Glam Polish Bewitched & MM20

Hi guys! Happy Thanksgiving to all my US readers! I'm totally uninspired to do anything fancy today, so I turned to my stamping plates. I chose my Messy Mansion MM 20 plate again, I just love this plate! 
My base is 2 coats of Glam Polish Bewitched. I used the large dahlia image and 3 shades of Mundo de Unas 15 (Mexican Pink), 24 (Aqua), and 30 (Neon Blue) to do a gradient stamping.  Then I used the small dahlia image, on the lower left side of the plate, and used the pink and aqua shade and stamped over them on a few nails then sealed everything with HK Girl top coat.

I really like how soft and subtle these are, and yet still sparkly. Hope your thanksgiving is wonderful and your tummy is filled with yummy turkey and pies! <3

XO
Novi

Christmas Tartan with OPI Gwen Stefani Holiday 2014

Hi guys! I feel silly for starting the post title with 'christmas' when it's not even December yet, but this mani unintentionally turned out looking christmas-y to me, so I thought maybe this could count as one of christmas manicures idea.
The bf got me 14 of OPI Gwen Stefani Holiday polishes for my birthday, since I don't feel like swatching them today, I did a nail art instead. 

I started with 2 coats of the base color, OPI Red Fingers & Mistletoes, and painted the vertical & horizontal criss cross pattern with Christmas Gone Plaid and First Class Desires, then sealed with HK Girl top coat. These were easy and quick!
I ended up using matte top coat on these, and I think I prefer them this way. What do you think?

XO
Novi

Cirque Back to Basics Set - Review & Nail Art

Happy Friday! Today I have another review of Cirque gift set, and some nail art to go with it. I have reviewed their Ultimate Luxe Gift Set and Ultimate Glitter Gift Set, this one is a perfect set for a nail art lover or any polish lover really. 
Back to Basics Set is a staple set that will get a lot of use, I know because I have used these quite a number of times since I got them. 

The set comes in a clear pouch. Here's what in the pouch:

• Holdfast™ Base Coat - A garlic-infused base coat that strengthens and anchors
• Liquid Laminate™ Top Coat - A quick-dry top coat that seals, protects and adds a glossy shine
• Memento Mori - A black creme
• Carpe Diem - A white creme

Memento Mori is now my favorite black creme. It's a one coater! Though here I used 2 coats for good measure, plus top coat.

Cirque Memento Mori

Carpe Diem is a bright white, opaque in 2 coats. I thought I saw a very subtle shimmer while applying it, but it's not visible at all on the nails.

Cirque Carpe Diem

Cirque also sent me a crystal nail file and their new Tea Tree cuticle oil that I have been using since I got them, very moisturizing and so great in this cold weather. These make a perfect stocking stuffer! 

For my NOTD, I did a simple nail art with Memento Mori and Carpe Diem. A crescent moon leopard print negative space. I hope my stained nails are not too visible, haha. I kinda love this look, and wish I did the shape better on my middle nail. For my thumb, I did a black & white crescent moon and did the leopard print with Memento Mori and Ica Valley.

This Back to Basics Set and the other gift sets will be available for a limited time only, so make sure you'll get yours from Cirque Colors. These shades can also be purchased individually, if you prefer, from Cirque Colors or their stockists (online/in-store)

**products were sent for my honest review

XO
Novi

OMG Nail Strips Review - Lollipop

Hi guys! Today I did a product review of something that I have never used before, nail strips/nail wraps. OMG Nail Strips contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their products. I hesitated, because honestly, if I could mess up a simple water decal there's a good chance that I might mess this one up too, haha. I went and browsed on their website and saw they have quite a few cute designs that I like, so I decided to give it a shot. They have 2 kinds of nail wraps, stickers and foils. I chose both stickers, which now I regret and wish I chose one of each kind to try. 

Here's the two set I chose, but today I'm only showing you one of them, the Lollipop nail strips.

Each set consists of 14 nail strips of different sizes, you can see the measurement under each strip.  (One of the strip came a bit damaged, but I can still use it without a problem)

There are instructions on how to apply these strips at the back of the package, and you can also watch the application instructions provided on the website.

