Love. Varnish, chocolate and more...

P2 Hot Berry

2013-05-20T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everybody!

Another P2 from me this week, and another colour I usually don't go for but really fell in love with! (You know, I have been eating a lot of foods I never used to like and I like them now, could it be related? Hah!)

This colour is called Hot Berry and it's from the P2 Summer Attack LE. Out of the 5 colours in this collection 2 were orange, and Hot Berry is the more red toned of the 2. This is a gorgeous glass fleck polish (I am noticing a trend in my last few posts..) with a lot of gold thought it, giving it a very pronounced glow.

Orange, polishes like this make me learn to love it!

Swatches & Review - 2 Matte Effect shades from El Corazon

2013-05-19T20:00:00.000+02:00

Press Samples

Hi loves! How are you today? Are you as lucky and have tomorrow off? If not, I'm sorry, if you do, what are your plans? I am going to Rotterdam to celebrate my father for finishing the RopaRun, a charity run to fight cancer.

Today I am showing you 2 lovely matte shades I received from El Corazon. I got a major package from them containing 22 beauties so you might be getting a bit of El Corazon spam the next few days/weeks ;-).

El Corazon offers a lot of different polishes, in all sorts of shades and finishes. The Matte Effect line holds 15 shades, most in the pink/red section. No green or blue unfortunately. I was sent both 121 (a grey) and 124 (a true black).

Let me start with the lightest shade first, 121. Matte shades can be tricky to apply and often show some bumps and lumps if you aren't careful. I was also wondering how such a light shade would behave as they normally aren't the easiest to apply. I was surprised at this beauty, because not only did it apply quite well, it also doesn't show bumps or ridges - it allows for a smooth application! I needed 3 coats but for such a light shade I do not mind, and it dried quickly (not as quick like OPI Suedes but those are a pain to polish in my opinion). It doesn't look chalky or flat to me though there isn't any shimmer causing that.

The other shade, 124, a true black matte polish. I wore this for a day as a full manicure and it didn't chip or wear at all during that day. It did get a little bit shiny on the tips but nothing that could bother me badly. I needed 2 coats of this one and at the first coat I thought it holded some kind of specks or dust like particles. After applying the second coat this was not to be seen anymore but it didn't get chalky or flat at all. I tried it on a nailwheel with topcoat and there showed the reason I though there was something in the polish - there is teeny tiny microshimmer in it!

El Corazon polish can be bought by sending an e-mail to ELCorazonzakaz@gmail.com. I do not have any idea of the shipping costs or the price per polish unfortunately.

Tell me, what do you think of these matte shades? Have you ever tried a matte shade yourself?

H&M Bella's Choice with company

2013-05-18T20:00:00.000+02:00

Press Samples Affiliate Links I Bought This

Hi loves! How was your Saturday? I had lunch and went shopping with a friend (or she did some shopping, I am having a bad case of the empty walletitis). I did get new flipflops and a thermos mug for in my car.

For today's post I used one of my fav' turquoise polishes, H&M Bella's Choice. This one is pretty old already, it still has the old style cap (normal brush handle instead of the big rectangle thingie). The formula is so easy, it covers very evenly and almost in 1 coat, the second one only needed to cover up a few sheerer spots.

I used it on my thumb, index and middle finger. The pinky got covered in China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's (2 coats) and the ring finger was painted in Finger Paints Art You Wondering? which was still untried since I bought in the US last September... shame on me! I needed 4 coats and it looked opaque but macro photo's are a bish for glitters. I did a glitter gradient on my thumb (forgot to take pictures) and my index was studded with the Born Pretty Store golden studs (10% off using DELJ61 at checkout!).

Now, I hope you like this manicure as much as I did! And what is your favorite turquoise polish?

Two toned stamping

2013-05-17T20:16:00.000+02:00

I Bought This

Hi loves! You as happy with the weekend as I am? With the Dutch holidays lately there hasn't been a full workweek for a while now, so it was kinda tiring to have to work 5 days straight again ;-).

I have a gorgeous manicure for you today (at least that's what I feel about it) and it is also my first attempt at this technique! I am talking about stamping with two colors, trying to create a gradient look. That last part didn't really work out for me yet but I still love the 2 colors together, so it's not a failed manicure for me.

