venerdì 27 dicembre 2013

Maybelline Color Show Crystallize 235 Red Excess


Now that it's holiday time I have far more time to blog, and it's something I missed.
Today I present to you a new Maybelline nail polish with a sand effect finish.
I fell in love at first sight, but waited for a while before purchasing it. I had read reviews of this limited edition as being beautiful but not long lasting at all. In the end I gave up and purchased it, because in the bottle it looks a bit duochrome-ish. Not on the nails, ufortunately. It's still awesome: pinkish red microglitter in a dark liquid sand base. It could be a perfect New Year's Eve polish!
I added a pop of red with another sand polish, Kiko 640.
Sadly, the voices about not being long lasting were true. It's the second day, and it's already chipped, which kinda disappoints me... usually sand effect polishes last 3 days at least on me.

Vote: B

giovedì 26 dicembre 2013

Christmas beauty-related gifts

Hello! Are you enjoying the holidays? I hope so!
I wanted to show you three beauty products I received this year, who are also my first UD products, not counting the nail polishes.
Do they really need an introduction?

The Naked Basics was on my wishlist for many reasons: it's small, travel friendly and contains beautiful nude matte shades. Small nude palettes are very popular now, but they aren't matte...
I've tried it on Christmas day, and it's just great. The colors are very pigmented (Faint is my new fave brown) and Walk of Shame is a "my lid but better".  I know Venus is a frost/subtle shimmery color, but It's perfect for highlighting needs, so I'm not gonna complain. I can't wait to learn many combinations and makeups with this.

The UD 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils are my  new favourite pencils ever. Unsurprising, I know.
Once, I was at Sephora and tried some of them. I fell in love with Uzi, a wonderful gunmetal (with a very appropriate name too). They're soft and allow me to do precise, smooth lines as eyeliner. Uzi might seem too glittery, but it's just metallic and it's a perfect day shade. It has cold undertones and it's just fantastic.
The other one is Invasion, a dark forest green, matte and with cold/blue undertones. It's hard to express how I feel finally owning it, not only because I've desired it for months, but because of the story behind it.
Once I was looking at some online swatches of the UD pencils (I think it was on Sparkage's blog) and was struck by certain color combinations and their names. The matte grey of Desperation, the blue-green of Invasion, the weapon-like grey of Uzi... I fell in love with the color scheme, and started writing a story based on it (inspired by the names too). I haven't finished it yet, but the placeholder title for it is Invasion...
(I plan on connecting that shade to one of my character's outfit).
I feel as if simply staring at it and owning it will help me writing my story.

I hope this doesn't sound too weird... for now, happy holidays! And don't forget to tell me f you received some beauty products for Christmas..

martedì 24 dicembre 2013

Christmas Nail Art

A quick post to show you my Christmas nail art while Trading Places ends... I did the same for the other hand, except I inverted the nail art (red accent). The base is Shaka Emerald, a wonderful festive metallic green. I stamped with my Gals stamping plate some Christmas trees with Pupa 620 and Kiko 628. The Pupa polish stamps nicely, but is not much visible over the dark green, which is a pity. It's still pretty, so who cares? and my fellow nail bloggers have done far more complicated stuff, but with the mince pies to bake and my niece around, well, I didn't have much time... Merry Christmas to everyone!
(I told you this post was quick..)

lunedì 23 dicembre 2013

Mini haul Kiko & China Glaze

Hello everybody, feelin' the Christmas spirit? I hope so because Christmas is very near!
And there is 30% off-on-everything sale at Kiko. Now, could I go there and not buy anything? Of course not. I was extremely tempted by the stick blush, I'd love to try the format, but I'd wait for the after holiday sale. I got the Digital Nail Lacquer in green and a red lipstick. The Latex Like lipstick line is very beautiful, I mostly use matte colors and something shiny will be a nice change. I tried one that could be a "My Lips But Better"... and that's why I didn't buy it. I still don't see the point of something that's the exact same color of my lips. Should I need an office friendly shade I'd go for something wearable but visible.

