My Guilty Pleasure

Long time no post!

2010-03-31T18:33:00.000+08:00

I'm back, as in I'll-be-bugging-you-with-boring-posts-everyday's back!

The project I've been working very hard on has been launched, hopefully I can resume my "normal" working hours real soon. And most importantly, we will have a very long weekend of 5 days after tomorrow, yay!!!! That means I can catch up on my blogging finally.

During last 2 weeks, I was only able to post a couple of manis here. I want to give all my wonderful readers a huge hug - thank you for reading and leaving me comments even when there was not much going on here. Thank you for letting me know I was not talking to myself!

I read each and every comments - thanks to the amazing intensedebate, it makes life a lot more easier. If you are still using the blogger built-in comment system, I suggest you giving it a try, it works so much better! I promise I will reply all the comments and questions as soon as I can.

At the same time, I started working on new blog feature and here's a sneak peek:

See you tomorrow!

My mom's wearing a knock off polka dot dress!

2010-03-27T10:16:00.000+08:00

Emerald Sparkled is having a 200+ Giveaway and one of the rule (optional) is to remake a manicure on her blog.

Here it is, a replica Mom's Polka Dot Dress. Obviously a poor quality one, see how I smudged the dots? It's very weird, I can't paint polish with my left hand but I stamp better with it!

The prize of the giveaway includes 12 polishes, 2 Konad plates and some very thoughtful tools. It ends today, act fast if you still haven't entered yet.

Check out the details HERE.

I'm not really a mood polish

2010-03-25T14:26:00.000+08:00

If you expect to see some Claire's mood polishes, I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you, as always, I can't get my hands on any polish that everybody raves about.

Instead, you are going to see a polish that you have seen a lot in past few months, Essie Van D'Go.

Van D'Go is a soft pink creme with the tiniest hint of peach. I've seen a lot of swatches that are a lot peachier, but in person it is pink no matter where I looked at it. It is beautiful, but unfortunately it doesn't look good on me. This is yet again another pink that makes my hands look dirty!

Color-wise, it is my absolute favourite among all the spring collections. But I don't think I can say the same for the formula. It is a pastel afterall, it is bound to be gloopy and streaky, which is also pretty standard for an Essie.

And then something weird happened after I applied a coat of Seche Vite.

It changed to a peach! My bottle of SV got a bit thick and I forgot to add some thinner, so I didn't apply evenly. See how the ugly mixed of pink and peach on the index and near the cuticles?

It was middle of the night when I did this mani. I had 2 choices - wiped it off and had my nails naked on the following day, or left it, had a good night sleep and went out with this ugly thing. You know how lazy I am, so I chose option 2 without surprise. And even more amazing, I kept this for 2 days!

I was curious whether the change in color was bought by my bottle of SV or it was simply the polish. I ran a little test using 3 different top coats on it, only to confirm the problem was on Van D'Go. All 3 top coats changed its color to various degree of peach.

Do you have Essie Van D'Go? Do you have the same problem?

OPI Chop-sticking to My Story - a copycat konadicure

2010-03-23T23:39:00.000+08:00

It's been days, how's everyone?
I just sneak back here for a quick post. I have been so sleep-deprived that I may pass out anytime when I am typing this up.

So I told you that I borrowed OPI Chop-sticking to My Story, and this is the reason why.

Step 1: Base OPI Chop-sticking to My Story 2 coats
Step 2: Konad M73 in OPI You Don't Know Jacques!
Step 3: Sasatinnie FCRAS005
Step 4: China Glaze 2030 on the tips
Step 5: Konad M57 in Color Club Where's the Soiree?

I saw this super sophisticated Bollywood konadicure in Glammed-up I liked it so much that I decided to copy it. At first I wanted to copy every details but then I found that it was impossible for 2 reasons. For one, I didn't have everything Lisa used to create the look. And my nails were not as long, I couldn't have the flowers stamped without covering up the whole nail bed.

So I settled with a "simplified" version, after re-doing it for a couple of times.

This was what triggered the first redo. I wanted the background floral patterns to be very subtle, so I used a less vibrant color, China Glaze Heirloom Organza. As you can see here, the patterns are barely visible and once I put a shimmer over it, it simply disappeared completely. And then I have to started allover again from the base coat up.

This konadicure took me a whole morning to complete, it was fun and frustrating at the same time. I hate to admit it but layering is so out of my league. The matching of colors and patterns are so complicated that is not something I can handle. I guess I should just stick to my less-is-more rule until I can really master the whole konad techniques (sounds very likely!). If you spot me with some sophisticated designs, rest assured that they are copied from somewhere!

Surprise from Germany

2010-03-20T01:08:00.001+08:00

Yesterday I got a mysterious package - no return address, no card, all I could tell it was from Germany. I guess it was the swap with Pia from Rock 'n' Nails. Pia, if you are reading this, please let me know!

Pia is visiting some friends in Germany, she agreed to get some polishes there to swap with her readers. I didn't have any specific in mind, so I told her my favourite colors, purple and taupe, and she picked something to surprise me. And I was indeed surprised!

This girl is amazing, she got me 3 polishes of different brands and I love them all!

(Left to right) p2 Color Victim in gracious, essence creamylicious in Chocolate Shake, Manhattan Lotus Effect 65W

A cream and H&M lip gloss.

Guess it is an unwritten rule that candies are must-have for any swap! Teddy Bear candy was my childhood favourite.

Ready for some swatches?

Chocolate Shake is a milk chocolate brown with reddish shimmer. The shimmer is only visible under bright light. It is thick and gloopy, almost impossible for thin coats. I don't know it was the polish or I shook it too hard, there were bubbles on every nail. Despite the formula, the color is absolutely yummy - I was tempted to grab a shake right away, but as I was having a bad PMS, I'd better stay away from cold drinks!

65W is a dark rich plum jelly. Do I have to say anything about it? I don't think so, even with my lousy photography, the polish still looks stunning in the photo. Super glossy, great formula, easiest to apply among the three.

I like the cap and the brush - the cap is flat with slanted top which gives you a firm grip. The brush is tiny bit shorter than average which I think is easier to control.

gracious is a dusty mauve with extremely subtle blue and purple shimmer. The shimmer is barely visible even under very bright light. It is also on the thick side but still manageable.

Usually dusty purple makes me feel chic but somehow this one shouts "feminine", maybe it's the shimmer. I stamped it with some roses and butterfly in subtle colors, didn't want them to steal the spotlight.

These brands are all not available in where I live and I'm so excited to be able to get some! Thank you so much Pia!

FlashForward or flashback?

2010-03-19T01:05:00.001+08:00

Any FlashForward fans there? I didn't pay it much attention until I met with some friends past weekend and they told me I should watch it. I am not a big sci-fi fan but I am a loyal Lostie, so why not?

I watched all 10 episodes in a few days. It is good but not as addictive as Lost. The reason that keep me watching is Joseph Fiennes. He can literally kill me with his eyes!

So it returns tonight, do you guys still remember what happened before the mid-season break? Mike and Demetri went to Hong Kong to found the woman. Yes, Hong Kong, my city. I was so excited until they arrived at this shabby airport. No, that was not Hong Kong. Of course, those scenes were not something that was worth moving the whole crew across the Pacific. But sailing ship? Seriously? I doubt my grandparents ever seen one sailing on the harbour! And a street full of people riding on bikes? You will have better luck spotting that amount of Ferrari than bikes.

The same goes for OPI Hong Kong Collection. Boring colors, boring names. I didn't get any of those, but I borrowed this from a friend for some reason.

Chop-sticking to My Story is a warm dusty orange/brown creme. Good formula without any application issue, good to go in 2 coats.

I don't do orange, I just don't like this color. I'll show you tomorrow what I needed it for.

Orly Mint Mojito

2010-03-18T09:30:00.000+08:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Orly Mint Mojito is a bright yellowish green creme, the color is even more vibrant in person. On the thick side, no major application issue though.

Who needs Nfu-oh? Not me!

2010-03-15T12:54:00.000+08:00

You know it is sour grape, do you? For the record, I want it, I NEED it, especially the legendary #51. If you are one of those lucky people who can get Nfu-oh off the internet stores and you are kind enough to help me out, please contact me. I am serious!

Some of you European girls may suggest the trusty Affiniti who ships internationally. But their definition of "international" does not include Hong Kong, so this option is out. There indeed is a local beauty store who carry a limited selection on Nfu-oh. The selection is so limited that I haven't seen any of the color on any of the nail blogs. A couple of boring reds and pinks, frosty blue and green, I couldn't find any reason to justify paying $10 for them.

And then one day, Lucy from Lucy's stash talked about some replacements of Nfu-oh flakies. The replacement polishes looked strangely familiar. They are Golden Rose, which happens to be available in the very same beauty store that sells boring Nfu-oh.

I rushed there, found them, covered in dust, hidden in the unorganized pile of polishes. Some were missing chunk off the bottle, some covered in dried up leakage, some were not full. But what can I complain? They are $0.8 after all.

How do I like it? I'll let the photos do the talking

It takes my breath away. Look at those blue and green flakies, how gorgeous they are!

I used 2 tricks that I learned from The Manicured Manatee - nude base coat and partner polishes here.

Partner polishes - I guess flakies are supposed to be used for layering, so they are extremely sheer and no matter how many coats you put on, you are never going to build it up to the bottle color. The genius Manicured Manatee came up with the solution by layering them over polishes that match the base color of the flakies. (I used Zoya Kotori here for its blackened blue)

Nude base coat - Zoya Kotori is quite sheer itself, I wanted it to be opaque in 1 coat as it was just a base coat here. What should I do? I gave it a base coat! Yes, yet another base coat. But this time, it was a nude polish. I used Models Own Nude Beige which matches with my complexion. With the nude polish, it covers the nail bed so the following polishes can build up coverage in less coats.

I'm quite happy with the result, it looks exactly like what it looks like in the bottle.

To give you a better look on its color, I layered it over a black creme and a white creme.

Over white - it gets very interesting here, the colors changed! Pink, which did not appear over dark polish, became the dominant color.

The flakes are packed densely in the bottle, so I had no problem in getting them on the nail. It did not dry to a bumpy surface, so you don't have to put a lot of top coat to make it smooth. As for drying time, I think it's average.

If you are interested in this cheap replacement of Nfu-oh flakies, stay turn. I have more to show you!

