a england excalibur revamped (the mythicals)

today, i am showing the swatches of the gorgeous excalibur (the new version) from the a england's the mythicals collection.

i love wearing polishes with foil finish in the winter and autumn. i can see the reason behind the name from the official description: "a steely grey hue filled with multi-dimensional shimmer, creating a unique fusion of silver and gold - a shade to match a hero's blade".

the colour is so hard to describe,  because it's both silver and gold, with grainy, irregular golden flakes. it has that old gold covered with patina feel. it's gorgeous, rich, with no brushstrokes and excellent opacity.

opi first class desires (gwen stefani holiday 2014)

first class desires is my only pick from opi's gwen stefani holiday collection for 2014.

the base color is really complex, a brown-leaning eggplant purple, filled with goldish/bronze shimmer that really comes alive in the sun.

application and formula are great, and this is one of the polishes that looks much better in real life than in pictures. it seems to be winter's it color, since zoya's sansa is a pretty close dupe.

natural light:

illamasqua facet (sacred hour)

i don't have a lot of illamasqua's, but the ones i have are amazing. and facet, from the sacred hour collection for autumn 2013,  may be my star.

facet is a perfect taupe, leaning more towards brown in sunlight and grey in the shade. it's real beauty lies in the amazing maching with the dense coppery and golden fleckish type of shimmer. i would say its really unique.

one down side, although the formula and application are good, is the opacity. it is on the sheer side, and it takes either two really thick or three thin coats for perfect coverage.

natural light:

china glaze i'm not lion (on safari)

i jokingly call i'm not lion, from china glaze's on safari collection back in 2012, my favourite polish when i am not sure if i want gold or silver bling.

the base is clear, and it is filled with antique gold and silver glitter, giving it a somewhat champagne look. it might be that it looks different in different environments. because it is a true glitter, it dries to a texture, but it is not gritty because the glitter particles are not chunky enough. 

i prefer it on an overcast day to a full-blown sun, because it truly stands out in that environment. i love my textured polishes, so i never put top coat on them. 

dance legend bag of bones (koschei bessmertni) (anna gorelova)

today's gorgeousness is bag of bones aka koschei bessmertni from the anna gorelova 2014 collection for dance legend.

i think that, at this point, every nail polish aficionado has heard of the russian blogger anna gorelova. her swatches are beyond gorgeous, so it's not a surprise that the amazing russian brand made (now at least six) collaboration collections with her. koschei bessmertni appeared in the first one, inspired by russian fairy tales.

brace yourself, there will be a lot of pictures because this polish is incredibly beautiful. being olive kind of green in the neutral state, the colour shifts to darker and lighter green shades, but also gold and copper. add some scattered holo particles to the mix, and here comes perfection.

natural light:

picture polish cozy (collaboration shade)

picture polish collaboration line is very versatile, you can find your regular colours (with a twist) or something that might not be everyone's cup of tea. cozy, created with borsch nails in 2017, is one of those shades.

cozy is a very unusual coulour, mustardy-yellowish green with holo flakes. definitely a shade that i am into. it is also a bit of a chameleon, it looks different every time!

a england rose bower (burnes-jones dream)

today i am showing yet another a england polish, rose bower from burnes jones dream collection. this is how they advertise it: "a true deep rose hue kissed with subtle holographic overtones, a scarlet riot of blooming life to keep the princess company"

i already showed one polish from this collection, briar rose, and they have a similar pattern: a gorgeous, deep colour (in the case of rose bower, a cranberry red with some hints of fuchsia) with the scattered holo effect that gives the "inner glow effect", that a england produces beautifully.

formula is amazing as usual, and the polish itself is so pretty that i was shocked that i can enjoy a red one so much! it also looks nice in shade.

natural light:

dance legend melange 278

this week i continue with another green polish, 278 from dance legend's melange collection.

i was in a search for a perfect creme olive shade, and since i am a fan of dance legend formula and brush, decided to choose number 278 from their melange collection.

it is a rich, olive/camouflage green, a shade that i have a lot of in my wardrobe and love to have on my nails. the formula is buttery, and it's definitely a huge recommendation from me.

natural light:

zoya jem (mirrors)

one of the zoya beauties is the gorgeous jem from the mirrors collection for 2011.

as i wrote a lot of times, zoya guys really describe their shades perfectly: "dark red-toned purple base with metallic dark pink highlights and subtle gold duochrome flecks".

bottom line, gorgeous. a bit vampy, a bit mysterious. perfect for sunny autumn or winter days, because it is just a bit too heavy for summer, but needs sun to show it's full beauty.

natural light:

essence black dress and white tie (special effect topper)

number 22 of essence special effect topper line is black dress and white tie.

released back in 2014, it is a cute topper that gives sort of a spotted look. black and white hex glitter is suspended in a clear base together with tiny silver glitter. for me, it is one of those toppers you put on for a day over a polish when you don't have time to remove it, just to spice it up a bit.

essence black dress and white tie over china glaze cranberry splash: