PolishPig

OPI It's My Year

2011-12-31T15:52:00.000-08:00

Really, this is the obvious pick for the perfect New Year manicure!

Three coats over Lumos Base coat, Seche Vite on top. I don't need to tell you all the great things about this polish, you know all about it already.

Suffice to say, this is my year. It can be yours too!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T08:14:00.000-08:00

Even if my blog is quiet at the moment my polish habit is still going strong. The last few days I have been able to set aside some time just for me. I used the time to finally start my swatching project.

What you see is 308 "swatch sticks". They are from 3 Swedish brands, H&M, Depend and Isadora. Like flowers, right? :-)

Actually, the painting gave me some really nice surprises. Very many of the polishes showed great quality, good pigmentation and easy handled brushes. Sometimes I forget that all good polish doesn't come from the major salon brands we polish junkies often concentrate our interest to.

Sometimes, happiness is close to home!

Please let me wish You All a fabulous 2012, shock full of nail polish and other nice things!

A England Perceval

2011-12-26T04:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Holiday Ladies!

Even if my blog is really on the back burner at the moment, I couldn't resist showing my christmas manicure.

This is A England Perceval, a glowing red shimmer. This is a beautiful, true red with a hint of darkening at the edges to really bring that glow out. The color pops at you from a distance, but not in your face, just elegantly red.

To compare it to other red shimmers I showed, it is not as brown as Illamasqua Viridian and not as bright and orange hinted as China Glace Red Stallion.

(and please excuse my even lesser skills in photography way back then. Hrrm, something has changed for the better at least.. )

It behaves beautifully too, almost opaque in one coat, I used two over usual Lumos base coat, Seche Vite as top coat. Unfortunately it chipped badly within a couple of hours.

I will not put the blame for the chipping on A England without another go at it though, as my nails are in such a bad shape right now, weak and splitting as there were no tomorrow.

I guess it is the Blog God punishing me for not updating and posting regularly :-p

Color Club Noveau Vintage

2011-10-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm back from my blog hiatus, we'll just have to see about that. A word to all the readers who are still here: awesome!!

Thank you, you rock!

Last weeks manicure was Color Club Noveau Vintage. I'm really not happy with this polish at all. It looks fab in the bottle, brown-green-copper multicromish, but on the nail, nope!

First of all, this is a streaky little s*b. The first coat left me with huge bald spots. I tried to work with it on the second coat but it was very thick, still with bald spots. What you see here is three painfully applied coats, plus my usual Lumos top coat. I'm still not very happy about it. Just to make things worse, this photo is taken on day 6, so there is a lot of wear and tear too.

Now the color needs to be talked about. So many blogs wrote this up as being the gem in the color club fall collection. When I got it in the mail, I was awed by the color too and I couldn't wait to try it on.

Well, no cigar!

In the bottle, the color shifts from muddy brown to green to bronze. Just beautiful. On the nail however, in most lights it is just a dusty brown shimmer. It is not a bad color, appropriate for fall and sure it is pretty. But it is not what I expected at all.

If you look carefully at the photos, you will see what lured us into thinking this was a great color. There is sparks of red, green and gold in the thick, unyielding formula. There are all the parts of a great polish in the making present here. It just didn't happen!

Del Sol Peek A Boo

2011-09-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

This is the very last day of my vacation. Tomorrow morning a new work year is starting and I'm looking forward to it. A good excuse to show you the most work appropriate polish I own.

This is archived pictures from very early spring, you can see the snow in the background.

Del Sol Peek A Boo. Two coats with Nubar Foundation and Seche Vite. Excuse the sloppy application, but it's much harder to do clean up when you can't see the polish!

I do love these novelty items, I get so much fun out of little things. Like noticing friends giving my hands a second glance when going outside, or passing by a big window.

Del Sol chips easy on my nails and this one was no exception. I got three days wear out of it, all of them highly amusing. In my opinion, that's totally acceptable!

OT: Our daily bread

2011-08-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Just to show you that I'm not dead yet. I'm on vacation finally, after a long summer filled with rewarding work.

To relax, I bake bread. I also planned a lot of nail related posts but I'm struck with blogger's block. I'll better go knead another dough instead :-)

At least I have a back log of NOTD's to show you as soon as this block goes away. Until then, happy painting!

piCture pOlish blog fest: Nude

2011-07-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Recently I was invited to review a polish from the Australian brand piCture pOlish. The premises was that I would be sent a random shade of polish and have the review ready to post today, July 25. Of course this is a cunning promotion scheme for piCture pOlish, but I kind of liked the idea. Today the nail blogosphere will be filled with notd or swatches of this rather obscure brand. I think this is clever marketing and I approve!

Now, let's move on to the actual review.

I was sent the shade called Nude. The text on the bottle reads: Dare to bare, flash some flesh!

At first I was a little disappointed with the color in the bottle but when I took some time considering, I started to feel like a lucky girl. I wear neutrals, nudes and sheers all the time at work. That was why I felt a bit let down but really?

Who else should review this shade but the self appointed Queen of Beige :-)

I used this for a notw a couple of weeks ago. The picture is taken on day 5. I wished for sun but I finally had to take the pictures anyway, here is natural daylight in the shade. This is three coats over Lumos base coat and topped with Lumos top coat.

With first and second coats, I wasn't fan of this color. It was streaky and uneven. The brush did not do the application any favors. It is narrow and bendable and yet it picked up enough polish to flood my cuticles a couple of times.

By the third coat, everything leveled and my nails took on a fresh and serene state. No more streaks, just shiny nude quality polish. It was shiny without a top coat but I always use one anyway.

The first days I still wasn't sure of the color but it grew on me. By day five, when I actually took the photos in this post, I adored the polish.

For me, this polish has great mileage. I wore it for seven days without a single touch up. Since after a week of piCture pOlish Nude on my tips I was still enjoying it, I spruced it up with a layering polish, and wore it another full week. As polish endurance go, you can't get much better than this.

Lumos Bottom Coat and Lumos Top Coat

2011-07-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Some family issues have drained my energy the last month, and I put my blog on the back burner. As this is a blog I write for my own pleasure I won't apologize for my absence. I will however reach out to my followers with a big smile and a Thank You for still hanging in there!

Actually, there is another reason for the lack of posts. It's called the Lumos Base and Top Coat!

As you know, I never swatch. Instead I show my manicures as I wear them, one slow notw at a time. I barely redo my manicure more than once a week. Sometimes, I will do a minor touch up. If I have to redo the full manicure, I will probably think the polish is a fail. I have managed to keep this habit for more than a year, mostly using Nubar Foundation as my base coat and alternating top coats among Seche Vite, China Glaze FF and BB Couture Top Rock.

Well, earlier this spring, I was contacted by the Lumos Company and asked if I wanted to try out their new base and top coat. Since the company tends mostly to the professional market, I must say I was a little flattered to get the question. Probably, that makes me biased, but there you have it.

Now, I have used this products exclusively for a couple of months. My manicures don't last one week anymore, but two. I will give you the short advise on this first: Why shell out on Shellac when you could use the Lumos!

Now, to a more in depth review.

Let's start with the base coat. It is thin and not visible except for a discreet shine. It dries very fast. I does not feel "sticky" but in my opinion, it keeps the polish from peeling or chipping very well.

If you want a ridge filler, obviously, this is not for you. I tried it over Nubar Nail Weaver (a base coat with glass fibers to mend small tears) with excellent results, so if your polish chips when used over a ridge filler it might be worth trying out.

The brush is a little novel, at least to me. It is flat and almost as wide as the newer OPI brushes. It is not at all as full as the OPI brushes, so if you think the OPI's pick up to much polish, you might love this one. For me, the brush works great with the base coat where you need an even, thin coat.

The best part of the base coat, I do think it prevents staining! I usually wear light colors so this is not a major problem, but all polishes (in my experience) can make your nails turn yellow. This base coat has prevented this, and now my nails are whiter than ever since I started to paint them.

The Lumos Top Coat was a little more of a mixed bag for me. The flat brush was even thinner, and being used to a big and goopey top coat dollop a la SV, this was a change indeed. The formula is thin. That might be a good thing, since you could use multiple layers of different polishes without taking your manicure off and starting from scratch. It is not a good thing if you want to cover heavy glitter. My biggest worry is that the Lumos Top Coat let the colored polish "bleed" unto the brush. Since I almost always use very fair polish, sometimes even sheer, this was no big problem for me. I cannot however fully recommend the top cot to someone using bolder colors.

The top coat dries as fast as the best of them. It stays shiny. I never experienced any dragging or shrinking whatsoever. If you want to refresh your manicure, it is very easy to do with a new layer of Lumos Top coat.

All in all, I think they're definitely worth a try. Maybe even two!

Depend 251

2011-06-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

This will be a short post, just to show you all that I'm still alive and kicking.

This weeks manicure is Depend 251. It is part of the Depend summer collection. The polish is light blue, bordering on grey. I believe it is much more blue than CG Sea Spray in the bottle, I would need to do a comparison to know for sure. It has a pretty heavy silver shimmer that shows up in the sun. In low light you might mistake it for a super shiny creme, but not quite.

The formula was thick and gloopy and I was worried after one coat. The first coat was very streaky and uneven, but the second coat actually leveled the problem. I love the end result (and I know there is some random debris stuck to my pinkie. You'll have to live with it.)

This is two rather thick and lumpy coats, base coat and top coat as usual. I like this even more IRL than in my pictures, It is well worth picking up if you live in my part of the world.

All in all, a buck well spent! See you later ladies.

China Glace I'm Not Bitter

2011-06-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the national day of Sweden, our Independence Day if you like.
I, however, have chosen to celebrate another independence altogether. Today it is exactly one year since my ex husband left home. It has been a year that started of with a feeling of relief. That sense has grown into a calm happiness I really didn't think I deserved to feel. Life is treating me and my children very well.

I'm Not Bitter is a glamorous deep red shimmer. It is from the Voodoo That U Do collection that was released in 2005. This is old school China Glace, thin and precise and very pigmented. Just lovely to work with!

