Nails on Monday: NCLA I Only Fly Private Review

Every so often a nail polish comes into your life that is so perfect for that moment in time it adorns your nails as soon as possible. NCLA's I only Fly Private is that polish. The day it arrived the first sun of spring had broken through the clouds and all was good in life. NCLA was a new brand to me before this bottle came with March's Glossybox, and here is what the brand has to say for themselves.

"We're a proudly "5 Free" luxury nail lacquer, meaning we are not only 100% free of DBP, toulene, and formaldehyde, but also of camphor and animal testing. Because we love our furry friends and toxins aren't fashionable."

Could it be any more perfect?

I Only Fly Private is described by NCLA as a bold, no apologies Bright Orange. Although the colour is bright, I wouldn't say it was in your face unlike my Pop Orange polish reviewed here: Link.

The colour is bright with a pastel tone to it, a creamy peachy/orange if you would. It stands out but isn't in your face; perfect for people who wish for a splash of colour.

The bottle itself is a lovely square design which is comfortable to hold during application, and the handle is smooth allowing a secure grip. Inside is a medium length brush where the bristles fan out towards the end. After two coats you are left with a glossy, nearly opaque base, however, three thin coats would be best, as I could see some nail base peeping through near my cuticle after two coats.  The polish did take longer to dry than other formulas which I'm putting down to the fact it doesn't contain any quick drying chemicals. As always I apply a top coat just for that extra protection.

Now I managed to smudge my nails once I painted them so after one one day, minimal chipping did appear which disheartened me a little, however, after four days my nails still looked acceptable; a quick application of top coat would tidy your nails up nicely if you were in a rush.

The nails after 1 coat. My camera battery died before I could take a shot once I painted the second coat but I like to see the initial colour when I'm looking at nail swatches.

To conclude I Only Fly Private is becoming a staple in my collection, something to fall back on when I can't decide what to do with my nails. The formula is lovely, the application is easy, the colour is fantastic, and the polish lasts on the nails. Now if only I could find a way to fly Private all the time...

 Have you heard of NCLA before?

Discovered any new nail polish brands you think we should hear about?

Leave us a comment below we love hearing from you!

 Mish x

Disclaimer: All photographs copyright of Mish at Jute, Jam and Joy.
I have no affiliation with any brands mentioned in this post.

Mish | Nails on Saturday

It's been a busy few weeks at Jute, Jam and Joy and we simply haven't had the time to keep up with regular blog posts. However I decided it's high time to get another Nails on (whatever day I remember to post) post up. I painted my nails (well, nail wheel), with a Sally Hansen polish, snapped my photos and started preparing my notes for this post when one word hit me like a steam train.

Discontinued...

Pink is called Byte (09)
Blue is called Spectrum (14)

Not going to lie, had a little gasp to myself (possible a little tear, then another little tear fell realising how pathetic I am weeping over nail varnish). Yes my beloved Sally Hansen HD Nail Colour is no more. I bought these two babies whilst in the good auld U.S.A a couple of years ago and have loved them ever since. I love intricate nail art/styles but don't have the time to do it, so both these polishes appealed to me. Basically it looks like you have spent ages completing your manicure, when in truth you haven't, the shimmer is beautiful and does actually have a HD affect to it, making your nails look utterly gorgeous.  Both colours are vibrant; they attract attention but in a somehow classy way. If you were going to an event or work where crazy nail varnish is not allowed this would somehow be acceptable, I don't know how but let's just say they would.

Both bottles contains silver shimmer mixed with another colour, Byte has blue and Spectrum Pink

Nail polishes tend to have a high turnover in terms of new ranges replacing older ones. Sally Hansen does suggest her GEM Crush would be a prefect replacement (even thought I love them as well) I'm not convinced. The bonus the HD had was that the polish set smooth, there is no drag if you swipe your finger over it, as with some other shimmer polishes. Gem Crush on the other hand, man do those scratch if you don't apply at least two top coats.

I always apply three thin coats when using this product. You are then left with a stunning high shine, shimmer design which is turns opaque, the thing I love most about it. So many shimmer polishes are so darn streaky, not the problem with this.

One coat

 

Two coats

       

Three Coats
The photo doesn't really show a difference between the 2nd and 3rd coat, but the colour does appear deeper in the flesh.

I guess this post is turning into an ode to Sally Hansen HD Nail colours (apologies if I'm rambling) Its discontinuousness also does not help the reasoning I use all the time of don't worry the product still be there next month to purchase, you can buy it later...

So now I turn to you great Blogging Community, is there a dupe for the HD range?

 Or is there a better replacement to fill the void in my over filling nail polish box? 

Please let me know!

Discaimer: All photos copyright of Mish at Jute, Jam and Joy 2014

Nails on Friday ~ Formula X for Sephora: Massive

Hello Lovelies!

This weeks polish of choice: Formula X for Sephora in the colour Massive.

 Massive sits in the green section of the Formula X stand. It looks grey but let me assure you there is a green tinge to it. I would describe the colour as grey/dark oily green, like the colour you would see on the forecourt of a garage (random I know ha). However on the website they call it more a "Charcoal Blue", green maybe but not blue in my eyes.

What I love about Formula X is that their colours don't fit into specific brackets, there was always something interesting in the colour ranges which I find really exciting about a nail brand. Formula X are not playing it safe, me likey!

The polish applies beautifully with a smooth and even glossy finish. The squarish cap removes to produce a standard round lid for easy handling whilst painting your nails, and the brush is the perfect length. Its main magic however is how long Formula X lasts on the nails. I wore this for 8 days in Chicago and only started noticing chips after day 6. I am mightily impressed with this stuff.


On a side note, take a look at what came up when I typed Massive into the search space on the Formula X website:



Click for bigger photo 

Frankly I was bemused, I understand companies play a part in protecting the vulnerable from harm on line but it's a nail polish! If a company is worried about rude words (Massive is not rude in this context) why name your product it then? I had to Google Formula X Massive in order to get to the correct page. Not a good look.

The website is actually pretty amazing once you understand it, allowing you to interact with the brand and send in your own photos which is how I stumbled upon this. Call me prudish but it won't allow you to search for Massive but #NailPorn is allowed. Hmmm?



Click for bigger photo

I hope someday Formula X comes to the UK shores (seeing as it's 'Made in UK' ), why it doesn't sell here I've no idea. In my honest opinion Formula X would knock Nails Inc. as the number one nail brand in the U.K, reason being, it won't chip on you after an hour like Nails Inc. has a habit of doing.

Apart from the website gripe Formula X nail varnishes are one of the best I have tried. Fact! They are long lasting, amazing colours and give a lovely look to the nails. As long as you don't type in naughty words on the website, you should get your mits on a bottle ASAP, as they are worth the money. Not often I say that :)

Has anyone else tried Formula X? Had a funny issue with a website? Leave us a comment we love hearing from you!


P.S. I managed to accidentally delete the photos of my nails with Massive painted on them, but what I will say is the colour in the bottle is true to what you get on your nails.

Photos copyright of Mish at Jute, Jam and Joy, 2014

All views my own, I have no association with Formula X or Sephora.