And in the same shopping mall there's also the shop where i go for all my China Glaze needs, they've the limited editions too and the polish are always on sale. I had There's Snow One Like You in my wishlist and I didn't need to think twice: I can't resist special textured polishes. I also bought another thing that I won't show because I bought the same for a relative, and I don't want spoilers :P

Did you get anything in the Kiko sale? Do you plan to get somehing?

martedì 17 dicembre 2013

Stamping over Kiko Venom Teal

As I've already told you before, Kiko Venom Teal is a gorgeous, gorgeous polish.
So I've experimented with some stamping on it, and now look at this hot duochrome on duochrome action. The stamping polish is Pupa 001 from the Cosmic Beauty LE. It's truly a beauty, since it stamps really amazing. It was an one coater, so I could guess that, but the results were better than I expected. The contrast with the dark base really makes the design pop out, and under the right angle or/and light, when the pink/violet hues of the Pupa polishes are visible, well, it's magnificent. For me it's one of those nail days when I can't stop staring at my nails!
I should remove it and wear something else, since I won't have time to do my nails again until sunday, but it's too pretty...

lunedì 16 dicembre 2013

Perfect Palette Tag

It took me an insane amount of reflection time to write this, because, to my shocking discovery, I don't even own that many palettes. And videogames are a distraction too, but let's ignore this and focus on the palettes, shall we?

1) Best Packaging
This is genuinely a hard question. I don't have palettes with pretty but practical packaging, so I really don't know how to answer this. Probably the Sleek ones would win on this, since they have room for a brush and a mirror too, despite being small.


2) Best Color Payoff

Neve Cosmetics Duochrome palette. One of the best palettes I've ever tried, the pigmentation of these shades is insanely high.


3) Most Versatile



I was tempted to answer "the Duochrome again!", because, really, you can create dozens of looks with that. However I've chosen this old Kiko palette, Sensuous Burgundy. Ok, it's not that old. The colors are greatly pigmented, especially the brown, and choosing to use, say, the pink instead of the gold on the lid will change you eye look greatly.

4) Best for Traveling

Look at me shamelessly recycling an old pic
Ok, this should be called "best for travelling in summer and spring", due to the colors. Last summer I've been away for a week carrying only a limited amount of makeup, and this was the only palette I had with me. It's not only great because it has a sturdy packaging and offer lots of shades in a small space, but you can create many different looks with this (even some evening looks).

5) Biggest Regret






This little lovely Catrice palette from the Thrilling Me Softly LE was a total regret. Surely, the shades are nice and go very well together. That is, they would if they were pigmented. The matte brown isn't pigmented at all and a wet brush didn't help. The two shimmery shades cause lots of fallout. Catrice, you're disappointing me!


6) Best Color Names

Ehm, the Duochrome by Neve. Again. Anyone who creates a wonderful green/yellow eyeshadow and calls it Acid Rain wins.

7) Least Used
This greatly pigmented, long lasting eyeshadow palette by Pupa would be great, if it weren't for the typical, evening "social life" colors. I don't have a social life that involves partying, night clubs and such, so I can't use it as much as I would. I used it last year in Lucca Comics and it proved itself to be insanely long lasting, my eye makeup was still perfect even when I came back in the evening and gave me that "yeah I might be exhausted but I still look fabulous" feeling.


8) Most Used, Most Loved (aka the one to bring on a desert island)
This little gem is an E.L.F. mini palette called Luxe, paid less than 2 euros and it contains the only eyeshadow where I've actually hit the pan. The highlighter shade is a perfect My Lid But Better, and combined with the brown and the taupe it creates a gorgeous, shimmery-but-not-too-shimmery daily friendly nude-ish look. The dark taupe is an unique shade of which I've never found dupes, if you look at it very closely it has small warm and green hues. Hard to describe, wonderful to use, recommended if you place an E.L.F. order.


mercoledì 11 dicembre 2013

Gunmetal Brocade

The base for this nail art is one of my favourite polishes, Kiko 382: a softly shimmery gunmetal grey, very classy and eye-catching in its "not exactly black" darkness. It's definitely a winter polish.
I attempted some stamping after a long time and I have to admit I am quite satisfied with the results, Kiko 328 is an excellent stamping polish. I used my Gals stamping plate GA29, and covered everything in Essence quick dry top coat to seal the design.
It could make a good festive nail art, and the design could be used in many other ways. Imagine it in silver over green...
I really love how elegant it looks. Plus, gunmetal is the coolest name for a color ever.

giovedì 5 dicembre 2013

Kiko Quick Dry 830

I had no idea this could be so hard to photograph, I swear. It's way blue-ish irl.
Anyway, I didn't have such a great experience with the quick dry line by Kiko, but this one was far better.
I love the big brush, and it applied nicely. It's a beautiful vibrant blue, quite a superhero color!
The application was without problems and, to my surprise, I actually didn't have a blue like this in my stash! (It was a gift from my sister). I don't have much to say about this besides the fact that I'm relived that not all polishes from this line have a bad application. 

