Christmas collaboration giveaway!!! This one is HUGE!!!!

HEllo all,
I am so happy and excited to be participating in my first giveaway. I am involved with a lot of great , fellow bloggers!!! Its a HUGE one and there will be, I believe, 28 winners! SO make sure you all participate! Jill over at jilltastic nail design is the wonderful and gracious host. She deserves a great big Thank-you for all the hard work she did for putting this huge thing together. I am sure it was no easy task and quite time consuming. So make sure you send her some love and participate! I am terrible at computers and such. I am surprised at what I am able to do and have learned just from doing this blog! LMAO!! Point is, I am not to sure how to put the rafflecopter on my own page and all that so for now I will just give you the link to Jill's page and you can find all the info that you need there. So good luck to all and have fun:):)

Enter here>>>>>>> giveaway


That is all for now! Talk to you soon:)
xxx

Essie "Butler please" and "Where's my chauffeur" with China Glaze "Its a trap-eze" accent nails.

Well hello yet again:) Hope everyone is doing great tonight. I am sitting here having a quiet night so thought I would do a post about the mani I am wearing at the moment. I am in love with it! Exactly a week ago today, however, I was at the red hot chili peppers concert, having the time of my life!!! It was such an amazing show!!!! I wish it was a week ago right now:( Oh well, at least nails make me happy. Thank Goodness.
So, I went to my nail shop this week and was pleasantly surprised to see that they had the new China glaze "Cirque du soleil" line in. Usually we are so behind on new lines, I was very shocked to see it. I picked up "Its a trap-eze" and "whirled away" but will be showing you "Its a trap-eze today" which is the one I was most looking forward to. I also tried color blocking with tape for the first time and was happy with the results:) I used "Butler please" and "where's my chauffeur" from Essie's "Leading lady" collection:) I also picked up my first bottle of "Seche Vite" top coat and must say, it is incredible!! Really makes a difference. SO, on to the polish:)

First of, I will describe "Its a trap-eze" to you guys. Its is a really beauty! As I said, it was the one I was most excited for:)  It is a milky white base filled with lots of colorful glitter. I love these types of polishes. I own quite a few dupes for this but they are all indies. I was quite happy to see a store brand come out with one. Same with the other one I got. For the longest time I was dying for black and white bar glitters. Glad CG has one now. Back to "its a trap-eze" I will let you guys see for yourself how gorgeous it is!

Just look at it! Doesnt it remind you of ice cream or birthday cake and just crave for some sweets?? This is 3 coats with Seche Vite on top. I was never one to really use top coats all the time but I see now that it is a must. Takes away that gritty, harsh look especially with glitters.

and just to quickly show you a comparison of some other polishes I have that are close to this one but not quite. 

on the top wheel, 2 from the left of the colored ones, are Lush Lacquer "Birthday cake"" and Pretty and Polished "Party on my Yacht" . Close but no cigar. Luckily I love these so much that I don't mine. I also have Whimical by Pam "Hatched" which is in a yellow base, same with my 365 days of color "Soak up the sun" and I have one in a pink base also by 365 days of color "Too pink to function". All gorgeous polishes! 

Closer look at them.

And bottle shots. From left, China Glaze "ITs a trap-eze" , Lush Lacquer "Birthday cake" and Pretty and Polished "Party on my yacht" .

Now the reason I only showed you random fingers is because, as I said, I used it for two accents nails on each hands. On the rest of my fingers, I took a shot a color blocking. For this, I used stripping tape. There are many tutorials online that use regular tape for more funky designs but I wanted to keep it simple. I used 2 colors from Essie's "Leading lady" collection. First up is "Butler please" which is just a gorgeous and vivid deep marine blue creme. You know how much I love my blues and this one is definitely one of my new faves. Most blues tend to be on the light side. I love how this one is just dark and rich. First coat, like most Essie's was streaky but all you need to do is add another 1 or 2 depending on the color. I went with 2 since it is so dark. The second color I used was "Where's my chauffeur". Now if you own "Turks and Caicos" by Essie ,you probably think it is the exact same polish and skipped. It is very similar however it is a bit lighter and more on the blue side then the green side. Reminds me of that iconic "Tiffany" blue, just as CG "For Audrey" does as well. IT is a light blue turquoise/aqua creme. It is not too unique, there are a lot of dupes or close to dupes out there but I can never pass up such a beautiful color or an Essie. I do think it is a must have, especially if you don't have a polish that resembles it. I must also say that this collection is quite gorgeous. I was a bit turned off at first because of all the reds but they are all beautiful, rich cremes. There is also two glitters that are just perfect for winter. Anyhow, on to the manicure:)

right hand.

UGH!! I hate showing this hand but wanted to show the different patterns. My pinky got messed up on this one but ended up being a cool pattern:) As I said, I kept it simple. And now, all together..

