Pharmacy haul..? LOL

Yep, I found nail polish at our local pharmacy. It would make sense if they sold special polishes for allergics, as they do with cremes and what not, but these were cheap and from a brand I've never heard about (I was actually amazed they even had a name!). It's called Casuelle. If you live in Denmark, like sheer glitter nail polishes best for layering, check out your local Apothek (danish for pharmacy)! I ended up getting a black, teal and transparent holo glitter.

I decided to try them out yesterday, and I started with the black one. As they are very sheer they won't build up opaque, so I used Wet'n'Wild Black creme as base. I was a little disappointed in this black glitter, as it's beautiful in the bottle, but once applied on the nail looks grainy - there's lot of glitter, but it just doesn't shine through. Only in direct light did it show some sparkles, and only after I applied a topcoat.

Casuelle black glitter - no, it's not dust. It's sparkles, lol!

I decided it wasn't sparkly enough for the weekend, so I tried out the teal one on top of it. This is one amazing combo, if you ask me! The glitter is smaller than your average cheap glitter which can look a bit... cheap, and applies real nice and smooth with one coat. It's a sheer teal base too, so it would be awsome for other layering experiments.

Casuelle glitter WIN!

This combo is amazing... The teal coloured glitter is something I don't see every day (and anything that is not your average polish colours in Denmark is neat, lol!)

Now, this would've usually been enough to satisfy my glitter needs, but a quick glance in my nail polish cabinet made me lust for more, lol! So I tried the mini OPI glitter (which I doubt is genuine OPI, btw) I showed you in an earlier post.

It smells so bad. I can't believe OPI would release stuff like that. Seriously, it stinks like PVC or something like that. I was getting dizzy before finishing my 10 nails lol. Other than that, it was great - the glitter applied randomly without too much fuzz.

I had a hard time capturing the big hex glitters properly, but you get the idea with this picture, I think. Half of the glitters didn't show up at all, so it looks like it applied terribly, but trust me - they're there. I gave up taking a proper picture when the sun disappeared. The combo of all these make me think Deborah Lippmann Glitter ♥ Like a teal - blue version of Across the Universe, which is more of a green and blue combo.

What do you think?

I might try to take a better picture tomorrow.. It looks amazing in RL <3

~ Vettelicious

NOTD - jelly grading!

Last night I tried my new Jelly from Butter LONDON - Stroppy. It's a very thin purple jelly with loads of sparkle in it. I saw a jelly mani done by the very talented All Laquered Up using Stroppy and a teal base, and they were a perfect combo, so I decided to dig through my stash and find a teal I hadn't tried so I could do that as well :) I ended up using Ms Jagger Green from pieces, which looks great on its own as well. While this mani is nothing new or something you haven't seen before, I figured I'd still post it, as I am wearing it for a few busy days and won't/didn't have time to blog. I suggest you look up All Laquered Ups wonderful result, as it is a lot better than mine LOL!

I used one coat of NailTek II Basecoat, 2 Coats Jagger Green, 4 coats of Stroppy - each starting a bit closer to the tip. Lastly, I applied Seche Vite. While I love the combination, I'm going to try a lighter green next time - and thinner coats of Stroppy. I'm a little disappointed that the line of each new layer is darker, and I think it might have something to do with how much I applied. Not to mention the wonky lines... But I was too impatient to pull it off any better. I had tried another tricky mani before this which didn't turn out well. 

The sparkle is also not as visible as I would've wanted, which I think can be managed with a lighter base colour. I also didn't wrap the tips that well... but it's hard to do with a jelly!

Anyway, here's the pictures of the result,

flash

flash

natural sunlight

flash

Another time it might be better if I don't try a tricky manicure after I fail the first tricky mani - it's too frustrating and I end up with a result that isn't as great as it could've been. The only consolation I have is that very few notice my nails so if people see them, they see it from a distance and they don't care enough to ask, LOL. ♥

~ Vettelicious

Newest additions incl. prize from nail art contest

Hey!