I started with a base of Revlon Night Plum. What a disastrous formula. Thin, sheer, runny... I did NOT like it. It also dries very dark, darker than the bottle shows so I ended up with a near black purple color. I needed 3 coats and I don't think that's acceptable for such a dark color.

After it dried (luckily quickly because of the thin formula) I grabbed Bundle Monster 223 and China Glaze Joy and Hi-Tek to do the stamping. To create this look you paint a small strip of your first color, and just below that you continue with your second color. Swipe, swipe again in the same direction (makes it blend a bit more) and stamp as usual!

I really love how stamping designs using polishe slike these come to life after applying topcoat <3. The sparkle and shimmer just sizzles!

Tell me, do you like this two toned stamping? Have you ever tried the technique?

Catrice Lilactric (again)

2013-05-16T20:00:00.000+02:00

Press Samples Affiliate Links I Bought This

Hi loves! Everything alright? I hope so!

Today I am showing you Catrice Lilactric again, as I wore it last Friday night to a wedding and well, I don't have any backlog left haha. It is also a stunning polish so why not right ;-)? If you missed the first post about it, check it out here.

This a gorgeous shade that applies easily in 3 coats. I really love the shimmer in this one. Because I didn't want my nails to be too soft, I added some golden studs from Born Pretty Store to give it some extra interest.

Do you like this polish as much as I do? Do you have access to Catrice in your country?

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Gradient Nails!

2013-05-15T20:00:00.000+02:00

I Bought This

Deborah's manicure - A lovely gradient

Hi loves! How are you today? I had quite a hectic day and this afternoon I had to go to the dentist for some cleaning. It hurt a bit but now I have extreme clean teeth haha.

Today is all about gradients and I have done them quite a few times already. So, I am taking a bit of a detour here and will not be showing a traditional gradient. Or not as a full manicure at least. I've seen some heart shaped nailart around and I wanted to try this "cut out" look for myself. Here's what I did on each nail. Thumb - 2 coats of $OPI XOX Betsey, gradient with Manhattan 65K. Index - 2 coats of Manhattan 65K topped with 1 coat of $OPI Traffic Stopper Copper. Middle - 2 coats of $OPI XOX Betsey. Ring - 2 coats of $OPI XOX Betsey, gradient heart with Manhattan 65K & China Glaze 2030. Pinky - 2 coats of Manhattan 65K dotted with China Glaze 2030.

The heart shaped gradient isn't too hard, it just takes some patience and preparation. You take a piece of tape. First, fold the ends so you have a little non-sticky part. Fold together the tape. Cut out half a heart (the center being the foldline). Unfold the tape by pulling on your non-sticky flaps. Place the heart on your nail. Do your gradient (or just use one polish!) and remove the tape. Topcoat, and done!

I quite liked the look of this and I hope you do too! Let me know what you think of it (and if a tutorial would be helpful?).

Loqi's manicure - Ultra violet gradient

Hey guys!
I looooove gradients! I love the way they look, I love doing them, and I especially love picking colours that go well together. So for this weeks challenge I spent a good 30 minutes in front of my polish-racks, picking bottles and comparing them. I decided I didn't want to do a crème or crème to glitter gradient, I wanted full on sparkle! And seeing as glass flecked is one of my favourite finishes...

These were the polishes I picked: Orly Lunar eclipse (blue), Kiko 278 Violet orchid microglitter (purple) and Kiko 277 Blueberry glitter (pink) (the Kiko polishes are both called glitter, but they are really not glitters at all). I used the technique where you paint the polish directly onto a make-up sponge and dab it on your nails.

Now I just need a party to wear this to!

Stay tuned for challenge day 11: Polka dot nails!

Previous manicures:
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Rainbow Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Metallic Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Black and White Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Violet Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Blue Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Green Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Yellow Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Orange Nails!

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Red Nails!

OPI My Vampire Is Buff and some nailart

2013-05-14T20:00:00.000+02:00

Press Samples I Bought This

Hi loves! How are you today? Started your week alright? Last night I visited an amazing concert by Chelsea Wolfe ♥ an amazing artist! She really performed so well, I loved the entire show.

Today I am showing you an experimental manicure. I've seen this technique used by the talented Emma from Globe & Nail and when I got some tulle this weekend I immediately thought of trying it myself! Well, it wasn't easy to position the tulle in a way I could sponge with my other hand, and I positioned it wrong on the first 2 nails, but I did like the irregular endresult.

