Smitten Polish Just In Cases - swatches and review

O M G! This holo from Smitten's Love Actually Collection is soooo gorgeous! Look at those beautiful rainbows! A perfect contribution to this Holo Friday!

The name of this polish is a line that the character Aurelia says in the film Love Actually (she is not so good at English :)) and the base color of this polish is the same color as her hair. I wonder if that is what Noelie thought when she created this stunning polish? ;)

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Holographic.

Number of coats: Two.

Formula: After a very streaky first coat the result was perfect after the second coat. A very nice formula if you're prepared for that first coat ;) Dries really fast too.

Brush: Straight cut and medium wide.

Top Coat: No.

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate. 

Grade: 5/5

This polish screams Aurelia (the film character) to me! A very nice polish and very suiting for this collection. If you like holo I think you should get this before it's discontinued - get it just in cases ;)

How do you like Just In Cases?

Blue Metallic Rose Manicure

What could be more suiting for a florist like me than rose nails?! :)

The base is one of my absolute favorite blue creams - H&M Blue My Mind. The print is from MoYou plate Pro Collection 07 and I've used Essie Blue Rhapsody.

The result is subtle but beautiful. I was very happy with this nail art!

How do you like this rose manicure?

Bourjois Blue on Blue - swatches and review

Blue on Blue is really a weird name for this polish because it's not blue at all. It's a turquoise leaning towards green. However, it's an amazingly beautiful color! Perfect for Green Wednesday! :)

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Cream.

Number of coats: Two.

Formula: A bit on the thick side and not so self leveling as I would wish. Not super terrible though.

Brush: Very wide and rounded. Easy to use.

Top Coat: Yes. 

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate. First picture most accurate.

Grade: 4/5

This polish will look gorgeous this summer with a light tan ;) The color is absolutely awesome but due to the small formula issue it's a 4 from me.

How do you like Blue on Blue?

Illamasqua Collide - swatches and review

Jippie!! It's payday today!! I celebrate this by showing you a really happy polish.

Collide is such a mind blowing pick me up color! It makes me smile :) I feel the urge for neons building up again ;)

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Jelly/neon.

Number of coats: Three. Still some VNL though but I didn't mind.

Formula: Excellent as often with Illamasqua polishes.

Brush: Really comfortable to work with.

Top Coat: Yes. It doesn't dry matte as a neon nor glossy as a jelly. It dries semi matte so I'd recommend a top coat.

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate. Perhaps a tiny bit more coral leaning live.

Grade: 4+/5

I love this vivid coral pink neon but due to the a bit weaker pigmentation I cannot give it a full mark. It is a great polish though! Perfect for summer!

How do you like Collide?
Do you feel the urge for neons yet? ;)

Smitten Polish Haul!

I love the film "Love Actually" so when Smitten Polish released a Love Actually Collection I just had to get it ;) Not only for the theme but for the glorious colors too! It's holo, shimmer and duo chrome - all in the same collection! :D

I've seen the film so many times by now that I know exactly when they say the lines the polishes are named after… Impressive or creepy…? ;)

To Me, You Are Perfect and You Saucy Minx

The First Lobster and
A Wedding Dress That Isn't Bright Turquoise

Just in Cases and Love Actually Is All Around

Which one is your favorite?

Have you seen the film "Love Actually"?

80's Gold Leopard Nails

I did this manicure just before going to the premiere of the musical "Flashdance" a few weeks ago. I wanted an 80's manicure with a print, neons and metallic and this is how I combined them :) The idea is based on manicure done by the talented Natalia at Polished Polyglot. Check her blog out!

Since there's no special theme today at Nail Art Sunday, I though I'd show you it today :) I hope you like it!

The base is Essence Gold Digger and then I stamped on a leopard patten with Konad plate m57 and Illamasqua Scorn. Then I did dots with different neons, China Glaze Flying Dragon (purple), Nails Inc Baker Street (blue), Kiss Nail Art Paint Beach Green (green), Orly Beach Cruiser (pink) and Orly Glowstick (yellow).

PS. If you get the chance to see "Flashdance" the musical - do it! It's brilliant!!

How do you like this 80's nail art?

New arrivals from By K!

A few days ago I became the proud owner of six new fantastic By K polishes! Three are from their autumn collection and three are from their christmas collection. I've also seen sneak peaks on instagram that By K is currently working on a new spring collection which looks stunning!

The other By K's I've tried have had immaculate formulas and all been one coaters so I've got pretty high expectations on these ;) What I do know is that all By K polishes are cruelty free, vegan and not less than 5-free! Excellent if you ask me :)

Autumn Leaf and Pink Dahlia

Super Nova and The Sky Is The Limit

Moon Dust and Ink

Which one should I try first?

Have you tried any By K polishes?

