Christmas Day Nails 2012 - gold leaf franken

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Since it's just gone New Year's this Christmas post is a tad late, but I managed to wipe my New Year's nails from my SD card (I have no idea how!!!!!!! and they were so pretty!!!) so here is the mani I wore for xmas day.

Gold Leaf Franken over OPI Mrs O'Leary's BBQ

overcast

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close up

This wasn't overly Christmasy but I really wanted to wear my gold leaf franken for the first time and I knew Mrs O'Leary's BBQ would make for a great base! It's my favourite vamp. I banged my nail while they were still drying so the dent in my ring finger is pretty rough!!!

Good news is my top coat went on really easily, no issues with bubbles like last time and I got some compliments from my family about it, yay! Even my mum likes the look and if you've been following me for a while you'll know that mum hates most of my polishes!!!

I've been really caught up in the Christmas and New Year polish sales! Have you? Now I'm very poor but so many polishes are headed my way :) Fingers crossed mum doesn't notice lol.

Oh and I think I'll recreate my New Year manicure soon so fear not!


xxx
NPA

It's a really nice CULT mum, I promise

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Good Monday Ladies,

A few months back, I placed my 1st ever Cult Nails order. I think I bought 5 - (Always Winning went straight to live in 'future giveaway land'), and I've managed to photograph a couple of them for you. Sorry about my hangnail and cuticles- couldn't find the nippers!

Iconic - natural light

Iconic - sunlight

Iconic - sunlight

Iconic is a pinky maroon strewn with gold shimmer and flakies! The flakes look like they might be gold because they shine kind of orangey most of the time. I really like this one, it's a grown up colour but with flakes for a bit of zing! Definitely love how the flakies look in a non-jelly base. I think this was 2 coats. The formula is ok, a bit thin for my liking - it pooled a little at the cuticles.

My Kind of Cool Aid - sunlight

My Kind of Cool Aid - sunlight

My Kind of Cool Aid is a greyed almost pastel lavender/mauve with pearl coloured shimmer. Very pretty. I used 3 coats, but I think if I was used to the thinner formula, I could have got it done in 2. I'm always a bit useless the first time I try a new brand/brush. Once I know what to expect, I develop a method of application!

Let Me Fly - sunlight

Let Me Fly - shade

Let Me Fly is such a stunner! It's a dusty blue/teal (sort of a cross between cerulean blue and teal) with fine glass fleck silver flakie shimmer. The formula was thin but really colour rich so it only needed 2 coats. It dries to a high gloss finish too - how awesome is that?!

I also got Cruisin' Nude, (which looks gorgeous too) but turns out, it's the worst ever beige for my colouring, I think it'll give me corpse hands. I haven't actually tried it yet - it may end up in a giveaway or as a present for someone with cooler colouring.


I'm super excited for more of Maria's polishes. My 2nd order (the Super Powers collection) is currently somewhere between Florida and Auckland; I hope it makes its way to my letter box this week!

You can purchase Cult Nails polish from their website here or from Overall Beauty.

Til tomorrow,
xxx
NPA

L.A. Girl Rock Star Collection

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Hey lovely ladies,

Today was a bit flat out and I didn't manage to water marble my nails. Instead I have swatches of my LA Girl Rock Star polishes I got from Cherry Culture a few months ago.

These guys came out in 2009.

Groupie - sunlight

Groupie - indoors

 Groupie - is purple duochrome shimmer along the lines of OPI Ink. - Colour-wise it is predominantly a grape purple with shimmer that shifts between pink and blue (just like OPI Grape...Set...Match. but without the foil like finish). The formula is on the thin side and it needs 3 coats to reach opacity.

Punk - sunlight

Punk - sunlight

Punk - sunlight

 Punk is a blue version of  Groupie. It has a dark blue base (reminds me a little of airforce blue) with shimmer particles that shift between teal and blurple. Again, the formula is thin so it needs 3 coats but it is so worth it! This was my surprise favourite. Punk is like China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic with a different finish! I don't know about you but I love these shimmery flat glitter like particle polishes. I'm sure there's a better name for the finish but either way I prefer it to a straight shimmer. Maybe it's a "sparkly shimmer"?

Party Animal - indoors

Party Animal - sunlight

 Party Animal is a vampy dark, deep maroon creme with sparse, fine silver glitter. This shade is to die for too - and I don't gravitate towards the vampy shades.The only issue I had with this formula was it's tendency towards cuticle drag, so give it a while between coats. I found 2 to be sufficient.

Rock Star - sunlight

Rock Star - indoors

 Rock Star is just as the name promises. A glossy black creme with irregular sized fine glitter flecks that flash pink, purple & gold. I think my photos manage to capture the colour of the glitter correctly. My brush on this one was wonky so application wasn't the best but I think it was just a luck of the draw type thing. I think I used 3 coats here but if I recall correctly, 2 was opaque.

I'm really happy with the polishes (not always the norm, especially when I order online) I chose from the collection as a whole. Not one let me down and I know I'll wear them all. The only downside is that they have a fairly long dry/setting time (especially the 3 coaters) so I recommend a quick dry top coat or drying drops.
 Did I mention what a bargain these guys are too? Only US$2.50 a piece! Gotta love a bargain :)

Fingers crossed I have time to attempt the water marble tomorrow!

xxx
Michaela