Fadin' Daze

Well a very Happy New Year to all of you lovelies! I posted today's post on Instagram back when I did it like 11 months ago, intending to create the matching blog post immediately afterward, but you guys know how ridiculously slack I am! So it's been the better part of a full year and I'm just getting round to it now. Big slaps on the wrist for me! I still wanted to do this post though, in the hopes that it serves as evidence and/or inspiration for anyone starting out with nail stuff. Yeah it's another before-and-after, but this time it's Gradient Style! Check it!

I'm Alive!!! Muahahaha....

Well hello, strangers! Bet y'all thought I'd fallen off the edge of the universe, huh? Well you're kinda right, I disappeared into the void of a brand spankin' new job (which has entirely taken over my life for the better!!) but I missed you guys too much, so I'm back. I'm gonna cheat a little bit and use up a bunch of my old un-posted photos, mostly because they deserve to be shared, but also because I still don't really have time to do cool stuff yet. Let's crack on, shall we? 

Triumphant (lolz) return starts with a post I had saved in my Drafts here on Blogger - it's a recreation of an oooold mani with a couple of tweaks. Please enjoy China Glaze Dance Baby with special guest appearance from some BornPrettyStore glequins!

The Polished Kiwi Gets Swatched!

Well hello there, lovely people! I know I've been a bit AWOL but it's for good reason, and to make it up to you I have a HUGE and exciting post for you today - Polished Kiwi Lacquer swatches!! You guys have no idea how excited I am to be doing this!! The beyond kind and wonderful Jade from The Polished Kiwi has started making and selling her very own home-brewed lacquers right here in NZ, and I've managed to snag the immense honour of swatching five of her currently available beauties. It's a bit pic-heavy, but soooo worth it. Click on through to see these yummies in action!

Psychedelic, Baby!

Well hello hello lovely people! Hope you're all doing wonderfully XD Today I've got some seriously psychedelic swirls to share - neon psychedelic swirls! Slip back to the swinging sixties with these babies!

Pink Thur(Wednes)Day: XOXO

Hmmmmmk so I meant to post these yesterday but I didn't get around to it... Whoops... So even though I'm a day late, Happy Pink Wednesday ("On Wednesdays we wear pink!")! I got a bit busy with some glitter placement nails that I'm aiming to have up for V-Day, so stay tuned! They're super pretty! 

Today's post was for the February "Totally Doable 'I Have A Life' Nail Art Challenge" prompt 07: XOXO. If you don't follow, this particular monthly nail art challenge is hosted by @californails and consists of prompts every few days to inspire nail artists to get creative! Click on through for deets.

Glittery Buttons of Luxury

Hi hi hi! Super quickie for you tonight - I was just going through the ridiculous backlog of manis that I've got waiting to be posted and thought it was time to shuffle some out into the world. It's already after midnight so I'm not going to be very chatty tonight (woohoo!!) so you can sit back and enjoy the glittery goodness!

Pink Wednesday: Nail Vinyls

Happy Wednesday, lovely people! I haven't done a Pink Wednesday post in forever, so I thought it was about time to reinstate the tradition! I have a couple of manis for you today with similar themes: obviously they're both pink, but they both utilise Nail Vinyls as well. Nail Vinyls are the genius brainchild of @teismom and they are absolutely brilliant. I'll explain a bit more about them further on, but first, enjoy some pics!

Essie x4

Hello, hello! In a recent moment of weakness I bought three new Essie polishes (...and I may or may not have four OPI on their way >.< oops!) and I wanted to share them with you! The three I purchased were Play Date, Lapis Of Luxury, and Turquoise & Caicos. Yeah I know there are four pictured... I already had Cute As A Button from a couple of months back when my local Farmers started stocking the new Essie formulas, and it made sense to 'complete the rainbow' by adding it in as a fourth. Click on through to see swatches and an impromptu watermarble. =)

Simple Stripes: Pastel Edition

Whaaaaaat?? Two posts in two days??? This hasn't happened in months! Woo! Talk about starting off the way you wanna go on XP. Honestly, I just couldn't wait to share this mani - I LOVE how it turned out! Okay, there are still a couple of bumps along the road but this mani was super fun and easy to do, so I had to share straight away! The line-up:

L to R: piCture pOlish Fairy Floss (uh, duh...), Essie Liliacism (new formula, the old one is shite), Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau (haven't I seen that somewhere before...?), and Essie Mint Candy Apple (the one polish in my whole stash I have to stop myself from wearing EVERYDAY cos I luvs it so hard). Click on through to see what I got up to with these bad boys!

ABC Challenge: P

Hiya! Well we've just had the most beautifully sunny day ever here in Wellington - light cool breeze and endless sun... Mmmm it was gorgeous! And because it's put me in the mood for gorgeous things, I thought I'd share some absolutely gorgeous polishes! There are plenty of photos to look at (five extremely photogenic polishes, and one extra...) so let's get to it!

