Monday 28 January 2013

Aussie Nails Monday- Black and White

Todays ANM mani is one I class as a fail :( It was inspired by an amazing manicure by Kristy at The Polish Haven (if you haven't checked her out, please do, her nails are AMAZING). My camera is on its way out, so it hasn't been playing nice with me lately, and every photo i took in the sun was so bright you couldn't even tell what it was a photo of. So, bear with me, this is the best I could do :(

I used 2 coats of each Ulta3 Lily White and Black Satin as a base. Then, using a dotting tool, I used different holographic polishes to do the dots. I used Ozotic 518 (red), Ozotic 513 (purple), Ozotic 515 (blue), Nfu-Oh #66 (green) and OPI DS Diamond (rosy pink). I didn't use a top coat, because it would have dulled the Nfu-Oh holo.

It was nice in theory, and in my head, but I didn't like the end result... Oh well. Go look at the other ANM ladies instead...

                       The Reluctant FemmeJibber Jabber - Messy Mansion - Nailovelogy


And, my giveaway ends in a few days, go enter!


Until Next Time,


<3 Bec


Friday 25 January 2013

Aussie Polish Series: Australis Milky Way

Australis is a brand that I only have a tiny collection of (by tiny, I mean 3!), but this was released earlier this month and I HAD to have it!

Milky Way is one of the better attempts at a 'mainstream' brand doing an indie polish style and succeeding.


HOW COOL IS THAT?! Milky Way is a white base with large hex glitter in all 7 rainbow colours, some smaller hexes, and then blue and yellow-y-gold micro glitters. I have 2 coats over one coat of Ulta3 Lily White, with Seche Vite. I had no problems applying the glitter, no fishing needed.

I applaud Australis for doing such a good job on the indie-style white base with multi glitter, they kept it fresh!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Thursday 24 January 2013

Aussie Week: Peita's Polish (part 2!)

I meant to post this yesterday, but I ended up going out and didn't get back until 3am, and then fell asleep straight away.

I have another 2 Peita's Polishes today, starting with Zebration:


This is 2 coats of Zebration over China Glaze Surfin' For Boys. Zebration is black and white bars and hexes in a clear base. There are a few versions of this style of glitter available, but I told myself I would always buy it from a fellow Aussie. The formula was amazing, I didn't have to dab any glitter on. I cannot wait to layer this over more neons!

The other polish I have today is Razzmatazz, purple-y/pink and blue glitters in a clear base.


 I layered this over a gradient of China Glaze Light as Air and For Audrey. I think it compliments the polish perfectly! The formula was similar to that of Zebration, perfect! This is one coat over the gradient, and again I had no trouble getting glitter on the nail.

I'll be back tonight with another post to make up for missing yesterday, and I tell you now, it's a good one!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Aussie Polish Series: Peita's Polish (part 1)

Cathy for More Nail Polish is having an Aussie Nail Art themed week, as January 26th is Australia Day, and has invited any and all fellow Aussie bloggers to join in! I am a bit late on the ball, and will only have nail art done on Australia Day itself, but will be showing you over the next few days some of my newest Aussie polish brands- both mainstream and indie.

Today and tomorrow I am showing the fabulous Peita's Polish. I recently asked Peita if she was able to make me a one of a kind, custom polish, and got a few others as well ;)

So the first polish I have for you today is my custom, LacquerDreams (clearly, named after the blog). I had asked for silver and black glitter shards with some holo shimmer mixed in and oh my god Peita did an amazing job with it, the final product has absolutely blown me away!




This is two coats, with no undies, which is awesome! I had to take the photos in the shade, because when I took it into the sun, this is what I get (I have one coat over Revlon Royal here):

So much holo-y goodness that my camera cannot handle it! Now that's my kinda polish! This was perfectly smooth with 2 coats of Seche Vite, and I used Peita's Glitter Gripper as a base coat (more on that tomorrow).

The other polish for today is Pocket Full Of Posies, a relatively new polish in Peita's collection. This one is pink and blue circle glitter (circles!!!!!!) with holo glitter in there too.


