CND Effects Sapphire Sparkle - Beetle Sparks

CND Colour & Effects

This may be one of the polishes I've used and loved the most, ever! It's not a regular polish, it's actually a top coat you can use for impressive layering.

Sapphire Sparkle is part of CND's Colour & Effects line and my most favorite of them all, just look at the dazzling duochrome finish: the color shifts from purple, pink to turquoise and blue. These colors just seem to compliment each other so well.
The great thing about these is that you have a multitude of options, you can pretty much layer your way to oblivion with these amazing top coats.

Sapphire Sparkle layered over Misa's 'A sin worth commiting'

Sapphire Sparkle particularly looks great on top of darker hues, like black, grey, taupe, green and blue. Of course you can try anything you'd like. This time I've decided on Misa's 'A sin worth comitting', a beautiful shimmer-y blue with flawless application. Doesn't this combination remind you of the Purple Coleoptera or Beetle?

Application

The application of these CND Effects does not disappoint: they apply smooth and easy. Because of their dense pigmentation, just one layer will suffice. They also dry extremely well and fast, which I find important, as I mostly use these to spice up an older manicure without adding another layer of top coat.

Since Sapphire Sparkle consists out of glass flecks, instead of glitter, you'll get an extremely smooth surface. And removal is super easy!

You can buy CND Colour & Effects polishes for $5.50 each, online at www.transdesign.com, or you can use the CND Store Locator.

Beetle picture via TrekNature

Water Marble Magic

My first water marble

Hi guys! For today I've got something different from usual: a water marble. My first one actually! Well.. the first one I didn't immediately want to wipe off ;). It's still not how I wanted it to look, and it's nothing compared to others', but I wanted to share anyway! If you're not familiar with this technique: water marbling is putting drops of nail polish into water, creating patterns with a stick and dipping your finger in it. There are many tutorials on this crafty business but definitely get inspired by Colette from My Simple Little Pleasures, because she's got super duper water marble skills!

The polishes I used were Nox Twilight Beauty Crush - a very bright pink - and It's You! by Misa - a duochrome-y dark shade! Not all polishes will work for water marbling but the well pigmented ones are usually fine. There are several ways to avoid getting those dirty fingers, taping and vaseline for example. Vaseline (or unpetroleum jelly in my case) worked really well for me, you apply it on your skin and cuticles and after you're done, you can wipe the polish off - just like that! I got this tip from Michelle from The Lacquer Files, thanks girl!

I hope you enjoyed this post, thanks for stopping by!
- With love, Michèle

Misa Winter Collection 2010/2011: Spark My Interest - swatches & review

Misa Spark My Interest

"Whether you’re hitting the clubs in South Beach or sipping martinis in a Manhattan high-rise, you’ll need nails that glimmer as bright as the surrounding lights. Misa Cosmetics’ latest collection, Spark My Interest, pays homage to the glitz and glamour of nightlife and romantic intrigue—because nighttime nails should never fade into the background. The six brilliant hues are saturated with shine, thanks to the thousands of glittering particles packed into each polish, guaranteeing that nails remain the center of attention all summer long."

Hi guys! Today I have a review for you on Misa's latest 6-piece collection for winter called Spark My Interest. With polish names including a lot of "spark", "bling" and "glitz", I suspected a lot of shimmer and glitter, but were my high expectations met? Read on to find out!

Date Nights to the Twilight

Let's kick this off with my favorite of the collection, I really do love purple and it's the least conventional color in this collection. Date Nights to the Twilight is a foily shimmery medium purple, not too blue, not too red, somewhere in the middle. Very pretty.

Red Pumps at the Nordstrom

A metallic red. My camera didn't really pick up the detail in this polish, because it's a lot more interesting in real life. I threw in a macro shot so you'll get the idea. I don't really like metallic reds, especially in this particular shade. According to the press release this would be a sparkly ruby red, and it isn't. I hate to say it.. but this one looks a bit.. cheap?

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink is a very pretty dark berry, plum-y color that does remind me of a good wine. I love the shimmer in this one, it's not as flat looking, not as glowy as I wished it would be, but still pretty nice and very fit for a sophisticated look.