ABC Challenge: O

Hello there! I know, slack blogger is still slack, but I've had SO many new beautiful new babies to play with lately (ordered online, and also my local Farmers (NZ equivalent of Target) has just started stocking Essie polishes - previously unavailable in stores here!!) so I haven't been concentrating on getting blog posts ready - sorry! >.< I'd like to say I'll get better but in all honesty, there's a strong likelihood that I'll stay as slack as ever especially as we get into the crazy holiday retail season! Anywho, today I have a nice bold PINK to share with you for 'O'. Presenting Sinful Colors Oasis.

We Interrupt This Programme...

... to bring you the most intensely pic-heavy post you ever did see. I was completely committed to continuing with the Alphabet Challenge, but then those scheming little devils at OPI went and released a bright shiny new Christmas collection!! Wahh!! 

I picked up six of the 18 available polishes - three of the 'core' shades and three of the Liquid Sands. Click on through, but get your scrolling finger ready - there's a LOT to look at!

ABC Challenge: M

Hiya! Two posts in two days? Woah!! I know, I'm shocked too XD. Let's get on with it! I've got a double whammy for you today - M is for OPI My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours and My Chihuahua Bites!

ABC Challenge: D

Hello there, friends! Today's post is gonna be a bit of a guessing game for me, as I did this mani over two months ago (>.<) so I'm having a wee bit of a hard time remembering specifics! Let's see how we go...

Today's featured polish is China Glaze Dance Baby. I'm pretty sure I used two coats for these photos.

 Click through to see how I nail-art-y-ed it up!

ABC Challenge: C

Well hello again, friends! Welcome to day 3 of my ABC Challenge! As mentioned at the end of yesterday's post, I had no idea what I was gonna do for 'C', and since I'm crazy-indecisive, I decided to jam two (and a half) polishes into this post so I didn't have to choose which one to showcase. I'mma make today's one nice and quick - here's OPI Can't Find My Czechbook and Charged Up Cherry!

ABC Challenge: B

Hi hi! Okay so I lied a little bit, I'm a day late with this post, but I have a legit reason! I know it sounds stupid, but my cat walked across my keyboard while I was editing in Photoshop and kinda reset all my settings, and changed some I didn't even know about. It took some pretty serious Googling to get everything back, but I'm sorted now, so on with the challenge!

Marvelous Minnie Minis

Hello, lovely people! Today I've got a particularly photo heavy post for you. I couldn't choose which of the four new Couture de Minnie mini polishes I wanted to show you, so I decided to share them all =D. OPI put out a Vintage Minnie collection last(?) year, and I guess they were popular enough to keep that train a-running, so the bright brand spankin' new Couture de Minnie collection appeared. Aside from the four I've got for you today, there's also a glitter polish in the collection that I didn't pick up. It's called Minnie Style and has red, pink and white hexagonal glitter in a clear base. Personally I'm not crazy about large-ish glitters in clear bases so I gave it a miss, but if you're into that kinda thing, I've heard it's got a great, easy-to-place formula. Anyway, onto what I DO have!

I love how OPI's mini bottles are perfect mini-scale versions of their regular bottles - makes me feel like a giant! ^_^

Click through to see swatches of each polish in its own glory.

Holo, Is It Me You're Looking For?

Well hello to you! I've got a quick one for you today - I'm in hospital at the moment, but I got some day leave today so I did my nails (of course!) and had a play with some polishes that arrived while I've been away. I HAD to share this one!! It's a polish from the China Glaze 'Holographic' collection, called Infra Red. It's my first proper 'holo' and I could NOT stop staring at this absolutely stunning polish!

Even though it's called Infra Red, it's definitely more of a dark pink, don'tcha think?

Look at that rainbow shimmer!! This is what sets 'holo' polishes apart - that breathtaking, ever-stare-worthy flashing rainbow on your tips. This was bad lighting, rushed photography and I had no idea how to photograph to show off the intense holo-ness, but even from these crappy photos, you still get an idea of the amazingness! Yes, I walked into things because I was staring at my nails - we've all done it, and this polish deserves it!

Mmmmmm rainbowy goodness... I used two coats for these photos, and I used INM Out The Door fast-dry top coat... that was a mistake. The holo finish is much MUCH more obvious without topcoat, but as I said, this was a rush job so I didn't bother to take it off and start again... Sorry! Maybe in the future I'll take better snaps - I just had to share!

Yep, I'm hooked, and can you blame me!? I definitely wanna get my greedy little paws on some more holo polishes. There's nothing like this in my collection, and it's getting lonely there by itself =P. Must be time to save up and do a proper haul...

Have you tried a holo polish yet? Were you pleased or disappointed? I'd love to hear any stories you have - I'm always interested in fellow polish-holic experiences! =)

Hopefully I'll be back in full swing soon so keep checkin' in. Hope you're all smiling your lovely smiles! Thanks for reading ^_^

- Ally xx

Suzi's Flowers

Well hello there, friends! Yes, I know I've been AWOL for a loooong while now but I have plans to make it up to you! Without going into too much detail, I've been battling some pretty serious depression and painting my nails just hasn't been at the top of my priority list. I'm on the way up though, and I have plans for a good solid comeback *rubs hands together while emitting evil laugh*.

Ahem.

