Khm, any title ideas?

Seriously. I have no idea for the title right now but i desperately want to show you some stuff. I wore the same polish twice in one month, i made a nail polish ring and also a clever way to fix your damaged manicure. Lets start on the beginning.

 

Less then one month ago i wore this red polish and fell in love with it, for me it is a perfect shimmery red. Bright, easy to apply, classy, almost a one coater, good wear (wore it for a week first time around), nice price, interesting but useful brush. The only down side is that this one comes from a limited edition. I present to you Catrice Looking Sunkissed, two thin coats over base coat topped with top coat. 

All above photos are taken under direct sunlight. Do you see all that shimmer? It's just perfect. There are some visible brush strokes with this one but that doesn't really bother me. Also the brush itself is not a standard Catrice one, here it is wide, fat and curved at the bottom. Still, when you get a hold of it, it gets really easy to handle - just look at the application, there was no need for a clean-up!

 

Moving on. I used this polish a week ago on my much longer nails. I don't think they were ever that long before. But i must say i miss the squared shape, to sad i can't pull it off with that length. All new photos are taken with flash during night. The wear was worse this time around, i used a different base coat and also my hands were under more stress (work and all that). I got serious tip wear after one day and i was lazy so i just fixed my tips with Milani Purple Gleam and it took me exactly 7 minutes including top coat and drying time! And it looked better in real life (picture is bottom left). 

Also you can see my very first nail polish ring. I ordered some cabochons and ring bases from eBay and decided to first try and see how it all works out. I used my fake nails glue (had no other in the house) and it worked out quite neat. I used three coats of China Glaze Ruby Pumps and a coat of Deborah Lippmann Ruby Red Slippers (yes, i have that polish and i need to show it to you, i know) for the darker background. The violet particles you see on the bottom right picture is actually the hexagonal glitter from DL polish. I have no idea why it turned out violet, in the bottle it's just red.

How do you like this one? What about the fixing of tip wear idea? And the rings, any colour combination ideas? Are you also creative in this area?

See you soon!

DP

Killer combo or killer nails?

So. As you have noticed i don't take this blogging thing really seriously. And because of that i decided i won't promise you anything anymore. I will just post when i will feel like doing it. No pressure on me (or you) so let's just take it easy, right? And today i feel like doing it so put your sunglasses on!

The beginning of this one goes three days back, so yes, it started with a Halloween manicure. I was lazy so i just wore a bright orange on my nails and the rest of my 'costume' was all black. I did 3 coats of OPI Flit a Bit and also used a top coat. Because there was no time for base coat it all started chipping next day so i just fixed everything a bit. Also i added a thin coat of China Glaze Orange Marmalade to hide my not so precise repairing. Loved the result, also got some positive comments about my nails (including when one of my good friends marked my nails as 'real porno nails' - i am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing...sarcasm off). And today i wanted more so i just used Depend Cracked Effect 50007 over the whole thing. I can't wait for tomorrow when i will have to remove all that.

Taken inside, bad lightning, flash, shaky hands - that put together is a recipe for sucky pictures. But i really feel the need to share them. 

How do you like this combo? And the length? Also i have a new more rounded shape. My nails started to roll on the corners when they were filled straight so i just decided to lose the corners and go with more pointy shape.

Have fun until next time!

DP

Oldie-goldie quick

I don't have much time right now so i will post a manicure that was in my edited but not posted folder for about three months. Since then i wore this polish at least four times, once even on my toes - that is how much i like it! It seriously is amazing - look at it!

The best thing about this one is that i can use it when i am in a hurry. Drying time is super fast, application a piece of cake, if you mess up and go to close to the cuticle nobody will notice. This is two thin coats of Milani 3D Holographic and also the name of the shade is HD. I added top coat just for longer wear, otherwise when i finished with my right hand the left one was perfectly dry (yes, i am right-handed and i allways paint my left hand first).

Pictures are all taken with flash and the holographic effect is even more visible on the sun. 3D was my first Milani polish, after that i bought few more and they did not disappoint. 

