AIS: Yellow base

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Hi lovelies,

Some of you might know that I am a member of Adventures in Stamping, a stampaholics group on Facebook. They have a challenge for every Sunday, and this week, it was doing nail art on a yellow base.
Since yellow is a colour I do not use regularly, I thought it was a good idea to meet the challenge.

Colorbar Sun Blaze stamped with BM 206 using MdU White

I used Colorbar Sun Blaze, a bright buttery yellow, from the Quick Finish range as my base. As with most yellows, this one was streaky despite all my careful ministrations. But when I added a coat of Wet N Wild Kaleidoscope -- a clear base filled with holo micro glitters, to add some sparkle, the polish levelled out.
And then, I went ahead and smudged by middle finger real bad. So, I layered a coat of Color Club Gingerbread, a gold-based holo glitter to cover up my mistake.

Colorbar Sun Blaze stamped with BM 206 using MdU White

Since it was a stamping challenge, I used the flower buds image from BM 206 and stamped with Mundo De Unas White. This toned down the 'yellowness' of the polish, and made it more wearable for me :)
How did you like this manicure? Don't forget to drop a line.

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31DC2013: Day 3 Yellow

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Hi lovelies,

I have got my internet for a while, so I am grabbing this chance to upload as many pictures of the challenge as possible. To ease my life, and put less load on my Internet, I am reposting my pictures from Instagram, so please bear with me.
Day 3 was yellow, a colour I sport very reluctantly. But I really really loved what I ended up with. Want a look? Here...

Isn't it gorgeous? The base is a pastel yellow which I have layered with Lush Lacquer Freckles -- small neon matte glitters in orange, purple, hot pink, green and blue. I could be missing a couple of colours here. 
I am glad I layered this polish over a pastel instead of white. It was a beauty alright!
Once the challenge is over, I promise to swatch and review all the glitters and indie polishes I will be showing along the way :)
Would you like that?

Polishes used:
Base: VoV pastel yellow
Glitter: Lush Lacquer Freckles


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

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Holi God, That's bright!

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Hi girls!

Tomorrow is Easter and I will not have any time for anything except family and food! The two best things in life :) Don't you agree? But before that, here is the manicure I did for Holi.

For those who have no idea what Holi is, it is the Festival of Colours celebrated with great enthusiasm in most parts of India. People throw gulaal (coloured powder) and coloured water at each other. If you want to know why, check this link.

 Here's a closer look at the design. I painted on Colorbar neons in Pina Colada, Lime Green and Pink Lady onto a white base and then stamped on it with Konad Black using the Nail Craze stamping plate no 2. The Seche Vite really spoiled this look by smearing. But hey! How could I fret when this is what I was going to end up as?

So, did you like my Holi manicure? Don't forget to leave a comment :)

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Holiday Movie nails

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Hi lovelies,

When I saw this challenge at Plump & Polished, and also at the one jointly hosted by Overpolished and Pink & Polished,  I was stumped. Would you believe I hadn't watched a Christmas movie?!! I couldn't believe it myself. So I researched on some holiday movies, did my nails and then got down to watch the movie. Kinda kooky, but guess what I ended up watching?

Yup. It's the 2003-starrer Elf! Starring comedy star Will Ferrell and the lovely Zooey Deschanel.

The story is about a baby boy who is brought up as one of Santa's elves. And when he learns of his true identity (that he is a human), he goes to New York to meet his biological father. In the process he spreads Christmas cheer all around.
I really, really enjoyed watching the movie. I love comedies. 

Coming back to the nails, I feel I should have made the legs thinner and longer, like a drain pipe. Better luck to me next time! So, which is your favourite movie? Have you watched Elf? It is good for a great laugh. Don't forget to comment on my manicure :)

Polishes used:

LA Girls Matte Alpine Green (base)

NYX Blue glitter (layer of iridescent glitter)

OPI Alpine Snow (ascent nail base)

Acrylic colours in white, yellow, light green, dark green and blue. 

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Christmas Penguins

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Hi lovelies,

I am loving the Christmas challenges. How about you? I will leave you with a short post here because I have to meet three other challenges today. These are my penguin nails for Day 2 of the Plump and Polished Challenge.

Though I did them yesterday, I had no time to post it till now. Better than never! The challenges are pushing me to try new styles I hadn't used before. This is the first time I used acrylic paint on my nails. I had no idea they were so easy to work with!