One coat would have been enough but I was not prepared for that and used two coats to make up for my mistakes. The two coats deepened the shimmer even more and I am very pleased with this polish. This is one of those rare polishes that looks even better in shade or low light than it does in the sun. I love it, and I'm Not Bitter!

Wet'n Wild Gray's Anatomy

2011-06-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

So, like I promised, I'm back. I'm home from my spring business travels and finally, I'm starting to catch my breath and see the summer coming to my part of the world. So beautiful!

This week, I was on call 24/7 monday to friday except for one single night. I thought it was just the right choice to wear Gray's Anatomy because of this. I have no trouble recalling a time when I spent as much waking time studying the d*mned book. Thankfully, I've passed that point in my life. :-)

Wet'n Wild Gray's Anatomy is a wonderful polish. Since it is a true multichrome, it had my heart from the first streaky coat. Showing is 3 coats over my usual basecoat of Nubar foundation. One coat of SV on top. I did this manicure just before bed time and I got some sheet marks on my left hand, that is why my pointy doesn't show. I do think this was a handlers error though.

If I would say something negative about this truly awesome polish, it is a little sheer. I could probably used 4 coats for even greater appearance, but I'm quite happy with the result in three coats (and it was way past bedtime anyway...)

The Guessing Game

2011-05-14T01:51:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA the last couple of weeks. Very very busy. I came home from a business trip the other night, leaving for a new one tomorrow.

So where have I been? What polish am I wearing? The polish is a clue to the city and the city is a clue to the polish :-D

Of course I took some time off to haul a few pretties. I promise to show them to you as soon as I can. I'll do a proper post of the mystery polish as well, but this will have to do for now.

Playing with my Stash

2011-04-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

This was the day when she finally decided to order her polishes by color. Not to be totally overwhelmed, she started with her OPI. The polishes made such a rainbow.

I just wanted to share this :-)

Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air

2011-04-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here is my easter manicure. Tonight I'm invited to dine with my mother, just the two of us. It is a great treat, to sit down us two grown ups without any kids to care for and just enjoy eachothers company.

At first I really didn't understand why this polish felt like just the right choice for easter. Then it dawned on me. One of the obvious symbols of easter is eggs. This polish is like a very delicate wild bird egg shell. Beautifully light blue, flecked with dreamy glittery spots.

I bet it's no ordinary wild bird either. I think this is the color of the shell of the Phoenix bird egg, lying on a bed of ash, waiting to be reborn..

This is four coats of Glitter in the Air, over my usual Nubar Foundation base coat. One coat of SW. I don't think this polish ever is going to be opaque, but I don't care. I love the delicate sheerness of Glitter in the Air.

Happy Easter everybody!

Catherine Arley 669

2011-04-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

I must have forgot how much I love a true holographic polish! When I got this beauty on my nails, I started to smile. As I write this my manicure is going on the 6th day and let me tell you, I'm still smiling!! There is no tip wear or chipping, it still looks like a fresh manicure.

This is a true linear holographic polish with a strong holo flash in the sun. In the shade it takes on a muted light gold with grey edges, beautiful and subdued, not quite a duochrome but it is aspiring to get there.

Pictured is two coats over OPI NNS and Nubar Foundation. SW on top. I never found any polish losing its holographic shine due to the top coat and the manicures just stays on longer and dries faster with it.

Love, Love!!

Essie Nude Beach

2011-04-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure how to feel about this polish. I used it as my manicure the week before last, but I've been putting of writing about it because I have mixed feelings about this. I needed something very sheer and Nude Beach is all that. It has a nice white shimmer that comes out to play in the sun and then it is very pretty. But when you least expect it, the polish flashes a weird green flash. Suddenly, my nails looks suspiciously stained for a second, then it goes away and all I see is pretty, nude shimmer. This is a strange one indeed.

Here is Essie Nude beach, two coats over Nubar Foundation BC and with Essie Good to Go TC. Not expected, the polish bled a little on the top coat brush, lucky for me the color is almost non existent so no harm done. I still would have thought Essie polish should play nice with Essie top coat. As I said, this is a strange one.

Illamasqua Brigitte

2011-03-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

This weeks manicure is a polish from Illamsqua. Ladies, look at that color! So exquisitely squishy jelly pinkish red (I'm getting out of breath here..)

I thought this was going to be a very sheer pinkish color on the nail. See how sheer it looks in the bottle, the ball bearings are clearly visible. I found the polish in an online store on sale and bought it unseen and I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I got it. I should have known better than to doubt an Illamasqua polish!

This is four very easily applied coats, over Nubar foundation as usual. The polish almost applied itself. I usually think four coats is a pita, but I didn't mind this at all. Drying was a bit slow even with Seche Vite but I guess that is what you'll have to pay for a four coater.

I always shunned jelly polishes. I didn't think my nails looked good with a VNL, and I really didn't see the point in making a polish slightly see-through in the first place.

Until now. I've been at home for the last two days tending to little ms PolishPiglet who is suffering from a violent case of stomach flu. If you are covered in all the plentiful fluids that springs from a five year old with the gripes and still want to lick your fingernails because they look so.. tasty.. then you have a great nail polish!

I have been fighting a lemming for the OPI Texas collection for along time, but no more. Those sorbet babies are coming home to me asap!

Quirius Sunshine Orange

2011-03-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

I long for summer. Hot days with blinding sun, long, sweet nights with the magic, nordic light. Still plenty of snow here, but at least I've got summer on my nails today.

This polish is a little streaky, I needed four coats to even it out, but then I was very happy with it. The color is really juicy. Not a neon but definitely a color you notice from a distance. I think the polish will look even better with a tan.

This is four coats over Nubar foundation. Seche Vite on top, you will need it because this polish dries semi-matte.

A word about durability. I know this brand has gotten mixed reviews in the nail community. Actually, that has refrained me from order from Quirius until now. But, with the $ very affordable at the moment, I finally caved and got a few of them.

I have been wearing this manicure the whole week. Yesterday (day five) I decided to try my hand at some nail art. This is my first attempt with fimo and I'm very pleased with myself :-)

The important thing however, is that apart from a new coat of SV on my ring fingers, this manicure has not been touched up at all. Not one chip and almost no tip wear after five days of wear. You can call me happy!

My Life According to Google

2011-03-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

I usually do not participates in awards or other activities tagging other blogs. This however, involves only me. You can join yourself, in your blog ore just for a private laugh. I found it over on Bec's Beauty Buzz and it was really funny. To find out what your life is about, just substitute your name for the section that says [name]. Then you copy what the very first hit is - no cheating - it's not nearly as fun!

1: Type in "[name] needs" in the Google search:
Single in the City: How to tell it's time Karin needs a hug.
That was close. Single in the small village is maybe more accurate.

2: Type in "[name] looks like" in Google search:
Wes Portland Totally Looks Like Karin Dreijer Andersson

3: Type in "[name] hates" in Google search:
Karin hates lizards and wants to be a tiger. Seriously.
yes, seriously! lol

4: Type in "[name] goes" OR "[name] has gone" in Google search:
Karin goes to Hollywood
yes, please!

5: Type in "[name] loves" in Google search:
Karin loves her fugly pc... and BB
that must be BB Couture?? and I don't have a fuglly pc, I have a beautiful mac :-)

6: Type in "[name] eats" in Google search:
Karin eats a spoon of cinnamon
really?

7: Type in "[name] has" in Google search:
Karin has herpes
What?? Not nice Google :-p (and certainly not true!)

8: Type in "[name] works" in Google search:
praise for Karin's work - Vocal solutions
hmm, a little praise is always nice

9: Type in"[name] lives" in Google search:
Will Karin live? Will Sakura heal her?
dunno..

10: Type in "[name] died" in Google search:
Karin died - MangaFox's Online community

11.Type in "[name] does" in Google search:
In what episode of kamichama does Karin meet jin?
Hmm I got hijacked by a manga figure, go figure!

12: Type in "[name] will" in Google search:
Karin will save Akatsuki.

13.Type in "[name] is" in Google search:
The "Karin is a slut" FC
Really, no comments on this one! ;-)

Well, this is the wisdom of Google. I might be better of with a traditional shrink :-D

And, since I just can not do a post without a picture I will give you a taste of a great summer night in my garden. In real life, I am caught in a raging snow storm, praying for spring!

Isadora Graffiti Pink Bite

2011-03-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks I've totally ignored my nails. A crazy work load can do that even to a polish fanatic. Last week, I sported two coats of Misa Honeybunch. That really is the perfect polish if you have no time at all for nails, it just keeps going. I blogged about it earlier in this post.

By the end of the week it did look a little under the weather. I added a third coat, dried it completely and topped it with one of my new Isadora Graffiti polishes, Pink Bite. This is my first experience with crackle polish and I'm impressed. Seche Vite as top coat.

This pictures are taken on day 6 of the crackle manicure. I know the manicure has chipped a bit but I wanted to show you anyhow, since the crackle effect actually hides the chipping very well if seen from a distance.

Obviously, this must be the new favorite trend for lazy girls like me!

Cult Nails My Kind of Cool Aid

2011-02-13T04:04:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, Maria, nail addict and blogger behind the blog 3Daily decided to start her own nail polish brand. This is the first polish from Cult Nails. As a long time follower of course I had to order a bottle. I probably would have done so no matter what color she presented, it takes a lot of courage to follow your dream and I admire her.

Lucky for me, the color is absolutely gorgeous. It is a greyed out lavender with a discreet shimmer. In the bottle it looks like a silver shimmer but look closely on the nail and it is actually blue and pink! The shimmer is subtle, in inside lightning it looks like a very shiny lavender creme, outside it looks more grey and the shimmer is just barely noticeable.

Application gave me a little trouble. The polish is very thick and tended to stick to the brush in an awkward way. It is very well pigmented and after a few drops of polish thinner the second coat went on pretty smoothly. Showed is two coats over Nubar Foundation, Seche Vite on top.

Now, I have read good things about the lasting power of this polish and I aim to put it thoroughly through the test this coming week. I will work in tight rubber gloves all the coming week, with about 30 hand scrubbings a day. Any polish that lives through that is up there with the best of them. Ladies, I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, why don't you check out Cult Nails? I pre-ordered the other polishes as well and I look forward to them very much. Maria will ship internationally for a very reasonable fee and the shipping is lightning fast.

