Purple Friday: Illamasqua Faux Pas

Hey all! I'm technically squeaking this post in on Friday, though most of you will probably see it on Saturday. I've decided to shift from Football Fridays to Purple Fridays, because that's the weekly "spirit day" we have at UW before every football game. Plus, I figured that calling it Purple Friday would be more of a reason to actually review the polish. Or something. In any case, I'm giving it a try!

Tonight I have Illamasqua Faux Pas to show you. Faux Pas is described as a "blue violet" with a rubber finish. This was released several years ago (in 2011) but I grabbed it a couple years ago when it showed up on sale at Sephora. This was my first exposure to Illamasqua as a brand and I was definitely pleased. Faux Pas has a great formula and applies really easily. This could also be a one coater, but I used two in photos below-- I have wide nail beds so it gets a little draggy if you try to use too many strokes. While Faux Pas does take slightly longer to dry down to the rubber finish, it didn't feel like it was very long and you can complete your manicure fairly quickly (always a bonus in my book). The rubber finish is a not a true matte but as a subtle shine to it, making it look kind of like vinyl. Personally, I really love the finish but if you're looking for a true matte, this isn't it. Overall, I love this polish and I regret not buying all the other rubber finish Illamasqua polishes when I had the chance. Maybe they will re-release them someday (I can only hope)!

Quick note: photos are making this a bit brighter and more blue than it is in real life.

Artificial light (flash):

Natural light: 

Faux Pas is still available to purchase, but unfortunately you can't buy Illamasqua at any brick and mortar stores in the US at the moment-- you can only buy it from their website and then pay to have it shipped from the UK... which means $$. But Illamasqua will definitely ship internationally so that's an option if you really want this and have money to spend!

Colors by Llarowe Black Gold, Texas Tea

Today I have a Colors by Llarowe polish to share with you-- I think this is the first time I've posted one on the blog (well, for a full review)! I've actually had this polish for over a year, but only just got around to wearing it. I was craving something dark and thought this black holo would give me what I wanted. Black Gold, Texas Tea is a jet black linear holo. As I remember, the formula on this is pretty decent-- I think I only used two coats here. In case you didn't know, "black gold" and "Texas tea" are euphemisms for oil, which is of course drilled in Texas. (I knew about black gold, but had to google Texas tea! Thanks Wikipedia!)

I had a devil of a time photographing this polish. I mean, in the bottle, Black Gold, Texas Tea is a amazing:

But unfortunately, I feel like the holo got swallowed up in the base color on the nail. Maybe the black base is too black? I'm not sure if it had something to do with the top coat I was wearing (Cult Nails Wicked Fast) and that dulled the holo or what, but it definitely looked flat on the nail.

Artificial light (flash):

Natural light (sun):

I was hoping that the holographic qualities would be a lot stronger, given how this looks in the bottle. You can still see the holo, but it's not very strong. I was a bit disappointed overall, so maybe next time I will wear this I will either wear a different top coat or none at all. Maybe another coat would have helped? I'm not sure. I really do wish I had fallen in love this, but sadly I'm not. But never fear-- there are other polishes by CbL that I love! You'll see more of them soon (I hope).

Sally Hansen Batbano Blue

Today I have Sally Hansen Batbano Blue on the blog! Side note: I keep wanting to call this "baltano" or "boitano" (as in Brian Boitano). I think I have twin brain dyslexia. Batbano Blue was a LE polish that was released this summer-- I passed it by several times before finally grabbing. This color is mesmerizing. Batbano Blue is a deep but bright shimmery blue. The formula was a little thin, which feels typical of polishes like this, but opacity built up nicely in three coats.

Artificial light (flash):

 Natural light (shade):

Stunning! I wore this as a pedicure for weeks! It's so gorgeous in person and loses something in photos-- it's incredibly vibrant in real life.