NOTD: Illamasqua Facet

Happy hump day! Although this is not related to my post at all, did you know that today's also 10 years anniversary of Mean Girls? I didn't know until I did my nails, or I would've picked something pink! Instead, I'm watching the movie again, as I am writing this post. Are you wearing pink today? :)

Back to my NOTD, Illamasqua Facet is a grey leaning taupe base creme with micro flakies in it that gives a bronze shimmery look from an arm length, you'll see it on my macro shot, so gorgeous! It was opaque within 2 coats, and topped with KB Shimmer Clearly On Top. 

Illamasqua Facet

Illamasqua Facet

Illamasqua Facet

I purchased this online from Hudson's Bay, retails for CAN 17.00. As far as I know this is one of the two exclusive shade for Canadian, the other one is Gothiqua.

XO
Novi

Colorful Lines

Hi guys! Today's post goes up a little late than I planned. I started making video again after the first one months ago, oops haha. Of course, I'm not that savvy to begin with in editing videos, I completely forgot how I did it the first time, and for some reason I can't save my video. I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong as I'm writing this post. 

Anyway, today I'm playing with the idea of doing free hand lines. The inspiration came from google, I typed in 'colorful patterns' and see if there's anything interesting that I can try to do, and the lines interest me the most. 
I realize my lines are not perfect and crisp as I would like them, but I totally love the end result! I painted them with a nail art striping brush over a white base. Polishes used here are Picture Polish Violet Femme, Hot Lips, Citrus, Marine, Sky and OPI Need Sunglasses, Do You Lilac It? Finished off with Glisten and Glow HK Girl top coat.

Update! I finally made it work! I apologize in advance for the poor editing of this video, it's also a mute video haha, but it's pretty self explanatory. I promise to try and do better next time, with the lighting and all. Hope you enjoyed the video!

XO
Novi

Oldies But Goodies: OPI DS Original & DS Glamour

Hi guys! Today I have two of my most treasured polishes used for a simple gradient. If you don't already know, DS Original and Glamour are some of the most coveted OPI. These are my first holographic polishes before holo polishes are dime a dozen like these days. 
Both of them have a very strong linear rainbow effect worn on their own. My light box photos here don't show too much of the rainbow, but trust me they are amazing! I can't wait to see it out in the sun tomorrow. The formula is thin, you would need 2-3 coats for opacity depends on your nail length. The only thing I don't like is the super strong smell. 

OPI DS Original & DS Glamour

I started my gradient with 2 coats DS Original on all nails, then just do the usual sponging method. Finished off with KB Shimmer Clearly On Top.

OPI DS Original & DS Glamour

OPI DS Original & DS Glamour

Do you have any of these beauties? I still hoard them despite of so many new holo polishes I've bought. They are just too precious :)

XO
Novi

Enchanted Polish April 2014 & Freeze Machine

Happy hump day! Yesterday I (finally) received my 2 Enchanted Polish monthly from the last pre order. I immediately fell in love with April and just had to swatch it, which turn into a full hand mani. April 2014 is a soft periwinkle blue with some lavender undertone, the holographic effect is subtle but it's there. The formula is a little on the thick side, but still manageable. I used 2 coats here, although 1 thicker coat would've been enough for my shorties.

Enchanted Polish April 2014

Enchanted Polish April 2014

Then I decided to layer it with Freeze Machine. I have a love/hate feelings toward this glitter. I absolutely love the glitter combo, but I hate how thick it is! Thinner doesn't seem to fix the consistency. I only used it once last year, and it already has a very significant fill line.

