3 Manis From The Vault

I do a lot of manicures/swatches that never end up on the blog. Sometimes I just don't like them that much, others I really don't think the photos are worth anything. When it comes to nails and photography, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, nothing I can do about it...But then, there's other times that I just forget about a manicure or I'm not in a particular blogging mood and something that I absolutely loved at the time, ends up forgotten in my picture's folder. It's the case of these 3 manicures that I'm about to show you.

This first one, is over 1 year old...It's from April 2013! The nail polishes used are Shimmer Irene, Kinetics Paris Green and Kinetics Peach Pop.

Faço muitas manicures/swatches que nunca chegam ao blog. Às vezes não gosto muito delas, outras acabo por achar que as fotos que tirei não valem nada. Quando se trata de unhas e fotografia, confesso que sou um bocado perfeccionista...Mas outras vezes, simplesmente acabo por me esquecer de determinada manicure ou não me encontro com muita vontade de postar no blog e, mesmo que tenha sido uma mani que tenha adorado na altura, acabam por ficar esquecidas na minha pasta de fotografias. Este é o caso destas 3 manicures que vos trago hoje.

A primeira já tem bem mais de 1 ano...é de abril de 2013! Os vernizes usados foram o Shimmer Irene, Kinetics Paris Green e Kinetics Peach Pop.

These next 2 are from this past January, I wasn't blogging at the time. After these, I completely stopped taking photos of manis, and I even went through a period where I didn't do my nails, and even considered selling most of my stash. Thankfully, it was just a bad period and I still have all my pretty polishes. xD I guess we all have our ups and downs.

For this one, I used Kinetics Beige Anyway on my index, pinky and thumb (not pictured), Claire's Glitter Sand (no name in this one, but it's sort of a nude or rose gold) on the middle finger, and on my ring finger, I have a coat of Innisfree #85 Raspberry Yogurt, over Essence Iced Latte. The stamp on the index was made with Kinetics Velvet Asphalt and a BM-323 plate. I topped it all off with Kiko's Matte top coat.

As próximas 2 manicures, são de janeiro passado, altura em que não estava a postar. Depois destas, deixei completamente de tirar fotos às unhas e passei por um período em que não as pintava de todo, chegando até a considerar vender grande parte da minha colecção. Felizmente, foi só uma má fase e ainda tenho os meus vernizitos lindos todos. xD Acho que todas nós temos destes altos e baixos, às vezes.

Na manicure que se segue, usei o Kinetics Beige Anyway no meu indicador, mindinho e polegar (não fotografado), Glitter Claire's Sand (não tem nome, mas é uma especie de nude ou um dourado rosado) no dedo médio e no anelar tenho uma camada do Innisfree #85 Raspberry Yogurt, por cima do Essence Iced Latte. O carimbo no indicador foi feito com o Kinetics Velvet Asphalt, usando uma plaquinha BM- 323. Finalizei tudo com o top coat matte da Kiko.

Finally, in this mani, I used Kinetics Velvet Asphalt on my index and thumb (not pictured), the base colour on my middle and ring finger is Catrice Sold Out Forever and the stamping was made with Velvet Asphalt and Signature Wine, both from Kinetics, and a DRK-B plate. On my pinky, I have Kiko 645.

Finalmente, nesta manicure, usei o Kinetics Velvet Asphalt no indicador e polegar (não fotografado), a cor de base no dedo médio e anelar é o Catrice Sold Out Forever e os carimbos foram feitos com o Velvet Asphalt e Signature Wine, ambos da Kinetics, e uma placa DRK-B. No mindinho tenho o Kiko 645.

And I just realized this was a lot of Kinetics! xD It wasn't my intention that this brand would be the center of attentions on this post, but I guess I do wear them a lot. They always have nice formulas and most of mine are one coaters, so I also use them for stamping.

So, after all these photos, which one of these manis you liked the most? I really can't choose, I loved them all.

Happy Friday the 13th!

