Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!! Wow, it feels like forever since I've posted anything. I only have three real resolutions for this year and that one is definitely on there. I want to get back into my regular posting schedule and keep coming up with more and better ideas. I want to get and succeed at my dream job. And last but not least I want to keep eating healthy, continue my workout schedule, and keep losing weight. I lost over 30 pounds in about 1.5 years — most of that this year. Yay me!! I still have another 10-20 pounds to lose (continuing in a healthy, non-obsessive way) to reach my goal weight. Wish me luck. :)

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Happy New Year tape taped red gold glitter shimmer James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me Goldeneye OPI Skyfall Collection metallic flaky flakies holiday 007

Now, onto the post. One of my Christmas gifts this year was 'Get Bonded' a three piece nail polish gift set. It contained The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldeneye, and Skyfall — all three from the OPI Skyfall Collection, their James Bond holiday collection. I decided to use Goldeneye and The Spy Who Loved Me in a tape mani for New Year's. Wow, this mani was stunning!!! I left it on for four days. For a girl who changes her polish daily, sometimes multiple times a day, this shows just how much I loved this mani.

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Happy New Year tape taped red gold glitter shimmer James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me Goldeneye OPI Skyfall Collection metallic flaky flakies holiday 007

Honestly, I had every intention of passing on this collection. Looking at the swatches I didn't see anything truly stunning and worth searching for. Boy was I wrong!! I am so glad I got this as a gift. I couldn't manage to capture the true magnificence of Goldeneye. This picture gives an idea of the range of gold shades this glitter captures. The glitter was odd, kind of chunky and flaky, almost a metallic and went opaque for me in just two coats. It's not like any other glitter in my collection which is awesome!!

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Happy New Year tape taped red gold glitter shimmer James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me Goldeneye OPI Skyfall Collection metallic flaky flakies holiday 007

Here is another shot of Goldeneye before I started taping. This picture washes out the color but gives you a better look at the chunky quality of the glitter. I can't get over how close I came to missing this glitter, of choosing not to get it. How silly of me!!

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Happy New Year tape taped red gold glitter shimmer James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me Goldeneye OPI Skyfall Collection metallic flaky flakies holiday 007

I am equally as happy to own The Spy Who Loved Me. These polishes went on beautifully, look amazing together, and lasted the four days with not a hint of a chip. I did need to take a chisel to my nails to get Goldeneye off. It's misleading, looking so flaky and metallic. It makes you forget it's a glitter at heart. I think maybe it's harder to remove than regular glitters. I scrubbed and soaked and still had patches that just wouldn't come off. They're actually still there, like little golden bruises on my nails.

You've heard my resolutions; what things do you hope, wish and/or promise to do in 2013?

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Vuoden 2012 suosikkilakkaukset

Kokosin tähän taas vuoden mielestäni kivoimmat ja hienoimmat lakkaukset, siis sellaiset mistä itse pidin eniten :) Edellisen vuoden listauksen voit käydä kurkkaamassa täältä. Kertokaahan toki omatkin suosikkinne! :p


Nämä ystävänpäiväksi käsinmaalatut sydänkynnet olivat minusta tosi suloiset ja samalla pirteät pinkin neonlakan ansioista. Sydämiä oli muistaakseni myös hauska maalailla. Tästä pääset Cute Pink Hearts postaukseen.


Tämä lakkaus oli aika yksinkertainen, mutta niin halusinkin sen olevan. Tuo kaunis vihreä duocrhome lakka Misa Phazers oli tämän lakkauksen juju. Tästä pääset kurkkimaan lisää kuvia siitä -> Stunning Green Duochrome.


Sitten oli tietenkin tämä ehkä koko vuoden ihanin lakkaukseni eli Skittle pilvimani Tins lakoilla. Olin juuri saanut arvonnassa voittamani ihanat japanilaiset Tins lakat ja pilvimanit nyt vain ovat niin ihania! 


