Fun Lacquer Platinum Diamond - A Comparison

Hello nail people of the world! Today I'm doing something a little different from my normal stamping nail art, and reviewing/ comparing a couple of nail polishes by Fun Lacquer. Back in 2020 Fun Lacquer released a new magnetic gel polish (Platinum Diamond) with a really pretty silver glitter effect that is different to any other glitter I had seen before, it has a sort of crushed velvet look to it and sparkles like crazy when you move your hands! I was waiting for it to come back in stock again on Rainbow Connection in the UK, and once it did they had also released a regular nail polish version. I had read previously that the gel one was better for getting the true 3D shimmer effect, but the pictures of the regular one look pretty good too! So I dithered over which one to get and ended up deciding to get both and compare. It seems like a waste of money in some ways but it gives me options and something to do in lockdown!

I'm going to summarise below the key points to compare and my final view, so hopefully if you're struggling to decide which to buy this might help! Underneath all the text I've added pictures, the gel polish is on my thumb and index fingernails. I've tried a few different colours underneath.

Consistency - Very good for both, not too thick in either case but just one coat needed.

Price - £14 for regular and £19.50 for gel - it's not cheap but it is worth it!

Application - The application of these was really good as usual, though I am less used to gel so probably haven't perfected that yet! I think there's a trick to getting that 3D sparkle effect which I achieved better on some nails than others, it will take some practise and is also pretty hard to capture on camera - but when it works it's wow!

Sparkle - Wonderful! I managed to achieve the sort of crushed velvet flare effect better with the gel but both are beautiful. The regular polish one had slightly closer together particles I thought.

In conclusion, I need to practise my technique with these, but I think I found the gel one slightly better. The unlimited drying time meant it was easier to get the effect I wanted before curing, and I think the sparkle effect is more unique. However, the difference is small, both are gorgeous and you have to look closely to tell the difference. It may even be that I'm just not well practiced enough in creating the effect. Therefore I would recommend choosing the one you're most comfortable working with - it will look gorgeous either way!

Colours used: Black Gel - FairyGlo, Pale Pink Gel - FairyGlo, Lady In Black - OPI, Fascinating - Fun Lacquer, Cobalt Jelly - Cirque Colors, Platinum Diamond Gel - Fun Lacquer, Platinum Diamond - Fun Lacquer

Cirque Colors Facets Collection 2019: Lazy Swatches

Hey everyone! Some swatches to share with you today, which is rare for me! I've done what I did a few years back when I reviewed the first Facets collection and have painted a colour on each nail, in what I call lazy swatches! This collection was very good for that as it consists of five polishes! If you weren't already aware, Cirque Colors first launched the Facets collection in 2016, with 6 gorgeous gem inspired shades. These were a huge success and remain my fave collection of all time! Due to all the hype they re-released them in 2018, which six new shades, and this year they were joined by five more (earlier in the year this time).


Above are the polishes in different lighting, they are all stunningly sparkly in direct sunlight or bright artificial light. With the exception of the deep purple I'd say these shades are more summery than the previous collections, which makes sense given the time of year they were released. You can see my review of the original set here. Looking at it now I wish I'd done the same hand poses with these! Keep reading for a review polish by polish.


First up is Peridot, I would call this a grass green, with lots of lovely flakies, as all the polishes in this collection have. Above I have used two coats, as I have done with all the swatches for this blog post, but you may want three to get it really opaque. This was one of the two most sheer of the collection, but not too much effort to get a good build up! I was a bit concerned this would turn out to be the same as Someday by ILNP, but although similar I am pleased to say it's not the same. This is a tad darker with fractionally larger flakies, whereas Someday is more of a Spring green.


Next we have Citrine, which is a lovely sparkling amber shade. This as it turns out is my birthstone, I googled it after I saw people commenting on Instagram that their birthstones were included in the collection. This polish is quite unusual, and completely different to anything else in my collection. I don't normally go in for this sort of shade but I love this with the jelly effect and all the glitter! I think it will be a great one for autumn. This is two coats but again you may want three, this is one of the sheerer polishes in the collection.