How do you like this brand? And a fun one: are you left or right-handed and which hand do you paint first?

Happy commenting! And thank you for reading!

DP

Carrie is Hard to Resist

I have so much fun doing Essence manicures. They are cheap, durable, easy to fix, lots of shades available, new stuff all the time and even combining names for a title is super fun! Just for the record - i saw the fitting names after i polished my nails.

And here is a fun story. I bought this new Essence Hard to Resist shade (and quite a few others too, i admit) few days ago. Next day i was in a hurry and late for work but still wanted to apply the whole sandwich (two coats of base, two colour, one fast dry top) and decided on skipping the fast dry part, thinking that the manicure is already dry. But it wasn't and i got some bumps and chips very soon. This drives me crazy! So during my lunch brake i went in the nearest store, bought new bottle of the same shade and a fast dry top. While i was waiting at the cash desk i saw a huge container field with old Essence Carrie and Mr. Big, toughed they look cute and bought them too. I added one light coat of glitter and my new top coat - and voila, this is what came out!

And i like it! See how light reflects against this glitter. And how cute the blue shimmer is. All pictures are taken in the late evening sun. Sadly, i had no time earlier that day. I am thinking of using matt top coat over it but haven't decided jet.

Does a chipped manicure drives you crazy too? Or you just don't care? Do you maybe wear a polish bottle in your manicure colour with yourself all the time?

Thanks for reading and for all your comments!

DP

My first: Pink Wednesday!

This is really not what i have on my nails right now as i am still wearing the Iconic manicure. But i have time (well not really, i should study cause i have my last exam tomorrow, you all know how that avoidance shit works) and i think this pink combination from about a month ago is worth posting. And its wednesday.

Cute right? I used two coats of OPI Flower-To-Flower, one of my favourite pinks. I just love that silver shimmer! Then i dotted black spots on my tips, i believe i used Alessandro 384 for that. With a top coat i sealed the 'design' and rocked the polka french for a few days.

Taken inside, with flash. The middle swatch is from quite a while back, i guess the picture was taken more than half a year ago. I added it because i think it is most colour accurate, this one in seriously pink in real life! I miss my perfect cuticles from that time (note to myself: i seriously need to start moisturizing regularly) but i hate the V shape i wore back then.

Do you like this? How do you use your dotting tools?

DP

Cult. Iconic. Perfect. Red. Love.

Today i will show you lots of photos and won't talk much. Pictures really say everything that should be said. First i give you an official description which is true to the last word. Amen.

"ICONIC is a deep berry creme with gorgeous red flakes and hidden gold shimmer throughout. Iconic is destined to become an instant classic." (Cult Nails)

I first polished my nails with a vampy red shade and hated the result. And while i am lazy i tried to save my manicure by layering. I used a polish that impressed me with it's beauty before: Cult Nails Iconic, one coat. Now to the picture spam.

Left side is shade and indirect sunlight, everything else is direct sunlight. My cuticles are still in a bad condition, i know. Sorry for that.

 

Those pictures are from a month or so back, my nails are shorter, cuticles suck even more. There is no layering, only two pure thin coats of Iconic. I wore this one for 5 days with no chips and minimal tip wear which is like a miracle (at least for my nails)!

Bottle and close-up. Left is shade, right is sun. Lower row are actual nail photos from the layered combination.

How do you like this one? For me it is a favourite already! And about my nails: do they look better short or long? Thanks for reading. Enjoy your week!

DP

Very Berry Edward

And i am back. At least i think/hope/intend to do so! I was seriously busy for some time (mainly because i worked like crazy). In combination with my laziness, lack of inspiration and very hot weather my blog was the last thing i thought about during this absence. Sorry for that. However i took pictures of my manicures quite regularly, so lots of editing ahead. But lets go back to the polish part shall we.

