the Lacquerista

Summary upcoming Spring Collections 2012

2012-01-12T10:44:00.002+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for spring! I'm done with the grey, murky weather. Bring out the sun, pastels and brightness!
If you have read my last blog post, you know why I can't post my own mani's for now. I've decided to share my favorite blogs and web-found info with you!

Today it's Squared Nails. She posted a round-up of the upcoming nail polish collections. Are you ready for... Flakies? Magnetics? Glitter shatters? New Dior and Chanel?

Here we go... www.squarednails.com

Enjoy!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Who wants to take over my blog?

2012-01-09T09:53:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

It has been ages since I last posted. One of the reasons is my pregnancy. I have Hyperemesis Gravidarum which means I feel sick for most of the time. There are a lot of smells that trigger my nausia and nail polish and remover is one of them. So I don't see myself posting in the next say... 25 weeks? Maybe I might just quit all together because it will be very busy, working full time and having a brand new baby. I put so much time, effort and money into this blog, it makes me so sad that it just faints and dies away because I don't post....
I would like for my blog to continue in my spirit :-) and who knows, I just might be back.

So, would you like to take over my blog, at least for a while? As a individual or as a group? And are you able to post regularly? Are your polishing, clean-up and photo skills good? Then this might be the opportunity to run an existing blog and see how you like that, and make great friends along the way.

If you're interested in taking over, send me an email with your details and tell me something about yourself and why you would want this. I'd also like to see some pictures :-)

I was surprised to receive emails of some of you, to check up on me. Heart warming, thanks for that!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

My latest obsession: Mattified Mannequin Manicures

2011-09-07T21:03:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Lately I feel drawn to a weird phenomenon: the Mattified Mannequin Manicure (MMM)
I didn't come up with this concept, I came across a pic that inspired me to experiment. It's been a couple of weeks now and I've been searching for my perfect Mattified Mannequin Manicure shade. I find it weird and wrong but so different and exiting at the same time.

Dior Safari Beige topped with Essence Nail Art Twins Julia, mattified. Pic taken with flash.

Same manicure, in daylight

Same manicure, before I mattified.

Dior Safari Beige

Dior Safari Beige, mattified

Try to say Mattified Mannequin Manicure 5 times and you will find your tongue in a knot. So let's just say MMM okay ;-p

I wonder which of the versions of my Dior Safari manicure you like best. The mattified or shiny one? With or without the holo hex glitters?

And have you also been intrigued by mattified mannequin hands? I keep on seeing them popping up.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

New Magnetics!

2011-09-06T20:49:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here some quick snaps of the new Essence Magnetics. They are SOOOO much better then their last magnetics! Or maybe it's the magnet... I din't know. You be the judge:

01, 02, 03, 04, 05 and the magnet

These ofcourse are just skittles, I didn't have time for full swatches... Maybe soon?
Do you like magnetic polish, and do you own some? Which ones, and do you like them?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

The remaining swatches of the new Chanel Allure Velvet collection: Rose Exubérant 519

2011-09-06T12:49:00.001+02:00

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

The one remaining new Chanel polish from the Allure Velvet Collection: Rose Exubérant 519. Here are some swatches and a comparison

Chanel Rose Exubérant 519

Bottle comparison to Splendeur

Chanel Rose Exubérant vs. Splendeur

Splendeur is a cooler toned pink, whereas Rose Exubérant is a tad warmer. A muggle won't see the difference. Both colors applied like a dream, one coat could do (if you weren't to take macro pics. I applied 2 coats)

Amazing formula and I love the suturated-ness of these shades. Love love.

My first article in a printed magazine!

2011-09-02T20:47:00.004+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's a quick post about something that has me very exited... A few months back I received an email by a beauty editor of FAB magazine. She asked me to write an article on nail trends.
I hesitated because I'm not really sure if I know anything about trends. But I went ahead and gave it a shot. Besides colors and finishes I wrote about ditching fakes and going natural, and tips and tricks like the Meganchair method.

I don't have a scanner that could handle this magazine yet (it's huge! Look at my tiny lil fingers compared to the page in the pic) but here are some pics.

I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be picked out to do this. I will always and forever save my copy and show it to my children when I am old and wrinkly and tell them look, mommy was a printed writer I tell you, on nail polish, now can you believe that?

Thanks so much to Elaine for giving me the opportunity to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Swatches new Chanel polish: Rouge Allure Velvet collection

2011-08-28T13:20:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

You may have already seen the brand new Chanel matte lipstick collection. Awesome colors in a creamy matte texture. Together with these Allure Velvet lipsticks, a small matching nail polish collection was released. I already fell in love with two of them. Today I show you Pirate and Rose Caché:

Chanel Pirate

Pirate is a stunning deep raspberry, blue toned red jelly. This polish is so incredibly shiny that I wasn't able to make any pics without crazy glare.

Chanel Rose Chaché, in daylight but colors seem to be a tad washed out

Chanel Rose Caché in artificial light, colors sem more accurate

Rose Caché is a nude beige/pink. I fell head over heels with this shade, it is so pretty and feminine and I have recieved many compliments. I also enjoyed the matte version a lot, it kinda looks as if my nails were made of skin. (eewww? No, in a good way)
Rose Caché reminds me of OPI Dulce de Leche exept for the secret shimmer that Rose Chaché is full of (in the bottle). I do not own OPI DdL but here's a comparison with Barefoot in Barcelona

Left to right: RC, BiB, RC, BiB

Secret Shimmer... Metallic fuchsia shimmer

Here are some bonus pics:

Chanel Rose Cache

Mattified: pinky=OPI BiB, ring=RC, Middle=BiB, index=RC

Chanel Pirate mattified

A note on th eChanel velvet topcoat: the quality is extraordinary. It seems to be velvetty and smoother whereas traditional matte topcoats can be chalky or streaky. Will do a full review soon.

Have you seen these new Chanel polishes yet? How do you like them? And what is your favorite polish ever to mattify?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

24 Zoya's swatches to help decide with the promo orders

2011-08-11T07:11:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here are the swatches of 24 Zoya's, I hope they will help you to narrow your order down ;-) (or create new lemmings lol)

Sooki

Sirena (sun light)

Sirena (overcast)

Maya

Lolly

Lola

Gilda (flash)

Gilda (day light)

Evangeline

Cassi

Cassi (sunlight)

Bijou

Astra (indoors)

Astra (day light)

Astra (flash)

Alegra

Alegra (flash)

Blair

Delilah (no topcoat)

Delilah (topcoat)

Divincia

Jade

Jade (no sun)

Kimmy

Nidhi

Nidhi and her awesome glittery flakes

Reva

Tallulah

Robyn

Phoebe (no topcoat)

Phoebe (topcoat)

Breezi

Crystal

I will update this post with info about the # of coats, formula and overall findings. For now I will only reveal my favourites: Sooki, Jade, Alegra.

What are your favorite Zoya's?

Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

All my blue Zoya swatches

2011-08-10T22:43:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

With the Zoya promo going on, I felt like throwing some swatches out there. Here are all the blue Zoya's in my stash:

Tallulah

Medium blue, super shimmery and therefore pearly. With a faint purple flash that I only saw in the bottle and not on the actual nail. Super glowing and velvety finish. Formula was great, 2 coats. Let me just remind you that all pics are clickable.

Crystal from the side

Light blue and gold foil. Sounds great right? Crystal is getting a lot of love from polish fanatics. Not from me. There's something about the color scheme that is just off. It looks bland, dull. Not flattering and it's just not for me. Maybe I should wear it out in the sun and give it a chance?

Crystal daylight

Crystal no direct light

Breezi

Dusty blue, somewhat murky creme. Formula was great, 3 coats.

Robyn

In between medium and light blue. Bright blue! Fresh creme, reminds me of lazy summer days when the sky has this color. 3 coats, formula a tad bit runny but nothing a lacquerista can't handle.

Phoebe with topcoat
Medium bright blue matte. Not chalky but a velvety matte finish. But, with a layer of topcoat it comes alive! Phoebe is a true stunner with her secret shimmer, I love love love it!

Phoebe without topcoat

How did you like these so far? What is your favorite Zoya blue? Tomorrow I will post more Zoya swatches.... I have like 30 more!

Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

Almost dupe for H&M Mad About You (holo)

2011-07-28T07:04:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

I get many swap and cp requests for H&M Mad About You. Video This is one of my favorites, and for sure the best color H&M ever released. Here it is:

Bottle comparison

H&M Mad About You

Catrice brought us a similar colored polish with the same holo glitter finish, they are both corn flower but H&M is a tad more blue. Here's a bottle comparison:

Catrice Dirty Berry

So, always wanted to get your hands on Mad About You? Catrice Dirty Berry just might satify you! Readily available here in my part of the world! Just note that I don't swap for now but feel free to use my comment section to find yourself a swapping homie.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

YOUR opinion.

2011-07-20T23:05:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Let's face it, there's only so many Scrangies, Polishaddicts and Chloe's in this world. There's tons of other nail blogs that I love and frequent, and there's a million of others that are pretty good as well. But it's getting more and more the same and my blog is stuck in that too. The same press releases, the same collections beeing reviewed, the same you know. Ofcourse it's helpfull to see many different swatches of one particular collection when your making up your mind what to get and yeah I appreciate the reviews on formula etc. But it doesn't happen a lot that I stumble onto a blog that makes me think, wow now this is really really cool!

I'm beeing honest, when I started blogging poor naive me somehow dared to have the ambition to grow this blog into something *unique*. Looking back at that ambition I can only smile and shrug. It's just impossible to stand out amongst all these great blogs! During my three month blogging break I realized I do not just miss posting, but I want to do more then just that. I also want to do something.... together! With you guys!

For a couple of months now I have a Nail polish Collection Database that a couple of GREAT girls from MUA maintain and that inspired me to investigate of some kind of community blog would be interesting. I'm not sure how it would look like but I have some ideas that might be fun.

I know there's some great swatchers out there that don't have time to start and maintain their own blog. Then this project would be for you.
Just some random thought on what topics the blog/website could cover;

All there swatchers with their unique skin tone would swatch the exact same polish for a particular post. It would be easy for readers to see how this particular polish would look on a skin tone similar to their own.
Or to have bloggers with diverse interest and talent, maybe someone that is great at free handed nail art, another one would be a Franken-queen and we would also have a layering expert.
Maybe we can have a blog that only reviews one particular brand. Or only swapping. Only high-end brands. Everything but pink. Whatever!
To have a blog or website in a never seen before layout
To transfer the nail polish community database to a real website, and to build it as a proper database with all the polishes beeing swatched

You get the point. I think I'm just playing with the idea to *initiate* something fun in this nail polish blogging world. If you want to collaborate or share your ideas, that would be awesome. It's easy, just enter your thought in this form. Or post a comment.

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Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Chanel stash and swatches

2011-07-19T13:51:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

It has been 3 months since I last posted, I hope you guys will enjoy this post. I have been working on swatching all of my polish on pop-up sticks. That was a fun project but it took forever!
Today I present you my Chanel stash, both bottle pics and swatches.

