New nail polish give away!!!

Join in on my new give away! :D  

It's so easy with the new gadget below!

I did a survey - you decided the prize! :)  

The prize is a packet of THREE secret nail polishes! :D 

They are gorgeous quality polishes from well known brands. You will love it! <3

This give away is open INTERNATIONALLY! :D

The more tasks you complete the more chances you have to win!
Log in to the gadget below in order to see the tasks and how many
entries you'll get for completing each task!

You can do the tasks even if you are logged in to the gadget. Or you can come back and log in again (use the same log in though) when you want to continue!

The winner will be chosen by random draw and will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 (Your e-mail will not be seen by anyone but Litte Miss Nailpolish 

and will not be given to any third part.)

Psssst! Don't cheat! ;) I will check your answers and all false entries will be deleted! :-*

Ciaté Caviar Tips Manicure Rainbow

I guess you have seen the caviar manicure by now. (If you haven't you can see it here) But have you heard of the caviar TIPS manicure? ;)
Just take a look at this crazy manicure!! :)

In daylight

Close up of those glittering fish eggs look-a-likes ;)

In artificial light

Full hand in daylight

I applied one thin coat of Seche Vite merely on tips and then I just sprinkled on the micro peals. I did one nail at the time. The base polish is OPI's Give me the Moon!

I don't really know if I like this manicure or not... Maybe it's the difference in hight between the pearls and the polish... Or maybe I'm just not used to it yet...

I tried to even out the difference between the pearls and the polish by applying a thick coat of Seche Vite all over one nail... But that was a big NO NO.... Just look at the pictcure below...

Little finger with a top coat, ring finger without

I now FULLY understand why it says in the instructions that you should ONLY dab the tips of your nails with a top coat and NOT the full nail... The pearls lost their colour and stained the rest of the nail... :/ But you can't blame a girl from trying, can you? ;)

What do you think of this manicure? Do you love it or loath it? ;)

I've made up my mind now - I like it! It's unique - like me! ;)

Nubar Red Ruby Glitz

Let's take a look at a lovely red glitter polish from Nubar called "Red Ruby Glitz"!
It's a gorgeous red polish that looks like it's glowing from within! :D
The same glow from within like Illamasqua's "Phallic", except that "Phallic" is blue of course ;) You can see "Phallic" here. But now it's time for "Red Ruby Glitz"!!

In sunlight

Look at that glow from within!!! :D

In the shadow

In artificial light

An almost perfect dupe to China Glaze's Ruby Pumps. Picture from TheHungryAsian.

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Jelly with lots of glitter in it;)

Colour: Deep red with red microglitter. It looks like it's on fire or at least glowing from within! ;)

Collection: Nubar Holiday Jewel Basket Winter 2010.

Possible dupe: China Glaze's Ruby Pumps is said to be a dupe to Nubar's Red Ruby Glitz. See picture above.

Opacity: A bit sheer. I needed three coats for full opacity.

Drying time: Faster than normal.

Formula: Very good! Applies like a dream. I love the Nubar cap by the way! :) So easy to grip!

Brush: Very good! Easy to work with. No complaints!

Shine: Very shiny on it's own but I have one coat of Seche Vite in these pictures. Surprisingly smooth for a glitter polish that is so packed with glitter!! Me like! :D

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate! But you can see the glitter a lot more live :) It really GLOWS!!

Grade: 4/5 :)

I'm not a huge fan of red polishes but this one is awsome for a red glitter polish! ;)
I know I've said it like a thosand times - but it's so cool that it really glows from within!! :D

OPI Give me the Moon!

This is one of the polishes I've wanted to get my hands on for a long time and thanks to my friend Sabina I recently got it! :D And it was so worth the wait!! Just look at it!!! :D

In daylight

Close up in daylight

In shadow

In artificial light

Full hand in daylight

I guess OPI's source of inspiration...? ;)

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Shimmer bordering on duochrome ;)

Colour: Pale gray with lots of icy light blue shimmer.

Collection: The Nights Brights Collection 2006/2007.

Opacity: Ok. This is three coats. I actually thought I would need more when I saw the bottle... :)

Drying time: A bit faster than normal.

Formula: Good. It's a bit thin but it stays where it should. Easy to work with. Watch up with the strokes a bit though to avoid a streaky look.

Brush: Very good! I believe this is one of OPI's first wide brushes and I love it!!

