essence - Lime Up! BM-308

Hello there! Hope everyone is having a good weekend. The other day I tested out the new white Konad polish I got from eBay stamping the citrus fruit slices from BM-308 over essence Lime Up! Lime Up! is pretty much a dupe of OPI Who the Shrek are you? only a touch lighter. The Konad polish performed as I had hoped. It stamped perfectly each time and I didn't have to work like speedy gonzales which allowed me some time to think about how I positioned the image. Thus far this is my favourite stamping mani, it's fresh and perfect for summer!

On my thumb I tried to do a half moon but it's not as clearly defined as I had hoped!

Nails Inc Sprinkles sprinkled

 et voilà!

Don't forget to enter my competition for a chance to win a Nails Inc Sprinkles of your choice.

Click Here to enter

Barry M - Pink Silver Glitter

With temperatures hitting 30 degrees Celsius in London this week I think it's safe to say the summer is finally here! Yay! I've totally been lapping it up and have been out and about with friends, eating way too much ice cream and crepes, drinking one too many lime and sodas and wearing totally inappropriate shoes for walking around Hampstead Heath. Ah summer in London really is the best :-)

I have forgone the nail polish these past few days so haven't much to show but I do have some swatches of Barry M Pink Silver Glitter which I did on Monday. This glitter is one of many recently released. I wasn't going to get it originally but I saw my friend wearing it and it looked really nice on. So the first thing I would say about this polish that it looks better on than in the bottle. Secondly it looks nothing like Nail Pop Bling which I thought could have been a dupe. PSG contains fine rose pink and silver glitter only where as Bling has a mix of sizes and actually is a completely different colour. The glitter which is suspended in a clear base is quite dense but it still requires about 3 coats for complete coverage. Each coat dries fairly quickly and the overall finish is a little gritty which is expected of glitters, a layer or two of top coat sorts that out though.

It's a lovely feminine colour and perfect with white floaty dresses lol.

Thanks for reading xxx

Black and Gold half-moon mani with stamping using BM-314

Hihi!
I was debating whether or not to put this mani up because I'm not really sure if I like it. The overall look is a little OTT for my liking but what do you guys think?

*photographed using iphone

Competition Time - Win a Nails Inc Sprinkle of your choice plus more **NOW CLOSED**

Nails Inc - The Icons mini set, Max Factor - Fantasy Fire, Andrea Fulerton - Gemstone Overcoat (flakie), Barry M - Jewel Britannia and Colbalt Blue, Rimmel - Night Before and Hard Edge PLUS your choice of Nails Inc Sprinkles.

 Yup it's competition time. 

I've been meaning to hold a competition for ages but just never got round to sorting one out but better late than never hey! I've got a few things to celebrate such as finishing my degree and getting a First, getting a new job, reaching over 600 followers which I never thought in a million years I'd reach and achieving almost 120,000 page views. Plus it's also my birthday in September and it's quite a big Birthday but I'll leave you guys to guess my age lol!!! But the main reason for holding this is to thank everyone who takes the time to read my blog and especially those who comment because that's what really keeps me going!  

All the polishes you see in the picture will be yours plus you will also get to choose ONE Nails Inc Sprinkles of your choice. Just follow the instructions on the rafflecopter widget to enter. Good Luck

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Neon 'rays' experimenting - BM-301

OPI Number One Nemesis, My Boyfriend Scales Walls and a bit of neon stamping

Hello there!

To make up for the lack of post yesterday I have for you a triple helping! First up is OPI Number One Nemesis from the Spider-man Collection that was released earlier this year to coincide with the new film.

Depending on the lighting this polish appears either as a warm metallic gold/green or a warm metallic silver shimmer with sparkly elements within. It applies like a foil and took hardly any time to dry between coats of which I applied 2. It is said to be a dupe of Chanel Graphite which I don't have so this is a welcomed addition to my collection.

Next is OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls another polish from the Spider-man collection. This is an off-white creme that applies very well with minimal streaking and only requires two coats for full opacity. It is on the thick side which if you don't like can be remedied with a couple drops of thinner. The fact that it's a muted white makes it a lot more wearable and look less like you've painted your nails with tippex (white out)!

Now for a little stamping. Over MBSW I decided to stamp some neon rays from Bundle Monster plate 301. I used Pixi Summer Pink which stamped very well. What do you think?

