Diava's Lacquer Box

ASP Professional Soak Off Gel Removal System - Soak Off Nail Caps and Foams

2016-08-09T11:00:00.001+01:00

I've always found the only downside to having a gel manicure to be the pesky removal process, spending ages cutting out foil sheets and prepping cotton wool etc. I came across a lot of reviews online for Nail Mates: A new system of pads and foams to help speed up the removal process. A lot of the reviews I saw seemed very positive but as I live in the UK, I didn't fancy paying for international delivery. On my Last trip to Sally's I was delighted to see an exact dupe for this product made by ASP.

The system comes with 10 caps and 20 "disposable" foam pads (I found I could use the same foam pads several times so not too disposable after all :) ) They also have a pack of 50 foam refills which is really handy. You can find the Soak Off Gel removal system in the UK at salon services here for £7.99 I can't find the refills on the site but they cost £4.99 in store.

Alongside this kit you're going to need a few other things for the removal process:

1. Gel Polish Remover or Pure Acetone (bottle pictured here is 500ml and only £2.99 from Sally's works just as well if not better than some gel removers I've tried)

2. Hoof stick or Metal cuticle pusher stick

3. Very gritty nail file/block

4. ASP Soak Off Gel Removal System

The Steps

Firstly you need to remove the shiny layer from your gel polish using a rough nail file. Do each nail until you have a rough sanded finish and no trace of shine (this step is vital at speeding up the removal process, if you don't buff off the shiny layer the acetone won't be able to penetrate into the polish as well and removal will take ages longer).

Once you're done sanding :) It's time to apply the gel caps. The directions on the box said to apply acetone to a foam pad then place the pad into the pink cap before applying the cap to your nail. So I followed this procedure on all five nails and voila:

I always do one hand at a time when removing gel polish as I like to have one hand free to do other things, (cue Candy Crush lol) I left these on for around 15 minutes.

Remove first pad and check if polish is loose and peeling, if it is go ahead with the hoof stick or cuticle pusher and carefully remove the polish taking care not to scrape the nail bed, if the polish is ready it should just fly off the nail, if thats not happening you need to soak the nail for another 5-10 mins. For me the 15 minutes was plenty and all the polish came off pretty easily.

When you're done be sure to apply some cuticle oil to your cuticles, as the acetone can dry them out!

On my first use the pink caps looked a bit stretched and I was concerned this would affect their effectiveness next time, but thankfully they had bounced back to their tighter original shape by the next time I took them out to use, so don't worry if that happens to you, they just spring back into shape which is excellent!

The Verdict

I absolutely love this system. I found the foam refills can be re used (gone three times with the same pads so far and no problems), which makes this system extremely cost effective. It's a lot quicker than the traditional foil system, and a lot less aggravating (the amount of foil I've had to throw out from rippage ahhhhhhhh). So if you're looking for a way to speed up you're gel removal process I seriously recommend you give these babies a try!

Red Carpet Manicure Escape To Paradise Collection 2016 - Until The Sun Sets - Neon Coral Gel Polish

2016-08-05T09:38:00.000+01:00

Having become obsessed with gel manicures, particularly Red Carpet Manicure's Gel system, I have longed for a collection of neon shades. (Up until now the only neon gel polish I've had was Red Carpet Manicure - Star Power a vibrant neon pink you can read more about the shade here)

So when Red Carpet Manicure Announced their Escape To Paradise collection for summer 2016, and I saw six brand new neon shades I was absolutely beyond eager to try them all out.

First up from the Collection is Until The Sun Sets a stunning coral neon gel polish.

5 days of wear and still as vibrant as day 1

Neon Polish is extremely hard to photograph, and from all these photos I think the first one above is the most colour accurate shot I could get.

Until The Sun Sets is a bright but very wearable neon coral shade, with a creme finish, that maintains its vibrant shade and insane level of shine for the duration of the manicure. (mine lasted 14 days, with no chips I only had to remove the polish because of insane regrowth at the cuticle).

Up until now my go to neon coral shade has been China Glaze Flip Flop fantasy (see below)

Flip Flop Fantasy is probably a tiny bit more vibrant than Until the Sun Sets, but it has very little staying power even when compared to regular polish. I'd usually go maybe two days without some chips, and the colour was very sheer so took many coats or a layer of white polish underneath to reach full opacity.

