Midnight Passion by Diamond Cosmetics

Why this has sat untried in a drawer for so long, who knows. 

You've read my posts about Diamond Cosmetics, and they are now private label only, but when they had their own line ($2-3!!) it was a formula on par with the best.

So I guess there is more money in what they do now, as boutique brands and influencers emerge with their own product.

Midnight Passion:

Two coats and no top coat when I took this photo.

An indigo purple (though I had to doctor this image up as it really wants to photograph very bright blue) loaded with metallic shimmer.

A formula that covered and was plump almost like a gel.

Not to wax sentimental, but damn, right? Nice.

There are many private label makers and it seems like a lucrative market if you own the polish manufacturing infrastructure. From high end luxury cosmetic brands to modest makers building a name, all use outsourced nail polish manufacturing...unless you actually make it for a living, like OPI, Color Club, CND, and a host of indies. 

I am glad they are still around.

If you see this one on a blog sale, like a deep indigo purple shimmer, you might want to grab it!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Cinnamon Spice, It's Just So Nice

I haven't done a comp for a few weeks and I have some old polishes and a new one that need an outing.

While these colors seem very traditionally autumnal, I wanted to just toss them out, mainly to inspire me to wear them more often through the winter.

Spice colors are some of my favorites. They are neutral and easy to wear in the winter months when my skin is less tanned. I like golds in the summer and yellows, so for my skin tone, that's how I balance it.


I've got four, so the best thing to do is go down the list!

Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You

Two very simple coats. A now-discontinued foil, the gold and rich russet red, well, let's say they play well together and we have a gorgeous result.

Very hard to fault this polish: coverage, nice wear, and a classic shade that doesn't feel dated.

With the contrasting shimmer, it could be on the pages of an indie seller's catalogue.

You might find it at a blog sale, but the long story short: Diamond Cosmetics is firmly in the private label camp. So be it. Godspeed.



Zoya Anastasia

Zoya does shimmers quite well. I don't know if that is their intention, for in fact I like their cremes quite a bit, too. It does seem to be their wheelhouse, though. They present them each year - some collections are almost all shimmer - and don't bat an eyelash or mitigate it with 3-4 similar reds or pinks to offset. There was a time when I discarded Zoya, but now, I'm looking again at this feisty salon brand that OPI could borrow from (less puns, people, more content - says a punster).

Anastasia is now gone from the Zoya site (so my surprise as I check into this as I write) and that's a bummer large. The burgundy undertone is strong, but it's so warmed up by the gold shimmer - glass fleck - that it takes on a deep spicy shade that feels like a Victorian brocaded room. Feel the hush of a life with no blue glow, no television/radio, and perhaps just a bit of Brahams playing in a room below.

Still available online with a bit of a hunt. I am sure people blog sale this one periodically.



Zoya Ivy

Ivy is a sheer 3-4 coater (nearly a topper, as you will see) that does pay off.

Apologies for this photo, my skin pulled pink and I had to play in photoshop to get the shade and the skin tone reasonable decent.

I unapologetically love this. My photo makes it look slightly too cognac, but it has more sherry color in it, too. In the bottle at some angles it pulls into a dry sherry shade, so much so that the reddish swatches I saw online seemed unimaginable. And yet, it does have this gorgeous color, undaunted by the warm gold glass fleck that is more subtly meted out.

This feels like nail polish grown up, still with that signature Zoya shimmer.

What is sad, though, like Anastasia, it, too, is gone. Too sad. Reminiscent of the bustle of some fin de siecle 19th century gown. Pull out our Maupassant when you are wearing this. Or browse some Sargent. It will feel just right.



El Corazon Magical Evening Fantasy

From the big buy last year. I've worn it but not blogged it. It is also a three coater, but has this lovely mauve "raw meat" kind of base I can't describe, then it's packed with pink glass fleck shimmer.
Wow!

I think the name is hilarious and gives me such a giggle, but hey, it's not a ghastly pun.

Not much more to say, except it could be one of my favorites, so lovely.

Still on El Corazon, this "Magical" line is extensive and quite beautiful. I recommend poking around, if you dare, it's hard not to build a cart on that site!



