Nail Art - Minion Nails!

Today is a great day! Finally my lamp arrived for my newly made lightbox. This lightbox is larger than the one I have at home and has a cool feature...changing backgrounds! My boyfriend was able to cut a slit to allow the exchange of coloured paper, so I could have different coloured backgrounds for my pictures. How exciting right?! There is no greater way to debut this new lightbox than with Minion Nails!

I am a beginner in terms of nail art, so things never turn out as perfectly as I want. But once the minions' cute mouths were drawn on I couldn't be disappointed at my nail art. They were just too adorable!

Mani Composition:
Goggles - Color Club Revvvolution
Goggle band & Mouth - OPI Black Onyx
Eyes - OPI Alphine Snow, OPI Black Onyx
Overalls - Color Club Bright Night
Minion Skin - Nicole by OPI Hit The Lights





These were super cute! Their cute little faces made me real happy and melted my heart. I hope these little minions also made you guys smile~

NOTD - Blue Jewels

Another Nail-Of-The-Day post for you guys~ I have been doing a lot of these skittlette mani's because I have been wearing regular mani's mostly for quite a few months now. This mani was truly spectacular and I didn't want to remove it, so I ended up wearing it for a whole week!

Most colour accurate for CC Bright Night 

Mani Composition:

Thumb & Ring - Color Club Bright Night (2 coats with top coat)

Index & Middle - OPI Tiffany Case (2 coats without top coat)

Pinky - Orly Sparkling Garbage (3 coats with top coat)

Each finger reminded me of a jewel. Holo and sparkling texture...of course...but the vibrant blue of Bright Night reminded me of a sapphire. Gorgeous! The colours of the polishes went really well together as well. There is a very good chance I will wear this exact same mani again because I love it so much!

How do you like this skittlette? Have you fallen in love with a mani of your own recently?

NOTD - Fourth of July Nails

So fourth of July has come and passed, which means time to show what mani I sported for the American holiday! Since I did not get the chance to do a Canada Day inspired mani, I knew I had to come up with something for July 4th. Yes, I finally went out and bought a white polish (this was tough considering the public subway system was on strike).

Trying to think of a design that would only use tape was tough, but in the end I really like the design. The colour-block nails kind of remind me of a famous painting that I cannot recall right now.

Mani Composition:
All fingers had 2 layers of OPI Alpine Snow as a base.
Thumb & Pinky - OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy With It, Color Club Beyond The Mistletoe
Other fingers - China Glaze Phat Santa, OPI Dating A Royal

I am very pleased with the end result after many hours of thinking of a design and actually doing it. A friend of mine even commented that my thumb and pinky nails looked like fireworks! The holographic glitters in BTM definitely added a bit of "oomph" to nail. Hope you guys had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend and thanks for stopping by~

What did you sport on the Fourth of July?

Dupe? - Beyond Revvvolution

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians~ Sadly I do not have a Canada Day inspired mani to show, because during the chaos of packing I forgot to bring a bottle of white polish *face palm*. But who doesn't love looking at holographic polishes? That's what I have for you guys today. Time to compare some holographic polishes my friends! I actually did this comparison awhile back and just never got around to posting it. Either way, it's here now and we are looking at two Color Club holographic black polishes: Beyond and Revvvolution.

Color Club Beyond 
Darker colour, true black compared to Revvvolution. Holo is more linear and stronger.

Color Club Revvvolution
Due to the prominence of coarse silver holographic particles, this "black" polish looks more like charcoal (dark grey). Holo only visible under sun.

In all the pictures below:
            2 coats polish and no top coat
            Index & ring - Revvvolution
            Middle & pinky - Beyond

These two are not dupes. All specifications of these two polishes are the same, the only differences being colour and holo strength. Personally, I like Beyond more due to the colour being a true black. I mean a black holo of this strength is just too amazing to pass up, right?

Which of these two do you have? What are you thoughts on black holo polishes?

