Pick N Mix Week 3 - 60s / Matte or Texture

I'm really cheesed off about this week - I did have an awesome monochrome 60s geometric mani done, I even wore it to work for a week.... then I forgot I hadn't photographed it and took it off to do my nails for a night out.

When I realised I'd not actually done any photos I could have actually kicked myself - it took ages to do all the taping and painting.

I then remembered that I'd just gotten the three new matte Silks from the BarryM winter release and I was busting to try out Forest. How could I resist?

Swatched: Nicole by OPI My Cherry Amour

I've been waiting for this collection to cross the pond for ages - possibly since I first saw it on the Chalkboard Nails News section back in April! There was one in particular that I lusted after in this collection - My Cherry Amour. A beautiful deep magenta with not only a textured finish but a scattering of holo glitter, I knew I had to have it. Somehow.

The problem was, when the polishes actually came out... no shops over here actually sold Nicole by OPI. And then Superdrug popped up its NOPI displays and I went in to paroxysms of joy. Until they filled the display with polishes and I saw we were a few months behind our pampered sisters across the pond in the US. So I was made to wait patiently, which I can tell you is no mean feat. But I was well rewarded when this eventually turned up in my local Superdrug...

Tara's Talons & Pocket Money Polishes Snow White Duos

I picked up these gorgeous pairs of polishes from two of my favourite indie makers - Tara of Tara's Talons and Charlie of Pocket Money Polishes when they released their limited edition Snow White duos a while back. Originally I only intended to get one, but in the end I was paralysed by choice and bought the two I couldn't decide between, which was the best option I could have gone for.

BarryM Textured Glitters - Countess, Duchess and Majesty

When I saw the two halves of BarryM's Autumn/Winter releases I nearly had an excitement based fit - one half was brown, nude, red and black matte polishes and is super awesome, chic and a good staple for the coming seasons. The other half was textured glitter polishes that are similar to the OPI Liquid Sand polishes in finish, except with a big helping of sparkle thrown in for good measure.

I picked up three of the five glitters in the collection - clockwise from top left in that image above is Countess, Duchess and Majesty - and here they are in all their sparkly and shiny glory.

Warning, post below the jump will be image heavy.

Swatched - Nails Inc Emerald Street

As you may or may not know, Pantone voted Emerald Green as 2013's Colour of the Year. I was over the moon at this because I love green, but I've been searching for the perfect green for months now.

I came across Emerald Street in a blog sale last week and I knew I had to have it.

Models Own Velvet Goth Collection - Absinthe & Valerian

Models Own released one of their new autumn collections quite recently and I managed to beat the rush and grab two of the shades from my local Boots (buy one get one half price too!).

I'm terribly predictable and despite my self-imposed ban on new polish I managed to pick myself up the blue (Valerian) and the green (Absinthe) out of the 5 colour set. The ones I'm missing, Sardonyx, Amethyst and Obsidian - Red, Purple and Black respectively - are a definite temptation after seeing how these two beauties came out.

Beware... this post is pic heavy!

Swatched - Tara's Talons Becca's Polish

I am so in love with this polish its not even funny.

Rachael (of Racho's Nail Love) commissioned Tara (delightful maker of indie polish brand Tara's Talons) to make me a customer polish for my birthday at the end of August. I knew Rach was up to something as she kept asking me what I'd put in a polish if I could make one for myself, but I really didn't expect the end result to be this fantastic.

The polish base is a slightly jelly grass green, and is loaded with gold and green hexes that just float on the nail and give such awesome depth.

Review - Nelly Polish - Looe

*** Sample Provided for Review ***

My first review sample! Thanks so much to Hilary of Nelly Polish for sending me this and another bottle (Mena) to have a nice play with.

I have to admit that I've photographed Mena twice and the light just would not behave, so sadly I've only got Looe to show you today.

Swatched - A England Galahad

Just a short swatch post whilst I'm setting off on my jollies - hopefully nothing will explode whilst I'm gone!

