Alessandro International - Vibrant Fuchsia

I have on my nails today a new brand to me. Alessandro International is very well known in mainland europe, but it is new to the UK and has just launched over here too.  I am always pleased of course to see new polishes coming our way, so today I have 'Vibrant Fuchsia' to show you.

Firstly let me say my pics are pulling a little more pink than the true colour, it is more of a purple berry than a pink, but it is very pretty indeed.  The formula was no problem to work with, although it was a little thinner than I expected but it dried quickly so it wasn't an issue.  The finished mani in the pics is three thin coats and a top coat, so whilst it looked a little streaky on first application it evened out well with good colour saturation.  I also liked the brush, it was a good width and easy to use.

I have had this on for a couple of days now as it is advertised as lasting up to 7 days, and have a little tip wear but nothing that I wouldn't get from any other premium brand of polish, so all in all, yes, I give this one the thumbs up.  I will try others in the range based on my experience with this one, and I will be looking out for them becoming widely available soon.

You can visit the Alessandro homepage here at Alessandro-International to see their full range of hand care and polishes.  You can also visit their facebook page or follow them in Twitter

(product sent for review)

Bluesky Shellac - Crystal Curacao

Well hello there :) today I want to show you the divine Crystal Curacao from Bluesky Shellac.  Its one that I have worn and removed now so I can give you a full review about how well it lasts, and how easy removal is.

First, let me start with the colour, it is blue, not just blue but BLUE in big shouty letters!  Electric blue with a gorgeous sparkle as well, ooo yes please! Application, as in my previous post about shellac, is easy to do (remember you do need a UV lamp) although I think I should have taken a bit more time with mine as I was in a bit of a rush and it has gone on a little thick on my middle finger.  I rather think that was just clumsy application by yours truly and not the shellac, and it looks worse in the pics than it does in real life with the shots being up close.

So, I finished applying, base coat, couple of coats of colour, then top coat, and that was it.  I left it for two and a half weeks, doing all my usual things.  Walking the dogs, typing, filing, generally being busy, and not a chip or ding anywhere, not even tip wear so yes, it wears very well.  I decided to take it off after giving it a thorough bashing, and I was starting to get new growth showing anyway so I thought it was time.  The removal too a little longer than the previous one I used, I think it is because of the micro sparkle in it, but it was no more problematic, I just had to soak my nails in acetone a little longer.  I used the foil method, of wrapping a pad with acetone over my nail, then covering it in foil to stop evaporation and just leaving it for 15 minutes or so.  After soaking the shellac was all cracked and it just flaked off, then I moisturised thoroughly.

So there you have it, if you are interested in any of these shellacs they do a range of all things UV related, gels, shellacs, wipes,and all you need from www.shellacworld.com where I got mine from.  They also have a new facebook page too, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shellac-World/170844893062153 go along and 'like' them, discount codes will be happening!  And if pinterest is your thing, you can find them there too pinterest.com/shellacworld

(product sent for review)