martedì 3 dicembre 2013

Kiko Venom Teal over China Glaze Charmed, I'm Sure





The good thing: the two colors go really well together.
The bad thing: apparently i cannot draw triangles.
The teal ones were supposed to be triangles. I was expecting Venom Teal to be an one-coater and it was not, which kinda complicated things. I purchased it with the 30% off coupon, together with a violet lipstick.
The duochrome effect present in the bottle isn't much visible on the nail, but it's still a magnificent color. For once, they chose a really good name, it's really dark and venom-like, fitting for a Dark Heroine.
I can't wait to try it all over my nails. More of a fall color than a winter one, but in the end who cares, it's awesome. I have a couple of teals, but this is different than any I own.
I was afraid it might be a dupe of the Pupa blue/violet duochrome of the fall LE, but they're actually very different. This is less duochrome-ish (unfortunately) and much more teal-based.
For some weird reason I don't like my nails when they're fully covered by polish...

domenica 1 dicembre 2013

Rainbow Challenge day 7, Violet Nails: My very first China Glaze polish!


The Rainbow Challenge ends with something really special for me, my first China Glaze. A brand I've always heard wonders of, and never found before. But a few days ago I went to see Hunger Games 2, and in the mall where there's the cinema I found a small shop for everything nail and hair related, with China Glaze polishes. On sale. The day after I came back and bought the polish I had fallen in love with: Charmed, I'm Sure, from the autumn LE.
A wonderful eggplant purple creme, opaque in 2 coats. Great application. The color is super shiny even without topcoat.
I guess I'll be checking that shop more often, should they get the winter collection I want the snow-effect one.

By the way, today it's the last day when you can use the 30% off promo at Kiko, will you get anything? If I had enough money I'll get the textured polishes set, but I'll settle down for less stuff.

mercoledì 27 novembre 2013

Textured Triangles


Hello everybody! I have discovered I love OPI's Don't Talk Bach To Me everyday a little more. It's the perfect formula, the perfect finish, the perfect shade of pistachio/acid green. It's a perfect fall/winter shade.
I paired it with another personal fave, a Wjcon sand effect polish, n. 804. It has green/blue reflections so it's perfect! The silver line is Kiko 617.
A bit of texture play is always fun.

lunedì 25 novembre 2013

Kiko Hair Shadow, first impressions/review

You might have noticed that Kiko introduced a new hair line. Well, more than introduced, I'd say made it silently appear in some shops (not in all, I'm told). It includes some hair treatment products... and hair color.

Believe me or not, I've been struggling for a blue hair dye for some days. I've always wanted either blue or acid green hair, and I was now fully ready to explore the new temporary hair dyes that are appearing on the market. L'Oreal has created a line too, which includes more colors, but is actually more expensive than the Kiko sets. With little more than 16 euros I got the color and the fixing spray.


The Pokeball-like sphere contains 9 grams of product. The other colors available are pink and violet.
My pick was, of course, blue. To apply it, you rub it onto your hair (I don't recommend using the fingers, you'll only stain your skin) until you're satisfied with the amount of product. Then you apply the fixing spray. I recommend you to do everything at least 30 minutes before leaving home, so it has time to dry and you can wear hats/elmets/whatever head covering you might need without ruining the color. Don't skip the fixing spray part.
In the color box there's a small instruction booklet, which recommends caution with white clothing (I guess this is for long-haired people) and rain (this counts for everybody). The lady in the shop said she had even slept with her hair dyed without leaving stains. It goes away simply by washing your hair with your regular shampoo.

I have learned I don't know how to take pics of my face. Also, excuse my skin.

This is how it looks immediately after application.

And this is how it looks after three hours, which includes going outside, covering my head, etc.

Final Verdict:  Generally, I like it. Surely, the lighter your hair the better, but for the price you pay I think it's a good product. If you want just to spice up a special evening/party, it might be fun.
Such a hair dye has many advantages: you can wear it daily and wash it off if you have an "official" day, and you decide how and how much you want to use it. I love to highlight the hair just above my ear, as you can see, which would look far more awesome if I wore earrings.
I can't wait to test it more, for now, my first impressions have been positive! Please, Kiko, do a green shade too!
What do you think? Do you see yourself with pink/blue/violet hair?




domenica 24 novembre 2013

Rainbow Challenge Day 6, Indigo Nails





Ok, in the pic it looks more blue than indigo, but I swear, it is indigo. The base is 07 Nail Art Twins-Chuck by Essence, the french tips are Pupa 002 from the new LE.
I  didn't have much time and energy for nail art lately, but I can still present you indigo, a very complicated color to define, in between blue and purple. A simple french sometimes pays!

martedì 19 novembre 2013

Kiko 440 Electron Blue- Digital Emotion LE


I finally had the time to put my new polish on! Electron Blue, made of blue and light blue microglitters that reflect the light so awesomely it seems the glitters are multicolored, is a great polish.
Here shown is three coats (you'll need them to build the opacity up, or you can use a dark base), no topcoat. I will aplly topcoat in the future to make it more shiny, and of course it's a bit gritty at the touch, due to the glitter density. For reviewing purposes, however, I never use topcoat.