NOTD - Fix My Fail Contest Entry

Hello everyone! Today, I have my mani entry into Lacquer or Leave Her's Fix My Fail Contest. The contest is just for fun, and it is fun to do as well! I definitely had a great time trying to think of how to keep as many of the original fail mani elements as possible. There were two choices and I chose the Aphrodite Lacquers Margarita Fail. Here is what I came up with:

L-R: China Glaze Def Defying, Color Club Eternal Beauty, Kiss French Manicure White

I used two coats of ChG Def Defying then used a dotting tool to dot on the flowers and dot-stripes with CC Eternal Beauty and Kiss white. The concept behind this was that the mani was supposed to kind of resemble a shooting star. Where the flowers are the stars and the white dots trail behind them going from large to smaller dots. I love the holographic flowers, so pretty and eye catching~

Thanks Lacquer or Leave Her! for holding this contest! This was the push I needed to get back into nail art.

Swatch - Ruby Wing Crowd Surf

From the same makers of Color Club comes Ruby Wing! A colour changing polish that changes under the sun. We have been getting beautiful warm sunny weather here, so I had to try out my Ruby Wing polishes! I have one from their summer collection called Festival Paint to show today.

Ruby Wing Crowd Surf:
Neon fuchsia that changes to a dark plum/purple under the sun. Colour change starts happening in seconds under the sun, and takes a minute for the complete change. The colour is darker on the nail compared to bottle colour. Under different lightings, the polish can look like fuchsia or raspberry.
*Note: adding a top coat (I tried Seche Vite) hinders the colour change. Colour does change but to much lesser degree compared to no top coat applied. Sunscreen on mani does not affect colour change whatsoever.

This polish is impossible to photograph! I was extremely frustrated and tried to fiddle around with the white balance, but my camera was too overwhelmed by the neon properties. Therefore, I can only try my best to describe the colour in words for you guys.

Pictures show two coats without top coat. In real life, the colour is neon hybrid of pink and purple,  and darker (for the first picture).

Indoor, no flash

Indoor with flash

Index and pinky exposed to sun. Middle and ring in shade.

Index and pinky exposed to sun. Middle and ring in shade.

To show complete colour change under sun is dark plum.

Specifications:
Formula - sticky and gloopy, tends to go on thick cause hard to spread
Pigmentation - one coater if do thick coat, otherwise 2 coats
Finish - rubbery, dull shine, *TC not recommended due to hindrance on colour change!
Dry time - slow, takes very long (at least 40 mins) to harden!
Removal - easy
Staining - none (surprising for a colour like this)

This was my first time trying out a colour changing polish, and I have to say I am impressed. Yes, the formula could have been less tacky (maybe some thinner would help) but that is not a big deal compared to the great things this polish has to offer. I think this polish would be a great mani to wear for a tropical vacation. Since you are out in the sun all day and get to wear two colours (who has time to do a manicure while on vacation anyway?). Awesome awesome polish!

What is your take on this colour changing polish?

Swatch - Color Club Factory Girl

The polish I am showing you today is one I was very excited about. For over a year now, I have been kicking myself for not buying OPI What's With The Cattitude when I saw it in a store. Ever since then I have been on the hunt for that polish or a dupe. Finally, I came across Color Club Factory Girl because the two polishes looked identical. I guess I will never know if they truly are dupes until I get my paws on WWTC, in the mean time Factory Girl will have to do.

Color Club Factory Girl is a bright sky/baby blue cream. The colour is much brighter on the nail compared to in the bottle, which seemingly makes the colour look muted. There is a lot to say regarding the formula, all that needs to be known is that it is a hot mess! (More on that later) However, the colour is gorgeous! Pictures show 3 thick coats with top coat, second picture is most colour accurate.

Specifications:
Formula - worst I have ever come across, it is patchy and drags as you are putting on the polish
Prone to - bald spots!!!
Pigmentation - sheer, need at least 3 medium to thick coats
Dry time - faster than average for creams
Finish - rubber like (dull), top coat recommended
*Application tip:  have LOTS of polish on brush when apply and try never to go over the same spot more than once to avoid dragging

I really really wanted to kill my WWTC lemming, but the awful formula makes that impossible. The colour is awesome, exactly what I wanted, but it is not enough to make up for the awful formula. Notice how many times I have talked about the formula? It is THAT BAD! Definitely would not recommend this polish to anyone. I will keep searching for WWTC as well as its dupe. Victory will be mine!

