Monday, May 27, 2013

Important: Every Little Polish is moving!

Hi everyone! I have really exciting news - Every Little Polish is undergoing a revamp and taking on a brand new look! 

Now here's the important part: if you're reading this post, you're following the old Blogger version of my blog instead of the new website at www.everylittlepolish.com. Since I moved web hosts and blog platforms, your previous following options may not work anymore. You won't receive any more updates from me, and wouldn't that be a huge shame?

So here are all the most up-to-date following methods for Every Little Polish across the interwebs:

TwitterFollow @rose_elp
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Thanks for stopping by, reading, and following me. I'll see you on the new layout!
Friday, May 24, 2013

Chanel #583 Taboo Le Vernis: Swatches & Review

Warning: This post is pic-heavy. But it's so worth it.

As a nail polish addict with over 500 bottles, there reaches a stage where you realise that most polishes are dupes of others, and you already have something extremely similar in your stash. It takes something really special to grab your attention and get you truly excited. Chanel #583 Taboo Le Vernis is one such polish.



The colour is impossible to describe accurately. I would sum this up as a galaxy in a bottle. It has a deep red-based purple base, filled with swirling, shimmering, iridescent flecks of red, violet and pink.



This comes in the classic square Chanel nail polish bottle with a matching square cap. The cap is removable, revealing a second, round cap underneath which is very easy to grip and wield the brush with. The brush itself is medium sized - not a wide brush, but definitely not thin by any means. The brush aids application extremely well. This is evidenced by the swatches below, which required no cleanup.


On the nail, the colour transforms to a darker, bluer based purple. The formula was phenomenal - nothing less than what I have come to expect from Chanel. The polish flowed easily but wasn't too runny, and could easily have been a one coater. I used two coats here just to be sure of complete coverage.




This is such a beautiful, vampy colour, and is perfect for winter. It looks like it would be the perfect base for MaxFactor Fantasy Fire, but I think it's lovely enough on its own. It has a slight shift in hue from red to blue from different angles and lighting, and always seems to glow from within.



Taboo is part of Chanel's core line, and will be available in Australia in June for AU$36. You lucky Americans can already get it online from Nordstrom for US$27.

Do you think Taboo is as unique as I think it is? Will you be splurging on it?
Thursday, May 23, 2013

Inspired by Shoes of Prey: Take Three

Welcome to another round of Shoes of Prey inspired nail art! Today I'm inspired by this great colour block wedge. The combination of orange, navy and white is slightly nautical, slightly summery, but definitely trendy and unique! I love that little dash of snakeskin print as well (I'm obsessed with snakeskin right now. It's like a classy version of leopard print).


The crossover design of the strap inspired me to create this fishtail design. I used Butter London Yummy Mummy (click to see my swatch and review) as the base, and Chanel Blue Rebel, Ulta3 Tangerine Tango and Essie Blanc.



What do you think of this fishtail braid design? The actual fishtail accent nail took ages to do, because I had to wait for all the layers to dry in between coats. But the "half-fishtail" on the other fingers was really quick and easy to do. I think it's one of my favourite styles so far!

These shoes are available from Shoes of Prey for $199, with free shipping worldwide. And of course, you can customise the design yourself if you wish.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Work Friendly Wednesday: Butter London Yummy Mummy

Butter London produce a range of unique, on-trend and work-friendly colours. Despite the exxy price, they're one of my favourite brands. The names are catchy (like Slapper, Artful Dodger and Fishwife), the rectangular bottles look sleek sitting there in my helmer, and the formula is reliably good.

Yummy Mummy is described by Butter London as a medium beige that is stunning on every skin colour. Well, I can't vouch for every skin colour, but it certainly suits mine! The subtle silver sheen sets it apart from your average neutral creme, and softens it nicely. I would describe this as a weak tea colour.

I used 2 coats here, and although there is a hint of visible nail line in the photos, they're not visible in person.




In Australia, Butter London is available from selected pharmacies nation-wide (check the Lacquerheads of Oz Polish Stores Map for one in your area - and if you know of one that isn't on the map, add it!). They also pop up quite often on Brands Exclusive and Ozsale.

If you're in the UK or US, you can get this from the Butter London website.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013

LUSH Lip Scrubs Review

A couple of weeks ago, winter weather arrived in Australia. While it was still autumn, the temperatures suddenly dropped, winds became cuttingly cold and my skin instantly became dry and flaky. Overnight, my lips became chapped and rough. Every dry bit stuck out and did their best to make my lipstick look terrible.

