China Glaze - DV8

I'm really on a holo streak, can you tell? Haha. There's just something about spring setting in that makes me happy and gets me in the mood for rainbows. I often get caught by people staring at me when I'm moving my fingers around in a coincidentally sunbeam. They must think I'm pretty deranged. Not that I'm not ;-D.

When we were visiting the China Glaze wholesale last week, I was able to get my mitts on this pretty thing, and for a really small price too. I've always been a bit reluctant when it comes to China Glaze because their formula is really inconsistent, at least that's my experience so far. I absolutely adore their colors, so to be honest I'm really bummed out about this. I was really curious to see how and if I'd like this polish!

DV8 belongs to the OMG collection, consisting out of 12 dense holographics in a wide color range. I'd already bought LOL a while ago, and as much as I loved the color, I couldn't get over the bad formula.

Luckily DV8 really managed to surprise me: opaque in 2 coats, no cuticle drag, everything was just A-OK. The color is really pretty too, a nice medium teal without being bland.

What do you think about the OMG collection?

Models Own - Peacock Green

Hi dear reader! Today I'm showing you something I'm really excited about: Peacock Green by Models Own. Trust me when I say these pictures don't do any justice to the color, depth and overall beauty of it! This is what it looks like when green meets blue, and they click ;-). It's super glowy and it almost looks like a duochrome. I stole this one from my mom's helmer, and I can't believe I didn't order this one myself. The formula is nice, it's a 3 coater though, but application was really smooth.

I also found out Models Own is hosting a contest where you can win 12 of their most wanted colors. And if you don't win you'll get a 30% discount on your next order :-). You only have to fill out a survey. Sounds pretty nice huh? So if you're into this brand please check it out. This contest ends the 29th of March, so you'll have 1 day left! So we're at the end of this post again, thanks for stopping by and enjoy your sunday!

OPI - DS Original

Hello dear reader! How is everyone doing? I had the most awesome day yesterday, Daphne from Nailswatches, Michelle from TheLacquerFiles and myself went nail polish hunting. It was so much fun! We visited a wholesale with lots of ChinaGlaze, and within expectations we all kinda went crazy ha! Anyway, for today I have another purple holo to show you! This is Original from the Designer Series by OPI, I don't think the color is as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as Color Club's Wild At Heart, which I showed you last week, but it's still pretty steamy, and definitely more holographic as well. The holographic effect is a bit scattered, not as dense as the Nfu Oh holos for example, and that's just how I like it. Application was alright, nothing outstanding, 3 coats quickly dried to a perfectly smooth surface. What I like about these holos by OPI, it that they're quite shiny, so you can easily wear them without a top coat. Actually, they say these polishes from the Designer Series are infused with Diamond Dust. This is supposed to "reflect light in an explosion of brilliance", well I don't know if it's the diamond dust, but it's pretty sparkly. And diamonds are a girl's best friend, right? Thanks for stopping by!

Blue shimmer comparison: Misa VS. OPI

Hi guys! Initially I wasn't planning on posting this tonight, because I had another great polish in mind. Unfortunately my David top coat decided to eat half of it, I've never ever experienced this before, but my pretty polish became victim of the dreaded 'shrinkage'.
Therefore, I'm not going to bother you with some lousy pics of this mishap.

Instead, I have a comparison for you to look at. I've been wanting to compare these two for a while now: Misa's 'A Sin Worth Committing' versus OPI's "Yoga-ta Get This Blue!". I found out about the similarities between the two when I was reorganizing my Helmer. At first, looking at the bottles, I thought they were blatant dupes, but they're not, albeit almost. It's hard to pick up on, but the shimmer that lives inside 'Yoga-ta Get This Blue' has a more turquoise hue to it. But they're so incredibly close that if you'd wear these two polishes at the same time, I'm sure no one would notice! So, I'd say these two are rather dupe-y.

