gems in a bottle. - a nail blog

Lynderella The Glittering Crowd Gradient Nails

2012-04-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers! Iwas experimenting with glitter polish a lot lately and I love that there are so many different looks you can achieve with one glitter polish. I of course love the jelly sandwich mani, like the one I showed a couple weeks ago with Lynnderella One Nutty Fruitcake (see the post here), but gradients and french tips with glitter polish is GORGEOUS too! (Check out my Bejeweled French Nails post here.)

Today, I have this beautiful mani with Lynnderella The Glittering Crowd gradient over Barielle Berry Blue to share with you.

For this mani, I first did two coats of Barielle Berry Blue, a rich navy blue creme. Then I dabbed a thick drop of The Glittering Crowd near the cuticle area and dragged some of the glitter down the nails to create the gradient effect. I then finished the look with 2 layers of Seche Vite.

I am totally in love with the finished look. It's so glossy and the glitters in The Glittering Crowd look like hidden gems and jewels in a deep blue sea. I just want to wear this over and over again, especially it's so easy to do!!

Let me know what you think about this look! Do you like the gradient effect with glitters? Do you like the combination of Berry Blue and The Glitter Crowd? Let me know what you think by leaving your comment below!! <3

Japanese Nail Art Inspired Blue Gradient Nails

2012-04-23T01:44:00.000-07:00

Dear lovely readers, today I have this new nail design to show you! I was feeling uninspired and I thought I really wanted to do some gradient nails. This whole design just came from bits and pieces I wanted to do as I was doing it (like most of my designs, lol!), but I love how the end result looked and I actually wore it for almost a week!!

This last picture is actually my right hand, the one I have never pictured!! I really liked how the design looked on my right hand so I decided I should give it a shot. I definitely need some practicing to photograph my right hand nicely though haha! XP

I think this design looks elegant and unique and very Japanese nail art inspired haha! This look really isn't hard to do. It just takes lots of time and patience to stick all the bullions and decorations on. So if you want to recreate this look, definitely give yourself plenty of time and take your time to do it! :)

Let me know what you think about this design! Do you like the overall look? Do you like so many bullions and ornaments? Is this something you would wear? Please leave comments below! <3

Girly Bits Shift Happens Swatches and Review

2012-04-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hi dear readers! Today I have a Girly Bits nail polish to share with you! I'm sure many of you have heard of Girly Bits by now, and I've posted some of the polishes from Girly Bits before (you can check them out here.) Indie polishes are really "the thing" right now in the nail polish world, and I've been trying to track down some polishes from SOOO many nail polish makers recently, but I still have no luck except some Lynnderella polishes from llarowe that I have put in my wish list a while ago. I guess I really need to spend more time in front of my computer if I really want to get them on my hands haha!

Anyways, Shift Happens is a gorgeous multi-chrome top coat that shifts from red to copper to green. The multi-chrome effect is very strong, and I absolutely love how sparkly it looks in the sun! This is just two coats over a black creme. I've seen swatches that layered Shift Happens over blue creme, and I really like how it looks, so maybe I'll try out different layering combos when I get the time!

The last picture is taken in my light box, and you can see clearly all the colors in this polish! Absolutely gorgeous! :)

Girly Bits polishes are available on Pam's blog. Color shifting polishes like Shift Happens are slightly more expensive than regular ones, and they retail for $7 for 5ml or $11.50 for 15ml full size bottles. You can also find them on llarowe's website for $13 for the full size bottles. However, it does seem that they're all out of stock on both Pam's and llarowe's website. So check back often if you're interested in getting these beautiful polishes! :)

Let me know what you think about Shift Happens. Have you gotten any Girly Bits polishes yet? What's your favorite indie polish/polish maker? Please leave comments below! <3

*The product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration but in no way influenced my opinion.*

Lynnderella One Nutty Fruitcake Jelly Sandwich

2012-04-10T01:02:00.000-07:00

Hi my lovely readers! Today I have this jelly sandwich I want to share with you! Just the name of it sums up how delicious it is lol!

I just sandwiched One Nutty Fruitcake between layers of Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely in Love, which is a sheer baby pink with blue green shimmer. I don't know if I can actually call this a jelly sandwich because technically I don't think Kim-pletely in Love is a jelly, it's just very sheer. But oh well, I'll call it that anyways! :D

As you may see, I matted the whole mani in the second and last pictures, which I like A LOT more! I also LOVE the look of sandwiches glitters. I just think it looks so much better than just having it sit on top of another polish; the whole look has much more depth this way.