You can see a bit of a knick on my pinky. That is due to the tape:(

Sadly, when I took pictures, I did not notice that little spot on my thumb:()

Now I know that these colors don't necessarily go with "Its a trap-eze" but I tried to find colors that matched some of the glitter. I was quite happy with how this turned out. I loved this mani and got quite a few compliments on them which always makes my day!!:)

So what do you guys think of it?? Think they go together or is it a complete miss?? Ever match colors that don't necessarily go together but somehow just end up working? Thats what I love about nail polish:) 

What do you think of Essie's "Leading lady" collection? Own any? If not are there any you want? How about from  China Glaze's "Cirque du soleil" collection? I have heard a lot of talk about them/

Well hope you guys enjoyed yet another post. Hope to hear from you guys. Till next time..:)

xxxx

NFU-OH #65 and NFU-OH aqua base

HEY HEY,
How is everyone doing this evening? Im cold!! Just put my pj's on and big wool socks, so I should warm up shortly. Im just a baby, no one else in the house says they're cold.... But anyhow.... I want to share with you a polish that has been in my collection for a little while. Its NFU-OH #65, a gorgeous, light blue holo with a strong linear effect. So, I tried this when I first got it. I had got this and #63 and was so happy. They were my first ever holo polishes. I had to put them on right away, I had not, however, heard about the aqua base or issues with applying. So I just put it on as I do with any other polish and it was a huge miss. I had bald patches all over the place. Even with adding coat after coat to try and cover the bald patches, it didn't work. I was disappointed  Then some girls told me not to wear any base coat at all. That did work a bit better, but it wasn't as gorgeous as I had seen in swatches. I really didn't want to order the aqua base. I hate buying a polish that is not a polish! But I did and must say, if you are going to get any of these babies, I strongly recommend it. I have also tried it with other holo polishes and it works just as well with them. So I was happy...BUT THEN, I went to put it on yesterday and when I opened my bottle, the polish was all thick and gloopy:( Apparently  I was not the only one to face this issue. Many others have had the same issue and said that adding thinner didn't help. However, all were talking about the gry holo (not sure of #), apparently that is the worst one for getting thick.) So, being that I never throw away polish (I have some that are 6 years old..) and that its a beautiful and pricey polish, I decided to try it on anyhow. And, even thought it was thick, it went on fine, so I am happy. My other bottle is also a bit thick but not as much. Guess I will just have to use them up quickly.....
Back to the polish, as I said, it is a gorgeous and VERY holographic polish. As I have said many times before, I LOVE blue and this shade certainly did not disappoint in color. All application issues aside, it is a great color. And they dry super fast as well. By the time I went to work on my second hand, the first was dry:) You guys wanna see pictures??? Well, I wanna share them!!

All are 2 coats of the aqua base, followed by 3 coats and taken indoors with artificial light. (summer is gone and we have had nothing but grey days out here)

Just look at that holo goodness!!! SO gorgeous!!:):) I love how you can see a sort of "rainbow" of colors in certain spots. It's right wherever the light hits it.

I do have on my new seche vite top coat on top but something I did not notice while wearing it but I see now is that  in certain pictures, it kind of looks matte? See that?

I added this one, which to some may seem like a bad shot, because I LOVE the way the ring finger looks. You can really see all the beautiful holo of the polish:)

Something I forgot to add, which is a trademark of this polish is there bottles. They're so very cute. The cap is a corset. Quite unique for a polish:)

I also added this one to show that, at certain times, this polish may not seem as awesome as everyone proclaims it to be. Without light, it doesn't shine but once there's light and especially sunshine, its just POPS!!!

and here is the aqua base I was telling you about. It's a lot darker then most base coats. When I just had that on, it actually looked good alone. I mean, for just a clean nails look. I always have polish on but if ever, for some strange reason, I wasn't wearing any, I would consider putting this on to make my nails white and shiny, if not for the price of it.

HEHEHEHEHE:) and of course,  as always, Karma was around for the fun. She's always nearby, curious as to what I am doing. It also always seems, that as soon as I am done my nails, she is just desperate to play or be pet. It's as if she knows and is trying to make me choose!!!! I love her to death but my nails must dry Karma:)





And there we have it. I would recommend these if just for their colors. They do have a lot of the core holo colors and they are beautiful. I do however have some called "Up colors' and I also got a light blue holo from them and it was just as pretty and cost less. ( I got those from  llarowe) I would not recommend buying a whole bunch at once since I heard from a few people that they also experienced their polish thickening on them. At the time I got these, not many brands had holo polishes out. Now it seems every brand is coming out with some so I am sure there're are many around for cheaper and good quality. I have heard a lot of good about the Color Club ones and those are cheap. Sadly, I don't get those out here. I would really like to get my hands on the Layla ones as well. I have so many of their magnetic ones and now my store just got the "mirror effects" ones. Hope the holo ones come out. They're also quite pricey though. I had to purchase my NFU-OH from nailpolishcanada.com which is a great site for fellow Canadians. Shipping is free for purchases over 25$ ( I always wait until there is 25$ worth of stuff I want) and shipping is fast! It's also my go to place for many polishes I can not get out here.

So, what do you guys think of NFU-OH polishes?? Do you own any? If so which ones? And did you experience thickening? Are you on board with the whole holo phase? Which holo brands do you like? Love hearing from all of you. Hope you like my post and keep coming back for more:)
And remember, stay drama free but never polish free:):)_

OPI DS MAGIC-my DS obsession continues..

