OPI: Excuse Moi

THREE glitter polishes in a week! This must be my unofficial glitter week. I'm so turning into a glitter fan girl. But nobody can resist glitter, right? *nods*

In any case, what better way than to end the year with a glitter bomb - OPI's Excuse Moi!! :D

Excuse Moi is a warm reddish pink (or pinkish red) jelly with a crazy mix of glitter. There are micro and small round glitters of almost all colors - blue, green, purple, red, pink, orange, silver, yellow... I had a hard time focusing and trying to identify the colors. Just look at the colors in the bottle and on the nails! It's super gorgeous.

And if the color explosion wasn't crazy enough, it is insanely sparkly. I know that glitters are sparkly but oh, I can't resist sparkles! As you might have already known, I went Christmas shopping earlier this week and was super distracted by the sparkles when I was choosing clothes from the rack! My sis caught me (and the shop assistant) staring at my nails instead of the clothes several times! It was just too pretty!

The formula was great too. It was smooth and very easy to apply because of the jelly base. I used 3 coats for that extra squishy-ness (love!) and that darker and richer pink. It looked, strangely, a little lumpy in the pictures but I assure you it was nice, flat and smooth with 2 coats of Seche Vite.

Even if you are unsure of the other glitters in the Muppets collection, you simply have to grab this one. It's super gorgeous and unique!

xoxo,
mich

China Glaze: Material Girl

Today, I have with me another polish from the new China Glaze's Eye Candy 3D Glitter Collection - Material Girl!

I spotted this while I was rummaging through the polish pile at Smoochiezz's flea at Far East Plaza a while ago and decided to grab it alongside my other glitter polishes (what's with me and glitter these days!?).

Material Girl is also a clear polish with a mix of micro, small and medium sized dusty pink or rose colored glitter. As with Lorelei's Tiara, the glitter in the polish is very dense and you can get complete coverage with just two careful coats although I used three for the pictures.

The larger glitter pieces are slightly holographic as you can see from the random rainbow flashes in the bottle. Strangely, I don't seem to capture any of the holographic action on my nails. Nevertheless, it's still a very pretty pink - slightly dusty, muted and demure :)

The formula is good - application was very smooth and not lumpy at all.

The glitter also gives the color a 3D effect with lots of depth as the light hits the different glitter pieces, casting shadows on the others. I must confess though, I had initially associated "3D" with the level of 3D effect as seen on the large screens - eye-popping and literally leaping at you. Then again, that's just wishful thinking on my part. =\

And that, is the second and last polish I got from this collection.
My eyes kept seeking out Marry a Millionaire from the polish pile. The color looks very complex and interesting from the bottle but I wasn't quite prepared to take on bar glitters. They still look like manicured lawns on the nails to me (no offense!) ><
I also had my eye on Some Like It Haute - holographic glitters! Unfortunately, I couldn't spot it amongst the polish pile. =\

What do you think of Material Girl? Did you grab any other colors from the collection?

xoxo,
mich

Fuso: #56

Good morning!

Today I have with me a polish that I spotted at the stores while I was doing some Christmas shopping a few days ago.

Just have a look at the polish in the bottle! When I saw it in the store, I nearly shrieked! It looked like a possible dupe for Rescue Beauty Lounge's Black Russian! The best part? It costs only SGD 2.90. I very nearly missed this bottle because looked like an ordinary black creme. I was so glad I picked it up for a closer look!

Unfortunately, it is not a Black Russian dupe :(
But it's still very pretty...

It is a blood-red jelly with bright red (and some pink) micro-glitter. It is definitely red and took me four coats to get this almost-black look. The micro-glitter is really tiny but incredibly bright - it glows when it catches the light! Super gorgeous!

Since it was rather sheer, I tried layering it over black and *bam*

Does it look more like Black Russian now? I can't judge from the Black Russian swatches online but it seems to be similar! :D

I really love it over black. It is even more gorgeous! The red glowy glitter really stands out against the black background especially under the light.
Here's a brief comparison:

index and ring: fuso #56 over black
middle and pinky: fuso #56 (4 coats)

I am not familiar with this polish brand but I don't have much complaints about the formula. It was rather smooth and easy to apply. The color also builds up nicely and evenly. Although it's a jelly, it doesn't dry smooth and shiny so a top coat is a must. Needless to say, it didn't last me very long - there was some tipwear on the second day but no chips.

