Born Pretty Holo stickers and water decals

Born Pretty Holo stickers and water decals

Today I want to show you a couple of things from Born Pretty Store.

The first thing up is cute nail stickers. You can find them here, and they look like this:

I don’t use nail stickers very often (insert meme here), but it’s not because I don’t like them, I just don’t generally need to. I do think it’s a cool and very easy way to spice up a polish if you’re short of time. These stickers are easy to apply – I didn’t use tweezers or anything, just my fingers, and it worked brilliantly. Take a look:

You can see that you can apply them over any colour you want, which is a huge plus.

The verdict:

Pros:

Easy nail art

Easy to apply

Cute stickers

No tools needed

Cons:

I can’t really come up with any cons, sorry

Thumbs up for cute nail stickers from me!

Next thing up was a surprise to unwrap, to be honest. I knew I was going to receive water decals. And water decals is what I got. Take a look at this picture, and tell me if you can see why I was surprised:

You can find them here btw. Could you tell why I was surprised? If not, then take a look at the OPI bottle in the picture. The decals are huge! Each decal is big enough for five nails! I actually thought that they were big enough for a camel’s toenails, haha! Amazing!

Here’s the instruction:

So I started out with two layers of polish, namely the OPI on the picture: Alpine Snow. I also applied a layer of topcoat.

Then I cut one decal from the sheet, and I also cut that one decal into five, to fit the five nails on my hand. I removed the film and put one decal into the water. Shortly after, maybe 10-15 seconds, I could remove the paper and place the decal onto my nail. I repeated that step until all the nails were done. Then I removed the access water decal from the cuticles and the skin around my nails, applied another layer of topcoat, and I was done.

I’m going to show you a couple of pictures now, but please bear in mind that this is the first time I try all nail-decals!

Here’s the result of my efforts:

And another photo:

And here’s what it looked like before I cleaned up the mess around the nails:

Tip: Remove the film before you cut the decal into nail sized pieces. It’s almost impossible to remove once they’re that small.

The verdict:

Pros:

I like the designs

Cool way to get multicoloured designs on the nails

An alternative to nail stickers

Cons:

It’s a challenge to clean up around the nails afterwards

I couldn’t get a straight edge around the nails (perhaps also my fault because it’s my first go. Decal newbie, you know!) 

Nostalgic ~ F*ck and Run

Nostalgic ~ F*ck and Run

Red jelly packed with red, pink and orange shimmer and flecks

I was so thrilled over the first Nostalgic polish that I could barely wait to try the other one on. The concept is the same: A jelly base packed with shimmers and flecks, only this time in red, pink and orange.

Once again I found the formula sheer and a bit thin. It’s definitely manageable though, and I didn’t get my cuticles flooded or anything. The polish builds up nicely in three fast drying coats. And the various colours of shimmers make this polish anything but just another red.

Take a look at what three coats and a layer of topcoat looks like:

Can you see the various colours of flecks and shimmers? It’s really special!

The shine is amazing – and I love that this doesn’t show any signs of coral in it. I’m not good with corals. In fact, from afar this almost looks like a cherry red, because of the pinks in it.

It’s nice to wear bright colours in the winter too. It can be a bit boring when all the colours are dull and dark. This polish definitely does its magic!

Take a look at the bottle on this next picture. It shows how the polish is packed with shimmer!

I didn’t want to cover this up too much, so I just applied some nail stickers. I think that looks pretty sweet.

Verdict:
I like this polish! It can be used to shimmer up another red as a layering polish, but I must admit that I prefer it on its own. I am willing to forgive that it’s a three coater because it dries so fast between the coats. If you love reds and shimmers like I do, then you should definitely give this polish a go!

Number of coats: 3
Drying time: Fast

Durability: Good

Removal: No problems
Overall impression: Great colour, fantastic shimmer/flecks!

Buy again: Yep

Nostalgic ~ Rid of Me

Nostalgic ~ Rid of Me

Blue jelly packed with blue, green and golden shimmer and flecks

I like trying new brands! The first Nostagic I’m going to try on is a ‘this-is-so-me’ polish if there ever was one. Stay tuned and see for yourself.

