January 31, 2010, 12:52:00 PM

Nubar - Indigo Illusion

Hi everyone! How's everybody doing? Since it's sunday I decided I wanted to play around with the lightbox my dear stepdad made! The picture above is made in the box but with natural light, and the picture below is with the lights on. I'm still practising, it's hard to simulate natural light, especially without creating weird shadows!

I'm loooving the polish I'm wearing today, it's a duochrome by Nubar, Indigo Illusion. Duochrome is my favorite finish ever, and this one has so many colors! Blue, pink, yellow, green, it's amazing. The formula is wonderful too, this one's already a favorite!

Koh - Black Stars

Hi! Is everyone enjoying their weekend? I hope so! Yesterday I decided I wanted to spend a gift voucher I got for Christmas. Normally I really don't like spending a lot of money on nail polish, but gift certificates kinda take that guilty feeling away :-D. I got 2 nail polishes by Koh, a Dutch brand that many actually don't like. And this is probably due to the higher price (14 euros a bottle) and the weird formula. I didn't like it at first either but I learned that I need to use a different top coat and all is well. They do have an amazing color selection, so it's getting harder for me not to like them ;-).

Today I'm wearing Black Stars, which reminds me a bit of the $OPI 212, but I think Koh's version is more vivid. The black base is a jelly and consists out of multi colored glitter and some duochrome flakies! I think you probably either love or hate this polish, it's definitely a bit weird :-D. It's so festive and hysterical, I wish I had this last New Year's eve!

Oh btw, my dearest stepdad made us a lightbox, since the weather wasn't playing along, so I had to try it out and change pictures! The normal closeup macro's didn't turn out that great, I think the lights may be too bright or the camera isn't cooperating, but pics from further away were kinda nice!

January 29, 2010, 4:30:00 PM

P2 - Dangerous

Hi guys! How are you doing today? Hope everyone is well!

Today I chose to wear something by P2 again, this is a great brand, very nice formula with a very small price tag.
Right now you're looking at the color Dangerous. Dangerous is a gorgeous teal creme, I applied 2 coats and I just can't get over how amazing this formula is.

Again, if you're ever happen to be in Germany, please check this brand out! This was it for today, thanks for looking and take care!

January 28, 2010, 7:00:00 AM

H&M - My Favorite Jeans

Hii everyone! Today I'm wearing something by a brand I really love and it's not even a nail polish brand. It's H&M! They always manage to come up with nice fashionable colors for a reasonable price. The formula is pretty decent too.

Recently I bought a lot of their colors, *whoops*, but this one I've already had for a while. It's called My Favorite Jeans. I'd say the color is steelblue and it contains a lot of silver and turquoise shimmer, pretty!

I really like the sparrrklyness it possesses even though it's not a glitter. IMO, the color is a bit too light, this looks nothing like my own pair of favorite jeans :-D. Overall, I think it's a pretty color, but I'm not in love!

Oops, I've got to run! Thanks for stopping by and take care :-).

January 27, 2010, 7:00:00 AM

China Glaze - Tempest

Good morning everyone! Hope everyone is having a great day!

Today I'm sporting Tempest by China Glaze, a brand that isn't represented a great deal on this blog! Tempest is a strikingly beautiful blue & purple (slight) duochrome. Normally you'd have me at duochrome, but I'm kinda on the fence about this one. It's streaky/frosty, and it hates my regular top coat (OPI RapiDry). They always end up in a fight, leaving my nails looking like funny moonscapes. I do adore this color though!

I don't own a lot China Glaze polishes, because the few I own, aren't that great, formula-wise. But they do make such awesome colors... What's a girl to do?! I probably should give it a try anyway, what do you think?

January 26, 2010, 12:44:00 PM

OPI - Gargantuan Green Grape

Hi everyone! Enjoying the sun too? It's really lovely out today, so I decided i wanted something light. I've seen many pastels around and they make me happy, so I hopped on the bandwagon too!

