New Years Eve Mani!

Belated Merry Xmas to all, hope you had a happy and peaceful Xmas period, even if you don't celebrate!

I had a lovely Xmas day with the inlaws and a wonderful Boxing Day (26th) with my stepmum and stepsis, and then my mum and sister.

I got hardly any nail polish, well regular nail polish - i did however get 4 gorgeous Harmony Gelish shades - Elegant Wish, Up in the Blue, Fashion Week Chic and My Favourite Accessory. I also got some really cute little nail wraps that i chose from good old Primark myself :)

Anyway, back on the subject - i thought i would show you my NYE mani. Again i have used my current go-to polish - Barry M - Blackberry. Completely in love with this polish - gorgeous consistency - first coat is a bit iffy but 2nd and its gorgeous.

So anyway, Nail Envy for base, 2 coats of Barry M and topped with my new glitter - KBShimmer - Hex Appeal. This has a mix of large and medium silver hexes, medium and small royal blue hexes, small fuschia/purple hexes and very fine shreds of purple and blue bar glitter. Absolutely beautiful! What I love about KBShimmer is the formula - the consistency is just right - not thick and gloopy - nice and smooth, very little dabbing required and no fishing for certain glitters.

Do you have any KBShimmers? I have 7 in total now - Jack, Showgirl and Quantum Leaf were my first indies and QL is my absolute favourite. I picked up Hex Appeal along with Wrapper's Delight, Berry Patch and Proud Peacock from Harlow & Co's last restock. I am still hanging around for No Whine Left and Oh Splat! but if I come by any spare cash will pick up more than those two.. I will have them eventually!

What do you think of my mani? Do you like it? Would you try it? X

Xmas Mani!

What've you got on your nails for Xmas? I ummed and ahhed and couldnt decide - tried a few different looks, but in the end opted for a simple glitter mani.

Here are some more photos - this is 2 coats of Barry M - Blackberry and one coat of Cagedbird Lacquer - Moonfae.

Polish Swap :)

So my friend Lydia texted me and said she had some polishes she didnt want anymore, did i want them...... um, hell yes! :D

So she sent me them up last week :) I was so excited! I have just posted some polishes back (they're a surprise!) so keep an eye out on her blog for reviews of them!

These polishes are both favourites of mine so I was so excited to receive them! Both Lydia and I have busy jobs, so a well wearing polish is a must. However, with my current obsession I change nail colour more often than I change my clothes, so wear is not a massive issue for me at the moment!

So the polishes I got were both Voodoo Lacquers. Look at the colours, a beautiful dark raspberry red and a gorgeous shimmery fir tree green. Love love love! The red is Mulberry Spice, and the green is O, Christmas Tree. Both are part of Voodoo Lacquers Winter Collection.

Surprising I know, but i actually chose the red for today. Its almost Xmas after all, and I have actually found a red for me. I am not a red lady at all - the colour just doesn't do it for my skin tone at all. Vampy reds look awful, bright reds look garish. This is just lovely!

Mulberry Spice is a gorgeous red creme polish with a pinkish shimmer and a sprinkling of micro fine holo glitter. Its quite a thick consistency so at first i was concerned it wouldnt smooth out, but 2 coats and it was fine - dry time was quite long however - still tacky at 10mins, which was probably because of the consistency. I have a coat Rimmel Top Coat on here but it was still shiny and smooth without.

I'll have O Christmas Tree up in the next few days for you :)

If you love this polish as much as I do, you can find Voodoo Lacquer on Facebook and on Etsy.

Sunday Swatch Spam - Sinful Colors Haul

If you saw my post a week or so back, you'll know I came across some Sinful Colors in the Pound Shop. You don't really see them here, so for £1 I definitely thought they were worth a try.

So i picked up 5 different shades in total. 4 in one trip then I found another odd one in a seperate trip.



The five colours I found were 841 - Daddy's Girl, 288 - Tapping Nails, 836 - Serena and Chloe, 833 - Show Me The Way and 948 - Last Chance.

Now I'm not usually a purple fan. I am a big fan of oranges, browns and greens - which in my eyes are autumn colours (but I'll wear them any time!). So I left the purple until last to swatch.

So i tested Show Me The Way first. This one is a light, almost neon bright green which reminds me massively of peas - its just that shade. It is rather sheer and has fine silver micro glitter. Application was very messy - it was so thin and runny - i had to take it off and reapply much thinner a couple of times as it ran down the brush and all over my fingers. In the photos are two coats - i would've done three but it was so faffy i had had enough!

