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Monday, March 31, 2014

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Red Zin and AN Monday theme - Autumn



Today I'm showcasing Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Red Zin and using it in an Autumn theme for AN Monday. As with Plum Luck. Red Zin is a part of the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure that is a base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, salon-inspired colour, top coat, chip-resistance and a gel finish all in one. I do love the crelly finish both Plum Luck and Red Zin give but as they are dark colours I prefer to wear a base coat to prevent staining. It does dry beautifully glossy but I have used top coat for protection. Red Zin a true red with a slight leaning to a brown red. It applies darker than the bottle and the more coats you use the darker it becomes. Red Zin had some patchy spots so I had to use 4 thin coats to cover them all. It really is the perfect autumn colour. I did an accent nail on my pinkie in Alanna Renne Golden Snitch. For my ring I used Zoya Minka and stamped leaves with gold.

sigh Monday again - weekends go too fast, hope you all have a wonderful week, Tx







Astrid - @lovessweetas
Briana - @briemmara
Christinemay - @xtinemayyy or Nails at 2am http://nailsat2am.blogspot.com/
Elissa -@tenlittlenubs and Ten Little Nubs http://tenlittlenubs.blogspot.com/
Erin Wu -  @erinzi and Erin Zi’s Nails http://www.erinzi.com/
Holly - @nails_by_holly
Jennifer @jennlojko
Julia - Fancy Nails and Cups of Tea http://fancynailsandcupsoftea.blogspot.com/
Kate - Pimped Out Nails http://pimpedoutnails.blogspot.com/
Kelly - @kellyskolors and Kelly's Kolors! http://www.kellyskolors.com/
Lily Jinks - @lilyandjinks
Loz - Polish Patterns http://polishpatterns.blogspot.com/
Tracy - @oliviajade19
Naomi - @nadeekay and Nananaisnails http://nananaisnails.blogspot.com/
Nicki - @celestialcosmetics
Relle - @lazylacquerista or Lazy Lacquerista http://www.lazylacquerista.com/
Sarah Claire - @shattermeclaire or Shatter me Claire http://shattermeclaire.blogspot.com/
Sylvie - @smudgedpolish
Tammy - @ohmygoshpolish
Tammy G -@lightlylacquered and Lightly Lacquered www.lightlylacquered.com
Tara - @lokislacquer or Loki’s Lacquer http://www.lokislacquer.com/
Tash Birch - @tashisdead
Theresa - @itsallaboutpolish or It's All About the Polish http://www.itsallaboutthepolish.com

This polish was sent to me for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Please note computer monitors may vary in colour display.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Plum Luck


Today I'm featuring Plum Luck from Sally Hansen. The Complete Salon Manicure range says it is a base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, salon-inspired colour, top coat, chip-resistance and a gel finish all in one. That's probably ok if you are only wearing the polish for a special occasion but I find that to increase wear time and prevent staining it is always best to wear a base coat. It does finish with a super glossy look so top coat is only required for protection. Plum Luck is a pretty deep plum creme, it dries a lot darker than it looks in the bottle which I just love as I'm really enjoying vampy colours at the moment. I also like the gel finish, it gives the creme polish a jelly look which I love but it can lead to patchy spots in application so you need to apply carefully. I am wearing 3 coats here to gain full opacity. Personally I love the brushes as they have a rounded end and for someone like me with small nail beds they work far better than the wide brushes. As I love my nail art I couldn't leave you with just plain swatches so I added a glitter accent and a grey base with dots. This is a really great polish for autumn and while the colour isn't unique it's available at a good price if you don't have one in your stash.







This polish was sent to me for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Please note computer monitors may vary in colour display.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Zoya Neutral collection, Rue, Odette, Normani and Brigitte


I know these colours again but I truly do just love them. I can't say over green but as of right now they're my favourite colour combinations. I hope Zoya or someone does a cool coloured neutral palette, icy blues, grey, white and silver it would be just as awesome. So today I have Odette on my index finger, Rue is the base on my middle finger, Brigitte is the base on my ring and Normani is on my pinkie. The other colours that weren't base colours were used for the stripes and dots. I just love the colours together - perfection.

It's Saturday here so have a wonderful weekend and stay safe, Tx




Friday, March 28, 2014

OPI Over and Over a-Gwen - Gwen Stefani



This polish is the signature polish of Gwen Stefani and with it'a bold red colour it's not surprising. The red is a true red and very similar to the red lips Stefani wears often. This polish had a fabulous formula and applied easily, with quick drying time. I am wearing three thin coats with top coat. Over and Over a-Gwen has a super glossy finish, so the top coat is just for added protection. This polish comes boxed and includes studs, crystals and nail glue. I am using some of the studs in my design and I love the trendy edge they give to a plain creme polish. It is a fabulous true red creme polish, a must have for any Gwen Stefani fan.







This polish was sent to me for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Please note computer monitors may vary in colour display.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Lilypad Lacquer - Frogs Alive


I have a gorgeous super bright green holo to share today. I simply adore this colour! It has a strong holo effect with lots of rainbows in the sun. I applied three thin coats here with one coat of HK girl top coat. The formula was fantastic and there were no problems with application. The weather is cooling off here and as much a I am loving the autumn colours, it was nice to have a nice bright polish on.

