Cute double lightning bolt


Hi guys! I felt like doing a double lightning bolt again :) This time it's a very cute and girly version, kind of like a badass princess mani, lol. I used two pinks from Essie for it: Lion Around and Your Hut Or Mine, from the 2011 Resort collection. I actually bought Lion Around (the lighter pink) just to complete the set of four, but I'm glad I did, because it looks so cute together with Your Hut Or Mine :) And I didn't have anything like it yet anyway. For the gold in the middle I used China Glaze 2030, my favorite, and to make the whole look softer, I applied a matt topcoat. Mine is from Essence. Hope you guys like it, thanks for reading!

My Kleancolor glitter polishes, part 2

Recently I ordered more of the popular Kleancolor glitters from Beauty Joint, I just couldn't resist. They look so amazing and unique, and they're so affordable. I'm dying to make some swatches for you guys, but the weather here has been bad lately! In the morning when I get up I'm blinded by the amount of sunlight, but quickly after I've had breakfast it gets terribly cloudy again. This happened like five days in a row now... Sigh. So until then I've got some pretty bottle shots for you, feast your eyes!

You can view my other Kleancolor glitters here.

Party Fever
V.I.P.
Holo Chrome
Black Out
Aurora
Chunky Holo Teal
Afternoon Picnic
Blind Date

Sporty French

Hi everyone! A short post today, since I'm still not feeling very well. A little while ago I showed you a beautiful green from Catrice, Run, Forest, Run! (LOVE the name and movie by the way). Today you can see how I upgraded the mani to a sporty French with a simple stripe design. The look instantly reminded me of sportswear, hence the name. The black polish I used for the stripes is Color Club Where's The Soiree?.

Flame job

Hi everyone, I have a very exciting post for you today! I did this flame design a little while back, I already had the idea for some time but didn't know how to execute it yet. Then I saw Rebecca's gradient tutorial. Rebecca's famous for her awesome gradient animal print manis, she uses the sponging technique to create the gradient and then makes an animal print using stamping plates. Her sponging technique was perfect for my flame design so I bought a few make-up sponges and followed her tutorial. Unlike Rebecca, I only used two colors to create the gradient, but it worked :) First I applied a yellow base color, Color Club Almost Famous, then to make the transition to the red I actually used a pink neon (Color Club Warhol). Warhol was perfect for the job, because it's sheer but not too sheer, had a great, smooth formula and the neon brightness made the flames look even hotter. After I was done with the gradient, I freehanded the flames and filled in the background with black. Flame on!

1000 followers!

Hi guys! 1000 followers! I'm so excited, thank you all so much for following my blog. Blogging has become a huge part of my life, I love doing it so much and it's wonderful to hear from you guys that you appreciate what I'm doing. It's what makes working on this blog even more fun and it keeps me motivated. So thank you! It means a lot to me.

Dim Sum Fun


Hi everyone! I felt like doing something fun on my nails, using one of my favorite color combinations: pink and blue. The fuchsia I used is OPI Dim Sum Plum, an amazing polish. It's simply perfect and a one-coater, hooray! Since I'd planned to do some taping for my accent nails, I chose for a base color that's pigmented and with a short drying-time, H&M Coral Summer. So shortly after Coral Summer dried, I was able to place tape strips on the surface to create the stripes, using Essence Chuck. Again a very pigmented color, really useful to do tape manis with, whether you're using it as your base or layering color. Guess that's about it, thanks for stopping by!

Orly Purple Pleather + Milani Jewel FX Silver


Hi guys, the other day I had a little party with some friends. I didn't have any time to do my nails that day, except shortly before the guests would arrive. I had about 30 minutes left, so I wanted something quick and fun that would scream "Partay!". And what better way to create a party on your nails than a sparkly layer of chunky glitter. The base color I picked was Orly Purple Pleather (which dries with a satin-matt finish) and on top of that I used one of my newest chunky glitter polishes, Milani Jewel FX Silver. The glitter was quite tricky to apply, some nails ended up with just one giant blob of glitter on only part of the nail, while the rest of the surface kept clear. But practice really makes perfect and I managed to spread the chunks evenly when I started on my second hand. The fast-drying topcoat that I usually reach for is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri, but glitter this big needs more than that. So I pulled out the big gun: Seche Vite. One thick coat of it was enough to get my nails smooth and dry before my friends arrived. Mission succeeded!

Orly - Viridian Vinyl


Hi guys! For today's post I'd like to show you one of my latest finds, the amazing Viridian Vinyl by Orly. Viridian Vinyl from the 2010 Plastix collection is a gorgeous, muted teal creme that dries with a soft satin-matt finish. The formula was a great pleasure to work with and though the polish seems sheer after the first coat, it does cover completely after the second. Another plus is the short drying-time. Matt polishes are known for drying very quickly and this polish is no exception.