I don't have much to show you, I've had the worst migraine for a few days and haven't had the energy to do my nails. My Zulu & Nfu Oh mani is still looking great with only minor tipwear, thankfully.

I thought I'd make a post with my recent buys - if you see anything you'd like swatched, throw a comment below and I will do so :) 

First, I received my prize from winning a nail art contest at NegleNymfer ~

Thank you so much girls! I love all of them, the small brights are great for patterns and I was very excited about Sinfull Senorita, which is a holographic polish from H&M! ♥ I'm saving it for a sunny day.

I purchased three of my major lemmings when I found them for sale in the same store - and cheaper than in the brands own stores! I am SO excited about all of them!!

NARS Zulu, Midnight Express, Butter LONDON Jelly Stroppy

I also ordered some cremes from OPI, China Glaze and Essie - along with a Holo from Nubar and Galaxy Girl which I've shown you before ~

Ogre the Top Blue, Feelin' Hot Hot Hot, Jade is the New Black & Who the Shrek Are You?

Pink Underground, Recycle, Galaxy girl, Reclaim & Pretty Edgy

These I bought from a blog sale ~

Bored/Excited, Peaceful/Confident, Flirty/Shy, Sea? I Told You! & Enchanted Forest

I bought these OPI Minis, and I would love to know what they're called. I'm looking forward to trying the middle one, it looks funky!

Can you help me name these OPI Minis?

I have a few other polishes I received a few days ago, but I'll wait with those - some of them will be featured soon! :) I'm sorry I'm currently flashing my hauls more than my nails.. I hope I get over this migraine soon!

~ Vettelicious

Weekend mani ~ Nars & Nfu Oh!

Today I want to share pictures of what I've been and still am wearing this weekend :) I've received a lot of new polishes the past week, but I'll make a separate post showing them - I've bought so much it would make my post too long I think, LOL!

Anyhow, one of the polishes I'm most excited about getting - one of my big lemmings - NARS Zulu ♥ I hadn't tried out Nfu Oh's version when I found it in an english webstore at a very reasonable price (yay!), and decided I'd restrain myself until the real deal came home. And I don't regret it one second! I used three coats and one coat of Seche Vite Topcoat to make it last longer and dry fast.

Big pics for my big love! :D

NARS Zulu - flash

NARS Zulu - natural light, no direct sunlight

NARS Zulu - natural light, no direct sunlight

I don't know if it was because it's a jelly I had a hard time wrapping the tips, but it might be why. And to all of you contemplating if this polish is worth your greens, it def. is! I had very high expectations to the formula, colour and depth and it still made me swoon ♥

Even though this colour is amazing on it's own, I decided to try out my Nfu Oh #56 I bought for the very same purpose - to add sparkles. I'm a glitterholic, I can't help it. I used one coat, took a few pics and then added a layer of Seche Vite to add depth. This difference between adding topcoat and not is more visible RL - it's like comparing the glitter wet and dry.

My middle finger has a spot on the following pics - I've been drawing today and forgot to clean it off before taking pictures, ooops!

NARS Zulu + Nfu Oh #56 - no topcoat, white light

NARS Zulu + Nfu Oh #56 - topcoat, yellowish, indoor light + flash

NARS Zulu + Nfu Oh #56 - topcoat, yellowish indoor light, no flash

Notice the difference in glitter hue - it has a more blue-ish, cold green in the last picture with no flash. I'd love a flakey this colour ♥ #56 is very pretty though, I'm def. satisfied with it. Very easy to apply evenly and great amount of sparkles in just one layer. this polish is going to last me a lifetime!

Edit: Notice how #56 goes from green to blue hue in the bottle? It does too on the nail! I've been looking at the pretty colours all day :)

~ Vettelicious

Moody nails part 2 - bored/excited

It's been a few days since I put on this polish, but I've been busy with work and stuff. It's been a good kind of busy though :)

Anyhow, this time I was in the mood for peach polish - so I grabbed my Moody polish from Claire's called bored/excited. It took three coats for coverage, which is a bit annoying. I prefer two coats, and unless it's an awsome polish worthy of three coats, I don't use three coaters. But it's changing colours! It just might be reason enough to use it again :) I applied one coat of Seche Vite to add shinyness. It dries to a neon matte finish.