Tämä sailoriteemaa henkivä lakkaus oli aika työn ja tuskan takana, mutta niin sen arvoinen! En olisi millään halunnut enää poistaa näitä kun ne sitten olivat kynsillä, hehe. Little Sailorish Bling postauksesta voit käydä lukaisemassa miten nämä toteutin ja kurkkaamassa inspiraatiokuvat :)


Tämä lakkaus olikin sitten airbrush laitteeni ensimmäinen kokeilu. Tykkäsin tästä lopputuloksesta hurjasti ja olisi kiva pystyä käyttämään tätä airbrush tekniikkaa useammin, mutta sabluunoiden pitäminen paikallaan ja laitteella ruiskuttaminen ei nyt vain oikein onnistu omille kynsille. Kaksi kättä kun vain omistan :/ Tässähän käytin siis teippiä tämän kuvion aikaan saamiseksi.Tämän keväisen lakkauksen postaukseen pääset siis täältä.


Aah, ihana oranssi China Glaze Riveting ♥  Pitääkin päästää se taas lähiaikoina kynsille, tai no viimeistään keväällä! :D Huomaako tästä lakkauksesta, että kesä oli jo ihan nurkilla? :p Siirry tästä Pirteän oranssit kesäkynnet postaukseen.


Leikkisä pilkullinen pastelliväreillä toteutettu lakkaus oli mielestäni hauska ja helppo toteuttaa. Pilkkupostaukseen pääset tästä -> Pastellista palloillua.


Kesällä on vaan niin kiva lakata kynnet oranssilla :D Tällä kertaa yhdistin sen pinkkiin, puolikuumaniin ja kultaisiin nastakoristeisiin. Postaus: Värikäs puolikuumani Bollywood vivahteella.


Ihana fishtail mani, johon neonkeltainen Nabi lakka toi kesäistä pirteyttä :) Postauksen näistä kynsistä löydät täältä -> Keltaisia kaaria.


Kuten kädessä olevasta lapusta varmaan huomaa, niin osallistuin tällä lakkauksella Tyttö ilman helmikorvakorua blogin kilpailuun, jossa piti toteuttaa meikki tai kynnet inspiroituneen uudesta Dot by Marc Jacobs hajuvedestä. Voittoa ei tällä kertaa tullut, mutta tykkäsin kyllä silti tästä lakkauksesta kovasti. Dot by Marc Jacobs kilpailukynnet postauksesta voit käydä kurkkaamassa kynsikuvien lisäksi kuvat itse tuosta Dotin kauniista pullosta.


Tämäkin lakkaus oli itseasiassa yhtä kilpailua varten toteutettu. Aiheena oli blogin nimen mukaisesti pilvihattaraa ja halusin lakkaukseen siis pilviä, mutta en kuitenkaan taas pilvimania. Keksin sitten tehdä tälläiset "puolikuupilvet" :D


Halloweeniksi tein ihan ensimmäisen ruffian lakkaukseni ja koristelin sen pikkuveljeni kammottavilla Warhammer pelin siirtokuvilla. Tämän lakkauksen postaukseen pääset tästä -> Halloween Ruffian.


Kauneusmessujen jälkeen piti päästä heti testailemaan uusia lakkalöytöjä ja tässä merellisen sinivihreässä liukuvärjäyksessä sain käytettyä niistä kolmea! :D Aivan tosi kauniita sävyjä mielestäni eli tykkäsin näistä kovasti! 


Nämä pikkujouluja varten taiteilemani kimaltavat juhlakynnet olivat mielestäni myös onnistuneet ja pidin noista kultaisista kuvioista kovasti :) Zoyan talvilakoilla toteutetun lakkauksen postaukseen pääset tästä -> Zoya Ornate kokoelma ja pikkujoulukynnet.

Huh, olipas tässä parhaimpien lakkauksien kokoamisessa ja linkittämisessä taas hommaa! Ja se valinnan vaikeus :D Noh, nyt se on tehty ja on se itsekin kiva palauttaa mieleen vanhoja lakkauksia ja nähdä nämä valitut koottuna samaan postaukseen. ...Nyt ei ole enää montaa tuntia siihen kun täytyy hyvästellä vuosi 2012 ja ottaa vastaan vuosi 2013. Uusivuosi ja uudet kujeet vai miten se meni :p Iloista uuttavuotta siis kaikille!!! 

