Crossed wires

Hi!

I wore this pretty mehendi green colour from Zoya called Shawn. To jazz it up, I tried stamping. The result turned out to be pretty awesome....

Zoya Shawn

Once again, I used Revlon to stamp. This one is Gilded Chrome, a silvery golden polish. I turned to Mash 41 for the interlink design. 

In sunlight

This is not tipwear. I used a fast dry polish and it shrank the manicure. It also dragged the stamping on some nails. Thankfully, both these things were not noticeable in real life. 

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Pretty isn't it? I just loved the green-gold combination. What do you think? Don't forget to leave a comment.

Zoya Indigo stamping

Hi lovelies,

Today, I have brought a beautiful stamp to you. It's a kairi (paisley print for non-Indians) from the new Bundlemonster pack.

Yes, this is my right hand. Funnily, this one stamped better on my non-dominant hand than on the dominant one. Or did it really?
When I was a kid I used to write with my left hand. But since that was not considered a 'good' sign, my parents forced me to write with my right. So, it is a bit of a toss-up as to which really is the dominant hand ;)
I used Revlon Orchid Chrome to stamp the design on Zoya Indigo base. Indigo, as the name stands, is a deep blue polish with holographic glitter. The necessary bottle shot.

You can see the holographic glitter here. But frankly, it is quite sparse. And the polish is so thick, the colour so dark that the glitter fails to shine through. It only ended up making the finish bumpy.

Nothing that a topcoat won't solve. But this one was a disappointment. There is nothing that makes this one unique :(
What do you have to say? Don't forget to leave a comment below!

New Konad plates

Hi lovelies,

I have brought some exciting news. Rather, Konad has. They are releasing two new plates!!!

Image courtesy: Konad

I love the plate m89. It has got such adorable designs. The winged heart on m90 is pretty awesome too. I hope they release the plates in India soon. What do you guys think about the new plates? Do comment :) 

Swirling flakies

Hi lovelies,

Yesterday I showed you a beauty called NFU-Oh 51. And today, as promised, are shots of the design I stamped it with.

Look at the glowing gorgeousness. This polish is a stunner! Here's a closer shot of the navy blue stamp:

And another:

Okay, this is the last photo I promise you. 

Check out the multichromatic flakies shining through the stamping. I did not colour-correct any of these pictures. 
So, how did you like this design? Don't forget to leave your comment.


Base: NFU Oh 51
Design: Swirls
Plate: Konad M60 (I think)
Stamping polish: Colorbar Pro Phantom (Navy blue)

Swatch: NFU Oh 51 Flakie heaven

Hi lovelies,

I continue to live in flakie heaven. My company: Nfu-Oh 51. It's a bottle full of purple multichromatic flakie awesome-sauce :)

While camera just refused to pick up its awesomeness, this is the most colour-accurate picture I could manage. Isn't it a beauty? In sunlight, the polish takes on a rich purple tone with copper and gold flakies shining through. This is what I had expected Deborah Lippmann's Ray of Light to be like. 

Check out the bottle! It had to be some clever mind to design such a stunner: A corset-bodice for a handle and a full-skirt bottom as the bottle. It's like a piece of art. I know for sure I am not throwing out THIS bottle when I finish the lacquer. 

Check out the flakies! Golden green, copper-gold, deep purple... This one has it all! This beauty is loaded. It not only has large flakies, it has micro ones, too. And since this polish has a tinted base, it can be layered over dark colours. I want to try it over a blue, green, red and black. Do you have any other colour bases in mind?

The tint is sheer. So, I used four coats to achieve this opacity. Doesn't it looks like a dupe of Clarin's 230 here? The formula is nice, a bit thick but that is expected considering it is loaded with flakies. The brush is a little stubby but not unwieldy. 

Wait for a few minutes between coats to avoid dragging or creating bald spots. You might also need to push back flakies hanging over the nail tip as it will dry hard and feel sharp later. Since this is a flakie polish, wrapping it around the tip might be a problem. But the polish has lasting power. And amazingly, it dries smooth. 


I know my pictures have not done complete justice to this beauty. I promise to take better shots the next time I wear it. And I stamped over this beauty. That's for tomorrow :)

 Product: 51
Brand: Enfu-Oh
Colour: Purple with multichromatic flakies
Finish: Jelly
Qty: 17 ml
Price/Availability: $12.50 but can be bought for a discount at times (Not available in India. Can be ordered through fabuloustreet.com) 

Swatch: Barielle Elle Spell

Hi lovelies,

I am under a spell. Of this amazing polish called Elle Spell by Barielle. 

Barielle Elle Spell with a coat of holographic glitter

Can you see how this beauty glows? The bottle shows a deep red jelly packed with flakies that shift between gold-orange to green depending on the angle.