Back to Until The Sun Sets. I did Have to apply three coats to reach full opacity with this shade, but considering the finish and duration of wear offered by gel polish this is no problem at all!

As with all gel shades its very important to keep coats very thin and resist the temptation to apply thicker coats as they simply won't cure as well.

Here's a few more photos of this awesome polish:

I absolutely love Until The Sun Sets. It's an absolute must have for a summer holiday manicure. I'm seriously looking forward to trying out other shades from this collection. Stay posted for more.

Hearts French Manicure - With Born Pretty Stamping Plate review

2014-08-05T14:38:00.001+01:00

I'm really keen on patterned French Manicures, so I couldn't wait to try out some of the fun designs on Born Pretty's French Stamping plate, which was recently sent for review. The plate has 8 different designs, 4 of the designs are very similar to those on Konad Plate M56, which coincidently is the plate I used for the manicure in my last post.

As I was still wearing my Red Carpet Gel manicure (2 weeks!!!) in Glitz and Glamorous a gorgeous crimson red shade, I thought the heart design would work well.

What I used

Stamping Plate F10 $2.99 from Born Pretty Store

Konad Stamper, Scraper and Special Polish in White

Base Polish - Red Carpet Manicure 132 Glitz and Glamorous

The stamping plate comes packaged as above, with a clear blue film you must remove before using

Being an avid Konad Fanatic I was very keen to try Born Pretty's Stamping plates. I can report Born Pretty's Plate worked just as well as my Konad plates, the only difference; I found the images on Born Pretty's Stamping plate ever so slightly smaller than the corresponding designs on my Konad Plates, however they fit across my nails perfectly with no problems :D

Here's a few photographs of some of the other designs on the F10 Plate:

The To see more great Nail Art sets from Born Pretty click here, for an extra 10% off use coupon code CEB10 :)

ModCloth Nail Klub and Dresses Challenge - Nail Art Manicure Inspired by Shortcake Story Dress

2014-07-25T14:58:00.000+01:00

I was recently invited by ModCloth to take part in a rather exciting nail art challenge:

To create a stylish manicure inspired by one of ModCloth's fabulous dresses. I was sent a link to the following blog entry for inspiration.

After spending a while browsing through the gorgeous range of dresses, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful Short Cake Story Dress in Red - A gorgeous cute/chic summer dress with an equally cute name :)

The second I saw the dress I knew I had the perfect Konad Stamping plate to create a funky french manicure to mimic the the overall look of the dress.

Shortcake Story Dress and Manicure

I started this look using Red Carpet Manicure's gel system in 132 Glitz & Glamorous - a gorgeous lit from within shimmery crimson shade. I went with a gel base as it would be immediately dry and ready for nail art. (you can find out more about Red Carpet Manicure's Nail system over here)
I used the floral french manicure design from Konad Plate M56 with White Konad Special Polish
I created the Black line using a permanent fine nib marker pen
After allowing the design to dry completely I applied Seche Vite carefully in 3 strokes.

Konad Plate M56 - floral design

I really enjoyed this challenge, it was a lot of fun to create and I will definitely do more fashion inspired manicures in the future!

Bright Neon Spots Manicure - with Born Pretty Nail Art

2014-07-22T11:17:00.000+01:00

Another bright Nail Look for Summer, this manicure was created using Seche Porcelain, an opaque white nail polish and multi coloured circular nail art flecks which were sent for review from the Lovely people at Born Pretty Store.

How:

Apply 1 coat of Base Coat (I use Seche Retain)
Apply 2-3 coats of white opaque nail polish (Seche Porcelain) ensuring you have an even opaque finish
Apply Seche Vite to the area you want to stick the nail decals
Using A hoof stick Carefully apply the Decals to your chosen area, or if you want a more random coverage you can dip your nail into the pot of nail decals
Apply 1 coat of Seche Vite and allow to dry completely

The multi coloured circular glitter flecks come in two sizes 1mm and 2mm, the picture below gives u a better idea of the sizes and colours.

The box is packed with literally thousands of these little flecks, so you can get loads of uses from them. They are also very versatile, you can apply them with a hoof stick for precise placement, or even pour them into a clear nail polish bottle to create a seriously funky nail decal polish for layering. I opted to go with a white base as it seemed more fitting for a bright summer manicure, but I'm sure these would look just as awesome over an opaque black for a bright 80s themed manicure!

