Orly Black MegaPixel FX Review + Nail Art

Hey everyone! Today I have another review for you (I have a lot to get through), using the new Orly Black MegaPixel FX polish*, but this time I've included a bit of nail art. I'm actually really proud of these nails and I kept them on for a whole 3 days! Hopefully you will like them as much as I do. There's quite a few pictures in this post so I'm going to put them after the jump.


First up: the nail art! These nails were inspired by some shoes Cherry Healey posted on her Instagram, I screenshot them and when I was scrolling through my photos a couple of days later I saw them again and knew that I just had to recreate them, and I'm so happy with how they turned out. If you'd like I'm thinking about doing a tutorial for these nails, rather than explaining how I did them now, so let me know in the comments. The colours I used for the dogs were Butter LONDON - Cuppa, MASH - White, Butter LONDON - Cuppa mixed with a bit of MASH - Black for the grey, and black acrylic paint. Topped off with a coat of Seche Vite. 


The MegaPixel FX collection was released for Spring 2013 and features 6 'textured' glitters, although this is the most textured of the bunch. However, unlike the rest, this polish comes to life with a coat of topcoat, as you'll see below.  


This was 2 coats without topcoat and whilst it is textured it's not that textured. It's not uncomfortable and you could easily get away with wearing it just like this. 


Then I added 1 coat of Seche Vite topcoat, and I was in love. I've been lusting after Zoya - Storm for ages and I think I found the perfect replacement. 


Of course I couldn't resist the temptation of nail art on such a blank (albeit pretty) canvas, and along came the dogs!


What do you think? Let me know in the comments. 
If you like the look of Black MegaPixel you can find it here with free shipping worldwide!
Alice

*some of the products in this post were provided to me for review but all opinions are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way

Askruk46

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Impress Challenge

Day Three


(To catch up on my Impress Press-on Manicure Challenge click here.)


Day three was a pretty nondescript day, gloomy and dark just how I like it. It was a slow day, so I didn't get to test the nails strength too much. They still felt quite strong, but I noticed that the decal on the free-edges was starting to fade, revealing the white plastic. A bit of wear and tear is to be expected, but on day three it's a bit surprising. But they have already survived two sinks of dishes, three showers, and two shampoos, so that is pretty impressive based on past experience with press-ons. 


Day Four, Fatality!



My right pinkie press-on nail has felt loose for a couple days now, it held out pretty well, but finally kicked the bucket this morning while I was getting dressed. While I am disappointed I lost any of them, I am still pleased with the quality. With past press-on's you were lucky if you made it past the application day before you lost a nail. Luckily, they gave me plenty of extra nails, so I was able to replace it. I am really hopeful that the rest of them will actually make it to day seven. Today is laundry day,- bleh- as well as floor-washing day, dusting/vacuuming day, and pet cage cleaning day, basically all that good stuff - bleh, again-. And after all this cleaning, the nails still feel strong. See you Monday for days five & six!

Thanks for reading!
Brittany

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Sidenote: Earlier this week, my mother predicted that I would lose one nail or more on Saturday. Apparently she is the Long Island Medium of Rhode Island.

Askruk46

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A England Princess Tears ja koristelujuttuja


Tälläinen setti Adeninalta tällä kertaa. A England Princess Tears, eri värisiä mikrohelmiä ja pinkkejä sydänniittejä. Osa tuotteista itse ostettuja ja osa saatu. Tai oikeastaan voisi sanoa niin, että sain A Englandin lakan melkein sponsoroituna ja loput tuotteista maksoin itse.


Princess Tears, A Englandin The Legend -kokoelmasta, on mielestäni todella nätti ja ehdottomasti mielenkiintoinen lakka! Se on vaalea, hopealiila-scatterholo ja jo tämä metallinen pohjasävy on minusta aika erikoinen. Lakan holo-kimallus ei tule esille aivan kaikissa väreissä, niin kuin yleensä ja tässä on myös duochrome värinvaihtelua meneillään. Sanomattakin on siis varmaan selvää, että tämä on taas yksi niitä älyttömän vaikeasti kuvattavia ihanuuksia. :/ Kameran tuntuu olevan mahdoton käsittää lakan eri sävyvihteita ja moniulottuisuutta. Princess Tears:n kimallus näyttäytyy enimmäkseen vaaleanvihreänä, hopeisena ja kultaisena riippuen vähän valaistuksesta ja katselukulmasta (ja juuri tuota vaaleanvihreää oli kaikista vaikeinta saada kuvattua). Kyllä siinä vähän muitakin värejä näkyy kuten oranssia. Holoefekti on kyllä vahva, vaikka näissä kuvissa ei välttämättä siltä näytäkään. Niin ja kaksi kerrosta lakkaa tässä kynsillä.