Claire's Mood Polish - warm fingers

Getting a bit chilly ~ or should I say excited? LOL

Is this not magical?

FYI - my nails broke before the last picture, so that's why they look a bit sad. On top of that, my pinky and ringfinger is much longer than the rest LOL. They must grow faster as I cut them all in matching length last time!

I have a lot of fun wearing these - watching my nails constantly, LOL. Just like wearing holographics on a dull day and then suddenly catching a ray of sun - it's jaw-dropping!

Today I'm wearing a new colour (this pretty didn't survive my cleaning and dish-washing chores), and it's a very special one - I do miss the colour changing part, I have to admit! I'll put up pics when I've had time to give my cuticles some TLC.

Until then, have fun and enjoy your weekend!

~ Vettelicious

Moody nails + Daddy Gerbil (not for rodent-haters!)

I hope you're all having a fantastic week so far! Mine's been a bit "meh", but my wonderful fiancé and our lovable pets are doing their best at brightening my day ♥ And I want to share a pic with you of our gerbil (danish: ørkenrotte), called Daddy Gerbil - because he made me laugh out loud tonight. You can basically do anything to him while he's eating his favourite treats - these orange yoghurt drops - so I picked him up and he just continued munching! If you gently push him of his hang-bridge (there's what - 3 cm down, him being 8 cm?), he will continue eating while falling, LOL! Don't worry this is not something we practice - it was a mistake that happened once while we were closing his cage.

Anyway, enough babbling, here's a picture of the stunning little critter ~

I cropped it there because.. Let's face it. His genitals are not that interesting! LOL

I received a really nice package today, containing polishes I bought from the sweet owner of Lacquer Ware for Tips and Toes, Chris. The three polishes I am most thrilled about is Moody polishes from Claire's - teal, blue and pink ones! ♥ I couldn't help myself, I've been wanting to try these for ages, so I immediately stripped my nails and applied the teal one, called Confident/Peaceful. I did two coats on my usual base-coat, NailTek II, and it had a wonderful formula and coverage. The brush was not amazing but quite alright, if only the bottle lid had been a bit bigger for me to hold while applying, then it would've been even better. The polish dries to a somehow matte finish, like a neon would.

Here's a picture without topcoat ~ (I haven't used cuticle oil or creme after the mani so my fingers are dry)

2 coats of Claire's Moody polish - Confident/Peaceful

And here's a picture of the same polish with 1 coat of Seche Vite on top - and now my fingers are warm so you can see a difference between the tips and the rest of the nail!

2 coats of Claire's Moody polish - Confident/Peaceful

This is the moody polish with the least effect of the three, and I'm already impressed! I can't wait 'till I get to try the other two :D I've already spotted another one on Ebay I just have to have - but I'm going to wait until I have funds again, ofc, LOL.

I have this annoying nail, the one to the far left - it's not broken as it appears, it's just bending :/ Any tips on making it un-bend or stop it in the future?

That's all I have for you today! Have a great day/evening out there.

♥ Vettelicious

NOTD ~ Galaxy Girl

I received a few packages from Ebay today, and one of them were Orly's Galaxy Girl. Ever since I got the three MAC's Venomous Villain nail polishes, I've wanted a spare of my favourite, Formidable!, and Orly's version is much cheaper and easier to get ahold of so I decided to buy that one. Comparing the two bottles, the glitter specks looks a little more rough in Formidable, but I've seen comparisons of the two and they are close enough to be dupes. I know you've seen this colour a million times, but I can't help but show it off since I want to wear it! :)

Since there's a bit of a collector hidden in me, I also decided to wait with trying this amazing colour until I had the cheaper version - then I can save MACs for a special occasion. I know, nuts :)

I used Orly's Cuticle & Stain remover to prep my nails, then 1 coat of NailTek II base, 2 coats of Galaxy Girl and 1 coat of Seche Vite as topcoat. If you want to be sure to eliminate all bald spots in all knds of light, I'd suggest 3 coats of Galaxy Girl. It's my first Orly polish, and I'm not too crazy about the formula. Very thin and I prefer a thicker, more steady brush like OPI's when applying. Especially thin polishes. Ergo there was a bit of clean up to do afterwards.

