Nail polish rings

Hi ladies~ Like I mentioned in my previous post, I have recently gotten into nail polish rings. I've had the materials for awhile, but have been so caught up and busy with uni, prac and assignments that I've hardly had any time to make any! So, here are four that I've made so far. Three of them are made based on past notds which I really liked (and will include a link to the original post) and of course, I couldn't pass up on a holo nail polish ring :P

China Glaze OMG (notd here)

China Glaze First mate with OPI Last Friday night (original notd here)

Ulta3 spring shower with OPI Rainbow connection and Flomar #20 (my Glitter in the Air/Whimsical dupe attempt - original notd here)

Rimmel Grey matter with OPI Servin' up sparkle (original notd here)

Which one is your favourite (so far :P)? And are you just as caught up with these DIY jewellery?

Thanks for reading!
~Sharon

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Nicole by OPI: Follow me on glitter

Hi everyone~Back at the end of last year, nail polish companies were bombarding us with heaps of glitter polishes. One of the more popular ones seemed to be the gunmetal grey glitter and today, I have one of the many options to show you. Nicole by OPI Follow me on glitter was part of the Kardashian collection and features a mixture of gunmetal grey glitter and round coloured glitter. I used three coats in the photos below to reach full coverage.

Whilst the coloured glitter may seem to add something to the gunmetal grey glitter, I'm not sure I like it all that much. I think I actually prefer China Glaze Tinsel town to this one.

What do you think, is the coloured glitter just not fitting in or do you like it?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

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Review: Born Pretty Store Hello Kitty ring

Hellohello! I've got such a gorgeous ring to feature in this post today :) One other thing I'm really into besides nail polish is definitely rings. And whilst I don't hoard collect it like I do with nail polish, I can't pass up on the really pretty ones. Which is why when I discovered nail polish rings, I totally had to jump on board and make some myself...but more about that in a later post :)

This Hello Kitty ring, or as Born Pretty Store calls it 'Lovely Hello Kitty Crown Crystal Bling Diamante Ring Adjustable' (what a mouthful!) is one such example of a ring I can't pass up. As the name of the ring suggests, it is adjustable, so you won't have to worry about whether the ring is too small or large.

Fun fact: Since getting into nail polish rings, I have realised the wonder of adjustable rings. I used to turn my nose up at them because I relate them to the toy rings I once owned as a child. Oh, but how useful are they when you can't try rings on like you would in a shop! Just buy and adjust - simple as that :D (Of course, if I can try the ring on, I still prefer the non-adjustable ones...for some reason, they just look more elegant and classy to me :P)

Anyway, back to the Hello Kitty ring. I loveeeeeeeee this ring and I'm not even that big a fan of Hello Kitty! It's just so blingy under the sun (as the name suggests!) and super cute. I find that the rind band is still a little loose on my middle finger even at the 'tightest' setting, but it's not a huge deal that'll put me off wearing the ring.

If you're a Hello Kitty fan, I'm sure you won't be able to pass this ring up! Born Pretty Store also sells heaps of other accessories which you can find here. I really love that they're no longer just a nail art supply webstore and expanding their horizons. No one's going to complain if they offer such cute accessories at such low prices too! Free international shipping is offered and with my 10% discount code PIJ61, you'll find it hard to stop yourself from buying too much!

What do you think of the Hello Kitty ring? Do you love rings as much as nail polish?

Thanks for reading!
~Sharon

Product provided for consideration. For more information, please view my disclosure policy.

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Review: Born Pretty Store stamping plate m65

Hey ladies~I have a Born Pretty Store stamping plate m65 to share with you today. But first, here's a story on my stamping adventure.

When I first ventured out into the stamping world 2 years ago, I found the technique difficult and time consuming. So I gave up. It wasn't until I decided to give it another go with stamping plate CK-05 (again, from Born Pretty Store) did I discover the endless opportunities stamping offers for nail art! Here is attempt three of stamping from me, using plate m65 from Born Pretty Store, which is exactly identical to the original Konad version. But minus the Konad brand name on the plate, or course.

Usually, cheaper alternatives mean a lower quality product, but not this stamping plate. The etching was deep enough for a beginner like me to transfer the images easily. The plate came with a blue plastic covering over it to protect it. To use the plate, simply peel the wrapping off the plate.

