Nail Ideas: My Cousin's Wedding

My cousin is getting married today!
Finally, a wedding to attend! :D The last wedding I'd attended was...... so long ago that I can't even remember. -_- If it is any indication, their son has already grown into a mischievous little toddler!

Since it is such a special occasion, I've finally decided to dress up my nails a bit and try my hand at sponging gradient nails! I've been meaning to try this technique after seeing the awesome sunset mani by blanketprint and Cristina's gradient nails.

After much fumbling, this is the messy result:

Please excuse the horrible marks on the ring finger and pinkie. I knew I should have done this wayyyyy before bedtime. ><

And under direct sunlight...

Ah... I do so love the glittery tips! They just flash so many colours!
I added the glitter tips after finding the nail a little dull after the sponging.

These are the polishes that I've used for this mani:

From left to right:
Nail Tek Foundation II, Sally Hansen Complete Care Extra Moisturing 4-in-1 Treatment, OPI Who Needs A Prince, OPI The One That Got Away, OPI Royal Rajah Ruby and some unknown sheer glitter polish that was given to me by my neighbour.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with my first attempt at sponging. -smug

Edit: Found a matching ring which used to belong my great-grandma!

What do you guys think? :)

xoxo

Skin Food BW 701 and French Nail Colour 019 (Silver)

Another boring old black polish..

NOT!

Here is a fabulous deep midnight blue nail polish (with a tinge of purple as you can see from the other fingers) from the famous Korean cosmetic brand, Skin Food. It has a very dense shimmer and the blue is so deep and dark that you can just get lost staring at it.

this is under natural light..

and this is under white light!

Here's a closer look (again natural light and white light)!

This is just one layer of the polish and it covers the nail smoothly and evenly. The brush is also long and the application is done with ease. I am not taking a picture of the brush so you have to take my word for it. In any case, Skin Food outlets usually have testers so you can try it yourself when you get there! =))

I have recently acquired a French Nail Art Polish (Silver) - there are many other beautiful colours out there - and it has extremely dense glittery bits which I just love. Bling is the thing yo!

I must admit that I didn't really give much thought to what I want to draw on my nail, so I just went along with this pattern, which I used to use ink pen to draw on my nail when I am bored..

The advantage of this pattern is that it matters not how long the nail is, and there's a bit of free style involved. Pretty important, judging from how often my nails break *points to nail on middle finger*

On the ring finger you can see that random dots of glitter can make it look like little twinkling stars in the dark and clear night sky. Very pretty!! ^_^

The silver glitter goes well with any of your dark shimmery polish. But warning! It will not look good if you use it on pastel colours, light shades, sweet pink or creme polishes!

All in all, another beautiful polish to go with a lovely night of glitsy glamour. If you girls have any suggestions for nail art, do leave a comment for us, and we will try it out next time!

Till then,
xoxo

OPI: Royal Rajah Ruby

Good morning and a very happy Deepavali (or Diwali) to everyone!

Deepavali is also known as the festival of lights and is celebrated by hindus (sikhs and jains too, apparently). There are various legends associated with Deepavali and they generally revolve around the triumph of good over evil - at least that was what I remembered from my civics class back in those days. One of the more popular legends talked about King Rama's defeat of the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. So pretty epic, doesn't it?

I thought it would be a good time to join in the festivities with OPI's Royal Rajah Ruby from the Spring 2008 India Collection. Let's take a look this babe:

OPI: Royal Rajah Ruby

Look at the gold tinge in the bottle under the sun! Unfortunately, it does not really translate onto the nails...

OPI: Royal Rajah Ruby

In the shade, RRR is a dark vampy shade of blackened red loaded with red shimmers. It's so dark it looks almost like an ordinary creme polish from far - except it has more depth and it glows because of the shimmer. I especially love the mysterious and sexy dark at the sides, glow in the center look! Look at the nail on the right!!

Under the light, the red is more pronounced and practically leaps into life!

I really love RRR. It's incredibly sexy and dark without looking flat and, well, plain black, even in the shade.

If you have missed the 2008 India Collection, you can try searching for Sanguine in OPI's 2010 Go Goth Mini Set for Halloween. I've read that it's a dead dupe or even a re-release.