I'm wearing a light green polish with the most impossible to remember name: Gargantuan Green Grape. It's not really a minty color as it has some yellow undertones. And against my expectations, the formula wasn't great. What's up OPI? I needed 3 coats and it was really streaky. However, I think the color is really fun! Well this was it for day, thanks for reading and have a great day!

January 25, 2010, 7:00:00 AM

Gosh, it's Holographic!

Hi guys! Monday already! What's everyone up to today??

You're looking at Holographic by Gosh, and I've been literally stalking drugstores to find this one for ages! Finally found it last weekend so naturally I couldn't wait to try her! I like Gosh. Their nail polish formula is quite good and I actually love their makeup as well. Although it would be nice to see more choice in np colors.

The formula is tricky, kinda lumpy, but it all works out in the end, and it dries fast! I applied 2 coats and no top coat, and I adore it. It's probably the most dense holo I own, I can't stop looking at it!

I might indulge in some more holos, I've noticed different brands make different holos, who do you think makes the hottest holos ever?

January 24, 2010, 1:26:00 PM

More Nfu Oh love - #51

Good morning! Is everyone enjoying their sunday? I hope so! I had a bad nail polish experience today already! I wore a turquoise color by the brand 2b, which I never heard of before, and as I thought the color was only so so, I wanted to remove this little bugger. And I have to say this is hands down the worst nail polish I've ever bought! The staining is ridiculous, my nails and fingers were blue. I never throw out nail polish, because that just seems so blasphemous, but this might be a solid candidate, ugh.

So after some soaking in pure acetone I decided I should give my nails something nice to wear after all the horror they went through. And when I say something nice, of course we're talking Nfu Oh's #51. This is probably the prettiest nail polish I'll ever own! Too bad it's half empty, so I really cherish it. I layered it over the most perfect purple ever: Viola Glitter by Collistar (will post about that one soon), and it's good to go!

What's your most favorite nail polish?

January 23, 2010, 5:42:00 PM

OPI - Kinky in Helsinki

Hi everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! I really needed a cheerful bright color, because I'm really fed up with this winter, it's time for spring! :-).

This is Kinky in Helsinki (you gotta love that name), by OPI. My mom actually got it off Ebay because she knew how much I liked it and it's not that easily available anymore, how sweet is that??

It needed 3 coats, which I hate, but I figured it was worth it. This one probably is a rerelease from the European Collection (2002) as OPI rereleased the their best selling colors as a celebration of their 20th anniversary and named it the Colorcopia Collection. Kinky In Helsinki was one of those :-).

I really like the fuchsia color and the slight blue flash it has. Plus it's really glowy which I love.

Who else has had enough of this depressing weather?!

January 22, 2010, 12:34:00 PM

OPI - Yoga-ta Get this Blue!

Hi everyone! Today I've got something blue for you. I'm really into blues lately, I just think it's such a fun color to wear :-). This one is called Yoga-ta Get This Blue and it's by OPI. As you probably already can tell, I'm a big OPI fan. This one belongs to the 2008 India Collection.

I think it's a lovely rich color, not too light and not almost black like a lot of dark-blues out there. The almost turquoise shimmer is really visible, which makes it really fun to look at. I must admit that there are many blues like this one, so for me it's not that special, just very likeable :-). Unfortunately it took 3 coats for it to be opaque, but other than that, the formula was fine.

I know there a lot of blues out there right now, what's your favorite?

January 20, 2010, 7:00:00 AM

Essence - All Access

Hi everyone! Wow, I made it to a 100 followers, in only 10 days! This was beyond any expectation :-). I want to thank all of you who take the time to read and comment to my blog, I really appreciate it!!

Unfortunately I didn't finish my essay last night, instead I painted my nails :-P. Oh well, it's due next week, so I'll have time to finish it up. Today I'm wearing a nail polish by Essence, All Access. I've seen it around the blogs last week, and that made me want to wear this again! So here it is, a very pretty green shimmer. Last time I used it I had some trouble applying it, but I added some thinner and all was well :-).

