Hey y'all!
A few weeks ago, I brought you a
sneak peek at a new UK indie line,
Belle Glamour. Today I've got four more pretty shades to show you from that line, which is launching on January 24, but pre-orders are available on the website now!
Once again, I selected four shades from her fairly massive opening collection.
Two of my four picks are thermal shades. I only have one other thermal polish in my stash, but I'm not hugely fond of it because something about the polish rejects any other polish layered on top, including topcoat, so I was happy to experiment with some new formulations of the thermal trend.
Lagoon is a sparkly pale blue in its warm state that transitions to a marine blue in its cold state. The glitter adds a rich depth to both transitional shades unlike any other thermal polish I've experienced.
It is relatively thick, so I advise adding a couple drops of polish thinner if you prefer a thinner coat. I recommend using 2-3 coats for full coverage, and a thick topcoat to smooth out the glitter. Very pretty! Also, the transition happens very quickly on these polishes, as you'll see in the first pic, where my tips started shifting before I could get the picture snapped!
 |
| Warm state |
 |
| Transitional state |
 |
| Cold state |
The other thermal polish I picked up is
Dino RAWR, which was originally called Malachite when I selected it. I have to admit, I love the new name!
In its cold state, this malachite-toned jelly has a very marine green look. When it transitions to warm, the green color almost disappears, leaving a frosty mist grey shade with just a slight tint of green. Because it is a jelly polish and the warm state is so sheer, 3 or more coats is advised. I could still see a hint of visible nail line in the cold state, but it's not as evident to the naked eye as it is to the camera. I'm in love!
Again, this shift happens SO FAST that it was almost impossible to catch this color in its purely warm state.
 |
| Warm state |
 |
| Transitional state |
 |
| Cold state |
My next selection is a part of Catriona's holo line, but it's not a traditional holo polish. Instead,
Gothic Glitz is a very pretty black jelly, loaded with tiny holo hex glitters that catch the light even indoors, although it was near impossible to capture on camera. I promise this sparkles SO MUCH MORE in person!
I found the nicest depth using 4 coats, which then needed two coats of topcoat to smooth out, but the effect was lovely! This would make a beautiful backdrop for a galaxy or skyline manicure, and looks great as a base for stamping.
 |
| Artificial light, no flash |
 |
| With flash |
 |
| With flash |
 |
| Blurred to show some of the extra sparkle |
Last up is probably my favorite of these four polishes, Vampire's Kiss.
Rich, royal purple meets red shimmer to create a deep and intriguing polish. This could easily be a one-coater, but as I prefer thin coats, I used two. I love how this catches the light! Perfect vampy color for fall and winter! I also used it for some nail art, which I'll be posting tomorrow.
 |
| No flash |
 |
| With flash |
Final thoughts: All told, this is a solid offering from this new indie line. I have spoken with Catriona numerous times now, and I know that she's committed to making great polish. She's taken all the feedback from the bloggers who swatched her polishes, and has been tweaking her formula based on that feedback (namely, thinning it down). I look forward to seeing what else she has in store for us!
Belle Glamour will launch at
Catriona's Cosmetics
on January 24, 2014, with shades available in both 5ml and 10ml bottles. Pre-orders are open now and include some limited edition polishes that may or may not be available again after the official launch. In addition to the Belle Glamour polish line, Catriona also stocks nail art supplies and hand-painted false nail sets (for those who prefer to slip into pretty with minimal fuss).
Disclosure: The above polishes were sent to me at a reduced price in exchange for my honest review.
They're all lovely! I think my favourite is Vampire's Kiss too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Char! I can promise it will definitely see more than one appearance in nail art this year. I may have to order a 10ml bottle!
DeleteThanks Heather. I hopefully will be getting another swatch set done before the launch, but not gonna make any promises.
ReplyDeleteI love the Vampire Kiss!!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be the consistent favorite. Can't say as I blame ya. :)
Delete