Hello my pretties ♥

Essie Silk Effects Watercolors 'Swept Away' Set

2016-03-08T18:40:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone!

For my birthday, one of my lovely friends gave me the Essie Silk Effects Watercolor set in "Swept Away". It looks like this:

The kit comes with a white base called 'White Page', a yellowy-orange called 'Muse, Myself', a hot pink called 'Love Sheen', and a deep purple called 'No Shrinking Violet'. The colours are quite translucent and jelly-like, as they're meant to mimic watercolour paints. The white in the set wasn't my absolute favourite (I found it a bit patchy and streaky), but you could always use a different base colour.

They can be used in a number of combinations and designs. Get creative! I decided to try some flowers in hopes that spring is here to stay. This is what I came up with:

I'm really pleased with how they turned out and I'm excited to try out some other designs as well. The best part about this look is that you can be a little messy and it will still look great.

Have you tried any of the Essie Watercolors? What did you think? Let me see your nails!

Vampy Glam for Valentine's Day

2016-02-11T11:29:00.000-05:00

While pink and hearts are a popular choice for Valentine's Day, I decided to go with something a bit darker...I call this look "vampy glam". I did a deep red with gold glitter accent finger.

For this mani, I used:

Orly Bonder (basecoat)
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure 'Ruby Do' (red)
Sephora by OPI 'Keep me on My Mistletoes' (gold base)
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure 'Golden Rule' (small gold glitter)
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure 'Twinkle Toes' (larger gold glitter)
Seche Vite (top coat)

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day, whether you're celebrating with friends, significant others, or Netflix and chocolate.

Pineapple Express

2015-06-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

Pineapple express mani inspired by Reddit user oneofthewicked:

I'm way out of practice with my nail art but felt like doing something fun and summery :)

My Jay or the Highway! Nicole by OPI Swatch

2014-05-23T12:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday!
I bought a few new products last week so I thought I would swatch and review as I try them!

Here is My Jay or the Highway! from the Modern Family line by Nicole by OPI. It's a soft, warm mushroomy gray colour. In these pictures I'm wearing 2 coats, but it could probably do with 3. I also used Orly Bonder as a base coat and Seche Vite as a top coat.

Indoor lighting:

Natural Lighting:

The formula was nice and easy to work with and I really like this colour as a summer neutral. This was also my first time using Orly Bonder as a base so I will update on how it holds up!

Stay pretty

Purple Swirls

2012-03-31T17:43:00.000-04:00

I tried some nail strips, not sure how I feel about them. They look pretty cool but they were difficult to work with and only lasted a day before I peeled them off. The purple is OPI’s “A Grape Fit!” and the nail strips are some random brand called ANB. Anyone else had bad/mediocre experiences with nail appliques?

Nicole by OPI Light a Candle with black stripe pattern

2012-01-16T20:33:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! Just getting back to school and things are crazy already.

For Christmas one of my lovely best friends got me some Nicole by OPI polishes! For this mani I used Nicole by OPI Light a Candle as the base and a Nail Star striper in black for the lines. Light a Candle is a pretty silver with lavender tones, and it covers well in just one coat.

Feather Nails

2012-01-02T13:10:00.000-05:00

First mani of 2012! Back to school tomorrow, the break went by far too quickly.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T17:10:00.000-05:00

For New Year's Eve I did a gold glitter gradient over black. Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish

2011-12-27T21:42:00.004-05:00

Hi guys! One of my Christmas gifts this year was Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish 'Houses of Parliament'. I had been eyeing this polish since it came out so I'm really excited to own it! I tried it out today for the first time.

Houses of Parliament is a beautiful warm purple colour that looks nice even before applying the magnet effect. It applies well and is pretty opaque. My pinky and ring finger have 1 coat and the others have 2 coats. The number of coats didn't make a huge difference in my opinion, but the effect will vary depending on how thick you apply the polish (the thicker the layer, the darker the black part will be). It only takes a few seconds for the magnet to work its magic, leaving a really neat effect. Overall, I am really happy with this nail polish. It's something fun and unique, and I'd love to try the other 2 colours as well. Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish can be found at Sephora for $16.

