Crumpet's Polishes of the Year 2013 - Orange

Hi Goddesses

Today I've got my favourite orange polishes of the year for you.  Orange is a colour I've really come to LOVE this year - it's also a big depression-fighter for me.  Orange on my nails just makes me happy :)  So, excluding my Big 4 brands, here are my Top 4 Oranges of the Year.

(To go to the post, just click the polish name).

Jade Uau



This is about as holo-tastic as you can get without turning yourself inside out.  This is a mesmeric polish.  Deeply, intensely stunning.


Chirality - Just Before Dawn



This is at the opposite end of the holo scale to Uau but no less beautiful for that.  This is a rich, burnt orange scattered holo.  Utterly gorgeous.


Essence - Gorgeous Bling Bling



Another burnt orange masterpiece, this dark ginger syrup is shot through with gold to make for the most divine flakie experience.


LACC - 1964



LACC is a brand I want to get more of in 2014.  Again, this is from the burnt orange family, and it made its first appearance on the blog as Kipper, during Book Week :) Again, just gorgeous - smooth, rich and strong.

#33DC Day 16 - South America - Ponchos of Peru

Hi Goddesses

I hope you've had a great day.  Here in the UK, I am safe from the storm, which I am thankful for.  If you're in the UK, I hope you didn't sustain any damage.

When I created this challenge, I imagined dancing ballgowns on my nails at this point, or something colourful.  Instead, I really struggled to find something that inspired me, and I ended up Googling country after country until .... I found Peru, and all the amazing knitted ponchos they wear.

Now, admittedly, there was no one specific poncho that looked like this, but I drew from a variety of patterns I saw.

Polishes used - 
OPI Lost on Lombard
Essence Gorgeous Bling Bling
Liquidus Nail Gloss Arsenic (on base)
Nails Inc Ganton Street (brown)
and I also mixed a little of the Essence with Barry M Yellow to create an ochre colour.

Most of the nails are explorations with textured brushstrokes, something I've been seeing a lot of on A Girl And Her Polish.  I love how rough yet pretty they look at the same time.

The thumb is a little more Aztec, and was quite elaborate by my standards.  I did it last, and wished I'd done it on at least one other finger too.

Check out the other ladies in the challenge - I've seen a great parrot today from The Nail Newbie xx

Holo Stamping and Cheeky Jumbo Plate 5 Musical

Hi Goddesses

Today's post features the Musical plate from Cheeky aka Jumbo Plate 8.  There are tons of great patterns on this plate, many of which I wouldn't associate with music.

I guess this is the pattern of sound reverb, but I love cos it's loads of circles lol - it looks to me like a giant slinky :)

On base we have Essence Gorgeous Bling Bling, a stunning burnt orange with flakies, and on percussion we have the lovely Color Club holo that is Cosmic Fate.

I tell you what, we are SO lucky these Color Clubs stamp so well - they create amazing art, effortlessly.   If you've always been too scared to stamp with a "normal" polish, start here, you won't go wrong.

Enjoy xx :)

Crumpet Reviews ESSENCE Prom-Berry & Gorgeous Bling Bling

Hi Goddesses

Happy Weekend!  I feel so behind on the blog at the moment, so don't be surprised if there's a lot of posts this weekend!  The double whammy of 2 heavy art weeks has exhausted me and made me not want to blog or paint when I've gotten home from work.  Seriously, how can I *already* be behind when I just had a week off lol?

Anyway, today I have 2 lovely Essence polishes for you, which were sent to me for review by Sally Magpies.  You can visit her amazing store HERE or click on her logo in my side bar.

Essence polishes are great quality and reasonably priced at £2.75 for an 8ml bottle.  I love the new dumpy shape of the bottles, and I'm also really impressed that they match the wand to the type of polish - can you see on the orange bottle how it matches the exact speckles of the polish?

So, the orange one is called Gorgeous Bling Bling and it is sensational.  It's a really unique shade of orange, and I love it.

It reminds me most of burnt sugar and home made toffee.  It has a rich dark orange tone, and is laden with gold flakies.   Really gorgeous.

Then we have Prom-berry - holy of the molies!   Will you LOOK at that polish?    This is one of the darkest purples I own, but it's the glossiness of it that blows me away.

I love some of these photos - they're like staring into a purple lake.   Glassy, fathomless, fascinating.   

If you're looking to expand your polish collection for summer, Essence are great buys - cheap, cheerful and great quality :)

Enjoy xx :)