Adventure Island

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well :)

Monday's post included a sneak peak which was this :

With that being said, the answer to the sneak peak is Sinful Colors Adventure Island Collection!

Those who guessed correct were Liz and tahillia! :D

Does anyone like the idea of the sneak peak feature? I don't know if I would continue doing this - so leave a comment on that!

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Anyways, today wasn't the ideal day for swatching since it's cloudy and I think it rained, LOL I slept until 2pm so yup :X I haven't really gotten a lot of sleep lately so these days when I'm not working, I try to get as much sleep as I can. I've also been staying up a lot longer which has become "normal" and routine for me although I'd like to change that.

So here are my indoor swatches of Sinful Colors Adventure Island Collection. I actually didn't see the display for these in the Rite Aid in my neighborhood but rather stashed with their regular core collection until I spotted them ~ which look awfully familiar to OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Collection. I don't have the OPI POTC Collection but I plan on ordering the mini collection to compare.

Adventure Island is a dusty grayed out yellow green creme. This is shown in 2 coats of Adventure Island and a layer of top coat. My mom saw me swatch this and she absolutely disliked the color but I don't think it's that bad LOL. As I continued to look at it, it looked pretty nice. 

Open Seas is a dusty light jade green creme which is shown in 2 coats and a layer of top coat. I like this color mainly because it looked similar to OPI Mermaid Tears which I have yet to get my hands on. This was my favorite polish of my purchase that I was most excited about.

Seaweed is a dusty green-gray creme with tons of gray, which is shown in 2 coats and a layer of top coat.

Star Fish is a dusty pink creme but my picture makes it look vibrant than the actual bottle color. This is shown in 2 coats. I wasn't really excited for this polish when I held the bottle in my hands at Rite Aid but after swatching it on my nails, I LOVEE it!!♥ It definitely became a favorite for me. :B

Verbena is a lightly dusty purple creme shown in 2 coats and a layer of top coat. This is also a very nice color that came out nicely and also another favorite. It makes me think of a lighter version of OPI Funky Dunkey. 

Lastly, here's a little nail art that I couldn't help but doing. You've seen this nail art a while back that I did but here's another color combination of it :)

CHOCOLATE DRIPS!

I remember seeing people do chocolate covered strawberries which reminded me and inspired this nail art but no strawberries here.. unless it's a strawberry milkshake with chocolate/fudge syrup haha! For the chocolate I used OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys. 

Hope you all enjoyed and happy polishing! :)

<3katherine


P.S. - I just remembered it's 3 days past my blog's 2nd birthday so I'll host a giveaway but it might take me a while to gather a prize package. But do stay on the look out ;)

Awesome Day!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late post but I couldn't resist to share awesome news! :) First here's my nail post and then my awesome happy news! :P

Today's nail post will consist of a new brand that I haven't talked about here and it's all about trying new things and expanding horizons :3 First up is Nubar Mellow Yellow which is a lemon yellow frost shown in 3 coats. The formula is good and it dries quick but the only problem was streaky application but nonetheless I like Mellow  Yellow. :D

Next up is Nubar Pink Dot, which has a lighter pink base than BYS Pink On The Brink which I've previously posted. Pink Dot contains round silver glitters and smaller multicolored glitters. This is shown in 3 coats as well and I layered 2 coats of Pink Dot over Sinful Colors Black on Black for the accent nail. The formula and application was good, and so was the drying time.

For my first time trying Nubar, I'm pretty satisfied and I'm definitely considering a Nubar purchase when I can :P

Now, for the awesome news! Wedges are currently "in" and I've been dying to get a pair. I haven't been able to find the right pair that has made me go bananas (lol) but today is the day! My coworker/friend brought me to a Tory Burch sample sale, nothing there :B but then just before we were going to leave - we stopped by Journey's and we both lost our breath when we saw these BEAUTIFUL STEVE MADDEN WEDGES!

I chose the Light Pink over the Ivory and Taupe - but the real dilemma was Light Pink or Ivory. I would've gone with the Ivory because it'd be easier to wear with almost anything but it didn't captivate me as much as the Light Pink. I'm so happy I found these awesome wedges and they were at a pretty good price considering that they're Steve Madden - for $49.99 at Journeys. The sales associate told me they were selling quick and that they even had to get another shipment for them! So that made me want to get them even more because I was considering on coming back after Father's Day, but I bought them! I feel that it was a good purchase because I don't have any wedges and I can wear it casually :) 

I've looked online at Steve Madden's website and they don't have it listed there however I do see it on the Journey's Website except that there is no Light Pink available online - now I'm really happy I got them hehehehehe♥ So for this, I'm labeling this as a Fantastic Find! 

