Lacquerized - A blog about nail polish

Zoya - Ivanka

2011-07-25T21:19:00.001+02:00

Ivanka

If anyone knows how to do glass fleck, it's Zoya! They're not as brilliant with their nail polish naming though, as the name 'Ivanka' doesn't peak my interest at all... boring! However, Ivanka sure is pretty and that's what matters in the end.
This green glass flecked polish belongs to their Sparkle Collection that came out last summer. Ivanka is a grassy, almost forest green with flecks that show both green and gold. Green can be a difficult color to wear, but since Ivanka is cool toned it's a suitable color for lots of different skin tones. In the bottle you can definitely see some blue flecks as well, but sadly the blue flash doesn't translate well onto your nails at all.

Formula

Ivanka applied beautifully: the three coats went on smooth and even. With glass fleck you can have the fun that glitter brings, without having the difficult removal process after. I did notice Ivanka didn't dry that quickly, in conjunction with my Revlon quick drying top coat...

You can order Zoya nail polishes at Art of Beauty for 8 USD per 15ml.

How to: find your 'borrowed' photos with Google Image Search

2011-07-23T21:57:00.000+02:00

Play by the rules

Do you see the picture above this paragraph? It took some effort to get that photo there: I had to remove my old nail polish and repaint them with Mimosa by Chanel. After that I get my camera, take some photo's, sometimes more than a hundred! I transfer the pics onto my computer, import them in Photoshop, do some cropping, resizing and maybe even a little rotating. Which takes ages on my tantalizingly slow laptop. Finally: they're ready for upload! Sounds like a bit of work, doesn't it?
Well, it is! So with that in mind, you can imagine how frustrating it can be, when others just take your photos and repost them without even a hint of credit. Or worse: place their watermark on top of your photo. I normally don't mind, when I see my photos on the net, as long as there's a link back to my site. It's not much to ask, right?

I know this isn't the kind of post you'd expect on this blog, but I've written blogposts for fellow bloggers before, so I thought this article possibly may be of interest to some. With the new and improved Image search by Google, it's now extremely simple to track down your own photos. Let's have a look:

1. Go to http://images.google.com

2. Drag a photo from your hard drive directly into the search field

3. Hit the search button

4. Et voila: an overview of your photos!

Of course it's up to you, what to do next. If you want your content to be removed, have a look at this article.

Nfu Oh 51 Revisited

2011-07-22T14:38:00.003+02:00

Nfu Oh 51

Oh Nfu Oh 51.. If there's one polish that got me into nail polish big time, this is the one. I've written about it before, but there's no such thing as too much attention when we're talking Nfu Oh 51. Come on, just look at it! It's like magic on your nails.
A beautiful blurple base, glowiness, flakies, no wait, DUOCHROME flakies, Nfu Oh 51 has it all. No wonder it's always out of stock somewhere..

The awesomeness that's Nfu Oh 51, is hard to capture on camera though. Sometimes it's leaning more towards purple and at other times it's definitely more of a glowy red. Especially in low light you can see the duochrome flakies change color like a chameleon: from red to orange to green. For this manicure I layered it over Claire's Magic, a purple polish with lots of shimmer, an absolutely perfect candidate to team up with #51.

Application

You can use #51 on its own or you can layer it like I did. If you want to wear it on its own, you'll need about three coats. If you're going to layer it, just one layer will give you the effect you see in the photos. The formula is kinda jelly and squishy, so I'd suggest using a quickdrying top coat with this. One layer of top coat will smooth out the flakies and add more intensity to the color.

You can order Nfu Oh 51 ($9.90 for 17ml) at Viis Ilusalong or ($12.50 for 17ml) at Fabuloustreet.com (I suggest paying with paypal as there were some credit card troubles in the past..) or at Nail XL (currently out of stock).

Koh - Blue Universe

2011-07-19T00:53:00.004+02:00

Dazzle

Everything but boring. A good description for an extraordinary bottle of nail polish. Koh, a Dutch brand, happens to have some true stunners in their collection. And guess what? Blue Universe is no exception.

Blue Universe is a denim blue nail polish, enriched with duochrome flakies that flash from orange to green. That's just the beginning though, there's also plenty shimmer and glitter to feast your eyes upon. When I'm in the mood for a complex and distinctive polish, I can absolutely count on Blue Universe.

Application

Does it apply as beautifully as it looks? Yes, it does! Two quickdrying coats and you're good to go. It does need a final layer of top coat to give it that glossy look, because it does dry rather matte.
I do find the brushes of Koh polishes to be a bit thin, but nothing I can't work with. The two major letdowns of Koh polishes are their price and availability. I don't know about you, but I don't find €14,95 a bottle that cheap. If you're living outside The Netherlands, you might have trouble finding a place to purchase these Dutch gems.

In The Netherlands you can buy Koh polishes for 14,95 EUR each at Douglas, MOOI or Bijenkorf. If you're outside Holland you can try your luck over at their online shop.

Ps. these photos were taken with my compactcamera

H&M - Peppermint Fusion

2011-07-14T00:10:00.004+02:00

Fresh!

Peppermint Fusion is fresh. The perfect color to cool off by on hot summer days. Not that we have many of those here in the Netherlands, but this polish will put you in the right mood regardless!
Peppermint Fusion's base has a dusty periwinkle or lavender blue color, with very fine, turquoise flashing shimmer. This finish actually reminds me a bit of some Chanel polishes, like Paradoxal or Riva, but luckily H&M polishes go for only a fraction of their price!

Formula & Application

Peppermint Fusion is not only a stunner to look at, in addition it also has a great formula. This lacquer applies very pliantly and easily, and only two coats will give you a pretty decent result. However, looking at the photos I took, it probably could have used a third coat. I didn't have any problems during application, Peppermint Fusion truly is a nice polish. But, ...there's always a but, after three days it did start chipping. Oh well, that just makes the perfect excuse to change your nail polish, right?

On another note

This post is probably on of the last posts you'll see where the pictures were taken with my old and trusted Sony CyberShot w120. Yes, there's a new love in my life and it goes by the name of Canon EOS 1100D. I can't wait to shoot my snapshots with this magnificent camera from now on!

You can buy H&M polishes for 3.95 EUR each at your local H&M store, and a selection of colors can be found in their online shop at www.hm.com.

CND Effects Sapphire Sparkle - Beetle Sparks

2011-07-11T23:07:00.000+02:00

CND Colour & Effects

This may be one of the polishes I've used and loved the most, ever! It's not a regular polish, it's actually a top coat you can use for impressive layering.

Sapphire Sparkle is part of CND's Colour & Effects line and my most favorite of them all, just look at the dazzling duochrome finish: the color shifts from purple, pink to turquoise and blue. These colors just seem to compliment each other so well.
The great thing about these is that you have a multitude of options, you can pretty much layer your way to oblivion with these amazing top coats.

Sapphire Sparkle layered over Misa's 'A sin worth commiting'

Sapphire Sparkle particularly looks great on top of darker hues, like black, grey, taupe, green and blue. Of course you can try anything you'd like. This time I've decided on Misa's 'A sin worth comitting', a beautiful shimmer-y blue with flawless application. Doesn't this combination remind you of the Purple Coleoptera or Beetle?

Application

The application of these CND Effects does not disappoint: they apply smooth and easy. Because of their dense pigmentation, just one layer will suffice. They also dry extremely well and fast, which I find important, as I mostly use these to spice up an older manicure without adding another layer of top coat.

Since Sapphire Sparkle consists out of glass flecks, instead of glitter, you'll get an extremely smooth surface. And removal is super easy!

You can buy CND Colour & Effects polishes for $5.50 each, online at www.transdesign.com, or you can use the CND Store Locator.

Beetle picture via TrekNature

Review: Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000+02:00

Top coat overload

I know, there is a plethora of quick drying top coats out there, it's hard to choose! I've tried a few: Seche Vite, Out the Door, Poshe, OPI RapiDry, China Glaze Fast Forward, Nubar Diamont, you name it. They all have one thing in common: there's something about them I just don't like. Serious shrinkage, lack of shine and luster, toxic, horrible smell, lousy formula etc etc.

The last couple of months I have been using a top coat that isn't getting that much love yet: the Revlon Quick Dry top coat. It claims to set in 60 seconds to a 'hard lustrous finish' and to protect polish from nicks and chips. And what a great find it is!

Formula

One of the best aspects of this top coat is the formula. It's not thick, rather thin actually, but this allows smooth application, without brush strokes or dragging the colour around. There is NO shrinkage like we get with Seche Vite, but it does have Seche Vite's awesome shininess. The drying time is a fraction slower than Seche's, but the polish still dries within a minute to the touch. Not rock hard in 60 seconds as it claims, but it's still fast enough for me. Revlon Quick Dry top coat doesn't get goopy quickly either.
My polish doesn't chip that much as it is usually, and Revlon is doing a pretty good job to keep it that way!

Cruelty Free & non-toxic

Revlon is cruelty free and non-toxic, which is all good in my book! I've received my initial bottle for review purposes, but as I'm on my 3rd bottle as we speak, consider me hooked!

Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat costs 8.95 EUR or appr. 5.75 USD for 14.7ml/0.5 Fl.Oz. Available at your local drugstore (DA Drogist in The Netherlands) or online at www.revlon.com

Essence - (S)Lime up!

2011-07-04T23:11:00.001+02:00

Weird

I like them, weird colors. Unusual colors never seem to bore me, and they're sure something else amidst the usual pinks and reds. But there are times when weird just isn't flattering anymore. At least, that's how I feel about this lime creme by Essence called Lime Up! They sure love exclamation marks over at Cosnova.

It was to be expected I wouldn't be gung-ho on this color, since I couldn't embrace OPI's 'Who The Shrek Are You?' either. As you probably already know, these two colors are very much alike. They're not dupes though: Lime Up! is a bit on the lighter and less muted side than its more expensive semi twin. This color probably is a lot more flattering on those with darker skin than mine. I believe Lime Up! came out last fall and is now part of the core Colour & Go collection by Essence.

Application

The application was actually pretty good though, definitely not as bad as some other Essence polishes I've tried. I applied three coats and experienced no problems like bubbling or streakiness whatsoever. I've worn this color for four days without any signs of chipping or even tipwear. Quite impressive for a budget brand, I'd say! But four days of wearing this slimy color were more than enough, if you ask me.

Essence Colour & Go polishes cost 1.25 EUR or 0.99 USD for 5ml.

Chanel Mimosa

2011-07-01T12:54:00.002+02:00

Les Fleurs d'été

Yesterday I finally managed to pick up Mimosa, Chanel's trophy polish for this summer. I haven't been watching the newest nail polish collections closely the last couple of months, however I did have my eye on this yellow show stopper.

Mimosa is part of Chanel's summer collection called 'Les Fleurs d'été' and is limited edition. Mimosa, named after the champagne drink, is a very bright, bold yellow that really does manage to remind me of sun, flowers and summer. There's no way around it, yellow is hot this season.

As we're used to by now, Mimosa has that secret shimmer you'll only notice in bright lighting or sunny weather. It doesn't really bother me, but it's something to keep in mind if you happen to be fond of this finish.

Application

Chanel polishes are truly hit or miss when it comes to application. Yellow polishes are infamous for this as it is, and Mimosa is no exception to this rule. After three sheer, streaky coats it finally looked somewhat even. I'm not sure what's causing these very different formulations; Paradoxal and the Khaki's applied like a dream, but Nouvelle Vague, Riva and Mimosa were a little disappointing. Especially considering their price!

I can't say much about the wear, since I haven't been wearing it long enough.

Chanel Mimosa costs 22 EUR or 25 USD and is available online at Chanel.com

Hiya / OPI DS Glamour

2011-06-29T21:34:00.006+02:00

Hi!

Long time no see! I'm excited to make this post, it's been a while. I finally graduated and got my bachelor of Communication & Multimedia Design, so I can finally spend a little bit of my time on the more trivial things in life, like blogging about nail polish ;-).

I'd also like to thank everyone who has been so supportive, even during my break! Thanks so much for all the e-mails, comments and visits to this blog.

Unfortunately I haven't been swatching like I used to, so for today you'll have to put up with some old material. These pictures were taken during my vacation last year, which I actually spent with two nail polish bloggers. Great fun.

OPI DS Glamour

This is probably the last post on OPI products ever, since they're now owned by Coty, but I needed to share this particular polish. OPI DS Glamour is old, hard to find and probably way too expensive on Ebay nowadays. But hey, it's pretty. It's a blue holographic, not as holographic as some other OPI holo's from the same line, like DS Signature or DS Original, but still damn pretty.

Since summer just kicked in, I thought it was fitting to start off with something holo. What I like about these holo's are their application, it's super easy, and they hardly chip on me. Even without a top coat, which they don't even need because they're super shiny worn alone. Two coats and you're done. Too bad I can't buy new OPI anymore, right?

Out of the loop

I have to admit, I'm hardly aware of the latest nail polish collections, so I disabled my 'upcoming collections' widget for now. If they're are any super hot collections I *need* to know about, please let me know in the comments! My wallet and I will be super grateful.

My favorite drink during the summer

Quick Update

2011-01-07T14:47:00.002+01:00

Sooo. I think I need to make a little update on my whereabouts. It all started out with my MacBook charger dying on me, so I was "offline" for over a month. I have to admit, during this time I actually enjoyed being offline and it put a lot of things in perspective really. I'm not one to write a dramatic post about how I'm quitting my blog, and then start blogging again. So I won't.

The thing is... I didn't really know what to do with this blog. So I put off writing this post for ages - sorry about that! There are some things that make me question my joy for blogging and they've got to do with the major changes the blogging community is going through. In The Netherlands we have several pro-bloggers, meaning they make their living off their blogs. That's great, but they also set up a bunch of rules a good or professional blogger should follow. Especially my Dutch readers picked up on that. But also in general, readers are getting more demanding as the blogging community grows bigger and more influental than ever before. Eventhough you're not a pro-blogger, people will have the same expectations.

I'm pretty nonconformistic, so I like to do the things my way. My blog started out for fun, to share a passion. And truth to be told, that's the way I prefer to blog. Becoming a professional blogger is not on my agenda. I don't like the pressure. That being said, I probably will update again, on my own terms and my own pace. Since I'm busy with work and finally getting my Bachelors degree at the same time, it won't happen as frequently as before. I'm asking you: please respect that, and don't give me a hard time about not updating frequently enough. Because honestly? There's more to life than blogging about nail polish.

I also like to grab this opportunity to say that there's no way I can know absolutely everything. For example: if you're wondering what the shipping will be from Canada to Germany, please just go through the checkout process to find out. I'd love to help everyone, but I simply don't have the time. I also have a FAQ, so please check it out before sending me an email. And for the people who are always trying to find and point out my flaws: I'm human, therefore not perfect. Deal with it.

So, this is what I had to get off my chest. I hope I didn't offend anyone, I just can't please everyone (even though I always try to). It was really heartwarming to see how many people messaged me wondering what was up. Thank you for that!

See you soon!

Zoya Flame Collection - Crystal - swatches & comparison

2010-11-13T18:13:00.002+01:00

Zoya Flame Collection

Zoya's latest collection brings us six new metallic colors. You might have heard of the Zoya Fire & Ice collection, well, this is the same thing! They changed it into the Flame collection, rumor has it that it's because of Revlon, who trademarked the Fire & Ice phrase ages ago. Anyway, today I'll be showing you one of the prettiest polishes in this collection: Crystal, a frosty blue sparkling metallic.

Crystal

I'm not sure what to think of polishes who get named after women's names. I think it's lacking originality and it's a bit too easy as well. Thankfully, it's just a name. Crystal is a gorgeous cold, medium blue frosty polish with a bunch of golden flecks to spice it up.

As you can see the golden sparks in Crystal really compliment the icy, snowy blue color. For me this is the ultimate winter color. This may sound ridiculous to you, but this polish reminds me of winter fairies with golden locks. I know, right?

Application

Most Zoya polishes don't dry that well one me. Crystal does dry rather quickly, so yay for that. The formula was spot on, not too thick or thin, and completely opaque in three coats. Two coats would be quite okay already though.

Crystal versus Reflecting Pool

From the moment the first promoshots rolled in, I knew it had to be similar to OPI's Reflecting Pool. Reflecting Pool is quite hard to get since it was exclusively sold in certain European countries. Nowadays you'll usually find it on eBay for ridiculous prices.

Well, I did suspect both colors would be similar, but I was surprised to see they're dead on dupes! The formulas are very alike as well, so if you couldn't get your hands on Reflecting Pool, this is your chance!

Where to buy

You can get Zoya nail lacquers from their website: www.zoya.com and eBay. Zoya Crystal costs $7 for 15ml.

NOTD - OPI - Fiercely Fiona

2010-11-11T13:16:00.002+01:00

From the Vault

Hi everyone! Just a quick update from me, I've kinda started working fulltime so I hardly have time to blog, I'm typing this during my lunch break! For today I have one of the Shrek Forever After colors by OPI: Fiercely Fiona. While I'm not a big fan of Shrek and this collection has been out for ages, I still think the colors are pretty cool. Fiercely Fiona is one of my favorites from Shrek Forever After. It's an odd color and that's why I like it so much. By now I have so many polishes and only a few are really something else. It's a green yellow, or a yellow green, you pick! It tends to look different on different skin tones, but on me I definitely see the green! I don't think I've seen anything like it so far!

Application

Unfortunately, this odd color doesn't apply very well. Fiercely Fiona is way too streaky: it's pretty much opaque in two coats, but you'll need three to even it out. Bummer. Other than that, if you're looking for a funky color, definitely check it out.

What do you think of weird colors?

Where to buy?

You can get OPI products at authorized OPI sellers, eBay, TD or other etailers.

Updated: Another OPI collaboration: OPI teams up with Katy Perry!

2010-11-10T22:48:00.003+01:00

Hi guys! I promised to update this post when new info reaches the surface, so here we go! I've added some better pictures and additional information :). Still no news about they're Coty or L'Oreal adventure though..

OPI teams up with Katy Perry!

OPI isn't exactly sitting still when it comes to collaborations. Only recently I posted about their upcoming "Glam Slam" collection, which is a collab with tennis star Serena Williams. Right now I'm even more excited because word on the street is: they're also releasing a collection in collaboration with Katy Perry!

Katy Perry, an American singer-songwriter, is already becoming a nail icon for many. Just like her style, this polish line will be a versatile array of bright, fun colors and finishes! Inspired by Katy Perry's latest album - Teenage Dream - The Katy Perry Collection by OPI will contain four daring, bright colors.

Click to enlarge

Last Friday Night (a fierce glittery blue)
Not Like the Movies (a sultry silver)
The One That Got Away (an amazing deep berry)
Teenage Dream (a dreamy pink glitter)
Black Shatter (crackle top coat)

Black Shatter

To compliment these four colors, OPI threw in Black Shatter as well. "Black Shatter" is a top coat that gives nails a cracked/leopardy look. So cool. The effect is extremely similar to Barry M's Instant Nail Effects in Black Magic, don't you think? This collection will be released in january, just like Serena's Glam Slam collection, so if you're feeling this, better save some money!

Curious to see how these look on the nail? Check out this vid!

The Katy Perry Collection by OPI will be available starting January 2011, at ULTA stores (www.ulta.com), for $9 per color. Also available in The Netherlands at authorized OPI Sellers for 13.95 EUR each (ouch..).

Chanel - Côte d'Azur Collection - Le Vernis Riva - Swatches & Review

2010-11-07T18:46:00.007+01:00

Back from my break!

Hello everyone! Long time no see! As you might have noticed I took some time off from blogging, but I'm back. And with a long awaited review on Chanel newest nail polish: Riva.

There is already quite a buzz going around concerning this baby blue polish. I've heard it will cost $39 a bottle and apparently it is already sold out before even hitting the stores. Well, this is not true! With all these rumors going around, I'm almost expecting it to get at least half as famous as its big sister Jade.

Chanel's latest nail polish releases really knew how to grab me, I absolutely loved the Khakis and Paradoxal made it to one of my favorite polishes of the moment. But, will Riva have the same impact as these OR Jade? Let's see.

