NEW BYS Nail Polishes + Swatches

Hello blog readers! Back in December last year (2 months ago now... wow time surely does fly) I received  7 new BYS nail polishes for consideration and by new I don't just mean brand new (obviously they would be haha) but from their newly released ranges - Diamond Glitter, Hi Impact and Quake nail enamels. I never knew it would be this exciting to be a beauty blogger, I feel so privileged to be able to try out products before they hit the shelves and/or being one of the first to get my hands on them. For this I wasn't obliged to write a review but this is my way of 'giving back' and sharing my honest thoughts and opinions with you guys :)

 From L-R: 3 Diamond Glitter, 1 Hi Impact and 2 Quake Nail Enamels

I was very eager to try these nail enamels out when I received them because I had read the press releases beforehand so as you can imagine, I had some pretty high expectations! I ended up using the nail wheel that I got from Saku to do the swatches and I am extremely thankful and glad that I have one because it would have taken me a really long time to swatch on my own nails! The whole nail wheel was used and I bought a new one on eBay recently for any future swatching (it can be a pain to remove the nail polishes from the wheel).

 

BYS Diamond Glitter Nail Enamels

Price: RRP $3.95 each

Where to buy: Fashion Addict, Kmart, selected discount stores

 L-R: Crystal, Cobalt & Rose and Amethyst

Ah, can I just start by saying that I LOVE glitter nail polishes?! Well yes, I do and I like how their names sound as pretty as they look. I know Amethyst is February's gemstone and cobalt and rose are shades but... it's just like a really pretty girl having a really pretty name lol, they'd go together so well don't you think? Crystal is a pretty name, same with Rose.

Before I got these ones, I only owned a couple of glitter nail polishes and now I'm heaps happy to add these ones to my collection ^_^ They're simply stunning, here are my pictures to prove it!

 L-R: 1 coat, 2 coats and 3 coats

 

 Crystal

 Cobalt & Rose

 Amethyst

What BYS says about this range:

Each bottle is packed full of light reflecting particles to keep your nails sparkling all night long!

Just quoting a sentence from the press release. It was mostly about the colours and being perfect for the party season which I didn't bother including here.

What I thought about the ones I received from the range:

• Are gorgeous top coats and colours
• After 3 coats it is opaque enough to be a nail polish
• Consistencies with each coat
• Quite even spread of glitter
• Accurate colour on nails to the bottle
• No issues with drying time
• High staying power, not easy to remove! (Both a good and bad thing)

My experience/s with these nail enamels:

I applied the Cobalt & Rose one on my toes before I jetted off to Sydney for 9 days and it was chip-proof for almost a week! It only started to chip when I swam at the beach and probably the water and/or sand made it fade a bit :| I am currently wearing the Amethyst one on my toes and it has still lasted with only minor chips for just over two weeks! In my opinion, all nail polishes last longer when worn on toenails so don't be too surprised that it has lasted this long :P But in comparison with other nail enamels, glitter ones clearly last the longest. It's not fun removing them! Thankfully there are easier methods using aluminum foil.

And since they still are a hassle to remove, I only applied glitter nail polish to the tips of my nails as my attempt of a gradient effect which was a bit of a fail :/ I tweeted a picture of it and I received a bit of praise, thank you girls :) I was inspired by Kitty's tutorial and by no means was I attempting to do a replica - it looked really nice on her nails and this made me want to do something similar to that with mine :D

 Did the manicure at night and used flash to take a picture...

 

 ... which was PERFECT because you can actually see the sparkles *__*

Taken the next morning~

Used Revlon Sheer Translucent in Sheer Blossom and BYS Diamond Glitter Crystal

Repurchase?

Umm yes! For only $3.95, it's entirely worth it. Long-lasting, superbly cheap and such pretty colours in the range! I want to collect them all ahaha, I've become glitter obsessed. I recommend :D

BYS Hi Impact Nail Enamels

Price: RRP $3.95 each

Where to buy: Fashion Addict, Kmart, selected discount stores

 

 Yes it's called 'Hi-Impact', not a typo

(well 'hi' in this case = high)

What BYS says about this range:

Maximum impact with minimal effort. When applied (they) give your nails a beautiful high shine metallic finish.

