Lacquer Boudoir

Tradeshow: Beauty UK Birmingham

2011-05-21T12:13:00.000+01:00

I received an invite card for Beauty UK with my Scratch Magazine subscription, I have never been to Birmingham, thought why not. I love daytrip, it also gives me an excuse to have dinner at Lasan as well! You can read my rest of the Birmingham daytrip on my personal blog.

Beauty UK, Hall 6, Birmingham NEC

This is my first tradeshow I've ever been to, upon arriving, it was a venue packed with ladies with big hair, Fanta coloured skin, falsies and super high-heels, I initially thought I have just walked into "The Only Way is Essex" audition – I was out of place, but at the right place.

NSI is one of the vendor and they're also Sparitual's UK Rep

There were lots of vendor for nails, tanning, some make-up, alternative therapy etc. Of course I was most interested in nails. Included UK rep for OPI, Essie, ChinaGlaze, Zoya, Orly, Sparitual, Konad and even fauxnad to name a few. I was especially excited to see Sparitual and Zoya since they are more difficult to track down in the UK. Of course this year's hottest vendors were amongst nail foils such as Kooky and Minx, Gels and Soak Offs and of course Crackle nail varnish! (Incidentally, Barry M has just released many crackle colours!)

Sparitual display at the show

Sparitual Mind Body Spirit Matte Collection

I would have gone wild at this show, but had to control and only pin down to buy the essentials or wish list items. From Sparitual, I bought a shimmer nude matte colour named Mind from the Mind, Body, Spirit collection, and also another cream one named Sage. I also picked up a bottle of Bearberry Smoothie Cuticle Remover and Red Berry Splash Hand Soak from Kaeso.

One of the more popular vendors, Kooky foil wrapped nails design

Of course, one of this year's most hottest trend is foil wraps. Any vendors with these were heaving with customers. Then it's down to price war, there was one unique company that actually can print your designs but minimum order is 10 sheets. I haven't tried them before, so I was curious. There were a few demonstration on the applications. I bought a few plain ones to play: hologram and gold sheets. I wasn't keen on some of the designs as I preferred stamped or freehand designs but thought the foil metallics were worth buying and it's something one can't achieve with any varnish.

ChinaGlaze booth

Lots of falsies too!

There were also other new trends and services, one that left me bemused was "Tooth Fairy" – Bling for your teeth! It literally puts that sparkle on your tooth. It wasn't cheap. Why?! I don't get it. (Although, I can see Katie Price having one). They also sell other bling stickers for your hair and clothing etc.

Is this for real?!?

Essie!!!

Yes, Essie at trade prices! I bought four from my wishlist: Chinchilly, Sand Topez, Sew Psyched and Turquoise & Caicos. I know they're not from the latest collection but I've want these for ages! The vendor also gave me a Seche Viche bag.

Lots of Zoya too!

My first Zoya: Jules, Gemma and Envy. I can also scratch Envy off that wishlist.

I managed to find the ladies from Scratch and was lovely finally to meet Helena! I was telling her how crazy this show is, she said "wait til the Olympia show in September". Oh dear! I better start saving!

General shot at the show

There were also lots of unknown brands. I bought three of these Y.C.C.: white crackle, gold and a hologram glitter varnish. Other items I purchased: cuticle pusher, trimmer clip and scissors. Lots of nail art glitters!

My Tiny World – Ought to be one of my favourite vendors at this show

My Tiny World has got to be one of my favourite vendors at this show. They make the most amazing slices and the most glittering glitters! They are a family run business, all products are designed and made in England. I won't say more about them in this post, because this company definitely deserve a special feature. So watch this space!

Slices tasters kits, in case you're bad at slicing and wants variety

Ooo! Fruit slices! I predict a Stella McCartney fruit dress SS11 manicure coming on this blog in the VERY near future!!!!!

This show was nuts, it was endless. I had to skip through lots in the end as the purchases were getting heavy and I was getting tired. How naive was I to think I'll only stay at the show for 2 hours and spend the rest of the time checking out Birmingham? I ended up staying for a good 5 hours at the show and only managed a quick walk around the city centre on route to Lasan. At least I know now what to expect for Olympia in September!

Have you been to one of these trade show? What was your experience like? Worth going? Can't be bothered?

Nail Art: Prada SS11 Manicure

2011-05-14T16:06:00.002+01:00

Let's start my comeback post with a manicure inspired by this season's Prada collection! All varnishes used were from Barry M. The pink in person is much, much brighter than how the photo turned out. I especially did this manicure before I headed off to Beauty UK trade show in Birmingham last weekend. I will post more about the trade show in the next few posts.

Here's another look:

What do you think of this designer manicure? What's your favourite Spring/Summer manicure?

Random: MIA but Back for Good

2011-02-18T00:02:00.000Z

Dear readers,

I apologise that I haven't been posting for a while – a long while – this was due to a whirlwind crazy few months in my life and a really bad neck/shoulder injury, I couldn't move nor type for a long time. I am on the road to recovery and I hope to be back posting next week. I also hope to get inspiration from up coming shows I'll be attending at London Fashion Week!!

Stay stylish & stay tuned,

Elsie x

Nail Art: Guest Manicure – Angela's Demure Elegance

2010-10-14T16:08:00.002+01:00

Woohoo! First of all, I would like to thank my readers and followers to make my first 50! To thank you all, I'll be hosting a giveaway! The official giveaway will be announced next week (give me the weekend to source what goodies I'll have for you! Lots of you commented that they can't find crackle polish, so at least ONE item of the giveaway will be the Barry M Instant Nail Effect! Will try to hunt one down for it, it's starting to sell out everywhere!) Okay, onto the manicure...

Angela is back for another guest manicure appearance. She will be a bridesmaid wearing a bright orange dress. The fascinator she's made for the occassion was Chocolate brown with greige accents. I instantly thought of using Butter London Fash Pack, and I thought the micro gold shimmer will be great for this occassion.

I decided to Fauxnad BM20 and BM21 a few random fingers with Sally Hansen Pat on The Back. But thought it was still missing something, then I clicked, "WE NEED MORE BLING!!!!" I quickly place a drop of my newly purchased Gold Glitter Nail Art Striper on a plastic card, then use a flat brush and graced on gradation on a few random fingers. Here's a closer look at her left hand:

This is her right:

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Butter London 0035 Fash Pack 3 coats
Gradation Colour: Nail Art Striper Gold Glitter 2 coats
Stamp Plate: Bundle Monster BM20 Botanical Swirl
Bundle Monster BM21 Botanical Swirl
Stamp Colour: Sally Hansen Salon 4120-57 Pat on the Back 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Fairly simple. Butter London Fash Pack as base colour for all fingers. Left hand, stamp BM21 Botanical Swirl on thumb and similar pattern from BM20 ring finger. Right hand, stamp BM21 on index and BM20 on pinky. With a flat brush create Gold Glitter gradation to left middle and pinky, and right thumb and ring finger. Topcoat. Done.

What do you think of this manicure? Have you been a bridesmaid? What outrageous colours do you have to endure? Any crazy bridesmaid stories?

Nail Art: Crackle My Corals Manicure

2010-10-11T10:21:00.007+01:00

This is Barry M's latest Instant Nail Effect crackle varnish in Black Magic. It promises instant nail art with crackle effect on any nail varnish.

Here is a closer look:

Lacquer Used:
Thumb: L.A. Colors NP419 Shock 3 coats
Index Finger: Misa 136 Too Much Gossip 2 coats
Middle Finger: Revlon 093 Tropical Temptation 2 coats
Ring Finger: Barry M 296 Coral 2 coats
Baby Finger: Revlon 990 One Perfect Coral 2 coats
Crackle Colour: Barry M 311 Black Magic 1 coat
Topcoat: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

For this manicure, I've selected a close range of analogous colours Orange-Yellow to Coral-Red sort of like a Gradation Manicure. Then paint each nail with selected colours. Somehow, my camera couldn't capture the colours well. I always find coral colours are always hard to photo to the true colour.

Application for L.A. Colors Shock was a bit disappointing despite its vibrant almost orange-yellow colour. It applied like a jelly and it dries semi-matte. It needed 3 coats to make opaque. Next time I would definitely build the colour with a yellow varnish first as a base colour.

