Surfer Stripe

Today has been craaaaaazy. I've spent the entire day trying to finish my gift for my friend Gelly's baby shower tomorrow. (I've been working on the darn thing for 2 weeks), I'll post the picture tomorrow just in case she reads this post, I don't want to ruin the surprise! I've also been baking the cake for the shower tomorrow, and after I post this, I'm off to make some buttercream, and get the decoration party started. :-D I'm SO exhausted, I was up 'til 5 am working on the gift last night, and I've been goin' all day! lol I need a nap! Anyway, to the nails. A while back, I told you all about a brand called Island Girl, and did a post with their color changing polishes. Well, today I decided to use some of their regular polishes to make a design.

I used Essence The World's Coolest from the Surferama collection as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud on the tip end. Over Essence The World's Coolest, I used Island Girl Island Volcano (a glitter polish with iridescent glitter, and iridescent mylar flakes suspended in a sheer aqua base), and then I used Island Girl Hawaiian Magic to paint the stripes. Topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

OPI - Russian Navy Suede

R.I.P. dear camera

Hi guys! It has been a while! This week was filled with all kinds of stuff, leaving no room for the blog, yikes. On top of that my camera died, so I couldn't swatch either.. I still had these pics, thankfully! My new camera should be arriving tomorrow, *fingers crossed*!

OPI Russian Navy

The OPI suedes are nothing new, but they still hold that special place in my heart. These suedes are really my go-to polishes when I don't have much time to do my nails. And Russian Navy is my favorite of the bunch.

Application

This pretty blue shimmery matte polish is practically a one coater, if you apply it carefully. The original version of Russian Navy has a bit of red shimmer as well, too bad the suede hasn't, I would have loved that.
It dries incredibly fast, but not too fast, Russian Navy doesn't get streaky or lumpy.

The wear of these suedes isn't that awesome though. OPI put "don't wear a base coat" on the label but I'd like to advice against that. If you choose the right base coat (like the Nfu Oh Aqua Base of Gosh Fix Base Coat and who knows what other base coats have similar qualities) you definitely can get some extra days of wear out of it, definitely something worth trying!

Glossy Tips

At days with a little bit more time I like to add some glossy elements to make it more interesting. For this manicure I used my current top coat Nubar Diamont.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
- Michèle

Concentric Centric

Today's nail design is simpler than the last two days of designs, but I still really like it. The other day, I used my ULTA rewards to get Essie Sew Psyched and Essie Little Brown Dress, and I really wanted to use them. I also picked up Essence The World's Coolest from the Surfer Babe collection, and wanted to use THAT too, and thought it was an interesting combination with the sage and the brown, so I went with it.

I used Essie Sew Psyched as a base for all fingers except the ring finger, where I used essence The World's Coolest. For the design, I used Essie Little Brown Dress, then topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

What a Bunch of Nerds!

They're sour, they're sweet, they might break your teeth. Who hasn't loved Nerds at one point in their life (youth or otherwise)? I LOVE some Nerds, every flavor is delicious, from Watermelon to Wild Cherry, Lemonade, Grape, Strawberry, I'll take them all!! I remember opening both sides of the box and pouring them into my mouth when I was a kid... SO yummy. Today's nail design is dedicated my favorite nickname for people, and the candy that I love and my teeth hates...NERDS!

I used

Thumb: Nerds logo

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, then mixed with China Glaze Flyin' High for the background swoops. For the logo, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud outlined in China Glaze Flyin' High, then outlined in American Apparel Hassid, then outlined in Pure Ice Wild Thing.

Index: Grape/Strawberry

Color Club Yachty, Yachty, Yadda as a base, with Sally Hansen Vavoom Violet Creme sponged on top for the 'Strawberry' side. For the grape side, I used a mixture of Orly Snowcone and Barielle Grape Escape to make the shade of purple I wanted. I also used that combination to make the Nerd character, highlighted with American Apparel Esprit, outlined in American Apparel Hassid, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes.