It took an entire Men in Black movie for me to figure out how to do this properly, and get these done, haha. 

Here are the steps I did for applying these:

• I wipe my nails with q-tip dipped with remover to get rid of any oil residue on the nail.
• Measure each strip to fit the nail. Using a small scissor, I cut both sides of the strip so the design still look centered. I also took a bit off from the top of the lollipop so the lollipop stick is more visible, otherwise it's only showing about half than what's showing now.
• After removing the clear plastic coating and taking the strip off its backing, place the strip on the nail, carefully push down the sides and smooth the surface making sure there are no air bubbles. Orange wood stick helps for pushing the sides down, use it gently. 
• Cut the left over on the tips if there's a lot of it. I cut and leave about 0.5 cm left to make it easier to file off. When filing off the excess, angle the nail file parallel to the surface you're working on. So you are actually filing off the excess strip and not the tip of your nail.
• Dipped a q-tip in acetone and lightly dab it on the nail. This step is not written on the package, but it was mentioned on the video. Dabbing the strips with acetone sort of melt the strips and make it adhere better (I think), I didn't do it on the middle nail and didn't notice much difference. If you do, be careful not to nick the nail cause it becomes a bit sticky.
• Apply top coat. I use OPI top coat for this, as recommended. I tried using HK Girl top coat on my first try, but it didn't go well. The edges were lifting after a few minutes.

The strips remove like regular polish, just use cotton pad/round and polish removal. 

Overall, I'm now more open to the idea of using nail strips, now that I got the hang of it. Though I won't use it for my daily mani (cause I need to wear my nail strengthener and I haven't tested if it will work the same over it), I definitely like this for when I go on a trip. Or just using it for an accent nail. I had to cut all the strips I used to match my nail size, cause my nails are slim. But that really didn't take long at all. I bet next time I can get these done a lot more faster! :)
There are so many selection of cute nail strips on their website. I'm saving the other set for the first snowfall here, hopefully it's sometime before christmas!
Each set retails for USD 7.99, but there's a coupon code you can use to get 5 sets for USD 25.00 (5SET), awesome deal! What do you think? Is this something you might want to try?

OMG Nail Strips: Shop - Facebook - Instagram

**product was provided for my honest review

XO
Novi

KBShimmer (part of) Winter Collection - Swatches & Review

Hi everyone! Today I have swatches of some of the polishes from KBShimmer Winter 2014 collection, Katie from Harlow & Co. was kind enough to sent me these to review. From the swatches I have seen, I'm loving quite a few of the crelly glitter from this collection. I have 2 crelly glitter and 2 textured glitter to share with you. 

Mauve on Over, is a light mauve crelly base filled with orange, aqua, and navy glitter. I really like the formula in this one. Thin but not too thin that it would flood your cuticles, the glitter distribution is even and effortless. I used 3 thin coats for my swatches, and 1 coat of Clearly on Top.

KBShimmer Mauve on Over

KBShimmer Mauve on Over

KBShimmer Mauve on Over

Let's Sleigh Together, a pale gray crelly filled with green and blue hexes. I really liked this one when I first opened the package. For me, application was not as smooth and easy as the other KBShimmer crelly I have, but I still like the end result. I didn't get enough glitter on the brush (even after mixing the bottle with a tooth pick) as I would've liked. I use 4 thin coats and top coat here. The formula is thin but applies easily and the amount of coats I used doesn't make it look thick at all. 

KBShimmer Let's Sleigh Together

KBShimmer Let's Sleigh Together

KBShimmer Let's Sleigh Together

Dressed to Gild, this is another one from KBShimmer textured line. It's loaded with tons of gold holographic glitter, and hints of purple and green glitter which make it look even better! I only used 2 coats here, easy application even with the super loaded glitter, that's pretty amazing. Here's the textured look.

KBShimmer Dressed to Gild

KBShimmer Dressed to Gild

KBShimmer Dressed to Gild

With 1 coat of Gelous and 1 coat of Clearly on Top.

KBShimmer Dressed to Gild

Added matte top coat.