Crazy colour combination and even crazier name association, huh? But i love it! On sunlight this one explodes and the effect is also really nice in the late evening under city lights. This is two coats of Essence Very Berry (over base coat) which is very opaque, one thick coat should do. Because the base colour bores me i added two heavy coats of Essence Edward and my usual top coat. The combination of clear base with small round silver, larger hexagonal light blue and big square teal glitter makes my day. I see myself wearing this one regularly.

As you can see my ability to evenly polish my nails with glitter really sucks. Especially the tip of my ring finger is very filled. Oopsy daisy. I need to practice on that. Otherwise the middle picture is taken in shadow, all the others are under direct sunlight.

How do you like this combo? Which base would you put under Edward?

DP

What does pirates and vehicle license have in common? Colour.

And i am dead serious. You will see! This is another polish from the package i got few days ago and i must admit i was not sure about getting this one. There is already million pictures and swatches around internet but mostly they don't attract me, colour looks so dead and boring. But i quickly changed my mind. I like it even though i think it really does not go well with my tan and skin undertone. But i see myself wearing it in foggy autumn weather.

This is OPI Stranger Tides from their latest Pirates of the Caribbean collection with top coat. I thought i will need to do three coats but in the end i only used two - i am a lazy person. First one was thin and the second one was a bit thicker. There is no visible nail line, no brush marks just perfect coverage. So i don't really know why most of other bloggers use three coats. Waste of polish and time (in my opinion).

Now to the vehicle license. Above on the right side you can see bottle and swatch pictures with two years old standard european vehicle license. It was actually a coincident discovering the similarity. After i polished my nails i needed to go somewhere with my car so i picked the documents up in i was like, oh, this one goes well with my nails. And as far as i am concerned those are dupes. Also those two pictures are the closest to the real life shade. There is too much green on the others which were all taken inside, with flash.

Now i really want the rest of this collection too. So i'm looking for sponsors (it's a joke, but not really...).

DP

Savita goes Euphoric with picture spam

Yesterday i got a package. A really special package from a fellow nail polish lover. There were five beautiful nail polishes inside. And i just had to use two of them immediately.

 

Amazing right? I started with two coats of Zoya Savita and as i knew i want it to last i also applied top coat. Application, coverage, drying time, brush, colour - everything is perfect with this one! But i wanted more. So i added one thin coat of Liquid Euphoria Euphoric. And was blown away. Seriously, can something more beautiful than this be bottled? The above picture is taken under indirect sunlight.

Now to the picture spam. This one shows so many colours and reflections it is hard to tell. Violet base with duochrome shimmer going from turquoise, to dark and light green, sometimes it even flashes navy blue. I decided to do three collages (they are all clickable). First one is taken in moderate sunlight under different angles right after whole thing was dry. Second one is taken inside, with flash. Third one is taken after one day of wear under strong sunlight.

 

Do you like this one as much as i do? Frankly i have some troubles understanding how someone is able to give something that amazing away but at the same time i am glad people like this exists! Thank you darling! Oh, i almost forgot - does anyone know where i can get more/other Liquid Euphoria polishes?

DP

Blue, matte, one coat, shimmer - can you wish for anything better?

First i need to tell you that i edited my previous post with some sunny pictures and a video. Go check it out! 

And for today i have something older. This polish really is a dream come true. My first ManGlaze nail polish was Fuggen Ugly and it was a huge disappoint for me. Dull, with bad brush and sticky application. But i decided to give the brand a second chance with this blue one. Now i am in love.

If you believe it or not this is only one coat of ManGlaze Royal Matterimoaning (i checked the name ten times, i admit) applied over base coat. I wore this manicure for five days with no chipping and minimal tip wear. How crazy is that? Also brush is fine and application is as smooth as it can possibly be.

All the pictures are taken with flash under bad lighting but show the real thing. I still need to try it with top coat but i am positive it will look great with all that shimmer in it! I believe this is one of my favourite blues.

Have fun!

DP

Cosmic and where the hell did the sun go?

Today i was painting my nails in the morning as i was really tired past evening. The sun was shining like crazy and i was seriously happy that i could photograph this beauty properly. But no. Rain started two minutes after i applied top coat on my last nail. After some ten minutes sun came out again but for mare 5 seconds and i only managed to take one crappy sunny picture.