The main difference lies in the formula though. 'A Sin Worth Committing' beats 'OPI's Yoga-ta Get This Blue' any day! I only needed to apply 2 coats of the first and 3 coats of the latter. ASW just glides on, where YGTB is more sheer and a wee bit on the gloppier side. Thanks to her flawless application Misa is a true winner here. If you ever have to decide between these two, you know which one to pick.

With that said, I want to thank you all for stopping by! Have a great night everyone!

You can read individual reviews here:

Misa - A Sin Worth Committing

OPI - Yoga-ta Get This Blue!

(Misa - A Sin Worth Committing is available at Head2ToeBeauty - not affiliated)

Color Club - Wild At Heart

Hi guys! How's everyone doing? Today it's my day off today and the weather is playing along rather nicely. Helloooo spring! Since spring and summer are approaching it's time to dig up your holos again, finally! So today I'm showing you one of the prettiest I have: Wild at Heart by Color Club. A rich holographic purple. I was so surprised by this formula, it's practically a 1 coater! But of course I applied 2, it's a compulsive habit ;-). This polish applies very supple, no cuticle drag or anything. I didn't apply a top coat because I wanted to show you how it looks on its own, not incredibly glossy but not as matte as the China Glaze OMG holographics for example. It is one of those holos you *need* sun light for, it's not as extravagant as the Nfu Oh holos but it is really pretty nonetheless. I actually think I prefer my holos to be a bit subtle. The above picture is taken in direct sunlight and the picture below in normal day light. What do you think of this color? I hope everyone is enjoying their day and thanks again for stopping by!

H&M Red Nail & A little bit more on nail polish

Hi everyone! Today I'm wearing something very traditional, but I'm liking it nonetheless! There's just something about pinup red that I absolutely love. There's not much to say about this particular nail polish by H&M, it's red. And surprisingly they called it 'Red Nail' ;-). But: the formula is outstanding, this jelly just glides on and it only needs 2 coats for complete opacity!

Red nail polish is incredibly timeless, I'm always mesmerized when I see a pinup or Hollywood actress from the 40ies wearing it. I decided to look into the history of nail polish, and decided to share with you what I found!

For example, did you know that nail polish can be traced back to at least 3000 BC? Polish originated at that time in China. The early mixture was a hodgepodge of bees’ wax, gelatin, gum arabic, and egg whites. The Chinese also added the petals of flowers such as roses and orchids, and alum to their polish. During that same time, upper class members in Egypt wore nail polish similar in texture to lacquer paint. The paint signified money and prosperity. I wonder what color Cleopatra preferred?
Rita Hayworth	During the Chou Dynasty, around 600 BC, the royal colors were metallic gold and silver. Nail polish was only meant for people of the Chinese upper class. If the lower class attempted to wear nail polish, they could be punished by death. The polish at the time was colored with natural pigments. I bet they would have drooled over the Orly Fx's ;-). Modern nail varnish was invented in the 1920's. Charles Revson formed the Charles Revson company with his brother and Charles Lachman, a chemist. They employed a French make-up artist, Michelle Renard, who wondered if the new technology used for painting cars could be used for the nails. She managed to create a modern lacquer made of the same nitrocellulose disolved in solvent, that was used on cars (except not the same strength).
The Charles Revson company became Revlon (they added the L in the middle of the name for the other co-founder Lachman). The first Revlon nail polish went on sale in 1932.
But if it wasn't for Hollywood, nail polish wouldn't have become so big. Colour movies had just arrived, and audiences could see their favourite actresses wearing the exotic reds and mauves of the Revlon company. Painting your nails and buying the matching lipstick gave you a bit of Hollywood glamour even if your clothes were cheap. Other cosmetic houses soon followed and added nail polish to their ranges too. By 1940, long red fingernails became very popular, due to Hollywood starlets and pinups, especially to actress Rita Hayworth, I just love her. Since then, red nails remained on top, either long or short. Funnily enough, prostitutes were the first ones wearing it before it became mainstream! I'm not sure what to think of that haha.	Bette Davis
Source: all over the place ;-D

So now you know a little bit about the history of nail polish! I hope it didn't bore you to death, haha!

