It's a red-brown berry creme, and comes with the older, smaller brushes. It still paints and wears well, as I'm sure you'll agree:
Monday 24 October 2011
OPI Maui Mango
I decided to have a look through my ancient polishes and give them a shake, checking to make sure they've not gone claggy. I came across OPI's Maui Mango, a polish which has been in my collection for over 10 years.
It's a red-brown berry creme, and comes with the older, smaller brushes. It still paints and wears well, as I'm sure you'll agree:
It's a red-brown berry creme, and comes with the older, smaller brushes. It still paints and wears well, as I'm sure you'll agree:
Thursday 20 October 2011
Nails Inc Magnetic Polish Trafalgar Square
Okay, so I couldn't wait!
I decided to test out Trafalgar Square, the gunmetal grey of the trio.
The first coat was not easy to apply- if the brush is not loaded the polish will streak. I didn't see this as too much of a problem, it's just that the brush and consistency of the polish is different to the usual bottles of Nails Inc. I suppose this is to be expected as the polish is load with iron filings...
I have a picture of just one coat of Trafalgar Square. You can see on my little finger the problem of a thin coat.
The for the fun bit: the second coat and magnet! The second coat applied beautifully and gave excellent coverage. I was concerned that the magnet would be fiddly, especially when doing my right hand. I needn't have worried. Each nail only takes a few seconds to magnetise, and I only caught two nails on the magnet.
I have one piece of advice when using magnetic polishes: when applying the top coat, make sure the brush is loaded and use a nice thin lacquer. If you use a slightly claggy top coat you will need to use more brush strokes to achieve an even finish. This can start to erode the design formed by the magnet. As few strokes as possible is the key. You can see where I started to erase the stripes on my index finger:
Overall I am very pleased with the results. I know that next time I will do a better job by applying generous coats of polish. I think the 3D-metallic look is stunning, and I am already planning which colours I can put beneath the magnetised coat in the hope it peaks through!
I decided to test out Trafalgar Square, the gunmetal grey of the trio.
The first coat was not easy to apply- if the brush is not loaded the polish will streak. I didn't see this as too much of a problem, it's just that the brush and consistency of the polish is different to the usual bottles of Nails Inc. I suppose this is to be expected as the polish is load with iron filings...
I have a picture of just one coat of Trafalgar Square. You can see on my little finger the problem of a thin coat.
The for the fun bit: the second coat and magnet! The second coat applied beautifully and gave excellent coverage. I was concerned that the magnet would be fiddly, especially when doing my right hand. I needn't have worried. Each nail only takes a few seconds to magnetise, and I only caught two nails on the magnet.
I have one piece of advice when using magnetic polishes: when applying the top coat, make sure the brush is loaded and use a nice thin lacquer. If you use a slightly claggy top coat you will need to use more brush strokes to achieve an even finish. This can start to erode the design formed by the magnet. As few strokes as possible is the key. You can see where I started to erase the stripes on my index finger:
Overall I am very pleased with the results. I know that next time I will do a better job by applying generous coats of polish. I think the 3D-metallic look is stunning, and I am already planning which colours I can put beneath the magnetised coat in the hope it peaks through!
Exciting news- New Followers and Nails Inc Magnetic Polishes
Exciting times- I now have three followers! Welcome to Deez Nails, Bethereen and Vettel!
Even more exciting- my Nails Inc Magnetic Polish has arrived. I have all three: Trafalgar Square (gunmetal grey), Houses of Parliament (purple/brown) and Big Ben (antique gold).
I have not been this excited since my Nfu Oh flakies turned up. Hmm, I'm in a quandary. My last mani is still looking fab, but I want to swatch my new haul.
What's a girl to do?
Even more exciting- my Nails Inc Magnetic Polish has arrived. I have all three: Trafalgar Square (gunmetal grey), Houses of Parliament (purple/brown) and Big Ben (antique gold).
I have not been this excited since my Nfu Oh flakies turned up. Hmm, I'm in a quandary. My last mani is still looking fab, but I want to swatch my new haul.
What's a girl to do?
Monday 17 October 2011
OPI Sugarplum Yum
I've been revisiting a few old favourites recently, particularly the duochrome polishes. I love the fact that the colour is never static, that as I move my hands my nails will flash different colours.
One such colour is OPI's Sugarplum Yum. Like all duochrome colours it is hard to describe, but here goes. It's a light blue-grey shimmer with a pink-champagne shine. I hope that's clear, but I doubt it is. Look at the pics and see for yourself:
The blue base is easy to see from an oblique angle.
Face on, the pink hue can be seen.