Also, if you missed my earlier swatches and review post on One Nutty Fruitcake, you can check it out here. As you can see, the two manicures are quite different even though they're both pink... and with One Nutty Fruitcake! This mani is much softer and subtler, which I love! :D

Let me know what you think about this mani! Do you like jelly sandwiches? What's your favorite combo? Please leave comments below!! <3

Sparkling Drippy Nails

2012-04-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hello dear readers! Today I have a pretty cool design to share with you. I did these last week and I LOVE how cool they turned out. I've been seeing a lot of drippy designs around, but mostly in pastel colors or brighter colors. I've seen this done with black as a base color a while ago on Tumblr, and I just loved how cool it looks and I've been wanting to try it out forever!

This design is actually pretty easy to do. These are the steps to achieve this look:

1. Apply your favorite base coat. I used OPI Nail Envy.

2. Apply one coat of a black creme polish. I used Wet n Wild black creme.

3. Apply your favorite matte top coat. I used Essie Matte About You.

4. This is the hardest step of the whole design. Use OPI Last Friday Night or other chunky glitter polishes to create the dripping effect. I made the layer really thick so there's actually sort of a 3-D effect, which makes the whole look much more realistic! I also used a small nail art brush to do this step because it needs to be more delicate and accurate, so it doesn't look like a blob of glitter on your tips. (Trust me, I know by trial and error lol!)

5. Last, use a fast drying top coat to go over ONLY the part with the drippy design. Using a fast drying top coat can help you dry the thick layer of polish underneath much faster, but also a thick top coat like Seche Vite can help to add more dimension and strengthen the 3-D effect!

And these are the 5 easy steps to create this unique, edgy look!

Please leave comments below and let me know how you like this design! :)

Ozotic 532 Swatches and Review

2012-03-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Dear readers! I've missed you all dearly! I've taken a break for the last couple of weeks and hopefully I'm going to get back on here more often! :) I do have a lot of material prepared, I just need to find the time to gather and organize everything! XP

Today, I have a GORGEOUS nail polish to show you! I recently got this from llarowe. They call this the mishmash polish, and I completely FELL IN LOVE with these when I first saw them on llarowe's Facbook page! I'm sure you've seen these floating around quite a lot, but if you haven't, mishmash polishes are really pretty nail polishes that are BOTH linear holographic AND multichrome! What can be better right!?

This is two coats of Ozotic 532 over a coat of black creme. Ozotic 532 is mostly turquoise/lilic, but at extreme angles you can also see copper/orange. The linear holo effect is VERY intense, and looks super gorgeous in the sun! I LOVE it even indoors, and I can definitely see more of the copper color in the shade! :D

Look at the holo *O* Sooo pretty!! I had no problem with application whatsoever. I think it's really pigmented, maybe I'll even try it without the black creme under and see what happens! :)

So what do you think about Ozotic 532? Have you tried any of the mishmash polishes yet? If so, which is is your favorite!? Leave comments below!! <3

You can find Ozotic nail polishes at llarowe and they retail for $17.50.

Cute Pastel Skittles

2012-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers! Today I want to share with you this design I came up with.. when I was looking at all my studs and pearls and micro gold beads lol! And of course I HAD to use every thing I see on my desk! XP I was pretty obsessed with these studs I got a couple weeks ago, and also I was reading too much Japanese nail art magazines so I just felt like I needed to to put a stud on every single plain nail, just like I did with my Valentine's Day Mani haha!

So for this mani, I used Chanel May, Illamasqua Load, and China Glaze Kinetic Candy as base colors. Then I used Kinetic Candy to add a v-shape tip on my ring finger. I then used my studs and beads and pearls to decorate each finger differently.

My favorite is the index finger. I LOVE the bow. It's so cute, haha! These colors actually remind me of Easter! I didn't really put that much thought before I started out, but I am happy with the end result!

Let me know what you think about this mani! Is this too much for you? Do you like the colors? Please leave comments below!! <3

Mont-Bleu Glass Nail Files Review

2012-03-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

Hi my dear readers! Today I have something different for you. Not the regular nail polish/nail art post. A lot of people have been asking me what kind of nail care products I use, and while I don't have time yet to put together a post on my nail care regimen, I want to share with you an important part of it today.

