Drag marbling

Hello~ :) Awhile ago, I tried out drag marbling and it looks so pretty when done correctly, haha! As usual, Colette over at My Simple Little Pleasures was a great inspiration for this mani.

I started off with two thick coats of OPI You don't know Jacques over my base coat and then used my dotting tool to place three random dots of Ulta3 spring shower onto the wet polish. Using a toothpick, I randomly swirled the polish surface and waited a little while before sealing it with my top coat. I really love how simple drag marbling is, now I've just got to experiment more with it :D

~Sharon

Matte leopard print

Hi everyone~ Firstly, thank you so much for the positive response regarding a future giveaway :). I'm really happy to know that a majority of you all don't mind polishes which have been used lightly. Hopefully I'll be able to get around to getting the rest of the polishes soon and posting about the giveaway - I'm undecided at the moment whether it should be a thank you giveaway for reaching 300+ followers or an apologetic one for a great lapse in posts to come in May. Hmmm...the dilemma, hehe ^^

Anyway, this is a recent mani I did since I felt like a matte look. Unfortunately the leopard nail art didn't come out too well this time :(. In fact, I think they look really dodgy, but I love the colour combo and it's the only reason I'm showing this mani.

The polishes used:
OPI Parlez-vous OPI?
Ulta3 spring blossom, black satin
And I forgot to take a picture of this - Sportsgirl matte top coat

I really need to sleep now, I've been up and running since 6.30 this morning @___@
~Sharon

Put on the crack!

Hello~! I've had a super crappy day (yay) but I'm feeling better now so I thought I'd get this post up ^^

Before removing Not like the movies I swatched one coat of OPI Black shatter over it just to see what it'd look like. I'm not sure I like how it's covering up the glorious duochrome, but I'm pleasantly surprised by Black shatter! My initial reaction to the crackle polishes was...lets just say it wasn't very positive, but I kind of get why it's all the rage now haha.

I thought I'd upload this photo to show the duochrome - look at how the light makes the pinky look different to the other nails! :)

And with a topcoat. I tried applying Black shatter in different ways to get more variance in the crackling. I quite like how my index finger turned out :)

Well, I'm now more appreciative of crackle polishes. Here's to more uses of it in the future! :D

~Sharon

Duochromeeeeeeee!

Hey everyone~ :) I have my first polish from Anita's awesome package and it's none other than a duochrome! I seriously cannot get enough of them, and this one is exceptionally pretty <3.

Shown is thin three coats of OPI Not like the movies. I'm normally not a fan of polishes which require 3 or more coats (I'm spoilt like that) but I forgive this one totally. It even has slight VNL at three coats, and I despise VNL but COME ON. Hello, duochrome, duochrome, DUOCHROME. How gorgeous is it?! I love the sparse silver glitter as well, it gives the polish the extra oomph ♥♥♥

See how it flashes from green to gold to pinky-purple? Looooooove <333333.

My photos don't do this any justice, the polish looks 100x more amazing in real life. Honestly run, not walk, to buy this asap!

~Sharon

Goodies from the mail!

Hello~! Recently, I was lucky enough to win Anita's giveaway over at A Splash of Serendipity and received my package a few days ago. Anita gave away OPI's Katy Perry collection, including the Black shatter!

From left to right:
OPI Teenage dream, Last friday night, The one that got away, Not like the movies, Black shatter

Thank you so much Anita for the giveaway, I am so in love with the new polishes <3. I can't wait to show you all these pretties ^^

~Sharon

Some more layering with White Cap :D

Hello~ :) I know I said life is getting hectic in my previous post but I'm so proud of how productive I was today that I'm allowing myself to blog. Honestly, you have no idea how much I usually procrastinate. Weirdly enough, I got a lot of work done at Uni so here I am! :D

Below is two thick coats of Color Club Coastal creme, taken under artificial light with flash. I would have probably done better with three thin coats, but I'm lazy like that :P

I got bored of this really quickly and so layered on China Glaze White cap the next day. I love how subtle but pretty this made my mani look! Photo taken indoors under natural light.

