Hello Kitty

My Toxin got a special treat - Hello Kitty fauxnad! I can't help it, I'm a cat person. Don't like Hello Kitty as much, but I know you all do. This one is for you HK lovers! :)))

Made with: GCOCL A02 image plate & Color Club French Tip nail polish

Here's a bonus Hell(o) Kitty. Her name is Shiva and she's a goddess. See how she smiles with her eyes? She's fierce!! :D


Thanks for looking and commenting!

Urban Decay - Toxin

Urban Decay is a cosmetic company known to almost every woman (if not, it certainly should be). They've created some of the best make up ''must-haves'' and they are known for their original packaging. I love them for that, and I love them 'cause they are ''cruelty free'' (they don't test on animals).

I've got something poisonous for you today: Urban Decay Toxin nail polish.


It's a purple base with yellow, orange and green shimmer and it really looks like a toxic waste (in a good way). :)) Speaking of toxic, I just had to post this picture below. Just to make sure, you won't try and jump in Toxin nail polish - because it won't give you super powers! Wearing it on your nails might do the job, though. :D


Here is Toxin on it's own. It sooooooo sheer ... it needs 4 coats to look like this.


Don't get me wrong, it's still a great color. I'll just use it for layering because it works that way better. Here it is over Orly Charged Up. *loveeeeee*




What do you think about it?
Thanks for looking and commenting!

My first frankenpolish - Forest Nymph

I have to admit: I love Dr. Frankenpolish. Amanda makes the most amazing frankenpolishes you can imagine. When I saw her post Jackie Green Jelly, I had to try it and make one myself. Mine didn't came out as gorgeous as her's did (didn't expect it to) but I still like it. And it matches my bag perfectly. :)

I used:

• clear top coat by OPI
• New York Summer Amaranth
• OPI Black Onyx

I named my first frankenpolish ''Forest Nymph'' and this is what it looks like:



With my green bag:


Bonus photo: our ''Donkey style'' sitting chihuahua


Thanks for looking and commenting!

Half moon manicure

Today I'm going to show you how to do a half moon manicure (or reverse french, if you prefer).

You'll need two nail polishes: one for base (color of the moon) and the other for top color. If your hands aren't steady, you can use reinforcements. I don't really know who came up with this, but it's a perfect tool to achieve a half moon manicure look. They are very cheap too. I payed 1 € for a package of 240 stickers. That's for 24 manicures, or even for 48 if you cut them in half.


As a base color I used Orly Cardigan Cashmere and Color Club Where's the Soiree as a top color. First you have to apply base color on your nails and wait for it to dry completely. Then stick your reinforcement to the nail and color your nail with top color. I cut reinforcements in half, because that way they stick better to the nail.



Remove reinforcement carefully and ''voila!''. This is what it should look like:


Do you like this look? You can try different colors and finishes. Have fun with it!

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Mini haul & Orly Cashmere Cardigan

Yesterday I got my package from Head2Toe (my favourite online store with nail polish). These are the beauties I chose:


I was really lucky to get China Glaze Recycle just few days (hours?) before H2T decided not to ship ChG outside of USA. I was so mad when I heard of this ... China Glaze is one of my favourite nail polish brand and can only be bought from USA.

Today I'm wearing Orly Cashmere Cardigan. This shade was on my wishlist from the time I first saw it. It's so unique, nothing like any other color I own. Application is absolutely flawless and needs two coats. This one is a definite winner for me.


Thanks for looking and commenting!

Stargazer Chrome 232 VS Maybelline Mirror Magic

Chrome nail polish is certainly the most wild nail polish you can imagine and I love it. I have both Stargazer no. 232 and Maybelline Mirror Magic, so I decided to compare them.

Stargazer bottle is just ugly, I know. It's supposed to be chrome ... but the paint starts to chip so fast. Mirror Magic includes Step 1 and Step 2.

SIZE: Stargazer 14 mL, Maybelline 2 x 7.5 mL
APPLICATION: I find it very hard to apply Stargazer Chrome nail polish over my usual base coat (Nailtek Foundation). Because of that, it has to be applied directly to the nail which isn't good if you have ridges. Maybelline has better brush than Stargazer and requires a two step manicure. Before coloring your nail with Step 2, you have to apply Step 1 - sheer white-ish liquid that evens your nail surface. This makes a good base for color.
AVAILABILITY: Stargazer can be found on Ebay or in Stargazer online store. It's much harder (especially for European girls) to find Maybelline Mirror Magic. I haven't seen it in stores but sometimes it can be found on Ebay. You just have to be lucky to find it.
FINISH: They are pretty similar, but Maybelline is maybe more chrome-y than Stargazer. Just a little bit more.

CONCLUSION: You get more for your money if you purchase Stargazer (size wise) and it's also easier to find. Maybelline is easier to apply, but both dry really quickly and finish is very similar. I can't tell you which one lasts longer. I guess none of them ... Chrome nail polish chips easily.

Can you see the difference?

What do you think about this kind of nail polish (chrome)? Do you own one? Do you like it?

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Foil test - Day 5

FINALLY!!! It chipped, it chipped! :))) The others are OK though. Doesn't matter. I still think this foil lasts for long enough. After five days of scratching, washing up, soaking in water... that's pretty good result, don't you think?




Thanks for staying with me through this boring test. Thank you for looking and commenting!

Nfu Oh - 282

''Woooooow!'' was my reaction when I first saw Nfu Oh nail polish. It's sexy, unique, victorian and I LOVE it. The bottle was my main reason for purchase (the second reason were flakies, but more about in another post). I'm a purple color lover, so I picked Nfu Oh no. 282 (I'm really sorry the names aren't as creative as the bottle).