E acabei de me aperceber que usei muitos Kinetics! xD Não era minha intenção que eles fossem o centro da atenção neste post, mas a verdade é que uso e abuso dos meus. Têm sempre uma fórmula tão jeitosa e a maior parte dos meus são extremamente pigmentados, por isso também os uso para carimbar.

Então, depois destas fotos todas, qual foi a vossa manicure preferida? Eu não consigo escolher uma, adorei-as a todos.

Espero que tenham tido uma óptima sexta-feira 13!

 

Shimmer Jasmine & Leslie

Hello again! Real post, with interesting stuff this time. :P

These photos have been sitting on my drafts for a few days now, so I figured it was about time to publish them. I'm not too happy with these, I think I could have done better, but when I noticed, it was already too late...Oh well...

Onto the polish we go! The first one I have to show, is Jasmine. Jasmine is a mix of so many different glitters in a clear base, I think most of them are aqua, but I can still spot some blue, red and copper in there. I wore 2 coats of it over H&M Gentle Sky.

Olá, novamente! Desta vez com um post real e com coisinhas interessantes. :P

Estas fotos têm estado paradas, nos meus rascunhos, há já alguns dias, por isso achei que já era tempo, mais que suficiente, para pô-las cá para fora. Não estou totalmente satisfeita com elas, acho que era capaz de fazer bem melhor, mas quando reparei, já era tarde demais...paciência...

Mas vamos aos vernizes! O primeiro q tenho para vos mostrar, é o Jasmine. O Jasmine é composto por uma mistura enorme de glitters, numa base transparente. *ossui, maioritariamente, glitter aqua, mas também é possivel encontrar alguns glitters azuis, vermelhos e cobres. Usei 2 camadas sobre o Gentle Sky da H&M.

The next one up is Leslie. Now this is a stunner! As a purple lover, I completely fell in love with this one. Leslie is mostly purple, but there are some bigger blue hex glitters in there and I can also spot some pink and red. In the photos, I have 2 coats of it, over Catrice Dirty Berry. 

O próximo verniz, é o Leslie. Tenho de vos dizer que este é lindo! Como amante de roxos que sou, apaixonei-me, completamente, por este! É maioritariamente roxo, mas possui alguns glitters maiores em azul. Também é possivel vislumbrar alguns rosas e vermelhos. Nas fotos, tenho 2 camadas sobre o Dirty Berry da Catrice.

Formula on these, once again, was pretty good! No trouble applying the glitters evenly on the nail, and the brush comes out filled with glitter, so you don't have to fish around. You'll need 2 coats of top coat to make it all smooth, though.

I'm loving these glitters, there's so much you can do with them, like layer it over some other colors, wear them by themselves (you could easily do it with 3 coats), make some glitter gradients...whatever you feel like it!

You can find all the other Shimmer colours here, and if you'd like to order some, just drop Cindy an email or  go to her Etsy shop. They retail for $12 and she ships internationally. 

Mais uma vez, a fórmula destes meninos é bastante jeitosa! Não tive qualquer problema em aplicar o glitter na unha, ele distribui-se uniformemente, sem dificuldade, e o pincel vem sempre carregadinho de glitter, logo não é preciso andar a pescar. Vão é precisar de 2 camadas de top coat, para pôr a unha totalmente lisinha.

Ando a adorar estes glitters, podemos fazer tanta coisa diferente com eles, como utilizá-los por cima de diferentes cores, usá-los sozinhos (possivel com 3 camadas), fazer um gradiente de glitter...o que vocês quiserem! 

Podem encontrar todas os outros Shimmer aqui, e se quiserem encomendar, só têm de enviar um email à Cindy, ou então fazê-lo através do Etsy dela. Cada verniz custa $12 e ela envia internacionalmente.

(These were sent for review)

Nail Mail Is The Best Kind of Mail!

Hi girls! How was everyone's weekend? I hope it was good, mine was spent playing Guild Wars 2, how productive... :X But hey, it was fun! xD

So, today I'm just going to show you what I got on the mail this past friday and today, get ready to be spammed with photos!