Well, this was it already for today, hope you have a great day and see you soon :-).

January 19, 2010, 12:24:00 PM

OPI - Lincoln Park After Dark Suede

Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing well. Right now I'm working on an essay, but it's really boring me, ugh! At least I get to look at my nails when I type :'). Today I'm wearing OPI's Lincoln Park after Dark, the suede version. When OPI released her first mattes I just had to have them. Unfortunately, I didn't really like any of them, with the exception of La Paz-Itivily Hot. The application could be better and the formula isn't that great either.

But, then the suedes arrived, and imho these are so much better! This one looks nothing like the original Lincoln Park After Dark, but I think it's lovely anyway. OPI says you shouldn't wear a base coat underneath these, but I tried this once and it stained my nails awfully, so my advise would be to ignore that great tip. Do you like suedes or do you think these are sooo 2009? ;-)

January 17, 2010, 7:00:00 AM

Koh - Glamourous Purple

Hey guys! Hope everyone's doing well.. Today I wanted to show you a lovely nail polish by Koh and I also wanted to tell you how I paint my nails, because I've been getting a lot of questions about that :-).

You're looking at Glamourous Purple, a lovely duochrome. This is 2 coats over 1 coat Smokey Violet (also by Koh). The formula of these polishes weren't too great, but the colors are really nice. I think this mani kinda looks like a less saturated version of Nubar's Purple Beach!

Second, how do I apply my nail polish? Well, it's nothing special really. I do have several ground rules:

  • good lighting
  • hands resting on the desk
  • enough polish on the brush to cover the whole nail at once
  • start in the center a little bit above the cuticle push it towards the cuticle and then straight up - then the same for the sides, starting from the middle.
  • jagged line around the cuticle? Please read Megan Chair's amazing tutorial on how to clean up!

I'm not saying this is the way it should be done, but it works really well for me :-). Hope you found this useful. Take care and till next time!

January 16, 2010, 7:00:00 AM

OPI - Black Cherry Chutney - Vampilicious Pt. II

Good morning everyone! Hope everyone is doing well. Today I'm wearing OPI's Black Cherry Chutney, a classic vampy color which belongs to the India Collection from 2008. When I posted OPI's Midnight in Moscow last week, I mentioned that I thought this polish is pretty similar. Well, they are, but they do have different undertones: MiM is leaning towards brown where BCC is leaning towards a deep cherry color. I love them both!

Some people say vampy colors are only meant for really short nails, but I think they look good on several lengths, what do you think?

January 15, 2010, 4:18:00 PM

OPI - DS Signature

Hi everyone! Since I took out one my favorites the other day, I thought I'd share this other favorite with you too. It's Signature from OPI and it belongs to the Designer Series that came out in 2008, I believe. I really like the fact that it's holographic and still pretty shiny. You can't really tell I didn't apply a top coat. It also dries pretty fast, I applied 3 coats, wet on wet, without my fast drying top coat and after 15 minutes it was pretty much dry.

I've actually worn this so often that the bottle is about empty! :-(. Do you ever finish a bottle or do you own so many bottles it's nearly impossible?

Misa - Toxic Seduction

Today I'm wearing a nail polish you've probably already seen this week, well , you visit Dutch nail blogs that is ;-). Meet 'Toxic Seduction' by Misa. I wondered if I even should be making this post, but then I thought, you can never see enough of this beauty. It's definitely in my top 5 of nail polish!

I'll stop wasting words now since you've probably already read it :-). Take care and till next time!

January 14, 2010, 11:26:00 AM

P2 - Gorgeous

Good morning! Yesterday I received a package with 2 bottles of nail polish from Bernies from a dutch board, thank you so much Bernies for getting them!

