Mani-Monday: Scuba Diving in the Sea-quins!

This is probably the most blingy combo I've ever whipped up.

I felt blue a few days ago, but I didn't feel like Serenity, nor did I feel like the regular candy blues. I was looking for something extremely blingy, so as I scanned through my nail collection, there was Sea-quins by Maybelline ($5.95), which I've never used before.

I whipped on two coats of that, but because it's so chunky, it didn't cover every space of my nails. I would've needed quite a few coats for it to be 100% opaque.

So the second time I tried it, I reached for Let's Go Scuba Diving by Face Of Australia (discontinued, $4.95) to use as a base. Very similar teal colour to Sea-quins, so I figured it'd be perfect!

And it IS!

It's one of the prettiest blue blings I've ever had on ma nails!

With Let's Go Scuba Diving as a coat, I only needed two thin coats of Sea-quins for the blingy effect, without having to worry about any gaps~

So glad to have Sea-quins in my collection, although I don't ever remember purchasing it. Eep. I was never sent any Maybelline products though, so it must be my sister who purchased it!

I think this may be the only polish I have from Maybelline's SEQUINS range, so... you know what that means...

Need to look for more! Heheh..



Disclosure: Products were purchased by me.

Mani-Monday: essence Yes, We Pop! Confetti Topper!

Heya~~~ A must check-out today. I think this is one of the cutest toppers I've came across in a while. Can't remember the last time I've posted about any nail toppers.

This week, it's essence Yes, We Pop! Confetti Topper in Bubblegum*. I'm not sure which collection this is from, or if it had even made its debut yet. Either way, it's a really cute one!

Start off with the base -- I've used essence That's What I Mint.

Bottle is stained yellow because I haven't used it in a while :(

Really liked this colour on my nails! It's light and pale, and just real fresh lookin'! Not to mention that I've also been getting into the mint-y trend~ As you could tell, from my blog's layout recent revamp.

The formula is smooth with this one, as with most essence polishes I've tried! I still needed three coats though!

Anyways, moving along.. I've chosen this as the base for the cute essence confetti topper! And I think it looks pretty cute!

What do you think?!?!?!

I've also asked on my Instagram what base colour you'd suggest for this topper, and I've received two replies.

@arsyparsy suggested a nude, so here's it layered over a nude, Travilla by Face Of Australia*.

And then there's white, suggested by @katjab22! I've used Lily White by Ulta3.

Thanks both Instagrammies for the suggestions (and participation)!

Although the topper is def' cute, but like some toppers, the clear coat is a tad too thick, and the glitters are too scant. I needed to focus on fishing out as much confetti pieces as I could before I applied it to my nails, so the clear coat doesn't pile to be overly thick.


Now it's YOUR turn to participate!

Which is your favourite pick of the three combos?

Disclaimer: Products marked with (*) were provided for consideration only. 

Mani-Monday: Autumn Spice

A spice of autumn for those who are missing the chilly autumn season! Actually, I take that back! If you live in the Sydney-West region, the past week has been even worse than this year's Autumn! If those leaves weren't still stuck on their branches, we could seriously just call it Autumn.

I secretly love this weather though.. heh.

But I digress. Long time no Parfumerie!

My last feature of the Parfumerie range was with their Winter Mint, and I haven't really touched em since. As I've said, I really don't like scented-nail polishes.. They are just too much for someone who touches (not picking!!) their nose (habit!) and face a lot.

Autumn Spice ($15.95) is real gorgz though. It's not your normal brown, as you can tell from the bottle! Fine specks of shimmers, over this dark brown, chocolate-brown. Surely does remind me a lot of Autumn, and spices (doh!).

Don't ask me about the scent though! I have no idea what it smells like, never came across such a scent. Although it smells nice, but also overpowering at the same time. Not my cuppa tea.. ◑.◑


Short and sweet post!


As this post goes live, I should've landed in China. Will be away for two weeks, but will have posts scheduled! BE MY TWEETHEART AND GRAM-BUDZ to keep updated with pics, and more! ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

Disclaimer: Product was purchase by me!

