How to: get velvety hands

Hi guys! Due to all kinds of crazy busy-ness, just a quick little tip for today: how to get smooth and velvety hands. Ages ago I got an excellent tip from Kirsten from TheDuchNailBlog: scrub your hands with sugar or salt with vinegar oil. By doing this you get rid of dead skin cells thus making your hands a whole lot smoother. If oil dries you out, finish with a rich handcream and you won't stop touching your own hands, I promise!

Clumsy?

If you're clumsy, like me, you'll be happy to know there are several pre made hand scrubs available. I tried the P2 - Ultra Clean Hand Peeling and let's see how I like it!

First thing I noticed was the smell, it's quite fresh but strong, reminding me of pomelos or grapefruits. You're supposed to use this several times a week, by taking a little, massage your hands with it and wash it off. The texture is really grainy, which makes sense, because it has a lot of sugar in it. I like how the sugar leaves me with smooth hands, but I hate how it gets under my nails. It's easily washed of and you won't end up with oily hands. I don't find this scrub to be very moisturizing on its own so I like to use a handcream afterwards, and with this routine I get the softest hands ever.

Ingredients

Sucrose, Helianthus annuus [sunflower] Seed Oil, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Silica, Sodium Lauryl Sarcosinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance, Water, Propanediol, Eclipta prostrata Extract, Propylene Glycol, Hibiscus sabdariffa Flower Extract, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, CI 26100, CI 47000th

Conclusion

I really like this scrub, it does a good job at exfoliating, I like the smell and how my hands feel afterwards. This product costs only 2.45 eur for 100 ml, but it's not easy to get (DM in Germany). Good news is, like I mentioned before, it's very easy to make your own scrub!

Don't toss it, thin it!

Just a quick little tip

Hi everyone! I'm pretty sure a lot of people already do this, but every now and then I read about how people throw away their polish because it's gone bad, thick, goopy, solid, stringy, you name it! Please don't, ever, throw out your nail polish. Well, except when it's ugly as can be of course.

Nail polish actually thickens up on you because certain ingredients evaporate. Some people add nail polish remover or even acetone to thin their polish, but that's a no go. If you're adding acetone you're actually breaking down your polish instead of thinning it, and we don't want that or do we?
Adding thinner actually restores the previously existing and now missing element in your polish, making it a whole again. How spiritual does that sound! - Please forgive me for my corniness.

Different brands

I'm not sure if it really matters what brand thinner you use, I've tried several and liked them all. The brands I used are OPI, Mavala and as pictured: P2. I really like the P2 thinner because it's highly concentrated and really cheap. It does suck you have to travel all the way to Germany to get your hands on it though. If you're ever buying or ordering nail polish at a (r)etailer, have a look around, because a lot of stores do sell thinner!

I hope this was helpful!
With love, Michèle

Eyeko - Posh Polish & a taupe comparison

Taupe

Lately I've been on a taupe kick. I'm not sure why because usually I like to wear bright, bold colors that stand out. But somehow I'm really digging taupe, I think it's a very classy color that's easily matched with a lot of outfits. It's a neutral, but definitely not boring in my book.

According to Wikipedia there are many types of taupe:

dark taupe	med. taupe	pale taupe	mauve taupe	sandy taupe	grey taupe	rose taupe	purple taupe

Eyeko Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails

Recently I received Posh Polish by Eyeko, and I quite like it. This creme polish applies pretty smoothly, completely opaque in 2 coats and no other funny problems worth mentioning. I didn't use a top coat this time, and as you can see it's not incredibly glossy on it's own.
Like all Eyeko polishes this one came in such a cute packaging, it says: Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails. And even I do feel like a lady wearing this, haha.

Taupe Comparison

However, I own a lot of taupes, and this one isn't my favorite of the bunch, simply because I like my taupes a tad darker. To show you how it compares to some other taupes I have, I threw in this little comparison:

I do feel like I should have included OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, Over The Taupe and maybe even Chanel's Particuliere, but I couldn't justify buying more of this shade after already owning all of these haha. So please forgive me!