I actually don't spend a lot of time taking care my cuticles or using a lot of different products, but I do take time to shape and file my nails. I think the shape of my nails is a huge part of how my swatches look, and it's really the canvas for nail art, so I like to take the time to make sure I do my best. Now, I'm no pro at taking care of my nails, but I did spend a lot of time reading other people's reviews and experiences with different products. I've read that glass nail files are supposed to be less harmful to your nails and can reduce splitting, so when first I came across some glass nail files at Sephora, I just thought I'd try out something new and give it a shot. And that was how I got hooked. Even thought I still remember that weird sensation I got when I first started using it. It gave me goosebumps haha! Anyone know what I'm talking about? Anyway, I was delighted I could try out some different ones when I was given the opportunity to try out these glass nail files from Mont Bleu.

The pair of beautiful glass nail files came in a pretty pink box in black velvet sleeves. There was a longer one, which I keep on my desk for when I do my nail routine, and a shorter one that I keep in my purse. I've found it super convenient to have a short one in my purse because I tend to find myself with chipped nails that need a quick filing during the day. I've been using these for a couple of months now, and they still work great even though I haven't cleaned them yet. I've read that you're supposed to wash them with water to restore the grittiness every now and then, but I haven't found the need to do that yet and they're doing a great job keeping my nails nicely shaped.

These are the two sizes that I received, medium (135mm) and small (90mm). They also offer glass files in large size, which is 195mm.

I just LOVE the rhinestones on the nail files. It's so much prettier than the Sephora one I have haha! All of Mont Bleu's nail files are made with tempered glass and all the rhinestones are Swarovski crystals, and they're definitely high quality products. Mont Bleu also offer a range of designs for the nail files, which I think are great for personal use, and also as small gifts to friends! :)

Check out Mont Bleu's website for more information on these beautiful nail files and other accessories they offer. A set of these glass nail files retails for $21. They also offer free shipping to the US on orders over $82.

*The product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration but in no way influenced my opinion.*

60's Mix & Match

2012-02-29T11:05:00.001-08:00

Hello, dear readers! I've missed you all!! I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted! Ahh, time flies, and I'm trying hard to fight it! Anyhow, I've this mix & match design to share with you today. This design was inspired by something I saw in a Japanese nail art magazine. Those magazines really give me a lot of inspiration for easy, simple, and fun designs. You should definitely try to get your hands on them if you're lacking inspiration, or just want to learn how to do some simple designs. They usually have step by step guides for some designs!

For this look I just started with base colors white on index finger, Chanel May on middle and ring fingers and black on my pinky. Then I used a small dotting tool to create the mini polka dots with black on the white and white on the black. I'm really happy with how neat they came out! Then I added a little bow on my ring finger with mini gold beads just to add some cuteness to the whole design. I love having 3-D decorations on my nails. I think they make the overall look stand out more (literally.. lol) and just more eye-catching. I love touching them too lol! XP

Sorry for not posting more often lately. I'm trying!! I can't promise anything because I'm trying to spend more time to look for a job and such, but I hope I still have your support! Thanks, and love you all, my dear readers! <3

NOTD: Lady Bug Polka Dots

2012-02-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

Hi dear readers! I'm still alive!! It's been a really hectic week because of midterms, presentations, and the fact that I need to look for a job, so I haven't been able to post much.. I hope you understand! I didn't even have time to change my nail polish since MONDAY!! That's saying something! Anyhow, I have a quick NOTD for you today. This design reminds me so much of colorful lady bugs haha. =) I just used some random bright nail polishes lying around my desk for the base colors, then used a large dotting tool to create these huge jam packed polka dots. Not sure if I'll wear it for long, but I love how it looks in the pictures! ;)

Let me know what you think about this design! Even though I might not have replied each and every comment individually, I always read every single one of them! I just want to thank all of you who have left comments for me for their kind words and their time to write me a little something! It means the world to me! <3

Happy Valentine's: My official Valentine's Mani

2012-02-14T03:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day my lovely readers! Do you have plans this Valentine's Day? Well, I know I don't haha! My boyfriend doesn't get out of class till 10 tonight, so not much we can do.. But I guess we'll just make it up on Wednesday! Anyhow, no matter you have plans or not, I hope everyone has a great day today with your friends or with your significant other! <3

This mani I'm showing you is the one I'm wearing today. I didn't really plan to wear this as my Valentine's mani.. it sort of just happened. But I'm happy with it! I love the bright and cheerful colors, unlike previous ones I've done which are more soft and sweet. This is my first attempt at this heart leopard print, even though it can still use some practicing and improvement, I love how it looks! You know I just HAVE to put some hearts somewhere and I think this is a cute and subtle way to do it!

