Hi all!
So today I have the polish for you that has been on my nails for 7 days till now, and I haven't taken it off. Yes, you read this right! Seven days! That's a lot, especially for me since I usually change my polish every day or every other day. I took pics on day two (on day one I didn't have proper lighting) and on day seven. It's also a first for me to post my thumb up close and personal on my blog! :D
Misa Cherry Glazed, two coats with one coat of Nubar Diamont in daylight. Cherry Glazed is a rich red creme with hints of berry. It's slightly darker irl and you can't really see the hint of berry I'm talking about in my picture, but my camera wouldn't pick it up.. It's a red with an edge in my opinion and surprisingly, I love this! Application was flawless, but drying time took a little longer than I'm used to. I'm guessing that's because of the heat though, so I can't really judge this.
This picture was taken on day two of wear and looks indeed like a fresh mani.
And now, the picture that I took today, on the end of day seven.
Misa Cherry Glazed, two coats with one coat of Nubar Diamont in daylight on day seven. It looks almost identical to the picture that I took on day two, since I only have a few scratches on my polish. You can see that my nails have grown a bit since my gap is quite big, but other than that.. No chips, no tipwear.. And I use my laptop (and keyboard) a lot. I'm impressed!
I used OPI Nail Envy Matte as my basecoat and only two coats of Cherry Glazed. I believe this one could have done with one though, since it is so pigmented! But really, I'm impressed. I think I've found the polish I should wear when I go on vacation :)
What do you think of Misa Cherry Glazed? Do you own polish yourself that lasts 7 days and does not chip - excluding Shellac of course!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
It's time for some comparisons again! There are three comparisons again this time, so let's get started.
A little roundup
First up is a comparison between Chanel Nouvelle Vague and Orly Gumdrop.
Left Orly Gumdrop, right Chanel Nouvelle Vague. As you can see, they are dupes! The only difference is the really subtle shimmer that Nouvelle Vague holds and Gumdrop is a teeeeenie bit more blue, but the difference is barely visible. Gumdrop is easier to get your hands on and it's a budget friendly alternative if you want Chanel Nouvelle Vague.
Next up: a coincidental dupe! I bought Kinetics Shall We Dance? at Alice and Jo's havesentials and found out it looked really close to GOSH Purple Heart.
Left GOSH Purple Heart, Kinetics Shall We Dance? on the right. The only difference is the way the light hits these polishes. These polishes are identical. They're both evenly duochrome-y (which I couldn't really capture on the wheel) and have the same smokey dark purple, mossy green colors. These are dupes.
Last but not least of this comparison post, I have two periwinkle cremes for you; China Glaze Secret Peri-winkle and Orly Cashmere Cardigan.
Secret Peri-Winkle on the left, Cashmere Cardigan on the right. Please imagine this is more periwinkle (a tad bit of purple), because the color freaked out my camera. These are not dupes. Secret Peri-Winkle is lighter and a bit dustier than Cashmere Cardigan, while Cashmere Cardigan leans more towards purple. The difference is big enough to justify you owning both ;) These are not dupes.
And of course, to round it all up.. A little summary in the form of a shot of the nailwheel;
These were the comparisons I had for you, dear reader! If you have requests for more comparisons, feel free to ask me!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
Tonight I have another Zoya Sparkle for you: Gilda. Doesn't that remind you of the series that was on, years ago? Sabrina The Teenage Witch? Lol well it does to me. I used to watch it every time it was on and I loved it! Anyway, on to some pics :)
Zoya Gilda, three coats in daylight. Gilda is a bright pink that has the same sparkle finish as Ivanka and Alegra that I showed earlier. Even though I'm not really into pinks anymore, I think this one is pretty. The sparkles really look awesome!
I did a little mattification (lol, is this a word?)
Zoya Gilda with one coat of Essie Matte About You. Please excuse the white flakes, my Essie MAY appears to be developing these.. Gilda looks pretty with a matte topcoat! Well that's no surprise since the others were great as well. It look like scales of a fish, or pink dragon hide. Hm. Interesting!
