Could've Passed on Pasiphae

NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in Pasiphae was one of those impulse purchases spurred by wanting to take advantage of a "good deal", rather than any prior need. For some reason, it was one of the daily specials on StrawberryNet in early July. While the Dual-Intensity shadows retail for $42 each in Australia, StrawberryNet was selling Pasiphae for $18. I have a 7.5% loyalty discount, plus they were having a 10% off mid-year sale, so I ended up paying $15. How could I say no?

l-r: 1 swipe, 3 swipes

1 swipe

3 swipes

Released as part of the NARS Fall 2015 Collection, Pasiphae is described as a "shimmering peacock burgundy". I'm not sure what colour "peacock" is supposed to be, but I'm assuming a jewel-toned green. I've tried to capture in the photos the different shifts and dimensions of Pasiphae, depending on the angle and how much shadow is applied. With just one swipe, the warm brown base and the emerald green shimmer are evenly balanced. It's on the sheerer side, but super sparkly and eye-catching, with primarily gold, green, orange and diamond microglitter. When built up, it's more distinctly green overall but colour-shifting, ranging from a yellowy-green, emerald green, to a slightly plummy brown. Despite it passing for a duochrome, when actually applied on the lids, the colour doesn't shift that noticeably and is mainly a glimmering green.

l-r: ColourPop So Quiche, NARS Pasiphae, Wet n Wild Definer (bottom right Comfort Zone palette)

l-r: ColourPop So Quiche, NARS Pasiphae, Wet n Wild Definer (bottom right Comfort Zone palette)

I don't have any dupes for Pasiphae, but I pulled out two eyeshadows that I thought would be close. ColourPop So Quiche has a similar glittery quality and predominately green colour, though the glitter is obviously different, being mainly purple and pink. The Definer shade at the bottom right of the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette is also a duochrome, except it's far more red in tone with a darker metallic teal shift, rather than the lighter greeny-gold and less pronounced brown base of Pasiphae.

Texture-wise, these are a drier formula, probably because they're designed to be used either wet or dry (I find the texture to be most similar to Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad in Emerald Lust, also formulated for wet or dry application). That's not to say they're not pigmented. Used dry, they are initially sheer (though the sparkle/glitter factor is strong), but can easily and quickly be built up for opaque colour. They're really smooth and easy to blend — the kind of eyeshadow that almost applies better with the fingers than brushes. I actually prefer that you can choose how you want to use the shadow to achieve the look you're after. You might want to only use this lightly, tapping it onto the lids with your finger over a coloured cream base, as more of a subtle gleam. Or, you might want to use it wet for maximum impact, patting it on the centre of the lid with a flat brush and grounding everything with a brown shade in the crease à la BeautyLifeMichelle.

It's an undeniably high quality product with a sophisticated take on shimmer, but my main problem is I'm not convinced it works for my sallow skin tone. If I have to wear colour, I generally get along well with greens (particularly of the khaki variety), but the effect of Pasiphae on me is very muddy, dull and complexion-draining. I don't know what it is, but every time I've experimented with it, I've come to the conclusion it simply isn't flattering. A lesson learnt to not buy something simply because it's cheap(er).

Sally Hansen Gift with Purchase

All it ever takes with me is throwing a freebie in the mix. Right now, if you spend $20 or more on Sally Hansen at Priceline, they'll throw in a gift with purchase valued at $53.30. The pack contains a No More Ridges Nail Shaper and Buffer, Diamond Strength Nail Hardener, Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat and a Complete Salon Manicure nail polish in Frutti Petutie (540). After much deliberation about what to buy, I chose two Complete Salon Manicure polishes (on sale for $10 each) in Jaded (672) and Commander in Chic (370).

It was with a previous Sally Hansen gift with purchase at Priceline that I discovered the amazingness that is Insta-Dri Top Coat and the Radiant Hands, Nails & Cuticles Creme. This time 'round, I'm not sure if I'm going to be blown away by any of the products. I haven't touched the nail shaper/buffer, as it just seems like too much work. Frutti Petutie isn't a shade that I'd set out to buy, though it could make a good pedicure colour. I have been using the Diamond Strength Nail Hardener as my base coat, and the Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat as a top coat. They're pretty similar in packaging and effect. I never used to apply a base or top coat, but they do make a huge difference to how smoothly nail polish applies and how shiny the final result is.

Frutti Petutie is a bright, medium pinkish red. Not quite orange enough to be characterised as a coral. I wish this leaned closer to a neon pink, but there's a little more red in it than I'd prefer.