Shine: Very shiny on it's own but I have one coat of Seche Vite in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate! Maybe you see the shimmer a tiny bit more IRL :)

Grade: 5/5 :D

At first I didn't like it as much as I thought I would :O but I guess that's the downside of high expectations ;)
But after wearing it a few hours - I LOVE IT!!! :D It's just as magic as the moon! <3

The only negative about this polish is that it's not 3-free and that it's quite hard to find... I got mine from e-bay.

I have a great idea on how to pimp it... So stay tuned to see what I've come up with! ;)

New Mabelline New York COLORAMA range

Mabelline New York has a new range of polishes out now!
New colours and a new bottle design! :D
The bottles are smaller though (7ml instead of 10 ml) but the price is better! (approx £3.50)

50 colours available, including 4 metallics and 4 crackle polishes (they call them shredded though :))

Check them all out here!

I like the new bottle design and the cheaper price (even though you get less polish).

After a quick look thorugh the collection I can't say any of the polishes are uniqe, but there are some really nice colours though!

Barry M Black Croc Nail Effect Polish

Today I played around with a black croc effect polish ;) I tried it over five different colours. Curious? Let's take a look! :)

In artificial light

In daylight

Croc over OPI Green-wich Village and Barry M Matt White

Croc over Zoya Posh, Orly Luxe and Essie Blue Rhapsody

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Croc polish (cracks up in a crocodile pattern).

Colour: Black (there's also a burgundy croc available from Barry M).

Alternatives: Ciaté has croc polishes too but only available in two-packs with a normal polish.

Opacity: One thin coat gives the best result.

Drying time: It takes quite a while for the croc effect to appear but it's so worth the wait!! Also notice that the croc polish must be applied on a merely touch dry polish! The base polish cannot be completely dry because then it won't crack up. Full instructions come with the bottle.

Formula: Thin, but this is because a thin coat gives the best result.

Brush: Thin. A wider brush would have been more preferred.

Shine: It's shiny on it's own but a top coat is recommended to seal the croc effect and and to avoid marks. After six hours I can still make a mark in it with my nail = you need a top coat!! :)

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Black is black. What you see is what you get ;)

Grade: 4/5

I hate crackle polishes but I really like this croc effect polish! :D

I noticed that the faster a polish dries, the smaller the crackles get. In my test this means that the blue polish (Essie) dried the fastest and the gold polish (Orly) dried slowest.

I think it looks best over bright polishes. What do you think?

The history of nail polish - part two

Now we're in ancient Egypt on our way through of the history of nail polish from 5000 years ago until today.
Hope you enjoy it! (If you missed part one you can find it here!)

Nail colouring in ancient Egypt

Nefertiti and Cleopatra are remembered, among other things, as two of the most beautiful women of their time. They were actually the first to make the iconic red nail polish famous!

During their respective reigns, societal hierarchy was indicated by the specific colour worn. The stronger the shade of red, the more power the person possessed.

Although the practice likely existed earlier, it’s said that Nefertiti, Queen of Egypt (14th century BC) coloured her fingernails (and apparently also her toenails) a ruby-red colour. Nefertiti and her royal court used henna (and sometimes even blood) to colour their nails. Could this the origin of the phrase "blood-red nail polish...? ;)

Nefertiti (ca. 1370 BC – ca. 1330 BC)

Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, continued this trend into the first century BC. Unlike Nefertiti, it’s believed that she favoured a striking crimson shade. During her reign women of lower rank were permitted only pale colours as red was reserved for royalty alone.

Cleopatra (69 BC - 30 BC)

Cleopatra’s nail colour came from the juice of the henna plant, producing deep rusty shades with an undertone of gold. Henna on the nails was limited by a strict social code. Only a brave woman dared to colour her nails above her “station”. Moving on up the social scale, nail shades grew deeper and deeper. The most brilliant colours, as red, appeared only on the royal fingertips of the queen.

Imagine beeing able to se a persons "social status" today just by looking at the colour of her nail polish! ;)


As always feel free to comment on this post below! Is it interesting? Are you looking forward to part three?

The next post in this series will be about the nail colouring during 1200 - ca 1930.
We start with the Incas and end with Lustr-ite, a nail enamel cake! :D

Hope you'll come back to read that part!

Color Club Halo Hues Collection - release date update!!!

