NOTD : CCO Shellac Review

So in continuing the pink theme for this week's posts, I thought I'd feature my current nails.

For Christmas last year, Liam's sister gifted me some gorgeous UV nail colours to add to my collection.  I've previously used CND (the original) and also Bluesky Shellacs, and whilst I find that CND is clearly the best quality of the two, it can get very costly.

The opacity of Bluesky is quite poor, and requires quite a few layers.  Once you've managed to get it to the desired thickness however, the quality is quite good and will last a good couple of weeks, chip-free.  Unfortunately, it stays on so well that it is an absolute nightmare to remove.  I've tried the foil wrap method as well as soaking my nails in pure acetone, and it never seems to turn flakey like it should.  For that reason, I avoid using it too often as I can't bear the thought of trying to remove it.

I was excited to test out this CCO brand, which is quite a clear copy of the CND.

As you can see, the boxes and packaging are all quite similar. Unfortunately, that's about where the similarity ends.  For my first time testing this brand, I chose a brilliant pink shade, and applied to the whole nail, using about 2 - 3 coats of colour.  Whilst it looked great, and had that brilliant shine that comes with UV nail polish, it lasted only 3 days before chipping off!

I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, and tried it again, this time pairing it with a hardier Bluesky polish to achieve this pink tipped look.

Apologies for the bad lighting! It really does look much better in sunlight! 

Whilst I was thrilled with the results to start with, I am disappointed that just a week later I'm already sporting three chipped nails.  The one pro of this nail polish however, is that it comes off very easily! A quick soak (less than 5 minutes) in acetone will leave it in flaky little chunks which can be scratched off with an orange stick. 

I suppose, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for!  There are plenty of shellac dupes out there at the moment, but for quality you just can't go past the original.

Yellow on Yellow!

This post is for the lovely Ling, over at Pork Chop's Nest.

A while back, Ling wrote this post about all things neon yellow.  One of her concerns was house yellow nail polish would suit yellow skin.  Whilst I'm no expert in all things neon, I did conveniently have a little bottle of NYC glow worm tucked away, which is one of the brightest yellows you ever did see!  I had never tried it before, and thought it was time to break it open to try and assist.

I couldn't quite capture the true colour via photos, so took a couple of snaps in different lighting to try and give a proper idea!

The shade was an extremely bright yellow, much more neon that Ling had posted on her blog, but I thought this might help give an idea.  I've applied two coats of colour and no base coat as I was not planning on keeping this colour on.

Looking at the photos, I actually don't think it looks too bad.  However, when I looked at my actual nails in real life it didn't seem to work.  Do you remember in primary school when you used to draw on your nails with highlighters and pretend you were wearing nail polish? No? Maybe it's just me... but this is vaguely what it reminded me of!  I suppose the fact that I was doing it in the office rather than for a night out or whatever might have been part of the issue too.  I'm sure if it was for a night out and I was wearing an outfit that might match or complement might have made a huge difference.

Anyway, Ling, sorry I couldn't be more helpful but I hope that gives you somewhat of an idea! :) xx

Cheap OPI on COTD!

Just in case you didn't know, there's cheap OPI going on Catch of the Day!

I'm not sure when the deal ends, but at the time of publishing this, almost all colours are still in stock. Shipping is $5.95 per bottle, but is capped at $10 so is great if you're after a few different colours!

I am a little way of Catch of the Day, based on what I've heard and a couple of experiences - they've really let their standards drop lately! However, it still seems to be a cheap way of getting a bargain if you're not in a hurry.

If you're after a bargain on OPI, why not have a look?


PS - don't forget my mini-giveaway! :) xx

50 + Mini Giveaway!

So, this here is my 50th blog post! 

Only a few short months ago, I sat down at my computer to write my very first post.  These days, I try to post at least each weekday, and it's funny how blogging can consume your life! Every time I do anything now, I think about my blog and try to take pictures so I can share with my lovely followers!
Who, by the way, I am grateful for each and every one! I really appreciate everyone of you who stops by to read and leave some comment-love.