Click the pic to enlarge, like this you should be able to read the names on the bottles

White Satin, Intermezzo, Pearl Drop, Allegoria, Django

Inattendu, Jade Rose, Peche Nacree, Magnolia Rose, Mica Rose

Ming, Orange Fizz, Miami Peach, Tango

Marilyn, Splendeur, Rivera, Rose Insolent

Fantastic, Gondola, Vendetta, Paradoxal, Lilac Sky

Madness, Gold Shimmer, Samba, Salsa, Trapeze

Rouge Noir, Imperial, Forbidden, Diabolic, Noir Ceramic

Coromandel, Barcelona Red, Orient, Red Dream, Tulipe Noir

There are some true stunners in this collection. My personal favorites are Marilyn, Intermezzo and Django. Salsa, Samba, Tango and Orient are probably the oldest and most HTF. Somebody gave them to me so I have no clue how old they actually are, or what collection they where in.
Rouge Noir is the Mother of all Vampies.

Do you know how old Salsa, Samba, Tango and Orient are? And what is your favorite Chanel? If you have comparison or swatch requests, feel free to email me or place a comment, and I will see what I can do.

Hope you enjoyed these pictures! I just might get the hang of it again ;-)

Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

Catrice new nail polish collection 2011 part 3

2011-04-27T07:17:00.003+02:00

Catrice 530 Up In The Air, sun

Dear Lacqueristas,

The nail polish range of Catrice goes on and on... Click here to see part 1 and here's the link for part 2

530 Up In The Air, no direct light and color accurate

Up In The Air is a precious periwinkle, that leans a lot more to the blue then to the lilac side. Application was fine in 3 coats.

Catrice 300 Be My Millionaire, sun

Be My Millionaire is a champagne colored pearl,somewhat similar to Chanel's Trapeze. If you look very close, underneath the pearl finish you will find tiny glassflecks that could have made this polish super sparkly if it weren't for the heavy frost. It took me 3 coats.

Catrice 300, Be My Millionaire, no direct light source

Catrice 130 Lucky in Lilac, sun

Catrice 130 Lucky in Lilac, no direct light source. More color accurate.

Lucky in Lilac is a lilac creme. It is your avarage lilac but a bit warmer, has some red in it and it not too blue. Purple-ish shades are notoriously camera-shy so imagine these pics a bit more red. The one shot without a direct light source is more color accurate. Three coats.

Catrice 280 London's Weather Forecast. Oh, the shimmer!

Catrice 280 London's Weather Forecast

London's Weather Forecast is a medium grey with shimmer. It is one of my favorite greys ever. So delicate and feminine because of the perfect balance between grey and a tiny bit of blue, and the shimmer. Love it. Two coats.

Catrice 140 Let's Mauve On

Let's Mauve On is more lilac-y then a true mauve. It has silvery shimmer and I love it! It reminds me of Chanel's Lilac Sky. Three coats.

Catrice 030 Meet me at Coral Island

Meet Me at Coral Island iiiiiisssss.... *drumrolls* a coral! Bright, in your face orange with a hint of red and pink hotness. The finish is not 100% creme, there is some jelly quality to it. Not enough to call it a jelly but still. Lovely shade, perfect for summer toes as well. Three coats.

Catrice 120 Plum Play With Me

Plum Play With Me is a darker purple cream. Same like Funky Donkey and Grape Fit. Quality is awesome though, just like most (darker) creme's by Catrice. I did 3 coats just because of the macro but in real life you could get away with two.

Catrice 350 Hip Queens Wear Blue Jeans

Hip Queens Wear Blue Jeans has a smokey blue base with the tinyest turqoise glitters. These glitters are secret and only show their pretty lil faces in the sun or at the right angle. That's totally fine because the murky blue base is fascinating as it is. Beautiful, unique polish. Two coats.

Catrice 410 Pool Party

Pool Party is a medium blue creme. What else can I say. Two coats. Awesome formula.

Voor de Nederlandse lezers: Catrice is te koop bij het Kruidvat, deze nieuwe nagellak kost €2,49 per stuk.

Which one do you like best out of these swatches? And do you see any dupes of high end brands?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Catrice 440 I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

2011-04-25T21:25:00.002+02:00

Catrice 440 I Wear My Sunglasses At Night

Dear Lacqueristas,

Ever day dreamt about making your perfect nail polish? I sure did. One of my creations would be a white and a pitch black holo. Another one would be a black Ruby Pumps. And a grey based polish that is a true multi-chrome: it would show primary colors. I can go on and on and on.

This next polish fits the bill of a fantasy polish. A true black with hot pink and green glitters. How awesome does that sound? Let me burst your bubble:
The black in the base of the polish is too opaque to let the glitters really peek through and the finish is super gritty. In this pic I didn't apply a topcoat so it could be that that could fix it a little.

Such a shame because in theory this polish could have been slammin'. I guess another case of the curse of the bottle

What are your polish fantasies?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Comparison OPI Not Like The Movies vs. Catrice Iron Mermaiden

2011-04-25T12:06:00.003+02:00

OPI Not Like the Movies vs. Catrice Iron Mermaiden (sun)

Dear Lacqueristas

Catrice just released their new range of polish ( here and here) and one shade that immidiately caught my eye was this awesome duochrome that reminds me a lot of OPI's Not Like the Movies (original version) from Katy Perry's collection.
Let's see how they compare:

OPI Not Like the Movies vs. Catrice Iron Mermaiden (no direct light)

As you have seen in the pictures above, Not Like the Movies has tiny glitters in it's formula whereas Iron Mermaiden does not.
Besides that there's a frost alarm for Iron Mermaiden. Brush stroke galore, while the base color looks quite similar to NLtM the formula of Catrice's IM is defenitely harder to work with.
Duochrome wise, OPI wins hands down.

Here's a lil' video to show the polish in motion:

Did you get hold of an original bottle of Not Like The Movies? And how do you like it? Do you know of a dupe?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Catrice new nail polish collection 2011 part 2

2011-04-21T08:27:00.001+02:00

500 Sir, Yes Sir!

Dear Lacqueristas,

On to part two of the new Catrice collection. (to check out part one, click here)

Sir, Yes Sir! is a muddy green creme , as seen in the camouflage army gear. I used 2 coats and it applied like a dream.

390 Easy Peasy Lemon Squeesy!

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeesy is a lime green creme with a white base that makes it look a bit stark. The bottle says you have to apply 2 coats but I applied 3 coats. The formula was not giving me problems, it was just a little bit streaky.

510 Bye, Bye Birdy!

Bye, Bye Birdy! is a fantastic yellow. It is white based, a tad stark and can't decide if it's a pastel or a bright. The color is vivid and looks so fresh and clean, an awesome spring/summer color. I can't believe how excellent the formula was. For this swatch I applied 3 coats but in real life you just might get away with two. The formula is great and that's unheard of for a yellow. Yellows are notorious for beeing streaky or having other formula issues and Catrice just nailed it.
I am in love with this nail polish :-)

470 Snow Motion!

Snow Motion! is a white creme. In the swatch pic it looks like there's some lilac in it but that's not the case. Just a plain ol' white. Formula was not all that, 4 coats to even out streaks.

450 Sand Fransisco

Sand Fransisco is an akward color. Soft white-ish yellow, a tad of green with a super fine golden shimmer that leans to a pearl. This color is unique in my stash. I think it would work best with warm toned ladies and I was surprised how much I like it myself. Formula was good, 3 coats.

I wonder if Sand Fransisco is made to dupe another polish? Does it remind you of one?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Catrice nail polish collection 2011 part 1

2011-04-18T23:28:00.004+02:00

420 Dirty Berry

Dear Lacqueristas,

Catrice just did a huge make-over on their nail polish collection. They kept a few *old* shades and discontinued other ones. The great news is that the new shades in this collection are really exiting! Let me introduce you to Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer collection 2011:

Dirty Berry is a dusty lilac/periwinkle with fine holographic glitter. Quite similar to H&M's Mad About You that is HTF now. Formula is great to work with and I applied 2 coats.

380 Forget-Me-Not, sun

Forget-Me-Not! has to be my favorite of this collection so far. This vibrant purple is on some serious steroids and the finish is super complex. It has a foil quality to it and there's some duo chrome going on as well. It played tricks with my camera so here's another pic without sun:

380 Forget-Me-Not, overcast

430 Purplelized

Purplelized has almost the same complex finish as 380 Forget-Me-Not! (as shown above) but misses out on the duo chrome and the color is not vibrant at all and therefore this polish falls a bit flat.
Both 430 and 380 formula's are fine. Three coats is what I applied.

170 I Scream Peach!

I Scream Peach! is a dupe for Chanel Peach Fizz (comparison here) and was part of the existing Catrice collection but I swatched it anyways. Formula was a bit tricky, I had to apply 4 coats to even out streaks.

520 Apropos Apricot

Apropos Apricot has a BIG FAT LIE on the bottle. It says you have to apply 2 coats. Let me tell you: I gave up after 6 coats. What a hell of a formula to work with. Streaky and not pigmented enough. I really dislike the color on me too. Blegh.

400 Blue Cara Ciao

Blue Cara Ciao is a medium blue creme and it is fabulous. It reminds me of the color of KLM. I applied 3 coats.

490 Iron Mermaiden, sun

Iron Mermaiden is a purple/grey/green multi chrome. The color shifting is quite visible so here's another pic to enjoy just that:

490 Iron Mermaiden, overcast

As you might have noticed, I had some problems with the formula. It was a bit watery and showing too much brush strokes.

My guess is that Iron Mermaiden is made to dupe OPI's Not Like The Movies. I did a quick comparison and ok the overall color might be similar but IM misses the micro glitter that NLTM has and also OPI's formula is 100x better.
Essence also released a polish that looks the same in the bottle (43 Where's the Party?) but this is a different shade alltogether. Much more purple and less color shifting. Here's a bottle comparison between the three of them:

Left to right: Where's the Party, Iron Mermaiden, Not Like The Movies

480 Miss Piggy Reloaded

Miss Piggy Reloaded is a medium cool pink polish with multi colored tiny glitters. This polish totally surprised me because in the bottle I didn't see any glitters but when applied and in the sun - wow the pretty! The glitters are still subtle but they're there and that's what counts. I don't have anything in my stash like this. Here's another pic in the sun:

480 Miss Piggy Reloaded, sun

Voor de Nederlandse lezers:
Catrice nagellak is verkrijgbaar bij de Kruidvat voor € 2.49. Voor zover ik heb begrepen zijn nog niet alle winkels voorzien van het nieuwe (2011) Ultimate Nail Lacquer display maar in de komende weken zal je deze nieuwe nagellak in de meeste Catrice displays kunnen vinden.
I have still tons of Catrice polish to swatch but I got high today of the fumes so bare with me!
Which one do you like best so far? Do they sell Catrice where you live?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

My stash solution

2011-04-18T18:11:00.002+02:00

5 displays in a row

Dear Lacqueristas,

It's obvious I love nail polish. Over the last years I collected hundreds of bottles, right now I have somewhere just under 500 of them. I keep them in a small cabinet that is about to explode. That way I keep my bf happy and and oblivious - no bottles everywhere ;-)

Because my beloved nail polish lives in a cabinet I do not enjoy them as much as I want. Inspired by the *popsickle* thing that some fellow bloggers came up with, I browsed the internet to find a solution that would work even better for me. This is what I came up with:

Here is what they look like up close, more or less divided by colors:

the Pinks

The nude/earthy ones

the Blue/greens

the Purples

mixed

Every display holds 64 sticks. I have been working on the swatching for weeks now, the fumes make me super high. Five displays are now swatched, so do the math....