This was the penguin on the thumb. I found these Santa penguins on a Youtube tutorial by Pretty Nails. Aren't they cute and goofy?

That was the final shot. Did you like them? Don't forget to leave a comment!


Polishes used:
Colorbar Exclusive 14 (blue creme)
Wet N Wild Wild Shine Kaleidoscope (micro holographic glitter)
Acrylic paints: Dark blue, red, yellow and white

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Floating on Floam

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Hi lacqueraders,

Do you ever get tired of a colour? I do. Red is my nemesis. Except for Barielle's Elle Spell which I sported here, there has never been a red I could stand for more than two days. And even that is a feat. I usually want to take it off as soon as I put it on *shrugs*.
I love the blue-green combination. Therefore, it was a surprise for me when I could not figure out what the hype about Floam was all about. I got Sticks and Stones from Ninja Polish and added Floam to the basket just to see why bloggers were going so gaga about it. Well, now I know... and how. Be ready to be picture-bombed!

Isn't this a beauty?! This polish was first frankened by Amy from the blog I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous. But Ninja Polish started producing it later with her permission.

 It has matte green and neon blue glitter with a smattering of yellow, too, in a clear base. The polish is thick, but it dries fast and hard. This one did not chip even after I sported it for over eight days! Do wait in between coats to avoid bald spots.

Since this polish has been around for some time now, I learnt that it was very hard to get off. So I layered it over my blue peel-off polish. This polish can be used as a layer polish with one coat or lend full coverage with three coats.

The finish is slightly gritty. The matte glitters do not shine. But I loved the way it looked and did not topcoat it. Also, like with all glitters, this one cannot be wrapped around the nails either. But that should not be a problem with this beauty's amazing staying power!

This is such a striking polish, everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone, will take notice. It has a very tropical feel. The photos do not do justice to its neon-iness. It will definitely grab eyeballs and compliments! 
Here's a macro shot to drool over:

Product: Floam

Brand: Nail-Venturous/ Ninja Polish

Collection/Range:  Floam  (Check out the other versions: Girly Floam, Humblebee Floam, Pinkerbell, Sunny Floam and Spooky Floam which is glow-in-the-dark!). 

Colour: Matte neon glitter in clear base
Finish: Slighty gritty
Qty: 15 ml
Price/Availability: $9 (Rs 500 approx). It is not available in India. Can be ordered through Ninja Polish.

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Neon tips

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Hi lovelies,

I am keeping this post short. You've already seen the colorful and bright Colorbar polishes that adorned my nails here. And this is what I had in mind when I painted each of my nails a separate colour. 

L to R: Colorbar Bubbly, Pina Colada, Twisted Peach and Lime Margarita

I taped off the tips and used Colorbar Exclusive 76 (black creme) to cover the rest of my nails (Yes, I did tape off a bit too much on my pinkie). The result is an easy but funky manicure. The best part: You can keep this manicure for a week if you paint them in colours that dominate your wardrobe :)
You can also try this if you are not confident of carrying off such bright colours. My friends loved it, what about you? Don't forget to leave me a comment below!

Product: 76
Brand: Colorbar
Range: Exclusive 
Colour: Black
Finish: Creme
Qty: 9 ml
Price/Availability: Rs 150 (Available at Colorbar stores, local stores selling Colobar brand and online stores like Urbantouch.com, violetbag.com, purplle.com, snapdeal.com, myntra.com, flipkart.com and others)  

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Blinding neons

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Hi lovelies,I have shown you dark and light polishes, simple and glittery polishes. Now it is time for some brights! Neons, to be precise. These are from Colorbar's 'Cocktail Brights' Collection. I got it from the Colorbar store at AlphaOne Mall in Ahmedabad. Damn! Living close to a mall does no good to the pocket ;)

L to R: Colorbar Bubbly, Pina Colada, Twisted Peach and Lime Margarita

The product description is interesting:Colorbar introduces an intoxicating line of Bright Neon Nail Paints, an intoxicating collection of nail-paint hues inspired by cocktail colours. Adding additional sizzle to the drizzle season, Cocktail Brights include plush plum and envy green, with bursts of bright pink, cheeky yellow, orange and blingy red.



