was better at showing the cool qualities of this shade. It's a blue-toned light grey jelly-creme (very sheer- this is three thick coats) with lots of random and irregular shaped silver flakes. This one turned out really well, pretty much exactly like the promo shot:



Shrapnel. This isn't as bad as everyone's making it out to be. I rather like it. It's a coppery rose gold metallic- or is it chrome? Yes, it's frosty but it is super shiny and reflective, so it has more of a chrome finish than a true frost. Reminds me of the China Glaze Romantique collection chromes. Very, very shiny. I had expected this to be more of an orangey copper flame type shade with glitter, but it's really quite different! This has a definite 80's dance party look to it. Retro-futuristic. And yes, brushstrokes :( But, I think this might be great for Konad- it is VERY dense and pigmented- this is one coat. But really, nothing like I expected based on this:

Yeah... that's really not the same polish, is it?

But, the formula was great as usual. It's Illamasqua. Their formula is one of the best I've ever used. Thick, opaque, smooth- with the exception of Raindrops which is sheer. Drying time was good. Brushes were nice and even and thick. No problems with the formula or brushes.

You know, this is really sticky territory for me. On one hand, these polishes definitely weren't what I was expecting, but on the other hand I don't want to insult or upset the winners of the contest because I was disappointed. Also, I am a giant Illamasqua fan and this is the first time I have been let down by the colors, that kinda stings... I think Raindrops turned out the best and truest to the original pictures, but I really loved the inspiration behind Eclipse and Shrapnel too. If any of the winners are reading this- how do you feel about the end result? Is it what you imagined it would look like?

And also because I'm really super curious about what the other entries were like- how many of you entered? What was your color going to be like? I'm positively dying to know this. Please comment and tell me all about it if you entered.

I have seen a disturbing amount of frosts this year... I hope this is just a phase.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Preview of the Illamasqua contest winning shades

Please refer to my previous post about these for details, cause I can't remember what they were! XD

These just arrived and I couldn't wait to get them on my nails, so I snapped a few dimly-lit and not so fantastic pictures and figured I'd share :) I will attempt to get 'real' pictures when the sun comes back, but for now I'm really enjoying this rain, even if it means crappy swatches!

(And I apologize in advance for all the smudges and fingerprints on the bottles... this acetone + glycerin swatching remover makes my hands kinda sticky... ew.)


Eclipse. A frosty dark blue with hints of purple. I had really high hopes for this one based on the promo images- it looked like a dark blue/purple duochrome with silver microglitter, but alas, it is not.


Raindrops. This is prettier than I expected! It is sheer- this is three coats- but the sheerness really helps the little silver flakes shine through. And it reminds me of this:



Shrapnel. This one doesn't quite look like I imagined it to look based on early images, but it's really interesting! It's a bright copper or perhaps rose gold metallic, a little frosty but more shiny/chrome/metallic than true frost and it has really tiny silver microglitter. Super opaque, this is one coat. Great coverage. Very flashy.

I want to evaluate these in sunlight to get a better understanding of the colors.... Will come back to these.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Public Service Announcement

Okay, there are a couple things going on in the polish blogging community that I'd like to mention. *taps microphone* Ahem... hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Check... check...



First of all, OC Nail Art has generously increased the value of the 'scrangie' discount code! Instead of 20% off, it's now worth 30% off. And they still honor all competitor's codes, so if you have a code for more than my 30% off, it will apply to your order! How about that. Isn't that awesome?

Edit: Since it's been asked, I do not receive any commission from Kathleen at OC Nail Art. There is no personal benefit for me. It's all for you guys- it's a discount, nothing more!

And on a Konad related note, on to the next announcement...

Sasse's 'Nad Stamping Stampede is doing a Halloween mani contest, where one of the prizes is the Konad Coraline Set A. Head over there to check out the other prizes and submit your entry!

And last but definitely not least...

The lovely Diana at Painted Lady Fingers is having a Painted Halloween Lady giveaway! The prize is a bottle of rare, discontinued Essie St. Martin Mint and an original Halloween painting by Art By Sarada. This painting is amazing- I had a little freak-out when I saw it. It's pretty much the coolest painting EVER.

Illamasqua Nail Art Contest!