Application was good and Gilda needed three coats for opacity. All three coats dried pretty quick. You can really see the sparkles build up in intensity when you add the second and third layer :)
Thanks for stopping by!
It's time for a little blogsale! I added a tab just underneath my header where you can find the polishes I'm tossing out of my Helmer. I will be adding more pictures when I decide to sell more polishes - my Helmer is in desperate need of some room since it's FULL. I actually have a bag of polishes next to my Helmer, because they won't fit anymore.. Whoops!
Hi all,
First of all I would like to thank all of you who was so kind to either tweet or comment on my blog because of the loss of my dear cat. It means a lot to me to read everything and it feels good to be comforted, even though it's by words through the internet. Thank you for that.
Today I have the post for you that I prepared for yesterday. I got a package from Viva La Nails in last week and I decided to do a summery mani with something they sent me.
I used Orly Lemonade as a base and Orly Pixy Stix for the pink triangle near my tips. I used Viva La Nails Hex glitter on the line between the two polishes. The hex glitter that came in my package were perfect for the color combination!
The hex glitter actually changes color in different lighting between a pinkish gold and yellow green flash. Nice! They are really easy to use, just dip your dotting tool in a bit of topcoat and gently press the hex glitter in polish that still is a bit wet.
Here's what I used to do this mani (OPI Nail Envy Matte as a basecoat not included)
Orly Lemonade, Orly Pixy Stix, Nubar Diamont as a glue to put the hex glitter on my nails, a dotting tool and of course the Viva La Nails Hex glitters.
Viva La Nails is sold at their own website, which you can find here: Viva La Nails Webshop. They have a great variety of different nail art products, which include different kind of glitters, stickers, water decals and Konad. Here's what Viva La Nails sent to me:
I actually forgot two packages (teardrops and stars) in the picture, but as you can see they were very generous! I will be reviewing more of their products in the next couple of weeks.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all,
Today is a sad day. Our 16 year old cat was put to sleep today by the vet. The poor thing was ill for the last couple of months and we tried every possible treatment for the sneezing disease that he was diagnosed with, but today we discovered that it wasn't the real thing that was going on. Our little man had a tumor in his little head that caused chronic nose bleeds and because of the bleeding, he got weaker every day. It's better for him this way, but it's so, so sad to lose the pal I've had for 16 years.
Rest in peace, Mistie, my dear little nerdy friend.
I was planning on doing a happy mani today because I launched my new blog layout, but I decided to do something a little less festive for today.
Diamond Cosmetics Cherry Tobacco, two coats in daylight. Cherry Tobacco is a vampy brown with glowing shimmer and it screams fall to me.
Application was good, no problems with drying time either so I was pleasantly surprised since this was one of those polishes that was sitting in my Helmer since like forever. And if it feels like fall.. We'll put some fall on the nails.
Diamond Cosmetics Cherry Tobacco stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM04 and China Glaze Millennium. Millennium works really really well on these kind of shades and I just love the contrast between the brown and the silver.
A Closeup of Cherry Tobacco stamped with Millennium.
These kind of manicures just fascinate me although there isn't even glitter, holo or duochrome to keep me satisfied..
Thanks for stopping by
Hi all!
It's finally there, my new blog layout! As you can see, I decided to do something completely different and thanks to Michèle's help I finally put it together today :)
There are changes in color (obviously), but also in the setup of this layout. I now have seperate tabs for different pages and I will be adding one or two more tabs in the next couple of days.
Also, I also added Formspring to my blog. Feel free to ask me anything!
There are a ton of changes behind the scenes, which you will probably not even notice but those changes will make me easier to find through google and such.
Feel free to say what you think of my new blog layout by commenting on this post :)
Hi all!