Commander in Chic is one polish that I've been eyeing for a long, long time. I've seen it pop up on Michelle's blog a few times, and I would've bought it earlier had I not thought I already owned similar shades. I'm glad that I finally decided to make it mine, as I love purplish/grey/taupe colours like these. Reminds me a lot of Essie Merino Cool, and looking at swatches online, the two are very close.

I wasn't sure if I'd be disappointed in Jaded, as I have so many mint and seafoam green polishes that are similar, or have been failures. But this one surprised me in a good way. I wouldn't have anticipated how the colour looks on my nails. It has a certain sheerness to it (this one minimally needs two coats and I did three coats in the above pictures, whereas you could get away with just one for Frutti Petutie and Commander in Chic) that gives it a softness and "jelly" appearance. I feared the colour would end up a flat, unflattering green, but there's an aqua/blue tinge and a muted quality that makes Jaded much prettier than expected.

These Complete Salon Manicure polishes thoroughly impressed me with how easy they were to apply. They go on super smoothly, don't bubble, have a wide, flat paddle brush that disperses just the right amount of polish and paints the nail with as few strokes as possible. At $14.95 each, they're relatively pricey if not on sale (and with the added incentive of a gift with purchase), but at least the formula is one of the best I've tried.

Mermaid Glimmer

Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad in Emerald Lust is a departure from my usual neutrals, but with emerald as Pantone’s 2013 Colour of the Year, now is as good a time as ever to experiment. When it comes to green, I normally opt for goldish khaki shades or deeper, metallic olive greens with a touch of bronze, but rarely venture out of my comfort zone to wear unadulterated, bright colour.

Emerald Lust is one of two new eyeshadow quads from the Tom Ford Fall 2012 collection, the other being the neutral Enchanted. These new quads have been reformulated for wet and dry application, and contain 6g of product compared to 10g in the original release.

Can we take a minute to just admire the packaging? Architectural, slightly masculine and very serious. There’s no cheap frivolity or tacky excess here. In short, it feels and looks expensive.

The quad contains a silvery white with a touch of champagne, a light emerald green with silver sparkles, a blueish teal, and a deep navy with sapphire shimmer. The shadows are imbued with a kind of diamond dust that makes them multifaceted and richly saturated, though I did take 2-3 swipes of each for the opacity pictured. Applied wet, I’m sure they’d be even more intense.

Rather than using all the shades at once, I’d be inclined to concentrate either of the two middle shades on the lid, then blend the edges or crease with a softer neutral for a more wearable look. Lisa Eldridge also showed the colours worn over a darkened navy or black base for a colourful smoky eye. There’s always the option to just use the shadows as green or blue eyeliner for a more understated pop of colour.

Yes, it costs a a small fortune ($100 from David Jones, or £62 less VAT from Harrods), and I’m sure there are plenty of inexpensive near dupes (Wet n Wild Blue Had Me at Hello comes to mind), but there’s no substitute for the undeniable luxe factor of Emerald Lust. That’s the funny thing about pricing — the more prohibitive, the more seemingly attractive and desirable a product becomes. I haven’t ventured very far into the world of prestige cosmetics, but until my next splurge, I can always fantasise about the Cheek Brush, Golden Mink Eye Colour Quad or a Tom Ford lipstick.

(Product was provided to me for review.)

Top 10 Nail Polishes

I was looking through my hot mess of a nail polish drawer this morning, and had an idea to do a post on my favourite ten polishes. Unsurprisingly, there's a lot of glitter featured. Glitter just holds my attention. There's more detail, more interest, more festivity in a glitter polish. But a good creme can't be overlooked (mainly pastel in persuasion, and from the green, blue or purple family), as well as intensely vibrant golds and reds.

l-r: Essie Absolutely Shore, Revlon Whimsical, Revlon Popular, Essie A Cut Above

l-r: China Glaze Snow Globe, Sportsgirl Storm, OPI Teenage Dream, OPI GoldenEye,
OPI The One That Got Away, Revlon Scandalous

l-r: Essie Absolutely Shore, Sportsgirl Storm

Essie Absolutely Shore 
The perfect pale seafoam green, which is one of my favourite colours. What I love about this polish is that the colour on your nails is exactly how it appears in the bottle.  That's always been a pet peeve of mine when it comes to pastel polishes, as I find they often apply darker and flatter on the nails. Even though I need 3 coats for completely streak-free application, the formula itself is very smooth and easy to work with.

Sportsgirl Storm
I'd go so far as to say this is my favourite polish, ever. It was discontinued ages ago and I barely can use it now because I've already gone through 50% of the bottle and it's seriously gloopy, but something about the colour is just so perfect to me. There are probably similar shades out there (Essie Cocktail Bling, maybe), but nothing will match the exact lightness/darkness and mix of grey and purple of Storm. It's simply foolproof.

l-r: OPI GoldenEye, OPI The One That Got Away, Essie Absolutely Shore, Sportsgirl Storm

OPI GoldenEye
Already raved about here, but there's been no loss of enthusiasm. All other gold polishes can just go home, because GoldenEye can't be trumped.