(this polish was bought and payed entirely by me and I am not affiliated in any way with Cult Nails. Actually, I don't think Maria knows I have a blog.)

Diamond Cosmetics Canyon Sunrise

2011-02-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

This is last weeks manicure. I had to wait for five days until the sun showed up. Excuse the wear.

Anyway, this is a lovely color. It covers in one or two coats (I did two). I'm not impressed with the drying time, it took forever even with Seche Vite and I dinged my middle nail more than five hours after I painted it.

I must say I like it anyway. Nude, but with a twist!

Crackle Winner

2011-02-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who entered my giveaway! I had a total of 129 entries.

After writing everyone down in a note book, I used my own random chaos maker (Harriet) to cut all the entries into small slips. I then placed all of them in a fancy fruit basket. And shaked. And shaked again.

The first one to fall out of the basket was Kvacka. Congratulations! I have sent you a note. If I don't hear from you in a week I will draw another winner.

Nubar 2010

2011-01-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

I've been lemming Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure so much and when word came that Nubar 2010 was a dupe I pounced on it. This is my first attempt to use it. One coat over Glitter Gal Red.
Excuse the naked nails next to my cuticles, I had a shrinking issue with my SV top coat and then I had to wait a couple of days for the sun..

Don't forget to enter my Crackle Giveaway, only a few hours left, ends at midnight tonight!

Deborah Lippman Waking Up in Vegas

2011-01-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

Just a short note to let you know I didn't (sleep) walk off the edge of the world.

This is Deborah Lippman Waking Up in Vegas. I know it is not perfect up close, but from a normal viewing distance it looks just great!
Two coats over base coat, SV on top. Fabulous color and covering, almost a one coater! I've seen a few swatches and notd's with this polish and I always thought it was a more cool gray. On my hands it has a clear beige undertone and I love the color. This is the first Lippman I try out and it has great wear. Remember my nightmare manicure? Well I just painted it over with another coat of Waking up in Vegas and I'm still wearing this on the second week.

Don't forget to enter my crackle give away, only one day left :-)

A Scary Manicure Story

2011-01-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

So, last night I went to bed on an empty stomach. I had fed the kids early and by the time they were in bed I was whipped. Before I went to bed I unpacked a recent internet haul, including Sally Hansen Night Lights and Cover Girl City Lights. I thought briefly that both these polishes could work for layering over my current notd, Deborah Lippman Waking Up In Vegas.

This morning, I didn't wake up in Vegas at all, but in my bed as usual. The nails on my right hand felt a little gritty.

This is one (I presume) coat of CG City Lights on my pinky and one coat of SH Night Lights on the rest of my fingers. Layered on top of Lippman Waking Up in Vegas. I know this is a terrible looking manicure and it shows one day heavy work tip wear as well, since I didn't have time to do anything about it this morning, I just had to roll with it.

Ladies, I did this with my non dominant left hand in my sleep! That is a little scary, right? God knows what I will do the next time I sleep-walk, paint the house red?

Let me tell you, I'm never going hungry to bed again!

Red-y for 2011!

2011-01-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

My New Year manicure this year is Glitter Gal Red. This is the best red holographic polish I own. This is two coats over base coat, if you are more careful than I am you might only need one coat, it has great opacity. It dries totally smooth and shiny too, no need for top coat if you don't want to.

Glitter Gal is an australian brand and can be ordered on-line here:

I think it is a little pricey for only 9ml, but hey, who can argue with a deep red holographic polish??

Happy Holidays and a Crackling Giveaway!

2010-12-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

Very merry holidays!

I am so happy to reach 200 followers, thank you every one! This is a great community to take part in and I am thankful to experience that. There is always a kind word in the right time, an appreciative comment, a hello and a welcome back when you've been to busy to post for a while.

You are a great bunch of people! :-)

Because of that, I decided to set up my first giveaway. I will give away a complete set of the Isadora Graffiti Nails, awesome crackle polish in 6 colors. All purchased by me, open to followers everywhere.

The rules are simple:
This is for followers, old or new. Please tell me by which name you follow and state a valid email address to get in contact with you in a comment to this post.
If you want a second entry, blog about this giveaway in a post or in your sidebar. Please provide a link to your blog.
Feel free to use my picture, no extra points but many nail addicts may not know the Swedish brand Isadora.
Open until January 25, my time ;-)

200 followers, wow! :-D

Santa's Little Helper

2010-12-23T14:12:00.000-08:00

So as we all know, there is hard work involved with celebrating christmas. There is food to be cooked, cakes to be baked, presents to be wrapped, house to be cleaned, tree to be dressed, children to be at least modestly cleaned up before santa arrives..

To manage this you need an iron clad manicure. Enter a China Glaze Glitter!

I have very good experience from CG glitters in the past, so as my pre-christmas manicure, I choose CG Mistletoe Kisses.

Amazing, this is two coats only, base coat and SV top coat as usual.
I must point out, this photo is from our winter solstice, when sun is barely creeping up above the horizon. This polish is much brighter in clear light, but it never showed..

Midvinterblot

2010-12-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

Today is winter solstice. For us in the northern hemisphere it is the shortest day of the year. For me this means that there is only a few precious hours of daylight until the long, dark night begins again.

Way back, when we all lived in the forest and worshipped the old gods, we used to have a ghastly celebration on this day. There would be bonfires, music and prayers. There would be animal sacrifices, some historians even say that we made human sacrifices to the old gods to make them please, please, bring back the sun.

My picture is taken exactly at noon today. Look at the position of the sun. It just barely lights up my world. A little blood sacrifice doesn't seems so crazy after all. Maybe I should offer a red polish instead...

Lady Manhattan

2010-12-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

This is a really wonderful polish I won in a giveaway from the sweet Mon Coin á Moi. This is the essence of my polish addiction. It's a beige! It's a holo! This is the perfect work safe alternative.

The brand is Lady Manhattan, color is 96D. It is a golden beige shimmer with holographic glitter. It does not go on streaky on the nail and it covers easily with one to two coats.
The notd is basecoat, one coat of polish + top coat. In the photo, you can see slight vnl, but after adding another coat, the polish is opaque.

Now, the winter is really, really here and the days are short, the nights are very long. Look at the hand of the ice queen!

I don't want to leave you in the cold and the dark, so here is my favorite Manhattan cocktail.

2 oz of rye whiskey (use a good brand)
1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antiqua Formula is the best in the world)
4 dashes Angostura Bitters (sometimes more is needed - how bitter are you tonight?)
1 Maraschino Cherry for garnish and a small sweet tang at the bottom of the glass :-)

Stir, stir, stir with ice. Strain carefully in a cocktail glass.
Think of the Ice Queen. Enjoy!

I caught a new bug!

2010-12-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is the fantastic polish Scarab, from the Illamasqua autumn collection. Ladies, this is ONE coat, slapped on in a hurry just before my youngest daughters christening ceremony last saturday. The photo is taken on day 5, excuse the wear. As usual Nubar Foundation base coat and Seche Vite top coat.

I touched it up with a second coat after taking the photos and the color grew even deeper and more haunting. I now understand why the old egyptians worshiped the Scarab bug as a holy creature! I think I may do that too.. ;-)

As a little bonus, here is Sonja on her big day. Nails done with one coat of Orly Shine.

Finnish Delight!

2010-11-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

This will be a short post as I haven't really found my inspiration yet. I still do two-week manicures (and getting away with it :-p )
This is my current, and I've worn it on my nails for two weeks, so please excuse the tip wear.

Lumene Make Impact is a pink holographic! I love this color but now I waited fourteen days for sun to show it to you. No game!

In deep overcast daylight it looks like a shiny shimmery pink. In real life, it has a very interesting golden holographic effect, it verges on duochrome but it is really a holographic golden shimmer. Subtle but very catching!

To show you the holo, I had to use artificial light and a flash. Crappy pictures that reminds me of my start as a blogger but the best I could do today. Three coats plus top coat (my thick and awful SV, I haven't replaced it yet)

Not My Naked Butt!

2010-10-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

It has been quiet around here lately. I have lacked the inspiration of writing, and my nails has been wearing two-weeks manicures because I really wasn't inspired to paint them. Lucky for me, I can get away with it if I do some small touch-ups as the days goes by.

Anyway, to my big surprise, I have gained a couple of new followers the last few days, in spite of my lack of updating. That sparked my inspiration! I never said anything about my readers and followers but now I must thank you all! I am so happy that you want to read about me and my nails! Hugs to everyone!

So, newly inspired, I show you my last manicure. This is Butt-Naked Bronze by BB Couture.

Ah. Lovely.
This is two coats! Look at the shimmer and sparkles! It is a great neutral, a work safe color, but let it out in the sun and it is going to eat your heart!

I wish my naked butt looked like this.. ;-)

This bottle was sent to me from the lovely Kim at Overall Beauty for review. My blog is not a review blog and no-one but Kim has sent me anything for that purpose (which IMHO just shows what a great place Overall Beauty is).

Shiitake Happens

2010-09-25T00:06:00.000-07:00

Trust me, sometimes it does!

This is old school CND, Shiitake Happens. I wasn't sure at all of this color in the bottle. but it turned out I liked it very much.

It is a muted orangey coral color that goes very well with my skin tone. It reminds me of fall. Not the vampy dramatic fall, nor the bright maple leaf fall. More the soft blush of the rose hip or the golden glow of the black currant leaves left in my garden.

This is two coats over Nubar Foundation, no top coat. Ridges are all my own and not the polish fault ( I have to start using ridge filler). It dried kind of slow and I managed to bump it a little bit but a new coat the next day took care of that.

This is a polish I thought I would probably use only once. No I'm not so sure anymore. Shiitake Happens is staying in my Helmer until next time I'll need some subtle fall on my nails.

The Woman on the Verge..

2010-09-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

...to something new!

*whispers*
Ladies, guess what, tomorrow I'm going on my first date with someone "not husband" in 20 years!
Yes, of course I choose the polish just for the name :-)

This is Misa For the Woman on the Verge. 3 coats over Nubar Foundation. No top coat, it is so shiny and lovely without so I just skipped the top coat. I never do that, but Misa makes me do unusual things.

