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!

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!

Christmas gift ideas (under 15 €)

Boy, do I love Christmas. But everytime I find myself struggling to find the perfect gifts, and I keep finding things I'd love to receive instead. So I made a little list for you of makeup-related gifts. No, I haven't tried these products - but I'd love to. More than a personal wishlist, it's a list of suggestions, but maybe it's useful for you!

Lip Scrub Set (Kiko) - 11,90 €

Available in Cinnamon&Orange, Red Berries and Candy Canes. I can't resist things that smell nice and I am pretty sure I am not the only one or Yankee Candles would be out of businnes by now. A lip scrub and a lip balm duo can be a pretty useful gift since it's winter, and the packaging looks pretty cool.
Get it in Kiko stores or online.

Dancing til Dusk eye and face palette (Sleek) - 12.90 €

Ah, Sleek palettes are always a pleasure. This one contains eyeshadows, blushes, and two brushes. It would be a good gift for a person always on the move, even for a makeup newbie, since the price is affordable and Sleek quality is usually good.
Get it at Sephora (and on their website).

Travel Brush Set 9,90 (Sephora)

I've never tried those, but hell, a bunch of travel brushes never goes amiss. Sephora brushes are usually good (I've got one) and the price/amount of brushes ratio is honest.
Get it at Sephora.

Duo Nail Kit (Pupa) 9,90 €

I was very tempted to get this with my 20% discount at Sephora. Two polishes and a beautiful pochette? Considering the usual price of Pupa polishes, it's a bargain. And it looks very pretty!
Get it in various makeup stores.

Neve Cosmetics Mistero Barocco palette

I haven't written the price because it has disappeared from the Neve Cosmetics website, being out of stock.  But you can still find it in brick and mortar stores and here, if you're inclined. (Also, check out that website, there's a lot of great stuff).
I actually own this (review soon), and I can tell you the quality is reaaaal good. That pink makes a great blush, it's an awesome multitasking palette and you can't go wrong with it.


That's all for now!

Latest purchases

I can finally show you pictures! Yay! And what's better than showing you what I bought lately?
It's not properly a haul, since not everything was bought on the same shopping trip, but still...

The Catrice nail polish is 04 Artful Red, from the Viennart LE. I'm gonna try it this evening, so be ready for a review! The silver one of this LE was also promising, but I only got the red for now.
The foundation is Pupa Made To Last in Ivory (lightest shade) and I got it with the special 10 euros coupon (so I paid 10 euros something that costed almost 20, a real bargain) and I am absolutely loving it, it feels wonderful, lighweight despite the very good coverage and it's really great. I'm not a foundation expert but I could post a review of it as well.
The brush is from H&M, and I am loving it, I use it to apply the Pupa foundation and it works perfectly.
The two Kiko products were the result of an afteroon with my boyfriend, the 30% discount coupon and a lot of patience and help from him xD I ended getting only two products, even if I initally had four of them in my hands. I have chosen the eyeliner in the colour 107, because it was (and is) an important element in my makeup routine and I used it so much that I finished one (I never finished a black eyeliner, for comparison). Whenever I don't know what to wear I choose it, maybe paired with a blue mascara as well. I think it compliments my eyes fairly well and it's really long lasting.
The eye pencil is from the Daring Game LE, I've been craving it since the first time I saw this LE, which was in august, so I waited quite a lot! The shade is 29, Irresistible teal. I can't wait to wear it, since I've been rediscovering the beauty of a dark eye makeup.
I don't have much makeup here yet, I plan on bringing more of it when I go back at my parents' next weekend. I am definitely in need of some brushes!
That's all for now!
Bought anything interesting recently?

Review: Kiko Nail Polish Remover Travel Wipes

Hi! So, I am more or less settled in terms of housing, but I have a problem in terms of uploading pictures because my new laptop doesn't read my old camera's memory card and I need to get an adapter. Until I get it, no pics, sorry.
But I still wanted to tell you about Kiko's travel wipes...

And yes, the pic is from Kiko's website. Sorry.