Orly Galaxy Girl - warm light

Orly Galaxy Girl - cold light

Orly Galaxy Girl - cold light

In warm light the colour looks warmer/more red, and in cold, dull light it looks more blue. Gorgeous in all aspects, if you ask me :)

~ Vettelicious

Feeling green

Today I decided to slap on some new colour on my nails, having grey/black is neat but I desperately needed some colour to cheer me up! I've been wearing my grey manicure for a few days, I ended up liking it a lot actually, despite the flaws and shape irregularities :)

I recently received a package containing 7 cremes I've wanted for a little while - I've been buying so much glitter that I finally felt like less could be more (and it certainly can). I will get a picture of the haul soon :) Some of the colours I got is Jade Is The New Black and Who The Shrek Are You from OPI and Recycle from China Glaze, and all three are featured in today's simple design. And yep, I'm failing miserably at sticking to my no-more-polish-until-Germany resolution, but it feels so good buying polishes! I love colours, what can I say ♥

After using Orly's cuticle remover, I applied my Nail Tek II base coat, 2 coats of JadeITNB and added several dots with my non-dotting-tool-that-I-use-for-dotting-anyway - tool (LOL) of Shrek and Recycle. Jade is a very calm yet funky green, a great green creme for all kinds of manicures.

Here's the result! I think I'm getting control over my cuticles, pampering them like babies for the past few days they are starting to behave better LOL. If only I could get my middle finger nail shaped as the rest of them, it looks so square around the cuticles. Any advice, or do I just live with it?

My nails looks like they have several different lengths! I blame the crooke way I held my fingers.

OPI Jade Is The New Black

I really need to learn to place my fingers better! They are either pressing down too hard or placed wierd. Maybe I'm just not meant to do bottle shots LOL.

I applied the top coat (Seche Vite) too soon after the base of Jade and again after the dots, so there's a billion of small air bubbles. Thankfully Seche does a great job smoothing them out at least.

Friday there was a lovely rainbow outside our kitchen window, I took a picture so I could share it on a rainy day (and today sure has been!). :)

Rainbow! I was looking for the My Little Pony writing when I first saw it ;)

And last but not least, welcome to my new readers! There's already 15 people who thinks my blog is worth reading, I'm very flattered ♥

~ Vettelicious

I haz happy cuticles! :D incl. NOTD

A big thank you to RijaH for showing me THIS amazing tutorial / how-to, I decided to focus on my cuticles yesterday and use my cuticle remover for real this time. And I'm pretty pleased with the result! I also used cuticle oil 3 or 4 times during yesterday and today, as Serena kindly advised me to try in addition to hand cream :) Next up is ordering some Lemony Flutter and Essie nail polish remover, but that will have to wait until next month. I will continue using cuticle oil once a day until then. I will also leave a little extra space between the cuticles and nail polish line so it's easier to pamper 'em, LOL!

I couldn't help myself when I was grocery-shopping yesterday, and I went into Matas (a beauty store)... And I went out with a new polish. It's a gorgeous grey, and when I got home I decided to line 'em all up and see if I've really been hoarding these as I suspected.

Moviestar, Miss Grey, Londons Weather Forecast, #666 *new*, Raindrops, no-name & Happy Grey

I don't think it's that bad, I thought I had more grey tones! Anyway, #666 is my first polish from Nilens Jord, a grey creme with subtle silver shimmer. It's leaning towards a blue tone, which I think is stunning. I used two coats, although one thick coat could've done the trick. Nilens Jord is 3-Free. If you ask me, this is the kind of colour Chanel should've done instead of the baby blue and pink!

I'm sorry that I don't have any good lighted (?) pictures to show you, but it's incredibly dark and dull these days. I hope my bathroom pics will do for now.