Secret Shimmer

After the promo photos had been posted, quite a few people were hoping Riva would be a light blue version of Jade. The promo shots showed us a marvelous shimmer, the same kind of shimmer that made Jade beyond famous. Unfortunately, this shimmer doesn't translate really well onto the nail. You'll need to get out your magnifying glass to make sure it's there. Other than that, I really love the color. Le Vernis Riva is part of the Côte d'Azur Collection and it does give me that relaxing, but joyful vibe. I have to admit though, without the shimmer this polish is nowhere unique. Chanel is a brand that usually sets the trends, but I don't think that's the case here..

Chanel Riva catching some sunbeams, almost no shimmer..

Formula

The first Chanel polish I ever bought was Nouvelle Vague. I loved everything about it, except the formula. After that I managed to get my hands on Particuliere, Les Khakis and Paradoxal. They proved me that Chanel is capable of making fantastic polishes when it comes to application. But, I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed in Riva. Riva's texture is a bit thick and streaky, which can lead to some bubbling. I have to say though, I was expecting Riva to be very sheer, but luckily it builds up to an opaque finish in three coats. I can't comment on the wear yet, since I only just got it..

Comparison

A lot of people were expecting Riva to look rather similar to Nouvelle Vague. As you can see, Riva is much blueer than Nouvelle Vague. And a whole lot lighter as well. I went through my stash to see if I had something similar, and while I don't own a lot of baby blue, I thought China Glaze's Moody Blue is quite close! A little bit more saturated than Riva, but still. Unfortuanely, you won't find Moody Blue that easily anymore, since it's pretty old..

Overall

Riva is absolutely beautiful, there's no denying that. Awfully unique? No, I personally don't think so. The formula doesn't really make up for that either, but it's nothing a drop of thinner can't fix. I am quite fond of this color, but I can understand if people don't want to pay $27 for something rather dupeable... So, what do you think of Riva?

Exclusively available in CHANEL Fashion Boutiques starting December 1st 2010. The price will be 25 EUR or 27 USD for 13 ml. I'm expecting these will be sold online as well starting the 15th of November. If you're in the US and you want to pre order, you might want to check out this link.

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Crank it up with Crackle: Barry M Instant Nail Effects - Black Magic

2010-10-31T15:43:00.004+01:00

Hi Guys! As you might have noticed Crackle is huge these days: Crackle is back! There are quite some brands releasing crackle top coats at the moment, IsaDora, BYS, P2, OPI, Barry M and I think I'm still forgetting a bunch. Last year I ordered a Krackpolish from TransDesign and it did Jack. So don't order that one! But today I'll be showing you a crackling top coat that actually works: Instant Nail Effects by Barry M! There is a reason I'm posting this today, it's Halloween! And don't you think this polish makes you look like someone who just crawled out of their coffin? Muahaha.

Be quick

What I like about this matte black top coat is the fact you can see it work, it dries and crackles FAST. In fact, it starts cracking while you apply it, so you'll have to be rather quick. There is no need or time to apply it perfectly, just slap it on and you'll be fine. You'll only need one thin layer and make sure you don't overlap, because it messes with the crackle. It doesn't really work well will all kinds of top coats though. I found it works best if you apply your base color, use a quick drying top coat, let it dry and then apply the Crackle. And that way the matte effect stays intact!

Barry M Instant Nail Effects applied over 4 colors by Catrice: Clayton My Hero, Sold Out Forever, I Scream Peach! and London's Weather Forecast.

Play with Color!

As you can see the crackle comes in big chunks, almost making it look like the print of a giraffe. Seems like the new crackle is more like this, Black Shatter by OPI has a very similar effect, but if you like the dense crackle from back in the day I suggest looking into the one by BYS!
I applied Instant Nail Effects on top of several colors, and it looks very hot against a contrasting color, but I like the more subtle effect it gives on a closer color as well! I've seen this Barry M top coat applied over gold, and it looked smoking hot.

Overall

If you really like this Crackle effect I'd definitely recommend this top coat. It applies alright, but you do have to be quick. I love the fact it dries matte, it definitely adds to the deconstructed look! The price is alright too, depending on where you buy it, it will cost you around £3.99 / $6.40 / €4.60 for 10ml.

Where to buy

I noticed it's out of stock everywhere, but as soon as they'll restock you can buy Barry M Instant Nail Effects directly from their website or from Alice and Jo's Havesentials.
ETA: If you're Dutch you can check out this shop: www.beautyfocus.nl

Low Budget (Euro) Matte Top Coats Compared!

2010-10-30T13:07:00.002+02:00

Euro - Brick & Mortar

Hi everyone! It's saturday, woohoo! Finally a little time to spend on the blog. For today I have something that will mostly interest Europeans since these brands are not (that easily) available elsewhere, so sorry about that!

I know there are a gazillion matte top coats out there, but I know a lot of people don't like to buy online, so for the people who can get their mitts on these brands I decided to compare three low budget matte top coats!

What top coats?

The top coats in question, are made by Hema, Essence and Catrice. I'll be mainly focusing on their mattifying abilities and their price, and not so much the wear as this is different for everyone.

Likes / Dislikes

As you can see there is one top coat that noticeably falls behind: the Hema matte top coat. It applies very nicely, but it's more satin looking. If this is your thing, I'd say check it out, if you're more into true mattes: skip it! I have reviewed this product before, saying it was not streaky, but today it definitely was! Not so cool. The other two are pretty much identical. They're both made by Cosnova, applied the same way, so I was wondering if these might be the same product in different bottles? Unfortunately I couldn't find ingredients anywhere - which is a major letdown - I think all products should have their ingredients attached to their back.
What I didn't like about the Essence and Catrice top coats was the fact the brushes pick up color. You don't want your top coat to change color, so don't forget to clean up the brush if it got dirty.

Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest

The Essence Matt top coat costs €1.75 / 8ml, the one by Catrice is €1.99 / 12ml and the Hema will cost you €2.50 / 11ml. As you can see the one by Hema is the most expensive, but the least matte looking. If you want to go for a true matte, I'd suggest you look into the ones by Essence and Catrice. The Essence looks the cheapest, with its price of only €1.75, but is it REALLLLY? A little breakdown:

	Hema Top Coat Matt	Catrice Matt Top Coat	Essence Matt Top Coat
Price in €	2.50	1.99	1.75
Per ml	11	12	8
Price per 100ml	22.73	16.58	21.86

So, if you're looking for a decent, true matte top coat, for the smallest price, the one by Catrice wins hands down!

One product in this post was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Review: Lush - Smitten - Almond Icing Hand Cream

2010-10-28T13:25:00.001+02:00

Lush Smitten

Hi guys! For today I have a review about Lush's one of their hand creams. The reason why I'm reviewing it today is it's discontinued but still available! I already reviewed and really liked Handy Gurugu, do I like this one just as much? Read on to find out.

Like almond icing

According to Lush, Smitten is a protective, almond scented hand cream. It's a lighter hand cream with the same fragrance as the famous Snowcake soap. "Smitten is made with natural oils, calming chamomile and beeswax to protect the hands from extreme weather or nourish them when they need it most. Use it regularly for nice soft mitts. Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bactericidal and sedative. Aromatherapists have used it to treat bruises, allergies, stress and depression. It is helpful for sensitive skins."

Kind to mitts?

Smitten has a very creamy texture and is definitely moisturizing. I do feel like the effect is quickly evaporated, but I still like it. The smell is famous, and while it does reminds me of almonds, I immediately thought: Play Doh! I thought I was crazy for thinking it smelled liked Play Doh, but a quick Google search showed me I'm not alone! So, Play Doh.. I think it's quite a funny smell, and it makes me a bit nostalgic, at times I love it, at times I hate it. The scent does wear off after an hour or so.

What's in it?

The ingredients look rather nice, Chamomile, Almond and other nice oils. I love the fact Lush is cruelty free, if you're vegan you can't use Smitten though, as it contains lanoline and beeswax. The one thing I don't get is why a company like Lush still uses parabens, but okay.
Overall, I quite like this product, even though I haven't decided on the smell yet. It's a good cream to take with you on the road, since it's quite light and quickly absorbed. For a more thorough moisturizing effect I'd recommend Handy Gurugu over this though! If you want to get this cream, get it fast as it's discontinued!

Ingredients

Chamomile Matricaria Infusion (Chamomilla recutita), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Marigold Infusion (Calendula officinalis), Cold Pressed Flaxseed Oil (Linum usitatissimum), Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Cetearyl Alcohol, Cold Pressed Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum vulgare), Cold Pressed Avocado Oil (Persea gratissima), Coconut Butter (Cocos nucifera), Lanolin, Beeswax (Cera alba), Benzoin Resinoid (Styrax benzoin), Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Cassie Absolute (Acacia farnesiana), Perfume, Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Lush Smitten costs € 11,75 / 100g, or $17.95 / 3.5oz. Visit www.lush.com for more information.

Dare to Discuss: OPI Up For Sale?

2010-10-27T21:58:00.004+02:00

I was going through my blogroll today and stumbled upon this post over at Body & Soul Beauty. Mary shows us an inside article written by Bloomberg about OPI being for sale. You can read the entire, original, article here.

I have to admit, I was a bit shocked. Bloomberg is telling us OPI is for sale and currently is considering major companies Coty and L'Oreal. I'm not sure to what degree this actually holds true, but I do know what this would mean for me. I've asked for confirmation by OPI, but I didn't get a reply - which I can understand.

Cruelty free

I usually don't make room for L'Oreal and Coty on this blog. Not that I hate their colors, but they still feel it's necessary to test on animals. Brands like Maybelline, L'Oreal, Miss Sporty and Sally Hansen never really did it for me. Especially when I found out about their views on animal testing.

OPI, on the other hand, has always been one of my favorite cruelty free nail polish brands. I like their colors, their formula, their brush, you name it. From the moment I said goodbye to nail biting, I occasionally spoiled myself with a new bottle of OPI polish.

What if..

So, could all of this be true? The brand that always watched her exclusivity like a hawk, soon to be part of one of the giants? I don't want to be timely, but if this bad dream would turn into reality, I don't feel like writing about OPI anymore.
I understand this could eventually lead to less readers of my blog etc, morals always get in the way, right?! ;-) OPI may be and remain cruelty free, but I don't feel like filling up L'Oreal or Coty's wallet. I do hope you can understand and respect that, even if you think it's the biggest bullcrap out there. Let's just hope none of this is true! How would you feel about OPI being sold to either Coty or L'Oreal?

Exclusive: Chanel - Côte d'Azur Collection - Le Vernis Riva

2010-10-26T16:08:00.014+02:00

LUXURY INDULGES IN NONCHALANCE UNDER THE SAINT TROPEZ SUN.

The CHANEL Cruise Collection 2010 – 2011 opts for a carefree style and an outdoor fashion show under the magical light of Saint Tropez. Dropped off at the old port by a flotilla of Riva boats, the barefooted models strut down the catwalk as if taking a stroll after an afternoon at the beach, walking along the terrace of the legendary Sénéquier café. The free spirit and casual elegance of the Bardot years embrace check prints, delicate pink tweeds and loose hair.

A SUMMER OF SAND AND AZURE

The tender and savage sensuality of eternal Saint Tropez inspires Peter Philips, Global Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, to create a playful Collection that flirts with the sun. A sprinkle of sand clinging to golden skin. A little pout under a straw hat, ready to break into a childish laugh. Summer on the Riviera returns to the innocent charm of the 70s with new interplays of light and ultra-contemporary beauty steps. This season, lips are adorned with ROUGE COCO in 4 soft, summery shades: Perlé, Chintz, Taffetas Rose and Sari Doré. In just one stroke, the smile dresses up in radiance. This playful spirit is accentuated down to the fingertips with LE VERNIS Riva, a pastel blue lacquer that hints at legendary check prints.

Côte d'Azur Collection

Hi guys! Chanel granted me with an exclusive preview of their Côte d'Azur Collection - well in The Netherlands, but it looks way cool! ;-) While Chanel Paradoxal is hands down the it color of the moment, there's already news about Chanel's beautiful upcoming collection: Côte d'Azur. On the runway there has been popping up a new baby blue pastel. It's really light, delicate and has that pure feel to it, from what I can tell.

LE VERNIS Riva - Effortless & Natural

Today I can finally tell you more about this new mysterious, delicate shade. First revealed on the runway in St. Tropez, this soft oceanic blue now has a name: Riva. Here is what Peter Philips says about this collection: “Effortless, natural beauty, relaxed girls who are enjoying their holidays. That was the main idea behind the look for this show.”

I have to admit, when the first runway photos made their appearance, I wasn't really impressed by the idea of a pale blue pastel, but looking at the new released promo pictures, I'm definitely starting to feel more enthusiastic, especially the greenish hue and the shimmer look so pretty!

Le Vernis Riva, is going to cost €25 a bottle and will be going on sale December the 1st. This will be Limited Edition, so if you must have this polish, be sure to pick it up in time! Chanel Le Vernis Riva will be available exclusively at the CHANEL Fashion Boutiques. (Sometimes when they say this, they do pop up at www.chanel.com, so fingers crossed!) Expect swatches soon!

This information was exclusively provided to me by Chanel. If you would like to use this content for your site, please be so kind to provide a link back to this post.

Catrice Preview - Product Information

2010-10-23T03:16:00.004+02:00

More pics and information

Hi guys! If you haven't read my post about the new and improved Catrice line yet, I'd suggest to take a peek before moving on to this post! In this post I'll give you an overview what products exactly will be released, what they do and how much they cost.

Favorites

Since I had the chance to play around with these products, I already have some favorites. I really really like the eyeshadows, they're extremely well pigmented and their color selection is endless. I'm also digging the new nail polish colors, since they're not your typical pink or red, but trendy blue, greige and green. The powder brushes are really soft too and those compacts are just to die for! What do you think? This article is a bit on the picture heavy side so read more after the jump!

CATRICE Lash Plus

25% longer lashes within one month? The effect of this product has been proven!

CATRICE Lash Plus Lash Growth Volume Mascara

Ultimate lashes with the Lash Growth Volume Mascara! The unique formula with active ingredients stimulates the lash growth and gives the lashes length and shine. Price: 4.99 eur

CATRICE Lash Plus Intensive Lash Growth Serum

An absolute must-have for long, expressive lashes. The Lash Growth Serum remains active all day and night. Apply the transparent product like you would apply eyeliner on your lash line, to active the growth of your lashes. Price: 4.99 eur.

CATRICE Better than Waterproof Mascara

This mascara is 100% water resistant. Gives immediate volume and is easy to remove by applying warm water. Price: 4,99 eur.

CATRICE Lashes to Kill Mascara

Guarantees breathtaking volume, sensational length and unique, amazing lashes. CATRICE Lashes to Kill Mascara is the secret weapon for that irresistibly stunning look! Price: 3.99 eur.

CATRICE Absolute Colour Mono Eye Shadow

Absolute color, absolute sustainability and absolute coverage in 32 trendy colors. The inspiration: the internation trends of the runway. The look: From sexy glamour to cool understatement. The effects: from matte to shine and from metallic to satin. Price: 2.79 eur.

CATRICE Absolute Colour Duo Eye Shadow

A variation of effects and expressive trendy color combinations in eight Duo Eye Shadows. Perfect to apply, thanks to a soft and silky texture. Easy to create professional looks with subtle blending. Price: 3.97 eur.

CATRICE Smokey Eyes Set

Mysterious, smokey and ideal to create the perfect smokey eyes. Four matching colors and a professional applicator wand guarantee that casual-elegant look. Available in three color combinations. Price: 4.49 eur each.

CATRICE Eye Brow Set

The perfect set for beautifully shaped eyebrows. This kit contains tweezers, brushes and mirros and two eyebrow powders voor light and dark eye brows. Versatile, practical and elegant. Price: 3.99.

CATRICE Sharpener

2in1: the CATRICE Sharpener let's you sharpen small and big pencils. Available in black-white and white-black. Price: 1.29 eur.

CATRICE Long Lasting Eye Liner Pen

The Long Lasting Eye Liner Pen makes you happy! The easy to use rotating system makes sure the pen is always ready to use. Major plusses for fun and easy application are also the creamy texture and durability. Mix & Match? Available in three new trendy fall colors. Price: 1,99 each.

CATRICE Lip Appeal Moisture & Shine Lip Gloss

More shine and volume: transform your lips in to absolute eye catchers! Lip Appeal Lipgloss comes with a soft vanilla scent, a flexible, but precise applicator, a moisturizing formula, extraordinary gloss and an exclusive design. Available in ten brilliant colors. Price: 3.79 eur each.

CATRICE Colour Show Colour & Stay Lip Gloss

Long lasting, astounding, fashionable! Colour Show Gloss holds up to four hours and has a fascinating shine and an intense color. An irresistible fruity scent, a fine soft texture, a flexible, but precise, applicator: for beautiful lips in only seconds, what else could you wish for? Available in ten trendy colors perfect for this season. Price: 3.97 eur each.

CATRICE Multi Colour Compact Powder

For the perfect finish. The new Graffiti technology, makes no room for visible impurities. Five perfect combined nuances for the perfect teint. Matte and smooth, natural and fresh. Available for the light and dark skin. Price: 4.49 eur.

CATRICE Powder Brush

A well kept secret: to create the perfect color, like make up artists do, you need the right brush! Picks up the right amount of powder and distributes evenly. The full brush comes in a handy, compact shape. The hairs are made of rayon. Price: 4.49 eur.

CATRICE Blush Brush

Subtle accentuated cheekbones are incredibly sexy! The supple CATRICE Blush Brush is a perfect match for your daily beauty ritual and a naturally looking look. You won't be able to go without this soft brush that applies blush so easily. Available in a handy container with ziplock. Price: 3.99 eur.

CATRICE Eye Shadow Sponge Applicators

Everybody needs at least one or two of these for an irresistible eye look: Sponge Applicators. The set contains three flexible, oval sponge applicatiors, to ensure the most elegant eyeshadow variations in no-time! Available in a handy container with ziplock. Price: 1.99 eur

CATRICE Eye Shadow Brush Applicator

Whether you use loose or compact eyeshadow, they're all easy to apply with this multi talent: the Professional CATRICE eyeshadow brush. With a soft round edge. Available in a handy container with ziplock. Price: 2.29 eur.

CATRICE Ultimate Nail Laquer

The 32 core colors are ultimate! But there are more colors from CATRICE. Your nails are this season the ultimate fashion accessory! This is the absolute favorite with intense color, perfect shine and coverage for at least up to seven days with one handy application. The innovative brush offers professional quality. Available in three new seasonal colors. Price: 2.49 each.

CATRICE Matt Top Coat

3, 2, 1, matte! This brand new Matt Top Coat by CATRICE gives shiny nail polish a fashionable matte finish. Apply this top coat on dry polish, wait a few seconds and witness how every nail polish gets that hip look! Price: 1.99 eur.

Release date

The new CATRICE products will be available this November!

Catrice Preview - New products & some swatches

2010-10-23T02:15:00.005+02:00

Catrice Press Presentation

Catrice used to a bit old fashioned, but lately they've definitely been spicing it up. A while ago they already started renewing their line by adding many great nail polishes, but that's not where it ends. Catrice spent some time figuring out what people really like to see and also had focus groups to determine what kind of products people really go for. Inspired by the latest (runway) trends, Catrice is revamping a huge part of their line this November!

Me and a group of bloggers were invited to have a look at what they've got in store for us, so I'm really excited to give you the lowdown! Catrice will show an entire new face this november, a lot has changed, their packaging, formulas and even their style. Where Catrice used to play it safe, they're now busting out a very mixed core selection. Whether you like neutrals or bright bold colors, Catrice has it all.

Collection info

I actually have all the promo photos of their products. When I'm done writing this post, I'll immediately start making a separate article where you can find all the pics and more information. For now, I'll show you some products that I found quite impressive and even some swatches of their new nail polishes.

