Tag Archives: nail polish

Nails of the week – green/purple duochrome

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Totally in love with this nail colour. This week I am wearing a mega pretty green and purple duochrome called Aztec, from Accessorize’s Illusion nail polish range. Not only the colour changes beautifully, and you can notice it under most lighting, but it is also very sparkly, almost glittery.

The green and purple seem to be a common combination for multi toned nail varnishes, but the green on this one is forest green, making the contrast stunning (most of the others are teal like), and it also has some hints of gold.

Application was ok, if anything the brush was on the small side. The first coat was very thin, and I was worried about the effect. But upon applying the second coat, the beautiful colour revealed itself, in full glory, as in the bottle. Durability is good, of course I am wearing a topcoat, but there have been no chips, four days after application. A good quality nail varnish.

Overall, a great buy, at £4 per bottle. I must admit I am very impressed with the Accessorize nail polish – to be honest, I didn’t think it was going to be good in any way.  I bought this late in 2011, but they still have it on the site, and probably in store. I also bought another shade from the same range, Pink Spice, and cannot wait to try that one too!

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Nails of the week – metallic brown

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Anna Hickmann in Trend - metallic brownThis week I am wearing a nail varnish called Trend, another one from Ana Hickmann’s Star Collection,  which is brown with some gold, and the occasional reddish and green glitter.

I must admit I am a bit disappointed, I thought the red and green would come through more; as it stands, it only shows sometimes. It seemed amazing in the bottle in Brazil; maybe it is the sun, but here his polish didn’t do that much for me.

Anna Hickmann in Trend - metallic brownDon’t get me wrong, it is very a very pretty brown with shimmery gold, but it is not stunning – by that I mean with a multi-faceted colour, which I am loving at the moment, and expected from this polish.

Application was even, the first coat was a bit thin, but it looked good with the second coat. The finish wasn’t as glossy as I was expecting, and there was a slight texture, but a extra-shine topcoat smoothed things perfectly. Durability is average, there was a tiny chip after three days.

Overall, a nice shade, quite neutral and very pretty sometimes, but didn’t blow me away.

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Nails of the week – blue/dark pink duochrome

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Specialittá Marimoon, Artsy - dani dutraAfter a whole month of being spoiled by my manicurist Irma, in Brazil, I am sadly back to doing my own manicure. The nail polish I chose to kick off 2012 in London is part of my Brazil nail polish haul. It is from Specialittá, the same as the holographic I used a few weeks ago, but from a different line: Marimoon multigirl, in Artsy colour.

Its colour is amazing, it is duo-chrome, but each one of the predominant colours change into others, so I would really call it a poli-chrome. It is primarily a deep blue, changing into purple and then into a deep reddish-pink which turns into  a warm copper-gold. Absolutely gorgeous – it has been a while since I got this impressed with the colour changing effects of a nail varnish – in fact, since using Petrol in water.

This polish has an amazing finish, it is very shiny and the durability is ace – no scratches or chips. Application was a bit bumpy as the polish is quite thin; the first coat was pathetic and I thought I was going to be bitterly disappointed. It will only deliver its full potential on the third coat.  However, as it is super glossy, there was no need for a top coat, so I am accepting of this three-coat varnish.

Overall very happy, and I cannot wait to try the other bottle of the same line I bought.  I am seriously considering buying the whole line and having them shipped to my family in Brazil, so they can ship it over to London… at R$8 a bottle, I think it is good value, as I can buy all six I don’t have for £20, with postage to Brazil… Should’ve done it while there!

Specialittá Marimoon, Artsy - dani dutra

 

 

 

 

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Nails of the week – blue with glitter flakes

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blue nails - Impala paparazzi and paz e amor - dani dutraFor my last manicure in Brazil, I chose blue. I am wearing two nail polishes from Impala: a lovely dark, slightly metallic navy blue called Paparazzi and a blue and green glitter flakes topcoat called Paz e Amor.

Alone, Paparazzi is a very pretty and shiny deep, dark navy blue. The topcoat effect is lovely and somewhat similar to the Andrea Fulerton Rain fall trio topcoat, the difference being the flakes on this polish change colour, whereas the ones on the Impala varnish are two different colours. The Impala polish also has a clearer base for the flakes.

