Seafoam Bubbles - Nyx Be Jeweled, Essence Viva La Green, Orly Luxe, Revlon LilyChrome

I decided to jazz things up a little with some dotticure!

[Base: Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled
Dots: 1. Essence Viva La Green
2. Orly Luxe
3. Revlon LilyChrome]

The base is Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled, a pretty blue-green gold microglitter duochrome. For the dots, I used Essence Viva La Green which is a mint green, Orly Luxe which is a pale gold foil, and Revlon LilyChrome which is a silver chrome.

[Base: Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled
Dots: 1. Essence Viva La Green
2. Orly Luxe
3. Revlon LilyChrome]

The above photo is under indirect sunlight.

[Base: Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled
Dots: 1. Essence Viva La Green
2. Orly Luxe
3. Revlon LilyChrome]

And this one is under indoor lighting.

This mani reminds me of how much I like Be Jeweled. The dotticure is so easy to do and looks good too!

Starry Night - Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Moonwalk

Just a plain swatch today. I was going to post and talk about my water marbling results, but then I found pictures of this new-ish polish I got, and I just had to share.

[3 Coats: Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Moonwalk]

Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Moonwalk is a black jelly polish with scattered, big holo glitter and holo hex glitter. The glitter are dense enough that you won't have to worry about not getting good glitter coverage. Moonwalk's opacity is pretty good at three coats, but because of its jelly nature, you can see it's not entirely opaque if you bring it right up to your face. It applies beautifully, like most of the other Nyx polishes from this collection.

[3 Coats: Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Moonwalk]

Aptly named blog entry? It really is a starry night! Looking at it makes me want to wear it again, right now! It's just all that shininess against the black base.

Alright, the next few pictures are just to show you a little of how the glitter changes with just the slightest shift.

[3 Coats: Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Moonwalk]

Oh, how I wish my photos were better. Bear in mind that this is with my camera that hates photographing holo glitter. Since Moonwalk is a jelly base with dense glitter, you get glitter upon glitter when you layer it, which is just pretty.

I forgot to take photos with my iPhone, so there's no dodgy but shiny shots this time. And I just realised that I have a little cotton still stuck to my fingers, from removing the previous mani. >_> How embarrassing...

I'm a little busy this week, but hopefully, things will ease up, and I can put up more photos outside my usual posting day. :)

Autumn In Summer: Revlon Ornate Ore, Nyx Algae, Nyx Milk Chocolate

What are these strange selections? These colours seem better suited for autumn, but I just had to buy them when I had the opportunity.

Base: Revlon Ornate Ore
Tips: Nyx Girls Algae

So, I love the combination of brown and green on clothing during autumn. Not that it shows in my wardrobe. :P  But I really wanted to try it as a manicure. I think it turned out alright. Right?? O_O

Anyhow, the base is Revlon's Ornate Ore, a limited edition shade, the bottle tells me. It's a lovely dark ash-brown micro-glitter, littered with pink and green microglitter for that extra zest. A funky colour, in my opinion. It's not completely opaque even after two coats. For the tips of the French manicure, I used Nyx's Algae, a dusty green shade I love.

I did the French manicure freehand, which shows if you look at it closely. But I really was too lazy to whip out tape for this.

Base: Revlon Ornate Ore
Tips: Nyx Girls Algae

I matte-fied the manicure on my right hand using Essie Matte About You. I think it looks rather cool like that too!

Here's another random swatch, because it feels like I slacked off on photos for the above mani:

Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Milk Chocolate

I bought Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Milk Chocolate because I was hoping it would be a chocolatey brown version of Nyx's Femme, as swatched here. I made this decision based on the photos on Cherry Culture. Alas, it is far from being a shiny chrome.

However, Nyx Milk Chocolate is still a rather pretty deep brown with the faintest shimmer of gold. It's darker than the colour as seen in the bottle, and while the gold shimmer is obvious in the bottle, it's barely visible on the nail. I think it makes a lovely, woodsy autumn polish, so I'll be saving it for when I'm in an autumney mood.

Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Milk Chocolate

Under lower lighting, the shade of the polish can look very dark. It's an interesting colour if you prefer to stick to work safe shades.

Modestly Flashy - Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Forever Young

Saturday is Extra-Swatchurday! ;)

This is the second set of swatches from the three NYX Advanced Salon Formula polishes I purchased recently. We've already posted a few bottle pics and swatches as well as the potential Zoya dupes Be Jeweled and Enchanted Forest but here are swatches and my review of Forever Young.

[In the bottle: NYX Advanced Salon Formula Forever Young]

Forever Young is a dusty salmon pink jelly with irregularly-shaped and -sized gold flakies. The density of the flakies is pretty decent and fairly evenly dispersed throughout the bottle.