Teals, so yummy... I can never never get enough of colors like this. Though I already own quite a bunch of teals similar to Viridian Vinyl, this polish is a keeper for sure! The main difference with my other teals is its satin finish, but on top of that it has a wonderful application and of course the convenient, rubberized cap.

Another polish I bought from Orly's Plastix collection is Purple Pleather, which applies just as well as Viridian Vinyl. I'm very happy with both these polishes and now even consider to buy the other two from the collection as well (Retro Red and Old School Orange), because so far the formula, finish and colors kick ass.
Thanks for reading!

Blue explosion


Hi guys :) Yesterday I showed you a lovely blue from Essence, Let's Get Lost. As I mentioned in that post, Let's Get Lost is a one-coater and therefore fast-drying, which is perfect if you want to use it as your base color for tape manis. So that's exactly what I did here. After the blue base color was dry, I cut some triangles out of tape to create the 'explosion' shape, which I used before in my 4th of July nails. Then I applied my favorite black creme over the tape, Color Club Where's The Soiree? and pulled of the pieces of tape right away and let it dry. I repeated this on each finger, but after I was finished, I still felt like something was missing. So I added another color, H&M Coral Summer (the lighter blue) and that fitted the bill :)

While making this mani I somehow kept thinking about how I would name this post, 'blue explosion'. And one thing led to another and before I knew it I was singing Black Eyed Peas' Boom, Boom, Pow all day long... "I got that boom boom pow!" My apologies if you are singing it with me now hahah. Have a nice day!

Essence - Let's Get Lost


Essence, you did it again. Let's Get Lost is a bright, aqua blue creme with a perfect smooth formula, perfect application and... it's a one-coater! Yes, pictured is only one coat, no topcoat, isn't it awesome? On the pictures there's still a tiny bit of visible nail line, but fear not, it's not noticeable in real life.

Because Let's Get Lost is a one-coater, it has also a short drying-time, which makes it a wonderful base color for a tape mani. So, that's what I used it for and the result will be posted tomorrow ;-) Good night!

OPI The "It" Color + black crackle


Hi everybody, recently I ordered some OPI polishes and one of those was OPI The "It" Color. I'm a huge OPI fan, with a weakness for their amazing glitter polishes but their cremes are wonderful as well, so lately I've been collecting more of those. I love their formula and the handy brush. The "It" Color had been a lemming for a while. I was searching for a pretty, warm and wearable yellow that would also apply nicely, which usually isn't the case with yellows. I had high hopes for The "It" Color, since I heard its application was pretty okay for a yellow and that it would cover in two coats. Too bad that's not the case with mine :-( The formula was alright, but I can't say the same for the application. No matter how careful I was with applying the polish, it kept leaving bald spots. After three coats it got less but the spots were still subtly visible here and there. So to hide those I added a black crackle from Barry M which made it better, yay :) I wish The "It" Color was as perfect as other OPI cremes, like Jade Is The New Black or Suzi Says Feng-Shui, but sadly it isn't. However I do love the warm, almost orange, yellow color. So I'll definitely give it another try soon and hopefully I can take all the bad words I said about it back then. What about you guys, have you found your perfect yellow yet?

Catrice - Run Forest Run!


The other day I ran into this green pretty, I instantly loved it and needed it! Which was really surprising, because I remembered not liking it the first time I saw Run, Forest, Run!, so what's up with that? After reading The Polished Perfectionst's post about this polish, I knew what was going on; Catrice has two versions of this polish! The older version is a tradtional forest green, while the new one is a much lighter, muted green with a tad of blue which makes it lean towards emerald. Besides the color I also fell in love with the perfect formula and application. Just two smooth coats and you're good to go, a winner.

Price: €2.49 for 0.34 fl.oz./10ml

Vacation mani


Hi everyone! My absence was a little bit longer than expected, since I don't have decent internet connection since a few days. But at the moment I'm at my parents, so I can finally share some nail joy with you again! I spent my vacation together with the BF and some friends, it took place in the Netherlands, somewhere near the coast. Unfortunately we didn't really got the chance to enjoy the neighbourhood very well because the entire land was suffering from the worst storm in years that week. Most days were extremely cloudy and dark. So I didn't feel like doing my nails much either, because without proper lighting, doing a mani can be such a pain in the ass! But between the cloudy days, there was a brief, dry moment with intense sun where I quickly snapped some pics of the cheerful mani I'd done earlier. I was wearing Rimmel Fancy Fuchsia with two coats  Essence Circus Confetti, partay! When I took these pictures I had the mani on for almost two days so afterwards I mattified my left hand for a quick little change. I needed to see the look mattified, but I also couldn't say goodbye to the glossy version, so 50-50 it was... Hope you had a great week yourself too and I'll see you again soon :)

Holo lightning bolt


(This is a scheduled post, I'm on vacation!)