NOTD - Easter Dotticure Mani

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you are all having an awesome weekend with family and friends, perhaps around a turkey even. I did not realise Easter is not an extra long weekend in the USA, in Canada we get both the Friday and Monday as holidays. Easter seems like a common holiday; but different country, different holidays, I guess. Onto more important issues like this Easter mani.

 L-R: Color Club Factory Girl, OPI Rumple's Wiggin', China Glaze Lemon Fizz, Zoya Neely 

 L-R: OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, OPI Oh So Glam!, Kiss white polish

Two coats of each base colour was used before adding dots. The exception being Factory Girl, which required 3 thick coats due to its awful formula. The thumbs consisted of two coats MBSW, one coat OSG and dots (using the base colours). White dots were done with a white polish from a Kiss French Manicure set. One coat of top coat was applied to all nails.

One thing I have to shine the spotlight on is my thumbs. Love love LOVE the layering of OSG on top MBSW. The layering softened the white and added this beautiful, subtle golden glow. 

This was a fast, simple manicure that anyone can do at home without special tools. Just paint each nail a different colour; and add dots using pen, pencil, bobby pin, etc. The most time consuming nail would be the thumb, because you have to dot each colour one at a time.

I have no idea when this mani will be removed. I don't think I have the heart to take this off because I love it too much. It's so soft and cute, definitely reminds me of easter eggs!

Hope this has inspired some Easter mani's out there. Thanks for checking in!

Swatch & Review - Color Club Halo Hues 2013

 Holos!!! I was so excited to get this collection. These can kind of be considered as my first holographic polish experience. And let me tell you, the experience was amazing! The colours show up strong and are not swallowed or covered by holographic craziness. There are also a couple of unique colours for holos, in my opinion. Warning: picture heavy post! Truth is though...no one can get enough of holo pics.

For the pictures, I put on 2 coats of polish with no base or top coat. Thumb has base coat and top coat (Seche Vite) to observe changes in holographic properties (last pic for each colour).

Cosmic Fate:
Peachy orange metallic foil holo.

Flash

Sunlight

Kismet:
Hybrid of moss and sea foam green metallic foil holo. 

Flash

Sunlight

Beyond:
Black holo. Pictures are of 1 thick coat. Least holographic of the collection, but definitely noticeable (especially in the sun). Top coat does not affect holo much, just as strong under sun. Very fast dry time (surprise!).  

Flash

Sunlight

Eternal Beauty:
Purple holo. Holo effect not as strong indoors, but strong in the sun. Top coat does not affect holo much, just as strong under sun.

Flash

Sunlight

Miss Bliss: 
Dark pink holo (very strong holo). Top coat does not affect holo at all (bonus!). 

Flash

Sunlight

Over The Moon:
Frosty blue holo (very strong holo). Top coat does not affect holo at all (bonus!).

Flash

Sunlight

Specifications:
The colours really show up strong for this collection, which I like. I find a lot of times the color becomes very faded or overpowered by the holographic effect that it just looks like a silver holo.
Dry time: fast, but tad slower than Halo Hues 2012 collection
Formula: easy application, good coverage (2 coats)
Prone to: Nothing (not even brushstrokes, may seem so when applying and wet, but when dry holo covers it all up)
Finish: not shiny, top coat is viable option
Base coat: compatible (special BC not needed), does not affect application or holo (I tried both OPI Nail Envy Matte and OPI Natural Nail Base Coat)
Top coat: smudges/fades out the holo a bit to make it less in our face, but still strong holo. This applies to Cosmic Fate and Kismet. The others' holos are less affected by top coat (read above).
Removal: easy (slightly harder than creams)
Application: Apply fast and try not to go over the same spot more than once to avoid dragging due to fast dry time of these polishes

Edit: This collection is now available on the Color Club Website

This was an amazing collection, I really love it! From what I have read about holographic polishes, seems like they can be a pain, but these were perfect. My favorites of the collection are Beyond, Cosmic Fate and Kismet. These are my favorite mostly for the reason that they are not your usual holographic polish colours. Which of these drool-worthy holos do you like?