Middle: Apple Coated Watermelon/Lemonade coated Wild Cherry

China Glaze Happy Go-Lucky as a base, with Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails for the left side. I used American Apparel Summer Peach as a base for the Nerd character with Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails over it, outlined in American Apparel Hassid, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes.

Ring: Wildberry/Watermelon & Punch

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green as a base, with a mixture of Barielle Grape Escape and Orly Snowcone for the wildberry side. For the Nerds character, I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green, highlighted with a mixture of Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, which I also used for the eyes, then I used American Apparel Hassid to outline.

Pinky: Watermelon/Wild Cherry

Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails as a base, with Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Spring Green for the left side. For the Nerds character, I used a base of American Apparel Summer Peach with Eyeko Coral Polish for Resort Nails over it and American Apparel Hassid to outline, and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes.

I topped everything off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat to make everything candy-coated. :-D

YUM.

You bunch of Nerds. ;) (which is a compliment to me)

Urban Decay Sale at Hautelook!! :)

Woot! Urban Decay Cosmetics sale at Hautelook today!! The last few have been AWESOME, so I'm excited!! The sale starts at 8 am PST, so get on there early, so stuff isn't sold out!! :)

Urban Decay Sale at Hautelook

Taste of Victory

Hello my Sweet Nail-Art Lovers
I call this manicure Taste of victory because it seems like we won.... Long story short is that Diana from Painted Lady Fingers have notified me that someone stole my header and all the content of my blog together with hers and some other fellow bloggers.
We collectively contacted blogger team and it seems like they just turned down a scam blog.
Oh, gosh that feels good to know that blogger team is on our side and help protect our blogging initiative copyrights.
So this is the manicure to celebrate our little victory.
My only hope is that scam blog will stay down from now on.

This is my right hand, to eb honest i like this one even better :)

I Know You Are, But What am I?!

Any kid that grew up in the 80s knows (and probably loves) Pee Wee Herman. From his adventures under the Big Top to his dancing on bar tops, Pee Wee has been a cultural icon for as long as I can remember! I remember watching his show all the time when I was a kid, and I remember watching his movies at the babysitter when I was younger. To this day, I still can't hear the Champs' "Tequila" without mentally doing 'the' dance that Pee wee is so well known for. Today's design suggestion was from my friend Kristin when we talking last night at bowling. :-D Speaking of bowling, that is why my right hand thumbnail is so short. It kept breaking at bowling, and I didn't really want to cut all my nails to nubs for the entire length of league, so I just kept that one short. Today's manicure includes Clocky, Chairry, Penny, Pee Wee, one of the flowers, Globey, an ant from the ant farm, Magic Screen, Jambi, and Mr. Window. :)

Today's secret word is.....NAILS! You all remember what to do whenever anybody says the secret word right?!

I used

Left thumb: Clocky

http://images.broadwayworld.com/upload2/98206/tn-500_pee4.jpeg as a base, with American Apparel Manila for the yellow, Nubar Sexy Red for the red grid, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes and mouth, and American Apparel Hassid to shade, outline, and for the clock hands.

Left Index: Chairry

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, then mixed with Orly Snowcone to shade for the arms, etc. For the mouth, I used A Beautiful Life Poison, and Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the teeth, as well as the eyes. For the eyelashes and pupils, I used American Apparel Hassid.

Left Middle: Penny

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, with American Apparel Summer Peach for her face and neck, then mixed with American Apparel Rose Bowl and Essie Mink Muffs to shade, American Apparel Manila for the hair, then mixed with American Apparel Hassid to shade the hair. For the hair ties, I used Nubar Sexy Red, For the eyes, I used China Glaze Poetic, American Apparel Hassid for the pupils and smile, then Nubar Forest with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the collar.

Left Ring: Pee Wee's iconic suit

Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud as a base, with Orly Mirror, Mirror for the suit, then American Apparel Factory Grey to outline the suit lapels, and also mixed with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the buttons. For the bowtie, I used Nubar Sexy Red with A Beautiful Life Poison to shade.