These Nail Decals cost $4.36 and you can find them over here, if you do decide to try these nail decals out please don't forget to use your exclusive coupon code CEB10 for an extra 10% off To see more great Nail Art sets from Born Pretty click here

Pantone Colour of The Year 2014 - Radiant Orchid

2014-06-10T22:04:00.000+01:00

For 2014 Pantone's colour of the years is a warm dusky lilac shade - Radiant Orchid, you can click here to view more information on this year's colour of the year.

Here are a few gorgeous shades in the same vein as Pantone's Radiant Orchid, you can click on the original post link to find out more about the shades.

Essie - Nice is Nice original post

OPI - Planks A Lot original post

Zoya - Perrie original post

What do you think of Pantone's Colour of the year? Do you have any suggestions for more similar shades?

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover - The best Nail Polish Remover of all time? And it's Acetone Free

2014-06-09T08:19:00.000+01:00

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover boasts "1 second per nail without cotton wool". It also states the product is acetone and paraben free. Currently £4.99 at boots, its also included in their 3 for 2 offer so you can get 3 bottles for under £10.

Lets face it all of this sounds too good to be true, I've tried various brands' "acetone free" formulas and have always come to the conclusion that it takes double if not triple the time to remove nail polish, so Ive tended to always go back to acetone based nail polish removers. So I was extremely sceptical about this product, however as I'm always keen to give new things a go I picked up a bottle about 3 months ago in Boots.

How?
firstly a word of caution, though this may seem pretty obvious, make sure you are holding the bottle completely upright before you open the lid. The slightest tilt when opening the lid will result in liquid pouring out the sides and precious remover wastage!

Stick your finger in the small hole and begin twisting, I found doing 2/3 twists then switching direction to be most effective.

Remove finger and...

The Result?
Well firstly it has to be the best nail polish removed I have ever used, yes ever! The 1 second per nail is a mild exaggeration as it does take a little bit of twisting but in all honestly, less than 10 seconds and your nail is completely polish free, I was literally gapping when I took my finger out the jar to reveal a completely free of polish nail. Less than a minute and a full hand is nail polish free, no acetone soaked cotton to dispose of, no mess and most wonderful of all no horrid acetone scent. On the jar the scent is described as Red fruit and vanilla fragrance, coupled with nourishing sweet almond oil, these leaves your hands feeling soft and not reeking of acetone.

I've used the remover for all types of polish, light colours, dark colours, metallic thick polishes, glitters, and it works brilliantly will all types, and is so much quicker than the standard cotton soaked with remover method.

I was initially sceptical about how long the product would last, but I'm in my third month and it's still going strong. It truly is magic!!!

Pros
Quickest method of polish removal I've ever tried
No mess
No cotton wool required
Small and easy to store and travel with
Acetone and paraben free formula
Pleasant Scent
Feels Moisturising
Great Value for money
Long Lasting
No cotton bits stuck to your nails

Cons
Not suitable for toe nails
After a month or so little black bits of the foam do come off on your nail, but one scrub and this is all removed!

10/10!!!!

Neon Stars Manicure - with Born Pretty Fluorescent Star Nail Stickers and Illamasqua Scorn

2014-06-07T10:08:00.003+01:00

These neon star shaped nail stickers were sent for review from Born Pretty Store

How to apply

Apply base polish of your choice, I used Illamasqua Scorn; a lovely rubbery textured black nail polish.
Allow polish to dry completely
Carefully use a hoof stick to lift the sticker
Carefully apply the sticker to the nail
Use the flat end of the hoof stick to smooth the sticker in place
Optional Add topcoat for a super shiny finish

Illamasqua Scorn and Neon Stars without Top Coat

Illamasqua Scorn and Neon Stars with Top Coat

These nail stickers are so easy to apply and they really stand out great over a black base polish!

They cost $1.59 and you can find them over here, if you do fancy trying them don't forget to use your 10% off discount code CEB10!

Cocktail Manicures - No. 2 Strawberry Fields Daiquiri - With Born Pretty Fruit Decals and China Glaze Strawberry Fields

2014-05-24T09:30:00.000+01:00

Next up in Cocktail Manicures is a Strawberry Daiquiri, and what better polish to use as a base than one of China Glaze's greatest creations: Strawberry Fields.

