NOTD: OPI Take The Stage and Zoya Myrta

Heya guys! Today I have for you a quick NOTD I am wearing right now. I already showed you I got O.P.I. Take the stage mini and it was about time I wore it as well. I wanted to do a simply accent mani, as I seriously lacked time to do something more innovative. I thought Zoya Myrta might be a cool bright accent, only to realise when putting it on, it is way to close to Take the Stage. Oh well. :)

I really like the sparkly Take the Stage. It is a part of O.P.I. Burlesque Collection for Winter 2010 (omg, really, I feel like it was released two years ago!!) and I remember everyone went mental for the collection and I didn't get why. Take the Stage is actually a gorgeous copper foil, I love it, so I am glad I got it. I takes 3 coats to be opaque on my really short nails, I imagine I would need to work for it to be opaque on longer nails.

Zoya Myrta is a part of Zoya Surf Collection for Summer 2012, full of bright foils and definitively one of my favourite collections out there. I adore Myrta as well, such a rich orange. Two coats and you are done. 

Yeah. The combo seems a bit pointless, but I love both nail polishes, so it is all good. :)

What's on your nails today?

Thank you for reading and commenting!

NOTD of three colours

Heya everyone! How are you doing? It is hot here, a proper summer. I'm not the one for the hot weather, but I guess most people love it. The coffee shop where I'm right now has an amazing ice cream, pure fruit, water based ice cream, it is just heavenly. :) 

Today I'm back with a NOTD. I do not normally post them, but I played with different colours yesterday and I loved the way this turned out. 

And one without the lace, so you can see the colour more properly.

So yeah, I picked three colours I thought might look good together. Zoya Zuza is on most of my nails, on my middle fingernail Deborah Milano Pret-a-porter Stardust and on my index finger a The New Black mint shade I got at the blog event a week or so ago. On the mint shade I put the Born Pretty Store water decal (I showed them already in a few manis, here's the first post) and then mattefied it with Essence matte top coat. It is getting quite lumpy, sadness! Anyway. I love how it turned out! :) It's on my nails now, hopefully it lasts. :)

What's on your nails today?

Thank you for reading and commenting!

Caitlin in black lace (a review)

Hey everyone! Today I have for you a review I am awfully late with posting. Lace nail art was always one of my favourite ones, because I love love love lace and well ... lace on the nails, why not? But again, I am a nail art noob, so stickers with lace pattern sounded pretty darn awesome to me! Born Pretty Store offers the stickers for under 2 dollars and well, I was more than tempted to try them out! 

A lot of people try it on nude nails and I absolutely adore the end result, but alas I haven't brought any nude polish with me. Still, I wanted something classy, and Zoya Caitlin seemed perfect for the job. Lovely shade of purple that isn't too dark. And now I want a dress with similar pattern!

Blurry one to show the glitter the stickers contain.

And the sheet itself, with different patterns. The one I used is already missing.

I picked the pattern HL210, as it is obvious from the last photo, but these Lace Style 3D stickers (item ID is 7381) come in 12 different patterns and in both black and white! So you can have your pick, and for 1.99$ a piece you can knock yourself out shopping. :) Here is also my code for your 10% discount:

So yeah, I love the effect, but the stickers reacted badly with my topcoat (Essence fast drying one), they wrinkled a bit. That didn't ruin the effect, but consequently stickers came off the in chunks in couple of hours, as they got stuck to everything (especially my hair) and got pulled off. Too bad, I  need to try them with another TC. Just a fair warning for all Essence TC users. :) I did love the combo with Caitlin so much, I'll do it again, just with another TC. :)

Do you like the lace nail art on the nails?

Thank you for reading and commenting!

*Product sent for reviewing purposes, you can read my disclosure here.

NOTD: Zoya ~ Isla

Hey people! How are you doing? I have a quick NOTD for you today. I picked this colour because it is one of my BF's favourites and it is his birthday tomorrow. Zoya Isla is a gorgeous, utterly gorgeous, sexy red. It is one of my most used colours in the stash. Love her.

I never read much about Isla, apparently it is one of the quiet beauties Zoya created. If you like sexy reds, I do recommend it though, it has an amazing formula, perfect brush and shimmer to die for. :)

What is on your nails today?

Thank you for reading and commenting!

Born Pretty Store: Stamping Polish in Black

Hello everybody! How are you doing? I am actually doing better from the nasty cold, yay for me! Today I wish to show you the second part of the Black and White stamping polish set Born Pretty Store kindly sent me for review. I wanted to try a completely new stamping pattern with it, that also seemed a bit complicated with all the fine lines, to really put this black (and my stamping skills) to the test. Let's see how it turned out!

First, let me copy the observations i have made with the white stamping polish, because they are completely the same for the black one.

