The Polished Perfectionist

Cirque - Boudoir Meets Cirque - Vesuvius

2014-11-15T13:53:00.000+01:00

For this mani I used two stunning prismatic nail polishes from Cirque. These two colors combine really well! I started with applying two coats of Boudoir, a reddish purple, on my pinky and index fingernail and Vesuvius, a warm pink, on my ring and middle fingernail. I used a makeup sponge to create a gradient effect on the middle nails. I love this effect! The only thing is that it's a shame the lineair prismatic effect lost its strength by sponging it on (vertically). But I can't get over how gorgeous both nail polishes are! :L

Hope you like it and thanks for watching!

Mix & Match Mani with Flower Decal

2014-11-08T14:24:00.000+01:00

I ordered some water decals a while ago on ebay and immediately fell in love with this blue flower design. I wanted to do some mixing and matching and I'm very happy with the result! Oh, and how beautiful is Dorothy Who? ♥

Thanks for watching!

products used

pinky: China Glaze - Millennium

ringfinger: OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls, flower water decal (ebay seller)

middle finger: China Glaze - Dorothy Who?

index finger: OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls, plate BM-301 + China Glaze - Millennium

thumb (not pictured): China Glaze - Dorothy Who?

Nails! Nice & Neutral

2014-11-01T16:19:00.000+01:00

*blows dust from blog*

I can't believe it's been a year since I posted my last nail pictures... I'm not one for long explanations, but how about some new nail pics? I decided to go for something nice and neutral. Two coats of OPI - Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, stamped with a england - Her Rose Adagio. I wore Her Rose Adagio a couple of times and loved it. As you can see it's also amazing for stamping! The stamped design is from plate BM-406, one of the plates from the Bundle Monster 2013 'Create Your Own' stamping set. This organic design is one of my favourites from this set.

Thanks for watching!

*a-england - Her Rose Adagio and the Bundle Monster stamping plate were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

I'm Alive + Flower Pot Cake

2014-01-23T13:49:00.000+01:00

Just a short post to let you know I'm still alive! Thanks a lot for the sweet comments and emails. There really is no need to worry! What can I say.. life happens, I had other things on my mind. I hope I'll be able to start posting nail pictures soon. The least I can do now is share a bit of my other passion (cakes!).. I made this little flower pot for my Mom's 55th birthday last weekend.

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by!

a england - Briarwood

2013-10-31T13:24:00.000+01:00

Oh, so pretty! I'm wearing Briarwood from a england for over a week now and apart from tip wear it's still looking great. It happens so often that Adina's creations leave me speechless... It's a perfect colour for fall, I can see myself wearing Briarwood a lot. This is two coats plus top coat.

I don't know if you noticed, but I decided to go for a more rounded nail shape. I wore my nails in a square shape for years and I wanted to try something else. It feels nice, I like it!

Thanks for watching! :h

Alcatraz...Rocks Knocked Off My Socks

2013-10-23T14:19:00.000+02:00

Hi dear reader! I'm back from a wonderful vacation in Italy. I put on Alcatraz...Rocks from OPI on my nails before we left and I'm impressed. Not only is it a gorgeous polish, the wear time was excellent (excuse the regrowth, this was on day 11 after I did some filing).

Now it's time to sort out our vacation pictures... We loved the Amalfi Coast, the beautiful village you see below is Positano.

Thanks for watching!

Fascinating Flowers

2013-09-12T15:03:00.000+02:00

I really, really enjoyed wearing this! I started with applying a england - Elaine on all nails. For the flowers I used a purple prismatic beauty from Cirque called Fascination Street with a dot of China Glaze - 2030 in the middle. I also applied two coats of Fascination Street on the rest of my nails. This polish is so stunning, love it.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to post before my husband and I go on vacation. We'll leave next week and be back in October. We're going to Naples, the Amalfi Coast (hope to visit Ischia or Capri, too!) and the Gargano peninsula on the east coast of Italy. I'm so excited! :D

Thanks for watching!