Next up is Amethyst, a rich purple with a galaxy of flakies. I was looking forward to this as I knew I'd love it, and it did not disappoint. I have many sparkly purples, but I feel like I probably can't have too many... I'm very drawn to them. To me this is a very classic shade of purple. I used two coats for consistency with the other swatches but it's definitely a one coater, very opaque.


Next up is Tourmaline, another gem I had never heard of! Tourmaline is a bright pink jelly polish with the classic Facets flakies. Cirque Colors released some stunning pictures of this coming out of the bottle, where it reminded me so much of a sparkly jam I once bought at a market! I sense some jam themed nail art coming soon! The above is two coats but again this is a one coater, and possibly the most opaque of the collection.

And finally we have Crushed Ice, a beautiful and immensely sparkly silver. Now I must admit, I find it a bit frustrating that it's called Crushed Ice. I can't deny the beauty of the polish itself but I would have hoped it would have another gem themed name like the others in the collection, maybe Diamond. I suppose perhaps they previously had another polish called diamond. Anyway, I've used two coats here and was really impressed with how well it built up. I'd recommend 2-3 coats. It's definitely the most sparkly as you'd expect with a silver, I've included a bonus picture on the left where you can really see the sparkle!

So which one is your favourite? I'm finding it very hard to choose! Crushed Ice is the most sparkly, while Tourmaline and Citrine are the most different to things I currently have. I've thought about it and to be honest I don't think I have a favourite, I love them all! I am marginally more excited about Citrine as it's so different and will be so lovely for autumn designs, I have some ideas already! Also maybe Amethyst, can't get enough of those sparkly purples...

I absolutely adore Cirque Colors, it's hard to say as there are a few that I really love, but I think Cirque Colors may be my favourite brand. As well as being beautiful and often unusual, their polishes come in such lovely collections with great themes behind them. They must be sick of me tagging them in Instagram by now as I seem to always be wearing their colours at the moment!

Lazy Swatches: Fun Lacquer Valentines Collection 2019

Hi everyone, today I have GLITTER to show you!! Glitter is always a great source of excitement for me! Fun Lacquer released a very sparkly valentines collection at the beginning of the year and I just had to treat myself after seeing some of the lovely videos of them under bright lights. There are six colours in total and I have done what I call 'lazy swatches', where I do one colour on each nail instead of each hand. I do this to try and save time as otherwise it would probably be months before I got round to blogging it!

All six shades are fine holographic glitter densely packed in a clear base, and are show below with three coats and a top coat. Scroll down to see how I got on...
Crazy In Love (little finger) - First up is this vibrant purple with a pinkish tone in  certain lights. Lovely and holo and very girly!

Lucky Girl (ring finger) - This is a bright green leaning towards teal/turquoise and intensely sparkly.

Kiss Me (middle finger) - Classic sparkly red. Not quite as glittery as the others in some lights but super sparkly in bright sunshine or artificial light.

BFF (index finger) - Bright blue holographic. Some similarities to 'How Deep Is Your Holo' from Fun Lacquer's Simply Nailogical Collection but finer glitter and slightly less green.
Love Potion (index finger) - This is a classic bright pink glitter. A rich sparkly pink.

Precious Moment (middle finger) - Pale pink/rose glitter with a hint of champagne. Classy yet also incredibly sparkly! This one came out the most sparkly of all six.

I feel as if I've been describing a box of chocolates for some reason! I didn't go into much detail on each colour as they were very similar in terms of consistency and glitter density. I was particularly impressed that I was able to do this in three coats. Normally I would expect to be sponging on this type of polish. If wearing these out and about and not just for swatches I think I would probably add one more coat, but only because I have long nails which makes my nail line more visible in bright light.

My favourite has to be Precious Moment. Normally I am more of a blues/greens/purples sort of person but this one is just so intensely glittery! I also think it's a classy shade despite all the sparkle, and a little different to what I currently have.