Dance Legend #11 High Voltage - swatches and review

This was the first Dance Legend polish I've ever tried and I must say that I was impressed! A fantastic formula, a fairly wide brush and a brilliant holo effect! The blue base color is really beautiful too and very vivid!

It's been a long time now since I last joined Holo Friday - but today I'm in! :)

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Holographic.

Number of coats: Two, but it's very possible that one coat could be enough.

Formula: Excellent! No bald spots or holo sickness. Super easy to control!

Brush: Quite wide and straight cut.

Top Coat: No.

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate. Much more prettier live of course - as always with holo ;)

Grade: 5/5

Highest grade to this Dance Legend holo polish! I've got nothing to add. I rest my case ;)

How do you like High Voltage?

Alien Turtle Nails

I didn't know what to call this nail art so I asked my boyfriend for advice. He said it looked like the shell of a turtle but due to the colors it must be an alien turtle ;) So here it is! My alien turtle manicure! :)

The base is Rimmel Luna Love from their Space Dust collection. The silver pattern is made with Depend #223 and MoYou plate Pro Collection-05.

Because Luna Love is a textured polish there is no top coat but this manicure still look great for days. Stamping on textured polishes is mostly not a problem. Give it a try!

How do you like these crazy turtle nails?

Have you tried stamping on textured polishes?

Half Moon Glitter Manicure

Today it's Wednesday and that means Green Wednesday!

This is a nail art I did a few weeks ago when I was wearing Shimmer Cristina. Using French guide tapes I applied Orly Dazzle to get a half moon manicure. However, I thought the contrast of Dazzle and Cristina was too sharp so I also applied one thin coat of Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe to get a smother finish. Beyond the Mistletoe is only applied over Dazzle, not over Cristina.

I was quite pleased with the result. I love half moon manicures even though I don't do them myself that often. I think they look classy and sort of vintage :)

How do you like this manicure?

Do you like half moon manicures?

Essie Parka Perfect - swatches and review

I love grey polishes and this one is no exception! It ticked all my boxes being a one-coater with an excellent formula and a wide rounded fan brush!

The only negative is that the silver/green/purple micro glitter, visible in the bottle, don't follow out on the nail. You can only see it if you extremely closely at the nails.

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Cream.

Number of coats: One!

Formula: Just perfect!

Brush: A wide rounded fan brush.

Top Coat: Yes. 

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate. 

Grade: 4/5

Due to the glitter failure I can't give this polish a 5 but it's an excellent grey anyway with amazing qualities!

How do you like Parka Perfect?

Love & Toast Handcreme "Sugar Grapefruit" - review

This is my first review of a hand creme but if you're into nail polishes you are often into hand cremes too ;) Anyway, I hope you will enjoy reading this!

I simply adore this hand creme from Love & Toast! The formula and the scent is amazing!! The only negative I can think of is the small package of only 35 grams and the price, 99 SEK ($15). (2,82 SEK/gram.) But to me it's worth every penny!

This hand creme is paraben-free, phthalate free, not animal tested and does not contain any animal ingredients nor artificial colors. Even the box is made out of recycled paper! Yay!

It contains shea butter, macadamia nuts, olive fruits, avocado oil and sunflower oil to soften your hands. The scent is from botanical perfume. And what a scent it is! First it scents of ripe grape fruits and after a while a sweet scent of candy floss sneaks up on you and blends with the citrus. Mmmmmm!

The formula is awesome! You only need a small amount to soften your hands and it quickly enters your skin leaving no sticky mess. After a few hand washes you can still feel it working on your hands. Thumbs up from me! (I bought this for myself even though it probably sounds like I've been bribed by Love & Toast ;))

Have you tried any of the Love & Toast hand cremes?

Holo Waterfall Manicure

The theme for today's Nail Art Sunday is "Red" and the possibilities were endless! In the end I chose to do a waterfall manicure. I've been wanting to try this technique for a long time.

It was both harder and easier than I thought. Easier on the clean-up. Not much mess at all. Harder to get a nice finish of the brushstrokes and to get the right proportions. I'm not that happy with the proportions on this manicure. They are sort of in no mans land. Next time I'll do them either shorter or longer.

The gorgeous holo base is Smitten Polish Just in Cases from the Love Actually Collection. The waterfalls are made with Misa Lovely Lychee (pink), Zoya Posh (red) and Orly Dazzle (silver).

I'm also joining Valentine Polish Week with this manicure - last day today :/

In shade.

How do you like this manicure?

Have you tried this technique?

Valentine Love Letter Nail Art

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

As a florist I'm working my a-- of today so this is a scheduled post. At work this is a totally crazy but fun day. I think it's touching that so many people want to buy flowers for their near and dear ones today! <3

I've got a special Valentine manicure to show you today! Of course ;) I call it Love Letter Nail Art because in my head this stamp is a steaming love letter and I have enhanced that by stamping on a bunch of red hearts too ;) This is actually my first layering stamping! I think it turned out pretty well actually.