Candy Cane Nails

2011-12-24T09:20:00.000-05:00

Last mani before Christmas! I hope you all have a lovely holiday however you celebrate it. Happy Christmas Eve!

Another Quick Christmas Mani

2011-12-22T10:53:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! For this mani I used Revlon Emerald City (Matte Suede) as a base, Revlon Silver Dollar for the tree, and Sephora by OPI Keep Me On My Mistletoes for the tree’s star.

Emerald City is a gorgeous forest green with a subtle shimmer. First photo is artificial light, second photo is natural light. It’s fairly opaque and applies well. I used 2 coats here, no topcoat (didn’t want to change the “matte suede” finish). Overall I like this colour, although I’m not sure about the finish. This is my first matte polish so I think I’ll try a few others before I decide how I feel. Hope you're all ready for the holidays!

Update: After about a day I noticed some tipwear, most likely because I didn't use a topcoat. Is there any way around this? Do I need to just go out and buy a matte topcoat?

Christmas Dots

2011-12-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

Just a quick festive mani. I wasn't super happy with the way it turned out and it got smudged after I took pictures :( I used OPI Alpine Snow, OPI Vodka and Caviar, Sephora by OPI Keep Me On My Mistletoes, and Revlon Emerald City.

Keep Me on My Mistletoes- Sephora by OPI

2011-12-11T20:07:00.004-05:00

As promised, here is Sephora by OPI's Keep Me on My Mistletoes from the Glimmer Wonderland Collection. This is an opaque champagne gold with microglitter, and it is gorgeous! It’s neutral enough that it goes with anything and has just the right amount of sparkle. In these photos I am wearing 2 coats and a topcoat. I will definitely be wearing this over the holidays!

Unfortunately I haven't been able to post as much as I'd like to because of exams and work, but hopefully once things settle down I'll be posting more regularly. Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Pretty Wristlet for the Holidays

2011-12-08T17:37:00.000-05:00

I love the Coach Poppy collection. The gold details on this wristlet are gorgeous and provide just the right amount of shine, especially for the holidays.

Speaking of gold…I just bought Keep Me On My Mistletoes from Sephora by OPI so I will post swatches soon!

Sparkly Heart Earrings

2011-12-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

I got these sparkly heart earrings at Forever21 a few weeks ago. If you're looking for inexpensive gifts for the girls on your list, F21 has a ton of cute jewelry right now! I picked up a few necklaces as well.

Cute Penguin Nails

2011-12-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

Cute Penguin Nails

These penguin nails are perfect for chilly winter weather. Here’s what I used:
Orly Gumdrop (blue base)
OPI Alpine Snow (white)
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Black Out
Yellow Acrylic Paint (didn’t have my yellow polish with me!)

The body of the penguin was painted freehand and the rest was created using a dotting tool. Happy Sunday everyone!

Purple Glitter Heart Nails

2011-12-04T00:57:00.000-05:00

A simple mani using Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Lacey Lilac and Rockstar Pink (glitter).

Pretty Packages

2011-12-03T16:48:00.000-05:00

I have a thing for pretty bags.

Mabuhay! Philippines Flag Nails

2011-12-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

A special request. I used:

OPI Vodka and Caviar (red)
NYC West Village (navy blue)
Orly Snowcone (lighter blue, blended with West Village for the flag)
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow
Wet n' Wild French White Creme

Hope you like it!

Red Poppies

2011-12-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

A red poppy design I did in honour of Remembrance Day.

Silver Explosion

2011-12-01T21:23:00.001-05:00

What I used:
China Glaze Concrete Catwalk
Revlon Silver Dollar

Pink Glitter Tips

2011-12-01T21:14:00.001-05:00

Welcome!

2011-12-01T21:07:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone, it's Julia from http://littlebearcakes.tumblr.com/. I've decided to set up a Blogspot in addition to my Tumblr so that I can follow some of my favourites on here as well. Take a look around and enjoy!