These are the polishes I acquired this month
China Glaze:
Fast Track
Smoke and Ashes
Stone Cold
Candie
Cutex:
Mulberry Whip
Peach Pop
Lush Lacquer:
Birthday Cake
Dreamsicle
Lite Brite
Neon Blast
Party Hearty
Slime Time
Mash:
stamping plates 25-50
Black stamping polish
White stamping polish
Dotting tools x 5
Glass nail file
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Lush Lacquer
They've arrived!
I've been waiting for these babies for almost a whole month and they are finally here.
May I introduce you to (left to right):
Birthday Cake
Lite Brite
Party Hearty
Dreamsicle
Slime Time
Neon Blast
I bought these from the lovely ladies at Lush Lacquer.
I've been waiting for these babies for almost a whole month and they are finally here.
May I introduce you to (left to right):
Birthday Cake
Lite Brite
Party Hearty
Dreamsicle
Slime Time
Neon Blast
I bought these from the lovely ladies at Lush Lacquer.
Monday 30 July 2012
Cult Nails - Tulum
Todays manicure is from Cult Nails' Let's Get Nekkid collection. Tulum is a medium taupy, mushroomy brown. What sets it apart from all the other mushroomy polishes is its gold shimmer. The shimmer in this one really stands out in sunlight but is at least mildly visible at all times. Application was lovely, three coats plus topcoat were used here.
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| Cult Nails - Tulum. Indoors |
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| Cult Nails - Tulum. Outdoors |
China Glaze - Exotic Cranberry
I bought this shade about six months ago from ProNail Supplies at Bankstown. It's a very deep berry pink that looks red in some lights. It has an almost jelly like finish, but is too opaque to really be a jelly in my mind. Application is utter perfection. It's easy and smooth to apply and dries to a ridiculously shiny finish.
When I googled this shade I found out that it was released in 2005! I am amazed that a polish that is seven years old is still in such good condition. Maybe it's the formaldehyde or the toluene or the DBP.
That's right ladies, the big bad three are all here in all their shiny, perfect glory.
Same polish, different light
When I googled this shade I found out that it was released in 2005! I am amazed that a polish that is seven years old is still in such good condition. Maybe it's the formaldehyde or the toluene or the DBP.
That's right ladies, the big bad three are all here in all their shiny, perfect glory.
Same polish, different light
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| China Glaze - Exotic Cranberry |
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| China Glaze - Exotic Cranberry |
Friday 27 July 2012
OPI So So Skullicious - Halloween Collection
While browsing ebay yesterday I came across this OPI mini set. I hadn't seen it before and thought it must be old, but it's not. It's OPIs offering for Halloween 2012.
This mini set contains:
Hi Pumpkin!
This jack-o-lantern orange is sweet on you.
A Rose from the Dead
This hot pink is the life of the party.
Mourning Glory
A black so shiny, it will lift your spirits
Candlelight
Be all aglow in this flame yellow.
One sheet of colourful skully nail decals.
Isn't it a bit early to be releasing Halloween collections? Oh well, it's a cute pack, I'll probably buy it anyway!
I got this picture from the ebay store Misssaigon98
This mini set contains:
Hi Pumpkin!
This jack-o-lantern orange is sweet on you.
A Rose from the Dead
This hot pink is the life of the party.
Mourning Glory
A black so shiny, it will lift your spirits
Candlelight
Be all aglow in this flame yellow.
One sheet of colourful skully nail decals.
Isn't it a bit early to be releasing Halloween collections? Oh well, it's a cute pack, I'll probably buy it anyway!
I got this picture from the ebay store Misssaigon98
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| OPI So So Skullicious - Halloween 2012. |
Tuesday 24 July 2012
Revlon and OPI on sale
Revlon polishes $4.99
OPI polishes $10.99
+delivery
On sale at Brands Exclusive Australia for the next 2 days.
OPI polishes $10.99
+delivery
On sale at Brands Exclusive Australia for the next 2 days.
Monday 23 July 2012
Cutex Quick N Go - Peach Pop
I picked up this polish and the other Cutex I recently blogged about at Woolworths supermarket for $5 each. I would not have bought them at full price, in fact I've 'not bought them' about ten times.
