Monday, August 26, 2013

Above the Curve Caty Perry-winkle

Self-purchased








Above the Curve Caty Perry-winkle is a lovely periwinkle creme with very subtle holo. I'm actually sad that the holo is so weak, but the color and formula really make up for it! It looks great both in sunlight and the shade. I used just 2 coats. It was very pigmented and creamy. Unlike with many holos, base coat didn't affect the application - it still went on smoothly. It dried very shiny, but slowly. No top coat.

I purchased Caty Perry-winkle here. Be sure to follow Above the Curve on facebook for restock info! $1 from every polish sale is donated. :)

What do you guys think of Caty Perry-winkle? I'd love to know!

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Butter London Two Fingered Salute

Self-purchased





Butter London Two Fingered Salute is a greyed jade creme with copper microglitter and pink and gold shimmer. It's a marvelous polish and it reminds me of a certain kind of stone whenever I look at it! The formula was creamy and easy to control, but it had dragging and leveling-out issues. A bummer, but I think it's worth the hassle! It dried in an average period of time and had a nice gloss. I used top coat to try to smooth it out, but you can see it didn't really work.

Two Fingered Salute is a Nordstrom exclusive, but I was able to purchase it from Butter London's website.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Deborah Lippmann Sweet Dreams

Self-purchased








Deborah Lippmann Sweet Dreams is a very pretty, medium pink jelly packed with color-shifting flakies. They predominantly flash red, orange, and yellow. At extreme angles, you can spy the green flashes. Its jelly nature gives Sweet Dreams a unique buried flakie effect. I used 3 coats. The formula was good - not too thin or thick- and it was easy to apply. It dried quickly and shiny, allowing me to skip the top coat. Though you can see my nail line in the photos, it's not evident in real life.

What do you guys think of Sweet Dreams? I'd love to know!

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Thursday, August 22, 2013

My Birthday Mani - Vintage Roses on Jade

Hi guys! Today, I have my birthday mani to show you guys! (No, it's not today. I'm not telling.) It's a vintage-inspired rose design. My favorite kind of design. :D






I used Avon Don't Be Jaded for the base and Kiss White Striper for the stripes. For the polka dots, I used the paint from the same striper. Instead of making roses like I usually do, I decided to try out the rose water decals I purchased from KKCenterHK! :D They worked well, but there was a small learning curve for me since it was my first time using water decals. I really like how the water decals had a touch of gold glitter in the center of some of the roses. I will have a comprehensive review on the rose water decals soon!

I think I'll be trying out some more vintage-inspired designs. I want to perfect my lines and polka dots. Also, I already know that I won't have much time when school starts. A MOTW (mani of the week) like this will be great! (If I even have the time to make them!)

What do you guys think? I'd love to know!

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Nfu-Oh 51

Self-purchased










Nfu-Oh 51 is a stunning purple jelly with red shimmer and color-shifting flakies. The flakies flash the typical red, orange, yellow, and green. Nfu-Oh probably has the most beautiful, amazing, and intricate packaging I have ever seen! It's unique! The handle is a corset top and the bottle is a skirt. The handle actually wasn't hard to use and rested comfortably between my fingers. It's very reminiscent of Orly's brush handles because it narrows in the middle. The formula was great as well. It had a great consistency and was easy to control, making for a good application. It dried shiny and quickly. The flakies are flat and smooth. I didn't apply top coat. As you can tell, I'm quite impressed!

The Nfu-Oh flakie line is sadly now discontinued. :( If you like 51 or its siblings, act quickly! You can purchase the line at Ninja Polish. Many of the most popular shades are out of stock right now though.

What do you think of 51? I'd love to know!

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Deborah Lippmann Let's Go Crazy

Self-purchased









Deborah Lippmann Let's Go Crazy is a dark purple jelly filled with multicolored hex glitter in various sizes. I believe the glitter mix is the same as the popular Happy Birthday! mix. :D Even though the base is dark, it doesn't look black in natural or dark lighting. I used 3 coats. Let's Go Crazy is a very pretty polish, but very tricky to apply. After painting my first two fingers, I realized that applying the jelly base first was easiest. Then, I dabbed and arranged the glitter. I did not have to fish for any glitter because I set the polish bottle upside down for a few minutes before the each coat. I find glitter-containing jelly polishes work best this way. Let's Go Crazy was also thin and runny, making it very watery. I had to be careful while painting on the jelly base. On the plus side, it dried very shiny and quickly, though a little bumpy because of the glitter clusters. I didn't use a top coat. Again, amaaazing shine! Even though it's a pain to apply, I will wear Let's Go Crazy again because it's such a gem!

What do you guys think? I'd love to know!

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Butter London Disco Biscuit

Self-purchased






Butter London Disco Biscuit is a bright magenta jelly with blue/purple microglitter. I really adore it! I used 4 coats. This isn't really atypical of jellies as they are known to be sheer on the first coat or so. But if you like, you could use Disco Biscuit as a layering polish for a more opaque look. It had a great formula as it applied well and flowed easily. Since I had to apply so many layers, the dry time was slow. It also dried sort of flat so I used 1 coat of top coat. It was still a little gritty to touch. Though you can see my nail line in the pictures, it's not at all evident in real life.

What do you guys think of Disco Biscuit? I'd love to know!

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Monday, August 19, 2013

Dior Waterlily

Self-purchased




Dior Waterlily is a delightful, springy jade creme with green shimmer. I used 2 coats. I absolutely LOVE the rosewater scent that appeared when the polish dried. It reminds me of a rose species I smelled outside one of the hotels I stayed at overnight in France. The formula was creamy, opaque, and smooth; I had no issues at all. However, there was some leveling problems. It dried quickly and had a nice shine. I used 1 coat of top coat, which didn't affect the scent's strength. :D

What do you guys think of Waterlily? I'd love to know!

See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Friday, August 16, 2013

Ninja Polish Divinity

Self-purchased








Ninja Polish Divinity has a purple jelly base packed with multichrome shimmer that shifts dramatically. Most of the time you can't even see the base; all you see is the red, orange, yellow, and green shift of the shimmer. I used 3 coats to be sure, but I think you can get away with just 2. It's very reminiscent of Clarins 230, aka Unicorn Pee - the polish of the gods. (No lie, google it!) I had this polish for a few months already, but was surprised to find that it was a little dry. Because of this, I had to redip my brush a lot while polishing. It dried a bit flat so I used 1 coat of top coat, making the shimmer glisten beautifully in the sun. Dry time was nice. Again, I included a picture of it in water to show you the different color flashes.

I purchased Divinity from Ninja Polish. Be sure to follow Ninja Polish on facebook and sign up for e-mails for restock info!

What do you guys think of Divinity? I'd love to know!

See you guys on the other side of the day!

Michelle