My major gripe? It really stinks - literally! It must be the worst smelling polish I have in my stash. I found myself holding my breath while painting my nails! I'm not too sure what's inside the bottle but this is what they wrote on the bottle: Nitrocellulose, Butyl Acetate, Toulene, Ethyl Acetate, Colour. Nothing too poisonous I hope!

In any case, I'm glad I picked this up from the shelves that day. I am kind of kicking myself for not getting these other two beauties too:

Don't they look gorgeous in the bottle?! I shall look out for them the next time I drop by the store again. *pinky promise*

What do you think of this color? Is the layering close to Black Russian?

xoxo,
mich

China Glaze: Lorelei's Tiara

Merry Christmas!!! Finally the long-awaited day of the year! Have you decided what to wear on your nails? I have yet to choose my NOTD from my christmas challenge. :P

Just in case you have yet to decide on a christmas mani and have no time for nail art, don't worry! I have the perfect solution for you - run and grab a bottle of Lorelei's Tiara!

Lorelei's Tiara is definitely my favorite from China Glaze's Eye Candy 3D Glitter Collection. It was the first to catch my eye and sent me on a hunt for it. Thankfully, I spotted it amongst a whole bunch of other polishes at Smoochiezz' Far East Plaza flea the other day. :)

It is a unique mix of small silver glitter and slightly larger blue glitter in a clear base. The color reminded me of winter and it seems very appropriate for this holiday season! Isn't it pretty and sparkly? It looks almost like you have little gems on your nails!

The glitter is really dense and you can get complete coverage with just two coats if you are careful. Application was rather smooth - a little gloopy but manageable.

Here's a look at it under the sun: soooo sparkly, it's insane!!
You can really see the depth of the mani when the light hits the nails at different angles.

I've tried my best to capture the sparkles but you really have to see it for yourself. The nails come alive with sparkles as you move your hand around!

As with other glitter polishes, it is rather difficult to remove.
Out of curiosity, I tried to remove the polish the normal way. I took a long time (and several cotton pads) before I managed to remove the glitter from my thumb.
I ended up using the foil method to remove the glitter from the rest of my fingers. It was a lifesaver! Well, just make sure that there is someone else there to answer the door. My neighbor brought us some candies and had a shock when I appeared at the door with my fingers all wrapped up in foil! ><

That aside, I'm in love with this polish! If you haven't gotten your hands on it, what are you waiting for? :D

Merry X'mas!

xoxo,
mich

12 Days of Christmas: Day 12 - Santa Claus is coming to town!

Yipeee! Today is the last day of my Christmas nail art challenge!!

I've actually done this nail design a few days ago while brainstorming but I've kept it for Christmas Eve since it seems most appropriate! It is also the most elaborate design that I've attempted so far so I thought I should keep the best for the last :)

I give you... Santa's sleigh ride!

First, I must apologize for the faceless Santa. >< I didn't have a proper nude polish in my stash so I thought to skip the face by giving Santa a huge fluffy beard. But I guess it still looks a little strange with the hat hovering slightly above the beard. I sure hope Santa doesn't mind! ;p

This mani is done entirely with my trusty toothpick and sponge (for the tips and the moon) and boy did it take me a long time to do the little details! My neck was aching by the time I'm done! But I must say, I'm really glad with the way it turned out :D

Polishes used:
Orly - Goth (loveeeeee!)
Clatty - #92 (white)
O2 Skin - MK0220 (red)
Clatty - #296 (gold)

Soooo, what do you think of this mani? :D

With this, I've completed my 12-Day Christmas challenge!!
Seeing as I am a nail art noob, I didn't think I could have made it this far but I'm so glad I've stuck to it! I've really enjoyed myself in the process and I hope you've enjoyed this challenge as much as I did. It's especially heartwarming and encouraging to have new followers and receive lovely comments, likes (on tumblr) and hearts (on weheartit)! I really appreciate every single one of them - you're really what kept me going through this challenge!
Here's also a huge thank you to sweet Deborah from Love, Varnish, Chocolate and more for featuring us on her weekly bloglight! <3 Special thanks also goes to Sabbatha from Spooky Nails for her shout-out on twitter! Last but definitely not least, I'm also very grateful to Susan from The Subtle Shimmer and Meimei from Mei Mei's Signatures for their constant encouragement on twitter too! I'm blessed indeed to meet so many sweeties since I've started this blog. :)

Since it's Christmas eve today....

