Hello Kitty Halloween 2.0

Hi everyone,

Last year I did my first Halloween mani and the theme was none other than my favorite: Hello Kitty! You can check it here.So this year I had to paint her again, which I did... Not only once, but 4 times!!!

I really love how the HK turned out. But I had 2 small issues: 

1 - I chose a way too dark blue shade for the gradient (Color Club Blue-topia). The black costumes don't really stand out. Too bad!

2 - The orange paint I have didn't really give me the opaqueness I was hoping for. As you can see the pumpkin costume (on my pinky), the dark base color is kind of showing thru the paint. This brings me back to issue #1 above.

Leaving those little issues out, my HK are pretty cute, right?! ;-)

Happy Halloween to all of you!!

Thanks for reading!

Rica - Real Girls Wear Mickey Ears

Hi my lovelies,

look what I have for you today! This super cute glitter polish is Real Girls Wear Mickey Ears by Rica. 

I couldn't resist, it's too adorable! Real Girls Wear Mickey Ears is a mix of red squares, white rectangles, yellow and black dots, small holographic silver hexes and best of all, Mickey Mouse shaped glitters!!!!!! How cool is that?! Application required some fishing, but I managed to easily get some Mickey Mouse glitter on my nails. I applied 2 coats of RGWME over Essence Got a Secret.

So to go with the theme, I hand painted Mickey Mouse on my ring finger using acrylic paints. The base color is OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls.

Here's a macro bottle shot to show you the awesomeness!

So how do you like it?! :)

[Review] BornPrettyStore Studs

Press Sample

Hello again my lovelies!

I'd like to show you two more nail art items I received from Born Pretty Store for review. 

The first item is this awesome wheel containing approximately 400 pieces of 2mm studs in 6 pastel colors and 2 different shapes: squares and rounds. 

The 2nd item is this other wheel containing only 3mm square studs in 12 different pastel and neon shades. There are approximately 260 pieces in this wheel. 

These studs are pretty awesome and there's a multitude of designs you can create with them! The application is simple! Just as with rhinestones, you simply add some clear polish or topcoat on your nail and place the studs with the help of a dotting tool or any other tool of your choice. I personally don't like applying top coat over the studs. So I just make sure the studs are properly attached to my nails and I leave them just like that.

These studs can be purchased at BornPrettyStore.com for $7.59 each wheel. Besides, they offer FREE WORLDWIDE shipping! If you use my coupon code AA7J61 you get a 10% off of your entire purchase!

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Round Glequin Flowers and Border Nails

Hello again,

This is just a quick post to show you this mani I did using some round glequin, which I reviewed one here.

I was inspired by Nail Loopy's Spring Flower mani, which I've been wanting to try since I first saw it on her blog. Instead of doing all nails floral, I just opted for an accent nail. But IMO her floral mani was way cooler, so I will give it a second try soon and do it like Nail Loopy did. ;)

Thanks for reading!

[Review] BornPrettyStore Tribal Colour Textured Nail Polish

Press Sample

Hello everyone,

I received 2 textured Tribal Colour polishes from BornPrettyStore to review! 

As with many Asian polishes, these 2 have no names, just numbers. The pink one is #13 and the blue one is #14.

Tribal Colour #13 is a very light shimmery/pearly pink. It's very sheer, so you'll need 2 or 3 coats for opacity. This polish is a little thick so application can be tricky, so I recommend applying thin coats and building it up to achieve the opacity you desire. Or you can apply it over a white base and all you need is one coat. This is what I did for the design above. As for the texture, it's not too rough or gritty. It feels like most textured polishes in the market.

Tribal Colour #14 is a light pearly blue. Also sheer, requiring at least 2 coats to be opaque. This one was thicker than #13 and harder to apply. I had a hard time trying to apply thin coats to my nails, which resulted in a very lumpy and textureless appearance. On the swatch stick, I had no problem with the application, so I don't know why it's so hard to apply on my natural nail. 

With patience and practice I managed to get a satisfactory swatch on my nails.

There are 12 different Tribal Colours available for purchase at BornPrettyStore, each containing 15mL/0.5flOz for $3.99 per bottle. You can get 10% off of your purchase by using my code AA7J61 and shipping is FREE world wide!

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Denim Tutorial

Hi my lovelies, 

Remember my denim nails?! I received a lot of requests to make a tutorial on how to create that denim look. A few days ago I shared the tutorial on my Instagram and today I'd like to share them here too, so those of you who are not on Instagram can also learn how to create your own denim nails. 

1. You'll need: a dark blue nail polish (I used Color Club Blue-topia), a white nail polish (I used @chinaglazeofficial White Out) and a piece of texturized fabric. 

2. Apply one or two coats of your dark blue polish. You'll need to work fast from here on, so I recommend you do one nail at a time. 