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed & happy polishing! :)

<3katherine

Pink on the Brink

Hey everyone, today I'll be posting about a new nail polish brand to me, not necessarily new to everyone. So I got this in a giveaway prize that I won a while back.

BYS, I believe is an Australian brand, correct me if I'm wrong. But this is my first BYS and I may consider getting more :P This swatch is BYS Pink on the Brink - it's a red-fuschia jelly base with silver and fuschia glitters and is shown in 4 coats. On my index finger, I've layered 1 coat of Pink on the Brink over 2 coats of Sinful Colors Black on Black. I like both versions. The only problem I had with Pink on the Brink was the smell of the nail polish, it's definitely something different compared to the other brands that I've been using. :X 

Hope you all enjoyed & happy polishing :)
<3katherine

A Bieber Mani.

Hey everyone, hope all is going well :) I had a good day, minus work - which reminds me that I have to start looking to see if there's any other places hiring right now, ugghhs. Anyways onto nails~ 

Nicole by OPI One Less Lonely Glitter is a light purple glitter of round and smaller glitters. This is shown in 4 coats and 1 coat of top coat. I love the color and the sparkly-ness! :) The second picture shows the accent nail with Sinful Colors Black on Black as the base and Nicole By OPI Step 2 The Beat of My ♥ is layered over it in 1 coat. 

I also created a new page on the tabs called Blog Sale. I'm trying to make more space for the nail polishes I have and these are the ones that I want to go to a better home. I hope you all will consider this awesome deal because prices are low, freebies, discounts and extras will be given in your package! :) So don't forget to check that out!

Hope you enjoyed & happy polishing :)

<3katherine

Christmas Mani

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing well :) Tomorrow's Christmas day, so here's my better-late-than-never mani. for Christmas! I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and happy holidays for those who celebrate something different :)♥

On my left hand is 2 coats of China Glaze Mistletoe Kisses and on my ring finger is 2 coats of Sinful Colors Show Me White topped with OPI Jade is the new Black, the yellow is China Glaze Lemon Fizz, the red is Kiss Nail Art in Red and the brown is OPI Black Cherry Chutney.

On my right hand is 2 coats of China Glaze Phat Santa and 1 coat of China Glaze Mrs. Claus on top. On my ring finger is 2 coats of Sinful Colors Show Me White and the red is Kiss Nail Art in Red.

I hope you enjoyed, happy polishing & most of all, happy holidays!♥(:
<3katherine

Fail Mani

So I've been MIA because of finals! :( Studying my butt off and I hope it pays off! Anyways, a while back when I had my first giveaway some people suggested that I should post up fail mani's as well because sometimes not all mani's go the way you want it to! I had this idea for a Christmas/Winter theme where it was white but gray-ish base with glittery top coat over it to make it look like snow. Well, that was a complete fail!

What I used:
Catrice London's Weather Forecast
China Glaze White Out ("sponged" with a bounty LOL)
Sinful Colors Pearl Harbor
China Glaze Nova

hope you enjoyed & happy polishing! (:
<3katherine

Swap

Swatches from a swap I recently got. :)

Essie Haute as Hello (mini)

coral pink+orange color. very unique and I like it! Even though it's a mini, I'm considering buy the regular sized bottle. :) The swatch is 2 coats and no top coat.

Revlon Tropical Temptation

similar to Essie's Cute As A Button ~ but Tropical Temptation is a little darker and more coral. The formula and application was excellent for this and it surprised me. I don't have that many Revlons but I do like their formula. The swatch is 2 coats and no top coat.

Sinful Colors Let Me Go

very sheer shimmery/frosty looking purple. The formula very sheer and should be used for layering over a darker base. The drying time wasn't that bad and I kind of like this~ The swatch is 3 coats and no top coat.

Hope you enjoyed there will be more swatches and some nail designs coming soon~

<3katherine

Espresso Your Style!

So I figured out why I haven't been feeling good about blogging. I felt like I lost hope because it's so hard to get my hands on Hidden Treasure. I've been resorting to eBay and it cost so much money there but I want it so bad. After wanting something so bad and almost losing hope, I guess that's what made me so 'bleh' (sorry I can't find a word to describe it) or stop caring about my blog as much as I used to. I also feel uninspired for any design ideas.