#666, pic taken with flash

#666, no flash and very blurry. At least you can see the shimmer in the bottle, eh?

And today I decided to try out my dotting tool for the first time... And I failed miserably. I thought it was idiot-proof but apparently I'm a moron! I can't even make even sized dots, LOL! I think the design looks good on distance, and if done better, would look amazing. I was inspired by a tutorial done by the talented girl at Daily Nail. My dotting tool is however much smaller so I did them a lot closer to each other, and then I didn't think the coloured accents wouldn't look good so I settled for three white as added detail.

I'd better go invest in some proper dotting tools...

~ Vettelicious

Cuticles - a rant, and a plea for help

My cuticles are annoying me. They look horrible! Not only have I decided that I will only do a new manicure every other day from now on. It's not like I usually do one daily, but in periods I do and I would've loved to continue that. I'm even more annoyed that my cuticles look horrible on my pictures and sometimes it prevents me from showing manicures and close-ups.

I use cuticle oil (China Glaze peppermint, yum!) daily, and have for a week. Maybe I'm just not patient enough LOL. I don't think it's the nail polish that is drying them out as I don't spill much, I'm pretty sure it's a combination of the weather, nail polish remover and the fact that my work is hard on my fingers that's causing it. And I wash my hands constantly as I'm pretty anal with hygiene. 

I'm currently using a nail polish remover with oil to prevent this from being the cause, but it doesn't help *sigh* Do you have any cremes, oils, polish removers you' recommend? I don't mind paying for a higher end brand if it can help.

I wish I had a fancy manicure to show you, but I decided not to do one even though I'm tired of my princess pink manicure. Darned be those cuticles, yaaargh!

~ Vettelicious

NOTD - can't wait for Teenage Dream from OPI!

Today I decided to try out a nail polish my mom gave me this weekend - it was in a nail gift set with two other polishes, a nail file and top coat. It was really sweet of her to think of me when she saw it, and as soon as she gave it to me I knew why ♥ She knows I love glitter! Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the gift set so that will have to wait until I try out another one of the three. But here is todays nail polish! I am sorry for the crappy yellowed pics today, but I've been in bed with the nastiest migraine from the moment I was off work. If I have the time tomorrow before work, I might snap a few with better light.

I call it "Want to be a Teenage Dream" - isn't it lovely?

And this is the polish I thought of as soon as I saw it... Teenage Dream from the upcoming Katy Perry collection from OPI! ♥

Teenage Dream - pic snatched from OPI press release video on Youtube

I could see that it (my new polish, not the real TD) was really sheer and not the buildable kind, so I decided to find a sweet pink base and use it as a layering polish. And I am glad I did! It took me two coats to build the glitter you see on the pictures... And I was tempted to put on even more! I used 2 coats of GOSHs Sweet Rose as base.

natural bathroom light

flash

blurryfied for added sparkles!

My opinion? A beautiful glitter, perfect for layering - but I was hoping it would make me content until Teenage Dream is released. But no, now I'm waiting even more excited for the real deal!

~ Vettelicious

MLP nail art design

I have some great news that I want to share - I entered a nail art contest at Neglenymfernes blog and I won! I couldn't believe it when I checked my reader and saw my pictures featured. I'm so excited!

Now that the contest is closed I want to share the design I made with you as well :) I spend a long time thinking about what theme to do, and I ended up doing a manicure inspired by my toy love - My Little Pony. 

I used Ados #547 as base (I love this polish!) and a LOT of different polishes for the design. Too many to list here, LOL. If there's a specific colour you're interested in, ask in the comments and I'll dig it out :) I used nail art pens and a nail art brush to paint the details. Topped it off with 1 coat of Seche Vite to even out the bumps and add gloss to the finish.

And without further ado, the pictures! I hope you like it! :)

My Little Pony inspired nail-art

My Little Pony inspired nail-art

My Little Pony inspired nail-art - close-up

My most detailed nail-art, but def. not the last! I love free-hand painting, the possibilities are endless!

~ Vettelicious

This month's big haul!

