chanel april (harmonie de printemps )

since i'm in the more "serious phase", i will show you chanel april, from their harmonie de printemps collection for spring 2012, paired with may and june.

i have to say that april is among my favourite "grown up" polishes. i am a fan of everything green, blue, holo and glitter, but even i have it in me to go for more appropriate colours for some special work related situations. i got april solely for these occasions, and it became my go to polish together with another chanel, rose confidentiel.

it is one of those hard to describe beauties. i'm not sure whether to call it a berry red, muted red, reddish plum, so i will go with all of the above. it has amazing formula, i'm sure it suits every skintone and it is one of those polishes every girl has to have.

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ysl vert d' orient (summer 2013)

one my favourite polishes is vert d'orient from ysl summer 2013 collection.

i guess i could just write ysl and teal and it would be obvious how much i love this polish. jokes aside, it is gorgeous. the colour itself may not be the most unique in the world, but for some reason it feels like it is. 

i love teal cremes, and this one has an amazing formula and brush, so it is perfect. the teal is leaning a bit more to the green than what my photos show. it it is one of those hard-to-capture shades.

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picture polish bridget (opulence)

the time has finally come to share gorgeous picture polish bridget from the opulence collection, launcehd in 2014.

i already showed eyre, pandora,  gala,  chameleon and glitch,  from the collection, so it is about time to bring out the modern part of the sub-colection that was a pride and prejudice/bridget jones-mash up.

the  red scattered holo polishes tend to lean more on the pinkish or burgundy side. this one, with some burned orange undertones, is not that usual. it is a saturated, gorgeous red with an amazing formula.

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opi live and let die (skyfall)

skyfall might still be my favourite opi collection, and one of awesome polishes released in it is live and let die. i already wrote about on her majesty secret service, moonraker, you only live twice and tomorrow never dies.

live and let die is a blackened green shade filled with green and gold tiny glass flecks. this shimmer is not too dense, just the right amount.

the formula is awesome as well, it's almost a one-coater. i can't get enough of these shades and i really hope everyone got their bottle of this polish, because it is one of the prettiest shades of this kind.

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ysl parme graffiti (core)

my choice for today is a gorgeous ysl polish from their core line, parme graffiti.

my love for ysl polishes is a well known thing, so parme graffiti was my first choice when i finally decided to get a lilac polish.

parme grafitti is a standard ysl perfection. a beautiful lilac creme, almost pastely. one of these colours i thought are too girly for me, but somehow turned out i liked them. it is more pastely in real life, the strange light kind of changed it, so i will have to redo this post once i wear it again in a more sunny weather.

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picture polish eyre (opulence)

it's time for this absolute stunner: picture polish eyre, released as the addition to their opulence collection in 2014.

it is a metallic blurple shade filled with holo flakes, which is probably in my top 3 favourite finishes. everything about it is amazing, it was so hard to limit the number of pictures. the formula is also great, two regular coats.

eyre is gorgeous in every light, but i just adore it when it's gloomy because, even though it doesn't show all of its sparkle, it becomes so misterious. i will update this post with pictures in direct sun at some point.

chanel vendetta (bohemian fantasy)

time for a classic, chanel vendetta from bohemian fantasy collection back in the summer 2009.

this polish is so well known, that i find redundant to even write about it. it is a dark, blackened purple with the not that abundant shimmer. it really needs to be hit with light to really shine.

it used to be a popular opinion that it would benefit from being lighter or with more shimmer, but after we got taboo, it was admired from what it is. out of all the similar shades i owned over the years, this one has the best formula.

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china glaze 2nite (omg)

it has been 14 years (wow, time flies!), but china glaze's omg collection still feels fresh and current. after fyi and bff, i am showing arguably the biggest star, 2nite.

this polish is a true blue perfection. the holo effect is linear and one of the prettiest i ever saw. it looks a bit dull in the shade, but the second it gets a spark of light, it turns to magic. i included some pictures from the archive, just because i love it!

application is perfect, but i always use the aqua base for my linear holo polishes, so i don't know how it behaves with a regular base.