I wish I could take pics under sunlight, but it has been raining for weeks.
Anyway, good and easy application: the brush takes up the amount of glitter you need, and drying time is very good for three coats of polish. I love this polish so much, I have lots of blue polishes but no one is like this. As I predicted, it shines like a city at night.

Vote: A.


venerdì 15 novembre 2013

Kiko Digital Emotion first swatches

When I saw the preview of the Kiko holiday collection I had a "wow this is keeps getting more and more 80s!" moment. I went to patrol a Kiko store today, not hoping to find it already but since it was there, well, it was swatching time!

I swatched the polishes and the pencils, who seemed fairly interesting. Sorry for the low quality of the photo, it was taken with a cell phone instead of the regular camera. And yes, I took it in the Kiko store so to preserve the pencil swatches intact.



All of these need at least  2 coats for full opacity.
437 Intuitive Pink is made of small pink and holo glitter in a clear base.The effect is very much holo-ish.
438 Fascinating Burgundy is made of small round purple and silver glitter in a purple base.
439 Cyber Red is red and dark red microglitter in a red base. I had quite high expectations for this but it wasn't as awesome as I would have wanted.
440 Electron Blue is small blue/light blue/navy (and it seems, gold) glitter in a blue base. It looks like a city landscape at night. The glitter are very much shinier than 438 and 439.
441 Illusion Green is one of my personal fave: so unique! Green, gold and light blue microglitter. Some glitters have a rectangular shape. The whole effect is almost a holo!
442 Techno Black is quite different from the others: very small holo glitter in a dark base with what looks a lot like a sand finish. Or it's meant to be black glitter, but the effect is quite sand-like.

After many indecisions I bought the blue one. I was afraid the green one was too "Christmas Tree"-like, but perhaps I'll purchaes it at sales. Reviews of Electron Blue will be here soon!

The pencils (Double Glam Eyeliner) are, from L to R: 100 Light Gold and Ebony, 105 Steel and Black,  103 Turquoise and Electric Blue, 104 Misty Green and Blue Teal.
100 was a pleasant surprise, since the ebony part is actually matte. Out of all of these, 104 was my favourite, dark green and teal? Wow! I didn't get any of those, but they're all very pretty.

P.s. My arm is covered in glitter due to the silver drops. Man, they're extremely glitter packed!

mercoledì 13 novembre 2013

Black and white glitter over mint green


Base: E.L.F. Mint Cream. Top Coats: Maybelline Polka Dots 197 Chalk Dust, Essence Matte Top Coat.

I have rediscovered the pleasure of glitter toppers. Especially if mattified. Due to the hex shape of the glitters if I look closely at my nails I feel like I'm watching some molecule or chemical component through a microscope.
Anyway I just wanted to test my other Maybelline Polka Dots polish, the on with black and white glitter on a clear base. I can see myself using it quite a lot, it's very versatile. Good drying time, and the brush catches lots of glitter (this is one coat of glitter). The E.L.F. polish is quite old, but I love the color so I haven't thrown it away yet. And now that I look at it it's the exact same color of my toothpaste.
Well I am getting very random, must be the tiredness... anyway let me know what you think, do you use glitter toppers a lot? Do you wear pastels in fall/winter too?

sabato 9 novembre 2013

Rainbow Challenge day 5, Blue Nails


I had almost lost all hope to find those Maybelline Polka Dots polishes, so when I found them in a Limoni store I got the black and white one and this one, 196 Shooting Stars. It's basically black and white hex-shaped glitter (in different sizes) in a blue base. It doesn't need a blue base to stand out, but it would surely look better with a topcoat.
I can only do simple decors, so I did an accent nail using Kiko 294 as base. With a blue base everything looks, well, blue-er (wow, a top description) while 196SS alone has some greenish undertones. It reminds me of the sea.
It's a polish I definitely recommend. I used three coats and it dried perfectly in a short time... It's one of those polishes that don't require many attentions but create a very interesting effect.

martedì 5 novembre 2013

Back from Lucca Comics & Urban Decay Creep Nail Polish

Man, Lucca Comics was awesome as always. Of course it was very tiresome, after all it's made of days of standing in queues, walking around the town to look at stuff and people, visiting exhibitions, you know, stuff.
This is what I got (I also got a Hand of the King pin from Game of Thrones, but it's already on my jacket)

The first issue of Saga went sold out really quickly!  The Elric book was a really pleasant discovery, there are many comics derived from the saga of Elric of Melniboné, but this one is definitely the best. And how could I say no to having my own copy of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? The Art School Confidential pages you see are the text I chose to translate at the Translation Slam.

