Sunset Gradient

Hi guys! I spotted my entire collection of Orly's Summer Neon Collection 2012 just sitting in my drawer collecting dust so I decided to take them out to play :) I created a sunset like gradient & it turned out pretty well. Love how well the colours blended into each other.

As usual, my camera couldn't capture the neons so I tried tweaking the lighting a little to make it seem a little more saturated. It didn't work a whole lot. Anyone have any tips on capturing neon colours?

Hope you guys like it as much as I did! <3 y'all

  

Pahlish Experimental Methods Collection

Hi guys! Today I have Pahlish's Experimental Methods set swatches! I haven't been exactly had many indies coming in lately & I was really excited to finally get my hand on more creme glitters. These are my first Pahlish polishes so I didn't know what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised <3 

My only teeny complaint was that the packaging did not satisfy me because it left the polishes a little sticky. I hate that dratted stickiness which is really difficult to come off & the residue spoils the pretty logo :( 

Swatches are all at 3 coats & Pahlish polishes are available here.

Warning: Picture heavy post ahead!

La Riche Lagoon Blue

I recently dip dyed my hair using La Riche's Lagoon Blue which is a striking aquamarine. After two weeks it faded to something nearly tie dye-esque, with streaks of seaweed green, a soft denim blue & brown.

This wasn't my first time with La Riche, but I think I'd be honest in saying it's been the best so far. My previous attempts with lilac & pastel pink were terrible as the dye didn't 'stick'. I wasn't feeling so confident about Lagoon Blue after that but the results really surprised me. The color did run onto my pillowcase though
    ಠ╭╮ಠ  something that never occurred when I used Manic Panic.

Since this is primarily a nail blog, I decided that matching nails would be fitting. I decided to go with a gradient & although it isn't immediately visible, the green on my nails matches the color on some areas of my hair.

For my nail base I started out with OPI's What's With The Cattitude, a baby blue creme. I did random sponging with China Glaze's Mahogany Magic & Zoya Bevin, which is a gorgeous sage green.

I love this look, it's so simple, soft & sweet without being too overly girly, which is exactly the same sort of look I feel my hair gives.

Born Pretty Store: Studs Collection

The most recent thing the Born Pretty Store sent me for review were a gorgeous set of studs featuring a collection of silver & golden grunge inspired rhinestones. 

After seeing countless nail art designs, the studs were a welcome relief from the usual nail art I do. They were relatively easy to use with just a cuticle stick & some drops of top coat. Although I wouldn't recommend y'all to be waving your arms about after doing so, as the studs would fall out pretty easily with rigorous arm movement. 

On to what are on my nails today, I first started out with China Glaze's Calypso Blue, which is the darkest blue navy I've ever seen, & I've simply layered NFU 52 over it. Choosing only gold colored studs, I managed to grunge up the manicure a little giving it a little rocker look. 

As always Born Pretty Store purchases come with a discount code, which is listed below & in the side bar for a 10% off. Don't forget they have free international shipping, which is personally why I love buying from them.

Below are pictures showing the shift in flakies & how the studs look over the different color combinations!

BeautyAsia Exhibition

There was a BeautyAsia Exhibition held at Marina Bay Sands awhile back, happy that I found the time to attend it because it wasn't a total waste. I had a wonderful time with Rachel from cherchezbeaute <3 We, well I, bought tons of new things which I will show today. 

The picture above shows the color of my hair color back then, it's a delightful mix of Manic Panic's Atomic  Turquoise & Electric Lizard.

Warning: Heavy picture post!

I did snap a few pictures of things that caught my interest, & there was a Korean nail store in particular that caught my interest.

This was their print manicure, an interesting concept. Working like how you'd do newspaper nails, but instead of using isopropyl alcohol, we use the pink bottle (as seen below) to make the transfer. Unlike isopropyl alcohol, which I have failed terrifically at, the solution transfer seems to have a much stronger success rate. The prints are also more vibrant & clear. Don't take my word for it, I'll put a review up soon :) I was lucky enough to grab 1 set thanks to Cheeying from Inky Polisholicious! :D

This was their selection of mood changing polishes. I wish I had enough cash on me to buy all of them, I found all their collections amazing! I spotted a holographic set of polishes but I didn't manage to take a photo of them. :( If you want to take a look at things that they have, or maybe even order from them, I heard that Sur is actually looking for distributors! I went to their website, & they have an amazing collection of glitters, even milky based ones, magnetics & chrome. Why is this brand not readily available?! >.<

I managed to snap a quick photo of Orly's Spring 2013 Hope & Freedom collection. Disappointingly enough, I wasn't allowed to buy a single polish, rather they insisted that we buy the whole set. I think I'll pass. :| 

What I bought however, more than made up for the rather disappointing exhibition this year. I didn't exactly buy a lot of polishes, probably half my haul compared to last year, & I feel content with my spending habits.