I know Peita's a MASSIVE pink fan, so I had to do at least one mani with pinks. I used 2 coats of Essie Super Bossa Nova on the pointer and pinky, and 2 coats of China Glaze Something Sweet on my middle and ring fingers. Then, one full coat of Pocket Full Of Posies over SBN, and a gradient with it over Something Sweet, topped with Seche Vite.

I have 3 more offerings from Peita's Polish to show you tomorrow, but in the meantime, don't forget to check out my giveaway!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Giveaway Time Thanks to personal-planner.com.au!

Hi guys, just so you know, I love you and I wish I could host more giveaways to say thanks for your continued support. So when David from personal-planner.com.au contacted me asking if I was keen to host a giveaway sponsored by them, I couldn't say no! Here's some basic info on the company/giveaway:

"Would you like to add some colour to your workday at the same time as making your planner more efficient and that more personal? If so, Personal Planner got a great idea I think you’ll love!
Their planners provide you with endless design possibilities. You can change colour, text and design on front/back cover as well as inlay. There are also clever boxes for to-do list, gym session, preschool, idea of the week and weather. Friend’s and family member’s birthdays can also be added to the inlay directly from Facebook. They print and deliver the finished product directly to our your doorstep.  Here are a few things that I like about these planners:
  • Design the front/back cover
  • Tons of ways to design the inside to suit your style & needs.
  • Add friends & family members birthdays to the inlay 
  • Choose between 4 different sizes
  • And best of all its fun and easy :)
Click here to visit their website and facebook page.
The giveaway is open internationally, and will run until January 31st. The only rules are that you MUST be a public follower of my blog, and I will check that. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or I will pick another. And, last rule is that you cannot swap the prize for money. Good Luck!





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday 21 January 2013

Aussie Nails Monday- Skittle Mani!

I love Aussie Nails Monday. I love trying to think of something new every week, and it's helping me get through my untrieds too! Todays mani features an untried, Crow Toes Triple Black Diamond. I knew I wanted to use that one, so I kept the colours simple.


I had about 10 mins to get this done start to finish (thanks jeebus for quick drying top coats!) and I am so happy with how they turned out! Here's what each nail contained:

Pointer- 2 coats of Crows Toes Triple Black Diamond, with a silver heart shaped rhinestone.
Middle- 2 coats of Orly Dazzle, with a TBD gradient
Ring- 2 coats of Australis Sin City with a handpainted Orly Dazzle 'hourglass' shape
Pinky- 2 coats of Orly Dazzle, and dots of Australis Sin City.

I'm officially in love with Triple Black Diamond. It's quite thick, but my love (and some thinner) can deal with it.

Now, off you go to look at the other ANM ladies!
                       The Reluctant FemmeJibber Jabber - Messy Mansion - Nailovelogy

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec



Sunday 20 January 2013

Glitter Gradient in My Fave Colour Combo!

Hey there sunshines! Today's post is one I looooooooooved, I was planning on having a swatch fest, but loved this mani so much I kept it on! (started operation swatch today)

I used 2 new babies I bought from a blog sale, Picture Polish Jealousy and a custom Loki's Lacquer, called Pepper, which I believe there are only 2 of! And, Pepper is my cats name, so it pretty much HAS to live with me.


I used 2 coats of Jealousy, and dabbed Pepper on starting from the bottom of the nail up to make the gradient. Pepper is a clear based polish, chock full of different sized matte black glitter hexes. SO awesome and I will be wearing it heaps, I can tell you that! Jealousy was a polish that had been on my Must-Buy list for a long time now, and it did not disappoint! I finished it off with Seche Vite as usual!

Now, I have to jet to bed, big day tomorrow!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Wednesday 16 January 2013

A Pretty Serious...ly Amazing Polish!

Just a quick post tonight, because I'm super tired! So the other day I showed you Pretty Serious BSOD, and now I have my other Pretty Serious polish (I only have 2 *hangs head in shame*), VT-100. And boy oh boy, is it a good one!

