Human Nature - Colors by Llarowe

Hello ladies! Today I have the third and final polish from my recent Colors By Llarowe purchase - this is a lovely nude holo called 'Human Nature' from the Tribute to MJ collection...

Human Nature - Colors by Llarowe - artificial light

Now you will be seeing this mani again, in an upcoming post on top coat comparisons.  In the meantime I apologise for the denting in this picture...what topcoat was responsible for this terrible crime?  You'll have to wait and see...but I assure you it was no fault of the CbL.

I used two easy coats, I felt it did need two although it was almost opaque in one.  Here I'm wearing it with NE base and a mystery topcoat :) The formula and application on this, like the other CbL's I've reviewed (Billy Jean, Connie You Saucy Minx) was superb.  Flawless quality through and through.  It also had the, quite frankly legendary, week long wear time with minimal tip wear.  Even rarer for a mani that lasts that long, I didn't get bored of it!

Human Nature - Colors by Llarowe - natural light

I'm terrible at describing these nude colours, but here is my best shot...This is a warm toned taupe with a strong pink and bronzed gold shimmer blush and an (almost linear) holo finish.  It's a very flattering shade, and like most nudes I've tried it was very flattering on my pale pasty Scottish complexion.

I bought my bottle for £8.80 from Rainbow Connection (link in the suppliers page).  I'd definitely recommend this one, and the CbL brand in general which at least with my purchases has been 3 for 3 on quality and wow factor.  I'll definitely be adding more CbL to my stash in the future.

All Hail the Queen - by Butter London

Hello Ladies!  Today is another adventure in nuddy loveliness, and also a brand new brand to me: Butter London.  This is their nude holo "All Hail The Queen".

All Hail the Queen - by Butter London

I'd been somewhat reluctant to try Butter London polish.  For one thing there's the price tag (£12 for 11ml) and for another, there's the whole 'Cool Britannia' vibe.  Since I actually live in the UK the faux-cockney names just don't amuse me like I'm guessing they do the US market.  According to their website "We believe in Rock & Roll. Great Britain. And Fashion. We’re obsessed with colour, unbridled creativity & self-expression.".  What a pretentious load of twaddle. 

BUT when I saw this polish in my local TK Maxx for £5, I just couldn't resist.  This was actually the first nude that I ever bought.  I usually hate nudes.  So I guess the point I'm getting at with all this drivel is that this polish must be pretty special to make me buy a nude, and a nude from a poncy brand at that.

Poncy but Pukka

All Hail the Queen is a soft gold brown beige with ultra fine particle holo glitter finish.  Pictured here is two coats sandwiched between NE base and HK girl topcoat.  This shade is just stunning, its like cashmere for your nails.  Sophisticated, elegant, and very flattering.  The application was smooth and even, formula excellent, and it was opaque in a single coat.  My only complaint is that they have gone down the same route as Chanel and have one of those fiddly skinny handled brushes that appear when you pull off the massive cap.  The brush head is quite skinny too.  But that's my only complaint

All Hail the Queen - by Butter London - natural light

Wear time on this was insane, I wore it for a full week with only minimal tipwear.  All in all I was very impressed with my first experience of this brand, and the colour is just lovely.  This was Chanel level quality, for OPI level RRP.  Can't say fairer than that!

"Dusky Mauve" by Barry M (Chanel Paradoxal dupe)

Hello ladies!  Today's mani is a lovely little nude - "Dusky Mauve" by Barry M.  I have only very recently started venturing into nuddy territory.  I mean, in a world where you can make your nails purple, why the hell would you choose to make them beige?  But recently I have seen the error of my ways and started branching out.  I feel like a proper grown up now.  Dusky Mauve is a lovely warm grey-toned wet clay sort of colour...I'm afraid I don't have any good adjectives for 'sort of grey brown with a dash of purple'.  I'll have to work on that.  But whatever colour this is it's jolly nice.

Barry M "Dusky Mauve" - artificial light

I'm wearing two coats sandwiched betwixt NE base and HK Girl topcoat.  Application was fine, about what you'd expect, but the silly skinny brush you get on the BM polishes is a pain to use.  Quality wise I'm afraid you get what you pay for with this polish.  I had tip wear almost by the time I'd finished painting my nails, so long lasting it ain't.  But for <£3 its still a helluva deal.  I'm a big fan of Barry M, and this is going to be one of my favourites I think.

Look at that amazeballs lilac shimmer in the bottle...isn't it lovely?  The sad thing is that it stays in the bottle.  There is the barest hint of purple-ness on the nail, but not shimmery, and only if you squint at it very carefully in just the right light and really believe that it's there.  Yes it's one of those.

I bought this polish having seen my friend wearing Chanel Paradoxal.  I'm not Rockafella, so I went looking online for a dupe and found this Barry M.  Now online swatches do seem to suggest that this BM and the Chanel are exact dupes, I'm not so sure.  I thought the Paradoxal in person had more of an evident purple shimmer, but other bloggers seem to suggest it's the other way round. 

Well, regardless, I think that this is a gorgeous and sophisticated colour and you'd have to be mental to spend £18 instead of £3.  I mean, think of how many polishes you could buy with your £15 change.  The change would get you a Deborah Lippmann polish...(or 3 if you go to TK Maxx!).  So it's not contest.  I'm sure the Chanel would last a lot longer, but I tend to change my polish almost as often as my socks so wear time really isn't a problem. 

I got my bottle of Dusky Mauve for £2.90 from Nail Polish Direct (link in suppliers page).  For some reason it seems this one is rarely in store, perhaps its and older polish, but it is easily available online.

Bargains Spotted....

This month's UK edition of Marie Claire contains a free Ciate mini polish set - one polish, and one bottle of caviar beads.  The polish shade is a nude taupe called 'Cookies and Cream' and the beads are a really lovely mix of complementary shades and sparkly clear beads called 'Shooting Stars'.  I thought the beads were really pretty, but I can't stand nude shades so I gave this one a miss personally.  Still, a caviar kit worth £10 for the cover price of £3.80 is a nice bargain if you like nude shades....



Marie Claire UK edition - July 2013