The base is Rimmel Barmy Blue (loooooove it!!!). The letter stamp is from Moyou Princess Collection-11 and I've used Essie Blue Rhapsody. The small hearts are made with Konad plate m3 and Zoya Posh.

I'm joining both Valentine Polish Week and and Polish Alcoholic's Valentine's Day Nail Art Contest with this manicure. Click on the links to see the others participants!

How do you like this nail art?

How are you spending your Valentine's Day?

Cirque Tibetan Nights - swatches and review

First of all, my pictures don't do this polish justice! Tibetan Nights is soooo gorgeous you have to keep looking down at your nails whilst wearing it! I ended up walking into people and almost into lamp posts and such too ;)

I know you've seen it hundreds of times before, but these are my pics and my review and honestly, can you eye ball this polish too many times…? ;)

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Jelly with micro glitter.

Number of coats: Two (fairly thick coats).

Formula: Very nice! A bit thin but not runny and after all, it's a jelly :)

Brush: Medium size and straight cut.

Top Coat: Yes. Strangely it dried a bit matte (being a jelly?).  

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate. Much more stunning live of course!

Grade: 5+++++++++++/5

I had this untried like forever before daring to try it. I was so scared to be disappointed. But I sure wasn't! I love this polish so much! The only downside I can think of is the bit too strong scent of lavender. But I can live with that when it's this stunning ;)

How do you like Tibetan Nights?
How do you like scented nail polishes?

French Heart Nails

Today my boyfriend and I have been a couple for 15 years! Not always a straight road ;) but still - 15 years today :)

I celebrate this by working (I'm a florist and Valentine's Day is around the corner - I think you can imagine the work load ;)) and by showing you this rather poorly made heart nail art. But I hope that you still like it and possibly can get inspired by it ;)

The base is the lovely Bourjois #26 Blue no Blues and then I've used Barry M Matte White to do the tips and then the black Barry M Nail Art Pen to do the lines and the hearts.

Bourjois Blue no Blues is actually slightly more green live so I'll try to enter this nail art to Green Wednesday :) I'll also join the Valentine Polish Week with this mani :) Click here for more info.

How do you like the idea of this manicure?

Italian Nail Mail!

Yesterday I got an amazing nail mail from my dear friend Tanja at Raggio di Luna Nails! She lives in Italy and she sent me six gorgeous beauties from Kiko, Pupa, Deborah Milano and Maybelline. From the bottom of my heart: Tanja - mille grazie cara!! <3

Tanja and I share a deep and long lasting love for blue polishes which you can see reflects well in this fantastic nail mail ;) I can't wait to try these and I bet the ones from Kiko are good for stamping! :D Just look at the duo chrome one!! It makes me drool ;)

Which one would you like me to try first? :)

Holo Butterfly Wings Nail Art

I don't often get super pleased with a nail art manicure but with this one I did! I was super happy with it and I wore it for five days! That's how much I liked it! ;) I liked the glow and sheerness of the holos and that it got a funky french feeling to it and who doesn't like butterflies?! :)

So for this Nail Art Sunday I'm super excited to show you my butterfly wings nails :)

The blue holo base is Dance Legend High Voltage. Then I've used MoYou's Pro Collection plate 05 to stamp on the black wing pattern. After having done that I thought something was missing so I filled in the small gaps with Jade Facinio Violeta and Color Club Blue Heaven. A bit tricky but so worth it!

Before I filled in the gaps. Look at that holo!!

How do you like my butterfly wings nails?

Did I do right to fill in the gaps?

Rimmel Kate Moss Collection Punk Rock - swatches and review

I'm a big fan of dark grey and this little beggar also has a hint of purple in it! In some lighting it's grey and in others purple! I love it! It's a creme though, not a duo chrome :) The last picture shows you the difference between Punk Rock and a pure grey (Misa Trust Fund).

Kate Moss helped Rimmel to develop this polish and a bunch of others and I think she did a great job! Punk Rock is a stunner and so is the other one I've tried, Hip-Hop. Click here for swatches on Hip-Hop.

But this is two coats of Punk Rock, a gurple! :D Lol!

Rimmel Punk Rock vs Misa Trust Fund

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Creme.

Number of coats: Two. Could be a one coater if you do a thick coat :)

Formula: Excellent formula! So easy to apply!

Brush: Very wide but a bit soft. The big cap is a bit uncomfortable to hold but ok.

Top Coat: Yes. 

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate. 

Grade: 5++/5

I love love love this gurple!! I love how it shifts in color and the formula is excellent! A great polish to a great price! I got mine in London but Rimmel is available in many countries.

How do you like Punk Rock?
Do you have favorite gurple?