Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Bloom swatches: Mena, Bonnie and Bianca


Thanks to the same lovely swapper (also a women's college alumna, which makes me happy -- there are so few of us these days as only 50-something women's colleges are left in the US, with tons more likely to go down the pipes with this economy) who let me swatch her Marquee Moon that I CP'ed for her, I am the proud owner of a couple of Bloom polishes. Well, pretty proud. I'm SO happy I got to try these out but I'm even happier that I'm no longer lemming the brand.

The one I wanted most was Mena, based on some amazing swatches I saw online. I'm wondering if this is what it feels like to get the non-holo version of MPJ (i.e. disappointment)? I thought it'd be a lot more eye-catching than this...

Bloom Mena

Three coats, no topcoat. The photos do wash out the holo effect a bit but it was pretty faint and scattered to begin with. Sigh. I guess I'll have to be happy with my $2 bottle of Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm or $3 bottle of CC Revvvolution (or $6 bottle of Mattese Revolution).

It's a little more pronounced in the bottle:

The video shows off the holo a lot better but as you can see, it's very scattered holo:

Bloom Bonnie
Three coats, looks far better IRL because the dark blue shimmer has a pink-purple duochrome to it. However, this effect is only really obvious in the bottle (again) and disappears a bit when it hits the nail. Weird! The closeup with flash shows it off well though.

Closeup of Bloom Bonnie
Admittedly, I got kind of impatient with it -- I was in a colorful mood -- so I layered Wet n Wild's Fantasy Makers Black Magic bar glitter on top.

Bloom Bonnie with WnW Fantasy Makers Black Magic on top
Two coats of Black Magic, a multi-colored small bar glitter polish. Wonder if I could get it almost opaque?

Closeup of Bloom Bonnie with WnW Fantasy Makers Black Magic on top
Sometimes it seems like sacrilege to layer cheapie polishes over expensive ones. But a polish is a polish is a polish. :)

But happily, one polish was as beautiful as its picture and bottle promised!

Bloom Bianca
Three coats, could've used four. Gorgeous bluish-teal with a green-gold duochromish shimmer. This is exactly what I wanted NYX Jungle to look like and you could probably get Jungle to look like this by layering it over a dark blue polish.

The polishes were all of great consistency: the formula was very easy to work with. I just wish the first two colors were a bit more showy. And that this brand was cheap and available in the US!


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7 comments:

MightyLambchop said...

Bianca is gorgeous! Love Bonnie with the Fantasy Maker on top totally takes it over the top!

Unknown said...

I really want Bianca! Thanks for the review!

rijaH said...

Bloom Mena is crazy amazing! Love it :)

Delainie said...

I think Mena still looks great as is.. But I can understand the disappointment when something doesn't live up to your dreams!!

The Asian Girl said...

Chainmail Charm is worth it...very, very pronounced holo for $2...I prefer it over Revvvolution...I was actually a bit disappointed over Revvvolution.

Lucy said...

How disappointing when a polish isn't what you thought it would be. They all looked lovely on you. The WetnWild over Bonnie looks spectacular. Looks like a night sky with fire works.

flinty said...

lambchop + lucy: thanks! I love the Wet n Wild! I almost never buy backups but I got an extra one of it. I'm sure there are fun frankening possibilities... :)

kittyluvscolor + rijah: glad that you guys liked those polishes!! :)

delaynee: Seriously, I don't know why all the photos of it looked so amazing and then I put it on and I'm like, "WHERE'D THE HOLO GOOO??" :(

asian girl: Chainmail Charm is probably the best of the dark holos I own. Goes to show you that inexpensive doesn't mean cheap!

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