I tried stamping my thumb but the image was too small to cover the entire surface, what do you guys do when that happens? Until next time x

Essie Bikini So Teeny

Hey! Today I have Essie Bikini So Teeny to show you. This is a lovely periwinkle blue with a smattering of silver shimmer. Capturing the silver was a real challenge especially on the nail so this is one polish I would recommend you check out in person to see it's true beauty. Formula-wise this particular polish was quite thin and although I had no issues with applying it I can see it's potential to flood the cuticles, streak and pool. I find with these types of formulas the best thing to do it have a good amount on the brush and apply quickly using light confident strokes. Apart from that I love it (I'm rather fond of the name too) and it's fast becoming my favourite this summer!

My one and only Helmer is fast running out of room (I don't intend on getting another) I was a little wary about getting this polish in case I had dupes in my stash but thankfully I don't so the one in one out policy can be delayed a little longer. Phew. Do you have this polish and is it one of your favourites? Thank you for reading. x

Barry M - Jewel Britannia

Hey all I had planned to post this a lot earlier but I'm being seriously distracted by Breaking Bad. I only started watching it last week but I'm addicted and I have some serious catching up to do, so this is going to be short and sweet.

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen the following pictures already but for those that don't let me introduce you to Barry M's Jewel Britannia. Yup that's ANOTHER glitter from Mr Barry M! Unlike the others this one, however, is apparently exclusive to boots.com and barrym.com so you won't find it in the shops. Containing blue, red and silver hex pieces of different sizes this little glitterbomb made me break my no-buy this month.

I'm having a lot fun using my phone to take pics but here are some better quality pictures taken with my usual camera...

Index - Barry M Bright Red, Middle - Barry M Indigo, Ring and little finger - China Glaze Snow

 Ok back to watching Breaking Bad!

Recent Bargains

Everyone loves a bargain like they love Raymond and I'm pretty fortunate or unfortunate depending on which way you look at it to live near a high street lined with pound shops and most importantly of all a TK Maxx. I'm not going to lie, I would swap my current surroundings to live in Wimbledon Village or even back in Highgate (I lived there once!) but it's not going to happen unless I win Euromillions, so I'll continue to take comfort in the bargains I find in these shops.

TK Maxx has been unreal recently, they've had Color Club Sets piled high on the shelves, Essie Duos and Trios, Orly Trios, Nails Inc sets and I even spotted some Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail stripes. Poundland and Poundworld have not disappointed either. I've found Sinful Colors, Rimmels and Sally Hansen. I know these polishes are probably ex stock from the US and last seasons colours but I do not care, a bargain is a bargain.

There have also had some great offers on which I could not ignore online and in my usual haunt Superdrug. Ready to see what have accumulated over the past month or so...

1. WAH Nail Art pens from Urban Outfitters online, RRP £6 each got them for £3 saved myself £9 (Blue, Pink and Yellow) 
2. ORLY trio (Fowl Play, Le Chateau and Androgynie) from TK Maxx. No idea how much big bottles (18ml) like this are in the UK but the mini bottles in boots are £5 (5ml) each so paying £7.99 for all 3 is a steal. 
3. SINFUL COLORS - Daddy's Girl and What's Your Name from Poundworld. £1 each. 
4. COLOR CLUB Alter Ego set from TK Maxx, £7.99. 
5. LOOK Beauty Nail Pop - Bling, Juice and Vintage, RRP £5 each but there was £2 off. Got these from Superdrug.
6. ESSIE - Funny Face, Bobbing for Baubles, 3-way glaze and ridge filler. These came as duos for £7.99. In Boots Essie polishes go for £7.99 each for colours and £8.99 for Nail Care polishes.
7. SALLY HANSEN - Purple Pizzazz from Poundland. When I got this home I noticed it's almost a dupe of SC's Daddy's Girl (oops) but the little bit of glitter are slightly different so it's ok!
8. RIMMEL - Camoflague and Night Before from Poundworld
9. RIMMEL - Green with Envy from Poundworld. I've never seen these bigger bottles of 60 Seconds in the UK so these must have come from another country. Not complaining though. Night Before is absolutely gorgeous and has the same kind of unicorn pee shimmer seen in Fantasy Fire though not as strong.

I've not calculated how much I've spent here but feel free. All I know is that I have saved myself a lot of money and got some gorgeous polishes to boot.

Have you found some bargains recently?

Thanks for reading.

Color Club Edie with Clouds BM312

Whoa two posts in one day what is happening?! Well you have the weather to thank as the wet and cold has kept me indoors. And what do you do on dreary days, paint nails! Anyway as you guys know I bought the new Bundle Monster plates recently and I have been playing with all week trying to improve my technique. Nothing is worse than painting your nails, waiting for them to dry, making a pathetic attempt at stamping and then having to take everything off to start again.