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opi show it and glow it (burlesque)

burlesque was a super fun holiday collection from opi back in 2010. i already showed  teas-y does it and the show must go on, and now it's time for show it and glow it.

show it and glow it is a proper glitter bomb. the main colour here is fuchsia, and it is packed with pink and silver glitter.

it is quite dense, but it doesn't make lumps. two normal coats are enough for a solid coverage, with some shearer spots here an there, if you're not careful. i do intend to wear it as a topper, but i somehow never get around to it. 

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chanel paradoxal (fall 2010)

what is left to say about chanel paradoxal, that haven't been said already? it was released as the only polish in their autumn 2010 collection, and it is still one of the best known chanel polishes,  together with particuilere that was released one year earlier. at that moment, both of these polishes were truly unique, with nothing even close to being a dupe.

the color is now well known mushroomy taupe-grey with purple undertone and shimmer that is really visible only under direct sunlight, and absolutely impossible to capture. for years, i have been searching for ways to photograph it, to no luck.

it applis beautifully and pigmentation is great. i managed to get a couple of rays of sun, enough to wake the shimmer up, but i really like how it looks in shade too, it has some sort of mystery around it and i am convinced that those colors look good on everyone.

picture polish lagoon (collaboration shade)

lagoon was one of my first picture polishes, it was a part of my second ever order. i knew i wanted one of quite a few blues, but it was so hard to choose one. in the end, lagoon was the one that looked the most interesting to me.

lagoon is creation of sam from great blog called fashion polish. their desription: "lagoon is a turquoise jelly holo (scattered) with a subtle smattering of ariel green glitter."

i am completely in love with this shade. the base color is amazing, the scattered holo particles give it a bling, but what i love the most is the turquoise hex glitter that looks buried in the bottom layer. even though it's jelly, the opacity is amazing. what's weird, i think i love it even more in the shade.

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ysl dore orfevre (core)

 dore orfevre is a really special polish from ysl 2013 core collection. 

i am not a gold girl, and i have never been. dore orferve is such an anomaly in my world, because i find it to be simply stunning and gorgeous. it is gold metallic polish with a somewhat unreal finish, like it is made of an actual golden foil. it looks amazing in all the lights.

metalic polishes are always a bit ruthless, they emphasize every little ridge on the nail, but i don't think this is a big minus. formula is great, so no issues there.

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dior acapulco (summer mix)

 dior 118 acapulco is a 2012 polish from dior's summer mix collection.

i must admit, for the longest time i  hated yellow and didn't have any polish or any piece of clothing in this color. and then,  something just clicked and i apsolutely love it now!

i knew i had to have acapulco when i first saw the promo pics. mind you, this time, dior really did bad job with these because all the colors look quite different in real life. anyway, this color screams summer! it is a bright lemony  yellow, but a REAL yellow, without any orange undertones. the formula is amazing, especially when you have in mind that the yellows are usually a difficult to apply. here, the formula is somehow self-leveling, even if you have a streak, it disappears after a few seconds. 

the finish has a high shine on its own (well, it says gloss on the package) and it is a jelly. i had almost a perfect coverage with two layers.

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a england spirit of the moors (to emily bronte)

to emily bronte is such an amazing a england collection, and after cathy, let me in and wuthering heights, it's time for the gorgeous spirit of the moors.

i am simply in love with this polish. it's a well pigmented cobalt blue, with super fine holo particles. it looks awesome both in the shade, and in the light.

i always imagined british moors as gloomy (especially in emily bronte's wuthering heights), and i assure you that this polish is everything but. formula is, as a england has accustomed us to, impeccable.

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opi ds couture (designer series 04)

couture is one of the first polishes in opi's designer series collection (4th, to be exact), which means it was probably launched in 2007. so far i swatched illuminate, extravagance, fantasy, tapestry, mystery and radiance.

couture is one of those shades that is almost impossible to describe. it is pink and coral and bronze and peach at the same time. it is maybe a bit underwhelming, but a safe choice. 

i remember these early holos to be thin and hard to work with, but i think i exaggerated it in my head as it was fairly regular. two coats were enough. it is not a polish i dream of wearing, but it is  neutral one that can blend in.

picture polish aquatic (collaboration shade)

aquatic was created in 2019 as another edition in picture polish collaboration range.

aquatic was created together with vlogger sepswep. inspiration was "the beauty of cold arctic ocean and its deep and mysterious waters".  it is a dark, deep teal with holo flakes. it is a jelly, which gives it that kind-of-transparent but still opaque look.