Is the weather there as good as it is here? It's getting hot and sunny in The Netherlands! Today I have another Zoya Sparkle for you: Zoya Nidhi.
Zoya Nidhi, three coats in daylight. Nidhi is the oddball in the Sparkle Collection; it has a different finish than the other five polishes. It's still super pretty though! Nidhi is a tomato red glass flecked polish with silver, red, lime and yellow particles. This is three coats, but I guess you could go with two coats as well.
Application was as good as the other sparkles. The texture is a bit on the thin side but easy to work with. Drying time was good.
Since I made the other Sparkles matte, here's Nidhi mattified:
Zoya Nidhi, three coats with one coat of Essie Matte About You in daylight. Pretty, but not as pretty as the other sparkles! Please excuse the white chip on my nails, my Matte About You seems to have issues..
And of course I did a little (because I don't want to cover up the prettyness of Nidhi) Konad.
Zoya Nidhi, three coats stamped with imageplate M77 and China Glaze Millennium. It's a little stamp, and I have to say that I like it! I have never used this plate before and I've had it for a while..
What do you think of Nidhi?
Also, I've been working behind the scenes on my blog. You might not see it now, but you will see major changes on my blog in the near future. I've worked on it for the past four or five days, yesterday even over 11 hours to make everything perfect. I think it will keep me off the streets since I want everything perfect, but I hope you will enjoy all the effort I put in it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
There were a couple of people asking for comparisons, so here they are! If you would like to see another comparison, please let me know and I'll see what I can do for you.
All the comparisons lined up on the nailwheel :)
First up, I was asked to do a comparison between Essie Chinchilly and Catrice Clay-ton My Hero.
Left Essie Chinchilly, right Catrice Clay-ton My Hero. As you can see, these aren't similar at all. Chinchilly is a khaki creme, while Clayton My Hero is a lighter sort of khaki, almost sandy brown, that holds golden shimmer. These are not dupes.
Next up are Essence In The Jungle (from the Show Your Feet line) and OPI Jade Is The New Black. In The Jungle is supposed to be a dupe for Jade Is The New Black, as I've seen on various boards.
Left Essence In The Jungle, Right OPI Jade Is The New Black. The biggest difference is the finish that the polishes have; Jade Is The New Black dries completely smooth and shiny, while In The Jungle dries a bit weird; it's not satin, but it's not shiny either. It looks a bit bumpy, but it's not when you feel the polish. Besides that, In The Jungle is a little bit more blue and less dusty than OPI Jade Is The New Black. These two are not dupes.
Last but not least I have a comparison between Essie Lilacism and Illamasqua Wink for you.
Left Essie Lilacism, right Illamasqua Wink. Wink and Lilacism are really really close and I wouldn't be able to tell you the difference if it wasn't for the fact that I know which polish is on which side. Both are lilac cremes and similar in opacity. This is two coats on both. The application on Wink is better in my opinion though. These are dupes, so if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Illamasqua Wink, I'd recommend getting Essie Lilacism.
A little overview of the comparisons:
I hope this was helpful! If you have any questions about these comparisons or if you have a request for one, please let me know :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
I just realized I didn't even post this one, even though I wore it a couple of weeks ago; shame on me! This is one of the polishes that I picked up when we went polish hunting in Germany. I believe it only has a number, but since there's a sticker on the cap saying 'sparkle touch', I decided to call this post that way :P
Kiko #2 Sparkle Touch, two coats over Ciaté Fun Fair in daylight. Kiko #2 Sparkle Touch is a glitter topper in a clear base that's packed with hex glitter and a few smaller particles. The glitters remind me of fish scales or something.. They flash between pink and aqua, which is kinda cool. I have to add that this looks a bit dull in my pic and it looks way more sparkly irl. It's to sheer to use alone, but could just spice up a slightly boring mani..
