Pretty Serious ~ Into Dreams and Darling Diva ~ Carrie

Pretty Serious ~ Into Dreams

Purple with pink shimmer

&

Darling Diva ~ Carrie

Iridescent mulitsized glitter in pink jelly base

Pretty Serious make extremely nice polishes in my opinion. And if there’s something that they’re very good at, then it’s making purples! My prettiest purple polishes are from… yes, you guessed it: Pretty Serious!

Into Dreams is a lovely deep purple! The formula is no less than great. It’s almost opaque in one coat, but I gave it two, just to make sure that I gave it the best conditions to shine! Drying time between coats is great. And man, can this baby deliver! I didn’t apply a topcoat, and look at how it shines in the sunlight:

If that isn’t lovely, then I don’t know what lovely is!

The pink shimmer makes this polish really special, and much more than “just another purple” :)

  

I decided to pair it up with an iridescent glitter from Darling Diva, namely “Carrie”. Carrie holds iridescent glitters in many shapes and sizes and is perfect to layer over a purple like Into Dreams. I’m also a fan of Darling Diva polishes – so I thought that these two would make a perfect pair.

Carrie is way packed with glitter! I usually use glitter like this: One dip in the bottle per nail, and that’s all it gets. But Carrie has way too many glitters for that in my opinion. So I made sure to scoop some of the glitters off on the edge of the bottle before applying it onto the nails. We don’t want any overkill, we particularly don’t want any underkill – we just want Kill! :D

Here’s the result of one layer of Carrie over Into Dreams. There’s no topcoat involved whatsoever.

All the pictures are taken in the sunshine. Look at how the glitters reflects the light beautifully!

One last shot. I know this is very simple, but I wasn’t in the mood for large nail art projects today. A pretty purple with a cool glitter on top was what it took to make me happy.

Sometimes it’s nice to keep it cool and simple, and just use a couple of nice polishes, don’t you think?

Into Dreams  -  Carrie

Opacity: 8/10  -   NA/10
Colour, prettiness: 9/10   -   7/10
Durability: 8/10     -    8/10
Value for money: 9/10   -   9/10
Overall: 8.5/10   -    8/10
Buy again: Yes

I bought both of these polishes myself, and you can buy them both on norwaynails.com. And! They're on special today! You get 30% off if you buy them from Norway Nails - but only until the next offer is up, so hurry!!

You can find more info on NorwayNail’s Facebook page, link here.

Norway Nails have kindly offered my readers a 10% discount code. Just use the code RAINBOWIFYME10 at checkout, and you'll be getting 10% off your purchase.

Winter wonderland

Snow White goes Pop

A winter wonderland mani

It’s winter here, and the temperatures are low. And brrr, it’s damn cold outside.

I don’t often do seasonally inspired manis, but I was in the mood for snowflakes. On my nails, obviously. I’d rather not have them in real life! Snow looks pretty on Christmas cards, but when you have to live with it and travel to work by bicycle and home every day through it, believe me, you don’t like snow IRL.

So. I started out with two coats of Pop Beauty Nail Glam: Ocean, which is a dark blue shimmer polish. It covers well and dries pretty fast, and I just love this shade of blue. I have way too many of them, to be honest :D

Here’s what it looks like on its own:

Then I added a layer of OPI’s “Pirouette my whistle” on my pinkie and my pointer. It’s my favourite OPI – I simply love that glitter. I sponged a bit of H&M “Snow White” onto the tips of the three other nails. Snow White is a white shimmer – my favourite white, actually. And then I stamped snowflakes on those three nails too. I used Angel Kiss from Color Club – a light blue linear holo from the Halo Hues collection – and I found the snow flakes on XL plate “K”.

One layer of Poshé topcoat finished the whole thing off, and here’s my final mani:

I turned out just the way I wanted it – I love it when that happens!