Will you be trying these out this year? Let me know what you think!

A England - Return to Manderley Review

Hey everyone! Finally getting round to putting up my swatches of A England's Return to Manderley collection (insert heart eye emoji)! Disclaimer: my swatch pictures are really not the best. I suppose at least it gives you a glimpse at them in different lights. When I'm trying to decide whether to buy a polish, I quite like to look at some lovely well presented images, and a few more casual ones to try and get a fair picture. I think these still look good in all pictures though :)

So this collection is themed around the book Rebecca, by Daphne de Maurier. A England polishes tend to be themed around books, pieces of music, art or ballet. I haven't bought any for quite some time and forgot how good they were! I enjoy the classy themes of the collections as well. There are seven polishes in the collection, all have a holographic flare and a semi-matte satin sort of finish. I've written a little about each of them tomorrow.

First up and above left is Mrs de Winter, an unusual shade. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, it's a mauve/brown/grey I suppose! I like how unusual it is and how sophisticated it looks. The holographic flare really adds a lot to it as well, turning it into something gorwn up and ordinary to something a bit special. I used one coat for this and most of the other polishes, I'll let you know which one needed two. If you have long nails like me you might need two, but I was impressed with the opacity. Above right is Maxim, a sophisticated pinky burgundy with a lovely hint of rust in the holo flare. This is the most unusual of all the polishes, I thought it would be similar to things I already have but the rusty tint to it is unique.
Next up above left is Mrs Danvers... of course she would be in black! Didn't really capture the holo flare in this one unfortunately  which is a shame as it was a good one. I have another polish similar to this but this one is definitely more holo! Again one coat used and the polish has a great consistency. On the right is Manderley - makes me a little sad! Another lovely colour though, it makes me think of the posh cars they drove to and from Manderley. I can't actually remember if any of them were green but I imagine them that way! Again I didn't capture the holo very well but it does also have a good holo flare.
Above left is The Scent of Azaleas. I think this one is my favourite, despite the quirkyness of Maxim. It's a gorgeous bright and super sparkly/holo purple.  The image is a little blurry but gives you a hint of the holo! Another one coater but a little closer to needing two for this one. Above right is Je Reviens, a holographic silver with a hint of lilac. I really love this one too, not sure how well the lilac shows up in this, or it might be because I've put it next to a more purply purple - but in person it's definitely a little lilac. I would recomend using two coats for this one as it's a tad thinner than the others.

And finally, Rebecca! This one is a holographic magenta and very fitting for the character I think. It is also my name! Though pink isn't my usual colour of choice I did think my collection was missing a holographic pink - I'm sure it will come in handy! It's not too garish ether, and is quite subtle away from bright lights. I wore this one to a client meeting last week.

 So overall I am of course pleased with these! They are a lovely set of colours and I enjoy the theme. It's a great book and of course my name - so I had to have them really. I was impressed with the opacity of all of them and the holo flare was better than I thought it would be too!

Prim & Copper

Hello nail people! Short post today, just showing off one of those rare polishes I wear alone, without any nail art or other adornments. This is Prim & Copper, from the lovely Femme Fatale Cosmetics. It's an exclusive polish for Rainbow Connection (pretty much my favourite shop!). I had my eye on it for a while so I'm glad I managed to get hold of it while it's around, it's still available now if you like the look of it.

The colour as you can see is a burgundy/purple shade, varying depending on the lighting, with flecks of copper glitter scattered throughout. My photography skills still need some work but you can see it below in some different lighting. I need to get some way of capturing really bright lights without making my hands look funny... as this one does sparkle wonderfully under bright lights or sunlight. As always the formula is good, I used two coats for the pictures below. The finish is slightly textured but if this isn't your desired finish it can be smoothed out with a top coat.

