BB Couture: Fall 2011 ‘Eye Candy’ Collection – The Ladies (swatches & review)

BB Couture, an incredibly innovative brand that beats to its own drum, has released twelve new shades for Fall 2011: the “Eye Candy Collection”. Their unique twist is in how the collection is usually divided into two sets – men’s & women’s, the latter which I’m reviewing here today. These six shades all bear a shimmery secret; some seductively flaunting their assets, while others coyly reluctantly so. All swatches were done using Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat, two coats of lacquer (with the exception of ‘Trim & Tassled’ that I’m showing in both two and three coat versions), and Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat.

My version of “eye candy”… sweaty, dirty, buff, half-naked firefighters. Enough said!!

‘Feathered Vixen’ is one of the truest purple shades I’ve ever come across, leaning neither too blue nor too red. The silvery shimmer swimming deep inside is ultra fine and well dispersed through the polish, and while the hue itself appears almost crème-like in more subdued lighting, you can still catch tantalizingly shining glints when light reflects off the surface. The formula was thin and easily spreadable, giving a wonderful opacity at two coats, and had the benefit of being quite self-levelling and ultra glossy as well.

With full sun shining on this shade, it seems to pop with a vivid violet burst of colour, while the clearly visible shimmer dances quietly in the background, never overpowering.

Indirect lighting definitely cools down this shade and gives its inner shimmer a more secondary role, yet the colour never strays too far from its true purple base.

A view in shaded light lends ‘Feathered Vixen’ an almost grape-like tone, and now appears to be more blue based, yet still so richly pigmented.

A final view taken with flash shows the base colour to lean more towards lavender, while the shimmer really come into its own here.

‘Scorching Strawberry’, a blue based mid range pink with exceptionally subtle silver shimmer in its depths, has the look of a decadent fruit smoothie. The formula was amazing, being not only self-levelling, but bearing an intense glossy finish. Two coats were all that were needed to achieve full opacity, and while I don’t usually favour pink hues, something about this shade just makes me smile!

Seen in full sun, the hot pink side of ‘Scorching Strawberry’ appears somewhat subdued and dusty looking, lending it a lovely romantic aura. Note how you catch only the barest hint of any shimmer within.

When viewed in indirect light, this shade now takes on a bubble-gum pink tone, while definitely appearing more cool toned.

Shaded light lends a warmer air to this shade and serves to highlight the high gloss shine, while the shimmer becomes just a whisper.

A final view taken with flash lighten’s ‘Scorching Strawberry’s’ base shade to a vivid girly pink hue, with the shimmer harmonizing perfectly from within.

‘Junk In The Trunk’ is like nothing else in my arsenal of lacquers; a dusty yet also paradoxically vivid cyan blue, it’s just loaded with silver micro shimmer, giving it such an incredible depth. This formula was not only spot-on like the rest, but also intensely saturated in colour – so much so, that it could easily be a one-coater if applied slightly thicker.

A view in full sun highlights the intense sky blue tone of this polish, and while the shimmer is quite densely packed within, it compliments the base shade so beautifully.

Seen in indirect lighting, ‘Junk In The Trunk’ now appears more cool toned, while this light gives the shimmer a “just-floating-under-the-surface” appearance.

I love how shaded light adds a mantle of mystery over this shade, lending it more sophisticated touch, yet still enhancing its cerulean blue core.

Another way to fully appreciate the almost electric beauty of this shade, is to be seen with flash; that’s where the shimmer really comes out to play…so stunning!

‘Busty Bombshell’ is utterly sublime; a muted olive green base hue, it is made all the more unique by a foil like finish as well as the ultra fine holographic particles floating throughout, winking at you so seductively. The formula almost applied itself, it was that smooth, and its self-levelling capacity means no brush strokes will be left behind. The final result was more of a semi-gloss finish compared to the others, but easily adjusted with a layer of top coat.

When seen in sunlight, ‘Busty Bombshell’ appears to have an almost verdigris patina about it, possibly due to the green specks found throughout the base hue.

In this closeup photo, the golden sheen given off by the base shade is the perfect backdrop for the brilliant shimmer that fills this polish…absolutely mesmerizing!