The planned release date for Color Club's much awaited "Halo Hues" Collection is POSTPONED! :( No new date is set yet... :/

This is what Color Club said on August 20th:

Halo Hues fans, unite! We have a quick update for you!

We know that you guys are all on the edge of your seat waiting for Halo Hues to be released and we completely understand why. These holographic polishes are awesome!

So here’s what’s going on at Color Club… Because this collection has become so anticipated, and because Color Club is a complete perfectionist, our Halo Hues line didn’t quite make the mid-August release date as previously announced (as I’m sure you’ve noticed). We’re taking this time to make sure every shade, every ounce, every DROP is absolutely flawless and up to our customer’s standards.

As you may know, Color Club uses only the best raw material and unfortunately, sometimes that means the process can take a little longer. We sincerely apologize for any distress this has caused our loyal fans.

We definitely want to keep you in the loop and promise to provide any new information we have. Just know that we make every decision with you in mind. Hang in there just a little longer! 

@------/-------/---------/-----------------

O M G!!!! I want them noooooooow!!!!

Feel like throwing my self on the floor in a tantrum like a tree-year-old ;)

Do you feel the same OR am I just having a bad day...? :)

I've got a "Liebster Award"!!! :D

I was so happy when I found out that a lovely blogger called Sparkle and Shine Nails (a.k.a Jessica ;)) had nominated me for a "Liebster Award"!! :D (Liebster means dearest in german <3)

How it works:
"This award is all about discovering new blogs and helping those with less than 200 followers to get recognised."

Here are the rules:
1. Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.
2. They must also answer the 11 questions the "tagger" has set for them.
3. They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.
4. They must then choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers and tag them in their Libster Award post.
5. These lucky bloggers must then be told.
6. There are no tag backs.

So here are 11 things about me:
1.) I'm a florist and I've sold flowers to Agnetha Faltskog from ABBA on several occasions. She was very nice!
2.) Besides nail polish, I collect geraniums. My favourite is "Apple blossom Rosebud". It has small white flowers that look like roses with thin pink edges.
3.) I'm a anglophile so I love everything that has to do with the U.K. God save the Queen! ;)
4.) I've watched almost every episode of "Emmerdale" (a British soap) for the last TEN years, It's on one hour every weekday... Imagine the hours I've put in... ;)
5.) I have a cat called "Smilla" and she is the apple of my eye! <3
6.) I just love the Moomin characters! Maybe because my grandmother was Finnish and very dear to me...
7.) I enjoy watching TV and two of my favourite series are "The big bang theory" and "Nurse Jackie".
8.) My favourite colour is turquoise - I love it!!
9.) I'm allergic to milk but I'm also a sucker for milk chocolate, a bad combination!;)
10.) I take tea - not coffee ;)
11.) I hate cooking but love baking! :)

And here are 11 questions from Sparkle and Shine Nails:
1.) Where were you born?
I was born in Sundbyberg, just outside Stockholm, Sweden.
2.) What is your absolute favorite polish of all times?
OMG, how can i choose?! ;) I think I'll have to say "Blue My Mind" from H&M.
3.) Gandalf...or Dumbledore?
Dumbledore! What can I say...? He's british ;)
4.) If you were magical, what would your trademark be?
Turquoise angel wings ;)
5.) Favorite movie?
"Love Actually"! I love it! I've watched more than 20 times... :)
6.) Cats...or dogs?
CATS! No doubt! I've had cats since I was six years old.
7.) You go to a party on Saturday night. Where would we find you?
Probably on the dancefloor shaking my bits to the hits ;)
8.) Drink of choice (Alcoholic or not!)
Coca-Cola! Love it! Crave it! Need it! ;)
9.) What got you into polish blogging?
In the beginning it was just a way for me to show my manicures to my friend Sabina. Then it just escalated ;)
10.) BJ's, Sam's Club, or Cotsco?
We don't have any of those in Sweden so I can't choose... sorry...
11.) Favorite place to buy beauty supplies?
I buy beauty supplies from many different beauty stores... If you mean online ones I'll go for eleven.se :)


Finally, here are my 11 questions for you that I have tagged:
1.) What do you work with? (Or study or such :))
2.) What's your favourite polish of all times?
3.) How many polishes do you have in your collection? (It doesn't have to be an exact number ;))
4.) What makes you really really angry?
5.) What is your favourite flower?
6.) Who and what would you bring with you to a desert island? (One person and one object)
7.) Coke or Pepsi? :)
8.) What is your favourite saying/quote?
9.) If you were a character in the series "Friends", who would you be and why?
10.) Which famous person would you like to date?(If you were single if you're not)
11.) What is (or once was) your nickname?