Second i tested was Tapping Nails. This is my favourite definitely. A burnt orange creme with a silver shimmer - the application was much nicer - still quite thin and drying time was aaaages, but nowhere near as gloopy as Show Me The Way, but i still managed to make a mess, It stained quite a lot as well - i had to full on assault my fingers and they still have an orange tint to them. Here is 2 coats.

I decided not to fully swatch Serena and Chloe - i love the colour - it reminds me pf Lucozade :) so i decided to compare it with Tapping Nails. On my index finger, i have Tapping Nails alone. On my ring and little finger I have Serena and Chloe alone. In the middle, i have 2 coats of Tapping Nails and one coat of S&C which is my favourite combination. i found with all three of the glittery Sinfuls that the formula had a lot of shrinkage - it just kept pulling away from the edges no matter how much I reapplied - you can see it really clearly in the comparison swatch on my ring and little finger.

Last (before the purple) I swatched Last Chance. This is an almost matte dark forest green. I have 2 coats on - i thought i wouldve needed more as the first was terribly uneven and patchy but it evened up surprisingly well. In the photos it looks almost black - i really like it - a definite 'power' work colour for me. However removal was awful! I had nail envy underneath thank goodness so no nail staining but my fingers look like my dad was the Incredible Hulk. If you like Big Bang Theory, you know where Sheldon has the hands? I did show my OH my hands and make that comment... 'Hulk Smash!' And of course 'Hulk Sad!' that i now have ridiculously green stained fingertips!

(Just had to include it!)

Last, i swatched the Purple - Daddys Girl. I bought this because of the name, as i am not a purple fan at all - it doesnt suit me all that well i dont think. This wa really sheer and patchy - in the photos are 3 coats and im still not happy with them. The shrinkage was back again with this shade too, so straight away i felt like I'd already worn them for a day, rather than a matter of minutes! Not for me this shade, not at all. Into my collection it goes ready for when I need a glittery top coat or a tiny dab for some nail art! Also, you can see in the group photo, it wasn't as full as the other bottles? Good thing I'm not a fan really or I'd be disappointed!

Have you ever bought polish just because it was cheap? Or bought it just for the name? What do you think of Sinful Colors / these Sinful Colors?

The Nail Junkie - Coffee

Well its the hump day! I hate wednesdays, so what better way to cheer myself up than to change my nail polish :)

So i didnt actually need to remove my Cocoa - it was still perfect - minimal tip wear and no chips at all. Absolutely spot on!

I absolutely love this colour - more so than i thought i would! It just looks gorgeous on - its a deep chocolate brown with a gorgeous blue/green shimmer. Again my phone is pants and not able to pick it up - maybe after Xmas ill have something i can use!

All the photos are 3 coats. I felt it was a little more sheer than Cocoa and the third coat really made it I think. Application however was brill - nice and smooth, nice quick drying time.. still got that lovely smooth feeling now its dry :) another win for me!

Look at the shine on it. Absolutely gorgeous!

As usual, I'm in love with the bottle!

Beautiful!

Again, if you want to pick up any of Aleta's polishes, they're available from The Nail Junkie on Etsy. (Although she is currently on vacation)

What do you think of Coffee? Do you own / want any Nail Junkie polishes? Which are your favourites?

The Nail Junkie - Cafe Polish Line

 So I finally saved up and ordered two polishes from The Nail Junkie... and they were SO worth the wait! <3

My original order was for Tea and Cocoa, as I couldn't afford all three.. but there was a slight mixup and I got Coffee and Cocoa. Which is not a problem, because Coffee was saved for me to buy later. But I let Aleta know and she offered to send me out Tea straight away, which was so lovely of her as I would have happily bought it after Xmas when I was going to buy Coffee!

 

So this is how they arrived - I am so impressed at the packaging! Each bottle came in a cute little cardboard protective cylinder, complete with The Nail Junkie logo sticker and also a sticker with some hints and tips as how to get the most out of each polish. I also got her beautiful business card wrapped with 5 little red felt pads. How lovely!

And this is why I love indie polish makers - the personal touch! A lovely little hand written note to go with it, with the Nail Junkie logo printed on the outside and then sealed with a little sticker :) (I love stationery almost as much as I love painting my nails) I must admit that there was also a beautiful little cuticle balm enclosed as a free gift. I carried it around for ages after using it, trying to find somewhere safe to put it, but now I can't remember where that was.. so I will include the picture from Aleta's website instead!