Hello guys! The lightning bolt's been away for a while, but it's back now! Did you miss it? ;-) For this double lightning bolt, I used the same technique as usual, only now the middle part is diverging, making the whole somewhat playfuller. As my previous attempts on using Gosh Holo as a layering color miserably failed, I used it as the base color this time (clever!). Which is time-saving too since Gosh Holo is a one-coater and fast-drying. Then I taped off the holo part and applied Color Club Where's The Soiree? on top. I must've said this like a gazillion times, but Where's The Soiree? is just wonderful for tape manis. It's so extremely pigmented and even when it's used over another polish, it dries with the speed of light. So quickly after that I was ready to tape my nails again and used Essence Bella for the tips. Done!

If you like this look just have a look at the tutorial for this design if you haven't already. I know it takes a lot of patience but practice really makes perfect and I've already seen many beautiful and succesful attempts from you! They make me proud :) Thanks for visiting!

Essie - Going Incognito


(This is a scheduled post, I'm on vacation!)

Hello everyone! Today I'd like to show you Essie's Going Incognito from their 2010 winter collection. Since I have a weakness for everything blue, green and in between (teals and turquoises) it was no wonder that I needed this baby to be part of my collection. And that's how I ordered my first bottle of Essie.
Not only the color is wonderful in my opinion, so is the formula. It's smooth, easy to apply and with two coats you've got full coverage. However, and I'm pretty embarrased to say this, despite of its beautiful shade and nice application, this polish has been an untried for over six months and still is, since this was only a swatch. Other polishes just keep taking its spot. On the other hand, it is the middle of summer now and the color is more something for fall or winter. But gorgeous it is so I've got high hopes for Going Incognito once fall has arrived. I hope that's not too soon though, because I'm still enjoying summer waaay too much! See ya :)

Navy tips


(This is a scheduled post, I'm on vacation!)

Good afternoon fellow nail polish lovers! For this post I have a nautical funky French to share with you. The day I made this I was wearing OPI Big Apple Red. To spice it up I added blue tips with OPI Russian Navy. I really like this simple funky French, the tape design instantly adds that nautical vibe, reminding of the rims of sailor outfits. I used Russian Navy for the blue tips instead of a regular navy, because besides that it covers so well, its shimmer with subtle red just gives it something special. Okay, not that anyone from my environment would notice, because nobody looks at nails from such an insanely short distance but me. (Even the BF makes fun of it somtimes: "Look at my naaails! See that subtle shimmer?! Look, you see?!", while holding his hand in an awkward claw pose in my face.) I guess having that super subtle shimmer on my nails is like wearing sexy underwear, nobody who'll notice but it makes you feel prettier and more self-confident. You know what I mean? ;-)
Enjoy your day!

China Glaze - Lighthouse


(This is a scheduled post, I'm on vacation!)

Hello readers! For this post I'd like to show you China Glaze Lighthouse from this year's spring collection Anchors Away, this bottle was kindly sent to me for review by China Glaze. Lighthouse is a glass fleck shimmer in a sheer yellow base. I swatched it before on one nail, but to get it somewhere near opaque, I had to apply at least four coats, so pictured is only one coat over two layers of Color Club Almost Famous. The formula was perfect, not too thick or thin, just right in the middel, leaving a smooth, sparkly finish, which reminds me of China Glaze Whitecap (from the same collection). Though Lighthouse is very sheer, the yellow base definitely shows, even after just one coat, but unfortunately it's not the kind of yellow I love. On it's own it looks too warm and too muted, I just don't like it on my skintone, especially combined with the subtle yet visible nail line after too many coats of polish. But when Lighthouse is added over a fresh, bright yellow like Almost Famous, it looks so delicious. Love! What do you think of Lighthouse?


Variation on the V-gap, part 2


(This is a scheduled post, I'm on vacation!)

Hello guys! When I posted this mani a while ago, I never showed you the rest of the experimenting, I completey forgot I had these pictures! In total I already had two V-shapes in my design, but that wasn't enough for me so I added yet another V, upside down, which left some space for me to place a rhinestone in. I normally don't like rhinestones very much, because they can easily look tacky in my opinion. But in this case I thought it might add that little bit of oomph to the whole, what do you think of it? And what are your opinions on rhinestones in general? Have a nice one :)

Before the rhinestones

H&M - Peppermint Fusion


(This is a scheduled post, I'm on vacation!)

Good afternoon everyone, for today I have another H&M winner: Peppermint Fusion. It's so pretty! I really have nothing bad to say about it. Peppermint Fusion is a periwinkle blue polish with a light blue shimmer. Kind of like a periwinkle version of No Mambo Jambo (which was also a big hit in my opinion). That blue shimmer really compliments the base color and makes this polish so mesmerizing. Besides the fantastic color, it has a great formula. With the first coat, it seems a bit sheer, but fear not, pictured is only two coats, which was enough to eliminate VNL. Peppermint is already becoming one of my all time favorites, I don't own anything like it yet. It's fresh and girly and classy and... Just wow. So what are you waiting for? RUN to the stores, RUN!  But please don't trip and break a nail... :P Thanks for visiting guys :)

Price: €3.95 for 0.3 fl.oz./9ml