Thumb, index finger, pinky: Chanel Rose Insolent and studs.
Middle and ring fingers: I started with two coats of Chanel Gold Fiction, then I painted some hearts with purple, hot pink, yellow and orange acrylic paint. The shapes don't have to be exact so it looks more natural. Then I outlined the hearts with black acrylic paint and added random dots here and there. And DONE!

You won't believe how easy it was to do this mani. I really want to try out different color combinations with the heart leopard print because I think it's really cute!

So nothing extremely fancy this Valentine's! Let me know what you think about this mani! Is this what you would wear on your Valentine's? ;)

Have a great one, ladies! <3

Be My Valentine Skittles

2012-02-13T00:42:00.000-08:00

Hi my lovely readers! I have for you another Valentine's mani today! Even though there's less pink and no hearts and bows, I love how this design turned out and I think it would be very cute to wear on your Valentine's date!

Thumb & middle finger: First, I started with two coats of a pinkish nude creme from LAKA. Then I topped it with a coat of Gelous. I used Gelous because it was just convenient for me, but any top coat that dries slower would be perfect for adhering nail art decorations, because you don't have to work lightning fast to put everything where you want them to go. I picked a medium flat-back pearl and placed it near the cuticle then lined it with tinny gold beads. After everything looks right and centered, I sealed the whole nail with a coat of Seche Vite.

Index finger & Pinky: The base color is China Glaze Crimson from the Haunting Collection. It's a very dark purple creme, almost black. I painted two coats of Crimson, waited for it to dry a bit, then used a large dotting tool to create the polka dots with the same pinkish nude creme as the one on my thumb and middle finger. Then I topped the whole nail with a coat of Seche Vite.

Ring finger: This is just three coats of Deborah Lippmann Shake Your Groove Thing. I love the bling that this brings to the whole design!

And there you have it! Let me know what you think about this design! Do you like using nail art decorations like flat-back pearls and tinny gold beads? Do you like the colors I used? Please leave comments below! <3

NOTD: Flakie Layering Mani

2012-02-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers! This layering mani I'm showing you today is one of, I think, the most gorgeous matte flakie manis I've done, so I'm really excited about it! :D I actually did this twice because I had to do some swatching after the first time and I had to take it off, but then I wanted to wear it longer so badly so I did it again! I think this design is so soft and subtle, but the flakies give the whole look a lot of depth.

I used a pastel dusty pink creme from LAKA as base, then I layered a coat of Finger Paints Motley over, then a coat of Essie Shine of the Times on top of everything. And of course I had to mattify it with Essie Matte About You! Motley flashes blue and green, and you can see it running through in the middle; Shine of the Times mostly flashes gold/orange. So you can see the contrast between the two flakie polishes, which I think created a lot of depth to this mani. Also of course mattified flakies is one of my all time favorite looks! ;)

I think this design is so gorgeous and I would really wear it a hundred times! It's nude without being boring and it just makes my hands look super clean and elegant! :D

What do you think of this flakie layering mani? Do you love matte flakies as much as I do? Do you like this nude look? Please leave comments below!! <3

Valentine's Cloud Nails

2012-02-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers! I have decided I want to get as many Valentine's design posts in as possible before next Tuesday, so I think you'll be seeing quite a few of those this week! I had so much fun doing them and I didn't want to stop!! Today's design is by Nailside. Even before I started blogging, I have always LOVED Nailside's designs and Jane's definitely one of my favorite nail bloggers! I think her designs are so original and unique; you can just TELL they're from Jane. So when I saw her cloud design, I knew I wanted to give it a try! You can find the cloud design tutorial here. It's very detailed and guides you step by step! You can also check out the Nailside double lightning bolt design that I did a while back here.

For my version of the cloud design, I wanted it to have a Valentine's theme, and what's a Valentine's mani without some pink? Or a lot of pink? XP I started with Misa Pinky Promise, which is from their new Spring collection, as base, then I used NARS Space Odyssey, which is a silver foil for the second layer. For the fuchsia at the tip, I used China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic from the new Electropop Collection.

I think one thing I found out while doing this design is that you definitely want to keep all your layers as thin as possible, or else you'll end up having really thick tips and it'd be really hard to dry. You might want to find a one coater polish as your base to start with. A fast drying top coat can also help you dry the layers of polish faster. I used a coat of Seche Vite to seal the design and help it dry faster.