I've been after this polish for months now, and when Mr Painted-Claws got overexcited and gave me one of my birthday presents early I nearly exploded when I opened this up.

Galahad is such a beautiful blue creme, bright and bold and absolutely gorgeous. I know I'm gushing, but I really think this may be one of my favourite polishes.

The pictures above show two coats, although the second coat was pretty much just out of habit - this is a super pigmented creme that goes on amazingly and dries quite fast. These pictures do have a topcoat of Seche Vite, thus the amazing shine, but on its own its quite shiny as well.

Swatched - China Glaze Deviantly Daring

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had no China Glaze polishes.

Then my other half went and gave me some early birthday presents, because he got so overexcited to see me get them. He's adorable.

This is China Glaze Deviantly Daring, a teal-blue duochrome foil that is super amazing on the nail.

Swatched - Catrice Pimp My Shrimp

I could never resist this polish, given its name. Also its a lovely coral orange colour, but that name had me completely reeled in.

Cookies & Cream... and Confetti

At the end of June, Ciate had a 50% off flash sale. £9 polish down to £4.50 a bottle you say? Even better when I found out that a 30% off voucher in Marie Claire could be stacked on top of it. I ended up bagging 3 bottles for the price of one full price. I was so pleased, haha.

I was after another neutral/nude polish, as I can't get enough of them, so I picked up Cookies and Cream. Then I couldn't stop thinking about Oreos, so I had to bust out the black and white glitter as a topper!

From Blood Orange to Candyfloss

Nails Inc seem to like sending me pink/red polishes. So far, in my lucky dips and other bulk buys they seem to have sent me 15, which actually equates to just under half of my total Nails Inc collection.

Not that I'm complaining, I keep thinking to myself that I need something to balance out my ludicrous amount of blue/green polishes.

So after trawling through them all I picked out 5 and went for a pretty pink skittle...

Swatched - Essie All Tied Up

Once again I find find myself unable to actually tell what colour this is. I've been staring at it for three days now and I'm still not sure how to describe it.

Swatched - Ellagee's Grand and Miraculous Spaceship

Wednesday is swatch day! Got a absolutely beautiful indie here from the lovely Ellagee - this is Grand and Miraculous Spaceship, from the World of Laughter collection.

I've been after this polish since I first spotted it on the Ellagee Facebook page before its release and I really was not disappointed when I finally got it.

Swatched - OPI Animal-istic

OPI Animal-istic is part of the Muppets Collection, am orange leaning red polish filled with sparkle, shine and magenta-red glass fleck/shimmer.

Sad thing is, I don't think I like it?

New Brand - Elevation Polish

I'm slowly but surely managing to break in to the joyous world of indie polishes, a world filled with delightful concoctions handmade by lovely ladies around the globe. I've already shown swatches of my very first indies - KB Shimmer's Where my Peeps at and Lottie Dottie - but now I've managed to branch out in to another brand.

Elevation Polish is made in the US by hand, and are mostly named after mountains due to the creator's love of climbing. As a result I can spell but not say most of the polish names properly!

Swatched - Sinful Colors Kissy

I love teal. And blue. And green. I'm not sure if you've noticed.

When Sinful Colors launched over here I was like a kid in a candy shop - damn good polishes for only £1.99? Get in my shopping basket!

Then I spotted Kissy ... 

Swatched - W7 Golden Suede

There's been a lot of textured effect polishes out lately and I have to admit I'm not so fond of the trend. I wear tights to work and I manage to slaughter enough of them with smooth nails, never mind textured ones! I found the W7 suedes to be less on the textured side and more just delightfully matte, which is totally awesome.

Swatched - MUA Stormy Skies

Its such a shame that the MUA polishes only come in teeny little bottles, because I'd really love a full sized bottle of this.

Stormy Skies is a black/dark charcoal gray polish with a slight golden shimmer, kinda like a black counterpart to last week's Dutch you just love OPI... but 1/10th the RRP. MUA polishes retail for just £1, which is super cheap, especially when the polish is decent quality.