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Jouluna punaista, piparminttua ja piparia


Tässä nyt viimein nämä minun tämän vuoden joulukynteni :) Halusin jollakin tavalla lakkaukseen piparminttutangon raitoja ja jotain muuta makoisaa, mutta en kuitenkaan ihan joka kynteen. Punaista siis piti olla, mutta ei kuitenkaan välttämättä sellaista ihan kirkkaan punaista. Päädyin käyttämään uutta kimaltelevaa tummanviininpunaista Zoya Blaze lakkaa esittelmästäni Ornate kokoelmasta ja se sopikin mielestäni täydellisesti näihin :) Olisihan Blaze ollut ihana myös kokonaisena lakkauksena, mutta tällä kertaa tein muihin kynsiin ranskiksen ja vain nimettömät lakkasin kokonaan punaisiksi. Näissä kuvissa Blaze näyttää pikkuisen liian lämpimältä ja vivahtaa luonnossa hiukan enemmän liilaan. Ranskiksen pohjalla läpinäkuultavana lakkana oli tällä kertaa valkoinen essie allure, jota laitoin yhden kerroksen. 


Muotoilin ranskalaiset kärjet siis Zoyan omalla siveltimellä, mikä sujui aika kivasti. Pari kerrosta tätä lakkaa meni per kynsi. Kaikki tähän mennessä kokeilemani Ornate lakat ovat levittyneet ihanan helposti ja ovat  olleet helppoja käsitellä :) Blaze kerrosten kuivattua otin käsiini jo hiukan kuivahtaneen valkoisen Striper Rite nail art lakkani (nyyh, pitää katsoa mitä sille voisi tehdä) ja vedin viivat nimettömään ja peukalon tippiin. Tässä välissä laitoin kynsiin kerrokset pikakuivattavaa ja lähdin joulun viettoon :p Myöhemmin illalla koristelimme yhdessä siskoni kanssa kyntemme vielä jouluisilla tarroilla :) En tiedä miksi tarrojen vihreät osat toistuivat näissä kuvissa turkooseina, mutta ne olivat siis ihan vihreät oikeasti. Nämä tarrat voitin jo viime vuonna Passion for Nails blogin arvonnasta ja nyt ne viimein pääsivät käyttöön :p Tosi suloisia mielestäni :) Suosittelen muuten tuota pikakuivattavan käyttämistä ennen tarrojen laittoa, jos vain on aikaa. Silloin tarroja pystyy yleensä vielä vähän siirtelemään lakkausta pilaamatta, kun tarra ei tartu märkään lakkaan kiinni :) Mitä pidätte lakkauksesta? Pähkäilen tällä hetkellä täällä miten koristelisin uudenvuoden kynteni :/ Onko teillä jo huomisen lakkaukset valmiina? Vinkkejä ja ideoita saa antaa :)

Striper Rite valkoinen nail art lakka, essie allure, 
Zoya Blaze ja joulutarroja

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Then and Now: Week 8

Hey everyone! Hope you're all well, I must say I can't wait for this period between christmas and new year to be over, it always feels so odd! 

So today's 'challenge' is just a simple floral design, I'm still feeling a bit unwell and there isn't much to say about these nails, both times I used Revlon - Mad About Mango and both times I used a dotting tool, but as you'll see they photographed completely differently! More after the jump




I think part of the problem with the photographing is that I used to only paint one coat each time, and they are a lot darker in real life now I used 3, but even still they're very orange, not red!


Let me know what you think in the comments! Alice



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Trying out the pens again!

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a fantastic christmas, mine was lovely but unfortunately now I feel really ill and working with nail varnish tonight really hasn't helped! Anyway, today I decided to try out using pens for nail art again, I got a lot of questions about them last time so here is where to get them if you're interested. They're also the only pens I'll ever use for writing for some reason because I love them so much!