Overall, I am really happy about how this design turned out. I love the silver in the middle, it just adds a little bit of bling to the whole design. And this just SHOUTS Valentine's and super girly and cute ;)

So how do you like this design? Have you tried the cloud design yourself? Are you having a pink overload? lol! XP

Valentine's V Gap Nails

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning dear readers! Today I have my first Valentine's Day mani for you. I've done SO many different designs this past week, and I'm super excited to share with you everything I've done. I just love Valentine's manis because there are so many possibilities and I can make them as cute and cheesy as I want LOL!

I wanted to start with something simple. Actually many of the designs that I've done are pretty simple. But I love how this mani turned out and how easy it was to achieve this very chic and elegant look for Valentine's Day! I also love it because this V-gap design actually turned out to look like part of a heart! ;)

For this look, I started with two coats of Misa Someone Like You, which is from their new spring collection (I will be posting swatches of the collection soon). Then I used Chanel April and just freehanded the V-gap design with the brush that it comes with. Nothing fancy and no tools needed. The V-gap wasn't hard to create as well. Basically you just need to make a thick stroke from about 3/4 of your nails to the edge on one side and do the same on the other side. On thing to keep in mind is to leave your gap in the middle so the whole design doesn't look crooked or sloppy. Also, to make the top part rounder, you just need to let your brush sit there a little and wait till a bit of the polish drips down and create a round drop of polish, then you can go down the nail.

I hope these tips were helpful and you'll try out this simple yet chic design for your Valentine's Day! Let me know how it turned out if you do! :)

What do you think about this design? Do you like the V-gap? What are you planning on wearing on Valentine's Day? Please leave comments below! <3

Chanel Spring 2012 Collection Swatches & Review

2012-02-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers! Today I have nail polises from the Chanel Spring 2012 Harmonie de Printemps Collection to share with you. This collection is inspired by springtime skies and even though I feel like the color palette isn't the most unique, I love the overall look and feel of the collection. There are three nail polishes in this Chanel Spring 2012 collection, and they are April, May, and June. The names did surprise me a little since they are so simple. These nail polishes are so creamy and glossy, they instantly became my new favorites of my Chanel collection.

First is April. This nail polish is my ultimate favorite now! I've been using it over and over again and I've used it a couple times for the Valentine's manis I've been doing. Even though it seems to be just another red, but it really isn't. This is a pretty unique red in my opinion; it's a darker, a bit dusty, almost purple red. I just love how it looks on my nails. It's outstanding without being the obnoxious red. If you were going to get one polish from this collection, I definitely recommend April. The application of April was also perfect. It was almost a one coater, and two coats made it completely perfect. This dried very glossy as you can see in the second picture.

Next we have May. Even though Chanel says it's an "intense pink", I don't think it's anywhere near intense. May is a almost jelly, soft, baby pink. It looks very light and delicate on the nails and even though I don't wear pink by itself very often, I love how May looks and I'd definitely wear it regularly. May was a bit sheer on the first coat since it's almost jelly-like, but it does build up nicely and have even and full coverage at 3 coats. It also dried very glossy.

Last but not least we have June. Chanel says it's a pastel apricot, and I think that's what it is. I think this color is pretty unique as well since I couldn't find anything similar in my stash. Like May, June is also jelly-like and soft. This is a very pretty spring color, but I just don't like it as much because it doesn't really compliment my skin tone. But this looks so much like candy on the nails with the glossiness and the color I just want to lick my fingers hehee XP June is also sheer on the first coat but achieve even and full coverage at 3.

Overall, I very impressed with the Chanel Spring 2012 nail polishes. I think they at first appear to be simple color we've all seen before, but my opinion is they really aren't. All of them are unique in a subtle way, and that's what I like about Chanel nail polishes. As I've said, April is my absolute favorite in the collection (not only because it's my birthday month haha!), but May and June are also very gorgeous. The formulas on these polishes are perfect and super glossy. Chanel really did a great job with these this season.

The Chanel Spring 2012 are now available at www.chanel.com and at Chanel beauty counter. These nail polishes retail at $25 each.

So what are your thoughts on this collection. Which is your favorite out of the three? Will you be buying any of them? Please leave comments below!

Have a great day, ladies! <3

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The Beauty Blogger Coalition Valentine's Day $500 Visa Card Giveaway!