The color is a dusty mauve with quite a strong shimmer in it. But there is something else going on there too. Look at the second picture, there is some multicolored micro glitter! You can't see this with the naked eye, but it makes the color much more interesting. It has a secret, just like the woman on the verge..

The more Misa polishes I try, the more I love them. Perfect brush, good formula and interesting colors. The polish does take some time drying and I did make a small dent on my ring finger hurrying to get sun pictures. But with a little licking it's almost invisible again. (that's right, the tongue is the poor womans Orly Smudge Fixer ;-D )

As a totally unexpected bonus, this polish is a perfect match to my camera. Look here!

Lazy Glitter Update

2010-08-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

So. I'm on vacation. That means I can wear as much bling as I want to. It also means that I don't have to sport a perfect manicure, it's my vacation :-p

The solution to this came from the sweet Flavia of Similar Addiction. I won a giveaway, and she sent me the most gorgeous glitter polishes. This is one of them, KIKO 231.

I am so sorry I couldn't conjure the sun. I do have certain powers, but ruling the sun is a little out of my league.. ;-)

Stop Rewinding, Just Fast Forward!

2010-08-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Because that is were I'm going!

This is a gorgeous Misa polish. I am very often happy with my Misa's and this is one of the times.. :-D

This is a creme polish, very bright but not a neon because it dries very shiny. It is a red bordering on orange, and if you would've asked me before I tried it, I would've gotten the thumbs down. I believe I got it in a swap, and as such, since I only swap dupes, all new colors are good colors (within reason..)

This is two coats and no top coat but if you are careful it is a potential one-coater. Being a bright red color, that is amazing! I always use a top coat but this polish dried so fast and shiny I didn't need one!

Meh, was I wrong letting this polish stay among my untrieds!! This is just amazing, it goes very well with my skin tone and changes color like a chameleon. Now it's orange, now it's red, now it's berry.. Love it!

A Fling with Mr Wrong!

2010-08-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Back to my theme, at least sort of..

As regular readers of my blog will know I am newly separated after a long marriage. Well, as every counselor will tell you, be very careful regarding a relationship when you are in my position.

So, entering Mr Wrong!
I gave him two rather careless strokes and he was all over my fingertips, not a bald spot, not any streaking to be seen. He wore me out like iron. He was not boring in the night, not disgusting in the morning, he was flirtatious, gleaming, but quite manly with his dark base and subtle glitter.

After a week I told him we should part, but he didn't listen. Instead, he coaxed me into stroking him again on day ten, covering up some minor tip wear and a small chip.

This is Mr Wrong on day 17!

After three full weeks I finally got rid of him, but ladies, this guy just stole my heart!!
If he ever comes to your neighborhood, watch out!

The Queen of Green

2010-08-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I got a craving for green. I didn't want to change my manicure since it still held up very well so I thought of an alternative. From my Helmer, I picked up all the green polish I have by BB Couture. I don't think there is another polish company that loves the green color as BB Couture does. I don't have a complete collection, but still, if I did one manicure a week I could wear BB Couture greens on my nails for almost six month. Awesome, right?

First wheel:
(three coats)

1. Dress Rehearsal (BB for men)
2. Kelly's Green
3. Caterpillar
4. Iced Olive
5. Universal Joint (BB for men)
6. Grenade (BB for men)
7. Ceremony (BB for men)
8. Green Goblin
9. Golf Pro (BB for men)
10. Fuel Injector (BB for men)
11. Venom
12. Poison Ivy
13. Frosty Meadow
14. Studio 54
15. Mariner (BB for men)
16. Pipe Bender (BB for men)
17. Redwood Forest
18. Saturday Night Fever

Second Wheel:
(three coats)

1. Tortuga Island
2. Laguna Lagoon
3. Bassins Bleu
4. Bassins Bleu 2

For me BB Couture are really the Queen of Green!

A Sparkling Award!

2010-08-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

I received such a sweet award today, from Biba's Beauty corner

The rules are very simple:
- Answer one question: What do you like the most about your own blog?
- Pass this award on.

What I like most about my blog is that I managed to keep it guilt free. I blog for my pleasure, sometimes almost daily, sometimes no more than once in a fortnight. Before I started this adventure, I thought long and hard about it. I didn't want to create a monster that would feed me guilt and feelings of stress when I didn't have the time it required.

Well, there is no monster, just a great hobby and an opportunity to connect to the nicest internet community ever.. Thank you for reading and letting me be a part of all this!

I pass this award on to:
Sminkan
Never Ending Obsession
Mon coin à moua
Alizarine Claws

Warning, feet ahead!

2010-07-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately. I went on a short family vacation last week and when I returned home, my internet connection was down. Not only mine, but the whole village was without access to broadband for almost a week.

It is really crazy how dependent I have grown of 24/7 access to the net. What's on TV? The weather tomorrow? Pay the monthly bills or find out what's left in your bank account? Keep in touch with friends and family?
Everything is done on the internet. Great when it works, but I think the society has grown much more vulnerable because of our dependency. You don't notice until it is gone..

Anyway, I'm rambling. Let's move on to the feet and hands which are my daughters mani-pedis for the trip. No clean up and a bit of wrestling pre-photo (between the girls, mummy not involved :p)

This is H&M Blue My Mind and Red Nail, only one coat. L.A. Nail Art striper in white. The H&M polishes are really good in pigmentation (and I'm not saying that because I'm swedish).

You didn't think I'd be cruel enough to expose you to my feet, did you? ;-)

The Posh Haul

2010-07-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Look what I did! I went and broke the piggy bank and really treated myself. I'm so happy about my new high ends, I just had to show you!

From L-R: Mac In the Buff, Chanel Orange Fizz, Illusion D'Or and Particulière, Dior Lemon Balm and finally MUS (swedish brand) Judith.

Have a great day everybody, today is my first day of vacation and it couldn't have started any better! :-D

A Very Subtle Pimping

2010-07-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

So, I was not very happy with my last manicure. It was the right color and from a distance it looked pretty clean and work appropriate, but I felt it was streaky and uneven.

I decided to add a layer of Mavala Antares. This is a sheer white color, with multicolor micro shimmer and flakes that shift from white to pink to green. It turned out very pretty on the nails and I am still wearing this manicure six days later, but it proved almost impossible to photograph correctly. You will have to take my photos as is, and trust me.
If you want a subtle but different manicure, try Mavala Antares!

Pinking Up the Pieces

2010-07-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Because that's just what is going on here!
(and might I add, with a great amount of success)

Hi guys, I guess I'm back with my theme again.
The manicure itself was, I'm sorry to say, without any great success at all. It turned out very streaky and hard to manage. It might be that I lack the skills needed for sheer polish. The problem subdued with the fourth coat, but then I had an unmanageable amount of polish on my fingers and it dried slow, in spite of Seche Vite (who caused bubbles again, I might have to chuck this bottle even if it is brand new, grr)
I was pressed for time and had to give my girls a bath right after I finished the mani, so of course I suffered some dents. I'm showing you the best preserved hand.

The polish itself is lovely enough, a sheer pink with a little blue flash. But I doubt I will use this again anytime soon, I think I have pink sheers in my stash that are easier to handle.

After living with this dented manicure for a day, I made a very descrete pimping for a better look. I'll show you soon, my first pictures came out so discrete there is no visible change at all. I will try again today.

Nail Art from Viva la Nails

2010-07-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

Just recently, I found a great offer. Viva la Nails offers you a sample of their nail art products, all for free if you are a nail related blogger. In return, they want you to spread the word and blog about them.

This is what I received. Six different packages of nail stickers, a small sample of nail wipes and a generous amount of rhine stones, small flowers and hearts, beads and bullions. All in all, a great little package. Shipping was very fast and communication with the company was good.

I still have left to try out the products, but knowing the limitations of my nail art skills, any failure with execution will most likely be operator dependent, rather than due to lacking quality of the supplies.

All in all, I think this is a great way for a company to get publicity and good will. They ship world wide, so if you too would like a sample, go here.

Happy Flakey Me!

2010-07-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

I am working right through this week end and when my last manicure started to chip I didn't really have the energy or time to change it. Luckily, someone has invented flakes and glitters for just this reason, to cover lazy girls a**es in their time of need.

So I just slapped on a new coat of OPI More Time For Me to cover the worst chipping and proceeded with two coats of Nfu-Oh 50. I used BB couture top coat Top Rock over the flakes, to even the surface out a bit, and it worked great.

With a manicure like this, no one can walk around with a grudge, so I took a pause in my "theme" just to be sincerely happy for a while. Actually, happy suits me better, I'm that kind of girl!

More Time For Me

2010-06-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

Because there is!

I must declare, it is so much fun with a theme for your polish, even if divorce isn't the theme I would have guessed to be my first choice. But as I will show you in a later post, sometimes Shiitake Happens, and you just have to go with the flow.

This is OPI More Time For Me, from the I Don't Do Dishes! collection of fall 2006. This is a polish that would probably have lingered in my untrieds for a long time it if wasn't for my theme, but I am really glad I tried it.

It is a deep mauve color with a very subtle shimmer. Good pigmentation, almost opaque in one coat, here is two coats over Nubar Foundation base coat. My new bottle of Seche Vite played tricks with me, turning all thick and ugly and didn't want to level out at all, so any unevenness I blame on the top coat. I guess I got a bad bottle, I'll have to thin it a little before using it again.

Mid Summer Greetings

2010-06-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here in Sweden, we celebrate Mid Summer this weekend. We raise a maypole covered with flowers and leaves and dance around it, singing traditional songs and listening to traditional music played with fiddles and accordion.

Some of us may celebrate by opening very cute parcels from France (se last post :-D)

Look at all these shiny, glorious flakes and glitters! I'm in Glitter heaven for the holiday, and I don't know if I want to come back at all.
Thank you Marie, what a great giveaway you held!

I won a Giveaway!

