Misa - A Sin Worth Committing

Hi everyone! Today I wanted to show you a very special polish. This amazing polish was a gift from Kyosuke, thank you sooo much, I love it! Kyosuke has been a faithful and very supportive reader from the moment I started blogging!

This nail polish by Misa is a true beauty, its name is A Sin Worth Committing and it belongs to the Poisoned Passion Collection that came out in 2008. I'm a sucker for blues, and this one's just perfect, not too dark or light and it's packed with amazing shimmer. This color takes me to far far away lands where stars happily sparkle and the nights never end. To top it all: the application was a dream too, I think Misa nail polishes may have the best formula I've experienced so far. They apply so smoothly and after 2 coats you're done and you can hop back on your carpet with Aladdin!

Thanks for stopping by and take care!

Clean up in 6 easy steps

I know there are so many great articles about this already, but I wanted to show you how I do my cleanup anyway. I get so many questions about how I paint my nails, I always end up searching for articles to refer to. I figured it would be nice to have a reference of my own! There isn't much to it really, so I'll try to keep this post short and simple. Well, here goes..

	So, you painted your nails in the best way you possibly could and everything went pretty wel. But it still doesn't look perfect. Yet! You can leave it like this, or if you're a perfectionist freak like me, you'll try to fix this. There are several methods to smoothen out the cuticle line, like using corrector pens or q-tips drowned in nail polish remover. Experience has taught me that the method I'm about to show you works best for me! It's really simple, quick and you'll only need two products.
First thing you'll need is a brush. It's really up to you what kind of you brush you'll use, but using a medium, not too stiff brush is something I would recommend. You might have to try different kinds to figure out what works best for you. Found the perfect brush? You might want to consider getting backups. The brush will show signs of wear and tear after a while, so you'll need to replace it eventually. The brush I'm using is a paint brush, so it doesn't have to be a fancy make up brush at all!
	What you'll also need is something to remove nail polish with. Pure acetone is hands down the easiest and fastest solution! However, normal nail polish remover will work too. Recently I switched back to using nail polish remover, since pure acetone can be very drying. It made my hands look super wrinkly. I wish I was an expert on this topic, but you might want to look up the negative side effects Acetone can have, before you decide to use it.
Ok, let's do this! Take your brush and dip it in the Acetone. Make sure you don't have too much on your brush by dapping it on a cotton pad first. If there's too much Acetone the polish will flow into the edges of your cuticles and we really don't want that to happen. Now, place the brush next to the nail polish line you want to neaten. Sweep your brush lightly, without applying any pressure (Geez I feel like Bob Ross now). You'll only have to take away a slither. Dap your brush on your cotton pad every now and then, because the nail polish will build up in it. You can also use your brush to get rid of any nail polish that has landed on your skin.
	Tadaaa: a pretty smooth line near the cuticle. And it wasn't that difficult at all. It usually takes me about 5 minutes to do clean up, but I always try to apply my nail polish as neat as possible. If your application is a bit messy, clean up will take longer. There are some things to pay attention to though. Some colors just won't allow you to use clean up. I find that blues, reds and vampies are difficult colors as they tend to flood your cuticles, especially if they're jellies! Also, you don't want to use clean up on wet nails, I normally wait a good ten minutes before I start.
When everything is done, it's time for some rehydration! Cuticles really despise Acetone so it's necessary to use a moisturizer on them, every time after they've been exposed to this hazardous stuff. Until recently I used different kinds of cuticle oils and balms, but I think I may have found my Holy Grail cuticle treatment: Lemony Flutter by Lush. Rubbing this lovely lemon scented butter into your cuticles will really help them remain soft and hydrated.

The nail polish I'm wearing in these photos is Feeling Blue by Models Own.

This was it for today, I hope you find this helpful! Take care and till next time, xo.

Gosh - Rainbow

Hi everyone! How is everybody doing? I hope great :-). Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time today so this will be a very short post, sorry about that!

Let's jump straight to the nail polish: Gosh Rainbow has got to be one of the finest nail polishes Gosh created. It's a top coat filled with orange-green duochrome flakies. Imagine all the combinations you can make with this! My favorite combination has to be with black though. I layered it on top of BeYu's #318, a lovely, easy to handle, black creme. I applied 2 coats of black and only one coat of Gosh Rainbow. The finish of Rainbow is really smooth, not bumpy or gritty at all. Don't you just love the way the colors change?

