Sunday 4 August 2013

Pretty Serious Cosmetics - Purple Monkey Dishwasher

Hi Everyone,

Today I'd like to share the second of my little Pretty Serious collection - Purple Monkey Dishwasher.

This might sound like a very random collection of words (well, actually...) but in fact it's a little tidbit from an episode of The Simpsons - which is my husband's favourite TV show. The scene itself is here if you'd like to see it for yourself!

http://youtu.be/PP_pDXBOSBI

When I saw a swatch of this polish, I had to show my husband - I get brownie points if I recognise things from his favourite shows. Also, it's purple, and I do love me some purple polish! So of course, I was completely thrilled when this turned up! Yay!! (And yes, he gets mega brownie points for these little treats!)


If you read my last Pretty Serious post, you'll know that I have a bit of a soft spot for this packaging - it's just so pretty! But lets have a look at what's inside... after all, that's what counts!

The polish itself is a blue toned purple, with mixed micro-glitter particles. It dries to a somewhat matte and textured finish. It felt a bit like a rubbish Liquid Sand polish to be honest, but without the sparkle or coverage. In these swatches, I have done something slightly different - on my index, ring and pinkie finger I have applied top coat. On my thumb and middle finger, I've left it bare to try and show the difference in look and texture. I'm not sure if I *actually* achieved this, but lets take a look anyway!



I love these close up shots of the bottle as it shows up the tiny hints of blue and pink glitter. These really show up when you use a glossy top coat - otherwise I think that the polish looks a little bit flat in colour. The texture is quite rough, and it does have a tendency to drink top coat. I used three thin coats of polish and three coats of top coat. I could still feel the texture underneath the top coat, but by then, 6 coats felt like more than enough.




Despite my somewhat gushing praise for Liquid Leprechaun and it's beee-uuuuu-tiful formula, I was a little bit disappointed with Purple Monkey Dishwasher. First of all, I needed to do a bit of brush maintenance before I started my mani as there were a few dangly strands. Then, upon application, I found that the polish was a bit stubborn - I really had to drag it around the nail, which left coverage uneven in other places. It felt too much like hard work, and not enough like fun! A very different experience than the one I had with Liquid Leprechaun.


Top coat really makes this polish special. Without it, I didn't like the polish. (Sorry.) I kept checking my nails during the day to see if I changed my mind, but no. Thankfully, the glossy nails saved it for me. I didn't like the texture or formula, and the colour seemed flat to me. Add the gloss, and we're back to something special - it becomes glowy, with more distinction to the pink and blue particles. This is one for a thick gel top coat I think - just to remove that underlying texture and create a smooth finish.

So... would I recommend this polish? Yes and no.

If you prefer a simple, no fuss mani - don't. I like painting my nails on a daily basis and this just frustrated me. A disappointing experience for me.

If you don't mind putting in the extra effort for a beautiful result, then yes. But bring a gel top coat along for best results!

What do you think of Purple Monkey Dishwasher? Do you have any Pretty Serious recommendations for me?

Let me know,

Love Charlotte x

Thursday 1 August 2013

Summer Nail Art Ideas

Hi Everyone,

In my attempt to try more things, and do more nail art (and use more polishes) I put together a mix and match mani, with a few different things going on!

First of all, if you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen this before. If only briefly. This is from about two weeks ago, but trust, those were a hectic two weeks. I've had meetings away with work, I've had a mess up with my wages, I've had favours to give, training to plan for new starters, and more things I've probably actually forgotten. The air con is very broken in work, and the recent heatwave has left the shop like a sauna. And working 8 hours days, fully clothed in a sauna is not good. I've been coming home very tired, and very forgetful. My concentration is gone! Luckily, I'm off for a week, leaving me in a position to catch up on 'me' things! And to try and get over this evil summer cold...

Anyway... sorry for the rambling... here we go!






This is China Glaze For Audrey - one of my original lemmings, and currently, tragically underused. And it is so pretty! I have also used a Nina Ultra Pro white creme called French White, and my trusty old Barry M Gold Foil. I went with a simple, but pretty line of dots on my thumb nail, (I love the gold on white combination) and then - something new on my ring finger. I tried the fan brush method, using For Audrey and the Gold Foil over a white base. Whilst I'm sure my next attempt will be better, I love this. I'm kinda proud of this mani! And it really was easy to do!

What do you think? Let me know!

Love Charlotte x