The Polished Perfectionist

ANNY - Green Hills

2012-02-29T16:12:00.000+01:00

I was overwhelmed when I saw the ANNY stand at perfumerie Douglas. There were just too many gorgeous colours to choose from! Take a look on their website and you know what I mean. And the bottle shape.. LOVE it! I had to take one bottle home, I picked Green Hills. Green Hills is a blackened green polish with a jelly-like consistency. It looks mostly black indoors, but outside or under my daylight lamp I can definitely see the green. I adore this colour, it makes me so happy! :D I used two coats of Green Hills and both coats went on smooth and even. The flat brush is easy to handle.

ANNY nail polishes cost €9.50 per 15ml. A bit on the expensive side for me, but I'm afraid I have to try more colours!

Thanks for watching!

Windmillion Glitter Sandwich

2012-02-27T15:31:00.001+01:00

Today I'm showing you glitter sandwich nails (polish-glitter-polish). I started with applying two coats of Thanks a Windmillion from OPI and one coat of Essence - Blair. Blair needs some thinner, all the glitter was clumping together, argh! But still, an awesome glitter polish.. I think I need a backup bottle. ♥ To complete the sandwich I added one coat of China Glaze - Innocence. The result was a bit lumpy after that, so I decided to use a layer of matte top coat. I kinda like how this looks, but I don't think I'll keep it on my nails for more than a day. Let's say it was a nice experiment. ^_^

Thanks for watching!

Essie - School of Hard Rocks & CND Effects - Crimson Sparkle

2012-02-24T12:43:00.002+01:00

The two nail polishes I used here were part of my last Transdesign order and I just couldn't wait to wear them. I'm not sure if this is the best combination, but I do know both polishes are a-ma-zing. Essie - School of Hard Rocks is a dusty greenish teal creme. A difficult colour to photograph, so it's obviously the perfect choice to wear when you're learning to work with a new camera. :|| SoHR looks more greyed out/dustier in real life, it's a beautiful shade that appeals to me a lot! Formula was great, I applied two coats. Then I added one coat of Crimson Sparkle from the CND Effects range. I'm telling you nothing new, but the Effects polishes from CND really are the bomb!

Thanks for watching!

Beware of the Cat

2012-02-21T14:43:00.000+01:00

When my new Konad plates arrived I immediately fell in love with the cute little bird on plate m83. For this mani I applied two coats of Eyeko - Rain Polish and stamped not one, but two birds on my ring finger nail with Konad Special Nail Polish in Black. It looked cute, but I felt something was missing so I added a naughty cat face (for the cat and the line I used a small paint brush and black acrylic paint). Yes, now it's complete. I have a little story on my nails! :)

I'm not only excited about this mani, but also about my new camera! Of course I have to get used to it(s weight), but it takes much better pictures than my compact camera, without a doubt. I'm hooked. ♥

Thanks for watching!

Dangerous Rainbow

2012-02-18T14:11:00.000+01:00

I felt a bit uninspired today. Then, as I was looking through my Helmer drawers, I spotted Rainbow from Gosh. Perfect! I applied two coats of p2 - Dangerous and one thin coat of Rainbow. Flakies :L

Thanks for watching and have a lovely weekend!

Pink & Bows

2012-02-15T15:33:00.001+01:00

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated eight years together! The perfect occasion to bake my sweet and supportive man a cake. With a bow and tiny hearts. ♥

After I was done decorating the cake I had no energy left to do my nails, so I did them this morning. I applied three coats of Barry M - Bright Pink, a beautiful yummy candy pink (apparently my camera hates photographing pink, Bright Pink looks less blue-toned irl). Then I added one of the bows from image plate M59 with Konad Special Nail Polish in White and a light pink rhinestone. I was thinking about adding little hearts, but I'm glad I didn't.. I like it simple these days. ^_^

Thanks for watching!

a england - Ascalon

2012-02-13T17:15:00.000+01:00

"Forged by magic and guided by our hero's sainted hand, the steely grey of his spire is alive with a swirling heart of lavender fire."