I decided to start off with a gradient manicure, which has been all the rage in the blogosphere recently. I used Ulta3 spring shower (blue) and spring fling (orange) for the gradient, alternating the base on each nail. I don't think I've quite grasped the technique yet - but practice makes perfect, yes? ^^ - and so I decided to try out my new shiny plate and stamp over it. Having always wanted to have roses on my nails, I went with the rose design. I topped the mani off with a coat of OPI I juggle...men.

I'm really impressed with the quality of these stamping plates from Born Pretty Store. If my stamping adventure had started out on good quality plates like this, I wouldn't have turned away from it! Check out the store for more stamping plates. If you're a nail art enthusiast, you'll fall in love with the webstore - it offers many cheap nail art supplies along with free international shipping. And plus, you can receive 10% off with your purchase if you use my code PIJ61.

Have you tried anything from Born Pretty Store? And what are your experiences with stamping, do you do it often? :)

Thanks for dropping by.
~Sharon

Product provided for consideration. For more information, please view my disclosure policy.

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Review: Born Pretty Store dried flower

Hi everyone :) I recently received some items from Born Pretty Store to review. Today I have some dried flower which can be used for nail art. The kit comes with 12 randomly selected dried flowers and costs $7.08 per kit. I found from the two little pots of flowers I used (will have to check with the other ones to see if they're the same), there are only enough flowers included for one hand - i.e. 5 dried flower pieces. This wasn't a problem for me as I intended to vary the flowers in my mani; however, you may have to cut some up if you wish to use one type of flower for an entire manicure.

I started off with two coats of China Glaze Light as air and Ulta3 spring shower on alternating nails. Taking my Glossyblossom nail art striper, I applied the white stripes. I then chose to use the blue and purple dried flowers I received and coordinated it with some rhinestones.

To stick the flowers onto my nail, I simply dabbed a little clear polish onto the end of my dotting tool to pick the flower up. I then dabbed a little more of the polish onto the back of the flower before pressing it down onto my nail, making sure that the edges stuck down. After adding the rhinestones in the same method, I sealed my manicure with a top coat.

I can't comment on the wear of the dried flowers as my mani never dried, even after 3hrs. It was completely destroyed in my shower, unfortunately :( I'm not sure if it was the flowers which slowed the drying time down as I've used these polishes before with the same top coat and had no issues. I'll have to try this again as I quite liked the end result.

Born Pretty Store also sells many other nail art supplies at dirt cheap prices, check them out here! They offer free international shipping on all purchases, no matter how much or little you buy. If you use my code PIJ61, you'll receive a 10% discount - just enter it into the allocated slot when you check out your items.

I really did enjoy using the dried flowers and am itching to use the rest of them :P Have you used them before? If so, how was your experience with them?

Thanks for reading :)
~Sharon

Products provided for consideration. For more information, please view my disclosure policy.

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Purple and gold glitter sandwich

Hi everyone~I'm loving glitter sandwiches lately and so I decided to try a combo with purple :) I started off with two coats of Essie St Lucia lilac then layered over it a coat of China Glaze 5 golden rings and Essence Make it golden. I then added two coats of Flomar #20 to give it the glitter sandwich look.

I really love how the gold glitter looks over the pastel purple :) And the sandwich gives it a nice, softer look. Less blingy!

Do you like glitter sandwiches?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

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Summery skittles

Hi ladies~ I was in the mood for skittling again and despite the cool temperature of Australian autumn, I decided to go with some bright, summery colours to match the sun we've been having. It's not the most cohesive skittle mani I've done, but it's really bright and happy so I really don't mind <3

Nail polishes used:
China Glaze Caribbean blue, Ahoy!
Zoya Tiffany, Dannii, Ivanka

I love that it's so cheery and colourful :) What do you think, is this just too random though?

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

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A-England Saint George

Hello hello :) I have another A-England pretty today, it's Saint George from The Legends collection. Let me start off by saying this - even though it's not the most holo of the polishes in the collection (that I have), its opaque nature really makes up for it. I only applied one coat in the photos below and just look at the awesome coverage! And even though it's so opaque, it doesn't stain! Yep, you read correctly, this baby doesn't stain! :D

If I had applied one more coat, I'm sure it would have added a little more holo to the finished look.

Are you as in love with the polishes in this collection as I am? :)

Thanks for reading.
~Sharon

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A-England Princess Tears

Hi ladies~I have such a beauty to show you all today! Despite being a little late to jump onto the A-England nail polish bandwagon, I'm really glad to have finally hoped onto it! I did show a little teaser of the polishes I bought awhile ago - I decided to purchase three polishes from the recent A-England The Legends collection, and one more from The Mythicals collection. First up today though, is Princess Tears from The Legends collection.