I used OPI My Vampire Is Buff as my base and China Glaze 2030 for the sponging. I looooove this color combo so much! It is still very classy but also a bit of bling because of the gold.

What do you think of the outcome? Have you tried this technique?

P2 Sand Style Confidential

2013-05-13T20:00:00.000+02:00

I Bought This

Hey everybody!

I got my first few texture polishes a while back, so I thought I would share them with you. I got a few from the P2 Sand Style collection. There are six of them, but only two really caught my eye: the purple and the blue.

Today I am showing you the blue polish, Confidential. As you can see, this one is not only blue, but it has purple and green sparkle mixed in as well. I expected the texture to feel sharper, but it was actually pretty soft. I used two coats for full opacity and the wear time was great, 4 days without chipping.

I quite like this polish, it's not as horrible sand-papery as I had imagined, and the different coloured sparkles were really eye-catching! I hope you guys like it too and see you soon!

Swatches & Review - 3 HARE polishes

2013-05-12T20:00:00.000+02:00

Press Samples I Bought This

Hi loves! How are you today? I had SUCH a fun day yesterday, a bachelorette party from a dear friend. One of the highlights was a race on a toiletpot. Yes, you read that right, a pottie race :D! They were motorized and just so much fun.

So, today I am showing you the remaining 3 lacquers I got from Nikole from HARE Polish. The one I showed you already was Dauphine Of Decadence and boy do I love that one! Today I have for you Rococco Grandeur, Return To Nature and Own Your Opulence. The first 2 are part of the jelly based half of the collection, the last one is in a clear base and meant for layering. You can find all the info on the topcoats here and for the jellies look here.

I am starting with Own Your Opulence. HARE description: Own Your Opulence is a complex mixture of satin pastels in several different shades, juxtaposed with gunmetal grey, black and gold. Lots of goodness going on here! This polish also features gold shimmer. This is in a clear base.

The pastels are what makes this one so much more interesting for me, black and gold is great but the soft pop of color really looks so cute. Also LOVE the gold shimmer, it pulls the look more together even if you don't have glitter on every piece of your nail. Application was divine, spreading easily and not clumping at all.

Shown: 1 coat over Bondi Fuchsia-tastic (2 coats). Gelous topcoat and Sally Hansen Maximum Growth basecoat.

Next up is Return To Nature. HARE description: Return to nature is a beige/khaki crelly (creme-jelly) with a mixture of small gold and silver glitters, plus a dusting of small white squares. This shade also features gold shimmer.

I really like how this is an office appropriate glitter, or at least I think it is. The base is a bit more tan than my usual nudes and I am not entirely sure how I liked it on me, but I guess you could layer 1 coat over your favorite nude to match it better. The application was easy, just make sure you let the coats dry properly in between as glitters usually drag if you don't do that. At the first coat it was very sheer but it build up nicely.

Shown: 3 coats. Gelous topcoat and Sally Hansen Maximum Growth basecoat.

The last one. The one I wanted to love so badly but had a bad first experience with.. Rococco Grandeur. HARE description: Rococo Grandeur is a baby blue jelly with soft pink glitter in several shapes and sizes, with gold accents. This shade also features (incredibly difficult to photograph) blue shimmer.

The first time I tried it, I used it on its own. I needed 3 coats and it was a clumpy, bumpy, not drying mess. Really, I was pretty dissapointed as I love my HARE polishes. I also managed to damage a nail after applying so I had to redo it (I wasn't taken off all the glitter I just applied). I took pictures but it just looks stinky. I will include one for reference though.

For this review I decided I wanted to give it another try, layered this time. I also added some thinner to see if it'd help. It did! Because this is PACKED with glitter you can still wear it layered and have that lovely look that you see in the bottle. It also applied easier this way though it still is a bit lumpy.

Shown: 1 coat over Hema 442 (pastel blue, 2 coats). Gelous topcoat and Sally Hansen Maximum Growth basecoat.

3 coats on its own

You can find HARE at different places, for example in her own Etsy shop, Facebook, Instagram, Shoppe Eclectico, Femme Fatale Cosmetics and Llarowe!

Tell me, do you own any shades of the Last Queen of France collection? If so, which one? If not, which one would you like to own?

Catrice Denim Moore

2013-05-11T20:00:00.000+02:00

I Bought This Press Samples Affiliate Links

Hi loves! How are you today? I am writing this post in advance because today I am having fun at a bachelorette party from a dear friend. We went to a beer museum/brewery thingie and played around with crossbows. At this time we are probably on our way to the city for drinks and dancing!