And now, back to nail polish!

Continuing my days of swatches, here's Creep from the UD Naked nail polish set. As the other ones, it has a very thin and sheer formula, not so easy to apply due to the glitter. Here shown are three coats of Creep.
It seems even more sheer than its fellows, but I bet it looks great with a topcoat to make it even shinier.
Honestly I am not much of a fan of this set, I'd expect better polishes from them. I have to admit that drying time was very good, despite 3 coats.

martedì 29 ottobre 2013

A small announcement & getting ready for Lucca Comics

I had a couple of mani ideas for this week. However, they won a ticket to the "To Do Land", because I have injured my right hand's thumb. It sounds less heroic when you learn I got this wide, annoying painful cut while washing the dishes. I took a cracked glass from the water, it broke, and now I'm here with a C-shaped cut covered in hospital bandages and the inability to use my right hand for two weeks. Well, i can use my other fingers but not too much, and try grabbing things without your thumb. It's still quite painful, but hey, I can still apply nail polish. More complex nail art experiments are impossible for me now.
This is why you'll mostly see swatches of polishes in the next weeks.

The good news is, I'm definitely going to Lucca Comics! And for the first time, I'll bring a cosplay. I'll be Alyx Vance from the videogame Half-Life 2. She wears no make up in the game, even if in some stills it seems she's wearing black eye pencil, I doubt she'd be wearing anything, since the game is set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world. I will go for a no-makeup look.



The Maybelline Fit Me foundation is the best foundation in the world, everyone else go home. I use the lightes shade, 105, and it's just perfect. I apply it only with my fingers, and it sets in perfectly, lasts all day and is just the right shade for me. You know those people that make you wonder under how many cm of foundation is their face buried? Well, you only need a thing layer of this to have a nice, even skin color. I rarely even use concealer anymore.If I need it, I brought the Essence eye primer, you know, just in case (it's quite a good concealer).
The Complexion Perfection by E.L.F. is, as you can guess from the hole, a product I've used a lot. Even if it didn't have such an awesome name (it's like a videogame weapon name), it would be a great setting powder.
The Essence Lashes go Wild mascara is pretty good, it really gives me long and impressive lashes, which is why I'm still not certain wheter I'll use it or not.
The character I cosplay has darker hair than me, so I'll have to get darker eyebrows as well. This Max Factor eyebrow pencil will do the trick, even if it's not too dark.
But what about the Neve Cosmetics lip nectar and the single eyeshadow in Watermelon? Their moment of glory has come. I'll mix them in a small Essence jar and use the final product...as hair mascara.
Alyx Vance has red strands of hair, and this will do the trick. I've already tried and it works perfectly!


And that is all for now! I'm leaving for Lucca Comics & Games on thursday, and won't be able to post anything until monday (probably). Have a nice Halloween and/or a nice weekend!


venerdì 25 ottobre 2013

Rainbow Challenge Day 4, Green Nails

The rainbow challenge continues with this Astra Holo (n 705) I kept exactly for this occasion... a lovely forest green. A pity there has been almost no sun lately, under the light it shines very nicely.
I decided to stamp something over it with Kiko 626, and I went for some leaves... even if I did leaves last time too, the results are quite different. I haven't done stamping in a while but I really love the results, the design came out neatly.

mercoledì 23 ottobre 2013

Urban Decay Hustle nail polish

Sorry for the lack of posts! I've had some really full and tiresome days. At the end of the day I might not be too tired to apply polish, but I wouldn't give it enough time to dry.
Anyway, here's Urban Decay Hustle polish from the Naked set.
The color is a metallic brown/purple that doesn't require a topcoat to shine. Application was easy and drying time was good, shown here are three thin coats. The color really makes me think more of an eyeshadow than of a polish, and I don't even own a UD palette. It is similar to Concrete Minerals' Smut, but darker.
I thought some blue would have gone nicely with it, since light blue/brown is a color combination I love. The light blue is kiko 624. It's also amazing to hide tipwear.