2010-06-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Look at all these cute parcels. It's like christmas day all over again! Sweet, sweet Marie of Mon Coin à Moua sent me all of this as a gift when I won her Flakies and Glitter Giveaway. As I looked in the box, the sun set, so I did not get to take any pictures of what was in the cute wrapped up parcels. Thus You will have to wait in suspense.. :-)

Instead, I'll mention one of the biggest giveaways going on now, over at Babbling Brooke. If You haven't found it already, here it is:

Who Needs A Prince?

2010-06-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

This is what I wear on my nails this week. OPI Who Needs A Prince? from the Princess Charming collection of spring 2006. The picture is old, I dented my current manicure before I had a chance to get any photos and although I could fix it up enough to keep it on, it is not up to close up pictures.

I had application issues with Who Needs A Prince? I found it to be streaky and it really wanted to flood my cuticle. Pictured is four coats over base coat, and with SV on top.

The finished result is worth the trouble. A sheer, pink, very work safe polish, with a strong and unexpected red flash.
And the name, of course, makes it even more fun to wear!

Wife Goes On!

2010-06-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Because she does.

What a wonderful polish! Bright berry, color verging on the border between pink and red. It is a creme, with very good pigmentation, one coat is enough if you are careful. Pictured is two coats over Nubar Foundation base coat, with Seche Vite on top.

My SV is running low, so I messed up my ring finger (and isn't that a sign.. ;-p ).
I don't care, having this color on my nails makes me happy, and no one can expect more than that of a polish!

Movin' Out

2010-06-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Because he is doing that today.

This is two coats of OPI Movin' Out over two coats of Eyeko Lilac Polish. I did plan to use OPI Do You Lilac It, but when I tried to open it, the hat was stuck. Luckily for me, the Eyeko looks like a total dupe.

Movin' Out is a fantastic polish! I can't start to tell you about the awesome duochrome flashes in green and gold, the glitter effect in the sun and the dusty feel in the shade. You just have to experience this polish yourselves. It is really worth the hunt!

There is no way I can picture this great polish accurately, but you can get a sneak peek. So lovely!

The Eyeko Lilac Polish is two coats, no top coat. A little streaky but as a base for Movin' Out it worked out just fine.

And since this is a nail blog, I will try not to get too personal. Still, sometimes my feelings will flood even this space.

If you want to listen, I might tell you the story in the polish language (and yes, that was a really corny joke ;-p )

Sunday Afternoon

2010-05-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

What more is there to say? Lovely, lazy sunday afternoon!

This is Nyx Girls Sunday Afternoon. Two coats with base and top coat. a great foil, somewhere between gold, silver and pink. It reminds me of OPI Rosy Reflections.
The picture is sunlight but indoors, taken in haste in a hotel bedroom a couple of weeks back. Anyway, I wish you all a good Sunday Afternoon.. :-)

Pure Luxury

2010-05-30T01:19:00.000-07:00

There is not much updating going on on my blog right now, but a lot of updating going on in my life. I hope I will be able to post a little more frequent in the months to come, this spring has been a rough ride for me.

When life's tough, you need to indulge yourself and that is just what I have done.
Nobody really needs a cuticle oil like this one, but it called out to me like a lure. Now it is sitting on my desk, making me feel luxurious and and a little more content in my corner of the world.

This is Nail Food by Scratch, a swedish salon brand that makes polish as well.

Barbie In Disguise

2010-05-13T02:10:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a fairly neutral, work safe polish? (natural day light, indoors)

Yes it is! (artificial light with flash, excuse the corpse color of my fingers)

Unless, of course, you venture outdoors. Then the polish turns into Barbie with fangs.. clearly a case of split personality! (outside in sun)

This is Del Sol Pretty In Pink. Two coats over base coat and my usual SV top coat. I could have used three coats and taken more care in application but I slapped this on late at night and since it is almost white in artificial light, it was harder to see the imperfections.
I just love this polish. No brush strokes, silky shimmery finish and no chipping for four days. And every time I walk out in the sun, I get a nice pink surprise!

Very important update for my european readers:
The Del Sol polishes are not easy to find in Europe. The company does not ship international and at least myself is not a frequent visitor to the Bahamas or other caribbean islands (I wish..).

Anyway, if you're a fast actor, you can get these beauties anyway. You do that by joining NailMail. This is a small swedish service company that provides nail polish to us polish crazy people about once a month. Karin, who is the head of the company, provides very fair prices and excellent service. There is no obligation to buy anything. Once a month, You will get a mail from her as a reminder to check the web site for the polish brand of the month, and make an order if you feel like it. Nail Mail has brought us several hard to find brands over the last year, such as Del Sol, RBL and Nfu-Oh. The web site is in swedish, but there is a translation option and I'm sure Karin will answer any question you will ask in english if you send her a mail. The only catch with Del Sol is, Nail Mail will need your order by the end of tomorrow, May 15.
(and if you mention that PolishPig sent you, I will get a price reduction for the 9 Del Sol polishes I ordered.. :-) )

N'awlins Haul

2010-05-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

I'm back from one of the greatest places I ever visited. I left my heart there more than 20 years ago and I never understood until last week when I came back. New Orleans is the city for me!

Guess what I found in a Walgreens in the middle of the city? Check out the picture proof, one bottle of the elusive SH Opulent Cloud and one bottle of Borgheses Stellar Notte!

Here are the posh ones, MAC Brown Bag, Chanel Gondola, YSL Pink Moon and Estée Lauder Ultra Violet.

Assorted Sally Hansen, including the lovely Opulent Cloud.

Claire's polishes, both regular size and mini size. Some of them have flakes and are supposed to be scented when dry. I have no idea if that works, or the quality of the polishes. I just picked them up on a whim, there was a BOGO and I splurged. :-)

Last, the assorted suspects with the notorious Stellar Notte as the prominent star.

All in all a good haul considering I didn't have the time to get to a mall or even a Sephora. It feels good to be back with the kids, but I'll always have a piece of my heart in New Orleans!

My Kind of Mannequin

2010-04-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today I bring you a short post showing last weeks manicure. Petites by Scherer Halo Beige. This polish is still on my nails, after a quick brush up with a fourth layer of polish, it had to make it another week. It holds up surprisingly well actually. Pictured is three thin coats and SV as top coat. It is a sheer polish, but that was what I wanted, so I'm happy with my vnl's. As the name suggests, it is beige, but has a subtle red flash to it. It reminds me of an old China Glace called Lady Sings the Hues. I like it a lot. Mannequin with a twist!

It will be even more quiet here the week to come. Tomorrow, I leave for a business trip and I will not be back until next friday.

Have a great spring week!

My Big Haul!

2010-04-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Remember my 65 bottle haul? Here it is!

Sadly missing in action is Color Club Pardon My French, where one bottle had made havoc with the whole collection. I'll tell you about that business in time..

All the other beauties are present and counted for. Here is OPI, Misa, China Glace and Color Club. Here is both the Foil FX and the Sweet collection from Orly. Here is CND.

Happy, happy!!

All Safety Aboard! (to no avail)

2010-04-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

This was originally just an answer to a comment of my last post, but I needed to make it a separate post..

Mighty Lambchop,
Thank you! About bridal nails, your comment brought a really bitter-sweet smile to my face..
I agree with you, this manicure will fit any bride. As for myself, I have married two times, to the same man (1990 and 1999). I know, I'm not Liz Taylor anyway, but still, maybe a bit unusual :-p

The sad part of it is that we are likely in the midst of divorcing again. Our current marriage brought us two lovely kids, daughters now almost 5 and 7 years old, and I have so very, very, very much tried to hold this marriage together because of them. Alas, I can not do so any longer and their daddy is moving out in the first part of June (as of his choice - not mine).
So, I will try to swap my precious bottle of Orly Opal Hope to any aspiring bride out there..
Bring me Something Tall and Strong instead, I will need it.
I would suggest Wife Goes On or A Woman On The Verge, but I already have those in my stash. Maybe I need to be Revved Up & Red-y?

Putting Up New Curtains

2010-04-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

With inspiration from Sminkans comment to my last polish post, where she thought my Orly Opal Hope polish looked like her aunties curtains from the '80s, I couldn't help myself, I had to try to lace up the polish a little.
Hmm, maybe the result looks more like my aunties lingerie than her curtains.. ;-)

I used Konad m71 and Konad white special polish. Bear in mind, I'm not a Konad artist like some of you ladies. Actually, this is my second attempt ever.

Anyway, I think it looks fugly and fun. At a glance I doubt anyone would notice the flower pattern, but when you look close, it's there.

Have a great weekend my friends!

Mmm, Candy For Me!

2010-04-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Yay, I'm a real blogger now! :-D
For the first time, I have received a product for evaluation. It is a cuticle oil called Cuticle Candy, made by Paradise Potions. I received it from the truly awesome Kim at Overall Beauty, the e-tailer who sells me all my beautiful BB Couture polish. If You ever want to get some BB couture, go to Overall Beauty!

So, what do I think about Cuticle Candy? After using it daily for about two weeks, I must say I am really pleased. It smells very nice, just like mint candy, and I found myself longing for it during the day (I use it every evening)..

It absorbs quite fast, and my cuticles feels soft and nourished. Of course, for lasting effect I need to try it for a much longer period, but since it has pushed all my other cuticle oils and treatments out of the competition, I think it was time to tell you about it. I am positive I will order some more of this when my bottle runs out. As you can see, it will take many weeks of use until that happens, and that makes me happy too!

An Opal Hope for Spring!

2010-04-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Not much updating going on here, I have a very busy schedule this spring, and I have to keep up with that, no matter what..

Last week, I wore another of the Misa sheers in the Sugar collection, it looked just like my last post, more so since we did not get a ray of sun shine all week.

Today, I tried a newly bought polish, Orly Opal Hope. I thought it was a sheer, but after two coats, it is nearly opaque. Since that was not what I aimed for, I was not really happy about it.
But suddenly, I got some evening sun and I decided to take a picture or two of it after all. Strange, but I like it much more after that, maybe seeing it in he sun showed the polish to its very best advantage.

I let you decide, is it worth keeping? I could use it for my daughters (5 and 7 years old) except they always want black, deep purple or dark green :-p)

Help! I'm transforming..!