2012-02-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers! I have some great news to share with you! A bunch of beauty bloggers and I have gotten together and we are doing a HUGE Visa card giveaway again!! This is perfect for some Valentine's Day/post New Years shopping!! So enter this giveaway now!! Here are the details:

The Beauty Blogger Coalition is back with another $500 Visa card giveaway! To enter, please allow the Rafflecopter widget to load below. All Terms and Conditions may also be found in the widget. Please visit the following Beauty Blogger Coalition members who are bringing this to you! You may enter using Rafflecopter from any of the below blogs but your entry will only count one time. You may, however, tweet about the giveaway (the last option) once a day for the duration of the giveaway.

Beauty Blogger Coalition
Beauty and Fashion Tech
Beauty Info Zone
Beauty Swatches
BlushingNoir
Gems in a Bottle
Madame B Fatale
Moxie Reviews
My Beauty Bunny
PeaceLoveLipgloss
Perilously Pale
Phyrra
Polarbelle
polish insomniac
PolishGalore
Pretty in Dayton
Prime Beauty
The Beauty Delicacy
The Plastic Diaries

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deborah Lippmann Get This Party Started Set Swatches and Review

2012-01-31T22:53:00.000-08:00

Dear readers, today I have three Deborah Lippmann nail polishes to show you. They are in the Get This Party Started set. I know that they recently started selling Candy Shop separately, which is good news because if that's the only one you wanted from the set you can get it by itself now!

So first up is Candy Shop. This is my absolute favorite out of the three. It's just so cute and.. fluffy!! All the multicolored glitters are suspended in the pink jelly base, creating a jelly sandwich effect. It really does look like cotton candy to me, and I couldn't stop staring at my nails when I had them on. I actually wore this polish during my trip to the Maldives, and after the five days of being always in water and doing water activities and such, this polish really held up really well. There were only tip wear and minor chips and I'm super impressed!! I thought it would be gone by the second day haha!

Click on the pictures to enlarge them and have a closer look of all the sandwiched glitters! It's so pretty!! :D

This is three coats of Candy Shop topped with a coat of Seche Vite.

Next is Forget You. This is basically the same as Candy Shop except it's in a black jelly base.. Well, all three polishes in this set have the same glitters, just different bases. I think this is a pretty unique polish and creates a very different look than Candy Shop. Candy Shop is very girly and cute, but Forget You is much edgier in my opinion. The black base also eats up the glitters more than the pink base, but I still like Forget You a lot!

This is also three coats and topped with a coat of Seche Vite.

Last but not least, we have Happy Birthday over OPI Fly. Happy Birthday is multicolored glitters in a clear base. I'm sure you've heard a lot about this polish already. It basically started the multicolored glitter polish trend. I think I must have more than five of those in my stash now lol! Even though I don't think any of them are dupes for Happy Birthday, they're awful similar. Anyhow, this is definitely a fun glitter polish, and you an layer it over different polishes for a twist!
This is one coat of Happy Birthday over one coat of OPI Fly topped with a coat of Seche Vite.

I got this set when I randomly walked into a beauty supply store. I picked up this set and the lady told me it was going to be on sale with 30% off the next day. I was like OH NO! And I told her I was leaving town the next day, which I really was, I was going back to Hong Kong the next day, and she so very kindly gave me the 30% off even though the promotion wasn't supposed to start till the next day. So this was really a STEAL for me! I've wanted this set for AGES, and I'm so glad I waited! I got this set for only $33 after tax. I was so proud of myself haha!

You can find this set on apothica.com for $42. I've check on deborahlippman.com and Nordstrom and they don't seem to have this set anymore, but you can still get Candy Shop and Happy Birthday individually for $18.

So what do you think about this set? Do you get it? Which one was your favorite? Please leave comments below!!

Also, I think I'm going to start doing some Valentine's manis soon! I'll try to make up for the lack of posts recently! So stay tuned! ;) <3

NOTD: Black & Gold Chanel Nails

2012-01-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

Good morning readers! Today I have this edgy but classy black & gold mani for you! I love the black & gold color combo a lot and that's why you see me keep doing it haha!

So for this mani, to create the gap on the three fingers, I first used two strips of striping tape to block off the nail polish in the middle of my index and middle fingers and pinky. I lined two strips of tape together because I thought the gap would be too thin if I'd just used one. You can adjust the width of the gap by using thicker tape or just cutting it to the width you want. Then I painted the top part with two layers of my WnW black creme, and the bottom half with two layers of Butter London Wallis. After I made sure I got all the sides covered, I removed the stripping tape. I did get some polish in the gap, but that wasn't a big deal. I just dabbed a small brush with some nail polish remover and carefully removed it to create the clean, straight lines. I painted two coats of Wallis on my thumb and two coats of WnW black creme on my ring finger to have some variation. And I remembered those Chanel decals that I haven't used for a while, so I added one on my ring finger for a high-end look. ;)

Overall I like this mani quite a lot. It's easy to do yet pretty unique. You can definitely try this with many different color combinations. You don't even have to place the gap in the middle of every finger. I might try out different things in the future!