As you all know, Born Pretty Store holds everything possible you would wish for in relation to nail art. They have it all, and at a very affordable prices. So far I had not have a single bad or unpleasant experience with them. BTW; my code for 10% discount is still valid: SSL91.

In this package two stamping polishes were hidden, in black and white, the ID code for the set: 1381).

• The bottle is small, 3 ml. Consequently it is cheap. 3.41$ for the set, 1.70$ for the bottle. 
• The brush is wide and big enough so there are no troubles with quick application to the plate.
• Formula is thicker, obviously that makes it very nicely opaque and easy to work with. The pattern got on the nails easily, where I noticed mistakes it was due to me pressing the stamp too hard on the nail (still haven't lost the habit).
• The pattern does not smudge when top coat is applied! Praise the nail polish fairy, this was my biggest issue when stamping before and now it is gone! 

Both black and white polish are of the same excellent quality when it comes to stamping. They don't smudge, they make the stamping process extremely fast and easy ... no complaints! To the pictures:

I really loved how this turned out. The orange base and black fine pattern. And the black stamping polish acted wonderfully. I wore this until it chipped during my sauna visit. Too much water, what can you do. Anyway ... I really recommend this stamping polish set of black and white colour. They are both great to work with. Here is my code for -10% if you decide to shop at Born Pretty Store, to get the low prices even lower. :)

What do you think about this combo?

Thank you for reading!

*Product sent for reviewing purposes, you can read my disclosure here.

Born Pretty Store: Stamping Polish in White

Heya people! How about that, I come back with a stamping mani! Yay for me! Actually, I received another package from Born Pretty Store and this time I decided to try stamping polish. I am still surprised by the fact how much simpler it is to do a mani with a good stamping polish. Before I did them with regular polish (that I knew had good coverage, but still) and lots of times I had to re-do the pattern, or it was barely visible. This time making of the pattern was swift and easy. Now I get it! The stamping hype! I am about 5-7 years late to the party, I'd say, but hey, better late than never. ;) 

But to the product and the BPS. As you all know, Born Pretty Store holds everything possible you would wish for in relation to nail art. They have it all, and at a very affordable prices. So far I had not have a single bad or unpleasant experience with them. BTW; my code for 10% discount is still valid: SSL91.

 In this package two stamping polishes were hidden, in black and white (ID code for the set: 1381), plus a royal blue 'fur' for the nails (I can't wait to play with that either!). Today's mani is done with the white one, I was curious about how the white one will held up, so I tried it first. Observations:

• The bottle is small, 3 ml. Consequently it is cheap. 3.41$ for the set, 1.70$ for the bottle. 
• The brush is wide and big enough so there are no troubles with quick application to the plate.
• Formula is thicker, obviously that makes it very nicely opaque and easy to work with. The pattern got on the nails easily, where I noticed mistakes it was due to me pressing the stamp too hard on the nail (still haven't lost the habit).
• The pattern does not smudge when top coat is applied! Praise the nail polish fairy, this was my biggest issue when stamping before and now it is gone! 

All in all I love it. I can see how it would be too small of a quantity for a regular stampler, but I personally do not mind small bottles, since I do not stamp often. Plus it is a very good stamping polish, I guess you can buy more when you run out of it anyway. 

I noticed this is by far my most used pattern ever. I love it. And you probably noticed my nails are here still not in the best shape, let alone my cuticles. That is why they are shiny, I put some cuticle oil on them, to make them look nicer. I loved this manicure, how it turned out. Fun. I at least have to have spring on my nails, if the weather decided to ignore it.

What do you think? Have you tried Born Pretty Store stamping polish in any other colours too?

Thank you for reading! 

*Product sent for reviewing purposes, you can read my disclosure here.

Zoya ~ Carly

Hello everyone! How are you? Still too full to think? I'm actually so full of sweets, I do not wish to eat it anymore, that almost never happens to me. Sugar addict, I'm afraid. I've started year 2013, if I don't count my NY's mani, with an awesome Zoya purple named Carly. She is a part of Zoya Summer Collection Surf of 2012 , an insanely glowy warm purple. Naturally it's the purple my camera has difficulties picking up the right shade of, bit I think I did rather well. :) It is a great, great purple, vivid but still feels kinda like the classy sister in the Surf collection.

You see a lot of different lights, I wanted to capture the true shade of Carly. This is two coats, but Carly is basically a one coater, I did two just because of macro shots. Excellent formula too, I don't think I did any clean up at all. Great one, Zoya!

Did you get any colours from Surf collection?

Thank you for reading!

Zoya ~ Skylar and Apple

Hello my dear people! I'm having one of the worst days this Fall/Winter, so I'm getting my mind occupied with one of my favourite things, make up, of course. If mind wanders away I start thinking negative thoughts and that's just bad. 