2010-04-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

I keep changing shape lately, getting smaller, more scrawny, with big yellow eyes and a sallow greenish skin tone.

Yes, you've got it right, I am slowly changing into Gollum *ssss*

And the last week or so, after the kids went to bed, I caught myself sitting and looking at the polish on my desk..

"sssss my preciousss ssss"

Ahem! Well I can't wear any of these beauties right now, but I certainly can hold the bottles out in the light and whisper to them... *ssss*

Do you see the first rows? It is an australian brand called Glitter Gal, and it is 19 holographic polishes! (because I couldn't choose - of course :-p)

My precioussss... indeed!

The other bottles are wonderful BB Couture, the Disco Collection, the Butterfly Collection, some of the BB for men, some other single ones I wanted for a long time.
Not the last, not the least, a unique bottle of Bassins Bleu 2, a polish given to the customers who bought the Hands Of Hope collection to help with the Haitian catastrophe.

I love my BB Coutures too! *ssss*

No Sun Here!

2010-04-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

On day six of this manicure, I just gave up and took some photos anyway.
This is Misa Sweet Pleasure, a sweet and sheer shade from the Sugar collection.
Two coats, Nubar Foundation base coat and SV top coat as usual. Great wear, as I said this is a one week old manicure!
The pictures are taken in deep overcast, as soon as the sun (or a strong artificial light) hits your fingers, this polish flashes in blue-green and orange, very pretty in a subtle way. Since the weather will not cooperate with me, You will just have to take my word for it..

Essie Body Language

2010-03-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Now, this is not going to be a long post.
Great news is the polish I'm wearing does not need that either. Essie Body Language is a straight up nude, opaque in 3 coats color. The picture is taken in the setting sun, so normally the polish is a little cooler in color. Three coats, but I grew more and more happy with it...

OMG!

2010-03-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

What did I do?

I just ordered 65 wonderful polishes from an e-tailer, that's what I did!
I tell you, those flat rate shipping deals will be the end of me, I swear...
I will show you the loot when it gets here, for now I just want you to say it is all right to splurge when you've got the chance..

A Reason For Divorce!

2010-03-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

I declare, if this polish was a man I would kiss it, pick it up and elope with it, fly to Las Vegas and marry it in a drive-through chapel the day after!

Lucky for me it is just a polish and the only thing I really, really have to do is to find me a back up bottle.

This is Nubar Gem from the Prisms collection. Two coats over Nubar Foundation and Seche Vite on top. It is a true duochrome, mauve and grey, with a holographic glitter.
I'm in love with this polish!

My Stash (part 3)!

2010-03-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here is the final part, this is the one that really tells it all ;-)

Pure Ice, LA Colors (and LA Girls), Wet 'n Wild and other assorted american brands.

Picture eleven: First two drawers is swedish polish (H&M, Viva la Diva, Depend, Make Up Store and Isadora). Third drawer is english polish (Ciaté, Illamasqua, Model's Own, Nail Inc and BarryM).

More english polish in first drawer (Rimmel, MaxFactor and other brands), french polish in second drawer (mostly L'Oreal). My last drawer is reserved for the rest of the world! :-)

Well, I guess this labels me a polish hoarder by all known definitions.
How about you'll? Do you want to show me your stash?

My Stash (part 2)!

2010-03-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here is part two of this crazy post:

Two more drawers of Sally Hansen, then we have other american brands, like CoverGirl, Piggy Polish, Milani and Ruby Kisses.

Picture number six: Misa, RBL and Revlon.

More Revlon, then Orly, $OPI, Spa Ritual, Color Club, Del Sol and CND.

Nubar, Essie, BB Couture, Nyx and Sinful Colors.

Butter London, Zoya, MAC, ManGlaze, Hard Candy, Urban Decay and Maybelline.

Stay tuned for the last installment!

My Stash (part 1)!

2010-03-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Taking a deep breath and steadying myself. Do I really dare to show you this?

Obviously insane, or just a little nutty? You decide!
(and this post is picture heavy, so if you're not into polish porn, just feel free to move along)
Actually, because of my very limited blogging knowledge, I will have to divide this post into parts, because of the many pictures.

Maybe some of you will find a use for this post when your SO has issues with you buying too many polishes. Just direct him to me, I'll take care of him ;-)

I have six Helmers. Adorable pets all of them, if you just feed them regularly (but never after midnight..)

I sort my polishes by countries, brands and collections, in that order.

First picture: Nailart and Konads in the first drawer, then OPI.

Second picture: More OPI. (and some free space for future hauls)

OPI and China Glaze, probably my favorite brands if I had to choose.

More China Glaze, and Sally Hansen.

That is the end of Part One, stayed tuned...

Sinful and Innocent

2010-03-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

A short post today to show you that I'm not dead after all, just way behind with my posting. Too much work, too little time.
I actually wore the Dior polish from the last post for two weeks straight, so there is nothing wrong with the durability of Dior Addict.

This weekend I changed my manicure and tried out Sinful Colours Glass Pink. How could such an innocent colour be called sinful?

This is what Cinderella wore to the famous ball, capturing the heart of the prince with her lovely fingers. I bet it's the same colour as her glass slippers!

Two coats over Nubar Foundation, SV as top coat. Lovely sheer glass flecked pink colour with a strong golden flash.
My left hand pinkie had an accident so this is my rarely photographed right hand.

A Beige Mystery

2010-02-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

New work week, new work appropriate nails. Today I bring you a little secret. It is a Dior Addict polish, the first I bought from this brand. I really don't know the year of release since I got it last year from a clearance stand in one of the local beauty shops.

It is called 310 Beige Mystique. On the package it says one coat speed dry nail polish, but for me it took 3 coats to get it even and nice. It was pretty saturated in color but lumpy, hence the three coats. I am very happy with the end result, it is a greige color with a little dusty feel, yet infused with a heavy shimmer mostly golden but on close inspection it holds other colors as well. This is a slightly more sophisticated version of $OPI:s Under My Trench Coat, which is one of my favorite colors.

Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to try the durability as I smashed the finish trying to fit a pair of skates onto my feet less than half an hour after putting the polish on. I knew that would mean disaster, but sometimes, a mum's gotta do what a mum's gotta do!

Polish Bloggers Network: Lacquer Link Love 2/12/10

2010-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Polish Pixel Pig has found her perfect shade of gray and now she wants to share it with the world. Thanks Zoya!

The Dutch Nail Blog showcases the cutest V-Day mani and traditional colors weren't invited to this nail session.

The Swatchaholic has a wonderful comparison of Chanel Particuliere along with some other gorgeous taupes. A few may be on your lemming list.

Bright Lights Big Color decided to do a tribute to nail art that was inspired by fellow bloggers. Check out her design to see if it was you.

Naive Nails has cooked up a look she likes to call Barbie, but it's not your average good girl mani.

Travels with Euridice has provided some excellent pictures of some glittery goodness! I'm keeping it a secret what prized polish this is. :)

Helen's Nice Things is showing off a shade deemed to to be hot this summer. A Models Own shade in a color that's hit the NYFW runways.

Tuli's Nails brought us some swatches from a brand called S-he Stylezone. Check out the pretty pink one full of HOLO-liciousness.

Daily Polish brings a gorgeous micro glitter purple polish for everyone to view. It may be from a smaller brand, but the name is definitely unforgettable. I'll let you take a look at what it is for yourself, lol.

Now on to our Network Giveaways...

This is your last chance to win the goodies fromTuli's Nails Romantic Valentine's Giveaway. Make sure you've entered for your chance to win!

Can't find the Milani Holo polish anywhere near you?! Well get your chance to snag those pretty Milani Holo's by entering Naive Nails 300 follower giveaway.

The Only Grey I Need

2010-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

Zoya Harley!

Wow, this is really a super perfect polish! Light dove grey, with a fine shimmer both silver and gold. Very subtle, it probably depends on the light conditions whether you decide if it is dominantly silver or gold.

Any which way, this is gorgeous! I did 3 coats + top coat. I didn't have time for much clean up, the picture is taken in the winter sun on my lunch break.

I'll probably need many more grey polishes if I really think about it. I can not part with either Recycle or Stormy and if I start searching my stash, I surely will find others as well.

I will keep on loving Zoya Harley though. That is a fact!

Tagged!

2010-02-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

The great blogger Polish Freak tagged me to this fine award:

The rules are:

Post the picture of the award and link to the blogger who awarded you.

Then nominate 10-15 new blogs that you recently started to follow.

Since I'm the last blogger in cyberspace to publish this award, I can't find many blogs to nominate. I will try with these two:

MakeUpMyLack

The Manicured Manatee

Thanks for the award, Polish Freak!

Wears like iron, looks like gold!

2010-02-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to CG Stellar, my first truly work appropriate glitter. Many fellow bloggers have reviewed this polish already, so I will just point out the things I did not know about it.

First, it is a subtle glitter, if that term exists at all.

It is not in your face at all in day light, but when you go on to the candlelight dinner your SO invited you to after work, it will bling him just enough for you to look irresistible..

It wears like iron clad concrete! Actually, the glitter polishes from China Glaze that I have tried so far all works like a heavy protective coats for my nails. I have used this to my advantage and I wore CG Stellar for almost two weeks, 4 thick coats topped with two coats of Seche Vite.

Love it!!

OT - The Time Thief!

2010-02-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

So, I feel an explanation is in order. Why doesn't PolishPig update her blog anymore?

Here is the answer to that, a nifty little gadget called iPhone.

Now why is this thing eating all of my time? It is very simple to use, right?

Right! As long as you don't start experiment with third part gadgets and combine this with trying to learn how to use your new iMac at the same time.

I'll admit it, I'm a total nerd. As a nerd, I like collecting things and I like to be on top of my collections. Enter the lovely little app from DDH Software, HanDBase. An easy to build and maintain database program, specially designed to use with hand held devices. HandBase has been on the market for a long time, I have used it for maybe 10 years with various Palm hand helds.

Probably, I have what a fellow blogger (the lovely PHD) calls a Hoarder Disorder. Being a hoarder and a nerd, I have large databases for my books, my computer games and recently, my nail polishes.

