Nailspotting

Valentine's Day - Nail Art

2012-02-14T16:41:00.001-05:00

I saw this manicure over at Refinery 29 (via A Cup of Jo) and decided to give it a try. I modified it a little but it didn't really turn out very good. Oh well, I got to practice my nail art skills. I hope you all have a lovely (pun intended) day today.

Essie Watermelon as base and hearts made with Essie St. Lucia Lilac.

Essie - Mint Candy Apple

2012-02-08T07:49:00.000-05:00

Apparently pastels are very in this spring (can I sound any older!?) and when I think of pastels I immediately think of Essie's Mint Candy Apple. I've been eyeing this since it was released a few years ago but I just haven't bought it for some reason. Until now.

Mint Candy Apple was tricky to apply. Like many other pastel coloured nail polish the formula tend to be a little thick which makes smooth application difficult. The first coat was sheer but it did become opaque after two coats. I like it but really wish there was more luster to it. Despite wearing topcoat I found it to have a flat appearance on the nails. I do like the colour but I can't stop thinking that it would be perfection if this was a jelly instead of a cream polish.

Any suggestions out there for a mint green jelly polish?

Essie - Cute As A Button

2012-02-05T22:40:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for the perfect coral nail polish for quite some time. It's not easy finding the perfect shade when you're fair and freckly as I am, but I've tried pretty hard to find the one. Some time ago when I posted about OPI's Nicole Alert, Abby suggested I'd try Essie's Cute As A Button. At first I thought it looked too pink but I decided to give it a try.

CAAB required two coats for opacity and was easy to work with, good formula and easy application. I'm so thankful I did try it because CAAB might be t h e perfect coral for me. I don't know how to describe it but I just really like the coral/pink colour. It's bright, it's vivid and it has a great sheen to it.

OPI Road House Blues meets Essie Set in Stones

2012-02-01T09:36:00.003-05:00

After wearing Road House Blues for a few days I decided to layer it with Essie's Set in Stones. Set in Stones is a clear polish with multiple sized silver hexagons.

I applied one coat of Set in Stones and I think it turned out pretty nice. It kind of looks like I have snow flakes on my nails.

OPI - Road House Blues

2012-01-26T07:53:00.000-05:00

OPI's Road House Blues was part of the Touring America collection that was released last year. RHB is a dark blue creme polish with a hint of purple. I haven't been very keen on dark colours lately but last week I felt an urge to try this.

The formula was amazing to work with, it had just the right consistency for easy application. I didn't even get any nail polish on my cuticles during the application (I always manage to get some on my right ring finger for some reason). I applied two coats for opacity but one thick coat would probably be enough as well.

I really like RHB. The shine, the colour and the formula make this polish a new favourite of mine.

Instagram

2012-01-24T19:44:00.001-05:00

In case you're found of Instagram (I am), you can find me there as well now, under the user name Nailspotting. But, don't worry, nothing will change here. I will keep posting as usual.

Anyone else there?

Essie - Fifth Avenue

2012-01-23T08:24:00.000-05:00

For me, certain nail polish colours have been trickier to get used to than others but about a year ago I decided to try to get over my fear of red nail polish. Prior to that I had liked the way it looked on others but just couldn't get used to seeing it on my nails. Then I came across OPI Color So Hot it Berns and it slowly evolved from there and I eventually warmed up to the idea of wearing reds. Now I really like it and not so long ago I bought several more red lacquers. Today it's time for one of those lacquers, Essie's Fifth Avenue.

Fifth Avenue is a bright red creme polish with just a hint of orange undertones. To achieve opacity I had to apply two coats and I have nothing bad to say about the formula, it was very easy to work with. This kind of red is very appealing to me and even though I have very fair complexion I think it works very well with my skin tone. And, this is just a perfect pick-me-up shade in the middle of the dark and dull winter.

HM - Pepparmint fusion

2012-01-19T07:34:00.000-05:00

It's time to go back in time and publish something from my archive. Almost a year ago I was in Sweden and bought three lacquers from H&M; Miss Stone Heart, Blue My Mind and Pepparmint Fusion. So far I've only showed you Blue My Mind but today it's time for Pepparmint Fusion.

Pepparmint Fusion is light blue polish with blue shimmer. It required two coats for opacity and if my memory doesn't fail me too much, I think the formula was good and easy to work with. I really like the subtle blue colour and the beautiful shimmer. I need to wear this soon again, it's been far too long.

Resist SOPA

2012-01-18T15:05:00.003-05:00

Well, there’s nothing wrong with your eyes. I changed thebackground of the blog in support of Resist SOPA Day. I’m a little late insupporting this but better late than never, right?

To clarify things: I do not believe in piracy in any way butI do not think that internet should be censored either.

Just like Frazzle and Aniploish posted, I couldn’t have said it better myself thanJohn Scalzi, read here.

Tomorrow everything will be back to normal here.

Separation anxiety

2012-01-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I cleaned out almost 30 nail polish I no longer like(d). It was so easy to do it but now I can't seem to part with them. They've been sitting, neglected, in a box since then but now when I look at them I can't understand why I don't want them any more.

I didn't like it then but perhaps I change my mind? Oh, this IS actually very pretty. I can't get rid of this one!

It's so difficult to get rid of them now, why is that? I'm usually not that sentimental about things but I seem to be when it comes to nail polish. Anyone else out there, like me, with nail polish separation anxiety? Any tips or ideas to get over it?

Barielle - Positive ZEN-ergy

2012-01-16T16:10:00.000-05:00

Barielle is a nail polish brand I've been eyeing for some time but have never got around to try it - until now. In my latest haul I bought three Barielle lacquers and the first one out is Positive ZEN-ergy.

Positive ZEN-ergy is pale green with silver shimmer. It goes on a little sheer but builds opacity ok. I applied two coats but unfortunately I didn't get full opacity so a third coat is to recommend. The formula was decent. It's not bad but not spectacular either. I've been wearing Positive ZEN-ergy since Thursday and only started to see wear today which is pretty good to me. I'm definitely pleased with my first Barielle polish.

New Year - New Header

2012-01-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

I did a little redecoration here today. I was utterly bored with my old header and was actually planning on making bigger changes to the blog but my in-house programmer (my husband) got stuck. So, in the meantime I decided to just change the header.

I hope you like it!

My collection in new storage

2012-01-08T14:26:00.000-05:00

The inevitable happened yesterday. I've tried to resist the urge to upgrade the storage solution for my collection for months but the old one wasn't working anymore. I had nail polish everywhere and I forgot what I had because I couldn't see them properly. Enough was enough. A short trip to Ikea and a few hours of assembly later and Alex* was in place.

Here it is in all its glory with my latest haul sitting on top together with my (ugly) bag of the most essential things I use when applying nail polish.

Here's the first drawer from left to right, front row: Nubar, Chanel, Zoya, Color Club and Orly.

Second row: Different brands where I only have one of each, and then the brands where I have two; Icing, MAC, OCC, CND, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, Sephora by OPI and H&M. Then there are Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Sinful Colors and Misa.

In the back I have a few different basecoats and topcoats, empty bottles for frankening, nail stickers and two Konad nail polish. At the very back there're craft sticks and display wheels and a box where I keep my Konad stamping plates.

In the second drawer, from left to right: OPI, Essie and China Glaze.

The best thing is that it looks so neat now and I can find everything so easy. The worst part is it doesn't look like a lot of nail polish! I recently cleaned out over 30 bottles of polish I don't want and despite having bought quite a lot of polish last year I seem to stick to a little over 200 bottles. But now, it doesn't look like much at all. This could be very dangerous...

*Why choose an Alex and not a Helmer? Several reasons. I like the design of Alex, it's sturdy, the drawers are easy to pull out. But perhaps most important, the big area on top is great for storage too, especially for my photography gear and since the unit is very sturdy, I don't have to worry about it falling over.