Mani-Monday: Bubble Naut

It's been a long time since I've featured Smudged. I've previously featured their Morbid, which is a really lovely shade, but the formula was.. ehhh. Reason why I haven't picked at their other shades in my collection.

I think my sister won Bubble Naut ($6.00) from their Instagram giveaway.

I think the grey-toned blue of this polish is beautiful (reminds me a lot of the sky of a gloomy, rainy day)! It's unique, different from what we have across the mainstream brands, one reason why indie-brands are worth looking in to.

My main concern with Smudged has always been their formula. If they're not gloopy and thick, then the glitter pieces just don't show up like what it looks like in their nail swatches.

Would've look slightly better if I've used a topcoat!

Thankfully, Bubble Naut had a much thinner consistency [however not sheer], and so was much easier to apply. Looks nothing like the swatch photo they provide doe..

Not sure if photo is amped up 200%, or my nail-polish application skills are just shit. I guess the good news to share is that I'm not a professional nail blogger!!! Hahaha. Or else I'd ruin every brand's lacquer! （≧▼≦；)

[INDIE] Smudged Polish Nail Lacquer in Morbid

Indie polishes has always been one of those "must-try" products for me. Their gorgeousness and uniqueness is just a fresh breath away from in-store brands like Maybelline, Revlon and such. However, in saying so, I also really dislike online shopping, therefore have never bought from any indie brands.

Smudged Polish has always been a brand on my hit list, but I actually quickly scratched that thought after my sister purchased 2 lacquers [from Smudged] here.... To be truthful, we weren't impressed. Not one bit, hence I've never featured those lacquers she bought.

Overall, they just didn't apply as nicely and thickened up very quickly. Glitters were stuck at the base and were hard to reach, even after a good shake.

Not so long after though, my sister won a few new polishes from their Instagram giveaway! I was reluctant to give them another go, but after seeing how gorgeous it looked on my sister's nails... I just knew I had to!

The lacquer that caught my attention was...

Yes! This baby is called Morbid. Unlike Pastel Galaxy and Fuchsia Field that my sister purchased, this lacquer applies much, much smoother. The brush is roughly the same size as last time though, so they must've changed the formula.

Loool. Sorry, I know the polish around the top must look gross and thick, but the polish itself really isn't. The consistency is thin, but by no means is it sheer. The first coat applies looking a bit blotchy, uneven and sheer, but like most polishes, three coats will do the trick.

I do feel like I need to take an extra step for this polish to be at its best though and that is... finishing off with a hi-shine top coat. Something I've always skipped for my manicures,

Basically, the glossier, the better. I feel like it adds a lot to the jelly-like effect, and evens out the whole manicure.

One important aspect that I must mention about this lacquer are the square glitters it contains. Take a look at how packed it is in the bottle...

It's a shame that I couldn't get much of them on the brush. They just hugged the interior walls of the bottle, even after a vigorous shake. Sucha bummer really, because in the end, the lacquer simply looks like a black freckled polish. All I'm in for here, is actually the beautiful red base colour.

So yeah. Overall, I'm happy that their new formula is much easier to work with now. Not extremely impressive, but I'm really in love with the red base colour. It's just purrrfect.

I wished the squares were possible to reach though... I'd like to see how the whole manicure will look with the square pieces it's suppose to have!

YAY or NAY for this polish?

Yay!

Nay

Poll Maker

Smudged Polish in Morbid, $7.00, available for purchase from their Etsy store.

Revlon Parfumerie Nail Enamel in Wintermint

OH MY GOD. I've had these photos taken for forever now, but never remembered to post about them. Yeah, this happens way too often.... that's why there are folders and folders of raw images stuck on my desktop.

Sigh!

My sister purchased these polishes by Revlon lately, from the new Parfumerie range! Yes, they are scented. Individually scented.

Wintermint is a pretty.... mmmhm... Should I say "pearly" or "frosty"? Not sure. It seems to be neither, nor is it shimmery. The finish is very strange (as you could see in the swatches below). It looks sandy like those sandy-textured lacquers, with a bit of a metallic-base sheen.

