Ozotics 532 BLEW MY MIND.

This is two coats of Ozotics 532 over Nicole by OPI Razzle Dazzle. This was the first time I've used either, and I was absolutely blown away by the Ozotics. Holy. Crap. If you're in Canada, Ozotics can be found at Harlow & Co.

NOPI Razzle Dazzle was a pretty bog standard black - thin and streaky on coat one, but settling in by coat two. If I wasn't topping this with something else, I'd need three thin coats to make it opaque.

I put two coats of Ozotics 532 on top, mainly because I dinged the first coat. It would have been fine with one I think, but two made it just POP. I need to try this over silver next.

Now onto the goodies. All these can be clicked on to see the original huge size - they're worth it!

A little treat to spite the nasty weather

I couldn't resist picking this up today! Chanel Peridot.

I've heard a lot of complaints about Chanel's nail polish formula, but this applied just fine for me! The first coat looked extremely copperish, but two coats achieved the bottle colour. I had no issues with streaking or bubbles, though it's a tad brush-strokey. That's possibly down to the finish, and I think I could have avoided it completely had I been a tad more careful in my application.

Overall, this is a gorgeous colour with a lovely green/gold/copper effect. Worth the hefty price tag? Debatable, but I'm not sorry I bought it.

With flash:


Without flash:


Close up side view:

Models Own Aqua Violet

I wanted to get a picture of this lovely colour in the sun today, but as you can see we're not getting much of that here. Ah well, it's still a gorgeous colour!

This is three coats of Models Own Aqua Violet, topped with Seche Vite. It goes on quite sheer at first, but builds quickly. The texture's a bit different from Pinky Brown - less flake and more chrome. The colour shifts from intense blue to a perfect purple and back again. As an added bonus, it removed quickly and easily! No need for the foil method with this stuff.

Lush Lemony Flutter!

I just picked this gorgeous little pot of cream up today during my last minute shopping errands. Smells lemony delicious, and so rich. I'm currently sitting here with my nails slathered in the stuff. Oh so good! I've had some issues with dry skin on my fingers lately and I'm hoping this will take care of it. Given how rich it is, I'm thinking I have a winner on my hands!

Models Own Beetlejuice giveaway!

I just entered! Twitter @pr3ttydigits to check out the details.

http://prettydigits.blogspot.com/2011/11/festive-giveaway-win-models-own-beetle.html

CNF giveaway!

Canadian Nail Fanatic is running a giveaway that ends tomorrow! Enter here.

Sigh

I don't even know how I did this!




On a more positive note, can we talk about how gorgeous MO Pinky Brown is in sunlight? Wow. Like liquid metal! Sorry for the crappy cell pic, I'm at work and forgot my camera at home!

Models Own Beetlejuice collection - Pinky Brown

Yes, these are all pictures of the same polish. This crazy colour is Pinky Brown, from the Models Own Beetlejuice collection. I painted this late last night, so no sunlight pictures unfortunately.

Taken in my bathroom under normal lights:


Taken in my bathroom under normal lights:


Taken in my kitchen under fluorescent lights:


The colour shifting in this polish is just crazy! It goes from gold to copper to pink to purple as you move your fingers. After coming to work this morning I can definitely say that the effect is more pronounced in the sun!

It's rather sheer, and you really need to shake this polish before applying, but the coats build quickly. I used three thin coats to get the pictures above, and the results were gorgeous. No streaking, no brush marks, and a perfect bubble-free finish. I really love this colour!

Models Own is a UK based company, but I managed to pick these up at Harlow & Co in Canada.

Christmas party manicure

This is what I ended up wearing to my work Christmas party. Simple, yet so fun! Zoya Gems & Jewels Kissy layered over Izzy. Izzy is nice enough I suppose, and Kissy is fun, but the two really don't sing unless you layer them together. The duo is just unbelievably sparkly and gorgeous, with the holographic bar glitter flashing in the sun. Definitely a new favourite combo! I wasn't overly impressed by this collection when I first saw it, but I've since changed my mind about these two.

Another Christmas manicure

Building off of my last Christmas manicure, this one takes it to another level. I wasn't 100% pleased with how this turned out - the white and gold should have been separated I think, and the jewels on the center stripe instead of the outer one. But overall this went ok, considering it's my most complicated look yet! Scotch tape helped keep the lines clean, and a bit of top coat dotted on my nails kept the gems from sliding around.

Sadly, I made a mess out of this on my way out the door and had to take it off :( I didn't have time to redo it, so I had to scrap the whole thing.










Colours:
Clear sparkly base: Sephora by OPI Bare to be Different, Sephora by OPI No-el if I Know
White: China Glaze White on White
Gold: Nicole by OPI Not a Gold Bigger
Red: China Glaze Ruby Pumps
Green: China Glaze Glittering Garland
Topcoat: Seche Vite

An entire evening spent inhaling polish fumes

The results:



All my polishes (so far) neatly labeled and swatched onto my nail wheels. Been meaning to do this for a while, but this is the first chance I've really had to do it. I had to crack the window to keep from passing out from the fumes!