Now, for today's polish: I have shown it a bit before but not on it's own. It's the light base in this gradient! But, I realized it is too pretty to not show you without (too much) decoration so I have busted it out again.

Catrice Denim Moore was released earlier this year and it is a beautiful blue periwinkle, but there is a hint of purple in it too. It has a gorgeous shimmer that isn't overpowering (making it look like a giftwrap ribbon) but shows very easily. I used 2 coats to apply this and besides the awful brushes now present in the Catrice bottles (they are all crooked) it applied flawless. Very buttery and smooth.

Because I am now officially obsessed with the golden studs I showed you here before I wanted to use some to spice things up. I picked 3 for my index and 6 for my ringfinger. I created a V shape and a little cross with them. The golden studs can be purchased at Born Pretty Store, use the code DELJ61 for a 10% discount.

Tell me, do you like this polish? And what shape would you create with the studs?

I Bought This Press Samples Affiliate Links

Catrice Goldbusters

2013-05-10T20:00:00.000+02:00

I Bought This Press Samples

Hi loves! How are you today? Weekend for you too?

I am showing you a layering polish from Catrice today, this was also released earlier this year together with all the other pretty lacquers. I didn't try it before and I must say, it does like nice in pictures but I am still not that impressed.

This is Catrice Goldbusters, as the name implies it is goldtoned. It seems to be the same shimmer as in Catrice Squeeze Me and Mint Me Up. I used 1 coat over a base of 2 coats of OPI I Saw.. U Saw.. We Saw.. Warsaw and it gives a lovely effect, but the trouble is this: it doesn't apply very easy. It tends to dry very very quickly, and if you dip your brush for more polish and add it to a not polished part, you'll have an overlap between unpolished and the spot that was hit twice. This is noticable. So, you have to be careful and quick in your application to avoid thicker areas! The endresult is pretty though so I might try it again.

What do you think of layering polishes like these? And what would you combine Goldbusters with?

I Bought This Press Samples

Review - Born Pretty Store studs

2013-05-09T20:00:00.000+02:00

I Bought This Press Samples Affiliate Links

Hi loves! How are you today? Did you receive any nailmail lately? I am waiting for some stuff and I get just so impatient haha.

Today I am showing you a product from Born Pretty Store that I am already IN LOVE with! They are 2mm gold square studs and just the perfect size to add some interest to your manicure, without looking bulky. I've tried and shown some studs before, black ones, but when compared they look huuuge. I measured both and the Born Pretty Store ones are a small 2mm (like 1,5 mm) and the ones I used before around 3,5 mm. On your nails it is quite the difference!

So, this manicure.. I started with 2 coats of Bondi Lady Liberty. Yup, obsessed with this shade. Just love it. I topcoated my middle and ringfinger nail to prepare for the nailart and the other nails just dried by themselves. I added a tiny bit of clear polish to wear I wanted to place the studs, and with an orange wood stick I placed the studs. Press down a bit (not too hard or you'll ruin the polish beneath) and cover with a nice coat of topcoat to seal. They stayed put 2 days including washing my hair! I took them off myself and it went easy, just use a soaked cotton pad or something.

The middle and ringfinger nail were done using the watercolor technique, but I'll need some more practice I guess ;-). Still loved the look! I used H&M Moody Model, El Corazon 886 and OPI Thanks a Windmillion for the "blobs" and spread them out using a brush and acetone. It gave a nice smoked effect. I actually wore this manicure during an interview I had about my polish collection :D! The article title most likely will be "How many Helmers do you have?".

If you love these studs too and want to buy them, visit Born Pretty Store and use code DELJ61 for a 10% discount!

Have you tried the watercolor technique? And what do you think of these studs?

I Bought This Press Samples Affiliate Links

Flash Giveaway!

2013-05-09T12:34:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! As you may have noticed, it is possible to buy advertisement space through Passionfruit to advertise on this website. Because I want to promote the option I am giving away 2 small sidebar advertisement spaces, so you can try it for free for one month! You do not have to be a follower to enter, all I am asking is to leave a comment and tell me why you would want to advertise here. Is it to promote your indie brand? Or you want to show off your blog and maybe gain some followers? What ever the reason is, enter and maybe you'll win that coupon code to advertise one month without any cost!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Bloglight - Ten Little Nubs

2013-05-08T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! It is weekend for me, woohoo! Okay so please don't exit this post all mad because I have 2 days off, I want to introduce you to another fun blog to read ;-).