This brand is very good; applications is always smooth and even, the finish is glossy and durability is great.

Today is my last post from Brazil – sadly, my holidays are over and I am heading to London tomorrow. This means I will go back to doing my own manicure again (you do get used to having them done!) and will start trying out my nail varnish haul, as well as some polishes I had bought before coming on holiday!

Nail polish haul

This is my Brazilian nail polish haul! I am taking home (from home!) a good selection of polishes, which will add around a kilo to my luggage!

nail polish haul- Brazil - Dani Dutra

I got some old time favourite brands, such as Colorama, Risqué and Impala but also bought some I hadn’t tried before, like Specialittá and Ana Hickmann.

From Colorama, I selected Luxo, 40 Graus and Tapete Vermelho, all classic reds, but decided to get different colours from the other brands.

I have Hermes (gold), Apolo (teal) and Atena (dark pink), which are great holographics, the duo chromes Marimoon Artsy (blue/purple/yellow) and Trendy (green/yellow) and Mica (metallic lilac) from Specialittá.

Ana Hickmann has a Star Collection with “special effects”, and I bought most of them : Trend (brown/gold/green) , Relux (forest green/purple), Reflex (purple/gold/green); all duo chrome and Glow (glitter flakes).

I chose Viúva Negra (black/red glitter), Besouro (green/purple) and Poção do Amor (metallic red, with a hint of golden fine glitter) from Risqué.

My choices from Impala were Paz e Amor (blue/ green glitter flakes), Na Mira 3D (dark holographic glitter) and Sex Appeal (red/orange duo chrome).

I also got a Nati metallic red called Confidente and a Big Universo Raio Gama glitter flakes topcoat.

On top of that, I got three base coats (two strenghtening ones), two extra shine topcoats and a clove oil to be applied before the base coat, to hydrate and strenghten the nail.

All nail polishes were priced between R$2,50 and R$7,99(£1 and £2.85). As I mentioned before, I find that Brazil has amazing value for good quality nail polish. It really amazes me!

I cannot wait to try them all – lots of exciting nails of the week posts coming soon!

Nails of the week – red with glitter flakes

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Happy new year everyone!

I have entered 2012 wearing red on my nails. On new year’s eve in Brazil, it is traditional to wear colours that correspond to things you wish for the year that will begin. Most people wear white, which means peace. I wore a gold dress (yellow/gold for money, but mainly because it’s pretty!), had white underwear, for peace, of course, and my nails were scarlet, for passion! Not a bad combo, eh?

Again, I am trying a brand never used before, Ana Hickmann nail polish in Balada and Glow topcoat with glittery flakes.

The red is bright, leaning towards orange. The topcoat is clear on its base, but laden with duochrome glitter flakes which are mainly golden, but change colour from copper to a greenish-yellow, just stunning!

It was applied by mine and my mum’s manicurist, Irma (a nail angel!), but the consistency was creamy and smooth, durability is also good as my nails still look  perfect!

Nails of the week – holographic teal

I am thoroughly enjoying my holiday, this “white Christmas” thing is not really for me! With temperatures averaging 30°, I have developed a great tan; add the intense socialising, and my posts have been sparse an irregular! I will return in full power after mid January – I promise!

This week I am wearing a pretty holographic teal nail polish from a Brazilian brand I hadn’t tried before: Specialittá Hits, and the colour is Apolo, from their “No Olimpo” range.

The holo effect is not too strong; it is stunning in the sun, very sparkly and multi coloured, but indoors, it is just a pretty metallic teal! For this reason, on the 6th day of wearing it, I have painted over with the gorgeous topcoat from Andrea Fulerton’s Rain Fall trio, with green glitter flakes, to give it a bit of oomph!

Once again, I didn’t apply myself, but it seemed to glide well. Its durability is very impressive: seven days and not a chip!!!

The price is, of course, as every Brazilian polish, great, although above the average: around R$ 8,00 (just under £3)!!!