 BYS High Impact Purple

I tried my best to be a little different with my photography

What I thought about the one I received from the range:

• First assumption = 1 coat would give a big punch of pigmentation, but it didn't
• Slight inconsistencies with application and opacity
• Required 3 coats to accurately achieve that 'high shine metallic finish'
• Smooth coats but had some streaks (as seen most clear in the first swatch)
• Accurate colour on nail with the bottle colour
• Not the fastest drying time
• Chipped too quickly (a day or two later)

My experience/s with these nail enamels:

I had initially thought that 'hi impact' (high impact) would mean that one coat of this nail polish would 'go a long way' so to me this seemed a little misleading. I thought that BYS had finally come up with a new range of nail polishes where one coat would be very opaque without needing a second or a third. I honestly wish that all nail enamels only required one coat to achieve opacity for many reasons: 1, faster drying time. 2, quicker to apply. 3, saves time in general. 4, less product usage. 5, more likely to last longer (because it's thinner and hence will be harder to peel/chip).

Then I realised that by 'hi impact' they actually mean that after three coats of nail polish, your nails will be metallic and have high shine. But then I don't get the 'minimal effort' thing...? I guess it means minimal effort to create this high shine and metallic finish using just one nail polish. That's the best thing I can think of anyway.

  

 L-R: 1 coat, 2 coats and 3 coats

It took longer than I expected to dry and that's why there are fingerprints xD

Repurchase?

The third coat finish is stunning and for $3.95 it is a really cheap nail enamel. However, I am all for fast-drying nail polishes and unfortunately this doesn't cut it for me. I can honestly say that I won't go out and buy more of these Hi Impact nail enamels because I wasn't too impressed with the staying power. And streaky, slightly inconsistent nail polishes do make me feel less encouraged to buy more. I will continue to use this one and for me, one is enough :) If you are looking for an affordable nail polish for under $5, I would still recommend this.

BYS Quake Nail Enamels

Price: RRP $6.95 each

Where to buy: Fashion Addict, Kmart, selected discount stores

 Boxed packaging

Quake Red and Quake Bright Pink

1 Swatch on its own

So before you start assuming that this nail enamel is just like the crackle ones, think again. I had never heard of 'quake' nail enamels until I received these BYS ones and from reading their media release, these have a different formula to their cracked nail enamels. I don't own any cracked nail enamels (I had one but it was a major disappointment, therefore I donated it to an ABBM swap) so I can't make a comparison with them but they do look similar and the same sort of thing happens.

What BYS says about this range:

Shake up your look in seconds. Instant quake effect, long lasting effects.

I used the Hi Impact Purple nail polish as the base colour just because I wanted to stick to using BYS nail polishes for the demo :) It keeps it consistent for the review, you know?

  

 Using the Quake Red nail enamel

 Using the Quake Bright Pink nail enamel

What I thought about the ones I received from the range:

• Quake pattern occurs instantly after one thin coat
• Inconsistency makes the pattern unique however some didn't 'shatter' as much as others (see the red swatch)
• Fairly long-lasting
• No issues with drying time
• Formula is smooth to apply
• Shouldn't apply thick or multiple coats or else it wouldn't work

My experience/s with these nail enamels:

I had that exact combination above (Hi Impact Purple and Quake Red) as my nails for Chinese New Year and I think it suited the theme but probably not the best colour combination. Next time I'll try a blue or a darker colour as the base so that the quake effect can be seen clearer. The quake effect has gaps in between so it is more prone to chipping - that's why you must wear a clear top coat over it. I really like the pattern, it's not as 'random-looking' as the crackle types and there are smaller gaps. I did notice an inconsistency with the Quake Red one... one of the nails had vertical stripes with hardly any shatter gaps. Maybe it had something to do with the way I applied it (perhaps too thick... if it's too thick then the effect won't occur). I was impressed with how fast the effect appeared, it was actually interesting to watch!

Repurchase?