I tried to exfoliate my lips at home, first by using a toothbrush, then with some sugar and oil. Neither method worked, so it was time to call in the big guns that I'd heard so much about - LUSH lip scrubs. As there isn't  LUSH store near my home or work, I sent my boyfriend on an emergency shopping trip (much to his disgust and horror). He bought both the Bubblegum and Mint Juleps lip scrubs for me.


These lip scrubs are essentially a mixture of castor sugar and jojoba oil, with a bit of flavouring added. Bubblegum smells of sickly-sweet lollies, in a good way. If you don't have as much of a sweet tooth, you may prefer Mint Julips, which smells of after dinner mint chocolates. Both are mouth watering, and make me want to eat the whole pot with a spoon.


There is much more sugar than oil in these scrubs, so they have a fairly dry texture. The tiniest amount is enough to exfoliate my lips completely. I just dab my finger lightly into the pot, and rub it into my lips. Those who are more hygiene-conscious can use a cotton bud to apply instead. While you rub it in, the sugar either falls off or absorbs slightly into the oil. Afterwards, I lick it off and it tastes delicious. I then follow up with a thick layer of lip balm.

After using them daily for a few days, I noticed an immediate improvement in the condition of my lips. I still use them daily, but I vary the amount based on how dry my lips are feeling. Now my lips are smooth and kissable! My boyfriend certainly appreciates the emergency shopping trip to get these now.


Although this is a simple mixture that you can easily make yourself at home for a fraction of the cost, I believe the advantage of these LUSH scrubs is the perfect ratio of sugar to oil. The reason why my original attempt at creating a lip scrub failed was because I was using too much oil. These scrubs just make life easier. Because you only need the tiniest amount each time you use it, one pot will last for ages. You can see that even after daily use for a few weeks I've barely made a dent in them.

LUSH lip scrubs are $9.95 for a 25g pot, available from LUSH stores or online.
Saturday, May 18, 2013

Hare Polish Dauphine of Decadence

Just a quickie today - things have been super busy at work this week and I'm packing my bags for my trip to the Gold Coast. 

This is Hare Polish Dauphine of Decadence, a delicate mix of gold and mint green glitter in a clear base. I absolutely love this polish. I think I might like it even more than Essence Make It Golden, my current favourite gold glitter. 

I've layered it over Butter London Alcopop here. The accent nail is 3 dabbled coats of Dauphine of Decadence on its own, reaching nearly complete opacity.




What do you think of this colour combination? Do you love it as much as I do?
Friday, May 17, 2013

Lilypad Lacquer Lifesavers Collection - Swatches and Review

I know it's coming up to winter in Australia, but there is always room in my heart for a good neon. Today I'm showing you the Lifesavers collection from Lilypad Lacquer, a collection of eye-searing neon jellies.

Because these are jellies, I used 4 coats for all them for as much opacity as possible. There was still some very slight VNL, but they're not especially noticeable in person. I applied each coat thickly and waited a bit longer between layers to avoid dragging. The formula was good when applied this way, and I didn't experience any dragging.


Lemon is a highlighter yellow.



Orange is, well, orange. But what an orange it is!



Strawberry is a neon pink.



Raspberry is a neon magenta. It's very similar to Strawberry, but it leans red while Strawberry is more of a pure pink.


Blueberry is a rich blue. It's not strictly a neon, but it's got the same sort of intense colour.



Lime is a bright lime green.

I definitely recommend this collection to anyone who is after the juiciest, brightest jellies they've ever seen. They're only $10 each from the Lilypad Lacquer etsy store, which I think is great value for the quality. Nicole is always adding new colours to the collection as well, so make sure you check back regularly.

These products were provided for review, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Inspired by: Alejandro Ingelmo Slingbacks

One of my favourite non-nail blogs is Shoeperwoman, a daily fix of shoes. That's right, just loads of gorgeous shoes to drool over, and nothing else. Maximum shoe-age!

That's where I spotted these Alejandro Ingelmo slingbacks. Silver and baby blue is one of my favourite colour combinations. And why not, because they work so well together, as evidenced below.

I've really been getting into the shoe-inspired nail art recently, so of course I had to do a mani based on these as well. It's the perfect basis for ruffian nails, using A England Excalibur, ORLY Pretty Ugly* and OPI Matte Top Coat to mimic the suede finish.



If you have loads of disposable income, you can purchase these shoes from Shoescribe for a mere AU$795. But think how fabulous you'll look with your matching shoes and mani! Totally worth it.