[One coat: NYX Advanced Salon Formula Forever Young]

 One coat shows the jelly finish. It levels out quite well with the flakies lying flat and actually looks pretty good at one coat! I usually don't like sheer-ish polishes as much but I quite liked this.

[Two coats: NYX Advanced Salon Formula Forever Young]

At two coats the colour deepens and you get added dimension from the placement of the flakies at different levels in the polish layers. There was no problem getting the flakies to disperse over the whole surface of the nail either which is a major plus.

[Two coats, indirect sunlight: NYX Advanced Salon Formula Forever Young]

 You could still see a bit of nail line at two coats (as in the previous photo) but it depends on the lighting. Here, the colour looks deeper and the nail line less visible in indirect lighting.

[Three coats, closeup: NYX Advanced Salon Formula Forever Young]

Three coats of polish, the colour deepens slightly but not too much. This pic was taken in the near dark so pardon the crappy lighting. Click to check out the flakies in the closeup!

My thoughts? It's a very pretty polish - I love it when I take a chance on a polish I normally wouldn't get and it works out! I also like that you can decide how much colour you want on, from sheer to opaque. In conclusion, a very versatile shade - the dusty salmon is more unique than your everyday pink, still very worksafe, yet with some added flashiness to it!

The Dupe Test - Zoya Charla vs NYX Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled

Exactly as it says on the cover: This post will be to find out if NYX Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled is a dupe for Zoya Charla.

As always, you can click on the photos for larger views of them. I did not use a topcoat for these swatches.


[In the bottle: NYX Be Jeweled and Zoya Charla]

They are both blue-green jelly-ish bases with a lot of gold and blue-green microglitters. They have a duochrome look, changing from blue to green-gold depending on the angle. In their bottles, they look very similar (and so very pretty!). However, you can also see that NYX's Be Jeweled looks a touch lighter and greener. It doesn't show up as well in photos, but Zoya Charla looks shinier in the bottle.



[One coat: NYX on index and ring finger, Zoya on middle and pinky]

I'm applying thinner coats than I usually do for the sake of comparison. From this first coat, it's obvious that Charla has a darker base. Charla also applies smoother while Be Jeweled's microglitters are just a little chunkier.


[Two coats: NYX on index and ring finger, Zoya on middle and pinky]

At two coats, Charla is very close to completely opaque and it has denser microglitters, while Be Jeweled is still a little jelly-ish. I wondered at this point if the colour difference was due to opacity, so I went for a third coat of Be Jeweled.


[Three coats of NYX: NYX on index and ring finger, Zoya on middle and pinky]

Now we have reached nearly complete opacity! Be Jeweled has three coats here, while Charla is still on two coats. While Be Jeweled's formula is thicker, Charla's darker colour and denser microglitters mean that Charla requires less coats for the same opacity. Both polishes are similarly shiny in terms of glitter, and in colour, they are very close as well.

I think you can clearly see the difference through the photos, and if I told someone I had different polishes on, I think they'll be able to pick out which is which. But it's actually a lot less obvious at a glance.


[Different angle: NYX on index and ring finger, Zoya on middle and pinky]



[Under direct indoor light: NYX on index and ring finger, Zoya on middle and pinky]

Both polishes are remarkably shiny under indoor halogen light or under direct sunlight. Very distracting, and very, very pretty! The colour is not very accurate here though.  





[Low indirect sunlight: NYX on index and ring finger, Zoya on middle and pinky]

You can see that when the nails aren't directly side by side, it's actually quite hard to distinguish between the two different polishes.



[Colour corrected: NYX on index and ring finger, Zoya on middle and pinky]

I have colour corrected this picture because I feel that my camera captures the polishes as bluer than they really are, and misses out on the blue-green tone.
And so, what's the verdict?

Drumroooooolllll...

I have to conclude that Be Jeweled is not an exact dupe, but it is very close. Be Jeweled's base is just a little greener and lighter, and there are more gold microglitters while Charla has a different distribution of gold and blue microglitter. 

While Be Jeweled is not in any way gritty, it can be further smoothened out with a topcoat. I do like Charla's application over Be Jeweled, but in general, I tend to be fond of Zoya's formula.

If all you're after is the blue-green duochrome with gold glass flecks look, then NYX's Be Jeweled will serve the purpose just as well as Zoya's Charla.

In terms of price, you can get NYX Be Jeweled online for about USD4 with ~USD2 shipping, but if you wait for discounts, it gets even cheaper. Zoya Charla can be bought from Ebay for about ~USD6.50, with up to USD6 shipping, depending on where you live.

