Monday 9 September 2013

Manic.Monday: Candied Bourjois

I've had a real love affair with the latest Bourjois products as you can see in my Fave 5 - Bourjois products and on one of my many visits to Superdrug they had a 3 for 2 offer that I couldn't refuse, and in the end I turned to nail polish to make up the magic 3. They have a lovely range of colors available and I decided on Bourjois So Laque Ultra Shine Nail Polish in Fuchsia Hype which is a lovely warm shade, with faint violet undertones.  

I am speculating now, but I get the feeling that So Laque Ultra Shine is supposed to be a rival of Barry M's Gelly Paints. Apparently the formula contains an extra dose of vinyl and reflecting resins to give that extra high shine finish and it also claims to be highly resistant and long lasting, with wear up to 7 days.
Fuchsia Hype

The brush is of a fairly standard width and should be easy to work with, however the formula of this polish is VERY thin and watery which means that it's tricky to get just the right amount on the brush for an even coat. I have a steady hand, but because it's so fluid I found it difficult to apply without getting it on my cuticles. It also means that since it's so thin, you need several coats to get an opaque look and to achieve the ultra shine finish. In the pics I have 3 coats on, and to be honest I probably could have done with another one. Because I had to use several coats to build up the colour this also means that it's even easier to chip or damage the finish, and I noticed after only a few hrs that it had started to go in some places - not exactly what I call long lasting.

So that I wouldn't let a freshly applied polish go to complete waste, I decided that I would finish with my newly purchased Avon Nailwear Opal Top Coat. It's a clear top coat with lustrous speckles that gives a prism like finish similar to a fragment of an opal, exactly like what we've seen on Revlon's Moon Candy - so with this you can "candy" any nail polish you want.
I really like the fact that it's a clear top coat so I don't have to consider colour matching or clashing, and can easily combine it with anything. It was easy to apply evenly and dried quickly, so overall I'm impressed by this product and am looking forward to experimenting some more with it. 

After one coat of Opal I had a pretty good but sparse shimmer on my nails, but since I was going for a heavier iridescent look, I applied one more coat and got the finish you can see in the photo below. I think the combination works and having applied the topcoat, I actually got another 2 days wear out of it, without significant "chippage". 

Overall I think that the Opal top coat is a great value for money product that I highly recommend and it definitely exceeded my expectations. However, considering the quality and performance of other Bourjois products I really expected much more from the So Laque nail polish. The shade was lovely but for me it didn't do any of the things it promised - I can't get any more candid than that!

28 comments:

  1. This is stunning! Looks lovely over the fuchsia hype as well!:)
    Xx

    www.hollllisa.blogspot.com

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    1. Hiya Lisa and thank you so much for visiting! It's a really great top coat, and I've been so happy with all combinations I've tried :o). Joined your blog and hope to see you here again soon :o). Xx

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  2. I absolutely LOVE that top coat! I looks gorgeous!

    Alice X

    http://brushofbeauty17.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Hi Alice - I'm a huge fan of the Moon candy look and you can do so much fun with this one :O). Xx

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    1. Thank you so much, that's really nice of you :O). Xx

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  4. that top coat is really lovely but wow, how disappointing about the other polish! i have heard the barry m ones are quite affordable and bourjois, at least in canada, is definitely more expensive so it does seem like the budget version is the way to go in this case. that said the bourjois is a lovely shade! how disappointing though :(

    writingwhimsy.com

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    1. I was definitely a bit disappointed - lovely shade but soooo watery. I love Barry M polishes, good formula, good colors and good price :o). Xx

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  5. This burgundy colour is so adorable! And the shimmer looks like pieces of ice, very beautiful I will try it also))

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    1. Thanks a million, let me know what you think of it :O) Xx

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  6. Replies
    1. Thank you so much! Following you too :O). Xx

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  7. Love the colour especially with the glitter nailpolish!

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    1. Hi Sanne - thanks so much for visiting and for your comment, yes it did turn out better than I thought it would :o). Hope you'll visit again soon! Xx

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  8. Love the honesty of your review! I have to say that your nails look fantastic.
    xo
    styleontheside.com

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    1. Thank you so much - that's really nice of you! Xx

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  9. Omg the colour of that polish is beautiful! :) xx

    adaliascloset.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Hi Adalia and thanks for visiting. Thx I was drawn to it straight away so it's a shame the formula was a bit of a let down :o). Hope you'll visit again soon! Xx

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  10. Hey, I nominated you for the Liebster Award. I'm not sure if you've been nominated before but you should check it out. Love your blog and you deserve it!

    http://bigbeautybag.blogspot.com/

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    1. Hi Maya - that's so lovely of you - what a great start to the morning for me :o)! I have done the Liebster, but I'll check it out and answer your questions - have a brilliant day! Xx

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  11. Gorgeous topcoat - was it difficult to remove? xo

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    1. It wasn't that bad actually. I was prepared to sit there for a good 15 mins, but it was ok and didn't take that long using the Bourjois dip and twist :o). Xx

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  12. Love this post and love the colour.! It looks beautiful on you.

    Thanks again for your comment and for visiting my blog :)

    www.yasbeyou.blogspot.co.uk

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  13. wow..what a colour..beautiful

    I am following you dear..

    my recent post :wet n wild lipstick :http://www.indianbeautyforever.com/2013/09/wet-and-wild-lipstick-smoking-hot-pink.html

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  14. Hiya Paola, thank you so much for visiting and for your lovely comment! Sure, I've followed you, and look forward to catching up on your posts :O). Hope to see you here again soon :O). Xx

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Thank you so much for reading my blog and for taking the time to comment! Your comments are very important to me and I do read and appreciate all of them, even though I simply don't have time to reply to all of them!