This is 2 fabulously easy coats, topped with Seche Vite. VT-100 is a green base with gold shimmer and leans to more of a yellow-based green. Its an amazing combination, and I cannot wait to play with it again! I am so excited to see polishes like these come out of Australia, we really haven't got much in the way of polish!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

PS. Feel free to 'like' me on facebook, twitter or instagram!

Monday 14 January 2013

Aussie Nails Monday- Fishtails!

This weeks Aussie Nails Monday challenge is the Fish Tail mani. Now, I didn't want to do the typical fishtail braid mani, because it looks hard and I didn't really want to try it today, so I did something a bit different...

I started with a base of one of my newest untrieds, Pretty Serious BSOD (2 coats, plus Seche Vite):

LOVE. It's like Ruby Pumps in blue form. Buy it. NOW.

Then I added to it...


Fish. Tails. Get it? ;) haha. I used China Glaze Peachy Keen for their bodys and Essie Braziliant for the fins and scale details.

So, that's my take on a fish tail mani, and I like it! Now, the other ANM girls:

Sunday 13 January 2013

MORE Gloss n' Sparkle Swatch Spam!

Gloss n' Sparkle recently had a post X-mas sale, and I couldn't say no! I could never say no, I adore the brand! I chose 5 polishes, all but one a layering glitter. So, I tried to layer them over some... different colours, to have some really fun looks!


 First up is Unicorn Spawn, Unicorn Droppings baby sister. Super cute, white base, with the same holographic shimmer, and pastel blue, pink and yellow glitters. This is so subtle and cute, I am in love! I'm wearing 3 coats here, with one coat of Seche Vite.


 This is Queen of Hearts. Similar to Royal Flash, but with added hearts! I bought this one for the hearts alone. This is ONE coat over 3 coats of China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. This is amazingly dense, I didn't have to fish the hearts out, which is why I only have two on my nails.  Again, this is also topped with Seche Vite.


Next up is Fell On Black Days. I liked this one more than I thought I would, and that's saying something! Another very dense polish, this is one coat over 2 coats of China Glaze I'm With The Lifeguard, and topped with SV. FOBD is a mix of black, purple and holographic silver glitters, in multiple sizes, with both hexes and squares. I loooooooove the square glitter, but more on that later.


Alright, stop. Collaborate and listen. Haha sorry, it had to be done! This is Ice Ice Baby (see?), one coat over China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise, with SV. This one is blue and silvery-white slightly iridescent glitters in different sized hexes, with a copper-y coloured smaller, very fine glitter, and a slightly shimmery base. So complex, and very, VERY unique.





And last but not least, Pixel Perfect. This one is uber fun! Nothing but squares! Like I mentioned before, I really dig the squares! This one has yellow, red, green. orange, blue, pink, black and white square glitters, with some larger black and whites. I've used one coat of Pixel Perfect over 2 coats of China Glaze Peachy Keen (and SV), and I really, REALLY love the combo! Will be wearing this combo again for sure!

So, that's the latest addition to my Gloss n' Sparkle collection. If you haven't tried them yet, you really need too!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Thursday 10 January 2013

Mirenesse Silent Mauvey

Mirenesse is a high-end Australian brand that have (apparently!) bullet-proof nail lacquer. They retail for $29 a bottle, but they recently had them free with a magazine that only costs $4! My lovely Secret Santa was able to find me the one I wanted, Silent Mauvey.


ooooh boy this guy is gorgeous! Silent Mauvey is a light purpleish/mauve-y (ahaha) base with some pretty intense gold shimmer that doesn't really show in my photos. I was expecting it to be pretty sheer, but this is only 2 coats! It dried quickly and was pretty glossy too. For my accent nail, I used 2 coats of Ulta3 Black Satin and both ends of a dotting tool dipped in Silent Mauvey. It really pops against the black, I'll have to use it for more nail art soon!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Layering with OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest!

