Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Illamasqua Art of Darkness nail polish for Winter 2010

Two more dark shades from Illamasqua. Thankfully, I like these much better this time, no disappointment here!


Scarab. My favorite of the two. A rich, velvety red shimmer. This is not just plain red- it's a little brown toned and has some gold in it. It's one of those dark on the edges/light in the middle glowing 'lit from within' shades that I love so much, like OPI Royal Rajah Ruby. It has some really awesome looking gold duochrome in the bottle but it's not really visible on the nail. Oh, and it's a one-coater. I did two here just because. I like everything better with more coats anyway.


Viridian. A deep blue-green shimmer. People were telling me this was frosty... I don't see frosty here... I see shimmer. I am relieved. Not brushstroke-y, not dusty looking, just a nice green shimmer. Gorgeous gem-like shade, but I feel like I've seen it before... It strikes me as being similar to Nubar Earth or something in that blue-green shimmer category. Makes me think of Christmas ornaments, both these colors together. Cute!

The formula on these was excellent in true Illamasqua tradition. Super opaque, I did two coats in these pictures but I really only needed one. Smooth, even, not runny or too thick, just all around good. Drying time is average, nothing worth noting. Dries to a dull finish, but that's sort of irrelevant cause topcoat instantly removes that... just thought I'd mention it, though.

I like these. Scarab came in a cool box with an over-sleeve with a picture of a Scarab beetle on it and some spooky butterflies on the side. It was a nice touch, unfortunately I forgot to photograph it once I saw the polish inside! I usually love polishes with names that remind me of things, but these polish names make me totally geek out.




* is dork *

(These were sent to me for review.)

28 comments:

  1. LOL FFXI LOL >< I'm also a dork :D

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  2. Hahah I love Pokémon! Life would be so boring without the dorkiness :) <3

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  3. It still makes me squee that you played FFXI.

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  4. Wow I totally need that Elf Shaman magic card for my elf deck... LOL! My boyfriend is always playing blue artifacts hahaha.

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  5. These are stunning! I love Scarab, I too have a thing for these lit from within vampy shades. it reminds me very much of Chanel Tulipe Noir too which is one of my all time faves!

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  6. I love Scarab. Will Sephora be getting it?

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  7. I think of Pokemon when I hear the word Viridian too...nice to know I'm not the only one!

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  8. *is dork* LOL Love it! I really like Scarab, but both are very pretty.

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  9. Haha, I love your Halo and Pokemon references. I'm a total dork too :)

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  10. <<< FFXI dork, shh. I know these colors aren't anything new but they sure are purdy. Viridian especially catches my eye.

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  11. <is dork too.... go Magic! love Scarab! Must have. Thanks for posting.

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  12. Viridian is really amazing and unique. Must find dupe! lol

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  13. I is dork also :)! Both are lovely, and I really do love Scarab. I think I have dupes to both, though, but will have to check. Thanks for the swatches and for validating the rest of us dorks. :)

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  14. You're not a dork, you're a geek. Be proud. I know I'm proud to be a geek.

    Geek girls unite!

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  15. I love both. If it wasn't for the price, they'd both be mine!

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  16. There's also a particularly well-designed Unreal Tournament level named Viridian Dreams, which I like so much I named my Ragnarok Online guild after it. I may need this polish on that basis alone.

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  17. Grrrrr I KNEW you were going to make these look good.... Still, I may have expected more/too much of them. Viridian is just the worst green for my skin (yup. worse than most minties) so my sad is just color-related, and Scarab is, oh well, okay. And okay won't do for me when it's illa :D (spoilt rotten illawise over here)
    I am very grateful that Frostmonster was kept at bay...! Go pokemons!

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  18. ZOMG Viridian Shaman! I love that card so much - it was my man line of defense in Mirrodin block against those pesky bloody artifact heavy decks!

    *is dork too*.

    Oh, and Scarab is pretty delish... I'm still high on Jade Dragon, so I'll pass on Veridian. For now...

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  19. Scarab OMG.

    LOVE the Viridian City reference :P Love it love it love it hahahaha!

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  20. I love it!!! MAGIC is what I was thinking when i read it! :)

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  21. How does Scarab compare to China Glaze Branding Iron, China Glaze Foxy or China Glaze X? I like the M:tG reference too!

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