Deborah Lippmann's Sweet Dreams, Ray of Light & Mermaid's Dream

So I went a little nuts when I saw the DL rack :P Can anyone blame me? These looked so gorgeous I snapped them up in 5 minutes :)

Misa The Great Green Whatsit & Pour Me Something Tall & Strong

Misa is a relatively unknown brand to me, so I just picked up the ones I thought were attractive. The Great Green Whatsit seems especially beautiful & the name makes me giggle. A little.

Zoya's Creamy & Layla

So there were racks & racks of Zoya & I honestly went a little mental... At first. After enquiries, we all realized they didn't have the new ranges so I only got these 2! They are bright cremes that I intend to use for nail art mostly.

So that's the end of my nail haul! :D It wasn't much but I feel so satisfied because I didn't spend a lot & I felt like I spent it well <3

Toodles! xo

Color Shifting Layering Goodness!

Hello lacqueristas :O I got my creative juices flowing yesterday & did a layering experiment. I actually first tried a jelly sandwich using Nubar's 2010 flakies but it didn't work out. :(

So I started off with a base of OPI's Every Month Is Oktoberfest, which is a purple based red shimmer, one of the best colors in the Germany collection in my opinion. I then layered Nubar's famed 2010 flakies over it. I was quite surprised at how sparse the flakies are compared to Essie's Shine Of The Times! Lastly, I grabbed my precious bottle of MaxFactor's Fantasy Fire for the final color shifting goodness.

I was incredibly delighted at how everything turned out, I kept shifting my fingernails whenever I could so I could drool over the color changes! 

Glitter Swirls

Hi guys! I haven't done stamping in a long time & I thought I'd do some today, but with a little twist. I tried using glitter to create a more subtle effect. 

Using China Glaze's Glitter All The Way stamped over Flying Dragon from my previous post with Konad's m63, I thought the combination of matte & glitter was very pretty <3 I know it's not very obvious, but I think that's what I like about it. It's not a design that other people would enjoy but just you. I understand it won't be for everyone, but it was a fun experiment nevertheless.

China Glaze Flying Dragon (Neon)

Today I have one of my favorite purples, China Glaze's Flying Dragon, to show you. It's pretty old I think, but still incredibly gorgeous. The reason why I put (Neon) though, was because there apparently are two formulations of it. Yeah, I know I only have one of them, but it's the best I swear. 

So my swatch here is at 3 coats, and it shows the grittiness of the polish. I refrained from giving it a top coat shine because I think it looks so mega pretty like this. Flying Dragon is a neon purple polish with bright blue splashes of color. I love how it dries, not only is it a magnificent matte, it dries with texture! It's like the original textured polish that seems to be really popular lately. The formula was a little streaky, I suppose my bottle could've been in storage for so long that it could benefit from a little thinner.

Pretty & Polished Party On My Yacht

Today I have my oldest & my favorite indie polish, Pretty & Polished Party On My Yacht. I bought it when the indies craze just arrived & I remember being so excited because this was my first glitter jelly. 

Yes I know I did a white manicure before this, but I can't seem to get over soft, flowy spring colors & this is no exception. Set in a white base with multicolored sprinkles of hexagonal glitter & blue bar glitter, the combination may seem simple & understated, but the result is a big splash of colors, it's name is fitting, as it reminds me of multitude of bikinis, just partying away on a big white yacht. 

I'm wearing it at 3 coats, although I think 2 coats would be fine. Dainty, with a hint of fun, & definitely not girly, I think this is honestly one of the best indie polishes I have.

Spring Watercolor Nails

I haven't yet apologized for my sporadic posting in the last few months. I'm so sorry guys, I was swamped with my studies & personal problems, there wasn't this urge to blog. Anyway, I'm done with school & am currently on holiday so expect more posts!

Spring is officially here! My favorite season of the year, with gorgeous pastel colors & amazing fashion lines, plus flowers & green everywhere, I am nearly bouncing off the walls in excitement. If only I didn't live in a tropical country. I would trade the sweltering heat for anything. Anyone? So, my nail art drew inspiration from some fashion lines this season, soft with a touch of color. 

I achieved this look using The Face Shop's Check It set, which contains a trio of soft pastel tones in blue, yellow & pink.

After lightly brushing on the strokes on the tip of my nail, I softened the whole look using a brush dipped in acetone to create the watercolor effect.