BK 20

Here's another BK polish, number 20. This is a black holo. It is not an exact dupe to the original MPJ. I could not say for sure, as I do not have a bottle (sadly), but MPJ seems to be more of a brown-based black. BK 20 has a cooler base, much more bluish. I have compared my BK holos (on a nail wheel) and have found that they are stronger than the DSs (will have an upcoming post on that), so my guess is that this is also more holo than MPJ.

Anyway, here are a few pictures:

Like I said last time, the formula is wonderful and shiny. Owning and trying this polish has definitely killed any desires to purchase the original MPJ. I don't know about anyone else, but as gorgeous and wonderful as a black holo is, there is no way I would ever pay more than $40 for a bottle. Ever.

In other news, I signed up for a group order for the upcoming anniversary Hits polish collection Hits no Olimpo along with quite a few other ladies on MUA. Crossing my fingers everything works out in the end so we can all get our hands on some excellent holos from Brazil. I'm especially excited about Hera, a teal holo. A teal linear holo, I don't think I've seen than yet.

BK 14

It's so exciting to try a completely new brand. I don't know very much about it, except that it's only available in Asia (so far, have only heard of Hong Kong), and that they have a regular and a crack line. Got four of these in a swap with Caca, who has given me permission to swatch these before getting her end (if you read this: thank you ♥). Out of them, this one and 20 are the ones I've been dying to try out first.

Enough rambling, here are the pictures. These are all with only one coat over Revlon Barely Peach, no top coat:

(Click to enlarge)

 

Look at the gold flash *_*

   

 

In 14, I think I have found my HG gold holo. It is a bit orangey, but it looks a lot more golden in the sun (meaning, less red than the photos show) than other beige-gold holos. I can't think of any holo that comes even close in color to BK 14.

Anyway, Caca told me the bottles were really tiny, but I didn't think they were this small! They are very cute, though, and the polish is so holo that you really only need one coat. The formula is perfect, comparable to the OPI DSs. Flawless, smooth, very forgiving. No drag, plus I think it may be B3F, at least judging by the smell. The brush is also very small:

However, this allows one to have good control of the bristles, which glide very smoothly. I found it very easy to work with despite the smallness. It would probably be a bit difficult for those with large hands and fingers, though. No accidental cuticle flooding with these babies, that's for sure.

OPI DS Couture JP

So, last time I mentioned I burned my hand. Well, it happened again, before it healed properly from the first time. I also burned a bit of my foot, and one of the side walls of my right index finger. Everything seems to be healing ok, though, so hopefully I will not have to swatch with my left hand for very long.

Anyway, today I finally got to wear DS Couture:

 

Got this polish from a lovely gal on MUA in a swap, along with China Glaze Spin Me Round (which I will be posting later). Color-wise, I don't know. Under certain lighting I love it, under others it's a bit meh. Would I pay $25+ for it? No. It's kind of orangey red, looks more red in the sun. In the bottle, it definitely looks lighter, so it kind of surprised me. I thought it would look way different from the regular US version. It's very holo, though, so that takes away from the dullness of the base color. I'm still wondering why the hell OPI did not make a good sky blue holo for the JP DS line, nor a scattered medium purple and a bright fuchsia. Ozotic Pros and Kaleidoscopes will have to come in and fill that void (which they are doing very nicely, by the way).

Now I just need two polishes to finish up my collection of the Japanese DS line (my biggest lemming for a good while) which I will hopefully get soon.  After that, I will have to move on to collecting the few Kaleidoscopes I want, and try to swap for more of those cute BKs:

Die MPJ holo lemming! Note to self: need more BK 20's.

I hope my end of the swap gets there soon so I can wear the BKs before the month is over :D.

So never fear, there will probably never be a shortage of holos to lust after. I'm still undecided over whether or not I need DS Design/Opening Night Gold, that BK up there seems to be a dupe. I might cave in later if I can get it at somewhat decent price, because I am a collector after all, and not having it will probably eat away at me slowly.

Nubar Reclaim

I really wanted to take more and better photos of this, but I burned my swatching hand (the right one). It's all blistery, blotchy red around the thumb and a bit down. I just hope that when it heals it doesn't turn out to be a completely different color than the rest, because it's a good fourth of my entire hand. How weird would that be? Good thing I will still be able to swatch once the pain subsides. It hurts so much to be out in the sun for more than a few seconds.

 

 

Absolutely gorgeous medium green holo. I like Reclaim way, way better than the China Glaze OMGs for multiple reasons. One, Nubar has an excellent formula. Smooth as butter, doesn't drag as easily, nice and even. Two, it's not discontinued, so you can get it without having to jump through hoops for it. Three, I have a dusty that sells them to me for about half price, so I can get them cheaply. For quality, though, the Nubar polishes are definitely worth their retail price.

I can't really comment on the drying time, as I am wearing a few coats of OPI Nail Envy as a base coat, and it takes an unfairly long time to dry. You can still get dents hours after, unless you only apply one coat. The finish is really shiny, so you don't need a top coat. I didn't wear any in those photos

Nubar, please, please, please make more holos like Reclaim. I know there are lots of people (including me) who will buy them, and not just one of each.

