NOTD: Sequin Explosion

   Hey you guys! :D *it's Friday it's Friday gotta get down on Friday* okayyyy before I permanently destroy your ear drums (and my dignity) I've got some sparkly new nails to share with you all *big cheesy grin*

NOTD: Christmas Eve Manicure

   Hey y'all! It's been a while eh? 

   Wishing all my readers Happy Holidays and hoping everyone's Christmas was filled with fun and joy! The lead up to the big day was so darn busy, I had the same mani on for 10 days, and hence my absence also. But thankfully, the Christmas rush is almost over. I finally had time to sit down and do my nails on Christmas Eve (of all nights!). I didn't want something real festive, I wasn't in the mood for red and green glitters, candy canes or reindeers on my nails, so I went for a simple glam look, if you could call it that haha

   On my pointer and pink is Zoya Godiva - such a beautiful neutral texture; on my ring finger is a reverse glitter gradient using Revlon Stunning over a black polish; and on my middle finger is a Sally Hansen nail strip. I reallllllly wanted writing on my nails but since 1. I don't have a plate with that image on it (free handing that seemed too hard!) and 2. I suck at stamping anyway, I cheated and used strips :P 

   In other news, I also broke a nail on my right hand at work. The break was terrible and had me sulking for days ): But on the plus side, it was the nudge I needed to file down and trim my nails.

   I filed the nails down quite a bit - they sort of look like mini claws now :P plus a super nub on my middle finger hehe Overall I don't mind so much, they'll grow back, and it really is quite liberating every time I shorten my nails - no more holes in my pastry when I bake, and soooo much easier getting cream from a tub  without getting it under my nails :P

   Until my next post, wishing you all safe holidays! 

Top 5 Polish: Most Used

   Mornin' all! Today's post is something a little different.. I pose to you all a question: have you ever finished a bottle of nail polish? Of course I don't mean top and base coats, or black and white polishes used for nail art! :P 

   Why I ask this? Well recently, I've realised that I'm actually running low on a few bottles of polish, and that I need to buy a second bottle of all of them! Shocking isn't it?! 

This post reveals my 5 most used polishes!

   First up is Butter London Pillar Box Red. It's my go to 'classic' red and still glides on as smoothly as it did the first day I got it - so much love for this polish seriously ♥ It's only got about 1/4 of the bottle left... I'm absolutely dreading the day I can no longer scrape the remaining dregs of polish from the bottom of the bottle *sobs in the corner* Unfortunately, BL isn't available in stores here in Australia, so my only option is to buy them online, or through someone in the US willing to ship it to me here (even then, the shipping will kill me now that postage has been hiked up again!) 

Butter London 'Pillar Box Red' topped with Shades of Phoenix 'Chaos'

Next is Sally Hansen Cafe Au Lait. And this bottle is completely and utterly empty!! The first ever bottle of polish that I've finished, and my most favourite nude shade! It's been with me through my nubbins and claws, and I've bought two back ups already, so I won't be running out any time soon :P

Sally Hansen 'Cafe Au Lait' with lace accent using Ulta3 'Black Satin'

   Third up is Australis #totesamaze and I took advantage of the recent 40% off priceline sale to grab me another bottle, because, like Cafe Au Lait, it's also empty! It's the perfect shade of pink - nice and bright without being neon, but not too dark a hot pink that it looks almost red on my skin - love love love it... and its name, as cheesy as it is :P

Australis '#totesamaze' tribal mix n match

   Next up is Sinful Colors Endless Blue. Since I couldn't get my hands on Essie Butler Please or Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, Endless Blue was what I settled for, and now I can't get enough of it! It's a gorgeous vibrant blue, and is pretty much my go-to blue when doing nail art. There's about 1/3 of the bottle left.. may have to take advantage of the 2 for $6 Sinful Colors sale at Target this week :P

Sinful Colors 'Endless Blue' topped with Katt Claws 'Community Pool'

   Last, but definitely not the least, is Femme Fatale Cosmetics Eventide. Yes, it's an indie polish, and yes it's almost finished! This is the only 'top 5 most used polishes' that also holds a spot in my 'top 5 favourite polishes of all time' - I love it that much! But alas, it's been discontinued and I wasn't fast enough at grabbing back ups, so now I'll be using it sparingly!