My lovely Secret Santa managed to buy me one of my biggest lemmings, OPI  Every Month is Oktoberfest, and I love it just as much as I though I would! It's super pretty, and very complex. A deep purple base that is so packed with copper-ish shimmer that it changes the base colour to a vampy, shimmery maroon. I love it. I decided to layer it with MaxFactor Fantasy Fire, because the purple base and the shimmer reminds me of FF, just without the green colour shift.



Adding FF makes EMIO soooooooo pretty! I used 2 coats of EMIO and 1 coat of FF, topped with Seche Vite. FF did lighten the colour a bit, but it really intensified the shimmer. I'm obsessed with layering with Fantasy Fire atm, I think I need more backups!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Monday 7 January 2013

Aussie Nails Monday- Animal Print!

I love animal print. But I've been trying NOT to do it with my attempts at nail art lately, because otherwise it would be all I do! This weeks Aussie Nails Monday Challenge is Animal Print. So, like most/all of my posts lately, I wanted to use one of my untrieds. I have too many and need to fix that!



I used 2 coats of Color Club Worth The Risque and 2 coats of Ulta3 Black Satin for the accent nail. I used a standard dotting tool and Worth the Risque again to do the leopard print. I'd been wanting to try something like this for a while, and I love how the holo pops against that black. My photos do Worth the Risque no justice though, it's super pretty!

Check out the other Aussie Nails girls!

 
Until Next Time,
 
<3 Bec 

Sunday 6 January 2013

Blue and White Mix Mani!

Hi hi! I've been wanting to try a 'mixed mani' for a while, so I bit the bullet and did it!


I used (what I believe to be) an unnamed blue shimmer from Camoflague Colours as the base, I'm pretty sure this was 2 coats. For the white nail art, I used Ulta3 Lily White, and the silver glitter is Ulta3 Twinkle Toes. And on my pointer finger is a stud from Born Pretty Store.  All topped with Seche Vite.

My dots and stripes are wonky as hell, but I thought this was really cute and fun, and, easy! This was a very simple mani! I'm kicking myself for not trying a mixed mani earlier!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Saturday 5 January 2013

China Glaze Glitter All The Way

Aka the only Christmas polish that interested me this year. And my lovely Secret Santa bought it for me!

GATW is gold, green, purple and red glitter in a clear base. Such a unique, and different combo, and I love it more than I thought I would!



This is 3 coats, with no undies, and only one coat of SV and it was smooth. I cannot wait to do some gradients with this one! It was such an easy polish to use as well, thickish but manageable. This is with NO cleanup!

So, did you get any Christmas polishes this year?

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Friday 4 January 2013

Blue and Silver Mani + An Update!

Hi guys, today's post is a mani I did a week or so ago, and so will all the posts I post from now until at LEAST the end of next week. I'm not happy with my nails atm, and with my pneumonia, I will be taking a polishing hiatus. No polish until I am happier with my nails and feel better. I will however, be continuing to use my sacred, holy, Duri Rejuvacote, which has helped my nails greatly. My hospital stay though, RUINED my nails. 5 big chips and one snapped off completely. So, enjoy my manis, and I will see you in a week!


This was three coats of Color Club Boys Wear Blue, with a silver, handpainted Damask style painting using Orly Dazzle, and the studs I received from Born Pretty Store. Topped with Seche Vite, of course.

I REALLY loved this, I want to do some more Damask handpainting!

Until Next Time,

<3 Bec

Thursday 3 January 2013

China Glaze 2NITE

Hello there friends! I hope everyone had a good and safe new years! Me, well I didn't. I was in bed at 10pm and by 4pm New Years Day, I was in hospital. With pneumonia. I was released this morning, and I'm 99% better then when I walked in there. So, I'm ok, but my NYE suuuuuuuuucked haha.

So to make myself a little better because the boyfriend won't let me paint my nails today cos I have to 'rest', I'm going to show you China Glaze 2NITE, which was one of the lovely polishes in my Secret Santa present!



Isn't she pretty? This is 2 thin coats, and no top coat, because it dulls the holo. I know the OMG collection isn't as holo as some of the fabulous brands that have come out recently, but I love them. I really do. I'm still working on finishing the collection, I've got half of it now!

Until next Time!

<3 Bec