I never realized how useful they could be, until I was on the move. Before settling in this house I stayed at some friends' for almost a week, then a few days at a B&B, and with a great amount of luggage already, I didn't want to buy acetone or something similar. Not to mention the "what if it opens in the bag" panic and so on. But I still wanted to get rid of an old, chipped nail polish on my nails and use one of the few polishes I had brought. It's not exactly hard to explain why, despite being super busy and anxious about the room to find and whatnot I still wanted to have perfect nails, right?
Feeling ready makes me feel better, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
So I decided to get these travel wipes, and here's my impressions:

• They come in a tiny round box that's really small. Less than half of a Sleek palette, to give you an idea. You will be able to stick it in any beauty case.
• Being acetone-free, they're rather oily. Consider that, I know that some people dislike it.
• The smell is delicious!
• They're really small. In the Kiko pic they look like those powder puffs, but they're nothing like it, they're more similar to a make up remover wipe. Being small, I noticed I needed at least two to remove nail polish from both my hands. It may depend from the color/amount of coats/topcoat but I doubt you could remove your nail polish from both hands with just one of those.

That being said, do I recommend them? Yes, because they can be awfully practical. If you're going on holiday or are in a situation similar to mine, they could prove very useful. Just make sure you've a way to wash your hands afterwards for the oily effect (as in, I wouldn't recommend to use them on a train and whatnot). Just keep them for extreme situations,

I'm back (with an old gem)

Thanks for bearing with me, gals (and guys). I survived a tour de force consisting of: 1) the Translation Slam at Lucca Comics 2) a saturday in Lucca Comics (coming back home was a disaster, we had to queue for 4 hours just to reach the train station...) 3) my graduation! I've obtained my Laurea Magistrale! (110 e lode, ragazze, non ci posso credere!)
Now I can finally go back to blogging regularly. I'll do my best, because I have a new laptop and it doesn't read my memory card, but I still will post some stuff this week. I also have a review of Neve Cosmetics's primer coming down the pipeline!
For now I want to show you a little gem, an old discontinued Kiko polish, 382.

A shimmery gunmetal grey that reminds me of the Pupa matt cream eyeshadows (review of one of those soon too!) in terms of color, but it has a shimmer finish. Here it's not topped with seche vite, because, uh, I got distracted playing Payday 2 (new laptop = more videogames!), but it's really beautiful. It's quite old, I had recently started to be into nail polishes when I got this but I absolutely love it, it's extremely elegant also because it's not 100% black.
A personal favorite, if I had to say. I hadn't worn it in a lifetime so I am happy to show it to you!

P.s. here's what I got at Lucca Comics!

I would've gotten more if I had had more time and if there had been less of a crowd. But hey, I've got 3rd issue of Saga, the second volume of the Elric of Melnibone comic, a mug with Eevee and the eeveelutions (sounds like a band name...) and a Sailor Moon set containing a small purse where I'll keep my lipsticks, a small mirror and a hair band. There were sooo many SM goodies, I didn't know where to start!
That's all for today, tomorrow I'll post the first review!

Autumn Leaves

Despite being busy, I still wanted to do some nail art. I though that the base polish, Kiko 436 from the old Dark Heroine LE was at my parents' home (to be used by mom), but I actually have it here. So I put it on because it's a goddamn beautiful polish.
Inspiration struck and I used my favorite stamping plate design ever, with Kiko 629, to create this autumn-like design. I really love it, it feels elegant and nice.
I had forgotten how much I love stamping, I should do it more often..

Color Spotlight: Red

I thought I had already done this...but apparently I haven't! So here's red, the color of passion, danger, and many other things...

...like my Ikea Lack table.
These are my favourite reds. Overall, I don't own many red polishes at all. I have such a little amount of reds that I included a China Glaze polish that is a black base with red glitters. I did it because it's awesome.
From L to R: Orly Red Flare, Pupa 620 from the old China Doll LE, China Glaze Lubu Heels, H&M Super Red and Deborah Shine Tech 13.
Red Flare is a wonderful, classy red with cool undertones. If you're into reds, you can't miss this. Two coats of it makes you instantly flawless and fierce. Unless, of course, you prefere Pupa 620 which is still the best red polish on the planet. I have yet to find a polish that can top it, it makes me feel like a femme fatale and I love it. China Glaze Lubu Heels is an interesting polish, a sheer black base with red glitter. The glitter really pops out and is veeeery pretty. H&M Super Red is really... a super red. No, really. Almost a crelly, it shines like a gel polish and has a wonderful duration. Deborah Shine Tech 13 has more of a cool undertone, compared to Super Red, and it's another beautiful red creme.

