giovedì 2 luglio 2015

I'm back + Essence Lady Mermaid

It's been a long time. It's almost hard to believe I haven't posted anything for more than two months, months that have been extremely demanding in terms of time and energy.
Now I would really love to go back at posting more regularly. I'm not promising anything, I don't wanna make promises I'm not sure I can't keep, but... I really missed this blog and the awesome beauty blogging community. I will do my best from now on.
I also want to post more about make up, not only nail polishes. I'd love to write a post about liquid-to-matte lipsticks, something I can never have enough of.

But now I want to show you something really pretty: Essence 30 Lady Mermaid, part of their standard special effect polishes range.

with flash

A gorgeous blue foil that really deserves the mermaid-related name. It's so shiny! In the bottle it has a duochrome effect from blue to violet, hard to capture in photographs (and much less visible on the nails, I have to say), but under artificial lights it can be seen and appreciated.
A bit sheer like a lot of foils, but it's not an issue for me. This is three coats.

 It was also quite long lasting, so I really appreciated it in a moment of my life when I didn't have much time to devote to my nails. Also, can you imagine how awesome will this look with something stamped on it?I must try it someday.
I definitely recommend this.

without flash

martedì 21 aprile 2015

Essie Coat Couture

with flash

 I know I haven't posted for a while, I really miss blogging more frequently but the time for nail art has significantly reduced in my life. I could still create a series of posts of "rediscoveries" of old polishes, since it's pretty much what I've been doing.
But first, something new! Essie Coat Couture, a cashmere matte from the upcoming fall LE, bought at Cosmoprof. Not that hard to believe that this was the last bottle of this color left, am I right?

This color is a nice cold taupe with a blue shimmer, more visible under flash. Opaque in two coats. Drying time was good, no complaints. I can't wait to try to wear it with a shiny topcoat to see how it changes! For now I am quite satisfied, if you count that it's my first Essie!

without flash

sabato 4 aprile 2015

Essence the Gel Polish 22 I love my blue jeans

Part of the Cosmoprof loot, this little gem is part of Essence's new gel polish range. I've been wanting to get this polish for ages when the same color was part of the regular range, but always hesitate and decided to get it at the sales, when of course I couldn't find it anymore. Therefore getting this for free was a pleasant surprise!

Essence 22 I <3 my blue jeans is a navy blue creme with a matte finish. I love, love Essence's big brushes. One swipe and the nail is done! It's soo much easier to use and requires zero cleanup.
Also this polish is greatly pigmented, it's pretty much a one coater (here's two coats, no topcoat).
The formula seems more dense than regular Essence polishes, but I don't mind it, since it dried quickly even without a topcoat.
Considering how cheap this polish is, the quality is astounding!
Vote: A

martedì 31 marzo 2015

Orly Tropical Pop

The second Orly I got at Cosmoprof - second, but not in beauty. I mean, look at it. Tropical Pop, from the old Baked LE.

A little neon gem, perfect for those first warm sunny days. Or to brighten the dark winter days. Perfect for everytime. Here it looks like a warm toned orange creme, but irl it's more of a unapologetically neon orange.
The quality of this polish is astounding. You know how they usually suggest to use a white base under neon polishes? Well, this doesn't need it, and it't almost a one coater.
Application doesn't present problems and the finish is demi-matte, like many neons. Here it's topped with Seche Vite.

I don't own many neons, and I immediately fell in love with this color.

domenica 29 marzo 2015

Orly Lunar Eclipse

Here it comes the first one of the polishes I bought at Cosmoprof this year, Orly Lunar Eclipse. A total beauty. In the bottle it's a dark blue - blurple shimmer with a shift towards violet-purple.
On my nails the duochrome shift is visible only under artificial lights.
As other Orly shimmers I have tried, it's quite sheer and I had to apply three coats for full opacity - would probably look great on a black base.