So for a few days, I did Zoya Zara as my manicure. I couldn't think of any design to go with it since the color was so beautiful, and I'm not kidding. :p My mom saw my nails and she loves the color and recently I did her toes OPI Rumple's Wiggin'.

Today, well yesterday I decided to do my nails again. I haven't posted about this one yet so it's something new. :) I first tested it out on one nail because I wasn't decided on the color. Here's my manicure: OPI Espresso Your Style!

I love the color because it's dark chocolate/espresso brown with hints of gold shimmer. The first picture is how it looks in real life and the second picture is with flash. The flash picture makes me think of mahogany brown. This was 2 coats of Espresso Your Style! and one coat of Seche Top Coat.

I then added Sinful Colors Green Ocean which is similar to SH's Hidden Treasure but it only shines green and blue. Not bad and I feel a little awkward with my nails but maybe it'll grow on me, if not I'll probably end up taking them off soon.

Katrina from Katrina's Nail Blog talked about the 2 basecoats she's tried. Poshe Base Coat and Nail Life Gripper. I agree with her that Poshe Base Coat works wonderfully. I've been using it ever since I got it from Sally's (probably sometime in May?). My nails are stronger and I really do have weak nails because I inherited that from my mom. They haven't chipped or break as much as they used to. But I'm not sure about Nail Life Gripper because I started using it today. I'll try this out for a month and then I'll post about my experience with it.

Hope you enjoyed,

<3katherine

Quest for YELLOW nail polish!

Heart tips on ring finger and french on the other fingers. I couldn't think of another way of describing it, lol. Since I'm a righty, it's easier for me to do the nail art on my left hand rather than the opposite. My nail art isn't as nice on my right hand & the heart isn't as nice looking as my left. The glittler outer part of the heart is thicker than the other side :(. On the bright side, it still looks like a heart.

So after I prepped my nails & applied base coat, I used Essie's Mint Candy Apple. Be careful with this polish because although the color looks nice and the formula is good and thin, the application is tougher than you think because you have to make it equal. Though the first coat might not look equal, be sure to make your second coat equal. I used 2 coats of MCA and then applied a top coat. When it dried, I drew the outline of the heart on the ends of my ring finger, filled in the heart and applied a gold outline over the white heart. Wait until it dries & seal it with top coat again for the finishing touch.

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Walgreen Mini Haul/Purchase

first swatch picture is 4 coats & no top coat

second swatch picture is 5 coats & no top coat

Rimmel London French Rose. Sheer jelly light pink chiffon - I bought this color because I needed a french manicure/pedicure color. I never tried this brand and the brush size really surprised me, lol. The formula is sheer and the application is smooth. Doesn't dry as fast as OPI, Essie or China Glaze but not bad in terms of waiting for my nails to dry.

Sinful Colors Rise and Shine: 2 coats and 1 coat of top coat

Turquoise with shimmer - reminds me of China Glaze's Tuned Up Turquoise, unfortunately I don't have that bottle anymore so I can't do a comparison swatch - maybe in the future if I remember. The formula was good and the application goes smoothly. The only thing I didn't like was that a lot of nail polish gets on the brush and the rod that holds the brush and there's always a ball of nail polish rolling down from the brush. :\ But it dries quick and when it's dry it looks like a matte polish but looks better with top coat. Love the color & if you're looking for something similar to CG Tuned Up Turquoise, this should be your color. :)

Sinful Colors Mint Apple: 2 coats and 1 coat of top coat

Dusty mint jade with small gold shimmer - similar to Sinful Colors Rise and Shine but just a lighter and dustier shade. Not really that close to Mint Candy Apple although the name is has 2 of the 3 words of it, lol. Good formula and smooth application. Dries fast too! I likey :).

Maybelline Banana Bamba: 3 coats and 1 coat of top coat

lemon/banana yellow with slight shimmer. Two coats is good also but I wanted the color to be even. The formula is good but applying it isn't that good. If your coat is uneven then then it shows in the second and third coat that it's been applied unevenly. Not a bad color, I really like it but I don't think it looks nice with my skintone.

My journey to find a nice yellow polish that would match my skintone is still in progress. I've tried China Glaze Golden Opportunity which didn't work out and the Maybelline Banana Bamba hasn't quite captured me when I look at my hand. :\ Does anyone have any suggestions to a nice yellow? I'm planning on getting China Glaze's Lemon Fizz to give it another shot, hopefully I'll get it soon.

