China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On with Happy Hands Motherboy

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As far as I'm concerned these are the two greatest polishes since sliced bread.
And when I say something is the best thing since sliced bread, I mean it.

Do you know how difficult I find it, slicing a loaf of bread? Long story short, it looks like a rat has chewed the slices apart...

China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On & Happy Hands Motherboy

Keep Calm, Paint On is a fabulous pastel mint shimmer. The shimmer is fairly subtle and kind of pearly white. The best part about KCPO is that the mint leans slightly more yellow than blue, so it doesn't look gross on me and I ain't got no lobster hands, yeyeah!
The formula is kinda crappy though, just like Mimosas Before Manis. I thinned this out in anticipation, so I managed only two medium coats.

I had intended on putting Motherboy on all my nails, but I liked KCPO so much that I only ended up using it for an accent on my thumbs and ring fingers. It's a freaking fantastic matte glitter combination with pink, mauve (as in halfway between lilac and lavender, mauve. It seems like the polish makers think mauve is a pinky brown hue but I'm telling you it's a purple with pink undertones; lighter than lavender but darker and more purple than lilac. Wikipedia that shit if you're not buying it.), baby blue and pale green matte glitter. The pink is the only non pearl/satin finish glitter so it stands out giving the polish a bit of a bright kick.
Like most Happy Hands, Motherboy dries pretty bumpy so you need some thick topcoat for a truly smooth and glossy finish. I used two coats for these photos.

Having course every day is getting me in to the habit of painting a full manicure each time I change my polish, which so far has been almost every single day!!! I was getting really lazy and usually only having my swatching fingers on my left hand painted, unless I was going out somewhere special. It's got me using all my untrieds too, woop, woop!

I should be back from camp tonight, hopefully not too tired, with enough spirit to change my polish!!!!


xxx
NPA

First attempt at roses with China Glaze Mimosas Before Manis

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So I tried another new to me nail art technique last week. Though it was pretty bad looking up close, from a distance (and to the lay/muggle eye) they looked pretty fantastic!!!

Since everyone has been posting swatches of the China Glaze Avant Garden Collection, I wanted to do something a little different by posting some nail art using each polish separately.

China Glaze Mimosas Before Manis with roses, stripes and polka dots

 First off, Mimosas Before Manis is pinkier in person, my camera just hates these types of corals. I love the bright pink/orange coral with subtle shimmer but the formula is not the greatest. I thinned it a little which helped to reduce the uneven streaks, but I used 3 coats to get it looking even. The coverage was also a bit of a problem. I often find these sorts of formulas are opaque and yet you end up with VNL after two coats still. I still think MBM is worth the extra effort though.

I painted the stripes and dots with OPI Alpine Snow using a striper brush and dotting tool, respectively. Then I used my dotting tool to make blobs of purple for the roses and acrylic white and green paint with a detail brush to make the rose swirls and leaves.

I definitely have to work on the control of the brush and steadiness of my hand, but all in all it's an impressive first try in my book!!

And here is three coats of MBM with one layer of Seche Vite:

China Glaze Mimosas Before Manis

Aaaaahhhh, how I love my subtle shimmers!!!!

The posts from today until Wednesday have been scheduled because I'm away at camp; handling cows, horses and chickens, Oh My!!!

Which Avant Garden lacquers did you snag??


xxx
NPA

The secret to staying warm this Winter: Elevation Pata Puffer

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It seems like almost everyone has a Puffer jacket in NZ.
In fact the other day one of the girls in my course was wearing hers inside the classroom. Yes, inside the classroom. It's been F***ing HOT all Summer, we're in a pretty severe drought throughout most of the country; so I have no idea how she wasn't filling an inflatable paddling pool with her own sweat, but since having lived in Christchurch I've noticed that Aucklanders are incredibly wimpy in the 'cold'.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there, LOL. My point is that I love the name of Elevation's LE polish from 2012; Pata Puffer. This came to me via Fingers' giveaway and after 6 months I've finally got some decent photos of it!!!

Elevation Pata Puffer

Pata Puffer is the shiz! And it is as close to Lynnderella Garden of Even as I'm ever gonna get (shakes fist at lack of international shipping and exorbitant bottle prices!!!).
In a fuchsia-red violet base, sits ultra-fine matching holo glitter and small, pinker holo hexes that glow in the light. I'm sorry it's not still available, guys. The formula was alright, I can't remember if I used 2 or 3 thin coats, though my gut is telling me it was likely 3 (because I can't handle unevenness or bald spots - OCD!). I topped it with a coat each of Glitter Gloss and Seche Vite, which gave a smooth and shiny finish.

Now whenever I reach for my Puffer jacket this winter (and I probably won't since it's Auckland ahahaha), I'll think of PP and have the urge to redo my nails!!!

Elevation just restocked yesterday, so you might be able to get your hands on some of her newer pretties now!


xxx
NPA

KKcenterHk French Water Decals Review

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Ok, Michaela is having a kind of depressing day. Not only can I not wear nail polish while in clinic, I also have to have short nails! As in Netball short!!!! Waah waah waaahhh!
That's two days a week of naked nails and 100% of the time stubby nails. These animals I'm going to be nursing had better be grateful!!!! :) Just jokes.

Awh, shit; at least I might be able to prevent breaks and splits...

 Anyway, with only one more week of nail freedom I got round to trying out these french tip water decals from KKcenterHk. I'd been putting them off because my nails never seemed long enough to carry them off, but desperate times...

I wanted to do a traditional french mani but my nails are a bit orange (I just got some Orly nail whitener so will be trying it out soon) so I first applied 2 coats of OPI Samoan Sand (my most favourite semi-sheer nude).
Then I added the decals:

 OPI Samoan Sand with KKcenter HK french tip water decals: WDB068

The decals are great, only my nails are fairly small and narrow so there was a lot of excess I had to remove with acetone and scissors. That led to a wee bit of tearing caused by trying to move the decals around while they were too dry, but you couldn't tell unless you examined my nails right in front of your eyes.

Once I slid the decals in to place, I let them dry and painted on some Seche Vite. Once that dried I used some scissors and my cleanup brush to remove all the excess decal around the sides and tip of my nail (it was sort of like nail wrap cleanup using the brush instead of a nail file). With the excess gone, I applied a final coat of Seche Vite, wrapping the tips.

I love the final look, but I wouldn't repurchase these in particular because they are just so large on my nails. I do however recommend these to anyone with long and/or larger nail plates. Luckily KKcenterHk also have skinnier french tip decals too and I can see myself trying those in the future.

These are only $2.82 for 15 decals, so cheap as chips, right?! Here is the direct link. You can use my 10% off coupon NPA10 on any order at KKcenterHk. This icon on my top left sidebar will also take you to their website:

KKcenterHk is also running an Easter promo right now:
Buy 1 product Get 8% off
Buy 3 products Get 12% off
Buy 5 products Get 20% off

Hope your weekends are off to a great start!


xxx
NPA

Happy Hands Mayonegg

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Oh Happy Hands, your Arrested Development Collection is the gift that keeps giving!!!!

'Her?'

If you don't get that reference you need to get yourself the series DVD pronto.

Happy Hands Mayonegg

 Mayonegg is a white creme with white shimmer flecks and matte yellow hex glitter. This perfectly embodies Anne's or 'her' favourite snack food: a hard boiled egg squirted with packet mayonnaise!!!!

I'm not a fan of the formula. It's thick and streaky and dries pretty bumpy in 2-3 coats. I smoothed it with a layer of both Glitter Gloss and Seche Vite.

It really felt like I had fried eggs on my nails!!!

Hope your week is going well ladies, take care,

xxx

NPA