Christmas 2014: Day 4 Santa/Elves

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Hi lovelies,

I have been posting less text as I have been completing the challenge but am hardpressed for time to blog. So, please follow me on Instagram @indianlacquerade where I upload pictures regularly and more than what I blog about. 
Coming to the challenge, this week's prompt is Santa and/or Elves. I decided to go with a simple manicure.

 I used Glam Polish Coven, a a rich red scattered holo with red holo hex glitter, and Conjuring, which is Coven's emerald counterpart. Both polishes are from the Cast a Spell collection.
 I used OPI Alpine Snow, OPI Honey Ryder and Colorbar Red Earth to draw the pompoms. 
 

This manicure was well-liked on Instagram. How about you? Do you like this manicure? Don't forget to leave a comment below.

An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Polish Whose Name You Cannot Pronounce: Day 39 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,
It is uncanny how taking up a polish challenge immediately attracts a mountainload of work at office. Anyway, moving on to the challenge (I am determined to finish blogging about it even if it takes me into my old age doing so), I do not really own polishes with tongue-twisting names. The hardest one I could think of was Model's Own Sardonyx.

Model's Own Sardonyx with topcoat

This is from its Velvet Goth collection. It is a deep red base packed with tiny red and black glitters. It applies glossy and dries to a matte finish. 

Model's Own Sardonyx with topcoat

It gives off a 2D effect but is not rough on the nails. The bottle has an interesting velvet lid.

Model's Own Sardonyx without topcoat

I used a golden bow sticker on my accent nail. What do you think of this manicure? Don't forget to leave a comment.

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Indian Independence Day

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Hi lovelies,

I'll make this short and sweet. This is the manicure I did to celebrate India's 68th Independence Day on Friday, August 15.

The base is Faces White Knight, a silver beige matte polish, on which I stamped with Mundo De Unas Green, Orange and Papyrus (a light cream).

I used two stamps from BundleMonster 406 plate for this design.I used my new neon orange (I know my camera freaked out) and neon green studs from Born Pretty Store to jazz it up a bit.
I also submitted it to Indian Lacquer Lovers on Facebook where nail bloggers have put up their creations to celebrate the Indian Independence Day.

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#TGPNPC Gold: Day 36 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,

For this prompt, I bring you my first MAC polish. And it is very special also because it was a gift from lovely Dhara who blogs at The Happi Therapy.

MAC Sinfully Sweet

This is Sinfully Sweet from the MAC Indulge Collection of Fall 2013. This limited edition polish is described as 'sparkling champagne with gold pearl'. It means the polish is a gold shimer mixed with warm gold flecks. 

MAC Sinfully Sweet

Though gold, the colour is not in your face. And it goes with most of your outfits. I really liked this polish, hope you do too.
The bottle shot:

Check out other participants here:
An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Brown: Day 35 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,

The next theme for the Neverending Pile Challenge is Brown. I do not have a lot of brown polishes. Probably because I do not think they'll suit my skin colour. But there is this one polish that stole my heart: Femme Fatale's This Fruitcake is Not a Lie.

Femme Fatale's This Fruitcake is Not a Lie layered over Inglot 346

The Fruitcake... is part of FF's Christmas 2013 Trio."A burgundy brown jelly base filled with shimmer brown and caramel along with magenta squares, chocolate hexes, and accents of red and green. Definitely a festive shade, this colour was inspired by the tradional fruitcakes served during the holiday season," states their website.

Femme Fatale's This Fruitcake is Not a Lie layered over Inglot 346

The polish was packed with glitter. I layered it over Inglot 346 (warm dark brown with golden shimmer) as seen on my pointer and pinky. The two polishes seemed made for each other.

Here's a close up of all the lovely glitters in this gorgeous polish. It dries a bit textured as you can see in this picture. Two coats of Seche Vite should take care of the problem.
How many colours can you spot? I haven't had a proper fruitcake but after owning this polish, I definitely want to get my hands on some :)
Did you like this polish? If so, do leave a comment below.

An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Green: Day 34 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,

Still catching up with the Neverending challenge on my blog, the challenge is GREEN! And I had a tough time choosing from the scores of green polishes I own. Finally, I decided to go with a lemming I managed to fulfil: here's Picture Polish Kryptonite.

