Manicures of the Month

Hmmm.... I may need to re-think the name of my polish posts, seeing as it has actually been close to three months since my last Manicures of the Month! Can you believe we are already half way through April?! Craziness folks!!

The weather is certainly starting to cool down here now... we are halfway through Autumn ( Fall for you loves in the northern hemisphere ), which is my absolute favourite season. I love the freshness of the mornings, and the warmth of the day, followed by the cool again in the evening. Glorious.

Righto then, enough about the weather! Come and have a nosey at some of my most recent favourite manicures!

POWDER PERFECT - LORELEI

One of the beautiful polishes from Powder Perfect's Mysterium Magnum Collection, Lorelei is a stunning blue/purple with subtle pink and teal micro-glitters. Slightly deeper in real life, this polish is all sorts of pretty. Two easy coats...and get ready for lots of compliments on your nails. Love.

POWDER PERFECT - ITERU - The River

Powder Perfect's most recent collection The Lower Kingdom has many stunning glitter shades, but Iteru certainly stole my heart. Careful application could see you happy with just one coat, but the depth of the polish increases with two. You could certainly leave this without a top coat for a matte/textured finish, but I just love the added dimension and shine that a top coat gives. Love.

POWDER PERFECT - Vault of Heaven

Yep. Another Powder Perfect polish...and I'm not sorry! Vault of Heaven is a stand alone shade, and still available to my knowledge. Unequivocally the most unique polish in my bulging collection, and one of the very few polishes that I have a back-up of...She glides effortlessly onto the nail and results in constant inspection, admiration and appreciation. Gorgeous depth, and holographic glitter flakies...be still my beating heart...a tad dramatic I know. Get it while you still can!! Obsessed.

OPI - Don't Bossa Nova Me Around

Without a doubt, one of my all time favourite nude polishes. I love the cool, blush undertones, which I find to be flattering next to my skin. It's always tricky finding a nude polish that compliments your skin tone...many are too warm for me, and instantly make my hands look a horrible shade of pink. Don't Bossa Nova Me Around has a beautiful, smooth formula which is opaque in two coats. Nothing like  fresh, nude polish on your nails to make you feel like a million bucks in my opinion. It's the manicure equivalent of a great fake tan...

SALLY HANSEN - Rule Of Plum

Rule Of Plum is part of a recently released, limited edition set of 6 polishes from Sally Hansen called the Red Carpet Collection. Fuschia, blue and gold micro-glitters in a deep plum/berry base...once on the nail, the shimmer is subtle, but so pretty when the light hits it! Deep and delicious!

MARC  JACOBS - Blue Velvet

Yes. I bought a high-end nail polish! My first one! Sephora has recently opened in Sydney, ( YAY! ) and I picked this gorgeous blue shade during my first visit there in February. It has a beautiful formula, absolutely intense pigment, and is very, very close to only needing one coat. She is a little shy in the shade, coming across as more of a deep dark teal, but you can see the pretty green shift that comes to life in the sunshine. For the price I paid, I'm not sure that I will be rushing out to buy any more shades, but I shall certainly enjoy this one!

Do you have any high-end nail polishes? What are your favourite brands or shades? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lou xo

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Manicures Of The Month #3

Time for another monthly round up of my recent manicures. Gosh this year is flying by!! I have some old favourites and some new polishes from the brand Dance Legend to share with you today. As I have mentioned previously, these are photos that I share on Instagram. Leave me a comment below with your Instagram name so I can follow you, if I am not already!

Dance Legend - Comet Tail ( Galaxy Collection )

The brand Dance Legend is new to me. I first came across these stunning polishes on the SoNailicious blog and instagram account. Purchased from the So Nailicious Boutique, I was instantly mesmerised by the beautiful colour shifts...as was anyone who clapped eyes on my nails whilst I was wearing it. You will definitely receive many compliments with your nails dressed in these!
Comet Tail has a purple/magenta/green/gold shift with fine holographic glitter. Beautiful. I did three thin coats plus top coat in the picture above.

Dance Legend - Sulley ( Chameleon )

Such a stunningly beautiful jewel toned multi-chrome. Not much else to say about this one. It fits nicely into the Duck's Nuts category ( ie. Holy Grail ) Again, 3 thin coats plus top coat. It also looks beautiful with a matte top coat... I feel the need for a back up...

