Top Autumn Polishes Part 2

Remember Part One ? Well we're back with the second half of what I foresee on my nails this fall.
Two things I've noticed in the making of this post: 
1. I have no greens! And I mean I have a minute amount of green polishes ( one to be exact ). I don't think they look that magnificent on me but just one? Really?     
2. A lot of blue was included in this post. I'm realizing it as I look at the pictures, because I've never considered myself a huge user of blue polishes. The truth is, ever since I joined the Monday Blues project, I seem to have acquired a considerable amount of blues.

Can you tell I like Sally Hansen? Of course not, there would be no way of you noticing that.
Truth of the matter is, especially the Xtreme Wear polishes are extremely durable. I keep being impressed by how well they last.
Left to right:

Sally Hansen - Yellow Kitty

Sally Hansen - Gray by Gray
 Sally Hansen - Greige Gardens
 Sally Hansen - Gunmetal
Essie - Bobbing for Baubles

( the links will take you to the swatches I did of each polish)

Yellow Kitty is a pale enough yellow to get your attention but to not bother you too much. I find it really ideal for autumn when everything fades away a bit

Gray by Gray is a grayish blue that I really really like! I'm a big fan of all polishes with a gray undertone and this one is just cool enough.

Greige Gardens is, guess what? Yes, a mauve with a gray undertone. It gives it the proper coolness for the frosty months.

Gunmetal has got to be one of my alltime favorites. The shimmer makes it absolutely gorgeous to wear anytime but I'm prone to reaching for it when it's less than hot outside.

Bobbing for Baubles....ah Essie, you've managed to create something that I've become obsessed with. Seriously obsessed. It's dark enough to be dark but blue enough to not confuse it with black and it just looks regal. An incredible color  to be worn anywhere and anytime and you can probably tell I'm a fan by the many posts I've done on it like: here, here, one more here ,in polka dot version and in golden polka dot version which also happens to be my favorite.

Below, the swatches

               

Left to right: Bobbing for Baubles/Gunmetal/Greige Gardens/Gray By Gray/Yellow Kitty

Will you be sporting any of these colors? I'll also be doing one on my favorite metallics and glitters for fall so stay tuned!

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Watercolor Nails

I've tried something I've seen a couple days ago and felt a compulsion to do myself. Now, there's a sneaky suspicion, I may have used a *weeeee* bit too many colors but it's a good thing to learn for next time: less colors.
But what I did are watercolor nails, and I really like the paint brush smudged effect it gives.

 I think next time they're going to be a bit more pastel and less Picasso than these. But they were super fun to have and for most of the weekend people have been staring at my hands. You sometimes forget your nails are so colorful and only when you hear people's reactions or you suddenly swoosh and it hits your sight that you remember the splatter.

Have you ever tried this technique? It's basically splotting color on a white nail base and smudging it with a plastic bag. Not neuroscience but definitely better if you try it a couple of times.

                          


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Fish Tank Nails

That sounded weird didn't it?
I've been reminded of a movie I had seen a while ago called ...yes, Fish Tank, and I supposed that stayed in my subconscious since I felt the need to draw on my pristine Mint Candy Apple nails.
As you can see, it's more of an abstract fish tank, especially judging from the colors used, but for some reason I really felt the need to recreate marine wildlife, Picasso style.

Apart from Mint Candy Apple, other polishes used were Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty, Barry M Prickly Pear and Barry M Grapefruit.

So what do you think of the sudden creativity wave that has hit my nails? A bit too abstract or does it work for summer?                     


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Summer Gradient Nails

Besides dotting, I'm also a sponger. As disturbing as that may sound, it simply means I like to sponge polish on for that nice faded effect. 

Which is basically what I did here also, but this time I tried the 4- color approach. Usually I take a base color and dip a sponge in the color I want on the top but since I was using 4 colors now, I went for the "paint it on the sponge" approach. Let me tell you, it was messy!
Spent more time cleaning up than actually putting the color on my nails.  

Initially I wanted it to be just hues of blue but I'm quite proud for throwing the yellow polish in the mix as well, it makes it all just a wee bit better,does't it? Gives it a proper summer feel.

And now, for the polishes I've used:

The base was the currently numberless white polish from Kallos. It may have had a number in its young days, but by now it's lost. Then there's China Glaze Sunday Funday, Orly Gumdrop, Sally Hansen The Real Teal and Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty.


Tell me, would you like me to make a tutorial on the "making of" this thing? It's not that hard but I suppose some might be interested.

                 
                   And don't forget to check out the Summer inspired GIVEAWAY I have going on!

