2True fast dry nail polish in Shade 1 & NOTD

This polish is so so very glossy! I do love it even though it took 3 coats to become opaque. Can't really complain as you can get 3 items from the 2True range for £5.00 from Superdrug which is a great bargain.

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I did of course have to add a little nail art to it:

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What I used:

Base colour: 2True quick dry polish in shade no 1 (3 coats)

Beautiful Scratchers white stamping polish

The diamonds are from Bundle Monster plate BM09

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

xo

Review: Beautiful Scratchers nail art stamping polishes

Hi :) Not long ago I blogged about the Iron Red stamping polish I purchased from Beautiful Scratchers. Well I was so impressed I decided to place another order and get some more. Here are the ones I bought:

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I got the 0.2oz size's which costs $3 each (around £1.90). As before my order arrived on my doorstep within 2 weeks. Here are the swatches and a quick review on them:

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White:  Opacity rating 10/10 This is just as good as konad's white stamping polish 

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Cherry: Opacity rating 9/10 This one is a lovely hot pink despite looking more like red in this picture. 

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Metallic ice pink:

Opacity rating 9/10 This one is so gorgeous. I can't wait to try it over a pastel pink

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Black:  Opacity rating 7/10 This one seemed alot thinner than the others and did not transfer as well as the others. Will stick with Konad's black stamping polish.

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Purple: Opacity rating 9/10 This one is a gorgeous blue tinged purple. 

Overall these polishes are wonderful quality and just as good as Konad's.

 The colour selection is wide and there is the option of 3 different sizes. I can't wait to try them out on my nails and 100% recommend these polishes and the Beautiful Scratchers website :)

Marina

xo

NOTD: Beware of cupid's bow

I think this is the most individual image plates I have used for one manicure :)

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What I used:

Base colour: China Glaze 'Ruby Pumps' (2 coats)

Barry M 'Gold Foil' as a stamping polish

The cupid is from Konad M34, The flower Konad M36, The big heart Konad M59 and the Tiny Hearts from Bundle Monster BM03

Seche Vite topcoat

Marina

xo

Little Haul: Some new nail polishes

At the weekend I went to Superdrug to take advantage of the 3 for 2 across all cosmetics offer. I picked up some make up and these polishes:

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I will share the swatches with you very soon :)

Do any of you have these polishes?

Marina

xo

Adopt a polish?

 Hello :) Have you heard about the fun website adopt a polish? Its basically a no kill shelter for unwanted polishes! 

Look at this poor little fellow desperate for a loving forever home.

You make an application on the website stating your reasons as to why you should get to adopt the polish you desire and if the adoption panel deem you a fit parent the polish will come home to you :P

Unfortunately the polishes have been through enough of an ordeal and cannot travel....so unless you are in the USA or Canada you can't adopt which is a shame.....

BUT! It has given me the idea that I could totally start up an adoption scheme of my own as I have SO many polishes that I have used once or twice and abandoned. 

Nail polishes do not deserve to sit in a box unused and unappreciated they need to be worn which is why I plan on preparing my little polish orphans for their new homes soon :) 

Better one of my fellow nail addicts gets them as otherwise I would probably just be ruthless and bin them as I am trying to de-clutter at the moment.

As I am not exactly flush with cash I will only be able to let my little ones be re-homed at the rate of one a week.

I will let my little ones go anywhere as its a big world    :P

So, what do you think? Would you be interested in giving an abandoned polish a new home?

Marina

xo

Beautiful Scratchers: Sanrio nail art stamping plate & Iron red stamping polish

A little while ago I discovered the wonderful Beautiful Scratchers nail art website. I fell in love with the wide selection of nail art stamping plates and their own brand of very affordable stamping polishes.

I ordered plate S6 and a small stamping polish in Iron Red which is a lovely shimmery bright red. The stamping plate cost $7 which is around £4.50 and the polish was $3 which is around £2.00. My parcel was with me in just under two weeks which is rather speedy for international airmail.

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Here are the images from the plate tested on some white paper:

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The designs all stamped really clearly so I would not hesitate in ordering more of these plates from the site :)

And here is the Iron Red stamping polish:

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This polish is amazing! The quality is just as good as Konad's special stamping polishes and the colour selection is alot more varied so I can't wait to order lots more. Another benefit of this range is the polishes come in three different sizes and can be used as a normal nail polish also (I have not tried this yet so I cant say how well it works)

Off Topic: Does anyone else's BM205 design rarely transfer properly?

Oh and I have no idea why I did not just use the red stamping polish to test the Sanrio plate :P

Here is the Charmmy Kitty design on my nails:

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Please excuse my dry cuticles...I forgot to use my Solar Oil for a while and the effects show :/

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I also stamped the little bows from plate QA12 I blogged about ***here*** and a  flower from Konad image plate M36.