New display

Catrice has an entire new display in store for us, the new products will mostly be located in the middle area. The nail care area you see in the top, were the first to undergo a huge makeover months ago, and the lower area, that contains foundations and other skin products will be improved later on. The middle section is where all the action happens, you'll find lots and lots of new items there, like eye and lip products!

Catrice Absolute Colour Mono, Duo & Smokey Eye

Catrice has put in some major effect to come up with a LOT of new eyeshadows. There will be 32 monos, 8 duos and 3 smokey eye kits. Wowza! And they come in a variety of colors, textures and finishes. I got the chance to play around with these and they're quite pigmented!

New Ultimate Nail Lacquer

While I do like makeup, you know I LOVE nail polish. Catrice is adding three new seasonal shades to their Ultimate Nail Lacquer line. The colors are called Absolutely Chinchilly!, Run Forest Run! and Hip Queens Wear Jeans! And no nail polish collection is complete without a matte top coat! I brought a nailwheel from home, so I was able to do some quick swatching for you guys. I wish they would've added more, but then again, it's never enough for polish freaks like us!

Catrice Multi Colour Compact Powder

This looks so pretty, it just screamed to be photographed! It's a very nice compact powder, available for fair and dark skin.

I had a really great day! Catrice and their PR representatives were extremely nice and welcoming. Thank you! The location was lovely and filled with beautiful billboards - as pictured above - and I got the chance to meet some lovely bloggers, what else could I wish for?! Catrice was extremely generous and let us go home with many new products, so expect swatches soon. Be sure to check back in a while for more information on the new line too!

Nail biting: Ditch that habit!

2010-10-21T13:52:00.001+02:00

Ditch the biting

Some people don't believe me when I say I used to bite my nails. But I did. Real bad, and for years! I started this awful habit when I was pretty young, maybe around the age of seven? I bit my nails until they bled, not a pretty sight. Embarrased as I was, I always sat on my hands, I absolutey didn't want anyone to see them. But I always had a thing for my mom's nail polish though, it made me sad, looking at my nails. I'm not sure about all the reasons I ended up with this habit, but I managed to beat it!

If it's more serious...

Of course it depends on your reasons why you bite your nails, if there are serious psychological motives behind your addiction, I don't think this post is right for you. But, if you just got used to the biting, the habit, to the point of no return, let me tell you how I did it.

Why is nail biting bad?

There are actually quite some health risks attached to biting your nails. It's not very hygienic, you can end up with some serious infections. It isn't that great for your teeth as well, and not to mention the permanent damage you can do to your nails and cuticles.

Possible solutions

There are plenty of products on the market which you can polish on, that leave a horrendous taste. A friend of mine actually kicked her habit to the curb with Essence No More Bite. Many companies sell products like these. If you haven't tried them yet, give it a shot.

It didn't really work out for me though, it was a short term solution and I just kept biting through that bitter awful mess. At one point I just had enough, I wanted pretty, polished nails. So I decided to get acrylics. Best thing I've ever done for my nails. Not only did I realize how much I actually liked pretty nails, I just couldn't bite my way through them. Well, I know a lot of people can and do, but somehow I didn't feel like putting those acrylics in my mouth anymore. After a while that oral fixation disappeared and I didn't have to fight the urge anymore. I let my acrylics grow out, and here we are today.

What also works for a lot of people: baby them like crazy! File, moisturize, keep them polished at all times, and enjoy it! Your nails can be in pretty bad shape after you've bitten the shit out of them, so don't expect them to be nice, long and strong immediately. Everything will work out though, invest in a good nail hardener and ridge filler and just be nice to them. If you can't do it on your own, don't hesitate to tell some people, because they can help a great deal, especially when mindlessly put that finger in your mouth..

Any experiences to share?

So this was my personal story.. If you used to bite your nails, and have some great tips or tricks, please share!

OPI is on a roll! OPI Spring 2011: Texas Collection

2010-10-20T19:26:00.023+02:00

Are you ready for spring?

OPI's hatching collections like it's nothing! Today I stumbled upon some hot news on the Grazia Daily website. Care to see what OPI has been cooking up for spring? For spring OPI is going to release a 12 piece collection inspired by a state, no other than Texas. There also will be a cute mini set called Lil Shooters, as you can see pictured on the left.

More green!

Im seeing some interesting shades, like a green and a blue. I really like how OPI is doing more greens lately. I also see some berry/pinkish shades, I'm not too fond about those since I have plenty, but we'll see.

Shades!

The shades are called the following:

Do You Think I'm Tex-y?
Big Hair Big Nails
Too Pink to Hold 'Em
I Vant To Be A-Lone Star
Guy meets Gal-veston
Don't Mess with OPI
Austin-tatious Turquoise
San Tan-Tonio
Y’all Come Back Ya Hear?
It's Totally Fort Worth It
Suzi loves Cowboys
Houston We Have a Purple

Release date

At this point I know practically nothing but the collection will be released somewhere around February! Of course I'll edit this post as new information comes along. Edit: For more information and awesome photos take a look at this great post by Helen from Just Nice Things

Source: Grazia Daily & Eva Chen Bannister

Sneak Preview: China Glaze Tis The Season To be Naughty and Nice

2010-10-19T16:03:00.003+02:00

China Glaze Holiday Collection

Hi guys! Today I received a friggin fantastic package from China Glaze! I couldn't believe it but they sent me their entire Holiday collection. This collection exists out of 16 colors, it's huge! Since I don't have much time today, have to work this wednesday and thursday, and a press event from Catrice to attend on friday, I think I won't be able to start swatching before this saturday :(. Therefore I decided to give you a little preview of what's to come! Please excuse the quality of these pictures, since it's dark and raining non stop in The Netherlands.

From left to right: Snow, Frosty, Cheers to You, Midnight Kiss, Jingle Bells, Peace on Earth, Jolly Holly, Mistletoe Kisses, Party Hearty and Mrs. Claus.

From left to right: Sugar Plums, Mommy Kissing Santa, Phat Santa, Ruby Deer, Party Hearty, Mistletoe Kisses, Jolly Holly and Peace on Earth.

From left to right: Ruby Deer, Phat Santa, Mommy Kissing Santa, Sugar Plums, Naughty and Nice and Little Drummer Boy.

First Impression

They look nice, don't they? Expect real swatches soon though! I think I already have some favorites in this collection, especially Mistletoe Kisses, Little Drummer Boy and Party Hearty call my name. They seem to apply quite nicely, but so far I've only tried them on a nail wheel. I'm really fond of the silver caps too. Swatches and review coming soon!

What's your first impression?

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Chanel Paradoxal Dupes?

2010-10-16T14:02:00.003+02:00

Chanel Paradoxal

A while ago I bought Chanel's Paradoxal, from the moment I saw pictures, I just knew I had to have it. And I still don't regret splurging the $$$, because I have a thing for this purple taupe with its secret shimmer. The wear has been great on me and I actually wear this every now and then.

Dupe?

What exactly is considered a dupe anyway? According to the dictionary a dupe is a version identically copied from an original. So when you compare these colors, they have to be fairly identical before you can label them as dupes. This is why I don't consider Models Own's Purple Grey and MNY's #549 exact dupes of Paradoxal. Their base colors are definitely similar, but they're lacking any type of shimmer. MNY tests on animals anyway, therefore it's not even an option for me.

the fun without the $$$

While I love Chanel, I have to admit: it is kinda pricey. Thankfully I've come across some cheaper alternatives: Barry M's Dusky Mauve and number 509 by Hollywood Nails (they even share the same number!). If you look at this comparison you'll notice how close Barry M and Chanel are! They have the same base color and pretty much the same amount of shimmer. The camera shows more blue in Barry M's shimmer, but I looked very hard and didn't notice this myself. #509 by Hollywood Nails is pretty close too, but the shimmer is different: the particles are smaller and more evenly distributed throughout the polish.

Application

The application of Dusky Mauve and Paradoxal is also quite similar, they both need 2 layers and they go on very nicely. #509 by Hollywood Nails is almost a once coater, win!

Chanel Paradoxal costs $23.00 for 13ml, Hollywood Nails #509 costs $4,25 for 15ml and Barry M's Dusky Mauve costs $4,75 for 10ml.

So, if you fell in love with this color too, but you don't want to hurt your wallet, I'd definitely recommend Dusky Mauve by Barry M, I actually consider this a dupe and it's not expensive at all! Yes, the one by Hollywood Nails is relatively cheaper and has better coverage, but I still don't know where you can buy it as it's mostly a salon brand.

Where to buy

You can buy Barry M products directly from their website or from Alice and Jo's Havesentials.

Get Acquainted with Accessorize Nail Polish!

2010-10-16T02:39:00.002+02:00

Accessorize

Accessorize, a store that sells mostly accessories, also took a spring into cosmetics. Normally, when I see stores like this taking a plunge into nail polish, it's not that big of a deal, shimmers and cremes, that's about all I see, with the occasional weak holo. Imagine my surprise when I saw what Accessorize busted out!

Not your traditional red creme

Ok, it's pretty obvious: the finish and colors of some of these babies strongly remind me of the Orly Cosmic FX collection, and judging from the pics, I think it's safe to say there are some dupish polishes in their range. I don't really mind though, the Cosmic FX collection was my favorite of the entire year (so far), I just can't get enough of these. And...do I see a possible MAC Bad Fairy dupe there?! I'm not really dazzled by their bottle design, but oh well! Accessorize is also selling your traditional red creme, but I made a selection from their current, more surprising, offerings:

These polishes cost £4.00 (4.50 EUR or 6.45 USD) each for a bottle of 10ml. Not cheap, but not steep either. I'm not sure where you can find Accessorize stores, but I do know there are over 240 stores in the UK and 600 internationally (located in cities such as Paris, Madrid, Milano, Roma, Lissabon, Moscow and Amsterdam). You can check out there store locator over here or shop online.

What do you think of these? Too dupe-y or glad to meet them?

Ciaté - Silhouette

2010-10-15T20:41:00.001+02:00

From the vault

Hi guys! How are you all doing? Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been really busy. Thankfully I found some older pictures of a gorgeous polish on my hard drive, so let me introduce you to one of Ciaté's prettiest vampy shades: Silhouette.

Ciaté always hits my soft spot, the bottle is too cute, the little ribbon, the font, I love it all. British sophistication for sure! The color is quite dark, a very rich and warm dark brownish red. It looks quite brown in the bottle, but it's leaning towards red once on the nail. The color acts a bit like a chameleon, because it shifts between red, brown and even a bit purple, depending on the lighting. I can't get over how glowy it is, so pretty.

Application

Application was pretty easy, two quick smooth coats without any trouble. I did experience some bubbling, but only on my thumbs, how weird is that? This polish has decent staying power too, I remember wearing it for at least 4 days without chipping, I did add a layer of David top coat, and then I took it off.

Ciaté polishes cost £9.00 for a bottle containing 13.5ml. You can order them from www.ciate.co.uk

How to: Prevent bubbling

2010-10-12T21:21:00.003+02:00

I like bubbles in my glass, in my bath, but definitely not in my nail polish. Since I'm following these simple steps, I'm pretty much bubble-free:

Ditch the dirt

Always make sure your hands and nails are nice and clean. Sometimes oil or dirt will react badly with your nail polish and who doesn't like clean hands?!

Thick layers

The most common thing I always read about bubbling is: let your first coat dry before applying the second. Honestly? I don't have time for that! When you apply thin layers of polish, you should be fine. When your layers of polish are too thick, it can cause bubbling because it scoops up more air than it normally would. If you happen to have an old or poor quality nail polish that is too thick, simply add some thinner and you're good to go. Never ever use acetone or nail polish remover because you might as well throw it out straight away.

Stirred, not shaken

Shaking your nail polish isn't necessarily bad. In fact, all nail polish needs a good shake every now and then! But maybe not right before applying it. Whenever you shake your bottle of nail polish, air bubbles can get trapped in your polish. Instead of shaking, roll the bottle in your hands.

Environment

Painting your nails in a humid room, or during hot weather, can also cause bubbling. When it's hot, air particles spread out far and wide and are easier absorbed by your polish. Nail polish molecules expand as well, making it even easier to let those damn air bubbles in. Heat is a culprit, for sure.
Also, applying nail polish in an air conditioned room, or in front of fans etc, won't help much either.

ETA: Apparently I'm all kinds of wrong, oops? Read more below

Commenting system

As you might have noticed I have installed a new commenting system! It makes replying so much easier and I don't have to put up with weird anonymous comments anymore. If you don't have stuff like Twitter or Wordpress, you can simply log in with your name and email address. If you run into any kind of trouble, please let me know!

Can't find Lush Lemony Flutter?

2010-10-11T13:29:00.004+02:00

The mystery of the missing cuticle cream

It's sold out everywhere. Out of stock. Gone. Well at least in The Netherlands. I nearly cried! I am of those persons that actually finishes an entire tub. Or three. But what's the deal? When will it be back? Well, it's not just 'sold out'. People have been informed by the Lush staff, that it might be unavailable for a while because the supplier of one of the ingredients has started to test on animals. Lush, a company that feels very strongly about being cruelty free, is now looking for a new supplier.
The ingredient we're talking about supposedly is Sodium Borat. Ultrabalm, their lipbalms and solid perfumes might be affected too.

I'm extremely pleased Lush takes this issue seriously and stopped selling one of their bestsellers - for the moment. I have to admit though: I am annoyed, an official statement would've been nice. At this point I don't even know if the Lemony Flutter I have been using all this time was cruelty free to begin with, because they pulled several batches from the stores. If more information pops up, I'll gladly let you know.

Source: Lush Forum

Who Nicole by OPI really should have teamed up with

2010-10-10T10:52:00.010+02:00

What the Blieb?!

A few days ago I read about Nicole by OPI's newest collection inspired by Justin Bieber. While I'm all for collaborations, I nearly choked on my drink when I found out. Why? The kid doesn't even wear nail polish! If Nicole by OPI would've wanted to rock it with a hot male singer, that's current, talented AND infatuated with nail polish, Adam Lambert would've been an excellent pick. But of course I'm biased, being the fangirl that I am.

Why didn't anyone tell me about quick drying top coat?!

Don't mess with my nails!

Adam Lambert doesn't shy away from wearing make up and nail polish. He likes to wear dark colors and is often spotted wearing Black Onyx, Russian Navy and Yoga-ta Get This Blue by OPI. See why he and OPI should get it on? Adam tells us he likes to do his own nails and he prefers his nail polish to be chipped. Boys will be boys.. There was even a rumor - that was debunked quickly - that claimed Adam lashed out on a fan when he was waiting for his nail polish to dry, when somebody grabbed him and ruined his nails. Hilarious.

Shiiiiny

Two tough guys discussing nail polish

Dear Adam, if you don't want to be Nicole's nail polish muse, would you at least be mine?

Image credits: Robin Roemer & National Post

Guiltfree Glam: B3F FTW!

2010-10-09T21:27:00.004+02:00

"What is B3F?" is a question I find almost daily in my inbox, so for today I've got a little writeup on the matter. I always redirect everyone to this awesome post by All Lacquered Up, since I'm no chemist AT ALL, but the requests kept coming, so bear with me. I won't get into all the bad stuff certain ingredients can do, as I don't want to have people panicking!

B3F wha?

What are B3F or Big 3 Free nail polishes anyway? These are polishes that are free from Formaldehyde, DBP & Toluene. Formaldehyde in its pure form is a colorless gas. Formaldehyde is anti bacterial and acts as an anti dissolvant and improves adhesion. DBP or Dibutyl phthalate is used as a plasticizer which should keep surfaces smooth and unbreakable. Toluene is a substance that keeps your polish liquid.

Why?

Each of these ingredients have certain dangers attached to them. There is still debate over whether these are actually harmful: usually these ingredients only trip you up when you're exposed to huge amounts during a longer period of time or when they are being incinerated. However, long term consequences are still unknown and there are many people who suffer from allergic reactions from these substances. Formaldehyde is hardly used these days, except in hardeners/strengtheners. You might want to give those a body check. A product from Formaldehyde, called Formaldehyde Resin, is more often used nowadays, I'm not entirely sure about that one, but it's considered safe by the FDA. If you're allergic to Formaldehyde you might be allergic to the resin as well though.

Just a marketing tool?

I know a lot of people don't care at all, but better safe than sorry goes a long way. I know I don't want to to cause unnecessary harm to my health. Why risk it if there are plenty alternatives - especially when you're pregnant or breastfeeding! Maybe the fuzz is a little overblown and I do think a lot of brands are using this as a clever marketing tool, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.
A lot of older polishes are not B3F, but I can't wrap my head around the fact that companies still choose to produce nail polish the oblivious way. For example: Models Own polishes are still crammed with Toluene. Why?! I know producing non B3F polish is a lot cheaper than its healthy alternative, but the price of Models Own polishes ($8 each, where Nubar costs &7.49 & Zoya $7 each) hardly reflects that. It does take some companies a while to get their new formula to work, but practice makes perfect right?

Brands

You can check the labels to see whether your nail polish is B3F, but brands like Nubar, Zoya, SpaRitual, Orly, Chanel, RBL, Lippmann, Revlon, Del Sol (as pictured above), newer Misa, China Glaze and OPI are definitely B3F. However, some of these still contain Formaldehyde Resin.

I hope this was helpful and thanks so much for stopping by!
- With love, Michèle

Sources: Cosmeticsinfo.org, Wikipedia

Water Marble Magic

2010-10-08T22:01:00.003+02:00

My first water marble

Hi guys! For today I've got something different from usual: a water marble. My first one actually! Well.. the first one I didn't immediately want to wipe off ;). It's still not how I wanted it to look, and it's nothing compared to others', but I wanted to share anyway! If you're not familiar with this technique: water marbling is putting drops of nail polish into water, creating patterns with a stick and dipping your finger in it. There are many tutorials on this crafty business but definitely get inspired by Colette from My Simple Little Pleasures, because she's got super duper water marble skills!

The polishes I used were Nox Twilight Beauty Crush - a very bright pink - and It's You! by Misa - a duochrome-y dark shade! Not all polishes will work for water marbling but the well pigmented ones are usually fine. There are several ways to avoid getting those dirty fingers, taping and vaseline for example. Vaseline (or unpetroleum jelly in my case) worked really well for me, you apply it on your skin and cuticles and after you're done, you can wipe the polish off - just like that! I got this tip from Michelle from The Lacquer Files, thanks girl!

I hope you enjoyed this post, thanks for stopping by!
- With love, Michèle

Updated: OPI - Glam Slam Collection by Serena Williams

2010-10-03T15:28:00.011+02:00

OPI News

The other day I was watching my timeline on Twitter and I noticed a tweet by OPI mentioning something quite interesting! Tennis superstar Serena Williams announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she will be working with OPI to release an entire nail polish collection.
The collection will be named the Glam Slam Collection and Serena mentioned on the show that the colors in this collection will represent tennis tournaments, like the U.S Open, French Open, Australian open and Wimbledon.

Serena Williams is actually training to be certified Nail Tech and she definitely shares the nail passion: "No one likes getting their nails done more than I do. As a matter of fact I go every 4 days to get a manicure and every 7 days for a pedicure.". I can't wait to see what Serena and OPI will come up with! Are you looking forward to this collection?

I've checked with OPI to see if there was more information available at this time but they replied to me saying not all materials are finalized at the moment, but once those are, they will get the info out stat!

EDIT: The release of this collection will start in january with 2 polishes, 2 in May, 2 in June and 2 in August. These releases are timed to her tournaments. There is a teeny tiny bit of information available: one of the first shades will be called: Simply Smashing, a bright green!

EDIT 2: Added some pictures of the first set that will be released. Simply Smashing and Black Shatter - a black crackling top coat!

Additional info source: Eva Chen Bannister - Beauty Director for Teen Vogue

ORLY Cosmic FX - Galaxy Girl

2010-09-29T02:39:00.000+02:00

Galaxy Girl

Hi guys! For today I have another stunning piece from the ORLY Cosmic FX collection: Galaxy Girl. Galaxy Girl is a brownish burgundy base filled with those amazing flecks. The flecks in this polish flash a color somewhere between teal and cyan and sometimes a bit of purple too. I love how it's dark with a twist, so it's still 'fun' - if you know what I mean. I'd say it's a pretty unique color, although there is already a dupe available in Mac's Venomous Villains Collection: Formidable! For me this is definitely a great color for Fall.