* Products marked with an asterisk were provided for review, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Work Friendly Wednesday - Contrary Polish Creeping Moss

It's Wednesday again! I went on a bit of a shopping spree so I have a bunch of different work friendly polishes that I can't wait to show you in the coming weeks. Today I'm featuring Contrary Polish Creeping Moss.

Contrary Polish is an indie brand based in the US. Their signature style is a subtle shimmery finish in a range of beautiful understated colours. This makes most of their releases perfect for work.

Creeping Moss is a murky olive brown with pink and copper shimmer flecks. I used 2 coats in this swatch. You can see some bald patches under the bright light, but they're not visible in normal lighting. The formula was smooth and easy to apply.



I bought this for AU$10.90 from Femme Fatale Cosmetics. Contrary Polish is also available from Llarowe and Shoppe Eclecticco.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Happy Birthday Pretty Serious!


Today is the first birthday of our beloved home grown Aussie indie brand Pretty Serious! The company has grown in leaps and bounds within the short space of a year. It's become a cult brand the world over, recently being featured in New York Fashion Week and the Lust Have It Eco Box. Pretty Serious is now so successful that Kaz, the owner, was able to quit her day job and run it full time - now if that's not every polish addict's dream, I don't know what is!

To celebrate, Pretty Serious fans are painting the town with multi-coloured glitter with the release of Daphne's Birthday Party. Daphne is the brand mascot, and features on every Pretty Serious polish box. Apparently she's a bit of a party girl too, because she always makes an effort to dress in theme for different collections. Here's a couple of the variations we've seen so far:


Daphne's Birthday Party is a combination of 5 different coloured glitters of the same size, designed to look like sparkly confetti on your nails. The colours are so bright and cheerful, it looks fantastic layered over anything. I decided to layer it in a gradient over Poltergeist Puddle, one of my favourite Pretty Serious polishes. It can also be worn on its own with full opacity in 3 coats.

You can't help but feel like celebrating with this polish on your tips!



And of course, I had to mattify it. It still looks great!


Daphne's Birthday Party is not limited edition, so you can pick this up any time for $9.95 from the Pretty Serious website.

Join me in saying a big happy birthday to Pretty Serious! I can't wait to see what they have planned for the future.

Monday, May 13, 2013

ORLY Mayhem Mentality & Pretty Ugly Swatches

ORLY's new Mash Up collection is an eclectic assortment of contrasting colours and finishes. It features cremes, shimmers, chromes, and even a holographic glitter. Today I'm showing you two of the polishes in this collection, Mayhem Mentality and Pretty Ugly.

Mayhem Mentality is a neon orange creme. It's opaque in 2 coats, but I used 3 in these swatches to even out the streakiness. In saying that, it's the nature of neons to be streaky, and this was no worse than any others I've tried. It also dries with a satin finish, so I used top coat here.




Pretty Ugly is a blue-leaning teal/aqua with blue shimmer. At certain angles the shimmer turns purple in the bottle, but I haven't been able to see it on the nail. This is 4 coats for full opacity. The formula was excellent though, and it applied smoothly and evenly. It's a little on the thick side, so I would wait a bit longer between coats to avoid dragging. I really love this colour, and I know that I'll be wearing it a lot in spring and summer. (Probably in autumn and winter too, because I don't really pay attention to seasonally-appropriate colours.)



The great thing about this collection is that although the colours are contrasting, they look great together. I can't wait to try some bold nail art with these two colours.

The ORLY Mash Up collection is being released in August 2013, and will be available from selected pharmacies and salons for RRP AU$18.95.

These products were provided for review, which did not affect my opinion. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.
Saturday, May 11, 2013

Inspired by Shoes of Prey: Take Two

After my last "Inspired by Shoes of Prey" post, I was approached by Shoes of Prey to do a few more inspired-by manis. Today's one is based on this amazing pair of glittery red pumps.


I could have been really lazy and just done a full mani of Essie Ruby Slippers/China Glaze Ruby Pumps... But I know I wouldn't have gotten away with that! So here is my striped nail art interpretation, using OPI Red, OPI Matte Top Coat and Butter London Chancer.

I spent way too long thinking about this - OPI Red is the actual name of the polish. So do I go with my usual format of "brand, name" like OPI Keys to my Karma, which would result in OPI OPI Red? Or just OPI Red? What a dilemma!



These shoes are $199 including shipping from Shoes of Prey, and you can even customise it. I really like this black version with red trim - like reverse Louboutins!


Stay tuned for another Shoes of Prey inspired mani coming up!