Lakan lisäksi tilasin pari purkillista mikrohelmiä: mustia, mintunvihreitä ja pinkkejä. Halusin vähän vaihtelevia värejä ja minua kiinnosti testata minkälaatuisia nämä ovat. Purkit ovat ainakin todella anteliaasti täytettyjä! Kahta näistä en saanut auki ilman, että helmiä pursui ulos asti :D Osasin kyllä varautua tähän ja sain karkuritkin turvallisesti takaisin purkkiin talteen. :) Ihan tasalaatuisia nuo eivät kokonsa puolesta ole, vähän on jotkin helmet pienempiä kuin toiset. Tosi minejä ne ovat kyllä kaikki, joten tuota kokoeroa ei luultavasti huomaa. Minulla on myös ollut joitan mikrohelmiä, jotka päästävät helposti väriä päällyslakkaa levittäessä. Saa nähdä miten nämä käyttäytyvät. En olekaan pitkään aikaan käyttänyt koristelussa helmiä, joten täytyy kyllä nopsaan keksiä jotain käyttöä näille. :)


Sydänniittejä olen kuolannut jo siitä asti kun ne ensimmäisen kerran ilmestyivät myyntiin Adeninalle. Valitsin väriksi tietenkin pinkin, no koska sydämet. :D Söpöjähän nuo ovat. ♥ Adeninalta olivat laittaneet viestiä tilauksen mukaan, että päästävät helposti väriä ja päällyslakka pitää levittää varovasti niittien päälle. Tietenkin toivoisin että sydämet eivät päästäisi väriä, mutta mielestäni on kyllä tosi hyvä että varoittavat tälläisistä niin osaa varautua! :)


Askruk46

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Mechanical Nails: Inspired by Models Own & Ford Fiesta

Happy Saturday everyone! Today I bring you a review of a new Models Own set, and some funky mechanical-inspired nails. My favourite nail polish brand and Ford Retail have recently teamed up to develop an A/W collection, and the colours all match the new Fiesta shades. These varnishes are perfect for petrol-heads with a penchant for pretty polish!

First up is 'Candy Blue'*, which I adore. I have a thing for blue and turquoise polishes, and this is a lovely edition to my collection. Once applied it has more of a green tint than the bottle suggests, and there's a gorgeous fine glitter throughout. This only took 2 coats and it dried nice and quickly, like all Models Own polishes. My only gripe is that the consistency was rather runny, but this always tends to be the case with subtle shimmers.
Next is 'Fashionista'*, which I hate. I have never come across a nail polish colour that I dislike so much. I knew as soon as I saw it that it would NOT be a winner, and once I applied it, I was so unimpressed that I had to remove as quickly as possible! There was just something about the colour that didn't sit right with me. I tend to like my golds really rich and lively, but this has more of a greenish tint. The finish was also streaky, and it took quite a while to dry so I smudged it a lot. 
Finally is 'Hot Magenta'*, and I'm so gutted that my iPhone camera doesn't do the colour justice, because it is gorgeous! It's a deep burgundy with a very subtle red shimmer throughout, and it only takes 2 coats for a perfect, smooth finish. This cheered me right up after my 'Fashionista' woes, and I loved it so much that I kept it as a base for my manicure!

So, as I said at the beginning of the post, Models Own and Ford Retail have recently partnered in the creation of a new collection - the 'Glam It Up' set - which will be exclusive to test drivers of the new Ford Fiesta throughout the month of September '13. To get your paws on a set, all you have to do is register your details with Ford, visit one of their new car showrooms, and take a car for a test drive. Then this set will be posted out to you! The whole concept developed from the new Ford Fiesta's contemporary style, with every feature designed to make for a state-of-the-art, fashion forward driving experience. 

I wanted to do some car-inspired nail art for this manicure, so I Googled 'car engine' and used the images as a starting point. It would have been reeeeally difficult to recreate an actual engine on my nails, so I kept it a bit more simple and just took inspiration from the components. My manicure ended up looking quite tribal, but I still think it echoes the cogs and contraptions of a combustion engine, and the added bits of glitter make it very girly!