2 generous coats of 'Eventide'  on its own as accents on the index and pinky

   And there you have it - my 5 most used polishes! Have you ever actually finished a bottle of polish? I thought it was impossible, until now :P

*Tumbleweed Rolls Past*

It's been way too quiet.

*slowly walks out of hiding spot*

You guys suck at hide and seek! ... Oh, were we not playing a game of hide and seek? 
*awkward*



--
   OMG BOY HAVE I MISSED YOU GUYS. HOW HAVE YOU ALL BEEN?! 
The past few weeks have been a mixture of laziness and then busy-ness (probably not a real word) and responsibility, so minus the past week or so, my nails have been bare since my last post on here ....shocking right?!

   I feel so out of the loop (OF COURSE YOU ARE DOOFUS!) but uni exams are right around the corner, so after that I'll have a month off to get back on track *cheer*

   ALSO, I don't have access to my usual SLR camera for photos at the moment, so all my photos are currently taken in the sun or under a lamp indoors with my phone. Can't wait to get the camera back!


   So off we start with the random tidbits:

Sinful Colors Blue By You topped with Hottie

OPI Polka.com sandwiched between Sinful Colors Cinderella

Revlon Moon Candy Orbit 

Revlon Moon Candy Galactic layered over Orbit

Kleancolor Neon Amethyst over a neon pink Coral Colours I lost the label for ):

Kleancolor Neon Amethyst, Covergirl Vio-last and Sally Hansen Scarab

   And for tonight's mani, I give you all two polishes from the Face Of Australia "Glitterati" collection. On the pointer and pinky is FOA Heart of Glass and on the two middle fingers is FOA Boogie Wonderland. 

   Heart of Glass was a downright pain in my ass to apply! The glitter is so sparse that I had to do very thin layers and place glitter evenly on the nail to avoid a gloopy mess that would probably never dry. Boogie Wonderland on the other hand was much easier to apply, although I could do without the green and white bar glitter *blergh* not a fan of bar glitter. 

   These remind me of cupcakes, or of sweet things, so I'll either be playing with a cupcake design or chocolate drips on these babies tonight, better pictures in the sun tomorrow hopefully *fingers crossed*

Watercolour Floral

   Feeling a tad girly today, so thought I'd do some floral nail art ..that, and I haven't done a floral design in ages and I miss it! :P This design was inspired by Jenn from Jenn's Nails on tumblr. I am absolutely in love with her nails, and her nail art!

   So basically, my take on the mani is using a 'watercolour' method where I've thinned down the nail polish colours with some thinner (acetone works just as well). I used Chi Chi Plastic Fantastic (fast becoming a minty favourite!), Ulta3 Tahitian Lime and BC Co. Shade 21 for the background. It's pretty much painting the polish on in short strokes (like in an ikat design) one colour at a time until the entire nail is covered. For the flowers (I didn't water them down too much, so that they would stand out from the background) I used Sally Hansen I Pink I Can, Sinful Colors Snow Me White and Black on Black. Topped it off with a quick dry top coat to even things out, et voila!

   I was planning on doing some ikat chevron nails this week, but this sort of counts as ikat too right (short strokes)? :P Instead, if any of y'all have suggestions or requests, I'de love to hear them, and see what I can do! 

Simple Romantic Nails

   I was feeling a little girly today, so I've decided to try some 3D nail art with these pearls and and diamantes on a nude + glitter gradient base. 

   I've seen this look go around a couple of times, but it was so pretty and chic I had to try it for myself! For the base I used Sally Hansen Cafe Au Lait, topped with Revlon Sparkling (new favourite Revlon glitter FYI) for the gradient. 

   The pearls I purchased from the BornPrettyStore, it came in a wheel container with plenty of different sized pearls and all for around $5! How could I not?! The diamantes I got from the dollar store, they're just the normal flat back adhesive body jewels that I decided to use for nail art :P

   With V-day coming up, you may or may not see more 'girly' manis :P