A quick comparison, though they are hardly dupes, but it's fun to see them in relation to each other:

Left to right:
Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You
Zoya Anastasia
Zoya Ivy
El Corazone Magical Evening Fantasy (snicker)

Here's a darker shot:

Left to right:
Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You
Zoya Anastasia
Zoya Ivy
El Corazon Magical Evening Fantasy (hee, hee)

Here is a shot of the first coat, so you can see how sheer are Ivy and MEF.

Same order. You can see Hue Are You really is gorgeous, would be nice over a medium or dark red. 

Anastasia is fairly normal.

Ivy and MEF are sheer, but they do build.

I didn't realize when I started that the Zoyas would be gone. I guess they clean out their stable. I am not on a list announcing discontinued polishes, but maybe I should find out more about that. It's a bummer because Ivy is a stunner. 

Thanks so much for reading my little nail polish journal!

The Dearly Departed

If I've posted it once, I've posted it 100 times: I miss Diamond Cosmetics.

I finally got around to swatching an oldie!!

Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm

A warm gray charcoal base with a load of holo to add some buzz. It forms a soft rainbow, so it's not a true scattered holo. I am sure with holo's these days you can define them in a lot of ways.

This is three coats, no top coat.

I think this came out before the indie market filled the huge gap in holos, so this was a semi-hot item in its day.

I like how earthy the holo looks here.

I can't immediately think of a dupe, but Cupcake polish and Illyrian polish make a similar one, but with a lot more holo. This one lets the base shine through.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Ever So Evergreen

If you've read my blog or buzzed through a few of them, you know I am a holding a torch for Diamond Cosmetics.

They were a great company who sole a very great line of polish at a price point that was seriously amazing. ($2-3, amIright?)

Now there was some "outing" of companies who do private label agreements with them. Sadly they went full private label.

Meanwhile I am still trotting out a few here and there.

Here's Never So Evergreen

A deep green shimmer packed with a microglitter or glass fleck gold as well as a fine gold shimmer.

This is three coats, but two would have been adequate.

Love this a lot. Formula super easy to work with and it just is a no brainer easy to use polish.

Dried fast - no top coat here.

I didn't try it as a stamping polish (I've made a new page if you all want to peek), but for a shimmer, it's a temptation!

I think Zoya's Yuna is similar, but darker.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

The Blogging Year Recap

2016 is over. Wow. When I flip back through pages of blog posts, it feels like so little time has gone by. In fact, 2009 feels a lot like yesterday. (Well things were full of change and hope back then).

I'm still enjoying blogging, and that's key. I hope you are enjoying the polishes with me.

There are many changes in blogging and I don't think social media blogging has eradicated bloggers like me, yet. Yet. The challenges for me is time and accessibility. Instagram is very phone-centric, so I hope the new Sony A6000 will be up for that challenge.

I'm off the SinfulColors mailing list, much to my relief, and I don't have anyone offering me polish. Yay! So while I am not super timely with new things, my reviews will be my own. It's hard to be objective when you have free stuff arriving in the mail, despite disclosures and disclaimers.

This year I plan on trotting out a heck of a lot more indies and more stamping. I have to say I love both and with a better camera it's only my skillset that won't do right by it.

Finally, here are a few of my faves from 2016, enjoy!



FUN Lacquer Anna

OPI Into the Night and RBL Pardonne Moi stamped with white pearl (if I recall!) and topped with Orly Precious Metal

Maybelline Sand Storm stamped with Sally Hansen Frost Freeze

Guppy 77 over Sally Hansen Gray by Gray

Borghese Capriccio Blue stamped with Revlon Captivate

Sally Hansen Model Behavior

Illamasqua Muse

OPI Ro-Man-ce On The Moon accented with Milani Silver Dazzle

China Glaze All Wrapped Up

Petites Banish

Essence Back to Paradise

Diamond Cosmetics Tranquility franken

Nicole by OPI Sing You Like a Bee topped with Hidden Treasure all over Color Club Coastal Creme

American Apparel Tshirt

Dior Equis

Layering: Revlon Snow Bunny franken, SinfulColors Pinky Glitter, and Cover Girl City Lights

Morgan Taylor Making Waves

Dear Readers, thank you for reading my little nail polish journal!

Happy 2017!! (fingers crossed!!)

