Julep Claudette swatches, manicure & review

KiI was overexcited about this nail polish, because it seemed like a one-of-a-kind dusty complex warm red shade. Julep Claudette was inspired by the Hollywood star Claudette Colbert. It is described as smokey brick red creme, and it truly is such!

Sephora Sweet Beige Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil swatches

Another  5$ purchase, and totally my type of shade. I didn't even know who much I would call it mine, because the beige color didn't look especially appealing until I put it on my lips!

Sephora Strawberry Delish Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil swatches

I got this one for 5$, another spring "out-of-my-comfort-zone" type of shade. It is vaseliny and viscous, yet it glides on the lips very-very well. The base gel-like consistency of magenta\beet\hot pink color. It's creamy and smooth, basically I have no complaints about this pencil in terms of formula and color.
Well, beside the fact that you can find this type of color in almost ANY lipstick line of ANY brand ^..^

Sephora Coral Glow Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencil lip swatch and comparison

I got this one for 5$, as "out-of-my-comfort-zone" type of shade. It is vaseliny and viscoues, yet and glides on the lips very well. The base gel-like color is warm red, however it contains tiniest pink-magenta flecks that beam through. I can't feel them, so texture-wise Coral Glow is very pleasant to wear.

 This pinkish shimmer creates such vibrancy and crazy reflections on the lips, that I thought it would be too much. But oddly it works, it looks very festive and juicy!
Keep reading to see the comparison of Sephora Coral Glow with all Reds from my makeup collection!;)

Sephora Ultra Vinyl Lip Pencils Swatches

Given the amount of competition we have now in this department and disappointing Sephora product launches in the past, I gotta say, I'm pleasantly surprised!

Color Club Port-folio swatches and review

One of rear cases, when looking at the bottle does no justice to how the nail polish looks on the nails.
I'll tell you right now - it is AMAZINGLY posh, dark and complex duo chrome. One of the best non-flaky or shimmery duochromes I've seen coming from main street nail brands.

My fingers might appear too bright orange or red on the pictures. I made these pics on my iphone4, which tends to oversaturate some colors vs the other ones. So I corrected the white balance, so the nail polish color appears as true to reality as possible. But then it screws the skin color, which is a neutral light tone.
I figured you would be more interested in seeing the Nail Polish, than my exact skin tone:))
SSsso, it is a dark muddy purple base, with green glow in the middle and pink-purple glow on the curved edges.

Illamasqua Glitterati Nail polish swatches and review

I bought this Illamasqua duo at Sephora sale for ~17$(taxes included) and showed you some pictures in the overall review.
Now let's get down to it. Glitterati is a burgundy red base with hexagon holo glitter in it. It looks GORGEOUS in the bottle, that's actually why I bought it despite not loving dark burgundy nail polish shades. The glitter looked to enchanting, that I thought it would save the day.

Illamasqua Viridian Nail Polish swatches and dupes

I bought this Illamasqua duo at Sephora sale for ~17$(taxes included) and showed you some pictures in the overall review.
Now let's get down to it. Viridian looks like another dark shimmery emerald green, and I immediately thought ot Essie Trophy wife, when I saw it.

Illamasqua Nail Varnish Duo: Viridian & Glitterati

Illamasqua is an intriguing British brand, they thrive on being different, over the top and freaky.

They also claim to be innovative in their formulas and bring the outmost luxury of makeup into women's world. Easier said than done, I suppose. 

The most praised products by Illamasqua that I have seen are blushes and nail polishes. 

Thus I naturally had to grab Viridian/ Glitterati duo, when I came down to 19$ on sale in Sephora (- 20% off using the code EXTRA20).

Milani Red Sparkle One Coat Glitter Swatches and Review

This red glitter looks so holiday and lively in the bottle. Unfortunately, not as good and sparkly on the nails. Here are some fresh swatches for you, gals, before it completely dried out:

However, as you can clearly see, as it starts drying out, it gets gritty and loses all the sparkle. Moreover, it get fully matte, and does not shine at all, with underlying grey cast to the base color.
It does look vampy and a bit off, if that's what you are looking for, but it is certainly not a gorgeous holiday shade.

these pictures though not ideal are still much better than the nail polish by itself. Even two transparent top coats did not help to bring back the shine and the sparkle to what you can see in the bottle.

And here is 2 layers on the nail wheel, no top coat:

I hope it was helpful:))

Kisses, Maria "TwosRuse".