Picture Polish Kryptonite indoors

I am no superman, but this polish is a killer! Just look at it. Perfect colour, perfect depth, perfect sparkle. OMG! I just couldn't stop staring at it.

Picture Polish Kryptonite in sunlight

Kryptonite is a blogger collab shade by PP created in 2012 with Australian blogger Cathy aka More Nail Polish (you must check out this blog). This is a dark green scattered holo which dries smooth on the nail. The formula was excellent. This is three coats.

Picture Polish Kryptonite: holo macro shot

Here's a shaky print of a macro shot so you can see the holo particles. I am so much in love with this polish that the thought of doing nail art just did not enter my head. I do not want to apply it, just admire the bottle (kooky, or what?).
What do you think about this shade? Do leave a comment below.

An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Polish Whose Name You Cannot Pronounce: Day 39 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,
I do not really own polishes with tongue-twisting names. The hardest one I could think of was Model's Own Sardonyx.
 

Model's Own Sardonyx with topcoat

This is from its Velvet Goth collection. It is a deep red base packed with tiny red and black glitters. It applies glossy and dries to a matte finish. 
 

Model's Own Sardonyx with topcoat

It gives off a 2D effect but is not rough on the nails. The bottle has an interesting velvet lid.

Model's Own Sardonyx without topcoat

I used a golden bow sticker on my accent nail. What do you think of this manicure? Don't forget to leave a comment.


An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Pink: Day 30 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,
Pink is a colour I am not very fond of. I consider it too girly, that's totally not me :D Yet, surprisingly my stash does include pink polishes (wonder when I bought that?!).

Colorbar Bubbly

This is Bubbly from the Colorbar Quick Finish Range. It is a hot pink creme -- a colour I would not wear on its own. I feel it is too bright for my colouring. But since the challenge is also about wearing colours never worn before, I decided to wear it as polish instead of using it as part of a gradient or stamping polish. 

Colorbar Bubbly

 Since I was still uncomfortable going absolutely pink, I layered a glitter polish on it. I got a couple of these cute jelly glitters from a neighbouring store. They do not have any names. This one is a pink jelly with white matte hexes and bars along with iridescent micro glitters. It covered the pink enough to make me comfortable wearing it for two days.

And, I conquered my fear of pink. What do you think of this manicure? Do leave a comment below.

 Check out the other participants here:
An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Two Cremes: Day 29 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi,
For the two cremes prompt, I fell back on my most bought brand: Colorbar. Check out my stash here.

Colorbar Royal Velvet and Famous Plum dotted with A-England Lady of the Lake and Tristam

This is Royal Velvet from their Pro range. It is a dusty blurple creme. The brushes in this range are thick. The formula is rich and leaves no streaks. Most of them are one- or two-coaters. A boon for nail art lovers.

Colorbar Royal Velvet and Famous Plum dotted with A-England Lady of the Lake and Tristam

 I paired it with Famous Plum from the Quick Finish Range. This is a lavender creme. This is two coats. The formula was problem-free and dried fast as claimed. 

Colorbar Royal Velvet and Famous Plum dotted with A-England Lady of the Lake and Tristam

I dotted it with A-England Lady of the Lake (purple holo) and Tristam (blue holo) which kind of got lost in the colours :(
What do you think of these colours? Don't forget to leave a comment below.

Check out the other participants here:

An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Solar/Thermal: Day 25 of The Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,

The solar/thermal trend in nail polishes picked up in earnest last year. I got a couple of colour-changing thermals from Polish Me Silly (formerly known as Lush Lacquer).
This one is Grape Intentions, which is fuschia/magenta when warm and a gorgeous deep purple when cold. It contains a mix of hot pink and purple holo glitters in various sizes. 

Polish Me Silly Grape Intentions color-changing thermal stamped with XL C plate

You can see the transition in the photograph above and below.

Polish Me Silly Grape Intentions color-changing thermal

Full disclosure: I tried out this manicure in winter but never posted it online. There is no other way I could have shown you a thermal polish as it is so hot in my city that even the free edge of my nails maintain the warm colour, so no transition. Not even a mild one :( 

Warm: Polish Me Silly Grape Intentions color-changing thermal

The pink (when warm) in this polish looks a bit garish with my skin tone. So I stamped a flower design from XL C plate on it using Revlon Grape (Now, that's an ultimate match). And it totally balanced everything.