Polish Blogger Network: Lacquer Link Love 3/12/10

2010-03-13T09:31:00.000+08:00

Brooke took a tour of Hong Kong and has the polish swatches to prove it! Check out all the colors from OPI's newest collection and see which ones she loves the most at Babbling Brooke.

Tuli opened up a virtual polish market to facilitate polish swaps at Tuli's Nails! Check it out and sign up - someone may just be trading that polish you've been looking everywhere for.

Landa went totally holographic at Bright Lights, Big Color - and it only cost her $2!

Rija of Polishing the Nails has some Pistachio ice cream nails. Who would have thought a Laguna Lagoon would be so beautifully minty?

Check out how OPI's hottest new shade, Jade is the New Black, stacks up against a few other greens at Prim and Polished!

The Dutch Nail Blog swatched some scandalous polishes from Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics. Check out her great Konad and see just why these polishes are called 'Cheeky'!

Purple looks great with purple, especially on GildedAngel's nails! Pop over to Naive Nails to see her lovely Konad.

A taupe is a taupe is a taupe, right? Not so fast! Look at how a variety of taupes stack up against each other at The Swatchaholic. Which one is your favorite?

Are you loving Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland? Check out Therese's great Alice in Wonderland mani at Nail Design, and learn how to do it yourself with her tutorial!

Nail'd and Polish'd has some gorgeous pops of spring color from Ulta's polish collection. What's your favorite shade?

Get a taste of OPI's delicious Hong Kong collection at Manicure Mommas, and check out how gorgeous they look matte!

Take a walk down glittery Canal Street with Helen at Just Nice Things.

Did you love the Oscars? Relive the glamour and excitement with Niki's awesome manicure, representing each movie on one nail. Wow!

How does Nars Purple Rain stack up against China Glaze Let's Groove? Check out My Guilty Pleasure's comparison, and decide if the $21 price tag is worth it for the Nars!

And now.....Giveaways!!!

Check out...

Rija is giving away 6 gorgeous glittery polishes in celebration of her birthday. Check it out before March 21!

Win two polishes from the OPI Hong Kong collection at Manicure Mommas! Enter before March 22!

European readers, enter to win some Konad and China Glaze to get you polishing this spring at The Dutch Nail Blog! Enter before March 21.

Enter to win a boatload of goodies, including OPI polishes from the Hong Kong collection at Bright Lights, Big Color! Enter before March 19!

Babbling Brooke has teamed up with Designer Blogs to give away a blog makeover. Enter to win before March 27!

I need some help!

2010-03-12T10:36:00.000+08:00

Remember this mani I shown you the other day?

It is actually my entry to the Nail Off context host by The Nail Blog Network. You probably have some idea by now that I enjoy nail art a lot. The decision to take part in this was a no-brainer - I didn't want to miss the fun and mostly importantly, I wanna get some goodies.

The prizes are very attractive, 10 China Glaze and 10 Seche products of your choices. But if I win, I am not going to keep these to myself, I can share with you! Because the winner gets to hold a contest on her own blog with the same prizes sponsored by China Glaze and Seche. Isn't it wonderful?

I am not a big fan of pimping but I am way behind now, I would be really happy if you could help me out by go to this voting page, click on the little round button next to "Kada / My Guilty Pleasure", scroll down a bit and then click "vote". Then you can sit back and wait to win the same prizes from the context in my blog. Apparently, I am dreaming already, so I should hit the hay and let the dream continues.

Vote for me Please!
http://nailblognetwork.onsugar.com/Nail-Blog-Network-Nail-Off-Let-games-begin-7685721

Color Club Pucci-licious and tone on tone konad

2010-03-11T13:49:00.000+08:00

Purple lovers, watch out for this super cute killer!

Pucci-licious is a bright creamy purple. It went on like butter, perfect in 2 coats without single streak or unevenness. But when it dried, its glossiness reduced and turned into this satiny finishes (not matte though).

This photo is pretty color-accurate, thanks to my light box. Can you see how cute it is? It is so bright, so vibrant, just perfect for Spring. I'm so glad I added it to my shopping cart in the last minute!

I wanted to stamp something on it but I had no idea which color would go well with it. So I decided to play safe - go for the same color family. I stamp this flower/heart-shaped design from Konad M63 with China Glaze Grape Pop. I love this design, does it look like a pop art?

And then I added some butterflies, I wish I hadn't! They ruined the design completely!

Do you like it? I do! I can see myself wearing it a lot.

RIP Sheer Natural

2010-03-10T15:26:00.000+08:00

This is a nightmare comes true.

When I work on a post, there are always a dozen of polishes on my perpetually chaotic desk. You can imagine the numerous near-fatal incidents in this accident-prone set up. I was lucky, maybe just too lucky, until today. I wanted to drink some water so I reached for my mug somewhere in the midland, and then it knocked on the dozen polishes. And I was able to save them!! Amazing, wasn't it? If it was, this post would not have appeared at all.

I tried to put them back up, and one of them didn't want to stand up straight, instead it slipped from my fingers and dropped on the floor and shattered. Wow, an $18 polish dropped dead in front of me, definitely an once in a life time experience! Oh, did I mention I haven't use it yet, not even swatched?

In the middle of the little pool of polish, there was a glass splinter holding some polish, not much, just enough for a swatch. Thank you, at least I get to have a swatch!

It is a mess, but be nice! I just suffered a loss and I was not in the mood for perfect pictures (like I had taken perfect pictures!)

It is a yellowish nude creme. Application was good, not streaky at all but it was too sheer. I used 4 coats here but still not able to cover completely.

To be honest, it is not a flattering color, like you have some badly stained nails. Quite disgusting. But I think it can make a good mannequin color when layered with some taupes or nudes, to match with the yellow undertone of Asian skin. I'm not able to test it out though.

I am a little bit depressed right now (and I have to clean up the crime scene), so that's all for today.

Meet my new BFF

2010-03-10T01:17:00.000+08:00

My dear readers, I want you to meet my new BFF:

Mr Light Box

This is the answer to yesterday's guessing game, in case anyone had noticed.

I've wanting to get myself a light box forever! But I still couldn't believe I really put it into action even when this awesome little white box is sitting gracefully on my desk.

There is a hole at the top and the "door" thing on the side, so you can shoot from different angles.

It is really compact, perfect for storage. I had been hesitated in getting the light box mostly because of the space it was going to take up. 2 lamps and a huge white box? I have to throw away my bed for them to fit in my teeny tiny apartment.

I had no idea there's such an ingenious design out there.

There are built-in lights, you don't have to set up those clumsy lamps anymore. They said the lights are the same as those used in computer monitor or LCD TV. I know nothing about this, all I can tell is that they are bright enough.

There are 2 hooks at the back for fixing the felt background. How thoughtful!

They have 6 different colors and I couldn't decide which one is better, so I got all 6.

When I went for a little shopping trip today, I found this baby blue floral-print felt. It is so cute, isn't it?

I also bought 2 super reflective acrylic board, but I can't get it right with this white one.

I had better luck with the black one, see how clear the reflection is, like a mirror!

You didn't think I would just let this yummy Color Club posed as a model only, did you?

The famous Revvvolution is a dark charcoal holo with dreamy application. I didn't have the slightest problem.

I am still experimenting with this new toy but I think I am already in love with him. He just makes life a lot easier for me - I can do swatch at night, and I don't have to spend as much time editing the photos because they are more color-accurate now.

That's it for now, I'm off to preparing the stuff I am going to show you tomorrow. See you in a bit.

Treachery of the cheapskate - Nars Purple Rain

2010-03-09T01:00:00.004+08:00

I am a cheapskate. If there was a Kingdom of Cheapskate, I would be the ruler.

In my kingdom, it is a crime buying $20, high-end fashion label polishes with just a pretty face. And I would be the first and the last who are hanged for breaking the law.

Here's the evidence, Nars Purple Rain, $21.

Purple Rain is a deep reddish purple / eggplant with red and blue shimmer. You see the blue shimmer pretty clearly here, right? In real life, the blue shimmer is barely visible when you stare intensely at it. The effects were exaggerated by the camera.

It was very pigmented, perfect in 2 coats. Excellent application, went on like butter.

It is very gorgeous. But wait a sec, I've seen it somewhere.

I swear, it was just the camera, in real life, the difference is not noticeable. The base color of both are very similar, except there are more blue shimmer in Let's Groove, as you see in the pictures.

If you have Let's Groove, congratulations! You have a dead on dupe to a $20 polish.

I won't tell you I regret buying Purple Rain simply because 1) it is Nars 2) it is purple 3) it is gorgeous 4) I paid $21 for it, non-refundable. No, I won't!

Can you guess what it is?

2010-03-08T22:10:00.000+08:00

Another green, first konad success ... well, sort of

2010-03-08T11:15:00.001+08:00

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I've lost count on my failed konad attempts, actually, I tried hard not to remember. To save my sanity, I really need a little success. A fool proof design is all I needed, I don't care whether it is boring. Here you go, a textbook design - a green and gold combo.

What do you think? Can I call this a success?

I was pleased with this, at least I had the design stamped quite clearly on the nails, it wasn't distorted much (except for the pointer), I am comfortable going out with it.

The base color I used here was Color Club Rule Breaker. It is an amazing deep green/teal metallic shimmer, a little bit frosty though. Application was like a dream, it went on smoothly and it was so pigmented that 1 coat would do. Can't wait to try it as a stamping polish.

China Glaze Watermelon Rind

2010-03-08T01:00:00.000+08:00

Today I'm going to show you a polish that I like very much recently. It's green, by the way. Sure you have seen a lot of green lately in celebration of St Patrick's Day, would it be a little more interesting if it is a non-green lover's pick?

May I present you with China Glaze Watermelon Rind

Watermelon Rind is a green/blue jelly with silver glass flecks. It is quite sheer, as you can expected in jellies, good in 2 coats but I went for 3 here for richer color.

Can you see how super glossy it is? I didn't even use a top coat! The glass-fleck glitters are so sparkling and gives a lot of depth to the polish, absolutely stunning.

It is a standard China Glaze formula - went on smoothly, dried quickly. I'm so in love with this polish that I just didn't want to take it off, so I did something on it.

With the matte top coat, its color was toned down a hue lighter. It gave a satiny finish which was similar to OPI Suede.

I also tried to turn it into a darker color. I used China Glaze Awaken (a metallic charcoal) and Color Club Where's the Soiree? (a black creme), one coat of each, as the base. And then I added one coat of Watermelon Rind on top.