For best result, let your nails dry first before you put on a thin layer of Barry M Black Magic Instant Nail Effect. If you put on too thick it might not crackle. The most fun of part of the manicure is watch the nails crackle before your eyes! It dries matte and apparently easily flake off if you don't put a topcoat on top.

Barry M Black Magic Instant Nail Effect available now for £3.95.

P.S. Beautyburg is having a first giveaway – Entire set of M.A.C. latest Venomous Villians! Click here to enter!

Do you own any crackle polish? What do you think of this come back?

Nail Art: Feature Artist – Ivy Lam

2010-10-08T08:24:00.005+01:00

My little sister, Ivy Lam (www.ivylammakeup.com), is a professional make-up artist from Toronto, Canada. She has just send me a photo of a nail set she is working on for an upcoming fashion photoshoot, the nails are just too brilliant not to share! I thought of just posting her photo, but wait, she has done some amazing manicures so I've decided to dedicate this blog post to her amazing and inspiring work.

Ivy is amazing at what she does, I'm not just saying this because she's my sister. Her client list includes Valentino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, up and coming Canadian designer Lucian Matis, celebrities like Ellen Page, Steve Coogan, Leighton Meester and Canada's Next Top Model, just to name a few.

I remember there was one time when Ivy and I were getting mini-makeovers at Cargo Cosmetics by co-founder Barbara Alexander at Eaton Centre. Think it was around 1996, I remember Ivy saying to Barbara, "I want to be a make-up artist." Years later, she went on to study Image Arts/New Media at Ryerson University but was not aspired to stay in the new media industry. She decided to follow her dream and became a make-up and hair artist.

This was the photo she sent to me. She didn't give me a list of varnish she has used. Black matte based with shiny French tips, embellished with silver metal studs and chains.

Below are some of her make-up and manicure work:

The below manicure was inspired by Christian Louboutin's signature shoe design with the red sole shoes. The back side of the nail is painted red, top with a shiny black. It's a shame that you can't see clearly from the magazine photo.

Yes, I'm a very proud sister. Ivy, you are amazing! x

What do you think of her work? What do you think of this new feature? Who would you like to see feature on here? What did you want to be when you grow up?

Nail Art: Giuseppe Zanotti Sinful Leopard Manicure

2010-10-05T09:12:00.005+01:00

I was flipping through my October issue of ELLE (UK Edition) and was mesmerised by this amazing Giuseppe Zanotti AW1011 advert modelled by the gorgeous Anja Rubik. Strong, sexy and dangerous – this designer advert has inspired this week's manicure. I wanted the slick sinful high-shine red against the gold glittering leopard. I also used red glitter to add more glam.

Here is my left hand:

And here is my right hand:

Lacquer Used:
Red Base Colour: FitFlop RED Pantone® 200 2 coats
Red Glitter Colour: BarryM NP105 Red Glitter 2 coats
Leopard Base Colour: Inglot 303 (Gold Shimmer) 5 coat
Leopard Stamp Plate: Konad M57 Leopard
Leopard Pattern Colour: Sinful Colors 103 Black on Black 1 coat
Leopard Spots Colour: L.A. Colors 410 Force 1 coat
Topcoat: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

I was very excited to use the FitFlop Pantone Red on myself for the first time. It's the PERFECT red and very fitting on this occassion. I really wanted that sinful devil shiny red. I painted my left middle and ring fingers and right index, middle and baby fingers with this. Application is smooth, pigmented, 2 coats was perfect. I did accidentally painted on the wrong finger with this colour, removal was a bit of a pain as this polish is so pigmented. So, watch out.

I initially bought the Inglot 303 (Gold Shimmer) as a gradation colour, a sheer colour that you can build on. Oh boy, on this occassion is it ever sheer. I needed a good 5 coats to get it completely opaque but the result was beautiful shade of gold with perfect micro shimmer. I painted this gold shimmer on left thumb, index and baby finger; right thumb and ring finger.

Then I use BarryM Red Glitter to add to the FitFlop red base to highlight left thumb, ring finger and right pinky. I also use this colour to highlight all the hearts.

I used Sinful Colors Black on Black and the Leopard Stamp from Konad M57 on the gold fingers and highlight some spots with L.A. Colors Force. I had to freehand the leopard pattern on the left thumb.

P.S. I'm 10 followers away to host my first giveaway!

What do you think of this designer inspired manicure? What inspires you?

Nail Art: Guest Manicure - Zara's Oriental Garden

2010-09-28T12:07:00.003+01:00

This guest manicure features Zara. I was inspired by this Oriental patterned maxi skirt she was wearing at the time, and here's my interpretation of the pattern. Wished I took a photo of the skirt to show you.

Here is a closer look:

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Revlon 040 Fushia Fever 2 coats
Flower Colour: Nail Art Pen Baby Pink 1 coat
Rose Highlight Colour: Nail Art Pen Electric Purple 1 coat
Flower Centres: China Glaze 80832 Solar Power 1 coat
Leaves Colour: Nail Art Pen Bright Green 1 coat
White Flowers on Thumb: Nail Art Pen
White 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Application for Revlon Fushia Fever is great, 2 coats leave even and good coverage. Perfect Spring/Summer colour! Colour is vibrant but not neon, if you're into pinks, this is a colour for you.

I added little flowers on inner corner of the nail near the cuticles. Ring finger I did a rose and thumb I freehanded a chrysanthemum flower with two little white flowers next to it. I also added a yellow rhinestone in the middle of the chrysanthemum flower.

This is a great manicure to brighten up the cold and dark Winter-like days we've been having over in the UK.

P.S. Also, I'm planning to have a giveaway in a couple weeks, so watch this space!

What do you think? What inspires you? How do you get inspired?

Nail Art: AW1011 Heritage Collection - Guest Manicure: Angela's Emerald Stag Cameo

2010-09-22T11:30:00.004+01:00

Angela returns for another guest manicure appearance. She wanted something that is Autumn like, thought why not try one of the designs from my AW1011 Heritage Collection? From my sample wheel, she picked the little stag cameo. I also wanted to try out one of the new black green colour I recently purchased on a haul.

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Queen Green Black 3 coats
Ring Finger Base Colour: L.A. Colours NP438 Jungle Fever 2 coats
Cameo Colour: China Glaze 77053 For Audrey 1 coat
Stag and Frame Colour: Barry M 293 Grey 1 coat
White Polka Dots: Nail Art Pen White 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

I love this Queen Green Black lacquer. It actually doesn't even have a colour name for it. I bought this unknown brand in a professional nails supplier store. It looks like a very close match to Nars Zulu from what I've seen online but I don't have it for comparison. It's stunning, it's almost black but green. What a find! Application is a little streaky, it was pretty okay with 2 coats but I put on a 3rd one for good luck.

L.A. Colors Jungle Fever is lovely, a very on-trend peacock colour for this Autumn/Winter. It applies smooth and even. The nail design was all done by freehand. The photo didn't capture all the colours nicely, it was quite late at night just under halogen lighting.

P.S. Oh yes, a very big congratulations to Magic Maid, who recently has 1000 followers, and she's having a ManGlaze Giveaway! I've been wanting to get my hands on ManGlaze for ages!

What do you think of the Heritage Collection? Have you any unknown brand nail lacquer that surprises you?

Collection: AW1011 - First Look at My First Nail Design Collection

2010-09-20T09:00:00.002+01:00

Attending London Fashion Week has been very inspiring and I can't wait for Spring/Summer 2011! I've been toying with the idea of having my own nail design collection each season. I'm inspired by the military/heritage, animal print and lace trend for this AW10/11's catwalk. Will let you on a secret... Watch this space... Lacquer Boudoir mobile salon coming soon!

Nail wheel is a bit of a pain to Konad on! There are more designs but I couldn't stamp on the nail wheel because the next nail tips were blocking my stamp to roll. So I couldn't do those ones for now, however, I managed to try out some of the freehand designs to see if they work on my broken nail wheel. Here it is! Sorry about the huge watermark, this is working progress so far, until they're released later this year and to protect my designs the watermarks are staying. I'm sure you understand. :)

After the popularity of Chanel Week, there are two designs here which is dedicated to a certain fashion designer. Yes, so there's another theme week coming up later this year! Can you guess who it is?

