Sunday, April 27, 2014

Flakie Fantasy

There hasn't been a nail polish in recent memory that I've become so unreasonably fixated on than Essie Shine of the Times. You may recall my Essie collection post, where I mentioned it was the one absent polish that prevented me from feeling my collection was "complete". I recall trawling through pages and pages of Google search results, trying desperately to find an online stockist, even making an order from a random website, only to have them email me the next day to say they hadn't updated their inventory and Shine of the Times was actually out of stock. My last option was eBay where I found one seller willing to ship internationally, but at a considerable cost (for a nail polish, at least). Enter Liz, the brains behind one of my favourite beauty blogs Beauty Reductionista, who so kindly offered to send me her unloved bottle from Canada. It was almost a surreal moment when the package arrived in the post and the darn thing was finally in my hands. My eternal and heartfelt gratitude to her for making it happen.




l-r: Essie Shine of the Times over Rimmel Aye, Aye, Sailor, Nails Inc. Porchester Square, Revlon Cloud, Sally Hansen Jaded



Essie Shine of the Times over bare nail


Having (over)familiarised myself with Shine of the Times from my intense Googling, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Thankfully, when I applied this on my nails the first time, it was exactly as I'd anticipated, sky high bar and all. I think what makes Shine of the Times truly unique is how concentrated the flakie effect is, and the way that the polish spreads over the nail in a packed, scaly/mottled pattern.

There are probably similar iridescent glitter polishes like Revlon Heavenly (said to be a dupe of Deborah Lippmann Stairway to Heaven) and China Glaze Snow Globe, but the appearance on the nail isn't the same. Heavenly consists of square/hexagonal glitter and Snow Globe smaller, rounded dots of glitter, but I'm inclined to categorise Shine of the Times as an entirely different beast altogether. With the Revlon and China Glaze, I can still spot the individual glitter pieces, and they produce a kind of scattered or pebbled look. They're both somewhat gloopy formulas that apply relatively thickly (and potentially unevenly) as well. The Essie, on the other hand, is more like a thin but remarkable overlay on the nail that applies incredibly smoothly. There isn't any added texture if you apply it as a top coat, it's completely flat on the surface of the nail and just adds this colour-flashing, shimmering effect. Come to think of it, the closest match I have is Australis Crystal Colour Top Coat in Speck-tacular, albeit at literally 1/10th the density, more distinct, sparse shreds, and more of the blue/purple end of the spectrum.

I loved experimenting with different base colours to see what combination I liked the best. While a dark creme like the blackish navy Rimmel 60 Seconds Nail Polish in Aye, Aye, Sailor had the highest contrast, there was a bit too much orange/green in there for my liking. I preferred it over lighter, more pastel shades, where the effect was toned down and more delicate. Over the bare nail and paler colours, it flashes more peach, pink and gold, compared with more copper and lime over dark colours. There does appear to be more noticeable blue and purple in Revlon Heavenly and China Glaze Snow Globe, but Shine of the Times certainly isn't lacking because of it. My surprising favourite base to pair it with was Nails Inc. Porchester Square, which I thought might be a nonevent as it's such a tame neutral. Somehow, it serves as the perfect canvas to showcase Shine of the Times in all its glory.

40 comments:

  1. Your camera captured it so accurately! I actually like the look of the Essie polish over a dark background - the effect is really gorgeous. We're not allowed to wear nail polish in the hospital (infection risk etc.) so I haven't painted my nails since the start of this year. I miss making them so pretty! :P

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  2. Such a stunning polish! I adore essie as a brand :)

    Kate xo // www.beautybabbles.com

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  3. I like em allll but how I miss pretty looking nails on myself

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  4. Thats so pretty, I love it over the pale blue! In autumn I like to wear mine over a berry purple, it looks like autumn leaves! x

    http://sophiesmakeupblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/aprils-blue-favourites.html

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  5. Ooh this looks gorgeous over every polish and looks a bit different on each colour too!

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  6. I have the exact dupe of this one from Catrice. Too bad it was limited edition as I am now coming to the end of the bottle.. 'Shine of the Times' must be a staple addition to your bling bling top coat family! ^^
    I love how it is not as hard to remove as the glitter topcoats !

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  7. Oh my god, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful polishes I've ever seen. So stunning!

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  8. ohmygollygosh! That is an AMAZING polish! I love it over the black, it gives it such a cool effect!!

    Melissa | Lemonmel

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  9. Shine of the times is so shiny!!! it really looks amazing on any colour!