The result was nothing as I expected - the color was not darkened significantly to my disappointment. However, the glass flecks showed up better with the dark base. As you can see on the index and ring fingers, they are more vibrant than before. Plus, it only took 2 coats with this method, save a lot of time!

To make it look more like watermelon rind, I tried to stamp some black designs on it. Guess what? They were drown in the sea of green. Yet another konad-related tragedy.

Have a great weekend everybody, I'm off to lick my wounds now.

Put a smile on your ... Nail

2010-03-07T01:13:00.001+08:00

So I am grumpy because of the weather, what should I do? Self-help 101 - I did a mani that made me smile.

Here's what I used (from the left):
Glitters
Seche Vite
China Glaze Vintage Crepe
China Glaze Strawberry Fields
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky
China Glaze Awaken
China Glaze Millennium
and some black rhinestone & fimo

I wanted to take some step-by-step pictures, and I did for the first couple steps. Then I realized it was way too dangerous - I am probably the most clumsiest person in the world, it was impossible to take all pictures without some smudge incidents. I gave up. Not like you need the pictures though, it was a very simple design.

Have a great weekend!

Package Freak

2010-03-06T08:42:00.000+08:00

9 turquoise boxes. They are all you going to see today because I am a package freak.

I keep all boxes cosmetics come in with. Moisturizers, serum, foundations, eye shadows, all of them. They sit gracefully inside their boxes until one day I get too annoyed taking them out and putting back in, and then I throw the innocent boxes away.

I will have my moment staring at these adorable boxes, swatching can wait.

SCREW YOU, Sephora!

2010-03-05T09:34:00.000+08:00

Sephora is closing down their business in Hong Kong - If you told me before last weekend, I would have groaned at it for sure. But now? I think they are not leaving fast enough!

Here's the story. Last week they were having a VIP shopping party in which you can redeem ANY products with your reward points. I went there in eager anticipation, picked out a few Sephora brand products and checked out happily. The girl at counter told me those stuff were on sale so they were not eligible for redemption. I wanted to get something else in order to use up the points but I was already running late for a movie. I figured I have to come back again the following day.

Here are what I got:

2 polishes (the red one is Flamenco, a birthday gift from them. The blue glitter is Blue Sapphire), they are better than I thought. An acetone free polish remover, a nail balm, my favourite nail care recently and an eyeliner. They were all for around $18.

Later that night, I found that event announcement email and discovered there would be another VIP day in March. Great, I could go there next month then.

2 days later, I received another email from Sephora with subject line "Clearance Sale". I opened it excitedly but when I read on, I was shocked. They are leaving? And no VIP day? Reward points can only redeem "selected items"? You have a good idea on how the story goes.

I went there, studied the "selected items" - basically some unwanted products from some unknown brands which were already on 40% sale - for half an hour, started to get impatient, randomly picked a hand soap in beautiful glass bottle. Discounts do not apply when you buy with reward points, so I paid for the regular price less my reward points.

I got home and finally got my sense back, I realized I would be better off if I bought it without using reward points! The price after deducting the reward points is higher than the discounted price! Damn it! I couldn't believe I was stupid enough to fall in a trap as obvious as that.

Sephora, pack your bags and don't ever come back!

Please bear with me even if you find this accusation totally unjust. I am pissed and I have to get it all out of my system. I feel better already, thank you.

Models Own Part 3 - The Sparkles

2010-03-04T13:01:00.001+08:00

I'm a huge fan of creme, having 3 glitters in one single order is outrageous in my standard.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against glitters - they are stunning. Apart from being hideous to apply, a pain in the ass to remove and the risk of looking like a 5-year-old, I can't imagine what's not to like.

From the left: Blue Sparkle, Magenta Devine, Champagne, Mixed Up

Models Own Champagne - Do I have to say anything else? A pure champagne gold shimmer, no other color undertone. Shiny shiny shiny.

Magenta Devine is a clear base with tiny deep magenta glitters. I used 4 coats here attempting to build up the color, the result was acceptable. Pinkie was not that well covered as I used thin coats there, while I put very thick coats on the rest.

Blue Sparkle is a clear base with large blue hexagon glitters. Very vibrant color, too vibrant actually, it gave me a hard time capturing its beauty. In real life, it is a hue or 2 more brighter than the pictures.

I was not polishing here, I was essentially piling the glitters onto my nails, that's why it was a three "coats". These glitters are too large, you just can't pick sufficient amount to cover the nails.

Gorgeous hexagon glitters densely suspense in the bottle.

Mixed Up is a clear base with microglitters, majority are black, some are holo. It is an interesting color, but too bad its glossiness diminish when it dries.

It was very sheer, so I used the same piling technique here. Can I call this a technique? It's skill-less, just take a big drop and spread it in very directions.

I thought it is a black base with holo glitters. You can imagine how much black glitters are in there.

How can a glitter review goes without some blurry pictures?

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Please beware when you decide to wear any of these polishes, especially when you are driving. They are so shiny sparkling that you just can't stop staring at your nails. Very distractive!

It's way too easy to pick my favourite out of this lot, Champagne without much debate.

I mean glitters and I can be friend who hang out from time to time, but I don't think we can take it to the next level. Sorry, glitter pals!

This is the last part of my Models Own review, a little conclusion may be helpful

Yay
1. Great color variety, with some very unique ones
2. Highly Pigmented
3. Good staying power
4. Formulas vary, easy application in general.
5. They ship internationally

Nay
1. Not Big 3 free, it contains Toluene (no DBP and Formaldehyde). Though it is not a big deal for me, everybody else seems doing just fine without these 3 monsters, why couldn't they?
2. Crappy bottle cap. The top cap detached from the brush! It is not an isolated incident, it happened on several different polishes.

Will I buy from them again? Definitely! I love their color selection, looking forward to some new colors coming out.

Models Own Part 2 - The Chics

2010-03-03T12:16:00.001+08:00

I've got 5 stunning polishes to show you today. So no mumbling and get straight down to business.

From the left: Slate Green, Moody Grey, Purple Grey, Nude Beige, Utopia

Except for Utopia, their names are straightforward, aren't they? But we all know name and even bottle color can be very deceiving, let's have closer inspection.

Cause you're not a man
you're just a mannequin
I wish you could that my love is real
but you're not a man
(Sorry, I just can't help it. Every time when I think of the word "mannequin", I hear Katy Perry sings it out loud. )

So Nude Beige does make a good mannequin color. It is a dusty, light taupe creme with the slightest hint of pink. A neutral appropriate for conservative working environment or on days when you wanna lay low.

As with the pastels I shown you the other day, formula on this is thick but nothing unmanageable - I could get away with 2 coats with barely visible brush stroke. It will be prefect with a layer of top coat.

We've seen a lot of dusty neutrals since last year, I was wondering if I had yet again wasted my money on a dupe. I dug into my stash and 3 suspects were found:

Lucky me, there are no dupes! At first I thought Country Club Khaki is the closest because of the lack of pinkness in both. As you can see here, Country Club Khaki is way too brown and darker than Nude Beige.

Utopia was one of the first few Models Own swatches I saw, it went straight to my must-have list.

The color varies depending on skin tone. It is off-white on some, and on me, it is a very pale grey with a touch of pinkish lavender. A lousy description again. In short, it is a mixture of white, grey, pink and lavender. I'm in love with this - it is not loud but it is sophisticated.

Application was like a dream (Utopia!), went on smoothly, sheer on the first coat, perfect in 2.

I would love to see it compared to Color Club Who Are You Wearing? but it is still in the mail.

Slate Green - a dusty light teal creme.

This is love at first sight. I'm not a green person, my green collection is miserable but Slate Green got my attention right away. I guess it is the dusty thing.

When I was a kid, my mother wore a jade bracelet all the time. This is the same color as the bracelet. It is what "Jade is the New Black" should have been.

The formula on this is different from the rest, it is a bit jelly like. On the sheer side and runny, it took 3 coats to be opaque.

It looks familiar, huh? I know what you are thinking, so there it is:

No dupes again. Dirty, Sexy, Money is darker and dustier while Slate Green is like his younger cousin, more vibrant and less moody.

I wanted to say Moody Grey is greenish grey as suggested by its name, but the green is actually more prominent than grey, so I will stick to a medium greyed out green creme. In Cantonese, it is definitely a "鴨屎綠" to me, which means "duck poo green"

Green again? It was quite a challenge for someone who had like 5 greens in her over 100 collection. I didn't know it would be this green, most of the swatches I found were charcoal. Even though it is not the same as I expected, I like its uniqueness.

Great application, it was so pigmented that I could have get away with 1 coat if I have been paying attention.

Purple Grey is a dark greyed out purple creme. To say it's dusty is an understatement - it is muddy.

This is what I wanted my first franken to be - mysterious, very dark eggplant. I kind of made it but I was stupid enough to put in some plastic balls (I thought those were metal!), so I'm not able to share with you here (lucky you).

It is totally unique, as much as I love purple, I don't have anything like this, not even in the most remotest sense. I would imagine it to be the son of OPI You Don't Know Jacques! and Parlez--vous OPI (both are my favourites). You'll be the first to know when the baby is due!

Models Own is a new brand to me so I decided to do a wear test to see how long could it last. I wore for Purple Grey for 5 days as planned - yes, I DID wear it for 5 painful long days. I believe you of all people could perfectly understand how much did I suffer. But I made it, I'm so proud of myself!

I was wearing this with one coat of CND Stickey base and Air Dry. I used another camera with better macro, but its white balance sucks and I was too lazy to edit them. ** These 2 pictures are not color-accurate, please refer to the above swatch picture **

No chipping, just minor tip wear. I assure you it is no-one-but-yourself-could-spot-it kind of minor. It is impressive, especially for someone as rough as me.

It's impossible to pick a favourite out of this bunch - I just love them all. These are the edgy colors that I can't live without.

I'll be back with the last part of Models Own review before you know it.

Models Own Part 1 - The Pastels

2010-03-01T15:00:00.000+08:00

Spring is my least favourite season. Alright, I lied. I hate spring.

The humidity is killing me. Water is dripping from ceiling of the lift lobby, floor is slippery, the laundry and my hair takes forever to dry, my skin goes all crazy with breakouts. My air con has been on for several 20°C days. It is insane! Is it summer yet?

The only one good thing that comes along with spring is pastel color.

From the left: Lemon Meringue, Pastel Pink, Lilac Dream

This is the pastel set I got from Models Own. I didn't plan to buy this set, I was only interested in Lilac Dream. But hey it's on sale, why not?