I did encounter some problems marking the sticks. They are made from acrylic and cd markers would be wiped away easily. I bought several brands permanent markers and I found Steadler Lumocolor works best.

My plan is to mark each stick with a unique number that I will write on th etop of the polish bottle cap as well so they are easier to find in a drawer. This number will also be found in my spreadsheet.

I think those displays make my swatches look very organized and professional, don't they? At least it makes me very happy to see my swatches displayed like this. Like a piece of art.

Now on to the price. I bought these displays on Ebay. The 64 swatch sticks with the fake nails attached are included. One display costs $ 2.74 (€ 1.94) and the shipping depends on where you live (the seller is Hong Kong based)
Here is a link to the seller on Ebay. I am not affilliated with them and buying is on your own risk.

Here is a bonus pic with a few of my fav's:

From let to right: Lemon Fizz, Flip Flop Fantasy, Nfu Oh 61, Absolutely Alice, Across the Universe, MPJ holo, Chanel Marilyn, Kreme de la Kremlin, Parlez Vous OPI?, Clarins 230

How do you like my idea? How do you organize and enjoy your stash most?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Did this just happen for real?!

2011-04-13T21:19:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Wow- jus wow. Look what I just received as a Random Act Of Kindness:

This is my first RAOK ever! I feel sooo special and if you're a regular reader you know I was so bummed about missing out on the OPI Suedes. Sam sended me these pretties together with another surprise: Nicole by OPI Make a Comet-ment. It is my first Nicole, and it's a beautifull holo polish but that bottle shape makes me giggle -->

Odd bottle shape of Nicole by OPI. Excuse my quick 'n dirty OPI Suede swatch skittles (couldn't wait to try them)

I just entered these pretties in my Spreadsheet and now I have to choose which one to wear first... Sam, thanks a zillion for these! I will provide a good home for them :-) You never mentioned it but I know you just started your nail blog so here's some blog lovin' for you:

the Real Polish Princess Blog

The np community is very helpfull and friendly and I just know these girls will check out your blog's first lil' baby steps... I hope you don't mind I posted this!

Have you ever received/sent out a random act of kindness? Do you mind sharing what it was?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

OPI Love Will Blossom

2011-04-07T22:28:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

I have not been very active on my blog lately due to some *secret* projects. I will tell you all about it when the time is right.

For now I will leave you guys with a supposed granny color. The polish is a not very recent OPI with some holo glitter. I'm liking it just fine, nothing special. How do you like it, and can you guess the polish?

Do you know what polish it is? And what is a typical granny polish to you?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Orly Galaxy Girl dissapointment

2011-04-01T11:48:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Ever bought a nailpolish just because it is supposedly the most amazing shade/finish/whatever and polish fanatics keep raving about it? I sure did. A lot of times I was happy I did and most of all happy I was pointed in that direction. But this next sucker is a different story:

Do you recognise this shade? I estimate 90% of the die hard polish fanatics own this one, and 99% out of them *love* it.

I am talking about Orly Galaxy Girl. Many times I've read reviews that sayd Galaxy Girl was even more unique and pretty then Space Cadet. The swatch pictures of Galaxy Girl didn't blow me away, but I learned the hard way that it is not easy to capture extra pretty shades/effects on camera so I went ahead and ordered myself a Galaxy Girl.

Now have a look at my swatch pictures. This is *exactly* how GG looks in real life. The camera sure did do it justice. Nothing special about this polish.

A sheer, reddish purple with a blue duo chrome. But very shy. Mehhh.

Here are some more dreadfull pics of the supposed Wunderkind

Just one thing for me left to say:

Son, I'm dissapoint!

Now I'd like to know your stories about polish rave dissapointment. So we can haz a sad together :-(

Haste la vista, Lacqueristas!

Diamonds and Pearls (Oh no, Purples)

2011-03-27T22:13:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

I was born in the early eighties and boy did we have cheesy music back then. But I always loved Prince. All the way through the decennia. Dídn't you guys?
My NOTD was Models Own Purple Passion but I turn that up a notch by adding a crushed diamonds topcoat. The results:

Models Own Purple Passion

Purple Passion with Covered in Diamonds

Purple Passion is a saturated,almost neon purple. It was impossible to capture the true color, it is more purple in real life. Formula was fine.
Covered with Diamonds is a topcoat by Color Club and it makes my nails look like... they are covered in diamonds (hehe)

What do you like better, with or without Covered in Diamonds?

Haste la vista, Lacqueristas!

The curse of the bottle

2011-03-24T08:33:00.002+01:00

Look at the bottle: pink,blue and gold flecks!

Dear Lacqueristas,

A while ago I posted about P2 Elegant, a stunning lilac/grey with hot pink shimmer. One of my favourite nail polishes ever. Now here's another one of that same brand:

The name of this polish is Rich. I can see why, it is rich of multi colored glass flecks. Beautiful in the bottle, a little less stunning on the nail. It's like a curse. When a polish is extra beautiful in the bottle, chances are it's meh once applied. Or vice versa. Anyways, P2 Rich is pretty but don't expect the full blown spectrum of glass flecks to be visible on your tips. With a thick layer of topcoat I managed to get rid of the gritty-ness.

Please note that P2 has recently changed it's range and therefore this particular shade is not available anymore.

P2 Rich

Have you dealt with the *bottle curse* yet? Pretty in thebottle, meh on the nail? Eleborate please :-)

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

OPI I Only Drink Champagne

2011-03-20T15:50:00.001+01:00

OPI I Only Drink Champagne

Dear Lacqueristas,

I obtained this polish in a great international swap. Have a look:

OPI I Only Drink Champange

I think the color of this shade is awesome, I just wish the brush strokes weren't as visible...
This is the type of color that makes your skin look extra tanned in summer, who doesn't like that? Can't wear to wear it on my toes too.
Swapping is such a neat way to add pretties to your collection! I swap like once every two months and I mostly only swap multiple items. My largest swap so far contained about 45 bottles. Loved it!

Do you swap? What are your experiences so far?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Liquified meat on the tips of my fingers

2011-03-15T21:21:00.001+01:00

Kalbsleberwurst

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's a little culinary comparison for you:

Meat (Source: Google images)

As if I dipped my finger tips in liquid meat. I do not like meat. Not on my sandwich, not on my plate. Only on my fingers just like this:

Models Own Nude Beige

Do you guys have culinary associations with certain type of polish colors? And do you like fleshy colors like Models Own Nude Beige?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

P2 Elegant

2011-02-26T20:46:00.004+01:00

P2 Elegant

Dear Lacqueristas,

Picked this one up a few months back in Germany. Looked pretty but never tried it on UNTILL NOW and OMG I'm blown away by it's pretty-ness.

P2 Elegant

A grey leaning lilac base color with the most amazing pink shimmer. Not so secret shimmer. Love love love!!!
I've heard this polish will be discontinued soon, too bad because I want to buy a back up and I'm sure my np friends overseas would like this in a swap.

Do you know when this will be discontinued/if this is still availabe?
And do you know of any dupes?

Don't forget to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Some HEMA polish swatches

2011-02-25T20:39:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Have a look at these affordable pretties:

Hema #13

Hema #13 is a warm toned nude. Not particularly flattering my skin tone but a gorgeous shade nonetheless. A semi sheer sandy nude with a hint of peach, loaded with glass flecks. The only downside is that it applies a tad streaky as you can see in the second picture.

Hema Wetlook #3

Hema Wetlook #3 is a pink sheer polish. The name Wetlook made me expect a jelly texture but this polish is comparable to your average Essie sheer formula and not a juicy jelly. The finish is very shiny though. I love colors like these, they fit my Palate Cleanser bill.

Do you own HEMA polishes? What are your favorites?

Don't forget to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

The first holo's of the year + videos

2011-02-20T16:16:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Those Nubar holo's have been on my wishlist forever, but where I live they are not easy to obtain (for a reasonable prize that is)
So I decided to buy just 2 of them. They have been standing on my special *mommy's favorite children stand* and they smiled there upon me for a few weeks. But, today was the rare event that I'm off AND there are a few rays of sun! So.... for a true Lacquerista that means... HOLOS! I enjoyed swatching these next polishes a lot, hope you enjoy seeing them:

Nubar Prize

Nubar Jewel

These are my first Nubar's ever and I'm sure more will follow. I have my eyes set on Gem, Reclaim and Violet Sparkle but I am not looking forward to paying around 12 euro's for them. I guess I will have to hold my patience for a future swap :-)

What is your favorite Nubar? And don't you just LOVE it when the holo season starts?
Don't forget to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Models Own - the pink army

2011-02-16T21:54:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Are you ready for a bunch of Model's Own swatches? Sit back and enjoy.

Tickled Pink

Tickled Pink: a medium cool pink with tons of silver shimmer. The finish is very similar to OPI suede's but without the matte finish.

Lili's Pink

Lili's Pink is similar to Tickled Pink, finish wise. But the base color is a softer pink. Weird finish, me like a lot!

Raspberry Crush

Raspberry Crush is a super flattering blue toned saturated pink/red. Vibrant, almost neon-ish. Creme finish.

Pink Sorbet

Pink Sorbet is also a weirdo. A hot, hot pink, almost neon. Super heavy on the shimmer, pearly almost (but not quite) leaning frosty. Hmmm... yeah. I bet it looks extra good on the toes in summer.

Pastel Pink

Pastel Pink. What's in a name, right? Stark white based pink. I love colors like these but that doesn't necessarily mean I can pull it off. I don't really care though, I wear what I want :-p and just imagine I have beautiful hands without lobster tendency.

Pink Blush

Pink Blush: Barbie pink creme. Love it.

Buff Pink

Buff Pink is a sheer but buildable shade. Cream/pink colored and falls in my beloved Palate Cleanser catogory.
The only other pink Model's Own that I didn't yet post is Pink Explosion. That polish is so crazily glittery and fierce that artificial or normal day light just don't do it right. Only the sun brings out it's true beauty so I won't post pictures untill the sun peeks through :-)

Do you like pink nail polish? And what's your favorite Models Own?

Have you already got your hands on OPI's Black Shatter? Here's your chance to win one. Click HERE to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Clarins 230's best dupe

2011-02-15T21:26:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas

Ever since I have seen pictures of the famous Clarins 230 aka Unicorn Pee, I fell in love with it. This particular polish is so hard to get that you have to pay a small fortune on Ebay to get hold of one.
People that own 230 claim that this next polish might be the closest dupe:

Nfu.Oh 51

Nfu.Oh 51 is close to Clarins 230 color wise, but of course this is a flaky whereas Clarins 230 is a sheer shimmer. A pretty polish nonetheless.

To those who own Clarins 230; what's the closest dupe you've ever seen? (If there is any)
Where did you find your 230, and is it really worth the ridiculous prize?

Don't forget to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway!
Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

My favorite China Glaze collection I think

2011-02-12T20:34:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

What is your favorite China Glaze collection? Here is a polish from my favorite:

Did you guess the polish? Here's another pic:

Well? No? Ok let me spill the beans: it's Sky High Top from the Kicks collection. A perfect blue shimmer with tons of depth. I do not have all the shades from the Kicks collection but so far, I'm loving them.

*UPDATE: I think Kicks is my second favorite ChG collection.... Rodeo Diva has to be #1! Thanks for making my realize that Jobreck!*
What's your favourite shade from Kicks? And what's your favorite China Glaze collection ever?

Don't forget to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Experiments with Black Shatter: Linear or Scattered crackles, and can you use thinner?