The polish was originally released as part of the Holiday Hustle Collection in 2010 but this one turned out to be such a showstopper, it turned around the fortunes of the decades-old beauty company. Now, this gorgeous has been included in their core collection. 

While many prefer layering it over a black base to bring out the beauty of the flakies, I loved it the way it was. Darker in the bottle, it shifts between a deep strawberry pink (in sunglight)  to a squishy cherry red (in the shade).

Elle Spell without topcoat

This is three coats of the polish, without a topcoat. It has a slight texture, but nothing that a lick of topcoat won't solve. I enjoyed it the most on its own but I might layer it over a red next time to conserve the polish.

Elle Spell with topcoat

Forgive the awkward finger pose. But I just had to show you how ah-mazing Elle Spell is in sunlight. The flakies embedded in the jelly gives it a 3D look. When the light hits it at certain angles, it seems as if your nails are on fire. 

Elle Spell: Green flash

The polish is sheer even at three coasts but I do not mind VNL, so no issues. Application was great though it had a slight tendency to build up near the nail tips. Nothing that cannot be managed, though. The colour made my hand look fairer and I could not help checking out the various shades of flakies every other moment. After wearing it for some days, it began to chip. So, I added a coat or two of this ADS holographic glitter in a red base I had got a while ago.

ADS red holo glitter

This polish turned Elle Spell into a more truer red but the glitter was really the icing on the cake. 

This polish was so beautiful, I just did not find it in me to cover it with stamping. So, what do you thing about this one? Do leave a comment below!

Product: Elle Spell
Brand: Barielle
Colour: Red with gold-orange flakies
Finish: Jelly, slightly textured
Qty: 13.3 ml
Price/Availability: $8 but can be bought for a discount at certain websites (Not available in India. Can be ordered through Amazon and transdesign)

Giveaway season

Hi lovelies,

The nail blogging world abounds with giveaways this week.

For purple lovers, visiting NailXchange is a must. Click here to access the giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally. It  ends on October 03, 2012.

This giveaway for jelly lovers. I love the sheerness and squishyness of jellies. They are so versatile and best of all, they can be used to make sandwiches... glitter or flakie fillings. Yummilicious. Check out Bee Polished's giveaway to win yourself some Zoya Glosses.

The Crumpet is celebrating her 1,250 followers giveaway here with indie polishes. So, if like me, you are in a country where indie makers do not ship, enter now. The giveway is open till September 15.

Check out this awesome giveaway at Spellbinding Nails. This was one of the first blogs I started following when I turned a stamping fiend and I envy her collection of nail plates. This giveaway which is open internationally will end on October 3. All the prizes include the much-coveted Max Factor Fantasy Fire. The rest include stamping plates, nail art equipment, brushes, stickers and a whole bunch of other goodies. 

Now an Indian giveaway! Check out this one by Endless Panache. If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you'd know I am not much into make-up. Yet. But the goodies that Sophia is offering are too tempting to be given a miss. My heart is particularly set on the jade and purple gel eyeliners. Since MAC is not available in my city, winning this would help me get my hands on this much-touted brand.

Swatch: Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

Hi lovelies,

Recognise this beauty?

Guess what?

You are right! This is the coveted Deborah Lippmann's Ray of Light, which is described as 'electric indigo blue' with a '3D holographic' finish.

DL Ray of Light

Without its packing....

DL Ray of Light, blurred

As you can see, there is nothing electric or holographic about it. This is a dusty navy blue jelly based polish, packed with irregular copper red flakies that flashes blue/green/yellow at certain angles. 

Shade: DL Ray of Light 

Surprisingly, the formula on this baby was pretty thick. Super thick, in fact. It was not that easy working it on the nails. I was very tempted to add a dab of thinner to the polish but I didn't know what effect it would have on the flakies. So resisted. For such an expensive and touted polish, this was a disappointing result.

DL Ray of Light

Three coats make it pretty opaque. But wait for 3-4 minutes between each coat to avoid clumps or dragging. It is a bit of problem wrapping the tips with this polish as the flakes tend to stick out. That is what happened to my ring finger, trying to clean up the errant flakes.

Shade: DL Ray of Light

I was a bit disenchanted by this polish. I expected the flakies to glow through the polish. No such luck. I felt the flakies had sunk to the bottom of the polish, making it look chunky. Also, despite being a jelly, the finish is not smooth. But this is nothing that a lick of topcoat won't solve.

DL Ray of Light

This was my favourite flash. I simply love the blue-green combination on anything and everything. 
I also stamped on it here.
Excuse the varying hand positions in my posts. I was trying to catch all the colours this polish had to offer. What do you think of this polish? Do leave a comment. 


Product: Ray of Light
Brand: Deborah Lippmann
Colour: Blue with copper flakies
Finish: Jelly, textured
Qty: 15 ml
Price/Availability: $16 to $18 (Not available in India. Can be ordered through Amazon)