Strawberry Fields Daiquiri

This Manicure features China Glaze Strawberry Fields as the base polish, OPI I Lilly Love You from the Nice Stems collection on the tips, and the pink Strawberries from Born Pretty's 3D Fimo fruit nail decals, which was sent for review, you can read a full tutorial on how to apply the decals over here:

Strawberry Daiquiri Cocktail

Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

China Glaze Strawberry Fields has got to be one of my favourite polishes from China Glaze, it's the perfect pink for summer, a build-able jelly base (this was two coats) with gorgeous glass flecks of gold it literally beams in the sunshine, and fits perfectly for a bright vibrant cocktail themed manicure. OPI I Lilly Love you is great for complimentary tips, the polish is a very sheer pink toned glitter with lots of lovely random shaped flecks. They look pretty great combined together.

You can find the 3D Fruit shaped nail decals from Born Pretty over here and don't forget your 10% off code CEB10 :)

Cocktail Manicures - No.1 Tequila Sunrise Manicure - with Born Pretty Fimo Fruit Pieces

2014-05-16T11:20:00.000+01:00

I was recently sent a lovely collection of fruit shaped fimo pieces to review from Born Pretty Store, and with a stroke of luck the sun has just begun to show its face over here in the UK. It's actually a beaming hot lovely day, so I thought it would be a great time to start a season of Cocktail themed manicures to celebrate the sunshine. First up a Tequila Sunrise.

Cocktail Manicure - Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise Cocktail

Photo By Theculinarygeek

Tools

Born Pretty 3D fruit fimo pieces

Base Coat - Seche Restore

White Nail polish - Seche Porcelain

Neon Orange Polish - China Glaze - Sun Worshiper from China Glaze Poolside Collection

Neon Yellow Polish - China Glaze - Yellow Polka Dot Bikini from China Glaze Poolside Collection

Glitter Polish - China Glaze - Snow Globe from China Glaze Let it Snow Collection

Top Coat - Seche Vite

Wooden Hoof Stick

Dotting Tool

Bit of Sponge

Born Pretty 3D fruit pieces

The fruit pieces come in a lovely little box, with a see through hole you just slide round to take out the piece of fruit you desire. For my first manicure I went with the orange pieces.

How

Apply Base Coat
Apply 1 coat of Seche Porcelain (a white base always helps Neon colours apply more even and opaque)
Allow to dry
Apply 2 coats of China Glaze Sun Worshiper, one great thing about neon polishes is they tend to dry quicker than normal nail polish, which is great for a gradient manicure
Using a sponge gradually apply China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini to achieve a gradient effect
Once Dry Carefully apply China Glaze Snow Globe to the tips for your sugar sprinkle effect.
Apply Seche Vite and allow nails to dry completely

Applying Fimo Oranges

Apply a tiny spot of Seche Vite where you want the nail decal to go
Using a hoof stick carefully apply the fimo piece on the nail
Using the dotting tool carefully press down the edges of the decal so it adheres strongly to the nail bed
Apply Seche Vite to seal the decal

I have to admit, I didn't think this manicure would last more than a day or two, but I'm onto day 4 and all the fimo pieces are still in tact :) I absolutely love these little fruit pieces, they can really spice up a summer manicure, and are going to be a vital part of my cocktail themed manicure season. Here's a few more piccies :D

Depending on how you use these you could get 12-20+ manicures from them. They are so easy to apply, and top coat really holds them in place so you'll get more than a few days wear from them :D If you would like to try out these Fruit Decals click here They are only $1.79 for 120 pieces, and if you do decide to try them don't forget to use the 10% off code below :D

Anyway hope you've enjoyed the first part of Cocktail Manicures Season, there will be more to come :D

Born Pretty Silver Nail Studs Review

2014-05-07T13:58:00.001+01:00

The Wonderful people at Born Pretty Store recently sent me these silver nail art studs to review.
I've include the one penny piece in the picture below to give you an idea of the actual size of the studs.

These particular studs were 2mmx2.5mm, there are other sizes and colours available as well.