Now, here are the fantastic 11 bloggers I'm nominating (tagging):
1.) LeLack
2.) Cactus' Nail Polish
3.) My Nail Mania
4.) Amoki's Corner
5.) My Nail Polish Online
6.) Huomennatoisin (Maybe tomorrow is all there is)
7.) Hon med naglarna
8.) Nail Utopia
9.) Lacquer Buzz
10.) Lindas Nailorama
11.) Lacky Corner

I hope all you nominees enjoy your awards!
It will be so fun and interesting to read more about you!

Barry M Spring Green

Let's continue on the green path of polishes! ;)
Yesterday it was OPI's Green-wich village and today it's this is a gorgeous bright mid green polish from Barry M! Just look at these pictures!!! :D

In sunlight

In daylight

In shadow

In artificial light

Full hand in shadow

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Cream.

Colour: A bright mid green, maybe a hint more to the dark green side, but still BRIGHT! ;)

Opacity: Very good! This is two coats :D

Drying time: Normal, possibly a bit faster actually.

Formula: Excellent! It just glides on effortlessly! Love it!!! :D

Brush: Very good! A bit thicker than normal.

Durability: Very good! I work hard as florist with it and no chipping AT ALL!!! :D

Shine: Shiny on it's own, but I have one coat of Seche Vite in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Best picture is the one in artificial light, but even that one is not accurate... It's a bit darker and brighter... more in-your-face so to speak! :)

Grade: 4+/5

A lovely bright mid green polish with a great brush, a superb formula and excellent durability - all for the very reasonable prize of £2.99!! :D

OPI Green-wich Village with skull nail art

I really like this shade of green. And I loooove the name! So witty! :D
I also did some nail art stamping to hot things up to ;)
Let's take a look at this golden oldie!

In daylight

I love the little bones around the skull! Cute!

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Cream.

Colour: A bright mid green, almost grass green, but with a soft touch to it.

Collection: OPI Mod About Brights Collection 2008.

Opacity: It's quite sheer. I needed three coats for full opacity.

Drying time: Normal.

Formula: A bit thin but ok.

Brush: Very good! A bit thicker than normal and I like that a lot! :D

Durability: Good. No complaints.

Shine: Shiny on it's own, but I have one coat of Seche Vite in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate! Maybe a tiny tiny bit darker IRL. But only tiny! ;)

Grade: 4/5

A lovely green with a great brush, but the formula is a bit too thin.

The nail art is made with a black polish (Depend #39) and Bundle Monster plate BM-225.

What do you think of this golden oldie? :) And the skull with the bones? Fun or just morbid? ;)

Illamasqua discount and offers!!

When I was browsing Illamasquas site I found out that they had some offers and discounts I didn't know about! Some have a valid date and some have no time limit at all!

Birthday offer - If you register your date of birth at illamasqua.com you will receive an email on your birthday which will give you a 15% discount on one order from www.illamasqua.com.
That's a pretty great birthday present! :)

Facebook fan - You must be registered on illamasqua.com to use this discount. The code is available on Illamasqua's Facebook page tab after liking Illamasqua. The code is for 15% off. This offer can only be used at www.illamasqua.com, and will run until 30th August 2012 (Date subject to change.)

Loyalty discount - Available to registered Illamasqua members only. 10% discount will be automatically applied on your third order and every order thereafter.

For more info and all terms and conditions go to: http://www.illamasqua.com/customer-services/promotions/how-to-use-a-code/ 

Not bad discounts at all! ;) Will you use any of them?

Comparison OPI Koala Bear-y and China Glaze Heli-yum

Here is a comparison of two similar fuchsia cream polishes - OPI's Koala Bear-y and China Glaze's Heli-yum.
They are not dupes but very alike :) Let's take a look! ;)

In daylight

The battle of the bottles ;)

They are more similar on the nail than in the bottles. I think this is due to that Koala Bear-y darkens a bit when it has dried. Both are three coats.

As you can see Heli-yum is a tiny bit warmer and therefore my favourite! :)

You just have to love the cute and witty names of both of them! <3

Which one is your favourite?

