Make Up Store ~ Charmaine

Make Up Store ~ Charmaine

Teal scattered holo

Charmaine has actually been laying on top of the box of untrieds for over two years! I can see that I showed it on the blog in November 2012, but this polish definitely deserves a revival. It’s teal, it’s scattered holo and it’s gorgeous!

It has also got an amazing formula and it’s a one coater! I did apply two coats out of habit and because that’s how I roll, but the second coat didn’t make any difference whatsoever.

Here’s two coats and no topcoat:

I love this colour!

This is a low light picture. The colour is still gorgeous!

I stamped on two nails using Moyou London’s stamping plate Pro Collection-15 and I stamped with Sally Hansen Whirlwind white. I applied little rhinestones on the three other fingers.

A layer of topcoat and I was good to go:

I hope I can resist picking the little rhinestone off! :D 

Oh, by the way: Click this link to the post I made about Charmaine in late 2012. It’s really interesting to see how I improved :)

Number of coats: 2 (but 1 is enough)

Drying time: Good

Durability: Good

Finish: Scattered holo
Overall impression: I love everything about this polish!

Buy again: Yes!

Make Up Store ~ Charmaine

Make Up Store ~ Charmaine  

Teal with a vague scattered holo

I don’t buy Make Up Store polishes very often. I think they are really good quality but they are also a bit on the pricey side. But when I laid my eyes on Charmaine I just knew I had to buy her. She’s a scattered holo that isn’tt very prominent. Make Up Store calls her a shimmer, which I don’t think she is. But she’s pretty nonetheless! And she’s opaque – a true one coater!

The formula is great. The polish glides on like butter and the brush leaves no bald spots or brush strokes. It’s a fantastic polish!

Here’s one coat – no top coat:

And from another angle:

Isn’t it just gorgeous!? Looking in the rear view mirror I should have kept it like this. But there’s something about one coloured nails that just doesn’t appeal to me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay on others. I just can’t leave it like that.

I was indecisive though – what to do with it? So I took Gosh Holograpic Hero, and sponged it on the tips. I don’t know why I did that. The sun wasn’t out, so I should have known that I couldn’t pull out a rainbow pic for you girls.

Here’s how it looked anyway, still no top coat:

I think it’s a bit boring. So I added glittah! :D I dapped on one coat of Kleancolor’s “Afternoon Picnic”, and then topped it all with one coat of Poshé top coat. And here’s the final result:

I’m not at all happy with this, but life’s like that sometimes. It’s not the first time I feel a Kleancolor glitter has let me down. Please tell me what you think of this, and be honest with me. :)

Opacity: 10/10
Colour, prettiness: 10/10
Durability: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Buy again: Yes

Make Up Store ~ Vanja

Make Up Store ~ Vanja

Deep, vampy purple with red undertones

This is my only Make Up Store nail polish. They are pretty expensive here – about US$22 for a bottle, which is a bit more than I’m usually willing to pay. But there was a small sale going on in my local mall a couple of months ago, which meant I could buy this polish half price. Count me in! I love sales :D

The formula was good, neither too runny nor too thick, and application was easy, even though I made a big mess. I was the only one to blame for that though, the polish was totally innocent! ;) It took two coats to reach opacity, which is great. I didn’t apply a top coat.

Here’s your pic:

It looks pretty good, don’t you think?

Next thing up was to apply a little something extra. You should know me by now – that’s the way I work.

Kleancolor has made a range of holo top coats. The Chunky Holo Purple looked interesting enough to suit Vanja. It’s a clear purple base with extremely holographic glitter. It was nice’n easy to apply, and then whenever I moved my fingers it was like a little rainbow kept turning up - red, orange, yellow and green! It’s amazing.

Here’s one coat of Chunky Holo Purple over Vanja and a layer of Seche Vite top coat:

I’m very pleasantly surprised over this mani. What do you think?

Opacity: 8/10
Colour, prettiness: 9/10
Durability: 7/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Buy again: Yes