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My Top 10 Spring Polishes with Swatches

Spring is definitely here,heck summer is almost around the corner but that's no problem at all because I'm giving you my Top 10 Spring and Summer shades with the yummiest and most joyful of colors I've been loving on my nails.

                        
If you click on the name of each polish, you will get to see the posts where I've worn this polish. Most of them will have swatches, for the rest, check the pretty SwatchBook below.
From left to right: Mi-Ny Forever Young , China Glaze Surfin' For Boys, OPI Hot & Spicy , China Glaze Hang Ten Toes, Bondi Botanical Beauty , Sally Hansen The Real Teal, Australis Sweetpea, Barry M Mint Green , Essie Mojito Madness and Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty.

In case you missed the post about the Swatch Book, you can check it out HERE and fill it up with your favorite or all of your polishes.

So what do you think? What are your spring nail colors?

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Top Blue Polishes For Spring

This Monday I'm keeping the blue polish theme but not showing you my nails. The reason for that being that I've put them on a "clear of polish or other substances" detox, since OPI's Nail Envy has not really been doing much of the legendary good it is known for and even backfired a bit. 
Since my nails are now taking a breather and just consuming oils and calcium, I've put together my Top 3 blue polishes I cannot wait to throw on again.

                             
I picked these three because one is almost mint, one is almost neon and one is pure teal perfection.
Spring being the season of everything popping up with new energy, I figured these would be appropriate. For me, mint season is every season but Orly Gumdrop  also brings a bit of blue to the mix. You can see the swatch of it HERE. Don't you find it a great spring color that's not too in your face but just happy enough?
Then we have China Glaze Sunday Funday, which is such a cool shade of blue! Swatch is HERE , and let me tell you, it looks much more bright in real life. Definitely a great color to wear in the sun.
Last but not least, my darling Sally Hansen The Real Teal which basically...is the real teal.I like this color so very very much because it has to be the closest a polish has ever gotten to that great nuance that teal is. You can also see a swatch of it HERE and HERE. Little tip, the second swatch is something so pretty,you'll really want to try it out for spring.

So, what are your spring picks? More the baby blue kind or full on neon?


And if you wanna be inspired, here's some ideas from the Monday Blues Ladies




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Officially Introducing Sally Hansen's Gray by Gray

If you've seen my "tiny" amount of polish purchases from earlier this week, you've probably noticed the Sally Hansen polishes I've picked up. I know I have, because they have been the first ones I grabbed to try. I'm already a fan of the X-Treme Wear range, so the assumption that I'd like these came pretty easy.

Long story short: I do! I do indeed like 'em a lot!

I remember having a massive obsession with this color a couple years back and not being able to find it. There was just a somewhat blueish gray that I was lucky enough to find that got the job done so far but gosh golly I'm glad to have gotten my paws on this!

                  
It's called Gray by Gray  but you can clearly see it's not only gray. I really like this cool blue undertone it has because it makes it a bit more universally useable. Works with a tan and works with pale winter hands, like I am sporting at the moment. It also works just as well with long or short nails. 

It might go into the "borderline spring polish" category but I think that it's not really the season to wear it. Tis the season for pastels and bright colors.

But do we like this polish? We do, a lot! 

What do you think, would you be tempted to wear it?

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Got Myself A Little Haul

I don't think I've ever done one of these, have I ? Well, I've been lucky enough to have gotten all of my online purchases pretty much at once this time.  I don't know about you, but I really like unpacking things and to have so many to unpack was right up my alley.

So, without further ado, here's what I got:

Starting off with the matters of the face, I've once again stocked up on Eyeko and got the liner extra, because that's just how nice the people at Eyeko.com are. That and free shipping.

And from Feelunique.com I went on and got the Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse that I've been craving. I'll congratulate myself for that purchase later. Then, I figured I'd try the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm.

And now, let's get to the colorful part: the nail polishes

Sally Hansen Greige Gardens, Gray by Gray and Yellow Kitty. Then from China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint on, Unpredictable, Mimosas before Manis and Sunday Funday. And last but not least Orly Gumdrop and Essie Mojito Madness

I was especially excited about these three from the China Glaze Spring Collection and so far I've tried Sunday Funday and Keep Calm, Paint on. Both of them I REALLY like!

And here's where it's your turn, which ones would you want to see reviewed first?

Which one would you want to see reviewed first?
	Eyeko Liner
	Rimmel Apocalips
	Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
	Nuxe Reve de Miel
	Nail Polishes (and let me know which one)
pollcode.com free polls

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March Favorites

Fashionably late as usual, I give you: March favorites!