And here's my favourite reds in terms of makeup.
The eyeshadow in the palette (Sleek Lagoon) is a pretty neon matte red, and I used it a lot as eyeliner. I also appreciate as eyeliner Neve Cosmetics Watermelon, a single eyeshadow that I love. I've used it on my lips too, but I prefer it as an eyeliner/eyeshadow.
And three red lipstick. The matte red is Catrice It's a Matt World, I haven't worn it for a while, since I'm currently in love with dark, violet/plum/berry shades, but daamn, it's a beautiful red and I should wear it more.
The same for Kiko Latex Like Lipstick in 04 Plastic Red. A pretty, shiny cyber red that guarantees you a stunning look. This was from the Dark Heroine LE and I am really glad I bought it because it's pretty awesome. The other red is Kiss of Life from Rimmel by Kate, another matte red, but softer tha It's a Matt World and a bit more lip drying.
And that's all for now! What are you favourites when it comes to red?

Lavender and black

And for today, another small gradient experiment, done using Kiko 338 and Pupa 209.

I wanted to create a gritty urban effect, and quite frankly I am satisfied. I still have lots to learn about gradients, and I also want to try gradients with three colors. But for now, enjoy this. I've been having more time for myself, since I'm waiting for the feedback on my thesis, which I'd say it's 95% complete.
I've also planned another color spotlight post, so stay tuned for details!

Stamping on green and and my current situation

You might have noticed my absence... well, I'm currently working on my thesis, and I only have almost a month to finish it. I will graduate in november. So, yeah, this is the main reason why I haven't posted much: super duper busy and without many energy for complicate nail art. I've still painted my nails, but with colors you've already seen and without anything really elaborate. No energy for that, at least for now.

The nail art you see below was pretty much the only exception. I used OPI Don't Talk Bach To Me and Kiko 619 for stamping. I routinely thank the gods of nail polish for bringing the Seche Vite on earth, without it, it would be worse.

I am afraid that is all for now.
 P.s. In case you missed it, the Duochrome palette by Neve Cosmetics is coming back! Keep your eyes on their website...

Kiko Daring Game first impressions and swatches

It's not a change of season if I don't come up with a post about Kiko's latest LE. This autumn's theme is, according to Kiko, the exciting game of seduction. Or something like that.

Personally, I really dig the Casino Royale theme, and the packaging is really pretty. Can't say the same for the prices, 6,90 for the nail polishes is a bit too much.. polishes have always been the cheapest element of a LE, now there are eye pencils that cost less...
And it's not the only complaint I have for the nail polishes:

From L to R: 02 Irresistible Orchid, 01 Prestigious Taupe, 03 Suggestive Red, 04 Intuition Wine, 05 Exclusive Blue, 06 Slick Bluenoir.

Look at the colors, there is nothing groundbreaking there. The finish is probably a crelly, they're slick but not so much pigmented. Oh and there is nothing blue in 06, I've tried looking at it in various angles and to me it's just a plain black. Oh and yeah, surely, the packaging with the dice effect is nice but you have to remove it, it only covers the cap, it's not part of it. Sorry but for me this is a downside, it makes everything a bit less practical.

 From L to R: 24 Majestic Dove Grey, 29 Irresistible Teal, 20Mysterious Acai, 10 Bold Rosy Taupe, 22 Fine Jade, 11 Charming Champagne, 8 Sinuous Shell, 33 Likable Blackberry
 What I really liked were the Color-Up Long Lasting Eyeshadows (aka the big chubby eye pencils). I hope I got the identification of the colors right beacuse the numbers had faded on all the pencils and some colors are really similar. I also realized right now I am missing the swatches of 31 Tasteful Indigo, but I could swear it wasn't among the testers.
The quality seems very promising because once you wear them, they don't seem to smudge or fade, I've worn a couple of them on my hand yesterday and I had to wash them off at the endo of the day because they were still perfectly there. 29 Irresistible Teal is the most interesting color of the bunch for me (a shimmery teal with cold undertones? hell yeah). 11 Charming champagne seems like a bunch of glitter on a transparent base, 20 Mysterious Acai looks like a glittery nail polish turned eyeshadow and 33 Likable Blackberry is the only matte of the bunch. What a weird assortment of colors.. but they make me wish it were already autumn, sigh! I might be tempted to get the 29, but I will see and wait, for the moment.