i am torn when it comes to jellies. it is a complete disaster in some polishes, but it looks amazing in others. luckily, this one is the latter. it is even better as a jelly, as the holo particles pop out more. 

ysl night escape (savage escape)

it's about time i posted about night escape from ysl's savage escape collection for summer 2016.

i am a big fan of the texture finish, and i am completely in love with this polish. night escape is a deep blue polish that very quickly dries to a textured finish. i was lazy this time to wait for it, so i have a topcoat, but i am going to update the photos once i do.

it is rich with this amazing sparkly glitter, it reminds me of a starry night. it is somehow both elegant and edgy. i am very happy i haven't missed out on it.

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opi ds illuminate (designer series 33)

illuminate is the 33rd polish in opi's designer series, released at the end of 2008. i've already shown extravagance, fantasy, tapestry, mystery and radiance.

illuminate is described as "a brilliant sparkle of rich, burnished gold". it is kind of a light brown/dark nude, with dence holographic particles, that are kind of a signature for this collection.

even though it is millions of years old, the formula is still amazing, didn't change in the slightest. the day i wore it wasn't the sunniest, so i will update the post at some point

a england avalon (the mythicals)

a england avalon is yet another amazing polish from a england's classic collection, the mythicals. avalon follows lady of the lake, excalibur revamped and tristam.

i am not sure if there is such a colour as royal purple, but if there was, this would be its best example. avalon is metallic, vibrant purple, with saturated iridescent shimmer. it is absolutely gorgeous.

a englad formula is, as always, amazing. one of those one-coaters, if you do it right. i wear this polish a lot.

picture polish escapades (collaboration shade)

 it's time for  another picture polish collaboration shade, and i chose escapades created with the idea of malene from nail escapades blog.

i knew  that i can't miss this one, because i love having teal on my nails. escapades is a really dark teal, but still far from black.

it is a highly saturated jelly, with amazing holo particles that really fit well with the dark teal. formula is great, it really flows nicely. i highly recommend this polish.

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opi ds extravagance (designer series 26)

extravagance was 26th polish in opi's designer series, and it blew my mind that it was released in 2008. time really flies! i already showed fantasy, tapestry, mystery and radiance.

extravagance is a gorgeous berry-type of purple scattered holo. i have to admit that i completely neglected it, but i plan to wear it a lot this summer!

even though it is ancient, the formula is still amazing. it has a slightly jelly vibe, but i am not sure if that's formula or just the colour itself!

dior sunwashed (tie dye)

tie dye is dior's limited edition for the summer 2015, and sunwashed is my only pick.

i do have a soft spot for yellow polishes, but i usually opt for those with more mango undertones. therefore, this one, a soft, lemony yellow, is something unique in my collection.

i had no particular problems applying it. granted, it's not the polish with a smoothest formula, but i didn't experience any brushstrokes. there is some of that hidden micro shimmer that dior is known for. 

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picture polish violent femme (classic shades)

violet femme was released in 2013 as an addition to picture polish's classic shades collection.

violet femme, other than making me listen to blister in the sun repeatedly, is such an awesome polish. it is at the same time a dark neon purple and vibrant and intense. it looks amazing and unique, i really love wearing it.

the formula is decent, maybe a bit patchy at times, but nothing too insane. in the pictures, i have two coats, but it might benefit from adding another layer. 

a england ascalon (the legend)

i am showing you another gem from the a england's perfect the legend collection, and the polish of the day is ascalon. this collection was insane, come on, it gave us princess sabra, order of the garter, dragon, and saint george.

i have to admit i wasn't completely aware how awesome this polish is before i had it on my nails. like being a gorgeous grey holo polish wasn't enough, they added a lavander duochrome effect in the mix. the colour shift is subtle but really beautiful and somehow natural.

i am a superfan of a england's formula, and this one is no different.

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dior new world purple (nail bar)

new world purple, otherwise known as aztec chocolate, is dior polish from their autumn 2010 collection nail bar. graphic berry was featured quite recently.

the promo picture shows new purple more, well, purple than it actually is. it's a complex shade, a cool brown with purple undertones and a lot of shimmer. not that dior hiddens shimer, but the real deal.

the formula is a bit thin, but it's so pretty that i can forgive it pretty much everything.

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