Today I'm showing you a england - Ascalon, another nail polish from The Legends collection. I think Ascalon is an incredibly cool nail polish, I already wore it twice in two weeks. Now that says something, believe me! Ascalon is a steel grey coloured polish with a good amount of prismatic particles. It also has a subtle duochrome effect; I mostly see a purple flash, but at certain angles there's a golden green colour visible. It's hard to photograph, but the green is definitely there! The formula was excellent, I used two coats.

The Legends are available now on the a england website (£9.00 for 13 ml).

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.

Bella Flora

2012-02-11T14:40:00.000+01:00

If this is what you're thinking right now: "Whoa, what a cool colour, I need that nail polish!", then I suggest not buying Bella from Essence, 'cause Bella looks much greener than my picture shows. If you're looking for a fabulous sea green creme though, this nail polish will not disappoint! Bella glides on smoothly and two coats are enough for an opaque result. The flower image I used for my ring finger nail.. ahh, I like it so, so much. It's my all-time favourite Konad image, no joke! You can find it on image plate M20. The stamping polish I used is Konad Special Nail Polish in White and I placed a dot in the middle of the flower with Charla from Zoya. And can I say I love my top coat? So shiny! ♥

Thanks for watching!

a england - Dragon

2012-02-07T12:55:00.000+01:00

"Like sunlight glinting off his iridescent mossy green scales, the fearsome Dragon lays basking arrogantly, awaiting his due."

Ahh, I love the nail polish descriptions on the a england website. And I love the nail polishes too. It's quite obvious why, I mean, look at this one.. look! It's Dragon from a england's The Legends collection. A collection that consists of not one, but two unique green nail polishes! This is a dream come true, thanks Adina. ♥ Dragon is not your regular green nail polish, I also see copper shimmers and a mesmerizing scattered prismatic effect on my nails. Put green pigments and prismatic particles in one bottle and I'm in love! The formula was nice and smooth, I used two coats.

The Legends are available now on the a england website (£9.00 for 13 ml).

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.

Indigo Lunar Eclipse

2012-02-04T12:48:00.000+01:00

I love snow. But when it starts snowing at the moment I want to photograph my fresh new mani, I hate snow. I wish I had more pictures to show you, this looks so awesome! Recently I finally bought Barry M - Indigo, an insanely gorgeous blurple creme (the colour was hard to capture on camera, it looks much deeper and purplier irl). Indigo applied beautifully, two coats were enough for full opacity. I wanted to add something to it without losing too much of that beautiful colour so I lightly sponged the tips of my nails with Lunar Eclipse from Orly. This is a dreamy combination, I like it very much! Indigo is such a stunner, why haven't I bought it earlier? In my experience Barry M never disappoints!

Thanks for watching and enjoy your weekend!

a england - Saint George

2012-02-02T18:44:00.000+01:00

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You have no idea how excited I am about the new collection, called 'The Legends', from the brand a england. The story behind this collection appeals to me a lot, because Saint George is the patron saint of the city I live in. The city's oldest preserved seal dates back to the 14th century; this seal shows Saint George attacking the dragon to save princess Sabra (you can see her on the right). Fun to see, don't you think? Now it feels like this collection really comes to life!

Today I'm showing you Saint George. Wow, wow, wow! I love everything about it; the rich and deep colour, the prismatic sparkles, the formula... Perfection. It applied like butter, two easy coats for beautiful green nails. My new go-to polish for sure. Or am I too quick? I have more Legends lovelies to show you, can't wait to try them!

The Legends will be available soon on the a england website. Oh, and don't forget to take a look at The Mythicals. ♥

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.

Color Club - Get A Clue: Stamped & Mattified

2012-01-31T15:04:00.000+01:00

After swatching and wearing all those prismatic nail polishes I was in the mood for something different. The base colour I used for this mani is Color Club - Get A Clue, a beautiful light pink creme. My camera makes pinks like these look more blue-toned than they actually are, this is a true pink. I needed three coats for a smooth and even surface. I added some subtle stamping with bundle monster plate BM-201 and Millennium from China Glaze. To make my nails look (and feel) even softer I applied a layer of matte top coat from Essence. I love mattified metallic stamping!

Thanks for watching! :)

Speciallità Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-30T17:20:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post to announce the winner of the Speciallità giveaway. I am highly thankful to Speciallità for sponsoring this giveaway and I'm glad you guys liked the prize, the response was really overwhelming! Thank you all so much for participating and for the lovely comments. My readers rock! 8)

I used random.org to determine the lucky winner. The winner is...