Hello again,
As I said, my DS obsession continues. I am in love with these polishes. I have 6 now and want all!! Don't you hate (well by hate I mean LOVE) when you just MUST HAVE a whole collection, no matter what. These have been pretty pricey for me. Usually I get OPI at my nail outlet store but they didn't have them last time I went. I got my first one from there for 8$ (why did I not get all) but didnt go GAGA over them. I had gotten "Reserve" and it is gorgeous but didn't feel the need to get them all until I got "classic" and saw swatches of others.... So, as I said in my last posts about my previous DS purchases ""extravagance" and "classic" I was surprised at myself for not getting the blue one first. SO, that is the one I got next. DS "Magic" however I must say I was not as impressed as I was with the previous two. Dont get me wrong, it is a pretty color but it was not as holo and stunning as the other two. See for yourself....

DS "Magic"  is a very rich, dark blue, full of glass specks.When looking at the bottle it has a purple duochrome look to it but its not as visible on the nails as it is in the bottle. I have actually heard a few girls say they were expecting some purple to appear but did not see any at all. I do see the duochrome of the polish , albeit slightly, but it was impossible to capture with the camera:(  With the first coat, it is very sheer. I was quite surprised. It did not look at all like the bottle. There was VNL and it was quite light. Two coats did make it darker and a bit better but it took three to make it look like the polish that I bought:) SO this is three coats with no top coat. Please forgive my cuticles at the tips. They have gone through so much lately and it shows....

 As I said, it was impossible to catch the duochrome of this polish and a lot of pictures showed of a lot lighter then it really is. These are inside with the light on and no flash.

 You can see it best in this picture. How it sparkles and the deep and rich blue of it. Its one of those polishes that you see different shades of it as you move your hands.

 You can almost see some purple in this one. Its very subtle though...
<<<<<

So as I said, I was not as impressed with this one at all. I do love blues and this is a gorgeous blue, but seeing as it is a DS, and they are asking more money for them, I was expecting a bit more. Especially since I cant say enough good things about the other two. SO I was wondering what I could add to it to make it stand out more. As you saw in my "Extravagance post, I was inspired by a mani I saw online and I loved that polish but once I added the black tips to it, it was just so much more gorgeous!! SO I was wondering what to add to the tips of these when I spotted my Zoya "Maisie" bottle that I have yet to really use. I tried it on one finger and it was , in my opinion, a perfect match! I loved it! Have a look:)

Well before I go on, Zoya "Maisie" is from their Spring 2012 fleck effect collection. They have three but the one I have is light blue and green flecks in a sheer blue base. It is a flakie overcoat that is made from mylar (I had no idea what that was so I looked it up. It is "a form of polyester resin to make heat resistant plastic films and sheets"). I got it specifically to make jelly sandwiches but have not used it for that lately. It is not really a polish that can be worn alone but its a great top coat that really adds a punch to most polish. It went great with "Magic" and really saw the green come out..

 You really see the green in Maisie come out. And it just goes so well with Magic. I was really happy with how this turned out.

 DECISIONS DECISIONS!!!!! When I was taking the pictures, I couldn't decide if I should make it matte or not. I love matte flakies. Its one of my fav mani's. SO I added matte to the right hand. I hardly ever show this hand because I hate how yellow my index and thumb are from my nasty, disgusting, smoking habit. But I love how it looks matted so I added the pictures. Ignore the yuckyness...

You can really see the green and blue specks in the picture of the bottle. I really like this polish. As I said it really makes polish "POP"

This is my bottle of NYC "Matte me crazy". Its the only matte top coat I have and I love it!











And finally, to finish it all off, I had just gotten my micro (caviar) beads from ebay. I really wanted to try them out. This is what I got.

and seeing as the green really popped I decided to go with the turquoise/greenish beads. The ones on the left middle row. Its not as blue as the picture looks. However, it was a real FAIL! I added them by putting a clear top coat on my nails and then rolling my fingers into the beads. Next time I will do the "pouring" method. They clumped together in places and there was bald spots all over, especially the tips, which I did about three times but just would go on. But the biggest mistake I made, which I know now, was adding a top coat on top of them when I was done. This made it look very gloopy and just messy. All the same here is what it looked like,

 See the mess of it? The color combo is great but it just looks horrible! Too bad...

 as I said, I just couldn't get them to stay on the tips. And not after a little bit of wear, this is RIGHT AFTER I DID THEM!

See that mess in the middle? All that gloop? And bald spots? I now know not to add top coat because what a mess it makes!

 But look how perfectly the beads go with this mani!!! Its same as "Maisie" , basically. Don't you just love when that happens:):)

Well, there we have it. Hope you guys enjoyed my new post. What do you guys think of DS "Magic". Do you think it is worthy of being a DS? Did you like it better once I added "Maisie"? And what do you think about caviar nails? I know my bff hates them. When I told her I had ordered some she gagged saying that it looks so gross. I don't think so. I mean, mind do, yes but if done properly, I like the look of it. If you have some, what are your methods of applying them? Love to hear from all of you! Till next time, keep on polishing them nails:)