Polished by KPT The Basic Series Collection

Hi Everyone! Today I have a post for you which is a few days late, but hopefully better late than never. The Polished by KPT Basic Series Collection launched on Saturday and try as I might I could not find the time to post before the release and give these beauties justice they deserve. The collection features five creamy pastel thermals which are perfect for Spring. Don't let the collection name fool you, there is nothing basic about these thermals. The name implies that they purposefully lack any added glitter, shimmer or glass flecks to let your imagination roam and decorate as you please. I happen to think they are simply beautiful on their own...

Geometric Color Block

Hi Lovelies! I really debated long and hard whether to show you this manicure or not. I totally loved the idea and how it came together, but then I made the mistake of putting my topcoat over fresh, wet polish and everything shrank away from my cuticles, but worst of all from the tips. Ugh, it was so sad to actually watch it shrink right in front of my eyes as I was trying to take photos. I will definitely have to try this one again at some point...

Select Shades of Dance Legend Smoky Collection

Happy Friday everyone! I was recently given a wonderful opportunity to review some Dance Legend shades and I will be showing you my selections from a few of their different collections over the coming weeks. One of the collections that I'm head over heels in love with is the Smoky collection. Despite the fact that I would categorize these as Fall colors, I have been sporting them all week and still can't get enough of them...

Sheer Tints by OPI

Hi Everyone! A little while ago, I showed you my nail art featuring the Sheer Tints by OPI. Today I thought I should share a quick skittle manicure and a few thoughts on these 4 top coats that have been popping up all over the nail art community.

Dotty Dots...

Today I would like to show you a manicure inspired once again by the polish name. I seem to do that a lot. And Ok and I'll confess, the pattern was also inspired by a pair of umm... panties that I have. That's right, in my 30s and I still occasionally sport polka dot panties. LOL! Sorry! I know, TMI! I'm probably going to regret writing this later so let's get back to the mani...

Polished by KPT Color Me Purple...

Hi Everyone! Today I would like to show you this beautiful Polished by KPT thermal lacquer named Color Me Purple. I can't seem to get enough of this gorgeous shade. As you'll see below, I took way too many photos of this beauty, including some *gasp* outside while I visited my parents yesterday. The blooming lilacs made the perfect compliment to this floral shade...

Needle Drag...

Hi Everyone! Today I have another manicure for you that has been unposted for quite some time. I created this while swatching the Nicole by OPI new 2014 lacquers. I have wanted to try needle drag nail art for a while, but my few previous attempts were less than appealing and never even got in front of the camera. This is the first decent one that I've been able to create and although it looks messy, I'm quite proud of it...

365 Days of Color In Full Bloom Spring Collection

Hi Everone! Today I have for you swatches of the Spring collection by 365 Days of Color named In Full Bloom. The collection features sweet pastels with a subtle holographic shimmer and a glitter topper that looks fantastic over any of them! I always love the lighter colors of spring as they are the perfect break between dark winter shades and bright summer ones. This collection really just nails that spring feeling for me and the soft pastels are perfection...

Zoya Naturel Collection

Hi Everyone! Today I would like to show you the Zoya Naturel collection! As the name suggests, the collection features some beautiful natural shades. Sometimes in a world filled with bright colors and glitter, it is so refreshing to see such wonderful soft creamy shades. I found these to be great on their own and also perfect bases for nail art, which I will show you in the coming weeks. For now let's take a look at these beauties...

OPI Mariah Carey Holiday Collection - Liquid Sand

Today I would like to show you the Liquid Sand shades which are part of the OPI Mariah Carey Holiday collection. These beauties pack quite a bit of sparkle which is just perfect for the Holiday season. Who am I kidding, sparkle such as this is welcome any time of year...

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Today I would like to show you a manicure that I created quite a while ago, but have not gotten around to posting. I have been sick the past two weeks and my energy for creating manicures is at an all time low. Luckily this candy filled manicure is just perfect for a day which has become synonymous with candy overload...

OPI Euro Centrale 2013 Collection - Part 1

Today I'm excited to show you the first half of the OPI Euro Centrale Spring/Summer collection. This half contains mostly creams and one gorgeous glitter named polka.com which can be layered over any of them. Did anyone else try to visit polka.com half expecting to see something from OPI? The website disappointed  but these gorgeous lacquers do not...