Which reminds me...
There is another reason why I chose to wear RRR - it is also the perfect shade for halloween which is just round the corner! From certain angles under indirect light, it reminds me blood. Not the i-pricked-my-skin type of blood but rich, deep and enticing blood red.

-bloodlusts and erupts into wicked laughter.

care for a hug and a kiss of death? :p
xoxo

OPI: Princesses Rule!

The babe of today:

OPI Princesses Rule! (3 coats)

OPI Princesses Rule! (3 coats)

Like Who Needs A Prince, Princesses Rule is also from the old OPI Princess Charming Collection. And boy does this girly shimmer make me feel like a princess!

The base colour is a very flattering sheer light pink which gives the natural nails the light rosy and healthy tinge. 

More importantly, PR is packed with shimmer. Most of the time, the shimmer appears silvery white, giving the nails a touch of royal elegance. From far, it even takes on a slight foil finish because of the dense silvery shimmer. But under direct light... 

IT'S AWESOME! The nails literally come to life with the shimmer sparkling and dancing on them! It flashes a myriad of colours: pink, blue, green, gold, silver.... I've tried to capture it on my camera but it just couldn't handle the sparkles. So I ended up taking a blurry picture to show you the different colours on the nail. 

I simply couldn't take my eyes off them while I am walking under the sun! On hindsight, it must have been quite strange to see a girl holding out her hands on the pavement, trying to catch the sunlight. >< Ah wells, I am just glad I didn't walk right into a tree or something. It would have been extremely embarrassing!

For those who prefer less of a distraction...

Here it is with one coat:

OPI: Princesses Rule! (1 coat)

OPI: Princesses Rule (1 coat)

And with two coats:

OPI: Princesses Rule (2 coats)

OPI: Princesses Rule (2 coats)

Pretty, aren't they? ^_^

xoxo

Givenchy: Vernis à Ongles #721 (and Pink Cracked, OPI I Lily Love You)

Hey all!

Here to introduce a French nail lacquer by Givenchy!

It is a very lovely polish that looks ordinary on the outside, but do not be deceived! It is an amazing polish. It is the type of nail polish that you will never buy when you go to the shop, but will only buy when you've seen the colour on your friend's nail and go: 'Wow! What colour is that you have on?!'

I'm sorry I can't do a full swatch this time because I broke my nails moving stuff around in my new place, but the beauty can be brought out by the single nail alone.

The base is a 'cheerful' brown; may seem like an awkward expression but you would have to see it for yourself.

And to my surprise, it has a fine orange shimmer that catches the light and the eye beautifully. I love the orange-red tinge that complements the brown so well, in a way I never knew could be possible (I think it's because I'm biased against brown; I would never buy brown polish on its own, and I got this only because the bottle looked pink/purplish. I must have been distracted). Click on the picture above to witness the orange shimmer for yourself!

These are two amazing pictures (from different angles) that showed the raspberry purple under white light!! Look at that!

This is a picture under natural light =))

I think the polish would look great on the relatively fair-skinned, and complement the clothes in your wardrobe which are of warm colours - that dark red sexy gown or the royal purple gorgeous dress that you have always wanted to wear. Top this off with a deep coloured lipstick and you're ready for that date!

Extras: 

So after a few days (yes, you got that right, the polish lasted unchipped for a few days!!), I went shopping and decided to try on this Cracked polish (similar idea to OPI Shatter) - Pink! Here I put 2 layers, verticle strokes. Added on another layer of OPI I Lily Love You (emphasis on tip of nail). 7 layers of nail polish later, TADAA!!

xoxo~

Nail Tek: Foundation II - the challenge

Ahhh! The inevitable finally happened... My nails are starting to peel! *anguished*

My nails weren't perfect to start with - a little on the thin side and slightly yellowish but I had no major issues like splitting or breaking. Recently, I started to notice a little peeling each time I remove my nail polish. They are also getting increasingly yellow. Not a pretty sight at all especially when I want to go sheer. :(

After a brief googling, I've decided to give Nail Tek's Foundation II a shot.

This is what Nail Tek says about the product for "soft, peeling nails":

Nail Tek FOUNDATION fills unsightly ridges and nail damage while strengthening the natural nail. This unique base coat is a special blend of strengtheners, conditioners, micro-fibers, and natural fillers. Foundation smoothes uneven nail surfaces while helping to grow healthy, beautiful nails.