This is two coats of Eyeko Cosmic Polish with top coat, outside, right after rain stopped (= bad lighting). It is beautiful, glossy, deep black creme with small holographic glittery particles. Application is a perfection. In real life glitter is visible in low light too and when sun hits it, well then the cosmic side comes out. Sadly my camera can't pick those particles at all. It reminds me of Milky Way, it really has a fitting name.

The middle one is the sunny one, left side is taken outside in the shade and right side inside, with flash. As i said, this one is a beauty and it obviously doesn't want to be photographed. The only thing i don't like about it is that the bottle is small (8,5 ml) and brush is quite thin.

Have a short monday!

DP

EDIT: Sunny pictures and a blurry video!

So today we have sun and i still have the same manicure. There is a tad of tip wear but nothing serious so i decided to picture it again. Now the small glitter is actually visible but in real life there is more of it reflecting under sunlight! Video is taken with mobile phone, the effect is most visible on the middle finger but still can't be compared to real life situation. Anyway, this is the best i can do with my photographic skills and equipment.

645 nails it, sadly it has no name

I seriously hate it when absolutely gorgeous polishes are not properly named but only have some stupid random number on their label/bottle. And i don't understand brands that do that - they could sell much more if they would actually named their polishes with unique and sexy names. I must admit i sometimes buy a certain polish just because of the name - the first brand that comes to mind is OPI (predictable ha?).

Back to the numbers. This is Catherine Arley 645. I first applied two coats but was not really satisfied with the result so i applied one more and added fast drying top coat. As the weather here still sucks - the sun was shining for like 4 minutes in a whole day - i was only able to capture it on natural light. But i was interested in how this one looks under flash so i took few of these too (top and bottom right). 

Yes i do see holographic to - at the same time i am hopping for some sun tomorrow, i really want to see how this one will turn out under sunlight! As you can see it is pretty glossy and really pink (even pinker in real life, hard to capture), the shimmer particles look like silver glass flecks, i think the finish is similar to OPI DS collection. I love it and want more! Catherine Arley impresses again.

Do you ever buy nail polish just for the name? Do you own any from Catherine Arley? How do you like it? 

DP

Limited time for painting nails and quick 5-minute manicure

The title says it all. I really have much less time for me, myself and my manicures lately. I just started working (summer job) daily and my work includes a lot of water and no possibilities to use hand cream - so my hands are in a bad condition, also cuticles are very dry.

But i still polish my nails. This is 2 coats of OPI DS Limited with top coat. In real life this one comes much more beige and not so orange, flash actually destroyes the real shade. The holo effect can also be seen in a muted day light, you don't need much light for it to actually show. Sorry for no sunny and shade pictures, weather here is terrible and also i painted my nails five minutes before i went to bed!

Yes, this manicure took me about 5 minutes and this polish is one of my go-to ones when i am tired and want to paint my nails as fast as i can. Why: brush is the best so aplication is very precise (no fixing), formula is dreamy, dries quickly, needs only to thin coats (or one thick) for perfect coverage... Well in fact everything is perfect. I use as thin layers as possible and add a fast drying top coat - my manicure is fully dry in less then 10 minutes and i can go to bed!

Which polish do you use when you are in a hurry?

DP

Father noticed a manicure and favourite nail polish colour

Yes, you read just right. Today for the first time my father noticed the colour worn on my nails, well he first time commented about it. And the comment was quite appropriate: 'Don't you have anything brighter? This looks like someone just died!'. I was a bit shocked but it is a fact, this colour is not really season fitting. In my defence, i thought today will be rainy and cold (but it was extremely sunny and hot).

