Purple Holo Leaves Manicure

The theme for today's Nail Art Sunday is "Longing".

To me this manicure represents fall and after a long hot summer I'm now actually longing for fall with its crisp air and bright colors. I also find it very cozy to light some candles, snuggle under a fleece blanket and have a cup of hot tea :)

The base is By K Lavender Blue and then I've stamped on a leaf pattern with the stunning purple holo Wild At Heart from Color Club. I used a plate from MoYou London called Mother Nature Collection-03. To break up the purple domination I added some green dots with the magic Reclaim from Nubar.

I'm very happy with this manicure and I got a lot of attention because of it too :)

How do you like this manicure?

Peacock Feathers x 2 Nails

This manicure got quite a lot of attention when I showed it at my instagram account last Sunday. I was challenged to show #mydrinkandmynails by my dear friend Christine and this manicure happened to be my notd that day (and actually still is!). So here are some better pictures of it for you and for our Green Wednesday! :)

The base is a new H&M polish called Life Aquatic. The golden peacock feathers are from a MoYou plate (Pro-05) and the polish used is Essence Gold Digger. To get that extra detail I put a dot of the purple duo chrome polish "Peacock Feathers" from Nubar into each feather. Do you get the name of this manicure now? Peacock Feathers x 2 ;)

I've done peacock inspired manicures several times before. I just love the peacock colors! You can see them here and here.

How do you like this manicure?

Do you like the peacock colors?

Nubar Honeysuckle - swatches and review

This is one of my favorite pink polishes which I always return to in the end when I'm in the mood for pink. I've used almost half the bottle and that is a lot for me! ;) I'm not a pink person but this one is a stunner!

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Cream.

Number of coats: Two.

Formula: A tiny, tiny bit runny but still easy to apply. 

Brush: Medium thick and straight cut.

Top Coat: Yes.

Color accuracy in pictures: Accurate, but last picture is the most accurate.

Grade: 5+++/5

To me this is the closest so far to a perfect pink! It suits my skin tone and the shade is just beautiful! And as a florist I just love the name of it! <3

How do you like Honeysuckle?

Marimekko Räsymatto Nail Art

The theme for today's Nail Art Sunday is "Marimekko" and I couldn't be happier! I love Finnish design and especially Marimekko's patterns! My grandmother was Finnish so Marimekko has a special place in my heart <3

I have actually done Marimekko nails before! About a year ago. Back then I was inspired by their collaboration with Converse. Click here to see that manicure.

This time I chose a pattern called "Räsymatto" which means "rag rug" or "trasmatta" as we say in Swedish ;)

The base is the lovely Nubar Honeysuckle and the dots are made with a tiny dotting tool and a lot of patience ;) with the following polishes:
Ciaté Sugar Plum (lilac)
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky (yellow)
China Glaze Winter Berry (red)
Ciaté Hopscotch (orange)

I was quite pleased with this manicure. The lines are a bit crooked but I love the strong warm colors and the groovy 70's vibe to it ;)

My inspiration: Marimekko Räsymatto

How do you like this Marimekko manicure?

What is your favorite Marimekko pattern?

Breast Cancer Awareness Nail Art

The theme for today's Nail Art Sunday is "The Pink Ribbon" which is a symbol for breast cancer awareness. Many bloggers have been showing pink polishes and pink nail arts all week, but I've been really poorly and stuck in bed all week :/

Today I'm extra happy to join because our host Le Lack is giving 20 SEK for every pink ribbon nail art blog post that is joining today's Nail Art Sunday. Very generous! So come on and join today for a good cause!

When I asked my boyfriend what he thought this nail art was supposed to look like, his whole face lit up and he said: Boobies!! Lol! :D That's boys for you! ;)
However, this was my aim so he was right! On the thumb I got very literal and did a pink ribbon :)

The base polish is Nubar Honeysuckle, a pink favourite of mine! The boobies are made with Nordic Cap NP14 and Face #133, both Swedish brands.

How do you like my boobies nails? ;)

Nubar Reclaim - swatches and review

For this Holo Friday I want to show you an old favourite of mine - Nubar's Reclaim! It's a lovely medium green with a medium holo effect and I love it!! :D

GOOD TO KNOW ABOUT RECLAIM:

Type of polish: Holo.

Colour: A medium green with a medium holographic effect. 

Collection: Nubar Going Green Collection Summer 2009.

Opacity: Very good! This is two coats. I think you actually can get away with one!

Formula: Very good! Nice texture! Stays where you want it too! Just apply it with light hand and as few strokes as possible to avoid streaky nails.

Brush: Very good! And the cap is so comfortable to hold!

Shine: Shiny on its own, so no top coat in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Accurate.

Grade: 5/5 :D

This was my first holo love and as you all know "old flames die hard" so I still love it! The holo isn't super strong but it's still so beautiful!

How do you like Reclaim?

Nubar Absolute - swatches and review

For this Holo Friday I want to show you a holo polish that has been laying untried for years (!?) in my Helmer. This is a light blue polish with a somewhat weaker holo effect but still very pretty :)
This is three coats of Absolute on top of Barry M Blueberry (a light blue cream polish).

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Holographic.

Colour: A light blue with a holographic effect.

Collection: Nubar Prism Collection 2010.