So what do you think about this mani? Do you like this look? Do you like black & gold? Please leave comments below!! <3

Happy Lunar New Year: Pure Ice Crackle Duo Red & Gold

2012-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Lunar New Year to all my friends and readers who celebrate it!! Today is the first day of the year of Dragon, and I hope everyone is having/had a fabulous start of the year! Lunar New Year is a time to celebrate with family and friends. It's probably one of the most important holidays for Chinese people. I haven't celebrated Chinese New Year with family for quite some years now, but I'm happy that I have friends here who I can celebrate with! I hope you're enjoying this day with your loved ones too! :)

For today's nails, I have this super festive combo for you! This is Pure Ice Crackle Duo in Red & Gold. Red and gold are like THE Chinese New Year color combo haha! Traditional decorations are all in red and gold to symbolize a year of prosperity and happiness ahead. This mani is just GREAT for this holiday! Even though a lot of people would say they've already had enough of crackle polishes, but I don't know, I might be one of the few here, I've loved it from the very beginning. Even before the big companies came out with these crackle polishes, we had a lot of them from smaller Chinese/Korean brands in Hong Kong. I still remember being amazed by the effect when I tried them out at the counter a few years back! And I still do haha! This Pure Ice red crackle had no problem cracking, and it cracked really nicely and quickly. Like other crackles, it dried matte, so I added a coat of Seche Vite for extra gloss.

The base color is a warm toned metallic gold without a name.. just a code 313CP. This has pretty good coverage and was opaque in two coats. It's really pretty by itself too and I have no problem with this gold on my skin tone.

Let me know what you think about this mani. Do you still like crackle polishes? Have you every liked it? Would you wear this color combo?

You can buy Pure Ice nail polishes at www.baricosmetics.com and at Wal-Mart and Walgreen stores.

*The products in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration but in no way influenced my opinion.*

Custom Polish: Gold Holo

2012-01-20T01:33:00.000-08:00

Hi my lovely readers! I've been lazy with posts.. I'm still adjusting to my new schedule this semester and trying to figure out a time to really sit down and do all the swatching and editing and writing. I hope I'll get back the momentum soon!! :)

Anyways, I have my first custom polish to share with you today! I'm SO excited about this one! If you're not familiar with custom polishes, it simply means that I created them with raw materials, like nail polish base, pigments, micas, glitters... anything you can put in the polish base. I recently ordered some suspension base and a bunch of pigments and micas from TKB Trading. TKB offers such a wide range of gorgeous glitters and pigments I really had to stop myself from buying everything they have LOL. But I did buy quite a few of their pigments in samples sizes so I can try them all out. I also got my hands on some SpectraFlair. I had so much fun playing with all these ingredients and creating my own polishes :D

Today's polishes is created using a mineral pigment called Aztec Gold that I got from TKB and SpectraFlair. I started by putting some suspension base into my nail polishes bottle, then added some gold pigment and shook the bottle like crazy. At first it wasn't pigmented enough for me, so I added more pigment into it. Then I added the SpectraFlair. I'm still new at this, so I wasn't sure how much of everything I need but the good thing about making your own polish is that you can control every aspect of it, and I was able to make this holo super pigmented! Below pictures are only two coats of the polish, with no underwear color. It's definitely the most pigmented holo I've ever put on, because I just kept adding the pigment into it LOL XP

As with other holos I've posted, it's difficult to capture the full effect on camera, and the holo effect was definitely stronger IRL. Ahhhh I'm just IN LOVE with this polish and I can't stop looking at it hahaha!

