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

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

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?

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!

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.)

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!

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 nail art and gifts

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you had a nice day (whether you celebrate it or not)
I always love looking at what other people received so I'm showing off my gifts, because why not.
The bag is kinda like the Freitag bags, this one is made with old ads and recycled seat belts. All recycled! I really wanted something in that style so I'm really happy!
And the beauty case is a nice addition too, it's very big.

Aaand a close up of the Sugarpill makeup I received! I've been wanting this palette for so long! And finally a good matte yellow eyeshadow!

Aren't those the prettiest colors you've ever seen?! Look at that palette, seriously! It's all my favorite colors combined in one palette, I can't wait to try this!

And my Christmas nail art. I didn't want to use red, so I used Essence Colour 3 Midnight Date and Catrice Bronze Deco for a simple star-inspired nail art. Not a typical Christmas nail art but I really like it.

Enigma/Blue eye pencil by Neve Cosmetics

Look, guys, a post! I am still alive!
And today I want to show you Neve Cosmetics' new eye pencil in Enigma/Blue. Quite frankly I am in love with the idea of a sci-fi themed collection, and I sort of end up collecting matte blue eye colors, so hey, who was I not to give it a try. Especially since the good price, you know.
The color is a matte bright blue. I have a comparison image here:
From L to R: Sephora eye pencil in Azur Blue, Maybelline Master Drama Kohl in electric blue, Kiko eyeliner 107, and Neve Cosmetics Enigma.

The only one that is similar here is Sephora's eye pencil, but the color is less intense and slightly more indigo-ish, so they are not identical.
I have read many comments about this pencil (and the others of the set), and I don't agree with some of them. First, yes, they are soft. It's not a bad thing. UD eye pencils are soft too, and I haven't seen anybody criticize them.
Second, for this reason, they're impossible to work with and stain your eyelid. Duuude, no. With a good primer they last as a standard eye pencil (well, unless you rub your eyes), and I experienced minimal to no lid stain.
So, is it a good pencil? Yes, and I recommend it. At least try it for yourself if you can find a brick and mortar store that has NC.

Shaka Stone Like Sky

I've been stalking the local OVS for the new Shaka polishes for a while, and finally, my patience was rewarded! I haven't seen the duochromes yet, only the Stone Like polishes which, as you can guess, have a liquid sand finish.
Quite frankly, this color is awesome. A peacock teal based polish with yellow, blue and lime microglitters that make it shine incredibly well - for the first time I felt the curiosity to wear it with a topcoat, but then I'd have to wear sunglasses all the time because damn, the shine!

Without flash

The color is really wonderful, and the drying time was wonderfully short. Definitely recommended! I can't wait to find more colors and other finishes of the new series...

Essence 172 Splash!

A simple but beautiful metallic blue with hints of teal/green, Essnece Splash! was given to me by a person who thought the shade didn't fit with their skin undertones, along with another Essence polish.
Quality wise, it's good, I wore it without the Seche Vite above it and it still dried quickly enough, and it lasted for approximately 4 days before the first signs of chipping.
The color is nothing groundbreaking for me... because I love it and already have something similar. But if you don't, it's a little jewel of a polish. You can't go wrong with it.
It's perfect for summer and shines wonderfully under sunlight!

Two weeks after midnight

This title ended better than I expected! Anyway, I haven't posted much lately because between my thesis, the time staying at my parents, my other relatives.. the time for nail polish was definitely not enough!
So I did an experiment: I wore Essence Midnight Date + City That Never Sleeps...for almost two weeks:

Yes, there is some serious chipping on my index finger, surely. But overall, it all lasted way better than I expected! The beach damage has been minimal because the rain (and the study) allowed me 2 days at the beach. And I am glad because I'm easily bored by it..
Another thing that delayed my polish habit is the fact that next week I will be on holidays, as in, real, no computer holidays. I will also be in London for a few days! I will try to make a pre-London post, and surely an after-London haul post when I come back!
Have fun you all!

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...