What do you think of the first look of the collection so far?

Nail Art: Smokey Lilac Romance

2010-09-18T17:39:00.000+01:00

I'm having one of those week where I can't decide what nail colour I want to wear. I wanted something muted, nude, greige but with a twist. I settled on a smokey lilac colour from Beauty UK Glam Nails and decided to add a fauxnad later on.

The Smokey Lilac colour is actually more purple in person than in the photo. Here's another look:

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Beauty UK 51 Smokey Lilac 3 coats
Ring Finger Colour: GOSH 554 Gold 2 coats
Stamp Plate: Bundle Monster BM20 Botanical Swirl
Stamp Colour: Sally Hansen Salon 4120-57 Pat on the Back 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

I am very surprised how great Beauty UK Smokey Lilac applies! It was smooth and even, 2 coats were enough but I put on 3. Best thing about it is that it only cost £1.99 at Superdrug! On the ring finger, I painted 2 coats of GOSH Gold. 1 coat was a little sheer, so I did two. Great chrome-like varnish, I wonder if it Konad well? (Anyone?)

Then I used Sally Hansen Salon Pat on the Back to stamp the ring fingers with the botanical swirl pattern from BM20 plate. Then 1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat and voilà!

What do you think of this? What was your favourite cheap varnish that you were completely surprised by the quality?

Swatches: ORLY Matte Vinyl

2010-09-13T16:30:00.003+01:00

I remember back in the 90s, matte nail varnish was quite popular at one point. I used to love the matte topcoat turning everything to matte. Lots of brands came out with matte version of varnishes over the last couple seasons, and the matte trend will for sure leap into this AW10/11. Rimmel and Boots 17 have both recently released a matte topcoat for their AW collection.

At a recent mini haul, I purchased a few matte varnish, one from OPI and two from ORLY. I've read lots of about ORLY (any mention of this brand always make me giggle because of O Rly Owls) but never could get hold of some until now. The first feature swatch is Matte Vinyl which is a very black colour.

Application, Pros & Cons

I first thought it was a bit sheer application, it looked okay once it dried but it sure needs 2 coats. I put on 3 coats. It dries faster than regular varnish and dries flat and even. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that my nails look like charcoal!

Down side of this is that it does chip more easily than regular polish. I've got a matte topcoat from TopShop but unfortunately, it doesn't dry as matte in comparison, more a satin-matte finished. I also find that after you've put on hand lotion as well, it takes away the matte look. It doesn't look as matte after a few days but one can simply refresh the matte manicure by applying a thin coat of matte polish.

Final Thoughts

I love the look of this matte varnish but it's a bit high maintenance. I would love to get hold of ManGlaze matte polish! Watch this space for comparison post later in the year.

What do you think of matte polishes? Have you own some? What's your favourite matte brand?

Nail Art: Guest Manicure - Laura's Woven Web

2010-09-06T17:38:00.000+01:00

This guest manicure features Laura Luck, who wanted this manicure specially for her upcoming Illumini's Secret Subterranean London exhibition.

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: FitFlop RED Pantone® 200 3 coats
Gradation &

Ring Finger Colour: Sinful Colors 103 Black on Black 2 coats
Stamp Plate: Bundle Monster BM13 Spider & Web
Spider Stamp Colour: Sinful Colors 103 Black on Black 1 coat
Web Stamp Colour: Beauty UK 47 Snow White 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

I am very excited to try out the new FitFlop Pantone® 200 Red Varnish (as mentioned in my last post). I used this as a base colour except for the thumbs where I used Sinful Colors Black on Black. The application of the FitFlop Red was even, and loved the vibrant red but unfortunately was a little sheer, it needed 2-3 coats. Then I cut out a piece of small sponge and sponged gradation (my first time using sponge technique!) colour only on index, middle and baby fingers with Sinful Colors Black on Black. 2 coats. 2nd coat concentrating on the base to deepen the colour.

Then I used Sinful Colors Black on Black to stamp the ring fingers with the spider pattern from BM13 plate. From the same plate, I used Beauty UK Snow White to stamp the thumbs with the web pattern. Used good coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat and voilà!

This was my first time using sponge technique, what do you think? Where do you learn your techniques? What's your favourite new trick?

Trends: My wish came true! Pantone Colour Varnish!

2010-08-24T23:10:00.003+01:00

I am a design geek. Everytime I look at my PANTONE® colour book when I'm designing and choosing colours, I can't help but wonder, I would LOVE to make PANTONE® colour nail varnish!!! They've got mugs and stationeries, why not wall paint and nail varnish!

Collaborated with the popular FitFlop and my favourite PANTONE® 200 came the Red FitFlop Nail Varnish. As much benefits and raves about FitFlops and as tempted as I am, I just can't bring myself to wear them. Ugh! Although, I must admit, I secretly want a pair of their gladiator sandals... shhh... But this varnish is a definite MUST HAVE!!!

I've ordered mine. Can't wait for it to arrive and swatch for you!

Order yours now HERE and for a limited of time, this special edition of nail varnish is FREE when you purchase a pair of Walkstar 1, Walkstar 3 or Walkstar 3 Snake at FitFlop.com

Do you own a pair of FitFlop? What's your favourite Pantone colour?

Nail Art: Pretty Lace

2010-08-19T10:52:00.000+01:00

I wanted something a bit more demure on my nails. This Konadicure is inspired by French lace.

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Misa 157 High Waist Hue 3 coats
Stamp Plate: Konad M71 Flower Lace Border
Flower Pattern
Stamp Colour: Beauty UK 47 Snow White 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

After my base coat has been dried, I used Misa High Waist Hue for the base colour. Even though Misa applies smoothly and evenly, I find light colours varnish always need an extra coat for some reason.
I applied a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat in case I made mistake with my stamping. It stinks but, boy, does it do a great job!! Dries super fast and leaves my nails super shiny!
After all the layers have dried completely, I used Beauty UK Snow White with the Konad M71 Flower Lace Border on my index, middle and baby fingers, and I used the Flower Pattern from the same plate on my thumb and ring finger.
To finish off, I used a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I hope you like this manicure!

What do you think of this konadicure?Do you find light colour varnishes always need an extra coat too?

Lacquer: China Glaze Haul 1

2010-08-14T14:19:00.000+01:00

Too many polishes in this haul to be all included in the blog post title! I've heard amazing praises on China Glaze, I finally had my hands on a few, okay, more than a few. Here they are:

(Top Row: Turned Up Turguoise, Fairy Dust, For Audrey.
Bottom Row: Japanese Koi, Solar Power, Golden Meringue, Diva Bride)

Japanese Koi (Neon – Ink Collection 80844)
This is almost a duplicate of Models Own Fluro's Orange by eye but Japanese Koi might have more red/coral in it. I'll need to do a swatch comparison later.
Solar Power (Ecollection 80832)
Very Summer-y yellow with micro golden shimmer.
Golden Meringue (Core Collection 70323)
Lovely sheer nude-pink with micro gold shimmer. Would be great as a glaze.
Diva Bride (Wedding Diva Collection 70286)Crème colour, pretty light pink. Perfect for French Manicure base!

Turned Up Turguoise (Neon – Wow Factor Collection 70345)
I wouldn't say it's neon, but it is a fairly bright turquoise with micro shimmer. It's not really me, but thought why not. Definitely a bright Summer colour.
Fairy Dust (Core Collection 70563)
I've read so much about this! It's a clear varnish with micro holographic shimmer. It'll be great as a top coat.
For Audrey (Something Blue Collection 77053)
After seeing so many swatches and reviews about this, I finally got my hands on it! It's a lovely, it was inspired by the Tiffany blue. PHD has actually did a swatch test in search for "The" Tiffany Blue. Anyway, this colour is bang on trend with one of this season's hottest minty shade popularised by Chanel's limited edition Jade and Nouvelle Vague.

I'm still dying to get some from the OMG Collection and Khrome Collection! I know most from this haul is nothing new, you've probably have read them on plenty other blogs. That's all for now. This will keep me busy for a while with swatches and playing with the colours.

