Essence Sunshine and Red Roses - swatches and review

Yay! It's Holo Friday again! :D This is a polish I got in a swop with the wonderful Christine from Polished Marvels. It's large red metallic hearts and red and holographic glitters in a clear base. Here I have layered it over Essie Snap Happy.

This polish is part of Essence Hugs & Kisses Limited Edition Collection. I feel very honored that Christine sent me a LE polish :)

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT SUNSHINE AND RED ROSES:

Type of polish: Glitter.

Colour: Large red metallic heart shaped glitters and red and holographic mini glitters in a clear base.

Collection: Essence Hugs & Kisses Limited Edition Collection Winter 2013.

Opacity: Not applicable. This polish needs to be layered. This is one coat over Essie Snap Happy.

Formula: Very good! Easy to control. I had to fish for the hearts though.

Brush: Very good! No complaints.

Shine: Shiny on its own but I have one coat of Seche Vite top coat in these pictures. Also for smoothing out the slightly bumpy surface created by the heart glitters that didn't lay totally flat on the nails.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate. But much more glittery and sparkly irl! ;)

Grade: 3+/5 :)

This is lovely glitter polish which I think looks great over this bright red polish. It screams love and romance ;)
However, (and I'm sorry Christine) I decided to give this polish a 3+ because of two reasons. The first one is that I had to fish for the hearts and the second one is that the hearts didn't lay flat on the nails. They didn't curl (there was no so called taco effect) and it's possible that they didn't lay flat because of my curved nails, but either way it annoyed me a bit. I will still try it again over other polishes though.

How do you like Sunshine and Red Roses?

Do you have a trick for making hearts lay flat on the nails?

Dandelion Nails - swatches

Since May is coming to an end soon I want to show you the final challenge in the "May 1-31 Challenge" I've joined.
The last challenge is called "Recreate you favorite". My favorite this month is The Bubbly Brunette's nature challenge. She did some fabulous Tulips nails in a Monet style. Check them out here!
I decided to make Dandelions instead of Tulips and I'm really pleased with the result actually! They are happy and fun!

Dandelions!

I used the following polishes: (from left to right)

Essie Sand Tropez

Orly Coachella Dweller

Catrice Planet Tokyo

China Glaze Happy Go Lucky

After applying the nude base color I did some thin lines on each nail.

First with the light green polish and then with the darker green polish.

Then I did the Dandelions with a dotting tool.

I finished off with a top coat. Done!

Don't forget to check out what the other ladies are doing!

How do you like my Dandelion manicure?

China Glaze Holly-Day - swatches and review

I have wanted this polish ever since I saw Sminkan's beautiful pictures of it last winter! And now I've actually had it for quite some time ;) but not worn it. Just looked at it from time to time. Touched it. Stroked it. ;) Perhaps you know how it is... You've had this lemming and then you've gotten it and you are a bit afraid to get disappointed... Recognize this line of thinking...? ;)
Anyway, here it is, the beautiful Holly-Day! Just in time to join Green Wednesday :)

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT HOLLY-DAY:

Type of polish: Cream.

Colour: A dark holly green. (Holly is Järnek in Swedish.)

Collection: China Glaze Let it Snow! Collection Holiday 2011

Opacity: Very good! This is two coats.

Formula: Excellent! A nice formula which is easy to apply.

Brush: Good! A bit thin for my likening, but still surprisingly easy to work with.

Shine: Super shiny on its own, but I have one coat of Seche Vite top coat in these pictures. 

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate! What you see is what you get ;)

Grade: 5++++/5 :D

I LOVE this polish! The color is just the perfect dark green and it's soooooo shiny!! The formula is great too! If you are into greens I'd say this beauty is a must!!

How do you like Holly-Day?

Do you know the feeling of dragging out on trying a lemming...? ;)

Yes Love D7 - swatches and review

Today I want to show you a crazy glitter polish that I got from my lovely brother when he had been to Spain. The brand is called Yes Love and I had never heard of it before I got it. I guess it's a Spanish brand but I'm not sure.

