Illamasqua Baptiste

     For today, I've got Illamasqua Baptiste, from their core collection. 

Baptiste is a royal purple base with blue and reddish-purple shimmer. I also feel like there's some iridescent micro-shimmer in there somewhere, but it's entirely possible that I made that up.

P.S. These pictures have been corrected for color accuracy.

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     Ahh, Baptiste is such a perfect purple. It's just so glowy and pretty. In sunlight, the shimmer really dazzles and in lower light, Baptiste takes on a darker, vampier shade without ever looking black.  When I saw Baptiste in the bottle, I was a little bit mad because it looked like a regular purple shimmer. I was scared that it would end up as another dupe to China Glaze Let's Groove, but it turns out I was happily wrong.  It doesn't look like much on the bottle, but once on the nail, Baptiste really impressed. Iwould like to do a comparison (they're so much fun! n_n) but I can already say that I own nothing quite like Baptiste.

     Formula-wise, Baptiste was easy peasy and lived up to my expectations for a $14 polish. It was opaque in two easily-applied coats, and with the help of some topcoat, it dried pretty quickly. 

But that's all I've got for today!! Thanks for reading!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle Comparison

     So, we're having some really shitty weather here in DC. It's cold (which I like) and super cloudy (which I don't like) and it's not even snowing or anything (which I hate). What the point of cold and clouds if there's no snow? Smh!
    But anyway, without any sun or a lightbox, pictures can't happen. So I'm just gonna post a comparison that I did a little while ago between Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle and some other greens in my collection. No one requested it or anything, I was just curious. ^_^;

First, we have the cast of characters: Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle, Illamasqua Rampage, Nubar Forest, and Orly Enchanted Forest.  

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L-R: Recycle, Rampage, Forest, and Enchanted Forest. 

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L-R: Recycle, Rampage, Forest, and Enchanted Forest. 

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L-R: Recycle, Rampage, Forest, and Enchanted Forest. 

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L-R: Recycle, Rampage, Forest, and Enchanted Forest. 

     Clearly, there are no dupes here...everyone is different! n_n

     Overall, my favorite here would definitely be Rampage, followed closely by Recycle, then comes Enchanted Forest, and Forest brings up the rear. Also, it's kind of funny how colors look next to one another...back before my addiction spiraled out of control, I thought Forest was a dark green, and it's really not! And Enchanted Forest is so grey! I never noticed how grey it is.

    In terms formula and application, Recycle was the clear winner. It needed the fewest coats (two), was the most controllable and dried the fastest. Forest and Enchanted Forest tie for second place as they essentially have the same formula and needed three coats to look perfect. And Rampage comes in last, needing four coats to be opaque and streak-free. 

  But even with the application issues, I love Rampage the best out of all these polishes. You get the most bang for your buck with the generously portioned Enchanted Forest, the most cheerful color with Forest, and Recycle boats the highest quality and the most wearable color. But something about Rampage, man...it just speaks to me, and I can't say no. 

Which one do you like best? ^_^

     

Illamasqua Rampage

           Lol, my eyes needed another break. So instead of my customary glitter or shimmer, I have Illamasqua Rampage, from the core line. 

Rampage is a deep forest green jelly. If you happen to see any sparklies or whatever, please disregard them. My topcoat got contaminated by Black Diamond, ugh.

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Ahaha my nails look so thick, no?

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     Rampage is extra hot. In the sunlight, you get this gorgeous, pure, leafy green. And then in other lights,  it's dark and dangerous-looking enough to send chills up and down my spine, but never so much that one would mistake it for black. I also really like its jelly-ish finish...it gives the polish this depth and gloss that is just mesmerizing. And as an aside, Illamasqua gets a big high five for how they named this polish. Looking at Rampage, I think of forests and wild things. And not the adorable wild things that will make you king when your mom sends you to bed without dinner for being naughty. I'm talking claws and teeth wild things....like jabberwocky wild. And the word Rampage definitely captures that whole...feeling. I love it.

      Application-wise,  Rampage was pretty good. The formula was an okay thickness and went on fairly nicely. It was a bit streaky on the first two coats, but that is par for the jelly course and nothing that moah polish couldn't fix. By the third coat, things were opaque and by the fourth, Rampage was perfection. My nails did turn out a bit thick, but it's not that noticeable, and I kind of like it. Makes it more...jell-o like. 