Glitz, Glamour, Smile for the Camera

Just like Date Nights to the Twilight, this is more of a foil than anything. The press release said glam glitter, but hmmmm. This one is a pretty fuchsia, quite a fun color, and probably flattering to a lot of skintones! Foils tend to have great application so that's a huge plus.

Spark My Heart, that's a Start

This isn't just a pink, Spark My Heart, That's a Start, is more of a coral pink with a pink flash. This one is where a foil meats the metallic finish I think. I'd say pretty interesting for a pink. Somehow I can't remember the name of this polish correctly, in my head I keep naming it "Kickstart My Heart" like the Mötley Crüe song, ha!

Pink Bling On My Ring

According to the press release Pink Bling On My Ring is a shocking hot-pink glitter. And again... it's not. It's not very shocking, definitely not a glitter either. I wish it was though, because this almost looks a bit frosty? Definitely a nice shade of pink though, not too boring.

Overall

This is a difficult review for me, I absolutely love Misa, I fell madly in love with their latest fall collection, Toxic Seduction is one of my all time favorites! I love their bottles and their awesome application. And all of these polishes are no exception to this rule, they're all top notch quality. ALL of these were near one-coaters. I applied two layers for the pictures though, but if you're careful enough you can get away with one. They apply so well. They glide on, dry fast and smooth, it's really bordering perfection.

But! I don't know if it's just me, this doesn't look much like winter. Have you noticed this line in the press release: "remain the center of attention all summer long.". All summer long? ....Mhmm. These do look pretty to me, especially Date Nights to the Twilight and Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink, but they indeed look like fun, playful summer colors.
After Misa's fall collection - What I Like About You - everyone's expectations immediately sky rocketed. For winter I would have expected more drama, more glitter, more depth, more variety. Winter/Holiday collections are often the most extravagant show stoppers of the year. If colors like these are your thing, I'd definitely buy these, they're pure quality. But for me, this isn't really cutting it..

Boozyshop

The products in this post were provided to me for review by Boozyshop. Boozyshop is an awesome Dutch webshop, that sells a lot of great brands like Diamond Cosmetics, Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics, Misa, Color Club, Orly and a whole lot more! (makeup too). They carry the entire Misa line and they cost 6.95 EUR each for a bottle of 15ml. Boozyshop ships throughout most of Europe, if you're not sure they ship to your country, don't hesitate to contact the owner Maaike, because she's incredibly helpful! Misa is also available on eBay and other etailers like TD or Head2Toe.

Misa - What I Like About You! Swatches & Review

What I like about you

Hi guys! Today I have swatches of Misa's latest collection for you. I actually swatched all these polishes twice, I just wasn't happy with the photos, but it was really time to post them..
Misa has made one of my all time favorites "Toxic Seduction" and I'm never disappointed in their formula. For this fall Misa has created six new shades that are all shimmers, unlike previous collections which consisted mostly out of cremes. I absolutely love this theme and the title of the collection instantly reminded me of one my favorite songs by The Romantics, or Poison, ever!
So yeah, this collection is all about romance, let's explore my feelings for these polishes..

Misa - Spinning out of control

Spinning out of control is gorgeous. I own a lot of blueish purples, but this one is something else. It's very dark and glowy, with pink and blue shimmer. This is one hella classy purple.

Misa - It's you!

It's you! is one of my favorites from this collection, I don't have anything like it. It has a very subtle duochrome effect, it changes from a greenish gunmetal to a dark bronze. This is quite a mysterious color, mhmm.

Misa - Quirky smile

Quirky smile, what an odd name, is a really nice teal shimmer. I love how glowy this one is, and since teal is one of my favorite colors I'm very happy to have this one.

Misa - Perfect kiss

Perfect Kiss is much much much prettier in real life, but so hard to capture, trust me on this one. Perfect Kiss is a bright fuchsia/magenta with a lot of shimmer, not totally unique though.

Misa - When U say my name

Well now, I was surprised by this one! I'm not big on browns AT ALL but when I tried this one, I fell in love with it almost immediately. It really stole my heart. This is a perfect color for fall, and the warm copper shimmer takes brown to a whole new level.