Thanks for stopping by and I want to wish you all a great weekend!

OPI - Absolutely Alice

Hi guys! For today I have one of OPI's masterpieces to show you. You've probably seen it around by now, but I was saving it for a special occasion: seeing Alice in Wonderland! Yesterday I finally got to see the movie I was so excited about. Naturally I just had to wear Absolutely Alice!

This gorgeous medium blue glitter with its golden particles is really something else. My picture isn't doing any justice to it at all, trust me. Application was alright, I applied 'only' 2 coats, since a 3rd caused my nails to look lumpy, and we don't want that do we ;-). The finish is kinda rough, so I applied two layers of David top coat. It's so shiny and sparkly, for me this is the star of the Alice in Wonderland collection.

So, my nails and I were ready for the movie. Even though I liked it, I was rather disappointed. This movie was a stunner to look at, but gorgeous visuals aren't enough in my book: the characters were lacking some serious depth. And skills for that matter. Even Johnny Depp didn't sweep me off my feet this time. Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen was just perfect though, I adore her.

I'm a huge Tim Burton fan, but this movie is hopelessly bland. Have you seen it? What do you think?

H&M New colors for spring + swatches

Last week I was doing some quick shopping and luckily I stumbled upon 4 new colors by H&M! I think they're quite new because two weeks ago they weren't there. H&M always manages to surprise me, because they add new colors to their selection often!

I love that these are happy bright colors, which is kinda refreshing after all the pastels we've been seeing lately (not that I don't love those ;-) ). It may look like these are all cremes, but in reality they're all shimmery polishes. Personally I would've liked them better as cremes, but still, I think they're pretty cute!

U Are Smokin Hot - I'm not really a orangy type a person, but I love this one! I applied 2 coats and this one had the best application out of the four. I love that it's such a happy color. I don't really care for the names H&M came up with, but hey, at least they're trying! ;-)

Aquatini - This name I didn't mind that much. Aquatini is a turquoise shimmery polish, although the shimmer doesn't feel like showing up on photos. I applied 2 coats, but I think it needs 3. Thing is, the formula of this polish was rather goopy, so 3 coats would have left me with a very wobbly surface, so I decided against it. Normally I would thin it, but I'm all out of thinner! :-O

Material Girl - It's pretty, if you love pink. It has a blueish flash which I adore. On the downside, there are a gazillion polishes like this. It does pop, so it's still a very entertaining color. Again, I applied 2 rather goopy coats.

Just a Fling - A pretty medium violet/purple, with some red undertones. Like Aquatini, it needs 3 coats, but I only applied 2. Very delicate shimmer.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the colors H&M came up with, but in the end, I found the formula of all of these a bit disappointing. Not that it's that bad, but I guess I was expecting a lot more from these, since all of my other H&M polishes apply like a dream! What do you think of the new colors?

With that said, I'm wishing you a good night! Thanks for stopping by and till next time :-)

My current routine & products

Hi everyone! How's everyone doing? I'm getting a lot of questions regarding my routine or products I use and I keep promising making a post about it, so here it is :-).