It's not that I don't like the formula or finish. This applied beautifully. It's still a bit sheer after 3 coats but it's not horribly streaky like some polishes. The colour is surprisingly nice too. A light peach with the tiniest hint of shimmer, if you look closely in bright light. Lol. Another work friendly shade.
The reason I've passed on this polish so often in the past is simply because of the price. You can get very similar shades for a fraction of the full price of this one. I'm glad it was on sale. I like this colour.
What do you think? What's your favourite work friendly polish?
It's not that I don't like the formula or finish. This applied beautifully. It's still a bit sheer after 3 coats but it's not horribly streaky like some polishes. The colour is surprisingly nice too. A light peach with the tiniest hint of shimmer, if you look closely in bright light. Lol. Another work friendly shade.
The reason I've passed on this polish so often in the past is simply because of the price. You can get very similar shades for a fraction of the full price of this one. I'm glad it was on sale. I like this colour.
What do you think? What's your favourite work friendly polish?
Saturday 21 July 2012
MASH goodies
Recently I bought some bits n pieces from the MASH website.
I got:
Stamping plates 25-50.
I've been enjoying testing these out, and I did a cloud manicure here. I'm still hopeless at stamping though.
Stamping polish in black and white.
What is the difference between regular polish and stamping polish anyway?
Dotting tools in a variety of sizes.
Can't wait to use these. I'm inspired by Pretty Purple Polish and Lab Muffin and their recent dotty manicures.
Glass nail file.
I tried this today and it does seem gentler on my nails. A bit slower to file them to shape, but if it means less breakage it's all good.
Initially I had a slight issue with only part of my order getting delivered. This was cleared up with one email and the rest of my order shipped just as quickly as the first bit. MASH has great customer service. I would definitely buy from them again.
Check their site out here.
I got:
Stamping plates 25-50.
I've been enjoying testing these out, and I did a cloud manicure here. I'm still hopeless at stamping though.
Stamping polish in black and white.
What is the difference between regular polish and stamping polish anyway?
Dotting tools in a variety of sizes.
Can't wait to use these. I'm inspired by Pretty Purple Polish and Lab Muffin and their recent dotty manicures.
Glass nail file.
I tried this today and it does seem gentler on my nails. A bit slower to file them to shape, but if it means less breakage it's all good.
Initially I had a slight issue with only part of my order getting delivered. This was cleared up with one email and the rest of my order shipped just as quickly as the first bit. MASH has great customer service. I would definitely buy from them again.
Check their site out here.
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| MASH stamping plates, dotting tools, glass nail file, stamping polishes |
Nail Art - Dotty Gradient
I was inspired to do this manicure by the blog Pretty Purple Polish. The dotty manicure there was so pretty, I had to try something similar.
I used a base coat of China Glaze - Snow and topped it with dots in a sort of gradient. I used (in order of light to dark) OPI - Red Light District, Essence - Fateful Desire and China Glaze - Smoke and Ashes. I used 3 sizes of dotting tool from my new MASH set.
When I put the topcoat on I unfortunately got a little bit of streaking.
I love it!
I used a base coat of China Glaze - Snow and topped it with dots in a sort of gradient. I used (in order of light to dark) OPI - Red Light District, Essence - Fateful Desire and China Glaze - Smoke and Ashes. I used 3 sizes of dotting tool from my new MASH set.
When I put the topcoat on I unfortunately got a little bit of streaking.
I love it!
China Glaze - Snow
White creme. Opaque in two coats.
I applied this as a base for some nail art and surprised myself by liking it on its own. I think I'll like it even more in summer.
What do you think? Do you like white polish?
I applied this as a base for some nail art and surprised myself by liking it on its own. I think I'll like it even more in summer.
What do you think? Do you like white polish?
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| China Glaze - Snow |
Ozotic - 526
This is Ozotic's black holo.
I couldn't get a focused picture to show the sparkle of this polish, but you get the idea from the photo below.
Scattered holo sparkle in a black creme. This is the only Ozotic polish I own that I could probably live without. I love it, but I think I could achieve the same result with a black creme topped with a sparkly holo topcoat like China Glaze - Fairy Dust or Kleancolor - Mr Right.
I couldn't get a focused picture to show the sparkle of this polish, but you get the idea from the photo below.
