New Years Eve Mani

It's New Years Eve today, and this is the mani I'm wearing for this occasion (and for the next couple of days. I'm spending New Years Eve in the mountains with my boyfriend and some of his friends, and I won't be back until wednesday night). I tried a glitter gradient for the first time, but as a gradient, it's a fail. Not gradient-y at all. But I still like it (and as I didn't have the time to re-do the mani, I just have to wear it like it is...)





The base color I used is Nail Pattern Boldness Bigger On The Inside.





Bigger On The Inside is part of the Time Traveller collection, and as a huge Doctor Who fan, I knew I had to get my hands on some of this polishes, as soon as I heard about this collection. And I'm really glad I did. It's bigger on the inside is what most people say when they first enter the TARDIS, the Doctor's Space/Timeship. Allison, the creator of Nail Pattern Boldness, describes Bigger On The Inside as "a bright blue jelly with silver and blue micro glitter." It's the perfect 12th-Doctor-TARDIS-blue, deep and vibrant. Without a topcoat, the surface is slightly rough, but as soon as you add topcoat, it really shines and sparkles (as you can see on the full mani pictures).


 

On top of Bigger On the Inside I sponged two coats of GlimmerbyErica Snow Day (Winter Collection) with a make-up sponge, beginning at the cuticles.





Snow Day is "a mix of silver holographic micro glitter, iridescent micro glitter, iridescent square glitter, silver hex glitter, and white hex glitter, all in a clear base. There are no colored glitters in this polish, all of the colored flashes are from the holographic and iridescent glitters reflecting in the light. It reminds me of a snowscape, with the sun glittering off of the snow and ice crystals."
(Source: GlimmerbyErica)
As I mentioned before, I failed at creating a real gradient. I clearly have to practise this.

















I had no formula issues with these two polishes. Bigger On The Inside applied nice and easy, two coats provided full opacity. I added a third for more depth. Snow Day didn't need any fishing for glitters, the clear base is packed with them. It's clearly not the fault of the polish this mani din't turn out quite as I imagined.Due to the glitter, the surface was pretty bumpy, so I finished with one coat of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food and one coat of Essie Good to Go.









Nail Pattern Boldness polishes are available on Etsy and at Llarowe.

GlimmerbyErica polishes can be bought on Etsy.


I wish everyone a Happy New Year! I'll be back in a couple of days.

Silent Night

Today I have another blue mani to show you: Happy Hands Silent Night.

Silent Night is " A deep blue jelly with turquoise glitter & shimmer"
(Source: Happy Hands Etsy shop)

I think there are some blue glitters, too, but it's hard to tell if they're really blue or if it is just a layer of the blue jelly that make them appear blue. Silent Night is pretty sheer, I used four coats and is was still slightly translucent. If you mind a visible nail line, I'd suggest to layer Silent Night over a similar colored creme.










I had no issues applying it, but some issues breathing while applying. Kristi, the creator, warns about the "strong smell" of this polish. Well, strong smell wouldn't be the words I'd use. Stinks like hell is more accurate, I'd say. And it still stinks after it's dried. I can live with it, but if you have a sensitive nose or are prone to headaches, maybe Silent Night isn't the right polish for you. 


Silent Night and other Happy Hands polishes are available on Etsy and at Harlow & Co.

Up To Snow Good

I know, Christmas is over. But I have still a lot of winter/Christmas collection polishes I haven't shown yet, and I'll be wearing them all one by one until spring comes. Today I have another wintery mani for you.





I started with three coats of Essence You Belong To Me, a pastel aqua creme. This shade is pretty old and is discontinued now.





On top of You Belong To Me, I added one dabbed coat of ILoveNP Up To Snow Good.





Up To Snow Good is described as "What would a winter collection be without a blizzard of a polish? Up To Snow Good is my contribution to the world! It’s made up of a variety of translucent, teal, blue, white, aqua, prism, and pearl glitters. "
(Source: ILoveNP Etsy shop)


I love this icey, wintery look of these two polishes combined. I had no issues applying Up To Snow Good. It smells a little strong, but it was tolerable. I used two coats of Essie Good to Go to provide a smooth finish. 