Essie - Go Overboard

2011-12-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

Today I'm wearing the second and last polish I bought from Essie's Spring Collection 2012 Update: It's part of the Go Overboard Collection, not spring collection, my bad. Go Overboard is a dark teal cream polish. The formula was a little difficult to work with, it was on the thicker side and the second coat didn't want to go on smooth. Nothing terrible but not perfect either. As mentioned it required two coats for opacity but I guess you could get away with one thick coat instead.

Before application I was worried it would be like many other darker cream polish from Essie. I find that they look great in the bottle but turn out much darker on the nails and just look "dark" without a hint of colour to them, (yes, I'm looking at you Little Brown Dress and Velvet Voyeur!) but that was not the case with GO. Well, it is a tad darker on the nails than in the bottle but not too dark to lose it's lovely colour. GO is a very sophisticated dark teal without being boring because it has enough pigment to show off which I really like.

Like many other blue/blueish/green polish this was difficult to capture, perhaps the colour is somewhere in between the pictures above and the ones in the previous post.

Essie - Armed and Ready

2011-12-28T08:39:00.001-05:00

Today I'm wearing Essie's Armed and Ready. A&R is, like I mentioned yesterday, a brownish grey cream polish with golden shimmer.

A&R vary in colour depending on how much or how little light you have. Without direct light it's a dusty dark grey but when light hits it the beautiful golden shimmer appears. The formula was very easy to work with and it required two coats for opacity. I think it's absolutely gorgeous but wish the shimmer was even more obvious. Shimmer wise it reminds me of Chanel's Paradoxal - a little boring without light but gorgeous when seen in direct sunlight.

Essie - Spring Collection 2012

2011-12-27T14:44:00.001-05:00

Update: This is not the spring collection, this is from the Go Overboard Collection, my bad.

The other day when I was browsing the cosmetics isles at Target I came across quite a few Essie displays and one of them were the Luxeffects. But they were not only displaying the Luxeffects lacquers but also some other polish I didn't recognize (since I hardly read any nail polish blogs right now, that doesn't mean much). When I got home I googled the names and it looks like they belong to the upcoming Spring 2012 collection.

Either way, here's from left to right, Armed and Ready and Go Overboard. At the bottom of the post you can find comps.

Armed and Ready is a dusty, dark, brownish grey with beautiful gold glitter (shimmer?) and Go Overboard is a dark cream teal. Armed and Ready looks more grey under artificial light whilst it looks more brown in natural light.

Close up of the beautful gold glitter in Armed and Ready under artificial light.

When I first saw Go Overboard I thought of Illamasqua's Muse but when comparing them you can tell that Go Overboard is a much darker teal than Muse and it's more blue than Essie's School of Hard Rocks.

I don't have anything close in resemblance to Armed and Ready and the closest I found was Essie's Power Clutch. However, A&R has a more copper brown finish to it.

I think they're both beautiful but what do you think?

Best of 2011 - Top 10 Nail Polish

2011-12-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

2011 is almost over and it's time to summarize the year in terms of nail polish. Here are my favourites of the 2011 releases.

Mind you, this has been a very bland year for me. I haven't been craving shimmer or glitter polish. Instead I've discovered shades I didn't think I liked (red, yellow, green, blue and coral).

And apparently I've been really bad at posting this year because I don't even have posts for all of my favourites! Oh, well, they will appear on the blog one day or the other. In no particular order:

OPI - Mermaid's Tears

OPI - Are We There Yet?

China Glaze - First Mate

Essie - School of Hard Rocks

Essie - Bobbing for Baubles

China Glaze - Midtown Magic

Zoya - Cynthia

OPI - Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window

MAC - Obey Me

Franken - Newd-ish
Yes, I made it myself but I was very happy with the result.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects - Snow Bunny

2011-12-25T10:03:00.001-05:00

I want to wish you all

Happy Holidays

and hope you have a great time!

I was planning on doing some nail art on my nails this Christmas but then I stumbled over Sally Hansen's Salon Effects (Nail Strips) at half price at Target and decided to take the easy way out.

The strips are called Snow Bunny and they are easy to apply but it takes me almost an hour to do it because I'm cheap and cut them in half so I only use one of the two packages included. If you use both packages it probably goes faster. I managed to make a big rift on my ring finger because I thought I could move the strip after I applied it to get a better fit. I couldn't but managed to mess it up instead. But I really don't care because it's not that obvious in real life and I'm not planning to wear these for very long.

Either way, I find them to be very cute and very convenient, especially if you want maintenance free nails for a long time (a week or so) or just don't want to wait for the nail polish to dry.

First Franken - Newd-ish

2011-12-16T12:26:00.000-05:00

I was utterly bored last Friday and decided to try a little frankening to cheer me up. I had organized my drawer of nail polish a few days before and had a huge pile of unloved nail polish laying around so I decided to use some of them.

The base is Milani's HD with a hint of Revlon's Peachy and Orly's Out of This World topped off with Orly's Shine On Crazy Diamonds.

Under artificial lights it looks more like a mauve but in direct sunlight it looks more brownish or taupe. I'm so pleased with the result - a sparkly, shimmery, holo nude! Probably boring to a lot of people but this is right up my alley. I don't have anything like this but can it perhaps be a relative to Butter London's All Hail the Queen?

Chanel - Mimosa

2011-12-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

Finally Friday and today it's time for an old NOTD, Chanel's Mimosa. I wasn't interested in this at all when it first came out but as time went on I changed my mind (like so many times before).

Mimosa required two coats for opacity and the formula was ok, it had a little tendency for streaking and it was on the thinner side. But what can I say? I really like this, it's bright, it's fun (don't I always say that!?) and it's a little shimmery and sparkly. All good. What do you think about Mimosa? Hit or a miss?

I had great difficulties colour correcting these pictures and didn't want to post them a first. Mimosa is bright but not as bright as it appears on these pictures, it's a more soft yellow. And it definitely do not lean against green as it might look like on the last picture.

Last week's haul

2011-11-28T11:50:00.001-05:00

I really do not like the "plain" Essie bottles (the non-salon ones, with the name on a sticker on top instead of on the bottom) but I am quite lazy so when I ran into a display of Essie's Winter collection 2011 at the grocery store the other day, I couldn't ignore them (one good thing with living in the suburbs again, lots of good nail polish displays even in the grocery stores!).

Cocktail Bling and Bobbing for Baubles from the Winter collection, and a long time lemming, Cute As A Button got to come home with me.

China Glaze - Midtown Magic

2011-11-25T10:49:00.001-05:00

Today I'm showing you China Glaze's Midtown Magic from their Metro collection. I've had this for a while but haven't worn it, I guess our unseasonably warm weather hasn't put me in the mood for darker colours until now.

Midtown Magic is a brownish purple polish with golden green shimmer. In the bottle it looks quite green but the brownish purple becomes more visible when applied to the nails. Midtown Magic required to two coats for opacity but as usual I applied this in the darkness in front of the TV so perhaps one thick layer would be enough (it's kind of hard to tell in the darkness).

This polish is everything I really like. It's dark but not too dark, it's shimmery but not too shimmery and it's subtle but not boring. Midtown Magic is one of my absolute favourites from the Metro collection.

The colour difference is fairly obvious in these pictures. The bottle appears quite greenish in the first picture with artificial sunlight but in the second with direct sunlight it's a more brownish purple. And here's one good thing with our move, I now have access to direct sunlight! It sure makes photographing much easier.

Midtown Magic dried to a smooth finish, it's just looks uneven because I did the manicure last night and took the photos this morning. They don't look as glossy as they usually do when I photograph them right after painting them.

