Beauty Spotlight - ft. Bondi New York Spring/Summer 2013 Collection

BONDI NEW YORK
SPRING/SUMMER 2013 COLLECTION

COLLABORATION POST with Dynamite Does Nails

EDIT 2/8/14 - At this time I no longer recommend purchasing from Bondi New York.

Yes, I realize the summer IS almost over, but Sarah from Dynamite Does Nails and I are so enamored over our new found polish addiction that we just HAD to share it with all of our readers! If you're a Charming Cheshire reader than you already know how much I love BondiNYC. They have the most incredible 5-Free (free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, and DBP) polishes in a range of bright, vivid and fun colors, as well as classic and stylish. They're a small company led by Richard Annington, a hilarious Brit who's goal is to provide not only an incredible product but top notch customer service by having a more personal one on one relationship with you as a buyer, and using up front honesty. Yes indeed, they are a rare gem! Feel free to peruse my archives as I have several posts in regards to this awesome company, including the start of their new monthly Subscription Box! 

ALSO, we have special notes at the end of our collaboration posts, from the Bondi New York team themselves! Be sure not to miss it!

Sarah from Dynamite Does Nails and I have decided to present a showcase of swatches of the entire Spring/Summer 2013 Collection (19 colors and a clear polish). She will be doing picture of 10 colors and I will be doing the other 9 plus a review on the clear polish. 

Here is a list of the colors she will be showing:

• Blue Skies
• Brick Road
• Chasing the Sun
• Fuschia-istic
• Horny Mistress
• NYPD
• Tavern on the
• Teal Magnolia
• The Limelight
• Uptown Girl

Be sure to head over to her blog after you drool over the colors I'll be presenting:

SARAH from DYNAMITE DOES NAILS

Click HERE to head over to her page!
     

As for myself, I will be showing these fabulous colors to you today:
      

• Botanical Beauty
• Central Park Blossom
• City Slicker
• Fool's
• Lady Liberty
• Midnight Mystery
• Starry Night
• Strawberry Fields
• Top of the Rock
• I'm Vers (clear)

Let's get started, shall we!........

BOTANICAL BEAUTY

 "A luscious lilac may have them fooled into thinking you're a lady, but we know a tantalizing temptress lies beneath the soil. Plant the seed of intrigue and watch it grow - they won't be able to resist your bouquet." - from bondinewyork.com - Botanical Beauty

Botanical Beauty is a soft lilac creme. It's one of the thicker formulas in their collection, but definitely not too thick to be difficult to apply or work with. It spreads evenly with each coat and only took two to become opaque. This was one of the colors I received in my monthly subscription box and I fell in love with it immediately. It's fabulous for an group color, used with other polishes in a mani. Absolutely beautiful, very feminine and modern.

CENTRAL PARK BLOSSOM

"A perfectly pale pink is like a walk in the park. A subtle shade that gets the birds chirping, the bees buzzing and the boys flocking. NYC will never be the same." - from bondinewyork.com - Central Park Blossom

Being a ballerina, I positively LOVED this color since it reminded me very much of a ballet pink used for many ballet shoes, pointe shoes and classical tights I've used and have seen. It's a pale pink that has a touch of peach in it. This is one of the thinner formulas in their Spring/Summer collection, but definitely still easy to work with. It became opaque with three coats, which doesn't bother me at all since they dry so ridiculously fast! It glides on smoothly, evens out nicely and the streaking on the first two coats wasn't sloppy or hard to cover. I think it's the perfect shade for those of you who want that white-hot nail look that's trending at the moment without looking like you used Wite-Out on your fingers!

CITY SLICKER

"Saddle up to this silver polish that keeps you quick on the draw and savvy in the street. Gunmetal glamour is too hot for a boring tumbleweed town. There's a new sheriff in this city." - from bondinewyork.com - City Slicker

City Slicker is a fabulous cool silvery blue-grey metallic that is SO gorgeous! This was one of the first polishes I purchased from Bondi and shout out THANKS to Chris from Bondi who recommended it to me! He's absolutely right, it is very one-of-a-kind and unique! It's natural a thinner formula since it IS a metallic, but still only took two coats for decent opacity. It was a tad streaky as you can see by the picture, but that really didn't bother me since you have to look up close to see it. From an arm's length away, it's unnoticeable. You could go up to three coats if you want it to look darker and more solid. It evened out quickly, applied smoothly and dried rapidly!