So, this is another one of those blogs I recently discovered and just DON'T get how I missed it before. Well, she is relatively new to the scene so that might have something to do with it. First, this girl has shorties. Second, she has the cutest blog tittle. Third, she has shorties. Oh wait, said that already, but you know I love me some shorties!

Elissa from Ten Little Nubs just has a really fun blog, and there are swatches, nailart, informative posts about nailcare and such and even video's, so there is a little something something for everyone! Please go say hi and follow her if you didn't already :-).

Spoiled Shrimp On The Barbie

2013-05-07T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! How are you today? How did you spent your day? I had to work but I had enough to do, and in my lunch break I took a stroll through the city, the weather was so beautiful!

Today I am showing you another beauty sent to me by the lovely Mimi. This is Spoiled Shrimp On The Barbie and it is a gorgeous gold glassfleck in a pinky base. The base is quite sheer and jelly but tit does allow for the glassfleck to show its true beauty. It unfortunately also slightly shrinks on your tips so if you have the space (and skill) try wrapping your tips when using this!

I needed 3 coats, it applied okay. You have to let it dry properly in between because it dries a bit slower and therefore you'll risk smudging if you polish on too fast. It did respond well to quick dry topcoat.

Do you like heavy glassfleck polishes like these? And which one is your favorite?

P2 Bloggers' Choice

2013-05-06T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hey everybody!

This week I've got a Konad manicure for you. It's been a while since I used one of their plates and this new polish I got gave me a great opportunity.

Shown here is a fairly new polish from P2 called Bloggers' Choice. I thought it was cute to have just for the name, but it is also a 2 coater yellow! I actually think his baby is quite stunning, and I am usually not a big fan of yellow. The glass fleck finish is simply gorgeous, when it catches the light it looks like molten gold. And since I know bright colours like these play really well with black I stamped all my nails with a pattern from Konad plate m51.

I hope you guys like it and see you next week!

OPI Red Lights Ahead.. Where?

2013-05-05T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! Sunday already, weekend go by so so fast.. I had a blast last Friday night at the wedding (Lindy got married to her girlfriend and they both looked stunning!), and therefore I had to take it a bit easy this Saturday ;-). Today I've been quite productive: we have cabinet doors that you can alter by putting something between the backing and the glass. I got this great new giftpaper I wanted to use, so now all 6 doors look like the one on the right here. We also got paint to redecorate a little cabinet in the hall, so I've been sanding and priming it, I'll be painting it Thursday or Friday I guess :). I also washed some brushes, did laundry and used my Clarisonic Mia the first time! I tickled my nose haha.

Now, for today's nails, I am showing you my manicure from the wedding. I wore a dress in the exact same color and my stocking were dotted too, so I thought it'd be fun to do some dotted accent nails. I started with 2 coats of OPI Red Lights Ahead.. Where? that applied very easy. Just be careful with mistakes because it stains a bit on your skin! After it dried I took a small dottingtool and Wet 'n Wild Black Crème and dotted my middle and ringfinger :-).

The OPI Holland collection for me was one of the best collections ever by OPI. I own every single polish and I love them all!

Do you like this combo? And do you own this beautiful polish?

Newspaper nails

2013-05-03T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! Another Friday, I can't believe how fast this week past by. It might have something to do with the day off on Monday and Tuesday ;-). Did you get through your week alright? Any weekend plans?

Todat I am showing you newspaper nails! There are various ways to achieve this look and to make it easy and have all stuff available at once, The New Black created a set that holds everything to do the nailart. This is The New Black Weekly Journal. There are 3 Typography sets available, the difference is in the color of the base and maybe (not sure) in the newspaper sheets too.

So, here's how it works: you paint your basecolor (I used 2 coats, it applied okay, bit streaky at first but fully opaque and even on the second) and you let it dry. Let it dry some more. Use the transfer solution and wet your nail with it (it is very liquid and will evaporate so don't worry about spilling a bit) and press down a piece of the newspaper on the wet nail. Use a cotton ball to hold the paper in place, wait a bit and remove the paper.

I myself had some issues with the paper getting stuck at my nail, is this because I didn't let the base dry properly? It didn't smudge or anything, there was just some paper stuck to it.