Do you own any of these varnishes? Which is your favourite China Glaze colour?

Nail Art: Guest Manicure - Angela's Summery Sparkly Flowery

2010-08-11T21:57:00.003+01:00

This guest manicure features Angela, who wanted something Summer and bright because she was attending her crush's birthday BBQ party.

Here is another look.

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: China Glaze 77053 For Audrey 2 coats
Gradation Colour: L.A. Colours NP444 Treasure Island 3 coats
Ring Finger Base Colour: Barry M 307 Lemon Ice Cream 3 coats
Stamp Plate: Bundle Monster BM16 Daisies
Stamp Colour: China Glaze 70345 Turned Up Turguoise 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

I used L.A. Colors Treasure Island as a gradation colour (my first gradation!) on top of China Glaze For Audrey. Ringer finger, I used Barry M Lemon Ice Cream as base, then stamped with Bundle Monster BM16 daisies pattern with China Glaze Turned Up Turguoise then adorned with a turquoise rhinestone on each ring finger.

Hope you like this Summery manicure. The Bundle Monster plates arrived, speedy delivery service. Like many blogs have reviewed, the edges of these plates are SHARP! Be careful! They are not as high quality as the Konad plates but worth getting for all the patterns.

What do you think of Bundle Monster plates? Have you done any Summer manicures?

Random: Anyone needs a Graphic Designer in London?

2010-08-02T16:11:00.003+01:00

Dear readers,

I haven't forget about this blog. Unfortunately, due to personal matter, it has greatly occupied me lately and I haven't been able to make any posts on here. I've some guest manicures which I can post, but things are just too crazy now for me to post them properly to give them the attention they deserved.

At the meantime, I'm pulling a shameless plug on here:

I'm an experienced graphic designer based in London, UK looking for a permanent full-time position with a creative firm. I am an Associate of Ontario College of Art & Design with over 10 years industry experience in the UK and Canada, specialising in graphic design, branding, print, packaging, advertising and web design.

If you know anyone who may be interested or is looking for someone with passion for creative designs, please pass this along. I will be happy to send my CV and portfolio upon request.

My online portfolio is now ready. Please check out www.staystylish.com I'll be back on posting fabulous inspirations and nail art posts as soon as I can. x

Nail Art: Ben & Jerry's Sundae Festival Manicure

2010-07-27T11:11:00.010+01:00

I went to the Ben & Jerry's Sundae Festival at Clapham Common on Sunday to see my favourite band Doves. My boyfriend was asking me if I would dedicate a manicure to the festival. He reckons it's not very often you can ask for ice cream by giving them the finger! Haha!

(Left Hand: Ben & Jerry's Branding)

(Right Hand: Ben & Jerry's Flavours)

This is my craziest nail art to date on this blog, I've used too many varnishes for this project, I can only list them all but it's too difficult to write the entire instruction for them. If you would like to know, email me and I'll explain what I've done with each nail.

Left Hand: Ben & Jerry's Branding

Thumb: Blue Sky with White Clouds and Ben & Jerry's Logo Banner
Base Colour: Barry M 295 Pure Turquoise 2 coats
Stamp Plate: Konad M79 Clouds
Stamp Colour: Beauty UK 47 Snow White 1 coat
Outline of Banner: China Glaze 653 Solar Power 1 coat
Banner Colour: Sinful Colors 103 Black on Black 1 coat
Letters: Beauty UK 47 Snow White 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Index, Middle & Baby Fingers: Blue Sky with White Clouds and Green Grass
Base Colour: Barry M 295 Pure Turquoise 2 coats
Stamp Plate: Konad M79 Clouds
Stamp Colour: Beauty UK 47 Snow White 1 coat
Grass Line: China Glaze 80832 Solar Power 1 coat
Grass: China Glaze 70345 Turned Up Turguoise 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Ring Finger: Cow Pattern
Base Colour: Barry M 66 White 3 coats
Cow Pattern: Sinful Colors 103 Black on Black 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Right Hand: Ben & Jerry's Flavours

Thumb: Cherry Garcia
Base Colour: Barry M 47 Baby Pink 2 coats
Cherries: Revlon 103 Cherries in the Snow 1 coat
Cherry Stems: China Glaze 70345 Turned Up Turguoise 1 coat
Polk-a-dots: Barry M 66 White 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Index Finger: Chunky Monkey
Base Colour: Barry M 307 Lemon Ice Cream 2 coats
Banana Slices: Barry M 307 Lemon Ice Cream Mixed

1 coat
Barry M 66 White
Banana Seeds: OPI B85 Over The Taupe 1 coat
Walnut Base Colour: OPI B85 Over The Taupe 1 coat
Walnut Highlights: Barry M 310 Mushroom 1 coat
Chocolate Polk-a-dots: Misa 158 Moody Model 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Middle Finger: Phish Food
Base Colour: Beauty UK Soft Lilac 3 coats
Chocolate Phish: Misa 158 Moody Model 1 coat
Vanilla Polk-a-dots: Barry M 66 White 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Ring Finger: Cow Pattern
Base Colour: Barry M 66 White 3 coats
Cow Pattern: Sinful Colors 103 Black on Black 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Baby Finger: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Base Colour: Revlon 030 Grey Suede 2 coats
Topshop 001 Matte 1 coat
Chocolate Chip: Misa 158 Moody Model 1 coat
Vanilla Polk-a-dots: Barry M 66 White 1 coat

What's the craziest nail art you have done? What's your favourite Ben & Jerry's flavour?

Nail Art: Lippy Electric Leopard Manicure (PHD Colour Accent Challenge Entry)

2010-07-25T11:58:00.005+01:00

I've been following Polish Hoarder Disorder (PHD) for a while now. She has weekly nail art challenges. I finally have the courage to submit an entry to this week's challenge – Colour Accent – to create a grayscale nail design and include a pop of colour!

Edited on Monday 26 July 2010 to Add:
The link to other entries for this PHD Colour Accent challenge.
This manicure has also been featured on Models Own Blog this weekend.

This is my submission:

Here is another look. The Models Own Bubblegum neon pink isn't showing up as neon vibrant in the photo than in person.

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Beauty UK Soft Grey 3 coats
Stamp Plate: Konad M57 Leopard
Stamp Colour: Barry M 293 Grey 1 coat
Lip Colour: Models Own 059 Bubblegum (Neon) 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

After base coat, I applied 3 coats of Beauty UK Soft Grey.
I stamped all my fingers except for the ring finger using Barry M Grey for the leopard pattern from Konad M57 plate.
With a small brush, I drew mini lips randomly on my ring finger using Models Own Bubblegum.
Then, by freehand again drew a bigger lip on the thumb again using Models Own Bubblegum.
Going back to the ring finger, with a dotting pen, I drew some leopard pattern between the mini lips with Barry M Grey.
To finish off, I used Seche Vite Quick Dry Top Coat to seal off everything and make it shiny.

Hope you like this manicure. I only have 4 Konad plates, so I was slightly limited of patterns so I decided to do something freehand. I ordered Bundle Monster plates last week, and they're on their way, can't wait! The challenge was fun, it really got me thinking with the limited plates I've had, I would definitely enter more challenges in the near future!

What do you think of this? Did you enter this challenge?

Swatches: Misa – Too Much Gossip, Moody Model, High Waist Hue

2010-07-24T12:13:00.000+01:00

Here are the swatches for the Misa varnishes from the mini haul I last posted.

Misa – Too Much Gossip (Girlfriends Collection 136)

(Misa: Too Much Gossip – Girlfriend Collection 136. 2 Coats. No Topcoat.)

Great application. Smooth and even. Colour wasn't as coral as I first thought but it's a nice almost pastel orange colour. Great for summer.

Misa – Moody Model (Runway Collection 158)

(Misa: Moody Model – Runway Collection 158. 2 Coats. No Topcoat.)

I LOVE THIS!! Can't tell you how much I love this. This looks exactly like liquid milk chocolate. Lovely smooth and even application. Dries shiny, if you put another coat of Seche Vite QD on top! As if I have dipped my fingers in milk chocolate! If only it smells and taste like chocolate...