Lilac Dream is a pale purple creme. Guess it is one of the most popular colors, it appeared on most of the reviews I read, people raves about it.

Not a unique color though, it looks just like another pastel purple. The milkiness is nice, makes it look soft and tender, I like it.

There's not many lavenders in my stash, I used to avoid them, pink as well actually, as much as I can because they can darken my hand too easily. I tried to find some good comparisons, Misa Jasmine was the closest thing I can get.

They look pretty similar in the bottle, amazingly they are completely different on nails.

Jasmine is a lot darker, dustier than Lilac Dream. The application of Jasmine is so much better.
I forgot to compare it with China Glaze Light As Air, from my impression, Lilac Dream should be much darker than Light As Air.

Pastel Pink is kind of barbie pink in my definition. It is a warm medium pink creme.

I like how they look in the picture, it is cute. In person, they are not as flattering. They made my hands look so dirty - like I've been playing in a dumpster all day, yuck!

Lemon Meringue is a very pale lemon yellow creme. Surprisingly, my favourite of this lot.

I rarely bake, so lemon meringue is too remote to me. Lemon sorbet is what in my mind. A real refresh color, prefect for gloomy days like what we are having now. I can see myself wearing a lot.

It reminds me immediately of another member in the lemon family, China Glaze Lemon Fizz.

I thought there would not be a big difference, I was wrong. As you can see, Lemon Fizz is brighter, warmer maybe, and less milky. Application is better as well.

The formula of all these is consistent - highly pigmented, opaque in 2 coats. They are all quite thick which make them not easy to work with (making a mind note to thin them down a bit next time). They can't be completely evened out with the third coat. I would not walk out of my apartment without a good thick topcoat on it.

There are more Models Own wanna to show you, coming up next are The Chics.

Please vote for me!

2010-02-28T14:02:00.000+08:00

Ladies, I need your help.

Lambchop Mobile is hosting the best contest ever - she asked for suggestions on a name and matching manicure for her bike. I am so not going to miss out the fun. I played around with several ideas and started working on the nails. Things were a bit out of hand - I ended up with not one but two designs!

Mighty Lampchop seems to like them - she picked both out! I was so lucky!

The girly manicure

This was inspired by the streamers on handle bars of trikes that little girls ride. I went for a colorful and childish look - so you can see a lot of different colors and tons of decals. Believe me, I know it is a busy look, I apologize if it make you feel dizzy!

On thumb: Misa Jasmine for base, Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money for the dots

Index: BB Couture Zuma Wave Rider with silver metallic decals in star shape

Middle: Models Own Pastel Pink for the base, CND Hyde in the Dark for the stripes, OPI Time-less is More for the dots and some gold metallic star-shaped decals

Ring: Misa Green with Envy and black rhinestones

Pinkie: Orly Cashmere Cardigan with decals in various shape

The grown-up manicure

It was intended to be a matching look with the bike. Metallics and shimmers were chosen naturally, purple is my favourite color so it got a place.

I did the half moon freehand, so it is cranky. I think I did the best with the middle finger.

Ring: Color Club Sex Symbol
Others: Models Own Champaign for the half moon, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark for the tips with silver and black rhinestones.

These are 2 of the 5 manis competing in the contest. If you like any of these, please go to Lambchop Mobile to vote for me. But if you don't, please go to vote against me - there are 3 even more awesome manis. No hard feeling, I will just stalk you and send you as many spam mail as I can - just kidding!

Voting runs through March 9. Get moving!

Take Me Home - Models Own

2010-02-27T23:16:00.001+08:00

OK, this is another Twitter evil spawn.

I had never heard about Models Own until one day all people were tweeting and re-tweeting about their 50% sale. My curiosity got the best of me and I saw all these swatches - grey, dusty purple and nude. Oh, I saw my name on them!

There you go babies, welcome to the family.

They came in this cute little black box with purple tissue paper, classy!

I paid £31 for all these (shipping included), it was definitely a bargain. The only complain was that there should be a free buffer for first time order, but it was missing here.

Swatch coming soon.

Slap me in the face, please!

2010-02-27T22:06:00.000+08:00

I am seriously considering moving to a cave. Making fire with woods, eating meat raw. Who needs internet? Internet is evil, full of evil sale news. I definitely don't need it, not after what I have done last night.

Sure you all heard about this. I read that most of you stayed real calm, obviously I was not. 9 beautiful polishes are on their way. Oh did I mention that my yet another massive transdesign order is sailing somewhere in the Pacific Ocean too? The BF is not going to be happy about it.

First Konad Haul and KONADomania 300+ giveaway

2010-02-26T19:13:00.000+08:00

I hate myself. I'm so impulsive and I change my mind all the time, is there any cure for this?

Konad did not thrill me - it is too fancy, or so I thought. I preferred keeping my mani simple and chic.

I was so terribly wrong.

Before I realized, damage's done:

A basic kit, a double side stamp set and 9 image plates.

I read that the plastic scraper that comes with the basic kit is better than the metal one. But I wanted the double-sided stamp so I got both. I didn't checked at the shop. I was so shocked when I found out they both are metals! They don't sell the plastic scraper alone, I ended up using an old credit card.

I've been practicing for a couple of weeks but the result is still frustrating. I spent the whole first week trying to learn how to scrap and to pick up the patterns with the stamp. I think I kind of did it. But I still have problem putting the patterns on my nail at the precise position that I want them to be. People, how can you all do that so beautifully?

While I am still struggling with the konad basics, the guru KONADomania is celebrating her 300+ followers.

Congratulations!

You know what that means - giveaway time!

The prizes are fabulous

1.25 dollar gift coupon code from OC NAIL ART

2. 3 S-he and 3 Essence polishes of your own choice

3. 3 sets of nail art decals

4. Some nail care products

5. Some nail art stuff

6. 2 lipglosses

What are you waiting for? Enter here, it ends March 21.

BB Couture Haul and Swatch

2010-02-26T12:51:00.000+08:00

This is an interesting haul. Very random indeed.

Here's the story: I've seen swatch of BB Couture Erotic Night a while ago, the blogger (sorry, I forgot who she is) said it was her favourite vampy jelly. A vampy jelly? She hit right on target.

So this has been added to my must-have list, I just not motivated to acquire it. But then one day I heard that it was discontinued, I hurried to Overall Beauty to get myself one before it's too late.

To make the full use of the shipping charges, I decided to get 2 more polishes when I had nothing specific in mind. I went over the whole list, and naturally I was attracted to the purple beauty Dragon's Breath. Oh, purple again? I realized I should try something different - that's why I have 3 very different colors in different textures.

From Left - Zuma Wave Rider, Erotic Night, Blind Love

BB Couture Zuma Wave Rider

Zuma Wave Rider is an adventure to me. I've been trained to skip any blue polish instinctively - it just doesn't flatter my yellowish Asian skin tone. But this is just so cute - and its name reminded me of Gwen Stefani's baby Zuma - it is totally worth a try.

It left me suffer from my I-Can't-Describe-the-Color syndrome AGAIN! It is a very warm medium blue creme, also periwinkle-like, but not that purple. I'm sorry, this is the best I can do.

As you may see in the bottle and on the tip of pointer, there are some tiny reddish shimmers. It don't show under most light setting.

Olive tone under bright light

Gold in most light setting

Blind Love is said to be a substitute for the most sought-after Chanel Caleidoscope, or so I've heard. OK, I lived in a cave before I've got this polish-addition disease so I haven't heard of this famous Caleidoscope, I can't tell you how Blind Love is comparing to it.

It's weird though, most of the reviews called it a greenish silver or silver like green - I can see the green side, but it is definitely gold to me. I swear the pictures here show quite accurately what I see in real life.

Anyway, silver or gold, it is very beautiful. It has a foil-like finish which is so shimmery under sunlight. Application is great too, it covers well, dries fast and leaves no brush stroke.

Finally, the reason for this order. (When I placed by order, they said there were only 4 left. I checked again today and there are 25!)

I have a lot of anticipations and it didn't let me down. A very deep dark red, but you can still tell it is a red in a darker environment. A true jelly which leaves a high gloss finish, you see how reflective the polish is in the pictures.

Like Zuma Wave Rider, there are also some tiny red shimmers which can be barely seen. I don't know why but it has this funny smell, kind of sweet, smells like cough syrup to me.

Speaking of vampy red jelly, how can I not showing my favourite Misa Love Bite.

They almost look identical. Love Bite is less a jelly, it is somewhere between jelly and creme. And with super close inspection, Love Bite is more brown and Erotic Night is leaning purple.
I don't regret for buying an "almost" exact dupes, it is so worth it just for Erotic Night's jelly texture.

The application of these polishes is really, they are highly pigmented, very easy to work with. They dry fast as well.

I am so satisfied with this shopping experience - I got great polishes, and excellent customer service.

Kim the owner of Overall Beauty is very nice, she email on updates and to remind me that I did not pay for a shipping method with tracking number. She is also kind enough to send me some gifts. Kim you rock!

Extras: A manicure set and a mineral sample in Grape Ape, a purple!

Shipping charges are ridiculous, in a good way. The actual postage as I found on the box is around $10 but they only charged me for $8!

Just in case you want to know, I bought this for $9 each and you can receive $2 off your first order over $25 with coupon code CB222. (Expires 12/31/2010)

China Glaze Loves You Snow Much & Nail Blog Network contest

2010-02-25T12:27:00.001+08:00

So, this is another very belated post.

A UPS man showed up at my door step one morning a few months ago with a HUGE box. A box even bigger than the USPS large flat rate box. I was confused - I didn't order anything that would be delivered by UPS. Anyway, they had my name right on the parcel and sure I signed for it without hesitation.

It was pretty light for a box that size. I ripped it open as fast as I could. All I could see were paper, enormous air-protector thing and more paper.

After throwing away all packing material, there it was - a set of 4 very festive glitters, China Glaze Loves You Snow Much collection that II won from one of their twitter giveaways.

4 perfect glitters for holidays
From the left - Emerald Sparkle, Tinsel, 5 Golden Rings, Ruby Pumps

Ruby Pumps is my favourite of the collection. It is a deep red jelly-like base with tiny red glitters.
The first coat was very sheer, but I've got the coverage that I wanted with second coat, excellent.

My photography sucks, I couldn't capture how stunning it is. Under bright light, it shines all glitterly and sparkle-ly.