O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town~~

Here's wishing everyone of you a very very MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D

xoxo,

mich

12 Days of Christmas: Day 11 - Glitter Tips!

After looking through my christmas posts, I've realized, with quite a shock, that I didn't do green nails! So I've decided to try a very simple green with glitter gradient!

I think I should have added another layer of top coat. It's still a little gritty... That aside, isn't it perfect for a night at a christmas party? Not too bold but still sparkly and eye-catching. :)

The best part? It's so simple it can be done in minutes!

Polishes used:
OPI - Cuckoo for this Color
Luci Darling - Silver Diamond
China Glaze - Fairy Dust

Tomorrow's the last day of my christmas challenge! I'm sooooo excited! Can't wait to show you what I've done so stay tuned! :D

xoxo,
mich

12 Days of Christmas: Day 10 - Santa's Elves!

Having featured Santa and his reindeer, we must not forget his other helpers - the elves! :D

I spotted this adorable design over at Simply Rins and simply had to try to recreate it!

As usual, my attempt is *urgh* terrible. The lines are really wobbly especially around the chin area. I was tempted to try another design for today's post but I couldn't bear to remove this little guy from my nails. It does look like a cute little elf from afar... ><

As I've mentioned before, I don't have a nude polish so I mixed a little white and pink to get the color for his face.

The base color of the nails was China Glaze's For Audrey. I randomly sponged some white for the snow and added a layer of Fairy Dust for some extra sparkles (yes, I really do love Fairy Dust!).

Polishes used:
China Glaze - For Audrey
Clatty - #92 (white)
China Glaze - Fairy Dust
Mix of Clatty #92 and Silky Girl's Mauve Dream (for the face)
O2 Skin - MK0220 (red)
Silky Girl - Mauve Dream (for the cheeks)
Clatty - #94 (black)

xoxo,
mich

12 Days of Christmas: Day 9 - Santa Claus!

Less than 5 days to Christmas! *happy jiggle*

Today, I attempted some Santa nails!

To be honest, I was running of out nail ideas so I went to trusty google to look for some inspiration. I spotted this santa on one of the websites but I can't seem to be able to find it again. As with all other mani-s I've done, my attempt is quite far off from the original. lol!

Since I couldn't find any nude polish in my tiny stash (I'm not really a fan of nude polishes), Santa's face is just the color of my bare nail. ;P

I've also used a sparkly rhinestone for his nose! The original mani used a light pink dot for the nose but it looked a little strange on my Santa so I thought to try some red Swarovski rhinestones that I've received from Mei Mei as a christmas present (thank you meimei!! <3). It turned out to be wayyy cuter than a pink dot so I've stuck it on. It was an instant hit with my sister too! :D

Even iPhoto recognizes my Santa! :D

The polka dots were done over white base. I've added a layer of sheer pearly coat over the white with OPI's Pearl of Wisdom to soften the white and make it more wearable and shimmery :)

Polishes used:
Clatty - #92 (white)
OPI - Pearl of Wisdom
O2 Skin - MK0220 (red)
Clatty - #94 (black)

So, what do you think of my Santa mani? :)

xoxo,
mich

12 Days of Christmas: Day 8 - Candy Cane!

Good morning lovelies!

Today, I have yet another simple design done using a tape mani - candy cane!

This is my first time succeeding in a tape manicure because the base color usually doesn't dry fast enough for me. The tape I have is also surprisingly sticky for a cheap one. Oh wait, or are cheaper tapes stickier? =\

In any case, I've finally bought myself some Seche Vite! I saw it while I was shopping at smoochiezz' flea at Far East Plaza a few days ago. It's amazing how a fast drying top coat can change your life. Not only can I do tape mani-s within a few minutes, I can do almost anything without ruining my nails! Ok, I digressed. ><

So, to get this look, I painted my nails white before putting a coat of SV. Then I cut up the tape into strips and pasted them over the nails diagonally, leaving gaps in between. Then, I painted a coat of red before carefully peeling the tapes away. As you can see from the wobbly lines and unequal stripes, my cutting skill leaves much to be desired.

I tried to use a toothpick to paint fine diagonal lines to mimic the real candy cane stripes but gave up after one try - see the incredibly wobbly line on the pinky.

Finally, I topped the mani off with a coat of holographic glitter for some sparkles <3

Simple and cute, don't you think? :)

Polishes used:
Clatty - #92 (white)
Megan Miller - Roja*
China Glaze - Fairy Dust
*All polishes, except those with an asterisk, were purchased by me*

xoxo,
mich

12 Days of Christmas: Day 7 - Presents!

Good morning lovelies! :)

Today, I give you... every girl's dream present (at least for those special moments)!