I'm thinking about doing a giveaway when I reach a certain amount of followers on my blog. I haven't picked out what I'm going to give away but definitely new polishes! :) Keep tuning in to check when I will have my first give away!

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Thanks to Katrina for posting it in her blog! :)♥ Zoya's is having their nail polish exchange this year! I didn't participate last year but this year I'm definitely going to since I don't own a single bottle of Zoya.

So the deal is, for every bottle you want to exchange is $3.50 and in exchange, you get to pick the Zoya nail polishes you want. :) You could pay by credit card, check or money order.

I picked out 20 bottles of old nail polishes that I'm going to exchange for: Ava, Akyra, Charla, Harley, Indigo, Ivanka, Ki, Kotori, Lexi, Luna, Midori, Pippa, Raven, Rea, Richelle, Shivon, Suvi, Trixie, Veruschuka and Zara

I'm excited to try out Pippa because it's YELLOW! And following this blog post, is to continue my quest for the perfect yellow that will fit my skintone!

Anyways, let me know which Zoya's you like or want or thinking about exchanging for! :)

<3katherine

Avatar Inspired

Recent purchase:
• Sinful Colors Green Ocean
• Sephora by OPI Leaf Him at the Altar
• OPI Mad as a Hatter (I ordered from a survey & got it in the mail 3/27/10!)

I'm thinking about getting:
• Sephora by OPI Go With The Flow-er
• Sephora by OPI It's Bouquet With Me
• Sephora by OPI Read my Palm
• Sephora by OPI Cover Me In Petals

For this week, I used Essie's Ridge Filling Base Coat, American Apparel Hunter, Sinful Colors Green Ocean and Essie's Matte About You. I think I'm officially obsessed with Matte About You. & this manicure blew me off guard with this ’mysterious' look - from looking at the bottle of Green Ocean, I REALLY didn't think that the glitter pieces were BLUE. I used 2 coats of American Apparel Hunter to reach the bottle color that looks really cool, unforuntately I felt like the color was dark and vampy by itself so I added Green Ocean (:

Until next time♥~,
<3katherine

I {♥} Red - not really but starting to!

OPI Merry Midnight is so beautiful when even looking at the bottle. The formula was a bit jelly but the end product came out nice. It took me 3 coats of Merry Midnight for this only because I tried to make it even since the first coat was uneven on my nails. I didn't know what else to add so I decided to add rhinestones. For my ring&thumb I did a "reverse tip" full of rhinestones.

-♥-

For this weekend, I especially did my nails to celebrate Valentine's Day & the Lunar New Year with red nails.

For this occasion I decided to do most of my nails with red tips and gold lining (except my middle fingers).

Used:

- Essie Protein Base Coat

- Essie Dramatic Drachmas

- Kiss Nail Art Gold Glitter

- Sinful Colors Paris

- White and Black nail art (because I don't have regular black and white lol)

- Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat

1. First after all the regular filing, buffing and cuticle oil procedure, I used my Essie Protein Base Coat to start.

2. After that dried I used Essie's Dramatic Drachmas (you can use any color you'd like) and swiped it on the ends of my nail to make the tip look. Don't worry if it's a little crooked because the gold lining will cover that up!

3. When the tip is dry, make your gold lining with a nail art brush.

4. I used Sinful Colors Paris to cover the red with little specks of gold glitter. It's not VERY noticeable from far away or if you hold your hands a little far but you could see it when you look closer at it. After it's dried, I sealed it with Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat. I recommend this top coat for those who are impatient like I am and it works very well & dries VERY quick! :)

5. For my middle finger, I used 2 layers of Essie Dramatic Drachmas on the whole nail since one of my nail broke and it's too short to have red tips.

6. After Dramatic Drachmas is dried, use the round flat end of a toothpick and dip it in black to make your minnie mouse.

7. Use another toothpick's round flat end and dip it in white to make the polka dots randomly around the nail and the minnie mouse.

8. Make sure your nail is dry before you put on the Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat because it may smear.

9. I used bows from 3D Rubber Nail Art Stickers on any nail that had the red and gold tips. I also then sealed it with top coat to make sure it stays. (: The picture has less because I used a lot of the bows already, lol. It's just an idea of what stickers if anyone's interested in finding some and purchasing the bows I have. (Another thing is that although the bows are white, I colored my bows black to match the minnie mouse.)

10. End product:

-♥-

I hope this tutorial will make it easier for people to create tips without going to a nail salon and pratice freehand tips.

Hope you enjoyed~

Katherine :)