The equipment:

Models Own 'Hot Magenta'*
Rio gold nail art pen
Rio silver nail art pen
e.l.f. 'Dream Maker'
Tiny dotting tool
With my rich red base, I began to add details using Rio nail art pens. I used the striping brush ends for the lines, and then added more details using the pen nibs. I combined stripes, dots and dashes, and then carefully added the larger sequins from 'Dream Maker' using the dotting tool. 
I wasn't too sure about this manicure at first, but I really like how random and funky it is. I also love the gold and silver details on top of a red base, it's very autumnal! What do you think? Do you like Models Own and Ford Retail's "road-worthy nail polish collection"?**

*'Glam It Up' will be exclusively available to test drivers of the new Ford Fiesta for the month of September. To book your test drive visit www.glamitupagear.co.uk. These products were sent to me for review, however this has not influenced my opinion in any way. As always, I have been 100% honest about my experiences with the product.

**Quote Ford Retail's Group Marketing and E-Commerce Director, Celia Pronto.

Askruk46

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Farewell to Summer Floral

Taking a bit of a break from the Alphabet Nail Challenge, I decided to do one last summer manicure. 



I was heavily inspired by this manicure by KNailArt. So pretty! and there's nothing I love more than anchors and flowers. The combination of the two is perfect.


I opted for more Hawaiian tropical flowers. I really like them and I'm sad I waited so long to try them. 

All the flowers were done with acrylic paint.



That's about it. So long Summer 2013! You were nice to me. 

Thanks for reading.


Askruk46

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August Beauty Favorites

A list of my fav products I either bought or started using in August 2013.

Side note: I finally joined Instagram! Late to the party, I know. But if you would like to follow me, there is a fresh new link in the "Places to find me" section, or you can click this little camera.
Instagram



I love reading fellow bloggers Favorite lists, so I figured it was about time I made one too! I picked five products I either purchased, or finally started using, this month. In no particular order.

Covergirl Mint Mojito $6
I bought this polish during my Drugstore Mini Beauty Haul (here.). If you want a more detailed review of it, I've Swatched & Reviewed it here.
I love this polish. It has a beautiful semi-matte, gloss finish, and great coverage. The only grievance I have is with the long drying time. Even with my quick drying top coat I had to wait quite a bit for it to dry fully.
Owl Lipgloss 
I actually bought this lip-gloss a while ago. It came in a set with a pink owl, which I gave to my mother. I am obsessed with owls, so I picked this up without even checking out the gloss, just because of how cute it is. I don't remember how much it cost, but it wasn't much. I finally got around to using it this month. It is a shimmery pink sheer gloss with a yummy coconut scent. It is a great everyday gloss, and perfect for those times where you need to apply gloss without a mirror.
Sunblossom Body Mist by Essence of Beauty
This cost around $5.
Sadly soon this will be going into my August Empties post. I love body spray, most perfume is just too strong for me. I normally don't enjoy floral body mists, I prefer more fruity scents, but this one is really pretty.
It is very light and airy, with a soft flowery scent. I like to mist it on my wrists, collarbone and behind my knees. This company has actually revamped their fragrances and bottles, so I'm curious if this one is still as enjoyable as it is now.

Hydra Recharge Shampoo by Garnier Fructis
Around $4.
Yes, I know, as a Hair Dresser I should be bragging about some expensive professional hair product. But  because I am also a girl on a budget, my blood runs cold having to spend over $20 on a small bottle of shampoo. This is a new line from Garnier Fructis. I just bought it recently, hence why it's so full. It is for dry hair, which mine has been feeling a bit dry and frizzy lately because of the humidity. It has not been long enough to really see any benefits from using this product, but I had to include it in my favorites list because of the scent. I love it! It smells so good. I've never had a shampoo with this great a scent in a long time. The fragrance is very fruity, it is like washing your hair with a mango smoothie. Yummy.

Applelicious Lip Balm by NYC
Around $3 I think.
I wanted an inexpensive lip-gloss that wasn't too shimmery or gooey. This gloss met both criteria and then some. NYC is not the most high-end brand obviously, but they make good drugstore beauty products at very reasonable prices. I always check out the NYC section when I need a product in a pinch. This balm has a shimmery sheer finish. I can't find the shade name, but it is a brownish/gold color, with a nude gloss in the center. I love the adorable little apple shape of the gloss, and the light apple scent. I use this every day, and it looks great with my daily makeup look.