Rimmel London - Pear Drop
Accent Nail - Essie - Beyond Cozy

My first time attempting to use a dotting tool. Indeed, one of those things that looks so easy when someone else does it! Pear Drop unfortunately doesn't have the nice wide curved brush that other Rimmel formula's do, and it is a little streaky and difficult to work with. It will even out ok with the second coat, but because of  the metallic finish it has a tendency to show brush marks. I obviously need some practice with my dots...stay tuned...

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Commander in Chic

I have mentioned in previous posts my love for this formula, and the lovely wide, curved brush that fits my nail bed perfectly. Two easy coats, plus top coat for the above photograph. This shade is the perfect winter neutral in my opinion. Highly recommend!

Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant  " lav-endure"
Accent Nail - Maybelline Color Show "Gold's Night Out"

Such a pretty polish this one. The perfect pastel lavender. Beautiful formula, and very glossy finish even without a top coat. A definite favourite of mine! If you are looking for a good gold glitter than look no further than Gold's Night Out...you could almost get away with one coat. Even an old girl like me needs a bit of bling now and then...

And....I was so very excited to see Mary from A Love Tart  loved this mani enough to re-create it!! The funny thing is, that I believe I purchased lav-endure after seeing it on her last year! Thanks Mary, you really made my day!



Do you have any of these polishes? What are your current favourites? Do you have any "must haves" that I must have??!! Do let me know in the comments below!




Thanks so much for stopping by!



Blessings,



Lou xo

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On My Nails Today - Sally Hansen Triple Shine 'Great White'

Looking for a slightly more wearable white for your nails? It can be a little daunting trying to pull off the opaque white nail. As bright, clean and fresh as it looks, it can also sometimes look a little stark. 

If you are in the market for a softer, perhaps more 'grown up' white mani, then you might like Sally Hansen Triple Shine in the shade Great White. 

A beautiful sheer white with gorgeous micro shimmers which are not only visible once on the nail, but also serve to give the shade a lovely glow and dimension. Not frosty. Just flattering. 

I have done three coats of Great White in these photos, swatched in natural light. The nail line is still clearly visible after 3 coats, but I think it adds a nice little bit of softness.

What are your thoughts on the white mani? Do you rock the opaque look, or prefer something a little more subtle? I would love to hear from you, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings, 

Lou xo

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On My Nails Today - New Sally Hansen Triple Shine

Another day....another trip to Priceline! I know...I have a problem...

So on this particular jaunt I happened to notice the new Sally Hansen Triple Shine display, and picked up these two shades to try. I don't have anything like these in my collection, and if you are like me and have too many nail polishes, than you are always intrigued by shades that are unique and a little bit different. Well, they are unique and new to me!

Left "Make Waves"     Right "Pearly Whites"

Make Waves is a sheer metallic blue/green/purple colour shifter. So pretty. I needed three coats on my nails to achieve the colour shown in the bottle. Be careful with this one, it does tend to show brush strokes, three thin coats work well.

Pearly whites is a holographic glitter, with small medium and large sized holographic flakes of glitter. My first flaky...and I am quite taken with her! I am looking forward to experimenting with it over different shades...I am thinking it would look rather nice over OPI's Russian Navy...

It was a little tricky to get an even amount of glitter on my nails, I ended up 'dabbing' it onto my nail to get a more even coverage.

I think these two shades layered make a very pretty pair. I have included quite a few pictures to show how the colour shifts in different lights. In these photos I have three coats of 'Make Waves' , one coat of 'Pearly Whites' on the accent nails, and top coat over all nails.

The top cap removes to reveal a smaller, user friendly brush handle.

The brush is wide and rounded, and looks to be the same brush as the one from the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure range, which I love. The rounded tip fits my nail beds perfectly, allowing for easier application and a neater look near the cuticle.

Have you tried any of the new Triple Shine formula's?

Check them out at Priceline 

I so appreciate you visiting my blog! If you do leave a comment thank you so much for taking the time to do so!

Blessings, 

Lou xo

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On My Nails Today

Greetings!

On my nails today is Sally Hansens' Complete Salon Manicure in the shade Barracuda, a gorgeous pale, milky aqua blue. The colour is actually quite vibrant for a pastel. I'm loving it!

I love the curved brush on these polishes, they fit against my nail bed perfectly, making application that much easier.

The formula was a little streaky on the first coat, typical of such a white based polish, however after the second coat she evened out to a lovely opaque finish. 

I used two coats and a top coat in these photos. I know the idea with these polishes is that this particular formula negates the need for a top coat, but I threw one on just to aid drying time. 

The very popular shade in this line Commander in Chic was a favourite of mine last year, and I have recently purchased a few more in the range.

If you have any favourite shades to recommend please leave a comment below...I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lou xo

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