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.

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!

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!

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!

Essence Hello Autumn LE 02 & 03 Nail Polishes

I have a confession to make: I have yet to learn how to take pics of thermo polishes properly.
I still want to show you 02 Meet My Pumpkin and 03 Charlie Seen in Green, because they're two beautiful polishes with a great autumn feel.
02 is my personal favorite: in the bottle it looks like a cool dark chocolate brown (exemplified by my ring finger, but it can get even colder and darker than that), exposed to warmness it becomes a brick/rusty orange that is absolutely perfect for the season. You can see it better on my index. The quality is also great, it needs 2 coats for full opacity but it's almost a crelly, veeery shiny. A pleasure to wear.
03 goes from cool pistachio green (a bit like OPI Don't Talk Bach to Me) from warm pastel yellow. And it was very very hard to capture for my camera. I am sorry that you can barely see it.

 This is very blurry but at least it captures the orange nicely but, as you can see, 02 has a far more visible and bigger chromatic change compared to 03. Which is still a beautiful polish, since it's a warm light green that could look great with autumn themed nail arts.. If you can pick only one of them and want to see a strong thermo effect, go for 02.
Some people complained about the thermo effect for the polish from the Road Trip LE to be too subtle, and 02 will leave even those people satisfied (but 03 probably wont).
Ultimately, it's up to you: to me they are both beautiful and purchase-worth.
Also, my mom got the 01 Beauti-FALL red for herself and I will review it soon.
It will be a month filled with thermo polishes! I also got the colour adapting blush from this LE: I mistook it for a highlighter at first, but I tried it and damn, it works really nicely. Reviews soon!

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 on pink

Can you tell I'm in a dots mood? I used Essence Ben & Cherries as a base and added green dots with Essence L.O.L. I was tempted to stop there because the pastel pink and the acid green looked wonderful together. But I decided to add some dots, this time with a textured polish, Essence Hello Rosy. I didn't apply seche vite over the dots in order not to lose the liquid sand effect of the dots. I personally think it's a lovely color combination!

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...

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!

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.

Green Gradient

Of course, as soon as I said "look, it's sunny, I'll better take a pic of my nails", the sun went away.
Anyway, I hadn't done a gradient nail art in a lifetime so I figured out it was time to try it again. I probably can do better, but I'm still satisfied with the result. I'd love a more blue-to-green effect rather than a dark teal-to-green, and also some other color combinations...
Here I used two Essence polishes, L.O.L., a personal favourite, and 03 Life is a Freeride, from the old Snow Jam LE. If you look at the teal part closely, you can still see the shimmer, and it's something I love.
I'm probably going to add something to this gradient, like a cracking effect or I could use Sephora's arty pois top coat..

Grey and pink swirls

Don't you just hate when you do a nice nail art, take a pic and see all the small mistakes and imperfections brought to light? Like the line left by the Seche Vite on my middle finger... anyway, here's a nail art done yesterday evening while rewatching Hunger Games: Catching Fire in search of an inspiration.

Effie Trinket is my spirit animal

I wanted to use Kiko 328, a simple cold-toned grey, and Effie's outfit, which looks more lavender or blueish according to the light, was my inspiration source. I wanted to recreate something "round", no hard edges, and fluffy. The grey is reminiscent of the outfit and the pink of her makeup. Plus, I just really love grey and pink together, I think they look fine.
The swirls were stamped using Kiko 617 and 618, the pink is Kiko 375.

Sci-fi fishtail nail art

Aka my very first fishtail nail art. The base is Sinful Colors Snow Me White, the other two colors are Pupa 001 and 002 of the Cosmic Beauty LE. I topped everything with an old, discontinued top coat by Catrice called Prismatic Effect, that adds a blue-ish shade. On the white it's nicely visible but nearly impossible to capture in photos.

It's called sci-fi fishtail because of the colors (shiny white, grey.. they're all colors that make me think of spaceships) and because I did it while rewatching Judge Dredd on tv xD.

And I'm afraid that's all for today, and sorry for the tipwear..

My new white base

A quick post to show you my latest purchase, Sinful Colors Snow Me White.
I always wanted a white polish with a bigger (not like the small one for french tips) brush, and this one suits me nice. My other white polish was also almost finished, so I decided to try Snow Me White.
A classic white creme, not the easiest in application (a bit streaky) but of great opacity, almost an one coater!
Definitely recommended if you are looking for a good white base.
I covered the tips with Max Factor Dazzling Blue.

My Valentine's Day Manicure

A quick post with my Valentine's Day mani: I really wasn't in the mood for pink and hearts, but I still wanted something nice to wear for my evening out with my amazing boyfriend. I mattified Orly Red Flare and added a (non-matte) french line with Pupa Black.The contrast is scarcely visible here but far more irl. And I'm afraid that's all for now! Have fun, wheter you've got a parner or not!

Taupe and red chevrons

The awesome thing of this kind of mani is that it doesn't take much time and no tape at all, it's a freehand design. Effective and great if you don't have the time or the energy for something more detailed.
And I had promised myself I would have used my Kiko 638, my first sugar mat polish ever a bit more, so here it is. It is definitely less rough, as a texture, compared to its other fellow of other brands. The other polish is Kiko 226.

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...

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.

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!