Nails Inc. ~ Duke Street

So, my first Birthday Gift Review concerns the lovely bluey/lilac/grey creme polish from Nails Inc.

As you can see from the swatch below, it's a fab shade - if you're a fan of sludgy, murky colours like Chanel's Particuliere or OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, I think you'll like this one.





This polish appealed to me because I don't have anything similar in my (sizeable!) collection. The closest I have is OPI's Done Out In Deco, but I could tell that Duke Street was darker and more blue-toned than Deco at first glance. To me, Deco is a true lilac - Duke Street is too dark, more in the mauve category perhaps.




Application is, as expected, a dream. Not in the slightest bit streaky, the first coat glides on effortlessly and is almost wearable as it is. The second coat just smoothes out any unevenness and intensifies the colour.

Wearabilty is excellent, too. The above swatches were taken after a day's wear - you can see some tip wear but nothing unusual. I'm wearing the two coats over Sally Hansen's Color Wear base coat and no top coat (I'm just not a fan of top coats, sorry!)

I found it interesting to observe the colour changes of this polish as I moved from indoors to outdoors, and morning to evening. At times, I'd swear this was a blue toned polish, but looking at it now (in early afternoon daylight) it's a definite dark lilac! Quite hard to quantify but really lovely.

I think this could be a new favourite!

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Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blogging on the move...

I've gone all high tech and swishy! I'm currently typing this entry on my new iPhone :-)
It was my birthday on Monday and I was completely spoilt! My lovely boyfriend bought me an iPhone (besides lots of other fab goodies) and I'm just learning how versatile they are - I'm addicted to apps already :-)
Hopefully, I'll be able to blog more frequently now that I have this wonderful technology at my fingertips (literally) - and I received so many wonderful birthday gifts so I've got plenty to blog about!
Watch this space...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh no! Vogue are on offer!

Someone lock away my debit card - quickly!

Just had an email from SewingPatterns.com, how very kind of them to inform me that Vogue are all $5.99... and in case that's not temptation enough, there are a bunch of new designs.

As usual, Vogue don't disappoint when it comes to the effort they put into their pattern designs. How 'Carrie' is this flippy little Pamela Rolland number:



It's not really my style, as I can only really see it suiting a tall willowy type, but inspiring nonetheless.

This Bellville Sassoon dress also caught my eye. Anyone in denial about the 80s being back - avert your eyes! From the structured hip peplum, to the cut-away neckline, to the bow on the bum (you heard right) this one just screams out COCKTAIL PARTY! Even the modest length has an 80s vibe to me.
Incidentally, this 80s revival is good news for vintage sewing pattern fans - there are tons of 80s patterns gong cheap on eBay, as everyone's more interested in the patterns of the 50s or earlier. Some of them are truly awful, but if you take a bit of time you could just snap up a little jem.


Finally, I'm undecided about this Donna Karan dress. The central waist detailing is really eye catching, but I can't decide if it would create the illusion of a waist, or just add bulk and make me look even fatter around the middle.