Emerald Sparkle is a green version Ruby Pumps - a deep green base with green glitters, a 2-coater. It's gorgeous and all, but I don't have much to say about, green is just not my thing

5 Golden Rings is a light gold, definitely leaning the yellow side. It looks a bit dull to me, not as shiny as I expected. The base is clear and quite sheer, it took 4 coats to be opaque. The tips are still visible though, I may do 5 next time around.

Tinsel seems to have the same formula - sheer, clear base with silver glitters but it does sparkle. With the experience with 5 Golden Rings, I did 5 coats here.

Application is very nice, as most of the China Glazes are, and they all dried fast. They don't leave a smooth surface, you'll need a good thick coat of top coat to smooth it out.

China Glaze is at the top 3 of my favourite polish brands, it makes up a large part of my stash. Maybe I should make good use of them for a chance to win some additions to my collection?

Nail Blog Network is hosting a contest sponsored by China Glaze and Seche, the winners (yes, there will be 2 winners) will get 5 (2nd prize) or 10 (1st prize) products of their choices from BOTH China Glaze and Seche.

Here' the deal: You have to create a mani using only China Glaze and Seche products. There's no specific theme, just be creative.

I'm so regretted not having my nails to grow long enough, it seems more can be done with long nails, at least the canvas are bigger! If you are interested, just go to check out the details.

I'm back in the game

2010-02-23T21:54:00.001+08:00

Past few months was a nightmare - nothing consequential, just that everything was falling into pieces. I have no idea how I could survive all these but here I am, safe and sound! Life seems to be back on track, it's time for me to catch up with all the blogging.

Enough whining, back to business. So where should I start? Maybe where I left off, which means Secret Santa! I know I know, it has been months, but I have been wanting to show the world my wonderful Christmas presents from my secret santa, the very sweet girl Tuli from Tuli's Nail Polishes & Stuff.

I've got this carton box with very cute butterfly stickers on when I wasn't expecting any package.

Once I've opened it, I found 4 lovely polishes and that's when I knew they were from my secret santa.
From the left: NYC Skin Tight Denim Creme, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Suede, OPI We'll Always Have Paris, Jade 261

The 2 OPIs are from my wishlist while the other 2 are picked by Tuli. The colors are just gorgeous and I really like them! I'll show you more pictures of these babies below.

Obviously, MY santa wouldn't leave it at that! There are tons of extra goodies inside the package including some nail art decals.

Some rose-scented bath stuff - they smell really good but too bad I don't have a bath tub at home, I have to wait until my next hotel stay.

The coconut lime verbena shower gel and body lotion from Bath & Body Works. I must say Tuli you've got great tastes, you picked the perfect polishes and you introduced me to the best B & BW scent.

At first I doubted the "coconut" part - I love lime, verbena is good but coconut? It's too sweet for my taste. But once I have put it on, I regretted what I had said. It is fresh, a little bit sweet but not over the top and most importantly, the scent lasts!

I haven't bought from B & BW for years, but I've already bought several body creams in the last couple months. Of all the scents I bought, coconut lime verbena is still my favourite.

A bunch of treats for the sweet tooth. They were gone within 2 days!

My favourite from the bunch - Kinder Joy. Of the countless kinder egg I ate ever since I was a child, that was the first time I was surprised! It was completely different from what we have her e in Hong Kong and it was so yummy. It's so not fair, why couldn't we have this here? I hate you Tuli! How could you send me such good food which I cannot get my hand on?

Ok, I remember this is a nail blog not a food blog, so here's the polishes:

According to the bottle, it is made in France and not Big3 free.

They don't have names, just numbers. And this is 261, a dark burgundy shimmer. The shimmers are very subtle, you have to get very close to see them. It applies smoothly, it was quite sheer on the first coat, but became completely opaque in the second. Drying time is average.

I really love this color. Red is safe, when I don't know what to wear, I will definitely go for a red. It is not unique, but still very gorgeous.

Ever since I acquired some CND effects, I love to try them out on some dark polish.
After adding 1 layer of Crimson Sparkle, the "safe" factor is totally out.

NYC is another brand that I haven't tried out.

I think the name is so misleading - first, it is a royal blue, it doesn't look denim blue to me, I don't have skinny jeans of this blue anyway. Second, it is so not a creme, it's a shimmer. The pictures here are crappy, they still shows some of the shimmers.

Other than the name, I have nothing to complain about. It is very pigmented, almost opaque in 1 coat. I did use 2 coats here for full coverage. Application was perfect.

It's a blue, so I matched it with Sapphire Sparkle. It indeed turned into sapphire with the sparkle, I couldn't stop starring at my fingers, just love it!

After adding the CND effects, it reminded me of some suspected dupes, so I did a comparison.

Orly Witch's Blue is lighter than the NYC, with slightest hint of green to it.
LA Girls Punk is completely different, it is almost turquoise-ish to me.

By now, I have added several suedes to my collection but this one is still my favourite. An eggplant with silver base is simply beyond gorgeous.

It is opaque in 1 coat, but I feel safer with 2 coats.

Another vampy creme. I wanted to describe it as a wine color, but I am not sure. It is definitely red, it is also something between purple and brown. I suck at describing the colors, not only I can't distinguish the blues or reds into their more detailed classifications, I can't even tell whether it is brown or purple! Should I go back to kindergarten?

It was a great swap and I have a lot of fun. I didn't expect to have received so many goodies and I am really glad to have met you Tuli. You are such a sweet girl, thank you so much!

Giveaway Rundown

2010-02-22T22:32:00.011+08:00

I love giveaways.

Not only because of the freebies, but also to share the joy for whatever the host is celebrating. It's fun! It makes me think maybe someday it would be my turn to celebrate having like 50 followers or 100th post.

So I decided to have all current giveaways or contests summarized regularly so that more readers can join.

Here we go this week's fabulous giveaways:

R3Daily is celebrating 50 followers by giving away her favorite set of manicure products. To enter, check out her blog before Feb 24. (Ended)

4 lucky winner get to take home some great prizes from Lacquered Lizard as she is celebrating 50 followers! Congrats Elizabeth! Check out the giveaway details HERE. It is open till Feb 26

You've Got Nail is giving away a bottle of Obsess from Illamasqua and some cute little The Face Shop polishes. I really don't want to miss this! Go here for more details and enter before Feb 27.

PerryPie's Nail Polish Adventures is giving away 17 polishes and some konad stuff in celebration of 100+ followers! Half are these are Sally Hansen which I can't get here in Hong Kong. I want these badly!!
Please visit PerryPie's blog for details, it is open till Feb 28.

You can win some Sally Hansens and NYC Color from Kolour Me Krazy. Check out her blog, it opens until Feb 28.

Neglelakkmani is having a not that "little" giveaway. The Claire's look hot! Winner will be drawn on March 1, click to enter before it ends!

Nathalie from Jellynat is having her first giveaway. She is a very sweet girl who works very hard on her blog. Unlike me, she is a very good photographer. I really love her pictures. Go check out her blog and enter the giveaway here before March 1.

Lady Gray from Lady of the Lane is celebrating 50 followers, congratulations! You may get this if you win her giveaway. It ends March 2.

Evil Angel from Black Nail Polish and Lip Gloss is having a giveaway to celebrate 300+ followers. She is a very kind person who extends her love to homeless animals - you can have FIVE extra entries if you donate a bag of dog/cat food or equivalent cash to your local animal shelter.
Enter HERE before March 3. Have a peek at the prizes:

In celebration of 400+ follwers, Makeup by Celly is giving away these fabulous prizes:

For details, please check out Celly's blog. The giveaway ends March 4.

Tiffani from Yardsticks 4 Lunatic is having her giveaway for celebration of 100 followers. It ends March 5, Make sure to check it out.

I'm so frustrated every time when I have difficult time getting my hand on some US / Europe-exclusive polishes. If you have got the same problem, be sure to check out Rock 'n' Nails. They are hosting a some sorta swap there, and you may get your European polish lemmings fulfilled! It is open till March 5.

April and Ashley from Concrete and Nail Polish is having their first Follower Appreciation giveaway. The lucky winner get to take home a whole bunch of prizes from polishes to cosmetics to a purse! Check out the details HERE. It ends March 7.

Painted Lady Fingers is hosting the "For the Love of Manglaze" giveaway. Enter Here for a chance to win. Runs through March 8

Michèle from Lacquerized is celebrating 250 followers and she is giving away 2 sets of H&M polishes. It ends March 10. Check it out here.

MAC is one of my favourite makeup brands. I was thrilled finding Nooberella from Nooberellas Secret Beauty Blog is giving away MAC eyeshadow, fluidline eyeliner and a set of false eyelashes in celebration of 100 followers. Even better, they are all at your own choices! Isn't it awesome? Go check it out before it ends! (Runs through March 14)

Karin from Romika's Nails is also celebrating 100 followers by hosting her first giveaway! It is open till March 14. Enter HERE and the prizes are:

I have been wanting to try out Ciate forever, and here's a chance! Lina from Make Up to Make Out is having a giveaway to celebrate 100 followers. One of the prizes is Ciatè Paint Pot in Sugared Almonds! Check out the details and enter before March 16.

The Chain Nail is celebrating 50+ followers by giving away some nail art products! More prizes will be added, be sure to check it out and enter. It ends March 31.

(Photo credits: All photos are from the blogs hosting the respective giveaway/contest)

[NOTD] OPI You Don't Know Jacques!

2009-11-06T09:33:00.000+08:00

OPI You Don't Know Jacques
2 coats with base and top coats, indoor natural light

Have been using bright colors for a couple of weeks, just feel like switching to some dark colors for a change. The shade is so fall, I don't think I can ever live without it in winter.

Essie's Mink Muffs is a close relative, but this one is not so chocolate-y - it is more dusty, mushroomy which is totally sophisticated and edgy.

The formula is good, but a little bit on the sheer side. It takes 2 coats to become opaque, but if I wasn't doing it last minute before bed, I would go for 3 coats.

A very early christmas present

2009-11-05T13:54:00.000+08:00

I am playing secret Santa here.

This is little something from me to a sweet girl from the very North.

Really hope she would like it and looking forward to receiving mine!

[NOTD] China Glaze For Audrey

2009-11-05T10:35:00.000+08:00

China Glaze For Audrey
2 coats with top coat and base coat, indoor natural light

一直都收著，沒有機會用，今天突然想起他。

質地有點稠，塗了2層也沒有很好，還好最後加了topcoat尚可。

出去的時候分別遇到2個朋友，她們都問我擦的是什麼，好漂亮。我以為這是個大家都知道的經典顏色...... 不過有人讚賞很開心呢

誰不知晚上在昇降機內碰到一個女人跟我一樣在用這一支！

[Swatch] - CND Asphalt

2009-10-31T09:47:00.000+08:00

CND Asphalt

2 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

I LOVE this! A charcoal creme, which is dark enough but the greyness is still prominent.