     

And that's all I've got for today!! I hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Illamasqua Phallic vs. Rescue Beauty Lounge Under the Stars

            Today, I didn't really want to wear any specific polish, plus I wasn't going anywhere, so I decided to re-swatch Illamasqua Phallic, because I was really dissatisfied with the pictures that were already there. I'd been curious about how it compared to RBL Under the Stars, plus the Varnish Vixen asked about them a little bit ago, so I grabbed my bottle and did a quick comparison. 

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 I don't get sun for very long (it's 5:30 and already pitch black outside), so I couldn't get proper bottle pictures. Sorry!

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L-R: Phallic, Under the Stars, Phallic, Under the Stars. 

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L-R: Phallic, Under the Stars, Phallic, Under the Stars

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L-R: Under the Stars, Phallic

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L-R: Under the Stars, Phallic

      When I was making up my RBL list, I was on the fence about Under the Stars. I already owned Phallic, and when I checked swatches side by side, they looked pretty much the same. But thankfully, that's definitely not the case, as these polishes look absolutely nothing alike. I think the pictures make them look a bit more similar, but in person, even Stevie Wonder would be able to tell them apart. Under the Stars' base color is dustier, greener, and much closer to teal than Phallic's vibrant, jewel-toned, navy. And Phallic's shimmer is larger, lighter, and far more visible than Under the Stars', especially under lower lighting conditions.
    So yes...someone would be justified in owning both. However, I prefer Phallic overall, and probably would not buy the RBL at full price if I owned Phallic already.
    1. Phallic is less expensive ($14 to RBL's $18). And Sephora is more likely to have sales than RBL, which means you may get it for even less.
    2. Phallic gives more product (.5 oz to RBL's .4 oz.)
    3. In my opinion, Phallic prettier than Under the Stars. It's deeper, more eye-catching, and way more arresting. 


    But Under the Stars has a more unique base shade, and the formula is better than Phallic's. I mean...Phallic's formula is no slouch, but Under the Stars is more controllable and better pigmented.
So which would you rather have? 

P.S. Has anyone else noticed blogger acting kind of funky? My formatting is all off...there are these random gaps and spaces. :(

Illamasqua Phallic

          Happy Veteran's Day!! Although I personally believe that war is a terrible waste of time, resources, and human life, I actually like Veteran's Day. People who were/are in the armed forces are so brave and sacrifice so much, and I love that there is a day dedicated to thanking and appreciating them for what they did and what they continue to do for this country. I don't have any war-themed polish in the backlog, but I thought a blue would be fitting,  being on our flag and all. This is Illamasqua Phallic, from the core collection. 

Phallic is a deep, jewel-toned navy blue creme base with multi-sized sapphire blue shimmer. 

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       Phallic is extremely hot. In natural light, it doesn't really look like much, but in the sunlight, it's wow. The base shade is all sexy and deep, but the shimmer sparkles from it like crazy. The contrast between the two elements is absolutely mesmerizing, so Phallic kept a smile on my face all day. And  best of all, it never looks black. Even in low-lighting conditions, I think it's still pretty obvious that this polish is a glorious blue. However, I won't lie to you...as beautiful as Phallic is, it's not especially unique and costs alot of money ($14). I don't regret buying, because it was on sale and I love this color, but I wouldn't call this a must-have for everyone. Unless you love blue shimmer polishes, illamasqua items, penis-themed items, or  know in your heart that you need Phallic in your life, then feel free to skip this one.

   Formula-wise, Phallic was pretty good! It was well-pigmented, applied smoothly and easily, and leveled itself quite nicely. My nails definitely did not paint themselves, but it was about the quality that I'd expect for $14. In the pictures, there are two coats of color and one coat of China Glaze Fast Forward topcoat. And as a side-note, I'd recommend using the shiniest topcoat you've got on this one. The ChG topcoat was not that shiny (for me) and it took alot away from the polish. I put on another layer of Poshe, which was way shinier, and bam...Phallic came to life. Heehee. ^_^