(☆ｰﾟ)･‥…━━━★Gel French Nails

Hayay!

It's getting warmer and warmer here.

This is my nails at the moment.

I do French nails when I have to work on computer.

It's simple but better than nothing.

And it's really easy to do with gel, hehehe, I'm lazy!!!

I can't wait to do some nail art soon for Christmas(^^)v

Look at this, hahaha(^o^)

A little dove is resting on warm soil in a pot(^^)

Funny bird☆

Okay, I might have a cup of green tea!

I love green tea, and it's good for you too(^^)v

I hope someone could make Japanese teapot cuter, hehehe.

Have a good day!!

☆

A LITTLE BIT CHRISTMAS

MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty

I bought another blush. Why? I don't know why. Couldn't resist. I have the perfect blush at present (more to follow in another post) but I always find I have to put illuminator on top to create that lovely glow. When I was having a play with the Mineralize blushes in MAC, I loved the idea that they were a lovely rosy colour (well, Dainty, the colour I chose is anyway) as well as having a subtle, natural shimmer added in. 

I absolutely adore rosy cheeks, I think they look lovely. I am quite pale, so I think the contrast between my NW20 and the rosy glow of Dainty is absolutely divine. 
The blush is solid, but upon rubbing your finger (or more likely, your brush) over the product, it becomes loose easily and I think you pick up just the right amount on the brush. 
I apply blush to my apples of my cheeks, and then sweep it back towards my hairline. I genuinely think blush is essential. If you're wearing foundation or powder, you absolutely need to wear blush. Or you look dead. And no one wants that. 

So as you can see, it gives a lovely, natural looking (probably not on me because I'm a bit heavy handed with the blush) rosy glow which makes all the difference to my complexion. 
I really love this blush, the colour really goes well with my skin tone and it's effortless to apply. The product does come loose quite easily, which does tend to make the lid look dirty over time but I guess that's the same with any product. 

And here I am, for my elaborate portrait so you can see what it looks like on me. The Mineralize pigments mean that I have a slight illuminating glow to my face, as well as a soft pinky colour to my cheeks. I would definitely recommend everyone have at least one Mineralize Blush in their make up bag, I'm thinking about purchasing a few more so if anyone can recommend any, that would be lovely!

A LITTLE BIT OF CHRISTMAS

I will be attending another Young Nails class this Monday. I can't wait! It is going to be focused on Christmas nail art so look for new exciting Christmas designs to be posted. Soooo excited :)

Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eyeliner in Midnight Black

I was lucky enough to get a lovely little Smashbox present (all the way from America) from my boyfriend. I had run out of my usual liquid eyeliner, so it was great when he got me a little pot of gel-based eyeliner (which I've wanted to try for so long). To clear this up, his usual presents are fridge magnets and oversized tshirts which live in my pyjama draw, I guess he had been speaking to the consultant at the counter or something. 

I was eager to try this, and dug out my MAC 209 brush especially for the occasion. I'd never used a gel-based eyeliner before so I wasn't sure what to expect. 

Upon opening the product, it was quite tough on top. I wasn't expecting the eyeliner to be so viscous, and knew I was going to have some problems doing my eyeliner flicks with this liner. 

It was basically solid, and I had to dig into it to get some of the product on to my brush. I carefully applied it to my upper lid, which was no easy task. It went on quite thick and cakey, and because it was quite dry I couldn't blend it. 

Smashbox say the product "stays blendable for 60 seconds then dries to a smudge-proof, budge-proof finish that lasts all day"

My flicks on the outer corner of my eyelid were actually impossible, the product was far too dry and viscous to use! So i got my 209 brush and dug under the top layer (as you can tell, my pot is a mess...) and it was actually a bit more gel-like underneath. I was able to use this as an actual eyeliner, and it didn't look like I'd applied it with a shovel. 

As you can see from the swatches, it is a bit more blend-able now that I've pillaged the pot. Overall, this eyeliner was a bit of a let down. I expected big things from it, considering it was Smashbox and it came all the way from America. I might try leaving this in a warmer place, in an attempt to make it a bit more liquid and therefore, manageable. I'm not going to give up on gel liner, but I may try a different brand. 
Have any of you experienced any problems with gel liners? What are your thoughts?

Zoya Flame Collection - Crystal - swatches & comparison

Zoya Flame Collection

Zoya's latest collection brings us six new metallic colors. You might have heard of the Zoya Fire & Ice collection, well, this is the same thing! They changed it into the Flame collection, rumor has it that it's because of Revlon, who trademarked the Fire & Ice phrase ages ago. Anyway, today I'll be showing you one of the prettiest polishes in this collection: Crystal, a frosty blue sparkling metallic.

Crystal

I'm not sure what to think of polishes who get named after women's names. I think it's lacking originality and it's a bit too easy as well. Thankfully, it's just a name. Crystal is a gorgeous cold, medium blue frosty polish with a bunch of golden flecks to spice it up.