Misa - Like it like that

Like it like that is a metallic frosty kinda green. It's quite vibrant, which makes it totally awesome. In the bottle it also flashes a bit of blue, but this won't show on your nails. I love this color but I don't like the visible brush strokes that much.

Overall

This is one pretty collection. I really liked the formula on these: they're b3f and all of these were two coaters except It's You and Perfect Kiss - they needed three coats. Misa polishes always apply well for me, they've got exactly the right thickness, not too thick, not too thin. And this collection is no exception. They're easy to apply and control, I don't need much cleanup when I paint my nails with them.
I've worn three of these as a full manicure, and the wear is absolutely perfect. I know wear depends on a lot of things and can be different for everyone, but "It's You" lasted 6 six days without chips or tip wear, call me impressed, I just had to mention it. And who knows how long it could've lasted, I had to take it off so I could swatch all of these.
The first time I wore one of these colors I used Nubar Diamont as a top coat and it just wouldn't dry. Nubar Diamont is acting really strange lately so I decided to give it a shot with some other top coats. Drying time was great when I used OPI RapiDry and China Glaze Fast Forward, so I definitely think it's Nubar to blame!

You can order these at www.misacosmetics.com (by phone) or at etailers like Head2Toe Beauty. Also: SOON available at Boozyshop!

The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for review. For more information please read my disclaimer.

Catrice - I Sea You

Hello everyone! Everybody enjoyed their weekend? I was feeling a bit under the weather so I didn't really do much, like, totally nothing. But I do have a post for you today!

We all know the European brand Catrice for coming up out of nowhere with an amazing collection, filled with trendy colors. This brand used to be so bland, and now they're dominating Dutch drug stores with their unbeatable coolness. I've drooled over some of their colors before, and today I want to introduce you to: I Sea You. This one is just gorgeous, a beautiful dusty aqua/turquoise-y green creme. Application wasn't that great, but my P2 thinner was there to save the day, and after applying 2 coats, all was good.

It isn't the uniquest color out there, it sure is similar to some other polishes we all know and love. Let's take a look at this comparison I did:

As you can see: I Sea You is incredibly close to Misa's Dirty Sexy Money. It's a bit lighter and maybe a bit more on the blue side, but still very similar. Slate green is a whole bit lighter and Nfu Oh #431 is less dusty. What's your favorite?

Thanks for reading and till next time!
- Michèle

Blue shimmer comparison: Misa VS. OPI

Hi guys! Initially I wasn't planning on posting this tonight, because I had another great polish in mind. Unfortunately my David top coat decided to eat half of it, I've never ever experienced this before, but my pretty polish became victim of the dreaded 'shrinkage'.
Therefore, I'm not going to bother you with some lousy pics of this mishap.

Instead, I have a comparison for you to look at. I've been wanting to compare these two for a while now: Misa's 'A Sin Worth Committing' versus OPI's "Yoga-ta Get This Blue!". I found out about the similarities between the two when I was reorganizing my Helmer. At first, looking at the bottles, I thought they were blatant dupes, but they're not, albeit almost. It's hard to pick up on, but the shimmer that lives inside 'Yoga-ta Get This Blue' has a more turquoise hue to it. But they're so incredibly close that if you'd wear these two polishes at the same time, I'm sure no one would notice! So, I'd say these two are rather dupe-y.

The main difference lies in the formula though. 'A Sin Worth Committing' beats 'OPI's Yoga-ta Get This Blue' any day! I only needed to apply 2 coats of the first and 3 coats of the latter. ASW just glides on, where YGTB is more sheer and a wee bit on the gloppier side. Thanks to her flawless application Misa is a true winner here. If you ever have to decide between these two, you know which one to pick.

With that said, I want to thank you all for stopping by! Have a great night everyone!

You can read individual reviews here:

Misa - A Sin Worth Committing

OPI - Yoga-ta Get This Blue!

(Misa - A Sin Worth Committing is available at Head2ToeBeauty - not affiliated)

Misa - A Sin Worth Committing

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to show you a very special polish. This amazing polish was a gift from Kyosuke, thank you sooo much, I love it! Kyosuke has been a faithful and very supportive reader from the moment I started blogging!