Right, time to return to my studying hole now! :(
~Sharon

More randomness

Hey~ :) This was another easy nail art design I decided to do to jazz up my otherwise plain mani. I applied two coats of Sportsgirl Supernatural on my nails. For my accent nail I applied two coats of Ulta3 black satin and used Glossyblossom nail art striper in violet to do the stripes. Simple mani, but I like it :)

My life is becoming a lot more hectic now with assignments due in pretty much every single week. On top of that, I'll be starting prac and so posts will probably not be as often as they have been recently, haha. I guess I'll be going back to posting every 2 or so days, provided I have time to do my nails.

~Sharon

OPI gift packs for Mothers Day

Hi~ :) I received some information about OPI gift packs for Mothers Day and thought I'd share it since it's quite a steal :). Sorry, this is for my Aussie readers only!

TICKLE HER HEART THIS MOTHERS DAY

OPI invites everyone to pamper their mum this Mothers’ Day with some of her favourite things.
The ultimate pamper pack, Tickle Her Heart, is an ideal gift for the women who likes to maintain her appearance. Tickle Her Heart by OPI contains this season’s most popular neutral shades; Tickle my France-y, a savvy nude; and Sweet Heart a soft sheer nude with a hint of pink, combined with OPI’s Top Coat 15ml and 240 Grit Edge Natural Nail File, all packaged in desirable cosmetic bag, valued at more that $75, this pack will retail for $39.95 at David Jones. 

Show her that you care with the Love the Look, a stylish little pack complete with a pucci design love bracelet and two the best selling OPI lacquers; Lincoln Park After Dark and Big Apple Red. This über chic little pack retails for $29.95 at David Jones.

For the funky mumma, give her her own pack with zing, the Shapely Shapers pack which comes complete with OPI’s Bubble Bath, a soft sheer pink, and OPI’s Strawberry Margarita, a sassy bright pink, plus a funky shaped nail file and tweezer, retailing for $29.95.
Ensure that your mum’s nails and toes sparkle this Mothers’ Day. 

Available from April 2011, at selected beauty salons, spas, and David Jones nationally. For your nearest OPI stockists contact 1800 358 999 or visit www.opi.net.au.

Considering OPI nail polishes retail for $20 each here, I'd say these packs are quite a good bargain! My mum isn't too much of a nail polish lover as I am so I may just grab one for myself. Pretty tempted by the Tickle Her Heart pack actually, I'm on such a neutral streak haha. My wallet definitely isn't loving this though... ;)

~Sharon

Random nail art

Hello~^^ This mani is seriously a bit of this and that - I had no clue what I wanted when I started and...this was the result, lol.

I quite like how everything just fell into place, sometimes simplicity is the best <3. Shown is two coats of Sally Hansen Mosaic creme.

The polishes used:
Sally Hansen Mosaic creme
Glossyblossom Nail art two way striper in white
mwah Magnetic

~Sharon

Green layering success! ♥

Hello~ :D I am so happy with this mani I can probably wear it forever! It's nothing fancy, but it is soooooo beautiful I just keep staring at my nails. Like 3-4 times every two minutes, no joke. I love it that much ♥♥♥

I applied two coats of Essie Sew Psyched then layered on a coat of China Glaze White cap and voilà~! Look at this pretty! The photo definitely does not show the mani in its fullest glory, it looks soooooo much better in real life and I really recommend anyone who owns these polishes to try it out. You will be totally blown away by how gorgeous it looks.

I do apologise for the dry cuticles, it's time to stop being lazy and start moisturising daily again! :P

Yeah, look at that macro! I left it big this time - it's amazing isn't it? Ahhhh, I love White cap. This has got to be my favourite layering of all time <3.

~Sharon

Water marbling

Hello~^^  This is part 2 of the water marbling post. As you can see from my previous post, I had pretty high expectations of my nails turning out beautifully. Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account that my nails are in no way as long and well...my white polish decided to play up and do weird things :S.

I thought I'd share this water marble since I would have totally loved the outcome anyway - if only my white polish didn't hate me so much :(. Maybe I should have added a coat of glitter to hide the imperfection.

And the polishes used:

Sinful Colors Vela

Essie Sew psyched

Ulta3 lily white

I applied one coat of lily white as the base colour and then water marbled with all three polishes. The colour combination reminds me of Christmas - oops, I'm a bit late on that theme haha.