2011-02-07T20:56:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

A few weeks ago I posted my tips and tricks on crackle polish. I did some more experimenting in the weeks that past since and I have some new tips and tricks I'd like to share:

Patterns
In my previous post I showed some common patterns. Most of you liked the *Leopard* and the *Turtle* the best.

I would consider these two to be linear designs because their pattern is rather lined up, even and neat. I find those easier to achieve on a base color that is not glass-like smooth. A holographic polish for instance, has more grip and therefore the shatter crackles more evenly.
It also helps to apply a thin to medium thick layer of shatter. The fact is: the thinner the layer, the smaller the pattern.

When the surface of the base color is really smooth, for instance on a jelly or creme, the shatter lacks grip when it shrinks and will leave random or string-like patterns.

You will also get this effect when the base color is not dry enough or when you apply a thick layer of shatter polish.

Can you use thinner in Black Shatter?
The answer is: Yes you can. Black Shatter turns goopy super, super quick. After two manicures my bottle was too goopy to handle. I decided to add some OPI polish thinner and that worked perfectly. It didn't damage the polish and it doens't affect the crackle effect.

I updated my original post on this topic. I am so exited I got so many respons through comments, Tumblr email and Youtube. Thanks all!

Don't forget to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway
Do you want to share your experience or tips with crackle polish? Which pattern do you like best?
Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

Is this the best chrome finish?

2011-02-06T20:05:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Have a look at this pretty lil momma:

China Glaze Sci-Fi

This came out in the Khrome collection. Sci Fi is light blue and has a chrome finish. It goes on as liquid metal. Once applied it is highly reflective. Kinda like a mirror. Ok, I couldn't pluck my eyebrows using my nails as a mirror, but you get the point.
My favorite of the Khrome collection is Milennium, a true silver polish. I love it so much that I have 2 back ups. Many people like to use these polishes from the Khrome collection as a stamping polish for Konad, I like it best just applied on it's own as a manicure. It looks so hot with a tan!

The downside to this amazing chrome finish is that it shows all flaws. I applied 2 thick coats of Gelous as a basecoat to achieve a smooth surface.

Have you come across chrome-like polishes other then China Glazes'? I think a hot pink chrome would be awesome :-D

Have you already entered my Black Shatter giveaway? Here's your chance!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

I missed out on these...

2011-02-04T20:14:00.002+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

My NOTD is a bit sad. Can you tell what it is?

OPI Ink Suede

Did you guess it was a suede? I bet you did. I never thought I would like this finish by swatches I've seen. Untill I was finally able to get hold of a bottle myself, just to try. I LOVED it! OPI's suede polishes are matte but contain tons of shimmer.
The sad part is... OPI discontinued their suedes.... So far I own Ink suede and Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow suede. I'd love to own all of them.

Do you like suedes, and which ones do you like best? And, even more important, do you know if they are still sold online somewhere?

Don't forget to enter my Black Shatter Giveaway

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

New Sephora polish and Black Shatter giveaway

2011-02-01T19:07:00.003+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Meet my new love:

Sephora #55 Killer Trendsetter

Awesome color. A taupish, greyish lilac with the most gorgeous complex shimmer. This is a true chameleon. I'm in awe and received many compliments about this... Formula was awesome, it was a one coater.
I have heard of $opi's before but here in europe the're not available. I was super happy to find an amazing range of small Sephora brand polishes... Like nail polish haven!

Why do bloggers not review little Sephora polishes? I already owned a few that a friend brought for me but now I've actually visited a Sephora myself, I picked up some more! So stay tuned for more promising swatches :-)

And here's a reminder to enter my Black Shatter giveaway open for international entries. Good luck!

Do you own Sephora brand polish? What shades do you like?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

CLOSED Black Shatter giveaway

2011-01-31T00:06:00.002+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's your chance to win an OPI Black Shatter! This giveaway is gonna be really laid back, no extra special rules or what not. It's open to everyone, no matter in what country you live. The only requirement is that you are a follower of my blog. No follower yet? Now's your chance ;-)

This giveaway closes on march 1st. Good luck!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Tip's and tricks: Palate cleanser

2011-01-28T07:01:00.002+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Ever felt like an overkill of bold, superduper extra special finish polishes? Like you can't fully appreciate your polish because there has been so much over the top polish on your nails? As if your eyes are tired of all this visual stimulation?
I sure have. I found the solution long time ago. Let me share this with you.

Palate cleansers, by nature, are used in the middle of a meal to remove lingering flavors from the mouth so that the next course may be enjoyed with a fresh perspective.

You might wonder how this would work in nail polish? I'd say, think nude and neutral. A palate cleanser is not the same as a mannequin shade, as that is a shade to mimic your skin tone and a palate cleanser is a serene, calming shade that does not have to match your skin tone.

I figured out that I enjoy wearing white-ish, pale pinkish/nude colors that are lighter then my skin tone. Here are some examples:

OPI Pink-a-Doodle

OPI Bubble Bath (black label)

Chanel Jade Rose

OPI Fair Pinkum Dinkum. This is my very favorite palate cleanser.

Dior 189 Poreclain Rose

Wearing a palate cleanser works better for me then having naked nails. I like to alternate creme, opaque palate cleansers and semi-jelly ones. I love it when they have shimmer or even a lil micro glitter. Whenever I wear one, my nails look so clean and well groomed and it puts me in a serene state of mind, visual wise.

After wearing a palate cleanser for a day or two, I appreciate wearing my *crazy* bold, in your face nail polishes so much more. It's like I fall in love all over again.
I think everyone can find some palate cleansers that work best for them. Here are some other shades that work for me:

Zoya              - Danielle
OPI               - Matched Luggage
OPI               - Tickets to Paradise
OPI               - Canberra't Without You
Chanel           - Mica Rose
Chanel          - Allegoria
Dior               - 108 Coconut
Models Own - Buff Pink

Where you familliar with the concept of using palate cleansers in a nail polish way? What are your favorite shades?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

New Chanels! (swatches and comparison)

2011-01-22T22:28:00.004+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Some better swatches of the latest Chanel polishes:

Pearl Drop

Pearl Drop is a gorgeous opaque white polish with a satin pearl like finish. There's a lot of golden shimmer going on. When the light hit's it, the gold is pretty strong. The heavy shimmer makes this a pearly finish, there are some brush strokes but not in an annoying way.

Peche Nacreé - with a shell I found in the carabbean see

Peche Nacreé

Peche Nacreé is a super cute but not unique polish. Soft, pinky peach with again, a satin like pearly finish. This one is more pearlized then Pearl Drop. But there is no complex shimmer or a flash of another color.

The color reminds me of the inside of a shell I found.

Black Pearl in overcast. The finish is extremely glossy.

Black Pearl -direct sun. Complex shimmer!

Black Pearl is a blackened forest green pearl. Or is it a greened black? Or just oil slick.... It's all in the eye of the beholder because this polish is a chameleon. Ofcourse as the theme of this collection is pearls, this polish has a pearl finish. But when the light hits it, the most complex shimmer surfaces.

In overcast or indoors the shimmer and pearl hide and the glass like surface shows. This is definitely one of the glossiest polishes I've ever seen. I could almost use my nails as a mirror :-D I think I remember OPI's It's All Greece To Me to have a similar glossy finish.

Chanel Pearl Drop Vs. Intermezzo

Bottles compared

I'm in love with Intermezzo. It might even be my favorite Chanel polish. A tie with Marilyn. And Rose Confidentiel.

What is your favorite Chanel?

How do you feel about these polishes? Do you like pearly finishes?

Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

Chanel 513 Black Pearl, 515 Peche Nacrée, 511 Pearl Drop - quick 'n dirty swatches

2011-01-17T22:51:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's something I hardly ever do: I'm posting some quick 'n dirty swatches. I don't have time right now to do a clean-up or work on my cuticles so please no hate comments lol. I'm just so exited about these polishes that I decided I post them anyways.

Black Pearl, close up. See the complex shimmer?!

513 Black Pearl

511 Pearl Drop

515 Peche Nacrée (lol I thought it looked like the inside of a shell)

511 Pearl Drop

That's all for now! When I have time and daylight, I'll post better pics.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Neon crackle

2011-01-16T23:32:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's a piece of neon sponged nails topped of with Black Shatter crackle polish.

Several neon shades from China Glaze's Poolside Collection, topped of with OPI's Black Shatter

Have you read my post with tips and tricks on crackle polish? I'm not sure what pattern I created on my neon manicure.... I think it's a crossing of the Giraffe and the Leopard lol.

Do you have an idea for my next crackle mani?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Tips and tricks: a masterclass in crackle/shatter topcoat

2011-01-15T23:31:00.008+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

In the nail polish community we call it "crackle" others might now it by "shatter". I don't care what we call it, but it's highly addictive and I can't stop playing with it.
Crackle or Shatter polish is a topcoat that shrinks when it dries to leave a shattered layer. It is applied on top of a "normal" nailpolish. The shattering creates a pattern that looks somewhat like an animal print, leaving the base color underneath peek trough.

OPI by Katy Perry Black Shatter over Nfu.Oh 61

Eversince OPI and Katy Perry announced their collaboration that includes a Black Shatter, the hype around crackle polish is exploding. I was lucky enough to have crackle polish experience for a few months now and I discovered some tips and tricks I want to share with you.

Apply the shatter on a dry manicure
Make sure your colored polish is completely dry before you apply the Black Shatter. If you apply the Shatter on a semi-dry polish, you will not get that nice animal print look but ugly thick streaks.

Example of Shatter polish on top of thick layers of semi-dry base. In the proces of shattering, the crackle fragments adhere to the semi dry layers, tearing them apart. Do not want!

Example of crackle applied over a thin layer of semi-dry base polish.

The crackle layer shrinks into weird strings. Do not want as well!

Can you wear crackle/shatter polish by itself?
The answer is; yes, you can. But it won't crackle. It would just be a chalk board like streaky, thin layer. SO probably not a good idea.

Work quickly
Shatter and crackle polish dries super fast. You would want to apply it very quickly. Very quickly. Í reccomend not to even re-dip the brush, that takes too long.

Quick dry topcoat
Be aware when you dry your base mani with a quick dry topcoat before applying a shatter. I didn't like the patterns the crackle made when I applied it over my quick dry topcoat (I use Seche Vite). Quick dry topcoats dry to a glass-like finish and I wouldn't be suprised if Seche Vite leaves an oily residue on the nail after it has dried. Either way, it makes the surface of the nail so smooth that the shatter won't have enough grip to shatter in a nice pattern.

Ugly patterns over quick dry topcoat. The shatters fall apart in string like pieces. Not so pretty.

Creating patterns
Experiment with the amount of Shatter polish on your brush when you apply. When you apply a thin layer you will get a fragile fine craquelé look. On the other hand, when you apply too much, the Shatter will "break" into huge pieces. Personally I like to apply the Shatter like this: I take the brush out of the bottle but I don't swipe away the excess of one side of the brush.
Also, I found that the more "grip" the base polish has, the better the crackles are. For instance; holographic or semi bumpy glitter polishes display a more linear shatter (the Leopard and the Turtle) as opposed to creme, glass-like polishes (they tend to display either the Giraffe of the Tread/String like shatter)

The turtle has a linear pattern
of medium sized shatters. You create this by
applying a medium to thick layer of shatter.