Anyhow, it's a really fun and happy glitter polish with glitters in all sorts of colors in a clear base. This polish is for layering so here I'm wearing it over Essie's Mojito Madness.

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT D7:

Type of polish: Glitter.

Colour: Large hex glitters in all the colors of the rainbow and small silver glitters in a clear base.

Opacity: Not applicable. This polish needs to be layered. This is one coat over Essie Mojito Madness.

Formula: Very good! Easy to control. No need for glitter fishing.

Brush: Very good! No complaints.

Shine: Shiny on its own but I have one coat of Seche Vite top coat in these pictures. To smooth out the tiny rough surface created by the glitters.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate. But much more glittery and sparkly irl! ;)

Grade: 3+/5 :)

This is such a lovely and fun glitter polish but I have issues with glitter polishes that needs to be layered. Or maybe I should have layered it over another color...? I'm thinking white or black since there are so many different colors in the glitter... Yes, I'll try that! It's also such a shame it's just called D7 instead of proper name...

How do you like D7?

Have you ever heard of the brand Yes Love?

LMNP Pebble Dash Grey - swatches and review

It's time to review the last polish from my own franked trio of polishes in my Dog Man Star Collection! Dog Man Star is an album made by the fantastic British band Suede. LMNP is short for Little Miss Nail Polish.

This is a medium grey polish with small round black glitters. I have a thing for greys so I really like the outcome of it!

The name comes from a Suede song called "The Power" where one line of lyrics goes "enslaved in a pebble-dash grave with a kid on the way". I changed grave to gray ;) Pebble-dash is a material which you cover buildings with. It's like cement filled with tiny rocks or pebbles in it. Quite suitable name for this polish actually ;)

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT PEBBLE DASH GREY:

Type of polish: Glitter.

Colour: A medium grey with small round black glitters.

Opacity: Very good! This is two coats.

Formula: Very good! A nice formula which is easy to apply.

Brush: Very good! Easy to work with. (Yes, it's an old Mavala brush ;))

Shine: Shiny on its own, but I have one coat of Seche Vite top coat in these pictures. 

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate! What you see is what you get ;)

Grade: 4/5 :)

This is pretty grey polish and I haven't seen a polish like this before. I really like grey polishes! They are a neutral and goes to any outfit. However, the glam factor for this polish is pretty low so I gave it a 4 :)

How do you like Pebble Dash Grey?

Do you know of a dupe to this polish?

Zipper Nails - swatches

The theme for today's Nail Art Sunday is "Rock". I decided to do some nail art referring to one of the iconic items related to rock - the black leather jacket! Rock stars from Elvis to the Ramones to Metallica has worn them. I decided to focus on one detail - the zipper! So here I give you my version of Zipper Nails! :)

My inspiration! :)

The black base polish is Illamasqua Scorn, actually a black with a rubber finish. The silver polish is Depend #223, a fantastic polish for stamping! The zipper pattern is from a Bundle Monster plate called BM-202.

I really like the look of this mani! It's both glam and rock! The zipper also has a sort of spine or alien feeling to it. Gorgeous!

How do like this Zipper manicure?

What is rock to you?

Gina Tricot Cream - swatches and review

Today I want to show you a nice cream polish from Gina Tricot with the very creative name "Cream" ;) It's a cream base packed with copper shimmer.
It's really pretty!

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT CREAM:

Type of polish: Shimmer.

Colour: A cream absolutely packed with copper shimmer.

Opacity: Very good! This is two coats. Quite good for a cream polish!

Formula: Very good! A nice formula which is easy to apply.

Brush: Very good! Easy to work with.

Shine: Very shiny on its own, but I have one coat of Seche Vite top coat in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate! Except for that the shimmer does come out on the nails which doesn't really show on my pictures.