This nail polish by Misa is a true beauty, its name is A Sin Worth Committing and it belongs to the Poisoned Passion Collection that came out in 2008. I'm a sucker for blues, and this one's just perfect, not too dark or light and it's packed with amazing shimmer. This color takes me to far far away lands where stars happily sparkle and the nights never end. To top it all: the application was a dream too, I think Misa nail polishes may have the best formula I've experienced so far. They apply so smoothly and after 2 coats you're done and you can hop back on your carpet with Aladdin!

Thanks for stopping by and take care!

Comparison: Art de Lautrec

Daph wilde graag weten hoe Art de Lautrec #25 was vergeleken met Essie Angora Cardi dus ik heb een snelle vergelijking gemaakt. Sorry voor de toestand van mijn nagelriemen, ik was aan het swatchen en aceton droogt behoorlijk uit.

Daph wanted to know how Art de Lautrec #25 compared to Essie Angora Cardi so I made a quick comparison. Sorry about the state of my cuticles, I was swatching and acetone is pretty drying.

Van links naar rechts:

From left to right:

Misa Runway Diva, Essence Spot On, Art de Lautrec #25, Essie Angora Cardi.

Op mijn nagels in dezelfde volgorde, allemaal met drie laagjes en een topcoat:

On my nails in the same order, all with three coats and a topcoat:




Zoals je kunt zien is Angora Cardi donkerder en meer paars en Misa Runway Diva is rozer en wat meer helder maar Essence Spot On komt wel heel dicht in de buurt!
Spot On heeft iets meer grijs en is wat stoffiger maar ze liggen zo dicht bij elkaar dat je ze naar mijn mening niet beide hoeft te hebben als je niet heel erg van dit soort kleuren houdt.

As you can see Angora Cardi is darker and more purple and Misa Runway is more pink and a bit brighter but Essence Spot on is really close! Spot On has a bit more grey and is a little more dusty but they are so close I don't think you need both unless you really lose these colours.




Beide zijn goed dekkend in drie dunne laagjes maar de Essence lakt toch net iets prettiger vind ik zelf. Daarnaast is prijs natuurlijk ook belangrijk. Art de Lautrec is met €3,05 absoluut niet duur maar Essence is toch nog flink goedkoper en bovendien komen er geen bezorgkosten overheen. Bij twijfel tussen deze twee zou ik dus voor de Essence gaan.
Nog een foto van de flesjes naast elkaar om het verschil te laten zien:

Both are opaque in three thin coats but the Essence applies just a little bit better in my opinion. The price is also an issue of course. Art de Lautrec isn't expensive at €3,05 but Essence still is a lot cheaper and you don't have to pay for shipping. So if you are thinking of getting one I would go for the Essence.
Another side by side bottle pic to show the difference:


That's it, I hope this helps someone!

Edit: Somehow my pics get cropped in a weird way. Sorry about that! I'll try to fix it but I'm not really sure what the problem is. In the meantime you can click the pics to get a better look.

Misa - Toxic Seduction

Today I'm wearing a nail polish you've probably already seen this week, well , you visit Dutch nail blogs that is ;-). Meet 'Toxic Seduction' by Misa. I wondered if I even should be making this post, but then I thought, you can never see enough of this beauty. It's definitely in my top 5 of nail polish!

I'll stop wasting words now since you've probably already read it :-). Take care and till next time!

Let Me Seduce You...

Met Misa Toxic Seduction. ;)

English: With Misa Toxic Seduction. ;)

With flash




Without flash

Een prachtige groene shimmer en mijn foto's doen haar geen recht.

English: A beautiful green shimmer and my pics don't do her justice.

With flash



Without flash

Ik zal haar nog een keer moeten laten zien als ik de juiste instellingen en opzet voor mijn lichtbox uit heb gevonden.

English: I'm going to have to show her to you again when I figure out the right settings and setup for my lightbox.