Congratulations Lovebeangirl!! I'll be emailing you shortly for your address. This lady also has a blog, check it out here.

Speciallità - Hefesto & Recap Hits No Olimpo Collection

2012-01-28T15:01:00.000+01:00

Let me first show you how magical Hefesto is. Hefesto is the prismatic top coat from Speciallità's Hits No Olimpo collection. I love this one, it's packed with prismatic particles! It's a top coat, so obviously it looks best if you apply it on top of another polish. This time I layered one coat over two coats of China Glaze - Bermuda Breakaway. Ohh, it's magic! ♥ This picture is taken in direct sunlight; in normal daylight Hefesto adds a silvery touch to the base colour.

I wondered how this layering would compare to (one of my all time favourites) OPI DS - Glamour. Here you can see Glamour on my ring finger nail and the layering with Hefesto on the other nails. There are differences, but I think this is pretty cool!

In the photo collage below you can see the entire Hits No Olimpo collection. Clockwise from the upper left corner: Dionísio, Hestia, Atena, Ares, Zeus, Artemis, Deméter, Poseidon, Afrodite, Apolo, Hermes, Hera & Hefesto in the middle.

I think Speciallità did a great job with this collection, look at all those wonderful colours.. Most of them have a super intense prismatic effect. I like! The formula on these was consistently good and so is the wear. I heard some people had problems with wonky and uneven brushes, but all my brushes were fine (other than a surprisingly big one in one bottle). I noticed they take some time to dry, so I recommend using a quick drying top coat. Please note that these nail polishes aren't Big 3 Free, they contain toluene and formaldehyde.

The Hits No Olimpo polishes cost around $4 (for 6 ml) at Speciallità. You can also get them for $10 at Llarowe.

I want to remind you that today is the last day you can enter my Speciallità giveaway! If you want to enter click →here←.

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.

Speciallità - Apolo & Comparison

2012-01-27T16:10:00.000+01:00

Well, what can I say..? Anóther stunner from Speciallità! Apolo is a deep, tealish blue coloured polish with a beautiful and strong rainbow effect. Just how I like it, Apolo rocks! The formula was good, I applied two coats, no top coat.

This is how Apolo looks next to Glamour from OPI's Designer Series. Both eyecatchers, but as you can see no dupes!

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.

Coral & Orange: Speciallità - Afrodite & Deméter

2012-01-25T16:24:00.000+01:00

Mmm, this pinky coral shade makes my mouth water. Speciallità - Afrodite reminds me of candies, yum! Don't worry, I'm not going to take a bite, but it sure looks delicious. Although the prismatic effect isn't very strong, I think it's still super pretty. An unexpected favourite! The formula was good, I used two coats.

And this is Speciallità - Deméter. An orange I would wear! Too bad my camera freaked out (I hate it when that happens, grr!) and made it look too orange and way too bright. It's actually a soft shade, more like Afrodite, and less yellow-toned than my picture shows. A very unusual nail polish, I like that! Nice formula, two coats.

Just a couple of days left to enter my Speciallità giveaway, don't forget to enter! :)

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.

Pink & Blue: Speciallità Hestia & Poseidon

2012-01-23T15:24:00.001+01:00

I hope you're not getting tired of seeing these prismatic polishes from Speciallità. I know I'll never get tired of them, in my opinion every single one is a masterpiece. Aren't these two soft shades stunning? A light pink and a light blue.. the Hits No Olimpo collection is really complete, so much fun colours! Hestia, the lilacy pink one, is a sweet and lovely shade and applies easily (three coats).

Poseidon has a knock-your-socks-off prismatic effect, the most intense of all the Hits no Olimpo polishes. This is also three easy coats.

These two beautiful shades plus eleven other nail polishes named after Olympian gods and goddesses are part of my giveaway prize, don't forget to enter!

Thanks for watching! :h

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

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Speciallità - Dionísio & Comparison

2012-01-21T12:24:00.000+01:00

Hmm.. or could this be my favourite? ♥ Meet Dionísio, the purple prismatic polish from Speciallità. As you can see it's incredibly gorgeous, I love it! The formula was good. It is a bit on the sheer side, this is three coats (no top coat).