The upgrade from an ancient Palm Pilot and an old Mac G4 to iMac and iPhone was not without problems. I have been using just about all my spare time in the last few weeks reading old and new manuals, FAQ:s, public forums and being in contact with various support desks.

I'm happy to announce that in the end, I succeeded. I now have all my data secured in my new iMac and a brand new working HanDBase application in my iPhone. Never again will I leave home without a complete record of every nail polish I own.

That, my friends, is pure heaven for a nerd and a polish hoarder! ;-)

(I'm in no way affiliated with DDH or Apple, I just like the products. If you're interested in an easy to manage hand held database, I really recommend HanDBase. It is not expensive, and they give totally awesome customer support.)

China Glace Mahoganie

2010-01-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

Indeed, I'm late to the party again. This is my opinion of CG Mahoganie, last week's notd.

I wasn't very impressed at first.

It was opaque in two coats but with one coat of SV on top, it felt very bumpy indeed.

It looked all right, but being a feeler/picker/scratcher, that does not go all the way in my book. So, I was on the verge to turn the polish down as not wearable.

Luckily, just as I was going to get rid of my manicure, RL stepped in the way and I did not have the time to change my polish, just to do a quick fix.

So, I put on another coat of Mahoganie, followed by two thick coats of Seche Vite.

Heureka!

That's the way to treat this polish! After a total of 3 coats of polish and 2 thick layers of top coat, my nails were smooth as a baby's ... skin ;-)

As it turned out, if you layer it on thick like this, it wears like iron too. After a week I had to let it go 'cause of the color, otherwise I think it would still be on my nails a fortnight after applying it.

Beautiful hard wood, right?

Get That Glittah Off!

2010-01-23T04:49:00.000-08:00

Now, first let me point out, that this is not my idea. The technique has been featured on a lot of nail blogs lately, and that is how I came to know about it.

But, as I still see frequent sighs and complaint on the removal of glitter polish, I wanted to carry my little stick of knowledge to the great fire. So, If you never tried this before, do it now. I use this way of polish removing for all polish now, not just glitter. Much faster and it feels like it's kinder to my cuticles as well.

Pictures are pretty self explanatory.

First prepare 10 small wads of cotton pad or ball (I cut my round remover pads in quarters, works great). Cut 10 small pieces of aluminum foil.

Second, use a generous amount or your favorite remover on the cotton wad, wrap around your nail. Wrap the tin foil round to keep the remover to dry.

Relax for a couple of minutes by reading my blog ;-).

Third, and here comes the trick of the tail (and yes, ancient music reference here, bonus point to anyone getting this without googling ;-P).

When removing the tin foil/cotton wad, take it in a firm grip and wiggle it a little. This will cause almost all of the glitter to get stuck to the cotton wad. Press down on the nail as you slide the foil parcel of the nail. Follow up with an extra cotton wad drenched in remover to get any residue while it is still soft and easy to swipe off.

Finished!

Illamasqua Milf

2010-01-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

This will be a short post, I will let the picture talk. This is truly a great polish! (with a cheeky name, something I don't mind at all)

This is three coats over Nubar Foundation base coat, SW on top. Milf is a thick formula and if you're better than me with the brush I'm sure you can get good coverage with two coats. I like the end result though so it was surely worth three coats. Fast setting and durable end result, I'm still wearing this and is on the fifth day of wear without any chipping.

No sun for the last 4 days so the pictures are taken in heavy overcast. Since it is still cold here everything takes on a white, dreamy quality of light. Fairy tale mood, we are all trapped here by the Winter Queen. Beautiful, but a little scary too!

I wish you a great winter day!

Ciaté Blood Bath!

2010-01-17T05:37:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you all know that special smell from the mail box.

The smell that tells you something awful happened, and probably to a gorgeous polish you wanted for a long time.

This is the Ciaté collection. The poor murder victim is called Power Dressing. This is the fall collection from 2009, and apart from the crime that has obviously taken place here, it is a lovely collection.

Look how the ones left seems all forlorn, I will have to comfort them somehow.. but they are so messy!!

I bought it at ABC Beauty Shop and I have been very happy with their customer support and shipping in the past. They ship internationally and are a pleasure to deal with.

This time the wrapping was not enough, they just wrapped a single layer of bubble plastic around the package of nail polish. I tried to save the remaining polishes, but they were terribly stained and had all suffered from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). I will try to get a new lot from ABC Beauty Shop, and I'll keep you all updated on the progress.

The biggest question here is: Whodunnit? Was it the mail man? I will keep my suspicions to myself for now and investigate further.

Edit:

I have gotten a very fast and polite reply from ABC Beauty Shop. They will resend the collection to me ASAP.

Great news! I do trust them, the only other issue I have had with them was resolved in the same way, fast and polite. If you live outside Great Britain and still have a soft spot for these bowed beauties, try ABC Beauty Shop.

(and I'm not affiliated or payed by them in any way, I am just a happy customer)

MNBB - MyNailsButBetter!

2010-01-16T02:39:00.000-08:00

I have heard of lip colors that are "my lips but better" - mlbb. I didn't really think that the same concept would work for nails, but Essie proved me wrong. This is Rock Candy from the holiday collection. I debated with myself before I ordered this, a sheer pinkish color, did I really need it?

Yes, I did!

The story is as follows. In short, streaky, streaky, streaky and perfect!

This is my new "no-polish polish". With this I can fool even the head nurse that I have clean, healthy and unpolished nails, even if they're a tad to long.

This polish hides your stained nails and the pink balances any yellow tone. This is four rather thick coats, and I don't regret a minute of the time I spent with this polish. Does the world hold a better moment than finding a new loved one!

A Rosy Reflection

2010-01-10T02:47:00.000-08:00

I'm tired today after a very intensive but inspiring week of work. New Years Day I choose a manicure that I hope will bring a bright future to me 2010. This is OPI Rosy Reflections, part of the ltd. Reflection set from Fall 2009.

This is a foil like polish, like a pale rosy Trixie (from Zoya). A dense shimmer with micro glitter and not a single brush stroke. Extremely easy to apply and very durable.

The sun pictures were taken today, after 10 days wear. Two days ago, I shortened the tips and put on a thin new top coat but no other touching up has been done, and I really did not have any tip wear before that, I just needed to trim the length of my nails and wanted to seal the edges afterwards.

The three first pictures, of my seldom seen right hand, is outside in winter sun, the last one is outside in shade.

I like this polish, it has a satiny finish. It works in festive settings because of the foil and hidden micro glitter, but it never gets in your face, and I consider it work safe too.

A Good Riddance Of Bad Rubbish! (and I wish You all a better 2010)

2009-12-31T09:05:00.000-08:00

I decided to keep the manicure with Tiara over the Maybelline polish. We're having King Crab tonight, and since the polish is wearing like iron, I thought it would be a good move.

Not to bore you entirely, I bring you RBL Moxie. A pale whitish gold, very opaque, very nice and very discontinued. Maybe I'll change to this in the morning, maybe not.

I have not had an entirely happy year, hence the title of this post. I wish You all a better 2010 because even if your 2009 has been fantastic, there is always room for improvement, right?

xxx

Twinkle Twinkle Layering

2009-12-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

I tried out a possible New Year manicure last night. I have an old Maybelline, Twinkle Twinkle who is supposed to be a possible dupe for Essie Starry, Starry Night.

Well, if that is a dupe, my lemming for Starry, Starry Night disappeared in a hurry. It turned out a dark blue, gloopy mess with small silver flecks sparsely scattered. Possibly, my bottle just needs thinning, so I'll give it another chance before stamping rubbish all over it.

Last night I didn't have the patience though, so I just quickly covered it with one layer of Nubar Tiara. That is the top coat sold together with the Royal Gems collection that was released earlier this fall. What do you think? Could it pass for a New Years Eve Manicure?

I haven't made my mind up yet, but I like how it looks. It makes me curious of what Tiara will do to the polishes is what meant for, the Royal Gems.

(and, I have to tell you, something with the blogger image transfer just royally f*cked up, so the pictures you see are two of the ones I cancelled. The one I saved for you is nowhere to be found, they are in my picture archive just like they're supposed to, but impossible to find in blogger. Well, it is this or nothing!)

OK, I hear you, you're not satisfied yet.. ;-)

2009-12-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

Do you need a new notd?

I will be happy to bring you my last years christmas offer.

I worked the whole holiday in hospital ward and I really did have the impression that the patients not critically ill, where they would not even have noticed anything greater than real life valkyria's with a big sword, trying to scare and scorche the illnes away.

They actually looked at my bright colored nails and took comfort in them. I believe I heard a comment on my nails about 30 times that day, and none of them were critical, just happy and complimental! I sent very many kids on their merry way home that day..

(then I went home and that is really a different story)

edit: I forgot to tell you about the polish. It is China Glace Red Stallion, great shimmer, no streaking problems. This is 2 coats and top coat if I remember correct.

Ho, Ho, Who Stole My Nails..?

2009-12-25T05:03:00.000-08:00

…and used them as his coat hangers!

My Santa turned out to be a real Robin Hood, stealing from the rich (in talent) and giving the idea to me.

The richly talented lady in question is Beauty Judy who came up with this wonderful christmas manicure a couple of days ago.

I used Ciaté Snatch for the red coat, white and black nail art polish from Art Deco. I didn't have any silver for Santa's belt buckle, but as it turned out this Santa is from the 'hood and he wanted Bling, so it worked out all right with a gold glitter nail art polish instead (swedish no-name brand).

A special Merry Christmas to Judy for giving me inspiration for this one!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T02:09:00.000-08:00

To all my friends in the nail polish part of cyber space, let me wish you a happy holiday, celebrating christmas or not.

The 22 of december was the shortest day of the year, so now the sun is returning, that is enough to merit a celebration if you live way up north.

Todays manicure is red like Santa Claus' coat, or red as the bonfires my ancestors lit up to celebrate mid winter and the pagan nordic gods.

Ciaté Snatch is a vivid red, not on the blue side but definitely not orange ether. This is a colour that makes men turn their heads! Pure creme. I used two coats but if I had been more careful one would have been enough.