I was not compensated for this post in any way, and all opinions expressed are my own. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.
Friday, May 10, 2013

Vice and Velvet Little Velvet Gift Box Review

I can't remember how I first found Vice & Velvet, an Etsy creator of handmade soaps and bath products. I think one of my friends on facebook liked their page, and then I saw it on a couple of blogs... It was one of the first shops that came to mind when I was trying to think of a mother's day gift. So a couple of weeks ago, I bought a "You're a Gem" jewel soap for my mum, and ended up also buying a Little Velvet gift box for myself. (To make the postage more worthwhile, of course.)

I'll start off by mentioning that Mei's customer service is fantastic. I forgot to enter a discount code when I placed my order, so I sent her a message on etsy. Within minutes, she'd replied, refunded my original purchase, and invited me to reprocess it with the discount code in place. My package was in the post and delivered by courier a few days later. I couldn't have asked for a smoother transaction.



The Little Velvet gift box contains an Envy Soap, Rockpool Bathing Whip, Driftwood Body Polish and Siren Body Mousse. You can choose the type of box and string, which I think adds a nice personal touch.


The first thing I noticed when I unboxed it was that the packaging is simply top notch. The soap was individually wrapped with a professional looking label, and the tubs were all individually sealed. Having bought a number of hand- and home-made bath products before, this was a totally unexpected, yet pleasant, surprise.



Envy Handmade Soap

"Turn green with the clean, fresh scent of pine, cedarwood, rosemary, grapefruit and litsea, finished a touch of earthy patchouli. Black poppy seeds are scattered throughout to scrub away those bad feelings."



I love everything about this soap - the swirled texture on top, the delicate brown lines running through it, and the smell. Oh, the smell. It has a really fresh, strong scent, perfect for waking you up in the morning. It lathers up nicely, and leaves a squeaky clean feeling.




Rockpool Bathing Whip 100ml

"Close your eyes as you sink into this fresh, ocean like blend of lavender, rosemary, bergamot, pine and litsea."



Now don't try and ask me what litsea is, but apparently that's what I have to thank for the distinctive lemongrass scent of this bathing whip. I've heard some inventive names for bath products - shower jelly, body conditioner - but bathing whip is a new concept to me.


It has a fairly dry and crumbly texture, but upon contact with water it becomes quite runny. I found that it worked best when used with a shower pouf. I used a couple of pea sized chunks, and it lathered up really quickly and easily.

The instructions say it can be used as a shampoo as well, but I'm reluctant to try it on my blue-dyed hair. It's an interesting concept though. According to Mei, the best way to use it as a shampoo is to start with a tiny amount and make a paste by rubbing it between your hands, then adding more water until it lathers up before applying to hair. Add more water or Whip as needed and just rinse and condition as normal. This sounds like a great multipurpose product for taking on holiday.




Driftwood Body Polish 130g

"A calming blend of lavender, cedarwood and rose geranium, with the added warmth of ginger and sandalwood."



This is your classic sugar scrub. The sugar granules are big, and don't melt straight away unlike other scrubs I've tried. This gives you time to really scrub away any dry skin. You do need to use quite a lot for your entire body, but because it's so effective you only need to use it occasionally.


The instructions say to allow time for the butters and oils to soak in, but I didn't feel very buttered up or oily afterwards. On one hand, this is a good thing because I wasn't greasy and slippery, but on the other hand I didn't feel like it was particularly moisturising.

It has a mellow woody scent, which is the mildest out of all the products in this box.




Siren Body Mousse 100ml

"A bold, captivating blend of ylang ylang, rose geranium, litsea, sweet orange and patchouli to bring out your inner siren."



I really like the look of this one. Mousse is the perfect word to describe it. The texture is light and fluffy, like whipped cream, but it's rich and thick upon application. It has a strange texture after being rubbed in though - it becomes somewhat tacky, and the thickness makes it a bit difficult to work with. However, it does its job as a moisturiser really well, and there is no greasy feeling afterwards. It has a mild, pleasant citrus scent.



Overall, I'm really happy with this gift box. The products are indulgent and they smell amazing. The packaging is so professional that you'll quickly forget that they are created by one woman in her Melbourne apartment. The only downside is that they are expensive for such small sizes, which will inevitably get used up quickly - if not by yourself, then by your boyfriend who keeps using them while you're not looking, because they smell so good!

The gift box is $45.55, and individually the soap is $8, bathing whip $9.50, body polish $12.50 and body mousse $12.50. All these products are available from the Vice and Velvet etsy store, with international shipping. 

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