A haul, and a porcelain manicure!

I received one small package of nail polish today with a few China Glaze items, and then I stopped into Sally on the way home to pick up a few odds and ends. I ended up getting a few more China Glaze polishes while I was there, along with a few cheap Sally Girl samples.




Misc: Polish thinner & pure acetone on the left, nail gems on the lower right.

Polishes:

Top row: China Glaze Frostbite, China Glaze For Audrey, China Glaze White on White, Finger Paint Sparkle Top Coat

Middle row: China Glaze Icicle, China Glaze Glittering Garland, China Glaze Holly Days, China Glaze Tinsel Town, China Glaze Some Like it Haute

Bottom row: Three mini Sally Girl polishes, no names.


China Glaze For Audrey made me think about my lovely set of blue Nigella Lawson mixing bowls, except shiny while they're matte. So I hauled out my Deborah Lippmann Flat Top and did this:




Base: CND Stickey
Blue: China Glaze For Audrey
White: China Glaze White on White
Top coat: Deborah Lippmann Flat Top

Matting a manicure just changes it so completely, from a pretty shiny look to a sophisticated porcelain-like finish. I love this look so much! I'll definitely be wearing it again soon.

Christmas manicure, take 2

I love, love, LOVE how this turned out! So simple, yet so striking! Again, I used scotch tape to create the tips over a simple sparkly base, then accented with a small nail gem.






Base colours: Bare to be Different and No-el if I Know from the Sephora by OPI Glimmering Wonderland set
Tip: Nicole by OPI Not a Gold Bigger and OPI Wocka Wocka, plus a random nail decoration.
Top coat: seche vite

Winter is coming! And a second attempt at a gradient manicure.

After my failure with black and copper, I thought I'd try again with a silver and blue look, topped with some glitter for a winter manicure. This came out a LOT nicer than my last attempt, but you can definitely see what I mean about the China Glaze Snow Globe & pitting.






Base colours: OPI Birthday Babe, Gosh Metallic Blue.
Glitter: Sephora by OPI No-el if I Know, China Glaze Snow Globe
Top Coat: Seche Vite

My first attempt at a gradient manicure

I saw an online tutorial for a gradient glitter pattern a while ago and thought "gee, that'll be easy!"

NOPE!

It looks so simple, but it is tough to get it right! It's so easy to overload the polish at the tips and end up with a bubbly effect like I have here, or to have gaps in your glitter which just doesn't look good, or the gradient is too abrupt.

This is ManGlaze Matte is Murder (a fabulous shimmery matte black), with Sephora by OPI Don't be Eggnog-ious, a limited edition copper glitter with a horrible name.

In the shade:




In the sun:



And a close up that shows the shimmery loveliness that is ManGlaze Matte is Murder, along with the horrible wrinkling issue I had with my Seche Vite thanks to applying it too thickly.



I have a lot to learn about polishing my nails.

Sally Hansen Prep's Cool

If you haven't tried Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips yet, you should! They have some great patterns that I could never get quite so neat on my own. This one is my favourite of all the ones they've released so far, the limited edition Christmas design Prep's Cool.

I'm going to stock up before it goes away.

My latest haul!

The postman showed up with three packages for me today! First, my Manglaze order came, which thrilled me. Then I got my first ever order from Rescue Beauty Lounge. And finally, my first order from Harlow & Co, with the Ozotics, Glitter Gal, and Picture Polish colours! And then I happened into Shoppers on my way home where they had Gosh on sale for $5 each. How could I resist?




Top: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Peppermint Twist
Middle: Revlon Snow Bunny, Gosh Metallic Blue, Blue Monday, Black Passion, Orange Drops, Rusty, Manglaze Fuggen Ugly, Matte is Murder
Bottom: Nyx Bejeweled, Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso, Scrangie, Glitter Gal Suede 3D holo, Ozotics 520, Picture Polish Voodoo.

Multi layered taped look

This is pre-cleanup, so it's a bit of a mess.

This is OPI's French Quarter for your Thoughts, YSL Shiny Black (from the Duo Terriblement Noir), and OPI Designer, De Better. The layered effect was achieved with a little scotch tape and a lot of cursing when I messed up my thumb SIX TIMES and had to redo it.

With flash:




Without flash:

Deborah Lippmann: Across the Universe

If any polish ever deserved a post of its own, it's this one. Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe is one of the most unique, coveted polishes out there, with good reason! Squishy, gorgeous deep blue jelly packed with tiny flecks of blue and larger green and blue hex glitter, this polish starts off sheer and builds to a gorgeous finish in 3 - 4 coats. It has such depth!

In sunlight:




Shade, with flash.

My first Christmas inspired manicure!

With flash:




And without:


OPI Wocka Wocka, tipped with Nicole by OPI Not a Gold Bigger. I know, horrible name, but oh my what a gorgeous gold polish this is! Opaque on my tips after one coat.

Excuse the mess around my cuticles and edges - I'm still new to polish and learning how to apply neatly! I used scotch tape to create the gold tips here.