I would pick Zoya Charla over NYX Be Jeweled if I had both at hand, because Zoya Charla has an edge in terms of smoother application and denser microglitter. But Zoya Charla is harder to get your hands on because the major online distributors don't stock the brand, and I have seen official sellers in Australia sell it for up to $16. 

Cherry Culture often has discounts on their online store and they stock NYX as well as other pretty polishes, if you're interested.

Alright, one last picture before I go. This is for those who wonder about the differences in colour between NYX Be Jeweled and NYX Enchanted Forest

[NYX Enchanted Forest on index and middle finger, NYX Be Jeweled on ring pinky]

When they're side by side, you can definitely see that Be Jeweled is a teal-ish polish with a gold gleam while Enchanted Forest is a greener polish with a green-gold shine.

The Dupe Test - Zoya Ivanka vs NYX Advanced Salon Formula Enchanted Forest

Is NYX Advanced Salon Formula Enchanted Forest a dupe of Zoya Ivanka?
Here's my take on it!
Note: I haven't done much colour-correction to the swatch photos as they highlight the differences between the two polishes but the second-to-last pic shows what the swatches look like in real life, so check that out.

[In the bottle: Zoya Ivanka and NYX Enchanted Forest]

Click for closeup! [In the bottle: NYX on left, Zoya on right]

Straight off, you can see the similarities (and differences) between the two. They are both green bases with similar coloured glass flecks and slightly larger gold microglitter/glass fleck. NYX (left) definitely pulls slightly more blue, but the camera is picking this up more clearly than you would see by eye. The gold glitter appears slightly finer and denser in Zoya Ivanka.

[One coat: Zoya on index and ring, NYX on middle and pinky]

At one coat, both are obviously jelly bases - no one-coater here! You can clearly see the more chunky glitter in Enchanted Forest whereas Ivanka flattens out well with its finer glitter. Enchanted Forest also has a slightly thicker formula as you can see from the better opacity at one coat.

[Two coats: Zoya on index and ring, NYX on middle and pinky]

At two coats, it starts looking better. Both are marvellously shiny - I don't think there's a clear winner in the Shiny Stakes. Because of the thinner formula of Ivanka, the coats "compact" more as you add them, giving a more solid and smooth finish. Enchanted Forest still retains a bit of the jelly look at two coats. Again, a tinge of blue differentiates the NYX from the Zoya.

[Three coats: Zoya on index and ring, NYX on middle and pinky]

Now we're talkin'! Both look fairly solid, but Ivanka definitely seems more dense. The sparkle is phenomenal in both. The glitter in Enchanted Forest has leveled out well - nothing a layer of top coat won't smoothen out. I've still left the blue in here but check out the colour-corrected photo below...

[Indirect sunlight: Zoya on index and ring, NYX on middle and pinky]

Check that out! This is pretty true-to-life. No one who looked at my nails thought there were different polishes on. When I prompted someone to try to pick out which two fingers were which two polishes, they did eventually manage to on their second try, but that was owing to the slightly more jelly finish of Enchanted Forest rather than the colour difference (although it is fairly obvious to me...).

And finally the direct sunlight pic below taken on my iPod while walking to work:

[Direct sunlight: Zoya on index and ring, NYX on middle and pinky]

Verdict:
If you're in it for the shiny factor, no losses here! Either will do for you. Enchanted Forest will do as a dupe for Ivanka in a pinch. If they weren't swatched side by side, I don't think anyone would be the wiser!

If you're in it for the opacity and green green greeeen sparkle of Ivanka though, you might have to consider the faint jelly hint and blue tinge in Enchanted Forest.

Pricewise, I purchased Zoya Ivanka for USD6.50, NYX Enchanted Forest cost about USD4 (plus just under 2 bucks in shipping) so to me the cost is pretty close for each...  so personally I would pick Ivanka any time.

Granted, it is much much easier to source NYX rather than Zoya. Especially since Cherry Culture is now having 40% off NYX products till the 13th of November!

Hope this helps!!

edit:// Jme has posted her excellent comparison swatches of Zoya Charla and NYX Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled! Check it out!

Salon At Home: Nyx Femme, Be Jeweled, Gilded Glitter

My first two swatches are from the Nyx Advanced Salon Formula collection, and I quite like them.

[Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Femme]

Nyx's Femme is a very pretty and classy silver polish with a touch of lavender-grey. I thought it would be a foil polish, but I don't think this is a foil. It's closer to a chrome polish, but shinier, and looks like it has an extra shimmer. In any case, I really like it!