Oh before I forget: I get a lot of questions about how I paint my nails, especially around the cuticle area. Expect a post about this very soon!

I've got to run now, take care and till next time!

H&M - Chicks Envy Me

Hi guys! Did you all enter my giveaway yet? I wanted to show you another polish that's included in the first set I'm giving away: Chicks Envy Me by H&M. Normally I'm not a red wearing type of girl, but this one is really something else.

First of all, it looks so different from what I'd expected, it's more coral/orang-y red instead of a plain orange. Another surprise: it's not a creme, it's a jelly. Can it get any better, you might ask? Yes! It's on fire! It's so bright, I'd say it's a neon. If I had lived in the 50ies and I happened to be a hot smoldering pinup (a girl can dream, right), I wouldn't go anywhere without this sizzling bottle of nail polish.

So what's the catch? There is none! The formula was wonderful, like with most H&M nail polishes, and it only took 3 coats, which is pretty damn good for a bright jelly. Also: clean up is not a problem with this red! Normally red will flow everywhere if you try this, but not with this polish. If you think you can handle this flaming bottle of fire, go get it or check out my giveaway!

Herome - New Delhi & Romika's Giveaway!

Hi everyone! Since my last post a lot of new readers have joined my blog, I was amazed! So welcome to all of you!

As some of you might already know, my mom has a blogs: Romika's Nails. At the moment she is having a great giveaway to celebrate her 100 followers. This giveaway includes some really beautiful polishes and nail care products by Herome, a Dutch brand. So please hurry on over there!

I also have some stuff by this brand, so I thought I'd show you one of the bunch Romika is giving away! This pretty baby is called New Delhi, and it belongs to the W.I.C. collection. W.I.C. stands for World Inspired Colors, all the polishes are named after big cities. No wonder their color selection is huge: check it out.

I really like the color I'm wearing, it's a dusty minty aqua green creme. It's definitely a hot color at the moment. I applied 2 coats for complete opacity. The formula was okay, a bit on the thick side but it worked out pretty well. For those who couldn't help themselves and went crazy during the Models Own sale: this one looks a bit like Slate Green, but a tad lighter and more yellow.

This was it for today, take care and till next time!

Yeah baby! Giveaway time!

I made it to 250 followers! *Does happy dance*. Like I said I appreciate and love you guys so much! I'd never expected to find such a warm and welcoming place. And now I can finally thank you guys! Let's show you the goods: I'll be giving away 2 sets, one set a winner, so yes there will be 2 lucky winners!

The first set includes 4 great shades by H&M: Chicks Envy Me (a bright orangy red I actually like - this color doesn't look right in this photo), Fashionista, Liberty Girl, and the highly sought after Bella's Choice!

The second set includes 3 semi holo nail polishes, also by H&M: You Rock My World, Sinful Senorita and Mad About You. These are pretty awesome, the application is amazing. The holo effect is very subtle (unless you're walking on sunshine), but I think they're mega cute anyway. I'll try to swatch some of these any time soon.

I've added some photos for reference, these are swatched with my own nail polish. The nail polish that I'll send to the winners is brand new and never been used!

Fashionista
Bella's Choice
Chicks Envy Me

Ok, the rules!

1 - You have to be a follower of my blog
2 - Please enter your e-mail address along with your preference for set 1 (the 4 shades) or set 2 (the 3 semi holos).
3 - It doesn't matter where you live, entering is open for everyone!
4 - You can earn extra entries by:
    - Reposting this giveaway on your blog (feel free to use the pictures in this post!),
    - Following me on Twitter
    - Tweeting about it
If you do this, please let me know in your comment by showing me the URL's.
Note: You can only use these for extra entries if you follow my blog.
5 - You can enter till the 10th of March, 11:59pm - CET.
6 - Since I love you all so much, I'll let www.random.org decide who the lucky winners will be ;-).

I really hope you'll enjoy the items I gathered and if you choose to enter, good luck!!