As you can see the golden sparks in Crystal really compliment the icy, snowy blue color. For me this is the ultimate winter color. This may sound ridiculous to you, but this polish reminds me of winter fairies with golden locks. I know, right?

Application

Most Zoya polishes don't dry that well one me. Crystal does dry rather quickly, so yay for that. The formula was spot on, not too thick or thin, and completely opaque in three coats. Two coats would be quite okay already though.

Crystal versus Reflecting Pool

From the moment the first promoshots rolled in, I knew it had to be similar to OPI's Reflecting Pool. Reflecting Pool is quite hard to get since it was exclusively sold in certain European countries. Nowadays you'll usually find it on eBay for ridiculous prices.

Well, I did suspect both colors would be similar, but I was surprised to see they're dead on dupes! The formulas are very alike as well, so if you couldn't get your hands on Reflecting Pool, this is your chance!

Where to buy

You can get Zoya nail lacquers from their website: www.zoya.com and eBay. Zoya Crystal costs $7 for 15ml.

DRAGONFLY

This is hand painted bamboo and a dragonfly.



This is opi gel polish and then I painted designs on the top using regular nail polish.

NOTD - OPI - Fiercely Fiona

From the Vault

Hi everyone! Just a quick update from me, I've kinda started working fulltime so I hardly have time to blog, I'm typing this during my lunch break! For today I have one of the Shrek Forever After colors by OPI: Fiercely Fiona. While I'm not a big fan of Shrek and this collection has been out for ages, I still think the colors are pretty cool. Fiercely Fiona is one of my favorites from Shrek Forever After. It's an odd color and that's why I like it so much. By now I have so many polishes and only a few are really something else. It's a green yellow, or a yellow green, you pick! It tends to look different on different skin tones, but on me I definitely see the green! I don't think I've seen anything like it so far!

Application

Unfortunately, this odd color doesn't apply very well. Fiercely Fiona is way too streaky: it's pretty much opaque in two coats, but you'll need three to even it out. Bummer. Other than that, if you're looking for a funky color, definitely check it out.

What do you think of weird colors?

Where to buy?

You can get OPI products at authorized OPI sellers, eBay, TD or other etailers.

Updated: Another OPI collaboration: OPI teams up with Katy Perry!

Hi guys! I promised to update this post when new info reaches the surface, so here we go! I've added some better pictures and additional information :). Still no news about they're Coty or L'Oreal adventure though..

OPI teams up with Katy Perry!

OPI isn't exactly sitting still when it comes to collaborations. Only recently I posted about their upcoming "Glam Slam" collection, which is a collab with tennis star Serena Williams. Right now I'm even more excited because word on the street is: they're also releasing a collection in collaboration with Katy Perry!

Katy Perry, an American singer-songwriter, is already becoming a nail icon for many. Just like her style, this polish line will be a versatile array of bright, fun colors and finishes! Inspired by Katy Perry's latest album - Teenage Dream - The Katy Perry Collection by OPI will contain four daring, bright colors.

Click to enlarge

• Last Friday Night (a fierce glittery blue)
• Not Like the Movies (a sultry silver)
• The One That Got Away (an amazing deep berry)
• Teenage Dream (a dreamy pink glitter)
• Black Shatter (crackle top coat)

Black Shatter

To compliment these four colors, OPI threw in Black Shatter as well. "Black Shatter" is a top coat that gives nails a cracked/leopardy look. So cool. The effect is extremely similar to Barry M's Instant Nail Effects in Black Magic, don't you think? This collection will be released in january, just like Serena's Glam Slam collection, so if you're feeling this, better save some money!

Curious to see how these look on the nail? Check out this vid!

The Katy Perry Collection by OPI will be available starting January 2011, at ULTA stores (www.ulta.com), for $9 per color. Also available in The Netherlands at authorized OPI Sellers for 13.95 EUR each (ouch..).

°○〇・☆°・○。°☆Glitter Gradation☆°○〇・☆°・○。°

The end of 2010

is approaching already~!!!

WOW!!

Anyway, I'll show you

how to do gradation using glitter powders,

which are my favourite things to use at the moment　♪

What we use is...

Old top coat which is not going to be used as top coat anymore,

pearly shimmery white nail polish,

blue/green and white glitter powders.

1. Apply a light coat of nail polish on the nail.

 
2. Pick up the blue green glitter powder using a top coat brush.

   

3. Apply on 1/2 of the nail.

4. Pick more glitter powder and apply just on the free edge.

This is how to create a gradation effect☆

5. Please wipe the top coat brush after each pick,

otherwise the top coat bottle will be filled with lots of different colours of glitter!

6. Pick the white glitter powder.

7. Apply on the nail overlapping the blue green powder.

Add gem stones and holograms to decorate☆

Yay!!

Christmas nail design idea no.1!!

Did you like it??

Hehehehe♪

Let's go make some dinner!!

Ciao!