Cold: Polish Me Silly Grape Intentions color-changing thermal

 I kept busy dipping my fingers in cold water to see the transition of colours like everyone else who owns a thermal (don't deny it). I wish winters would get here fast so I could try out thermals again. What do  you think of this? Do leave a comment below.

Check out the other participants here:

An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Texture: Day 16 of Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,
I used the striping tape art for this manicure. The gorgeous texture polish featured here is OPI Honey Ryder, a light gold texture from its Bond Girls collection, and Faces Matte Savita.

I love the way this manicure came together. The gold looks beautiful on my dusky skin and contrasted awesomely with the matte blurple.

The purple is Faces Matte Savita. Yep, You heard it right. It has been named after it's inspiration:  Zoya Savita, a shimmery matte blurple. Since I have both I might do a comparison once I am back Home.

Here's another look. Most people liked the design on my pointer finger. What about You? Don't forget to leave a comment below :)

An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Vampy: Day 13 of the Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi lovelies,

I managed to use two unused polishes for the Vampy challenge: Violet Divine from Revlon StreetWear's Shine Divine range, and Chunky Holo Black from Kleancolor to create this look.

Violet Divine is a dark eggplant purple creme. The first coat is a little streaky, and two coats will do the trick if you apply it carefully.


Sorry for the underwater look :P. Mercury touched 45°C and my topcoat began bubbling like crazy.
Here's another shot of the creme.

Then, I layered Chunky Holo Black over it. Though named so, there is nothing black or holo about this polish. It actually has a murky brown base with large and medium green-orange duochrome glitters. 

The Kleancolor covered the eggplant base completely! I just could not stop looking at my nails. Just check out the duochrome in this picture.

Though it contains chunky glitter, I just needed one coat of Seche Vite to make it smooth. I was captivated by this look despite all the polish trouble I had due to the crazy hot weather here.

Check out the other participants here:
  An InLinkz Link-up

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#TGPNPC Least Expensive: Day 11 of the Neverending Pile Challenge

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Hi fellow lacqueraders,

I was spoilt for choice for this challenge. And decided to use up four insanely cheap polishes to get them out of my way. 

Etude 114 (jade green creme), Etude 137 (metallic purple), Insight 231 Bold Blue (dark blue creme), Insight 254 Dream star (shimmery gold-green).

  These are Etude 114 (jade green creme), Etude 137 (metallic purple), Insight 231 Bold Blue (dark blue creme), Insight 254 Dream Star (shimmery gold-green). I got the Etudes and shimmery green Insight for Rs 25 ($0.41). I bought Insight Bold Blue for Rs 35 ($0.58). I think they might contain 7 ml polish. I don't know which polish can be cheaper than this! 

Etude 114 (jade green creme), Etude 137 (metallic purple), Insight 231 Bold Blue (dark blue creme), Insight 254 Dream star (shimmery gold-green).

I put down a base coat of the green creme, and swiped a stripe of the shimmery green in the middle of each finger. I put down a strip of blue on each side of the shimmery green. And then, striped the metallic purple on each side of the blue.
While it sounds complicated, the polishes dried fast and I was done with the manicure in 2 minutes. All I needed was a nail art brush. I used one from a nail art pen. 

Etude 114 (jade green creme), Etude 137 (metallic purple), Insight 231 Bold Blue (dark blue creme), Insight 254 Dream star (shimmery gold-green).

 This is the first time I used stripes in a manicure. I found this to be quite an interesting look. What about you? Leave a comment below.
Check out the other participants here...

An InLinkz Link-up

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Getting Ready for Christmas: Under the mistletoe

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Hi lovelies,

The next Getting Ready for Christmas Challenge was Mistletoe. This one also fulfills the Nature theme thrown by the Totally Doable Nail Art Challenge. I have to say this challenge stumped me coz I had no idea what a mistletoe looked like. So I looked up some nail art online and this is what I came up with.

Though I have a sneaky feeling this is more holly than mistletoe... am I wrong? 
The polishes used here are Zoya pixie dusts in Chita (green) and Tomoko (silvery nude). I stamped on it using Zoya Holly (yes, I see the connection). The berries were dotted using OPI Magazine Mouse (textured sparkly red).

I really love how this manicure looked. What do you think? Don't forget to leave a comment.

Polishes used:
Zoya Chita (green)
Zoya Tomoko (silver nude)
OPI Magazine Mouse (red berries)

For stamping:
Polish: Zoya Holly

Plates: Winstonia 120 

P.S. Connect with me.