The newspaper design went on my thumb, index and ringfinger, I dotted my middle and pinky with a dotting tool. I didn't use the topcoat from the set, I always use Essence Better Than Gel Top Sealer. It didn't smudge the design at all.

Did you ever try newspaper nails? And did you use a set like this or just the DIY version with rubbing alcohol?

You can find this set and many other sets from The New Black on their website. The Typography sets retail for € 24,95.

China Glaze Fancy Pants

2013-05-02T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! How are you today? This is a scheduled post as I am busy tonight with some beauty regime, tomorrow night I am attending the wedding party from the beautiful Lindy! So, shaving legs, plucking my eyebrows, painting my nails, washing my hair... there is a lot to do haha!

Today I am showing you a manicure I L-O-V-E-D ♥♥♥. I started with a base of China Glaze Fancy Pants. It applied easy in 2 smooth coats, I really liked the formula on this one. After it dried (quickly) I used Wet 'n Wild Black Crème and Konad plate S6 to stamp my middle and ringfinger nail. My pinky got 2 little black studs, my index 1 at the bottom, and a square stud was placed at my thumb (it wouldn't photograph properly, bad thumb!). Some topcoat, which really emphasized the GORGEOUS shimmer in this polish, and I was done!

Do you own China Glaze Fancy Pants?

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Rainbow nails!

2013-05-01T20:00:00.000+02:00

Deborah's manicure - Rainbow dotticure

Hi loves! How are you this Wednesday? Because of yesterday's holiday and the Monday I had a day off, today feels like Monday.. aah, a sweet and short workweek it'll be!

Today we came to the challenge of rainbow nails.. I had seen this design floating around already and immediately knew this would be my rainbow design: a rainbow dotticure!

I started with a base of 2/3 coats of OPI My Vampire Is Buff, and let it dry completely. I used a coat of Bondi I'm Vers in between, to give a nice and even canvas to work on. This isn't a quick dry topcoat (or at least it dries quickly, but it doesn't harden completely very fast). Then I used 2 sizes of dotting tools and the following colors for the rainbow dots: China Glaze With Love - OPI A Roll In The Hague - ULTA Cha Cha - China Glaze Holly Day - OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui - OPI Road House Blues - Catrice Plum Play With Me .

It wasn't as much work as I thought it'd be. You just do one color at a time, only thing I had to be a bit careful about was placement, to make sure the 7 rows would fit!

Do you like these colorful dots? What would you have done with the theme rainbow nails?

Loqi's manicure - Rainbow leopard

Hi everyone!

I haven't made a secret of the fact that I am in love with Deborah's free hand leopard print. So, for this challenge I decided to try it for myself. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery right? It even looks a bit like Deborah's Queensday manicure, even though I did this a few days ago.

I started out by painting my shorties with my favourite nude: Nerd from H&M. Then I used a dotting tool to make coloured rainbow dots with different crème polishes and used a smaller one to make the black pattern. The pattern in the small picture is from my thumb nail, which is just a dot of every colour.

I actually reaaaaaly love how this turned out! And the leopard print is so easy to do, so thanks Deborah!

Stay tuned for challenge day 10: Gradient nails!

Previous manicures:
31 Day Nail Art Challenge- Metallic nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Black and White Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Violet Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Blue Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Green Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Yellow Nails!
31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Orange Nails!

31 Day Nail Art Challenge - Red Nails!

*(Some of) this/these product(s) was/were sent to me for review. For more information please read our disclosure policy*

Queensday Nails!

2013-04-30T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! Happy Queensday ;-)! If you didn't know, I am Dutch, and every year we celebrate Queensday on April 30th, the birthday of former Queen Juliana. Today is a very special Queensday, as the current Queen Beatrix has stepped down and now Willem Alexander is our King. This also means this year is the last Queensday and next year it'll be Kingsday to celebrate on April 27th.

To celebrate Queensday I wanted to do something with orange (our national color) and red, white and blue (the colors of the flag). Also I wanted to do something that was "me" and not just for celebrating this day. Freehand leopard print seemed fitting! I painted my nails with 2 coats of OPI A Roll In The Hague, a lovely deep tangerine shade (and an orange I'd almost wear besides days like these!) and used Revlon Copper Penny on all nails to create some spots. I did the side leopard on every nail but thumb and ring, these nails just got some random gold spots. I also added Essence Fame Fatal (red), OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls (white) and OPI I Saw.. You Saw.. We Saw.. Warsaw (blue) to the thumb and ringfinger nail. A black polish and dotting tool was used for the outline, topcoat and I was done!