Essie Stylenomics Collection Fall 2012 - swatches

This is Essie's Stylenomics Collection Fall 2012!

Six new shades available from September.

From left to right:

Skirting the Issue - A exquisite, fashionable burgundy wine cream polish.

Don't Sweater It - A warm, cozy creamy mauve polish.

Head Mistress - A bold, direct and in charge red jelly/cream polish.

Stylenomics - A wealthy, rich and opulent dark green cream polish.

Recessionista - A smart, intelligent savvy brick red cream polish.

Miss Fancy Pants - A refined, chic greige cream polish.

To be honest I don't think this is something new at all... We've seen it all before...
And I don't know if I want to be reminded of the recession... Nail polish should be glamorous and an escpape from reality!

But yes, they are pretty, but not unique. The names are, as always with Essie, fun and witty though! ;)

What do you think? Will you get some of these?

Swatches borrowed and rearranged from ommorphiabeautybar.com.
Click on the link for more swatches and reviews!

Barry M mania!! Quick swatches and review! :)

I got a bunch of gorgeous Barry M polishes, personally delivered directly from Scotland, from a friend who was there on holiday.

And just look at them!!! Beautiful bright colours with excellent qualities! :D

10 ml (0.35 fl.oz) bottles for only £2.99!!! (Croc £3.99)

Swatches in daylight

Swatches in sunlight

Swatches in artificial light

The croc effect polish is soo cool!! Much better than crackle polish!!

Dusky Mauve really changes depending on the light!!

The Barry M polishes swatched are: (from left to right)

Croc Nail Effect, black - You'll have to wait longer for the croc effect to appear then with crackle, but it's sooo worth waiting for! ;) I swatched it over Orly's Dazzle.

Shocking pink - a bright, almost neon, medium pink cream polish.

Dusky Mauve - a sort of plum/brown/dark taupe colour with an amazing amount of purple shimmer. Almost a duo chrome. Considered to be an almost perfect dupe to Chanel Paradoxal :)

Spring green - a bright mid green cream polish.

Mint green - as the name says :) a mint green cream polish. Some say it's a dupe to Chanel Jade, but if you ask me it's not a perfect dupe.

Coral - a bright coral (leaning towards orange) cream polish. The best picture to see the real colour is the daylight picture.

All swatches are two coats (except the croc effect) and that is enough for full opacity. :D
The formula is great on all creams! They apply totally effortless!
You can order these lovlies at http://www.barrym.com/ an yes, Barry M shipps internationally! ;)

I'm really looking forward to use them for full manicures!

Thank you so much Mr L for bringing me these jewels! <3

Illamasqua offers free deliveries this weekend!

This weekend Illamasqua offers free delivery within the UK!

 

Also free international deliveries on orders over £45!

Normally the international orders are free if they are over £75. 

So if you want any Illamasqua polishes, order them this weekend! :D

I warmly recommend Rare and Phallic!!

Swatches and reviews can be found under Illamasqua in my gallery to the left.

For more info go to http://www.illamasqua.com/

Color Club Gingerbread

Prepare for a gold holo glitter shock when watching these pictures below!!! :D
I know this is from last years' Christmas collection but I don't think it's that christmasy, do you? ;)

In sunlight

Close up in sunlight

In artificial light

Close up in artificial light. In this picture you can really see why it's called Gingerbread ;)

In daylight

Close up in daylight

Full hand in daylight

I layered over Orly's Luxe. This i one coat! Love it!

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Holo glitter.

Colour: Gold holo glitter in a clear base. The glitter is small and I can se mostly gold, of course ;), but also red, green and holo glitter.

Collection: Holiday Splendor 2011.

Opacity: Quite sheer unfortunately. This is three coats over Orly's Luxe.

Drying time: Fairly fast :)

Formula: Really good! Neither thin or thick.

Brush: Good! No complaints.

Durability: Very good!

Shine: It shines and glitters like crazy!! :D But since it's a glitter polish it gets a rather rough surface so at least one coat of top coat is needed. I have one coat of Seche Vite in these pictures, but they are still not super smooth.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate, but live it's MUCH more sparkly and glittery, especially in sunlight! :D

Grade: 5/5 :)

What can I say? It has it all: holo, glitter, gold AND a nice formula!

Do you think I'm crazy to wear a Christmas polish in August...? ;)