Yes! It's a light-mint based polish, with small blue glitters and reflective micro-glitters.

Okay, now the SCENT!

If you like or don't mind scented nail polishes, you won't have a problem with this. However, if you're like me, one who can't really stand scented nail polishes, then... these are probably not for you to play with. The scent is not faint. Adding to that, they are also rather pricey so in my opinion, I don't think it's worth paying $16.95 for one-time use if you can't stand the scent. Do consider this, before any purchases!

Back to Wintermint though..

Does it have a minty-scent?! YES!
Do I like it? NO!

Why? Umm.... The scent is rather strange, it's minty, but I can still smell the chemical spice. The mix of both scents makes me want to puke a bit every single time I touch my nose, ESPECIALLY when I'm applying my face creams! God!!!

In all, yeah, I can't really stand scented nail polishes. However, Wintermint is one of a kind. It's nothing you can find from any other ranges from other brands, so.... Yes!

+1 for the colour!
-2 for the scent!

Jokes. 

Have you tried Revlon's Parfumerie Nail Enamel range?!

By the way, after looking back at this colour, I've realised that it matches the colour theme of my blog a lot! Hahaha!


Revlon Parfumerie Nail Enamel, $16.95, available in 24 shades, at Priceline, Big W and other Revlon stockists.

Think Pink! -- Face Of Australia NEW Carnivale Nail Collection

I'm gonna cheat a bit here... I know Face Of Australia's new Carnivale Nail Collection isn't 100% pink, but there's a pink shade! :P I just can't wait to share my thoughts on these with ya!

The limited edition collection only launched recently, so you should be able to find these at your local Big W, Priceline and other Face Of Australia stockists by now! 

The range consists of 8 shades, 4 of which are supposed to be reminiscent of the summer sunset sky, and the other four [glittering] shades are inspired by "elaborate masks worn during the great Carnivales of Europe"!

This collection really did caught me by surprise! I never expected any drugstore brands to have a go at sandy-textured lacquers so soon (besides Sally Hansen, I guess), so I skipped the press release that was attached and gave these a go without knowing what to really expect. 

They dry to a matte finish, with a sandy-texture, like OPI's Liquid Sand lacquers. If you haven't tried any similar sandy-textured varnishes before, they apply just like any other regular varnishes, but dries to a gritty, matte texture. Careful though, they are surely hard to remove!

To cheat that 15-20 minutes of your life that you'd be spending to remove these gritty lacquers, check out my post on DIY Peel Off Base Coat. It's what I always use for stubborn glittery nail polishes, or when I'm doing some mass-swatching! ;)

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Bird Of Paradise is a summery, light pink. It has that sweet tint of coral to it, which makes it perfect for Spring and Summer! A bit irrelevant, but I think it'd also make an absolutely amazing lip colour.. x_x 

Mango Slurpee, a bright, creme orange, which reminds me much of rockmelons! Quite flattering on the nails, methinks! Such a cute colour to have in this sandy-texture!

Between The Flags is one of the four glittering shades. It's a red colour with a golden sheen. Reminds me much of Rimmel London's varnish in Hot Rock, but the golden sheen of Between The Flags isn't really visible when applied. A tad bummed about that..... A tad only~

Ferris Wheel is another one of the four glittering shades. This one contains additional [reflective] silver glitters, so even with the matte finish, it still sparkles like crazy! Looks amaaaaaaazing on the nails! Reminds me of their Let's Go Scuba Diving lacquer from their previous Barbados collection, but much more oomph'ed up.

That's all for the four shades. I'm in the process of saving up for my holiday trip at the moment, so let me share with you my plan of attack: 

• Wait until there's a sale on the brand and attack FOA counters! <-- Highlight!

Nice, right?

Your two cents on this collection?

Yay or nay for sandy-textured lacquers?

Face Of Australia Carnivale Nail Collection, 8 shades, $5.95, available at Priceline, K-Mart, Target and Fashion Addict. 

Disclaimer: These products were provided to me for review consideration only. My opinions on these products remains to be uninfluenced.