High Waist Hue (Runway Collection 157)

The viscosity of this shade is a bit thicker and a tad more streakier application compared to the other two, I always find light shades are more prone to be streakier. I'm slightly disappointed that the colour is more pink but less grey and muted than I expected but still has the mannequin affect. Very flattering. Dries shiny.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. Too Much Gossip is a cute fun colour for the summer. Moody Model was a pleasant surprise, I have to try putting a matte top coat on to see if it'll look like real chocolate! LOL! High Waist Hue is lovely, very demure could be perfect to put little lace design on. Oooo.. I might just do that for my next Konadicure!

What do you think? Which one do you like? What's your favourite Misa colour?

Lacquer: Misa Haul 1

2010-07-23T08:35:00.002+01:00

After reading many reviews about Misa varnishes, turns out my local nails supply store sells Misa! So I bought 3 varnishes, thought to try them out first. The store is just down the road from me, could always get more later. ;)

(Misa Haul One: Too Much Gossip, Moody Model, High Waist Hue)

Too Much Gossip (Girlfriends Collection 136)
It's a lovely pastel orangey-coral colour but not as pink as most coral. Very Summer.
Moody Model (Runway Collection 158)
I think the bottle has the wrong sticker label, it reads "155 Be My Lover". So I went to look it up on Misa's website, it turns out that Be My Lover is lilac! So I can only conclude that this is Moody Model. It looks like melted milk chocolate! Can't wait to swatch this one.
High Waist Hue (Runway Collection 157)
The photo seems a bit lighter than it should, the colours from the first photo are more accurate. It's more grey in person. It's a muted greige-pink mannequin colour. Very close to OPI Tickle My Francey (one of my favourite OPIs) but slightly more pink. Can't wait to try this one too!

Do you own any Misa? What do you think of them? What's your favourite Misa colours?

Swatches: Barry M Boots Limited Edition

2010-07-21T17:31:00.004+01:00

WOW! WOW! and WOW! That's all I've gotta say! At first by looking at the bottle, I contemplated whether if I liked the colour. Personally, it's not a colour that I would normally wear. After my swatch, I take that all back! I love the colour! It's vibrant, it's purple but it's pink, very unexpected. The formula for this I must say is much better than any previous Barry Ms I've owned, and I own too many! Smooth and even application, 2 coats did the trick.

Final Thoughts

I'm surprised how much I love this colour! Application is lovely, definitely worth the hunt down for. Hurry!!

From Twitter: 30% OFF barrym.com until the end of tomorrow (Thurs 22 July 2010). Enter code TWITTER30 at the checkout!

What do you think of the colour? Have you any varnishes that you didn't think you'll like but ended up loving? What changed your mind?

Lacquer: Barry M Boots Limited Edition

2010-07-21T02:25:00.004+01:00

After much needed retail therapy post horrible work meeting, I found this very limited edition Barry M Nail Paint has exclusively designed for Boots. It's a vibrant pink-purple with a very slick and stylish gold top! I *believe* they have same limited colour for eye dust though I didn't see it at that location of Boots or it was already sold out. Anyway, the nail paint looks lot like Revlon Purple Petal from memory. Please excuse for the dodgy lighting but it is quite late at night when I post this. See how dedicated I am? :p

This Barry M limited edition Boots nail paint is on promotion as a free gift with £6 or more Barry M Cosmetics purchase across Boots nationwide. Otherwise, it costs a mere £2.95 just like regular nail paints. Hurry! I bought the last one at Westfield!

It's too late to swatch right now. It's bleeding 2.30am here in the UK! I'm falling asleep on my keyboards at we type right now. I'll swatch for y'all tomorrraaa... until then, stay stylish and good night all! xx

What do you think of this Barry M Boots Limited Edition?

Nail Art: Chanel Orient Extrême Manicure

2010-07-19T15:53:00.073+01:00

As Chanel Week comes to a close here on Lacquer Boudoir, I have one last manicure to show on here that's inspired by the recent Paris-Shanghai Ready-To-Wear Show in 2010. These limited edition nail varnishes went straight from the catwalk show to the shops featured a velvet semi-matte black, metallic gold and a gold shimmer. You can read the reviews from All Lacquered Up.

(Chanel Noir Et Or Paris-Shanghai Orient Extrême Collection Promotion)

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: L.A. Colors 105 China Gold 2 coats
Stamp Colour: Nina Ultra Pro 709067 Black 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

After my base coat has been dried, I used L.A. Colors China Gold for the base colour. Even and smooth application of this polish. I used two coats. This is only a 99p, but its quality is up there with leading brands. Read my L.A. Colors recent review here.
I applied a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat in case I made mistake with my French Manicure.
Use your favourite French Manicure method, whether is Konad, tapes or freehand. Paint your French Manicure tips in Black. I used Nina Ultra Pro Black here.
Then I painted over a designer nail decal with Nina Ultra Pro Black. Let it dry, then placed it on the ring finger by using a little clear varnish.
To finish off, I used a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. And Voilà!

Initially I wanted to match the matte look as the collection. I applied a matte top coat on the black French Manicure but it makes it look like I've got dirty nails. I didn't like the look at all. Because I've got such short nails, French Manicure never works on me, hence I've done a very thin version of it. But if you have a matte black varnish that you like, feel free to try it with.

I hope you like this manicure. This concludes Chanel Week here in Lacquer Boudoir, but this is not the end. I'll definitely feature more theme weeks or another Chanel Week in the future!

What did you think of Chanel week? What else would you like to see as another Theme Week Inspiration? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

Trends: AW1011 - Chanel Rouge Fatal

2010-07-18T12:08:00.008+01:00

(Chanel Beauty at 2010-2011 Fall/Winter Haute Couture)

Chanel once again has a new colour that's all the rage at the moment before it's even released – Paradoxal, the latest Chanel varnish that is shimmery dark grey/purple in colour. I think Chanel Rouge Fatal is really the dark horse here. Here's why.

Last Tuesday, Chanel revealed its 2010-2011 Fall/Winter Haute Couture show at the Grand Palais in Paris with a backdrop featuring a mammoth 8-ton, 40 ft golden lion with its paw perched on an enormous pearl. The make-up for the show was very simple and classic: soft eyes and cheeks with a strong red lip with nails to match. This is a very flattering look when you don't necessary feel to "vamp" up. Autumn/Winter make-up always tend to be too muddy or heavy, this look is lot lighter but also warm enough for the cold winter months. See swatch posted by the lovely and my favourite nail girl Sophy Robson.

(Chanel Rouge Fatal Campaign featuring Rouge Allure Extrait de Glass in Fatal and Les Vernis in Rouge Fatal)

Along with Le Vernis in Rouge Fatal, Chanel will release a new highly pigmented, high-shine lip gloss product called Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss available in 8 shades.

Chanel Le Vernis Rouge Fatal and Paradoxal goes on sale 1 October, 2010.

Chanel Week continues here at Lacquer Boudoir with its final instalment of Chanel inspired Nail Art!

Rouge Fatal vs Paradoxal? Which one would you buy?

Nail Art: Chanel Camélia Manicure

2010-07-17T17:51:00.002+01:00

Another Chanel symbol is the camélia – also the first flower given to Coco Chanel by her English lover Arthur 'Boy' Capel, who inspired her creations significantly and financed her first boutique in Paris. Since the launch of Chanel jewellery line in 1930s, the camellia became a stable appearance in her jewellery and accessories from sapphire necklaces, earrings to sunglasses and hair accessories.

(Chanel Camélia runway and accessories)

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Barry M 066 White 2 coats
Stamp Plate: Konad M79 Flower & Pearls
Stamp Colour: Sinful Colors 103 Black on Black 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

After my base coat has been dried, I used Barry M White for the base colour. I'm appalled by this varnish! It was streaky and thick, the varnish refuse to flatten out evenly. I had to use a whopping 4 coats. It's thick and opaque suitable for tips and French Manicure but not recommended for covering the entire nail.
I applied a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat in case I made mistake with my stamping. It stinks but, boy, does it do a great job!! Dries super fast and leaves my nails super shiny!
After all the layers have dried completely, I used Sinful Colors Black on Black with the Konad M79 Flower & Pearl. I used a remover loaded cotton swab to remove part of the pattern on the transferred stamp so that only the flower on the line and the row of pearl beneath it remaining. Then I stamp on my ring finger only.
To finish off, I used a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. And Voilà!