As you can see Eyeko's Posh Polish is quite on the lighter side. I think my favorites are the two Catrice polishes: From Dusk To Dawn and Lost in Mud!

What is your favorite taupe polish?

Eyeko polishes cost £3.50 (€4.- or $5.40) for 8.5ml. Eyeko products can be bought online at www.eyeko.com. Their shipping is extremely cheap: either free (if you're in the UK or Europe) or $5.40 for all international orders.

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

Matte Top Coats Compared

Hi guys! If you love matte nail polish, you're bound to love matte top coats. I love these because you can transform any polish into a hot matte finish. There are many to chose from, even with different finishes, so let's compare the few I have!

As you can probably tell there are some differences between the four. Let's break it down a bit:

	P2 - Matte Top Coat (€1,55 / $1,95 for 8ml / .27 Fl. Oz.) This one has the most satin finish of the bunch. The substance is a bit cloudy, which you definitely can tell by looking at the nail. You could say it dulls the color a bit. Application is pretty smooth! This top coat is not that easily available since P2 is a German brand, but it is relatively the cheapest of the four. Drying time: slowest of the four, definitely needs a couple of minutes. Wear: Chipped after 3 days.
	ManGlaze - Matte-Astrophe (€10,43 / $13,13 for ?) Like everything ManGlaze, this one is special! Matte-Astrophe has a crackle effect (not always), which you either love or hate. (Most likely to happen when you apply the top coat when your nail polish isn't fully dry yet). Application is seriously the best, smooth, thin and not streaky. Mattest of the bunch. Drying time: pretty quick, 30-60 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 3 or 4 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges.
	China Glaze - Matte Magic (€5,16 / $6,50 for 9,6ml / .325 Fl. Oz.) Matte Magic has a truly flat finish, no shine or effect. This one's a bit thick though, which affects the application. Drying time: super quick, 15-30 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 1 or 2 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges.
	Essie - Matte About You (€7,94 / $10,- for 15ml / .5 Fl. Oz.) This one goes on super smooth, isn't thick and isn't as cloudy as Matte Magic. The color wasn't affected as much either, which is a big plus! Drying time: super quick, 15-30 seconds. Wear: Turns satin after 3 or 4 days, no chipping, will start to wear down around the edges. Common problem: after a while it's possible you'll find white specks in the polish.
Please note, wear can be different for everyone, depending on body chemistry and activities during the day

If I had to pick only one, I'd choose Essie's Matte About You. Matte Magic is a bit too thick for my taste and the one by P2 is way too satin. I love love love Matte-Astrophe though, but I'm not always in the mood for crazy crackle ;-).
So Matte About You it is, application and wear is really good. And, not totally unimportant, it respects the original color the most. Funnily enough I don't own this one myself yet, Daphne from www.nailswatches.com lend me hers, so I was able to this comparison, thank you Daph!!

So, when I'm running out of Matte Magic, I'm going to order Essie MAY myself.
If you're happen to be Dutch, I have some good news for you! Hema just released their own matte top coat, I'm so excited. Unfortunately I couldn't find it in the stores I've been too, but I've seen swatches, and it sure looks promising.

Well this was it already, thanks so much for reading and have a great day -
Michèle

Coral Comparison featuring OPI, Essence, P2 & Catrice

Hi guys! After swatching Catrice's I Scream Peach! the other day, I really felt like doing a comparison! I picked out four colors to compare: Essence - What do U think?, Catrice - I Scream Peach!, P2 - Flamboyant and OPI - Shootout at the O.K. Coral. As you can see, these are somewhat similar in the bottle.

On the nail, they are quite different, well two of them are. What do U think and I Scream Peach! are almost identical, I think the latter is a teeny tiny bit darker. Like I mentioned, these are really close dupes of Chanel's Orange Fizz!
The formula of these are really similar too, they're both cremes and they both need 3 coats. The one by Essence is more smooth when it comes to application.

P2 Flamboyant is darker and more vibrant, a bolder color. The finish of this one is kinda where a creme and a jelly meet. It took me 4 coats to get rid of the evil VNL, but other than that, application was perfectly fine.