Application was good and I didn't have any issues with the drying time. Kiko polishes are available in Italy and in Kiko stores. I believe I only paid € 1,90 for a bottle of 11ml so that's a great deal! I picked up another Kiko that I will be showing you soon as well :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
Since it's the World Cup and all, I'm trying out my orange polishes to see if there is one suitable for a manicure when The Nederlands will be playing. This time: Misa Um You're Too Delicious, which was part of my swap with Linda :)
Misa Um You're Too Delicious, three coats in daylight. Um You're Too Delicious is a jellylike orange neon. I didn't even know it was possible, but it certainly looks that way! Normally neons dry matte or satin, but this one dries absolutely shiny with a jellylike finish. I like it! Please believe me when I say that this polish is WAY brighter irl.
Application was fine, but drying time was not. It took forever to dry and when I tried to stamp it, over an hour later, it still wasn't dry and I ended up taking it off because the stamping ruined my mani. Also, I suspect that this is the only Misa I own that is not B3F and that this causes the polish to smell really bad (I will check the ingredients later today to be sure). I will try her once more this week or next week, to see if it works better :)
So now I wonder: what's your favorite orange polish?
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
How is your weekend so far? I know the US girls still have the half sunday ahead, that's why I say so far ;) Today I have a polish for you that came in a RAOK from a lovely lady from the US. We decided to swap a ton of polishes, but my package is still at customs and probably won't be released ever so she sent me a couple of beauties. Thanks Rachel, they're gorgeous!
She sent me the Ulta Glam Goth Set that's only available in the US, and since the colors are gorgeous it's a big hit :D
Ulta Forbitten, two coats in daylight. This polish is ridiculously shiny so it took me a gazillion pics to get the color right in my pics. Forbitten is a gorgeous dark brown, almost black base with tons of bronze and brown shimmer and it's absolutely stunning. This one definately doesn't need any topcoat because it's shiny as hell itself.
I thought this would make a great matte as well, but I was wrong in this case..
Ulta Forbitten, two coats with one coat of Essie Matte About You. It looks flat and dull and none of the shimmer really shows through the matte.. Too bad!
Application was good, although the brush is teeeny tiny. The structure is nice and went on smoothly so I didn't have any issues with this. Drying time was good as well, I was pleasantly surprised!
If you like dark colors and have the chance to get your hands on the Ulta Glam Goth set, get it!!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
Yesterday was my pie eating date with Michèle and Michelle, although we didn't really eat pie.. We did eat sushi though! Anyway we went shopping and even with the rainy weather, I had a lovely day, so thanks ladies!
Of course, I snapped a pic of our hands together :D
Michèle is wearing Catrice Lost in Mud, Michelle is wearing Orly Rage and I am wearing China Glaze Recycle, stamped with China Glaze Millennium.
Here's a closer pic from my mani on day two of wear:
China Glaze Recycle, stamped with imageplate M73 and China Glaze Millennium. China Glaze Recycle is three coats, though 2 could have been sufficient for opacity if I didn't have so much trouble with the formula. It went on like crap, I couldn't handle it.. Recycle is a grey creme and I honestly can't see what all the fuss is about; it's a pretty color but the application was a big turnoff for me. I like this combination with Konad though!
Ladies, I had a wonderful day and I hope you did too! Enjoy your new pretties ;)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
Today I have a NOTD for you that I did when I was in a hurry last week, so I didn't have time to cleanup. I had this polish for a while and just didn't wear it untill a couple of days ago.. Anyway, on to some pics :)
Essie Chinchilly, two coats with one coat of Nubar Diamont in daylight. The second picture is a little more color accurate since the first one makes Chinchilly look more washed out than the color really is.. Chinchilly is a weird color; it's no taupe, it's no grey and it's no purple, but it has something from all three. I'd say it's a khaki creme, I think. It's a really odd color and I don't like it on me. I think it's because my skin has yellow undertones and that doesn't work well with this color.
Application on this was great, no problems whatsoever. Drying time was good as well, so no complaints there, only on the color. I did a little Konad to spice things up a bit and it improved my mani a bit.
