Sparitual Strength: My Gorgeous (Nearly) Belated BCA Mani

I know it's Halloween and all, but I figure before October ends I'd better get in my BCA (Breast Cancer Awareness) mani. So here it is, just in the nick of time! And despite my almost-lateness in posting a BCA mani, this is one heck of a gorgeous pink shade!

Behold Sparitual Strength, one of three shades released for Sparitual's BCA collection. Most BCA shades aren't all that interesting, and tend to gravitate towards light, pastel pinks, but Strength is unlike your usual pink. It's a medium pinky-purple with gold glitter. Even in the bottle, it looks super interesting. I have a mini bottle of Strength, which I bought some time back but never got around to trying until now. You can see the glitter dancing around in the bottle.



Okay, so much for the bottle. Now here's Sparitual Strength on my nails. Be prepared for awesomesauce! I love how blingy the glitter is on my nails, and I love the pinky-purple shade, too.

SQUEE! Isn't it gorgeous! I love how the glitter is densely packed in the base shade. It's definitely eye-catching, but the pinky-purple base tames makes it look pretty and feminine at the same time. Sparitual Strength is really a good combination of glitter fun and girlyness! Here's Strength from an angle, so you can see how the glitter catcheses the light, and how the polish is really infused with this glitter.



Application was very smooth, even for my mini bottle. I've been told that the brand is discontinuing their mini bottles, so I guess for us, that's an excuse to buy the bigger 15ml bottles, LOL. But I did like the minis - they're cute, and they let me collect a colour without feeling as bad as if I bought the full-sized bottles. Being a glitter, you'll need one coat of topcoat to make the polish smooth to the touch. But that's a small price to pay for such a great colour. I love how the glitter even looks kind of glass-flecked. It's not quite a true glass fleck finish but it sort of looks like it, as you can see in the photo below. It looks so pretty and glassy. And this is without topcoat!



Anyway, if you haven't gotten around to buying Strength yet, and this seems like it would be your kind of colour, it's really worth checking out. I have nothing bad to say about the Strength - I like the colour, the glitter, the application, and the wear. And for a BCA mani, this sure is beautiful.

Sparitual Wilde Collection Swatches

Sparitual's highly anticipated Wilde Collection perhaps best epitomizes what Autumn is - moody, varied, and unpredictable. There is a good range of shades in this collection, and I'm sure there's something for everyone. For those who are more eco/health/whatever-conscious, the Sparitual polishes are all vegan too. I personaly don't check to see if my polishes are vegan or not (since most brands aren't), but I'm aware that some consumers like the vegan aspect.

By the way, my Singaporean girls can all get 10% off on their Sparitual purchases with the code sparitual_musicalhouses - all you have to do is email squovalicious (at) hotmail (dot) com to place your order, and put the code sparitual_musicalhouses in the subject line of your email. And that's all you have to do! Hopefully the swatches that follow will help you on your purchasing decisions - there are some really fab colours in here!

First, let's take a look at the Wilde Collection in its entirety. Wow, there's purple, grey, green, red...Sparitual sure has got it all covered!

Now for closer up swatches of the official Sparitual swatches, followed by my corresponding finger swatches. I do feel that my finger swatches are a more accurate representation of colour, as for some reason, swatching on plastic just isn't quite the same to me. First up, we have Instinct and Spirit Child. Instinct is a nice bluple (cross between blue and purple) colour that leans more purple than blue. Spirit Child is a shimmery red - nothing very interesting here, just a shimmery red for Fall.



On my nail, you can really see how purple Instinct is. You can also see that it has this very pretty shimmer that is visible when the light hits the nail, that isn't captured in the official Sparitual swatches. This looks much prettier on. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get swtches of Spirit Child, oops.



Next we have Running with Wolves, and Rhythm of Life. Here are the official swatches, but you'll really have to see these on to see how much nicer they look on the nail. Come to think of it, I'm not sure how Running with Wolves is named...I mean wolves are grey, not brown, aren't they?



Running of Wolves looks like a poopy diaper brown on the nail wheel swatches, but it really is a brown-based shade with an interesting duochrome finish. Sure it's brown, but it isn't poopy brown. On my nail it looks more like a brown with gold and possibly russet duochrome. It's actually quite an interesting shade, and very eye-catching.



Rhythm of Life is a emerald greeen shade that is very jewel-toned. Quite pretty, and the shimmer that is on my nal doesn't show up as much on the official Sparitual swatches. I like how Rhythm of Life looks almost alive...it has that glow to it.



Lastly, we have Sacred Ground and Howl. Sacred Ground was one of the favourites at the Sparitual event, and is definitely my favourite out of all the Sparitual shades I've swatched so far (previous swatcches included the Sparitual Twinkle Collection and the Sparitual In Pink Collection).