Enchanted Polish Freeze Machine
(over April 2014)

Enchanted Polish Freeze Machine
(over April 2014)

XO

Novi

NOTD: Picture Polish Flirt

Hey there! I started this week with an easy and fun looking manicure, and I chopped down my nails. I hope you don't mind looking at my shorties. 
The base color of my mani today is piCture pOlish Flirt, a super creamy magenta pink. The formula is perfection! My swatches here was with 2 coats, although the second coat wasn't really necessary. If you're like me, you'll find yourself 'ooh' and 'aah'ing over this. I'm such a sucker for great formula cream polishes, which is why I love piCture pOlish so much. So far, none of their creams have let me down.

piCture pOlish Flirt

piCture pOlish Flirt

After wearing my nails plain overnight, I decided to do a little nail art. I paired Flirt with another piCture pOlish shade, Sky. I did the zigzag pattern with the help of Nail Vinyls chevron minis stickers, and used dotting tools for the rest of the nails. Finished off with KB Shimmer Clearly On Top top coat.

piCture pOlish Flirt & Sky

XO
Novi

Purple Easter Manicure

It's the Easter weekend! What are your plans for this long weekend? I have nothing special planned so far, other than staying in and watching Netflix (boo :p) but I hope the weather will be great for those who plan on spending time outdoor.

This mani was planned to be my official easter mani, but now I'm not sure how long I'll be keeping it. The image stamped here are from Bundle Monster holiday set plate BM-H10. It has a complete easter themed images. This plate can be purchased as a set or individually from Nail Polish Canada.

The base color here is Dior Lilac Colorvision, I've been wearing it for almost 2 days. The glitter used on my index and middle nails is Lynnderella Candy Blossom, and the glitter on my ring nail is Picture Polish Mardi Gras. I stamped the bunny and easter eggs with OPI Alpine Snow, the flowers with Konad red, and the chick (thumb) with Konad yellow. I used OPI Sheer Tints to color over the easter eggs on my pinkie and thumb. Sealed off everything with HK Girl top coat.

Here's Dior Lilac Colorvision on its own.

Dior Lilac Colorvision

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and Happy Easter!

XO

Novi

**the stamping plate was provided for my honest review.

Easter With Silly Bunny and Chick

Another easter themed mani for ya! I created this mani as an entry for Easter Nail Art hosted by Nail Polish Canada. So, if you like it, please take the time to vote for me :)

It seems bunny and chick are a little confused, they probably think this is halloween instead of easter. So they play dressed up, as each other! (It was funnier in my head).

Short explanation for each nail, including polishes used:
The chick in bunny costume and the little bunny eating carrot and chillaxing in a piece of broken easter egg were hand painted over a water color background with OPI Sheer Tints. Polishes used: Butter London Cotton Buds, Pimms, Silly Billy, OPI Pink Friday, China Glaze Liquid Leather, Picture Polish Sky, Peaches n' Cream.
Index easter egg created with Picture Polish Sky as the base color, the pattern was hand painted with Picture Polish Wisteria, OPI Pink Friday, Can't Find My Czechbook.
Pinkie easter egg created with Picture Polish Peaches n' Cream, the pattern was hand painted with Butter London Pimms, Picture Polish Sky and Tiffany.
For the thumb, the background is using a saran wrap technique and layered with a think coat of OPI I Can Teal You Like Me. The Grass was painted with Zoya Josie, the 2 eggs are with Picture Polish Peaches n' Cream and Wisteria.
All nails but the middle were top coated with Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat. I used KB Shimmer Clearly On Top on my middle ail, and it smeared a tiny bit. 

The contest is open until tomorrow if you're interested in participating. It's open to everybody in US and Canada, not limited to blogger only. You can enter (and vote) through this link. 

XO
Novi

A England Dancing With Nureyev

Hi guys! How's your weekend going? I'm sorry it's been quiet around here. I was having bad cuticle days, lol. Is there such thing? Well, I say there is. It's one of those days when no matter how many times I push and moisturized them, they just look thick and unappealing. 

Anyway, I have been wearing this mani I'm about to show you since yesterday. I received these polishes as a prize for Valentine nail art contest from Nail Polish Canada (thank you NPC!), and haven't had a chance to wear them until now. 