OPI's Shootout at the O.K. is really different from the others, it is slightly duochrome, alternating between orange and pink. The formula of this one is really good, still needing 3 coats, but applies like a dream.

I think coral is a difficult color though, I love how summer-y it looks, but I do think colors like these tend to look better on someone with a tan, and obviously I don't have one haha. Will you be wearing coral this summer?

Thanks for reading and see you next time!
- Michèle

Chic At School

De laatste dagen waren hier wat hectisch vanwege de herstart van mijn studie en de papierwinkel die daarbij komt kijken en daarnaast natuurlijk het plannen van de bruiloft die nu toch wel erg dichtbij komt. Dat zal de komende weken helaas ook nog wel zo blijven terwijl ik probeer in het nieuwe ritme te komen.

Het is wel weer wennen om colleges te volgen en de boeken in te moeten duiken maar ik heb er zin in! Helaas heb ik daardoor niet zoveel tijd om mijn nagels te doen maar dat zal heus wel weer komen.

The last few days were a bit hectic due to the restart of my study and the paperwork that is involved in that and of course planning the wedding that is getting very close. Unfortunately things will probably stay that way for the next few weeks while I try to get back into the rhythm. It takes some getting used to to follow classes and hit the books again but I'm looking forward to it! Unfortunately this means I don't have a lot of time to do my nails but I'm sure that will chance when things calm down again.




Vandaag heb ik op mijn nagels P2 Chic die jullie al gezien hebben in mijn post met P2 swatches. Een mooie donkerpaars met rode ondertonen. Deze is nagenoeg dekkend in een laagje maar de macrofunctie is medogenloos dus ik heb twee laagjes gedaan voor de zekerheid.

Om het een beetje leuker te maken heb ik op mijn ringvingers een Konadstempel gemaakt met het tas-patroon van plate M16 en Konad Special Polish Pastel Violet.
Ik gebruik graag normale lakken voor stempelen maar in mijn ervaring zijn lichtere kleuren en zwart en wit vaak niet dekkend genoeg dus daarvoor gebruik ik dan toch liever Konad lakjes.
Mijn Europese lezers kunnen Konad kopen met 15% korting met de code DTCHNLBLG bij Enchantra.

Dat was het weer voor vandaag! Ik duik de boeken in!

Today I'm wearing P2 Chic that you have already seen in my post of P2 swatches. A nice dark purple with red undertones. This one is pretty much opaque in one coat but the macro setting is ruthless so I did two just to be sure.

To liven it up a bit I added a Konad stamp on my ringfingers with the purse design from plate M16 and Konad Special Polish Pastel Violet. I love using regular polishes for stamping but i've found that light colours and black and white usually aren't opaque enough to really show so I prefer Konad polishes for those. My European readers can buy Konad with a 15% discount code using code DTCHNLBLG at Enchantra.

That's it for today! I'm hitting the books!

P2 - Dangerous

Hi guys! How are you doing today? Hope everyone is well!

Today I chose to wear something by P2 again, this is a great brand, very nice formula with a very small price tag.
Right now you're looking at the color Dangerous. Dangerous is a gorgeous teal creme, I applied 2 coats and I just can't get over how amazing this formula is.

Again, if you're ever happen to be in Germany, please check this brand out! This was it for today, thanks for looking and take care!

P2 Swatches!

Ik heb veel vragen gekregen over P2 nagellak dus het leek me een goed idee om swatches te maken van zoveel mogelijk kleuren zodat we iets hebben om mensen naartoe te verwijzen als ze swatches willen zien.
De geweldige Thess en IceRozie zijn zo vriendelijk geweest me sommige van hun nagellakken te lenen voor deze swatches.

P2 is een drogisterijmerk met een fantastische prijs-kwaliteitsverhouding. Ze kosten €1,55 en de kwaliteit is doorgaans erg goed! Alle swatches zijn twee laagjes zonder topcoat tenzij anders gespecificeerd.

Winkels die P2 verkopen:

Nederland
- Sommige Schleckers

Duitsland
- DM Drogeriemarkt
- Sommige Schleckers

Oostenrijk
- 2 Palmers Paradise winkels in Wenen


Voor bolletjes swatches kan je hier kijken en daar op 'Farbauswahl' klikken.