I could definitely see myself getting more of these, I like the shattered effect. I'd love to try different colours and also the original crackle ones. It's so quick and easy to do and it's especially good for people like me who lack nail artistic skills. $6.95 is not too bad, it's a pretty okay investment. Only one coat is required for each nail application so one bottle is bound to last you for a while :D

That is all for my new BYS swatches and reviews! This post actually took me so long to write and I'm glad to have finally finished it. If you have any questions or comments about these nail enamels then feel free to let me know :)

My questjen for the week is:

How important is nail polish to you?

My answer: Not that important because...

I can't wear nail polish to work because I deal with food so it's an occupational health and safety thing. I wish I could wear nail polish all the time though, I love having pretty nail colours and designs ^^ I always have toenail polish on, I love how it lasts much longer than nail polish on fingernails. The days I don't work though, I would apply nail polish hehe.

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow and Nail Enamels

Hi dearies! How has everyone been? For this post I will be reviewing some BYS products from their Animal Print range which was released back in September (I know I'm a few months late!) which are eyeshadow quads and nail enamels. These products were provided to me for consideration and by no means will this influence my thoughts and opinions.

In case you didn't know, BYS is an Australian cosmetics brand which stands for 'Be Your Self'. Their products are really affordable and are mostly aimed towards young teenagers and adolescents, mainly because of their packaging designs and prices. I remember when I was around 12, I bought my very first makeup product. Mm I guess for some people, 12 is a really young age to start using makeup etc. but being a very girly girl made me develop this makeup interest at a pretty young age. It was only eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss and eyeshadow that I had some interest in... definitely not foundation, lipstick, concealer or blush. Anyway continuing on with my story, BYS was the first makeup brand I purchased with my very little amount of pocket money and knowledge of cosmetics. As long as the product did what it claimed and wasn't a waste of money, I was happy! And yes, I was at the time haha.

So here are my newest BYS products:

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow - Darks

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow - Naturals

BYS Nail Enamel #01 Black

BYS Nail Enamel #08 Purple

Where to buy:
I am not 100% certain whether BYS is only found in Australia because I have seen it in Japanese magazines such as Popteen (really surprising and awesome)! I know that some Australian department stores have them like Kmart and Gloss but you could get them online at Fashion Addict.

Firstly I'll talk about the eyeshadows in the Animal Instincts range. There are 4 different quads - Darks, Greens, Naturals and Purples. The ones I got were Darks and Naturals which I am really happy about because these are the 'shades' of eyeshadow that I use the most! I didn't have a choice of products that were sent to me so I am very pleased.

BYS Animal Instincts Eyeshadow in Darks and Naturals

I am unsure whether that little crack in the eyeshadow on the bottom right quadrant was there when I first got it or if I did it accidentally ._. Just ignore it hehe ^^"

Here's a picture of one swatch with my finger on the silver and black striped eyeshadow. Sadly, the vibrancy of the black had already faded from one swipe which means that the eyeshadow will eventually become just a single silver eyeshadow. So to me the animal prints on the shadows are a little pointless :( Good to look at but is gone after use!

My swatches. I think the... zebra prints would look quite nice for eyeshadow, as long as they're not too bold and look like my swatches (blended nicely). The pigmentation is really impressive.

 Swiping the eyeshadow doesn't allow for the same print to be on your finger, maybe if you pressed on it instead... though there wouldn't be that much pigmentation.

Definitely some very wearable colours for day time looks.

Both quads after swatching once - patterns are clearly not as noticeable as before

Darks vs. Naturals

My thoughts on the eyeshadows:

First of all, I really love metallic and shimmery eyeshadows and I am a massive fan of both naturals and darks (so glad I was sent these!). There is a consistency between the shadows where the pigmentation is the same for each colour, which makes blending quite easy - because you wouldn't like to have one colour more vibrant than another etc. I like the fact that they aren't overly shimmery to the point where the glitter overpowers the colour - to me it's just right! The combination of colours in the quads are perfect as there isn't a colour that doesn't suit the theme or looks odd.

Although the pattern/print does sort of fade after a few uses, it's only more obvious with the Darks quad and this actually isn't a big problem because the colours that fade are actually colours already in the quad... if that makes sense. The silver stripes that fade are the same colour as the silver in the first quadrant. I still don't like how it fades though :/ But anyway, I am very happy with the pigmentation, one swipe goes a long way! The eyeshadows aren't chalky but it's not like they are extremely smooth either. This could be something they could improve on, and also the staying power. I'd feel that a eyeshadow primer is necessary if you want your eyeshadow to stay put and be crease-proof.