Zoya - Cynthia

2011-11-11T10:16:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately my light tent has already been packed in preparation for the move so I only have one picture of Zoya's Cynthia for you.

The formula was very easy to work with and it could have been a one-coater but I ended up with two coats - just in case. It's very glossy and a little jellyish, or perhaps it is a jelly? I was doing my nails in the dark last night and couldn't tell. My little nubbins doesn't make this beautiful dark, deep teal polish justice. Besides its dark beauty, I also like that Cynthia has a little edge to it, the dark teal shade makes it a little different (at least in my collection). It's just pure perfection. Can't wait to wear it when my nails are longer!

Haul of the week

2011-11-10T16:32:00.001-05:00

Last week I couldn't stop myself from taking advantage of Zoya's promotion, Buy 2 Get 2, and this is what I ordered. From left, Cynthia, Petra, Yara and Dree. They all look gorgeous and I can't wait to try them.

I haven't posted much lately because I'm in the process of moving and feel a little stressed about it but I'll be back. By the way, I was in contact with Zoya a few days ago because I was worrying that the haul wouldn't arrive before our move and they were so nice and tried to help me anyway they could. Good customer service makes me happy (and loyal) and I will happily buy more polish from Zoya in the future. Cheers for Zoya!

Haul of the Week

2011-11-02T17:20:00.000-04:00

They arrived last night and they sure are pretty. But why is there always something wrong with the Chanel bottles? Last time two out of three bottle caps were broken and this time the print on the yellow bottle is way off and the Particulière brush was uneven, with strands (hairs?) in all directions. Seriously Chanel, for $25 ($29 for Coco Blue) per bottle you think you would get some kind of quality? Yes, I'm cranky today but for this kind of money I expect (close to) perfection.

Oh, well. I'm wearing Mimosa right now and it's absolutely gorgeous. I'll post pictures later on.

Against better judgement

2011-10-27T16:33:00.003-04:00

screen shot of order from chanel.com

This is silly. I'm not even a big fan of Chanel's nail polish formula but I couldn't resist these three ~~babies~~ lacquers any longer. Don't judge me, I'm a weak human being.

Color Club - Coral Cascade

2011-10-26T10:04:00.000-04:00

Here's another one of my favourites from this summer, Color Club's Coral Cascade. I've been looking for the perfect coral shade for the better part of this year and this comes very close to perfection.

However perfect it is, the formula is a little tricky. I find it to be a little on the thick side sometimes (hence the bad application in the pictures) but I still keep using it and it requires two coats for opacity. I keep using it because I love it and I seem to forget how tricky it is (sometimes) to apply.

Essie - St. Lucia Lilac

2011-10-19T21:12:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I posted anything here but my interest for the blog has grown a little lately. I'm not sure I'll post very often but let's give it another try, eh?

Here's a polish that has been a favourite of mine during the summer, Essie's St. Lucia Lilac, a lovely light lilac polish. It has been my go-to polish for both my pedicures and my manicures. It's just a very versatile yet cool colour to wear. The formula was on the thicker side but still required three coats for opacity the first time I used it. Since then I've managed to get full opacity with only two coats. Despite the formula being a little tricky I absolutely love this polish.

Natural light.

Artificial natural light.

OCD? Who me?

2011-08-12T12:28:00.001-04:00

I still lack inspiration to write about nail polish but I don't lack inspiration to organize my collection (it never gets boring to me). Because I love to organize, I almost fainted when I saw Nailin' It's amazing post on holo comps, (yes, the holos were amazing but they way she had mounted them on wooden sticks was the answer to my prayers). I had to make "nails on sticks" just like hers.

So after reswatching some 200+ lacquers and then mounting each and everyone on individual wooden sticks, my collection looks almost as good as hers. Yey! Thanks for the idea Nailin' It!

I didn't have any appropriate boxes for the "nail sticks" so I glued together the tall, narrow Orly boxes my latest haul arrived in and glued a scrapbook paper around them for a nicer finish. Each Orly box conveniently has three compartments which works perfect for sorting the "nail sticks" according to colour.

Update: Click below to see how I did the nail sticks.

Click on the picture for a larger version.

I don't I need to explain this, it's pretty straight forward and the pictures tell it all!

Haul of the Week

2011-08-10T09:53:00.000-04:00

Just a quick little post about the haul that arrived yesterday. This year's fall collections are right up my alley, love these colours. I couldn't wait to try them so right now I'm wearing Are We There Yet?, a beautiful pinkish/orangey coral (it might be THE perfect coral for me, aaah).

Clockwise from the first OPI bottle (at 11 o'clock)
OPI - A-Taupe the Space Needle
OPI - Are We There Yet?
OPI - Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window
OPI - Road House Blues
China Glaze - Concrete Catwalk
China Glaze - Trendsetter
China Glaze - Midtown Magic (on the display wheel, Midtown Magic and Trendsetter are switched)
China Glaze - Westside Warrior
Essie - Glamour Purse
Essie - Power Clutch
Essie - Case Study
Misa - Dirty Sexy Money
Misa - Office Polish-tics

A little blog break

2011-08-06T15:57:00.000-04:00

I have loads of pictures of already swatched polish on my computer but I just can't bring myself to post them and write anything inspiring about them (not that writing inspiring posts has ever been my thing but you get it).

So I'm taking a little break and hopefully I'll get inspired again. Who knows, the haul that is about to arrive on Tuesday might do the trick, but I'm not sure. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

Icing - Blackout

2011-08-03T17:11:00.000-04:00

This has long been a lemming of mine, Icing's Blackout. I had written it down on my wish list as a China Glaze polish first, because the bottle look just like China Glaze's bottles, which meant I couldn't find it anywhere. Then I saw it again and realised it wasn't China Glaze at all but I still couldn't find it because I don't have an Icing store close by. Then I went down to Pennsylvania and went shopping and stumbled upon an Icing store and found it. I almost shrieked in the store when I saw that they had it...

Blackout has a black jelly base with multi-coloured holo glitter. It is amazing in the bottle but unfortunately it's not as amazing on the nails. It's pretty but the glitter is too scattered to stand out and I found the brush to be very thick and unruly which made the application difficult. Blackout goes on very sheer but builds ok after two thick layers. It's an average polish but not amazing however pretty it looks.

After wearing it I started thinking if I could get the same result with some black polish and layering. To the left is Blackout and to right is two layers of OPI Black Onyx and two layers of China Glaze Fairy Dust. Perhaps not dupes but very similar and I find the OPI/Ch G mix more beautiful and with a less rugged surface than Blackout.

H&M - Blue My Mind

2011-07-25T15:15:00.000-04:00

I bought H&M's Blue My Mind earlier this year but haven't gotten around to use it until recently. Blue My Mind is a bright blue creme polish that required two coats for opacity.

I have nothing to complain about when it comes to the formula, it was very easy to apply. Unfortunately it didn't wear very well but I think it's because of my topcoat and not BMM since no polish lasts very long with that particular topcoat. I didn't like the way it looked in the bottle but I really like the way it looks on my nails, a very lovely blue polish!

It was difficult to capture the right shade of this polish. In the photos the blue is a little too bright. BMM is just a tad more dusty than what it appears in the photos below.

BMM is unique in my collection, I don't even have anything close to this, but here's a comparison with similar shades I have.

1: Sinful Colors - Miami Heat, 2: H&M - Blue My Mind, 3: Essie - Smooth Sailing

OPI - Who the Shrek Are You?

2011-07-20T08:29:00.000-04:00

I didn't care much for OPI's Shrek collection when it was released last year. I don't know why but it just wasn't for me. But over time I've seen so many beautiful swatches of the collection that I've slowly changed my mind. So today I' bringing you Who the Shrek Are You?