Als ik nieuwe kleuren krijg zal ik deze post updaten zodat het een zo compleet mogelijk naslagwerk van P2 kleuren wordt. Als jij meer winkels kent die P2 verkopen laat het me dan alsjeblieft weten via de comments of mijn email ->>


English: I've been getting a lot of questions about P2 polishes so I thought it was a good idea to swatch as many colours as I can get my hands on so we all have a place to direct people too who are looking for swatches. The wonderful Thess and IceRozie were kind enough to let me use some of their polishes for these swatches.

P2 is a drugstore brand with an amazing price-quality ratio. They sell for €1,55 and the quality is usually very good! All swatches are 2 coats without topcoat unless otherwise stated.

Places that sell P2:


The Netherlands
- Some Schleckers

Germany
- DM Drogeriemarkt
- Some Schleckers

Austria
- 2 Palmers Paradise shops in Vienna

For blob swatches click here and go to 'Farbauswahl'.

If I get more colours I'll update this post so it will be as complete as possible. If you know of any stores that sell P2 polishes please let me know in the comments or via email ->>

011 Be Wild!

013 Stylish


015 Gracious

016 Chic
1 coat!

017 Elegant
3 coats

143 Forever

146 Soulful

169 Electric
3 coats and still a bit sheer

190 Fancy
3 coats

200 Rebel

209 Spacy

220 Hyper

240 Joyful
3 coats

249 Dangerous

250 So Cool!

171 Gorgeous

Be Wild!

Ben je het al zat om naar mijn raves over P2 te luisteren? Jammer dan want ik ben nog lang niet klaar!
Het blijft me verbazen hoe goed de kwaliteit-prijsverhouding is bij deze lak. Ze zijn niet allemaal geweldig maar ik ben kleuren tegengekomen die zich qua formule makkelijk kunnen meten met OPI.

English: Tired of hearing me rave about P2 already? Too bad, because I'm not finished yet!
I just can't get over how great the quality vs price ratio is on this one. They aren't all great but I've some across colours that can easily compare themselves to OPI formula-wise.


Dit was daar echter niet een van. ;) Nog steeds niet slecht maar wel een beetje streperiger en dikker dan ik gewend ben van P2. Gelukkig kent nagellakverdunner meer gebruiken dan alleen oude stroperige lakken verdunnen. Na een paar drupjes verdunner en even goed schudden was er veel makkelijker mee te werken.
Dit is twee laagjes met base- en topcoat.

English: This wasn't one of them though. ;) Still not bad but more streaky and thick than I'm used to from P2. Luckily nail polish thinner has more uses than just thinning out old goopy polish. After a couple of drops of thinner and a good shake it was much easier to work with. This is two coats with base- and topcoat.



Volgens mijn kleurenkaart is dit een medium violetrood. Irl is ze een haartje donkerder maar verder klopt kleur op de foto aardig. Volgens mij begin ik het fotograferen in een light box onder de knie te krijgen.


English: According to my colour chart this would be medium red violet. Shes just a hair darker írl but otherwise it's pretty colour accurate. I think I'm getting the hang of using my light box.




Ik krijg veel vragen op MUA en in mijn email over P2. Waar het verkocht wordt, welke kleuren ze hebben, etc. dus ik heb een enorme post gepland staan met al die informatie en swatches op een nagel van veel kleuren uit de standaard lijn.

Voor zover ik weet wordt P2 alleen verkocht in Duitsland en Oostenrijk bij de DM Drogeriemarkt. Als jij meer winkels kent die het verkopen of andere landen waar het verkrijgbaar is stuur me dan alsjeblieft een email op mindermutsig at gmail punt com zodat ik die informatie in de post kan opnemen.

English: I've been getting a lot of questions on MUA and in my email about P2. Where it's sold, what colours they have etc. so I have a major post coming up with all that info and one-nail swatches of a lot of their core line colours.

As far as I know P2 is only sold in Germany and Austria at the DM Drogeriemarkt. If you know of other places that sell P2 or other countries it's available in please email me at mindermutsig at gmail dot com so I can include that information in the post.