Application

Just like Space Cadet, I had no problems applying Galaxy Girl. I threw on three coats and it dried pretty quickly. I love how the sizes of the flecks are irregular, but the finish still remains smooth as glass.

I will write about every single polish in this collection soon, I could have made one post about all six of them, but I have more fun when I'm writing about them separately - if that makes any sense. Dd you get any of the ORLY Cosmic FX's? Which one is your favorite?

ORLY polishes from the Cosmix FX collection cost 10 USD each. You can get Galaxy Girl from eBay, TransDesign, Head2ToeBeauty etc.

Beauty Salon Dimensions 2010 & A dupe for Chanel Paradoxal?

2010-09-27T07:43:00.000+02:00

Beauty Salon Dimensions Event

Hi guys! Today Daphne and me went to an event called Beauty Salon Dimensions. This fair is visited by cosmeticians and nail techs mostly, but everyone is welcome there. A lot of awesome brands were present, showcasing their beautiful products. Nailwise, you could visit stands with brands like China Glaze, OPI, CND, Herome, Trind, Nfu Oh, and the list goes on.
The Netherlands is a bit behind when it comes to new collections, so unfortunately I won't be able to present hot scoops to you, but I do have some eyecandy for you to see. Read More after the jump!

Trind Cosmetics

Dutch brand Trind Cosmetics gives us a sneak peak of their newest collection for this winter. Pretty huh? The representative told me Trind adds four new colors to their selection every winter and summer, so I'll definitely keep an eye out for those!

Nfu Oh

Nfu Oh Nederland was there as well. I've never seen so many Nfu Oh's Together. Heaven! I've added a lot of these to my ever-growing wish list.

OPI

OPI had such a beautiful and impressive stand. Their entire range of products were beautifully showcased. The products were selling so fast they had to keep restocking non stop. I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of the Burlesques, but as I mentioned before, Holland is a tad slow.

OPI's current Designer Series Collection. The two new shades Magic and Radiance were also there. DS Magic looked insanely close to my manicure of the day: ORLY's Lunar Eclipse! Dupe alert?

OPI Swiss Collection swatches, how convenient!

I also took this picture of the Go Goth! collection. They sold these mini packs as well, too bad I couldn't purchase anything since I'm just a consumer.

Hollywood Nails

I LOVE discovering (new to) me brands. Hollywood Nails is a German brand, but their products are available in 12 European countries. I picked up four polishes here, 3 of them cost 2.99 EUR and one of them cost only 0.99 EUR! I hope I will be able to swatch these soon, they're absolute stunners. Further down in this post you will see #509 compared to a high end nail polish..

Aren't these pretty?! From this collection I bought #04 and #509.

ProNailFoil

ProNailFoil is a company that specializes in foils for nails. Appliques seem to be hotter than ever! They gave a nice demo and they looked really cool. I didn't really like the designs that much, but they did have a huuuge selection to choose from.

Chanel versus Hollywood Nails

Woah look at that! The colors in this picture aren't true to life AT ALL, but it shows the similarities very well. The base color and even the shimmer is practically the same! The shimmer in Paradoxal is a little bit bigger, but damn, it's close. I'd say this is closer to being a dupe than Models Own's Purple Grey! And it only cost me 3 euros.

Overall

I had a great time today! I absolutely loved oogling all the pretty polishes and makeup. I've bought some awesome polishes by Hollywood Nails and the new fall colors by CND. Score! Me and Daphne had a really nice talk with one of CND's representatives from BeautyXL and she told us CND will be releasing a gorgeous deep navy blue polish this winter. Can't wait!

I hope you enjoyed this little report of our day, thanks so much for stopping by!
- With love, Michèle

ORLY Cosmic FX - Space Cadet: Sci-Fi on your Nails

2010-09-26T02:09:00.002+02:00

Normally I would save the best for last, but I'm so infatuated with this polish I just had to show it first. Space Cadet belongs to ORLY's latest 6 piece collection for fall: Cosmic FX.

According to ORLY

ORLY introduces its latest addition to its portfolio of textured finishes with Cosmic FX. The new, limited-edition collection delivers multi-dimensional flashes of intense shimmering shine that is so electrifying your nails will explode with color! This lighting phenomenon is achieved by ORLY’s exclusive MINERAL FX technology.
The innovation infuses natural rock minerals, crystals, and glass to give nails a special optical effect with extreme luster, rich pearlescence, and a smooth, sparkling spectrum of concentrated color.

Space Cadet

Wow, is all I can say. Since I started blogging I've seen so many different colors and finishes, oversaturation is inevitable. It takes a lot to leave me stunned like this.
Space Cadet is a very sparkly foily multichrome. It flashes an incredible array of colors, there is purple, orange, golden green and mauve all chucked together in a teal-ish base. In times like these I'd wish I had a video camera to capture the beauty of this polish. I think it's safe to say Space Cadet already made it to my favorites of all time. Damn baby.

scary macro shot

Application

Application was fine, 3 thin coats, which surprised me, somehow I expected I wouldn't be able to wear this polish on its own. The drying time was another surprise, it dried in a ZzZap! The wear was pretty good as well, stayed on for about five days with minor tipwear.

I will write about every single polish in this collection eventually, I could have made one post about all six of them, but I have more fun when I'm writing about them separately - if that makes any sense.

ORLY polishes from the Cosmix FX collection cost 10 USD each. You can get Space Cadet from eBay, TransDesign, Head2ToeBeauty etc.

Review: Essence Studio Nails - Nail Fashion Stickers

2010-09-25T16:56:00.004+02:00

Essence Nail Stickers

Hi guys! With the change of seasons Essence likes to update their collection with tons of new colors and cool products. This September they added Essence Nail Fashion Stickers to their selection and I was really curious about them. I've tried the Incoco appliques before, and those really knew how to impress me. However, these Essence stickers are much less spenny! There are 14 different designs available and I picked up 3 of them: So hot!, Drama Queen! and Hollywood! (they sure shout a lot over at Essence).

Application

Before applying these you need to clean your nails first. I removed my polish and thoroughly cleaned them with alcohol. After that you select the correct size for each nail and place them on your nails. Some rubbing should remove or reduce wrinkles. Gentle file off the excess of the sticker and you're good to go! As you can see these are nothing like the appliques by Incoco, as they are made from actual polish. Essence Nail Fashion stickers should last up to 5 days. If you'd like you can seal them with a top coat.

Let's not sugarcoat this, these aren't exactly right for my nails. The sizes were pretty okay, but they were still a little bit too small and I don't have the broadest nails in the world to start with. I tried applying these as neat as I could but my nails are just too curvy, so I ended up with wrinkles everywhere.

Wear

So, these should last five days? Nuh uh. I applied top coat on one hand to see if it would make a difference but after an ordinary shower, the stickers decided to curl up around the edges, on both hands! It looked like a big mess so they didn't even make it through the day.

Overall

Considering the price (1.99 eur) these are not that bad. They're not fantastic either. I do love the designs, I think they're fun and the finish does remind me a bit of Minx Nails. I bet someone with flat, small nails would rock the hell out of these. It would have been great if there were more sizes to choose from! The wear isn't like they promised at all, but these would make a nice manicure for a party.

I'm not sure where these stickers are being sold, but you can buy Essence products at Kruidvat (NL), Rossman, Muller, DM Drogist (DL), Ulta (USA) and Shoppers (Canada). For more info check www.essence.eu

Review: Fast Forward with China Glaze

2010-09-23T23:38:00.002+02:00

China Glaze's Quick Drying Top coat - Fast Forward

The perfect quick drying top coat. I haven't found it yet. I've tried some, but I didn't really like the finish of OPI RapiDry, the cracking "David" caused, the shrinkage I got with Seche Vite and Nubar Diamont is clearly having an identity crisis because it isn't behaving as it should be. So, I decided it was time for some fresh meat!

The good.. and the bad?

I realize I'm ~~a bit~~ overly critical and picky when it comes to a top coat, that's probably why I haven't found my perfect match yet (Gee, this reminds me of why I'm still single). Anyway..! I want my top coat to be quick drying, manageable, glossy, smooth as glass and chip resistant. Fast Forward actually scores quite good in these departments. It dries fairly quick (not as fast as Seche but still FAST). It does an awesome job at leveling, I'd really recommend using this over gritty glitters and stuff like that. The finish is the thing I love the most, it's glassy, stays that way too and it just feels very smooth. I haven't experienced unusual cases of chipping, cracking etc. But, is it all that and a bag of crips?

Application

Application is super easy. It isn't thick or thin, it's easy to handle and almost applies itself. I'm not even halfway the bottle though so I don't know if Fast Forward tends to thicken up after a while. Also, it doesn't get streaky or bubbly, sounds good right?
There is one thing though and that's the smell. I don't mind strong smells but if you do, this is not your guy! The very strong smell of Fast Forward reminds me of peppermint candy with acetone icing. While Fast Forward is b3f, it still smells like a chemical explosion.
Unfortunately I have experienced some shrinkage too. Yup, it's there. Not always, it depends on the polish you're painting over, but yes, it can happen.

Overall

I'm really happy with this top coat and if it wouldn't cause shrinkage, I'd be in love. It's glassy, sexy smooth and stays put rather well. I'm pretty sure the smell will be a problem for some, but if you can handle it and you're still looking for a decent top coat you might want to give Fast Forward a shot!

You can get this top coat at eBay, TransDesign, Head2toebeauty and other etailers. Prices may vary - starting $3.

Models Own vs. Chanel

2010-09-21T13:10:00.007+02:00

Models Own Car Key Collection

After Chanel's Paradoxal, Models Own figured out how to gain success by duping another brand. They already had Purple Grey which is a close dupe to Paradoxal (minus the shimmer) but it only started selling like crazy after Chanel's release.

Obviously they're not stupid because in October Models Own will be releasing the Car Key (get it? haha!) collection. It's quite clear they're duping the Les Khakis de Chanel collection over here. Haha, I love this. These shades go by the names: Grace Green, Becca's Brown and Purple Ash. I'm not sure whether they're exact dupes (judging from this pic I don't think so) but who knows!

Release date: 6 October at Boots and on the site as well. Models Own polishes cost £5 each.

Edit:

BritishBeautyBlogger already did a comparison of these polishes versus the real deal. Just like I expected, they're not THAT dupey, too bad!

source & image credit: britishbeautyblogger.com

Misa Winter Collection 2010/2011: Spark My Interest - swatches & review

2010-09-18T00:44:00.005+02:00

Misa Spark My Interest

"Whether you’re hitting the clubs in South Beach or sipping martinis in a Manhattan high-rise, you’ll need nails that glimmer as bright as the surrounding lights. Misa Cosmetics’ latest collection, Spark My Interest, pays homage to the glitz and glamour of nightlife and romantic intrigue—because nighttime nails should never fade into the background. The six brilliant hues are saturated with shine, thanks to the thousands of glittering particles packed into each polish, guaranteeing that nails remain the center of attention all summer long."

Hi guys! Today I have a review for you on Misa's latest 6-piece collection for winter called Spark My Interest. With polish names including a lot of "spark", "bling" and "glitz", I suspected a lot of shimmer and glitter, but were my high expectations met? Read on to find out!

Date Nights to the Twilight

Let's kick this off with my favorite of the collection, I really do love purple and it's the least conventional color in this collection. Date Nights to the Twilight is a foily shimmery medium purple, not too blue, not too red, somewhere in the middle. Very pretty.

Red Pumps at the Nordstrom

A metallic red. My camera didn't really pick up the detail in this polish, because it's a lot more interesting in real life. I threw in a macro shot so you'll get the idea. I don't really like metallic reds, especially in this particular shade. According to the press release this would be a sparkly ruby red, and it isn't. I hate to say it.. but this one looks a bit.. cheap?

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink is a very pretty dark berry, plum-y color that does remind me of a good wine. I love the shimmer in this one, it's not as flat looking, not as glowy as I wished it would be, but still pretty nice and very fit for a sophisticated look.

Glitz, Glamour, Smile for the Camera

Just like Date Nights to the Twilight, this is more of a foil than anything. The press release said glam glitter, but hmmmm. This one is a pretty fuchsia, quite a fun color, and probably flattering to a lot of skintones! Foils tend to have great application so that's a huge plus.

Spark My Heart, that's a Start

This isn't just a pink, Spark My Heart, That's a Start, is more of a coral pink with a pink flash. This one is where a foil meats the metallic finish I think. I'd say pretty interesting for a pink. Somehow I can't remember the name of this polish correctly, in my head I keep naming it "Kickstart My Heart" like the Mötley Crüe song, ha!

Pink Bling On My Ring

According to the press release Pink Bling On My Ring is a shocking hot-pink glitter. And again... it's not. It's not very shocking, definitely not a glitter either. I wish it was though, because this almost looks a bit frosty? Definitely a nice shade of pink though, not too boring.

Overall

This is a difficult review for me, I absolutely love Misa, I fell madly in love with their latest fall collection, Toxic Seduction is one of my all time favorites! I love their bottles and their awesome application. And all of these polishes are no exception to this rule, they're all top notch quality. ALL of these were near one-coaters. I applied two layers for the pictures though, but if you're careful enough you can get away with one. They apply so well. They glide on, dry fast and smooth, it's really bordering perfection.

But! I don't know if it's just me, this doesn't look much like winter. Have you noticed this line in the press release: "remain the center of attention all summer long.". All summer long? ....Mhmm. These do look pretty to me, especially Date Nights to the Twilight and Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink, but they indeed look like fun, playful summer colors.
After Misa's fall collection - What I Like About You - everyone's expectations immediately sky rocketed. For winter I would have expected more drama, more glitter, more depth, more variety. Winter/Holiday collections are often the most extravagant show stoppers of the year. If colors like these are your thing, I'd definitely buy these, they're pure quality. But for me, this isn't really cutting it..

Boozyshop

The products in this post were provided to me for review by Boozyshop. Boozyshop is an awesome Dutch webshop, that sells a lot of great brands like Diamond Cosmetics, Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics, Misa, Color Club, Orly and a whole lot more! (makeup too). They carry the entire Misa line and they cost 6.95 EUR each for a bottle of 15ml. Boozyshop ships throughout most of Europe, if you're not sure they ship to your country, don't hesitate to contact the owner Maaike, because she's incredibly helpful! Misa is also available on eBay and other etailers like TD or Head2Toe.

Boyfriend Nails

2010-09-15T22:34:00.003+02:00

VMA's

Hi guys! Maybe you've watched the MTV VMA's the other day? I've seen really freaky things, but if Lady Gaga can get away with wearing a meat dress, why not put your boyfriend on your nails? Well, that's what Katy Perry must have thought. Katy made her appearance to the event while wearing custom made Minx Nails that were made only a few days before the awards. Being a celebrity really opens some fantastic doors! LA-based manicurist Kimmie Kyees applied the Minx nails to Katy, so her fiancee Russel Brand would by her side after all!

Ha, I think these nails are really well done, funny, wouldn't take this too seriously. Of course they're ridiculous, but who doesn't love ridiculous! Love how she rocks the "My Little Pony"-do as well. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could design your own Minx nail design? I'd totally do it. Would you too wear your boyfriend on your nails or would you come up with something different?

For more information on Minx nails, please visit www.MinxNails.com

Cosmic Encounter

2010-09-11T20:25:00.001+02:00

Orly Cosmic FX

It's No Rocket Science a girl like me loves sparkly, shimmery stuff. Trust me, a true Galaxy Girl would kill a Wookiee for this collection, it's really Out Of This World. Looking at my nails I am truly mesmerized, losing focus for everything, except my nails. I'll sit gazing at them, like a true Space Cadet. If you haven't got these yet, I'd be quick because some shades sell out faster than Halley's Comet travels.

Okay, so yeah, this collection arrived at my doorstep a few days ago, and I friggin love it, till infinity and beyond. I'll post swatches soon, but blogging and swatching seem to become a chore lately, so for now, I just messed around with my camera. Pretty cool shots right?

Live long and prosper,
- Michèle

Superstar Nail Lacquer - Teterboro Teal

2010-09-08T23:36:00.003+02:00

Minor Layout change

Hi everyone! As you might have noticed: I changed the header a little bit. I really started to dislike the previous header I had, so I came up with this, hope you guys like it! Anyway, onto the polish!

Superstar Nail Lacquer

A while ago I received these polishes by a, new to me, brand called Superstar Nail Lacquer.

"Superstar colors are aptly named to compliment its moniker. Each color has a title reminiscent of all things fashion and fame. “We wanted attention-grabbing names that people could relate to. Since our company is named Superstar, we chose titles that would make our customers feel like a star. Who wouldn’t feel good about wearing, ‘It Girl Orange’ or Walk The Red Carpet?” said Ariana."

Superstar Nail Lacquer recently released their fall collection, which consists out of two parts: Play in the City and Party in the City. The polish you see here is called Teterboro Teal and belongs to the Party in the City collection. Woohoo, partayy!
I'm really falling for teal lately, to me teal is a truly intriguing color! So, imagine my excitement about this pretty thing. It's an awesome metallic teal that flashes a bit of green depending on the lighting. I love how glowy it can get while strutting around in the sun. Seriously, I can't get enough of polishes like these.

Application

When I'm trying out new brands I'm always very curious to see what their application is like. And wow, this brand does not disappoint. The brush is very easy to handle and the polish just glided on, I used only 2 coats and I experienced no problems whatsoever. I wore this for four days without chips, which is pretty decent I'd say!

Matte tips

You might have seen my glossy tips on a matte polish a while ago? For this mani I decided to use China Glaze's Matte Magic to paint on some matte tips. I'm a sucker for subtle effects like these!

For more information please check the Superstar website. Superstar Nail Lacquers cost: 5 for $45 or $10 each.

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

Opposites attract! Guest blog on Grazia Daily

2010-09-06T17:59:00.005+02:00

Guestblog over at Grazia Daily!

Hi guys! A while ago I was asked to write a little post for Grazia Daily. Lauren posts a lot of cool nail news this section called Grazia Daily Nail, including her own manicures. I'm extremely honored they have asked me! I made two manicures for them, which you can see in this post. If you want to know more about these please check out the blogpost over at Grazia Daily

Misa - What I Like About You! Swatches & Review

2010-09-05T20:28:00.010+02:00

What I like about you

Hi guys! Today I have swatches of Misa's latest collection for you. I actually swatched all these polishes twice, I just wasn't happy with the photos, but it was really time to post them..
Misa has made one of my all time favorites "Toxic Seduction" and I'm never disappointed in their formula. For this fall Misa has created six new shades that are all shimmers, unlike previous collections which consisted mostly out of cremes. I absolutely love this theme and the title of the collection instantly reminded me of one my favorite songs by The Romantics, or Poison, ever!
So yeah, this collection is all about romance, let's explore my feelings for these polishes..

Misa - Spinning out of control

Spinning out of control is gorgeous. I own a lot of blueish purples, but this one is something else. It's very dark and glowy, with pink and blue shimmer. This is one hella classy purple.

Misa - It's you!

It's you! is one of my favorites from this collection, I don't have anything like it. It has a very subtle duochrome effect, it changes from a greenish gunmetal to a dark bronze. This is quite a mysterious color, mhmm.

Misa - Quirky smile

Quirky smile, what an odd name, is a really nice teal shimmer. I love how glowy this one is, and since teal is one of my favorite colors I'm very happy to have this one.

Misa - Perfect kiss

Perfect Kiss is much much much prettier in real life, but so hard to capture, trust me on this one. Perfect Kiss is a bright fuchsia/magenta with a lot of shimmer, not totally unique though.

Misa - When U say my name

Well now, I was surprised by this one! I'm not big on browns AT ALL but when I tried this one, I fell in love with it almost immediately. It really stole my heart. This is a perfect color for fall, and the warm copper shimmer takes brown to a whole new level.