This is a really simply design that can be done over any of your favorite color in under 5 minutes and still look fabulous! My sis had hers done over OPI's The One That Got Away and it was really eye-catching. I would have taken a picture of that if she wasn't rushing out of the house.

So what do you think of this design? Perfect for giving your other half a little hint eh? ;p

xoxo,
mich

Megan Miller: Roja

I am sure many sharp eagle eyes would have spotted that cute little polish bottle in my reindeer manicure!

Here's a proper bottle shot:

Yup, it's a cute little round bottle with a cork handle! So adorable right? :D It was the first thing that caught my eye when Meimei first mentioned it on twitter. Up till then, I have never heard of Megan Miller!

Just by way of introduction, Megan Miller Collection is a 3-free polish brand that started out with a vision of rustic, natural elegance. As can be seen, much effort is put into this line, including the packaging - from the bottle, the natural cork top (don't worry, it works just like the other bottle handles - twist to open), right down to the little piece of raffia hand tied to the bottle! I must agree it really gives the bottle a very unique feel - love it!

At the moment, Megan Miller has about 10 colors in their collection, including Roja:

Roja is a warm red jelly that screams H-A-W-T. Not only that, it is bright and oh-so squishy! I can't get enough of it! <3

Application was great. The brush fans out nicely and is easy to control. The formula is also very impressive. It is smooth and thin but not runny, taking only two coats to reach opacity. It also dries extremely glossy - pictures were taken without any topcoat!

The Megan Miller Collection is available for SGD 20 each at Mei Mei's Signatures. You can also purchase them direct from their website.

*product was provided for review*

12 Days of Christmas: Day 6 - Reindeer!

Happy sunday morning everyone! :D

I'm especially hyped up today because I'm already halfway into this challenge! I'm really enjoying myself doing all these christmas mani-s. Granted, there are times I wanted to stab my nails with the toothpick in frustration but the sense of satisfaction after finishing each design is overwhelming. It doesn't hurt when my sister likes my designs too! And that is saying a lot because we don't usually see eye-to-eye!

Ok... on to today's design: reindeer!

This design was inspired by one of the first christmas card I received this year - thank you MeiMei! <3

Ok. My reindeer is not nearly half as cute as the one on the card but it is still a decent reindeer I think :D

And, yes, in case you are wondering, this is the design that made me want to stab myself. I drew, with my toothpick, at least four reindeers (one on each nail) for practice before I managed to get this one right. And so, I thought to replicate it on my ring finger, my preferred accent nail. But, argh, I can't seem to get the drawing right again! In the end, I gave up and settled for having the reindeer on my middle finger instead.

Having said that, I was very happy with how the mani turned out.

The red and white went well together, don't they? The red looks so squishy and the snowflakes-cum-polka-dots really add some girlish charm to it <3

Polishes used:
Megan Miller - Roja
Clatty - #92 (white)

So, what do you think of this mani? :)

xoxo,
mich

12 Days of Christmas: Day 5 - Christmas Tree!

5 days into this challenge, I'm really feeling the Christmas cheer :D I can't wait for christmas to come!!

Today's mani: the all-time classic christmas must-have - christmas tree!

Sorry for a snowy christmas tree. I can't seem to get enough of snow! I suppose that's because we don't ever get to see snow in Singapore. I love snow so much I've once dreamt it actually snowed in Singapore. Ok... I digressed.

Although the tree is technically the star of today, I am really really in love with the base colour. It's soft, pink with silver glitter of various sizes... and it's not Revlon's Starry Pink!

To get this look, I started with two coats of Who Needs A Prince and added a layer of silver glitter (Luci Darling - Spangled Silver Diamond) before topping it with yet another coat of Who Needs A Prince. You can see the red shimmer running through the polish if you look closely enough.

To see why I rave about the layering, here's a picture before I sandwiched the glitter:

The glitter looks a tad too stark for it to be snowy but it took just a layer of WNAP to transform it into something muted and soft:

Isn't it pretty? :)

Polishes used:
OPI - Who Needs A Prince
Luci Darling - Spangled Silver Diamond
OPI - Cuckoo For This Color
Clatty - #92 (white for the random snow on the tree)
Luci Darling - Spangled Ruby Purple (for the star glitter)

xoxo,
mich