Tools

Base Nail Polish
Born Pretty Nail Art Studs
Seche Vite Top Coat recently thinned with Seche Restore
Two hoof sticks, one with some cotton wool attached
A clean surface to work on
A lot of patience :)

How

Apply base polish and finish with Seche Vite to speed up the dry time
Ensure the nail is completely dry 1-2 hrs
Decide where you want the studs to go and apply one tiny drop of Seche Vite to a small spot on the nail, where you want to place the first stud
Apply a tiny amount of Seche Vite to the cotton covered hoof stick
Use the cotton covered hoof stick to pick up the stud
Carefully place the stud over the spot of Seche Vite
Use the other hoof stick to carefully reposition the stud exactly where you want it
Repeat this process for placement of all other studs
Optional finish with top coat to further seal the studs

The Results - 3 different looks

A Line of Studs

with Illamasqua Scorn a matte finish polish and Illamasqua Load for the accent nail

This was probably the trickiest out of the 3 manicures, it's quite hard work to get the studs perfectly straight.

Random Studs

with OPI Suzi Skis in The Pyrenees Suede

This was definitely the easiest of the 3, as there's a lot more room for error, and the randomly placed spikes really look effective.

French Studs

With Nails Inc Magnetic Effect Polish in Trafalgar Square

Probably the least practical of the bunch, but perfect for a night out, a very unique and punky take on the french manicure, and the magnetic polish really works great as a base for studs.

You can create so many different style manicures with these studs, I opted for an accent nail, but there's no reason you can't do a whole hand. The tiny size of the studs means you do need a rather steady hand and a lot of patience, I imagine the larger studs would be far easier to apply.

I found these manicures lasted around 1-2 days before the first stud dropped. To be honest it's definitely not an every day manicure, as the studs can get in the way, you certainly want to take care wearing hosiery with these studs :) but for a night out they make for a really cool alternative manicure. I really enjoyed these and will definitely be re-using them!

if you're interested in trying these out for yourself click here, you get 100 studs for $4.33, and you can receive 10% off your order by using the coupon code below :D

Red Carpet Manicure (gel polish system) Star Power (neon pink)

2013-07-30T11:58:00.000+01:00

I've never tried gel nail polishes before, so this system was completely new to me, but I've heard great things from friends who've had a gel manicure at the salon. The most appealing factor, a manicure for up to 2 weeks with no chips. As my manicures have never really stayed chip free for more than 3 days max I've been very eager to try this out for myself. Needless to say I'm not a fan of having my nails done at the salon, I'm very fussy about buffing, and every time I've had a "pro" manicure, I've left with bleeding cuticles, not a good look!

Up until now Gel Manicure systems were a little out of my price range, with UV lights costing £100 and up, and also the curing time of 3 minutes a coat, was a slight put off. So I was most intrigued when I came across the Red Carpet Manicure System, an "at home" gel nail polish system that promised the same results you can expect from a salon manicure, only with a new LED UV light that promised to cure each layer in just 45 seconds :O

This did sound a little too good to be true, so I searched the internet for reviews, and I was pleased to find mostly positive reviews stating the system did all it claimed, and although it would need a lot of practice to get the right technique, it was completely feasible to create an "at home" gel manicure.

I searched around to find a starter kit at a reasonable price, the best I could find was on QVC uk, and it was an amazing deal. I'll leave the details of the kit for another post, right now I want to get to my first gel manicure, which was a massive success. Along with the kit I popped to Sally's to buy a few more colours. Red Carpet Manicure have a gorgeous Neon Range for summer out at the moment, so I went with Star Power a vibrant Neon pink:

I will try and provide a more detailed tutorial with photos in a later post, but for now here's an idea of the process: (due to the size of the LED light, its best to complete 4 fingers on one hand, then the other 4, and do the two thumbs together at the end)

1. file nails to desired shape

2. apply cuticle remover/softener and push back cuticles using a hoof stick or cuticle pusher, use cuticle cutters to snip any edges

3. gently buff the surface of the nail bed removing and shine, I used the buffer stick and pad that came with the kit:

I cant tell you how much I love this tool, it makes buffing the nail bed so much easier, and you don't end up with a buffer thats worn in the middle and still new on the edges, love it!

4. apply the "Purify" (alcohol based) liquid using a lint free pad to all the nails to remove excess oils from nail bed

5. apply "Prep" over the first four nails to dry out the nail bed and prep the nails for the base coat.