China Glaze - LOL, a england - Lady of the Lake, Teeez - Outta Control 01, Speciallità - Dionísio & Color Club - Wild at Heart

I made a comparison on a nail wheel with a couple of purple nail polishes with prismatic particles. Dionísio is the sheerest of these five, but the intense prismatic effect absolutely makes up for it! I can stare at these pretties all day... You can never have enough purple prismatics, can you?

Dionísio is part of my giveaway prize, don't forget to enter! ^_^

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.

Sweet Roses

2012-01-18T14:36:00.000+01:00

This is the cake I made for my own birthday over a month ago. I love this one, it looked so cute and lovely and tasted delicious! ♥ I was thinking about how I could match my nails to the cake and this is what I came up with. First I polished my ring finger nails with three coats of Catrice - Snow Motion and on the other nails I used two coats of Mod About You from OPI (which looks less blue-toned in real life). For the wavy tips I also used Snow Motion.

Roses were on my to-do list for a long time. I was inspired by this tutorial, check it out! This is my first attempt and it's not too difficult actually. I used nail polish to create the roses (Mod About You and Flower to Flower from OPI); my experience is that it works fine, just keep in mind you have to work fast 'cause nail polish dries quicker than acrylic paint. If you want your roses to look more 3D I suggest using acrylic paint.

Thanks for watching! :)

Speciallità - Atena

2012-01-14T14:45:00.000+01:00

This one's probably my favourite from Speciallità's Hits No Olimpo collection. I adore this beautiful dark magenta coloured polish. As you can see the prismatic effect is insane, it's hard to look away. This polish reminds me very much of one of my long time lemmings, OPI DS - Exclusive. So yes, I'm super excited about Atena! :L The formula was nice. I used three coats, no top coat.

In case you've missed it, Atena's part of my giveaway prize! Click →here← if you want to enter.

Thanks for watching and have a nice weekend!

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

For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

Guest Post at Ivana Thinks Pink

2012-01-12T15:15:00.000+01:00

Please check out my guest post at Ivana Thinks Pink.

Dear Ivana, thanks for this opportunity, it was so much fun to do! :$

Review: Glass Nail File from Mont Bleu

2012-01-11T14:08:00.003+01:00

When Nazgul from the Czech brand Mont Bleu asked me if I wanted to try and review a Mont Bleu glass nail file I was very interested. I always use a glass nail file from Herôme, but I was curious how a glass nail file from another brand would work. From the website: "Our glass nail files are made of high quality Czech glass; they are decorated by patterns, or by Swarovski crystals". Isn't this a pretty nail file? I really like the added swarovski stones, very chic and blingy.

Ok, so I think it's pretty, but is it a good nail file? The surface of the filing parts feels nice, certainly not too rough (it has a finer grit than my Herôme nail file). My nails are quite thick, so for me the grit of this file is too fine for taking down length (with any glass nail file it would take like forever). I like to use an emery board file with a rougher grit to shorten my nails and a glass nail file for shaping the nail and sealing the nail plate. I used the Mont Bleu file a couple of times now and it's perfect for the shaping and sealing part. It's so gentle it's impossible to ruin your nails and that's exactly why I use a glass nail file for the finishing touches.

This particular nail file is from the Crystal line, it comes with a black velvet sleeve and costs €10,00. This is a normal price for a good glass nail file. Keep in mind that a good glass nail file will not wear down, it can last forever unless you drop it and it breaks of course.

Next to a lot of beautifully decorated nail files you can also find products like tweezers, scissors, cosmetic brushes and jewelry in the Mont Bleu webshop. Nazgul was so nice to include these gorgeous swarovski earrings. Love them!

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.

Emerald Black Glistens Up

2012-01-09T17:07:00.000+01:00

First of all, almost 500 new followers and around 800 giveaway entries in two days.. wow, I'm flabbergasted. :o A big welcome to my new followers and a big hug for my 'old' followers! :h

For todays mani I used Glisten Up! from Essence. I'm so sad Essence discontinued this one, now I feel like I have to cherish every drop. But not using it while knowing those drops look best on my nails is just stupid, right? I applied one gloopy coat (the formula thickened up quite a bit since I last used it) over Models Own - Emerald Black. I'm intrigued by how Glisten Up! comes to live over a dark colour. That little bottle contains a true treasure. ♥

This is Emerald Black from Models Own's Beetlejuice collection on its own. I love the blue and green shimmer in this one, absolutely breathtaking. The formula was excellent, two smooth coats for full coverage.