During my practicing I discovered I have the most annoying nails to stamp over. They're quite curved which makes getting right into the edges problematic. It may be because the stamper I have is too hard so I've ordered a softer one, but we'll see. Also I've realised I need to invest in some proper stamping polish. I know there are polishes you can stamp with (and I have used a generic foil for the following mani) but being a newbie I think I should cut myself some slack and get some Konad polish just to make it a bit easier ya know!

Using the clouds (they look like clouds to me) from BM312 I stamped over Color Club Edie.

What do you think? I really like it as it's quite subtle even though CC Edie is quite in your face. I used Barry M Gold foil because I know it works but I would have like to have stamped using a white polish.

So where can I get some Konad polishes cheaply? Also am I/can I take off the backing on the back of the plate?

Bye for now!

L'oreal Magic Croisette

Hey hey! A few weeks ago I was browsing the L'oreal stand in my local Boots when this little polish caught my eye. I have a number of colbalt blue polishes but nothing as sumptuous as Magic Croisette which has the most attractive teal/green shimmer running through it. The shimmer is very noticeable in the bottle and thankfully it does translate on to the nail. The formula was fantastic and only required two coats for complete coverage. The wide brush was also surprisingly easy to handle on my tiny nails. Very similar to the Essie wide brushes.

Have you guys tried any of these polishes?

 From the L'or Electric Collection

2 coats no top coat

Thanks for reading. x

Deborah Lippmann - Mermaid's Dream Picture Spam

Just want to start by saying thank you to all the ladies that left messages on my last post. It's finally sinking in but I am still waiting for my certificate before I will believe it!

Upon hearing my result Mr PD bought me Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream as a little well done. This polish had been on my wish list for a while and it's great to be able to wear it on all ten nails. I quite liked my own versions but I guess nothing beats the real thing.

This polish is quite sheer and require 3 coats for complete coverage

Oooh mermaidy

Duochrome: Green/Blue

1 coat : 3 coats

Thank you for reading!

Hit Phenomena - Borealis

Ready for the final polish from the Hits Phenomena collection? Well first I want to tell you guys some news (feel free to ignore next paragraph if you're here for the polish).

I don't really divulge a lot of personal information on my blog but as you guys may know I finished my degree about a month ago and I have been patiently waiting for my results. Today was results day and................ I got a FIRST !!! Holy-moly!!! it still hasn't really sunk in. To say I am pleased in an understatement but I feel I bloody deserve it because I worked hard even though I did worry at times that I spent more time painting my nails than revising lol! So now I have told you that I can also tell you I had a conditional offer for a job I really wanted a month ago as well. The condition was passing my degree and as I have managed that I also have a job whooop! I'll not be starting for a while so plenty more posts to come!!! So yeah I am happy and I have been in the pub since 2pm and have just got back and I'm waffling.... blah blah!

Ok Borealis is up there with Moonbow as my fav polish out of this collection. It's gold, green, blue shift gives me a warm fuzzy feeling every time I look at my nails. I love these colours. They remind me of Chanel Peridot which I adore so anything that reminds me of that is a winner.

What is you fave polish out of this collection?

Hits Phenomena - Afterglow

Bonjour! Hope everyone has had a good start to their week. This morning I was very excited to receive the new Bundle Monster plates which I bought using my Amazon vouchers. Apart from the two plates I have from Born Pretty I don't have any other plates and looking at some of the images I'm overwhelmed at how intricate they are! I cannot wait to try them out but I must warn you I still suck at stamping so it might be a while before you see any manis! Have any of you guys bought the new plates?

Getting back to the polish, Afterglow is a lot more subtle than the other 3 polishes in the Phenomena collection. Shifting from purple/navy to pink to orange the multichrome effect of the glitter it less obvious but that may be because the colours are quite dark and I have put it on a black base. And because of this it was the hardest polish to photograph! One swipe of this is enough to give good coverage but for the photographs I used two plus a coat of Seche Vite. Enjoy!

Afterglow and the rest of the Phenomena polishes are available to buy online from Llarowe.
Just Borealis to come so stay tuned!!

Hits Phenomena - Air Glow

Judging from the response I got to yesterday's post it seems that people are still absolutely loving the Hits Phenomena polishes. Not really surprising considering how unique these glitters are and how awesome they look on the nail.

So let's cut to the chase, here is Air Glow, number 2 of 4.

There are not as many shifts in colour as Moonbow but still stunning! I feel this should have been called fire glow as it reminds me of the warm glow of fire, shifting from mainly burnt orange to gold, but with hints of magenta for the eagle-eyed. Once again I have layered two coats over a plain black polish and added a coat of Seche vite. You'll be please to know that these glitters are not very hungry but they are a bitch to remove! These polishes are available to buy online from Llarowe. Watch out for Borealis and Afterglow, they're coming soon.