I thought it would be nice to do something using China Glaze 'Something Sweet' which I've wanted to use again for a while. I was going to do some more paisley print but I didn't think you guys would want to see the same design again, at least not for a while! So I decided to do some flowers, and although they looked pretty good plain I decided to add a bit of Barry M Gold Foil, and now I kind of wish I'd added white too but I still quite like them.



Hope you like them! Alice

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Collana e orecchini "pink holobutterfly"







Collana e orecchini in gel uv interamente realizzati e dipinti a mano...
(senza nichel/nichel free)
dettagli: swarovski e perline

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Collana "snowflake gold and brown"




Collana in gel uv interamente realizzata a mano...
(senza nichel/nichel free)
Dettagli: Swarovski e fiocco di raso

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Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate. To the rest ... Merry Whatever You (do or do not) Celebrate. :)

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Merry Christmas holiday Santa suits suit face red white wet n wild I red a good book L.A. Colors gold Maybelline Bold The Grinch Who Stole Christmas green fur furred furry textured texture Revlon Garden heart two sizes too small hat

In this late night Christmas post I bring you ... me in a Santa hat and two nail arts!!!

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Merry Christmas holiday Santa suits suit face red white wet n wild I red a good book L.A. Colors gold Maybelline Bold The Grinch Who Stole Christmas green fur furred furry textured texture Revlon Garden heart two sizes too small hat

I really didn't have time to be doing this mani on Christmas morning ... but I did it! It's messier than what I can usually do, but I call it a job well done when you take into consideration it was completed in about an hour and a half with next to no dry time (and no top coat) before I had to begin getting ready. I felt very accomplished when I walked out the door with only one smudge and one crinkle, both on my right hand.

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound Merry Christmas holiday Santa suits suit face red white wet n wild I red a good book L.A. Colors gold Maybelline Bold The Grinch Who Stole Christmas green fur furred furry textured texture Revlon Garden heart two sizes too small hat

Don't worry if you're a Christmas Grinch, I have a mani for you too!! This was inspired by the Grinch of course. The green 'furry' texture and the heart two sizes too small. :) This was actually my mani nearly all week before Christmas. I wore it Christmas shopping because I was certainly a Grinch.

So, did you get everything you wanted for Christmas this year?

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Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012

After being iced in and not being able to get the mail for the past few days I was so excited to find the Influenster Holiday VoxBox (my very first VoxBox) in my mailbox this morning. I will be doing reviews for everything in this box sooner or later, but until then I want to share my excitement with you so I'm going to take you through opening the box. :) Forgive me for some of the lower quality pictures. My reviews should have better ones.

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Upon opening the box there are two cards and a little something peeking out under them.

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A closer look at the top card shows it to be an intro card showing this is the Holiday VoxBox 2012. Is it wrong that my favorite part of this card is the Christmas ornament dotting the 'i'?

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At least until you flip it over. The flip side of this card shows everything contained in the box, a quick description, and the retail value. I like the surprise, so I tossed this card aside quickly. This picture was taken after I examined every inch of the box first.

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The second card is from Sole Society giving me $25 off my first pair of shoes from them. I've been a member of this website for almost as long as they've been open! For those who haven't found this website yet, Sole Society is a website that sells on-trend designer shoes at affordable prices. I gaze longingly at the shoes every time I get an email from them, but no matter how affordable by designer standards these shoes are I simply don't have the money to buy any of them. I will enjoy using this $25!

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound beauty review reviews Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012 Christmas Sole Society shoes designer on trend Quaker Real Medleys fruit apple cranberry walnut oatmeal NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Lipgloss lips lipstick Nude brown shimmer Kiss Nail Dress leopard stickers EBOOST natural dietary supplement green tea extract energy drink Pink Lemonade Goody Quik Style paddle brush hairbrush microfiber complementary free product review

Flipping this card over shows the promo code to get this discount and lets me know I can share it with you! Check out their shoes and use the promo code INFLUENSTER25 to get $25 off your purchase too. I think this is beyond cool. I think we should all give Sole Society a great big thank you!!

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Removing both cards gives me my first look at the products. So much excitement I'm going to burst like an over-inflated balloon!!!