The quality is really good, however. With Seche Vite it lasted 4, almost 5 days without chipping!
And it's really beautiful, I can never have enough blue polishes. And enough Orlys. I mean, who does?

mercoledì 25 marzo 2015

Cosmoprof Report

As last year, I went to Cosmoprof with my sister. But this year I forgot to bring my camera, because I am a shitty blogger. So all pics you see besides the last one have been taken with my cellphone.
 I didn't request a blogger pass, so I just enjoyed the day with her. I went there on monday hoping to find less chaos and more discounts. I was kinda wrong on the first of these because there were so many people! More than I had expected, to be honest. And kids, despite being it theoretically only for +14. Who the hell brings their kid to such a place is beyond my understand.
Anyway, a lot of other great bloggers wrote lengthy articles about the new upcoming products and limited editions, so I am only writing my humble impressions here.
The pavillion 34 has always some nice surprises and confirmations. I left my heart at the Manic Panic booth, I really wanted the teal lipstick and another cross gloss, but I ended up getting only the pressed powder identical to the one I already own and have almost finished.
At BB Cream Italia I got a Make Up Revolution palette (Give Them Nightmares) and a liquid matte lippie in a wonderful violet, kinda similar to the Electric Amethyst shade by MP but matte. Ah, I really wanted a matte lippie in that color, I'm so glad I found it! I kinda wish I had gotten another one too, I already tried it and it feels soft and wonderful, it's not lip drying at all! I went back to their booth before leaving, but there was almost nothing left, and in terms of Make Up Revolution liquid lipsticks there was only the shade I had already purchased (Depraved) and a hot pink. I would have gotten the red.
We also visited the Nations pavillion, where at Flormar I got some square cotton pads and a hand cream. The hand cream's inci isn't exactly great, but for 2 euros I can't really complain. We also visited the Nyx booth, where I drooled over the macaron lipstick and discovered that no, they don't sell on monday. Last year we were told they would sell on monday, so shame on you Nyx, either your sales assistants are ill informed or you're a liar.
In the Nails pavillion I got a couple Orlys - the ones you see in the picture, the shades are Lunar Eclipse and Tropical Pop - and the Essie polish you see, from the new autumn range, a cashmere matte shade. It's my first Essie!
On a second note, why does the nail pavillion always has such loud and blaring music? It's like being at a disco. The Color Club booth was tempting but the prices were not low at all - like Opi, they didn't discount their products so much, and I got nothing from them in the end.

Shoot out to the Essence booth that had a very cute vending machine: you inserted a "Beauty Dollar" coupon given for free at their booth and you could choose a new polish for you (for free)! They had to refill it quite often, believe me!
In terms of free samples we were given a free shampoo with a fragrance of our choice by Davines and a super cute shopper with some hair treatment samples by Amika. And Manic Panic gave us pens and keychains, and we also got a sticker and sticky pads. At this point I own a ridiculous amount of MP merchandise, probably more than the people who work there.
I am satisfied of my haul, quite frankly I came there mostly for shopping and to enjoy a day with my sister, I had not seen her for months, not even spent an entire day with her!




( I will load the pics from my phone as soon as I can, obviously the bluetooth isn't working)

martedì 10 marzo 2015

Black and blue nail art

Hi! Here's my latest nail art, done using Kiko 624 as blue and Essence Stamp me! Black.
My very first plan was to stamp the pattern on all nails...
I have the best background paper
... using my trustworthy galscosmetics stamping plates. However I liked how it turned out so much when I had only done two fingers, that I left it as it was. Plus it allowed me to play with different finishes, as I left the black matte and made the blue nail and the stamped ones shiny with seche vite. I quite like this one!

giovedì 5 marzo 2015

Revlon Moonlit Woods

Another polish of the Revlon scented series. I can't help, I'm addicted to this series and I'm very sad that the Revlon brand store where I used to get these for a super discounted price is closing.
Let's put the sad away and talk about this polish. It was a gift from my mom: I really liked this color and I was a bit sad I had never got it when Kiko did the mirror series, so I was very happy to receive it.
Unlike its Kiko fellows, however, it is not a one coater: shown here are three coats, no topcoat. It's a bit sheer, but in the end I don't care, it doesn't leave many stripes and it has a very good drying time.
Oh and the smell. What are woods at night supposed to smell, you ask yourself, and it has been a long time since I've been in a moonlight wood but it certainly doesn't smell so sweet. It's not a sickly sweet scent, it's delicate but strong (if it makes sense) and the smell was perceivable for a couple of days after application.
Like its fellows it's quite long lasting, it started chipping only after 4 days.

