Alessandro - 202

Orange foily shimmer  

Happy Halloween!

As you've probably worked out, I don't do nail art... Mostly time (I'd rather be swatching) but also a big dose of assuming I'd be terrible at it!  But as it's Halloween the least I can do is share a fabulous orange toned polish with you lovely folk.

So here is Alessandro 202, a glowy orange foily shimmer.  The shimmer is gold and adds to the depth.

It is a little sheer, this swatch is 3 coats and there's definitely still a hint of VNL..

But the best bit, you can pick up this bottle of Alessandro polish (10ml) for only £1 on HalfPricePerfumes, although I'm not sure you'd be expecting this colour based on the swatch on there!

Alessandro is a quality German brand and this size bottle would normally retail for around £8.95

Leighton Denny - Grey Radiance

Warm grey shimmer  

Sunlight - looks much warmer

Shimmer close-up

Grey Radiance is a warm toned grey shimmer (or is it a pearl?) with silvery grey shimmer

Swatch shown is 2 coats, no top coat.

Application was good but it is slightly tricky with the brushstrokes, hence my pearly thoughts...

I like this, I'm a big fan of grey anyhow but the warmth of this polish moves it out of the ordinary

Alessandro - Dancing Queen

Greyed purple shimmer  

Dancing Queen from Alessandro is a dusky greyed purple shimmer.

This one is a mini bottle, 5ml.

The swatch pictures are 2 coats but looking at them here I should've done 3!

Ciaté - Skinny Jeans

Mid blue creme  

Wowser!


Skinny Jeans is a mid blue creme with an awesome formula and application - this was almost a one-coat-wonder and great shine too.

Swatch shown is 2 coats, no top coat as usual.

And for a super pigmented blue - no smurf nails on removal - result!

Mavala - Silver Angel

Shimmery sheer white pearl  

Silver Angel isn't silver, but it does have an angelic, silvery feel to it.

This is the kind of colour I wore many years ago at school, I was a fan of a mildy pearlescent  finish plus it didn't show up too much so I was less likely to get in trouble with the teachers!

I'd describe it as a slightly sheer, shimmery white frost.  Mavala, on the bottle, describe it as a pearl, but anything that isn't creme is pearl in their books!

Swatch shown is 2 coats, no top coat.

Leighton Denny - Inside Scoop

Pale green creme  

Super summery, Inside Scoop isfrom 20ll's Gelato collection.

Inside Scoop is a pale apple green pastel creme. Leighton describes it as cool mint green which is probably true too, it's one of those colours that looks cooler/warmer depending on the light.

Swatch shown is 2 coats with no top coat.  Application was good for a pastel creme and Leighton Denny's always seem to dry with a good shine.

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Alessandro - Bleached Blue

Soft, bright periwinkle blue creme  

Ooooh isn't this pretty, I love the colour and the name!

Bleached Blue is a soft but bright mid blue creme that definitely leans a little periwinkle


Swatch shown is 2 coats, no top coat as usual.

It's not as dusky as the bottle colour but still gorgeous.

This polish is from a small collection of blues called Denim Diva that Alessandro bought out back in 2011.

Hello Kitty - Purple Mary

Bright purple creme  

Hello Kitty is a new brand to the blog and to me.  I picked this up from an internet private sale, I haven't seen this brand in stores in the UK.

Searching the interwebs there seem to be *many* varieties of Hello Kitty nail polish, mostly in Hello Kitty shaped bottles rather than this variety.


Purple Mary (weird name huh?) is a super shiny pink toned purple creme with slight jelly tendancies.

Swatch shown is 2 coats with no top coat.

Application and formula were good, no comments on wear as this was just a swatch.  The colour is nothing unique but pretty all the same and great shine!

Seche - Coral

Bright, intense coral creme  

Coral  is unsurprisingly a deep coral creme

This is pretty much a one-coat wonder although the swatches shown are with 2 coats

Like all the Seche polishes I've swatched the application and formula are great and the finish is super shiny.

Max Factor Max Effects Mini - Silver

Warm silver foil  

Silver is a warm silver foil with copper, steel and silver foil pieces.  It's an interesting finish and combination of different silver foil pieces...  Click on the images to see bigger versions to see the foil in closeup.

And now for the bad news, this is 4 bloody coats and can still see visible nail line on my  index finger!

This is going straight to the recycle pile!

Seche - Lumiere

Warm peach with gold shimmer  

Lumiere is a warm peach with gold shimmer.

The finish is slightly frosty & brushstrokey and looking at the pics also slightly bubbly/gritty looking.

Can't say the colour is really me either... ah well...

Swatch shown is 2 coats with no top coat.

Nail Addict by Famous - Angel

Purple foil with chunky & fine glitter  

Angel is a pinky plum foil with chunkyish pink glitter and some fine darker purple glitter


Formula is oddly thick/gloopy like the foil/glitter is suspended in the polish

It's also pretty sheer - I needed 3 thick coats for opaqueness...

Barry M Superdrug Limited Edition 2013 - Fluorescent Pink

Fluoro pink jelly   

Barry M - Superdrug Limited Edition 2013 Pink was a freebie available from Superdrug with a certain spend, £6 IIRC.

It's a pale fluorescent pink jelly with a special zebra print lid.

It's a jelly so not totally opaque after 3 coats.  No top coat.