Who the Shrek Are You? is a vibrant light green creme polish. I was a little surprised by its sheerness but it builds nicely and after three coats it's opaque. Since WtSAY? is sheer, the formula is also on the thinner side but it still wasn't too bad to work with.

I love my greens and yellows this summer so this is definitely a new favourite of mine. I say it so many times (perhaps too many times) but it's fun, it's vibrant and bright, what more can I ask for!? Me likey!

OPI - Nicole Alert!

2011-07-18T09:02:00.001-04:00

I've been craving coral nail polish lately. In an effort to find the perfect coral shade I bought OPI's Nicole Alert!

This was an old bottle so it came with the skinny brush which I do not like at all and I also had some trouble with the formula, it was rather thick. Nicole Alert! required three coats for opacity and even though I find it too orange it's still a really nice polish but I guess to hunt for the perfect coral continues.

I would really like to know, what's your favourite coral nail polish?

China Glaze - Lemon Fizz

2011-07-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

You might remember that I some time ago got over my fear of yellow nail polish and I've even taken the step to buy more yellow polish! This time I'm wearing China Glaze's Lemon Fizz, a soft yellow creme polish.

I had some difficulties when applying Lemon Fizz but it might have to do with the severe humidity that day, I'm not sure. It took four coats for opacity and the formula was on the thicker side and difficult to apply but as I said, I think it was the weather.

Despite the formula, I really like Lemon Fizz, it's like wearing custard on your nails, yummy!

Sally Hansen - Salon Effects Review

2011-07-13T15:44:00.002-04:00

It's been over a week since I tried Sally Hansen's Salon Effects and they've really impressed me. Here are a few of my thoughts on using these nail stickers.

I only wore them for 4 days. However, they didn't show any sign of wear on the fourth day except a tiny piece that had worn off on my right thumbnail. But, I always have tip wear on that thumbnail so nothing new there. Best part, the rest of the nail sticker stayed put.

The Salon Effects comes with 16 nail stickers in two packages. Which means you have to open them both if you have long nails (they cannot be saved for a later application since they dry once they're exposed to air). I tried applying them once before but didn't have the patience at that point so I only had 8 stickers left. Like so many others I have 10 nails so I actually cut some of the stickers in half. Unfortunately my nails were just a touch too long, so when applied it looked like tip wear when it actually was me cutting the stickers poorly.

Take your time when applying. It's not difficult at all but the first time I thought I could do it in 5 mins and be done. If you want it done well do it properly and take your time. It probably took me 30 mins to apply but when they're done, they're done. No drying time, just ready to go.

If I hadn't removed them on the fourth day I bet they would still look good on my nails now 1.5 weeks later. I would definitely consider wearing them for a trip or vacation when I don't want to think about my nails.

Some nail polish bloggers have commented on the price. I bought these when they first came out and I paid about $10. Perhaps a little steep but if you have shorter nails you can definitely get two uses out of one package.

Have you tried Salon Effects or any other nail stickers? What are your thoughts and experiences?

First day.

Fourth and last day of wear.

Essie - Nice is Nice

2011-07-11T18:25:00.000-04:00

I spent the weekend in New York City with Essie's Nice is Nice (from the Spring 2011 collection) on my nails. NiN is a lavender creme polish with a really good formula. I think this is three coats but just because I managed to get a weird stroke on my index finger, otherwise two coats are enough for opacity.

NiN was perfect for the weekend, classic bot not boring, fun but still a little sophisticated and much more unique (for me) than a traditional light pink creme polish.

Me and Empire State Building.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects - Blue Ice

2011-07-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone who celebrated 4th of July had a really nice day yesterday.

I tried to do something nice celebratory on my nails but it just didn't want to look good so after I took this picture, for you to see the disaster, I removed it.

I went with Sally Hansen's Salon Effects (nail stickers) in Blue Ice instead. I tried to apply them once before but I rushed it and it didn't look good. This time I took my time and it turned out pretty good. It will be interesting to see how long they'll last on me.

The nails (and me) at the Charles River in Boston (well, I'm on the Cambridge side here) a few hours prior to the big 4th of July fireworks.

The fireworks.

Essie Absolutely Shore meets China Glaze White Cap

2011-07-03T10:30:00.004-04:00

I saw this layering at another blog earlier this week or perhaps last week but now when I'm looking at the blog I thought it was on, I can't find it. If it was yours, please let me know so I can give credit!

Essie's Aboslutely Shore with one coat of China Glaze's White Cap. I like it, very subtle but sparkly at the same time, perfect for me.

More Awards and some info

2011-07-02T11:42:00.001-04:00

I missed an award the other day and I got a new one today so here we go. I got tagged by Polish AMOR and A Polished Touch. Thank you so much!

Since I'm still stubborn I'll just show some blog love instead of passing them on (hope you don't mind). Here are a few of my new favorites:

Nailside - Amazing nail art and beautiful manicures. Go get inspired and find your tape dispenser, quickly!
Spaz & Squee - I die a little everytime I see her amazing photos and manicures. Aah, I wish my photography skills were as good as hers.

Since I get a few questions about my camera I've done a page with all the info regarding my camera, post processing etc. Click on the link above or access it from the left tool bar, appropriately named My Camera.

Essie - Absolutely Shore

2011-07-01T10:15:00.001-04:00

Essie's Absolutely Shore is a very light pale green creme polish. At first I was afraid it would just look white on my nails but it definitely comes across green.

This is three coats and I had some difficulties with the formula but I'm blaming the very humid weather for it (has anyone else experienced this? Polish that had really bad formula last summer worked really well when I reapplied them during the winter...). Despite the formula I really like this, it's subtle but not boring yet a little different.

Update: Does anyone know if Absolutely Shore and Nubar's Baby Sprout are dupes? I got a question about it but since I don't have Baby Sprout I can't really tell. Would really like to know :)

Unfortunately I bought this at the grocery store and it's the non-salon bottle. I'm sorry Essie (L'Oreal) I really like your polish, I have a bunch of them but I do not care for these new alternative labels on the bottles. They look cheap and why change packing that works? (I'm one of those people that think that less is more and classic design are positive attributes in good marketing). I find it very sad that so many companies feel the need to change logos and packing just because and not because they actually needs changing. That's my opinion on it, what's yours?

Blog love

2011-06-28T10:06:00.001-04:00

These three amazing bloggers have decided to tag me lately,

Posh for Polish, Strange Nails and Lovely in Lacquer.

Thank you so much for your appreciation of my blog!

Since I'm a little stubborn (hope you don't mind), I will stray from the rules and just acknowledge a few new blogs I've found lately. Check them out.

China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway meets Sinful Colors Nail Junkie

2011-06-27T15:46:00.010-04:00

Here's a very old NOTD for you, China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway with a layer of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie on top. What can I say, its' a great combo!

Aaah, look at those little nubbins, so very tiny! I'm so happy they're not that short anymore. I have nothing against short, short nails, I just don't like the look of them on me.

Haul of the Week

2011-06-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

I've been out-of-state this past week and haven't spent much time with the blog, hence the lack of answers to your comments (I'll try to answer you asap) but I've been a busy little bee buying more nail polish! I've been done in Pennsylvania and I just love that it's so easy finding nail polish down there.

From left to right: Essie Absoluetly Shore & Smooth Sailing, China Glaze Flying Dragon (Neon) & Lemon Fizz, Orly Shine On Crazy Diamond, Sephora by OPI I'm Wired, Icing Glamorous & Blackout.

Smooth Sailing, Flying Dragon, Lemon Fizz, Shine On Crazy Diamond, Absolutely Shore, I'm Wired, Blackout and Glamorous.

I almost shrieked when I found Icing's Blackout, a long time lemming for me. I'm trying to show you it's beauty but not making it justice.