I really liked this one, definitely recommended!



venerdì 27 febbraio 2015

Green and black nail art


 Hello! Today I want to show you a nail art inspired by this. Don't you miss Nailside? I do.
I didn't want to use pink, so I used Essence L.O.L., my favourite lime green creme, topped with essence Stamp me! black polish. Nailside covered it with a matte topcoat but I left it shiny (with Seche Vite obvs.). These geometric shapes aren't as easy as it seems, especially since the tape I use doesn't stick to the nail as strongly as I wish. Still, the result ain't that bad!



martedì 17 febbraio 2015

Sugarpill Heart Breaker palette review

Look, I'll understand if you think it's pointless to review a product that beauty bloggers allover the world own and love. But still, here's my 2 cents about this super-beautiful palette.

They win all possible packaging contest from here to eternity.
But packaging aside...
Colors are Acidberry (acid green with subtle shimmer), Velocity (electric matte blue with subtle shimmer), Mochi (ultra matte seafoam) and 2am, (matte purple with soft shimmer). In the swatches I've done they don't appear much pigmented but they're actually pretty great. Mochi ended up being a personal favorite, it's ridiculously good. With primer and a white base to help the colors stand out, these will last all day perfectly. They blend like a dream and are just ... super pretty.
My swatches don't do these pretties justice!
The Sugarpill website doesn't ship to Italy (huge surprise here) but you can get them through Cocktailscosmetics.
There are two other palettes like this, with different colors, if these aren't your cup of tea.
In my humble opinion everyone should try Sugarpill once in their lifetime.
(I also own the yellow eyeshadow, Buttercupcake, which is THE BEST.)



giovedì 12 febbraio 2015

Galaxy nails

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in almost two weeks. The life I am leading now makes me quite busy, I still miss posting regularly but I can't deny that this is a good moment for me.
I haven't stopped painting my nails (pfft as if it could ever happen), I just have less time for more elaborate nail art.
Anyway I want to show you this attempt at "proper" galaxy nails. I have nicknamed it Galaxy Fail because, as pretty as it is, it doesn't make me think of a galaxy when I look at it.
Or maybe it's just me.

The base was Rimmel Blue Vogue, the other polishes are Essence Over The Rainbow, Catrice Play it Blue, Revlon Ginger Melon, Essence Elves Like Liliac and some Sinful Colors Snow Me White.
My favourite thing of this nail art was having it topped with Essence's More Than Words from a very old (almost 2 years old, I believe) Valentine's day LE. The glitters are in warmer colors which allows for a very nice effect.
Not perfect, but I enjoyed having it on my nails.
I hope I'll be able to post regulary soon!

venerdì 30 gennaio 2015

Neve Cosmetics Mistero Barocco eyeshadow palette

I have ten minutes to spare (I am a busy woman) and I miss regularly updating this blog. So here's a review of NC's Mistero Barocco eyeshadow palette. NC is seriously becoming my favourite brand.
This palette is no longer available on their website, but single eyeshadows are, and you could still find it in brick&mortar stores or other retailers.
The packaging is pretty awesome, white with the golden symbol, it's definitely going to rank high you your list of awesome packaging cosmetics.
It's not much different than a smaller regular palette (like the Duochrome, the Scurissimi and so on), it's in plastic and holds four shades: Crinoline (warm shimmery gold) Ember (pure matte red), Obscure (dark brown, matte with some really subtle shimmer) and Ornament (shimmery antique pink). No primer here, just swatched on bare skin.
Crinoline is very pretty, it's not just a warm gold, to me it has hints of orange and it's extremely beautiful. Highlight the inner corner of your eyes with this, or just use it as a regular eyeshadow. I know many gold eyeshadows but this one really is different.
Ember is a pure, simple matte red with cold/neutral undertones. I have used this as eyeshadow, eyeliner and blush. As blush I recommend caution because it's extremely pigmented. It doesn't look too much Heid-ish once you learn how to apply it.
Ornament is a personal favourite. Like, if you can only get one of these please get Ornament! It's not only a ridiculously beautiful eyeshadow (if you do neutrals this is your new best friend) but it's also a great blush! I used it more as a blush I believe, and it really looks wonderfully ... natural on me, the shimmer doesn't highlight the imperfections of my skin and it's extremely long lasting.
Obscure is a pretty beautiful brown, not that unique but still good and useful, you could use it in your brows as well if they're dark enough. NC suggested you to use it as bronzer as well, but it depends heavily on your skin color. On mine it would be way too dark, and would need a lot of work and blending. You can still use it as eyeshadow or eyeliner, the color is very pretty after all.


