Another thing I don't get

The cracked nails by BYS had me interested. The cracked/graffiti nails by Isadora didn't. Then Barry M released their version of the cracked nails and suddenly, I'm interested again. One could guess that this strange reaction might have something to do with my aversion to Isadora's mighty big brush? I definitely think it does so to prove myself wrong and write myself off as a bitter tart, I bought a bottle of Graffiti nails by Isadora. At a sale, but still, I purchased it. Color called Masterpiece pink. Put it over Purple pop by China Glaze which had topcoat of HM's Hello Kitty Glitter purple, which together was arather stunning Liberace-style type of manicure.

Now my nails look like varicose veins . That's mighty Halloween, isn't it?
Sure, it dries ultra-fast. An easy way to spice up an old worn manicure when you're too darn lazy to deal with it and you know that glitter isn't what you're looking for
My result was so Eh.. that I didn't even botter with cleaning up - this comes off in the shower in an hour.

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The clash of the polishes?

I just can't drop that whole nightmare-polish scenario that happened yesterday. When writing the post, I forgot to mention that that lovely blue polish not only stained my cuticles but also the topcoat I used to give it a matte finish. Seeing as the matte topcoat was the same brand as Blue jeans, ie Isadora, it can't be blamed on not following the ingredientlist and cheating with other brands.

On my 2nd attempt, I used no basecoat, just one layer of Blue jeans and then waited 4 hours until I put on Wet n Wild's glittercoat Sparked. Guess which polish stained the brush and tried to bleed into the clear polish? I had to clean the brush before putting it back into the bottle each time.
So, it's no coincidence, there's something off with the Isadora polish. It doesn't work well with it's own siblings, nor with strangers.

Speaking of which, am I the only one that remembers seeing posts about some polishes clashing with other brands top- and basecoats? That sometimes they crack, chip or just won't stick?
Other than the Manglaze-fenonomen, which I consider pretty cool as they embraze it.

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The bigger the better?

I have tried to love it, Isadora's Blue jeans. Denim-polish for a denimgirl. Having read P'ssion's entry about loving the polish, I decided to give it a 2nd go and that is what you see above.
I have wanted to love it, because I adore the color which is blueish black indooors and unwashed denims in the sun, and because I think the idea behind having a wider brush is a good one.

But, the polish is so thick it's like slabbing on glue. It might be opaque in one coat, but that coat is messy and the polish is so thick you get ridges, canyons and hey, isn't that an island? Wonder who lives there?

I know how they got there though and that was by using this brush which is as wide as the nail on my pinkie. Above you see it next to one of Orly's brushes (Mandalay Ruby). If the polish had been thinner, if the polish had been sheer, if the top hadn't been square, if only...
The combination thick polish and wide brush is a disaster. I had a base-coat on the first time around, but it still managed to stain my cuticles and the skin on my fingers.

This polish is going franken.

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Swedettes, Isadora is coming for you!

I went out of my way to get my hands on Isadora's Vintage mint but ended up with 3 blue shades instead. As with all mints, Isadora's version is sold out everywhere and I don't know why I was thinking that there would be any at HM's discount on Isadora polishes. At my age and bitterness, I should know better.

But, as mentioned, I didn't leave empty handed and this is the first time ever I have bought Isadora's polishes (never mind the matte top-coat mentioned previously). It's a brand that has never had a finger on the pulse and that have always had granny-colors. Frosted pinks, shimmery lavender, cutesy apricot etc. Stuck in the 80's and not the 80's we wish to remember. Less Pretty in pink, more of the Golden Girls.

When it comes to Isadora's polishes, it's all minis, 6ml for 69sek ($9.13), which in the end is rather expensive. But then again, their new brush, a wider brush, means that this is a bottle you can and will want to re-use for frankenpolish and decanting. See, I am already warming up to Isadora after having had them left out in the cold for 27 years and that in just a few hours!