Left Pinky: Flower

OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, with American Apparel Manila for the petals, then mixed with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the center of the flower. For the smile, I used Essie Foot Loose, then Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eys, with American Apparel Hassid for the centers. For the stem, I used Nubar Forest.


Right Thumb: Globey

Orly Snowcone as a base, then mixed with Nox Twilight Talon for the shading on the nose and chin. For the lattitude/longitude lines, I used American Apparel Hassid, for the eyebrows, I used Nubar Forest, and for the eyes, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, with American Apparel Hassid for the centers.

Right Index: Ant from the Ant Farm

CND Electric Orange as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the ant and music notes.

Right Middle: Magic Screen

American Apparel Esprit as a base, with Nubar Forest, L.A. Girl Army Green, and Pure Ice Wild Thing for the screen, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the mouth and eyes, and American Apparel Hassid for the knobs and eye pupils.

Right Ring: Jambi

American Apparel Hassid as a base, then mixed with Orly Gumdrop for the 'mist' behind Jambi's head. Orly Gumdropfor Jambi's skin, shaded with China Glaze Flyin' High, American Apparel Hassid to outline the eyes and for the eybrows. For the eyeshadow, I used American Apparel Esprit mixed with Barielle Grape Escape. For the turban, I used A Beautiful Life Poison, with China Glaze 2030 from Khrome Collection for the trim.

Right Pinky: Mr. Window

Eyeko Lilac Polish for Lovely Nails as a base, with OPI What's With the Cattitude? for the window, American Apparel Manila for the window panes and windowsill, Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the eyes and American Apparel Hassid for the eye pupils.

I topped off everything with two coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Mekka Lekka Hi-Mekka Hiney Ho!

Review: Gosh - Fix Base Coat, just as good as Nfu Oh Aqua Base?

Hi guys, maybe you remember my review on Nfu Oh's Aqua Base? Nfu Oh Aqua base is a base coat especially designed to go under hard to apply holographic polishes. I'm really happy with this base coat because it works absolute wonders. When it comes to applying, but also extending the wear majorly.

Some weeks ago I got an email from Marte, she told me about the Gosh Fix Base Coat and how it should have a similar effect! Ironically I've had this base coat for ages, months before I even ordered the Nfu Oh Aqua Base, but I never tried it beneath holographic polishes.

Nfu Oh vs. Gosh

Marte was right, these two base coats are really similar, the have the same structure and almost an identical smell, but do they both work...?

My answer is yes! I tried it with Nfu Oh holos and the notoriously hard to apply Gosh Holographic nail polish and they went on sooo easily. You'll get better coverage, which allows you to use less product for the same end result. Both these both coats work really nicely with matte and suede polishes as well.

Conclusion

So, if it's hard to get your hands on Nfu Oh, or you don't like to order online and have access to this brand, definitely give the Gosh Fix Base Coat a shot! Thank you so much, Marte, for the great tip!

Relatively the price is quite a bit higher than the Aqua Base (9.10 EUR for 18 ml) though. Gosh Fix Base Coat costs 6.95 EUR for a bottle of 7 ml.

Thank you all for stopping by and have an awesome day!
- Michèle

Lovely Lotus

So, as a request from Chris, the lovely dude who brought me nail polishes back from India, today's nail art utilizes 2 of the Indian polishes!! :-D I wanted to do something abstract and decorative, and this is what I came up with. I think it's kind of a different twist on a moonicure.

I used Lotus Herbals Luscious Berry as a base, with Lotus Herbals Orchid Pearl for the design. I used Essie Matte About You over the tips to make them a tad more matte than the 'moon'.

Stila Cosmetics Sale on Hautelook!

Hey all, just wanted to let you know that there is a Stila Cosmetics sale on Hautelook!

There is lots of good stuff, eyeshadow palettes, lipglosses, you name it!! WOO!!

Check it out!! Stila sale at Hautelook!

*goes over to Hautelook.com to go shopping* :-D