The formula is a jelly and very sheer, so my heart actually sank when I applied the first layer. It so looked like a layering polish to me. I decided to see if it built itself up, which happily it did very nicely. Three coats is what it took to make it opaque. I can live with that because it dried fast between layers, and because this polish is absolutely beautiful! I love, love, love the shimmer, it’s amazing! I have a word for this, and it’s ‘MMMWWAAHH!’

Take a look at three coats and a layer of topcoat:

How’s that? I mean, I love it, but what about you?

I’m usually not a girl who likes golden polishes very much, but this is just perfect!

I decided to make an experiment and stamp with something I wouldn’t usually use on a colour like this. I chose Chirality’s “Sly”, which is a pink stamping polish, and I used a swirly design from Moyou London’s stamping plate “Sailor collection-07”. When I was done I topcoated it, and here’s my final mani:

And from a different angle:

One last shot to show off the design:

Verdict:
Rid of Me is great! And a good song too, although Polly Jean is not my favourite artiste. I wonder if anyone will make a polish called ‘Lick My Legs’, inspired by the same song. If someone does, you read it here first ;) 

Anyway: I wish this was a two coater, but I am willing to live with three because the drying time is so good. I love the colour and I love the shimmer and flecks. It’s a me-polish for sure! Don’t you agree?

As for Sly, I must admit that I had expected more from a stamping polish. It’s a little too…vague?... for my likings. But anyway – it works on this mani – I think it looks great over the Rid of Me!

Number of coats: 3
Drying time: Fast

Durability: Good

Removal: Easy
Overall impression: Oh yeah baby, I love this colour!

Buy again: Yes

Glitter Gal ~ Evening Light

Glitter Gal ~ Evening Light

Duochromatic polish that shifts between pink, orange and red

I showed you Glitter Gal Hidden Violets yesterday – and today I’m going to show you her sister, also from the Shade Shifters collection, namely Evening Light. I like the names of these polishes, by the way. It’s nice to come across a breed of polish that doesn’t

feel compelled to use dumbass and/or crass naming conventions.

Just like yesterday, I’m going to show you this polish on its own. I know that it pops more over black, but I want to show you that these shade shifters are really unique on their own – and that you can wear them if you (like myself) prefer your polishes without the black underneath them.

The formula is a bit thin, but still easy to work with. It takes three coats to make this opaque on its own, but drying time between the coats is pretty good, so that isn’t a problem really. I didn’t apply a topcoat before I took my photos, the polish is so shiny on its own. But it’s a total b*tch to photograph! I did my best, I really hope you like what you see.

Here’s three coats, no topcoat:

I found that the orange was extremely difficult to catch on cam. Look for it around the edges of my nails!

Here’s a pic that shows a darker orange – almost red. This is a true chameleon!

Pink and dark orange go really nice together, don’t you think?

I like the way this pic shows both pink, red and orange!

Here’s my favourite pic of the bunch:

Verdict:
I had hoped that the orange would be more prominent than it actually is on the nails. It’s pink that flashes its colours the most, and it’s not an ‘in your face’ pink, either. It’s a softer pink than I usually go for. Having said all that, I’m still a fan of this polish – I love the colour shift and how it looks on its own. I can live with three coats of polish if the drying time is ok, like it is with this polish.

Number of coats: 3
Drying time: Pretty good

Durability: Good

Removal: Easy
Overall impression: Great colour shifter. I wish the colours were more in your face.

Buy again: No

Glitter Gal ~ Hidden Violets

Glitter Gal ~ Hidden Violets

Duochromatic polish that shifts between purple, blue and cobber

I know Glitter Gal mostly for their beautiful holographic polishes. It turns out that they also make very pretty duochromes!

I’m going to show you Hidden Violets today, and Evening Light tomorrow – stay tuned for that.

Many of these shade shifters really pop if you apply them over black polish. I like to know how my polishes work on their own, so I decided to give that a go. The formula is good – I didn’t experience any problems with application! It took three coats before I was satisfied, and the drying time between coats is pretty good.

And I like it! I love that it works on it own. Take a look at how shiny and pretty three coats and no topcoat looks like:

See that duochrome? It’s cool, isn’t it!? If I flick my fingers like this, you’ll be able to see a completely different side of this polish:

I love the colours it flashes!