The base colour is two coats of Nubar black chrome and the stamping polish is Barry M gold foil. As always the topcoat is Seche Vite.

I love how this manicure turned out......I don't say that often! 

Have any of you shopped from this site before? 

Marina

xo

Wednesday wants: Holographic polish heaven @ Llarowe.com

I stumbled upon the most amazing site recently selling what I can honestly say are the most gorgeous holographic polishes I have ever seen! 

The site is http://shop.llarowe.com/main.sc 

The owner of the shop confirmed to me on her FB page that all of the brands she stocks are cruelty free :) Now they are not the cheapest polishes but I guess that is to be expected as im sure all that holo goodness doesn't come cheap!

Here are some swatches from the site, prepare to be dazzled:

I plan on ordering a polish very soon once I have decided on just one which is not easy when I want them all :P

What do you think? Have you bought from this site before? 

Marina

xo

Fashion inspiration: Moi-même-Moitié

If you are a fan of gothic lolita fashion you will be no stranger to Moi-même-Moitié. If you have absolutely no idea what I am on about and want to know more click ***here***

This brand is pure gothic luxe with a price tag to match!

 The prints are to die for and the advertising imagery is just stunningly beautiful. 

I think even if you are not a fan of this fashion you can still appreciate the pretty photographs :)

All images are from this wonderful blog: http://moi-meme-moitie.tumblr.com/

Oh how I wish I had the iron gate dress in black/gold!

Are you a fan of gothic lolita fashion? 

Are you lucky enough to own any Moi-même-Moitié?

Marina

xo

Hello Kitty nail art stamping plate QA12

Hello. As a Hello Kitty devotee I am always trawling the internet looking for the latest cute HK branded stuff. One late night while browsing ebay I found a seller based in Hong Kong that sells super cute fauxnad nail art stamping plates and without hesitation I bought plate QA12, the Hello Kitty one:

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This plate costs just £2.83 and can be bough here **clicky** 

In case for whatever reason that link does not work the ebay item number is 280758558644 and the seller is 'samuelwsk333'

It arrived on my doorstep in just under two weeks and after using it a few times I can vouch for it being good quality.

Here are all of the designs stamped on some paper:

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As you can see all of the images transferred rather well. If there are any small gaps this is likely down to my stamping ability not the plate!

And on my nails:

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I used the small HK face and the larger bow for this manicure and the images transferred perfectly to my nails. I used Barry M silver foil polish for stamping and the purple base colour is Models Own Purple Poppy. 

I absolutely LOVE this plate and have it to thank for getting my stamping mojo back :) 

What do you think? Will you be getting one?

Marina

xo

"That'll do, pig. That'll do."

Hi :) 

(image from CuteOverload)

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What I used:

Models Own 'Pink Punch' 

Nubar Opulent Pearl (1 coat on top)

White, pale pink & black acrylic paint
Small dotting tool 
Seche vite topcoat

Marina

xo

Craving curls & new hair

Hi :) I thought I would share with you all my new blonder hair. At my last hair appointment my lovely hairdresser managed to remove any remaining pink highlights and lighten my hair up a few shades.

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It is quite a bit lighter and is taking some getting used too!

When I was in Manchester at the weekend getting ready to go to the Britney concert I decided I would try to curl my hair as I have not curled my hair in years!

I used a conical wand and managed to do my whole head in just minutes!

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Please excuse the miserable face and crappy bathroom lighted pictures!

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Whilst I liked how it looked I did not like how frazzled some of my hair looked the next day! I did use plenty of heat protection but I guess the high heat was just too much for my fine fragile hair. This led me to ponder other methods for achieving curls.

I have been eyeing up these curlers for a while now:

They are the Enrapture Extremity Heated Hair Rollers and they cost an eye watering £75!  I think they are supposed to cause less damage to the hair than using a heated tong and are apparently perfect for creating both curls and volume which is something my hair desperately needs! 

I had seen them on someone's blog a while back but forgot about them until I watched the gorgeous Imogen (Foxy Lock's) youtube tutorial for Kardashian hair using these rollers. 

The results are impressive! I want me some Kardashian hair! :P I have added the Enrapture rollers to my wish list and hope to get them soon as my hair is always so straight and boring.

Are any of you heated roller devotee's? Do you have the Enrapture heated rollers?

Marina

xo

Crafty things: 1st attempt at ribbon roses

When the longer winter nights come in there is nothing I like to do more than sit by the fire and get crafting :) Last week I tried to make some ribbon roses as I wanted a nice new hair band. 

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I looked at so many tutorials online and on youtube but found them hard to follow so my rose is far from perfect! I think I follow instructions from books better :P Despite it not turning out as well as I hoped I still can't wait to go get some more ribbons and give it another try :)

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What do you think?

Do you have any craft projects planned or in progress?

Marina

xo