Misa - Like it like that

Like it like that is a metallic frosty kinda green. It's quite vibrant, which makes it totally awesome. In the bottle it also flashes a bit of blue, but this won't show on your nails. I love this color but I don't like the visible brush strokes that much.

Overall

This is one pretty collection. I really liked the formula on these: they're b3f and all of these were two coaters except It's You and Perfect Kiss - they needed three coats. Misa polishes always apply well for me, they've got exactly the right thickness, not too thick, not too thin. And this collection is no exception. They're easy to apply and control, I don't need much cleanup when I paint my nails with them.
I've worn three of these as a full manicure, and the wear is absolutely perfect. I know wear depends on a lot of things and can be different for everyone, but "It's You" lasted 6 six days without chips or tip wear, call me impressed, I just had to mention it. And who knows how long it could've lasted, I had to take it off so I could swatch all of these.
The first time I wore one of these colors I used Nubar Diamont as a top coat and it just wouldn't dry. Nubar Diamont is acting really strange lately so I decided to give it a shot with some other top coats. Drying time was great when I used OPI RapiDry and China Glaze Fast Forward, so I definitely think it's Nubar to blame!

You can order these at www.misacosmetics.com (by phone) or at etailers like Head2Toe Beauty. Also: SOON available at Boozyshop!

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer.

Kiko Giveaway winner!

2010-09-05T13:46:00.000+02:00

Kiko Cosmetics Giveaway winner!

Woah guys! I had a LOT of entries to go through, 668!, so I'm really really sorry for the late announcement! I threw everything in a spreadsheet and drew a random winner by using www.random.org. Of course you all want to know by now who's the lucky girl...

...but first I want to thank you all so much for participating, you're all awesome! And now, without further ado.. the winner is... *drumroll*

winning entry

Geeo, congrats! I'll email you shortly for your details :). I'm really sorry for those who didn't win.. maybe next time!

With love,
- Michèle

How to: get velvety hands

2010-09-03T17:30:00.001+02:00

Hi guys! Due to all kinds of crazy busy-ness, just a quick little tip for today: how to get smooth and velvety hands. Ages ago I got an excellent tip from Kirsten from TheDuchNailBlog: scrub your hands with sugar or salt with vinegar oil. By doing this you get rid of dead skin cells thus making your hands a whole lot smoother. If oil dries you out, finish with a rich handcream and you won't stop touching your own hands, I promise!

Clumsy?

If you're clumsy, like me, you'll be happy to know there are several pre made hand scrubs available. I tried the P2 - Ultra Clean Hand Peeling and let's see how I like it!

First thing I noticed was the smell, it's quite fresh but strong, reminding me of pomelos or grapefruits. You're supposed to use this several times a week, by taking a little, massage your hands with it and wash it off. The texture is really grainy, which makes sense, because it has a lot of sugar in it. I like how the sugar leaves me with smooth hands, but I hate how it gets under my nails. It's easily washed of and you won't end up with oily hands. I don't find this scrub to be very moisturizing on its own so I like to use a handcream afterwards, and with this routine I get the softest hands ever.

Ingredients

Sucrose, Helianthus annuus [sunflower] Seed Oil, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Silica, Sodium Lauryl Sarcosinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance, Water, Propanediol, Eclipta prostrata Extract, Propylene Glycol, Hibiscus sabdariffa Flower Extract, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, CI 26100, CI 47000th

Conclusion

I really like this scrub, it does a good job at exfoliating, I like the smell and how my hands feel afterwards. This product costs only 2.45 eur for 100 ml, but it's not easy to get (DM in Germany). Good news is, like I mentioned before, it's very easy to make your own scrub!

New! Essence Studio Nails - Nail Fashion Sticker

2010-09-01T01:53:00.003+02:00

Hi! I was just browsing through one of my favorite sites PinkMelon and I found these! I'm so excited, I just HAD to share! Essence is really good at coming up with new stuff that makes me drool. They will release nail stickers in 14 different designs to choose from! I'm guessing they're not the same as the ones we know by Incoco but maybe Minx? According to Essence: Whether striped, hip or cool, wild and colorful or subtle and elegant - these self-adhesive nail stickers are the ultimate accessory to spice up your look.

Price & Availability

Retail price will be €1.99 per design, that's so damn cheap! Essence Nail Fashion Stickers will hit stores in October and will be a part of their coreline, so I'm guessing these will be widely available!

What do you think of these?

source: PinkMelon

Review: Orly Bonder

2010-08-31T23:13:00.004+02:00

A while ago I asked everyone to let me know their base coat recommendations. Nailtek Foundation II and Orly Bonder were the ones that stood out from the crowd. I had the chance to order Bonder so I went at it. I've been using it for some months now so I figured a little review wouldn't hurt!

According to Orly:

"This exclusive rubberized bond grips polish to the nail surface for adhesion that lasts. Prevents nail color from peeling, chipping or wearing off for up to two weeks."

let's see about that!

Extending wear, good application, creating a smooth canvas, protecting my nails from peeling and staining, are all things I find really important when it comes to a base coat. And I have to say...

...Orly Bonder scores very well if you takes these criteria into consideration.
Orly claims that manicures will last up to 2 weeks, which I find a bit daring to say. This all depends on your body chemistry, nail polish and top coat you will use, and don't forget about your daily activities. I noticed I can wear manicures around 4 or 5 days when I use Bonder, which is quite impressive, to me. But nowhere 2 weeks! It also applies easy peasy, and it dries pretty fast, allowing me to apply my first layer of nail polish almost immediately.

Is it all that?

Bonder leaves a rubber-y layer on your nail, I guess this helps a lot when it comes to chipping, since it adheres very well. I've heard some people experienced peeling and splitting nails, but I haven't, and I've been using it for a few months now.
But, yes there comes the but, preventing stained nails is a huge factor to determine wether I really like a base coat or not. Well, Bonder isn't that good at this. I've noticed that my nails stain horribly when I use nail polish with a lot of red in it, somehow Bonder isn't capable of fighting these devilish red pigments off.

Conclusion

I grew quite fond of my Orly Bonder. I love the way it applies, the rubber cap, the brush, the way it prevents chipping.. But that staining has got to go! So for now, this is definitely one of my favorites, but I'm still on the lookout for that one base coat that will steal my heart forever. I might give Nailtek Foundation II a spin after finishing this one. How do you feel about this base coat?

Orly Bonder costs 7 USD for 18ml (prices may vary depending on where you buy). You can get Orly Bonder from Boozyshop (starting tomorrow) or find a store near you using the Orly Store locator.

Revlon A/W Enamel: Ruby Ribbon

2010-08-29T16:41:00.004+02:00

To accompany this Dutch rainy fall-esque weather I've got one of Revlon's shades for fall for you. Revlon is releasing two new shades this fall/winter, called Emerald City and Ruby Ribbon. I'm guessing it's a Dorothy theme? Both shades are intense colored mattes with shimmer. Emerald City is a gorgeous emerald green, unfortunately this one won't be available in the Benelux.

Ruby Ribbon

Ruby Ribbon is a gorgeous ruby red matte with shimmer. It dried a lot darker than I would've guessed by looking at the bottle, but it's absolutely pretty. It's a very classic color, nothing too wild, but it reminds me a lot of the elegance from the 1940s. I would definitely top it off with some pin curls if I knew how to make them!

Application

This is my first Revlon ever and I was quite surprised! Especially mattes can be tough to apply, but not this one. It wasn't too thick or thin, it had the right consistency and it went on without any problems. It did took 3 coats for complete opacity. I can't say much about the wear because I only wore it for two days, but I it survived without getting too much tip wear.
Ruby Ribbon dries more to a satin than a truly matte finish. Personally I enjoy those flat mattes a bit more, but I'm loving this one nonetheless. The drying time isn't as fast as some other mattes I have, but at the same time, this is probably what's making application a piece of cake.

Revlon Autumn/Winter Nail Enamel will be available in September, retail price will be 8,95 EUR. Available at Drogisterij.net.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
- Michèle

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer.

Chanel Les Khakis Collection Swatches!

2010-08-28T16:41:00.010+02:00

Hi everyone! Today my camera arrived and I literally tore the package to shreds to get it out and to start swatching immediately. I was so excited about having the new Chanel collection, I really wanted to have them swatched and up today! I'm not really sure if I like the pictures that my new camera produces yet, but I guess I still have to get to know the settings and everything. Right now the pictures look a little bit washed out - i think they're a smidge darker, please forgive me for that. Anyway! Onto the good stuff!

LES KHAKIS DE CHANEL

For VOGUE’S “ FASHION’S NIGHT OUT ”, the fashion event not to be missed, Peter Philips, Global Creative Director of CHANEL Makeup, is celebrating the occasion with the new collection “ Les khakis de Chanel ”.

A new colour harmony of three nail polish shades that can be worn alone or combined : Khaki Vert, Khaki Rose and Khaki Brun. A bold way of wearing nail polish. An ultra sophisticated, urban chic “ camouflage effect ”, for nails that will be getting all the attention.

A little bit about Khaki

To these days, khaki as color brings to mind a brown, even beige, hue. When khaki was adopted for the military, the shade chosen had a clearly darker and more greenish hue. This color was adopted by all the British Empire Armies and the US expeditionary force of World War I, under the name Olive Drab. During the second half of the WWII, American olive drab became distinctly greener, a major departure from the original idea of khaki.

From the first moment I had heard about this collection I knew I would fall for these. Just recently I discovered my love for neutrals, so imagine my excitement about this collection. Neutrals can look so classic and timeless, effortless chic to the max. Well, let's see how I like these brand new Chanels!

Chanel LE VERNIS 267 Khaki Brun

Now this is a special one, Khaki Brun is a murky brown creme with a lot of green to it. I guess this is what they would call "Olive Drab". This color doesn't work that well with my skintone, but I can imagine someone who's a little less pink would rock the Casbah with this color. Application of this one was awesome, 2 coats is all you need. The layers dry very quickly, leaving you with a fantastic smooth and glossy finish. So you could even skip top coat if you'd want.

Chanel LE VERNIS 257 Khaki Rose

Khaki Rose is a really soft and delicate reddish shade of taupe/medium brown. I don't have anything exactly like it and I think I own over 15 taupes.. I absolutely love this shade, since it's so soft and chic looking. Application of Khaki Rose was just as good as Khaki Brun, 2 coats, quickly drying and glossy.

Chanel LE VERNIS 247 Khaki Vert

I think Khaki Vert may be my personal favorite of this collection, it's a bit more cool toned than the other two and cool colors usually look better against my skin. It's a very pretty greyish shade of green, probably one of the few dusty colors I actually like! Just like the other two colors, it almost applied itself.

Conclusion

I love them all. Even if some colors are a bit too warm for my skintone, I still love them. And I'm usually not that big on cremes. I don't know of any exact dupes yet, but time will tell.
My first experience with Chanel nail polish wasn't that great (Nouvelle Vague), but the superb application of Paradoxal showed me Chanel does make awesome nail polish. The texture of these three new polishes reminded me a lot of Paradoxal, they're quite similar if you look at their application, thickness, drying time and gloss. All three are extremely opaque, being nearly one coaters. No cuticle drag, no streaks, just smooth as glass. I can't tell much about the wear yet, since I just got them, but I'll gladly report back. Will you be getting any of these?

Exclusively available in CHANEL Fashion Boutiques starting September 8th 2010, I think the price will be 25 EUR for 13 ml.

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer

OPI - Russian Navy Suede

2010-08-27T23:48:00.001+02:00

R.I.P. dear camera

Hi guys! It has been a while! This week was filled with all kinds of stuff, leaving no room for the blog, yikes. On top of that my camera died, so I couldn't swatch either.. I still had these pics, thankfully! My new camera should be arriving tomorrow, *fingers crossed*!

OPI Russian Navy

The OPI suedes are nothing new, but they still hold that special place in my heart. These suedes are really my go-to polishes when I don't have much time to do my nails. And Russian Navy is my favorite of the bunch.

Application

This pretty blue shimmery matte polish is practically a one coater, if you apply it carefully. The original version of Russian Navy has a bit of red shimmer as well, too bad the suede hasn't, I would have loved that.
It dries incredibly fast, but not too fast, Russian Navy doesn't get streaky or lumpy.

The wear of these suedes isn't that awesome though. OPI put "don't wear a base coat" on the label but I'd like to advice against that. If you choose the right base coat (like the Nfu Oh Aqua Base of Gosh Fix Base Coat and who knows what other base coats have similar qualities) you definitely can get some extra days of wear out of it, definitely something worth trying!

Glossy Tips

At days with a little bit more time I like to add some glossy elements to make it more interesting. For this manicure I used my current top coat Nubar Diamont.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
- Michèle

Review: Gosh - Fix Base Coat, just as good as Nfu Oh Aqua Base?

2010-08-24T21:41:00.000+02:00

Hi guys, maybe you remember my review on Nfu Oh's Aqua Base? Nfu Oh Aqua base is a base coat especially designed to go under hard to apply holographic polishes. I'm really happy with this base coat because it works absolute wonders. When it comes to applying, but also extending the wear majorly.

Some weeks ago I got an email from Marte, she told me about the Gosh Fix Base Coat and how it should have a similar effect! Ironically I've had this base coat for ages, months before I even ordered the Nfu Oh Aqua Base, but I never tried it beneath holographic polishes.

Nfu Oh vs. Gosh

Marte was right, these two base coats are really similar, the have the same structure and almost an identical smell, but do they both work...?

My answer is yes! I tried it with Nfu Oh holos and the notoriously hard to apply Gosh Holographic nail polish and they went on sooo easily. You'll get better coverage, which allows you to use less product for the same end result. Both these both coats work really nicely with matte and suede polishes as well.

Conclusion

So, if it's hard to get your hands on Nfu Oh, or you don't like to order online and have access to this brand, definitely give the Gosh Fix Base Coat a shot! Thank you so much, Marte, for the great tip!

Relatively the price is quite a bit higher than the Aqua Base (9.10 EUR for 18 ml) though. Gosh Fix Base Coat costs 6.95 EUR for a bottle of 7 ml.

Thank you all for stopping by and have an awesome day!
- Michèle

Summary of the survey results!

2010-08-22T21:16:00.005+02:00

Hi guys! First, huuuuuge thanks to all of you who took the time and effort to fill in my survey. I appreciate this so much, you have no idea. A blog is nothing without its readers really! The main reason I put up the survey was to get some feedback on blogging, I understand we can't please everyone, and that's not really something I'm after because I do realize this is impossible. But, feedback is always an excellent way to find out how one can improve yourself. I'm also hoping some of you might find this information helpful as well! I'm incredibly thankful for all your input. In return, I promised a little overview, so here it is!

There were 1002 (!!) entries and at that point I had to shut it down, because I had to process some information manually, haha. Most charts really speak for themselves but I'll try to add some of my thoughts here and there.

What's the most important thing when it comes to a blog?

When we're looking at this outcome, we can see that the amount of swatches and reviews are considered quite valuable. It's a lot about the products!

What makes a good review?

When it comes to reviews, pictures tell a lot! I guess pictures will always attract more attention than text, so this confirms what I already suspected. I usually post 1 or 2 pictures with a review, but after seeing this outcome I might add some more from now on!

What makes a good picture?

Color accuracy and good lighting are considered almost equally important. It's definitely something I always try to keep in mind, but it's good to find out about the importance of these things.

What would you like to see more?

Now I was most curious to see the answers to this question. I thought it was so awesome that the majority of you asked for more how-tos because I really really like doing these! If you have how-to requests pleeeease let me know and I'll see what I can do.

The second thing that scored really high was swatches of entire collections, this is something I eventually would LOVE to do, but for now, it can be very hard since I cannot buy them all and I don't blog full time, haha! Definitely something I'll keep in mind though.

What do you expect from the person behind the blog?

I was really curious about this outcome too. I mean, I do the best I can, while staying true to myself, so I was wondering what everyone's answers would be to this question.

Do you want the blogger to respond to your comments?

This is something I struggle so hard with, you have no idea. Ideally I would like to reply to every single comment I get, it really bothers me when I can't. And lately stuff has come up and I just wasn't as present in the comment section as I used to be. I was really relieved to see your opinions on this, however, I do want to try replying more, because I appreciate all your words so much.

What brand(s) do you wish to see more represented?

To my big surprise the responses were all over the place. Someone said "a blog should be about what you want to represent, not what we want to see" and while that's true, there are times when I just don't know what to do next, because there are so many awesome brands and products to choose from, it's overwhelming really!

A LOT of people requested easy to get/drugstore polishes. Since my visitors mostly come from the US, Brazil and Europe this is almost impossible to do. In contrast, a lot of people asked for unique, unknown brands as well. Another big group of people requested cheaper brands, while others requested more swatches from high end brands.
I got a lot of requests on doing more China Glaze, Zoya and Orly, and I did see that coming since I never really covered these before (without reason really!), but I'm really looking forward to post more about these in the future. Other than that, I guess I will just keep posting whatever pop ups in my head, but if you're in dire need of something you can always let me know :-).

Before I forget, there is one thing I can't or won't do and that's showing brands like Rimmel, Sally Hansen, Maybelline/Colorama, L'Oreal and Essie... A lot of you would love to see these brands covered, especially since they're so easily available, but since they're not cruelty free (or owned by not cruelty free companies), I just can't do it.

Please list your top five of favorite nail polish bloggers

Now, this question wasn't about who's the most popular, even though it might look that way, but I was really curious to see what blogs everyone likes to read, especially since every blog has its own style and set of cool features. I left myself out of the end result, but I want to thank everyone that wrote such sweet words about me! I couldn't believe it!

In total there was a grand total of 248 blogs being mentioned, how awesome is that. I found out about quite some new blogs too!
So anyway, here's the top 10 that I gathered. Maybe the results would've been completely different if this was asked on another blog, but I think it's a pretty cool list :-D. If you haven't heard of one of these blogs, make sure to check them out, because they're wicked cool!

votes	blog
353	Scrangie
287	All Lacquered Up
130	Vampy Varnish
077	Polish Hoarder Disorder
073	The Nailphile
059	The Lacquer Files
056	Little Music Boxes / Nihrida
046	Dr. Frankenpolish
044	The Daily Nail
036	All You Desire

Conclusion

Conclusion is I'm veeeery thankful for all your input and I enjoyed reading all of your messages you left me in the survey. There were some really sweet, interesting, hilarious and random notes, VERY NICE :D. For me, it's so nice to have this overview and I hope there will be some interesting or helpful things in it for others as well, who knows!

Alessandro Go Magic!Twist

2010-08-19T15:48:00.006+02:00

Remember those L'Oreal Star Magnet polishes? If I'm correct those are long gone and discontinued, but they still hold a special place in many nail polish fanatic's hearts. European brand Allesandro now hits the market with a similar concept.

Like the L'Oreal Star Magnets, The Allesandro Go Magic!Twist is a nail polish with a metallic finish that comes with a magnet. After you you applied your nail polish you take the magnet and hold if for 10-15 seconds over the still wet polish and a super fun effect is created. How cool is that!

Click here for a larger picture

The Allesandro Go Magic!Twist come in four shades:

Bombastic Brown
Blue Chip
Wild Purple
Queensberry

Alessandro Magic Twist Set costs € 15.95, available from October 2010

I'm pretty sure we'll struggle a bit to get our hands on these, I don't know which countries sell this brand but I've seen them mainly in Germany and Austria, and a smaller selection in The Netherlands. If you know more countries that sell this brand, please let me know!

Source: PinkMelon

How To: Feed your Nails

2010-08-19T00:31:00.002+02:00

Hi guys! A lot of people ask about how to keep nails long and strong and I decided to do a little write up on the matter. There are many many products claiming obscene nail growth and strength but you can make a difference just by looking at your lifestyle.

When I had my last nail break I tried a product by Herome: Nail Growth Explosion. I went as far as measuring the nails, applying it daily on the sad short nail. After 2 weeks I checked, and all nails gained the same amount of length! So it did absolutely nothing. Maybe it's because my nails are strong and already growing fast as it is, but most products like these have little to no effect on me.