Misa On The Edge

Ik zou hier een heel afgezaagd grapje kunnen maken over hoe we op de rand staan van 2009 met 2010 voor ons maar dat ga ik maar niet doen. ;)

English: I could make a corny joke here about how we are on the edge of 2009 looking at 2010 but I won't. ;)

Oh wat houd ik van Misa! Het glijdt op je nagels als boter, dekt zonder strepen, het kwastje is geweldig en de kleuren zijn ook super. Dit zijn twee laagjes met base- en topcoat.

Hij lijkt op Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm maar het is geen exacte dupe. Toch vond ik hem goed genoeg gezien het prijsverschil.


English: Oh how I love Misa! It glides on your nails like butter, isn't streaky, the brush is great and the colours are awesome. This is two coats with base- and topcoat. It's similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm but not an exact dupe. Still it's close enough for me considering the price difference.


Ik heb mijn mobiele fotostudiootje gekregen! Ik moet er nog flink mee experimenteren heb ik wel door. Deze foto is de enige foto die er vooralsnog fatsoenlijk uit ziet. :P
Maar dat komt goed! Ik moet gewoon even spelen met de instellingen van mijn camera en de belichting.

English: I got my light box! I'm going to have to experiment with it a bit more. This is the only pic so far that I got that looks decent. :P But it will be OK! I'll just have to play with my camera settings and lighting a bit.

Dirty Sexy Dangerous Money

Wat ben ik blij dat ik deze heb kunnen vinden voor hij overal uitverkocht is!
English: I'm so happy I found this one before it was sold out everywhere!

Misa Dirty Sexy Money is een lichte 'dusty' teal / turquoise uit de Living On The Fast Lane Collectie. Dekkend in twee laagjes en geweldige applicatie. Ik voorzie een mooie toekomst voor mij en Misa!

Op mijn ringvinger heb ik P2 Dangerous. Kan je geloven dat dit juweeltje maar €1,55 kost bij de DM-Drogeriemarkt in Duitsland?! De kwaliteit van deze lak is bijzonder goed en ze hebben erg goede kleuren. Dangerous is een donkere teal, dekkend in twee laagjes.
Hij is donkerder dan Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away maar lang niet zo donker als Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal dus als je op zoek bent naar een dupe moet je nog even verder zoeken. Sorry. :(

English: Misa Dirty Sexy Money is a light dusty teal / turquoise from the Living On The Fast Lane Collection. Opaque in two coats and wonderful application. I foresee a beautiful future between me and Misa!

On my ringfinger I'm wearing P2 Dangerous. Can you believe this gem retails for only €1,55 at the DM-Drogeriemarkt in Germany?! The quality of this polish is excelent and they have a very good colour selection. Dangerous is a dark teal and opaque in two coats. It's darker than Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away but nowhere near as dark as Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal so if you are looking for a dupe, this isn't it. Sorry. :(


Offtopic:

Ik heb zaterdag een playdate met een aantal dames uit het nagellaktopic op FOK! en van de nailboard van MakeUpAlley. Heb er enorm veel zin in! We beginnen 's middags, gaan samen eten en zien dan wel hoe laat het wordt. Morgen ga ik een enorme pan bolognesesaus maken voor het avondeten. Fles rode wijn, brood en salades en dan zijn we er helemaal klaar voor!
Nu nog bedenken wat ik met mijn nagels ga doen...

En nog meer nieuws: er staat vandaag een gast post van mij over handverzorging op The Nail Farm, de blog van mijn vriendin Thess. Neem een kijkje en volg haar blog want ze heeft belachelijk goede nail-art skills en heel veel kennis over nagels!

English: I have a play date this Saturday with a couple of ladies from the nail polish topic on FOK! and from the nailboard on MakeUpAlley. I'm really looking forward to it! We're starting in the afternoon, will be having dinner together and then we'll see what time we are done. Tomorrow I'm making a huge pan of bolognese sauce for the dinner. Bottle of red whine, bread and salads and we are set!
Now I just have to figure out what to do with my nails...

And more news: there will be a guest post of mine about hand care on The Nail Farm, a blog owned by my friend Thess. Check it out and follow her blog because she has crazy mad nail-art skills and a lot of knowledge about nails!