The Leopard has a very fine shatter
pattern that is mostly linear.
It doesn't show much of the base
color and the pattern is blurry
from a little distance. You create this by applying
a super thin coat of shatter. If needed,
thin out the formula of your shatter first!

The Giraffe has big, bold patches of shatter in a random pattern.
It allows a lot of base color peek through. Create this by
applying a very thick layer of shatter. If your shatter
is too runny, leave the cap of for a while to thicken it's formula.

You can be messy
When you apply the Shatter, don't worry about how tidy you do so. You won't see smudges or missed spots after all. Do not pass the brush a second time! It's better to apply just one wide stroke op shatter and leave that nail alone afterwards. Passing your brush over an already (crackle) painted piece of nail can mess up the effect.

Clean up
After the Shatter has crackled, I like to be precise with my clean up. The crackle look is funky and can crackle all it wants on the nail, but because it is so "out there" it can easliy end up looking trashy. So I make sure my cuticles are clean. I use a thin brush dipped in acetone.Have a look at my tutorial if you want to see how this works.

Finish
The Black Shatter dries up matte. I do like the contrast of the sparly, shiny base color peeking trough the matte crackle but you can also apply a regular topcoat on top to add shine. This will also deepen the black of the Shatter itself.

Shatter polish without topcoat

The same manicure as above topped off with a shiny topcoat

Combinations

Experience with different base colors. Glitters, holographics, duochromes, cremes, light, dark are all options. And you can even apply a shatter on top of a Konad design, marbled manicure or any other nail art.

China Glaze will realease a collection with different colored crackles. The options are endless!

Formula

Crackle or Shatter polish will thicken after a few uses. You can apply a few drops of nail polish thinner but never, EVER use polish remover for this purpose. It will destroy your polish.

I like to add a drop of 2, 3 of thinner after each use, so my crackle always has the right cosistancy.

So far my experiences with crackle/shatter polish. How do you feel about crackle? Do you have tip's and tricks about crackle that you feel like sharing?

Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

Patchwork inspired mani, and a question for those who read my watermarking post yesterday

2011-01-14T18:46:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

A special mani today! I was inspired by the so called Patchwork Mani by Chloe's Nails. The design is made by using scotch tape.

The polishes I used are all by OPI:
Parlez-vous Opi?
Done out in Deco
Panda-monium Pink
DS series Original

What do you think about my creation? Any color suggestions for my next Patchwork Mani? And.... to those of you that read my post yesterday about watermarking... how do you like my current font? Heehee :-D

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Watermarking pictures

2011-01-13T16:04:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

My pictures were never watermarked, partly because of estetical reasons, partly of the extra effort it would have caused me but mostly because I never experienced thievery of my pictures. Well, I still don't think it looks pretty, and I still don't like the extra time it takes, but I did have my pictures stolen now.
What exactly happened is a loooong story and I'm not gonna bother you with that. It started out with good intentions but it ended up with other individuals taking credit for my creations :-(

So from now on I feel forced to put a watermark on all my pictures. I will try to do this as tastefull as possible.

Here's a lil NOTD for you, my beloved OPI Parlez-vous OPI? It's now discontinued boohoo!

How do you guys feel about watermarking?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Color CLub Spring 2011 - Alter Ego collection (release date februari 15th)

2011-01-13T09:08:00.002+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Since most press releases reach me when it's sleepy-time in my part of the world, I'm always late to the party and therefore I choose to skip covering most of them. But when I woke up this morning I found an email with such enchanting shades of nail polish that I decided to blog about it. There we go:

Color Club's spring collection brings us 12 new shades. There wille be 2 "salon packs" available, each will cover either the light or the dark range.The salon packs come contain 7 bottles: 6 shades of polish and a top or base coat.

Reveal Your Mystery salon pack
Get a Clue
Revealed
Incognito
Secret Rendezvous
Sheer Disguise
Give me a Hint
Milky White Base Coat

Keep it Undercover salon pack
Alter Ego
Secret Agent
Total Mystery
Alias
Ulterior Motive
Masquerading
Vivid Top Coat

I am really, really exited about this collection. It seems like there is some duo chrome going on in there...And great looking nudes and neutrals. Word is that the Alter Ego collection will be released on februari 15th.
The quality of Color Club polishes is amazing, and they are not afraid to throw out interesting colors and finishes. The price is very affordable, even here in europe.

How do you feel about this collection? Wich colors seem interesting to you?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Full collection swatches of OPI by Katy Perry

2011-01-03T15:55:00.007+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

My taste in nail polish is pretty broad. But I'm a sucker for color's that would be considered outrageous to most non-Lacqueristas. The more glitter, holo or *ugly* the better. I would literally DREAM about funky collaberations in the nail polish world. My wishlist: Lady Gaga, Bjork, Nelly Furtado, Lilly Allen, Kat von D, MIA, Ivy Queen, Macy Grey but most of all Katy Perry. And that last one just came true!

Katy Perry for OPI was released on January 1st, the collection exists of 4 different shades and one black shatter topcoat. All four shades can be topped off with the Black Shatter to create an unique leopard pattern.

Teenage Dream
A transparent mellow pink shade with shimmer and holographic particles. In the bottle it looks like the polish is pink but it's actually a clear base packed with pink shimmer particles. That's what makes it look pink. On the nail you don't really get the pink. It applies VERY sheer. Teenage Dream would make a great topcoat!
Besides the fine pink shimmer, this polish is also loaded with small perfectly round holographic particles. These look like tiny mirrors that make the finish extremely vivid in the right light.

Teenage Dream in daylight

Teenage Dream in sunlight

Teenage Dream with Black Shatter, no topcoat

Teenage Dream with Black Shatter and topcoat

Here's a video I made of Teenage Dream. Incredibly vivid glittah and holo! And in the video I didn't even have sun, so imagine what the sun would do...

Last Friday Night

In the bottle this looks like a vibrant blue with lots of glitters. A closer look tells us this is in fact a clear polish with the slightest touch of blue, with sparse blue micro shimmer and small turqoise and silver round particles. I'm not sure if these silver particles have a holographic quality to them. So far, I do not think so.

Last Friday Night applies the sheerest of sheer. After four thick coats there is finally some blue visible. The glitters are also very sparse, it does not even come close to Teenage Dream (that is packed with these goodies). I experienced a strange change in color when I was taking pictures of Last Friday Night; in some light setting the polish appears more pinkish then blue-ish...

Last Friday Night, daylight

Last Friday Night with Black Shatter, no topcoat

The One That Got Away

OPI describes this as a deep berry pink. I would say they might be right :-) On some websites I have read that The One That Got Away is considered a multi-chrome (Showing different colors depending on angle/light). In the bottle I do see a golden duo chrome going on, but once applied on the nail I was not able to catch that again.

Either way, this is a pretty and flattering pink although it's not unique. In the formula you find tiny glitter.The finish and formula falls somewhere between Let Me Entertain You and Teas-y Does It. I did a comparison with LMEY and they don't come close.

The One That Got Away, sunlight

The One That Got Away with Black Shatter

(look at how ugly the shatter pattern turned out. This is what happens when you are impatient! Have a look at my tips n tricks at the bottem of this post ;-)

Not Like The Movies
My favorite of this Katy Perry Collection. A multi chrome with a dominant grey base color. Once applied the pink becomes more dominant and depending on the angle you will catch green, pink, purple, grey. The color shifting is not bold but subtle and that makes this polish stand out. It is elegant, office appropiate yet funky baby. There's also some speckles of micro glitter in the formula. Awesome!

Not Like The Movies in day light. Check out the (subtle) color shifting

Another one, just because I can

Artificial light

Not Like The Movies with Black Shatter, no topcoat

Overview
Katy Perry for OPI is a fun collection with some funky shades. The formulas of Not Like The Movies and The One That Got Away are excellent. The formulas of Teenage Dream and Last Friday Night are very thick, gel-like but still manageable. Overall I found that the four polishes dried quicker then usual. The concept of a crackle polish is not new but I think OPI is the first big high end brand to release a crackling polish.

Tips and Tricks
Working with the Black Shatter, a so called crackle polish is something you have to get the hang of. Here are some tips I want to share with you:

Make sure your colored polish is completely dry before you apply the Black Shatter. If you apply the Shatter on a semi-dry polish, you will not get that nice *leopard* look but ugly thick streaks (like in my picture of The One That Got Away
Experiment with the amount of Shatter polish on your brush when you apply. When you apply a thin layer you will get a fragile fine craquelé look. On the other hand, when you apply too much, the Shatter will "break" into huge pieces. Personally I like to apply the Shatter like this: I take the brush out of the bottle but I don't swipe away the excess
When you apply the Shatter, don't worry about how tidy you do that. You won't see smudges or missed spots after all
After the Shatter has crackled, I like to be precise with my clean up. The crackle look is funky and can crackle all it wants on the nail, but because it is so out there it can easliy end up looking trashy. So I make sure my cuticles are clean. I use a thin brush dipped in acetone to achieve this, have a look at my Tutorial how you can learn this too
The Black Shatter dries up matte. I do like the contrast of the sparly, shiny base color peeking trough the matte crackle but you can also apply a regular topcoat on top to add shine. This will also deepen the black of the Shatter itself.
Experience with different base colors

Skittles of Katy Perry by OPI
Here's a lil bonus for yous! Interesting to see how the extra layer of topcoat intensified the color of the Black Shatter...

All three coats, exept for LFN (4 coats)

Same order as above, with Black Shatter, without topcoat

Same order as above, With Black Shatter and a layer of topcoat

Well dear readers, that was a quite an article. I have not posted in months, due to professional and personal occupations but I certainly didn't lose my love for polish! I hope you guys enjoyed my review and pictures. I'd love to hear from whatever remarks or questions you have.

My questions for you: What is your favorite shade of this collection, and how with what nail polish would you combine the crackle polish?

Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

The winner of the magnetic polish giveaway is......

2010-12-13T08:33:00.003+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

I have not been posting for a loooong time now, due to my job that keeps me pretty occupied and the fact that I can hardly ever catch daylight for my pics. There is a good chance I won't post much untill circumstances change in my advantage. Please bare with me :-)

Now the good news is: We have a winner!

The magnetic polish givaway is won by:

CHLOE by chloesnails. The trivia she entered is:

Okay, so it's not new, but while helping my daughter with a school project, I was shocked to know we had a new Ocean as of 2000!! The Southern Ocean. I felt like an idiot, not knowing this, lol.

Thanks to all who entered. I hadfun reading your input on trivia. Here are some for you to read:

The word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl word ahuacatl which means testicle....yeah..

Did you know that giraffes have the same amount of vertabrae as humans? which is 7. =)

Camels can lick their ears with their tongues.

So don't just give up on the Lacquerista yet, I will post swatches again. It might just take a while. Thanks to my loyal followers *hugs*

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

7 hours left to enter my 5 pc magnetic polish giveaway...

2010-12-05T17:59:00.000+01:00

Dear lacqueristas,

this is your last chance to enter my giveaway and win 4 fantasticnail polishes with a magnet to activate the parti les to make patterns in the polish. Amazing! These polishes by ezsence are very sought after and sold out everywhere. Now is your chance to win the entire set.

Good luck ladies!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Magnetic polish 5 pc giveaway

2010-11-18T07:13:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's your chance to win all 4 magnetic polishes of the latest Essence collection. With the magnet (that is included in this giveaway) you can make unique patterns in the polish. Here's the link to ENTER and to see swatches of these polishes.