Application is good, completely opaque in 2 coats

[Swatch] - OPI Winter 2009 Holiday Wishes Collection

2009-10-29T10:57:00.000+08:00

Merry Midnight

3 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

This kind of purple is just not my color. But the irregular sized glitters are so interesting that I

am seriously considering using it more often.

Holiday Glow

3 coats without base or top coat, indoor artificial light

Charcoal grey glowing with a touch of silver. It just doesn't look grey to me, neither in the bottle

or on the nails. It is more like coppery or brownish to me. My favorite in the whole bunch.

All A-bordeaux the Sled

2 coats without base or top coat, indoor artificial light

Luscious shade of wine. Yummy. I love vampy colors, all of them. So even though it is just a

ordinary vampy red, i still like it.

Comet Loves Cupid

2 coats without base or top coat, indoor artificial light

Classic red. It would not be a holiday collection without a red. But it seems a little bit coral to me.

Shim-merry Chic

3 coats without base or top coat, indoor artificial light

Glimmer of bronzed gold. My least favorite in this collection.

What else can I say? I don't like gold and unlike like Merry Midnight, the glitters are barely there which makes it less interesting.

Except for the 2 cremes, they are all very sheer and it takes 3 coats at least to make them opaque.

Bling Bling 101﹕識少少扮代表教學

2009-10-27T21:59:00.000+08:00

有一日，pat pat特別痕，無啦啦鍾意左bling bling。

睇左好多deco雜誌，買齊要用的工具，不過一直都未有行動。

直到最近獵物終於出現，笨手笨腳搞左一件都可以接受的東西出來。

試過之後先知道無想像中複雜，我都做到，難極有限。

材料﹕

1. AB膠 ($24，深水埗買)
2. Blu-tack - 我沒有買點鑽筆，所以就黏少少在dotting tool個頭，好簡單就可以點起d bling bling。其實亦可以點膠水，不過我嫌膠水太黐lup lup，blu-tack乾手淨腳得多。
3. 畫筆 - 油顏色用
4. 阿加力顏料 / Acrylic Colours ($64，商務買) - 學名係"丙烯畫顏料"，唧出黎唔駛加水就用得，乾透後可防水。可以用於布，紙，木材，皮同磁磚等等。
5. 鉗 - 不會用來拿水鑽，好論盡，主要是用來拍齊位置。
6. Dotting Tool - 可以好準確放水鑽，而且拿著都比較舒服
7. 保護膜 ($8，Y拍買) - 望膩左可以成張撕走，唔會留低膠水痕跡
8. 要bling的目標
9. 主角bling bling (淘寶買)

步驟﹕

1. 貼保護膜 - 我完全無技巧，貼到起曬泡，反正貼完bling bling都唔會睇到，無所謂。
不過要留意角位，保護膜有少少彈性，只有用力拉扯，就可以好順滑貼服。

2. 起稿 - 我先畫在白紙，比較方便修改，畫好再用過底紙印上。

3. 油底色 - 根據你準備好要貼的bling bling的顏色，油返相對的位置。唔需要完全一樣色，同一個色系就可以啦。
油底色可以令水鑽之間的虛位無咁顯眼。

4. 貼bling bling - 等顏料乾之後(大概半個鐘)，先從圖案開始貼。首先沿住圖案的邊緣貼，圍好條邊就由外到內貼。所有圖案都貼好後再貼背景。

5. 完成

我知咁做好tacky，不過真係忍唔住。

Bling bling x 2 (指甲油為Color Club Sex Symbol)

****************************************************************************

係唔係好簡單呢? 我都係跟住雜誌教的方法做，都無遇到特別的問題。

我係雜誌都cut左少少basics出來﹕

1) 3個基本貼法

平排對齊﹕適用於橫，直線的圖案

好處﹕最容易，邊緣整齊，需要最少的bling bling
缺點﹕比較多空隙

"卡啦"﹕適用於斜線的圖案

好處﹕完全無空隙
缺點﹕邊緣不整齊，要用細size的水鑽補位，需要較多的bling bling

不同size不規則分佈﹕適合曲線的圖案

最快可以完成的貼法

2) 膠水

我在深水埗見到2款AB膠，我買的是slow-setting，要90分鐘乾透。另一款是紅色的，只要15分鐘就乾。

未乾之前，d水鑽貼左落去仲係可以郁，慢d乾的好處係錯左有時間改。

2支分別唧1:1的份量，攪勻就變成一pat鼻涕，乾左會變返透明。
我無用佢本身的工具，牙籤尖d，搽d窿罅位比較容易。

我每次都只係唧少少，因為係逐part整，每part都唔係用好多。唧出來唔夠半個鐘就會變到好杰起絲，用上來比較麻煩。

每次淨係搽一小部份，唔好一次過搽大範圍。
好少膠水已經可以黐實，唔好搽到d bling bling好似俾膠水浸住咁多。
一來會攬到自己隻手黐lup lup，二來會好似左上張圖，有條膠水邊。
如果不小心整左條膠水邊出來，一定耍趁未乾推勻佢或者抹左佢(可以用棉花捧點少少洗甲水)。
如果唔整乾淨，膠水乾左之後係好硬，再係隔離貼係會拱起左。呢個時候就要用介刀好大力又好麻煩先可以起返d膠水。

***********************************************************************************

以上係我整完一次的少少經驗，如果有錯漏的地方希望大家可以提下我。

另外，我一路整隻手"hi"到好多膠水，又懶行去洗手，給果乾左之後用洗甲水/酒精/洗手液/油都洗唔甩。有無人知道可以用咩整甩d膠??

[NOTD] Color Club Sex Symbol

2009-10-27T09:35:00.001+08:00

Color Club Sex Symbol
3 coats with base and top coats, indoor natural light

I don't usually do glitters but when I saw Queenie Chan's, a fellow beauty VJ/blogger, DIY glitter gel nails I was like "wow, this is interesting, I've got to do something like this".

This baby is so blingy and the glitters are so dense that you can achieve complete coverage in 3 coats.

Think Pink! 雙手撐粉紅革命

2009-10-11T19:03:00.000+08:00

十月是國際乳癌關注月，各位姊妹要愛錫自己，時刻關心乳房健康。話晒有咁多護膚化妝品可以玩，咁多靚衫鞋袋可以買，就咁死鬼左好徙啫。

要響應香港癌症基金會的「粉紅革命」活動，除了可以用最實際的行動捐款之外，亦可以配戴粉紅絲帶和參與粉紅服飾月。而我就會用最愛的嗜好，今個月只塗粉紅色指甲油表示支持。

OPI Tickle My France-y (2 coats, indoor natural light)

我不大喜歡粉紅色指甲油，太feminine，跟我不搭。存貨中只有幾支粉紅色甲油，可是我卻愛死這支啦。有一點帶灰，自然得來也很chic，有衝動要囤幾支免得早後他discontinued了就買不到啦。

指甲塗得靚靚，如果雙手又乾又皺皮真大殺風景。這支特別版Aveda Hand Relief換上好可愛的粉紅色，用得更賞心悅目。很喜歡他帶citrus香味，每次在公司用的時候隔離同事都問﹕你搽hand cream?陣味好清新！剛剛塗上會有一點笠，要多等一會才完全吸收。十分滋潤，洗手後也不止於完全沖走。

如果想多了解粉紅革命的詳情和有關乳癌的資訊，可以到香港癌症基金會的網頁看看，他們還又講解如何自行檢查，幾有用架。
http://www.cancer-fund.org/pink2009/pink2009_chi/index.html

點解我學唔乖？又中招…Clinique又係你！

2009-10-09T19:01:00.000+08:00

話說本人又名黑仔，除了搭車經常送車尾，去商場廁所永遠都是長龍最尾的一個，六合彩連20蚊都未中過的"小事"之外，估不到連真金白銀買回來，捧場客一大堆個個讚好的護膚品我依舊是no luck，點解~~~~~(怒吼ing)

廢話完一輪，其實想要分享我一次又一次用Clinique的不幸經驗。

我跟Clinique的孽緣可以追溯到中學的時候，當時開始有護膚的意識，買了我人生第一支的防曬 - City Block。雖然已經事隔多年，但感覺依然非常清晰，就是笠到無朋友！我犯賤唔信邪，之後陸續試過3-Step等等的星級產品，都落得用幾次就被我晾邊去。

低處未算低，City Block，3-Step唔好用，衰極都只是雷品，但Total Turnaround簡直是災難。無用不特止，還敏感得令我第一次去看皮膚科醫生(話時話，我好多個第一次都給Clinique了)，復診了2次，花了好幾個星期先康復，從此我眼尾都唔會望它一眼。

傷得我咁深，無理由再俾機會佢啫…我以為。但係我衰貪心，結果又賴野。

之前大陸客託我幫他買Clinique的東西(一共2set，一份送老婆，另一份給二奶，臭男人！)，剛巧 Marionnaud 的 counter 有promotion，我"幸運"地得到一套七件的贈品。化妝袋，唇膏和Superdefense我都無興趣，立刻就送人了。只留下另外4件﹕

Liquid facial soap mild
BA強調乾淨得來即使秋冬用也不會乾，所以我回家後急不及待試用。透明gel狀，幾容易起泡，但泡沫不算綿密。清潔度不錯，用完好乾淨，不會有殘餘物留在皮膚，但是完全乾。夏天用都乾，秋冬點可能用？洗完面專登等10分鐘，不擦化妝水面霜，已經乾得很不舒服，面頰都現出網狀乾紋。

Turnaround Instant Facial
BA聲稱效果比美水晶磨皮的mask。白色cream入面有很多超微細磨砂粒子，敷5分鐘再打圈按摩就可以洗乾淨。用完真的有比較滑，但未見有聲稱的"剔透明亮，膚色更自然均勻"。由於磨砂粒子很微細，所以按摩也不會痛，亦沒有很乾。可是洗完面之後，表面仍然佈達很多好像閃粉的粒子，令我有點不安。

Turnaround Concentrate
重頭戲！先講好的，很清爽易吸收，而且毛孔真的有收細一點。BA說他會將皮膚底層的污垢帶出來，所以剛剛用的時候可能會長些暗瘡。
頭2天﹕沒有什麼特別
第3天起﹕後來的確有標幾粒暗瘡，我乖乖相信是BA鬼扯的"將皮膚底層的污垢帶出來"
1星期後﹕開始長出敏感粒，但既然洗濕個頭，我只好半信半疑的繼續用。
2星期﹕男朋友突然問我為什麼爆滿瘡。大件事啦！他可是不太留意我，出得聲代表極嚴重，立刻停用了。
停用3天﹕皮膚慢慢回覆正常

經常見到blogger分享Clinique有幾好用，多少有點羨慕。不過我都已經找到夾自己的Kiehl's同Origins，今次只好當成是我劈腿的教訓。

[Swatch] - OPI Designer Series Mystery

2009-10-09T10:54:00.000+08:00

OPI Designer Series Mystery

2 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

I was so disappointed, it was like Lincoln Park After Dark all over again. It is supposed to be "dark violet" but the violet

is so subtle that it is only dark with gold glitters to me.