A Royal Gradient

2013-08-28T14:51:00.000+02:00

For these gradient nails I used two a england nail polishes with a prismatic finish. The base colour is Princess Sabra and on the nail tips you can see Fated Prince. When I held the bottles next to each other I thought they would look great together on the nail and yes, they do!

Both polishes are available on the a england website. Check the 'where to buy'-page for additional information.

Hope you like it, thanks for watching! ^_^

*a england - Princess Sabra and a england - Fated Prince were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Mix & Match

2013-08-19T14:36:00.000+02:00

I'm a huge fan of mix and match manicures. I like to pile up a bunch of nail polishes on my bed and search for nice colour and finish combinations. For this mani I combined three polishes, Iced Latte from Essence, Pixy Stix from Orly (looks more muted irl) and Shimmer Polish - Airriann. Wow, such an amazing glitter mix! I used three coats and it's still in great shape after four days.

Shimmer Polish is available at Cindy's Etsy shop for $12 a bottle.

Thanks for watching!

*Shimmer Polish - Airriann was sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Essie - Sew Psyched with Full Nail Water Decal 'Sweet Rose'

2013-07-31T15:21:00.000+02:00

This is my first time using water decals and I'm hooked. It's so easy to do and I think it looks neat! I used the design Sweet Rose today. This set contains 12 decals in various sizes and a little file. I received a piece of paper with instructions, but this tutorial also helped me a lot. For a smooth result it's really important to apply top coat! I applied the water decal over two coats of OPI - Mod About You. I'm wearing Essie - Sew Psyched and studs on the rest of my nails.

The full nail water decal set costs €1.59 at Djasa (a Dutch webshop).

The studs (gold ones, but I painted them silver) come in a wheel from Born Pretty Store.

Thanks for watching!

*The water decal set and the studs were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

a england - Sleeping Palace

2013-07-29T15:26:00.000+02:00

I'm sure this smoky purple nail polish with prismatic sparkles is a treat for your eyes! I'm wearing one of a england's newest shades, Sleeping Palace. Sleeping Palace was super easy to apply with perfect coverage in two coats. It's a pigmented shade, so I used it for stamping on a couple of accent nails (base colour is a england - Guinevere). I'm obsessed with this design from Bundle Monster plate BM-313.. I have the feeling this is not the last time you're seeing it on my nails!

Sleeping Palace reminded me of Misty Blush from Layla Cosmetics. They're definitely not dupes, although the base colour is quite similar. The prismatic effect of Misty Blush is much stronger.

Thanks for watching! :)

*a england - Sleeping Palace and a england - Guinevere were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Tiffany Triangles

2013-07-25T14:48:00.000+02:00

A simple and clean mani, just how I like it. The pale blue creme is Models Own - Blueberry Muffin. What a gorgeous colour! It was opaque in two coats and has a subtle blueberry scent. After wearing it for four days it was still looking good so instead of removing it I added a little something. I used tape and Shimmer Polish - Tiffany to create the triangles. Cindy's glitter creations are true stunners, Tiffany is no exception! The perfect mix of blue and pink... ♥

Thanks for watching!

*Shimmer Polish - Tiffany was sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Clowning Around With Neon

2013-07-19T14:30:00.000+02:00

This mani screams summer to me! I don't know about you, but I can't resist wearing neons all the time during summer. On most nails you can see Sun of a Peach, one of my picks from China Glaze's Sunsational collection. This polish looks super bright and kinda pastel at the same time (it has more white in it than China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy for example). The formula wasn't the best, I needed four coats plus top coat for an even streak-free result. But to be honest.. for this colour I'd do everything, it's amazing! I'm wearing Clowning Around from Lush Lacquer over a white creme on the accent nail. The orange hexes in this beautiful neon glitter polish turned out to be a perfect match with Sun of a Peach, lóve that!

On the picture below I'm wearing the ultimate summer colour for toes, China Glaze - Neon & On & On. Like all neon shades, it looks brighter and much more awesome in real life.

Thanks for watching!

