Born Pretty Store Studs Review

Sometimes two colors work so perfectly together that my heart skips a beat when I see the result. That is how I feel about the combination of Barielle Blue Cotton Candy stamped with Sally Hansen Color Quick Pen in Turquoise Chrome. I was actually worried it wouldn't turn out since they looked so similar, but man am I glad to be wrong in this case...

As I mentioned already the base of this manicure is Barielle Blue Cotton Candy from the Sweet Treats collection which I showed yesterday. I stamped over it using the Sally Hansen Color Quick Pen in Turquoise Chrome and the Gals plate GA14...

This was my first time using the recently purchased Gals stamping plates and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. It stamped perfectly...

I accented the manicure with BornPrettyStore.com studs that are available as part of an assortment wheel (Item #5003). The studs are approximately 2mm in diameter and are made out of aluminium so they are very light. They are gold plated on one side and are base metal on the back. I think these are such a fun accent...

The wheel (Item #5003), comes with a variety of different shaped all made out aluminium and plated either in gold or silver. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the other shapes, so you'll be seeing more of these in future manicures...

If you would like to purchase this or anything else form the BornPrettyStore.com, you can use the code AG5J61 for 10% off.

 

I'd love to know what you think of this manicure and the studs! :)

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Some products were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Barielle Sweet Treats for Spring 2013

Barielle Sweet Treats collection offers some beautiful creamy shades for Spring. With names like Green Apple Chew, Banana Drop, Lilac Jelly Bean, Blue Cotton Candy and Orange Parfait my mouth was watering before I even tried them. The collection is set to release on March 1st so here are some swatches to hopefully wet your appetite in the mean time...

Green Apple Chew
A bright chartreuse green cream. Oh, how I used to love those apple chews! Yummy! This polish has a nice creamy formula that is maybe just a touch on the thick side, but very workable. It only needed two coats for full even coverage. Swatches are without a topcoat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Barielle Collection: Sweet Treats, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number:  Green Apple Chew, 5272 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Banana Drop
A baby chick yellow cream. This is really just the sweetest color and one of my weaknesses. It has a nice formula. Similarly to Green Apple Chew it might be just a touch on the thick side, but workable. This was opaque at two coats, but I did use three to get nice even coverage. Swatches are with no top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Barielle Collection: Sweet Treats, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number:  Banana Drop, 5273 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Lilac Jelly Bean
A soft gray lilac cream. This appeals both to my love of gray and of purple and is a definite keeper. The touch of lilac really softens and warms this shade. Formula again is very creamy and just a touch thick. It can work as is or with a few drops of thinner. Swatches are two coats for full opacity with no top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Barielle Collection: Sweet Treats, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number:  Lilac Jelly Bean, 5274 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Blue Cotton Candy
A blue teal cream with silvery shimmer. This is an absolutely gorgeous color. It is a bit more blue than the swatches show. The camera picked up green more than what is really there in real life. Formula is great on this one. It is opaque at just one coat, but I did use two for the swatches since that is what I prefer. At the moment this is my favorite from the collection...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Barielle Collection: Sweet Treats, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number:  Blue Cotton Candy, 5275 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Orange Parfait
A muted coral orange cream. My skin tone usually doesn't do well with coral or orange, but this is perfection. It is a very soft and easy color to wear. Great smooth formula which needed just two coats for full coverage. No top coat used for these swatches...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Barielle Collection: Sweet Treats, Spring 2013 Color Name/Number:  Orange Parfait, 5276 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

What do you think of these shades? Do you have a favorite?

Thanks for looking and commenting!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Tutorial Tuesday: Dotticure

It has been way too long since I've put together a tutorial despite all my good intentions. My boyfriend has been constantly reminding me that I'm not acting on these intentions and need to post more tutorials. I'm still not sure who put him up to it, but instead of trying to figure that out I think there is no better time to make one than now...

After I posted this really quick dotted manicure last week I was quite surprised by the number of people that that thought it was time consuming. Sometimes the simplest things can seem deceivingly complicated and I wanted to show just how quick and easy it is to create this look...

Supplies:

• Two polishes of your choice. I used OPI My Vampire is Buff for the base and I Saw…U Saw…We Saw…Warsaw for the rest
• Dotting tool (or dotting tool alternative)

Steps:

Instructions:

1. Apply desired number of layers of base coat color (OPI My Vampire is Buff pictured here)
2. Using the nail polish brush, paint a thin line along the tip using the 2nd color (OPI I Saw…U Saw…We Saw…Warsaw used for this manicure)
3. Starting in the center of the nail slightly below the tip and working out towards the edge, add dots in a gentle curve
4. Add dots to complete the curve along the nail line
5. Starting at the center of the nail again, add dots as shown above
6. More dots to mirror what was done in step 5...
7. Using the dotting tool add overlapping dots to create a line
8. Still working with the dotting tool, add overlapping dots to create a small oval and two dots.
9. Finish with a top coat and enjoy! 

Note: Starting each time from the center and working out toward the edge helps to ensure that I stay as symmetrical as possible. Whenever I start at the edge it comes out much more lopsided....