Thanks for reading!

The Impress Challenge will continue tomorrow with day three and four. To catch up click here.

Brittany

Have you used any of these products? What are your August beauty favorites?

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Askruk46

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Impress Challenge

Day Two


(To catch up on day one of my Impress Press-on Manicure Challenge click here.)

Here are a few more pictures from day one.
Last night I took a shower and washed my hair. I was curious if the press-on nails would be able to survive water for an extended period of time, as well as contact with shampoo. They did! Well, sort of. After I dried my hair, I tested the nails. Most of them still felt strong and sturdy. But my right pinkie nail had lifted slightly on the side. It is still on, but I feel like it won't be for long. The bet around my house is that these nails won't make it to Saturday, and I think it might be spot on. I keep pressing on it, so again, time will tell.

Day Two
The pictures look a bit different today, it is super gloomy and rainy - My kind of day.-, so I had to use a light when taking the photos.

I don't know if it is noticeable, but my left pinkie finger - What is with the pinkies!- press-on nail is dented now. I was cleaning my coffee maker, and knocked my hand against it. So now I know the press-on's are not that durable. It's not obvious enough to make me change the nail though.
As you can see, the design still looks glossy, and it is nice not to have to worry about chipping or smudging.
Besides the pinkie nails, all the other nails feel good, and I haven't had any other issues.
While there were some problems, I am pleasantly surprised. By past experience I should have woken up this morning with nails stuck to my pillows or face. I am still hopeful they will actually make it the whole week.

The Impress Challenge will continue Saturday with day three and four.

Thanks for reading!
Brittany

Would you try Press-on Nails? Have you tried them?

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Askruk46

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Models Own Ice Neon Nail Art

Hey everyone! Here's the promised second post of today, this time a review of some gorgeous Models Own Ice Neon shades*. I know these aren't new shades but I wanted to review them for you anyway. I've also included some of the gorgeous new pastel studs* from Born Pretty Store for a bit of contrast. 


This was an idea that I'd had in my head for quite a while but it didn't turn out at all like I'd imagined and I was quite disappointed, but nevertheless I do kind of like the effect. These were a heck of a lot brighter in person but as always it was difficult to capture properly on camera. 


This was one coat of both Luis Lemon* and Toxic Apple* over white, I originally tried applying them on their own but they were way too sheer and it was just getting too thick, and I think the effect over white is much brighter anyway. 


If you like the look of the studs* you can buy them here in shades #3 and #8
What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
Alice

*some of the products in this post were provided to me for review but all opinions are entirely my own

Askruk46

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Rococo Nail Varnish Swatches and Review

Hey everyone! Once again I'm behind on blogging, I've had this waiting to post for days now and I just haven't got around to finishing it, so today I'm going to be posting twice! First post of today is a review of some wonderful Rococo creme polishes. I'd never tried Rococo before this and I'm really impressed. The colours I received were not only gorgeous but amazing quality, and definitely worth getting if you haven't already. Full review will be after the jump


First up is Smitten* which is a gorgeous blue, this was just one coat, look how opaque it is! This picture is without topcoat and it still looks amazing. I wore this colour for 3 days and there was no noticeable wear. 


I'd like to apologise about how blurry these photos turned out, hopefully you can still see how gorgeous this colour is though!



Next up is Hip Hop*, a gorgeous bright pink. This was 2 coats without topcoat, and as you can see it's still incredibly shiny. 



Last and most certainly not least is Flower Child. I've seen a lot of yellows in collections this year, so I guess it must be an in thing. I absolutely love this shade and I have some nail art coming up using it sooner or later. This was 3 coats without topcoat, but I could probably have got away with 2



Overall I'm seriously impressed with these polishes, not only are they super easy to apply, with no drag whatsoever, they're also an amazing formula. If you can afford the £12 price tag I would definitely recommend them, you can get them here

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
Alice

P.S The Cosmo Blog Awards voting ends on Saturday so if you still havent voted I'll love you forever if you do here for Best New Beauty Blog

*some of the products in this post were provided to me for review but all opinions are entirely my own

Askruk46

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