Ruffian Manicure with Cirque - Hellebore

2013-06-28T15:26:00.000+02:00

My first ruffian mani! The delicate green glitter polish you see is Cirque - Hellebore, another creation from Annie that blows my mind. ♥ I chose Parlez-vous OPI from OPI as the base colour because I think it matches well with the subtle purple sparkles in Hellebore. The formula of Hellebore was nice and thin, so it was easy to make these ruffian nails. I used two coats of both polishes.

Reminder: As you probably already know the end of Google Reader is near. Be sure to follow my blog on Bloglovin' to stay up to date with my posts. Thank you so much for following! :-)

Thanks for watching!

*Cirque - Hellebore was sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

a england - Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty)

2013-06-20T14:38:00.000+02:00

A new collection from a england always makes my heart beat a little faster. Irresistible shades that apply like butter? Yes, please! I'm wearing Briar Rose at the moment, a cranberry coloured polish with an almost velvety look and a beautiful prismatic effect. I LOVE this polish! For me, Briar Rose's definitely backup material. The formula was a dream, I used two coats.

Briar Rose is part of the Burne-Jones Dream collection and available now. Please visit the a england website to find out where to get this and all other a england beauties.

Thanks for watching!

*Briar Rose was sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Blue Green Ombre Nails with Shimmer Polish - Brooklyn

2013-06-13T15:02:00.000+02:00

I'm wearing a lovely ombre manicure at the moment. I chose to use blue green colours and combined them with Brooklyn, a gorgeous Shimmer Polish. There's a lot going on in Brooklyn, but the predominant colour is blue green. I'm wearing three easy coats on my thumb nails and dabbed a little amount at the base of the rest of my nails. I can totally recommend the Shimmer Polish creations, they apply well, have great wear time and are obviously super blingy!

Shimmer Polish is available at Cindy's Etsy shop for $12 a bottle.

Thanks for watching!

PS I'm featured with an interview on So Nailicious, how awesome is that. =D Check it out!

products used
pinky: Essence - That's What I Mint!
ring finger: China Glaze - For Audrey
middle finger: a england - Galahad
index finger: p2 - Dangerous
thumb: Shimmer Polish - Brooklyn

*Shimmer Polish - Brooklyn was sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Cirque - Cypress

2013-06-07T14:58:00.000+02:00

Oh, can you believe how pretty this one is? The weather is nice and sunny here in the Netherlands so I'm enjoying the prismatic shades that where waiting to shine in sunlight. Today I'm showing you Cypress from Cirque. The formula of Cypress was on the thin side, but it applied nicely in three coats. My inspiration for the accent nail was Jane's taped circus nail art. The brown coloured base I used is Becca's Brown from Models Own. I also added a little round stud from Born Pretty Store.

This looks glorious in sunlight. ♥

Cypress is part of Cirque's Objet d'Art collection and is available on the Cirque website.

The stud comes in a wheel from Born Pretty Store, you can find it here.

Thanks for watching!

*Cirque - Cypress and the stud were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Squared: Cake & Nails

2013-05-29T15:29:00.000+02:00

A new cake inspired nails post, finally! This square shaped cake was for my brother's 28th birthday two weeks ago. (His name is Job and jarige job is a Dutch term for birthday boy.)

I painted most of my nails red with China Glaze - Poinsettia (not colour accurate) and I used My Boyfriend Scales Walls from OPI on the accent nail. As you can see there's no crossword puzzle on my nails, a simple raster design (plate BM-315) turned out to be difficult enough. Black stamping on white is not forgiving, but studs are perfect for hiding little mistakes. ;) Oh, and I'm wearing black french tips for the first time, LOVE them.

The square studs are from Born Pretty Store, you can find them here. They come in a wheel together with a variety of studs ($4.89).

Thanks for watching!

*The studs were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Blue Green Gradient with Penélope Luz - Confetti

2013-05-25T16:27:00.000+02:00

Hi there! I'm still alive and not going anywhere. If only the eczema on my fingers would disappear... I'm sick of it. The mani I'm showing you today is not one of my favourites, but it sure is bright and cheery! I started with applying an untried: OPI - Did It On 'Em. The formula was disappointing, three coats were needed for a streak-free result. On top of that, it's a very unflattering shade on me. I decided to do a gradient, with a england - Galahad, because gradients have the power to make everything better. I finished with one coat of Penélope Luz - Confetti.