This is two coats of Butter London Big Smoke with top coat. Again i had time to do some daylight pictures. The only one taken in the shade is bottom right. (And i have no idea what happened on my index finger - it is the only one with noticeable shrinkage.) The formula is great but application is quite tricky, again i blame the brush that is thin, short and holds a small amount of polish so i had to dip it twice for some nails. What i like about this colour is that it is really dark but still blue all the time, even in low light. It's packed with small lighter blue shimmer that is also visible in all exposures. I find it gorgeous but i will mark it as autumn or winter polish - even though i usually never do this.

At this point i can also tell you that blue is my favourite nail polish colour, whenever something blueish comes out i just need to buy it, currently i would say one third of my stash is blue. But lately i have mostly worn other shades so i believe my blue phase will come back soon. Otherwise (non polish related) my absolute favourite is grey.

Which is your favourite (nail polish) colour? Do you sort your stash according to season?

I wish you a nice start of the week!

DP

Long post with Daltonista who and first franken

Today i have a ton of things to show you and write about. Lets just start with me explaining my blog name and banner design. Are you ready? Meet Dalton!

Everything is much clearer with just one picture, right? So this is a dog, my dog, to be exact. He is my greatest joy, nail polish comes in second. He is 3 and a half years old pure breed Manchester Terrier named Mantera Dalton with calling name Dalton. I was not the one who named him but i liked the pedigree name so i decided to keep it. I had no idea what it means. But soon people started commenting something about 'Braća Dalton' (that would mean 'Dalton brothers' in translation) so i had to use Google. And yes, if you are a few years older than me you probably remember Luky Luke cartoons and the 4 brothers called The Daltons. I for instance never heard of them before.

But that still doesn't explain the picture of a paw. Read further. We have a unit that is called Dalton (Da) - it has something to do with atomic mass and is used in every single chemistry book i know of. I of course first noticed it only after my dog was named that way. And this unit leads us to a person called John Dalton (the unit is named after him). English chemist, meteorologist and physicist that also (among many other things) discovered colour blindness, sometimes called daltonism in his honour. 

The Daltons, John Dalton, daltonism (source: wikipedia.org)

And if you put one and one together, you can make sense of my banner and name and its funny meaning in nail polish world. All in all, i have a dog named after a person after whom colour blindness is called. I hope the connection between the name and the dog paw with different black and white nails is obvious. EDIT (additional explanation): daltonista = colour blind woman, is writing a blog about colours, black and white claws is how that woman sees polished nails (paradox?), at the same time name and paw are a 'tribute' to my dog. And i am not colour blind!

(Side note: And we have more. Clive Owen as Dalton Russell in Inside Man, Jesse and Festus wrestling team, The Dalton Brothers band, American Old West gang, British actor that i know from series Chuck, Moon crater and about 20 places.)

Now back to the polish part of this post. On the pictures of my dog - that were taken yesterday - you can also see my toes. I am wearing my first ever franken polish called Teenage Dream (very original, i know). The above manicure is from some time back. This is two coats with top coat. Bottom left is comparison with OPI DS Reflection. Top right are the ingredients: Sally Hansen Hot Magenta, H&M Hot Minnie and S-He 427.

I warned you that this entry will be long. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!
DP

Prismatic / Holographic finish, my favourite

Today i am really not in the mood for a long post as my last few days were quite busy. Also, i have the same nail polish on from monday, which is very unusual for me! Regularly i change it every two days while it chips very quickly (my nails are weak and thin), but this one sticks on my nails really good. Not even a single chip for four days, only a bit of tip wear. So i am sticking with it for one more day.

 

But really, why not? The colour is perfect and the holo effect is seriously strong! This is Catherine Arley 677. I only applied one coat, with base and top coat. Nail line is visible in the shade if you look really closely (left side of the first collage), in the sun, holo awesomeness comes out and there is no way you can see trough it! Application was a bit tough while the brush is somehow wonky, otherwise the formula is great!

Also i was able to take sunny pictures. First picture and first collage were both taken in day light (obviously). The second collage are night pictures taken with flash. The holo effect is shown stronger there but under certain angles you can notice the same intensity in the sun too. All in all, i am impressed! Big time.

Which is you favourite prism/holo nail polish? I will try to post mine as soon as possible!

