Nails // Essie The Lace Is On

I am enamoured with this polish. 

Okay, now that we've got that out of the way I can tell you it's The Lace Is On, from the Essie Fall 2013 collection. I got the mini-cube last week and posted about the other three colours in the collection - HERE. This particular colour really stands out from the group so I decided I'd do a manicure with it alone. Then, as if the nail gods planned it, this new glitter polish that I'd bought just days before from Korean brand Innisfree, matched perfectly!

The Lace Is On is a jewel toned purple which gives you flashes of pink from the fuchsia shimmer. It has a pearlescent finish with a nice amount of depth, especially after a Seche Vite topcoat (minor shrinkage forgiven). To me, a lover of bright nails, this is the perfect alternative to the darker plum toned polishes that are always popular for Fall. 

The only minor negative about this polish, is that initially I had a bit of a problem with it dragging on the second coat and got a little bubbling. Duo-chromes and shimmer polishes have a tendency to do this if you're not careful. If you make sure the base coat is applied fairly thin, allow a little extra drying time and then do a generous second coat you shouldn't have any problems.

The mini-cube can be purchased online from Zappos. You can get the single full-size version of The Lace Is On and all the other Essie Fall 2013 polishes on Nordstrom, or Look Fantastic with free worldwide delivery.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of this colour. Also, what colour polish are you wearing now or what's your usual favourite fall nail colour?

x x x

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Spring Nails // Pastel Glitter and Mint

Apparently it's the first day of spring today, or perhaps it was yesterday?! Either way, it's definitely feeling more spring like here. It's beginning to warm up, the sun is shining, it's a little blustery and there's a hint of green spreading across the park outside my apartment. And, when I was in my favourite Korean cosmetics store, InnisFree, earlier this week, they had this new glitter polish that just shouts spring. Well, it does to a polish addict like myself, anyway! 

It's a creamy coloured base that's packed with lots of pastel glitter - pinks, mint, lilac, and yellow. I often like to pick out one of the glitter colours to do accent nails Yep, I do it in reverse - glitter nails with plain polish accents. I like glitter. A LOT! In this case, I opted for a mint green from another Korean brand, Skinfood. Whilst I do love the mint colour of this polish, I don't find that Skin Food polishes apply as well as polishes from InnisFree. The formula of this one is very sheer and doesn't self level, making application pretty tricky if you're looking for a streak free, smooth finish in less than three coats. Still, I love the end result so I guess it was worth the extra effort!

Mint Green - Skin Food  //  Pastel Multi-glitter - InnisFree - available in my blog shop now :)

Spring Time Favourite :)

Don't you think it's so fitting for spring?! I love it, just need the warm weather to hurry up so I can pair it with my spring wardrobe.

What manicure are you wearing at the moment?

xxx

PS: If you haven't yet, hop on over HERE to enter the Beauty Box Giveaway. Included in the prize is your choice of nail polish from my blog shop :)

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Goodie Box Giveaway

It's been a while since the last giveaway on Duckling To Swan. So, I thought I'd put together a special little giveaway for you ladies.

There's not just one item, but a whole selection of cute, fun things up for grabs. What's really special about this giveaway, is that you probably can't get your hands on the items too easily anywhere else, since they're all going to be coming to you from sunny South Korea! They're a selection of my favourite Korean beauty products with my very favourite, most worn bracelet (a new one, not my own!) thrown in for good measure. 

Here's what's included:

The Bella Bracelet  //  Not one, but two InnisFree Nail polishes - You choose the colours you want!  //  Missha M Absolute Black Mascara  //  A Tony Moly Bunny Gloss Bar - You choose what colour you want!  //  The Face Shop Make Me Glamorous Body BB Balm  //  A Pack of Hello Kitty Band Aids  //  The Face Shop Silver Glitter Polish  //  InnisFree Brightening Rice Face Mask  //  Face Shop Mini Pet Hand Cream  //  Skin Food Exfoliating Black Sugar Mask  //  The Face Shop Hyluronic Acid Face Mask

There's only ONE thing you need to do to be in with a chance of winning - Follow Duckling To Swan on Bloglovin'. Easy as that!

If you want extra entries, then you can complete the other steps listed below. The giveaway is open to everyone and finishes on the 31st of March. The winner will be announced on here. Good luck everyone!  ♥

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PS: I hope everyone's had a lovely weekend. Check out the latest instalment from my Dubai trip, HERE!  xxx