[With Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Femme bottle]

Femme is easy to apply, dries smooth and you can get full coverage with just one coat. No topcat for this one.

[Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled]

My camera really was being strange for this collection. There are no bits, bubbles or bumpiness in any of the manis, but my camera might be picking up a reflection of some sort through the shiny surface of the polish.

In any case, Nyx's Be Jeweled is a gorgeous blue-green duochrome with dense gold micro-glitter giving it that shiny golden sheen. This is definitely a dupe for Zoya's Charla, but how close is it? Well, that's for another post, when I have Charla on! :)

[With Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled bottle]

Two coats were enough for full coverage. These pictures are all taken under indirect sunlight. Look at the polish in the bottle, isn't that gorgeous? 


The next few photos are from the older Nyx Girls collection.

[Nyx Girls Gilded Glitter over Nyx Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled]

I couldn't resist trying out Nyx Girls' Gilded Glitter layered over Be Jeweled.  Gilded Glitter is a clear based polish with assymetrically shaped solid gold flakes (not duochrome flakies). Among the bigger flakes, there are actually finer tiny flakes which will give manis a gold tint.

Don't my nails look like they could be used as a reference picture for dragon scales in some fantasy book? It's rather gaudy, but such an interesting look!

[With the Nyx Girls Gilded Glitter bottle]

It took four coats to get such dense coverage, but I did have rather long nails then. While it dried rather smoothly, I used Orly In A Snap topcoat over this because it's really hard for polish to dry all the way through when you layer on so many coats.

I thought I would try Gilded Glitter over something lighter.

[Nyx Girls Gilded Glitter over Carlo di Roma's white glass fleck polish]

I broke a nail on this hand so they're all rather short here. Gilded Glitter on its own has a golder/yellower look, and there's no way to cover my tips since it's actually a clear polish. So I thought I would try layering Gilded Glitter over a thin, white glass fleck polish. Works rather well I think! It's a very clean look, while still being quite interesting and shiny.

[With Nyx Girls Gilded Glitter bottle]

I got a few rather nice comments on this polish at work. This is two coats of Gilded Glitter over Carlo di Roma's very light, white unnamed polish.

There seems to be an identical gold polish from Nyx's Advanced Salon Formula line, and it's called Gold Glitter. I don't see any difference between Gilded Glitter and Gold Glitter from the pictures, to be honest.


If you're thinking about buying Nyx nail polish online, I suggest checking out their website for their pictures. You can click on the pictures for larger versions and those are much better than the swatches on Cherry Culture.

My next post will be a comparison between Zoya Charla and Nyx Be Jeweled. See ya!

NYX Advanced Salon Formula Polish - Enchanted Forest, Delectable, Forever Young

NYX recently released a new line of nail polish - the NYX Advanced Salon Formula nail polish.

Lots of comments have already been made on the familiar shape of the bottle! The shades as well include many apparent dupes of popular colours from other brands, and a lot seem to be similar (re-named) shades from their NYX Girls range (eg. Zoya Charla = NYX Girls Sea of Cortez = NYX Advanced Salon Formula Be Jeweled). Jme has posted a dupe test for Charla vs Be Jeweled!

[L-R: NYX Advanced Salon Formula - Enchanted Forest, Delectable, Forever Young]

Both Jme and I purchased some in our last Cherry Culture order and hopefully some dupe tests will be up soon! But for now... have a quick look at my three - Enchanted Forest (NPS 184), Delectable (NPS 137) and Forever Young (NPS 156).

[NYX Advanced Salon Formula - Enchanted Forest]

Enchanted Forest - An apparent Zoya Ivanka dupe, mid-green jelly base with green glass fleck and larger gold microglitter. I'll post up a swatch comparison between Ivanka and Enchanted Forest soon! I had to colour-correct this as the camera was picking up the blue hint quite strongly as you can see from the previous photo. But I'll tell you more in the dupe post...

[NYX Advanced Salon Formula - Delectable]

Delectable - I picked this up on a whim, not quite knowing what it would look like but it's pretty gorgeous! A bright pink with gold glass fleck through it.

[NYX Advanced Salon Formula - Forever Young]

Forever Young - A dusty salmon pink with GOLD FLAKIES of irregular shape and size. Understated and flashy all in one go! I'd love to get swatches of this up sometime soon!


From what I can tell, it's looking pretty good! I don't know if it justifies the price doubling compared to the NYX Girls range. The Advanced Salon Formula is a 15ml bottle compared to the NYX Girls 10ml, but several shades are easily found in the cheaper NYX Girls range. For dupes of higher end brands though, I'm sure this will provide a much more viable (and easily obtained) option.