Blues You Can Use

Here are three blues that I like a lot, but have strengths and weaknesses to varying degrees.

Colorwise: all strengths. Weaknesses: I'm not a "brand snob" but sometimes brands let themselves down with lack of details, as you will see.

I am still learning the ol' Sony A6000, I apologize in advance. 

SinfulColors Love Thy Self

This is from the Pride collection. It's a beautiful periwinkle that pulls a bit more lavender in real life.

This is darker and more blue than their Lavender, and quite lovely.

The brush, though, was pretty janked up: it's all uneven and wide at the end. I will have to rebottle it down the pike.

This is probably available through SC in some iteration or another. I'll be honest I have mixed feelings: price point is good, but hit or miss with formula or brush. 

Claire's No Name blue

This is a really a bad picture, jebus. Three coats, no top coat.

This is a pretty deep blurple that borders on cobalt. I love this color, but have a few trepidations: it's a patchy, balding mofo. I mean it needed three coats. Coat one was alarming. By coat three I felt it was workable.

Drying to a nice wax finish it is a pretty shade. I don't hit Claire's very often so I don't know if this one is around any more. I know they change things up fairly often, so I can only say if you are near one, take a peek.

Diamond Cosmetics Not Your "Hum Drum" Plum

Three coats and possibly the only thing I can say is a flaw is that it's discontinued. Wah.

This is a beautiful plummy blue. Though it's more blue in this photo, it does run blue than purple.

Love how shiny it dries.

I have to say that this was one of the worst photos I've ever published. So sorry.

Might be able to find this on eBay. 

Thanks for your patience with my photos. 

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Tranquil at Tiffany's

While ruing the day Diamond Cosmetics went private label with their polishes, I still respect the transparency of their process (check out their page with bottle selection!). If I still want Diamond Cosmetics I need to buy it at Priti or Ginger+Liz.
Diamond Cosmetics is my "one that got away" brand. Superlative formulas, excellent colors, and lots of beautiful surprise shades that are still my faves.

Tranquility comes to mind. I blogged it here. Then I ran across a spare bottle (thank you LaquerLove!! her blog is greatness in stamping, check it out here) and wanted to make it into a holo version

I added the 35 micron spectraflair that I'd purchased at Spectraflair4U, but it's all over Etsy these days, too.

My photo is in the sun, three coats and no top coat, plus a bit blown out. It is an adorable holo, that's for sure!

Thank you for reading my little nail polish journal!

Black Shimmer Part 2

Welcome back to part two of my black shimmer collection.

All are three coats unless otherwise indicated and this batch is more of a larger shimmer particle, so let's go!

Diamond Cosmetics BMS

I won't lie, when Diamond Cosmetics came out with this limited edition polish I jumped all over it. This is two coats, and boy what coverage! Yes, definitely a matte, and now that I see it, I want to find some chalkboard stamping images!

I love this baby. Super hard to find, unfortunately DC is a private label company only. Le Sigh!

Misa Wishing on a Star

This has a ton of glass fleck silver floating around in a black jelly base.

Very glossy and because it is a more jelly base it seems almost a gray.

Still available at Misa's website! Nice!

Lovely formula, hard to fault. 

Sally Hansen Raven's Wing

An amazing polish. Wow. Love it!

Not on eBay, but it might show up now and then.  

Best for last? Not sure, but the trio on this page is pretty nice, plus Voodoo from the last post.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Renaissance Spices

Here are three reds that evoke that mix of umbers, ochres and siennas. Close your eyes, you are in Florence, it is summer, you see Giotto Bondone adding shadow and directional light to paintings. Filippo Brunelleschi is teaching the world about perspective. You may not see more than the power of the church, but the subtext is the power of the human mind. Heady stuff when you think about the last  thousand years.

Back to the polish, it's some good stuff. I love shades like this, they are just full of energy. Perfect for this time of year.

L'Oreal Spiced Up

This is two coats, perhaps three, but only two were necessary at all. No top coat.

Three free, but still older and found at Dollar Tree. Man, is this not great? 

This polish is ostensibly a creme, but has little shimmers of the same shade, so the shimmer isn't super secret, just subtle.

Love it a lot. 

Might be around on eBay, but no love at the current moment.

Diamond Cosmetics Sitka Sable

Two coats, no top coat. 