Packaging:

The packaging on these eyeshadows are a very sturdy plastic which is slightly on the heavy side. It might just be my personal preference but sturdy, heavy-ish packaging is what I like. Flimsy, lightweight packaging isn't suitable for clumsy people like me because I tend to drop things easily -_- And then what do you know, *crack* or epic breakage. Besides, thick plastic looks much better than thin bendy plastic - it just makes it seem as though the manufacturers have put more effort into the overall design. I reckon it's pretty sleek without being too bulky and I love that the lid/top is a thick clear plastic with the base being a more light plastic. Some eyeshadow quads don't come with double-ended sponge tip applicators but these ones do. I may not use sponge-tip applicators as much as I use brushes but having them in the palette makes it convenient and travel-friendly *thumbs up*

Price:

These eyeshadows retail for $4.95 each which in Australia, is considered to be an absolute bargain. This is what I mean by BYS products being super affordable! Australian cosmetics products are usually cheaper than well-known drugstore brands so people may feel a little skeptical about its quality. Well I can assure you that what you pay for is what you get when it comes to BYS products. Honesty is the best policy for my reviews soooo I can say with confidence that BYS products can definitely be improved to be on par with other brands in terms of quality. But then this would probably mean that their products will have increased prices. Maybe BYS feels that this isn't necessary, just as long as it works well and is affordable for everyone. And for this reason, I don't own that many BYS products as I prefer to spend a few extra dollars for a product with more pros and less cons. Being a makeup enthusiast, quality > quantity.

Now to the animal-print nail enamels:

 As I was saying before about quality... the sticker isn't on straight and it isn't just this bottle that is like this. I've seen some BYS products with slightly slanted stickers etc.

The names are clear and simple, purple and black

Here's a swatch of the black nail enamel of just one coat

To me this nail polish was a tiny bit gluggy/thick and this made it hard to do lots of fast brush strokes to fill in gaps. It got a little messy at times however this wasn't much of an issue as I only needed one coat for each nail. Just glad this black nail polish isn't sheer or a grey-black - it's a pitch black like the night sky. I don't normally comment on nail polish scents because they all smell really strong but this one was a bit different to regular ones. I don't know but this smelt more like a permanent marker :/ Perhaps they used the same ink as permanent marker? Eep, dunno. Oh and this black seemed like a slightly matte nail polish with not a lot of shine.

One coat of this is not enough for me, I can't have the whites of my nails showing! It's just not a good look in my opinion. I guess it's okay if you have short nails but still... I would rather put on another coat for it to seem more opaque.

I actually had a bit of trouble with my second coat. My first attempt of it, I messed up so badly that I had to remove all of my nail polish and start again =_= Maybe I didn't wait for my first coat to dry fast enough but still... it was horrible putting on a second coat. My next attempt was better however it also wasn't that great. Took forever to dry because this nail polish's formula seemed more runny and harder to work with. The opacity wasn't consistent between my nails after putting on a second coat and it seemed too thick..? I'd rather have pigmented nail polishes that only require one coat - I don't need to gradually build the colour, it's a waste of time and makes the nail polish more prone to chipping because of its thickness.

My thoughts on the nail polishes

The black and the purple eh... didn't seem to have the same formulas as the consistencies were different and also the opaqueness. I'm more happy about the black nail polish's formula despite it smelling like permanent marker, but I wouldn't normally wear black nail polish unless I do some nail art. Even though I liked the black one's formula more than the purple one's, the gluggy-ness wasn't too appealing. I've never really been a fan of BYS nail polishes unfortunately...

Packaging:

... At least the animal prints stay on the packaging/products, hehe it's only on the lids. It makes it easier for me to reach for my nail polishes because I'll be able to spot them straight away. Other than the packaging, there are no animal print shades of nail polishes besides gold, black and silver. The other colours in this collection are shades of purple, pink and orange which represent 'fierceness' and bold colours for spring/summer. 