The prize: four magnetic polishes and the magnet to activate the patterns

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

The winner of the Rock 'n Roll nail art challenge is....

2010-11-17T08:26:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

The winner of the rock 'n roll themed nail art challenge is:

The top 3
1. The Elvis by Rins (44%)
2. The Avril by Li Lian (33%)
3. Rock 'n Roll Mix by Alexandra (12%)

Congratulations Rins! Please mail me your details so I can send you your prize. And to Li Lian and Alexandra: I'd love it if you could send me the pics and step-by-step how to re-create your nail art so I can post it.

Thanks to everybody that entered.
Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Essence MAGNETIC nail polish swatches and 5 pc GIVEAWAY

2010-11-11T19:52:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

A while ago I posted about the Essence Metallics trend edition. In this collections are 5 nail polishes, 4 of them are magnetic. Since this collection is sought after and most likely to be sold out quickly, I decided to make a giveaway for you all. At the bottom of this post you will find the form to enter.

I have swatched the entire collection:

My favorite: Copper Rulez!

Skittle swatches of all four so you can compare.

These polishes have magnetic particles in it that line up accordingly when you hoover the magnet over the freshly polished nail. Copper Rulez! seems to have the best effect. It is my favorite out of this collection.

The magnet comes with a manual, it shows you what patterns you can make. You have to buy the magnet seperately.

The complete Magnetic Collection. This is also the price you can win with my Magnetic Giveaway.

Giveaway

Now you have the chance to win the entire Essence Magnetic Polishes plus the magnet. Please fill out the form to enter this giveaway. It will be open untill december 5th and the winner will be announced here shortly after. Good luck!

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Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Nail art challenge: vote for your favorite!

2010-11-07T09:01:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

This nail art challenge has a rock 'n roll theme. Choose your favorite! The winner receives a bottle of Gosh Holographic. You can vote for yourself but everybody can vote just one time.

Here we go in random order. You can click on the pics to enlarge them.

1. "rock 'n roll mix"created by Alexandra of Addicted to Konad

2. "The Elvis" created by Rins of Simply Rins

3. "The bow 'n Star" created by Helen of helibeauties

4. "Gothic Dream" created by Markéta from immortal-blueberry

5. "Backstage Pass"created by Freshie of polishfreshie

6. "The Record" created by Elyse

7. "The Avril" created by Li Lian of shortwidenails

The giveaway is now closed so the voting may begin:

Thanks to everybody that entered this challenge. I will announce the winner by November 12. Good luck you all!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

A few more hours to win Gosh Holographic... Enter my nail art challenge (Rock 'n Roll themed)

2010-11-06T19:46:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

A few more hours that the nail art challenge will be open for entries.Click HERE to read how you can enter. \The lates additions:

Avril Lavigne inspired nail art by Li Lian of shortwidenails

Elvis inspired nail art created by Rins of Simply Rin's

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

One day left to win Gosh Holographic...

2010-11-06T06:46:00.000+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

There's one day left to enter my nail art challenge. The theme is rock 'n roll, imagine where you can take this... The winner receives a bottle of Gosh Holographic. Click HERE to see the entries so far,and how you can enter.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Zoya... I think I love you

2010-11-04T21:54:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Zoya keeps amazing me with their stunning shades. Have a look:

Sunlight

Shade

Bonus pic

Zoya Kotori. Isn't this a lovely nail polish? What is your favorite Zoya (besides Charla)?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Rock 'n Roll themed nail art challenge update

2010-11-02T06:47:00.004+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

A few days ago I entered my nail art challenge (click here)
Here's an update with the entries so far:

Created by Alexandra from addicted to Konad

Created by Helen from helibeauties

Created by Markéta from immortal-blueberry

Just 3 entries so far? Ican't wait to see more creative interpretations of the Rock 'n Roll theme. The challenge is open untill 11/7, after that the voting begins. Thetop voted receives a brand new bottle of Gosh Holograhpic.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

2010-11-01T18:22:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Let me show you my favorite OPI Burlesque shade:

Bottle pic. See the greenish duo chrome?

Bonus pic

A vampy brown-ish base with tons of burgundy micro-glitter/shimmer particles. Once applied these sparkles have a dusty veil of base color over them but the sun let's them peek-a-boo right through. That gives this polish a mysterious quality. Understated sexiness. Hands down my favorite from the entire Burlesque collection.

Too bad though that the green duo chrome disappears once applied on the nail.

If you own this polish, did you see a duo chrome when you wore it?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

New H&M polishes

2010-10-31T13:29:00.001+01:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

H&M has changed their bottle design. Have a look:

Left to right: Spending Cash With Carl, Envy Me, Fashionista, No Mambo Jambo, Moody Model.

Side view. If you keep your stash in a Helmer, you will love this.

On the top of each bottle there's a sticker with the name. So handy! I wish all brands did this.

New (left) vs. Old (right)

The new bottles hold 9 ml / 0.3 fl. oz just like the old one. So no change here. What has changed? The cap, the bottle shape and the font. I think the new bottle looks a lot better, and more luxurious. The bottle feels more sturdy. The only downside is that the cap is rectangular so when you polish, it can feel a bit clumsy.

Many popular H&M shades (like Fashionista) that where available in the old bottles are now also available in the new bottles. I did spot some new(er) shades as you can see in the pictures above. Moody Model and Envy Me look extremely handsome. I will swatch them soon but currently I have a bad case of nubbins and that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable :-s

What do you think of the new H&M bottles? What are your favorite H&M shades?

ps don't forget to enter my nail art challenge HERE and win a Gosh Holographic!

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Rock 'n Roll Nail Art Challenge - win Gosh Holographic!

2010-10-30T18:57:00.004+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

I know that many of you create some awesome nail art. I wish I was able to do it myself too, but my attempts are rather sad. So I was thinking to launch a challenge. The theme is Rock ' n Roll. Fifties, sixties, or modern rock 'n roll, whatever comes to your mind that embodies it.

I invite anybody that is creative! Anyone can enter. Even if:
*you don't have a blog
*you are not sure you are "good" enough
*you have a crappy camera or just a cell phone to take pics

The more entries, the more fun. This is supposed to be a fun competition but I do have a lil something for the top-voted creation: the winner receives a brand new bottle of the sought after Gosh Holographic.

How can you enter
Simple. Make a rock 'n roll themed nail art and take notes/pics how you created it. Send me 1 picture with the end result in an email, together with the name of your creation. This picture will be posted on my blog. Other visitors vote for their favorite creations. The top 3 gets a guest blogger stage on my blog, in where they will explain the steps to re-create their nail art. The creation with the most votes, receives a Gosh Holographic.

Rules

Send me an EMAIL with the picture of your creation. At least 4 fingers with art must be in it. (so not just 1 nail)
It does not matter how good you are or how good your camera is. It's about your creativity.
Everybody that enters this competition agrees that I post the picture of their creation on my blog.
The theme is Rock 'Roll.
The closing date is November 7th. Shortly after I will post the voting options.

Here are the entries so far:

Created by Markéta from immortal blueberry

Does this sound like fun or what?! Any questions? Good luck.

ps I'd love it if you help me spread the word for this challenge ;-)

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Glowing blue

2010-10-30T10:43:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Today I have an OPI Designer Series polish to show you. But first let me entertain you with my attempt to a free handed nailart:

OPI DS Magic with Nfu.Oh 61 for the *dots*

Glowing, sparkling. Happy blue.

Macig is a saturated, vibrant blue. There are tiny specks of hot pink in it that make this polish flash purple sometimes. A number of polishes from the OPI DS series are holographic but Magic isn't one of them. This is *just* a sparkly polish.

In the sun. Sparkle fest

Indoors, no direct source of light

Close up

The formula of Magic was top notch. Yes, it did glide on like buttah. For the swatches above I applied 2 coats but in real life I probably could get away with just one.

Do I go crazy about this polish? No. Do I like it a lot? Definetly.

How about you, what are your thoughts about DS Magic, and what is your favorite DS shade?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

MAC Bad Fairy... No dupe here! A comparison.

2010-10-28T06:53:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

MAC Bad fairy is supposed to be dupe-ed by OPI The Show Must Go On. See for yourself:

No dupe to be found.

Personally, I don't see the dupe. The Show Must Go On is more vibrant toned and doesn't have the foil/glitter finish as Bad Fairy has going on. The duo chrome is 10x more evident on Bad Fairy, in TSMGO is kinda dies on the nail.
If anything, color wise Bad Fairy reminds me a little bit of Chanel Salsa (swatches here)

Now on to more pics of Bad Fairy.

Duo chrome!!!

Mac's Bad Fairy is a pretty unique polish if it were to be released a year ago. Nowadays there's TONS of these glittery/foil/duo chrome polishes. The thing that does make Bad Fairy stand out is the color. In the pics it is a bit washed out but inreal life the color switches between a warm pink and a gold. I don't love it on my skintone but I'm sure it's awesome on warmer toned fingers.
I don't think Bad Fairy is available anywhere anymore, it was sold out in a flash. If you are lucky you could find one on Ebay.

Can you think of a polish to dupe Bad Fairy?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

You all voted this as your #1

2010-10-27T09:44:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Remember the polish top 5 last week? When the results came in and I posted thefinal top 5, I realized I never even reviewed the #1! And that while it is one of my own favorites as well! Here we go:

Of course we are talking about China Glaze Ruby Pumps. A deep red jelly loaded with fine red glitter. Awesome! In real life this is one shiny, sparkly baby. On photo it is a bit tricky to catch the oomph. Ruby Pumps makes an excellent pedicure as well. I get compliments whenever I wear this polish. Love!

Did you vote for this polish as well?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

OPI Absolutely Alice revisited

2010-10-26T06:36:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Just some new pics for us to enjoy. The old ones I made sucked :-s

The pic that comes closest to the true beauty of Absolutely Alice

Shade

Sun again

Bottle pic, because this shows the tiny round blue and gold glitters in detail.

Did you... like this?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Nail polish top 5 voted by... you!

2010-10-25T21:32:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Remember the lil poll I POSTED a week ago? I asked you all to name your personal polish top 5. I didn't realise it was quite a pain to work out the outcome but here we go:

China Glaze - Ruby Pumps
Zoya - Charla
*shared 3rd place* OPI - Mad as a Hatter / China Glaze - For Audrey
OPI - Absolutely Alice
Orly - Space Cadet

Thanks you all for voting, I had fun reading your votes. I love that not 1 person has the same list as another. Everybody entered their own unique favorites. I saw a lot of drugstore brands too, Catrice polishes did very well and H&M too.
Next time I will figure out a better way to process the data (tips, anybody?) and post a new poll.

Did you have fun girls, filling out the form? Do you have a trick/link how to process data (as in a poll) more effectively?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Nfu.Oh 46. Red flaky

2010-10-22T22:51:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Nfu.Oh is well known for it's flakies. Have you seen this flaming fire in a polish bottle?

I'm aware that there's a shade covering half of my pinky but

this was the pic in which the flakies showed up the most

Nfu.Oh 46 is a red jelly. This finish is like a bottle of jam or a cup of jello, you can see right through the layers of polish. Very squishy, very yummy. In the middle of this transluscent red you will find tons of flakies. These flakies flash red and orange.

I love that the sun hits these lil sparkly thingies. My camera was not able to capture the stunning game of fire this polish broadcasts in real life.