There is a shimmer in this creme and it's a mix of gold and copper and it really amps up this polish.
I love it because it's red, but you feel the heft of Lorenzo Medici's silken robes.

DC is now only private label, but you might see a similar shade within Priti or Ginger+Liz. I just saw that Priti has a Venezia collection for fall 2015, so maybe it will show up there. You never know!

Shiseido Copper Cedar

Beautiful redwood shimmer. Two coats. You can see it shows brush "errors" very easily. The formula was stellar, and I was surprised because I wasn't sure how it would go down.

Lovely, easy to work with and the color is so perfect. 

Found several of the Shiseidos on eBay and really haven't seen them around much since. Very odd how stuff pops up then vanishes. I do see it, as I write this, on eBay for a much higher price than I paid. I am not sure it has the "cult of personality" to support that price, but who knows. Meanwhile, I really have nothing like this that feels so warm yet still clean and not muddy.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal.

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!

Purple of a Silver Nature

A pair of polishes I love a lot.

I thought I'd blogged Dior Silver Purple already (coming soon!!!) however I did not, much to my chagrin. 

Thinking I'd already done so, I put two polishes in a similar vein. I will blog the Dior soon, can't believe I have had that polish since 2009 and not blogged it yet. Ack!

First up Finger Paints Silver Sculpture.

Nothing akin to a dupe. At. All. 

It is, though, an unusual polish. First it's basically a silver, but so infused with a lavender tint that it's not really a silver at all.

This photo illustrates the shade a bit better. 

Next, it's a chrome. But not a flat out mirror-like chrome, more like a crunchy, misty, foggy one.

A few things: you need, like any chrome, a ridge filler, then you need to just either become one with brush strokes or use the now famous sponge method - this is actually not too difficult, and it makes the finish kind of neat, but still crunch/foggy/misty.

In any event, this is three coats, no top coat and lovely, subtle, and a favorite.

Sadly I can't find this polish on The Sally Beauty website nor eBay. It is very understated by comparison to most purple chromes. This has its advantages, depending on your taste.

Next up Diamond Cosmetics Hi Ho Silver. I won't spend a lot of time digressing about the demise of DC's online shop for little old consumer me. 

But. I will say that I haven't seen a dupe of this in the wild. Though something like it - aka ITSELF - may be on the Priti nail polish site. (code for: Priti is a Diamond Cosmetics custom label and they weren't super great at disguising the fact - Priti that is - and I think this might have been a factor in their move to private label only. See, I did it again.)

Three coats, no top coat. Lovely blackened silver base with this luscious, understated purple shimmer.

So perfect. 

Not too vampy, not to bright. 

Yes, some brushstrokes, but very nice. Even though it's summer, I just love this guy a lot for any time of year. 

Formula and  application was quite simple, but DC always is a top ten performer for me.

Dang, I miss them!!! GAH! ;D

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Color Club Beyond The Mistletoe Collection Part 2

Here is part deux of Color Club's Beyond The Mistletoe Collection. A superlative little coterie of wonderful glitter polishes.

Here is a link to part 1

I've got three coats of base color, two of glitter and will highlight any base I've not blogged about before.
No topcoat!


First up is Candy Cane:

A pretty reddened purple mauve I've paired it with Diamond Cosmetics Meditate.
Candy Cane is a mix of pink, purple and silver glitter.
Delightful change from all the holo.


Next a reblog of a beautiful color that is hard to find a dupe for, Sally Hansen The Good Earth:

Blogged a while ago, it really seemed like it needed a proper outing again.

Topped with Color Club's Ginger Bread:

Ginger Bread is packed with gold and holo glitter. Love it over the deeper background, too.


Here's another one in need of a swatch, Ulta's Ban-Blue-Zled:

Largely a crelly, indeed a little bit of a translucent but not transparent.
I've since frankened this polish adding a passle of holo to it. Looking at this photo now I wish I had kept it as a creme!

Now topped with Color Club Jingle Jangle:

Jingle Jangle has no holo either but a light purple and a light blue glitter.
Pretty and reflective, but more springtime in this combo with the pale blue base.


I found my set at Ross. And my backups, now that I think of it. Excellent glitter set to have in your collection!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!