I hope you like this manicure. Chanel Week continues here at Lacquer Boudoir... Next up, Autumn/Winter 2010 forecast!

What do you think of this konadicure?

Nail Art: Chanel 2.55 Manicure

2010-07-16T19:49:00.001+01:00

Talking about Chanel iconic pieces, you can't escape "The 2.55" – Coco Chanel made fashion history when she first introduced this quilted bag in February 1955 (hence the name 2.55). Chanel wanted a shoulder bag to free up her hands whilst the quilting of the bag was inspired by jackets worn by jockeys. Yes, free hands and jockeys.

(Modern re-release of the 2.55)

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Nina Ultra Pro 709067 Black 2 coats
Stamp Plate: Konad M79 Dotted Quilt
Stamp Colour: L.A. Colors 409 Live 1 coat
Topcoats: Seche Vite 83005 Dry Fast Top Coat 1 coat

Instructions:

After my base coat has been dried, I used Nina Ultra Pro Black for the base colour. Even and smooth application of this polish. I used two coats. Dries very shiny.
I applied a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat in case I made mistake with my stamping. It stinks but, boy, does it do a great job!! Dries super fast and leaves my nails super shiny!
After all the layers have dried completely, I used L.A. Colors Live with the Konad M79 Dotted Quilt stamp on my fingers. The colour stamps great, only regret is that I don't have any darker silver or a metallic black colour to lessen the contrast against the black base colour. :(
Then I placed a designer silver nail decal on the middle finger by using a little clear varnish.
To finish off, I used a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. And Voilà!

I hope you like this manicure. Chanel Week continues here at Lacquer Boudoir... Next up, more Chanel inspired nail art!

What do you think? Should I have lessen the quilt pattern contrast? What's your favourite Chanel classic?

Nail Art: "Les Trompe-L’oeil de Chanel" Manicure

2010-07-15T12:27:00.013+01:00

This Konadicure was inspired by Chanel's Spring 2010 Ready-To-Wear Collection featuring models walking down the catwalk with Les Trompe-L’oeil de Chanel (aka Chanel temporary skin art/tattoos – £49 for 4 sets, 55 designs) designed and hand-drawn by Peter Philips, Chanel’s Global Creative Director of Makeup.

(Les Trompe-L'oeil de Chanel sample, Chanel Spring Read-To-Wear Collection 2010)

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Revlon 031 Lilac Pastelle 3 coats
Stamp Plate: Konad M62 Pearls & Bow
Stamp Colour: Nina Ultra Pro 709067 Black 1 coat
Topcoats: Barry M 54 Clear All-In-One 1 coat
Rimmel 60 Seconds 740 Crystal Clear 1 coat

Instructions:

I used Revlon Lilac Pastelle as a base colour. The colour has more blue than in the photo, it's like a baby pink with touch of lilac. The colour is very flattering. I don't really like its application, it's difficult to get an even coat, so I advise to use thin coats with light pressure.
After the base colour has dried completely, I used Nina Ultra Pro Black with the Konad M62 Pearls & Bow stamp on only the ring finger. The colour stamps okay, a bit grey than expected. Because of intricacy of this particular pattern, one has to work really fast or it doesn't pick up all the details. Then I placed a designer gold nail decal on the middle finger by using a little clear varnish.
To finish off, I first use the Barry M Clear All-In-One as a Topcoat, then I put another coat of Rimmel 60 Seconds Crystal Clear. Just to warn you, I have tried using the Rimmel 60 Seconds Crystal Clear first, but it smudges the Konad designs.

Chanel Week continues here at Lacquer Boudoir... Next up, more Chanel inspired nail art!

What's your favourite Chanel collection? Where do you get your nail art inspiration from?

Swatches: Swatch Comparison – Chanel Particulière vs. Butter London Fash Pack, Barry M Mushroom & OPI Over The Taupe

2010-07-13T16:34:00.021+01:00

This is my first swatch comparison post. Ever since Chanel Particulière came out, I've been in love with this greige colour but was disappointed at the real Particulière. Given it also costs £16.50, I've been trying to find other greige alternatives. I first bought was OPI Over The Taupe (£10) at OPI Nail Spa at Selfridges, then I found Butter London Fash Pack (£10) at Harvey Nichols. A few weeks ago, I purchased Barry M Mushroom (£2.95). Please Note: No basecoats nor topcoats was used in this swatch comparison. All photos were taken during daytime, indoors with no flash.

Here's how the comparison rolls down:

Bottles Comparison

Based on the bottles comparison at glance, Butter London Fash Pack is closest despite it contains micro-gold shimmers. Seconded by OPI Over The Taupe, then Barry M Mushroom. Barry M Mushroom looks a bit too yellow and lighter in tone, while OPI Over The Taupe has more clay or reddish hue to it.

The Application

Chanel Particulière (£16.50)
Even and smooth application. Viscosity is great, not too thin, not too thick, colour is pigmented. One coat could have done the job, but I've decided to put two coats to get the true hue.

Butter London Fash Pack (£10)
Even and smooth application. Viscosity is good but slightly less pigmented than Chanel. At first coat, it looks lighter than Chanel. Can't see the gold shimmer at all. It needs 3 coats to reach a close hue and shade to Chanel.

Barry M Mushroom (£2.95)
Smooth application but thicker viscosity in comparison to the other two so far. Quite pigmented. At first coat, it definitely looks lighter and more yellow. It also needs at least 3 coats to achieve a close hue and shade to Chanel.

OPI Over The Taupe (£10)
Smooth application but less even, viscosity probably was thickest of them all but not as pigmented as Chanel. Definitely looks more clay or reddish compared to the other brands. It also needs at least 3 coats to achieve a close hue and shade to Chanel.

Let's look at them again in a different angle, catching different lighting:

The Comparison

I must say, this is a very close race with all the brands. Although, Chanel Particulière has the darkest shade of them all, but not by much. In indoors or darker lighting, you can't tell the difference at all. In sunlight, you can see a very barely-there-shimmer from Butter London Fash Pack, but overall, I think this is the closest to a duplicate. Barry M Mushroom is a close second, it is warmer in comparison because of its yellow base, not as cool as Chanel and Butter London. I think Barry M Mushroom will be more flattering on Oriental or yellow based skin tone. Chanel and Butter London would suit cooler skin tone, whilst OPI Over The Taupe would suit pink skin tone best.

The Results & Final Thought

1st Place:
Butter London Fash Pack
Runner-Up:
Barry M Mushroom
Best Value:
Barry M Mushroom

I don't regret buying the real deal, as it does have the best application and viscosity out of all the brands. If you paint at least 3 coats of Barry M Mushroom, you can get really close to a Chanel Particulière duplicate at a fraction of the price. At £2.95 a pop, what a total bargain!

Chanel Week continues here at Lacquer Boudoir... Next up, Chanel inspired nail art! Don't miss it!

What do you think? Is it worth the money to get Chanel Particulière?

Lacquer: Chanel Particulière (at last) & Chanel Week at Lacquer Boudoir

2010-07-12T14:14:00.009+01:00

I've been contemplating on the idea of buying the popular Chanel Particulière for a very long time. I've seen it a couple times in the department stores and thought it looked too brown instead of greige I've seen in magazines and blogs.

I was at Harrods this weekend for their extra 10% member sale. I saw it at the Chanel counter, I couldn't resist, I gave in. I justified the fact that it was 10% off, from £16.50 now at £14.85. Eeps! That's the most expensive nail lacquer I own to date. I was also eyeing on the Miami Peach, if Nouvelle Vague was available, I probably would have purchased them too. I decided to be good and not to buy others than Particulière.

Application & Colour

The application is smooth, good viscosity and coverage. One coat was enough, but I used two. The colour still looks a bit brown and a tad darker than I would like it to be, but very flattering to my skin tone.

Final Thoughts

I am very happy with my purchase. I think greige or a grey toned trend will continue to this Autumn, possibly darker or varied colours and shades right up to the Winter 2010.

I'm announcing that this week all my nail posts will be dedicated to Chanel. My next post will be my first swatch comparison test: Chanel Particulière will be tested against Butter London Fash Pack, the newest Barry M Mushroom, and OPI Over The Taupe, so watch this space!