Nail Art - Nubar's Midnight Matte

2011-06-25T08:56:00.003-04:00

I'm not even sure this can be called nail art but a few weeks ago I decided to try some contrasting tips (this is absolutely nothing new, I just haven't tried it before).

I applied Nubar's Midnight Matte over the entire nail and then applied (glossy) topcoat to the tips. Easy peasy and I really like it.

Sally Hansen - Starry, Starry Flight

2011-06-23T09:31:00.005-04:00

Sally Hansen's Starry, Starry Flight is more appropriate for layering than by itself but here it is. This is two coats and it's obviously very sheer which makes it perfect for layering.

I haven't used it for layering yet, I'm not very into glitters at the moment but that time will come. Do you have Starry, Starry Flight? What do you think?

Color Club - Wild Orchid

2011-06-21T08:27:00.001-04:00

Here's another old NOTD for you, Color Club's Wild Orchid, a grey polish with glitter/shimmer. It required two thick coats or perhaps three thin coats for opacity.

This is so pretty, why haven't I worn this more!? I find this to be a great grey with subtle purple undertones and soft shimmery glitter. It's sparkly but very sophisticated at the same time. I have to wear this soon again.

Color Club - Worth The Risque

2011-06-19T08:29:00.002-04:00

Just like the other Color Club polish I ordered earlier this year (WaH, FA, LELE) Worth the Risque is also lacking holo. Since I just swatched all my polish on nail wheels I double checked them in direct sunlight and nooo holo unfortunately.

Oh well, this is two coats and it dries to a semi-gloss finish. Not a problem if you use topcoat though. It's pretty I guess but I really wish this had some holo effect.

Essie - Going Incognito

2011-06-17T14:32:00.000-04:00

In my last haul I bought Essie's Going Incognito, from the 2010 Winter collection. GI is obviously green but when painted on the nails it's fairly dark. You can still see that it's a green polish but not as obvious as I would have like.

It required two coats for opacity and the formula was easy to work with. I still like it but it might get more wear during the fall and winter months, at least for me.

Birthday blog!

2011-06-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

It's been a year today since I wrote my first post about nail polish. I've learnt so much during this year and gotten to know so many amazing nail polish bloggers and expanded my nail polish collection - just a little. If you want to know what I've learnt this past year, read more after the jump (click on the link under the picture).

First, a big Thank You to everyone who stops by now and then to read and comment, without your comments and feedback it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

So what have I learnt this past year?

I've learnt that you can improve your application skills tremendously. I can now apply nail polish without painting all over my fingers. Practice do make perfect! And cleaning up with a brush afterwards makes it even better.

I've learnt that you can also improve your photography and photo editing skills. It's almost painful to look at the earliest posts but fortunately, I started using a light box and things got better. Here's a tutorial on how to make one.

I've learnt that there are different finishes to nail polish. Had not heard of jellies, neons, flakies or holos before I got into np blogging.

I've learnt that it is possible to get stronger nails. I had given up hope and thought I was stuck with my soft, peeling, brittle nails but they can be fixed. For me NailTek's products and more recently Scratch Nail Food have made wonders.

I've learnt that you can wear more than one coat of basecoat to strengthen your nails and to avoid staining.

I've learnt that you do not have to wait for your polish to dry between each coat. I use to let it dry before applying the next coat and still got bubbling and it took forever to paint my nails. Now, I don't wait anymore and it's not bubbling and I can do my nails in a few minutes, win-win!

I've also learnt that it's essential to invest in a Helmer from Ikea for storage of your polish. I haven't - yet but I'm getting there... Or perhaps Alex is more my type?

And in just one year you can go from 13 nail polish to 200. Oops.

OPI - Mermaid's Tears

2011-06-12T16:59:00.000-04:00

Brief post today. OPI's Mermaid's Tears from the Pirates of the Carribbean collection. Required two coats for opacity and had a very nice formula. I just love it!

The Odd One Out - OPI & OPI

2011-06-09T16:12:00.004-04:00

I just saw this look in the latest issue of Glamour Magazine (but with black and white polish which I also need to try) and today I saw it over on Whitney Port's blog so I felt I needed to try it. It's a very simple manicure where one nail on either hand has a contrasting colour compared to main manicure.

I kept OPI's Green-wich Village but added OPI's Fiercely Fiona as the odd one out. What do you think of this look? Hit or a miss?

OPI - Green-Wich Village

2011-06-09T09:16:00.001-04:00

I took me quite a while to understand them let alone like them but I have fallen hard for greens now. One of my favourites right now is OPI's Green-Wich Village, a grass green creme polish.

It required two coats for opacity and it's just so pretty. I love it, it's so vibrant and bright! The best part of it? I applied this on Monday and it's still in perfect condition today, just minor, minor tip wear.

Question of the Day - Mobile Devices

2011-06-08T11:16:00.000-04:00

Those of you who read my blog on a mobile device, do you want to see the web version of my blog (the way it looks at the moment) or do you want a version specifically tweaked for mobile devices (which I guess loads faster)? The version for mobile devices will look slightly different, but you will still recognize Nailspotting.

Feel free to tell me what you would prefer and if you have any other suggestions for the layout of the blog, let me know.

I'm asking because Blogger has made it possible for blogs to load a simpler layout of their blogs for viewing on mobile devices.

China Glaze - Pelican Gray

2011-06-08T07:33:00.001-04:00

Here's another old NOTD for you, China Glaze's Pelican Gray. This is two coats where the first coat was very thin and the second a little thick to get good opacity.

Pelican Gray is on the sheer side but it's still a gorgeous "nude" grey. Nothing spectacular but beautiful in its shyness.

Haul of the week

2011-06-07T12:03:00.002-04:00

Last week when I discovered the changes over at TD I panicked (where would I buy cheap OPIs!?) but when I found out that Nailsupplies.us is the new TD I placed an order right away (everything is the same, just a new store front).

What do you think, isn't this a pretty haul!? (Read more after the jump)

Starting with the white bottle, clockwise:

China Glaze - White on White

OPI - Black Onyx

OPI - Too Hot Pink to Hold ‘Em

OPI - Cajun Shrimp

OPI - In My Back Pocket

OPI - Nicole Alert!

Color Club - Coral Cascade

OPI - Y’all Come Back Ya Hear?

OPI - Fiercely Fiona

China Glaze - Golden Opportunity

OPI - Who the Shrek Are You?

OPI - Green-Wich Village

OPI - Planks a Lot

OPI - Rumple's Wiggin'

I also needed to restock on basecoat (love love love nailtek) and topcoat (Out the Door and Nailtek's Quicken, both new to me) and for the first time I bought display wheels. It is time to swatch my entire collection to get a good view of what I actually have.

Then I actually swatched my entire collection. It took a while but it was worth it. I can't stop staring at the display wheels now. They're so pretty!

Orly - Dazzle

2011-06-04T16:54:00.000-04:00

Here's another old NOTD for you, Orly's Dazzle, a silver foil (or is it metallic?) polish. It required three coats for opacity. I had to wait for each layer to dry before applying the next one to avoid streaking but it wasn't too bad.

I wore Dazzle in the middle of winter and at that point thought it was too sparkly... I think I need to wear it again soon to see if I still feel the same. It reminds me a little of Minx but I've never tried it so I might be way off. Either way, it's very shiny and sparkly!

My collection

2011-06-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

I got a little bored last Friday and started to organize my collection of nail polish. The cardboard box I keep them in was overflowing and the spreadsheet I use for organizing had been neglected for too long. So, I started to tidy things up and I realized I had some polish I even had forgotten about, oops!

The disaster before and the neatness after. Ah, the beauty of organization! (I really need better storage and as I've mentioned before, the need for a Helmer is fast approaching...)