mercoledì 16 ottobre 2013

A multichrome experiment

I've had this mani in my to do list for a while, so I'm happy to have it finally done.
The base is Pupa 209, and the top coats are Deborah 102 for the blue/greenish parts...and a very old L'Oréal Jet-Set polish for the orange/green ones.. It belonged to my sister, and despite being very old I never threw it away, due to its mighty duochrome powers. I kept it thinking to use it for paintings and art, but how could I resist using it on my nails? It looks like some certain high-end duochrome top coats.
It's really old (I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's 10 years old) but still works magnificently.
It has more duochrome fleckes than the Deborah one, and they're bigger overall: one coat of it was enough, while I had to apply 2 covers of the Deborah one to have a better coverage.
The silvery line is Kiko 617.

martedì 15 ottobre 2013

Rainbow Challenge Day 3, Yellow Nails


Or "I had no idea leaves could be so hard to draw" nails. I wanted to do something different besides the usual bees and lemons that happen at day 3, but those falling leaves didn't come out as I expected. It's still a funny mani, imho.
The base is my favourite yellow, Essence's Little Miss Sunrise, now discontinued, and the red is Orly Red Flare. Why is Essence even discontinuing that color, it is so pretty.
Sorry for the short post, I just came back from a Krav Maga lesson and my wrists and arms hurt (along with many other body parts).

venerdì 11 ottobre 2013

OPI Don't Talk Bach To Me


As for today, I have for you something old, but lovely. I bought this for sale ( 6 euros) at Sephora: some polishes of the old Germany collection are for sale, as well as old polishes from other old collections. Don't forget to check your local store for this. And if something was signalled as available online in that shop but you can't find, ask. Ok, this seems obvious, but this way you'd get to check every bottle they may have on sale.
I found this hidden gem, a lovely chartreuse/pistachio green with micro shimmer that becomes almost invisible on the nail. I am soo in love with this color! It's actually great for autumn.
Shown here are three coats of polish.

mercoledì 9 ottobre 2013

My first order from Concrete Minerals

Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been very busy and tired lately. I'm also late on my rainbow challenge. But first...



I'm always searching for nice matte colors, especially blue and green. So when I found out the pro matte eyeshadow line on the Concrete Minerals website I knew I needed them. I searched some review and swatches, and everything seemed very promising. So I asked my sister if she wanted to join me in this order, and a friend too. We got ourselves some nice colors!


My picks were Toxic and Bulletproof of the Pro Matte line and Smut of the standard minerals line. I decided to try their standard minerals too, since I got a coupon code to get two of them for 10 dollars when becoming their friend on fb. One for me and one for my sister!

Their customer service was really good, I sent them an email on friday evening and received an answer on saturday morning, that was really quick and nice from them. As you can see from the upper photo, everything was nicely packed in order to avoid problems. There was also a card explaining how to use mineral eyeshadows, two samples and a discount on the next order. The cutest thing? The thank you note written in pink marker!


I still haven't had the time to test them all, but I can tell you this: Bulletproof is the brightest bluest eyeshadow/eyeliner you can find. I used it as an eyeliner today, simply mixing it with a drop of water and applying it with an eyeliner brush. On their website it says they blend like a dream, and you know what? it's freaking true. They're soft and easy to work with. Bulletproof did stain the upper part of the lid a bit until it was fully dried. Then it was like a tattoo. A matte, blue eyeliner tattoo. Perfect.

 Toxic is an acid green, more neon that acid perhaps, but the color I needed nonetheless.It's going to make a gorgeous cyberpunk eyeliner. Smut is the weirdst color I've ever seen: a multichrome that goes from grey to purple to brown with glitter. I can't wait to try them too!


The jars come with a plastic seal on the holes. Look at that blue, isn't that the most gorgeous blue you've ever seen? Better than the Sephora pencil, better than the Kiko eyeliner.
I am sooo pleased by this purchase.

sabato 5 ottobre 2013

Essence Sparkle Sand Effect nail polish 163- Hey Nude!

When the OPI Bond Girls collection came out I fell in love with many of its polishes, mainly Pussy Galore and Jinx. So when I found a Kiko polish that was Jinx's dupe, it became mine! (It was Kiko 640).
A dupe of Pussy Galore didn't seem to exist. Until Essence came out with this.
Now, let's be honest, it's not a perfect dupe: Pussy Galore is pinker, Hey Nude is more nude-ish (as you could guess). PG is pearly and has no big glitters, HN does.
However, it's exactly what I wanted: a pink/nude shiny sand effect polish. The glitters are quite big, but it's still an office-friendly shade imho. I love how they reflect the light!
I applied three coats for full coverage. If you want less coats, you might want to use a base, and I wonder how it looks on a pinker base, since it can be quite sheer.
Drying time, as most sand effect polishes, was pretty good.
Side note: if you have very long nails the white part of the nail might still be visible under this polish.