You can also see something of the eye pencils: 02 Extraordinary Sapphire, 04 Gritty Ivy, 06 Powerful Burgundy and 13 Wily Bright Wood. 
02 and 13 are glittery, 4 is shimmery and 6 seems matte again. Pretty colors but nothing we haven't seen before.

What do you think of this LE? Tried anything?

Color Spotlight: White

Welcome to a new episode of the Color Spotlight series! I originally planned to do white and black together, but I have enough white products for a post on its own. Black will probably go with grey when it will be its turn.
There are my white polishes: Kiko Rock Top 615, if it were less sheer it would be awesome, Sinful Colors Snow Me White, my tipical white polish, China Glaze Texture There's Snow One Like You, potentially awesome but not long lasting enough, I need to experiment putting it on a different base, Shaka Sugary White, a very cute (a bit sheer) super shimmery white, and Kiko Cupcake 647, a white sand effect polish with red/green/blue micro particles.

My white makeup products! (not including white eyeshadows that are part of other palettes)
Manic Panic Goth White is a multi-purpose white cream, it can be used mixed with foundation, as concealer, as highlighter if you're really pale (on me it works nicely) and, my favorite use, as an eyeshadow base. I purchased it online after having used my other Manic Panic products long enough to be enthusiastic about them.
The Kryolan white eyeliner doesn't mess around, it would probably survive the apocalypse, along with cockroaches and Nokia 3310 phones. Super long lasting and awesome, I don't want to use it as a base because I don't want to waste it (and because it would probablu glue my eyelid still), but as an eyeliner it's pretty amazing.
I also added my Neve Cosmetics Ivory eye pencil, I don't use it that often but when I do, the effect is really nice, my E.L.F. matte white eyeshadow (it's always useful to have a matte white eyeshadow) and my Shaka white lipstick, that also happens to be a great base for lip pigments.

Tell me people, do you like white? Do you use it often? I think it's a wonderful, underrated color.

Green gradient and blue dots

I decided to give another try when it comes to gradients, and I learned something:

some polishes are too sheer and water-y for this. I used Sinful Colors Snow Me White as a base and Kiko 296 and E.L.F. Mint Cream as gradient colors. Well, Mint Cream's formula made everything turn out worse.
Not to mention that photos can make even the most decent nail art look awful. I'm still posting this because maybe someone can learn from my errors (and to prove you that I'm still alive and nail paintin' ).
I added Kiko 644 on top (from the Sugar Mat line) for a textured effect.

Dots over the rainbow

A simple nail art, I haven't done dots for a while so I tried putting some dots over Over the Rainbow with Kiko 830. I want to experiment more with dots in the future, for now, I really liked this because it makes me think of Sailor Mercury...

Teal and pink

I can't believe I haven't posted anything with this color combination yet.  And look, no triangles for this time! I wanted to make dots, but I realized I liked the little strips more...
For this I used Deborah 55 Blue Lagoon, Kiko 284 and an Essence tip painter from the old Tribal Summer set.

Orange triangles

Yes, it's triangles/stripes again! This time with Snow Me White by Sinful Colors as base (and what a great white base it makes!). I used Kiko 356 and 640 above it, the last one being a textured/sand effect polish. I love this simple, sunny color combination, it makes me think of fruit...

Violet and stripes

Let's face it, this kind of nail art is perfect when you don't have much time on your hands...to use for your hands, I mean, nails. Bad puns aside, it's a great way to explore new color combinations.
I spiced up the Pupa polish, 410, that I had worn during the second ballot at the elections, with some colorful stripes.
I used Kiko 284, Shaka Juicy Pumpkin and Essence L.O.L. 
Personally I love this color scheme! And the Seche Vite makes it look soo shiny!

Color Spotlight: Blue (pt 2)

Welcome to the next episode of Color Spotlight, this time we're reviewing more shades of blue.

Essence 03 Life is a Freeride, from the Snow Jam LE is a shimmery/metallic teal you can't go wrong with. But if you're not in for shimmer, and prefer a darker, more petrol-like shade of teal, go for Deborah 55 Blue Lagoon.
How could I not include the famous Cinderella by Sinful Colors? a light blue with a soft golden/pink shimmer so cute that will make you feel on a raibowy cloud while riding a winged unicorn.
Layla 66 is a simple creme, yes, but a nice shade of blue, almost a denim blue, with grey undertones. Would look awesome with a matte topcoat.
Nails Inc. Sweets Way may look like a mere glitter topper, but don't let looks deceive you. It has a light blue base and an intense concentration of glitters really reminiscent of a cupcake.