Application is prefect.

[Swatch] - OPI You Don't Know Jacques Suede

2009-10-08T10:48:00.000+08:00

OPI You Don't Know Jacques Suede

1 coat with base coat, indoor natural light

Oh, this is so suede from the color to the finishing. More gold than the original YDKJ.

Application is prefect.

How could I resist not experimenting with this beauty? I added a coat of OPI DS topcoat and it is stunning.

最近，和Estee Lauder很有緣

2009-10-07T18:59:00.000+08:00

一直以來，我跟Estee Lauder的關係只局限於Advanced Night Repair的Eye Complex，用了很多瓶，是我最愛的眼霜。可是除了這個眼霜之外，我也沒怎麼用過他們其他的產品。

直到最近，他們的皇牌Advanced Night Repair推出了升級版，我收到他們的宣傳，可以換領一個試用裝，就莫名其妙的開始接二連三得到他們的"禮物"。

最近非常愛用的升級版Advanced Night Repair，先後收到2個samples，一共10ml。貨裝30ml便要HK$700多，我不用分毫就得到3分之1，lucky!

質地介乎水與啫喱狀，沒有什麼氣味。由於捨不得再買，每次也是省著用。很好推，這樣一點已經可以塗勻整臉，而且吸收不錯，完全沒有油膩的感覺。

用後感﹕
用了差不多一個月，皮膚狀態明顯的變得穩定，之前間中都會有敏感情況，用了後有緩和。而且也有增加水份，有滋潤感而清爽，皮膚好像有比較細緻了一點。他好像也說可以令膚色剔透均勻，可是我在這一方面仍未見成效。

正在試用ANR其間，男人突然拿了一套裝回家，說是親戚送我的禮物。

這個Beautiful Skin Solutions針對緊緻提昇，換句話說就是抗衰老!一共有3件，Perfectionist [CP+] (30ml)，Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Eye Cream (5ml)，Resilience Lift Extreme Ultra Firming Creme SPF 15 (15ml) 其實我一直也對Perfectionist 精華很有興趣，就是捨不得買。可是因為正在用ANR，還沒有試。

Resilience Eye Creme和Face Creme 都用了一次，兩樣都十分滋潤。雖然Face Creme是中性/混合性皮膚適用，但我覺得夏天用會太膩，所以我會留在冬天用。Eye Creme是不錯，可惜我依然偏愛ANR eye complex。

沒多久之後，又收到Estee Lauder的宣傳，只要買滿$880，就送一套7-8件的禮品，其中一件是ANR eye complex。我莫名的燒起一陣熊熊烈火，還要算死草的等到最紅星期五，"順便"賺取信用卡的10%回贈，哈哈哈。原本天衣無縫的計劃，就在連卡佛BA小姐告訴我禮品已經送完而幻滅。沒有了$880的禮物，取而代之的是買滿$980的禮物!!!

這一套禮物跟原本的完全不一樣，沒有了ANR，卻送了一個很醜的大包包。BA靜悄悄的告訴我，如果我真的很喜歡原本的禮物，可以星期一再去，到時候應該會再有貨，我沒有想太多，就失望的離開了。誰不知當我上去Times Square，竟然發現EL原來在搞Road Show，所以收起了連卡佛原本的優惠。就在我心裡暗罵的同時，卻好像上了身一樣叫BA包了3瓶ANR eye complex，成功得到這個set了。

原本回家後有一點後悔太衝動，可是我用過這2個東西之後，心情就變好了。

Optimizer Pore Minimizing Boosting Lotion (30ml)
啫喱狀的爽膚水，擦完之後在面上完全不留痕跡，就好像完全沒有塗過任何東西一樣。可是皮膚真的有比較乾淨，之後塗的東西更易吸收，而且毛孔有收歛了一點。太喜歡這個爽膚水啦，不用兩星期已經給我用到一滴不剩。

DayWear Plus Multi Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme SPF 15 (15ml)
沒有很稠的cream，淺綠色帶有青瓜的氣味，很清新。塗上面很滋潤，卻沒有Resilience的油膩，而且可能是夠補濕，面油也少了一點，所以最近每天也在用。

以上就是我最近入手的Estee Lauder產品和部份用後感，其他的(可能會)不日補上。

[Swatch] - OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Suede

2009-10-07T10:40:00.001+08:00

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Suede
1 coat without base coat or top coat, indoor natural light

It is so different from the original LPAD. I have a love and hate relation with LPAD. I love it is dark and vampy but sometimes I just think it is TOO dark and vampy that I am the only person who recognize it is a purple actually.

This one is sooo purple, gorgeous! Love it.

It is opaque in one coat, but 2 coats would definitely be better.

[Swatch] - OPI Russian Navy Suede

2009-10-06T10:34:00.000+08:00

OPI Russian Navy Suede

2 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

I LOVE the whole OPI suede series. It is the definitely the best matte series out there.

It is fast drying but you still get enough time to even out the polish. The satiny finish is just awesome.

No major application issue.

估你唔到! 多用途護甲底油+matte面油 - Nail Tek Foundation II

2009-10-04T18:55:00.000+08:00

自從幾個月前突發性瘋狂迷上指甲油之後，每日手指腳趾都給我塗得五顏六色，絕少"素顏"示人。指甲油雖然好玩，但不無代價，指甲會變黃之餘，有時候也會被深色的甲油染色，偏偏我最喜歡深色....... 所以我一直有留意好用的base coat。一支好的base coat除了可以防止指甲變黃和被染色之餘，更可以令甲油更持久。

我之前都是在用T'estimo的base coat，帶有很多纖維，可以填平甲面坑紋，可是防變黃的效果一般。後來讀到很多blogger推薦的Nail Tek Foundation II，在MUA的評價也很好，立刻就買回來用了一個月。

今日的主角 - Nail Tek Foundation II Ridge-filling Nail Strengthener

單看名字就知道這支底油主打是填平坑紋，所以廢話少說，先講效果。

使用前﹕甲面佈滿坑紋

使用後﹕塗上後是乳白色霧面效果，表面十分平滑，所有坑紋都被遮蓋。

其實，功效又點止填坑咁簡單? 他自己這樣說﹕
"Foundation fills unsightly ridges and nail damage while healing and strengthening the natural nail. This unique base coat is a special blend of strengtheners, conditioners, micro-fibers, and natural fillers. Foundation smoothes uneven nail surfaces while helping to grow healthy, beautiful nails."
簡單來說，就是強化修護多功能合一的底油。

試了一個月，每3-4天換一次甲油，都是黑色，深紫，紅，綠等的深色。結果﹕
防變黃﹕因為本身的指甲偏黃，用了他當然沒有變白，但新長出的指甲有比較沒有那麼黃。
防染色﹕轉了差不多10個不同的深色甲油，一點染色都沒有，讚！
持久度﹕由於我3-4便換一次甲油，所以未能測試
強化﹕ 我的指甲都不留太長，因為都很怕撞彎軟啫啫的感覺。最近指甲有變硬一點，即使用力壓也沒有變彎。
至於填坑效果，不用我多說，大家看圖就知道。

除了底油一般的功能之外，估佢唔到，竟然可以變身matte topcoat!

準備了一支名正言順的matte top coat，同超"令"top coat比較效果。

Wow, 完全是我想要的"水管"效果！

塗上甲油之後，基本上是一條坑紋都見唔到。至於matte的效果，我認為比真正的matte topcoat還要好。用了Essie的感覺是完全flat左，但Nail Tek啞面得有點satin，有一點光澤，比較有立體感。

Close up

今個冬天matte的甲油大熱，如果你不喜歡matte但又想湊熱鬧，可以買這支底油試一試。反正作為底油，我給他很高分數，這而matte面油的功能就當是贈品，很抵玩！

Nail Tek專做謢甲用品，Foundation系列有分I, II, III & Xtra，針對不同的甲質，II適合"soft, peeling nails"。另外我還買了Foundation III (for dry, brittle nails)，用過後再報告。

第一次搞團購 - transdesign收貨啦

2009-09-17T18:52:00.000+08:00

話說第二團啱啱先收齊錢訂貨，第一團的貨已經到左啦。

個箱唔係好大，但都好重下。

打開箱，嘩，包得咁靚.....

所有小朋友都企好，除左有一支無貨之外，全部到齊，無多無少。(話時話，買咁多野，一包sample仔都無送，真係孤寒)

最多人買﹕

Essie Matte About You

China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway

最特別﹕

China Glaze Lubu Heels - 黑底佈滿紅色sparkles，好靚！

China Glaze Ghoulish Glow - 夜光Top Coat，Halloween去party用啱晒

[Swatch] - Essie Chinchilly

2009-09-16T10:03:00.000+08:00

Essie Chinchilly

2 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

Granite grey. I think it is a bit mushroomy too.

Application is good, but I may have done it in 3 coats.

[Swatch] - Essie Mink Muffs

2009-09-15T09:55:00.000+08:00

Essie Mink Muffs
2 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

A plush taupe. Usually I would say every taupe is good, but not this one. It is exactly the color of chocolate and I figured it is too brown for my skintone.

No big issue in application, it is opaque in 2 coats but I guess 3 coats should be better.

[Swatch] - Essie Lyford Lilac

2009-09-14T10:07:00.000+08:00

Essie Lyford Lilac

2 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

Mauve Lilac. I don't think it is "mauve" enough, would definitely prefer it to be more mushroomy. Remind me of my favourite OPI Tickle my France-y. Making a mental note right now to make a comparison someday later.