Essie - Da Bush

2011-06-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

Da Bush is from Essie's Resort collection 2011 and is a soft, dusty, pale green creme polish. When I first say this I thought it might be similar to Playa del Platinum but Da Bush is much greener. It's not a beige with green undertones, you can really tell it's green when applied on the nails.

This is two coats and the formula was great. This might be really boring to some people but I really love, love this (well, except for the name). No surprise I love something dusty, right!?

Sad day

2011-06-01T11:33:00.000-04:00

What a sad day. I just logged on to Transdesign and there aren't any OPI products in their store. None, zero, zilch! Say it ain't true...

Why oh why didn't I place that order last week when Transdesign still had OPI polish!? Stupid, stupid me!

Hm, after some googling it looks like they're opening a new store. More info here. Does anyone know anything about this?

Essie - Your Hut or Mine

2011-05-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

First out from my haul is Essie's Your Hut or Mine. It's a dusty pink coral with gold shimmer (flecks?) (correct me if I'm wrong, I find this colour difficult to describe). Either way, this is two coats and the formula was flawless.

I really like this colour, it's so bright without being a neon and it just feels very appropriate for the season. Definitely a new favourite of mine.

Haul of the Week

2011-05-27T08:15:00.000-04:00

I haven't ordered nail polish for ages, I think the last time I did was in February and since then I have hardly bought any either.

Sometimes I can be very slow and though I often browse NailEtc I haven't bought anything from them until now. I just haven't noticed how cheap their Essie lacquers are (around $3-6) so this time I bought a whole bunch. They even had the Resort 2011 collection that I haven't seen anywhere.

From left to right:
St. Lucia Lilac
Nice is Nice
Your Hut or Mine - Resort 2011
Going Incognito
Da Bush - Resort 2011
and OPI's Mermaid's Tears

You can't really tell I'm a little obsessed with certain colours at the moment, can you!?

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Green With Envy

2011-05-26T11:58:00.000-04:00

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Green With Envy is a green creme polish that looks very bright under artificial light (first picture) but looks much more muted in natural light (last picture).

I really like GWE, it's so bright and pretty. It took two coats for opacity and the formula was very easy to work with. Perhaps a little sheer but it builds very nicely. I haven't seen any comps but I think it's very similar to OPI's Who the Shrek Are You? and Misa's Green with Envy.

Milani - Juicy Glo

2011-05-24T14:48:00.000-04:00

I had really high hopes for Milani's Juicy Glo, a bright orange jelly. I imagined it would be very sheer so I applied a layer of OPI's Sand in My Suit as a base layer to avoid too much VNL. I stopped at three thick layers of Juicy Glo and it looked ok. Until the next day when I realised there were bubbles everywhere and it peeled right off.

It's a really beautiful polish but I just don't have the patience to apply four layers and wait between each one (I never let each layer dry before applying next, shocking right! Sometimes I have and I really can't tell a difference so why waste time!?). Has anyone else tried Juicy Glo? How did you approach this sheer polish?

Revlon Top Speed - Peachy

2011-05-23T21:05:00.000-04:00

I bought a couple of new lacquers on Saturday and Revlon Top Speed in Peachy was one of them. I've been a little obsessed with peachy and coral coloured polish lately and decided to try this one.

Peachy is a pinkish peachy creme polish. It's opaque in two coats and the formula was easy to work with (this is my first Revlon Top Speed polish). This colour will look amazing on someone with darker complexion but I don't care, I adore Peachy and I will wear this even though I'm pale.

IsaDora - Ashes to Ashes

2011-05-22T00:09:00.000-04:00

I don't think I've posted this, IsaDora's Ashes to Ashes, that I got from my dear friend A back in Sweden. Say hi and welcome to A everyone because she is getting very obsessed with nail polish at the moment :) Anyway, I asked her to buy this polish for me because I really wanted to have it and couldn't get it here in the US. I would later pay her for it when I came to Sweden but as the sweet friend she is, she gave it to me instead. She's a darling!

Ashes to Ashes is a purpleish, greyish taupe and I think this is two coats. I really like the colour of it and it reminds me a lot of Sephora by OPI Metro Chic which is an all time favourite of mine.

Since I've only worn it once, and it was during my vacation in Sweden, all I've got was this photo taken in my hotel room in Stockholm so please excuse these awfully dry hand(s) and cuticles (is it only me that experience really dry hands when on vacation?).

Recycling - Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow

2011-05-20T12:03:00.000-04:00

In an attempt to overcome my fear of certain colours it's now time for yellow. I've managed to become friends with greens and reds so why not become friends with yellow too? Especially right now when the sun and the summer have forgotten New England (will we even get a summer this year!?) and I need something bright on my nails.

I only have one yellow polish, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow which is definitely growing on me this time. I didn't like it the first time I tried it but I'm getting more and more used to it on my nails and starting to like it.

This is two coats and in real life you can see a little VNL but it's not too bad. (For some reason I forgot to apply topcoat on my middle finger...) I definitely need to get more yellow lacquers. Do you like yellow and do you have a favorite yellow polish?

Happy coincidence, the polish matches my tea bags!

China Glaze - Sea Spray

2011-05-19T15:59:00.000-04:00

I haven't been very interested in posting lately because I haven't bought any nail polish in a while and I thought I had published everything I had. Well, I was wrong. I had several old swatches in my Unpublished folder and here's the first one.

China Glaze's Sea Spray required two coats for opacity and it's a blueish, dusty, creme grey. I really like this and had forgotten all about it, good thing I found the pictures. I need to wear this soon!

Recycling - Zoya Jancyn

2011-05-18T13:51:00.003-04:00

Funny how things change... First time I tried Zoya's Jancyn (it's more colour accurate in the photo below than in the old post) I liked it but wasn't too keen on it, something about the formula and the brush I think.

This time I really like it! I think it partly because my nails are longer (it just looks better to me) and I'm really into bright colours at the moment. It's so pretty!

China Glaze - Knotty

2011-05-17T13:31:00.000-04:00

Things are pretty slow here at the moment but I have an old NOTD for you, China Glaze's Knotty from the Anchors Away collection.

This is two coats and yes, it's quite sheer. I messed up the application on my middle finger so I applied a third coat to fix it.

Knotty is not very exiting or unique but I think it's a great nude and it reminds me a little of OPI's Sand in My Suit.

Awards - long overdue

2011-05-06T07:26:00.000-04:00

I've gotten several awards in the last few months that I haven't responded to so here we go.

I got a Kreativ Blogger Award from Charlotte Sparkle over at In the Pink Fog.

I got tagged by Solveig who has Nailin' It - twice.

I got a Stylish Blogger Award from Viva Polish!, Nails in My Coffin, Lady Luck Beauty Blog, Nails by Bellan and Nail York City.

I also got tagged by Five by Five.

Thank you all so much for your kindness!

I very much appreciate being tagged but I sometimes feel like the awards are the blog world's equivalent to chain letters, so I'll try something new this time (shocking, right;)).

No rules, no awards, no pictures, just plain old blog love. Here are a few blogs I often visit.

For my Swedish readers

2011-05-05T16:02:00.001-04:00

Jag har en himskans trevlig vän i Sverige som är ute efter China Glaze-lack och hon undrar vart hon kan hitta dem i Göteborg. Tyvärr verkar det som att Grand Parfymeri har lite dåligt utbud så hur gör ni för att få tag på China Glaze? Hur får ni tag på China Glaze överhuvudtaget?

Och vad är era tips när ni beställer från USA? Har för mig att jag läst att det bästa är att bara beställa några (5-6 st) från tex. Transdesign för att slippa tull? Eller finns det bättre etailers för leverans till Sverige?

Vore jättetacksam om ni ville dela med er av era erfarenheter och hjälpa till att få in en till i nagellacksträsket.