Ick, just look at the mess! :( I quite like the way my index finger came out though.

~Sharon

Water marbling when done correctly

Hey everyone~! This will be a quick post since I need to run soon - just some water marbling which came out really well when I was trialling on a fake nail. Too bad it didn't turn out so well on my actual nails :(.

Anyway, here it is. Colette over at My Simple Little Pleasures is such a great inspiration!

Please ignore the dings on the nail, I'm obviously quite clumsy when it comes to handling small objects like fake nails. I'll have a post later up today or tomorrow with the water marbling on my nails, I just need to get around to editing the photos!

~Sharon

OPI & Pirates of the Caribbean press release

Hello~ :) I just received some information in my inbox about OPI's latest collaboration with Pirates of the Caribbean and putting forward a beautiful collection - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Here's the press release information for my Aussie nail fanatics on its release date here down under <3.

OPI Sets Sail for Some Swashbuckling Fun

OPI & Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Get your sword and parrot ready for some swashbuckling style with the creation of OPI’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides inspired nail lacquers featuring six limited edition cool pastel lacquer shades and the new Silver Shatter top coat. 

Whilst The Pirates of the Caribbean shades will be the ‘must have’ colours for spring, the real treasure trove is the new crackling shimmery two-texture silver finish know as Silver Shatter top coat. 

OPI will be creating some waves with their new earth shattering Silver Shatter top coat. Following on from the success of OPI’s Black Shatter top coat, the new Silver Shatter was inspired by graffiti artist and is destined to set a new trend in nail art application.

Disney’s highly-anticipated fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise is directed by Rob Marshall and features an all-star cast, including Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. OPI’s The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides lacquers were inspired by a world filled with mythical mermaids, gleaming treasure, and high-seas adventure, with shades ranging from sage and lavender to khaki gray and pastel pink, evocative colours within a tropical setting, with a classic nautical influence.

Jump on-board the Black Pearl to find your own treasure with the new Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides shades; 

Explore this uncharted shade of oyster with a green hue, Stranger Tides. Lose yourself in the adventure with Sparrow Me the Drama, a cool shade of pink that means business.

Show off your pirating spirit in Skull & Glossbones, a desirable nude with a hint of pale khaki grey. Dive into style with this lust-worthy lavender purple shade, Planks A Lot.

 

Hoist the sails and Steady as She Rose, a milky pale pink, designed to help you reach your final destination. Indulge in a magical shade of sea foam pale pastel green, Mermaid’s Tears.

 

Top off your favourite shade with a shimmery sea of silver, Silver Shatter top coat, a two texture cracked finish.

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides-inspired Nail Lacquers by OPI contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for easy application.

This limited-edition Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection will be available from 1st May 2011 at selected salons and David Jones, $19.95. For stockist please contact 1800 358 999 or visit www.opi.net.au.

Woaah, I'm looking forward to this collection! I'm a huge fan of soft shades and this one is just filled with them :D. I'm especially eyeing Planks A Lot and Mermaid's Tears. Which polishes are you anticipating here?

~Sharon

Ahoy!

Hello~ :) I was really excited with the recent Anchors Away collection by China Glaze and one of the polishes I most looked forward to getting was Ahoy! This polish is a dark raspberry shade with a gorgeous glass flecked shimmer. Unfortunately, my camera totally spazzed with this shade and no matter how many times I tried to photograph my nails, the polish just didn't turn out colour accurate.

I had to tweak this in Photoshop and even after that, it's still not 100% accurate. The polish is a darker shade of raspberry and less pink - it looked almost red on me actually. This was two coats of Ahoy!, the photo taken under the sun.

Do I like this polish? Definitely yes! It's now become one of my favourite red family coloured polishes :D

~Sharon

Golden Cinnabar

Hi~ I'm supposed to be working on an assignment instead of blogging but I'm sick of it so here I am :P. Just a quick post to show you an old duochrome polish.

This is two coats of Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Golden Cinnabar. I'm not so sure I like this polish on me, it looks a bit meh on my skin tone :S. It reminds me so much of autumn though, which is kind of fitting down here in Australia now.

I love that the duochrome is so noticeable but the flashes of pink, bronze and yellow just aren't working for me :(. What do you think of this polish?