(Image Source: The Nail Junkie)

I love the bottles that all of The Nail Junkie polishes come in. They feel bigger and chunkier than normal polish bottles, but they have a nice big lid which I find easier to grip, and I've said before that I love the labelling - you can see the beautiful finishing touches of the Nail Junkie sticker on the lid, and the individual imaged stickers that signify the polish name.

So I've got Cocoa to show you today - it's a beautiful rose golden shade that I've already mentioned in my previous post but only briefly. Once I have the full set I'll be rocking some serious Ombré nails <3 All Nail Junkie polishes are 3 free and cruelty free and come with stainless steel balls to help with mixing.

The application  of Cocoa was lovely. I have two coats on in the pictures, but I only have one coat on my left hand and they are 100% covered, the only slight difference is that it is a slightly lighter shade. They have gone on so smoothly - I dont know if its just me, but I love it when you've just put a new polish on, and after the topcoat, its dead smooth. It might just be a habit of mine but if I'm sitting pondering I always run my thumb over each nail and if its not smooth, its not right! With these, I haven't even got a topcoat on. And they're so smooth and shiny. Love love love.

So this is two coats - no undies or topcoat. Look how shiny it is. It really is beautiful.

And just for comparison, I've included my left hand. You can see its a bit messier as I'm left handed, but theres one less coat here and you can also see the shade is just a tad lighter, but still has 100% coverage. Really lovely!

Now these two pics are just really for me. I love (in this order) nail polish, stationery, and giant cups. I have a collection of about 6 different ones, and this one is especially for my hot chocolate. I just had to have a photo of my Cocoa polish with my cup of hot cocoa :)

And just incase you missed them, here's my saturday night mani - which I fixed up using my beautiful new Cocoa polish. I love the two tones, this is Ciaté Ladylike, but I think the shade is just a teensie bit too yellow, so I am on the lookout for a different gold shade to go with :)

If you love Aleta's polish as much as I do, then you can find it in her store attached to her website, or on Etsy. Polishes are priced at $10 each (£6.18) and shipping internationally is $5 (just over £3) no matter how much you buy and free in the US, which is a steal compared to a lot of indie polish makers! $1/62p from each polish is donated to a charity of her choice - currently all profits are going to help children who are living in poverty (what a lovely cause).

Sunday Swatch Spam

So it was supposed to be saturday but my hangover got the best of me and i only managed a few swatches as i got the hand shakes.. :/ this is why i generally do not drink!

These swatches are of what i have gotten from my advent calendar so far.. I am generally very pleased with the selection!

 

This is Cupcake Queen - I am not a big fan of pink, but I was pleasantly surprised when I picked this up to swatch - I was originally pretty disappointed to pick up a pink on Day 1 of Advent. When you look close, it has a beautiful blue tinted shimmer, but due to my camera quality (phone) I couldn't pick it up. Only downside was the dodgy brush!

This is Speed Dial - by far one of the top colours I've had from my advent calendar. In the bottle, this looks really REALLY bright, but it was lovely on the nail. A jelly like consistency, this was two coats. Love.

This is Mistress. Although it looks quite red, in person it is more orangey. Probably the first 'red' I have ever really liked on me, as I have a very pinky red skintone and reds usually look terrible. This is 2 coats.

This is Vintage. Again, like many of the Ciaté colours, it looks completely different on the nail. The grey has a blue/green hue to it, but I really like it. Strikes me as a sensible work choice. Only downside was the terrible bottle brush. Really not impressed with the brush quality!

This is headliner, a gorgeous blue shade. Again, I have two coats. Application was brilliant, although the bottle brush again needed to be trimmed.

This is Glass Slipper. Glass Slipper is a clear top coat with microfine royal blue glitter. Here I have put it over Headliner and over black on the accent nail.

This is Twilight. I can't make my mind up on this one. It looks so beautiful in the bottle, but A, the brush was again RUBBISH, and B, the formula was strangely thick and a bit gloopy, so it was really hard to get a smooth finish.

This was my Xmas Party mani. Ciaté Ladylike with Ciaté 'Sundance' Caviar Pearls on the accent nail. They lasted quite well - I only lost a few at the tip during the night - I didnt think there would be many left! Pleasantly surprised :)

I then updated my mani when I removed the pearls. I really love the gold, and as you can see I got a new rose gold coloured polish from The Nail Junkie called Cocoa. So I decided to attempt a tape mani, and I quite liked the results - but I think I may have not needed tape for something as similar as this.