On today's menu I have a comparison of two OPI pinks - Flower to Flower and Suzi's Hungary Again! - the latter from the relatively recent 'Euro Centrale' collection. First up I just wanna say that I luh-uh-uh-ove the formula for the Euro Centrale cremes - Suzi's Hungary Again!, You're Such a Budapest, Can't Find My Czech-book and My Paprika is Hotter than Yours! all have totally delish two coat creamy formulas that glide like butter and shine like jelly. If you've been eyeing up any of the collection, those are the ones I'd recommend. The others are lovely, but those 4 cremes are something truly special. 

For these photos I used two coats of Suzi's Hungary Again! with a top coat of Seche Vite because I'm as impatient as... Someone who's impatient, I guess!?

As mentioned above this totally delish two coater glides on like heaven, and without a top coat it's just as glossy. There is a very very subtle pink shimmer in this baby that my camera didn't capture (a tone-matching shimmer that's present in My Paprika is Hotter than Yours! too). This doesn't affect the look of the polish or make it any less creamy (read: dreamy), but apparently it's a little trick to get the polish more even in appearance so even those of us who are useless at applying polish evenly can get away with this one.

As I decided where on my shelves of polishes to make this polish's home, it looked pretty darn similar to OPI Flower to Flower which came out in a Spring collection a couple of years ago. I'll use any excuse to paint my nails some more, so I grabbed FtF off the shelf and did a quickie comparison.

They look more similar in their bottles than they do on the nail, granted, but it must've been dim lighting that day because the differences in these two are huge. As you can see SHA gives off a more neon-orangey glow when next to a pink pink, and FtF has a much more obvious silvery shimmer. I used two coats of FtF but didn't bother putting a top coat on.

Even though they look nothing alike in these photos, I'm still happy I decided to check, if only because it meant I got to play with FtF again. It's such a Barbie pink that I hardly ever use it, and haven't brought myself to wear it out of the house yet. Just not my colour... 

Do you have any favourites from the Euro Centrale collection? Can you get away with the PINK Barbie pinks? Look forward to next time - the comeback will officially commence soon! 

Thanks for checking in, lovelies ^_^

Favourite Fuchsia

Hiya!! Phew, it is stinkin' hot here today - it's sooooo nice...! This Summer is definitely gonna be a good one! Speaking of good ones, I officially have a favourite polish. Yes, you heard me, A favourite polish! I ordered some China Glazes from Head2ToeBeauty in the States, and they arrived on my doorstep exactly seven days later. I love quick delivery! And the best part is, their CGs are (mostly) US$3.25 each! Altogether with postage, it cost me just under NZ$35 for four CGs. Sweet or what?? So first up from my new babies is Fuchsia Fanatic!

A 'glamour shot' of the PINK polish =). A while ago some other bloggers and I were chatting about what cameras we use (one of the lovelies was looking at getting a new one and wanted advice) and I'd said I use a little Canon point n' shoot for my blog pics now (PowerShot A4000), but I used to use my big baby (Canon S5) before I got the little one. One of the girls asked if / when I use my big one (who's name is Billy, by the way), and it made me realise poor Billy hasn't had any playtime since I got Johann (the little one). So for today's post, Billy came out to play in the sunshine! Do you notice any difference in the pics? (Apart from being outside in the sun, obviously...). I'd love your feedback!

Now, onto the polish! *drools* This polish... Oh my goodness, this polish...!! I bought it for the colour, of course, but it was the formula that won me over heart and soul. I'm pretty open with formulas - if it's a crappy formula but a great colour, I'll still show it plenty of love. The formula on this baby could not have been any better. I was a little worried when I first opened the bottle - it looked like it was gonna be a sheer jelly à la OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-y?, and I admittedly sighed a sigh of disappointment, but from the first brush stroke, it was like heaven to apply. Opaque in one coat with a HIGH gloss jelly-finish, this baby took one coat to look like a perfect shellac / gel nail treatment. Okay, so you know me, I had to apply a second coat (I have VNL insecurities, okay??) but honestly, one would've done. As I was rushing out to go to a show, I applied Cult Nails Wicked Fast top coat, but if you're not in a hurry, there's no need for a TC - the finish is perfect. 

I applied the polish last night and took the photos today, and all pics are 2 coats with Wicked Fast over top. Now that I've finished gushing about the formula, sit back and soak in the delicious pure fuchsia colour! Mmmm...

Seriously, SERIOUSLY impressed with this polish. It's gonna be one of those ones I have to talk myself out of wearing all the time. It truly looks like a shellac / gel salon-applied polish, and I'm just so freakin' impressed with it! I don't wanna take it off, but I have three more brand new CGs to play with! (Lemon Fizz, Glittering Garland, and Grape Pop, in case you were wondering!) Ugh, nail polish addict problems... ;-)

What was the last polish you were seriously impressed with, and why? Do you notice a diference between these photos with Billy, and my usual photos with Johann? (Yep, I'm nuts for naming my electronics, but you knew I was crazy anyway =P) Thank you SO much for stopping by, lovelies! Hope the sun is shining, literally or metaphorically, for you wherever you are!! ♥♥ ^_^