One such colour is OPI's Sugarplum Yum. Like all duochrome colours it is hard to describe, but here goes. It's a light blue-grey shimmer with a pink-champagne shine. I hope that's clear, but I doubt it is. Look at the pics and see for yourself:
Thursday 6 October 2011
OPI Black Tie Optional
Aah, Black Tie Optional: a polish I have a love/hate relationship with. Why? Firstly, I think I may have a dud bottle. I have seen on other blogs a beautiful beetle-carapace black that shines pink and green depending on the angle of the light. Mine does not do this. The green-gold colour is only visible when washing my hands. Having said it, it is still a very nice polish. It is black, but with tiny pink and green-gold glitter. The effect is an 'interesting black'. People say, "Oh, you've got black polish, no wait, it's not really..." It looks like black, deep purple, deep brown or deep green- it's very difficult to decide. It's very disconcerting to find a colour the brain cannot adequately define.
Oh, and it's impossible to photograph well! My first picture shows the green-gold hue:
The second shows the pink/purple shimmer, along with a very black thumb nail!
Green nails:
Brown nails:
Purple nails:
Oh, and it's impossible to photograph well! My first picture shows the green-gold hue:
The second shows the pink/purple shimmer, along with a very black thumb nail!
Green nails:
Purple nails:
See what I mean?
Saturday 1 October 2011
Nailene Hard & Healthy French Manicure Review
Long time no see!
So where have a been? Nowhere. About a month ago my nails all went bleurgh. And snapped. So I couldn't be bothered posting pictures of them on my blog. That's all. They've not regrown fully, but are no longer a complete embarassment.
Ah, the french manicure. I've never been a fan of it myself. It was big in the 1990s, so I bought some cheapo polishes and tried it. I couldn't do it, made a big mess and then gave up. Towards the end of the decade we had the double whammy of fake tan with fake french-manicured nails. Ick. The tanned skin didn't look good against the pale nail, especially when the tip was painted Tippex-white. It all looked a bit synthetic.
So why the change of heart? I was at someone's house when I spotted that they had left out their Rimmel french manicure polishes. I swatched my little fingernail. It looked good; it seems I am more dextrous as I've aged. Figuring it was rude to do the whole lot using someone else's polishes, I made a mental note to rummage around and find any suitable polishes from my own collection.
Later that evening, I came across two french mani sets, complete with the stickers you'd use for the tips. I didn't actually want these kits, they were just part of some bundles I bought off Ebay. One kit is Nailene, the other is Kiss Colors, a US brand I've never heard of. I decided to go with the Nailene, as it's a brand I know!
I did my usual preparation of OPI Chip Skip, followed by a base coat, and then got going with the tips. The white polish didn't give great coverage, so I had to do two coats. I was surprised how easy I found it, even painting with my left hand! I didn't use the stickers- yup, I did it all freehand! My tips looked a bit ropey, but the nude coat hid all my mistakes:
Not bad, eh? I quite like how it make my pale and pasty complexion look a little warmed up.
Then an odd thing happened. My partner was looking on the camera and saw these pictures. He doesn't know I'm doing this blog. He said,
"Why do you have pictures of hands on the camera?"
"For my blog."
"Oh, they look nice for your hands!"
Is that a compliment? I will take it as one! The manicure has lasted 4 days so far, without retouching. I was concerned that the thick white polish on the tips would have smudged by now, but it hasn't! I think I should give this 'tips' manicure another go.
So where have a been? Nowhere. About a month ago my nails all went bleurgh. And snapped. So I couldn't be bothered posting pictures of them on my blog. That's all. They've not regrown fully, but are no longer a complete embarassment.
Ah, the french manicure. I've never been a fan of it myself. It was big in the 1990s, so I bought some cheapo polishes and tried it. I couldn't do it, made a big mess and then gave up. Towards the end of the decade we had the double whammy of fake tan with fake french-manicured nails. Ick. The tanned skin didn't look good against the pale nail, especially when the tip was painted Tippex-white. It all looked a bit synthetic.
So why the change of heart? I was at someone's house when I spotted that they had left out their Rimmel french manicure polishes. I swatched my little fingernail. It looked good; it seems I am more dextrous as I've aged. Figuring it was rude to do the whole lot using someone else's polishes, I made a mental note to rummage around and find any suitable polishes from my own collection.
Later that evening, I came across two french mani sets, complete with the stickers you'd use for the tips. I didn't actually want these kits, they were just part of some bundles I bought off Ebay. One kit is Nailene, the other is Kiss Colors, a US brand I've never heard of. I decided to go with the Nailene, as it's a brand I know!
I did my usual preparation of OPI Chip Skip, followed by a base coat, and then got going with the tips. The white polish didn't give great coverage, so I had to do two coats. I was surprised how easy I found it, even painting with my left hand! I didn't use the stickers- yup, I did it all freehand! My tips looked a bit ropey, but the nude coat hid all my mistakes:
Not bad, eh? I quite like how it make my pale and pasty complexion look a little warmed up.
Then an odd thing happened. My partner was looking on the camera and saw these pictures. He doesn't know I'm doing this blog. He said,
"Why do you have pictures of hands on the camera?"
"For my blog."
"Oh, they look nice for your hands!"
Is that a compliment? I will take it as one! The manicure has lasted 4 days so far, without retouching. I was concerned that the thick white polish on the tips would have smudged by now, but it hasn't! I think I should give this 'tips' manicure another go.
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