In the shade. Just to show you the flakies extra well.

Nfu.Oh 46 isperfectly wearable on it's own. For these pics I applied 3 coats. But you can also layer it over another polish. I bet it would look hot over black.

Do you like flakies? What is your favourite?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

My first Color Club. Wild Orchid. I'm in love!

2010-10-22T07:20:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

When I saw this next polish beeing featured on some beautiful swatch pictures, it lit a lil fire inside of me. Have a look why:

See the pretty shimmers?

Ohhh...

It is difficult to describe the color. A grey with a hint of lavender maybe. The shimmers are very small particles that flash some light green? Hmmm who can describe Wild Orchid better? I'd love to hear from you guys...

Application was excellent. It is my very first Color Club polish and I'm surprised by the quality and loooovveee the price (I think I payed around 5 euro for this)

Here's a close up

What are your favorite Color Clubs? And can you describe the color of this polish better?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

The answers to my guessing game about the holo-est holo that ever holo-ed

2010-10-19T20:15:00.003+02:00

Remember yesterday's lil guessing game?

Here are the answers:

1. Is this the holiest holo that you have ever seen?
I'm sure it is the holo-est holo I've ever seen. More holo then Gosh Holographic, China Glaze OMG or any of the OPI holo's I've ever seen. Word is that Chanel's holograpic might be even more holo, but since I don't own that I can't confirm that.

2. Guess the polish (brand/name)
The right answer is: Nfu.Oh 61

3. Did I photoshop the colors? (other then the obvious duplicating and erasing of some parts of the bottle)
I did not photoshop the picture (or enhance contract/colors etc) in any other way then cropping, duplicating and erasing the Nfu.Oh letters and cap. These colors and effects are 100% "natural". This is how my cam picked it up. The fun part is that in real life, the effect is even more holo. Full on rainbow, with true, vivid colors.

4. How many colors do you see in this particular picture (on the nail)
I think I counted 7 color shifts on the nails.

5. What should I do for the winner of this lil guessing game? How about offering a guest blogger stage? Or the winner can choose/come up with the next guessing game? Other ideas?
I liked the "pat on the back" idea, but I never gave a cyber pat before. So how about a lil guest bloggin'?

And because every guessing game has a winner: Pariski!!! Come and claim your lil stage lady!

Now on to more pics of the holo-est holo that ever holo-ed:

And now the pic that turned out with the littlest holo showing up:

I even had to try to find an angle where the holo would be more subtle

Nfu.Oh 61 is defenitely a must-have. A show stopping polish that looks like it wanna jump up your finger. The holo effect is so spectecular that it will even entertain species like men.

I did use the Nfu.Oh aqua base as a base coat before applying the actual polish. It helped quite a bit but I still found it pretty challenging to apply without streaks and drags (you can click on the pics to enlarge them to see those flaws better)

On a side note; without a light source this polish might look kinda dull. It really needs rays of light to make it come alive. Not a polish for rainy days, but keep this pretty for those sunny afternoons :-)

Did you enjoy playing the lil guessing game? Wanna do it again soon? Any ideas?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Guess who is the holiest holo that ever holo-ed?

2010-10-18T21:41:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's a photo I made of the holiest holo I ever came across. Let's make it a lil guessing game... A poll! I love polls! First, here's the pic:

Wow.

Now my questions for you:

1. Is this the holiest holo that you have ever seen?

2. Guess the polish (brand/name)

3. Did I photoshop the colors? (other then the obvious duplicating and erasing of some parts of the bottle)

4. How many colors do you see in this particular picture (on the nail)

5. What should I do for the winner of this lil guessing game? How about offering a guest blogger stage? Or the winner can choose/come up with the next guessing game? Other ideas?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Is this the wonky magic stick of the Bad Fairy?

2010-10-18T09:34:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Look what brush my Bad Fairy has:

W-w-w-wonky!

On to the polish. Bad Fairy is a limited edition from MAC, part of the Venomous Villains collection that was released this month. Bad Fairy is one of the three polishes from this collection, and supposedly the only one that doesn't already have a dupe out there.

Bad Fairy in the sun

This polish is a duo chrome. The base color is pink but when hold under a certain angle you see a strong copper/gold. This shifting of colors is best to be photographed when doing like this:

Finger workout

I'm a bit upset about the brush though. Can you give me tips or tricks how to fix wonky brushes?

Hasta la vista, Lacqueristas!

The Lacquerista followers top 5. Wanna join?

2010-10-17T10:53:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Since I started blogging, I got many emails and comments asking me about my personal favourite polishes. I recently stated that my number 1 all time is Charla by Zoya. I thought it'd be fun to add a column to my blog with my current top 10 including links to their reviews/swatches. This top 10 can be found in the right side column, just underneath my blog list. This list is subject to change!

While I was working on my top 10, I wondered what all of you have in your personal top. I made a lil form to fill out your personal top 5 nail polishes, should be very easy and quick. And fun! I will post the results next week!

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Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

My overkill has been cured. Bring on the bling!

2010-10-16T20:26:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

This seems to be the year of the foil type a duo/multi chromes. In one of my last post I stated I felt the need to take a break of the extra special sparkly special effects polishes. I found my zen back by having a good ol' creme mani.
Ok, so I have recovered from this lil overkill I experienced. I feel brand new and eager to further explore the world of bling bling finishes. Guess what I just got in the mail?

See the green around the cuticles and the purple near the tips?

There are many, many reviews out there already and I'm pretty late to the party but boy was I amazed by this very polish. I don't have anything like this in my stash. Mesmerizing. Green, gold, purple... And glossy like outta this world. Maybe not that flattering on my skintone but it's too pretty to care about that.

Daylight, overcast

Artificial light

Akward finger position toshow the color shifting

Bottle pic!

This polish is so special and has so many faces that it needed many pics. I hope yall don't mind?
What is the most over-the-top or akward polish in your personal stash?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Dior 447 Mandarin Orange... Peachy squishy with golden sparkles

2010-10-14T08:44:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Today Dior Mandarin Orange will show her golden sparkle guts:

In the full sun

And another one! See how warm the orange looks in these pics? Now scroll down...

Tadaaaaa! Her cold hearted coolness shows! This last pic was taken inside, close to a window but no sun.

Dior 447 Mandarin Orange is a peachy pinky orange. The base color reminds me of Chanel Orange Fizz. Mandarin Orange has a lot of golden glass fleck like sparkles suspended in it's base. The good thing is that these sparkles áre notjust visible in thebottle, but come truly alive once applied on the nail. This has also to do with the fact that the formula has some squishy-ness to it. It is not a straight up jelly, but a hybrid so to say. :-p

I love polishes like this! The formula, the squishy look, the sparkles.... Ahhhh I want the summer back in my life!

Have you seen or tried the newDior polishes yet?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Nfu.Oh GS14 (black holo) and comparison Collistar 18 video

2010-10-11T22:19:00.004+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Believe me, I tried REALLY hard to capture the holographic hotness in this next polish. But I failed. Impossible. I don't know if it was my camera (Canon Powershot) or the lighting (direct sun, flash, bounced flash as well as artificial) but I didn't manage to even come close to how incredibly HOT this polish is. Have a look at my attempts:

You think this looks kinda pretteh? Imagine the holographic action x 10.

GS14 has a black base, not straight a jelly but too squeesy for a creme. I'd say 70% jelly quality. The base is packed, but absolutely PACKED with medium size holographic particles. It gives the finish a non-linear or shattered holographic look (as opposed to linear as in China Glaze OMG / Nfu.Oh 63 etc)

The semi translucency of the formula lets the holographic particles peek-a-boo through to catch the light on the surface.

I have heard many rumours about the supposed application difficulties with GS14. I din't wear this polish as a full mani yet, but for the swatch above I did notice some minor goopyness. Pretty shure though that had also to do with the act that I applied 2 thick coats instead of 3 thin ones.

Now on to the comparison. I own just one other polish that meets the discription black holo and that is Collistar 18. (Funny, that both brands don't actually name their creations but give them numbers)

The reason I painted only the thumb with Collistar is that the difference is too obvious to go through the hassle. Collistar's holo is much less dense and because the black base has no jelly quality to it, the holo particles are not peeking through. In real life this makes a huge difference. Nfu.Oh just isn't competition! I'm totally in awe with the overall quality of this brand... wow.

A lil video to show some more holo in motion

The funny part is that I'm holding the Collistar bottle, that looks pretty holo in the video. Just for the record; Nfu.Oh is like that... times 10. No joke. All fingers are Nfu.Oh GS14 but the thumb is painted with Collistar 18.

Here is the evidence: Nfu.Oh GS14 in full sunlight, twinkling likea zillion crushes rainbow diamonds :-D

Well... what do you think? Is it pretteh, oh no?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

New Dior 671 Violette Graphique/Grapic Berry and comparison

2010-10-11T07:48:00.004+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

My boyfriend had a *great* idea when I was washing him some grapes to take to work. In real life they did look kinda similar....

He felt very proud and thought this pic turned out pretty cool. I'm happy that he cares about my obsession :-) Thanks dear boyfriend :-)

Dior 671 Violette Graphique/Graphic Berry is a saturated darker fuchsia. Very deep, cool and bright. Colors like this are flattering on my pinkish skin tone and after all this glittah, foil and duochrome finishes that this fall brought us so far, a good creme is like a deep breath. A sanctuary in glittah times.
Formula was great, the new tapered brush wasn't so great. I hope I will get used to working with this brush...
For this swatch I applied 3 coats because I was afraid of the macro. In real life 2 coats would do.

I didn't think I had anything comparible in my stash. But it looks like I did afterall:

OPI Miami Beet, Dior 671, OPI Manicurist of Seville

Indoors

Same order as above, but in the sun

Manicurist of Seville is darker and more red toned. Miami Beet comes pretty close but I wouldn't raise a dupe alarm.

Do you experience foil/glitter/duo chrome overkill sometimes?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

New Dior polishes: Bronze Libertine and Aztec Chocolat

2010-10-10T15:45:00.003+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Yesterday I posted about Dior's new range of 21 polishes. Today I will show you two of the most unique ones of the bunch:

706 Bronze Libertine in sunlight. Glowing,velvetty.

Bronze Libertine in the shade

Bronze Libertine is a moss green shade with some bronze in it. The green is dominant. In the shade it's pretty glossy, but in the sun *wow* glowing surprise! It had so much depth that it made me think of velvet. Pretty unique, not for my skintone but the finish is mesmerizing.

886 Aztec Chocolat in the sun

Aztec Chocolat in the shade. Shiny like vinyl

For both pictures I applied 3 coats. Application was tricky but that wasn't caused by the formula but by the new tapered brush. Both polishes swatched above had significent pearlized pigments but not so much that I would consider these frosty. Just heavy on the shimmer. No visible brush stroke issues. (if you do see them in my swatches, let me know ;-)

How do you like these shades?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

New Dior Nail polish range, 21 shades

2010-10-09T18:26:00.008+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Dior is retiring their current nail polish range.The good news is: Dior is launching an entirely new nail polish range! This range is available from europe 1st in europe, I can't tell you a release date for the rest of the world as of yet.

The following changes have been made:

The durability is improved. More chip resistant.
The formula has been upgraded. Lacquered glossy finish, shine and sparkle amplifying together with pigments and pearls enhance light reflection 10 x
The brush has been changed. From a traditional square brush to a tapered, wide flat brush.
The color range. 21 mostly new shades, some other are similar to previous Dior shades but since their formula has been improved, there might be differences.