And I have a soft spot for shiny things – can you tell? Hahaha!

I paired it up with a glitter from Coco Allure called Family Jewels. That’s a polish I showed you a while ago (check it out here), and is a mix of blue, red and purple glitters in various sizes and shapes. I think it’s perfect for a glitter gradient here! There’s a layer of topcoat to finish the mani off:

This may not be most girls’ choice of glitter for this blue/purple/copper multichrome, but I like it because the purple glitters in Family Jewels match the purple tone of Hidden Violets perfectly. 

 One last shot: 

Verdict:
I can conclude that Glitter Gal can make other cool stuff than holos. This multichrome definitely works for me – I like both the colours and the fact that I don’t have to layer it over black to make it work.

Number of coats: 3
Drying time: Pretty good

Durability: Good

Removal: Easy
Overall impression: Great colours in the shift, and fantastic shine.

Buy again: Yes

Sephora X ~ Astonishing

Sephora X ~ Astonishing

Purple texture with glitter in silver and baby pink

Here’s another one of the Sephora X-polishes I bought in New York. I tried Mr. Positivity on yesterday and was impressed with the quality of it. Check it out here if you missed it.

Astonishing is a textured polish. The formula is good, and the pigmentation is so good that it almost covers in one coat. Drying time is on the slow side so I waited for a while before applying coat number two. And then I was satisfied! I really like the way this looks!

Two coats, sweet ladies:

The glitter is quite complex. It’s way more than just silver!

It shines way more in real life than my pictures suggest.

I decided to go for a few dots on it. I used Urban Outfitter’s “Silver Holo” for it, and made three dots on each nail: One large in the middle, and two smaller ones on each side of it. I also applied a layer of Poshé topcoat, just because, and here’s what my mani ended up looking like:

Even a thick layer of Poshé couldn’t make this smooth. It would have at least taken another coat - and my Poshé is reaching the end of the bottle, so even now it’s thicker than normal!

This last picture of it is my favourite shot!

And here are the pretties lined up.

The verdict: I’m still happy that I decided to buy a bunch of Sephora’s X-collection polishes, because they’re really good. The only downside of this texture, is the drying time. It isn’t as long as the first OPI liquid sands though, haha!

What say you, girls? Do you like it?

  

Opacity: 9/10
Colour, prettiness: 8/10
Durability: 9/10
Value for money: 7/10
Overall: 8/10
Buy again: Yes

Sephora X ~ Mr. Positivity

Sephora X ~ Mr. Positivity

Dark green jelly with green microglitter

I bought Mr. Positivity in New York, along with a bunch of other Sephora X-polishes. My boyfriend chose this as the first one of them to try on. Good choice!

I was very curious about the formula, since these polishes weren’t exactly cheap, speaking in US terms. This one cost $12.5 plus tax, which is 8.875% = US$13.61. Not expensive here in Denmark, but not cheap in the US.

The formula is good though. I had no problems with application at all, and coverage was good, even for a jelly. Two coats is what it took to make this baby shine. The polish dries up a little bit gritty, not more than a layer of topcoat can handle though. Drying time is pretty average, no problems in that department either.

Here is what two coats and a layer of Poshé topcoat looks like:

I am really pleased with the look of this glitter!

I still wanted to do something fun with it, and decided to go with stripes today. I picked a hot pink striper and a silver glitter striper. I painted one pink stripe down the middle of each nail. Then I painted one silver glitter stripe on each side of the pink. When that was dry I added a second coat of pink to the middle stripe, to make sure it was nice and opaque, and made one thinner stripe over the silver glitter. When that was all dry I sealed it all up with another layer of Poshé topcoat, and here is my final mani:

I love the pink and the green together, I think they go really well together!

Here is one final shot of my mani.

Here are the pretties in a group photo:

 

The Sephora X polish didn’t let me down. I loved the formula and how easily the glitter spread out. The colour is really nice and I really like how the mani turned out. I’m glad that I bought more than one of them!

What do you think? Have you tried the Sephora X-series yet? Do you want to?

Opacity: 7/10
Colour, prettiness: 8/10
Durability: 9/10
Value for money: 9/10
Overall: 8/10
Buy again: Yes