6. Apply a very thin (this is really important as thick coats won't cure as well) coat of "Structure" Base Coat to the 4 nails ensuring you wrap the polish over the tip and cure under the UV LED lamp for 45 seconds (it has a timer so switches off automatically which is handy)

7. Apply a very thin coat of colour, in this case Star Power, to the 4 nails wrapping around the tip and cure under the lamp for 45 seconds, repeat up to three times to get full opacity. I did two coats

8. Apply a thin coat of "Brilliance" Top Coat over the 4 nails again ensuring to wrap over the nail tip, and cure for 45 seconds

9. Using a lint free pad apply "Purify" again over each nail, this is to remove the tack residue the nails will have at this stage.

10. Repeat this process with the other hand, and finally your two thumbs and your good to go!

Tips:

When applying the gel make sure you dont touch the cuticle, or the polish will peel off.

The Gel won't dry until you cure it under the light, so you can clean up any gel thats gone on your fingers easily before putting it under the lamp.

Be Patient and use very thin coats

Wrapping each coat is vital or you will get tip shrinkage.

Considering this was the first time I've tried Gel Polish, I was really surprised to find how easy it is to create a gel manicure at home. I absolutely love it. The best thing: there's no sit around and wait to dry time, once you've finished the last step your nails are rock hard and good to go!!

I had no chips at all after 7 days, and that is an absolute first for me, around day 11 I had a minor chip, but by then there was a lot of growth at the cuticle and that's the main reason I took off the manicure. its still going strong on my toe nails after two weeks :D

The Colour

Star Power is a gorgeous Neon for summer, It's a vibrant pink with some coral undertones, which makes it a lot more wearable than a typical hot pink neon. It's a creme finish so no shimmer, and looks great with a tan. The nails maintained their super glossy finish the whole time I wore the Manicure. Depending on your preference it will take 2-3 coats to get an opaque finish.

Here are a few more photos through the week:

My Wedding Manicure - French manicure with Seche and Nail Art

2013-07-17T18:31:00.000+01:00

This is perhaps the longest I've ever been away form blogging :( many many apologies for my lack of updates but its been a little crazy this year, I got married in March :), so most of my year has been spent organising the wedding and honeymoon, and I'm just about returning to some semblance of normality :) I've had a bit of time off this week, so thought it was a good time to try and start up this blog again :D And what better way to begin than with my wedding manicure :D

I was too caught up in wedding mania to take a photograph of my manicure (oops), but thankfully, my wonderful photographer snapped a few shots :D here are a few close up crops (all photos by eyeimagine.co.uk)

I used Seche's French Manicure kit, and some stickers I bought in Sally's, the stickers were called Instant Nail Art by Nailtopia (Nagelkunst), I've used this brand before on a halloween manicure aeons ago, here's a link. The stickers have a lovely texture and really made the french manicure look a lot more special, here is the kit I used:

French Tips - Using Seche Porcelain I drew the white tips free hand (doing the tips before base coat, means you can clean up any errors and really get them perfect)

Base - 1 coat of Seche Clear

Polish - 1 coat of Seche Rose

Top Coat - 1 coat of Seche Vite

10 mins to dry

I then applied the nail stickers using a hoof stick. On a previous manicure I made the error of applying top coat after the stickers, this looks fine on day 1, but by 2 there was bubbling all around the sticker, so it's best to apply the stickers after, they still lasted a good 4-5 days.

you can read more about the Seche Vite French Manicure Kit here

In other news, I've just tried my first ever "at home" gel manicure :D I'm so excited with the results, but I'm only on day 2, so once I see how this wears expect a full review up with more details :D

Those of you awaiting the rest of Ciate's advent calendar, I will do my best to get back on those swatches asap, if I can tear myself away from gels for a minute :D it's good to be back :D

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.12 Twilight

2012-12-14T10:08:00.000+00:00

Onto Door No. 12

Twilight:

Twilight is a gorgeous Black Gold polish absolutely packed with gorgeous shimmer, the second I saw the bottle I instantly thought of Tease-y Does It from OPI's Burlesque Collection, I remember being a little disappointed with the finish once I'd applied Tease-y does it, it seemed to loose some of the gorgeous shimmer apparent in the bottle. It's the complete opposite with Twilight, the shimmer on application is out of this world, this is definitely one of the best shades yet! This was 2 coats fully opaque and a joy to apply

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.11 Bumble Bee

2012-12-13T08:52:00.001+00:00

Onto Door No. 11

Bumble Bee (Caviar Pearls)

Bumble Bee is the second set of Caviar Pearls from this Calendar, the pot contains a mixture of golden yellow and black beads, here's an accent nail over Ladylike Luxe from Day No. 10, they go really well together!