By the way: thank you for all your comments! It seems I can't find enough time to answer them to save my life, so I want to thank you for taking your time and commenting this way. If you have any specific question that you'd like answered ASAP, just write me an email, I will answer an email quicker. 

I am wearing Skylar right now, for the second time. It is such a gorgeous dusty blue, I adore it. I saw comparison made with Skylar and OPI I Have a Herring Problem and they are very close. I love Zoya's formula and brush so I am very happy with Skylar. And I love the name. It sounds very odd and new to me, but the sound is beautiful. I could easily name a being I love Skylar. 

You can see on the last picture the tiny green sparkle Skylar contains. It also has a pinkish one just like it! And if you focus on your nails a bit, you can see them both. But it is very subtle, just a little spice to the gorgeous dusty blue with silver specks. Skylar is a part of Zoya True Spring Collection for 2012. I can already see it will become one of my favourite Zoyas. Come to think of it ... although I adore Fall shades, it's the Spring and Summer ones that really grow on me in Zoya collection. Caitlin and Gemma come immediately to mind, they are my most worn Zoyas. And now Skylar. Love. Interesting enough, since usually I find Spring collections a bit boring in general. 

The second I wish to show you is Zoya Apple. Bright, bright, cheerful green. Apple glows on your nails. Fantastic shade for summer and for grey rainy day of Fall. I was sure I will need to do a comparison between Ivanka and Apple, but there is no need. Yes, they are both glass-flecks and very sparkly and green, but while Ivanka is deep green, Apple is bright, fresh spring green. While Ivanka reminds me of deep woods or dark green colour of sea, Apple reminds me of Hobbiton, young grass and spring meadows. 

Apple is a part of Zoya Sunshine Collection for Summer 2011. On first picture you can see on my ring and little finger how rich is the sparkle that this green contains. Very vivid, very happy colour.

Both were three coats, with absolutely no troubles considering formula or brush. I think you can get away with two with Skylar, but I put the third one on because of macro shots. You get two even coats with Apple as well, but there is a bit of VNL after the second still. Zoya's formula does not disappoint. I really like how consistent they are in their quality. 

What do you think of both?

Thank you for reading and commenting!

Zoya ~ Myrta

Hello everybody! Today I have another summer-y colour for you. I find it brings me in a better mood when I wear such bright colours on gloomy days. So summer colours are very often on my nails during winter. Myrta is a gorgeous, gorgeous orange, very cheerful colour. It's a part of Summer Collection 2012 Zoya made, from which I own half of the colours. Pretty neat. 

See the shimmer on the second photo? Love it. :) This is three easy coats, very good formula and brush, but I'm very used to that with Zoya. They present no troubles whatsoever. If you like orange polish, you'll definitively like Myrta, I think the finish makes her perfect.

Did you get any colours from this collection? What is your favourite orange shade? 

Thank you for reading!

Wednesday is day for Hard Rock in school

Wow, what a silly title. But I wanted to combine the names of gorgeous polishes I have on my nails. Zoya Wednesday and Essie School of Hard Rocks. I finally had some time to do a decent accent mani and I really like how this turned out. I did the stripes with help of striping tapes Born Pretty Store sent me for a review, I love how thin and sharp-edged they are! The code you see on the right side of your monitor is still active for 10% discount! :) Here's my today's creation.

Three coats for Wednesday, but today I have a bad day for polishing my nails, I did tons of mistakes, so it could be a two coater. It's a part of Zoya Beach Collection for Summer 2012 and is also the only one I got from this part of Summer collection (and got all but one from the shimmery side). 

I really like how this turned out. They managed to put the dusty factor in turquoise shade of Wednesday, which makes it a gorgeous colour indeed. School of Hard Rocks fits wonderfully with it.

Do you like it?

Thank you for reading!

Penélope's Lotus with Zoya's Lotus

Evening my dear people! How are you doing? I trust you USA gals are having a wonderful holiday! I'm feeling a bit under the weather. My ear is starting to ache and I dread the pain, because I had earache very often as a child and I loathe it. I think that is one of the worst type of pain a person can get. Hopefully it is nothing serious and it will pass soon. 

Today I have two gorgeous colours for you. I'm sure you all know Zoya Lotus, from Zoya True collection for Spring 2012. It is a lovely, smoky purple with pinkish shimmer. Of course it turns a bit too blue on my photos. I'm starting to see the pattern with these types of purples and my camera. It is a lovely polish, I love it.

I decided Lotus would be a great base for another Lotus. Penélope Luz is, as far as I understand, a Brazilian indie brand. And oh, Lord of the Rings, are those babies gorgeous!!! Lotus caught my eye the moment I unwrapped it. It is such an amazing glitter. It consist of black, white and pink round glitter, and there is a very generous amount of it in the clear base. I think you could easily built up Lotus with three or four coats. Here is how it looks like in two coats over Zoya Lotus.