Shimmer Leslie Stamped

I have been really enjoying stamping over glitter especially with intricate patterns that allow the glitter to peek through in spots. This is another one along those lines. It is not quite as subtle as the last one that I did, but this for me is a much better result...

Shimmer Leslie & Brooklyn

Today is 12-12-12, the last of the major numerical dates for another century. Are you planning anything memorable today? More importantly have you done anything with the past eleven? I really can't say that I have and today will be no different. I plan to dedicate the day to sleep since I'm exhausted after the past week/weekend at work. If you are worried for having nothing special planned than have no fear. According to some numerology experts the real 12-12-12 is in 2019 since 2+0+1+9=12 and by that theory today is just 12-12-5. So relax, enjoy the day and take a look at these Shimmer swatches... ;)

Sunday Stamping: Favorite Stamp

Is it just me or does it seem that every week Sunday comes faster and faster. This week for Sunday Stamping in the group Adventures in Stamping, the challenge was to use a favorite new stamp. To be honest, I don't really have favorites when it comes to a particular stamp. I do have favorite sets that I will reach for vs others when selecting images. It all depends on the mood of the day or an idea. Just in the last month I've gotten the new Mash and Bundle Monster sets as well as the large DashicaBeauty plate, making it really hard to choose a new favorite. They are all excellent quality and I'm still exploring and getting inspired by all the different images :)

Born Pretty Store Dried Flowers Manicure and Review

I received an offer from The Born Pretty Store to review their nail art Dried Flowers. I have been wanting to try these flowers for a while so I couldn't resist. The package contains 12 different flowers, each one in it's own little plastic jar.

Color Club - Alter Ego: Reveal Your Mystery Collection

Thank you so much to everyone that stopped by this weekend to wish this blog a happy 1st birthday. It means so much to me!

Today I have for you swatches of half of Color Club Alter Ego collection. The collection consists of two sets of six colors. One half are the light colors in a set named Reveal Your Mystery. The other half are dark colors and the set is named Keep it Under Cover. I only own the Reveal Your Mystery set of the collection and it is what I'll be sharing with you today. The collection was released in Spring 2011 and just like all of the other Color Club collections that I own, I'm about a year behind in getting to play with them, but better late than never...

Tutorial Tuesday: Freehand Flowers

When I posted this manicure earlier this month, I received lots sweet comments along with a few requests for a tutorial. Before starting the tutorial, I must preface it by saying that I freehanded each flower using a tiny brush and it took much longer than it should have. Since then I realized there is a much easier way to get the same result, so this is how I would make this manicure if I were to do it again...

Zoya Kendal with Freehand Flowers

This is Zoya Kendal and what could possibly be my favorite manicure (of mine) to date. I had an inspiration image for this, but I can't find it right now so if I stubble across it again I will update this post. I started out with Zoya Kendal for the base and added a wide white stripe along the side using Wet 'n Wild French White Creme. Then, using acrylic paint in white and two different shades of purple I added the flowers. Flower centers are using Sinful Color Nail Art in Flower Girl. It reminds me of a china pattern...

UPDATE: Tutorial for this manicure available here!

Zoya Kendal is another sweet full coverage cream. This one is a pale lavender with great application. Two coats plus a top coat for these swatches. Not much more I can say here, just lovely...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Feel, Winter 2011 Color Name/Number: Kendal, ZP594 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Camphor

I'd love to know what you think!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)

Zoya Megan Funky French

Zoya Megan is the third pastel in a lovely winter collection from Zoya. It felt very girly and dainty to me and I needed something light after the gray of yesterday. I stamped using Wet 'n Wild French White Creme and a french tip stamp from Bundle Monster plate BM-220. Since my nails are not long enough for the stamp to be used in the proper direction (plenty long for me), I flipped the image and stamped the line of the stamp along the tip. The stamping turned out very pale, but I like the subtle aspect of it in this case. I added a funky slanted white french tip along the line of the stamp using French White Creme...

Zoya Megan is a pale lavender cream. It is full coverage in two easy coats. I had no problems with applications. Loving the formula and the coverage on these creams so far. This is two coats plus a top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: Zoya Collection: Feel, Winter 2011 Color Name/Number: Megan, ZP593 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Camphor

What do you think of subtle stamping?
I'd love to know what you think!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)