The pigmentation varies a bit, Obscure is much more buildable than the others, but that's a good thing in my eyes.
So, any of you got this or plan on getting it? Personally I am quite in love with it, it's extremely multitasking (you can do eyes, brows, face...)!

lunedì 26 gennaio 2015

Shaka Hologram Sky

Could I leave this in the store when I saw it? Hint: the answer is no.
A legendary holo I craved for a while, when I saw it I knew I had to get it immediately.
Application was ok, no great issues, and the color is wonderful.
Of course when I decided to wear it we had no sun for days, and it's quite a pity to take a photo of a holo indoor with flash.
Under sunlight it would've been so much better.
But alas, here it is in all its glory.
Very pretty, isn't it?
And it's always good to have a good holo collection...


mercoledì 21 gennaio 2015

Magical girl transformation nails

Why yes, I did wait too much to take a pic of this nail art, resulting in some chipping in the index.
Besides that, I created this nail art using the Sailor Moon transformation sequences as inspiration source, I wanted to create that bubbly gradient effect.
I used Revlon Ginger Melon again, because it's a great color, with Kiko 830 as a gradient color. I used Kiko 617 and Galscosmetics stamping plates to draw the bubbles on it.
And I topped everything with Seche Vite, ofc.
I really love the colors on this one!

mercoledì 14 gennaio 2015

Colorful Galaxy


I wanted to do something colorful over Revlon Ginger Melon and I sponged a few colors on it to create a galaxy effect and it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I am still posting it because the color scheme is pretty and it reminds me of the effects during a magical girl transformation.
I used Essence Elves Like Liliac, Essence Over The Rainbow, Sinful Colors Snow Me White and a bit of Catrice Play It Blue.
I still don't know what to think of it... but the colors are pretty, of that I am sure! I still want to try a "proper" galaxy nail art.

lunedì 12 gennaio 2015

Revlon Ginger Melon


I was supposed to post about another polish, and I've got a review of the Neve Cosmetics Mistero Barocco palette coming soon. But this polish is so stunning I had to blog about it.
Basically, it's a Barbie pink perfectly opaque in two coats. I was afraid it might show some lines  but the color ended up perfectly, and with a good drying time (no seche vite here).
The smell isn't as strong as its companion Wintermint, but it's a delicious sweet smell that really makes me think of melon.
Yeah, it might seem like a summer color.. but there were 21 degrees here yesterday (Northern Italy, guys), so why not. A vibrant neon pink that doesn't require a white base to stand out? Yes, please!
The color is very reminiscent of the Eighties, so I'll probably do a nail art on it.
For now, i really love this color and I definitely recommend it!

giovedì 1 gennaio 2015

My New Year's Eve Polish

Hello! And happy new year to all of you! I originally planned to post this on NYE but I got carried out in food preparation... So here it is, Barry M Gold Mine Glitter, brought to me by my cousin who is currently living in England.
I always wanted to try a Barry M polish, and this one was perfect for the holidays! Two coats and seche vite here. Gold glitter in a black base that is opaque enough to cover the nails in two coats, and with an averagely good glitter distribution, I'd say this is a good polish!
However I have to add  that, over my mom's Kiko base, it chipped really soon: yesterday evening while I was cooking... it's not the first time I wear a polish for NYE that ends up chipping on that very evening, it must be a curse!
I want to test it over my regular Essence base too. For now, i really like this polish and I think a better base would do it justice.
I hope we all have a nice 2015!