The formula is very thin and looks milky / cloudy. The brush is thin but easy to control.
The first application caught me by surprise. It dried rather quickly into a matte finish - not quite what I've come to expect from a base coat. It was smooth to the touch and feels slightly powdery (there is no actual powder on the nails).

Since I am trying out this product for the first time, I figured it is also a good time to do a little review of this much raved-about base coat. I shall give this base coat at least 2 weeks to work its magic so do look out for updates about my progress!

These are my nails on Day 0:

Only the index finger is coated with one layer of nail tek. 

Please excuse the thin and yellowish nails... Hopefully nail tek will work its magic and strengthen my nails for more polish!

Looking at my nails, I think I need a better moisturizer as well. urgh. :( Any suggestions?

xoxo

Sally Hansen: Insta-Dri Jumpin' Jade

While I was reviewing my past swatches, I realised that... they are all pink! So today, I shall show you a darker and bolder colour - Jumpin' Jade by Sally Hansen:

This is really a gorgeous dark shimmery emerald green that is darker around the edges and lit from within - my favourite type. If you take a closer look (click for larger resolution), it is packed with a breathtaking mix of blue and green shimmer. I could stare at the picture the whole day!

Application was pretty smooth except that I still could not get the brush right. I wonder if I am just clumsy or if the brush is a little too wide and stiff for easy control. Although I can cover the whole nail with just one or two strokes, I can't seem to steer clear of my cuticles and fingers. The formula is good and you can get complete coverage with just one coat. It dries fairly quickly too.

But as with the Flashy Fuchsia, it is rather hard to clean up. It took me a while to clean up the areas around the nail. I ended up bumping into the middle finger twice while fiddling with my index finger and the ring finger so please excuse the smudge. I was too lazy to go through the trouble of removing the nail colour after seeing my sister having a hard time with it. She had been wearing Jumpin' Jade for about a week, largely chip-free, but it took her ages to get rid of most of the greenish hue on her nails.

Overall, this is really a lovely colour and, like my sister, I can see myself wearing this rather frequently!

Sally Hansen: Insta-Dri Flashy Fuchsia

It is such a bright sunny Sunday today that I thought it would be the perfect day to wear a bright cheery colour!

This is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri Flashy Fuchsia:

This must be the brightest shade of pink I have in my little polish collection! It is really an eye-catching shade of pink.

But I must admit I was a little disappointed. In the bottle, you can see a rather strong blue duochrome but it looked rather muted on the nails, making the colour look rather flat:

You'll have to enlarge the photos to see the blue shimmer.

The formula went on smoothly and it was a one-coater. I didn't actually time how long it took for the nails to dry but it was significantly faster.

The wide brush took a little getting used to. It's rather short and stiff as compared to the brushes in the OPI bottles. You can see the horrible painting I did - it went onto the cuticles and sides of my nails much as I've tried to avoid them. I am pretty sure that I will be able to get used to it after another application or so. After all, it is already much better than some of the other polishes I have.

The other slight complaint I have about this is the removal. It was rather messy and stained my fingers (thankfully, not the nails) reddish pink after I left it on for about half an hour or so. It took me a while to get all the pink off my fingers.

Overall, Flashy Fuchsia is a fun colour to wear to the beach on a warm sunny day!

OPI: Pearl of Wisdom

Today, I have for you Pearl of Wisdom from OPI's Hong Kong Collection Spring 2010:

Three coats

Pearl of Wisdom is a very sheer, pearly and shimmery shade with a rather strong iridescent / duochrome effect:

Three coats - close up

On the nails, it looks predominantly pink (see finger on left) but it shifts into different shades such as purple, blue, (light faint) green, silver and gold. You can clearly see the gold shade on the pinkie in this picture. In fact, it even looks almost transparent from certain angles even with three coats on!

You can also see the scattering of shimmer that flashes blue and pink on the finger on the left.

Here's a blurred picture to capture the main shade of girly pink:

Here's a picture to show you the gold shade:

This is two coats:

And this is one coat for those who prefer barely-theres:

I must admit that this colour didn't really impress me the first time I tried it on. There was slight streaking issues during application. But it gradually grew on me when the duochrome effect became more apparent after the sun came out! :)

More soft shades coming soon!