Nails of the week – Holographic and black

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I am now in Brazil for holidays, and while I am having a break from doing my own manicure, I am still trying new shades. It is so exciting to be able to rediscover Brazilian brands, and explore the new colours. Also, prepare yourselves for short posts, as I cannot wait to run to the pool and work on my much needed tan!

This week I am wearing something quite similar to the Nails Inc. Electric Lane holographic topcoat – it is called Na Mira 3D, from Impala, and it is part of their Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) line.

Although it has the same purpose of the Nails Inc one, this beauty has a slightly darker colour, with great depth and a lovely iridescent pink tint to it. As soon as I looked at it, I knew it would look great on black (my manicurist applied Impala 501, Preto). It dazzles beautifully in the scorching Brazilian sun, but it is very hard to photograph! I really struggled, and the pictures, disappointingly, don´t really represent its prettiness! I am not sure if it can be considered holographic;   it just looks that way when in directly light. Perhaps, I would probably say its a glittery duochrome most of the time.

I didn´t apply it myself, but I know that Impala nail varnishes are easy to apply, gliding nicely on the nails. The texture is smooth and the duration is great (it does help it was applied by a professional!). I have a coat of black, one of the holo/glittery duo and a topcoat.

I am very happy with this, and I even have it on my toe nails. A friend bought me a bottle before I arrived, and I bought another one for good measure. I find nail varnishes very inexpensive in Brazil, this one being R$ 5,00 (£1.78). Bearing in mind this is a special edition polish and the normal colours cost between R$ 2,50 (£0.89) and R$ 3,50 (£1.25), it is great value indeed!

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Nails of the week – magnetic blue

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17 Magnetic Nail polish in blue - Dani Dutra

Click to enlarge

I got over my disillusion with the Saturday’s magnetic nail varnish and decided to give the 17 Magnetized Nail polish a go. I  bought a few as gifts to friends in Brazil, and I intended to give them all away, but when I cast my eyes on the blue one, I found it so beautiful that I couldn’t let go.

Its colour is a pretty indigo blue and it differs from the other magnetic polishes because the dark colour that ripples has a little tinge of purple. This is very subtle and only visible sometimes. Still, I really liked it.

The brush is of satisfactory width and the polish has a good consistency, but can get a bit thick; you do need a generous second coat for the effect to look good.  Application was alright, not as good as the Nails Inc one, but not as bad as the Saturdays varnish – this really sums up this nail polish; something between the Nails Inc and the Fashionista one (although quite a way away from it, as the quality is much better!)

As per durability, it is quite good; it doesn’t chip easily, and this is a very important point for me.

Overall, I am quite happy with this; priced at £5.99 and coming with its own magnet, I believe it’s a good deal. And it is available in blue, purple, green and gunmetal. Pretty!

Check all the “Nails of the week” posts and find out the star rating for this and other polishes.

Nails of the week – purple/gold

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Kiko nail polish - Dani Dutra

This hasn’t been a good week for my nails; two days after doing my manicure, I broke a nail and had to cut them all short :(. Luckily, I had already taken the pictures for this week’s post!

I am trying a new brand this week, the Milanese brand Kiko. The have this quite impressive shop in Westfield Stratford City, with lovely make up and a huge range of varnishes.

Everytime I am there, I go in to take a look – I just cannot resist – and this time I picked up this varnish from a new range, Hologram Nail Lacquer. I chose number 354, a purple leaning towards dark mauve with very pretty gold and golden green shimmer. This polish is a duochrome, and although not as spectacular as the one I wore last week,  it is rather nice, and however subtle, you can definitely notice the colour variation.

It shimmers big time when it catches light, it is extremely glittery, but no flakes, so it has a smooth and shiny finish. Application was alright; the brush is  wide enough and the polish has a good consistency. However, it is rather sheer, one coat doesn’t do much, two is kinda ok but I needed three to realise its full potential – a little bit too much for me. It lasts well and doesn’t chip easily, and that’s a big plus for me.

Overall, I am not dazzled but pleased with my purchase, which wasn’t the cheapest around, at £5.90 a bottle (their other polishes, not from the Hologram line,  are priced at £4.90), but the quality is good and the shade pretty, and I must say I am looking forward to maybe trying make up items from Kiko Make up Milano!

Kino nail varnish - Dani Dutra