Thanks for watching!

Giveaway Time! This Giveaway Is Closed!

2012-01-07T15:29:00.006+01:00

*This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all who entered! I will announce the winner asap.*

That's right, I'm having a giveaway! The start of a new year, passing the 2000 (!) follower mark.. time to celebrate me thinks. And the prize is be-yond awesome. But of course it is, my amazing readers deserve nothing less than awesome. Thank you so much for your support for this blog, it means a lot to me! Also, big thanks to the Brazillian brand Speciallità for generously sponsoring this giveaway with the entire Hits No Olimpo collection! Twelve beautiful prismatic shades and a prismatic top coat. I tóld you it was beyond awesome. :O

Hits No Olimpo collection (from left to right): Hermes, Artemis, Poseidon, Hera, Apolo, Zeus, Hefesto (top coat), Atena, Hestia, Dionísio, Afrodite, Ares & Demeter. The bottles pictured are mine, the winner will receive brand new unopened bottles.

Please read the following points carefully before entering!

You can enter this giveaway only by filling out the Giveaway Form below. Entering with a comment does not count!
You have to be a public follower of my blog. You can follow me by hitting the Google Friend Connect 'Join this site' button you see in the right sidebar;
Optional: you can earn one extra entry by reposting this giveaway on your blog (feel free to use my picture) or tweet about it;
WARNING: Please note that cosmetics and nail polish are restricted for import by many countries. The Brazillian Post Office provided a list with countries that have restrictions (see below). If you live in one of those countries it's better not to participate in this giveaway, because the prize will probably return to the sender and you'll never receive it. This sucks, I know.. but I hope you can understand there's nothing I or the people at Speciallità can do about it;
You can enter till the 28th of January, 11.59 pm CET;
One prize, one winner. The winner will be selected using random.org and will be notified via email. If the winner doesn't respond within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.
If you have a question you can always email me at thepolishedperfectionist (at) gmail (dot) com

Good luck to everyone who enters! :tup

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*Countries with restrictions:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Gabon, Gambia, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Glorioso Islands, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Navassa Island, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tromelin Island, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Precious, Precious, Silver and Gold

2012-01-04T16:22:00.001+01:00

Today I'm showing you the silver and gold polish from Speciallità's Hits No Olimpo collection. The silver one's called Artemis. Artemis has a metallic finish and is filled with fine prismatic particles. The prismatic effect is amazing! I'm probably saying that about all the Hits No Olimpo polishes. ;)

The gold one's called Hermes. This one also has a metallic finish and a gorgeous prismatic effect. I wish the sun wasn't so shy today so I could show you how awesome the prismatic effect of these really is. Maybe another time! I rarely wear silver or gold nail polish, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked these two on me. It looks like Artemis and Hermes totally won me over.

edit: Ahh, this looks more like it. Look at those sparklies! Thank you, sun. ^_^

The formula was good, two easy coats for both, no top coat.

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.

The Polished Perfectionist

ANNY - Green Hills

Windmillion Glitter Sandwich

Essie - School of Hard Rocks & CND Effects - Crimson Sparkle

Beware of the Cat

Dangerous Rainbow

Pink & Bows

a england - Ascalon

Bella Flora

a england - Dragon

Indigo Lunar Eclipse

a england - Saint George

Color Club - Get A Clue: Stamped & Mattified

Speciallità Giveaway Winner!

Speciallità - Hefesto & Recap Hits No Olimpo Collection

Speciallità - Apolo & Comparison

Coral & Orange: Speciallità - Afrodite & Deméter

Pink & Blue: Speciallità Hestia & Poseidon

Speciallità - Dionísio & Comparison

Sweet Roses

Speciallità - Atena

Guest Post at Ivana Thinks Pink

Review: Glass Nail File from Mont Bleu

Emerald Black Glistens Up

Giveaway Time! *This Giveaway Is Closed!*

Precious, Precious, Silver and Gold

Giveaway Time! This Giveaway Is Closed!