Opacity: Hm... This polish is sheer. I cannot sugar coat this for you ;) This is three coats over Barry M's Blueberry. If you apply Absolute over an opaque polish you can apply just one or two coats. I applied three coats to get the maximum holo effect.

Drying time: A bit slower than normal. This could be due to the number of layers applied though ;)

Formula: A bit thin and a tiny bit runny too. Not hard to apply though.

Brush: Good! Not as thick as I like them ;) but ok to work with.

Shine: Very shiny on its own so there is no top coat in these pictures.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Quite accurate colourwise, but the holo effect is a bit more visible IRL even though it's quite a weak holo.

Grade: 3+/5 :)

This is a really low grade for a holo polish since I love holo polishes, but I can't get away from the fact that it is so thin and weakly pigmented...
The base colour is lovely and the holo effect is there but a bit subtle ;)
I might now understand why I left it untried for so long... ;)

How do you like Absolute?

Do you have any other polish from this collection?

Comparison China Glaze Ruby Pumps and Nubar Red Ruby Glitz

A lot of holiday collections are starting to be released now and that's why I wanted to compare two very similar polishes which are kind of x-massy ;)
I recently got my hands on China Glaze's Ruby Pumps (thanks Sabinapina!!!) and I wanted to thoroughly compare it to Nubar's Red Ruby Glitz because they are sooo alike - at first glance... ;) Let's take a look shall we?

In daylight

In artificial light

China Glaze to the left, Nubar to the right

These two polishes are alike but they are not perfect dupes!

China Glaze's Ruby Pumps is red micro glitter in a red tinted base whereas Nubar's Red Ruby Glitz is red micro glitter AND a small amount of micro silver glitter in a darker almost jelly-ish base.

This leads to that Ruby Pumps looks like a red glitter polish whereas Red Ruby Glitz looks like a red glitter polish which ALSO glows from within.
Ok, the difference is minimal but they are not perfect dupes as many people say :)

You don't need both in your collection and if you ask me I would recommend Nubar's Red Ruby Glitz because of that extra feature of a wonderful glow from within :)

Grades: 
China Glaze Ruby Pumps: 4/5
Nubar Red Ruby Glitz:  5/5

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

Nubar Prize

Today I'll show you a beautiful reddish holo polish from Nubar called Prize.

It's really nice indoors and in the shadow but it's in the sun the magic happens! :D It's packed with holo glitter which sparkles like diamonds!

As all Nubar's products ,it's a 3-free and cruelty free nail polish. We like! <3

In direct sunlight. Sooo beautiful!!

In daylight.

In artificial light.

To my surprise it was quite nice when a just swept over it with remover on a pad! :-O Two polishes in one bottle! :-D

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: A holographic cream.

Colour: Reddish pink with scattered holo glitter - and lots and lots of it! :D The holographic glitter grains are so packed together it makes it look slightly chunky, but when it catches the sunlight the holo effect is crazy! You can't stop staring at them! ;)

Opacity: Great!! This is two coats.

Drying time: Normal.

Formula: Excellent!! It applied smoothly and evenly! :D

Brush: Very good. Easy to work with.

Durability: No complaints! ;)

Shine: Very glossy without a top coat, but in these pictures I've got one coat of Seche Vite. Also, without a top coat Prize leaves your nails with a bit uneven finish, so I recommend a top coat for this polish.

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: Best match with real look is the daylight picture.

Grade: 4,5/5 :-P

I think red polishes are a bit boring but with this kind of holo effect... I can live with it ;)

Gradient nails, silver to pink

Gradient nails are great fun to do! These are inspired by the 80's, apparently ;)
Medium pink, silver and a touch of holo :)

In strong artificial light

Close up in strong artificial light

Full hand in daylight

In daylight

In daylight

My inspiration ;)

Gradient nails can be a bit tricky to do, at least I think so, but practice makes perfect :)

For this manicure I used the following polishes:

Nubar's Honeysuckle
Orly's Dazzle
INM's Hologram Top Coat Silver

I started with a base coat and then two coats of Honeysuckle. After that I used a make-up sponge to sponge on the silver.
I finished off with one coat of silver holo top coat and one coat of Seche Vite.

Grade: 3/5

I know I can do better and more fun gradient nails!
Check my previous posts ;)

Nubar Honeysuckle

This is my favourite medium pink polish: the wonderful Honeysuckle from Nubar! <3

I love the name because, as a florist, I find Honeysuckle so beautiful to work with and it smells so nice too.

In daylight, partly sunlight

Close up of above picture

In daylight, indirect sunlight

Close up of above picture

A piece of work I did the same day as I wore Honeysuckle. Maybe I got inspired? ;)

GOOD TO KNOW:

Type of polish: Cream.

Colour: A bright medium pink.

From the collection: Spring Garden 2011.

Opacity: EXCELLENT!!! This is two coats.

Drying time: Normal.

Formula: Very good! It's like a dream to apply! :D

Brush: Good! No complaints.

Durability: Very good!

Shine: Very shiny. Me like! :)

Accurate colour, photo vs IRL: The real colour is somewhat in between the two different shades shown in the pictures. Maybe more like the first pictures actually. It's really a very nice pink!! It's not warm nor cold so it looks good with most skin colours
NOTE! On some screens it appears to be almost purple. IT'S NOT! It's pink. There are no blue pigments in Honeysuckle.

Grade: 5++/5
<3 I REALLY love it!!! <3