china glaze four leaf clover (up and away)

it's been a while since i had china glaze on the blog, so i am going with four leaf clover from an ancient up and away collection from 2010, the same one as grape pop (rip).

four leaf clover is a definite must have for green lovers. it is one of the hardest shades to capture: it either turns out like  a forest green (which it is not quite accurate) or more teal than it should. nevertheless, it is a vibrant, awesome medium green.

formula is decent even after all these years. there is one strange thing though: it changes the shade a bit after you put the top coat on. the only one i ever experienced this with. i am adding old photos without a top coat, so you can clearly see the difference.

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dior delice (sparkling shine)

sparkling shine from dior was such a beautiful collection, so after spring ball, i am showing delice.

delice was my first jump into the coral shades. while spring ball leans toward the peachy part of the coral spectrum, delice goes to the orange. it's a very vibrant color, with pink, peach and silver shimmer. it's a perfect shade for those sunny summer days.

formula was top notch,  no problems with the application and it's practically a one-coater.  

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picture polish nemesis (vampy chameleons)

 nemesis was my only pick from a truly gorgeous picture polish collection, vampy chameleons.

since i am not a huge red fan, i decided to pick only one polish from this collection, and nemesis somehow caught my eye.

the base colour is burgundy, with a slight duochrome effect as it gets goldish in the edges. add to that scattered holo and some shimmer, and you get a true gem. application is flawless. it is one of those that gets a completely new life when in shade, so i had to double the amount of photos.

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opi german-icure (germany)

i always loved opi's germany collection. after nein! nein! nein! ok fine! and  every month is oktoberfest, it's time for germanicure!

german-icure and  every month is oktoberfest have been lumped together from the start, as kind of sister polishes. while oktoberfest leans to purple, this one is more of a burnt orange-red. they described it like this: "it proves that burgundy is the new black, inspired by the vibrant street art in berlin."

it is gorgeous and vampy, and the shimmer even gives it a bit of a metallic look. the first coat is a bit sheer, but it builds up nicely after two coats.

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dior lagoon (summer mix)

dior  lagoon is a part of the beautiful dior summer collection, summer mix 2012. the other polish i own from this collection is the equally gorgeous acapulco.

all the four polishes are branded as a "sorbet-like color" with "brilliance gloss", but lagoon is pretty much a creme.

dior describes this color as "curacao blue". i see it as a true blue with a hint of teal. it takes two coats for full coverage, formula is amazing, and the brush is perfect for my taste. i'm completely in love with this polish.

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ysl rouge dada (core)

it's time for another classic shade, ysl rouge dada from the core collection.

this polish's colour is really strange. in the shade it's one of those bloody reds, while it looks almost like a fuchsia in the light. this is also visible in the pictures: the pinky is always furthest from the light in this position, and it looks darker even though all the nails look the same in real life  (had this polish on many times already, and always had the same effect on pictures).

formula is really good, but it is more of a crelly than a creme, so it needs three coats for opacity.

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a england dancing with nureyev (ballerina)

after encore margot and fonteyn, i am showing  dancing with nureyev, from a england's ballerina collection that consists of soft, but highly effective linear holo polishes.

nureyev was margot fonteyn's partner, and i know this even though i am not a big ballet follower. these two polishes are really matching in a way, which is really symbolic, and it seems like adina from a england feels the same, sice she describes the polish as "a violet-blue shade that merges beautifully with its prismatic nature, a most sublime partnership".

i am really impressed by this collection. just like encore margot, this one has a strong holo effect so you are aware of it even indoors. the formula is astonishing, as usual. on to the pictures:

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opi ink (night brights)

opi ink is from the legendary 2007 collection, night brights, that gave us my private jet, and a later suede version.

this polish was kind of iconic when it first appeared, and it feel so strange that this was 17 years ago! damn, the time did pass quickly. it is a blurple shade, dark but fun. the shimmer is subtle but not drowned.

even though it's ridiculously old, the formula is still great!

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picture polish alive (collaboration)

(a)live is a part of picture polish collaboration shades collection back in 2015.

(a)live is a very unique and interested shade, a combo of a dirty pink/muted fuchsia, with magenta hexagonal glitter and holo shimmer. it was created by french blogger, sois polish, and the inspiration was the pearl jam song.

i like that it's not a strong pink, but a nice shade suitable for every season. it has a solid coverage and application.

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dior gris montaigne (gris city)

gris montaigne is a really gorgeous grey from dior's old 2011 collection, gris city.

gris montaigne is so so gorgeous. whenever i took pictures of it, it turned out to look darker than it really is, but again, it does dry darker than what it looks like in the bottle. also, it is one of the truest grey shades i have, with almost no blue undertone, but i gave up on trying to get it right.

the colour is very saturated, and even though it's old, formula is dreamy.

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