And the best colour accurate photos I got of Zoya Lotus:

Penélope Luz Lotus looks even more stunning IRL. I love it. Plus the base is a bit less blue so it compliments the glitter more than on these lightbox pictures. Penélope Luz has a Facebook page and you can buy it of Loja BBF page. Fair warning: after seeing pictures on the FB page I built up a wish list of Penélope Luz wonderful creations (just check Ocean Jewel, Wicca, Geisha, Wedding Dress and Gitana out!). If they are half as amazing as Lotus is, I need to get them somehow. Remember them on Brazilian swapping! I can only thank Eveline for surprising me with it, Lotus is amazing, dear, thank you!!

Do you know Penélope Luz brand, have any of her nail polish?

Thank you for reading!

Zoya ~ Crystal a.k.a. Ice Queen nails!

Hello everyone! I just finished the biggest sandwich I saw in my life and am too full for work, so why not show you my NOTD. I've been wearing Brazilian polish until today and I absolutely love it, can't wait to show them all to you! But today Zoya Crystal looked too beautiful to pass. I wore almost every Zoya from my Zoya package I got few weeks ago and ... I don't know, if someone told me I have to buy only three brands of nail polish from now until the rest of my life, Zoya would be one of them. They make the best polish colour and formula.

Crystal is a gorgeous polish. I'm sure you all remember the hype this baby created. Ok, maybe not hype ... a buzz of love all around blogsphere. Everyone seemed to like it. Not me though. Crystal was one of those shades that didn't look at all intriguing to me from the swatches. I get that every now and then. It was like that with Paradoxal and now with Peridot and others. Since I love the Paradoxal dupe I have, and I love Crystal, maybe I should get one of peri-dupes too, hehe. But anyway. Crystal didn't make it on my WL right away, it took me months until I decided to give it a go. Luckily, Kris sent it to me in our last package and I honestly don't know what was I thinking, not liking this colour. I can't stop staring at my nails, seriously. It is insanely gorgeous. It has this really icy feeling to it. I think Ice Queen would wear this for certain if she was cool and payed attention to her nails as well! I get Winter Wonderland association looking at it. Clear blue sky, pure white blanket of snow, naked trees with snow on their branches and warm, woolly clothes as you walk in the silence of winter forest. Ah. 

Lucky for me, Crystal is also very photogenic polish. Lately I have been having so much trouble with trying to capture the right shade of varnish, I was starting to think either my camera broke or I forgot how to take good pictures of nails. Crystal is a part of Zoya Fire and Ice Collection for Winter 2010. I also have Valerie from that collection, just as stunning as Crysta. Although light blue foil with golden foil specks wins in my book. Three easy coats, the formula is amazing. No complaints. Thank you, Zoya!

Do you have Crystal? What colour gets all hyped but you don't care for it at all?

Thank you for reading!

Zoya ~ Zuza

Ok, what's with that name? Seriously, is Zuza an actual name or is Zoya going all O.P.I. on us with the names? It's first I ever heard of Zuza and I've heard tons of different names. Then again, my name is  weird for most people, so perhaps I'm doing Zuzas great injustice and we belong in the same name camp. But still, I wish Zoya would reach to some more known names, Europeans have thousands of names that they never used before and are well known. 

Putting the name aside ... again I show you a colour I absolutely adore but it is impossible to show on photos. Although I haven't forgotten about Lotus, Zuza was just to beautiful to skip again. It is such a gorgeous colour. Alas, it always turns out too blue or too green on my photos, I tried every single lighting there was around me. I also think most of internet swatches are inaccurate. Vampy Varnish and My Lucid Bubble succeeded in capturing the real shade, IMHO, but most of what I see is just too green. And mine are  too blue. Also, imagine the colour much much more vivid. Incredibly cheerful colour, reminds me of an awesome summer day, when it's not disgustingly hot but just right and you're just about to travel to a new destination and when you get there, it simply rocks.

And this is how it turned out in my lightbox. Mix the upper colour with this one and you got the real shade of Zuza.

The only thing I like about my photos is that you can notice the complex shimmer Zuza has. Although it appears mostly silver, it does contain tiny tiny specks of other colours too. Just don't expect to see it often. :) Oh, this baby also likes to stain. I redid one of my nails and was too lazy to apply the base coat again and ended up with one of my nails going Smurftasic on me. One coat of base coat did suffice though, so it is not the worst stainer I've met.

Zuza is a part of Zoya Surf Collection for Summer 2012, really awesome collection IMO. Three coats for my nails for a complete coverage and a wonderful application. 

Which was the most difficult colour to shoot you ever posted?

Thank you for reading!