I applied two coats of this pretty onto my nails. It has a really strong holo and even in dim, indoor lighting I can see this polish dancing on my nails. LOVE ♥ This beauty also has a slight duochrome effect to pink and green, which I was unable to capture well. The original shade is really gorgeous too - a greyed lilac? Yes please <3

These A-England polishes are my first 'expensive' nail polishes since I don't normally like to spend over $10 on a bottle of polish. Definitely a splurge for me but I'm loving it :)

Thanks for dropping by.
~Sharon

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Review: Born Pretty Store stamping plate

Hi everyone~ Recently, I was contacted by Nicole from Born Pretty Store, asking me if I'd like to review an item from their online store. I was more than happy to as it holds such a large variety of items. You can be sure to find a number of nail art items such as rhinestones, pearls, nail art brushes, stamping plates...the list really does go on! I chose to pick out an item I am not usually confident with using - stamping plate CK-05.

The stamping plate holds 42 images and retails for $8.53 - a huge bargain considering the number of images you'll be getting! The plate arrived wrapped carefully in layers of bubble wrap. I like that the protective covering on the stamping plate was in blue, just so that I can tell there is something I need to peel back before I start playing with some stamping!

I decided to try out the swirl pattern on the second last row of the plate first. Using OPI Thanks a windmillion as my base colour, I then took Rimmel Your majesty to stamp with. Being a beginner, my transfer of the image wasn't the greatest, but I found the engravings in the plate were etched deep enough to allow for easy transfer. I'm sure that with more playing around, my stamping will improve in the future :)

I love how much this design looks like a present wrapping. I'm going to have to play around with this one more!

Next, I decided to use the image of leaves on the first row. In light of it being autumn now in Australia, I decided to go for an autumn-inspired look. After applying Australis Blackmail, I took OPI Just spotted the lizard to stamp with. It's less autumn looking than I had imagined, but it still looks quite nice and I'm much happier with my stamping transfer this time. Although, I think I also have to work on some positioning haha.

I did find that the full nail images were quite small, but having no other plates to compare to, I can't say for sure the difference in size. You will see below how much smaller the leaves image is when stamped onto my thumb.

Born Pretty Store also sells many other stamping plates which hold similar images from Konad plates, and at much cheaper prices too. Check out the other selections here! Besides receiving free world wide shipping on all purchases (no purchasing limit!), you are also able to receive 10% off with my code PIJ61. Now if that isn't a bargain, I don't know what is!

I am more than satisfied with this product, and I can't wait to play around more with it! What are your experiences with stamping plates, are you a fan of them? :)

Thanks for reading!
~Sharon

Product provided for consideration. For more information, please view my disclosure policy. 

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Swatches and review: OPI The Amazing Spider-man collection

Hi ladies~ I thought I'd put together a post of the polishes I showed the past few days just so that it will all be in one place - it's probably more helpful :) You can click on the name of the polish to go to the individual post on the polish.

Call me Gwen-ever is a lovely coral-orange crème. It's bright, but not as bright as a neon. The swatches below show two coats of the awesome orange. The formula on this beauty is lovely to work with - it's neither thick nor thin and levelled out in two coats.

Number one nemesis is a lovely shimmer polish which is a close dupe to Chanel Graphite. Because it is a shimmer polish, the formula was slightly thinner. If you're not patient, you can get away with two thicker coats, or if you don't mind, three thinner coats will also do. I wore this for three days and there was only a little tip wear on the polish :)

Just spotted the lizard is a beautiful duochrome! Being a dupe of Chanel Peridot, I was more than happy to let this into my polish family, especially since I was lemming it so much. Because it has a metallic polish finish, brush strokes are going to be more apparent. You definitely need to have a light hand to avoid them being as obvious in my photos! Swatches below show two coats - look at the beautiful shift from gold to orange to green :D

The Amazing Spider-Man collection will be available from mid May at selected beauty salons, spas, and David Jones nationally, $19.95 RRP incl. GST. For your nearest OPI stockists contact 1800 358 999 or visit www.opi.net.au.

Which one is your favourite from the three shown here? :)

Thanks for reading :)
~Sharon

Products provided for consideration. For more information, please view my disclosure policy.

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