3. Apply the white nail polish on the texturized fabric. 

4. Press the fabric over your nail while the blue polish is still tacky. Apply gentle pressure and peel it off slowly. 

5. If you want to have a texturized denim look, just let it dry and you're done. 

6. Otherwise, apply a matte top coat to your nails. Please note that this step will smooth out the texture. Decorate it as you wish. Here I used gold acrylic paint and metal studs to create the pocket. You could also apply a zipper water decal like I did on my original Denim Nail post. 

I hope you like it and if you decide to create your own denim nails, please share them with me! I'd love to see them! :) 

Thanks for reading!

African Sunset version 2.0

Hi everyone,

I have decided to recreate an old favorite nail art of mine - the African Sunset, so I could enter an instagram contest hosted by @stylish_mom. So I came up with the African Sunset version 2.0.

I used a couple of shades of red, orange and yellow to create a gradient for the sunset background. Then I freehand painted the animals and trees using black acrylic paint.

I did this version slightly different from the previous one. I painted the same animals - the giraffe and the elephant, but two of each this time. I kinda like this version a little more than the first one. :-) What do you think?

I hope you all liked it!

Thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday Natalia!

Hi everyone,

today is the birthday of the awesome Natalia from @cats_n_nails and to celebrate it, she's holding a Birthday Blog Nail Party! So head on over to her blog and check the party out!

This is the mani I did for her nail party!

Happy birthday and have a wonderful day Natalia!!! XOXO

Rainbow Roses

Hi everyone,

today's post is going to be a quick one. I just want to share with you the rainbow roses mani I did for a nail art contest on Instagram held by the super talented @christabellnails. If you are on IG and don't know her yet, please check her profile out! She's got some awesome nail art designs.

So here's my entry for the contest:

Polish used:

OPI - My Vampire is Buff (2 coats)

The roses were inspired by rainbow roses and hand painted with acrylic paint. For those who've never seen rainbow roses before, here's a pic:

Photo by Gertrud K.

They are gorgeous, aren't they? Some day I'll buy myself a bunch of these beautiful rainbow roses!

Thanks for reading and I wish you all a wonderful weekend!
XX

[Review] Born Pretty Store Round Glitter

Press Sample

Hello my dear readers,

BornPrettyStore sent me a set of 12 color round glitter to review, which I'd like to show you.

Polish used:
China Glaze - White Out (2 coats)

The glitter set consist of 12 different colors of round glitter (glequin) and they come in 12 small round containers, just like you see in the picture below.

Application is very simple. You can use a toothpick or a dotting tool dipped in clear polish, so it's tacky and will stick to the glequins. Then apply the glequins, one by one, onto the nail while the polish is still wet. You can also use this wax pencil to apply the glequins. I personally prefer using the wax pencil over the toothpick/dotting tool. When I use the toothpick/dotting tool, I always end up having a little residue of clear polish on the glequin surface. It's not a big deal, but if you look close enough, you'll see the polish residue on your glequins. This does not happen when I use the wax pencil.

 This set of 12 round glitters can be purchased at BornPrettyStore.com for $7.60 and shipping is FREE WORLDWIDE! If you use my coupon code AA7J61 you get a 10% off of your entire purchase!

I hope you like it and thanks for reading!

Press Sample

[Review] Born Pretty Store Zipper Water Decal

Press Sample

Hello again my lovely readers,

I received a sheet of zipper water decals from BornPrettyStore.com to review, which I used to create the denim design you see below.

This denim design was inspired by CopyThatCopyCat's Denim Zipper Nails. Later I applied some matte top coat, but it kind of flattened the texture and smudged the colors a bit. But I still like it a lot.

Polishes used:
China Glaze - White Out (ring finger)
Color Club - Blue-Topia (1 coat)
Acrylic Paint (gold sticht)

The zipper water decals come in a sheet like this:

They are very easy to apply:
1. Remove the plastic protective foil
2. Cut the decal you want to use
3. Dunk it in water for about 10 - 20 seconds
4. Slide the decal off and with the help of tweezers, apply it on your nail
5. Apply to coat to seal in your design.
Voilà! It's that simple!

You can purchase these water decals at BornPrettyStore.com for $2.99 and shipping is FREE WORLDWIDE! If you use my coupon code AA7J61 you get a 10% off of your entire purchase!

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[Review] Born Pretty Store Studs

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Hi my dear readers,

I received some studs from BornPrettyStore.com to review and I'd like to show them to you.

Polish used:
American Apparel - Peacock (1 coat)

Here's the wheel I received, containing 12 different styles of studs in gold, silver and black.

In my opinion, there are 11 styles of studs. I think those small golden round studs are exactly the same, but it might be that they are slightly different in size and thus not the same after all. Here's a closeup of the shapes you'll find in the wheel:

The design possibilities are endless. There's really a lot you can do with these studs. Here's another example:

Polish used:

American Apparel - Lopez Canyon (1 coat)

The application is simple! Just like with rhinestones, you simply add some clear polish or topcoat on your nail and place the studs with the help of a dotting tool or any other tool of your choice. I advise you not to apply a top coat after you've applied the studs, because it might dull them a bit.