Up To Snow Good and other gorgeous polishes are available at the ILoveNP Etsy shop.

Two Christmas Manis

I'm back (and stating the obvious)! I hope you had a nice holiday. Mine was great, but I must have gained at least 4 pounds with all that eating...

Today I have my Christmas mani for you, that I was wearing for the last couple of days.





I started with Artdeco 171, a dark shimmery red, and Models Own Emerald Black on my ringfinger, three coats each. Emerald Black looks blue in the bottle shot and the sunlight picture, but on the nails it's a deep, shimmery forest green. I didn't take any pictures of the base colors alone, as I did my nails at my parents'. I did bring my camera with me (you can't leave the camera at home when you're spending some days with a little puppy), but the lighting didn't allow any decent pictures.

Then I added OPI The Man With The Golden Gun (Skyfall Collection), a clear base with 18K gold flakes. The flakes are a little sparse, so I had to use two coats o get a decent amount of flakes on my nails. I finished with one coat of Essie Good to Go. I took the pictures yesterday afternoon, after three days of wearing it. Please excuse the tipwear and the scratches in the top coat.

The afternoon of Christmas Eve I spent with my godson. His mother, my best friend Jessica, likes nail polish, too, and is a devoted reader of my blog. So I gladly accepted when she asked me to bring some polishes and help her with her Christmas mani. She chose a England Perceval as her base color, a gorgeous classic red shimmer, and a stamping with Barry M Gold Foil and the DRK-B plate. This was the first time I did the nails of somebody else, so the mani is far from perfect. But I guess it could have turned out worse...

What were you wearing on your nails during the holidays?

Long Winter's Nap

If you're reading this, it probably means the world didn't end yesterday. Or did it and we're just too busy to notice it?

René Descartes said "Cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am). As reading and writing both require thinking, I'd say we all still are...

Enough of the philosophical babbling. You're here because you want to read something about this gorgeous polish, right? So today I have another Girly Bits Holiday polish to show you: Long Winter's Nap.











Long Winter's Nap (Season of Sparkle Collection) is "a deep grey jelly, with various sizes of grey and periwinkle glitter, and a hint of blue. 
Soft and comforting, just like your favourite winter jammies."

(Source: Girly Bits)

Application was easy, three coats, no dabbing, no fishing for glitters. I finished with two coats of Essie Good to Go.

I just love this polish, it's gorgeous!


Girly Bits polishes are available at her own store, Llarowe, Harlow & Co., Overall Beauty and Mei Mei's Signatures.

This was the last post before Christmas. I'm spending the holidays with my family, and my days will be filled with celebrating, eating, baking cookies, eating, playing with my mom's 19 weeks old puppy, eating, decorating the tree, eating, giving and recieving presents, eating, meeting friends and lots of other stuff. And did I mention eating?

I wish you all a very merry Christmas. I hope you can spend some time with your friends and family, too. 

Snow Way!

Snow Way! is another one of KBShimmer's Holiday Collection.


Snow Way! is  "a sky blue base with white "snow" glitters and tiny iridescent glitters that flash blue complete my attempt to mimic a winters day."
(Source: KBShimmer)





While this polish is really pretty, is was the first KBShimmer to disappoint me a little formula-wise. The light blue base is very sheer, I used four coats and it still wasn't 100% opaque. Plus the white glitters clump together, so it's hard to spread them (KBShimmer even mention this on their homepage).

In finished with one coat of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food and one coat of Essence Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer.


KBShimmer polishes are sold on their website (US only) and at Harlow & Co.

Fathomless

This mani shows four coats of Girly Bits Fathomless (Christmas Collection), "a deep teal, with glowy blue/green micro glitters that peek through the jelly lacquer."
(Source: Girly Bits)












Fathomless looks teal in the bottle, but on the nails (at least on my nails) it looks more forest green than teal. It's pretty sheer, I used four coats and it still wasn't 100% opaque.











I finished with one coat of Essie Good to Go.



Girly Bits polishes are available at her own store, Llarowe, Harlow & Co., Overall Beauty and Mei Mei's Signatures.