Let me know what you think of this tutorial. 

Did I make it look easier or even harder?

I hope you give this a try! Send me a link/photo if you do! I'd love to see it...

As always, don't hesitate to ask questions if something is not clear. 

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

Tips & Tricks: Dotting Tool Alternatives

While trying to put together a tutorial for my recent dotted manicure, I started to think about other things around the house that can be used as dotting tools if one was not available. Here is what I found so far...

• Push pins - these can create very fine dots, just be careful not to pin yourself in the process
• Toothpick or wooden barbecue skewer
• Plastic dental pick
• Mechanical pencil (0.5mm) - I actually use this a lot even when I have a dotting nearby
• Mechanical pencil (0.7mm)
• Paper clip
• Old pen - might not work afterwards, so don't try with a pen you love...
• Small flat head pin - stuck into the eraser end of a pencil to prevent painful pricks...
• Round head pin - also stuck into an eraser...
• Brush handle tip

What other things have you tried making dots with?

Hopefully this is useful for some of you!

Let me know if you are interested in seeing other random tips & tricks for nail art...

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

OPI Euro Centrale Fine China Nail Art...

Playing with the OPI Euro Centrale collection, I couldn't help by want to create a manicure with the ivory and blue shades. I automatically thought of all those beautiful blue and white china patterns for inspiration. My initial thought was to try stamping to replicate some of the more complex patterns and while I will likely do that at some point as well, today I decided on a dotticure of sorts inspired by a plate...

I started out the the beautiful ivory cream base of My Vampire is Buff which I had already worn solo for a day. The tips were lined with I Saw…U Saw…We Saw…Warsaw, a dark blue cream. The rest was done using a dotting and the same blue...

Other than the few smudges after adding a top coat and the imperfection that I need to stop staring at, I really like how it turned out. It looks even better when I hold my hand out at a distance :D

Here is a shot of the inspiration platter, which I found here...

Let me know what you think of this!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **

OPI Euro Centrale 2013 Collection - Part 2

Today I have the rest of the OPI Euro Centrale collection to share with you. If you missed the first half of the swatches, you can see them here. Despite some light colors in the mix, this half of the collection strikes me as the darker, moodier half. Of course that is just fine by me since I'll take a dark vampy cream any day of the week or season...

Hands Off My Kielbasa! - "Get your own...this bronzy tan is all mine!"
A metallic-y tan with a bronze shimmer. Application is good, slight brushstrokes are visible, but the OPI brush really makes it easy to apply. I used two coats with no top coat for these swatches...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Euro Centrale, Spring/Summer 2013 Color Name/Number:  Hands Off My Kielbasa!, NL E77 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

OY–Another Polish Joke! - "So this shimmery-gold walks into a bar..."
A clear base with small yellow gold flakes. Could it be? A bottle filled with the little gold flakes that I love so much especially when mixed with just about any shade. It is sheer on it's own and the nail line is still visible as seen here at three coats. Despite the visible nail line I think it can be worn alone since it is very sparkly and distracting in real life. I also suspect it would look great layered, but I have yet to test that theory...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Euro Centrale, Spring/Summer 2013 Color Name/Number:  OY–Another Polish Joke!, NL E78 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

A Woman’s Prague-ative - "I’m changing this shimmery copper for...never mind!"
A mix of cooper and gold flecks. Overall the polish looks cooper, but at some angles more of the gold comes out. Great formula and very easy to work with. It is opaque at two coats, but I use three to get the full deep color. What can I say other than I'm a sucker for polishes like this...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Euro Centrale, Spring/Summer 2013 Color Name/Number:  A Woman’s Prague-ative, NL E79 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Vant to Bite My Neck? - "You know you want to...wear this deep eggplant."
A rich, dark vampy plum cream. This is very pigmented and nearly opaque at one coat. The formula is smooth and applies very easily. I used two coats to even out the coverage. Swatches are with no top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Euro Centrale, Spring/Summer 2013 Color Name/Number:  Vant to Bite My Neck?, NL E80 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

I Saw…U Saw…We Saw…Warsaw - "Be seen in this deep midnight blue."
A deep dark blue cream. Formula is similar to Vant to Bite My Neck?. It is very pigmented and nearly opaque at one coat, however, I still used two for these swatches. The formula is very creamy and smooth. No problems with applications. Swatches are with no top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Euro Centrale, Spring/Summer 2013 Color Name/Number:  I Saw…U Saw…We Saw…Warsaw, NL E81 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

My Vampire is Buff - "Creamy, pale and nude...just how I like my vampires."
A soft ivory cream. Very delicate and pretty. I applied with light strokes to avoid streaks, otherwise the formula is very nice and creamy. Full coverage in two coats! Yay! This is my absolute favorite from this half of the collection. I can guarantee you'll be seeing nail art with this one sooner rather than later! No top coat for these swatches...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Euro Centrale, Spring/Summer 2013 Color Name/Number:  My Vampire is Buff, NL E82 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

MORE: OPI Euro Centrale - Part 1

Which of these caught your eye?

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

** Polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. **

** For more information please see the disclosure policy **