Berry-ations Part 2

Back to some more berry shades and these are a lot more into the red or magenta range of berry.

Part 1 can be read here.

Once again, three coats and no topcoat.



Maybelline Raspberry

A purple berry that walks the line between a red violet and a mauve. It has a red undertone, seen in the comparison photos, which really adds to the complexity. I'd add that this photo is a wee bit over exposed. It will be darker in the comparison below.
In my experience these Express Finish polishes that are from the Gold Cap era are some of the most pigmented polishes I've seen, very dense, too, well, the cremes and mattes for sure.
The brush in this one isn't in a state of decay like many others I have, either.
To me this is a very modern take on a vamp. Reminds me of something a designer brand would put out - and it may be a copy of one I don't know about - because it is deep, sophisticated and not a naive shade, either.

Purchased at l'Arbre de Dollar.



Nars M. Butterfly

I almost called this post "Vamps for Those Who Don't Enjoy Vamps" but since everything seemed to fit under the "berry" category I stayed on course. I love its intensity and drama without delving into "hey another black polish, for all intents and purposes!"
A berry toned red that has been dropped from Nars' roster.
Whenever I see this polish in my drawer I think of Puccini's Cio Cio San and Malcolm Mclaren's single, Madame Butterfly. (Seriously, find it on YouTube. It's the best.)
Gorgeous formula, but I did have to redo a nail due to cuticle flooding, so it is a tad bit thin. When I redid it with a thinner coat, I had less issues.

I purchased this off of eBay for $7 and it has a Nordstrom label on it. Can't find it now, but I'm not sure when it was discontinued.



Diamond Cosmetics Mulberry Mayhem

Missed Nars M. Butterfly? This is a very nice alternative. Missed Diamond Cosmetics? You could try one of their customers: Priti NYC and Ginger + Liz.
Devilishly gorgeous. Glossy and a very much easier polish to work with than the Nars.
Excellent coverage, as well.

Purchased at Diamond Cosmetics for about $2.
Come back, Diamond Cosmetics! I miss you!



Misa That's My Little Secret

Another winner if you missed Nars M. Butterfly.
Misa, man, your formula is the best.
Floats on, no hassles. Gorgeous!
From the I'm Only Human collection of 2009 per my research.
Flawless.

Purchased on Transdesign before they rolled out their snazzy site, NailSupplies dot US.



Comps!

Same order: Maybelline, Nars, Diamond Cosmetics, Misa
(one coat)

Same order.
Top row has one coat.
Second row is three coats.
The Maybelline feels like the odd man out!

Bottles!

Back left: old L'Oreal strengthener that I fill with other stuff to use as base like old SH or WnW.
On the right, behind DC and Misa is a container I fill with things like nail oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and old lip balms. I melt it and it's been a big help to my cuticles.

Again with the flash, you can see how these are lovely these are.

As with my last post, the only one I could find was Misa's That's My Little Secret on their company site. It's $7.50. I will add that at that price it's a deal except that shipping is not cheap, multiple polish purchase can ease the pain. It is on Nailsupplies dot US, whom I've shopped at with abundant frequency, but shipping means you need to buy a number of polishes to make it worthwhile.

The rest, well, good luck, eh? Might troll eBay's waters for any of these coming up on any occasion.


Thanks so much for reading my little nail polish  journal!