A lot of people forget that a good diet is essential for overall (nail) health. A lot comes from within really. Biotin-rich foods can be really helpful if you want your nails to be in good shape.

Biotin

Biotin or vitamin H is part of the B-vitamin complex, and helps you metabolize fats and carbohydrates and is essential for healthy growth. The best food sources of Biotin are liver, egg yolk, yeast, nuts and beans. You can also take Biotin supplements, but be sure to do some research on this first, as it caused my skin to break out! On this note, just minutes ago Dermelect announced on Twitter they're working on an alternative for Biotin with less side effects, definitely interesting!
Foods rich in sulphur minerals like apples, cucumbers, grapes, garlic, asparagus and onions have a positive effect on your nails as well.

I'm not claiming to be a nutritional know-it-all, but I've read more than once that nails and hair are often a reflection of our overall health. According to Ezinearticles, these are some ways to listen to what your nails are telling you:

symptom	cause
brittle, concave, ridged, white half moons	iron / protein / calcium deficiency
separation of the nail bed	nervousness / hyper thyroid
bluish discoloration	respiratory difficulties
yellowish discoloration	bronchial difficulties (or a sucky base coat ;-) )
pale nail beds	anemia
peeling nails	vitamin A deficiency, dehydration of nails caused by wrong products
poor nail growth	zinc deficiency
thin, brittle nails	vegetable quality oils deficiency
washboard ridges	consumption extremes in diet (especially meats and refined foods)

So, if you're having some nail problems, it might be a good idea to look into this before spending $$$ on treatments that might not even work! Hope this was helpful..

With love,
Michèle

Ezinearticles and the book "Nutrition for Dummies"

Nail polish blog survey!

2010-08-15T20:29:00.005+02:00

Hi guys! For a while now I've been wondering what other people find important when it comes to reading a blog. I thought it would be fun to do a little survey to find out what you guys think!
I'd really really really appreciate it if you would be so kind to fill out the form below. Of course I will report back with the outcome!

All entries to this survey will published anonymously and are only visible to me!

I have closed the survey! I got an AMAZING response from you guys, 1000 entries in only a few days, THANKS SO MUCH. I'll need some time to process all the information, but I will be back with a report, seriously, it means a lot to me! Thank you!!

Questions were:

What's the most important thing when it comes to a blog?
What makes a good review?
What makes a good picture?
What would you like to see more?
What do you expect from the person behind the blog?
Do you want the blogger to respond to your comments?
What brand(s) do you wish to see more represented?
Please list your top five of favorite nail polish bloggers

Kiko Giveaway

2010-08-15T00:08:00.002+02:00

Kiko Cosmetics

Hi guys! During our vacation (that isn't over yet, woohoo!!) we made another trip to Germany. And Germany means: Kiko cosmetics! I absolutely adore this brand, so much quality for so little money. And since a lot of you were bummed out this brand is only available in limited countries I couldn't leave the store without picking up some polishes for you guys!

The polishes I got:

270 - Sparkle Touch Aqua Paillettes
278 - Microglitter Dark Orchid (pretty much a dupe of Artdeco 275)
300 - Pearly Malachite Green (swatched here)
301 - Microglitter Black Purple

The rules

You have to be a follower of my blog (I will check)
Leave me a comment with your email address
Optional: You can earn one extra chance to win by reposting this on Twitter or your blog - include a link to your tweet or blogpost
It doesn't matter where you live, this contest is open internationally.
You can enter till the 31th of august, 11:59pm - CET.
I will use www.random.org to decide the winner

Good luck!
- Love, Michèle

Nox Twilight Beauty - Crush

2010-08-13T08:31:00.000+02:00

Crush

Maybe you remember my post on Disco Darling by Nox Twilight Beauty? Today I'm showing you Crush. Crush is a perfect pink neon, kapoww!
Until recently neons didn't do much for me, but I'm really starting to digg them. They're fun, create an instant tan, and they sure attract a lot of conversation.

Application

Like a lot neons this one dries semi matte, so in order for you to get that high gloss I'd recommend using top coat. I'm really impressed by the quality of the polishes within this line, they're really easy to handle and the colors are quite cool! Crush needed 3 coats for complete opacity, not bad at all, after all, it is a neon!
Of course I still think the names could've been more Twilight-y, but I won't get into that every time.

You can order these at www.twilightbeauty.com for $6.99 each (for 17ml/0.58oz woohoo!) or the entire collection for $65 (12 shades!). If you don't live in The States you can check their UK distributor www.simplebeauty.co.uk to see if they ship to your country!

The products in this post were provided to me by Nox Twilight Beauty for consideration - for more information please read my disclaimer

Don't toss it, thin it!

2010-08-12T11:05:00.000+02:00

Just a quick little tip

Hi everyone! I'm pretty sure a lot of people already do this, but every now and then I read about how people throw away their polish because it's gone bad, thick, goopy, solid, stringy, you name it! Please don't, ever, throw out your nail polish. Well, except when it's ugly as can be of course.

Nail polish actually thickens up on you because certain ingredients evaporate. Some people add nail polish remover or even acetone to thin their polish, but that's a no go. If you're adding acetone you're actually breaking down your polish instead of thinning it, and we don't want that or do we?
Adding thinner actually restores the previously existing and now missing element in your polish, making it a whole again. How spiritual does that sound! - Please forgive me for my corniness.

Different brands

I'm not sure if it really matters what brand thinner you use, I've tried several and liked them all. The brands I used are OPI, Mavala and as pictured: P2. I really like the P2 thinner because it's highly concentrated and really cheap. It does suck you have to travel all the way to Germany to get your hands on it though. If you're ever buying or ordering nail polish at a (r)etailer, have a look around, because a lot of stores do sell thinner!

I hope this was helpful!
With love, Michèle

Color Club - Revvvolution

2010-08-11T10:11:00.000+02:00

My Private Chainmail Revvvolution

Bon Giorno! Hope everyone is doing well! Just like the last holo I posted, this one was bought to fill a void left by some other tauntingly HTF polish. Yep, you've guessed that right! OPI My Private Jet original. I own two different kinds of My Private Jet, but neither of them come even close to the real thing: the hottest black holo evar!? There are some alternatives out there: Diamond Cosmetics' Chainmail Charm and another one you see here: Color Club's Revvvolution.

High hopes

Ok. I'll say it. I actually was a bit disappointed when I wore this for the first time. I don't know, the holographic effect was less pronounced then I had expected. It is pretty gorgeous nonetheless. So if you're not expecting MPJ, it would definitely work!

Application

The more Color Club polishes I try, the more I'm stunned by their application. Everything just goes on so easy, a delight to work with. Revvvolution is pretty opaque, so I only needed 2 layers. And did you know it does a pretty good job at stamping as well?

Thanks for stopping by and see you soon!
- Michèle

Review: Entity Cuticle Oil

2010-08-10T21:00:00.000+02:00

Cuticle oil

Even though I'm happily married to Mister L. Flutter, I like to try out other products as well. NailXL was extremely kind to offer me this cuticle oil by Entity, so I went ahead and tested it for a couple of weeks, all on its own.

For me, one of the biggest disadvantages of using cuticle oils, is the mess they can create. Since this oil comes with a pipette, it's real easy to use! The oil also absorbs fairly quick, another major plus. The scent is quite pleasant, even though I think it smells like a mixture of acrylic powder, avocado and apricots. I think it reminds me a little bit of beauty parlors, which is a good thing!

Unlike the last cuticle oil I tried, this one isn't filled with crappy, cheap, mineral oil. The ingredients are actually pretty decent, score!

Ingredients

Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Linalool, Citral, Citronellol, Limonene, Violet 2 (CI 60725), Red 17 (CI 26100), Green 6 (CI 61565). Miscellaneous: T ocopherol, Propylparaben

Oil or balms

I've used this everyday and maybe it's just me, but I think oils just aren't right for my hands. It wasn't bad at all, but creams and balms seem to moisturize my cuticles better. Somehow, my cuticles always end up a bit dryer than I'd like after using cuticle oil for a while.
But, if you're someone that prefers oils over anything, I'd totally recommend snatching this one up, because it was one of the better cuticle oils I've tried so far!

You can order Entity Cuticle oil for 8.50 EUR (15ml) at NailXL. NailXL also carries an impressive range of Nfu Oh, CND, Konad and other products, so make sure to take a peek!

The product in this post was provided to me by NailXL for consideration - for more information please read my disclaimer

China Glaze - 2Nite

2010-08-09T10:00:00.000+02:00

Favorite

Hi everyone! You all know how I like to celebrate summer with a good holo, and this one fits the bill! There has always been one perfect blue holo that kept popping up in my dreams, but that dear OPI DS Glamour wasn't that easy to get. So I bought a lot of blue holographics to see if they could fill that void.
Now, I own several holographics from China Glaze's OMG collection, but 2NITE is my favorite! It doesn't look that much like DS Glamour but hey, I really love this gorgeous shade of almost periwinkle blue. It's so delicate and looks good against many skin tones.

Application

Some OMG holos cause me problems with application but since I'm using the Nfu Oh Aqua Base, I've said good bye to the cuticle drag altogether! I applied 2 coats, no top coat, and it actually stayed on quite well. Holographics from this collection are quite flat and dull in regular lighting though, but it's sure worth it if you catch some accidental beams of sun light..

Thank you for stopping by and have an awesome day!
- Michèle

Back soon!

2010-08-08T10:00:00.000+02:00

Vacayay!

Hi guys! If you're reading this, I already took off! I'm away for vacation for about a week, and I'm going with Michelle from TheLacquerFiles and Daphne from Nailswatches. How cool is that?! Things have been kinda hectic lately, so I was really flaking on replying to comments and emails.. I really really suck sometimes. I do read every word that comes in and I can't express how much I appreciate all of you! Hopefully I'll be more refreshed and energetic when I get back.

I did my hardest best to come up with some posts while I am gone, so I hope you'll enjoy them. I also have some pretty awesome stuff to show you when I'm back, so stay tuned. Be safe and see you soon!

New Essence stampy plates!

2010-08-04T13:30:00.001+02:00

Essence Stampy Plates

I stumbled upon four new plates by Essence, I think these are pretty cute!! What do you think? I don't know when and where these will be sold, I'll update when I know more :-)

Source: EssenceAdicta

Zoya Remove +, - the $$$?

2010-08-03T23:37:00.007+02:00

Hi guys! Just a quick little post today, guess being a night owl all the time is finally catching up on me, because I'm quite tired! I do have lotsa cool stuff for you in the next couple of weeks, so hang in there!

Glycerin

Maybe you remember my post about Zoya Remove +? I friggin love the stuff, but it's expensive and not easy to get if you're outside the US. I was browsing the Nailboard at MUA a while ago and I read that you could mimic Remove + by adding glycerin to your straight up acetone. I kinda forgot about it until I ran into some glycerin at my local drugstore.

Mix it up

The mixture should be 2 capsful to 16oz (appr. 450ml) of acetone, but 1 cap could be different depending on your bottle, so I just fiddled around with it until I got it right. And yes, it does remind me of Zoya Remove +. It doesn't smell as nice, but it does the job seemingly similar!

Let's have a look at the following:

ingredients Zoya Remove +

2-Propanone (Acetone), Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fragrance, D and C Violet #2

So, basically, Zoya Remove + is acetone, water , glycerine, some fancy scent and a bit of color. Not that impressive! So, if you can get your hands on some pure acetone and glycerin, I'd say give it a shot, you might like it! I know I'll be using this mixture for my clean up for sure.

I got my bottle of 100ml glycerin for 2.64EUR, and it goes a long way too.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

Nox Twilight Beauty - Disco Darling

2010-08-02T16:16:00.000+02:00

Nox Twilight Nail Polish

Nox Twilight nail polish is the newest edition of products from Twilight Beauty. Inspired by the powerful Cullen coven, this line of professional quality nail polish prominently features the enduring Cullen crest on the center of each bottle.

Hi guys! Today I'll be showing you a nail polish from a brand new line by Nox: Twilight Beauty. How pretty are these bottles? You may or may not like Twilight, but even if you don't, don't exit on me yet, these are really worth a look! Nox - Twilight Beauty released 12 colors, and today I'm showing you Disco Darling.

Sparkle sparkle

How pretty is that? Sparkly as Edward himself! I really love the holographic glitter in this one, it's quite dense and noticeable in almost every light. Yep, definitely one of, if not the, prettiest silver polishes I own! I'm sorry for the huge close up below, eek! But it does show how pretty the sparklies are.

Application

Application was fine, this polish is made out of glitter in a clear base, but after 3 coats you're good to go.
It does dry a little bit gritty though, but after 2 thin layers of Nubar Diamont everything was as smooth as glass..

I've got some other colors from this Nox Twilight Beauty collection too and these are far from boring. And those bottles! Just too cute. The only thing that could have been better, are the names. Names like Sugar Plum, Sangria, Poseidon and Citrus for example, don't really make me think, 'hey, Twilight!' Other than that I think these are really awesome and I can't wait to show you more!

The products in this post were provided to me by Nox Twilight Beauty for consideration - for more information please read my disclaimer

Les Contrastes de Chanel: Paradoxal

2010-07-31T00:11:00.001+02:00

Crush

Maybe you remember my review on Chanel's previous hit: Nouvelle Vague? I was a bit disappointed to be honest... and then this beauty strolled along. Trust me, I was reluctant. But then the swatches started to haunt me and I knew I just needed to have it. I think I now know what it's like to have a nail polish crush. It won't be out here for a while, but a big sweetheart CP'ed it for me, thank you so much Brittni!!

Secret shimmer

And you know what? I'm happy to have it! This polish belongs to the Les Contrastes de Chanel fall 2010 collection. Paradoxal is a deep purple-y taupe, I really love this color. In brighter or sun light there's this pretty pink/blue-ish shimmer, it's stunning. The shimmer is barely noticeable in normal lighting though, but sometimes the purple sheen will catch your eye. I'm pretty sure I will be wearing this color a lot this fall!

Application

I normally don't use the phrase "it applies like butter", I save it for very very special occasions, and this is one of them. I've used two coats and they just glided on. A lot of people experienced major chip city within a few days, but for me it stayed on for five days with only one chip at my thumb (and that was on the 5th day AFTER I cleaned the house). I used Orly Bonder and Nubar Diamont and it held up really well!

Dupes?

If you're looking for a less expensive alternative you can look into Purple Grey by Models Own, it doesn't have shimmer but the base color is really close!

You can get Chanel Paradoxal online at www.chanel.com for $23.00 or at your local Chanel counter. It probably won't be for sale in The Netherlands until appr. October.

Review: Essence Nail Art Pens

2010-07-28T22:23:00.000+02:00

Essence & Nail Art

Essence is really getting into nail art recently. They now have an entire line of glitters, decals, special nail art base & top coats and also these six Nail Art pens! Nail art can take up a lot of time, especially if you're into freehand stuff. Will these pens make your nail art life easier?

Essence came up with these pens in six different colors, the packaging actually reminds me a lot of markers. They're fairly easy to use. Give them a good shake, press on the tip until the polish comes out and you're all set. I played around with these and they're pretty neat when it comes to drawing, thanks to the pointy tip.

Swatches

I swatched the colors over black and white, to show you how they're holding up against a bold background.

Cool Black is really awesome, it's very opaque and applies pretty nicely, allowing to make neat tight lines (which I obviously didn't - damn caffeine!).
Silver Star is another winner, very opaque, easy to handle.
Then we have Silver White, in the picture it looks nearly the same as Silver Star but it's not, I was expecting this to be a solid white, but I got a pearly sheer white instead, not a fan of this one.
Next in line is Deep Purple, I love this color but it has an extremely watery texture, so it's almost if you're making a water-colour painting with this one.
Same goes for Juicy Orange, sheer, watery, I don't like it.
Last but not least we have Spacy Pink. Spacy pink looks a LOT lighter than its deceiving packaging, but because it's a very well pigmented color, I liked it nonetheless.

Conclusion

Overall I'd say these are nice, but not perfect. I would recommend getting Cool Black, Silver Star and Spacy Pink and that's about it. And luckily those make up for a great color combination! You can also use top coat on these without smudging your lines, I was pleasantly surprised!

I got these at Dutch drugstore Kruidvat and they were €1,99 each.

Review: Nfu Oh Aqua Base

2010-07-27T18:50:00.006+02:00

Extra oomph?

Lately I've been reading a lot about a special base coat by Nfu Oh, the Aqua Base. This base coat is specifically designed to go under holographic nail polish. On several blogs I read this base coats gives extra "oomph" to holographic nail polishes, it would even make Nfu Oh 61 a dupe for Chanel Holographic. Oh la la. So my nail polish heart beat a little faster and I before I knew it I had ordered myself a bottle.

Application

Nfu Oh holos are notorious for their patchy application and bad wear, but this base coat makes application a whole lot easier. This milky base coat smells a bit funny, almost like glue, but luckily it doesn't have a very strong scent. I only need 2 (!) coats of Nfu Oh #66, when applied over the Aqua Base instead of the usual 3 or 4 to cover up any bald patches. So that's a huge plus for me! I can't really tell anything about the wear yet, but I promise to update this post when I know more.

Put it to the test

But does it really spice up the holographic effect? I tried it myself, with Nfu Oh #66, a gorgeous lime green holo. I applied 2 layers of the Aqua Base and 4 layers on top of Orly Bonder. I skipped the top coat. Mhmm, honestly, I see no difference, do you? I'd totally recommend this base coat for its ability to handle holographics so well, though!

I wanted to end this post with a little bit of news for my Brazilian readers! Yesterday I stumbled upon this link, and found out a brand called Rivka is going to introduce esmaltes Holográficos in Brasil. Sanction Angel is also releasing (in 10 or 15 days) a bunch of - to die for - holos, how hot are THESE?!

You can order this base coat at NailXL or check out my faq for other etailers.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
- Michèle

Review: Burt's Bees Tin Trio

2010-07-26T13:14:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! Sadly, the weekend is already over, so let's kickstart this week with a fresh review. I picked up this cute trio a while ago, I had heard so much good things about Burt's Bees.. I just had to. The package contains 3 small tins, each good for 8.5g or 0.3oz. I love how Burt's Bees products are 100% natural and cruelty free. They're not vegan though, as they contain bees wax.

Burt's Bees - Beeswax Lip Balm

When I have dry or chapped lips I always reach for a lip balm. Before using the Burt's Bees lip balm I was using brands like Blistex and Purol. The thing that bothered me most about these, was the fact I had to reapply throughout the entire day. Not with this bad boy. It really lasts long, leaving me with soft lips! It isn't greasy and I love the tingling sensation. It smell like mint, which I adore, but if you're not into mint you'd best stay away from it. I also have this in tube form, and I must admit I like that one better, because it applies easier.

Burt's Bees - Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

I've mentioned this product before, and I think it's really good. It's more a balm then a cream though. It's my second favorite cuticle moisturizer after Lemony Flutter, and that means something. I love that it goes on quite transparent, but you do have to rub hard to get some product out.
The effort definitely pays off since it does a mighty fine job at moisturizing. The smell is lovely too, it's best described as the smell of Napoleon candy or lemon cake, yum!

Burt's Bees - Hand Salve

Well, this is a tough one. What I don't like about this product is that is a real solid salve, so again, you've got some work to do if you want to get some out of the tin. It melts down to an oily substance, therefore it's really greasy. Icky-greasy. It's best to walk around like a zombie because you do not want to touch things with your sticky fingers after you've used this salve. So yeah, that kinda sucks. But, it does work. And pretty good actually. My hands were really soft after it finally absorbed. I think this is best to be used at nighttime, especially in winter. It has a strong smell that reminds me a bit of herbal, medicinal stuff with a touch of eucalyptus, which I happen to like a lot.

Depending on where you're from you can order this trio at Boozyshop for €12.95 or at Sephora for €14.95

Helmer says Hi!

2010-07-25T18:49:00.004+02:00

Hi guys! Today I decided to show you how I organize my stash and what's in it! I'm not posting this to show off or something like that, but I'm posting this because it's one of the requests I get most often! I'm not sure how you'd qualify my stash, small or big, I guess it all depends on what you compare it to.