The cooler appearance of this lacquer when seen in indirect light, adds a an element of sophistication to its now more muted mossy green hue.

It is this view seen in shaded light, that not only brings ‘Busty Bombshell’ back to a warmer level, but spotlights the spectacular surface effect of the holographic particles.

A final view taken with flash not only displays the incredible depth of tone this shade has, but reminds me of the rich & golden burnished threads found in beautifully crafted tapestries.

‘Sweet Silicone’ is a vivid aqua hue, made all the more interesting by the addition of ultra fine blue shimmer. This shade had the thickest formula of them all, but was still easily spreadable, as well as leaving a wonderfully smooth application behind. While not as glossy as most of the others in this collection, it had the quickest dry time of the group, as well as the added benefit of being completely non-staining….a definite plus when dealing with this colour family.

It is when seen in direct sunlight that one can appreciate the intense oceanic leanings of this shade, with the shimmer glinting like light off the distant waves.

Once more, indirect light lowers the temperature of this polish to a deeper Tiffany Box blue tone, with the reflected glints adding such visual appeal.

Shaded light, and ‘Sweet Silicone’ takes on an utterly hypnotic jewel-like semblance. The depth of tone found in this view is unparalleled and I love how this lighting adds a luxuriant emerald cape over the entire look.

A final view taken with flash gives this shade an almost candy-like vibe, with the shimmery aqua colour playfully lightened in tone.

‘Trim & Tassled’ is the sultry siren of the bunch, with the violet base playing host to a multitude of ultra fine multi-coloured and holographic glitter pieces scattered throughout. Definitely the sheerest formula of the collection, I appreciated how this finish gives so many options – you can apply it as thick or as thin as you like, or even layer it over another base hue to create an entirely new look. While never fully opaque even at three coats, it nevertheless had a fabulous formula, as smooth to apply as the rest, and the best part? No staining and a very easy removal (for a glitter!). The following swatch photos are shown with both two coats, directly followed by a three coat photo.

While my nail line is quite visible in this sunlight photo, there’s still enough opacity to showcase the lovely violet base hue of this shade, with the glitter clearly prominent.

At three coats and in full sun, everything becomes significantly denser, from the deeper purple base hue, to the multitude of starry glitter shining forth.

Seen at close range, the blue based leanings of ‘Trim & Tassled’ are revealed, with the spotlight remaining firmly on the glitter.

This closeup shot (with three coats) intensifies the base shade to a regal purple colour and brings out the more bluer particles to the forefront.

When seen in indirect light, this shade now appears more “grape jelly”-like as well as cooly muted in tone.

I love how at three coats, indirect light bathes ‘Trim & Tassled’ with a delicate twilight aura, gently encompassing the nails.

This view in shaded light appears to not only add more warmth to the overall shade, but drapes it with a unique and almost eerie blueish tinge.

I am in awe of how this view of three coats in shaded light, transforms this shade to the celestial appearance of the cosmos….totally captivating!

A final view taken with flash, but at two coats, lightens the base colour of this polish to a vivid lavender, and also serves to give off an almost playful vibe.

This final three coat flash view, shows off the exceptional holographic magnificence of the glitter, and emphasizes all the elements that make this lacquer not only visually stimulating, but so incredibly unique.

Final thoughts: The six polishes that make up the women’s half of this collection, are an eclectic range of colours to be sure, but in a world where its hard to find new and unheard of colours, it was refreshing to see BB Couture’s take on a Fall collection. As previously stated above, the formula on all was totally amazing, with a long, tapering yet flexible brush that has just enough “give” for goof-proof application. I need to mention here that the awesome Cindy, the woman behind BB Couture, wished to send me these shades herself but due to shipping restrictions, was unable to. Along came Kim Snyder of the fabulous online e-store Overall Beauty, to generously offer to assume the shipping responsibilities. Not only was this unprecedented, but it is highly indicative of the person Kim is and her wonderfully generous nature. She offers the same attention to detail to every single one of her customers, and if you haven’t visited her site yet, then I strongly urge you to hop over there and check it out, as well as join her on twitter! BB Couture’s ‘Eye Candy’ Collection is the perfect way to indulge…without any hazardous side effects!