Okay, here's another fun event. My current brand obsession, Illamasqua, is having a nail art contest and everyone is eligible! Not just pros or people who are experienced with nail art. They want everyone to be creative regardless of skill or experience level.

Anyway, here are the rules:

1. To enter, go to the Illamasqua Blog and post the entries in the comments section of the competition page [top right of blog page] with a link to entry. Entries can be submitted in video format on Youtube or can be a blog post, or just a link to the image with some details as to what you used and what your inspirations were. Alternatively, email me directly [please put Nail Art Entry into the subject] at info@illamasqua.com and I will put together a blog post of all entries that I receive through email.

2. The edgier, the more unique and the more creative and adventurous the better! Let us know the inspiration behind the look, too!

3. You don’t have to use Illamasqua products for this competition – but please list what you do use – this can include konad stamps or any other product you may have at your disposal.

4. The competition is open internationally.

5. Entries can use nails on their hands, feet or both.

6. You can enter a maximum of three different looks for this competition.

7. The competition will run from Thursday 13th August 2009 to the 6th September 2009 [midday UK time] so plenty of time to get your thinking caps on!

8. There will be a short list compiled on the 6th September and these will be shown on the blog on the 7th September. Sophy Robson will then choose a winner that will be detailed on the blog by the 16th September.

9. The winners will be notified and the winning looks will appear on the Illamasqua website and blog. Prizes will be sent out within the week to all winning entrants.



And the prizes? First prize wins two polishes from the brand new Autumn/Winter collection and two polishes from the core range- your choice!

Two runners up will also get to choose three polishes from the core range.

The contest runs from NOW until September 6th. Winners will be announced on September 17th. And to make it even more exciting, your work will be seen by world-renown nail artist Sophy Robson.

Please visit Illmasqua's blog to view the full details, submit your entries into the contest or get inspiration!

Zoya Truth and Dare Fall 2009 Collection plus my first ever giveaway!

I know, I really dropped the ball on these. I should have had them posted ages ago. I had a really off week. It happens to everyone once in a while. Well, here they are now, better late than never, and to make up for it I have a special surprise at the end!

TRUTH

Anaka. Shimmery dark pink. This color is ridiculously pretty. I don't even like pink and I love this. It's on the darker side as far as pinks go, but it has so much depth and shimmer that I can't stop looking at it. It has little golden and slightly iridescent flecks and also a very faint blue reflection. Unusual choice for fall, but I'm not complaining.

Drew. Soft mauve pink shimmer. This one feels a little more fall-like! It's a greyed-out medium pink, I'm calling it mauve. We used to have carpet this color in the 80's. You may think that's a bad thing, but it's the opposite- I like it because it reminds me of those happy memories.

Isla. Blackened red shimmer. Whoa. When I first saw the promo pics and color chips for this, I was thinking... Oh joy, another red shimmer. But wow! I didn't expect it to be this hot. It's one of those reds that looks black on the edges and bright in the middle. I love colors like that. Surprise favorite for me.

Kalmia. Red and gold shimmer. I don't know if I can truly call this copper, but it's sort of coppery looking. Very metallic. Not quite rose gold, not really copper... It's more of a red-gold fusion. Unlike most metallic shades, this one doesn't show brushstrokes.

Penny. Golden metallic shimmer. Since this is called Penny, I feel like I should be calling it copper, but it looks more gold to me. A warm, orangey gold. It's bright and shiny, also very metallic and it shows a little bit of brushstroke but nothing major.

Salma. Red shimmer. This is a loght warm red, almost kind of orange looking. This is probably the most fall-like shade for me, it reminds me of maple leaves changing colors and gently floating to the ground.

DARE

Ciara. Warm red-purple creme. This is a bit softer and more purple in real life. All of these Dare colors were so hard to capture! Reddish purple creme. Pretty straightforward.

Demi. Medium purple creme. I love this!! This color also looks different in real life. It's a fantastic purple creme, but it's a little more dusty looking and it's a lot richer and deeper. Photographing these was more difficult than I anticipated!


Envy. Blackened green creme. Wow. Seriously. Wow. Deep, dark, leafy green. Like the forest at night. Beautiful. It has a slight amount of shimmer that is really only barely visible in very bright light. I'm declaring it a creme for sanity's sake. It also has this interesting textured look- like there's a bunch of little green spheres in a green base.