I've been holding out on this request for a long long time, but I finally managed to put all my nail polish in one place: my Helmer from Ikea. Normally nail polish is everywhere, in different rooms, in my bag, on my desk, in my pockets, in bed, you name it. After putting everything where it belongs, it started to dawn on me: my Helmer was full.

By brand or color?

I started 'collecting' nail polish years ago, but from the moment I started blogging, my stash doubled in size, whoops. Luckily for me I'm only crazy about nail polish, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if was collecting makeup too :D.
At the moment I organize everything by brand, but I'm debating to organize by color, so I can spot similar colors more easily.. Anyway, here goes :D

Nfu Oh
OPI
Nubar
Ciate
Color Club
ManGlaze
Nicole by OPI

H&M
P2
Gosh
Pieces
Eyeko
Models Own
BeYu
Sephora

China Glaze
Collistar
Deborah Lippmann
Rescue Beauty Lounge
Chanel
Misa
Catrice
American Apparel
Essie
Diamond Cosmetics
Superstar Nail Lacquer
Kiko
Koh

Essence
Yves Rocher
Herome
Max Nails
Etos
Bourjois
Claire's
Allesandro
Hema
Theatre
Frankens

base coats
top coats
matte top coats
whiteners
cuticle remover
cuticle oils
cuticle creams/balms
files & tools
glue
silkwraps
glitter
bundlemonster plates
nail art pens
nail polish remover
brushes
gloves

card, notes & receipts
Incoco products
some nail polish for swap/giveaway
hand lotions

I hope you enjoyed this peek at my stash! And see? It's pretty full. I could empty the last drawer but I wouldn't know where to put everything.. And there's still so many brands I want to try out (Orly, Illamasqua, BB Couture, more Zoya, Misa & Color Club etc etc..) I'm afraid I'll have to get a second Helmer..

Protect your painted talons!

2010-07-24T12:05:00.001+02:00

The solution to all your problems

We all get it sometimes: post manicure stress. We bang our freshly painted nails to the door, and we smudge our nail polish because we have to pee. Or the kitty strolls along leaving a trail of small hairs stuck to your nails. But not anymore! Yes, aren't you excited?! /end sarcasm. I got an email from Tina C. showing me this wicked invention, thank you Tina!

In all seriousness, would you find these handy? Oh well, who needs quick drying top coat anyway...

You can purchase these on eBay for next to nothing! I also stumbled upon interesting inventions like Nose Up and The Wonder Double Eye Lid Clipper, pretty hot eh?

Incoco - The New Revolution In Nail Polish?

2010-07-23T18:12:00.005+02:00

INCOCO. The Revolution in Nail Polish.

The world of nail polish as you know it is about to change forever! Finally there's an answer to the spills and smears of messy nail polish bottles: Incoco Self-stick 100% Nail Polish strips.
No other product can provide base coat, color coat and top coat in a single dry self=stick nail polish strip. In minutes, you can have a professional manicure that lasts up to 14 days

Incoco offers strips in many different colors and finishes and today I'm showing you Ruby Shoes, pretty, isn't it!?

How it's done

Incoco has really nice instructions up on their website, so if you're interested in this technique please check it out here. It can be tricky at first, but after you're done with a few nails you'll get the hang of it. You start off with a clean, buffed nail (ridges will show) and select the size that best fits your nail. Each strip actually has 2 sizes, one at each end. After that you just remove the top clear film, and peel the color strip from the backing paper. All you have to do is place the color strip on your nail against the cuticles. Smoothen up any wrinkles it might have, pull it over the tip of your nail and tear the excess off. If needed you can use the included file to smoothen up the edges.

If you're worried these might stain your nails, each color strips consist out of base coat, color and a top coat, I experienced no staining after wearing these for a full week. They're also b3f, which is a huge plus.

Wear

Yes a full week, no chipping, almost no tip wear, no scratches, dents whatever. I'm really impressed, I'm pretty sure I could've worn them for another week, but I had some new growth so I took it off. You can remove these with the special Polish Removal Cloth that's included. This is actually a piece of felt with Acetone based remover. I haven't tried it on any other color besides Ruby Shoes, but removal was okay, not as bad as I thought it would be considered the glitter! I've also tried using my regular non acetone remover and that worked fine as well.

Conclusion

I really like these! The thing that really appeals to me is the wear, Im thinking I'll be wearing these when I go on vacation, no worries about chipped nail polish, yay! Other advantages are: easily and quickly done, no smell, no drying time and an immaculate looking manicure. It can be a bit challenging to find all the right sizes for your nails. For me the biggest disadvantage is the price. The Ruby Shoes costs $7.99 for 2 strips (= 1 manicure), a bit much when you compare this to a bottle of nail polish. But, if you're looking for a manicure that lasts a long time, with little effort, these are awesome.

The products in this post were provided to me by Incoco for consideration - for more information please read my disclaimer

Every rose has its thorn..

2010-07-22T09:00:00.000+02:00

I happened to stumble upon this interesting manicure! This manicure is created by Topolino, who is well known for this runway looks especially created for Alexander McQueen.

How they did it:

Take three roses and slice off their thorns with gardening shears. Be very careful, or you will bleed.
Paint each thorn a blood red, or whatever color you'll use for your manicure.
Paint your nails the same shade.
Take your nail polish and slick the bottom of the thorns with the brush, using it as "glue" for each thorn to stick on each nail.
Wait for it to dry

Mhmm, I doubt if they'd stay on, just like that. Obviously, you won't be needing brass knuckles anymore if you're sporting this look. It's definitely unique but it's not my style so I'd never wear it, I'm way too clumsy anyway and most likely I'll take out an eye or something.

Hot or not?

image and info credits: Nylon Magazine

Essence Colour & Go: Underwater

2010-07-21T09:00:00.001+02:00

Underwater with Essence

Hi guys! For today I have one of those 'from the vault' posts, I found out I had this swatch lying around, so I thought I'd share! This pretty bright blue nail polish makes me desperately long for a good swim, on a tropical island (while pretending to be Brooke Shields).

It's pretty, bright, especially on a sunny day. In the shade it's definitely more flat-looking. Application was very good, you'd expect a crappy tiny brush, judging on the tiny bottle, but boy I was wrong. It isn't as wide as the famous OPI brush, but still wider than most. It does need three coats for complete coverage, but it dries fast! The only thing that bugs me though, is the finish, it's a bit frosty, so hellooo brush strokes. I'm not sure how I feel about frosts all together though, it seems to be a bit outdated if you ask me.

Essence Colour & Go

Essence's Underwater belongs to their Colour & Go line, these cost €1.25 ($1,60) for 5ml. But if you're lucky enough to live in the States, these will only cost you €0,80 ($0.99 ) each, hmmm interesting!

Men & Nail Polish: Yay or Nay?

2010-07-19T09:00:00.000+02:00

Did you know nail polish was invented for men? Chinese Emperors and Egyptian pharaos were the first to cover their nails with polish! Nowadays we're seeing more and more guys getting mani's, pedi's and wearing nail polish. Be it male models, footballplayers, rockstars, actors, YouTube make up gurus, your neighbor, you name it... it's definitely up and coming!

Badass brands like ManGlaze and BB Couture even came up with nail polish lines aimed at men.

Share your thoughts!

How do you feel about this? Something just for metaldudes, or is it for everyone? Would you date someone who likes to wear nail polish?

I myself wouldn't mind it for one bit! Isn't it a tad weird that we all strive for the equality of men and women, but men wearing nail polish or make up is still something that's being frowned upon?

If you happen to be a guy who likes to wear nail polish, please let us know your story!

image credits: The Sartorialist & onlineticketsusa (Marilyn Manson) & coveralia (Dave Navarro)

How To: Kill your brand

2010-07-18T08:55:00.007+02:00

Ginger + Liz send cease and desist notification: how to kill your brand

Lately there's been some rumbling in Beauty Bloggin paradise. More and more often companies do not agree with the content that has been posted on blogs and they start to prance around like a horse in heat. We've already seen a company that could not handle negative reviews (LimeCrime) and we've also experienced a brand that couldn't enjoy the free publicity that was being generated by an too early released press release.

This is not where the rumbling stops. Word on the street was that Diamond Cosmetics delivers to private labels. Diamond Cosmetics openly states they do this, I see no problems there.

But, let's say, you're a blogger. You don't want to palm off on your readers by recommending them an expensive version of a cheaper product. And this is where things can go wrong. Recently I politely declined the request of Elle.com to place an advertisement that included Priti Polish (another would-be private label of DC). It just wouldn't feel right. If I had any products of which I'd suspect that another brand's selling them for less money, I wouldn't hesitate to ask myself what's the deal.

This is exactly what Sara from Daily Polish did. Sara reviewed some products (she bought herself) by Ginger + Liz and she and her readers noticed these were similar to the ones by Diamond Cosmetics. When her readers requested some comparisons of the two brands, she went ahead and provided these.

A few posts later and Sara is being threatened with a $200.000 lawsuit. This kind notice was left through the attorney of Ginger + Liz. All posts and comments concerning this matter must be taken offline if she wants to stay out of trouble. Funnily enough Sara isn't the only one who ever questioned this en publique.

Of course it's common sense and decency to not totally destroy a company without grounded facts. There's a thin line between opinion and stating facts. But wondering things, since when is that not allowed?

And now what?

Is blogging as we know it indeed well and truly over? Is it asking for trouble when you're just voicing the ideas and opinions you have? Isn't this what blogging is about? An honest judgement coming from someone just like you? And what do actions like these say about a company?

The one thing I now know for sure, is that I've lost all interest in this brand. Whoops, are they going to sue me now?

- ETA: I've read some comments on another blog from Sara that could've been looked at as questionable, however, I still think the C&D is an overreaction.

How To: Photograph your nails

2010-07-17T17:41:00.001+02:00

Hello everyone! This topic may not interest all of you, but since people have been asking me to do this for ages, I figured, why not? I'm not saying my pictures are perfect, but taking nice crisp photos isn't all that hard, even if you don't own a big ass fancy $$$ camera!

1	Type of camera I actually use two cameras, no real reason, I generally pick the one that is the closest, I'm lazy ha! The cameras I'm using are a Canon Ixus 75 and a Sony CyberShot w120. These are just simple compact cameras that don't cost a fortune at all. The first is a 7.1 megapixel camera and the Sony has 7.2 megapixels. Megapixels usually don't say a lot, the lens is what's really important. Therefore I wouldn't recommend taking pics with a mobile phone.
2	Light & Location A lot of people think I shoot my pics in a light box, but I don't. I do have a selfmade one, but that one is too crappy to be even looked at! I prefer good daylight, on gloomy days I don't swatch at all. I take my pictures in front of a window, so all the neighbors must think I'm crazy by now. Just play around with how the light falls on your hand, just take a couple of shots in different angles and find out what you like. Also be careful with reflection, if there's too much just pick another angle to shoot from.
3	Background I like my backgrounds to be calm and quiet, so I use a colored piece of paper as a backdrop. Of course you don't have to do this, just make sure you don't have a lot of clutter in the background. It can be a little bit distracting at times. No one's really interested in seeing your dirty laundry, your ashtrays full of cigarettes or your kitty taking a dump (I've seen it happen...). I do love seeing beautiful flowers, sand, sea, anything pretty and creative.
4	Sassy Settings Now you're all set. There are a few settings I adjust and those are the Macro and the ISO values. The macro setting (iconized as a flower) allows you to take really sharp photos closeby. The ISO setting controls how sensitive the image sensor is to light. The higher the ISO the less light you'll need to take a photo. The higher the ISO, more speckled your pics will be. So you may have guessed this, I like to set the ISO low, around 100, or 200. If you have good lighting and a steady hand, this should be fine. If not, use a tripod and you won't end up with blurry pics.
	I have to admit, I don't know a lot about white balance. White balancing is telling the camera what combination of red, green, and blue light it should perceive as pure white, given the current lighting conditions. Knowing that, the camera then accurately reproduces the other colors. Usually my camera picks up colors just fine just using the auto preset. If your colors come out wrong, just try some of the white balancing presets to figure out which one is working for you.

I hope this post was helpful, thanks for stopping by!
- Michèle

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Scrangie

2010-07-16T14:48:00.001+02:00

the yearning

Please meet one of the prettiest purples ever! As you might already know, Rescue Beauty Lounge released a blogger collection back in 2009. Bloggin queen Scrangie came up with this gorgeous color what she describes as a medium blue-based purple with green iridescence and green microshimmer. Of course it sold out. Of course I wanted it. Wait, wanted? I needed it! After watching some go on eBay for ridiculous prices, I just gave up.

But then! RBL decided to bring it back. Lucky me!

I need buckets of this stuff

In all honesty I think they changed the formula a bit in the second round, because I've ever heard a bad thing about this polish before. Could it be? I tried it on as soon as I got it, *with shakey hands from excitement*, and it just wouldn't dry and it started bubbling pretty bad. But, since it was a very hot and humid day, I decided to give it another go some other time.

Since we had some gloomy days around here, I figured it be a perfect time to cover my nails in this sauce of awesomeness again. Three layers later, it still bubbled a bit. But thankfully it dried and pretty quick at that! So, it may not be application heaven, I don't really care! The color is just too perfect, I'd paint EVERYTHING this color if I had gallons of the stuff. It stayed on 4 days without chipping, so that wasn't bad either.

RBL polishes cost 18 USD for 12ml and Scrangie is still available at the RBL website!

Well dear reader, this was it for today, thanks for stopping by and be safe!
- Michèle

Diamond Cosmetics - Tranquility

2010-07-14T23:52:00.000+02:00

Tranquility

Tranquility. What a fitting name for this pretty little thing. This soothing blue creme by Diamond Cosmetics is a part of their 2010 Spring Collection. I love how peaceful, yet not boring, this color is!
I've read that Tranquility is a true turquoise but I don't really find that to be the case. A Robin's Egg blue is more like it. I didn't even know a color was named after the eggs of the Robin bird. Pretty cool!

While I'm normally really gung ho on more complex finishes, I really like this polish. I guess it's one of those "less is more" kinda things. Chanel somewhat declared light blues to be the next big thing for spring 2011, well, I'm ready, bring it on!

Application

Application wasn't bad, but it does need a tiny amount of thinner. I mixed in 4 drops of thinner and I was all set. Tranquility is very opaque, it's almost one coater, I needed to apply 2 coats to get it right.

Diamond Cosmetics polishes are quite cheap, depending on where you buy them. Boozyshop charges €3.95 for one bottle (12.6ml).

Boozyshop

This polish was sent to me for review by Boozy Shop. Boozy Shop is a lovely Dutch webshop, that sells a lot of great brands like Diamond Cosmetics, Essie, Sinful Colors, Milani, Wet 'n Wild and they even carry the famous 88 palettes. They ship throughout most of Europe, if you aren't sure if they ship to your country, don't hesitate to contact the owner, because she's incredibly helpful!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
- Michèle

No time to paint your nails?

2010-07-13T21:37:00.003+02:00

Sometimes I run into stuff... wow! These bad ass gloves are designed by London based designer Dominic Jones.

Founded in late 2008, London based Dominic Jones Jewellery is fast becoming hot property amongst the fashion elite. The new "It Boy" for celeb jewelry, designer Jones' Tooth And Nail collection consists of rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, belts and gloves embellished with fangs, thorns, teeth and claw-like accents.

Aren't these awesome? Probably not something I would dare to wear (and I'm cutting down on real leather as it is), maybe I'd give these a spin if I'd ever reincarnate as Lady Gaga herself!
These would be perfect to cover up any nail art fails/chips/stained nails, don't you think? ;-). They only cost 682 EUR, quite a bargain. Riiiight.

Price aside: Fashion of Faux-pas?

quote credits go to ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com

How To: Make your manicure last

2010-07-13T15:14:00.018+02:00

Hi guys! For today another how to post! Normally I change my polish a lot, but there are times when you want to make your manicure last! Maybe because you're busy or maybe because you're going on vacation, you name it. It isn't all that hard, take a look at the following tips:

1	Prep the nail Make sure you're starting off with clean nails. Get rid of any nail polish you might have on. By using a nail polish remover before you're starting your fresh manicure, you will clean the nails. If your remover leaves a greasy residue grab some alcohol on a cotton pad and wipe your nails with that. Any oils or residue on nails makes it more difficult for polish to adhere to the nail. Do your cuticles so everything is neat and out of the way.
2	Base & Top Coat A good base coat is really important. You're not walking around commando style either, are you? Or maybe you do, but erhm, anyway! A good base coat does not only prevent staining, it also bonds your nail polish to your nails. A top coat is to give shine, but also to keep everything sealed and in its place. You can also refresh your manicure daily with a layer of top coat, I don't do this often, but it does work.
3	Wrappin' it When applying polish, sweep a bit across the edge and under the nail tip. I usually just tap my brush, with some nail polish on it, against my tip before I start with the first layer. The polish wil melt together when you're done with your whole nail. By doing this you're wrapping the end, so it seals your nail polish onto your nail and it won't chip that easily. You can do this with your top coat as well!
4	Would you like a sandwich with that? Now this is something I've just started doing recently! Certain kinds of nail polish chip easily, maybe it's the texture, maybe the fact that a top coat ruins it all, but I've found this to work. You can use this trick with regular polish too. It is recommended to use sticky base coats when you're doing this so called sandwich. Think Orly Bonder or CND Stickey. If you don't have these: I had pretty good results with using top coat in between! Just make sure it doesn't give you shrinkage (like Seche Vite can do).
	Matte nailpolish Some brands that make matte nail polish advice against using a base coat. Ignore that, because some colors WILL make your nails yellow. Or green. Or blue. Obviously, if you're going for that crazy matte effect, you can't seal your mani with top coat. To make it stay: I apply a base coat, a layer of matte polish and then another layer of base coat. On top of that I'm just applying another layer of matte polish. Et voila, a nail polish sandwich! You can also do this if you're just mattifying with a matte top coat! Holographic nail polish I don't like to use a top coat on these either. It can really dull the effect so I do the same thing: base coat, holographic nail polish, base coat, holographic nail polish. Is this sandwiching making you hungry yet?

Image credits: www.fedoraonline.it

Fabuloustreet.com

2010-07-11T17:19:00.003+02:00

Since I post about Nfu Oh products every now and then I get a lot of questions where I buy these. There's actually a small list of etailers that carry the brand and one of them is www.fabuloustreet.com. It's a really nice website with awesome customer service and they have a wide range of Nfu Oh products. I've recommended this website to a lot of people. A LOT. It's even in my FAQ section. Turns out, there are some issues with the site so I feel obliged to let you know the following. Please note I'm not making this post to cause any panic or slander the company.

On The Nailboard over at www.makeupalley.com there have been postings ( 1 | 2 | 3 ) about how some (not all!) people ordered from this etailer, paid with creditcard and experienced weird fraudulent credit card purchases not long after that. Somehow something got messed up. They're already on it as you can read here:

Thank you very much for your message
I am very sorry that you are having this same problem as well as the other customers. We are starting a detail investigation on this. We will call our credit card handling company (Paypal) to work on this issue. As soon as we find out some information, we will immediately post on our News section for updates.

On the technical side, we never see credit card informations. When we process orders with our hosting software, we do not see credit card numbers, (only the last 4 numbers.) So I can ensure to you that it was not our staff. But like I mentioned before, I will do everything possible to find out what happen.

Thank you very much once again for your message and I hope we can end this problem once and for all

Use PayPal

I'm guessing it's most likely security holes instead of a malicious Fabuloustreet. So if you're placing an order, please make sure to use PayPal, which is a lot safer.

How To: Konad

2010-07-10T23:32:00.005+02:00

Hi everyone! For today I've got another how-to that has been requested a lot! I'm not saying this is the way to do it, because I'm sure everyone has their own preferences, but this is my take on it! The end result in the last picture is really awful, please forgive me, but I was working (too) fast because it's still subtropical in The Netherlands and I almost succumbed to the heat!