FOOL'S

"Who needs money when you've got the Midas touch? A shade that sparkles and shines can make a gal feel rich beyond her wildest dreams. Paint it on and you're golden, girl." - from bondinewyork.com - Fool's

This is the first ultimate gold I actually have in my polish stash! Fool's is a soft yellow-gold metallic that really does look like you dipped your finger into melted bars of gold. It only took two coats for decent opacity, and it brushed on very softly and evenly. I have never been one to think that gold jewelry, clothing, etc look good on me, since I'm a silver gal, but I could NOT stop staring at my hands with this shade on! It's so good, it has "FOOLed" me into thinking I look good in gold. Hehehe....oh hush, it was funny!

LADY LIBERTY

"Pledge your allegiance to this swag. A baby blue-green shade that will make you want to raise your hand in the air...and wave it like you just don't care. Polish never felt so patriotic." - from bondinewyork.com - Lady Liberty

This has to be one of the prettiest, most unique shades I've come across. It's a gorgeous light turquoise creme that just screams Statue of Liberty to me! I think it's positively stunning and quite possibly my favorite of their entire collection. The formula is excellent, it only took took coats for full opacity. It glided on smoothly and evened out quickly. It's very bright, hip and eye catching! ADORE!

MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

"Sherlock doesn't have a clue when it comes to nails, but you do. Solve your color queries with a dastardly dark polish that tells the world whodunit. After all, there's a lot of trouble to be had in the middle of the night and you're on the case." - from bondinewyork.com - Midnight Mystery

I love all things Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur's books, Benedict Cumberbatch ::swoon::,  Robert Downey, Jr, Basil from The Great Mouse Detective (stop laughing, it's awesome) and even classic Basil Rathbone! So when I saw the theme for this polish I knew I was going to absolutely fall in love with it, and of course, I did! It's a stunning dark navy blue creme. The formula is (are you getting tired of hearing this?) excellent...saw that coming, didn't you? ::giggles:: It became opaque after two coats and evened out nicely. It definitely darkens with each coat so if you want an even darker navy blue leaning towards a black, you could go with three, the consistency is thin enough to do that without the layers becoming too think on the nail. 

STARRY NIGHT

"A deep stargazey hue sets the tone for some enchanted evening. Close your eyes and make a wish. If it's any constellation, we hope it comes true." - from bondinewyork.com - Starry Night

Starry Night is a beautiful, romantic dark navy similar to Midnight Mystery, but what sets it apart is that it has a soft frosted shimmer! My iPhone had a bit of a tricky time picking up the gorgeous sheen to it. The formula is wonderful, it took two coats to become opaque even though it seems thinner...more like a metallic. You could go with three coats if you wanted to darken it up some, but I actually love the night sky look that it achieves with two. I bet this would be gorgeous with a glitter top coat or glitter gradient tips!

STRAWBERRY FIELDS

"Nails get juicy with a sweet strawberry shade minus the pesky seeds. This delicious day dream of a color evokes a warm summer afternoon where all you're required to do is laze around the grassy landscape. Get to it, shortcake." - from bondinewyork.com - Strawberry Fields

I may start singing a Beatles song at any given moment....just a fair warning! Strawberry Fields is STUNNING. This polish is a beautiful soft red creme with some coral and orange undertones and doesn't it LOOK juicy? The most perfect strawberry polish I've ever seen! Another fantastic formula, it became opaque with two coats, but you could even go with three to brighten up the color and make it pop more. In my opinion, every polish lover NEEDS to have this one their collection. It's feminine, fun, classy, edgy, appropriate in any season (add some flowers on it for spring, red hot for summer and add in some white or gold, use it in a dusky gradient for fall, or have a softer, less bold Christmas time red!) You convinced that you need it yet? You SHOULD be!

TOP OF THE ROCK

"Paint this posh grey on your paws and claw your way up to the top. A monochrome mani/pedi is the new powersuit, so get to workin' it. Three words: Stone. Cold. Fox." - from bondinewyork.com - Top of the Rock

If you read my blog, you may have recognized this as well as Botanical Beauty as two of the gorgeous colors I received in my Bondi Box subscription this month, and I think it's one of Bondi's most unusual but gorgeous shades! It's a gorgeous steel grey with soft brown undertones that are hard to detect unless you look closely. I think it softens and grounds it just a bit. The formula is very nice, a tad thinner than Strawberry Fields. You only need two coats to become opaque, but three can make the color look more solid as the polish looks softer and thinner towards the edge. 