P2 is a German brand and their nail polishes are really cheap. But, their formula is amazing! I already got some P2 polishes a while ago from Kirsten (MinderMutsigeNagels.blogspot.com - check this lovely blog out!) and I immediately fell in love with them. The color I'm wearing today is called Gorgeous, and the name is dead on! The color is purple with very dense silver shimmer. The application was superb, so smooth and opaque. Aaand this happens to be a dupe of Nfu Oh #86! So all the fun for less spending ;-). If you're in Germany, please don't hesitate to have a look at these.

January 12, 2010, 8:04:00 AM

BeYu - #381 - Glitter & Duochrome combined!

Today I'm sporting another Christmas present... there's no better gift in my book! ;-) Isn't she pretty? Meet BeYu #381, a blue-based duochrome. It's not a very obvious duochrome like the Nubars, but it is definitely there! It flashes purple and turquoise. The glitter could've been more chunky, but hey, duochrome AND glitter in one bottle? You don't hear me complain..

I believe BeYu is a German brand which is only available in Europe. They have a nice color selection and the formula is quite alright actually! The downside is: they're quite pricy. A bottle contains only 8ml and costs around 5.95 euro (around USD 8,60), so yeah, not so nice.

My nails are finally getting longer and at one length again :-D. A while ago I broke two of them and it took forever to grow them out, especially when you're telling them to grow every minute of the day :'). Well.. that's it for today, see you soon!

January 11, 2010, 7:43:00 AM

Claire's - Minty Mani

Hi everyone! Today's mani is one I don't particularly like. It's a mint green from Claire's, which I picked up at Claire's when I was looking for Dream Catcher. Dream Catcher is an almost dupe of Chanel's Jade, but it seems that it's not available in the Dutch Claire's :-(. The nail polish I got has no name or number whatsoever! So let's just call it Anonymous.

Anyway, mint green, well at least this one, is not for me. It really clashes with my skintone. I already suspected this, but wanted to try it nonetheless :-D. This was a 2 coater and the application wasn't good but not bad perse. But that's mainly because I used a different brush. The brush that comes with this polish is insanely big! Think OPI's wide brush times two. Don't really know what they were thinking..:-D. Well, thanks for reading and till next time!

January 10, 2010, 5:35:00 PM

OPI - Midnight in Moscow - Vampilicious

Hi! Hope everyone is doing well today! Today I decided I wanted to go for something vampy. So here it is: OPI's Midnight in Moscow. It's from the 2007 fall Russian collection. This is such a pretty color, but very hard to capture on camera! I'd say the color is an almost black with red shimmer.

When I received this as a christmas present this year, I thought that it would be very similar to Black Cherry Chutney, which I also own. But Midnight in Moscow is more red toned, where BCC is more leaning towards a very dark shade of burgundy.

Anyway, I think this is a very classy nail polish, what do you think?

Oh btw, I found out that this Disqus commenting system is a pain in the *ss, but I can't seem to remove it, sorry! :-(

January 9, 2010, 4:25:00 AM

OPI - Dating A Royal - Jelly goodness!

This is today's mani, a blue jelly. Dating a Royal was so easy to apply, I was stunned. It did take 3 coats for maximum coverage though, but like I said, it went on like a charm!

I actually bought this one over 6 months ago and never used it, so since I'm going through my untrieds, I figured it was time for this little darling. And I don't know why it took me so long, because I absolutely adore this color!

OPI - Reflecting Pool / First Post

I'm Michele, a 25yr old Dutch girl, who, well you probably already guessed, happens to like nail polish, a LOT.
I've already posted quite a bit on a Dutch messageboard (www.fok.nl), but I figured a blog would be nice as well :-D. When I'm not busy painting my nails, I'm mostly at work, being a front end web developer, or working on my thesis.

Second: This blog wouldn't be a nail blog without pictures of pretty nail polish! The picture on the left shows OPI's Reflecting Pool. It's a medium blue with gold polish. It kinda has a foil finish!
And since I live in Europe, it was very easy for me to get my little hands on this pretty one.

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy my blog!