At first I regretted to have sponged the tips, but now, a couple of hours after I actually made the mani, I must admit that I really like the effect! Sure, the stamped on snow flakes are less visible where they merge a little with the sponged-on white, but that’s actually ok!

Here are the polishes I used: 

So – how cold (or warm) is it where you are?

Crowstoes ~ Indian Summer

Crowstoes ~ Indian Summer

Multichrome that shifts between purple, magenta and orange

I’ve been very excited to show you this pretty polish. You know that I really like polishes that “do” something, right? Well, this polish is a chameleon! And the reason I’m showing it to you today is because Norway Nails has them in the Christmas Calendar, so they’re actually on special today. More about that later!

I’ve seen several swatches of Indian Summer, which is from Autumn 2013: Better Late Than Never Collection. I can see that most girls layer it over black. I didn’t want to do that if I could avoid it. I decided to try and see if this would actually work on its own.

The first layer was really tricky. I used my regular basecoat, and I did experience some dragging when I applied the first coat. It actually looked pretty bad and I almost regretted that I didn’t layer it, haha! But - the second coat was easy to apply and evened out all the irregularities from the first layer. I was actually almost satisfied after the second layer, but since this polish dries pretty fast, I decided to add a third layer, to give this baby the best options to really show off.

And wow, this is an amazing polish! Really stunning. But hey, don’t take my word for it. Take a look for yourself. Here’s three coats, no topcoat:

It’s amazing how much shine this polish has in it!

And the colourshift is just, like, wow! From purple over magenta to what looks like deep red. It’s beautiful!

I am so glad I decided to wear this on its own. I love it!

See that shimmer as well? It gives the polish so much depth.

One last pic of the polish alone. And then we’re up for some stamping!

I found some stars on my XL stamping plate “H”, and I stamped with Essie’s “Penny Talk” from the Mirror collection. I bought Penny Talk when I was in New York, only with stamping in mind. I’m not into gold polishes much, but this is more copper than gold, and for this purpose it’s perfect! I sealed it all up with a layer of Poshé topcoat, and here’s what the whole thing ended up looking like:

And one final shot – I’m digging this! :D

Opacity: 6/10
Colour, prettiness: 10/10
Durability: 10/10
Value for money: 9/10
Overall: 8/10
Buy again: Yes

You can buy Crowstoes polishes from norwaynails.com, and they're on special today! You get 40% off if you buy them from Norway Nails - but only until the next offer is up, so hurry!! If you don’t know Crowstoes yet, then here’s your chance to snatch a few of them.

You can find more info on NorwayNail’s Facebook page, link here. 

Norway Nails have kindly offered my readers a 10% discount code. Just use the code RAINBOWIFYME10 at checkout, and you'll be getting 10% off your purchase. 

Ozotic ~ 621

Ozotic ~ 621

Red scattered holo

I can’t believe there’s only five days till Christmas! It’s amazing how fast December went!

What is more Christmassy than a lovely red polish glittering with a scattered holo effect? That’s my kind of Christmas red for sure – and Ozotic 621 is exactly that!

I’ve shown it here before, but it’s beautiful enough for a re-visit in my opinion. Two easy, fast drying coats, and man, this baby can really shine! The holo shines from deeply within even in low lights – it’s an amazing polish for sure! No need for an aqua basecoat – I just used my regular one without any problems whatsoever.

Look at how two coats, and no topcoat shines:

I am totally and utterly in love with this red. If I could only keep one of my reds, this would probably be it!

My nails are ready for Christmas now, and so am I!

I wanted even more Christmas on them though. And I wanted to be a bit more creative than “just stamping”. I taped two of my nails across and painted a green stripe across with Zoya’s Logan, a lovely green Christmas shimmer. I freedhanded white lines around the green line. I dapped a bit of Nubar’s White Polka Dot on the tip of my pinkie, and then I found some nice Christmassy designs on Moyou London’s stamping plate Christmas Collection-03. I used Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White.