Update: Tack så hemskt mycket för era tips! Tänk vad smidigt det är med blogg och vilken tur att ni finns att fråga. Trevlig helg på er!

Just asking how to get hold of China Glaze polish in Sweden.

Nail Art - Essie Playa del Platinum and Sew Psyched

2011-05-05T12:19:00.000-04:00

I'm lacking inspiration at the moment so here's a manicure I did the other day. I really like that it's not too obvious on the nails.

I used Essie's Playa del Platinum as base and stamp pattern from Konad plate M64 using Sew Psyched.

Royal Wedding Inspired Nail Art

2011-04-29T05:55:00.005-04:00

I can't help it but yes, I will watch the British Royal Wedding and I'm sporting this manicure as a sort of tribute. And yes, I made this post yesterday. Getting up at 4 in the morning to watch TV is one thing but putting a post together is a whole other story. It wouldn't be pretty.

The nail art didn't turn out as I wanted but it's ok anyway. Unfortunately, I was a little slow applying the topcoat so it made the konad bleed a little but you can't really tell in real life.

Are you going to watch the wedding?

I almost forgot, I used OPI Big Apple Red and stamped with MAC's Spirit of Truth (which was really good for stamping).

Maintenance

2011-04-28T07:46:00.001-04:00

When it comes to taking care of my hands and nails I try to take good care of them. This is what I use on a regular basis.

Unscented hand cream from Apoteket (a Swedish pharmacy chain). It's very thick but still absorbs quickly which is a must for me. I use it twice a day, more if needed.
Scratch Nail Food - I've heard so much about it that I had to buy it when visiting Sweden recently. Your nails needs moisture too and this does the trick and makes the nails stronger (I've only used it a month and with other hardeners so I can't tell if it makes the nails stronger, yet).
Before applying the hand cream I use RoC Multi Correxion Night Treatment with Retinol (sold at Ulta, drugstores, grocery stores etc). I'm in my 30s and ageing takes it toll on the hands too. No point in using anti-ageing creams on your face if your hands reveal your true age ;)
I'm very fair and burn easily so I use Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protectin Lotion 60 Spf (sold at Sephora, Macy's etc). It has a very milky texture and is easy to apply and it dries to a non-sticky feeling. I use it on my face too and I love it (I have slightly oily skin and this works as a primer and keeps my face matte during the hot summer months).

Back in September my nails were yellow and badly stained but now, 7 months later (!), they're back to normal. Since September I've applied two coats of basecoat when painting my nails to avoid staining and it seems to work.

Humbling fact I read in Allure Magazine April issue, that a famous hand model confessed to apply hand cream 30 times a day to maintain her sought after hands. That's dedication!

So, what are you using and what can't you live without when it comes to maintain your paws?

China Glaze - Sunset Sail

2011-04-27T08:35:00.001-04:00

This is Sunset Sail from China Glaze's Anchors Away collection. Sunset Sail was a little on the sheer side but this is two coats, no topcoat, so it isn't terribly sheer but not overly opaque either.

Sunset Sail is not a good match for me and my pale skin. I think this nude pinkish colour would be much more suitable for darker complexions.

Color Club - Fashion Addict

2011-04-25T15:36:00.001-04:00

Here's another old NOTD for you, Color Club's Fashion Addict.

Fashion Addict was very easy to apply and required two coats for opacity. Unfortunately I was expecting this to be a holo but there isn't any holo in mine. Just like Wild at Heart it is missing the holo effect which is a little sad but perhaps Color Club changed them? If they did, it would be a shame because with holo this polish would be amazing. Now, it's just a pretty polish.

OPI - What's with the Cattitude?

2011-04-22T22:25:00.000-04:00

My nails are slowly getting longer but since I still have some old NOTDs that I haven't shown you I'll post them first. This time it's OPI's What's with the Cattitude? from the Shrek collection. I wasn't too impressed by the collection when it was released but over time the shades have grown on my and I keep wanting more than the two I've got.

WwtC? required three coats. I found it to be a little sheer and the formula a little difficult to work with. It was streaky and a little thick but it might just be my bottle.

Either way, it's such a bright and fun shade for spring and summer that I don't care about the formula. This is definitely my next pedicure.

China Glaze - Life Preserver

2011-04-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

Here's another old NOTD, China Glaze's Life Preserver. LP is an unusual colour for me, a dusty coral orange and I don't have anything like it in my stash.

I applied two coats for opacity but you might get away with one thick coat. LP is dusty, which always works for me, and it's just a quirky colour. I really, really like it!

China Glaze - Lighthouse

2011-04-08T14:20:00.000-04:00

Since my nubbins refuse to grow at the moment I'll show you another old swatch. I bet you've all seen this several times, Lighthouse from China Glaze's Anchor Away collection released earlier this year.

Lighthouse is sheer so it took three, thick coats for opacity. The colour and the glitter isn't really my cup of tea. It's a beautiful polish but doesn't really suit my taste and my complexion. But perhaps worst of all, I feel like I'm wearing a yellow version of Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

Zoya - Jancyn

2011-04-07T10:53:00.000-04:00

A short post today with an old swatch. Zoya's Jancyn, a bright creme orange.

It's a little sheer and required three thick coats for opacity but you can still see VNL. Perhaps if you apply a more opaque orange at first or a white base coat you might get rid of the VNL.

I'm still not too keen on Zoya's brush, it's tooo short and hard to maneuver for me. But hey, it's a beautiful orange!

Make up from Make Up Store

2011-03-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

When I bought Greta I couldn't help myself from buying some eyeshadows from Make Up Store.

I haven't used eyeshadows for years because nothing, n o t h i n g, ever sticks on me. Eyeshadow always wear off no matter what I primer or waterproof products I use. But then I found Nars Smudgeproff Eyeshadow Base and it was heaven. Nars primer is devine and it makes sure the eyeshadow stays put, even in humid and very hot weather (it's that good that it's a little tricky to get off at night). I've never tried anything like it. At first I thought it was a little difficult to apply eyeshadow on because it's so dry but then I tried powder before the eyeshadow and it made a very smooth and workable surface.

So, now that I've got something that holds the eyeshadows in place I've slowly gotten interested in buying some eyeshadows again, hence the buy at Make Up Store. Their products aren't cheap but I just couldn't help myself. I first bought 1 and 2 and the brush. (The brush is amazing. I'm one of those stupid people that over and over again read about how important it is with good brushes/tools but never gets good brushes/tools. I'm so happy that I did, because now I get the shadows just how I want them. Funny, huh?!) After trying them for a week I liked them so much that I bought 3 and 4. So, pretty and you can mix the shadows with water to get more of an "evening" look.

1: Microshadow in Forest

2: Microshadow in Brown Sugar

3: Microshadow in Cookie

4: Microshadow in Monty

5: Nars Smudgeproof Eye Shadow Base

6: Make Up Store - White Blending Brush (117)

Fyi: I write about these products because I really like them. They haven't been sent to me for review but I've paid for them myself.

Color Club - Love 'Em Leave 'Em

2011-03-29T16:12:00.000-04:00

Since my nubbins aren't worth painting at the moment I'll give you something from the archive, Color Club's Love 'Em Leave 'Em.

It required two coats for opacity and the formula was really good. I really like LELE and think it's an awesome nude if you want something beyond a strict nude creme polish. I think I've seen swatches of this as a holo but mine is absolutely not a holo. It's just like my Wild At Heart, I think they're both suppose to be holos but nothing shows up. It's not the end of the world because I still like it but a little holo wouldn't hurt, right?

Make Up Store - Greta

2011-03-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

I knew I had to have something from Make Up Store's collection with holographic polish when I saw the first pictures some months ago.

I finally decided on Greta, a silver holo and it's truly amazing. This is three coats and the formula was ok to work with. If I remember correctly, the first layer was a little streaky but the second layer made it all even. Unfortunately it chipped on the second day but it might be because it didn't go too well with my basecoat and topcoat. Anyway, I love it, it's gorgeous!