OPI The One That Got Away
I really fell in love with this polish the last time I decided to wear it. There's a beautiful brilliance and depth to this slightly vampy raspberry with a glass fleck finish. Has to be seen in real life to be fully appreciated.

l-r: China Glaze Snow Globe over Sportsgirl Storm, Revlon Whimsical over Essie Absolutely Shore

China Glaze Snow Globe 
So, so pretty. My glitter dreams in a bottle. The iridescence of the different glitter particles is incredible (see more here and here). It's basically crushed opals on the nail, and I absolutely love the colours that it reflects.

Revlon Whimsical
I was ecstatic when I finally tracked this down in the US. It still hasn't made its way to Australia, and I'm not exactly holding my breath. I'm now berating myself for not buying a backup bottle when I had the chance. The composition is simple enough, with a sheer greenish blue base and pink and blue hexagonal glitter with smaller bits and blobs. But it's just so childlike and delicate. When this runs out, I may have to fork out for the Deborah Lippmann option because I can't be without it.

Essie A Cut Above over OPI Teenage Dream

OPI Teenage Dream
One day I will probably grow out of liking pink and sparkly things. In the meantime, I'll continue to exalt Teenage Dream. The circular holographic glitter in this is everything.

Essie A Cut Above
See above. I love the generosity of glitter and how relatively easy it is to spread uniformly around the nail. I usually wear A Cut Above on its own, though it's perfect for layering and gradient effects.

l-r (pinky and ring finger): Revlon Scandalous, Revlon Popular

Revlon Scandalous
To be honest, I haven't worn this polish in a while, but I remember the first time I painted this on my nails and how it exceeded all my expectations. The base colour is opaque in 2 coats and the glitter is plentiful. The blackish purple and magenta glitter combination is darkly alluring for autumn and winter.

Revlon Popular
An ethereal and super girly polish. Very pale pink base with packed silver microglitter and silver hexagonal glitter that appears almost white when layered. Another polish ideal for layering, though the base isn't as sheer as Revlon Whimsical. Because of the lack of contrast between the pink and the silver glitter, and the overall lightness of Popular, there's an understated quality to it that's in direct contrast to the exuberant bling of OPI Teenage Dream and Essie A Cut Above.

Essence of Disney

Whenever Essence launch a limited edition collection, there’ll usually be one or two standout products that are understandably popular and sell out really quickly. On my latest trip to Target, hoping to snap up the Asian Sensation blush and paper lashes from the new Cherry Blossom Girl range, instead I spotted an almost full stand of nail polishes from the Snow White Trend Edition. I remember seeing swatches of some of them on Kate’s blog and being impressed with the glitters in particular, so I knew I had to take some home with me.

l-r: Evil Queen, The Huntsman, Bashful, Sleepy

I’m not the hugest fan of medium green polishes, but something about Bashful called out to me. It reminds me a lot of OPI Live and Let Die with the fine gold shimmer, but the green base is much warmer and lighter.

I have a bazillion nail polishes like Sleepy, but ultimately I was sold on the unique blueish-purple sheen running through the airy, slightly dusty baby blue. On my nails, the shimmer is undetectable and the blue is darker and flatter than in the bottle, a perennial issue I have with these kinds of shades (see Revlon Blue Lagoon). I really like this paired with The Huntsman for a classic gold-flecked turquoise.

l-r: Bashful, Sleepy

Evil Queen technically isn't anything all that special, but come on. Just look at all that glitter packed like fish scales in the bottle. It’s purple hexagonal glitter in a clear base, hard to apply evenly without making it so thick it takes about 3 hours to dry, but when it comes to nail polish, I have abundant patience.

The Huntsman is the must-have in this collection. It’s a gold glittergasm. What makes it special are random foil shards that almost look like bits of shiny candy wrappers stuck to your nail, similar to the shreds in China Glaze Luxe and Lush.

l-r: The Huntsman over Sleepy, Evil Queen over Bashful

The Special Effect Toppers are $3.95 for 10ml which I think are excellent value. The smaller bottles are 5ml and $3.25. They're so affordable that even though I didn't really need any of them, I still felt my $14.40 was well spent. I was lucky to come across a decently stocked stand, since limited edition Essence tends to sell out quickly. Even though there was no sight of the Cherry Blossom Girl collection at my local Target, at least I didn't miss out on Snow White.