KBShimmer Dressed to Gild

Turnip the Beet, another textured polish in the collection. It's a berry pink base loaded with magenta, purple, and red glitter. Also opaque in 2 coats. Top coat really brings the sparkles alive in this one, but it also seem to make it look a bit less opaque. I really like this one with a matte top coat. Below is the textured look.

KBShimmer Turnip the Beet

KBShimmer Turnip the Beet

KBShimmer Turnip the Beet

With one coat of Gelous and one coat of Clearly on Top.

KBShimmer Turnip the Beet

Added matte top coat.

KBShimmer Turnip the Beet

Harlow & Co. will be restocking KBShimmer line, including the new Winter 2014 collection, tomorrow November 19th at 12PM EST. So set your timer and get your wish list ready! ;)

Harlow & Co.: Shop - Facebook - Instagram - Google+ - Pinterest

**products were sent for my honest review

XO
Novi

Gradient Purple Swirls

Hi guys! I had another post ready for today, but then I thought it would be nice to start the week with a nail art post instead. Plus I've been wanting to try my new brush from SharingVu. It feels like forever since I did a full free hand nail art. Today I did a semi intricate nail art, swirls, started with black near the cuticles then 4 shades of purple going down to the tips. 

I find the brush is really good for delicate nail art, though the polish/paint used seem to affect the result too. I realize that using nail polish will shorten the life of any nail art brushes, even with good care, at least that's what happened with all my brushes. I'm just not ready to switch to acrylic paints yet.
I sealed the design with HK Girl top coat and added INM Northern Lights for subtle sparkle. 

L-R
Eclipse, Aphrodisiac, Violet Femme, Pansy-monium, Hugs & Wishes, My Vampire is Buff, HK Girl tc, INM Northern Lights

For those who enjoys free hand nail art, what is your favorite brush?


XO
Novi

Cirque Ultimate Glitter Gift Set (LE) - Swatches & Review

Hi everyone! As I have mentioned in the previous post, Cirque has created several gift sets that's only available from now to the end of holiday season. I have reviewed the Ultimate Luxe Gift Set here, and today I am showing you the Ultimate Glitter Gift Set.

This set comes in a black gift box with clear top for a quick sneak peek of what's inside. It consists of 3 micro glitter that can be worn on their own or as a topper, and 5 glitter toppers that will have you covered for any occasion.

What's in the box?
Ica Valley: A golden beige micro-glitter mimicking sand dunes, only sparklier
Stella: A romantic rose gold micro-glitter
Chainmail: A cool gunmetal micro-glitter with holographic sparks
Vectors: A bold glitter topper made of black glitter in myriad of shapes and sizes
XX: A rainbow confetti made with over 20 different types of holographic glitter 
Kaleidoscope: A rainbow confetti made with over 30 different types of satin-finished glitter
Lullaby: A rainbow confetti made with satin-finished glitter in soft pastel colors
Magic Hour: A rainbow confetti that consists of iridescent glitter in various shapes and sizes 

This is another great value gift set. Each polish retails for USD 13.00, and this set retails for only USD 80.00!

This will be a picture heavy post, you can look for more (a lot more!) pics after the jump. 

NoTD: Cirque Glittery Nail Art

Hi guys! I have a simple nail art for my nail of the day, filled with glittery goodness from Cirque Glitter Gift Set. I will have a review up for this set very soon! In the mean time, I hope you enjoy this :)

 I'm really liking the dark border on my index and ring nails, but obviously I'm not very good at it yet. I think when done right, it looks very flattering on round/oval shape nails. The glitter gradient on the bordered nails are with Cirque Ica Valley, Stella, and Chainmail. I used only Chainmail on my thumb and pinkie. The glitter on my middle nail are a mixed from Lullaby, XX, and Magic Hour. The black base is Cirque Memento Mori, which is now my favorite black creme. 

 No matter how much I hated the clean up, the end result is worth it. It's probably not the best idea to do this so late at night, I feel these look sloppy! Oh well, they're not perfect, but I like it :)

**products used were provided for review

XO

Novi