American Apparel - Mouse

Grey/taupe creme

I know, another taupe. What can I say, I love 'em...

Mouse from American Apparel leans grey and doesn't have much purple.  It also changes a lot with the light, looking much warmer, more mushroom toned in sunlight and cooler out of the sun.

It's also quite a soft, light taupe compared with something like OPI's You Don't Know Jacques!

Swatches are 2 coats, no top coat - the polish has a wonderful shine of its own.

American Apparel made quite a splash when they launched their polishes back in 2010, whatever you think of the company and their practices (pretty dodgy is my view) they certainly picked the right supplier for their polishes.  Almost all were highly pigmented with great application and the first couple of colour collections were fabulous.  I personally love the enamel-like feel of the polish.

Alessandro - 190

Bright red flakie

190 is a gorgeous slightly orangey red creme which is packed with gold flakie shimmer

Application was good, swatches are 2 coats with top coat to bring out the flakes...

This is only a tiny 5ml bottle but it's concentrated fabulousness!

Vintage Varnish - Sparkle & Fade - The Reds

Red shimmer & creme  

Here are the last of the Sparkle & Fade polishes (previously sold at Urban Outfitters)

First up, the shimmery red...

This is a classic red with red shimmer.  The shimmer adds depth to the finish.

Swatches shown are 2 coats, no top coat

I don't often wear colours like this on my fingers but they're classic for a reason...

And lastly

Another classic red, this time a pillar box red creme.  Great application and gorgeously shiny - I think I should wear a classic red more often.

Again swatches are 2 coats with no top coat.


Overall I'm very happy with my little Sparkle & Fade collection, the completist in me wishes I had them all (I've seen a lime and a grey on the interwebs), but all the ones I have are winners, either in colour or application & finish....

Vintage Varnish - Sparkle & Fade - Silver foil

Silver foil

Not much more to say about this one, it's a silver foil.  Not a super bright, shiny silver foil

Looks kinda brushstrokey in sunlight but almost like a foil/pearl hybrid in indirect light.

Swatches are 2 coats, no top coat.

It's fine but a pretty standard colour/finish.

Vintage Varnish - Sparkle & Fade Gold foil

Cool gold foil  

This is an unusual one, a slightly greenish cool gold foil.  As with some foils it's a little brushstrokey but nothing too awful

Swatches are 2 coats but really only needed one.

I don't think it works great with my skintone but it's a unique colour for my collection

Vintage Varnish - Sparkle & Fade - the Corals...

Coral creme & shimmer

First up is the creme, what looks like a lovely, shiny coral creme.  Doesn't it look fabulous? Glossy, with a hint of squidgy jelly - perhaps that was why the application was so tricky.  

This is 3 coats and I still had baldish spots although they don't show in the photos.

One of those unusual polishes that looks much better on than I thought it would during the application!   

Next up the shimmer, this coral is much more orange leaning, but if you squint at the close up shot of the bottle you can see the gold and pink shimmer running through the polish.

A very summery, holiday colour - I'm sure it would look great with a tan.

This swatch was 3 coats again, but much better behaved than the creme.

Vintage Varnish - Sparkle & Fade Black glitter

Black creme with sparse fine glitter  

More Sparkle & Fade...

This polish is a nicely opaque black creme with fine, flakie silver glitter.  The glitter isn't massively obvious but does add a little interest to an otherwise regular black creme.

Swatch shown is 2 coats, no topcoat

Germany Haul

European polishes  

Realised I'd shared my recent US haul but not the polishes from one of my frequent-ish Conference trips to Germany back in May

Catrice - all Crushed Crystals

Essence - Colour & Go and a World Cup Green

P2 - Gel Look polishes

Essence glitter jewels, P2 Sand textured and P2 Color Victime

Compared with previous trips I didn't buy too much polish although I did grab some cosmetics too; it was a short trip and although I know where all the hot polish spots are in Sindelfingen there was very little time for shopping.

Of course Essence polishes are now available in the UK (from Wilkinsons) - and interesting that Essence spell colour with a 'u' and P2 without!

Vintage Varnish - Sparkle & Fade - Nude/Peach

Nude/Peach creme  

Another Sparkle & Fade...

This one is a nude/peach creme.  It reminds me of a really rich thick cream or vintage lingerie.  But more peach!

Application was ok, this swatch is 3 coats, no top coat.  Not sure how well this works with my skintone but I do like it.

I also found this article from Elle UK back in 2008 which seems to indicate that Models Own was first launched into Urban Outfitters - so is it a coincidence that the bottles for Sparkle & Fade are the same as Models Own?!

Vintage Varnish - Sparkle & Fade - Taupe

Taupe creme   

I'm always wary of sharing polishes that are no longer available, it seems kinda mean, but these have been sitting in my swatches folder forever so I thought it was time to post them.

Sparkle & Fade were (briefly) stocked in Urban Outfitters stores.  I don't know if they were an Urban Outfitters brand or just stocked by them.  There aren't a whole heap of Urban Outfitters stores in the UK and I stumbled across these in the Birmingham store several years back.  I picked up a few, mostly because they were half price - I do love a bargain!

Unfortunately they don't have names but here goes...

This was one of the first taupe polishes I ever bought, I was aware of Sephora by OPI - Metro Chic and I think OPI - You don't know Jacques was around but you couldn't pick up a taupe from any old brand back then.

I really like this taupe, it's a mid toned, grey leaning taupe.

The polish is nicely opaque and dries super shiny.  Swatches shown are 2 coats, no top coat.

I've worn this polish so many times, taupes are definitely my go-to neutral, but I should probably cut back as this is one polish I can't easily replace...