Looks like Confetti is a Floam dupe, awesome!

Thanks for watching!

Love Lapis

2013-05-02T16:04:00.000+02:00

Today I'm showing you Lapis from Cirque. Blue, glittery and stun-ning! I'm so glad I have a blog where I can share epic nail polishes. Lapis is definitely epic. ♥ It was easy to apply, I'm wearing two coats (on most nails) over two coats of Gosh - Blue Balloon. I added the glittery and silver (China Glaze - Millennium) triangles by using striping tape. As the finishing touch I also added small square studs from Born Pretty Store. I'll be using those studs a lot, love them.

Lapis is part of Cirque's Objet d'Art collection and is available on the Cirque website.

The studs are from Born Pretty Store, you can find them here.

Thanks for watching!

*Cirque - Lapis and the studs were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Camouflage Nail Art

2013-04-24T14:58:00.000+02:00

I was on a little survival trip with friends last weekend, the perfect occasion to wear.. camouflage nail art! I never thought I would like it so much. I used Catrice - Sir! Yes, Sir! (too easy, hehe) as a base and I added little blobs of colour (Gosh - Groovy Grey, Zoya - Shawn & ANNY - Green Hills) on the accent nails.

Thanks for watching!

Subtle Stamped Mint Green Nails

2013-04-16T13:55:00.000+02:00

The base colour I'm wearing is That's What I Mint!, one of Essence's new Colour & Go shades. I needed two coats for lovely mint coloured nails. The stamped design is from Bundle Monster plate BM-313 and I used Koh - Platinum Silver as the stamping polish. This combination is almost invisible indoors, but looks fantastic in sunlight! I'm always amazed by how much effect a little bit of stamping can have.

Thanks for watching! :h

Sparkly Tips with Cirque - Book of Shadows & Cirque - XX

2013-04-03T15:36:00.000+02:00

For this mani I used two amazing nail polishes from Cirque's Objet d'Art collection. I spiced up a three day old mani (two coats of Catrice - I Sea You!) with a crazy amount of sparkle on the tips. I sponged with Book of Shadows (silver/lavender foil) and dabbed the glitter from XX on top of it. XX is really impressive, don't you think? I adore the pastel look of the glitter particles. ♥

(I Sea You! from Catrice looks greener in real life)

Book of Shadows and XX are available on the Cirque website for $13 a bottle.

Thanks for watching!

*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Curved Chevron & Shimmer Polish - Elsa

2013-03-27T15:01:00.000+01:00

Oh, I love this mani! The colours, the combination of finishes and hey.. I see glitter. ♥ I used two coats of Essie - School of Hard Rocks and I added curved chevron tips with 2030 from China Glaze. On my ring finger nail I'm wearing Shimmer Polish - Elsa, a perfect match with gold, teal and red glitter. I can't get over how blingy and beautiful it is...

Thanks for watching!

PS I'm sorry for posting so little lately. The eczema on my fingers keeps bugging me, most of the time it's not a pretty sight. :( I can't say the weather is very helpful, so I'm hoping a change of season (warmth, yes please!) will make it disappear.

*The product(s) in this post was/were sent to me for reviewing purposes.

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Pastel Skittle Nails with Penélope Luz - Lotus

2013-03-15T14:57:00.000+01:00

The star of this post is Lotus, one of Penélope Luz's creations. This lovely lady really has an eye for gorgeous glitter combinations, I think she makes super pretty and fun nail polishes. You should definitely visit her blog, you'll be amazed! Lotus is a mix of small white, pink and black glitter. I never thought a nail polish with black glitter could be so delicate. Oh, I love it so much.. especially over pink and white! The formula was nice, I'm wearing one coat on my ring finger nail.

Thanks for watching!

products used
pinky: Eyeko - Vintage Polish
ring finger: OPI - My Boyfriend Scales Walls
middle finger: OPI - Mod About You
index finger: Rimmel - Too Cool To Tango
thumb (not pictured): same combination as the ring finger