My parents invited me on a trip next month to visit my brother in Germany, I can't wait! It's been a while since he was home in DK to visit us, and there's still a long time 'till christmas, so it's awsome to be able to see him sooner! I'm meant to save for the trip (and I am doing my best!), but of course a "few" nail polishes has found their way home to my stash... A lot of new brands I've never tried, some I've been dying to try.. and some because you grab 'em when you get the chance! I have one more package on the way, but I swear it's the last I'm getting for November. 

I forgot to take pics of my two new bottles of China Glaze Peppermint cuticle oil, but both the one the seller resend and the spare I bought arrived without breaking! *phew* So now I have deliciously smelling oil for my poor cuticles :) I can see improvement already, but I'm going to use it daily until I'm satisfied.

I've also received a lot of nail art goodies, such as 60 cheap nail art pens, the little haul I bought from Mardys makeup shop, rhinestones, beads and detail brushes I'll be using for my future nail art. I made a pretty funky design Thursday, which I'm still wearing, but it's for a nail art contest and I won't show you before it's over. I sure won't win but the design means something for me so it'll be good to be able to share it anyway ;)

This post would be pretty boring without pics of my newest nail polishes, wouldn't it? Let's get on with it!

First, Mardy's daughter Mandy kindly offered to pick up some nail polishes from my wishlist I can't get online or in DK. I've been drooling over these, especially Choose Me ever since I saw them the first time online this summer. I'm ver so grateful she helped me out, thank you so much Mandy! ♥

These might not be high-street insanely hard to get and expensive, but to me they're just as amazing.

Essence NA Twins Bonny & Clyde, Thelma & Louise, Essence Choose Me! and Moviestar

And here's bottle close-ups of the glitterfilled pretties!

Clyde

Louise

Choose Me!

Next up is a package from Illamasqua, including two nail polishes I have been drooling over. I allowed myself to splurge and buy Raindrops since I've literally been thinking about it ever since I saw a post on Nihrida's awsome blog. This polish has, no kidding, been haunting me in my dreams. When I was going to order anyway, I decided this little pretty shouldn't have to travel all by itself, and I've had a good eye to Rampage, so I ordered it as well.

Also featured in this picture is my very first polishes from the amazing brand Nfu-Oh. And they are definately not my last. I have been lemming NARS' Zulu, and decided to get Nfu-Oh's #569, a green jelly that looks somewhat similar (and I will have to fight the supposedly bad application when the time comes. An awsome colour is worth it!). My fiancé was so sweet to offer t pay for it, so I decided to order one of their famous flake polishes as well! ♥ My choice fell on #56, which looks amazing with #569.

Nfu-Oh #56, #569, Illamasqua Rampage & Raindrops

And again, here's bottle-closeups of the sparkly pretties!

Illamasqua Raindrops

Nfu-Oh #56

Last, but certainly not least, a great find from a "sell your old clothes & misc" site... Polishes that I have been drooling over - both colour-wise and name-wise, they have so brilliant names! plus they're insanely sparkly! I was so bummed when I found out they're virtually impossible to get. Well now I get to cross almost all of them off my wantlist!! ♥

Behold...

China Glaze's awsome OMG collection!! And 6 of the best colours, even so! I still can't believe they're mine. The girl that was selling them actually had a few more from the series, but I couldn't allow myself more than 6, so I took the ones I like the most :) Maybe I can go back after the rest later... *looks in empty wallet*

OMG, BFF, IDK, LOL, 2NITE & DV8

My favourites name-wise are LOL and OMG. Both are expressios I use too often ;) Colourwise, DV8 has stolen my heart - I love everything turquoise, teal and blue-green!

I paid about 10-12$ each, and they have been used on 1-10 nails one time each. I don't know if it's outrageously expensive and it was in fact her that made a good deal LOL but I don't care. I wanted them so badly!

I hope you enjoyed my post, even though I have no new nails to share! If there's one or more of the colours I've shown you'd like to see swatched in a certain combo, LMK! I don' know where to start anyway! ;)

Have a greet weekend!

~ Vettelicious