I am pretty excited about Sacred Ground, simply just because it's so gorgeous. It's a grey, but it's more than that. If you look closely, you'll see that Sacred Ground is acttually comprised of smal teeny glitter bits of various colours, that meld together to give the effect of a twinkling grey foil. Actually, this colour reminds me of Hard Candy's Mr Wrong (which I've had forever but never used), as it is simlar in its grey foil finish.



Last but not least, Howl. Howl is an almost-black (or is it actually black?) deep, deep brown shade with embedded red glitter. You can't really see the glitter though, unless strong light hits the nail - here in the photo you can kinda see a little bit of red shimmer showing through where the nail is lighted. I kinda wish the glitter showed through a little more, it would make for an exciting colour. Still, this isn't too bad a vampy shade.



Out of all the Sparitual collections I've swatched so far, this onne looks the most promising. Sacred Ground is a gorgeous colour, and definitely the standout of the entire Wilde Collection to me. But Rhythm of Life and Running with Wolves are also gorgeous, and Instinct is also a great pick if you like purples. I'm pretty sure that if Sparitual keeps coming out with more colours like these, they're going to win over many more nail fanatics.

(Some information supplied by PR at an event. Photos and content are my own. Post is my honest and complete opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Sparitual Twinkle Collection Swatches

Sparitual's Twinkle Collection, consists of six shades meant to sparkle and shine. If I'm not wrong, this is meant as a seasonal collection for Christmas, and if this is indeed meant for Christmas, then Sparitual has done a good job of making some festive shades while eschewing the traditional all-red-green-gold-and-white colour schemes we see so often in Christmas collection. Sparitual's Twinkle Collection does have its fair share of usual colours (another red shimmer), but overall this collection does look pretty interesting.

Now without further ado, let's jump straight into swatches! First up, we have the swatches for the first three colours from the official Sparitual colour wheels.

Top - Bottom: Blue Moon, Illumination, Solstice

And here are the swatches for these three colours as they appear on my finger. Let's start with Blue Moon. Blue Moon, as the name suggests, is a blue colour - but this isn't quite the deep, almost-black type of blue you'd expect from a colour name like that. Instead, Blue Moon is always discernably blue, even in low lights, and looks to me to be a deepened colbalt blue, not quite dark enough to be called navy. It has small suspended glitter bits that give the shade a slight twinkle - just like a blue moon.



Illumination, as the name suggests, is pure bling. This is actually a mix of holographic and non-holographic glitter bits suspended in a clear base. The glitter bits are rather large, and really add to the bling factor. My photo doesn't really capture how the holographic glitter bits dazzle when hit by the light, but I'm sure you know what I mean. What you see on my nail is two coats, and coverage is pertty decent, although you'll need three coats to ensure opacity.



Solstice was marketed to us as a gold shade that would suit Asian skintones, and I can't say I really agree with that. For one, Solstice is a gold that I see as bordering on the warm side, so it probably would end up looking a little "off" on cool-toned girls, Asian or not. No doubt, the colour is certainly stunning, being a true yellow gold that is reminiscent of gold jewellery. However on me I felt it looked a tad weird. I felt that personally, for myself, a cooler shade of gold, like Orly's Luxe (which I've blogged about before), would have been more flattering. But to each his own right? And a great gold foil is always a good addition to any collection.



Now for the second half of the Twinkle Collection. These consist of the darker, deeper shades, as well as more traditional reds, purples, and vampy shades.



Top - Bottom: Break of Dawn, Shooting Star, Twilight

Break of Dawn is a red with shimmer, some of which is holographic. To me, this was the least interesting of the collection (oh yeah, another shimmery red for the holiday season), but this is pretty if you are looking for a red shade. The shimmer is generously added to the red base, so the shade sparkles even in low lights. And as you can see, in the photo below, I accidentally nicked the swatch, and flooded my cuticles. Oops.



Shooting Star is a deep royal purple loaded with glitter bits of medium size. This one has that "lit from within" (in Scrangie's terms) quality to it - you see the shimmer really bursting and sparkling where the light hits it. This is visibly purple, and visibly shimmery even in low lights, and is very pretty, although it does remind me of something in my collection...I'd have to go look it up.



Twilight (oh man, those movies and Stephenie Meyer have ruined any polish called that for me now) is a deep, vampy purple with slight shimmer., It's one of those almost-black colours, but to be honest, in low lights (e.g. dim indoors lighting), it looks mostly black. It does look purple where the light hits it, so you'll probably need stronger lighting to showcase this shade at its best.



To me, Solstice is the clear standout of the collection, even though it makes my hands look jaundiced. I also quite liked Shooting Star and Blue Moon, although neither is all that unique. Generally, application on these polishes was also pretty good - nice, even application that was pretty streak-free, and a nail polish texture that was neither too thin or thick. Overall, I'd say Sparitual's Twinkle Collection is a very pretty collection that is festive without being too cliched.