Let me know what you think about this polish! Do you make your own custom polish? I also don't have a name for this yet, so any of you creative ladies out there PLEASE help me come up with a name!! :D

Have a great day, ladies!! <3

NOTD: Finger Paints Flashy over Ludurana Emocionante

2012-01-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hello, my lovely readers! I did a layering experiment with Ludurana Emoncionante from the last post a couple days ago, and I really loved the outcome! I layered Flashy from the Finger Paints Special Effects collection over and IMO this just looks crazily amazing LOL! I'm seriously in love with how the two color shifting effects go together! Enjoy the pictures!! :D

On a side note, the Finger Paints Special Effects collection is seriously difficult to hunt down! I only have three so far, and I'm still missing Motley and Twisted. I've been calling three different Sally's in the past week, and I swear they run out in less than like three hours! But I LOVE the three I have right now, and can't wait to post swatches of the collection. Maybe I'll just do the three I have first, and then do the rest when I can finally hunt them down lol! These flakies are SO gorgeous, and if this year's trend is flakies, I think my wallet would want to kill me XP

Let me know what you think about this layering mani! Have you tried something like this before? Do you love flakies as much as I do? :D

Have a great day, ladies!! <3

Ludurana Aurora Boreal Emocionante Swatches & Review

2012-01-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hello readers! Today I have another gorgeous Ludurana nail polish (see my previous posts here) that Leah Ann has sent me to swatch! This time it's one of their multichromes. I just have to tell you again how impressed I am with the formulas of Ludurana nail polishes! They are super easy to apply evenly and dries pretty quickly. Comparing to the Ozotic multichromes that I've tried, I think Ludurana ones are much more opaque and the effect is stronger in a sense that the different colors in the color shift are more pronounced.. at least judging from the pictures that I've taken.

Emocionante shifts from a royal blue/purple to fuchsia to copper. When you look at it straight on indoors, you would usually see a royal blue color and purple on the sides, but under direct sunlight, you don't see as much blue as the purple. I'll let the pictures explain. ;)

Below are two coats of Emocionante over a coat of WnW black creme topped with a coat of SV.

You can see the color shifts from purple to fuchsia to copper in the top three pictures and all the colors on each nail in the second to last. The last picture is how it looks like in the shade. This is really a gorgeous color even indoors! The girl at Sally's was so amazed by it when I went in to find my Finger Paints flakies haha! (btw, which I'm still missing two out of the five..)

And there you have it! What do you think about Ludurana Emocionante? Have you tried any of the Ludurana multichromes yet? Do you like multichromes? Please leave comments below!!

You can buy Ludurana nail polishes at llarowe. They retail for $14/8ml. Llarowe offers free shipping within the US for orders over $50, and they also ship worldwide except Italy. For more information, check out Llarowe's online store. Also, "like" their Facebook page to get the latest updates on the polishes that they carry!

Have a good one, ladies! :D

Winter Color Block Nails

2012-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hello, my dear readers! I've been a bad blogger lately.. I haven't been posting regularly because I got so distracted when I was in Hong Kong, and it was the holidays and I wanted to spend more time with my family.. so I hope you understand! Now that I'm back in LA, I'm trying to start posting regularly again. I have SOO many great new polishes I want to share with you, so stay tuned! ;)

Today I have this color block nail design for you! I saw a color block design on my friend's nails and immediately I thought I wanted to do something similar. I love how the color combination turned out and how easy it was to create this sophisticated yet edgy look.

I basically started with two coats of the colors closest to my cuticles on each nail, then painted two coats of the colors nearer to the free edge of my nails over them. After the polish dried, I just took my gold striping tape and lined it across where the two colors meet on each nail. Because the tape is going to cover the line, you don't have to paint a super straight line, which makes this design so easy and quick to do! I just love using striping tape recently because it's so easy to create clean and professional-looking designs with it!

And there you have it! How do you like this design? Do you like this color combination? What other combinations would you like to try out? Please leave comments below!! :)

Have a great one! <3

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year my dear readers! How did everyone celebrate? I hope you had fun and will have a great and fruitful year ahead! 2011 has been a great year, and one of the best is certainly starting this blog and getting to know so many of you who share the same passion as me. I hope I can still invest as much time and energy into Gems in a Bottle in the coming year, and share more exciting and fun nail art and nail polish with you all! Hope I'll still have your support. Love you all <3

Today I have a design inspired by some designs that I saw in a Japanese nail art magazine. I noticed there are many designs that utilize free space when I was reading the magazine, and I've always liked the idea of it (check out the one I've done before), but I'm not sure how I really like it on my nails haha. But here's what I came out with: black and white rectangles lined with silver striping tape. I think this is an interesting design experiment; pretty cool, but not so.. ME.

I simply used a my black and white creme polish for this design. I first started with the black, leaving a block open in each nail, then with my white creme I added another block on each of the nails except the ring finger. Then I took my silver striping tape and lined the rectangles. And that's how easy it is to achieve this design! :D

Well, let me know how you like this design! Have you done something like this? Would you wear this? Please leave comments below! :)

Have a great first day of the year 2012! <3