Enyoy!

DP

Shatter, Graffiti Nails, Cracked Effect... i love them all!

Seriously. I believe that nail polish world divides in two groups. One consists of people that are like me and the other one, well lets call them haters. Why such enthusiasm, you ask? Lets start with that than. But first some pictures of a fun combination. Essence Found My Love (two coats) with Depend Cracked Effect Pink and top coat.

And now i give you 3 reasons. They are put randomly not by importance.

Everybody, and i really mean everybody notice your manicure. Even guys that don't care if your nails are bright pink or neon orange. Even people that usually don't talk with you stop you and comment: 'Hey, how did you do that?'. Even small kids that don't know what manicure is, play with you nails! How cool is that?

You can hide a worn off base polish if it has cracks, chips or white tips! Just put some cracks on and nobody will notice that you have the same manicure for 7 days. Comes in handy when you are in a hurry and don't have time for the whole thing. Also it dries really quickly, you don't even need a top coat.

You have just painted your nails with super cute nail colour that suits everybody. But you. (Does that happen to you too?) You are really angry and want to start from scratch with something different. Don't - you are stressed, you hands start to shake and your next manicure will look even worse. Just apply one coat of suitable crackle to hide the base colour and you are good to go!

Above are some combinations i wore. Top left is OPI Lunch at the Delhi with OPI Black Shatter - here i hate the base colour, it doesn't suit me at all. Bottom left is Zoya Pinta with OPI Silver Shatter - not the best result, i guess that the layer of shatter was too thick. Middle one is my favourite China Glaze 2NITE with  Depend Cracked Effect Blue - the holo effect really comes out nicely in the sun. Top right is Sally Hansen Celeb City with OPI Black Shatter tips with top coat - i didn't use any tape, tips are made free hand. Bottom right is China Glaze Orange Marmalade with IsaDora Graffiti Nails Black Tag - this is one of my first manicures ever from about 8 months ago.

Do you know any other good reasons why to be a fan of cracked manicures? Are you maybe a hater? Please, do comment bellow! And have a great time combining base and top colours. It's fun!

DP

A start with new nails, bad pictures and Zoya Pinta

Past few days were really crazy for me. I was working hard which resulted in three broken nails and i decided to trim them in a new way. So my nail shape is quite different now and if i am honest with you i still don't know if i like it. I guess that time will tell.

Eggplants are not my kind of vegetables (in fact i even hate how they taste) but i adore the colour so i chose a polish that looks just like a purple eggplant. Also, in my opinion, short nails combine better with dark than bright colours. This is two coats of Zoya Pinta with top coat. The original formula is just perfect, although mine became quite sticky, i guess the bottle was not properly closed. If you are a bit more talented than i am you could probably use one coat only.

Now to the pictures. I usually paint my nails in the evening under a light that is not really bright. And i take a picture of my manicure right after it is dry. So i somehow need to use flash. Most of the time pictures are fine and catch the real shade but not with this one. In real it doesn't look so black on the nails, most of the time colour is like in the bottle, true dark purple. Also my hands were a bit shaky, sorry for the blurriness.

This is it for today. I think i am ready to start posting regularly. I plan on showing you my current and also older manicures. In near future i will also explain the blog name, banner design, my polish obsession and well, we'll see! Thanks for reading!

DP

First post, just to try how things work

So. Hello there! This is my very first post that will probably be changed many times so don't bother. Jet! I'm still deciding how big the pictures should be, how many of them should i post... And also i am waiting on my watermark and banner to be finished. When all that is complete i will start posting regularly - but for now i don't really know when it will happen.

Here is one of my spring manicures. Beautiful periwinkle colour with light blue shimmer, that is also visible when no sun is out: Essence Blossoms etc... Forget-Me-Not. This is easy two coats, with my standard top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat. I really want this last image to be clickable so you could see it bigger but i'm obviously not smart enough to figure it up. I need to work on this one first. And i figured it out: it is clickable by default. So enjoy!

So thanks for reading. Hope to see you soon!

DP