Swedish Hauls

2011-03-25T13:00:00.000-04:00

This is what I bought in Sweden. Not much I guess.

From top left: Nail Polish by H&M in Blue My Mind, Peppermint Fusion and Miss Stone Heart.
Make Up Store's Greta and Viva la Diva's 109.
In front: Isadora's Blue Jeans (702) and Ashes to Ashes (709).

I've used all of them except Peppermint Fusion and my favourite so far is the holographic Greta. It's just amazing!

Vacation break

2011-03-24T13:37:00.000-04:00

I'm back! I've had a great three weeks in Sweden but it has taken its toll on my nails. For the first time ever I've grown really long nails (by my standards) but it resulted in the worst breakage I've ever experienced. Very painful and I had to cut the rest of the nails short because it looked ridiculous with one really, really short one and 9 long ones. So, I'm left with teeny, tiny nubbins which in a way is nice but I kind of miss my long nails. Oh, well, they'll grow back.

Thanks for all your comments, I really appreciate them and I've read them all. It's been difficult to find time for the blog and trying to catch up with everyone you haven't seen for over a year. But now I'm back and tomorrow I'll show you the nail polish I bought in Sweden.

Ouch.

Color Club - Wild At Heart

2011-03-18T04:37:00.001-04:00

Color Club's Wild At Heart is a beautiful purple glitter polish. If I'm not mistaken I think it's suppose to be a holo but Color Club might have changed the formula because there wasn't any holo in mine. Which is too bad because I think it would have been awesome as a holo.

If I remember correctly, this is three coats.

Color Club - Magic Attraction

2011-03-17T03:48:00.001-04:00

For me, Color Club's Magic Attraction really is magic. It's amazingly glittery and blingy with all its multi-coloured glitter in a clear base.

I'm wearing two coats here and I think you can wear it as it is or use it for layering. Either way, it's very pretty!

Sally Hansen - Gentle Blossom

2011-03-16T13:37:00.000-04:00

I saw Sally Hansen's Gentle Blossom over at the PolishAholic a few months ago and felt I had to have it. I usually don't fall for pastels but after trying China Glaze's For Audrey I've been keeping an eye out for other pastels that might appeal to me.

Gentle Blossom required three coats for opacity. The formula was a little thick for my taste and I'm not too keen on the wide brush but I can live with it when it looks this good. It's a tad dusty which always works for me. It's a beautiful pale green with just a hint of glitter.

OPI - Ogre-the-top Blue

2011-03-15T08:22:00.000-04:00

The sun is out today and we're getting a sneak peak of summer and what better than to show you OPI's Ogre-the-top Blue.

OttB is a great blue shade for summer manicures and pedicures. It required two coats for opacity and the formula was the usual nice OPI formula. I can't wait until summer is here and I can wear this as a pedicure!

Zoya - Shawn

2011-03-09T10:22:00.000-05:00

Quick post today, Zoya's Shawn. Three coats for opacity and just as beautiful as everyone said. Just awesome!

Zoya - Kelly

2011-03-05T11:43:00.001-05:00

Here's another old NOTD for you, Zoya's infamous Kelly, a dark purple greyish polish.

I wasn't sure what to expect but Kelly really impressed me. The formula was really good, two coats required for opacity and it looked amazing. I was really happy wih it and it made me believe in Zoya again (after my previous less successful attempts). The only drawback was that I could peel it off after just one day but that could be because my basecoat wasn't suitable for Zoya. Either way, I really like it!

CND - Smoochie

2011-03-03T09:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all your comments. Since I'm in Sweden at the moment and try to catch up with friends and family I haven't seen for over a year, it's difficult to find the time to answer comments, but I read them all and I'm very happy you take the time and comment.

My nails look really bad right now so I'm treating you to an old NOTD instead, CND's Smoochie. A bright coral/pinkish creme. It reqired two coats and was very easy to work with. It was difficult to get the colour to to come out right but this polish makes my long for summer and nice warm days. Oh, I hope the summer is here soon!

OPI - Ski Teal We Drop

2011-02-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

I hope you're having a great weekend. Just a quick post today, OPI's Ski Teal We Drop from last year's Swiss collection. I wasn't impressed with the Swiss collection when it came but it has grown on me and now I have several of them. Story of my life recently when it comes to new collections.

STWD required two coats for opacity and I have nothing to complain about. It's dark, it's dusty, it's everything I like!

Comparisons for MAC Obey Me

2011-02-23T15:05:00.001-05:00

I got a question if I knew of any dupes for MAC's Obey Me. Well, I don't but that doesn't mean there aren't any dupes out there.

Since I'm trying to see how long my latest manicure will last and I don't have any nail wheels, I couldn't swatch the red polish I have. But I could line them up.

As far as I can tell Obey Me is not a dupe to any of my reds. It's fairly similar to Vodka & Caviar but not as dark. Fishnet Stockings is cooler and Big Apple Red is warmer. Color So Hot It Berns and Hey Sailor is much lighter and not even close as comparisons. Does anyone happen to know of a dupe to Obey Me?

Nail Art - Essie Playa Del Platinum and OPI My Private Jet

2011-02-23T12:38:00.000-05:00

After giving stamping another try last week I wanted to do a lighter manicure and went digging through my stash and found Essie's Playa Del Platinum. I used OPI's My Private Jet for stamping and Konad plate m60.

Hm, I still have a long way to go when it comes to stamping and getting it crisp and clear. There were smudges everywhere and the thumb only got half a print that I unsuccessfully "salvaged". Oh, well, practise makes perfect, right!?

Zoya - Julieanne

2011-02-22T13:46:00.000-05:00

I got Julieanne when Zoya had their 3-Free polish giveaway and I got pleasantly surprised when I got the bottle. It looks duochrome and sparkly and I was really looking forward to trying it.

Julieanne is unfortunately not duochrome on the nails and it reminds me of Orly's Out of This World which also looks like a duochrome in the bottle but not on the nails. I think this is two coats and the application was ok. It's not a bad or ugly polish in any way, it just isn't what I expected.

Lip Balm - Update

2011-02-20T10:08:00.001-05:00

A while ago I was on the hunt for a new lip balm and I got several great tips from you guys.

So many of you liked eos lip balms and I tried to find eos but couldn't find it anywhere so in pure desperation I grabbed a tinted lip balm from Burt's Bees'. At first I didn't like the colour so at next chance I grabbed a lip balm from Alba Botanicals but I couldn't stand the pineapple scent.

Recently I had to haul some skin care from drugstore.com and they carry eos so I ordered it. I went with the traditional packaging even though the sphere packaging is gorgeous but I was afraid it would be to bulky to carry around. I'm fairly happy with the eos lip balm (I'm very picky when it comes to lip balms and lip gloss) and I've come to terms with the colour on the Burt's Bees' one so I'm set with lip balms right now.

Thanks again for taking the time to comment and provide input.

I got eos in Pomegranate Raspberry.

Calling all my Swedish readers

2011-02-19T08:41:00.002-05:00

I'm visiting Sweden soon and need to know all the best spots to find nail polish.

For my Swedish readers, read more here.

Senast jag var i Sverige så hade inte nagellackshetsen slagit till så jag är ganska ovetande om var man hittar nagellack. Förutom uppenbara ställen som H&M (samt andra kedjor), Make Up Store, Kicks och andra sminkaffärer har jag faktiskt ingen aning.

Är supernyfiken på var ni hittar nagellack. Kommer ju främst hålla mig i Göteborg men ska förbi Stockholm en sväng och det är inte helt omöjligt att jag kommer till Boråstrakten heller.Vore väldigt tacksam för råd!