Grade: 3/5 :)

This is a unique polish in my collection with all that copper shimmer in a cream base. I like it! There is actually so much shimmer that the polish sometimes look pink because of all the shimmer!
To me this polish is more of a base color for nail art than something I'd wear alone. That is why I only gave it a 3, but it really is a nice polish with a nice formula!

How do you like Cream?

Do you own a polish with so much shimmer that is changes color?

Color Club Over the Moon - swatches and review

Yes! It's Holo Friday AND it's my day off! What a great combination!
I hope you aren't tired of the Halo Hues Collection yet because today I'm showing you the stunning blue holo polish "Over the Moon". The rainbows this polish creates are just out of this world!!

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT OVER THE MOON:

Type of polish: Holographic.

Colour: Light blue with a strong holographic effect.

Collection: Color Club Halo Hues Collection Winter 2013.

Opacity: Very good! This is two coats. One coat is almost enough but not quite. Maybe if you are in a hurry ;)

Formula: Very good! Easy to control but apply with light strokes to avoid streaks. No bald spots warning though.

Brush: Excellent! Just perfect to be more precise!

Shine: Very shiny on its own so I have no top coat in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate. But sooo much more gorgeous irl! ;)

Grade: 5++/5 :D

This is such a gorgeous, stunning and mind blowing blue holo polish! The formula and brush are great too! If you like blue and holo - get it! ;)

How do you like Over the Moon?

Are you tired of seeing Halo Hues polishes yet? ;)

Leaf Nails - swatches

As May is soon ending I hereby present my third challenge in the "May 1-31 Challenge". This is "Inspired by Nature"! This theme is very wide but I decided to do leaf nails which I've been wanting to try for ever.
I admit this design was a bit time consuming but in the end it was all worth it. I really like the look of them actually! I hope you like them too :)

This manicure is a combination of a nail striping tape manicure and a stamping manicure. The green base is China Glaze Holly-Day and the silver polish is a Depend polish.

First I applied Holly-Day and then I attached the striping tape. After this I stamped the pattern and quickly removed the tape. Voilá! :)

Don't forget to check out what the other ladies are doing!

How do you like this manicure?

How would you have interpreted the nature theme?

Essie Mojito Madness - swatches and review

Today I'm joining Green Wednesday! It's been a while since last time ;)
The polish for today is Essie's Mojito Madness, a bright but soft green cream. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT MOJITO MADNESS:

Type of polish: Cream.

Colour: A bright but soft medium green.

Collection: Essie Summer 2012 Bikini So Teeny Collection.

Opacity: Very good! This is two coats.

Formula: Ok. A bit thin, almost runny, but ok to apply.

Brush: Ok. Not too thin but I wouldn't say no to a bit wider brush either ;)

Shine: Very shiny on its own so I have no top coat in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Quite accurate. Perhaps a tiny bit darker irl.

Grade: 4/5 :)

This is a really happy green! It's really hard to describe actually. It's soft but not pastel. It's bright but not neon. It's not too much yellow nor too much blue in it. It's a bright vibrant green that's very easy to wear! If the formula had been better I'd definitely had given it a 5/5.

How do you like Mojito Madness?

How would you describe the color of this polish?

Orly Haul!

Yesterday I got a parcel from Orly with five of their new polishes and they look so beautiful!

Two of them (the ones with blue caps) are from the Orly FX MegaPixel Collection which are textured polishes and three of them is from Orly's Mash Up Collection.

I can't wait to try the MegaPixel polishes because it's said that they are a bit less textured than OPI's Liquid Sand but much more glittery!

I'm also of course really keen to try the ones from Mach Up! They are just bursting with shimmer!

Orly Plum Pixel

Orly Aqua Pixel

Orly Pretty-Ugly

Orly Choreographed Chaos

Orly Beautiful Disaster

How do like these Orly polishes?

Have you already tried any of them?