I'M VERS 

"Whether you're a top or a bottom the answer is clear. This colorless coat will go with any shade you choose - late at night or even in the morning after. You gotta keep your options open." - from bondinewyork.com - I'm Vers

Hehehe, cheeky! I'm Vers is one of the best top coats I've found to date! It seems like it's thinner than the usual top coat, but it spreads SO nicely and evenly and it'll keep those nails protected from any chips! It gives you a gorgeous glossy finish that lasts about 3-4 days before needing a new gloss touch-up. As a base coat, it provides a nice, smooth surface that makes spreading a color coat on top so easy. It's not a ridge filler and it's not a thicker polish, so if you're nails are uneven and ridged, this polish probably won't be the best for a base. To check out the glossy quality of I'm Vers...well....LOOK ABOVE! I'm wearing it in all of my swatches (except Central Park Blossom, for some reason I forgot to put it on! Silly me!). My camera seems to pick up glossiness better on cremes...apparently my camera only like cremes, go figure!





FROM THE BONDI TEAM:

      

"After being employed for over three years at another boring, not to be named nail polish company I was excited for the opportunity to be selected out of hundreds to come work at Bondi New York! Not only is the brand fun and young, but it's innovative and that's what makes working here so exciting. We all truly care about the brand and our customers and love coming into work everyday! Is it just me or is it a dream job to come into work and name nail polish after your ex-boyfriends?! I truly believe in the quality of the brand and the polish; it's so easy working for a company that you yourself are a fan of. I look forward to Bondi New York's future and introducing more people around the world to this super fabulous nail polish brand!" - Kimberli, Chief Operating Officer
  
    

"I am so happy to have had my first internship experience with Bondi New York. On the first day of my commute to the city, I was terrified! I've always loved the city, but I was too scared to take on Manhattan on my own. After finishing up my first day at Bondi, I knew I had made the right decision. The team was so welcoming towards me, and I have never met a group of people who were so fun and friendly right off the bat! I love that I was able to work hands on - I couldn't believe they wanted me to manage their Facebook, Twitter, blog post and live chats! Interacting with customers is such a rewarding experience, because it feels like a little community all our own. I enjoy how warm and grateful customers are towards us after we help them, as if we were doing them an immense favor - but we aren't! We all love what we do, and the rewards far outweigh the trials and tribulations of keeping up with a small business. I love how Richard has built Bondi on such a personal foundation with his customers because I think it gives fans a different respect for us that not many other companies can offer. It is like we are interacting friends all day, and it makes every day at work worth looking forward to. I have learned so much here, from excellent customer service, to seeing how hard the whole team works, to learning how to take care of my own nails! Even after I am done at Bondi, I know they are going to go far and be very successful! I am so grateful for the opportunity to work at Bondi, and I will definitely be a devoted fan and customer far into the future!" - Leann, former Brand Ambassador for Social Media
   
     
 There were three major motivating factors behind starting Bondi New York.

1) The hypocrisy of some cosmetic companies that produce products laden with poisons and toxic chemicals, who then run charitable events to raise money for cancer.

2) The simplicity of color and how a simple little luxury can transform a woman's mood and day. I wanted to extend that one step further by taking the profit from the sale of that "little luxury" and investing it into programs that aide Americans and consumers in each of the countries we operate to improve their quality of life. Whether that is through being able to afford to eat, finish school, gain a better job or improve their housing circumstances.

3) Changing the apathy that is rampant in the retail industry. We've all been there at a fast food restaurant or a department store and experienced the employee who does not care and does not want to be there. Spending money online with a company you barely know, we need to exceed customer expectations to build that trust and ensure that that customer comes back again and again and again.

It has been really interesting seeing this business really come to fruition in the last six months. To see the passion that our customers have behind what we do, to feel part of something.

This is something that I intend to continue to foster. Unlike our competitors, there are no layers of management, there never will be. Whether we have 1,000 or 100,000 customers, I will still be accessible, still on the forums and still answering emails (albeit with the help of our fast growing team)." - Richard, Founder & CEO

ALSO, Bondi is making room for their new upcoming Fall/Winter collection, so half of the Spring/Summer collection is ON SALE for $8 each! (regularly $12.50)
        

 (click photo for larger view)
      

From the top left corner and clockwise:

Strawberry Fields

Lady Liberty

Central Park Blossom

Top of the Rock

Fool's

The Limelight

Chasing the Sun

Blue Skies

Brick Road

Fuschia-istic 

So be sure to head over to their website to check them out! -

http://www.bondinewyork.com/collections/sale

    

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this collaboration post featuring Bondi New York's Spring/Summer 2013 Collection, and my thanks and love to Sarah at Dynamite Does Nails for joining in with me as well as the team from Bondi New York for sharing your drive, passion, and love for what you do! I agree with Leann, I TOO will be a devoted Bondi fan and customer far into the future!

Happy Makeuping and Polishing!