I wanted to commemorate this milestone with a giveaway to thank all you lovely people!

I know it's not much - it's been a busy couple of weeks, and I have been terribly disorganised so didn't have time to sort it out properly! But I managed to rustle up a few items, and I hope you enjoy them!

 Giveaway One!

First up are these cute 3D Nail Decals! I think they'd look fantastic on some brightly colored red nails, which the black would stand out against and the white would just pop!

Giveaway Two!!

Next we have these cute little touch screen pens! You can't see it in the above photo, because I was stupid with my photo-taking, but there is a little line of diamantes around the centre of the purple pen too.  The little black plugs fit perfectly into any headphone jack, so you can hang it off your phone or iPad easily accessible for whenever you might need.  I'm giving these away separately, so do let me know if you want one of these! Look how cute they are... you absolutely need one of these!

Giveaway Three!!!

Last but not least, I have this set of NYC polishes! These nail polishes are the same as the ever-popular Ulta3 range, just with different names and packaging.  Thanks to the wonderful More Nail Polish blog, I can tell you the Ulta3 equivalent of all three of these nail polishes that I have available to give away!

Goblin = Jelly

Glow worm = Citris

Gelati = Tahiti

So there you have it! My very first giveaway.  Is anyone keen?

To enter, here is what you have to do! 

1. Become a follower of this blog via Google Friend Connect
2. Leave a comment letting me know if you want to win any (or all!) of the above giveaways!
3. Include your email or blog address, so I can get in touch if you win!
4. Make sure you live in Australia
5. Do all of the above by 12pm AETD on Friday 10th February!

 Winners will be picked at random, so good luck! And again, THANK YOU for reading! xx

NOTD - Belated Happy Australia Day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Australia Day!

We hosted a BBQ bash, and then headed up to Big River for a camping weekend away! :)

I had ideas in my head for lovely Australia Day themed nails, but underestimated how much preparation I would need to do for the BBQ and how time-consuming it would be!  I do this every single time, and end up rushing to the shower just as guests are starting to arrive.

I've had to switch my photo-taking hand, due to a nail-breakage injury that my regular model has suffered :(

The initial plan was to do up a stencil for the Union Jack on the thumb, and another for little stars that would make up the Southern Cross on each nail.  After a few attempts at getting the base colours perfect, only to ruin them during the preparation process for the party I gave up and just used an old bottle of OPI glitter that I found stashed away (red, blue and silver mixture - perfect colours!) and painted the Union Jack freehand.

Not quite as I'd hoped, but still received plenty of compliments from my party guests! :)

How did you spend your Australia Day?

NOTD

Thought I'd try some brightly-coloured party nails to get me in the mood for the New Years festivities! I love the bright happy colours so much I've decided to keep them as long as they'll last!

Yep, I broke my nail on my pointer finger. Devastated :(

Nails of the Day

Base colour is Ulta3's classic red :)

Nails of the Day

When I'm having a bad hair day, or a fat day, or just feeling a bit ick in general, a nice new coat on my nails always helps boost my mood a little!

I love doing my nails, and will usually switch around and play with colours when I'm bored.

I get very impatient in waiting for them to dry though, as you can see below I was a little impatient in between layers, so they're not quite right!

11/11/11

Lucky colours for my uncle's wedding! Red & gold - like a Chinese red packet! :)

Clearly not lucky for me though - on the morning of the wedding I sliced my finger, requiring four stitches! If you're looking for new knives though, may I suggest Scanpan? They cut through anything, I've learnt.

They interviewed the happy couple for a segment on The Project too! 5 seconds of fame... 

Hopefully my lucky nails bring them better luck than it has me!

Oh, and to add so I don't seem completely self-absorbed! We did have a minute's silence at 11am. 

Lest we forget.