Here’s the first four fingers:

And here’s a last pic, where you can also see the candy canes on the thumb.

There’s no topcoat on my middle finger and my thumb, because 621 is a bleeder, and when the topcoat applies, she turns the white stamping polish pink.

Here’s the collection of polishes I used:

You can buy Ozotic from norwaynails.com. 

You can find more info on NorwayNail’s Facebook page, link here.

Norway Nails have kindly offered my readers a 10% discount code. Just use the code RAINBOWIFYME10 at checkout, and you'll be getting 10% off your purchase.

Orly ~ Star Spangled

Orly ~ Star Spangled

Red jelly with red microglitter

I was going to a big event at work, and wanted to play it safe and classy, nail wise. So I pulled out an oldie but goodie from “In The Navy” Collection from summer 2010; namely Orly’s Star Spangled. It’s a classic red jelly packed with red microglitter. It’s related to the polishes mostly named after ruby footwear – you know which ones I’m talking about.

Anyway; the formula is really good, and so is the drying time. I started out with two coats, but remembered that last time I actually wore it, I wasn’t satisfied with what it looked like on pictures after just two coats, so I applied a third coat. And I tell you, it’s totally worth the extra coat!

I applied a layer of Quick Dry & High Shine topcoat from Catrice, and take a look at how pretty this is:

Orly ~ Star Spangled

Isn’t that just perfect when you like glitter and still want it to be classy?

Orly ~ Star Spangled

I added some glitter, because I think that everybody needs a little bit of sparkle in their life! I used a Revlon glitter called Stunning, which is a clear base with silver and holo glitter and hexes. I sponged that onto my tips, and sealed the whole thing off with a layer of Poshé topcoat. Here, dear girls, is the final mani:

Orly ~ Star Spangled

And taken from a slightly different angle:

Orly ~ Star Spangled

This was just what I wanted it to be! Yay!

Orly ~ Star Spangled

And here are the pretty polishes:

I like to experiment, but sometimes it’s nice to play it safe, and make a mani that you just know is going to work out exactly the way you want it to.

So yes, this is a win in my book. Is it also a win in yours?

Linda Johansen ~ Twilight Magenta & London Fog

Linda Johansen ~ Twilight Magenta & London Fog

Dark purple with shimmer & Dark grey crème

Today there’s only one week to Christmas, and I’m beginning to get really excited! If we take a look at what Norway Nails has in the Christmas calendar today, you might get excited too!

It’s Linda Johansen – a great quality Norwegian brand, one that I’ve become very fond of!

Let me show you the last two I bought: Twilight Magenta and London Fog. The formula is just great, nothing negative to report about that at all. It covers well, spreads out easily and dries pretty fast. I used two coats of each for this mani. I’m totally in love with Twilight Magenta, that dark purple shimmer just makes me sit and gaze at my nails. And man, can both these babies shine!

Take a look for yourself; here’s two coats of each, no topcoat:

See what I mean? And these two colours really work together! Here I’m holding both of the bottles:

London Fog is such a good grey. I like the coolness of this colour, and it’s really easy to apply, even for a crème ;)

Here’s a picture taken in my lightbox:

I put on a layer of China Glaze “Fairy Dust”, which is a hologlitter in a clear base. I’m going to stamp on it all in a minute, and I want some of that holo to shine through! Here’s what it looks like:

I actually prefer Twilight Magenta without the hologlitter, but I think it really adds to the grey! And now for the stamping! I used a Christmas sweater motif from Moyou London’s stamping plate Christmas Collection-04, and I stamped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri “Whirlwind White”, which is a great white crème for stamping. I topped the entire thing off with a layer of Poshé topcoat, and here, dear ladies, is my final mani:

This stamping plate only has XL motifs on it, and they’re way too big for my relatively small nails. I’m using approximately one quarter of the motif on my nails here:

I am so pleased with how this mani came out. I love the two colours together, and I think this stamp is really cool. It is indeed time for warm sweaters!