Have a great day, Tx.




Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Powder Perfect Polish - Creeping Vines


This is another gorgeous polish from Powder Perfect Polish's Abandoned Mansion Collection. This one is called Creeping Vines. It has a gorgeous green jelly base with lots of different shapes of glitter in green, silver, caramel brown and turquoise. The formula was a little thick but Jacinta is reformulating it which should fix that problem. I am wearing two dabbed coats with no base colour and two coats of HK girl top coat. This polish again fits perfectly in the abandoned mansion theme and provokes imagery of a foliage covered mansion. I just love how Powder Perfect Polish does that!

Have a great week, Tx.



Saturday, March 22, 2014

Pretty Serious - Bloody Bride



The stunning Bloody Bride was created by the talented Kaz of Pretty Serious to wear on her wedding day. Lucky for us she decided to share it with us. It's a gorgeous complex polish with so much depth. In a deep blood red jelly base are glitters in crimson and purple as well as speckles oh holographic particles. This polish was super easy to apply and I basically just painted it on with no dabbing. I am wearing two coats with a top coat of HK girl top coat. This is probably my favourite polish I've tried so far this year, I love it and have a love of dark and vampy colours at the moment.

Enjoy your weekend, Tx







Friday, March 21, 2014

Zoya Dillon - Skittlette


Sigh isn't this green just beautiful? I am so in love with Zoya's Awaken collection. Of course the first one I had to try out was Dillon - a gorgeous seafoam green metallic with a silver shimmer. For this look I used Essie Fashion Playground as the mint green background on the zigzag pattern and China Glaze Optical Illusion is the glitter on my middle finger. I really love this green, it's so soft and dreamy.

Have a great day, Tx.




Thursday, March 20, 2014

Essie - Hide & Go Chic - daisies


Just a quick post today with my attempt at painted daisies. The gorgeous blue base colour is Essie Hide and Go Chic, it's absolutely gorgeous and application was a breeze. I am wearing just 2 thin coats. I used a large dotting tool for the lemon flower centres and painted on white polish for the petals. I like  how it turned out but I definitely need more practice painting :)

Have a fabulous day, Tx


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Essence Colour and Go Sweet or Nude? and French Manicure Brush - review


Today I have Essence Sweet or Nude? polish and an Essence French Manicure brush to review for you. I have to admit I've never done a French manicure successfully. I've attempted a couple of times with stickers and freehand but never been happy with the end result. I was a little nervous to see the brush in the postage bag and wasn't sure how I'd go using it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was super easy to use and the results are just great. 


This is the brush as you can see it has an arc in it that allows you to create the French manicure shape. The bristles are soft but strong enough to hold the shape when in use.

I used 2 coats of Essence Colour and Go 153 Sweet or Nude? I found that it applied evenly and the formula was great. This is a sheer polish and 2 coats was enough to have a nice build up of colour while still maintaining the sheerness. I was happy to see that this is a great nude colour on me, as it works very well with my skin tone. I then used a coat of top coat and allowed it to dry.



As per the instructions included, I painted a light gold directly on to the brush and then placed it over my nail and brushed upwards from the moon of the tip. It worked really well and left a great clear line. I have small nails so I found the brush fit well on my nails. On my wider nails it was easy to rotate the brush a little to cover all areas. I only used one coat of the light gold and I had the look I wanted. It really couldn't have been any easier. I cleaned the brush with non acetone remover, though instructions just say polish remover. I'm super impressed with the brush, it exceeded my expectations and I know I will be using it a lot in the future.


I finished off the look, as seen above, by painting an accent nail light gold and adding dotting tool flowers.

You can find out more information on Essence by visiting their website or the Heat Group Essence page, where you can find stockists or purchase products online. Essence Colour and Go polishes retail for $2.75 and the French Manicure Brush is $2.85 (prices from Priceline online).

These products were sent to me for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Please note computer monitors may vary in colour display.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Sea Siren Cosmetics - Mermaid Tails. Enchanted and Great Barrier Reef - swatches and review



Mermaid Tails is another pretty green polish by Sea Siren Cosmetics. In a sage green, it shifts a little in the light, the above and below photos were taken in shade and the second one down below is in the sun. I am wearing 3 thin coats and the formula was easy to use. It does leave some brush strokes, so careful application is required to minimise the strokes. 




This glitter topper is named Enchanted. It has a clear base with gold and black hexes in a couple of different sizes. It was very easy to use and there was no fishing for any of the glitter. I am wearing one dabbed coat over Mermaid Tails. This topper could be worn over any colour polish for a great look.




Lastly is the glitter topper Great Barrier Reef. In a clear base this topper is packed with gorgeous jade green, royal blue and s nice little glitter that shifts from pink to red. I love these colours together and it adds a great pop of colour when applied over a plain colour base. I am wearing one dabbed coat over Sea Siren Jealousea. It was simple to use and there was no fishing for glitter.



You can can find out all the news on Sea Siren Cosmetics on their Facebook page and browse the polishes and purchase them through the Sea Siren website.


These polishes were sent to me for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Please note computer monitors may vary in colour display.