No issue in application

[Swatch] – Misa Fashionista

2009-09-03T19:07:00.000+08:00

雖然我很喜歡紫色，可是從來也沒有愛上過紫色甲油，直到遇上了他

偏灰的薰衣草顏色，配搭衣服也很容易。塗2層已經有瓶身的顏色，也夠均勻

[Swatch] - OPI Designer Series Diamond

2009-09-03T10:26:00.000+08:00

OPI Designer Series Diamond

1 coat with base coat, indoor natural light

Gorgeous glistening plum. I don't know why it is plum when it is called "diamond", but I am loving it

anyway. The shade is so soft and feminine.

Application is prefect

[Swatch] - OPI Designer Series Sapphire

2009-09-02T10:18:00.000+08:00

OPI Designer Series Sapphire

1 coat with base coat, indoor natural light

A very light blue with tons of micro glitters. I should have done it in 2 or 3 coats.

Application is prefect.

[Swatch] - OPI Designer Series Reflection

2009-09-02T10:13:00.000+08:00

OPI Designer Series Reflection

2 coats with base coat, indoor natural light

Rich glowing ruby. It reminds me of Chinese New Year somehow, totally screaming "too holiday".

Application is prefect.

開箱文 - head2toe訂的指甲油

2009-09-01T18:48:00.000+08:00

8月18日下訂單，8月25日發貨，8月31日一大早郵差就帶著我的新玩具來找我了！

這是我第一次在head2toe買東西，少少地訂了10支。

上排左起︰Misa Fashionista / Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money / Misa Love Bite / Color Club Sex Symbol / Poshe Super-fast Drying Top-coat
下排左起︰OPI Time-less is more / OPI Parlez-vous OPI? / OPI You Don't Know Jacques! / OPI Tickle My France-y / Orly Beverly Hills Plum

再來大頭mugshot (以下價錢全為美金)

Poshe Super-fast Drying Top-coat $4.5

相信很多人的HG top-coat都是 Seche Vite，我原本都是打算買支SV來試試，可是後來在我經常去朝拜的All Lacquered Up看到了她們測試幾支top coat (包括Psohe, Seche Vite, Zoya & NYX) 的文章，發現Michelle, All Lacquered Up的主人, 比較喜歡Poshe，因為Poshe沒有SV那麼稠，比較易塗，而且也沒有SV出現的cuticle drag。(這裡有詳細內容)

我試了一下，質地跟一般甲油差不多，沒有很稠，很易塗。他們自稱 "dry to tocuh in 1 minute, completely dry in 5 minutes"，我塗了1分鐘後摸仍然是濕的，多等5分鐘再摸就真的乾了。完全乾是大概15分鐘後的事(我是將2隻指甲面碰撞，看看有沒有tacky的感覺來測試)。雖然他沒有聲稱的快，可是我們是生活在香港這樣又熱又濕的地方，我認為15分鐘就可以乾透已經是很好，而且真的是完全沒有氣泡！我特地拿了一支買了很久，練習了很多次，只用剩半瓶，可是一次也沒有塗好出過門，超級streaky的Seche甲油來試。厚厚的塗了幾層，顏色才比較even，再塗一層Poshe，乾了也沒有一個氣泡，這支Seche甲油終於有用武之地啦。

Misa Fashionista $3

很多外國的blogger都讚Misa的質地，都是很易塗，所以我也一次敗了3支，果然都沒有令我失望。刷頭不是OPI那種Pro-wide brush，是比較幼，但塗的時間很順滑，完全沒有問題。這幾支基本上塗一層已經是瓶身的顏色，而且已經好even，不過我習慣塗2-3層。

Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money $3

Misa另一個特點就是他們起的名是很有創意，這一支我只為了他的名字已經可以買下了 (有人看過同名的美劇嗎?)。這是我買的第一支綠色甲油，很特別的綠色，很喜歡。

Misa Love Bite $3

這是很vampy的紅，有點黑，但是一定可以看得出他是紅色的。不像Lincoln Park After Dark的傷透我的心，在大部份光線下都是黑色。

Color Club Sex Symbol $2.5

我人很貪心，原本打算head2toe有在賣的甲油牌子都買1-2支來試，但是偏偏Color Club跟Creative Nail Design (CND)就是怎樣也找不到合心水的顏色。就在煩惱之際，在Queenie的blog看到她bling爆浮誇銀色glitter水晶甲，雙眼發光，腦裡亦靈光一閃想起看過這個swatch跟她的水晶甲有8成似，立刻決定買定了。

其實我不知道那一刻是否壞了頭腦，莫講是glitter，連shimmer我也不喜歡，簡單來說就是獨愛creme! 會看上這個超濃密的glitter的原因不明，可是我已經很心急想塗這個出門了!

Orly Beverly Hills Plum $3.5

很多人讚Orly的rubberlized瓶蓋，易開好拿，為什麼其他廠商不"參考"一下呢? 很大一瓶，有18ml，比一般15ml的足足多20%，偏偏是我這一批之中再不喜歡的。這支聲稱是做French Manicure用的，可是我覺得有點太紅，而且再一次證實我除了creme之外，對其他質地都是有偏見的。

OPI Time-less is More $4.75

這是Polish Addict的Stephanie推薦的"perfect off-white"。刷上後是cream的顏色，不像一般白色的streaky，很順滑，很sheer，刷了3層仍未完全實色。

OPI Parlez-vous OPI? $4.75

OPI的法國系列是我最喜歡的，所以一次買了3支，全都很好刷。這是灰紫色，愛死了。原本有點擔心這支跟Misa Fashionista很相似，因為瓶身的顏色沒有差很多，可是擦上去後完全不像，放心晒。

OPI You Don't Know Jacques! $4.75

有點像深灰，也有點像啡色，很cool的顏色，秋冬應該會經常用。

OPI Tickle My France-y $4.75

是我9支入面的最愛。
我心中完美的粉紅色，有點nude，有點smoky，好chic的顏色，有衝動屯幾瓶免得他日後停產了。

開箱驗貨的時候已經發現這3支opi法國系列慘遭毀容。原本以為是存放的時間刮花了也沒有介懷，可是後來發現瓶底的貼紙也跟平時的不同，就突然想到那不是隨意的刮花，而是serial number被人刻意的刮走了。很可疑，我已經發了email問head2toe 那邊，大概要明天才有回覆。

[9月5日更新]
等了好幾天，head2toe那邊都未有回覆，於是我又再email他們，隔天他們終於肯覆我。
內容大概就是說由於他們經很多不同供應商訂貨，供應商為了保護他們的貨源，就把serial number刮走，也會撕掉瓶底貼紙的第一層。又說如果我不滿意的話可以退貨。

我有撕掉其他OPI的瓶底貼紙看看，的確第二層就是這個樣子。而且我也從來沒有想過要掉貨，郵貨也跟貨價差不多了，又何苦要自找麻煩。還好他們最終有給我回覆，否則我又少了一個入貨的地方。

等了又等，終於見到他們的真身，非常感動。話說他們都是經我在網上研究了很多swatches，千挑萬選才入手的，當然急不及待要為他們驗明正身。(以下除了Love Bite, Time-less is more 跟 Sex Symbol是3層外，其他都是base coat + 2 coats, no top coat)

塗得太急太厚，都起氣泡了，請選擇性收看顏色就好了。

預告﹕詳細試色會慢慢放上來

關於head2toe﹕
1) 是3大熱門甲油etailer之一 (另外2間為8ty8beauty, transdesign)
2) 有OPI, Essie, Misa, Color Club, 而China Glaze及CND只供美國發售
3) 除了甲油外，還有其他nail care，hair care and skin care
4) International shipping可以選Express, Priority, First Class。我這次訂了10支，差不多2磅，用First Class，包裹上的郵資是$17.64，但他們收了我$19.14的shipping & handling，即其中$1.5是handling fee。他們包裝得很仔細，有bubble，有大量發泡膠粒，收到時完好無缺。
5) 郵費方面，落單後他們會email各種方法的實收郵費給你，到時候再決定用那種方法寄。First Class當然最平，而且也不是很慢，一星期已經收到，可是沒有tracking，寄失了他們也不會負責的。另外，也可以落單前先將你要訂的貨的product code和數量email給他們，他們也會告訴你大概的shipping charges。
6) 溝通方面，email大概要等2天才會回覆(我可是都在他們美國的辦公時間email他們的!)，即使是正式order了，也得等了4天他們才覆我郵費，很慢!

關於8ty8beauty﹕
1) 有OPI, Misa, Color Club, Seche, China Glaze及CND
2) International shipping可以選Express, Priority, First Class。
3) 我上個月email問郵費，他是這樣回覆:
Shipping is $15.00 but the is NO tracking and NO insurance coverage.
We try to pack our best but NO damage claim is allowed due to the cheap
shipping cost.
If you order up to 24 polishes , shipping cost is $48.00 - USPS Global
Priority.
Please read shipping instructions carefully and decide if you are OK.
For overseas, please make sure all items are 0.5 ozs and see shipping quotes
below.
Minimum shipping cost is $15.00 and you can order up to 6 polishes.
From 7 to 12 bottles, shipping cost is $30.00 - Normally - 7 to 30 days
Please note that there is NO tracking and NO insurance coverage for theses
small package shipping.
Please try to share with friends and order 50 polishes and shipping cost is
$82.00 - USPS Express shipping with tracking and insurance coverage - 5 - 6
days
100 polishes -
$142.00 - USPS Express with tracking.
4) Tom是主要的聯絡人(聞說是老闆)，回email的效率很高，一般都是一天內覆。
4) 原本準備要在他們家訂的，可是什麼也缺貨，好像我要訂的OPI法國系列，3支都缺貨，所以便到head2toe了。

關於transdesign ﹕
1) 有OPI, Essie, Misa, China Glaze及CND，還有Nicole by OPI，跟一些我不認識的品牌
2) 顏色選擇比另外2家少，不過新貨推出較快，OPI Spain Collection早就有了。
3) 最近應該會訂，到時候再報告。

扮可愛的French Mani

2009-08-27T18:39:00.000+08:00

昨天外出晚餐之前，匆匆忙忙理了一下手指頭。

太貪心了，一次塗太多面油，食指和無名指上鬼鬼祟祟的跑出一太堆氣泡。

工具﹕

1. T'estimo 底油 1層
2. T'estimo PK-138 2層
3. Ettusais 3號(黑色) 指尖塗2層
4. Arezia 白色用dotting tool點在黑色甲油部份
5. Jordana 面油一層

非常簡單方便。