The bigger shapes in this wheel are pretty flat, so if you have curved nails like mine, the studs will stick out a bit, as you can see in the picture below. This might be bothersome for some people, as it might get stuck to clothes, hair and so on. Other than that, these studs are awesome! They add a little extra to your mani and they're very easy to apply.

These studs can be purchased at BornPrettyStore.com for $4.89 each wheel containing 12 different studs and they offer FREE WORLDWIDE shipping! If you use my coupon code AA7J61 you get a 10% off of your entire purchase!

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Cartoon Nails

Hi everyone,

you may have seen these cartoon nails everywhere by now. I first saw this super cool nail design at Nailed It. Katy did such a great job that it has inspired me to give it a try. It's been on my To-Do Nail Designs list since I first saw it at Katy's blog, but today it's on my nails! :)

It's such a fun and easy nail design! There are 2 ways in which you can recreate this design: 

1. You can either paint your nails black and then paint over it with your desired color, leaving a black border contouring your nails. Then finish it off with a thin black line across the tips. Then add the white  highlights with either acrylic paint or nail polish. 

2. This is the method I used: paint your nails in the desired color and with a liner brush outline the edges with black acrylic paint or black nail polish. Then add the white  highlights with either acrylic paint or nail polish. 

I hope you liked it and thank you for reading!

Fly, birdie! Fly!

Hi lovely ladies,

I hope you all had a great weekend! I'm still a week away from going home, so I've been playing with the polishes and nail art items I have with me.

Remember my Fake Tattoos Review post? I wanted to play a little more with those super cool tattoos and here is what I did:

I was inspired by Copy That, Copy Cat Nails' Free as a Bird design. She did it all freehand, but I used the birdies nail tattoos by Fake Tattoos and freehand painted the cage around the bird with black acrylic paint. 

Polish used:

Lime Crime - Once in a Blue Mousse

Thanks for reading!

Vintage Roses

Hello my dear readers,

I've already said good-bye to winter and I'm pretty much in the spring mood right now, even though it's still chilly outside.

Last time I showed you this beautiful mint green shade by Essence. So I translated my spring mood into my nails by adding some vintage roses to my accent nail.

I first applied white striping tape on my nail, then painted the roses with acrylic paint. Very easy and not time consuming at all!

Thanks for reading!

Pink Argyle

Hi everyone,

it's finally spring time in the northern hemisphere! I know it doesn't feel like spring for everyone yet, but we can finally say good-bye to winter!!!

These nails were done a while ago when it was still winter, and only now I realize I never posted it. I thought today was quite a nice day to post this, as we can finally lock our thick sweaters in the closet!

Good-bye winter!!!! Welcome spring!!!

Polishes used:
Kiko - #376
OPI - Alpine Snow
Orly - Liquid Vinyl 

OPI Live and Let Die

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a great week! TGIF!

Today I'll be short and quick, just like the mani I have for today's post. I didn't have much time to do it, so it was just a simple and quick mani.

If I had used golden striping tape, it could have been a St. Patrick's Day mani. But well, that wasn't really my idea anyway. I wanted something quick and not just a plain mani. So, striping tape and rhinestones it was! Simple, easy and fast! :)

I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!

Romero Britto Inspired Nails

Hi my dear readers,

I've been wanting to do a Romero Britto inspired mani for ages and yesterday I finally did it!

I wasn't sure if I wanted to paint the design only on an accent nail or all nails. So I first started with my ring finger and planned on leaving all the other nails in plain color. But I changed my mind and did some random colorful shapes filled with dots and lines. Here's how it turned out:

And this was my inspiration:

Valentine's Nails

Hi everyone,

I know this post is quite late, but I want to show you anyways what I had on my nails on Valentine's Day.

This was the first mani I did a few days before Valentine's.

The accent nail didn't end up exactly how I planned, but most of the mani's I do don't quite end up the way I first planned them anyway. 

So on Valentine's day itself, I gave it another try and did another mani to match my outfit for the evening. :)

This mani was pretty much as I wanted it to be! Finally! :p I just wished the dark red polish heart would look dark red instead of almost black. But fine, it was all about the contrast anyway.

Thanks for reading and I wish you all a nice week!

[Review] Born Pretty Store Flocking Powder

Hello my lovely readers,

I've got one more item from BornPrettyStore to show you today. It's this very pretty flocking powder!

It was my second time applying flocking powders to my nails. The first time was a big fail and I totally gave up on the flocking powder. But then I received this beautiful sky blue flocking powder from BornPrettyStore.com and I was all excited to give it a second chance. As you can see, I pretty much succeeded this time!

The flocking powder comes in a very large container, with enough powder for many full manis! That's enough powder for years to come! :) You can purchase it at BornPrettyStore.com or directly via this link for $5.80. There are plenty of colors to choose from and worldwide shipping is FREE and if you use my code AA7J61, you'll get 7% off of your entire purchase!

Polish used:
H&M Bella's Choice

Thanks for reading!


*** These products were sent to me for my honest review. ***