Essie Chinchilly with one coat of Nubar Diamont, stamped with China Glaze Adore and imageplate M60. The blue chrome works pretty well with the blubbery color of Chinchilly! A closeup to show the design better:
It's definately better than it was without Konad in my opinion, but still no winner for me :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
So I finally have the results from the nailart contest! It was a close call, even before this extra voting.. After excluding the votes that were not according to the rules, Michelle's peacock mani and Thriszha's puppy design were on shared first place.
After voting in the last two days, it was only one vote in difference.. And I had to exclude some votes (again!) so it was very tight.. The two designs were so close, the winner only has one vote more than the number two. That's what I'd call close!
Anyway, without further ado, I present to you.. The winner of the first Nailswatches nailart contest!
Congratulations Thriszha! I will be contacting you by email for your address.
Thank you all for submitting your designs and voting in these two voting sessions!
Hi all!
A couple of days ago, I showed you a bloody manicure and today I have a review for you of the basecolor that I used: Essie Not Just a Pretty Face.
Essie Not Just a Pretty Face, four coats with one coat of Nubar Diamont in daylight. Not Just a Pretty Face is a pinkish peachy-ish jelly and needs four coats for opacity. It's a pretty color, definitely office appropriate is you ask me. Well, that's it for the good news.. Now the bad news: I hate this polish. Application was bad, the structure was a bit thick but still runny so there was polish flooding my cuticles. I needed four coats for opacity and those coats just would not dry. Never! I used Nubar Diamont, but still the polish wouldn't dry. Yugh! Plus, if you look at my nails in the pictures.. It looks like I have an enormous layer of polish laying on my nails. Bleh!
No, this is not even a pretty face.. *sigh* What do you think of Essie's Not Just a Pretty Face? Do you own it yourself? If so, am I doing something wrong or is it just the polish? It looked so nice on all swatches I've seen!
About the Nailart contest: The winner will be announced tonight!
Thanks for stopping by :)
Hi all!
How are you all today? Today I have one of the new Ciaté polishes for you again: Talent Scout.
Ciaté Talent Scout, two coats under artificial light. Talent Scout is a medium purple creme. It's an easy going color, I don't know how else to describe it. Somehow it calms me a bit.. This is two coats, but it's not completely evened out so I could have used a third coat to smoothen things out a bit.
Application was good. I never really have problems with these Ciaté polishes.. The only thing I wasn't too pleased about is the fact that the polish isn't really smooth, even though it's perfectly opaque in two coats. Drying time was good, so no complaints on that matter!
The voting for the Nailart contest is now closed, I will count the votes tomorrow :)
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi all!
It took me a while, but I finished counting the votes in the nailart contest. Unfortunately, there were a lot of votes that I cannot count for the designs, since the people who voted didn't read the rules. The rules are clear, so it's sad that so many votes can't be counted.
Anyway, I counted the votes and it's unbelievable.. But there are two designs with an equal amount of votes! They tie for first place. So, I had a bit of a dilemma. What should I do? Pick the winner myself? Or something else? I decided to let you vote one day for your favorite design. You can only pick between the two designs in this post! The rules are the same as the rules for the earlier voting: You have to be a public follower of my blog through google friend connect, each follower of my blog can vote one time and you can only vote by leaving your comment with this post.
The two designs with the most votes are:
Thriszha's cute puppy design
Michelle's Peacock Mani
Voting will be possible from now till tomorrow, June 15th 2010 21.00 GMT+01.00.
Remember: these votes decide the winner! Let the voting begin :)
Orly Lemonade, three coats in daylight. Lemonade is a pretty pastel yellow creme, a little more yellow irl. Pastels tend to be streaky at first and this one was no exception, but all evened out in three coats. 
Orly Lemonade, three coats in the shade. The color is more accurate in this picture since it isn't as washed out. I'm really starting to like pastel yellow polishes, they sure as hell are growing on me!