~Sharon

Emerald star

Hello~I have a pretty duochrome for you all today :)

I was browsing the beauty section of Target the other day and came across this polish in the clearance section. For $3, I just couldn't pass up on this bargain :P. Emerald Star is my first polish from Australis. Just look at this pretty! It's a teal shade with green duochrome and a gorgeous golden shimmer to top things off.

Oh, the photo was taken under the sun. I dare you to tell me there isn't anything to love about this :P

~Sharon

Package from Polished Lyrics :)

Hi everyone~^^ Back in January, I won Jessica's giveaway over at Polished Lyrics. I recently received my package from her and she was kind enough to include a few extras! Thanks again for the awesome package Jess, I love it loads <3.

I'm super excited with this package since it includes my first Nicole by OPI and Essence polishes :). I'm also really in love with the houndstooth wallet, now I have a something to replace my current one! The first photo is taken indoors under natural light and the next two indoors with flash.

China Glaze Emerald sparkle, 5 golden rings
Nicole by OPI Really, really red
Essence What do you think?

And the extras Jess included :). Unfortunately these have no names, but I think the purple polish is Uptown girl. I have absolutely no idea what the other two might be though. The middle polish is a cream shade and the pink is a really bright pink. If anyone knows the names, please do share!

~Sharon

Ahoy there matey!

Hello~! What a wonderful Monday it is! I had a job interview today and am super excited that I managed to come out of it with job in hand :D. Now I can finally spend, spend and spend (on nail polish) without feeling so guilty. No wait, I should be saving up for an end of year trip...>___>

Anyway, I'm sure you're all here for the nail polish :P. I tried out China Glaze First mate which I recently hauled and it is amazing. What a beautiful one coater! I did two coats in the photo, but you can totally get away with one if you're careful. Messy application is messy. But I just had to layer on White cap to see what First mate would look like...

...and I wasn't disappointed! Here it is in a nice, clean and presentable state. Maaaaan, is that pretty or what? *swoons*

I cannot wait to start playing around with White cap. I just know it'll wow me every time <3
~Sharon

Wedding nails

Hey all~ :D No, it wasn't me getting married, I was just attending a friend's wedding :P

The mani was inspired by Jasmine's over at Preposterously's Nail Blog. I had previously attempted this mani and failed miserably but I was adamant for it to work this time. I love how it's sparkly and blingy with the glitter but also not too eye catching and suitable for a wedding ^^

The following polishes were used:
Ulta3 antique copper
Color Club Magic attraction
L.A. Colors Sparkling diamonds
mwah Magnetic

Just fyi, Sparkling diamond is a PAIN to remove! Even with the foil method. Besides that though, I adored the mani <3.

~Sharon

Tutorial: Rainbow nails

Hello :) Awhile back, I posted about my rainbow nails. The mani was inspired by a Korean blog but I did my nails a bit differently to what the photo tutorial shows (I can't read Korean :P) and since Freshie requested for a tutorial, I thought I'd give it a go :) This is my first tutorial so please let me know what you think!

Here are the polishes I used:

Ulta3 lily white, spring blossom, spring fling
China Glaze Light as air, Re-fresh mint
L.A. Colors Star light

step one Apply one coat of white polish as a base colour. Wait for the polish to dry before moving on.

I don't own any make up sponges so I just cut up a piece of normal kitchen paper towel and used it instead.

step two Paint a line of each of the polishes you're going to sponge on to the paper towel. The thickness of the lines depend on the length of your nail and the number of colours you want to fit onto your nail, so there's a bit of trial and error involved. I then used the toothpick to quickly run it between each line of the polishes to prevent it from spilling into each other.

step three Sponge on one coat on to your nail then wait for it to dry before doing it a second time. This is what it looks like after sponging two layers on to the nail. It looks super messy (and it's a lot messier here than in my previous post) but the next step fixes it all :)

step four Just look at what a coat of glitter can do! :D It's so good at hiding imperfections.

And the final result~Yeah errr,  my top coat kind of streaked :(

I hope you found this tutorial useful! Rainbow nails are definitely not hard to do but they are a little time consuming. I reckon the final result really makes up for it though ^^

~Sharon