They Came Through the Snow

2009-12-23T02:29:00.000-08:00

..and they clearly wanted my soul ;-)

This is really a silly post, but I was so happy yesterday I couldn't help myself.

The beautiful winter weather, my new polishes from Ciaté and the fact that Christmas is almost here just made me a little silly. And of course I have to share with you. One of the polishes makes up my current manicure, can you guess which one?

A bonus picture of our drive way - winter wonderland!

Christmas With Charity

2009-12-21T03:27:00.000-08:00

Finally, I made my last appearance at work for this year! Time to decorate the house for Christmas, buy the last gifts and most of all, time to relax with the family! (and a bottle of nail polish..)

Last week's notw was Zoya Charity.

I had a very busy work week that didn't end until 08.00 this morning. This polish worked with me all the way, from last saturday, 11 whole days of wear. Today I'm taking it of because I can't wait to paint my nails in a brighter colour, but there is hardly any tip wear and not a single chip. Fantastic!

The colour is a chameleon that I still don't really know how to describe. Is it a mauve? Is it a taupe? Does it shimmer?

In cloudy daylight or office light, it looks like a very shiny mauve creme, at least on my fingers. In low lamp light it's more like a light brown or taupe. There is a gold shimmer that will surprise you in a good way when you least expect it to.

The pictures are cloudy outside (actually snowing a little, brr), artificial halogen light and artificial light with flash. I used 3 coats over Nubar Foundation, SV on top. I will return to Zoya Charity as I will to my other favorite charities. After all, Christmas is a time for giving!

Where a Picture says more than a 1000 words

2009-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Nubar Midnight Glory.

This is a hard polish to capture. I tried in flash light, in "natural" indoor halogen light and finally in very cloudy natural light outside. One thing every one can agree on I think, is that this is a remarkable beautiful polish. Multi chrome, sometimes pink, sometimes gold. sometimes with a strong baby blue flash and sometimes more lavender. Just fascinating!

3 coats + top coat. It could easily had been enough by two coats, but it was a little lumpy and I wanted to make it perfect..

MIA - Here is the reason (OT)

2009-12-12T10:13:00.000-08:00

I'm so behind posting here, and if you miss me, I'm sorry for the lack of updates the last two weeks. You see the reason above!

Yes, that is right, a new computer came to live with us, and it's a mac. I adore it, but now I'm in the middle of making the transition from one platform to another, trying to move important documents (aka my swatches and wish list ;-D) and learning to deal with the MacOS.

Actually, I didn't even change my manicure, so I wore the lovely trench coat for two weeks straight. That is a record for me, but shows to prove what a fantastic polish Under My Trench Coat is. So far, I have yet to be disappointed by a $OPI. It is so worth the extra buck, if you ask my opinion.

Now, I have a new manicure, and as soon as get myself sorted out, I'll show it to you.

And, if this post looks strange in any way, blame my new computer.. ;-)

Hidden Treasures

2009-12-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

This week has been busy for me. I haven’t even had time to update with my notw until now. The manicure of the week is $OPI Under My Trench Coat. I snuck out during work yesterday to get some photos in the sun. The sun was setting, it was freezing (-5 C) and the pictures could have been better, so excuse me for red and frozen fingers..

Anyway, the polish is great! Do you see the gold glimmering under the greige surface? It has just enough golden shimmer to be a really shiny but inoffensive neutral crème in office light, but in the sun or in bright light, this coated baby wears gold spun silk underneath!

Three coats plus Seche Vite top coat, under Nubar foundation. It was a little thick and lumpy, but the end result is very pleasing, I have now had the manicure for three whole work days without a single chip and not any tip wear at all.

To Fall In Love With Your Pay Check

2009-11-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

These last weeks I have been on a relentless no-buy. The family had to order a new computer, and I was the only one who possibly could cough up the dough. That is.. if I ceased wasting money on all the little feel good things, buried my nose in the ground and just thought about buying inexpensive and sensible food for the family.

I did that.
Oh, the agony as all the China glitter came available at TD, I couldn’t order a single one of them. And The Wizards collection, and the OPI Holidays, I can tell you this is not the best time of the year to go on a no-buy!

Anyway, things are looking a little brighter, I have received a new pay check and even if I didn’t do the math I quickly estimated that there was room for a small (well ;-) ) order to Cherry Couture as well as a few more Ciatés from my favourite English source, even before I pay this months bills. I do hope I’m not being overenthusiastic, but you all know ho it feels to be starving of new nail goodies as the seasonal collections are just raining from the sky,,

I have been away for education the last two days. I needed a fairly conventional polish, although it did not need to be invisible. So, many great choices!
I ended up with SpaRituals Fall In Love. A wonderful fall polish, conservative but striking. It is a dark wine red colour, a shimmer but yet a little muted. In the pictures, there is a flash of green in the bottle. I wouldn’t by any means call this a duo chrome, I don’t even think it will be fair to say it is iridescent. That subtle green flair does give a special dimension to the polish anyway. I adds a depth and interest to the side of the nails, and transforms a polish I would write of as a standard shimmer dark red, to something quite different, a polish with a subtle lure that will be calling to me from the Helmer and certainly make me wear again..

The polish with a secret..

2009-11-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

The favoured manicure this weekend was the gorgeous Color Club Wild and Willing, from the autumn collection called Wild at Heart.

This is really a stunning colour, a pink-gold duochrome with a strong shine, and not a single brush stroke. I had to wait a couple of days for a wee bit of sun, something that is needed to show this polish of to its best advantage. I really love this polish! I might even need a back up of this bottle.

In the pictures, there are 3 coats and top coat, but really, the third coat is only there because I got a little chip on one of my nails, waiting for the sun..

So what is the secret?
I’ll tell you if you promise to keep it a secret between you and Wild and Willing. Every Saturday night after dinner, if the polish is on your nails, it will get this terrible craving for a brandy. You will notice because suddenly, it will become all sparkly, and take on the colour of brandy like a chameleon. And if you don’t believe me, here is picture proof! ;-)

Supernova!

2009-11-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

So, if you already have the universe on your finger nails, but nobody else than yourself can see it, what do you do?
Easy, just add a supernova or a couple of them, then the world will stop in its tracks (well, maybe not).

I layered my black polish with two coats of Linnea from Make Up Store. This is a Swedish brand, but I’m sure Nfu-Oh has similar flakies. Then I waited for two days for the sun to come out, so the manicure is not perfect anymore, but it held up pretty good. Last picture is shade, outside but aided by flash.

Spaced Out!

2009-11-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

When I first laid my eyes on this polish, I immediately thought of an image taken from the Hubble telescope. View it here and be prepared to surrender your heart to the greatness of our universe: Hubble Site - Picture Album: Omega Centauri

Needless to say, I had to try this polish out as soon as possible, so my chocolate treat went right off.
(Has anyone guessed I have a few days of vacation and therefore both time and possibility to change my manis more than once a week – and wear dark and vampy colours. Yay!)

This is one of Eyeko’s new polish, the name is Cosmic, which I think is very appropriate. It went on like a dream, almost full coverage in one coat, here is two rather thick coats and my usual CG FF as top coat. No bubbling or cuticle drag, very easy to work with. The pictures are in full sunlight and with flash aided inside daylight.

My only slight disappointment is that you really need full sunlight or a strong artificial light to pick out the beautiful multi coloured holo glitter in the polish. In shady daylight or under ordinary lamp light, it looks like an extremely shiny crème black. Now that is not a bad thing to have on your fingers, but I really would have liked the universe on my nails to be a little more apparent. When the light does catch the polish, it is pure magic. It really gives a 3D feeling, that you look deep into something dark and glittery.

But beware, in Deep Space – No one can hear you blog about polish!

Late In November

2009-11-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

This is my late fall manicure. It’s supposed to look like fall leaves, already on the brown dirt ground. It is also my first Konad-icure ever. I have seen so many talented manicures done with Konad, and I’ve tried to master the secret several times, but failed miserably.

Tonight, I can report victory, and it is spelled pure acetone! As soon as I cleaned my plate and stamper with that, the pattern transferred with great ease to my nails.
So easy, yet so frustrating, I have had my Konad set for about a year, not being able to use it.

So, this is my very first attempt at this, and of course it is a little of key, but I’m happy with the result anyway. I started with my delicious No 6 Chunky Chocolate, the Konad is CG Delight and Magical from the Romantique Collection.

Edit: I was inspired from this great Konadier: http://apolishproblem.blogspot.com/2009/11/yes-another-falling-leaves-mani.html

Now I realize, many girls have been tempted to use this Konad plate, here is another that was prior to my attempt, although I did not find her until today:

http://krisprimps.bradandkris.com/?p=750

So, not really unique, but actually I'm proud of it anyway!

A Parcel for the Pig!

2009-11-19T01:30:00.000-08:00

What is this, is it an early christmas gift from my secret elf?
Please disregard the pig, it must be a polishpig which crept up to smell if there might be something interesting in there..

So pretty a parcel, do you think I can refrain from opening..?...

Nah, I couldn’t!
Look at all these goodies, polishes, lip glosses, an eye dust and an eye pen. To top it off a very cute little bag with a lot of samples in. What a great Christmas gift!

To concentrate on the polishes, I show you first two BarryM without names, the pink one and the green one. They must have been part of a promotional package or some other limited edition, since they have no names and there is a “not to be sold separately” sticker at the bottom.
Great colours, and even though I have about eight other green BarryM, none of them is a dupe of this! I don’t have the pink one either, but that is not so surprising, since I only have one other BarryM pink. The yellow one I think is from the regular line, but it is new to me, name is yellow 134.
Then there is a beautiful L’Oreal polish from the summer 09 release, 350. Unfortunately, this is one that I had in my stash already, but it will do a good job in my trade pile.
Last but not least, there is a holographic glitter top coat polish from Wet’n Wild, Kaleidoscope. I’m super happy about this one! Surely, I have other glittery top coats, but really, who could get enough holographic glitter!

Thank you very much Maria from Polishign the nails!

Now, I feel a little bit naughty for opening my christmas gift way early, I hope Santa don't read my blog.. ;-)