Do you own Chanel Particulière and is it worth it? Or do you rather buy its dupes? How far did you went of getting a hold of one? Would love to hear your Paraticulière stories.

Swatches: L.A. Colors - Force, China Gold, Live

2010-07-10T12:23:00.003+01:00

My last post was about my mini L.A. Colors haul. Finally I have a chance to do swatches for them. Here are the results:

L.A. Colors – Force (Color Craze NP 410)

(L.A. Colors: Force – Color Craze NP 410. 2 Coats. No Topcoat.)

I'm surprised by its smooth and even application. Two coats did the job, it actually looks slightly more iridescent in person. The micro-fine glitter is actually multicoloured.

L.A. Colors – China Gold (NP 105)

(L.A. Colors: China Gold NP 105. 2 Coats. No Topcoat.)

Again, application is very even and smooth. Seems a bit more sheer than Force but 2 coats was enough to give an opaque look.

L.A. Colors – Live (Craze Colors NP 409)

(L.A. Colors: Live – Craze ColorsNP 409. 2 Coats. No Topcoat.)

Although its pigmented micro-glitter gives the most metallic look of them all, but I must say, the application of Live isn't as smooth and even as Force and China Gold. It physically feels smooth but looks a less refined and more coarse than the other two. Like I said, on my last post, it's a duplicate of Orly Shine according to You've Got Nail swatch comparison. I did a quick test on clear plastic, it's definitely Konadable.

Final Thoughts

I'm surprised the quality of the varnishes, it's right up there with other well known brands. At 99p each, it's a total steal! I definitely will be hoarding more varnishes from this brand!

Have you any L.A. Colors? What do you think of them?

Lacquer: L.A. Colors Haul – Force, China Gold, Live

2010-07-05T23:04:00.004+01:00

I went to Beauty Base in Westfield today, the store is having a L.A. Colors promotion on "Spend £10 and get lipgloss for free", being 99p each it's very difficult to limit my haul. Work being up in the air at the moment, I had to do the sensible thing to restrict my small indulgence to only purchasing 3 varnishes.

(L-R: Force, China Gold, Live)

I ended up purchasing two from the Color Craze range – Force and Live – and one from their normal range – China Gold. They're all metallic shimmery colours:

Force (Color Craze NP 410)
It is copper/bronze colour. The photo was taken in the sunlight so it looks a bit lighter than it should. Its viscosity looks like it'll need two or three coats to make it opaque.
China Gold (NP 105)
It is a rich orangey gold, less shimmery than Force but has that even metallic tone. Also it seems a bit on the sheer side, it'll need a few coats to do the job. But can see this being use for sponging/gradation or add as a top layer for other colours.
Live (Color Craze NP 409)
Live seems a highly pigmented silver, it's a duplicate of Orly Shine according to You've Got Nail swatch comparison. There's one from their regular range named Metallic Silver which is slightly darker and coarser looking but doesn't seem to be as pigmented as Live. I think it'll work with Konad, I'll have to test it out in the next couple of days, so watch this space!

Nail Art: Minted Guava Leopard

2010-07-03T18:56:00.012+01:00

This is my first Konad nail art! This konadicure was inspired by one of Polish and Powder's post.

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Barry M 304 Mint Green 2 coats
Ring Finger
Base Colour: Revlon 998 Nude Chic 2 coats
Revlon Guava Glam 1 coat
Stamp Plate: Konad M57 Leopard
Stamp Colour: Sally Hansen 4120-57 Pat on the Black 1 coat
Highlight Colours: Barry M 304 Mint Green 1 coat
Barry M 307 Lemon Ice Cream 1 coat
Topcoats: Barry M 54 Clear All-In-One 1 coat
Rimmel 60 Seconds 740 Crystal Clear 1 coat

Instructions:

After base coat, I applied 3 coats of Barry M Mint Green, because the colour doesn't quite settled even. On the ring finger, I first applied 2 coats of Revlon Nude Chic. I wanted a bit of shimmer on top of the nude shade, so I put on a sheer coat of Revlon Guava Glam.
Wait until the polish dries completely. I Konad-ed over the ring finger with the leopard pattern from plate Konad Plate M57 with Sally Hansen Salon Pat on the Black. Then I used a dotting pen to highlight a few spots with Barry M Minted Green and Lemon Ice Cream.
I finished topcoat with Barry M Clear All-in-one and Rimmel 60 Seconds Clear.

Nail Art: Rose & Baby Pink Polk-a-Dots

2010-07-02T13:37:00.000+01:00

My dotting pens came through the mail earlier this week and thought to give it a try after my mini haul of nail varnishes from Superdrug. I love this shade of dusty pink with a touch of peach very much, and two coats did the trick. It dries super fast too!

Lacquer Used:
Base Colour: Rimmel 60 Seconds 405 Rose Libertine 2 coats
Dotting Colour: Barry M 119 Baby Pink 1 coat
Topcoats: Barry M 54 Clear All-In-One 1 coat
Rimmel 60 Seconds 740 Crystal Clear 1 coat

Faux Lashes: Madame Madeline Elise Haul - 121, 131, 331, 430,452, 690i, 534i

2010-07-01T17:00:00.000+01:00

My sister is a professional make-up artist (shameless plug here check her website) and she knows I love faux eyelashes, she referred me to this site called MadameMadeline swore it's the cheapest and best quality lashes. My sister buys literally hundreds pairs from them each year. They carry a vast range of brands including: Adrell, Andrea, Revlon, Sherani, Gypsy, Elise, Everlash, Lash beLong professional eyelash extension, Fright Night and Japonesque. DO check their shipping policy before purchasing, some brands cannot be ship to a certain countries.

My sister highly recommended this range called Elise. Argh! My name is Elsie and often mistaken to be called Elise. That's not my name! It's one of my biggest pet peeves but that's another story. Elise lashes are made from the same quality maker of M.A.C. and Shu Uemura faux lashes at fraction of the price.

The site has lots of discount code, purchase over $20 USD, they'll throw in an extra pair for free if you quote "FREEBIE". If you sign up for newsletter and Twitter for free gift and discounts or post a photo on their website with your lashes, you also get free pair on your next order. For more information, please check their discount page. Shipping to the UK, it was $12 USD but overall you still save in comparison what we would pay here. Items arrived within 2 weeks. Boots will have them for £7-10. Feather lashes from Make Up Store or Shu Uemura would be at least £16 a pair, whilst Inglot would cost you a tenner.

You can also request glue, these are not the tiny ones you get from a packaged lashes neither. You get a full size 7g Ardell LashGrip Adhesive available in Clear or Dark for free. I prefer the dark glue, especially when you're wearing black eyeliner, the less likely you need to go back and touch up the gap and it blends better with the black eyeliner. This should be a tutorial post for another day.

(Clockwise: Ardell LashGrip Dark Adhesive, Elise 690i, Elise 131, Elise 331, Freebie lashes,
Elise 452, Elise 121, Elise 430, Elise 534i)

(Above: Elise 690i – Metallic Individual Lashes. Below: Elise 534i – Assorted Colours Individual Lashes)

Elise 690i:
Silver, Gold, and Dark Metal mixed metallic individual lash clusters.
Elise534i:
Purple, Red, Lime, Yellow, Neon Pink, and Blue knotted individual lashes.

Each package contains 60 knotted reusable individual lashes. Medium Flare. Easy to apply. The assorted colours set contains about 6-8 lashes for each cluster. The metallic set contains 2 metallic and white metallic lashes. Would be great for parties, photoshoot and that little flair near the corner of your eyes!

(Above: Elise 331 – Crisscross lashes. Below: Elise 121 – Half baby lashes with rhinestones.)

Elise 331:
Extra dense faux lashes with interweave overlapping crisscross lashes.
Elise 121:Side sweeping spiky silhouette shaped HALF (Baby) faux eyelashes feature a row of silver rhinestones and metallic black stars below strip lining.