Ibiza. Shimmering midnight blue. Dark, velvety, mysterious. This is a very dark blue, not quite black-looking but pretty much as dark as blue can be before it looks black. It has a little bit of soft shimmer to keep it interesting.

Pinta. Dark purple creme. This picture isn't even remotely color accurate. I couldn't capture the purple color of this polish at all. I'm only posting it here so the set of pictures can be complete. In real life, this isn't blue. It's purple. Deep, dark, sexy purple. It is gorgeous. You might just have to see it for yourself because I don't know if I'll be able to keep it from turning blue in pictures.

Vanessa. Deep berry creme. This is darker in real life. This is a straight up, no-frills berry creme. Not much else to say about it! Reminds me of Moxie.


I didn't expect Dare to be such a challenge to photograph! All of the colors kept changing on me! If I can get better pictures, I will. But, at least between my bottle and swatch Dare pictures you can get a general idea of what they look like.


Anyway. Formula was good on these. Very good. Smooth, even-textured, not thick or runny. They didn't give me any application problems at all. The opacity was great, almost all of them were two-coaters, but I did three on everything just to see how they looked that way. The polish itself is perfect. The only thing that gave me a hard time were the brushes- all of the brushes in these seem to be cut at an angle... almost in a V shape... I'm thinking they got a bad batch of brushes, because I've never had problems with Zoya brushes before. They normally fit my nails like a glove and give me perfect coverage, but these made me have to actually pay attention to how I used them.


My favorites from these collections are Anaka, Isla, Demi, Envy and Pinta. Anaka and Isla really surprised me, they were totally unexpected but entirely gorgeous on the nails. Demi and Pinta are perfect purple cremes, and there are not enough good purple cremes in the universe. Envy... do I really have to say anything about Envy? It's dark green. It's fan-freakin'-tastic!!!

So, now for the surprise!

These polishes aren't available until July 15th, but Zoya and I are giving you a chance to get your hands on them before they're released! You'll be the only one besides the media to have them!

I have a full set of Truth and Dare polishes up for grabs. That's the entire fall collection, all twelve polishes. Starting from right now until noon Central on Friday, you can enter your name and email for a chance to win both sets before they're released. I'm leaving this open for everyone, both US and International.



The winner will be drawn at random. Good luck!! :D

Matte on Glossy Konad and Reminder about OC Nail Art's Konad Contest!

When I was swatching some of the new neons from Zoya and Essie a few weeks ago, I decided to do a little Konad experiment.

Before I removed my polish, I slapped on a quick Konad design using KO Black. KO Black, in case you're not familiar with it, is a matte black polish, perhaps even the mattest black there is.

While I am not crazy about my color choice, I do love how it turned out. Does anyone remember those velvet color by numbers type posters? All of the outlines of the image are done in black velvet, and you have to color in the spaces in between to make the picture? I have a Sailor Moon one somewhere that I made years ago. This looks exactly like that. The outline is done in black velvet.

The only downside to it is that it didn't last very long. Since I had applied a coat of Seche Vite to make the neon glossy, the KO Black had nothing to stick to and started chipping off within minutes. You can even see in the picture where parts of it had fallen off. When I took a shower later that day, almost all of the KO Black washed off! Weird.

Sealing it with a top coat would defeat the purpose of the matte on glossy look. I'll probably give this another try soon, maybe I'll use basecoat as topcoat to see if it helps the matte design stay on.

And speaking of Konad, don't forget about OC Nail Art's Konad Contest! It ends TOMORROW!

Here's my original post with all the rules, but I'll summarize.

Create a design using any of the items in the B Kit (also known as the Luxury Kit) which contains: m4, m8, m15, and m21 plates and red, white and green special polish.

Submit your pictures or videos to Kathleen (contest@ocnailart.com), along with the name of the blog that referred you and permission for Kathleen to use your images.

The winner AND the blogger who referred them will receive the humongous Professional Salon Case, the one that costs $437 and contains just about every Konad product ever.

Please visit the original post for full rules and details. Again, it ends Sunday, May 31st at midnight, so get your entries in!!