Scattered holo sparkle in a black creme. This is the only Ozotic polish I own that I could probably live without. I love it, but I think I could achieve the same result with a black creme topped with a sparkly holo topcoat like China Glaze - Fairy Dust or Kleancolor - Mr Right.
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| Ozotic - 526 |
Friday 20 July 2012
Cutex Quick N Go - Mulberry Whip
It's super shiny, it's fast drying and it's a cute mid pink creme. What's not to like? Ok, it's not an exciting colour, but it's good for work. Smooth, easy application and opaque in two coats. People keep asking me if my nails have shellac on them.
The Cutex brush is very wide, almost one stroke per nail. I'm not sure if I like it. Way better than a cheap n nasty thin brush but perhaps too wide if you have small nails.
Do you like extra wide brushes?
The Cutex brush is very wide, almost one stroke per nail. I'm not sure if I like it. Way better than a cheap n nasty thin brush but perhaps too wide if you have small nails.
Do you like extra wide brushes?
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| Cutex - Mulberry Whip |
Top coat turmoil
I'm an impatient woman. Waiting for nail polish to dry on its own is boring and I'll probably damage it, meaning I'll have to start over. Sigh.
Fast drying topcoats are my friends, but they all come with their own little problems.
Seche Vite dries so fast even I can't damage it while I'm waiting, but shrinkage isn't really very attractive. It gives nails a beautiful shine and is quite hard wearing but by the time you're halfway through a bottle it's so thick it's unusable. I haven't been able to find any Seche thinner and it pains me to throw out a half empty bottle.
Out The Door doesn't shrink like SV but isn't as fast drying. It doesn't thicken horribly but also doesn't have quite as much shine. It's pretty close to SV in the shine stakes.
OPI Rapid Dry is thick, less shiny than OTD and just doesnt do it for me.
Right now, Out The Door is the winner for me.
I love fast drying topcoat.
What other brands are good? Any suggestions?
Fast drying topcoats are my friends, but they all come with their own little problems.
Seche Vite dries so fast even I can't damage it while I'm waiting, but shrinkage isn't really very attractive. It gives nails a beautiful shine and is quite hard wearing but by the time you're halfway through a bottle it's so thick it's unusable. I haven't been able to find any Seche thinner and it pains me to throw out a half empty bottle.
Out The Door doesn't shrink like SV but isn't as fast drying. It doesn't thicken horribly but also doesn't have quite as much shine. It's pretty close to SV in the shine stakes.
OPI Rapid Dry is thick, less shiny than OTD and just doesnt do it for me.
Right now, Out The Door is the winner for me.
I love fast drying topcoat.
What other brands are good? Any suggestions?
Tuesday 17 July 2012
Nail Art - Polka Dot Pink
I'm not very good at nail art. I see so many beautiful pics of amazing nails and think, I could never do that. I can however, put spots on my nails. Sometimes it looks great, other times meh. I'm not sure about this effort
OPI - Kiss Me On My Tulips topped with Essie - Over The Top
OPI - Kiss Me On My Tulips topped with Essie - Over The Top
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| Polka Dot Nails, OPI - Kiss Me On My Tulips, Essie - Over The Top |
Friday 13 July 2012
Models Own - Peacock Green and Ulta3 - Orchid
I think this combination is beautiful.
That is all.
That is all.
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| Models Own - Peacock Green, Ulta3 - Orchid |
Thursday 12 July 2012
Butter London on sale
Brands Exclusive have Butter London polishes on sale for the next 4 days! $13.50 per polish plus postage.
Much more reasonably priced for us Aussies than the usual $22.
Last time I ordered from this site postage took ages, just a warning.
Much more reasonably priced for us Aussies than the usual $22.
Last time I ordered from this site postage took ages, just a warning.
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Nail Art - Cloudy Sky
I received my Mash stamping plates in the mail today. So many beautiful designs! I'm disappointed that my order was incomplete. I ordered four other items that weren't in the package. I've sent Mash an email, hopefully they'll let me know what's happening soon.
Two coats of Essie - Cote Azure, stamped with China Glaze - Snow. I used the cloud design from Mash-37.
This is my first attempt at stamping. I'm pretty happy with it.
Two coats of Essie - Cote Azure, stamped with China Glaze - Snow. I used the cloud design from Mash-37.