Models Own - Beth's Blue

Hi everone! How's everybody? I'm so excited! Almost 250 followers, that means I can almost unleash my giveaway upon you guys :-D. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get OPI Reflecting Pool, it's not in stores here anymore, I was so surprised! But I think I managed to come up with some nice stuff anyway! Well, you'll see it soon enough ;-).

Today I'm wearing Beth's Blue by Models Own, another great pastel creme. The name's suggesting it's a true blue, but it has a hint of lavender to it, which I really love by the way. The formula was okay, a bit on the thick side, but nothing I can't handle! The only issue you might have with these nail polishes, is that they're not 3free. But then again, some of my prettiest nail polishes aren't..
This color was completely opaque in 2 thin coats, one thick coat would probably work too I think. I'm just loving these pastels at the moment, there's something so sweet and delicate to it.

Interested in this brand? Models Own recently started shipping internationally and they do accept PayPal. Their website is www.modelsownit.com (not affiliated).

Well this was it for today, thanks for reading and till next time!

OPI - You Don't Know J*cques - Suede

Hi guys! How's everybody doing? I hope fine! As you can see I've changed my blog a bit, that's just me, I get bored so easily with layouts and stuff like that :-). I've also added some pages, so all you ever wanted to know about me is up there now, yay. jk ;-). The FAQ page isn't there yet, because I really wanted to take the time to make it something worth reading. It will be up soon though :-).

Today I have another Suede by OPI to show you: You don't know Jacques. It looks nothing like the regular version, but I absolutely love it. I love how they've added a little bit more warmth to this taupe, it's almost glowy! And I need this little extra warmth, because my hands are the whitest out there (these photos do exaggerate it though ;-) ). This polish is packed with shimmer, which I simply admire, OPI did a really awesome job on creating these Suedes.

The application didn't cause me any problems, I do always have to rush applying mattes, otherwise it will get all streaky on me.

This is definitely my #1 pick if I have to meet with clients or stuff like that. I don't own that many 'worksafe' colors, what are your favorites?

China Glaze - Ruby Pumps - & Upcoming Giveaway!

Hi guys! Today I only have time for a short post, so here it goes! This probably is one of the prettiest nail polishes made! You all know her by now, but Ruby Pumps by China Glaze deserves all the attention she can get. I snatched this one from my moms Helmer, it's a beauty! Definitely a must have, so I'll have to get me one too! The formula was amazing, after 3 coats you'll have the most gorgeous red sparkly nails ever.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone so much for reading, commenting and supporting my blog, you've all made this blog a very warm and welcoming place to be for me. I've passed 200 followers last week, which I've never expected, not even in my wildest dreams! To thank you guys I'll do a giveaway when I hit the 250 mark. Think H&M nail polish! And probably some other stuff on which I haven't decided yet! Maybe OPI's Reflecting Pool since it's not that easy to find overseas? So please stay tuned for updates about this :-).

Take care and till next time!

Models Own - Lemon Meringue - Can't wait till spring!

Hi everyone! I'm back! I hope everyone's doing great and enjoying their sunday. Happy Valentine to all of you!! Moving went well, even my nails survived this lovely adventure. After all that jazz we had to reorganize the house, pre-spring cleaning!

Talking about spring: I wanted to wear a happy light color and since my Models Own package arrived last week, the choice was easy! This is Lemon Meringue, a very soft and sweet pastel yellow creme. The application was ok, a bit streaky, but somehow yellow always seems to be. I had to use 3 coats to even it out. I love how light and happy it looks, can't wait for sunny days!

Big on blue!

Hi guys! Did everybody enjoy the game? I'm totally clueless when it comes to American sports, lol. I'm quite busy since I'm moving so I'm hoping I'll find time to update my blog the next few days. *Crosses fingers*.

Anyway, Yesterday my mom, Romika, did a fun purple comparison, which really is her color. So I decided I'd do a blue one! As you can see the pinkie doesn't fit in with the rest, but it looked a lot darker in the bottle.