Olá meninas! Como foi o vosso fim de semana? Espero que tenha sido bom, o meu foi passado a jogar Guild Wars 2, que produtivo... :X Mas hey, ao menos foi divertido! :P

Hoje tenho para vos mostrar umas coisinhas que recebi no correio, na ultima sexta e hoje, preparem-se para serem "spammadas" com fotos!

This was the one I got on friday, I bought it on E(vil)bay, a couple of weeks ago and it finally got here, it was a long trip all the way from Korea! This is what I'm wearing now and it's gorgeous, expect a post about it soon. It looks like a Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light dupe to me, but I can't really be sure.

Este foi o que chegou na sexta-feira, comprei-o pelo E(vil)bay, há umas 2 semanas atrás e finalmente chegou, fez uma longa viagem desde a Coreia! É o que estou a usar agora e é lindo, podem esperar um post sobre ele brevemente. Parece-me um dupe do Ray of Light da Deborah Lippmann, mas não posso afirmar nada com certeza. 

Innisfree #100a

And all these got here today! They're from a swap I did with Raquel (the other Raquel, as I call her xD), from the blog Cupcakes & Airwaves, she's a sweetheart and I really enjoyed getting to know her better! We've been planning this since the beginning of september!! It took us a long time to get everything ready to ship, but I wouldn't change that at all! I loved all of our conversations throughout this time. ^^
Here's what she got me:

E aqui estão os vernizes q recebi hoje! São de uma troca que fiz com a Raquel (a outra Raquel, como eu a chamo xD), do blog  Cupcakes & Airwaves, ela é uma querida e foi um prazer conhecê-la melhor!
Começamos a planear esta troquinha  no inicio de setembro!! Levamos imenso tempo a ter tudo pronto para enviar, mas eu não mudaria isto por nada! Adorei todas as nossas conversas ao longo deste tempo. ^^
Aqui está o que ela me enviou:

Shana #200 and #700

Purple Professional #46 and Catrice Rambo No. 5

H&M Je T'aime and Take Me Tangerine

H&M Purple Glitter and Gentle Sky

And she also sent me a very cute card, Essence hand cream (it smells soooo gooood!) and some rhinestones, as extras! (and here, you can also see how tiny my lightbox is... xD)

Ela também me enviou um cartãozinho fofo, um creme de mãos da Essence (cheira tããããoo beeeem!) e umas pedrinhas de strass, como miminhos extra! (e aqui também podem ver como a minha lightbox é minuscula... xD)

Raquelinha, I loved everything, they're all so pretty! *-* All I want now, is for you to get all your stuff intact and that you like all I got for you.
  

Hope everyone has a really nice week!

Raquelinha, adorei tudinho, são todos tão bonitos! *-* Tuddo o que quero agora, é que as tuas coisinhas cheguem intactas e que gostes de tudo o que te enviei.

Espero que tenham todas uma óptima semana! 

Eradicate H8 in the nail polish community!

Bullying is not funny. It is not cool. It is not right. And more importantly, it is not okay.
Most of us are, thankfully, residents of countries that support tolerance and many of our families have settled in these places simply for that reason. Generations later, it is our responsibility to perpetuate that message of tolerance across our new social platforms, including the internet.

As members of the nail polish blogging community, we all share a love of beauty, color, and lacquer. Other than that, we are remarkably different: from our race to our religion to our hair color...even to our polish application techniques. To marginalize anyone because of those differences is completely unacceptable and today I take a stand against that. I refuse to allow other people's view of "normal" dictate how I behave, believe, and blog.

In solidarity with a multitude of bloggers linked below, my purple manicure represents my proud commitment to the No H8 movement. Today, November 8, I dedicate my post to ending bullying of any kind and to encouraging diversity and imperfection among our colorful community.