And here's the makeup. I am not really much a fan of light blue as an eye makeup color, because I've got light blue eyes and I don't think it compliments them well.
Neve Cosmetics Abracadabra from the Duochrome palette is a pretty light blue that shifts to a greenish/golden shade, it looks way better with other eyeshadows in a more complex makeup rather than alone. A Deborah teal mascara can't go wrong, and the old Pupa eyeshadow is, like Abracadabra, not so great alone on my eyelid. The pigmentation is good, especially with a wet brush.
On the left a Kiko cream eyeshadow from the Boulevard Rock LE, 107 Inspiration Emerald. Now, besides the fact that it's not emerald but teal, I have a few complaints about this. It acts weird, as in, it's not enough pigmented and you have to apply lots of it for a full eyelid coverage (using it as eyeliner would be even harder) and besides the 80s music video effect... when it dries it creates wrinkles. I am so sad because it's a really pretty color, and I've usually had god experiences with Kiko cream eyeshadows. I have to experiment with it, to find a way to still use it without side effects.

And that's all for today!

Tag: The Lip Product Addict

I took this from Drama, I haven't posted anything for a while so I decided to give you something about my lip products..

Favorite Balm/Treatment

As a night treatment, I sometimes use Neve Cosmetic's Lip Nectar (not pictured here), but the lime flavored Baby Lips is what I usually keep in my bag. It's not perfect as the overseas bloggers depicted it, but it's not that bad either, plus, I love the smell and the packaging is super cute.

Best Eye-Catching Red

I haven't worn a red in quite some time, but Catrice's It's a Matt World is the one that looks best on me. It's matte but not lip drying at all, and looks stunning.

Best Luxury / Best Drugstore (And Best Mac Lipstick)

My best luxury... is also my best Mac, since I don't have any other Mac lipstick, and it's the luxury-est one I own. It's Rebel, and it's definitely worth the price. Stays all day, eve after meals, looks fantastic on me, doesn't dry lips at all. I love berry/violet lipsticks and this one is probably the best one in the world.

For the same reason, I included as drugstore product a Maybelline liptint with a great scent and great color payoff. The other liptint is Catrice's Megan Fuchsia, another recommended product. The color may seem excessively flashy, but it's actually an office-friendly shade.

Most Disappointing

Nothing! No real disappointments in my lip purchases.

Liner Yay/Nay

I don't usually use a lipliner (except when I wear a black lipstick), but the Perfettina transparent/white lip pencil is useful if I want a flawless look. The two Neve Cosmetics Lip Pencils you see, well, I use them alone as lipsticks. They're pigmented and not too much lip drying, but it's better to prime and scrub the lips because they'll highlight any little flaw.

Best Gloss

I have no doubt that this is the best lipgloss on the planet. It's the lovechild of a lipstick and a lipgloss, and it's INSANELY pigmented. Like, capslock-worthy pigmented. More than certain lipsticks. See that wonderful shade of violet (called Underworld Amethyst)? Well, this is exactly what will appear on your lips. A lot of violet lip products turn pink or pink-ish on my lips, this doesn't. I can't recommend it enough.

Something Extra

Kiko's black lipstick and Shaka's matte white lipstick. I am really upset by the fact that they aren't the norm as nude and red lipsticks are, because they can be quite great. Plus, the black lipstick looks fantastic with my hair, and it very pretty. Those colors don't have to be weird or goth, they can be worn with class, depending on the rest of the makeup and the outfit.

Orange and Blue

May has not been a good month for blogging. But here I can show you a pretty Shaka polish, Juicy Pumpkin, that should have appeared before in my blog because damn. Shimmery in the bottle, like some OPI polishes the shimmer is not much visible on the nails. It gives it light without being a "ooh look at me I am clearly a shimmer". Here I used 3 coats, but 2 would have been enough. It's a magnificent shade of orange, almost a neon orange. Definitely recommended.
Kiko quick dry 830, one of my favourite blues, covers the tips creating a nice color and finish contrast.
Simple nail art, but I love it.