You can buy Linda Johansen polishes from norwaynails.com, and they're on special today! You get 20% off if you buy them from Norway Nails - but only until the next offer is up, so hurry!! I can easily recommend this brand, they’re really great quality polishes.

You can find more info on NorwayNail’s Facebook page, link here. 

Norway Nails have kindly offered my readers a 10% discount code. Just use the code RAINBOWIFYME10 at checkout, and you'll be getting 10% off your purchase. 

Liquid Sky Lacquer ~ Iris Illusion

Liquid Sky Lacquer ~ Iris Illusion  

Thermal holo that shifts between purple and sky blue

I have been looking forward to showing you this spectacular polish! It’s been a while since I bought it, and the reason I’m showing it today is that Norway Nails has a special offer on them today. I thought that would be a totally appropriate reason to actually wear the polish!

The formula is great, I didn’t experience anything but easy application and good coverage. It took two coats to reach full opacity, and drying time between coats is good. No problems to report at all. Top notch.

It’s winter here, and my fingers are almost always cold. This is what the polish looks like on cold hands. Two coats, no topcoat:

That is such a lovely purple, I love it! I had to play with water in order to show you the colour change – I can’t change the temperatures of my hands any other way.

On this picture I’ve held my pinkie and my ring finger under the warm tap:

Here’s a picture that shows you the colour change. My fingers refuse to stay warm, haha!

I stamped on it! I used a motif from a Moyou London stamping plate called Christmas Collection-03 and I stamped with Kiko #616 Silver from their Mirror collection. I finished the whole thing off with a layer of Poshé topcoat. Here’s the final mani – my fingers are still cold, hence the purple:

I stuck two fingers under the warm tap again. I love this picture:

I totally love both the colours!

Here’s an attempt of warming my fingers up, so I can show you a completely blue mani.

My hands refuse to cooperate though, they keep getting cold, hahaha!!

I love pretty much everything about this polish. It’s not just fun under the tap. It’s holo, both the colours are cool, and yeah, it’s basically just a winner! Please tell me what you think of this in the comments below. Thanks! :)

Opacity: 8/10
Colour, prettiness: 9/10
Durability: 8/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall: 8.5/10
Buy again: Yes

You can buy Liquid Sky Lacquers from norwaynails.com, and they're on special today! You get 30% off if you buy them from Norway Nails - but only until the next offer is up, so hurry!!

You can find more info on NorwayNail’s Facebook page, link here. 

Norway Nails have kindly offered my readers a 10% discount code. Just use the code RAINBOWIFYME10 at checkout, and you'll be getting 10% off your purchase.

Delush ~ Ocean Sapphire

Delush ~ Ocean Sapphire

Sapphire blue jelly with iridescent glitters as well as hologlitter

16^th of December, I’m getting excited now! I’m beginning to really look forward to Christmas!

Today I’m going to show you a gorgeous blue polish. Ocean Sapphire is the first polish I’ve got from Delush, so I was quite excited to try it out.

It’s a jelly, meant for either using on its own or layering over another polish for effect. I like to find out how my polishes work on their own, so that’s what I was going to do.

Jellies require a bit of patience - but I can assure you that it’s totally worth the effort. It takes three coats to reach full opacity – three easy coats. Drying time is pretty average, so no problemo in that department. And man, this baby can really shine.

Here’s three coats, and a layer of topcoat:

Ocean Sapphire is the perfect name for this pretty polish.

If you look closer you can see the hologlitter shine too. It’s sooo pretty!

See what I mean?

 

Here’s one last picture for you:

This reminds me of the most beautiful glittery ocean on a beautiful summer day. It’s beautiful and shiny and almost invites you to dive in. Yes, I really like this polish! So based on this one experience with Delush I’d say thumbs up! :)

Opacity: 5/10
Colour, prettiness: 10/10
Durability: -/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Buy again: Yes