Essence 173 Over the Rainbow

I've been curious about this polish for a while and since I haven't bought a nail polish in weeks (can you believe it? me neither), I decided to go for this little beauty.
The color is a dusty light blue with a soft duochrome to lavender, with light blue shimmer. This is the best description I could come up with, because it's a really special polish, and hard to define.
Application was easy, it's a bit sheer but two coats are enough, I put on 3 just to be sure but two would have been enough.
Can't say much about its lasting power yet but the color is very pretty, and I recommend it.

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.

Kiko 530 (new range)

Did I really need another blue polish? Yes, yes I did.
Kiko 530 is from the new range, and is one of the most stunning ones. A shimmery/foil blue that looks almost green with scarce light... I'm pretty sure this is the color of dragons. By the way, one of his fellow (not sure if 529 or 532) is probably a dupe of the discontinued Essence Choose Me!.

So shiny! And the quality is pretty good, I've been wearing this for 4 days and there is no tipwear at all.

Would I recommend it? YES.

P.s. A small announcement: I will be working during the weekend and monday (at the elections) so I probably will not be able to post anything until the end of the month. Hopefully June is going to be a much less stressful month.

Color Spotlight: Blue (pt 1)

Hello! Welcome to the next episode of the "Color Spotlight" series. Blue is one of my favourite colors (along with acid green, bugundy and more), and there are so many shades of it, that I decided to divide the post in 2 parts. The second one will focus more on teal and light blue, while I'll keep this for the most "traditional" shades of blue. I also have a new blue polish to show you, but I'm keeping that for tomorrow... for now, enjoy my 5 favorites.
Kiko 435 was part of the Dark Heroine LE, a blue with strong violet hues (practically a duochrome) absolutely fit for a dark lady. A bit of a wintery polish, but that doesn't make it less awesome.
In its simplicity, Kiko 294 is a wonderful, warm toned blue. I call it Egyptian blue, and it's a wonderful shade. Bit reminiscent of ceramic decorations and jewels. I prefer it with nail art rather than alone.
Kiko Quick Dry 830 was a pleasing surprise, since it's a very pretty metallic blue that looks stunning under the lights. I have nicknamed it superhero blue, because it's a great color for a supersuit!
Kiko 440 from the Digital Emotion LE is a glittery party of awesomeness. Annoying to remove, as every glittery polish, yes, but so pretty I am willing to forgive that.
Pupa 054 really creates on the nails the gel/glass effect it promises. Smells awfully in the bottle, is simple yet classy on the hands.

And now, some blue eye make up. I wear blue eyeliner way more than black eyeliner, so I will be eternally thankful to Concrete Minerals for making the holy grail of blue eyeliner/eyeshadows.
Bulletproof by CM is seriously the best. Irl is a bit darker. Once it sets on the eyelids it stays all day (will stain a little bit, but oily makeup remover does the trick).
The two Kiko eyeliners, 106 and 107, are actually quite different, 106 is glittery and 107 is darker and matte. Unsurprisingly, I like 107 more, but 106 isn't that bad either, even if it seems less pigmented.
And a blue mascara, obviously, shown here is Kiko 07. Beautiful and pigmented, no complaints.
The UD eye pencil in LSD is a personal fave, because it really lasts and lasts and lasts. A dark blue with light blue microglitter, it would look stunning with every eye color.
The Sephora eye pencil in Azur Blue deserves a mention because, before CM's Bulletproof, it was my go-to eye pencil. It still has a place in my heart because it's small, easy to carry and lasts long. The color is less intense than Bulletproof though.




And that's all for the first part! Second part coming soon! Comments and opinions are always appreciated.

Gradient and dots

Here's another gradient I tried, with Snow me White by Sinful Colors and Kiko 294. It didn't end as smooth as I would've wanted to, but it's still pretty. I added some dots with Essence L.O.L. since I wanted a touch of green.
I need to get better at gradients but I love this color combination a lot, it puts me in a good mood.

Kiko 624

As a few days ago, I'm going to show you one of the old Kiko mirror polishes, this time a light blue one. Isn't it pretty? No, seriously, with this kind of posts I always feel like I don't know what to say besides "look at it it's pretty and the quality is good!". This series of polishes always proved good for stamping.
In some Kiko shops they still sell some of them for a reduced price. Worth your money if you never tried them!