Let me know what you think :)

ILNP Spring 2018 Ultra Metallic Brights

Hey everyone! Today I'm excited to share with you my swatches of ILNP's Ultra Metallic Brights collection for Spring 2018. I already have some Easter ideas lined up for these so am looking forward to using them properly. The collection consists of 7 super shiny and bright metallic Polishes. ILNP also released two more collections at the same time, one of shimmery toppers and another with their spring col,ours, featuring some beautiful holographic glittery polishes as always. Toppers aren't as much my sort of thing, and I managed to resist their spring shades (we'll see how long that lasts!),  as I think 7 is probably enough to go on for now, and I was excited about the finish of these.

See below the pictures for my thoughts on each individual polish...
First up is Short Circuit, a shade I liked even more than I thought I would. This is a super shiny yellowy gold metallic, opaque in two coats. The colour reminds me of stars on Christmas cards. I was surprised at how well it suited my skin tone as I wasn't quite sure if it would.
Next is the gorgeous Sugar Coated, another one done in two coats (I did two coats for most of these, and I would say you may need three depending on how opaque you like it - two was fine for me). This one was pinker than I expected, I thought it might be a little more rose gold, but it is a really lovely shade.
Next up is Checkmate, a shimmering bronze metallic. I used two coats for this one as well. The shimmer comes out particularly  nicely in this polish. It reminds me of a slightly shinier version of Barry M's Bronze Bae from their original molten metals collection.
Next is Blueprint, one of the ones I was most excited to try. This one is a little more sheer, I used three coats in the pictures. The colour is super bright and eye catching, I always like blues and I think this one is quite spectacular!
Here we have another I was super excited to try, Hi-Fi. It's come out a little bright in the pictures, but it really reminds me of chocolate wrappers - a definite win for Easter nail art! I've been looking for this shade in creme for a long time (I think I've just about found it), but now I have it in metallic I think it's what I wanted all along!
Next is Love Me Not, a bright red metallic. I feel that this one is a little less shiny than the others (though still metallic) so you may need a top coat if you want super shiny nails. I used two coats for the pictures, and as you can see there is a little nail line on the one on the left, so would potentially use three coats in the future.
And finally, Funhouse, another of my initial favourites. This shade did not disappoint! It's so vibrant and bright. I think it will go well with Hi Fi and Blueprint for some very metallic nail art.

So there we have it! This is one of my longest review posts, so thank you for sticking around till the end! It's hard to choose favourites as their all so gorgeous, but I think Blueprint, Hi Fi and Funhouse are all stunning, they were my favourites in the bottle as well. That said, Sugar Coated is rather lovely too!

Nails Inc Self Made Mermaid Duo

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a good weekend. I'm having a quiet evening in so far but will see what happens. Today I've been trying out Nails Inc's new nail polish duo, the 'Self Made Mermaid' duo. This is the fourth duo they have done, following the very successful unicorn duo they released last year. I've managed to resist their space themed and champagne themed duo's (which both look lovely), but this one was too me to ignore!

First up is Ocean Ever After, and I am so pleased I managed to get decent pictures with my left hand! This is a metallic blue with a tiny bit of gold running through for the extra metallic shimmer. There's also a hint of green in the bottle but that didn't really transfer to my nails. The formula is good and I love Nails Inc's brushes. It does look a slightly deeper/brighter blue in the Instagram pictures, so I might try it over some dark grey or something to see if I can get that effect. That said it is also lovely as it is. This one is perfect in 2-3 coats (I've used three here).
Next is Mermaid Parade, a pearlescent pastel blue. This has a hint of purple-ish shimmer running through it as well but it's only visible in certain lights. The formula is also good in this one, though is is not as opaque as Ocean Ever After. I used 3 coats in my swatches but I'd say you'd need 4-5 for full opacity, that or try it out over some other base colours. It is a stronger more opaque colour than the recent Barry M sea themed shades (review a few blog posts back).

So my favourite is Ocean Ever After, as I expected, as it's just more my sort of thing. I love a good blue, especially when it's shiny! They are both lovely polishes though and I love the packaging. I can't resist keeping them in it as it makes them look special and more expensive, even though these are cheaper than normal Nails Inc polishes (it's £15 for the two). Looking forward to seeing which duo they bring out next, and if I can resist it!