Before you start anything, you want to make sure you got the right stuff right in front of you. This will minimize little problems like knocking over very expensive nail polish remover or nail polish and the likes. (At the end of making these pictures I had nail polish on my cheeks and an almost empty bottle of Zoya Remove +).

Stuff you'll need

A medium file
Image plate
Stamp
Konad/Awesome pigmented polish
Konad special top coat (preferred)

Plastic Card
Nail polish remover/acetone
Cotton pads
Perseverance
A good mood

1. Roughen it up!

This is a step that you really don't want to skip. Just grab a medium file and file lightly over the stamp. If you don't do this, it most likely won't pick up nail polish at all.

2. Polishes

Before you start prepare a cotton pad (or more) with nail polish remover and lay it next to the plate. You'll have to clean the stamp (and sometimes the plate) after every go. By using something like tweezers to pick up the cotton pad you won't mess up your manicure.

The polish you use can really influence the end result. Konad sells special polish for stamping, but if you got some really nice pigmented (one coaters and such) nail polishes, you can use these too!
You don't have to fill the entire design on the plate, just apply a bit at one side of the pattern. (I accidentally kinda went overboard while I was taking pictures so you can use less than pictured).

3. Scrape

Most Konad kits come with a scraper. I don't like it. It's sturdy and damages your image plates like no other. Using a plastic card is easier on the plate and it's easier to move around anyway.
Scrape your polish from one side to the other, making sure the nail polish fills every gap in the design. Don't press too hard, because you don't want to scoop nail polish out of the grooves.

4. Be like Speedy Gonzalez

Speed is a really huge thing when you're Konad-ing. You really have to work fast or the polish will turn too dry to pick up with the stamp.

5. Stamp

After you applied nail polish, scraped around, immediately place the stamp on the design. You don't have to press hard, it will only mess up the design.

6. Press

Now you're good to go. Depending on your nail shape, there are several ways to stamp on the nail. My nails are a wee bit curvaceous, so I don't place the stamp flat, from the center. If you have really flat nails, I think this might work for you though.
I align the stamp to the side of my nails, making a circular movement while placing it on the nail. You want a steady, quick hand with this, or you'll end up with a design looking like mine :-P.

7. Top it off

When your done, it's time to get out the top coat. This can be a little bit tricky because it's very easy to smudge your fresh design. Konad has a top coat especially made for this. You can also use other top coats, just make sure it's not thick and apply it in a floating manner, like you're not really touching the nail with the brush.

Well, this is how I go around doing Konad. It's not something I really fancy doing, it can get very messy!

The nail polishes I used in this how-top are Color Club's Worth the Risque and Revvvoluton. Review coming soon!

Deborah Lippmann - Ruby Red Slippers

2010-07-09T17:37:00.005+02:00

Celebrating!

Hi guys! What's up? Today may not really be the time for vampy colors, since it's an excruciatingly hot summer day, but today is the day I've been blogging for six months so I wanted something festive! Only six months, it seems so long already!

Glitter

I think this polish is just fabulous! Red Ruby Slippers by Deborah Lippmann is a black jelly base with a mix of small and big ~~hexadecimal~~ hexagonal red glitter. Absolutely divine. It's like China Glaze's Lubu Heels on steroids!

Application

Polishes like these are never the easiest to apply though. You really have to be careful when it comes to the placement of the glitter, it can be all over the place! I actually had to use a stick to immediately push the glitter back in, away from the cuticle, while it was still wet. Normally I like to layer wet over wet, but this one needs a little bit of drying time between layers. But it's so stunning to look at, that I'm gladly taking this for granted!
You can wear this at two coats, but I applied 3. It does dry bumpy and not so glossy, so you definitely want to bring out the top coat. I applied 3 layers of Nubar Diamont to create a smooth glossy surface.

Deborah Lippmann polishes cost between $16-$20 for 15ml each. You can order them online at deborahlippmann.com

Thanks so much for stopping by and see you next time!
- Michèle

Review: Zoya Remove +

2010-07-09T10:35:00.008+02:00

Zoya Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover

"Zoya Remove Plus is an award wining, gentle, yet highly effective 3-in-1 nail polish remover, nail prep and nail conditioner. Longer nail polish wear starts with Remove Plus.
Polish remover is just the beginning of what this wonder 3-in-1 formula achieves. Clean and prep nails while moisturizing, nourishing and fortifying the nail plate for guaranteed extended polish wear. Nails are left without a trace of nail lacquer, without streaking or staining, hydrated and ready for a base coat."

Zoya Remove +

I received a mini bottle of Zoya's nail polish remover "Remove +" as a gift with an order and holy crap, I think I love it. There's not much in the bottle, only 2oz or 60ml but it was enough to suck me in.
I'm surprised that a formula with litte acetone in it does the job so well. It removes polish super fast, without a weird residue.

The thing I like about it the most is the fact that I can use this and my cuticles stay intact. They don't turn white, wrinkly or dry. No, they stay exactly the same. Normally, I can't swatch 12 polishes in one go because my fingers WILL start to decompose. Not with this. I'm being super thrifty with it, because I don't want to run out already!
It also takes pretty good care of glitter. I Remove + on OPI's malicious Absolutely Alice and it didn't take me hours.

Have all that and smell nice too!

If it works this good, it probably smells like chemical waste right? No, not at all! It's pleasantly fragranced, it smells like lavender, but not too strong.
Zoya Remove + comes in different sizes, besides the small one I got ($5.99 for 60ml) they also have the handy Big Flipper bottle ($9.99 for 240ml), that one has one of those nifty dispensers. They also have a big refill ($25 for 960ml).

What's not to like?

For me there are only two disadvantages, the availability and the price. Zoya isn't available in stores around here, so I'd have to order online, and I go through a LOT of remover. It isn't really cheap either compared to other removers I've been using. But if I could get my hands on this high quality product easily, I'd just suck it up and get it all the time. If you swatch a lot, I'd say it's absolutely worth it.

Ingredients

2-Propanone (Acetone), Water (Aqua), Glycerine, Fragrance, D and C Violet #2

Kiko 300 meets Nfu Oh 52!

2010-07-08T16:37:00.000+02:00

flake it up

Remember my review on Kiko 300? I actually wore this for quite some time, and on the second day I decided to add a little bit of extra spark!
After debating what to do with it (so many polishes, nothing to wear!), I picked out Nfu Oh 52, fabulous flakies in a blurple jelly base. You definitely can wear #52 alone, but it requires about 4 layers to eliminate the evil VNL (visible nail line), so lazy as I am, I went with layering.

Mhmmm cherries...

When I got #52, I expected to get a more purple jelly base, but the more you build it up, the bluer it gets.
Not only do you get duochrome flakies that flash from green, teal to blue, there's also green microglitter serving as the cherry on top. Doesn't that just suck?

I have to admit the flakies got a bit lost in the picture, since the base was already teal-ish blue to begin with, but I think it sure makes a nice mermaid-y manicure. AND I promise hereby to post the Nfu Oh on it's own and layered over several other colors soon!

Got some great layering suggestions? Please share!

Well dear readers, this post has come to an end! I thank you all for stopping by and wish you a great day!
- Michèle

ManGlaze - Fuggen Ugly

2010-07-07T20:42:00.000+02:00

Fuggen Ugly

Hi guys! After all the bling bling and gloss sometimes you just want to take it down a notch. Personally, I love my mattes, they just seem to add that little extra attitude when glossy nail polish just doesn't cut it. My favorite brand in mattes is ManGlaze, and I've showed some of their products already, but today it is Fuggen Ugly that gets all the attention. Don't you just love the name?

This grey matte nail polish with its pretty shimmer, dries in a heartbeat, but still allows several brushstrokes without causing a big streakfest. I applied 3 coats and it all dried pretty smoothly. Fuggen Ugly's finish isn't as matte as Matte Is Murder's, but it still remains far from being satin. Another great thing I keep mentioning is their fab artwork, every bottle is a little piece of art!

Sold out

At the moment Fuggen Ugly is sold out, but ManGlaze is bringing back a new and improved (more matte!) Fuggen Ugly, so keep an eye on their Twitter for more updates!

Fuggen Ugly costs $6.66 (\m/) online or $13 in stores.

Catrice Caramé Collection

2010-07-06T21:04:00.000+02:00

Caramé conjures up visions of an evening stroll over an oriental bazaar: it’s still very warm, despite the late hour. The air is laden with the smell of oriental spices. Dusk slowly lays its blanket of peace and quiet over the vibrant, pulsating bustle of the market between Persian tapestry, blackened bronze jewellery and expressive Indian fabrics.

Today I'll be showing you 3 out of 4 polishes that belong to the newest Limited Edition collection by Catrice: The Catrice Caramé Collection. Of course I wanted to cover all four, but I couldn't find them all :-(.

Catrice - Bronzed Brown

Pretty shimmery brown. I'm not a big fan of browns, but this one isn't that bad. I applied 2 coats and experienced no issues at all. I probably won't wear this one often though, since I have no outfit to match it with ;-).

Catrice - Oriental Orange

I wouldn't really call this a true orange, more an orange-y red. Nothing unique of course, but I can appreciate a good red when I see one. The thing I love about Oriental Orange, is the finish, it's a jelly. Jellies are usually extremely shiny, and this one is just like that.
But there's often one big downside when it comes to jellies: they're sheer. I had to apply 4 coats and I still had a visible nail line.. It goes one very smooth and nicely though!

Catrice - Spiced Bronze

This one's kinda fun. Spiced Bronze really lives up to its name, it's a bronze with a little bit of edge to it. Pretty cool. I applied 2 coats but after seeing the pictures I think it could've used a third. No other problems whatsoever.

The polish that's missing is Berry Bazaar, a pretty berry creme or jelly. If I find it I'll make sure it will be added to this post.

Overall conclusion

The formula of these is pretty good, they weren't as thick as some of the nail polishes from their core line. No bubbling, dragging or any other funky stuff, while it's pretty hot out here. The colors aren't really my cup of tea, but that just boils down to personal taste. I do think they did a very good job visualizing the theme they were going for. The price tag is a huge plus too, they only cost 2,49 EUR or 3.15 USD each and are now in stores!

Enter the giveaway by Catrice

If you're interested in winning this collection (entire collection, not just the nail polish), Catrice is giving away 30 sets! You'll only have to fill in the form here.

Sneak peeks at the Holiday season

2010-07-06T11:03:00.024+02:00

Just hear those sleigh bells jinglin', ring ting tinglin' tooooo. Wait, what? I'm chugging steam as we speak, since summer finally found its way to us. Is it to early to talk about collections for this winter? Probably, but I'm showing you this anyways ;-).

Orly - 'Tis the season

Orly comes up with six new shades, all embodying that Christmassy feel. The collection is called 'Tis The Season'. This name is actually very close to this years Christmas collection by China Glaze. So far this is all I know, if I find more information I'll update this post gladly.

China Glaze - Tis The Season To Be Naughty and Nice

Maybe you've seen this before, because China Glaze released their promo pics for upcoming Christmas collection already last february. It's called 'Tis the season to be Naughty and Nice'. Twelve new shades to celebrate Christmas in!

Naughty and Nice (deep plum crème)
Sugar Plums
Phat Santa (deep red crème)
Ruby Deer (red crème)
Mrs. Claus (red tinsel glitter in clear pink)
Party Hearty (glitter top coat)

Mistletoe Kisses (green & silver glitter)
Jolly Holly (green shimmer)
Peace on Earth (olive green shimmer)
Little Drummer Boy (rich blue shimmer)
Midnight Kiss (gold shimmer)
Cheers to You (silver shimmer)

What are your thoughts on these?

source: nailmail

ARTDECO - 275 - Sparkling Lilac

2010-07-05T22:32:00.000+02:00

ARTDECO

Crikey. Monday already. Everybody ready for a brand new week? Today I'm showing you another German gem I couldn't resist picking up: Sparkling Lilac (275) by ARTDECO. ARTDECO is a German brand but is sold throughout Europe and even Brazil and other exotic and faraway countries. In The Netherlands you can find this brand at Douglas stores.

This exceptional sparkly thing belongs to Glamour Noblesse Makeup Collection, ARTDECO's collection for last winter. In the bottle it's quite duochrome-y and this definitely shows up on the nail in certain lights. This is a glass flecked polish, not glitter, so no bumpy finish! I think it's super cool. The finish is actually reminding me a lot of those smashing new Zoyas.

Formula

What about 275's application? Less spectacular than its looks. The formula is a bit on the viscous side, but nothing unmanageable (yay for thinner). I applied 3 coats, 2 was almost enough though! Since I accidentally threw out my receipts that day, I'm not sure what the price tag is, but if I remember correctly ARTDECO polishes cost 5-7 EUR, which is not very cheap for 6ml.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
- Michèle

Kiko Cosmetics

2010-07-04T17:57:00.001+02:00

Kiko Cosmetics

Hi everyone! Happy 4th of July to a lot of you! Today I'm discussing a nail polish by a brand that until recently was an undiscovered treasure: Kiko. Kiko Cosmetics is originally an Italian brand but you can now find their products in Germany and Spain as well. On our trip to Germany we visited a Kiko store. Little beats the heartbeat skip, color me impressed. The store and products look really sophisticated, almost Mac-like, yup! But... everything is extremely low budget! I stupidly forgot to hold on to the receipt, but we're talking only a few euros per product here.

I only got a nail polish and a baked eye shadow at the time, call me dazed and confused. I'm about to kick myself in the face for not buying more.

Kiko - 300 - Pearly Malachite Green

According to the label the polish doesn't have a name, but the website tells me it's called "Pearly Malachite Green". It's not really green though, I'd think I'd best describe it as a slight duochrome-y tealish blue with a turquoise shimmer. If you look closely you can even see tiny pieces of glitter dispersed throughout the polish. It is a bit frosty, but not to the point where it's bothering me. Application was a piece of cake, 3 thin layers and you're ready to rock this awesome color.
Kiko Nail Polish does not contain aggressive ingredients such as Toluene, Camphor, DBP, Formaldehyde or Styrene Acrylate. And everything by Kiko is cruelty free!

Kiko - Colour Sphere Eyeshadow

To illustrate how pretty their products are I decided to show you this Colour Sphere Eyeshadow. This is a baked eyeshadow, you can use it either dry or wet. The pigmentation is really good and they have quite a color selection. Oh why didn't I buy more?!
Click on the quick swatch on the left to see the bigger version.

What are your thoughts on this brand?

China Glaze - Watermelon Rind

2010-07-03T20:09:00.000+02:00

Summer Days

Hi guys! I know this isn't the most recently released polish out there, but I think Watermelon Rind is so stunning I needed to post it. China Glaze's Watermelon Rind belongs to the Summer Days collection that came out in 2009. Ever since I laid eyes on swatches of this gorgeous thing I knew I had to have it. As you might have noticed I don't post a lot of China Glaze, simply because I was disappointed in some of their polishes. But I can wholeheartedly say, that this one didn't!

Formula

This glass flecked polish has a jelly texture, it needs 3 coats for perfect coverage and that's not half bad for a jelly. And It applied really well. Normally I wouldn't think teal would make such a perfect color for summer, but this one looks kinda... juicy. And fresh. It's perfect.

What's your favorite polish this summer?

Wicked Website: Wah Nails

2010-07-03T10:03:00.005+02:00

Hi guys! This morning I wanted to share another great website with you: Wah Nails.

Hooked

I once stumbled upon a great nail art design, turned out it was theirs and ever since I'm hooked! (The design I did.). This website belongs to a nail salon based in London, established in 2009. They do seriously incredible nail art and even Minx and Shellac. They also do work for Top Shop and work at events! How cool is that.
If you're someone that likes to get their nails done and you're in the area, I wouldn't hesitate for a bit and go see them.

Crazy inspiration

But, if you like to do your own nails, their website has tons and tons of inspiration. They post every creation on their site, I spent hours browsing in awe. The amazing (freehand!) designs they do are very creative and edgy, worth checking out for sure!

Review: Nfu Oh Flower Oil

2010-07-02T15:53:00.012+02:00

Ingredients

Nfu Oh Cuticle Flower Oil packed with nourishing botanicals and aroma essential herb oil. Real flower provide the great fragrance to your nails and cuticles. Nfu Oh Flower Oil filled enriched with Vitamin E and aroma esssential oils. It has mositurizer for penetrate deeply and quickly, softening into skin for healthy, growing natural nails.

Mineral oil, Aroma Essential Oil, and Dried Flowers.

Eye candy

For today I have a review on Nfu Oh's cuticle oils, named Flower Oil. Let me start off by saying these are hands down the prettiest cuticles oils I've come across so far. The oil is contained by the 'regular' Nfu Oh bottle we all know and love. The cap is shaped like a corset, and the bottle is a draped skirt with scroll and floral details, just as you'll find on the cap. On the bottom of each bottle you'll find dried flowers floating about which makes it incredibly cool to look at. So, when I placed a Nfu Oh order a while ago I just had to try these out. I got the Banana scented one and my mom chose the one that smell like Jasmine.

Is it all that?

I'm afraid the praise has to end here. While the smell is nice, this product isn't really doing anything for me. And my mom isn't a big fan either. It just doesn't feel like it's moisturizing at all. After some research online (the label doesn't list any ingredients), I found out what I already suspected: the main ingredient is mineral oil. Now the opinions are divided on this, but mineral oil (basically just baby oil) to me is pointless as it cannot penetrate the nails or skin. It can work as a sealant, so maybe it could do any good if you apply this after you rubbed in some Lemony Flutter.

Final judgement

I don't really understand why a brand with such great packaging and normally high quality products, would want to sell cheap ass oil that doesn't do jack. It isn't cheap either, depending on where you buy it you'll have to pay 8.55 EUR or 12.50 USD for 17ml.

Available Scents:

Vanilla
Banana

Sun Flower
Mango

Orange
Rose

Strawberry
Plumeria

Bubble Gum
Lavender

Peppermint
Jasmine

Diamond Cosmetics - Sparkling Sherry

2010-07-02T00:23:00.002+02:00

Hi guys! What's up? The weather here is incredibly hot and my laptop is burning my lap as well, so I'll keep this a short post. Today I'm showing you my what was actually my first encounter with the brand Diamond Cosmetics. (I know I've posted about Monarch Masquerade earlier, but I tried this one first). As always, trying out a new brand, I was a bit afraid in terms of the quality: will it be thick or goopy or streaky. Well, this polish was none of this stuff. I kinda fell in love with it actually. And let me tell you why!

The color is really rich, a beautiful glowy and sexy deep magenta, with a really great foil finish. And, this was believe it or not a one coater. I don't come across many one coaters so I was thrilled. It went on very smoothly, I think this one might end up as one of my go to polishes when I'm in a hurry!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
- Michèle

pollcode.com free polls
What if OPI becomes part of L'Oreal or Coty?
Honestly? Who cares. I'll keep buying it I'll have to think about it I'll stop buying it

Lacquerized - A blog about nail polish

Zoya - Ivanka

Ivanka

Formula

How to: find your 'borrowed' photos with Google Image Search

How to find your stolen photos with Google Image Search

Play by the rules

1. Go to http://images.google.com

2. Drag a photo from your hard drive directly into the search field

3. Hit the search button

4. Et voila: an overview of your photos!

Nfu Oh 51 Revisited

Nfu Oh 51

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Dazzle

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Fresh!

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Sapphire Sparkle layered over Misa's 'A sin worth commiting'

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Review: Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat

Top coat overload

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Cruelty Free & non-toxic

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Weird

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Hiya / OPI DS Glamour

Hi!

OPI DS Glamour

Out of the loop

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Crystal

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Updated: Another OPI collaboration: OPI teams up with Katy Perry!

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Back from my break!

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Be quick

Play with Color!

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Low Budget (Euro) Matte Top Coats Compared!

Euro - Brick & Mortar

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Likes / Dislikes

Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest

Hema Top Coat Matt

Catrice Matt Top Coat

Essence Matt Top Coat

Review: Lush - Smitten - Almond Icing Hand Cream

Lush Smitten

Like almond icing

Kind to mitts?

What's in it?

Ingredients

Dare to Discuss: OPI Up For Sale?

Cruelty free