Dat was het weer voor vandaag! Bedankt voor het kijken!

English: That's it for today! Thanks for looking!

P2 - Gorgeous

Good morning! Yesterday I received a package with 2 bottles of nail polish from Bernies from a dutch board, thank you so much Bernies for getting them!

P2 is a German brand and their nail polishes are really cheap. But, their formula is amazing! I already got some P2 polishes a while ago from Kirsten (MinderMutsigeNagels.blogspot.com - check this lovely blog out!) and I immediately fell in love with them. The color I'm wearing today is called Gorgeous, and the name is dead on! The color is purple with very dense silver shimmer. The application was superb, so smooth and opaque. Aaand this happens to be a dupe of Nfu Oh #86! So all the fun for less spending ;-). If you're in Germany, please don't hesitate to have a look at these.

Play Date Pics!

Hier dan eindelijk de beloofde foto's van de play date!

English: finally the promised pics from the play date!

Wat krijg je als je vijf vrouwen bij elkaar zet in een kamer met een heleboel nagellak? Er is niets ontploft! Echt niet!

English: What do you get when you put five women together in a room with a lot of nail polish? Nothing exploded! I swear!

Dupes zoeken! Aan de rechterkant van beneden naar boven: China Glaze C-C-Courage, Nfu Oh #68 en P2 Gracious. Zoals je ziet zijn de P2 en de Nfu Oh perfecte dupes en is C-C-Courage iets warmer van kleur en de shimmer is wat grover van structuur. De prijsbewuste frankener zou wat donkerrood en misschien een druppel donkerblauw bij de P2 kunnen gooien en daar genoegen mee kunnen nemen als dupe.

English: Finding dupes! On the right from bottom to top: China Glaze C-C-Courage, Nfu Oh #68 and P2 Gracious. As you can see the P2 and Nfu Oh are perfect dupes. C-C-Courage is a bit warmer and the shimmer is a bit coarser. The price concious frankener could throw a couple of drops of dark red and maybe a drop of dark blue in the P2 an be perfectly content with that as a dupe.

Konad spullen en het liefste nagellakremoverflesje ooit!

English: Konad supplies and the cutest nailpolish remover bottle ever!

De play date was bij Thess van The Nail Farm thuis en zij heeft ons allemaal voorzien van nail-art voor we naar huis gingen!

English: The play date was at Thess' from The Nail Farm and she did all our nails with nail-art before we went home!

Romika draagt Nicole by OPI Ego Alert met een funky french van hex glitter.

English: Romika is wearing Nicole by OPI Ego Alert with a funky french with hex glitter.

snkr-xxx draagt Essie Chinchilly met een french van Nicole by OPI Ni-Coal en bladzilver.
English: snkr-xxx is wearing Essie Chinchilly with a french with Nicole by OPI Ni-Coal and sheeted silver.

IceRozie ging naar huis met op haar nagels Magnetic Deep Purple en een french van China Glaze LOL en paarse hex glitters maar daar heb ik geen goede foto van en na de Illamasqua Hectic heeft Thess mijn nagels gelakt met China Glaze LOL met heel schattige paarse en zilveren hartjes maar jammer genoeg was dat heel erg beschadigd onderweg naar huis. Stomme sneeuwduinen!

English: IceRozie went home with Magnetic Deep Purple on her nails with a french with China Glaze LOL and purple hex glitters but I don't have a good pic of that and after the Illamasqua Hectic Thess painted my nails with China Glaze LOL with the cutest hand painted purple and silver hearts but unfortunately my mani got wrecked on the drive home. Damn snow dunes!

Hier zijn onze nagels bij elkaar, behalve die van Thess want die was zo druk met gastvrouw zijn dat ze bijna geen tijd heeft gehad om erbij te zitten. *schaam* Dat moeten we de volgende keer anders aanpakken!

English: Here are our nails together, except for Thess' who was so busy being a hostess that she almost didn't have time to sit down. *shame* We definitely have to arrange that differently next time!

Thanks for looking!

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!