Cosmoprof nails + Lemon and Lavender nail art

Before showing you my swatches of my Cosmoprof goodies, I have to show you this cute nail art of mine. Inspired by a Lemon Lavender Yankee Candle that smells deliciously (obviously) and made with Kiko 338, Max Factor Mellow Yellow and Sinful Colors Snow Me White. Sadly Mellow Yellow is very sheer, so it didn't end as I wanted. Still good!

And I forgot to post my Cosmoprof NOTD, so here's what I did with Essence L.O.L. and an Essence tip painter to create a black drop effect. Very simple, but I was too tired to do anything else.

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.

Fantasy Fire over Elves Like Lilac

Now, the (in)famous Fantasy Fire by Max Factor hardly requires a presentation. Beautiful in the bottle, hard to picture on the nails and, since the small bottle, available only for layering.
I did another layering experiment, this time over Essence Elves Like Lilac, which already has some shimmer in it. Fantasy Fire adds a golden/orange shimmer to it, with warm undertones, that actually changes the polish a lot. It doesn't bring the best out of FF, but then again, which polish does? I still like the effect, it shines nicely. Do you own FF (and most importantly, do you like it)?
(sorry for the short posts, it's still exam time after all).

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!

Strawberry, vanilla & chocolate nails

You caught me: when I don't post nail art for a while it's because I'm not 100% satisfied with the results. This one isn't a masterpiece either, but I still find it cute.

You can either imagine it as chocolate dripped over vanilla or strawberry cream, or vice versa.
I used Max Factor Mellow Yellow (urgh, what a bad formula), Essence Very Cherry, Essence Tip Painter in pink (the one from the Tribal Summer LE) and an old unnamed brown I had at home. All covered in Essence's matte top coat. Actually the pink flakies on Very Cherry are above the top coat, as if on cake icing.

Max Factor Dazzling Blue

Now, this is a polish that deserves a fame, and way more than Fantasy Fire. I just don't get the title, they could have found something nicer, like "mermaid's tail" or something to render this beautiful multi-duochrome that goes from light blue to sea green, according to light. I could swear it has some golden hues under artificial light.

It's a bit sheer, this is three coats. It will start chipping after two days without topcoat. Overall I think it's a beautiful shade you shouldn't miss.

Vote: A-

Stamping with Kiko 629

A photo taken a few days ago, I made an experiment and stamped with Kiko 629- the copper-colored mirror polish by kiko! The polish was a gift from my sister, after I helped her with some polish-buying advice. I stamped this over the max factor/essence mani.

The result is nice, even though I found it slightly harder than the other polishes to stamp with, but I still want to experiment more with it to judge. Overall, it works and the effect on the whole mani isn't that bad!
Stamping or not, this Kiko polish is really good. Kiko did a great work with the Mirror collection!

Max Factor Fantasy Fire

A blurred photo is needed to show you the (in)famous Max Factor Fantasy Fire, over two coats of Essence's Midnight Date.
Honestly, I don't get why it's considered a rare polish because I seem to find it everywhere. It's also a bit complicated when it comes to layering.

I tried on a dark glittery violet by Kiko months ago too.

I think that this is one of those polishes that are better in the bottle than on the nail. It's nice, but not something worth searching the seven seas for, in my opinion.
Vote: B

Shaka Sugary white, Emerald and Peacock review

The main reason why I didn't post anything this week is because I wasn't satisfied with the results.
I will, however, post my last two nail art (more like fail art), because they were still good occasions to review my new polishes, especially the news Shakas of the family.

What was I expecting: a peacock-style nail art
The result: An aztec-style something
The base color is Shaka Emerald, that I find great. Unfortunately Shaka Peacock didn't contrast much with Emerald so the result is, well, not what I wanted. Maybe they would make a nice gradient together.
(Violet: Pupa 410, Gold: Kiko 628)

What was I expecting: A candy effect
The result: A sports team t-shirt effect
The white is Shaka Sugary White. Should you buy only one polish of the Shaka Sugary Collection, go for this one. It's very candylike and has small silver glitter that makes it really look sugary...
(Yellow: Max Factor Mellow Yellow, Green: Mint Cream, Orange: Kiko 356, Violet: Kiko 338, Pink: Catrice Pimp My Shrimp)

Overall, even if I am not satisfied with my nail art, something that comes more from my mood than from an effective failure, I have to say that Shaka polishes have always an overall good quality, and a low price (usually 1.99 euros, I paid them 1.79 because there was a make up sale at OVS).
Shaka Peacock was part of my birthday gifts.