Instagram: http://instagram.com/indianlacquerade#

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Google+ Circle: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113117093379493032774/posts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndianLacquerad
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Indianlacquerade

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Totally Doable Challenge: Studded

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Hi lovelies,

The fourth challenge in the Totally Doable Challenge by Californails is studded. Studs, somehow, always bring to mind metal ones. I ordered some online but it has not landed yet. I guess the Christmas rush is to blame.
However, since I did not have any metal studs, I made do with these cute ones.

I love the simplicity of this manicure. These are some plastic blue studs on China Glaze United, a textured rose mauve holographic glitter. I would classify it as a liquid sand polish. I have no clue why it was not marketed as one.

The pink polish is just perfect to set off the blue studs IMHO. That's it for this challenge. Don't forget to leave a comment :)

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31DC2013: Day 16 Tribal print

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Hi lovelies,

Day 16 of the 31 Day Challenge is tribal nails. While everyone was doing tribal art from America, I wanted to focus on an Indian art form.
Can you guess what it is?

 Yes... I chose Warli art (Read below for more on this form).

Ideally, I should have used a brick red background for obvious reasons, but I had just got my hands on this beautiful purple with a reddish golden shimmer (not evident in the pic ) and was compelled to use it. Who knows better than you guys what that feeling is .
Since I was running late on this manicure and was already in office, I had no acrylics or brush to paint the design. Aah, well Indians are not known as jugaadus for no reason. I improvised and used a silver gel pen to freehand the design on it. I was not quite sure how the other challengers would view this 'strange' print. To my surprise, it received quite a few likes. Well, what do you know!

Base used:
OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI

For design:
Silver gel pen

ABOUT WARLI:
The Warlis or Varlis are an indigenous tribe or Adivasis, living in mountainous as well as coastal areas of Maharashtra-Gujarat border and surrounding areas.They have their own animistic beliefs, life, customs and traditions, as a result of acculturation they have adopted many Hindu beliefs.
In the book The Painted World of the Warlis Yashodhara Dalmia claimed that the Warlis carry on a tradition stretching back to 2500 or 3000 BCE. Their mural paintings are similar to those done between 500 and 10,000 BCE in the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, in Madhya Pradesh.
Their extremely rudimentary wall paintings use a very basic graphic vocabulary: a circle, a triangle and a square.Their paintings were monosyllbic. The circle and triangle come from their observation of nature, the circle representing the sun and the moon, the triangle derived from mountains and pointed trees. Only the square seems to obey a different logic and seems to be a human invention, indicating a sacred enclosure or a piece of land.
Source: Wikipedia

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31DC2013: Day 15 Delicate Print

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Hi lovelies,

My net is back up (for now) and I will finish putting up the challenges I've met. Day 15 of the 31 Day Challenge by Chalkboard Nails is Delicate Print. 
Here's my take:

I love how simple and elegant this print is. A pink base with white stamping would have really brought the delicateness to fore. But then, pink and me? Yeah right ;)
So, what do you think about this manicure? Don't forget to write your views.


Colours used:

Base: OPI Jade is the New Black 

For stamping:
Polish: China Glaze Passion (antique gold)

Plates: Konad M71 (full nail flowers) 

 P.S. Connect with me.

Instagram: http://instagram.com/indianlacquerade#
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Google+ Circle: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113117093379493032774/posts
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31DC2013: Day 9 Rainbow

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Hi lovelies,

Day 9 of the 31 Day Challenge by Chalkboard Nails is Rainbows! And what could be more exciting than that? I loved the theme but had no idea how to go about it. There are so many rainbow manicures out there... Finally, I landed on this one.

This is inspired by a Maryammaquillage.com manicure that I found on Pinterest. I used fabric/acrylic colours for this art as I did not want to go about mixing polishes for the correct shade. Also, acrylics are easier to work with. Err... the single piece of glitter you see on my middle finger was floating in my top coat and landed exactly in the middle of the nail. So, I did not bother removing it. 
This manicure grabbed a lot of eyeballs. And has been my best effort so far. Do you agree with me? Don't forget to leave a comment below :)


Nail art:
Acrylic colours used



P.S. Don't forget to connect with me.
Instagram: http://instagram.com/indianlacquerade#
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