Today, lots of nail polish bloggers are sticking together to raise awareness on this subject, by doing a purple manicure. Fortunately I was never a victim of this, and especially not here, on my little corner of the internet.  I have gotten nothing but lovely comments from all of you, but some of my fellow bloggers weren't as lucky as me, and got some mean and nasty comments that were totally uncalled for! Sure, not everyone likes what you do, or how you do it, you can't please everyone all the time, but if you can't find a good thing to say, or give some CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, then it's just better to let it go and say nothing at all. Also, if you don't like someone's nails, nail art or whatever, then don't follow that blog, no one is forcing you to! Let's not forget that behind some random nails you see on the internet, there's a real person with feelings and we're all here doing the same thing, sharing our love for nail polish...So let's keep supporting and learning from each other and leave all this bullying behind us, we are better than that!

And, after all this rant, here's my manicure:

I used 2 coats of Leticia Well Profesional #143 and then stamped with Catrice Forget Me Not and my DRK-B. Not too happy about this, it didn't come out as I had hoped and my stamping kind of failed here, but I didn't have time to redo it...

Even though I'm considering this a failed mani, I still wanted to participate in the NO H8 event today, so that's what you get! :P

31 Days Challenge #6 - Violet

I have a confession to make...this one was done in a hurry, I wanted to go to the beach this afternoon, but I had to paint my nails before going. I tried to stamp, but it didn't work that well, so today I have something really simple. :S

I used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Good to Grape and 2 coats of Catrice Forget-Me-Not on my accent nail. Both of these polishes have great formulas, I used Good to Grape on my toes several times already, and it never disappoints. Forget-Me-Not also stamps really well.

What does everyone think about my nubbins? I feel so weird without my longer nails, but my ring fingernail has a major breakage ("fixed" with the tea bag method) and so low that I can't file it all the way down, then I broke a corner on the nail of my pointer finger...had no choice but to chop them down.

Dirty Berry

Getting lazy here! xD Seems like I only post my manicures the day after I take it off. Which isn't a totally bad thing, since this way I can talk a bit about the duration of the nail polish, but moving on to more important subjects...

After my last haul I decided to try Catrice's Dirty Berry. Like I've said before it's a muted purple/lavender/lilac (never know how to define these type of colours) with some slight holographic effect. It truly is a beautiful colour and I was surprised by how much I loved it on my nails, since I'm usually a fan of darker colours.

It was my first experience with Catrice's nail polishes and I really liked it. They're somewhat cheap, have great colours, the formula on this one was very good, a bit streaky on the first coat but perfect on the second one. I never talk about drying time because I cheat! xD I can't stand still for too long and if I don't apply my Mavadry top coat, I'll surely end up with some smudged nails. Durability whise, I have to say that, for me, it was pretty good, I painted my nails on friday night and removed it yesterday night. The nail polish had no chips, just some major tip wear that I couldn't stand! But that's what you get when you have to do dishes and house chores every day.

Ok, pictures time! This is 2 coats of Dirty Berry in artificial light, no flash:

The dotting was made with Nubar's Purple Rain Glitter, it was my first time using a dotting tool and even if it isn't perfect, I was still very pleased with it. Here it is in detail (once again, excuse the ugly dry skin -.-'):

Next post I have some gradient manicure to show. In pink! D:

Mini Haul Time!

I'm running behind on my posts! Already have 2 new manis to post but my boyfriend spent this past week here with me and I didn't feel like posting while he was here...

This post is just to show you girls the latest additions to my collection. All of these were bought throughout the course of last week, during my daily walks with the boyfriend. I was constantly asking to stop at shops that sell nail polish, he was getting kind of bored with it. xD

Here are my new babies:

• Kiss stripers - These were a bit too expensive for me, almost 17€ if I remember correctly, but they came with some really cute stencils and since I suck at nail art, I just had to have them!
• Gosh Matt Effect Top Coat & Gosh Forest Floor - I've heard so much about Gosh that I had to buy some and see for myself if they're any good. These were 6.99€ each...Again, expensive...-.-'
• Catrice Dirty Berry - Such a pretty purple/lavender, slightly holographic. I think this one was 2,49€...or was it 2,99€? Not sure at all now, but it doesn't really matter, couldn't leave it behind!
• Miyo Grape - Why is it called grape?? It has nothing to do with grapes! I don't get it...But hey, it was cheap! 1,49€, that's more like it!    

And that's it for now. I think I need to stop buying nail polishes...