Price:

Again, these are $4.95 each RRP which again is cheap for nail polish. I wasn't able to test how long it would take until it started chipping so I cannot comment on that. In my opinion, these would not be worth any more than $4.95, based on their quality. Without a doubt for nail polishes, you do get what you pay for. I've tried cheap $2 nail polishes, middle-range and high-end... and there is a definite difference between them. For BYS' quality, I would put it in the lower range price instead of between low and middle range. But since BYS do put a lot of effort into their ranges and bottle designs, they wouldn't it price it so cheaply.

So that's everything, thanks for reading this review post. I hope I've given you some insight into BYS cosmetics and their quality/range. I wouldn't be surprised if many of you haven't heard of BYS (especially my international readers). Though those who follow gyaru fashion/makeup might be familiar with this brand :) I'm still surprised that gals use this brand... it's so inexpensive o_o BYS packaging and products reminds me of NYX but from my personal use, I think NYX has better quality. 

I'm still struggling to post more than once a week! One blog post literally takes me hours to do ;__; I will keep trying though~

Questjen of the week, an easy yes or no:

Do you use/know of BYS Cosmetics?

Excuse the random spacing at the bottom of this post :( I can't get rid of it!

Simple Eye Looks

Hey guys as promised, I have decided to blog :) I'm lucky enough to have a 3-day weekend as there was a school pupil-free day (students not permitted to attend) yesterday and today is Saturday. Just a very short blog post about some looks that I've created.

I've never done a FOTD thing before so I guess this can sort of be it..

FOTD = Face of the Day

My first look is a basic smokey-eye look using the colours from an eyeshadow quad

Heavy camera flash

Not as heavy camera flash

It's a silvery look which is not very bold and is borderline smokey. The only really dramatic things about this look are the false lashes and the mascara thickness on the bottom lashes. Other than that I'm sure that this look would be suitable for both day and night.

Products used:

- Urban Decay Shadow Primer Potion
- Rimmel Colour Rush Quad in 001 Smokey Noir
- NYX Eye/Eyebrow Pencil in 901 Black
- Revlon Eyelash Curler
- Criss-cross false eyelashes
- Duo Waterproof Eyelash Adhesive in Clear-White
- Rimmel Volume Flash Mascara in Extreme Black

This was my first time attempting to do a smokey look with the eyeshadow quad. I used all colours except for the black. The mascara that I used isn't waterproof however, if I were to go out with this look, I would definitely use a waterproof mascara. I did this look without having anywhere to go so I didn't need to use a waterproof mascara :) It would've been harder for me to remove!

I wish I had the Duo eyelash adhesive in dark/black because the white glue doesn't seem to dry completely clear. I bought mine online and the site didn't have a dark glue. If anyone has any idea about where to purchase a dark version of the Duo glue, please let me know.

The idea for my next look came from a double-ended eye pencil with the colours crimson and silver. With this look I added in a few eyeshadows from a palette.

I think this look is a little bit on the fun side as I have used a mix of crimson, pink, purple, grey and silver. Very much on the girlie side. I didn't apply mascara to my bottom lashes because I wanted to keep this look as simple as possible.

Products used:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Eyeshadow palette 'Saint or Sinner' (Colours used have been outlined with a box)
- NYX Eye/Eyebrow Pencil in 901 Black
- BYS Double-Ended Eye Pencil in Crimson and Silver
- Revlon Eyelash Curler
- Simple/natural false eyelashes
- Duo Waterproof Eyelash Adhesive in Clear-White
- Rimmel Volume Flash Mascara in Extreme Black

Below my bottom lashes I have used the silver end of the double-ended eye pencil and winged it out to meet with the crimson liner above my top lashes. These colours complement each other (which is why they are duo for an eye pencil) but when I first saw this pencil I wasn't sure what to do with it, because my other double-ended eye pencils had the same colour on each side but one lighter and one darker i.e. dark blue on one end, light blue on the other. I also lined my inner tear duct with the silver side of the pencil to brighten up my eyes.

As these two looks are very simple, I didn't feel the need to make tutorials. If ever requested, I may consider making a tutorial.

I only experimented with these colours and it allowed me to create these looks :)

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this post.

xx Jennifer