To be honest, there initially was a very different lineup for this post but at the end of March, some goodies arrived and even after a pretty short period of testing, I have been HUGELY impressed.

                           

Moa Green Balm
I have been using this for everything, from cuticles to lips, to face and hands. It is a universal savior and a definite repurchase. It has helped all my exposed parts during the freezing winter days, cold and wind. And with the dry skin that I'm sporting, it's quite magnificent to be able to do that. 

Nuxe Reve de Miel

Have almost all of us heard of the supernatural powers of this balm by now? I know I've stumbled upon nothing but praise. Even so, I wasn't too keen to believe everything because it sounded too good. Well you know what? It is THAT good! I'll have a proper review up soon and you will be able to hear all about how it has turned my lips from papyrus to velvet.

Eyeko Skinny Liner

I'm a gel eyeliner girl. Very dedicated to the gel cause, but boy oh boy this liner has shocked me. It has unbeatable lasting power. And I do mean unbeatable. No smudging, no moving, and seriously intense black. I could definitely be converted to this liner.

Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara

My fondness for Eyeko is quite great and in case you haven't noticed how obsessed I am with this mascara, I suggest you click on the link above to get to the review I did of it. 

Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse

I have been wanting to get my hands on this ever since I first saw it and I was right to want it! It's the best kind of lip product. Liquid but with a lipstick finish that is not too shiny and not too matte. Just right and especially great for dry lips that sometimes I prefer to not put lipstick,but more liquid products on.

L'Occitane Hand Cream

Along with the MOA balm, this is still a great friend for when the hands are about to give up. It has got to be the thickest and most efficient hand cream I have ever tried.

And now to the favorite polishes: Sally Hansen The Real Teal and Barry M Mint Green.

You will find a lot of swatches for those on the blog, just type in Sally Hansen or Barry M in the search tab I have in the sidebar, because they are true spring colors.

Do we share any favorites here? What are some of yours?

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50 Shades of Monday Blues

When I decided to do ombre nails, I figured it would be practical to make them blue,for the sake of Mondays. But then I had to take a moment and wonder if I even had the proper blue polishes to pull it off. I mean, I tend to get a lot of one similar color, like say, stock up on mint and neglect everything else. To this day for example, I still have no proper fiery red and I always tell myself to not forget and go out and get one.It has still not hapened and I've been planing it for about a year now.
But nevermind, I was glad enough I had 5 shades of blue that could make the gradient happen.

And for this to be created, the following have been used:

(thumb to pinky)
- Essie Bobbing for Baubles

- Sally Hansen The Real Teal

- Essence I Love Bad Boys 

- W7 in a baby blue color whose name has detached from the bottle

- Australis Sweetpea

As you can see, a somewhat mint green had to make an appearance. I'm actually wondering if I could make a gradient with just mint shades. I might be shocked to find out I indeed can, but I will let you know as soon as possible.

Do you have any colors you'd like to see ombre-d ?

                         

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DIY Swatch Book

On Sunday I was looking around Pinterest and came across a picture where nail polish splashes were dropped on a page of a notebook, and it looked so great, that it made me think you could transform those into actual swatches. So I did.

You Will Need:

 - nail polishes of choice

- a notebook

- a black pen

Basically all there is to it is picking your polishes and smudging away in a somewhat organized manner on the pages of your notebook.Then label them. Actually, you could also use small labels if you have a label maker. Oh that would look so great!

 I picked some spring shades and only did one page for now but doesn't it look cute? And it's a bit of an OCD dream come true to be able to organize them so neatly in a notebook.

You can do it by color, by name, by brand, by anything you like.

I cannot wait to take some proper time and put all my polishes onto the pages of a notebook. And I also can't wait to put together lists, like spring colors, pastels, glitters, metallics... there's so many options!

So what do you think? Are you tempted to do this?

                     

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February Favorites

I'm clearly staying true to the "took you long enough" concept with getting round to posting favorites.

For the record, photos had been ready since February but time has been very scarce around these parts and that is the reason why it took me a bit to get this post up and running.

 I am ridiculously picky with the things I let touch my face especially, but ever since the discovery of the Vichy Pureté Thermale Soothing Eye Make Up Remover For Sensitive Eyes and the Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water , I've reached a whole new level of picky because I don't think anything else will match the greatness of those two combined. My insanely dry skin stopped feeling like it was going to crack after taking my make-up off.

Now let me tell you about my AMAZING discovery! My hair has been on an off its game and misbehaving every now and then due to insanely dry and unfriendly conditions. BUT that all changed when I got my package from the swap with Grace. Because Aussie's Luscious Long Conditioner and Shampoo were in it. A review on them is coming real soon but let me tell you: my hair has not felt this great in a quite a while!