Lastly, my Singaporean girls can all get 10% off on their Sparitual purchases with the code sparitual_musicalhouses - all you have to do is email squovalicious (at) hotmail (dot) com to place your order (she's the Sparitual ambassador in Singapore), and put the code sparitual_musicalhouses in the subject line of your email. And ta-da, instant discount code! Hope the swatches help you make your purchasing decisions!

(Some information supplied by PR at an event. Photos and content are my own. Post is my honest and complete opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Sparitual In Pink Collection Swatches

Sparitual is a US-based brand that has a line of vegan nail polishes - I know vegan and nail polishes sounds so weird, but apparently these are just that. The line also sells some body care and spa treatment products, such as hand and foot products, as well as soy wax-based candles. I guess you could say that Sparitual is looking at more than just nails!

One of their collections launched recently this year, In Pink, is actually created to raise awareness about breast cancer, with 20% of the proceeds going to the cause. Of course you can buy your nail polish because it's vegan and for a good cause, but it helps that the colours in the In Pink Collection are quite pretty too. There are three shades in this collection - Strength, Knowledge, and Clarity.

Top - Bottom: Strength, Knowledge, Clarity

The entire In Pink Collection is made up of varying types of pink glitters, in keeping with the theme of raising awareness for breast cancer. A lot of the glitters are actually quite big and chunky, so if big blingy glitter is your thing, these colours will make you one happy nail polish addict. These swatches are from the official Sparitual colour wheel. I apologise for the lousy lighting in the photos, as they were taken at the recent Sparitual blogger's event, and this was as much as I could tweak it for better colour accuracy.



L - R: Strength, Knowledge, Clarity

Now, for actual finger swatches! I do think that my finger swatches are probably a more accurate representation of what you would probably see if the polish is applied. Again, apologies for just swatching on one lousy finger - like I mentioned earlier, these were all swatched at an event, and I have to admit that I was in a lot of hurry to try and swatch as many as I could for you guys! Yes, I actually didn't bother to listen to the PR spiel, or eat the food served, and al things considered probably came across as being anti-social because I just kept swatching and swatching and swatching...Man, the PR folks must think I am so weird now.

Anyway, up we have Strength. This is my favourite colour hands down, because it has such a pretty finish to it. It's a glitter, for sure, but the glitter colour also bears some sort of duochrome shift - the colour sort of shifts between pink, bronze, and hints of purple. And it glints gold in some lights, too, so it's truly a very multidimensional colour. Definitely the most unique colour of the bunch. This was opaque in two thick-ish coats.



Next up, we have Knowledge. Knowledge is also a pretty shade, although not as interesting or unique as Strength. Knowledge has big bits of pink glitter, mixed in with big bits of holographic glitter, so although the entire polish isn't holographic, you do get pretty rainbow glints here and there as the individual holographic glitter pieces suspended in the polish reflect the light. It's basically a mix of big pink and holo glitter, and as a result, you will probably need 3 coats or so to make it opaque. What you see here is two pretty thick coats, and you can still see some bare spaces on my nail, and VNL (visible nail line). The polish isn't actually as glitter-dense as the official Sparitual nail wheel makes it look. Still, a very nice colour.



Lastly, we have Clarity. Out of all the shades in the In Pink Collection, I have to admit that Clarity was the one that I didn't get excited about. Clarity essentially comprises of pink glitter suspended in a clear base. It's nice, but not terribly unique. Also, the glitter is quite sparse, so even after the two thick coats you see on my nail, there are still plenty of bare spaces. I think this would probably make a great layer over another colour because the glitter isn't very dense, so any colour underneath would definitely show through.



I can't comment on wear time or lasting power though, since these were just swatches at the event, but application was good on all the In Pink shades, considering that they are all glitters, and glitters can be tricky to apply without leaving bald spots. Even in my hurried swatches, you can see that the glitter bits are pretty evenly spaced out, and more or less are nicely spread out to cover the entire nail area. I also quite liked the brush. It's thicker than Orly's brush, but thinner than OPI's. I personally prefer OPI's Pro-wide brush, because I have man-hands and huge nails, but these are probably a happy in-between in terms of brush size. I'm definitely loving Strength the best out of all the colours, and if I only could get one colour from this collection, Strength would definitely be it. I also like Knowledge, because of the holographic glitter.

Lastly, my Singaporean girls can all get 10% off on their Sparitual purchases with the code sparitual_musicalhouses - all you have to do is email squovalicious (at) hotmail (dot) com to place your order (she's the Sparitual ambassador in Singapore), and put the code sparitual_musicalhouses in the subject line of your email. And ta-da, instant discount code! I'll be swatching more Sparitual collections for those interested in taking advantage of the code and want to see swatches, so stay tuned!

(Some information supplied by PR at an event. Photos and content are my own. Post is my honest and complete opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)