	Nail polish remover is usually the first thing I'll use when I start a manicure. There are many kinds of remover available, but the mildest ones work best for me. My nails don't really mind whatever I use, they can stand straight acetone pretty well. But my skin tends to disagree! To avoid super dry and wrinkly skin I use either Sephora's acetone free remover or the one by Etos (acetone free as well, but way cheaper). I'll use Sephora's remover when my hands are a bit dry to begin with, since it contains Macadamia oil and vitamine E! I also love the smell of this one. The Etos remover is from a Dutch drugstore and I really like it, it's cheap, works fast and doesn't irritate my skin!
When my nails are nail polish free I like to file them a bit. I use a very fine buffer file to remove ridges and some staining. I don't really know what brand mine is, since it was a gift. I think I do this once a month. However, some times I use this file on the new growth only, to smoothen everything out without the risk of thinner nails. For shaping your nails I'd strongly advice getting a glass file. These files are so fine, they'll definitely cause less tearing. These may cost you a bit more, but they last you a long time! Mine is from Herome, and I'm not leaving the house without it ;-). When you file, do this in one direction to minimize any damage.
	This is something I absolutely love: Cuticle Remover by Nfu Oh. I apply this on my cuticles and after a bit of soaking I'll use a rosewood stick to get rid of any excess skin. I love it! I always think only little will come of, well usually I'm wrong. Some cuticle removers do absolutely nothing or irritate the hell out of my skin. Not this one! I've used little scissors in the past to cut my cuticles, but I'm not going there again. Why go through the hassle and pain (if you're as clumsy as I am) if there's stuff like this! After using this product you'll want to was your hands. Tada, no more messy cuticles! I do this once a week.
Now we're ready to apply base coat. I use different base coats for different reasons. When I choose to wear a sheer or jelly polish, I always grab OPI's Ridge Filler. This BC dries pretty opaque, which is very convenient when you want to avoid a visible nail line! Most of the times I use OPI's Natural Base Coat. It applies pretty well, but I found it doesn't prevent all staining. The bottle's almost empty, so I started looking for something else, and I've decided to give Sally Hansen's Nail Quencher a shot. I've only used it a few times, but I'm liking it so far. It's hydrating, contains no formaldehyde and I've heard it prevents staining pretty well. If you have any experience with this one, please do share!
	After applying base coat and a color, I always finish with a top coat. Not only because of the shine and the fact your polish will last longer, but because I want my polish to dry fast. That's right, I use a quick drying top coat. I've tried several but OPI's RapiDry and the David top coat work pretty well for me. RapiDry thickens up quite fast though, but nothing a little thinning can't fix. My current top coat is the David top coat. The formula of this is amazing, and it dries fast! Maybe a not as fast as OPI RapiDry but I think the formula makes up for that. It even fixes some bubbling in my nail polish! I've heard extremely different opinions about this product, but I like it a lot.
When everything is done, it's time to pamper your cuticles! Until recently I used different kinds of cuticle oils and balms, but I think I may have found my Holy Grail cuticle treatment: Lemony Flutter by Lush. Rubbing this lovely lemon scented butter into your cuticles will really help them remain soft and hydrated. I love doing this before I go to bed, so I wake up with really soft and healthy looking cuticles. I'm not a big fan of cuticle oils as some of them contain mineral oil and actually make my cuticles even dryer.
	Another crucial product in my routine is hand lotion, I can't live without it. I've been looking for the perfect hand lotion for quite some time. I've gone through a lot of brands but finally found one I really like. I use Nivea's Anti-Age Q10plus lotion, it absorbes rather quickly and doesn't leave my hands shiny at all. Also, after turning 26, I figured some anti aging stuff wouldn't hurt haha. I've actually already repurchased this a couple of times, which I can't say about the other 8 tubes of hand lotion that are condemned to the bottom drawer of my Helmer.

So now you know all about my routine and products I use. If you've used some of these yourself, please let me know how you like them!
I hope you find this article a bit helpful. Thanks for stopping by, take care and till next time!

And the winners are ..... *drumroll*

So finally! My giveaway has ended and I'm about to announce 2 lucky winners. First of all: boy I need to thank you all so much for participating and following me! I've had 299 comments, worth of 404 entries! This was definitely beyond my expectations, overwhelming to say the least. Needless to say I've had a lot of work sorting everything out, haha!
While I was on this I caught some cheaters too, I'm not as dumb as you might have thought, ha ha (I did think it was pretty lame though).

Well with no further ado, I present to you the two winners:

Set 1:

Set 2:

I used www.random.org to determine the winners, and kept everyone's preference in mind.

Congratulations ladies! I will be e-mailing you shortly.

Of course I feel the need to add some nail spam, so here is Sinful Senorita by H&M, a gorgeous pink with great application. And you might not think it is, but it's definitely a holo in better lighting.

Take care and till next time!