Elise 331 is almost feather like, the lashes are very dense, will give you that extra fan and volume effect. Great on dates for batting lashes and come-hither look! ;) Elise 121 would be great for parties and special occassion for adding that extra sparkle to the eyes. It's missing one of the rhinestone :(

(Above: Elise 430 – Black Feather Lashes. Below: Elise 452 – Crisscross Black Feathered Tip Lashes)

Elise 430:
Medium length Black feather lashes.
Elise 452:
Crisscross Black feathered tip lashes.

Love the Black fan feather lashes! The feathered tip lashes are as dramatic, and fairytale like. Great for fancy dress parties and fashion photoshoot. Check out the close up of the feather lashes!

(Close up: Elise 430 – Black Feather Lashes)

(Elise 131: White Feather Lashes)

Elise 131:
Gorgeous flirty White feather lashes.

Continuing the fairytale lashes, here comes the White version. Aren't they dreamy? I have no idea when I'll wear these but I'll have to find a fancy dress party so I could wear them!

(Ardell LashGrip Dark Adhesive 7g/0.25 oz)

This is the full size dark glue came free with my order. M.A.C. PRO sells similar DUO Surgical Dark Adhesive for £6.

(Freebie pair – Green and Black fan long lashes)

This is the freebie pair. Despite the green, it is surprisingly wearable. Very dramatic. MadameMadeline usually choose the freebie pair to be a related style to your whole purchase. One never know what they'll get but they're usually wearable and not crazy extreme ones (unless your entire purchase was in such style).

Random: New blog on the block

2010-07-01T00:30:00.000+01:00

I have decided to start a new blog to dedicate my love for beauty, make up, nail varnish and nail art. I remember the first time I wore nail varnish was when I was about five. I started to bite my nails, my mother tried using those nasty bitter stuff, but it never worked. It only worked when she painted my nails, I thought they looked too pretty to bite, so I've stopped. I've been a varnish junkie ever since.

During my High School years in Canada, I had a fond memory of mixing my own varnish colours. There wasn't much colour and brand choices back in the days other than the excitement of orange and black nail varnishes from Wet n' Wild near Halloween. I started doing nail art with each nail having a different design on it.

It was very difficult for me to depart from my varnish collection over the years when I was moving to the UK three years ago. Since then, as you can imagine, I've started my new varnish collection. I still can't justify of paying £10 for Essie and OPI over here when I know it's the same price but in CDN dollars back home. That's almost half the price!

My sister had a Konad kit and she tried on me when I visited her two years ago. Not until recently I've completely fell in love with Konad stamping nail art! Sure, I could do most of it freehand but sometimes I'm just plain lazy. I'm a hunter, and I always will try to post all sales and my findings. So here I am writing this blog. I hope there are readers out there to share my view. Any comments, suggestions are welcome anytime, just drop me a line! x

Base Colour:	Butter London	0035	Fash Pack	3 coats
Gradation Colour:	Nail Art Striper		Gold Glitter	2 coats
Stamp Plate:	Bundle Monster	BM20	Botanical Swirl
Stamp Plate:	Bundle Monster	BM21	Botanical Swirl
Stamp Colour:	Sally Hansen Salon	4120-57	Pat on the Back	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Thumb:	L.A. Colors	NP419	Shock	3 coats
Index Finger:	Misa	136	Too Much Gossip	2 coats
Middle Finger:	Revlon	093	Tropical Temptation	2 coats
Ring Finger:	Barry M	296	Coral	2 coats
Baby Finger:	Revlon	990	One Perfect Coral	2 coats
Crackle Colour:	Barry M	311	Black Magic	1 coat
Topcoat:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Red Base Colour:	FitFlop	RED	Pantone® 200	2 coats
Red Glitter Colour:	BarryM	NP105	Red Glitter	2 coats
Leopard Base Colour:	Inglot	303	(Gold Shimmer)	5 coat
Leopard Stamp Plate:	Konad	M57	Leopard
Leopard Pattern Colour:	Sinful Colors	103	Black on Black	1 coat
Leopard Spots Colour:	L.A. Colors	410	Force	1 coat
Topcoat:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Revlon	040	Fushia Fever	2 coats
Flower Colour:	Nail Art Pen		Baby Pink	1 coat
Rose Highlight Colour:	Nail Art Pen		Electric Purple	1 coat
Flower Centres:	China Glaze	80832	Solar Power	1 coat
Leaves Colour:	Nail Art Pen		Bright Green	1 coat
White Flowers on Thumb:	Nail Art Pen		White	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Queen		Green Black	3 coats
Ring Finger Base Colour:	L.A. Colours	NP438	Jungle Fever	2 coats
Cameo Colour:	China Glaze	77053	For Audrey	1 coat
Stag and Frame Colour:	Barry M	293	Grey	1 coat
White Polka Dots:	Nail Art Pen		White	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Beauty UK	51	Smokey Lilac	3 coats
Ring Finger Colour:	GOSH	554	Gold	2 coats
Stamp Plate:	Bundle Monster	BM20	Botanical Swirl
Stamp Colour:	Sally Hansen Salon	4120-57	Pat on the Back	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Misa	157	High Waist Hue	3 coats
Stamp Plate:	Konad	M71	Flower Lace Border Flower Pattern
Stamp Colour:	Beauty UK	47	Snow White	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Barry M	295	Pure Turquoise	2 coats
Stamp Plate:	Konad	M79	Clouds
Stamp Colour:	Beauty UK	47	Snow White	1 coat
Outline of Banner:	China Glaze	653	Solar Power	1 coat
Banner Colour:	Sinful Colors	103	Black on Black	1 coat
Letters:	Beauty UK	47	Snow White	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Barry M	307	Lemon Ice Cream	2 coats
Banana Slices:	Barry M	307	Lemon Ice Cream	Mixed 1 coat
Banana Slices:	Barry M	66	White	Mixed 1 coat
Banana Seeds:	OPI	B85	Over The Taupe	1 coat
Walnut Base Colour:	OPI	B85	Over The Taupe	1 coat
Walnut Highlights:	Barry M	310	Mushroom	1 coat
Chocolate Polk-a-dots:	Misa	158	Moody Model	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Beauty UK		Soft Lilac	3 coats
Chocolate Phish:	Misa	158	Moody Model	1 coat
Vanilla Polk-a-dots:	Barry M	66	White	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Revlon	030	Grey Suede	2 coats
Base Colour:	Topshop	001	Matte	1 coat
Chocolate Chip:	Misa	158	Moody Model	1 coat
Vanilla Polk-a-dots:	Barry M	66	White	1 coat

Base Colour:	Beauty UK		Soft Grey	3 coats
Stamp Plate:	Konad	M57	Leopard
Stamp Colour:	Barry M	293	Grey	1 coat
Lip Colour:	Models Own	059	Bubblegum (Neon)	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	L.A. Colors	105	China Gold	2 coats
Stamp Colour:	Nina Ultra Pro	709067	Black	1 coat
Topcoats:	Seche Vite	83005	Dry Fast Top Coat	1 coat

Base Colour:	Revlon	031	Lilac Pastelle	3 coats
Stamp Plate:	Konad	M62	Pearls & Bow
Stamp Colour:	Nina Ultra Pro	709067	Black	1 coat
Topcoats:	Barry M	54	Clear All-In-One	1 coat
Topcoats:	Rimmel 60 Seconds	740	Crystal Clear	1 coat

Base Colour:	Barry M	304	Mint Green	2 coats
Ring Finger Base Colour:	Revlon	998	Nude Chic	2 coats
Ring Finger Base Colour:	Revlon		Guava Glam	1 coat
Stamp Plate:	Konad	M57	Leopard
Stamp Colour:	Sally Hansen	4120-57	Pat on the Black	1 coat
Highlight Colours:	Barry M	304	Mint Green	1 coat
Highlight Colours:	Barry M	307	Lemon Ice Cream	1 coat
Topcoats:	Barry M	54	Clear All-In-One	1 coat
Topcoats:	Rimmel 60 Seconds	740	Crystal Clear	1 coat

Base Colour:	Rimmel 60 Seconds	405	Rose Libertine	2 coats
Dotting Colour:	Barry M	119	Baby Pink	1 coat
Topcoats:	Barry M	54	Clear All-In-One	1 coat
Topcoats:	Rimmel 60 Seconds	740	Crystal Clear	1 coat