Here's what you're looking at:

Index: Nfu Oh - 280 - 3 coats
Middle: OPI - Dating a Royal - 3 coats
Ring: Herome W.I.C - Frankfurt - 2 coats
Pinkie: Claire's - Blue Fash (isn't labeled but this is what the receipt said) - 4 coats

As you can see the OPI and Nfu Oh are so close! I'd say they're almost a dupe. Almost, because Nfu Oh is the tiniest bit brighter, not that any 'normal' person would notice... ;-). The formula of the two is pretty much the same (being okay!), but Dating a Royal is a little bit more sheer.

These are all jellies, don't you just love that? The Herome nail polish is bordering on creme though, but it does own some of those great jelly characteristics. I love how this one is a more sophisticated, serious shade of blue. The one by Claire's took 4 coats for it to be opaque, that's not how we roll right!? For a full manicure I decided on the Nfu Oh. I love it! What's your favorite of the bunch?

OPI - Mad as a Hatter - Hype or Hit?

Hey there! Today I'm going to show you another well known hysterical glitter: Mad As a Hatter by OPI. Everyone probably knows about the Alice in Wonderland collection by now, so I'm not going to get into that, unless somebody wants me to of course! It's supposed to hit stores on the 11th of March in the Netherlands, but the entire collection can be ordered online already :-).

From this collection I only got Absolutely Alice and this one. I was expecting to loooove Mad As a Hatter, but as turns out, I think Absolutely Alice is way prettier! MAAH just looks, I don't know, weird. Well, on me! This was 3 coats and the formula was great though.

This polish contains about a zillion colors, which makes it a lot of fun to watch. However, personally, I think it's bordering on too much hysteria.

What do you think about this polish? Hype or Hit?

H&M - Bella's Choice

Good morning everyone! How is everybody doing? A few days ago I tried to be strong, but walked out of the store with this pretty baby anyway. Somehow my brain always turns to jelly when I see interesting nail polish. This one is another member of the H&M nail polish family: Bella's Choice. Could this name be Twilight related? Probably not, but I'd like to think so!

I'm terrible at naming colors but I think this is a vibrant turquoise/tiffany-blue color. At first I thought it looked a lot like For Audrey by China Glaze, but I think Bella's choice is slighty more green. I'm not sure though, since I'm not that lucky to own For Audrey ;-).

The formula was ok, but not as fantastic as I'm used to when it comes to H&M nail polish. It was a bit on the thick side so I had to add thinner right away. This is 2 coats and I just love how smooth the finish is.

Well this was it for today, dear reader, take care and till next time!

Models Own - Disco Mix

It's friday, it's weekend: that means party colors! And this one sure looks like a party. This is Disco Mix by Models Own. I placed an order there last friday but it hasn't arrived yet, but I do have this one already to show you! This one I picked up at River Island, I just couldn't resist it..

It's blue, it's purple, it's fuchsia, hell I don't know, what I do know is that I like it very much! The glitter is so dense, you're looking at only 2 coats, yes, it's that great. This finish wasn't that bumpy either after applying one thick layer of top coat.

What do you think about hysteric nail polishes like this one?

Gosh - Blue Monday

Hi everyone! It's thursday already, only one more day till the weekend! I've been quite busy and since I work from 9 to 18h, I rarely get to see daylight this time of year. I'm feeling quite the vampire. But Edward is nowhere to be found, alas. Anyway! This was trying to tell you the reason why today's pictures have been produced in our little ministudio :-D.

This is another jelly based shimmer/glitter polish by Gosh. Blue Monday is a medium blue and the formula was pretty much the same as Gasoline, very smooth, but it requires at least 3 coats and a topcoat to create that rich sparkly look. I like it! What do you think?

PS. Another Dutchie, with thepretty name Michelle ;-), started a blog a few days ago. Please don't forget to take a look at her Lacquerfiles!

H&M - Fashionista

Hi guys! Is everybody enjoying their day? I hope so! I'm having another busy but boring day at the office, thankfully I'm allowed to wear any nail polish to work. Heck, they don't even notice that I compulsively change colors every day :-D.

Today I'm wearing another pretty nail polish by H&M. Like always, the formula was pretty good, 2 coats and a finish as smooth as silk. This polish can be a bit streaky though! The color is a bright blueviolet. Love.

The name of this polish is Fashionista, and I'm glad they got it right this time, :-D

Thanks for stopping by and till next time!