At first I was only wearing Dancing With Nureyev, plain. Although I was totally amazed by it when I went outside, I couldn't help myself, I just need to do some nail art on it. Since this collection consists of delicate looking polishes, I just did a simple nail art. I kinda love them. I did a half moon chevron (or reverse chevron?) with the rest of the shades from the collection (Encore Margot, Fonteyn, & Her Rose Adagio). All was done with a nail art brush, topped with HK Girl top coat.

Ballerina collection was released in 2013, and there are plenty of swatches out there. Would you still be interested in seeing swatches for them here? 

Anyway, lets wander off topic for a bit before I close this post. I just want to say that this is the perfect nail length for me! I'm totally comfortable with it, and it doesn't look super nubs even though I barely have a mm of free edge.What is the nail length (and shape) you love and prefer/wish to have? Let me know in the comment :)

Ok, now you can go on an enjoy the rest of your weekend again! 

XO

Novi

Easter Eggs Print Skittle Gradient

I think it's about time I started to do a pastel-springy-easter themed nail art, right? I prepped my nails yesterday, and couldn't think of what to do. This seems to happen to me a lot lately *sigh* Anyway, I decided to go with something simple today. Sometimes less is more, right? 

I did  pastels and white gradient, skittle style, as the top of easter eggs. On the bottom part are various easter egg prints, painted with a slightly darker shades from the gradient. All the products used will be listed at the end of this post.

Products used:

Base/top coat: Duri Rejuvocate/HK Girl

OPI My Boyfriend Scales The Walls

OPI Mermaid's Tears & Jade is a New Black (thumb)

OPI What's With The Cattitude & Can't Find My Czechbook (index)

OPI You're Such a Budapest & Do You Lilat It? (middle)

OPI Banana Bandanna & Need Sunglasses (ring)

OPI Pink Friday & Hey Baby (pinkie)

XO

Novi

Press Release: Neons by OPI

Hi everyone! With summer just around the corner, I can't wait to see all the bright colors released by my favorite brands. With that said, I'm so excited to see this new collection by OPI. Here's the official press release for the collection:

OPI Releases Six New Neon Nail Lacquers with 

Accompanying White Base Coat to Boost Bright Color 

OPI Adds Its First Full-Size Neon Shades to Permanent Collection 

OPI announces the launch of six new neon nail lacquers, the brand’s first full-size neon 

shades, along with Put a Coat On! – a special white base coat that instantly boosts neon color. 

Neons by OPI arrives just in time for summer, with electric hues in shades of lemon-lime, 

tangerine, hot pink, coral, lime and purple. 

 “With hands and feet constantly on display during warmer months, wearing nail lacquer is a must,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Co-Founder & Executive VP. “I am a big fan of bright colors for summer, and Neons by OPI delivers a bold look that pairs perfectly with sun-kissed skin. To really make the neon shades pop, I recommend using Put a Coat On!, a new white base coat developed to be worn with bright lacquer hues to further enhance color. 

“These six shades are the first full-sized neons OPI has ever released," adds Weiss-Fischmann. "With large demands for new bright lacquers, this collection is a welcome addition to OPI's permanent line."

Neons of OPI includes:

Life Gave Me Lemons 

This citrusy lemon-lime hits the spot every time!

You are So Outta Lime! 

Here comes trouble and she’s wearing this outspoken lime green!

Juice Bar Hopping 

This tangerine cream makes me jump for joy!

Hotter than You Pink 

Just when you think pink can’t get any hotter, there’s this!

Push & Pur-Pull 

This forceful purple has got me coming and going! 

Down to the Core-al 

The beauty of this brilliant coral goes beyond skin deep

Put a Coat On! 

Amp up any bright shade with this color-boosting base coat

Neons by OPI will also be available in GelColor,making the launch of OPI's first neon gel shades. GelColor is a professional salon service that offers a high shine, 100% gel finish that lasts for weeks with a 30 seconds LED cure.

Neons by OPI will be available both in nail lacquer and GelColor (for professionals only) formulas beginning of May 2014. Nail lacquer shades each feature OPI's exclusive ProWideTM Brush for the ultimate application and will retail for $10.95 at professional salons and spas across Canada.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on twitter and isntagram @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan.