This is my first attempt at stamping. I'm pretty happy with it.
Monday 9 July 2012
Essie - Nice is Nice and Essence - Edward
I bought the Essence Nail Twins set - Bella and Edward from eBay some time ago, mainly because I wanted Bella, a teal cream. Edward however, has been the star of the show. A clear base holding teal green square and round glitter, plus some silver holo glitter. I'm not a huge fan of him matched with Bella, but with more contrasting colours he's a winner.
Nice is Nice is a pale, cool lavender creme.
Here I'm wearing 3 coats of Essie - Nice is Nice with one coat of Essence - Edward and one coat of Seche Vite.
I love how the topcoat makes the glitter particles look suspended, trapped within its smooth finish.
Nice is Nice is a pale, cool lavender creme.
Here I'm wearing 3 coats of Essie - Nice is Nice with one coat of Essence - Edward and one coat of Seche Vite.
I love how the topcoat makes the glitter particles look suspended, trapped within its smooth finish.
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| Essie - Nice is Nice, Essence - Edward |
Cult Nails - Vicious
I'm a fan of purple polish. I have many. This one is a dark plum or eggplant creme with amazing shine. Great application with two easy coats.
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| Cult Nails - Vicious |
Ozotic - 503
Picture Polish recently sent me an email stating that they had some of this shade for sale. Seeing as how it was long discontinued I jumped at the chance to own some.
Just like the rest of the 500 series multichromes this shade is best over black, or another suitably dark colour. I used two coats of Revlon - Blackest Black and two thin costs of 503.
503 shifts from a beautiful emerald green to lighter green to silver to a light pink. In the photos there is even a hint of purple, but in reality it wasn't visible.
Just like the rest of the 500 series multichromes this shade is best over black, or another suitably dark colour. I used two coats of Revlon - Blackest Black and two thin costs of 503.
503 shifts from a beautiful emerald green to lighter green to silver to a light pink. In the photos there is even a hint of purple, but in reality it wasn't visible.
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| Ozotic - 503 |
Saturday 7 July 2012
China Glaze - Let's Groove
My favorite purple nail lacquer. It's a metallic royal purple that glows from within. No brush strokes, great formula, applies perfectly in two coats. I've topped it here with Seche Vite because I'm impatient, but it's wonderfully shiny on it's own.
It was only when I saw this color in person that I had to have it. Pictures online don't really do it justice. My pictures here are no exception. I just can't get a color accurate photo on this polish. It's far more beautiful in reality. More royal purple, lighter.
I need to work on my photography.
It was only when I saw this color in person that I had to have it. Pictures online don't really do it justice. My pictures here are no exception. I just can't get a color accurate photo on this polish. It's far more beautiful in reality. More royal purple, lighter.
I need to work on my photography.
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| China Glaze - Let's Groove |
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Tuesday 3 July 2012
Lacquer List Online
My LACQUER LIST page is now up to date. It's worse than I feared, or better than I hoped. Regardless, it's long :)
Please visit my collection by clicking on the tab below the banner.
Please visit my collection by clicking on the tab below the banner.
Welcome to Lacquer Lunacy!
I have a confession to make. I'm a grown woman who is obsessed with nail polish.
I spend quite a lot of time thinking about it, reading about it, painting with it, lusting after it, hunting for it. So why not blog about it too? Everyone else is doing it. My nail art skills may not be as awesome as Nail Nerd, my collection may not be as vast as Pointless Cafe, but I love nail polish!
I'm looking forward to sharing my obsession with like-minded LACQUER LUNATICS.
In the next couple of weeks I plan to compile a list of my collection and places I like to buy nail stuff, in addition to the obligatory swatch posts.
Let the insanity begin.
I spend quite a lot of time thinking about it, reading about it, painting with it, lusting after it, hunting for it. So why not blog about it too? Everyone else is doing it. My nail art skills may not be as awesome as Nail Nerd, my collection may not be as vast as Pointless Cafe, but I love nail polish!
I'm looking forward to sharing my obsession with like-minded LACQUER LUNATICS.
In the next couple of weeks I plan to compile a list of my collection and places I like to buy nail stuff, in addition to the obligatory swatch posts.
Let the insanity begin.
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