Estee Lauder Molten Lava

Hi there!
Today I have the formal review for EL Molten Lava. EL polishes don't seem to get much love (Metallic Sage is the only recent one that got raves), which is weird considering how awesome they are (or at least how awesome this one is). Last week I did a comparison post of it with RBL Piu Mosso; check it out here if you haven't yet, as I actually captured Molten Lava in natural light. I'll make this review short and sweet; this polish is awesome. The shimmer is visible, the formula was great, and the color was beautiful. This is the trifecta of my standards for an unbelievable nail polish. I love it! It's a purple taupe with pinkish gold shimmer that runs throughout the bottle. It's one of those colors that you have to pause to admire because the floating shimmer looks surreal in the bottle. On the nail, the shimmer is less apparent, but it is still very much present. I swatched two coats in the pictures below, but you can apply one careful coat to cover your entire nail. I used one layer of Essie's No Chips Ahead as a topcoat.

Molten Lava is limited edition and is still available for $19 at department stores, their websites, and EL's website. I don't own a color like this, but I think there might be one that could be similar to it. Not too long ago, swatches of Dior Les Violets Hypnotiques appeared on the net. The one that I thought looked similar to Molten Lava was Shadow, a dark shimmery purple with coppery pink shimmer. This is just speculation on my part, but Molten Lava IRL looks a lot like the Shadow swatches I've seen.

IKB 2012

 IKB 2012 is a bright blurple jelly that dries quickly. That summarizes the good points of the polish. The consistency of it is unlike that of any RBL I've tried in the past. The application was hard to maneuver, partly due to the fact that the rim of the bottle was halfway sealed with said thick polish. Instead of the smooth 2 coat finish I expected from it, this one takes three thick (think goopy) coats. The first coat went on streaky, but the second coat smoothed things out a little. Only with a third coat could I achieve a smooth surface that was opaque. I expected a better formula for a nail polish that costs $20, but I don't regret the purchase. I don't own anything like this, as the color is completely different from anything I've seen. I like the color, but I don't love the polish.
Edit: IKB chipped on me less than a day later... Kinda bummed about that.

The most color accurate

Double Wow...

Just a short update...
Today, Ji Baek released the Fan Collection to the public. In less than nine hours, IKB 2012 and Aqua Lily sold out. Makes me glad I pre-ordered them...
I'm not sure about the status of the other two polishes, but I would strongly recommend anyone who wants to snag one of them (or more) to act ASAP. You can't predict how things would turn out if you don't act right away. Remember, these colors are limited edition; once they're gone, they're gone for good.
Edit: As of 9:36PM EST, IKB is back in stock
Edit 2: IKB is sold out now

NOTD

First nail of the day!

1 coat of DL Across the Universe over two coats of Cult Nails Time Traveler.

RBL Fan Collection (!!!)

!!!!!!!
Words cannot describe my excitement when I found this in my package:

Whoever did the wrapping did a great job. It was almost too pretty to unwrap (almost).

I only got these two.

I'll try and get pics of these in natural light ASAP.

Isn't the sticker adorable?

You can see a faint gleam of Aqua Lily's shimmer...

Warning: IKB 2012 is a true blurple (more purple IRL), not blue. Also, it's obnoxiously bright :D

Blurry, in order to capture the shimmer. Drool...

Once more! Look at that awesome shimmer!

Comparison with similar shades! I am happy to say that Aqua Lilly is 100% unique, even if you don't take the shimmer into account.

Dior Saint-Tropez is lighter, Orly Viridian Vinyl is darker and matte.

OPI Fly has more blue in it, China Glaze For Audrey is lighter and more minty.

Essie Aruba Blue is metallic and more blue, Cult Nails Time Traveler is much darker

Swatched! You can see Aqua Lily's shimmer indoors. Again, IKB 2012 is more purple than it appears in these pics (opaque jelly!).