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.10 Ladylike Luxe

2012-12-12T20:09:00.000+00:00

Onto Door No. 10

Ladylike Luxe

This was seriously love at first sight, Ladylike Luxe is a stunning gold polish packed with shimmer, it's one of the most gorgeous true to gold shades I've ever seen, perfectly opaque in 2 coats with serious shimmer, a great shade for christmas!

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.9 Mistress

2012-12-12T19:10:00.000+00:00

Next up Door No. 9

Mistress:

Mistress a perfect name for this classic seductive red. This was the first jelly polish and reminded me a lot of the sorbet shades OPI brought out last year, although I wasn't too fond of the VNL with these kinds of polishes I have to admit I really loved the finish on this colour, there's something very chic about it, this was 2 coats:

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.8 Vintage

2012-12-12T16:00:00.000+00:00

Onto Door No. 8

We find Vintage:

Vintage is a gorgeous creme khaki green shade, this was 2 coats, it applied evenly and was fully opaque by the second coat, definitely one of my favourite shades so far!

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.7 Cutie Pie

2012-12-07T15:40:00.000+00:00

onto Door No.7:

Behind Door No. 7 We have Cutie Pie

Cutie Pie is a very sheet pastel pink, probably best suited for a french manicure. It applied really evenly so I'll definitely be using this one as a french base eventually :D This was 2 coats:

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No. 6 Angel Wings

2012-12-06T22:01:00.001+00:00

Onto Door No. 6

Angel Wings

Angel Wings is a gorgeous frosty white shade, this was 2 coats, you can really see the pearl like shimmer in the last blurry photo, a lovely winter shade!

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No. 5 Cabaret

2012-12-05T22:04:00.001+00:00

Next up from Ciate's Advent Calendar is Door No. 5

hiding behind door No. 5 is Cabaret:

Cabaret is a beautiful deep purple creme polish, this was two coats, another nice shade for winter reminds me a lot of Urban Night from China Glazes Metro collection.

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.4 Prom Queen

2012-12-04T23:15:00.001+00:00

so its day 4 of Ciate's Advent Calendar:

Behind Door No.4 we have Prom Queen,

This is definitely the one I was the most excited about, Ciate's caviar beads in Prom Queen. The advent calendar came with a funnel to use for caviar manicures and a little how to booklet, so I knew one of these would crop up eventually, just didn't think it would be this early on :) Its the first time I've used these caviar beads, but application was so simple, you just pour them over wet polish and gently press them in, seal the tip of the nail with top coat and your good to go in about 15 mins :) the funnel provided means you can pour back any stray beads avoiding wastage which is ace!

Since it was the first time trying this look I opted to do just an accent nail, I'm definitely going to try doing them all next time :D

This manicure was a lot of fun the best day yet! :D

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No. 3 Halo

2012-12-03T22:26:00.001+00:00

What's behind door No. 3

Behind Door No. 3 we have the lovely Halo:

Halo is a gorgeous sheer pearl toned polish, its packed with gorgeous pink/blue shimmer and is probably best suited as a top coat, this was 2 coats.

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No. 2 Dangerous Affair

2012-12-02T22:09:00.000+00:00

Onto Door No. 2 from Ciate's Advent Calendar:

We have Dangerous Affair:

Dangerous Affair is a deep crimson creme finish polish, this was 2 coats, the pictures make the colour look a little brighter than it is in reality. The photo above of the bottle is definitely more true to colour! Still a lovely vibrant red creme perfect for the christmas season!

Ciate Advent Calendar Door No.1 Cupcake Queen

2012-12-01T21:50:00.000+00:00

Here is the first door from the Ciate Advent Calendar

And Behind Door No 1 we have the gorgeous Cupcake Queen

Ciate Cupcake Queen 5ml mini bottle

This was two coats of Cupcake Queen, a gorgeous Fuchsia pink packed with a cool blue shimmer, which you can see clearly in the next blurry picture.

This is the first time I've tried a Ciate Nail Polish, I absolutely love the bottles and the cute little black bow :D The brush has to be one of the best I've ever seen in a mini nail polish, its flat and wide, but narrower than the OPI style which I found perfect for applying on my nail beds. The colour is pretty much opaque at 2 coats with a lovely shimmery finish, definitely a great start to this collection :D Cant wait to see what's behind door number 2 :D