Do you like these? Does your country have a king or queen?

China Glaze Tinsel Town

2013-04-29T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone!

Another older manicure from me this Monday. I wore this combination a while a go when I felt like all out glitter-bomb. This is one thick coat of China glaze Tinsel town over China glaze Awaken. I layered this one because my bottle of Tinsel town is starting to thicken (polish thinner isn't really working, some glitters just have that problem) and I didn't want my nails to be super thick. It's a shame really, I haven't used this polish that much yet.

I do like the result tho, sparkly goodness! I hope you guys like it too and see you soon!

El Corazon Blueberry Yoghurt

2013-04-28T20:00:00.000+02:00

Not color accurate (too dark)

Hi loves! How are you today? Had a good weekend? Hope you did.

Today I am showing you another El Corazon beauty. This one is called Blueberry Yoghurt and it is a lovely dusty lilac base, filled with glitter similar to the black Dalmatian topcoat you seem to love so much!

This one applied so easy, I was actually surprised at it because normally glitters aren't the easiest to handle. But, after 3 thin coats I had a great opacity and a pretty result. It also doesn't dry gritty at all, just a simple layer of topcoat and you are done.

Do you like these colors filled with black glitter? And do you prefer bigger hexes like in El Corazon Eggs of Wild Birds or the smaller specks like in this polish?

El Corazon polish can be ordered by sending an e-mail to ELCorazonzakaz@gmail.com. Check the Facebook page for more info!

*(Some of) this/these product(s) was/were sent to me for review. For more information please read our disclosure policy*

Not everything smells like roses

2013-04-27T21:37:00.000+02:00

And not every manicure is a perfect one!

Hi loves, how are you today? I had a lovely Saturday, my grandmother and her boyfriend (yes, she has a boyfriend, 6 years now!) came to visit us, we went to the city for a little bit and enjoyed a nice dinner at our place.

Today's manicure is a slightly failed one to me. I saw this gorgeous manicure from Sam and immediately felt like trying it for myself. So, I did. I didn´t like the outcome as much though.. it was my first try at freehand roses (or freehand anything besides leopard print, which is way more forgiving) and somehow I got a bad response with the green polish I used and it just felt a bit meh to me. I hope you still enjoy it though!

From thumb to pinky here's what I did: Thumb - 2 coats of Bondi Teal Magnolia, 1 coat of El Corazon Dreams in Dotty. Index - 2 coats of H&M Love At First Sight, striping tape and 1 coat of Bondi Teal Magnolia. Middle - 2 coats of Bondi Teal Magnolia, freehand roses with China Glaze With Love, OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender and Koh Spiritual. Ring - 2 coats of Bondi Teal Magnolia, 1 coat of El Corazon Dreams in Dotty. Pinky - 2 coats of H&M Love At First Sight, striping tape and 1 coat of Bondi Teal Magnolia.

Did you ever do freehand roses? What is your favorite technique for them?

*(Some of) this/these product(s) was/were sent to me for review. For more information please read our disclosure policy*

Pure Ice Heartbreaker & Bondi NYPD

2013-04-26T20:00:00.000+02:00

Hi loves! TGIF, right ;-)? Hope you are diving into a fun weekend!

Today I have a combo to show you that was sooooo pretty to look at! When the dear Mimi sent me some of her frankens, she also included a few Pure Ice polishes. When I saw Heartbreaker in there I almost squeed with excitement. It was the lovely Loodie (Loodie. Loodie Loodie Loodie. Looooodie) that made me fall in love with it a long time ago.

Pure Ice Heartbreaker most definitely is a layering polish, with a gorgeous green to blue shimmer. I coudn't really capture the blue in the shimmer but it is there and not shy!

Bondi NYPD is a gorgeous royal blue, definitely blue but not electric bright. It applied so so smoothly (can you tell I've fallen in love with the quality of Bondi polishes?) and the color was actually good in 1 coat. I still did 2 because I just think my nails look a bit better when there are 2 coats of color (less ridges and such). It dried quickly, too!

Do you love this combo? And what would you layer Pure Ice Heartbreaker over?