OPI DS Divine (JP)

Just got this polish today, after stalking it for months online.

Photos:
Before we go on to the JP version, here is the regular, discontinued US version:

Vibrant, super saturated fuchsia. A very red based linear holo.

Now, the Japanese version:

(Click to enlarge)

 

 

I do like it, but it's a lot pinker in real life than what I expected. These photos make it look more purple. The optimum number of coats is two. I put on three, thinking that it would make the effect more intense. It simply looks darker and opaque, and lost quite a bit of its charm. So two coats it is next time, a little sheer but not too much so, and it looks a lot more flattering on my skintone that way.

Here are comparisons (so you can also see the finish on DS Original JP):

(Click to enlarge)

 

What I should have done is to compare it with Ozotic Pro 606, which is a lot bluer. Because Divine is so pink, it reflects a lot of orangey, red tones in the sun, which also makes it look completely different than what it does inside. This is the exact same problem I have with Amethyst. In the shade, though, I have to say this is quite possibly the prettiest of all my holos. If there was a version without the large particles (sort of like Sapphire) I would want it too for when I need a break from the shiny.

1st Post: Intro, OPI JP Series Buying Guide

First off, an explanation for the blog name is appropriate here, if ever. It's Japanese, tamamushi, an insect with an iridescent color. The term, however, can also be used to describe anything with a prismatic effect, which incidentally is the case for holographic nail polishes. You will be seeing a lot of holos in this blog, as you may well have guessed by this point.


I would like to take this opportunity to write a bit of information on the Japanese DS Series. There are a few swatches out there (the best I have found are at KrisInPhilly's My Lucid Bubble blog) plus a few from Japanese bloggers if you know what to type into Google (hint: the name of this blog will also produce some lovely holographic TiNS, the Winmax's, and Canmake. Canmake makes holos?! Noooo!) However, there isn't a comprehensive shopping guide of sorts out there for those of us over here (i.e. not in Japan). This is an attempt to provide more info, so that you can choose more wisely before shelling out good money on these (I know, I know, ~$30 isn't a lot, but you can buy multiple bottles of ETF's for the same amount).

Here is the insert that comes in the box with the 12 standard shades:

(Click for full size)

There are, apparently, more than these (e.g. DS Royal.) I have not, however, come across any sort of press/seller/blogger photos from Japan that have DS Royal or anything beyond these twelve, unless they are selling the regular US versions. Based on the Sterling Nails photo, I think a good substitute for it would be the JP DS Original, one of the core shades.

Actually, I'm kind of hoping that it is DS Original, since it is a mini, so it has no label and they were confused. Plus, they look remarkably similar. OPI should have made a real holo (linear) with a blue/purple base like the real DS Royal. That would have been genius, I'm sure people would have been all over that. But no, instead we got a foil duochrome. And now we have those glitters. That's just insulting. The DS series used to be special. Even those weak scattered holos were still at least holo. Ok, ok, /rant.

I have to level with you at this point and say that I do not own all the Japanese Designer Series. I do have most of them, with at least one polish of each finish, and so I can compare these for you without having them all. Honestly, I don't have any intentions of owning all of them, and the main reason for me writing this is so that you too can save your $$$ and not purchase the ones that are not all that interesting/not worth the extra money/are a pain in the ass to find/dupes are available.

Before I go on to the finishes, I think this is a good spot to mention that the JP series is B3F. The formula is quick-drying, and shiny, so top coat is optional.

Finishes:

DS Luxury (Click to enlarge)

1.   Scattered holos with large particles

These are the ones that get all the love. They look like the China Glaze Kaleidoscopes, but with larger, super holo particles. They are finer than the ones in OPI Paris Couture for Sure, and have some finer particles thrown in as well for that sparkly effect the DS series is known for. First coat is very sheer, by the second coat is it almost completely opaque. Won't chip as quickly as other holos. Can take top coat (DS top coat).

Polishes with this finish: Divine, Luxury, Exclusive, Shimmer, Couture

 

DS Design (Click to enlarge)

2.   Soft semi-scattered linear holos

A cross between a linear holo, which has a prismatic effect, and a scattered holo. The particles are larger than those in a standard linear holo, so they are more visible individually.

These don't get quite as much love, but they are beautiful nevertheless under the right light. The base colors for these are very similar, same tone, but because the prismatic effect is not as strong, they appear lighter. The finish is not quite as smooth (not texture-wise), it looks as though it had some sort of superfine glass fleck. Will need at least two coats. Top coat is not recommend, as it will most likely kill the holo.

Polishes with this finish: Original, Vintage, Elegance, Signature, Design

DS Sapphire (index & middle)

3.   Scattered holos with fine particles

Very little love for these, and with good reason (for holo lovers anyway). The effect is almost none, extremely subtle. No prismatic effect. Individual particles shine alone.  If you ever wanted the Designer Series finish but you hate holos, these are for you. Bearing that in mind, whether or not to put a top coat on is probably not a problem, unless you do care about the little holo these polishes have.
Polishes with this finish: Sapphire, Chiffon.


With all that said, I would recommend buying all the polishes in category 1 and DS Original, and possibly Signature and Vintage.

I will probably update this post later when I've reread it and realize I've missed some info or I come back with new stuff.