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  10. this polish looks great, i love the way it looks over the darker colour xx
    mollyox.blogspot.co.uk

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  11. Thanks for making me want to go to Priceline tomorrow to buy this :P

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    Replies
    1. Oh is this not available in Australia? Let get a petition going!

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    2. Sadly it's limited edition :'( They really should repromote it to permanent! So annoying!

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  12. I quite like it over Cloud, but Porchester Square is gorgeous too. I've scrutinised Revlon Heavenly and I own Australis Speck-tacular but I don't think either come close to Shine of the Times.

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  13. WOW, these are all so pretty! I didn't think much when I saw the pics of the bottles, and it was like BAM! BEAUTY~ on nails when I saw your... well, nails. So pretty!


    Carina / Softly Sometimes

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  14. This looks amazing! I love the effect it gives, especially over the blue polish - I will definitely be picking this up :) x

    http://abeautyromancee.blogspot.co.uk
    http://abeautyromancee.blogspot.co.uk

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  15. I knew that you'd do justice to this polish! Seriously, how do you make everything look amazing? Clearly Shine of the Times is with the right owner, LOL. I don't miss it at all and am glad you love it so much. It looks wicked over the black, but I'm still meh on flakies.

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  16. I'm not big on flakes and glitters but I can totally understand your obsession! This is a gorgeous polish. Love the marbled effects. <3

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  17. Hooray, you finally got your hands on Shine of the Times! I love it layered over Porchester Square; it makes your nail look like an opal. My next manicure will have to be Shine of the Times over Essie Chinchilly...

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  18. I love the feeling of a satisfied lemming! I should pull out my bottle and use it over something other then black. It looks gorgeous over pastels.

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  19. I loveeeeeee the effect from the first nails!
    I'm not a huge fan of glitters, but I really like this! my nail art skills are horrible so, top coats like this are a must for me!
    Take care*

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  20. Holy jeeze, these pictures you've taken are fantastic! I just wish Essie was cruelty free D:

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  21. I still don't have a flaky polish :( :(

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  22. Uhm, you have me sold on this one now! I actually love the intense effect over the dark base, but the delicacy on lighter polishes are beautiful as well! Also, you are so right about Revlon's Heavenly; that polish is pretty but it is undeniably thick and almost classified as goopy which makes me reach for it less often then I want to. I think other glitters cannot compare to how nice the flakie effect of this polish is. It simply isn't the same thing!

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  23. This is so cool! Love the way it looks on the black x

    BerrieBlogs| {beauty blog}

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  24. Ooh, that's pretty. It looks fantastic over each polish!

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  25. Freaking amazing! I think out of all the top coats with translucent glitter or bits this one will definitely go onto my 'eventually buy list'. It's just such a beautiful polish changer, every one looks so unique and beautiful! Thanks for sharing!!

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  26. I love this, looks amazing! Can't resist a cool glitter top coat like this one and it looks so versatile as well x

    Evelyn @ We Were Raised By Wolves

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  27. Heaven! Obviously looks stunning over black, but it's soo pretty over the pastels and Porchester Square. You've inspired me to fish out my flakie for my next mani. haha

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  28. IT LOOKS SO FRIKKIN NICE on all of the above -- but especially on the last three! I might just grab this one if I find it anywhere!

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  29. Lovely result! This topcoat does a really goos job.

    Felishmichelle.blogspot.com

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  30. The formula sounds amazing! I have something similar from Nubar, which is also not available in Australia - we're so deprived! Lol. I love the nails inc combo too!

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  31. It looks really pretty on your hands! I can't seem to handle glitter polishes sadly

    I have been shopping! | http://theconsciencefund.com

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  32. This polish adds such a nice dimension to solid color polishes. Do you have a hard time finding Essie polishes in Australia? They are readily available here in the USA. If you ever need one... I'd be happy to help!
    Carolyn | BLOG

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    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks for the offer Carolyn :) Essie used to be hard to find but they're now increasingly more readily available. But I don't think we're as on top with limited edition/latest season collections. Plus they retail for around $17 a pop here, which is obviously exorbitant :S

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  33. Wow what gorgeous combinations, such a pretty polish, the colour combos are endless :)
    xxx Claire
    http://wwwclairabelle.blogspot.co.uk/

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  34. Well, undoubtedly this is one of the most brilliant nail polishes I've ever seen. This looks so good on your nails.
    XOXO,
    www.mfashionhour.com

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  35. One of my favorite nail polishes i own, such a multidimensional color, getting a lot out of its worth ^^

    Chloé⎪à la foliee

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