Are you excited for this? I know I am. I'm also curious about Put a Coat On!, I have always avoided neons that need to be applied over a white polish, but this is a base coat, hope it makes a difference without the annoyance of having to put 2-3 coats of white polish before your neon.

XO

Novi

Sugar Spun Manicure

Hi everyone! Hope everybody had a great weekend. I went to see Captain America, it was awesome. You know, if you're into superheroes kinda thing ;). I think Chris Evans is a perfect actor for the role, although it looked like they put too much make up on him in this movie haha! Still love him though. Too bad he won't be Human Torch anymore in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. 

Enough nerdy chit chat! Today I have another nail art using OPI Sheer Tints. Yeah, I know.. I'm still obsessed with them. Although sugar spun mani is not a new idea, I honestly didn't think of using the tints for it. So thank you to my lovely reader who gave me the idea to do this mani when I mentioned that these tints get thick and stringy pretty quick.  

I started with 2 coats of white polish using OPI My Boyfriend Scales The Walls, topped with Nicole by OPI Heavenly Angel. If you're not familiar on how to do this mani, just google 'sugar spun manicure tutorial' and you can pick which tutorial you want to use, there are tons of it! I used tutorial by The Nailasaurus and all 4 shades of the sheer tints for it. 

It took about 1-2 mins for me to get the blob of polish thick and stringy. I have never done this with regular polish, so I can't tell you the difference. But from The Nailasaurus tutorial that suggested to wait 10 mins, it sure look like it takes a lot less time with OPI Sheer Tints. And by the time I finished my clean up, all the 'sugar spun' have dried and safe to touch. 

I realize because of the texture this mani creates, it is not for everyone. But it sure is fun to look at. Not sure if you can see it on the pics, but in person the way the flakies peeking from underneath kinda give a crystallized sugar look. I love it.

XO
Novi

Guest Post on Harlow & Co

Hi everyone! Just a quick one to share this mani I did for a guest post on Harlow & Co. blog. Head over there to see more pics & details and say hi to Katie! :)

Post link: http://www.harlowandco.org/blogs/harlow-blog/13367233-guest-post-colorsfrenzy-with-beautiful-pastel-nail-art

XO
Novi

Pueen 63 & OPI Sheer Tints

Hi everyone! Today I was determined to use my OPI Sheer Tints on a nail art, unfortunately I was drawing blank on what to do.. haha. I played with them, tried a few things, still not used to the formula. They're thick and get stringy really quick, so for now I decided to use it over stamping.

My base color here is OPI 4 In The Morning. I stamped the design from Pueen 63 of the Buffet set using OPI Alpine Snow. I waited until the stamp are completely dry, then apply OPI Sheer Tints over the design. I finished the mani with a glossy top coat, but then decided to mattified it (and I forgot to take pictures of the glossy version).

This was super easy to do. I just used the polish brush to apply the tinted top coat. If you do try this, just make sure to brush off most of the polish. Like I mentioned earlier, they are thick, you could end up with a thick blob on your nail if you didn't brush some off. 

That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed the post :)

XO

Novi

Roses & Triangle Color Block

Hi everyone! Did you ever do a mani that you don't like but ended up wearing it longer than you plan to? I did this time, 2 full days! (that's a long time for me).

I originally planned this mani for a guest post, but seeing how I felt about it I decided not to submit it. I thought I'd just post it here anyway, maaaybe someone other than me will like it .

I did a triangle color block over a white base, without a tape, Then painted a thin line to separate each color. I should have stopped there, but no... I added a rose on each tip, Which is probably what made me like it less. BUT, I like how bright and colorful it is! 

Product used:

Base/top coat: Duri Rejuvocate/HK Girl

OPI My Boyfriend Scales The Wall

Picture Polish Hot lips

Picture Polish Citrus

Picture Polish Twinkle

Picture Polish Peaches n' Cream

Picture Polish Badass

Picture Polish Flirt

Picture Polish Tiffany

OPI Jade is The New Black

XO
Novi