Moving back to my face, you will see a pretty surprising winner in my showdown between Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream and the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer but for now, I will tell you that the fresh sensation this BB cream offers is simply incredible.

Paired with it, for most of February, has been the Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Face Cream that has left my face feeling ridiculously soft and supple.And a new color favorite is the MUA Lipstick in Bare.

Last but not least, the nails. 

Recently purchased, OPI Nail Envy is already impressing me enough to have it in my favorites. And the Sally Hansen Real Teal and Farmasi No. 55  (for they just number them) have been recent color obsessions of mine.

That was it from me, but what about you? Do we share any favorites here? Or is there anything you'd want to try from this post?

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Nailed It: Sparkly Clouds

Today I'm feeling like spring and that means more blue sky and pretty clouds. Yesterday's Week In Pictures post had a gorgeous example of perfect skies in it, and the week before there was a lot of cloud action also, so you might have seen this coming. In my world, the natural progression of things is: see it, like it, put it on your nails.

So that is exactly what happened, there was just some added sparkle to this whole process.

Sally Hansen's Real Teal is pushing itself into my spring foreground and it looks like it will be on my nails quite a bit in the near future.

I had seen this cloud-ish looking manicure on a lot of people and was under the very strong impression it was a hard thing to achieve. Until I realized how easy it actually was. So there was no stopping it anymore.

And in the picking of the polishes, the next surprise happened: W7 Blue Mirror and China Glaze Liquid Crystal look perfect together. It's like they have been created to work in glorious harmony. So why not exploit that, I say!

                          

These two polishes really seem to be relatives,don't they? Probably something like the brother from another mother.

Teal, turquoise, any kind of strong blue that reminds me of the sky will become an instant favorite and will be sitting very nicely on the nails. 

Hope you liked the little fluffy clouds sprinkled with glitter and I shall leave you with some more creations from the ladies, so your Monday becomes a bit prettier.

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The Nail Series: Sally Hansen The Real Teal

You might have witnessed my intense swooning last week when I showed you another gorgeous Sally Hansen color, Gunmetal. Well, in the same package came this little beauty also. 

It's called The Real Teal  and I think we're going to be VERY good friends.

                   

I'd like to take a moment to point out what an awesome name this polish has. Then let's take another moment to just stare at the utter gorgeousness of this color.

I like Mint and I like Aqua and I like Turquoise and it seems that Teal somehow magically combines all of those colors into one perfect blue-green shade that stands out just the amount I'd like it to.

It's a perfect spring color, but then again...it's a perfect summer color too and if you think about it, it works great in autumn too, not to mention how well it brightens up a dull winter day.

I've pledged allegiance to the Mint but gosh darnit, this is serious competition for an all-year favorite color.

Like all other Sally Hansen polishes I've tried so far, this one also stays on your nail for a nice, long time and I really like how easy the application is. Lately, I've been looking for polishes that are easy to apply and don't make you get extra concerned about streaks or the texture being too thick.

Beside China Glaze, these ones have made it into my top picks. I sometimes struggle with Essie for example and I've even had some OPIs misbehaving, but so far there was no sign of that with Sally Hansen polishes.

I'm dying to try new ones now because spring is just around the corner and we need happy nails to match the happy weather!

Speaking of happy stuff, here's some more happy blue nails:

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The Nail Series: Sally Hansen Gunmetal

It's here! It's here!

How long I've been craving this color and now I can finally wear it.

What I'm talking about is Sally Hansen Gunmetal a gorgeously metallic indigo blue that I just find looks impeccable on any hand. Indigo and navy blues always have the potential to make a hand look chic and this is no different. Even if it is metallic, it doesn't lose any of that chicness.

     I'm totally and utterly fascinated by this shade. It's the first time I try Sally Hansen X-Treme Wear, since I don't exactly live in close proximity to any Sally Hansen retailers, but I'm very impressed.

I've worn it for a couple of days before writing this, just to test how X-Treme its wear is. Let me tell you, it is extreme. I didn't use any top coat with it, because I wanted to see how it behaves on its own,and 3 days after putting it on, it had just chipped a little. This comes from someone whose polish jumps off the next day if no top coat is used.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I like wearing this polish, so hoping that you too have something nice on your nails, I wish you a great week and leave you with some more ladies who have gone blue on this fine day:

Gosia from Life in Color!

Mihaela from Lacquerbuzz

Marisa from Polish Obsession

Mandy from Chameleon Stampede               

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