I'm still going to give it an A, well done again, Essence.

venerdì 4 ottobre 2013

Urban Decay Smog nail polish & Essence new products haul






No, I don't have the whole Naked Nail Set... my sister does, but she didn't like this one, so she gave it to me.
A shimmery brown/bronze, very warm. It's almost a duochrome, under the light it shifts from brown to bronze to dark purple. I love this color, but it's not much pigmented, after three coats it still didn't offer the coverage I'd ask for. I think it would be better as a layering polish, since it did just a couple of days without topcoat before chipping. Certainly not a groundbreaking polish, and it would've been great if it had offered the same apocalyptic-proof resistance of, say, the UD pencils.

And now, to the Essence haul!




I have studied the Essence website when the new products were presented, and there were a couple of things I found worth trying. So when the Essence display was updated at Coin, well, I took the chance to test them:
Eye Sorbet in illuminating coconut: I had great hopes for this, but it's a bit too glittery and less whitey than I'd expect. It could make a good cream eyeshadow, but not an highlighter, unless you are going for a Twilight vampire look. I will post swatches as soon as I get back home.
Lashes Go Wild mascara: I can't wait to try this, the wand reminds me of Neve Cosmetics' mascara.
Glow In The Night topcoat:  This is going to be fun.
Sparkly Sand Effect in Hey, Nude! : I'm trying this right now! I've chosen it because it reminded me of an OPI polish. I'll post a review real soon!




martedì 1 ottobre 2013

Tag: 11 Questions

The lovely Ky of Il Mio Beauty Case mentioned me among the 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers after receiving the Liebster Award. That was really cute of her ^_^! Being tagged, I have to answer to 11 questions:


1· How did your nail obsession start?

Mmmh, I don't remember a single episode, when I was a kid I always asked my sister to paint my nails and had a small collection of drugstore polishes of all colors. I remember struggling for finding a nice green one.
At the uni I started doing more nail art and buying more polishes after seeing an image of an art deco chevron nail art... I wanted to recreate it, and I found myself in the nail polish mania!

  2· More or less, how many nail polish bottles are there in your helmer?

 I think around 100, but I don't dare to count them.

  3· Just nail lacquer, accent manicure or nail art?

It depends, I usually wear plain polish for a day and add details later. Accent manicures are perfect because they don't require much time.


  4· What was the oddest/stupidest comment to your nails?

 ...damn, I don't remember any!

  5· Are you jealous about your bottles?

 Uh, yes. There are some I would lend only to my sister or mom, some others I could lend to people but only if I get one of their polishes as hostage,erhm, to try.

  6· What is your most desired brand (NOT indie) which you would love to find in your perfumery?

 I imagine A England is considered indie, so I'm going for OCC. They did an entire limited edition based on the atmospheres of the Weimar Berlin, how cool is that?!

  7· What do you like less about nail blogging?

 Not managing to take good pics of my nails, haha. When it comes to the nail blogging world in general, I'd say people who post pictures of their nails without even a comment...did you like the color? is it a good polish? we may never know.

  8· What is your favourite nail polish brand?

 Considering  price/quality criteria, I'd say Kiko and Shaka.

  9· What is your all-time-favourite nail lacquer (I know, this is hard)?

How am I even expected to choose? Perhaps Lucky Red by Pupa, but I love them all! *hugs all the bottles*

  10· What is your least favourite nail lacquer?

A glittery apple green by Debby. Too sheer and stains the nails.


  11· What is your least favourite nail polish brand?

I have 3 polishes by B by Limoni and they all suck ( sheer, almost watery, no coverage, endless drying time..) so perhaps that's the brand.


02/10 Edit: Also, I forgot to add the 7 facts about me, so here they are:

1) I always get angry at movies that make no sense, even if they're a pleasure to watch (Pacific Rim, I'm talking to you) especially if they have flaws that could have been easily corrected. Or, worse, when people say "it's just made to entertain, duh". Yeah I know, but I don't see why it can't be nicely done.

2)I don't have the constance to follow tv series anymore. I only watch Castle every saturday on tv, but that's it. I tried the Walking Dead (first season, a bit of the second), Breaking Bad (first 2 episodes), but didn't find them so great.