Last pic... All were taken with flash, indoors

These colors are amazing and unique. They are $20 each, and will be available at Rescue Beauty this coming Monday. 
Formula wise, IKB 2012 gave me some trouble as it is a little bit on the thick side. On the other hand, it's thickness allowed for it to be opaque in two coats. Personally, the finish of a nail polish trumps its application. If you are bothered by it, you can probably use some thinner to make the formula more fluid. I don't have Revlon Royal to compare it with, but they seem similar enough if you want to get this color without breaking the bank (Royal is 4.99, 1/5th the price of IKB).
Aqua Lily was great, I didn't experience any issues with it. It's not as glossy as IKB though, so a top coat is needed. Dupe wise, if you don't mind not having the shimmer, the comparison bottles above are pretty close to it (other than being slightly darker or light).

Comparison of Estee Lauder Molten Lava and RBL Piu Mosso

In my first post, I mentioned that one of the nail polishes I got was similar to a nail polish which was inspired by a hurricane. Today, I have for your enjoyment swatches of Estee Lauder Molten Lava and RBL Piu Mosso.
Edit: Click here for Molten Lava's formal review.

This and the next 12 were taken indoors with flash

Piu Mosso was released last fall

...while Molten Lava was released this spring

Their base colors are different

It's hard to capture Piu Mosso's shimmer while it's upright!

Piu Mosso is dark blue, while Molten Lava is purple

Estee Lauder bottles are bulky, to say the least

Piu Mosso has .4oz compared to Molten Lava's .3oz

In their boxes

Molten Lava looks brown -_- It's next to DL Across the Universe

Piu Mosso is the one on the left (middle is A England Saint George, right is Cult Nails Time Traveler)

Molten Lava's shimmer is more apparent than Piu Mosso's indoor and outdoor (still looks brown)

Marvel at the shimmery goodness of Piu Mosso (natural lighting)

Molten Lava is more purple than this

Molten Lava is a purple-taupe shade with copper shimmer that glows in the sunlight. Unlike Piu Mosso, you can see it's shimmer indoors as well. If you like purple, missed out on Piu Mosso, or want a shade similar to it, get this. This is a limited edition shade that can be bought in high end department stores and on their websites for $19.

Cult Nails Time Traveller

Today, I will be doing a very short review Cult Nails Time Traveller. It's the only shade I got from Maria's $5 Facebook sale. It's a gorgeous opaque dark blue crelly that dried in a matter of minutes. It was easy to apply as it went on smoothly and there was no drag. One thing I want to note is that looks black in artificial lighting. In the sunlight however, it is a beautiful navy. I used two coats without a topcoat in the pictures below.

This nail polish is amazing, and I totally recommend it. You can buy this at Cult Nails for $10.

Blogging in the interweb

The first post in any blog gives the reader an idea of what they should expect from the blogger, from the quality (or lack of) of their grammar/spelling, to the actual content of the blog itself.
On that subject, I should note that this particular blog is about nail polish, not cooking nails, as the title might imply. That would be bizarre. I'll explain the reasoning behind the title at some later point.
What YOU should expect from me: mistakes! Might as well spare you guys from finding that out on your own. You're welcome.
Also, pics of hauls, nail polish swatches, NOTDs, and other nail polish stuff.
In conclusion, eat more kale.
Here are pictures of my recent purchases.

Revlon Whimsical, Revlon Runway Pearl, Revlon Popular (aka Starry Pink), Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely in Love, China Glaze Sea Spray, Sinful Colors Cinderella

OPI Alter Ego, OPI Give Me a Coral Sometime, OPI The Show Must Go On, Essie E-nuf is E-nuf, Essie Russian Roulette, Essie Wicked

Essie Shine of the Times, Essie Action, Cult Nails Time Traveler, Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe, A England Saint George, Dior Saint-Tropez, Estee Lauder Molten Lava

I'll post swatches of these in the future.
SPOILER ALERT: One of these nail polishes is very similar (not a dupe) to a discontinued shade that was inspired by a hurricane. Can you guess which nail polishes I'm talking about?