I have yet to try these  (Bel-Air blue, Baby blue and Blue jeans) on but so far, I am pretty smittened.
I think the price, 39sek ($5.16) instead of 69sek ($9.13), might have something to do with it.
Remember, this bottles might look big but they contain about the same amount of polish as an Orly mini (which are probably the only minis that I truly love...)

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The never-ending story

So I guess the Green gold had one trick up it's sleeve despite it's thin appearance - it held up for more than 5 days with no chip or wear. While my cuticles look like they've been through an ordeal the Gold doesn't look worn at all.

In the pic it's (slightly) matted down using the Isadora's Matte top coat which gives a more satin finish than a matte.
However, I still think the color is horrible and makes my hands look like that of a zombie. Not that there's anything wrong with the zombie-look (blueish nails are pretty hot in my opinion), but it's not one you'd like to get accidentally...

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No town for a polish-a-holic

Had a look around town to see what was new and what was not. Realized I live in a town where the stores do not believe in updating their Depend and Viva la Diva-displays, so the latest collections were nowhere to be found. Too bad because I had actually saved up some money to be spend on cutesy cute polish.
The same went for OPI and China Glaze. 15-20 polishes, all basic colors. Nobody had heard of Orly. I guess Transdesign dropping us european customers will either leave us desperate for anything or if we're lucky, push the local vendours into carrying these brands as well?

However, I did get my hands on the new matte topcoat from Isadora. It wasn't an easy task though, had to go to 4 stores before I found one that had it in stock.
I am not much for matte polishes (I prefer a satin finish) but a tiny bottle like this means one can testdrive a few matte nails without adding yet another big ottle to the unused shelf.
But don't be fooled by the low price. It's only a tiny bottle, 6 ml, for 69SEK ($9.50) means that if you know you like matte, you might as well go for some of the other brands as it's not a cheap polish per se.

In all, I didn't do much shopping because there wasn't anything thrilling to be bought. Imagine that?
Thank God for Ebay.



(I realize that there is a matte polish from Essie that goes by the name Matte about you, but when I edited the picture, that didn't even cross my mind)

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NOTD: Spring skittles

So, ahem, I'm out of practice from having a 2 week polish break, and tired from organising the inventory of the belongings that were ruined in the flood of our house. That's my excuse for the horrendous application! :) Oh well I guess there is no real excuse. I am sorry. I will do better next time.

I went to Boots today and giggled madly when I saw brand spanking new polishes from their 17 line. There are 5 shades and they are all bright pastels and I bought 3 outright (they have a 3 for 2 on the line right now). I might put on the lilac "Parma Violet" on tomorrow for my brother's birthday party!

This is the surprisingly opaque (2 coats here) pastel yellow "Sherbet Lemon" with the lovely Isadora "Vintage Mint" (2 coats) from their Spring collection (thanks Mum!). I used Sally Hansen Nail Quencher base coat and MegaShine top coat.

Also thank you Mum for my new Gudrun Sjöden cardigan! It's probably one of the most expensive pieces of clothing I own :) Goes miraculously well with my denim mini skirt!

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NOTD: Isadora "Poppy Red"

This is an old favourite of mine, I think it might actually be part of the core collection for Isadora. I get these beauties from my mother from Sweden, I wish Isadora would come to the UK, as it's a great brand and has so many innovative products! My very first nail polish was an Isadora, and it was a plummy gothic looking thing.... I think it's in the stash somewhere still.. Now what was it called... I'll dig it out one day.

This is two coats with a cute nail sticker from a set I found in Boots today over Sally Hansen Nail Quencher base coat and a healthy dose of Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat. I also finally broke and bought the Pulse Perfection mascara from Maybelline. You can look forward to a review of that at the weekend!

I love this polish. It's one of those glowy pinks that just is both girlie, sexy and punky at the same time. Conjures dreams of cocktails under a parasol on a hot beach... I wish. Scotland + November = Rain, storm winds and icy cold. Oh well, a girl can dream... :)

Oh and I think that Zeke the evil beech will HATE this one :) Here's to your xmas parcel being devoid of pink, Zeke!

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