3) I used to listen mostly to extreme metal when I was a teenager, now I listen to pretty much everything that catches my fancy, from Lady Gaga to new swing.

4) I love making playlists for my moods and for the stories I'm writing, my favourite ones are the Cyberpunk, the Postapocalyptic and the Dieselpunk playlist.

5) I usually play videogames when I paint my nails. Just got killed? Add a coat of polish. Too scary part/don't know how to go on? Add nail art.

6) I have studied many historical eras and figures just for fun...history books can be better than novels.

7) I love salty food more than sweet food. A lot. I used to steal salt from the kitchen cupboard when I was little.

 

lunedì 30 settembre 2013

Pupa Lasting Color Gel 054 review


By now you all know about Pupa's special offer: become a fan of them on fb and download a coupon to get a Lasting Color Gel polish for just 1 euro. If you invite a friend you can also get a Vamp product for 5 euros, but I wans't interested in that, so I sticked to the polish. I had also received bad reviews of a polish of this line, so I was quite glad of this occasion to get one, since I would've never bought one at full price.

The color is great, a cobalt blue with a hint of indigo: it's like the polish version of Sephora's Azur Blue pencil. The finish is a nice, shiny creme, with a nice glass effect as advertised.
It has a big brush that makes application easier and less streaky (still wasn't very easy, but with a small brush it would have been a mess). I wish Pupa used such a brush in all its polishes.
I don't care about it that much, but keep in mind that it smells badly when you apply it (dried it has no smell).
I've worn it for a day, so I can't tell you much about duration yet.
I can however tell that so far I like it, I'm going to add some nail art soon.

Would I recommend it? Not at full price, the color range is nothing to die for. Otherwise, go for it.

domenica 29 settembre 2013

Autumn supplies

It's raining! Looks like autumn finally is here! And I'm taking this chance to show you some new nice things, and celebrate the end of my exams!



I always carry with me a notebook to write ideas for my script and stories, and my old one is more than finished. I am really a pain in the neck when it comes to my personal notebook, I have to "feel" that it's the right one. This one passed the test! At Feltrinelli there's an entire official collection of products (notebooks, planners...) with Alphonse Mucha's prints. This one, the Zodiac, as always been one of my favourite.
The peacock glass bowl comes from Zara Home. I'm using it for my single eyeshadows so far, and it's incredibly beautiful.





Now, to the lipsticks! Artificial light makes the color a bit different, 'm sorry.
The first one is from the Rimmel By Kate line, the shade is 111 The Kiss of Life. It's a classic matte red with cold undertones ( a bit à la Lady Danger). A great color, very exaggerate. Dries the lips a bit.
The second one is actually a dark plum color (thanks flash and artificial light *facepalm*) from Deborah, part of the 24 Hours Power extreme long lasting lipstick series, shade 10.The finish is advertised as demi-matte, but on the lips it seems full matte: it's just a bit more metallic. The positive thing? it dries the lips significantly less. It's also very buildable, so if you're not a bold lipstick person, this could be a good choice, since its intensity varies a lot according to the number of layers.
P.S. Yeah, I'm in a lipstick mood... and I had those two for cheap, the first one for little more than 2 euros thanks to a 5 euro discount coupon and the second one for 3 euro in a Deborah brand store in the sales section.


martedì 24 settembre 2013

Rainbow Challenge day 2, Orange nails


And today, orange nails! Kiko 356 is the orange, Pupa 209 the black and 203 Kiko the white. Over them, a cot of Essence's matte top coat.
The inspiration for this is the flag of the fictional land of Cresezia, created by my boyfriend. Plus, I love those colors and the geometry they create. It's simple yet stunning. And I love matte nails, I can't help.

sabato 21 settembre 2013

Pupa 620 Lucky Red


Instead of showing you what i bought with the Pupa promotion (my 1 euro polish), or of doing my rainbow challenge organge nails...I'll show you this old polish, from the old China Doll LE.
I was going to do the orange nails, but I had forgotten one of the colors I needed at home.
So I put on my favourite red nail polish evah: Pupa 620 Lucky Red. Excuse the tipwear, I had been wearing this for 3 days, and no topcoat.
Here it seems almost christmas red, but the red is more...neutral irl, not too cold, not too warm. I think it looks great on every skintone. Let's face it, it's a great shade of red, that really is reminiscent of China: you know, those varnished little boxes...the dresses...




This is my femme fatale red,  the most seducing red I own. I still remember the happiness of the moment when I first tried it..