So find your favourite lacquer from Pina Colada (neon yellow), Lime Margarita (neon green), Bloody Mary (neon magenta), Plum Grenadine (neon purple), Tangerine Mojito (neon orange), and Pink Lady (neon pink). It is long lasting and its toluene free formulation protects your nails from turning yellow. With extreme gloss it is guaranteed to brighten up the dullest of days.

Colorbar collection: Bubbly, Pina Colada, Twisted Peach, Lime Margarita, Bloody Mary 

I bought Pina Colada, Lime Margarita and Bloody Mary thinking I had Colorbar dupes of the remaining three. But I was wrong. The ones I left behind were way brighter (of course!). The bottles are pretty sturdy with a silver cap. Interestingly, this collection has stickers in the same colour affixed to the top. 

Bubbly, Pina Colada, Twisted Peach

Second shot:

Twisted Peach, Lime Margarita, Bloody Mary

I had a simple but colourful manicure in mind, so I swatched them each on a finger. To fill the gap I used Bubbly (bright pink) on my pinkie and Twisted Peach (coral) on the middle finger from Colorbar's quick finish range.

Bottle: Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary on my thumb. It looks blood red in the bottle. On the nail, it is a different story... erm... colour.

The polish dries fast and does not chip easily. True to neons, these colours are sheer. It can be called a crelly because it is not a true jelly. The trick is to layer them on white to bring out its full effect. You can use these on their own, but it might take you 3-4 coats for an even finish.
The brush is just right,  neither  thin as in the Quick Finish bottles nor thick like the Pro range. These are such perfect summery shades! Though I wish they had introduced a blue, too. But even these polishes  can brighten up any winter day (My excuse to splurge). Bring out the sunglasses! 

I am a fan of Colorbar simply for the amount of colour it has introduced for our tips.
So do you like neon colours? What do you think about this range? Don't forget to leave me a comment :)


Product: Lime Margarita, Pina Colada, Bloody Mary
Brand: Colorbar
Colour: Neon green, neon yellow, neon magenta
Finish: Shiny, Crelly
Qty: 9 ml
Price/Availability: Rs 150 (Available at Colorbar stores, local stores selling Colobar brand and Violetbag.com for those who shop online)  

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Zoya Mitzi stamping

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Hi lovelies,

I had written this post earlier but I put it on hold for the Indepedence Day manicure.
A day after applying Zoya Mitzi, I had to go out for an engagement party. Thankfully, I had a dress in a similar but lighter shade. All that was needed to jazz up my manicure was a stamping. And I had just the perfect design in mind: Hibiscus flowers from the plate 318 in the new Bundlemonster set.

I used Konad white to stamp on the base. And picked some glitter from NYX Enchanted Forest to add highlights to the mani as well as match it to the print of the dress.

Another shot with my outfit...

Click on the picture to enlarge it. So, what do you think? Do leave a comment below. I would love to read your inputs. Thanks for reading :)

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Swatch: Zoya Mitzi

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Hi lovelies,

After having worn DL Ray of Light for almost a week, I was in the mood for something bright. It was finally time to break out Zoya Mitzi from the Mod Matte collection. Many bloggers describe it as a lime green matte but I think it is more of a yellow-tinted chartreuse green.

This polish was hard to apply evenly because it dried as soon as I swiped it across the nail. After a couple of tries I realised that going thicker was the trick. After a thin first coat, load up the brush with polish to get some control over the application.  These are three coats to make it opaque.

Since I left it matte without a top coat, it began chipping in 3 days. It could also be the result of the uneven polish. There was a time I would have glanced over this colour, but I confess...  I love, love, love this beauty! This is as bright as it gets without touching dayglow status. And Zoya's frosted glass bottle (for mattes) makes it look an owner's delight :)

I do own a matte top coat but matte polishes are interesting, too. While the Deborah Milano Sense Tech 4 had a satiny matte sheen to it, Mitzi dried pretty flat. Of course, a topcoat means you are not restricted. You can try it on metallics, cremes, and any colour in your polish kitty.

What do you think about matte polishes? Do you use a straight matte polish or a matte topcoat on a regular polish? Let me know in the comments!

Product: Mitzi
Brand: Zoya
Colour: Yellow-tinted chartreuse green
Finish: Matte
Qty: 15 ml
Price/Availability: Rs 405 to Rs 428 (Used to be available on blab.co.in and urbantouch.com, but it is sold out)

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