I have many purples, but nothing like Nfu Oh 282. The closest is Orly Charged Up, but this one is less blue. It's absolutely perfect.
The application is good but you need 3 coats to get opaque color. That's the only problem (because of the drying time) but I don't really care, because my Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat takes care of that. :D Take a look at this beauty:



Only few months ago these nail polishes were only available on America's Ebay. Now you can buy them in Europe also! YAY!! Viis Ilusalong is the name of the Estonian online store that sells Nfu Oh polishes and much more. I love it and I think you will too if you decide to purchase from their store. :)

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Foil test - Day 4

Fourth day of my foil test. I'm bored to death. :) Tip wear is slightly more visible but that's all (and I *did* wash the dishes yesterday without the gloves).



Thank you for looking and commenting!

Sponge Bob gradient manicure

No, Sponge Bob manicure has nothing to do with Sponge Bob. He's just so cool I had to name it after him. But on the other hand I did use a piece of sponge to achieve this look, so ... :)

Here it goes: for this look, you'll need OPI Midnight in Moscow, Color Club Power Play and a sponge. You can use other colors too, of course.


It's really simple. Just paint your nails with 2 coats of OPI MiM. Wait for it to dry. Apply small amount of CC Power Play to the sponge. Start tapping your nails with sponge, starting at the tips to the 1/2 of the nail. Apply top coat.
If your nail surface is too rough because of the ''sponging'', buff it gently and apply one more coat of top coat. This is what it should look like:


Thanks for looking and commenting!

Foil test - Day 3

Getting bored with this foil... Why doesn't it want to come off? I want to wear different colors, be free... OK, now I'm exaggerating. :))) This ''non durable foil myth'' is already busted in my opinion. I'm already sick of it. And it still looks good.


You can see tipwear here:


Not bad, right? I added one more coat of Essence Maximum Wear top coat. And here we go towards day 4. Yay! *shaking fist and hoping this foil chips off* ;)))

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Nail polish addict's must haves

Let's talk about must haves for every nail polish addict. These are mine:

1) BASE COAT - You absolutely need a good base coat. It should prevent your nails from stains (especially when wearing dark shades), fill ridges, harden and nourish nails. My favourite is Nailtek Foundation II. I never start my manicure without it.


2) TOP COAT - If you change nail polish daily (like I do), you'll need a fast drying top coat. My favourite is Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I add it while nail polish is still wet and it dries my nails in approximately 20 minutes.


To refresh nail polish I use Essence Maximum Wear top coat.

Source

3) POLISH THINNER - Let's be honest. Polish will get gloopy sooner or later. Seche Restore is a perfect liquid for that kind of problems. It really restores your polish with just a few drops. I simply cannot live without it. I thin my polish, base coat and top coat with this miracle.
WARNING: This thinner contains toluene. If you want to keep your polish B3F this isn't the answer. There are other thinners that don't have toluene in them.


Which are your must haves?

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Foil test - Day 2

Here it is. Day 2 of my nail foil test. There is nothing much to say. It looks pretty much the same as yesterday. And I've been scratching myself as crazy (allergy). I also washed the dishes with gloves that had holes in them. They were filled with water in no time. Uggghh!! I said to myself: ''There goes the foil''. I was really surprised to see that my manicure is still untouched. See it for yourself.


Thanks for looking and commenting!

Turquoise fauxnad

I did this fauxnad after posting my China Glaze VS Essence post. To remind you: on index & ring finger I used Essence Groovy and on middle & pinkie China Glaze Aqua Baby. Pattern is made with Color Club Where's the Soiree (my favourite stamping polish). This image isn't from Konad image plates (IP) but from GCOCL IP D02. The pattern smeared when I added top coat. God, I hate when this happens!



Thanks for looking and commenting!

Foil test - Day 1

It's been 24 hours. Foil is still holding on but you can already see some tipwear. I was expecting that anyway. Better yet I expected chips. :) Looks pretty good, don't you think?



Thanks for looking!

My nail shaping and care routine

Today I'm going to describe my nail shaping and care routine. With pictures, of course. Don't forget to click on photo to enlarge. ;) First I have to make sure all nails are just the right length - I clip them with nail clipper (item no. 1). When that's done, I use crystal nail file (item no. 2) and file them in desired shape. Once a month (never more than once a month!) I buffer the surface of nails with buffer file (item no. 3).


1) I use ordinary nail clipper. Well, this one is super cute (IMO) and was given to me by my boyfriend (who patiently puts up with my nail polish addiction).


2) I guess not all crystal files are equaly good. I've heard a lot of good things about Essie and OPI files. So these should be your first choice. Don't be as cheap ad I am, 'cause it lasts forever. ;) I bought mine at Head2Toe (and am quite satisfied with it).

3) There are a lot of different nail buffers. I use Essence 4 in 1 nail file. It's cheap and works great. Remember not to buff your nails too often! If you do that, your nails can become thin and weak.

Once my nails are ''perfectly'' shaped. I use nail cuticle remover. I NEVER trim or cut my cuticles. I invested in a brilliant nail cuticle remover made by Blue Cross and it's one of my favourite products for nail care - as it says on the bottle: quick, easy & safe. One drop of this liquid is enough to get rid of that nasty dried cuticles on your nails. I got it off Ebay and payed 14 € for 180 mL (with shipping charges). I think it will last for a couple of years. Love it! :)


For cuticles (that are not to be removed) I use almond oil. Usually at evenings an let it soak in. I use little eyeshadow brush to apply this oil. I don't like my fingers all greasy.


Good hand cream is also important for great looking hands and nails. These are my favourites and I even got a mini edition for my bag.

For even more beautiful nails - it takes a lot of love. :D


Thanks for looking!