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound beauty review reviews Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012 Christmas Sole Society shoes designer on trend Quaker Real Medleys fruit apple cranberry walnut oatmeal NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Lipgloss lips lipstick Nude brown shimmer Kiss Nail Dress leopard stickers EBOOST natural dietary supplement green tea extract energy drink Pink Lemonade Goody Quik Style paddle brush hairbrush microfiber complementary free product review

I can't resist the call of pink; it's my favorite color after all. This is from EBOOST and according to the info card it will boost your mood, focus, and immunity with natural ingredients and no crash. Great for the holiday season! The only downside to me is that it's pink lemonade flavor. I hate lemonade! I hate it so much I refuse to even buy a glass of lemonade from my niece's lemonade stand because then I'd be forced to drink it while making yummy sounds. For the review I think I'll see how well it dissolves and the scent. Maybe I'll even be brave enough to take a sip.

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound beauty review reviews Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012 Christmas Sole Society shoes designer on trend Quaker Real Medleys fruit apple cranberry walnut oatmeal NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Lipgloss lips lipstick Nude brown shimmer Kiss Nail Dress leopard stickers EBOOST natural dietary supplement green tea extract energy drink Pink Lemonade Goody Quik Style paddle brush hairbrush microfiber complementary free product review

After the call of pink was assuaged, I went with the call of something big. From the shape I thought it might be a cup of soup, but it turned out to be my breakfast. Yes, I ate it right after these pictures! It's Quaker Real Medleys oatmeal in Apple Walnut. It has apples, cranberries and chopped walnuts with multigrain oats. Quick, easy, and with no bowl required there's no big cleanup. Perfect for those on the go with very little time for a healthy breakfast.

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound beauty review reviews Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012 Christmas Sole Society shoes designer on trend Quaker Real Medleys fruit apple cranberry walnut oatmeal NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Lipgloss lips lipstick Nude brown shimmer Kiss Nail Dress leopard stickers EBOOST natural dietary supplement green tea extract energy drink Pink Lemonade Goody Quik Style paddle brush hairbrush microfiber complementary free product review

Next up is the Goody Quik Style paddle brush. I've been eyeing these brushes, and I'm so happy to have received one free in this box. I'm always looking for ways to get out the door quicker. I'm really excited to try this and may even give it to my niece to try. Her hair is much, much thicker than mine; it takes her forever to dry it, so if this can help her it will be a miracle product. Look for the review!

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I've tried and reviewed Kiss Nail Dress before. Now that I'm more experienced in the ways of nails I certainly think these are worth another try. This is Princess, a really pretty, slightly blinged out leopard print.

nails nailart nail art polish mani manicure Spellbound beauty review reviews Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012 Christmas Sole Society shoes designer on trend Quaker Real Medleys fruit apple cranberry walnut oatmeal NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine Lipgloss lips lipstick Nude brown shimmer Kiss Nail Dress leopard stickers EBOOST natural dietary supplement green tea extract energy drink Pink Lemonade Goody Quik Style paddle brush hairbrush microfiber complementary free product review

Last but not least is NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine! I think this is one of the things I'm most excited about oddly enough. After getting a glimpse of lipgloss in this box I was terrified it was going to be a bright color that I wouldn't be able to use. You see, I have naturally deep red lips so most lip products turn hideous colors when layered over them. I can do some light pink glosses and nudes. Talk about perfect! This is Nude York City, a beautiful nude shimmer. It's such an odd name, but it's just cutesy enough that I like it! It has already found a place in my purse.

So, again, look for the in-depth reviews of these products. I'll be trying to slot them in around my posts. I'm actually really excited about that. I'm a nail blogger — I wouldn't have it any other way, but I would like to branch out a bit. To be able to do an off-topic post every now and then if I find a product worth sharing. How would you guys feel about that? It won't be every post; it won't even be one a week! But I would love to share worthy (or unworthy) products. Give me your thoughts; I definitely want to hear them. :)

*All products were sent to me for testing purposes, completely complimentary, from Influenster. All photos and opinions are my own.

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