The color range is divided in three color families: coral-red, purple and flesh-brown.
Here's what they say on their website:

Dior Vernis, Long Wearing Nail Lacquer
"Never before has the color of the new Dior Vernis displayed such lacquered and vibrant shine! A cocktail of Shine and Sparkle Amplifying active ingredients directs pigments and pearly particles to enhance light reflection tenfold. Once again, the 21 enchanting shades created by Tyen reflect Galliano’s imagination and the spirit of Dior fashion shows.

Application is even easier with the new brush. Dior Vernis also features a new chip-resistant formula that protects and embellishes the nails, day after day. "

Have alook at these press shots

Source: Google images

Now I go on to my own pictures. First of all, have a look at their new brush:

Wide, tapered. Somewhat similar to Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure brushes, but smaller.

Flat from the side

Dior on the left, Sally Hansen on the right

The shades

The new Dior Vernis range has 21 shades, I can show you 6 of them:

In the same order as above

The most unique polish of the bunch so far is Bronze Libertine. It is a bronze, but oxodized to a mossy green. A quick swatch showed a strong pearl but not overly frosted so I hope the brush strokes won't be too visible.

Aztec Chocolat and Bronze Libertine

That's all for now, I might post some swatches soon!

Are you gonna buy some back ups now that the current (old?) collection will retire? And does this new brush look promising to you?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

My number 1 favorite nail polish of all times....

2010-10-07T21:23:00.000+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

As a nail polish fanatic I always see the positive in each mani I wear. Even if it's not so flattering. I just appreciate the uniqueness and different finishes. For example, I had OPI's Kreme de la Kremlin for a long time butnever even tried it as it looked too *fleshy* and *obscene nude* to me. But once I wore it, it grew on me and it's one of my fav's now.
It is so nice if random people compliment me about the nailpolish I'm wearing, a lot oftimes Irespond by saying "yeah that's one of my favourites". I guess I have many, many favourites.

But, my very favourite ever, no doubt about that, is...

Zoya Charla. See the green, blue, and even purple? Hands down, my favourite nail polish ever. Ever!

What's your favourite nail polish ever?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

OPI Fair Dinkum Pinkum

2010-10-01T21:37:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Sometimes I just wanna take a rest from all my crazy over the top polishes/nail art. I just long to a serene, clean looking polish that applies like a dream. I have found a few that just fit this bill and luckily I have found a new addition:

Fair Dinkum Pinkum. These pictures came out way cool because there was no sun. Imagine this a tad warmer. It's a pale pink with beige tones. Kinda fleshy. I'd say neutral, not warm, not cool. If you click on the pictures they get larger and you can see the semi-hidden silvery glass flecks.

Application went very well considered the polish is kinda sheer. For the swatch pics I applied 4 coats but in real life 3 will do. Super shiny, super clean looking, super flattering. In this genre one of my top picks.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Press Release: Essence Metallics Magnetic nailpolish!!! Remember the Lancome Magnetiques?

2010-09-30T09:44:00.005+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Essence introduces their winter collection: Mettalic. This collection will be available in november and december and features some kick-ass magnetic nail polishes. Magnetic, you say? Really. Have a look:

This is the look of the Metallics Trend Collection

Iron Goddes

Copper Rulez!

Steel me

Nothing Else Metals

Metal Battle (the only one that's not magnetic)

This is the actual magnet to use with the polishes

These polishes contain magnetic particles that will move toward/from the magnet when the polish is still wet. That creates a unique pattern that will stay put when the polish is dry. Think star shaped patterns.

I missed out on the Lancome Magnetiques so I will defenitly buy some of the Esscence polishes to make up for that. I'm eyeing Metal Battle and Iron Goddess.

The collection will be available in november and december.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Swiss Cowboy Leopard

2010-09-30T07:58:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's my take on Konad's leopard plate.

Base: OPI Glitzerlands from the Swiss Collection

Main pattern: Konad Special Polish in Black Pearl

Dots: China Glaze Rodeo Diva Collection Branding Iron and Prize Winning Mare.

Yellow dots: China Glaze Happy Go Lucky

If you have a close look it looks a bit messy, but from a normal persons view it looks quite nice. The only time I ever got more compliments was when I had my nails marbeled in neons...

One of the best looks I've seen is on The Lacquer Files, I think her blog is awesome, it's one of my favorites and she has some of the best ideas for nail art. Yay for Dutch Lacqueristas!

What do you think girls? And what is your favourite combo for the leopard plate? Neons? Pastels?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

OPI DS Original

2010-09-29T11:55:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Here's a quick NOTD:

And just because it is such a pretty baby here's another one:

Ahhh don't you all just love a great holo?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Chanel vintage trio

2010-09-22T07:28:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Today I'll show you a vintage Chanel trio. I had never heard of these before, my friend gave them to me.. for free!

Tango, Samba and Salsa

Salsa. A Pink/copper duo chrome. The pink is most evident but when your nails are quite rounded, you will see the copper peek through at the edges of the nail. This color is just fine, not too spectecular.

Salsa, akward finger positions to show the duo chrome

Tango. A peachy pink, just right up my alley. I love colors like this since one of my favorite make up artists educated me about just how flattering peachy/pinkish colors are for skins like mine (light, cool skin)
Tango has a fair amount of golden shimmer in it's formula, but that's not visible on the nail once applied.

Samba. This polish is just plain ugly on me. A gold/copper/yellow/mustard duo chrome. Extemely unflattering. In fact, this must be the single most unflattering shade I own. Probably better suiting a warm/deep colored person.

I had trouble capturing the yellow-ness of this polish. Believe me when I tell you it is... yellow and bling in a baaaad way. Like Paul Wall's grill after eating a hotdog with too much mustard.

In real life, I love salsa (the music) uueeeeppaaaa Hector Lavoe, Tito Nieves, Celia Cruz, ... My MP3 is full of it, I don't think I have one english song on it. The only music I listen to more, is bachata (El Mayimbe, Joe Veras, Zacarias Ferreira, Luis Miguel del Amargue)

Back in the days I used to dance a lot as well. So I was pretty exited about the Chanel latin dance trio.

Conclusion: I'm very thankfull to receive such vintage polishes. I love Tango, I like Salsa, but Samba isn't for me. Up for swap? Feel free to contact me if interested!

Question for you: Do have any info when this trio came out,what collection etc?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Estee Lauder fall 2010 Blue Dahlia and Surreal Violet

2010-09-20T22:18:00.002+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

Meet the two polishes of the Estee Lauders Fall 2010 look:

Blue Dahlia

A dark ink blue polish. I chose this picture with a weird hand position because here the blue tone is mostvisible. In most pics the blue looks black. In real life I found the blue more visible. Very chique, flattering shade but not unique.

Surreal Violet

Now this is a stunning polish. A greyed lilac with a creme veil over secret shimmer. The finish reminds me of Chanel's Paradoxal. I am in love with this color and can't wait to wear it as a full mani.

I do not own a dupe, to Surreal Violet but from swatches you might find polishes that could be somewhat similar like Essie's Demure Vixen, Sally Hansen's Mystic Lilac... If you have any of these or have a comparison, let me if they are close.

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

OPI Collection Community Spreadsheet

2010-09-19T19:28:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

I have been working on a spreadsheet with all OPI collections.In this document you can find the release date and what shades the collections have, but also links to swatches/reviews. Some lovely members from Make Up Alley have been editing and adding info as well.

Here you go:

OPI Collection Community Spreadsheet

How do you like this? Is it usefull for you?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

Dupe alert for Chanel 491 Rose Confidentiel!

2010-09-15T09:19:00.001+02:00

Dear Lacqueristas,

On the next pic I painted all but one nail with Rose Confidentiel. Guess which nail is different?

The next pic is of my other hand, and here I painted 2 nails with another polish. Guess which nails?

Now, I bet yall wanna see the answers, right? Here we go:

Index was painted with Kreme de la Kremlin, the rest with Rose Confidentiel

My other hand

Bottle pics. In the bottle they have a slight difference in hue but once dried on the nail this dissapears

Kreme de la Kremlin is a dupe for Chanel Rose Confidentiel. I do not see adifference when applied to the nails and after if has fully dried. I just want to add that imho OPI applied better and I love this color!

Did you guess the right nail?

Hasta la vista, Laqueristas!

the Lacquerista

Summary upcoming Spring Collections 2012

Who wants to take over my blog?

My latest obsession: Mattified Mannequin Manicures

New Magnetics!

The remaining swatches of the new Chanel Allure Velvet collection: Rose Exubérant 519

My first article in a printed magazine!

Swatches new Chanel polish: Rouge Allure Velvet collection

24 Zoya's swatches to help decide with the promo orders

All my blue Zoya swatches

Almost dupe for H&M Mad About You (holo)

YOUR opinion.

Chanel stash and swatches

Catrice new nail polish collection 2011 part 3

Catrice 440 I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

Comparison OPI Not Like The Movies vs. Catrice Iron Mermaiden

Catrice new nail polish collection 2011 part 2

Catrice nail polish collection 2011 part 1

My stash solution

Did this just happen for real?!

OPI Love Will Blossom

Orly Galaxy Girl dissapointment

Diamonds and Pearls (Oh no, Purples)

The curse of the bottle

OPI I Only Drink Champagne

Liquified meat on the tips of my fingers

P2 Elegant

Some HEMA polish swatches

The first holo's of the year + videos

Models Own - the pink army

Clarins 230's best dupe

My favorite China Glaze collection I think

Experiments with Black Shatter: Linear or Scattered crackles, and can you use thinner?

Is this the best chrome finish?

I missed out on these...

New Sephora polish and Black Shatter giveaway

*CLOSED* Black Shatter giveaway

Tip's and tricks: Palate cleanser

New Chanels! (swatches and comparison)

Chanel 513 Black Pearl, 515 Peche Nacrée, 511 Pearl Drop - quick 'n dirty swatches

Neon crackle

Tips and tricks: a masterclass in crackle/shatter topcoat

Patchwork inspired mani, and a question for those who read my watermarking post yesterday

Watermarking pictures

Color CLub Spring 2011 - Alter Ego collection (release date februari 15th)

Full collection swatches of OPI by Katy Perry

The winner of the magnetic polish giveaway is......

7 hours left to enter my 5 pc magnetic polish giveaway...

Magnetic polish 5 pc giveaway

The winner of the Rock 'n Roll nail art challenge is....

Essence MAGNETIC nail polish **swatches and 5 pc GIVEAWAY**

Nail art challenge: vote for your favorite!

A few more hours to win Gosh Holographic... Enter my nail art challenge (Rock 'n Roll themed)

One day left to win Gosh Holographic...

Zoya... I think I love you

Rock 'n Roll themed nail art challenge *update*

New H&M polishes

Rock 'n Roll Nail Art Challenge - win Gosh Holographic!

Glowing blue

MAC Bad Fairy... No dupe here! A comparison.

You all voted this as your #1

OPI Absolutely Alice revisited

Nail polish top 5 voted by... you!

Nfu.Oh 46. Red flaky

My first Color Club. Wild Orchid. I'm in love!

The answers to my guessing game *about the holo-est holo that ever holo-ed*

Guess who is the holiest holo that ever holo-ed?

Is this the wonky magic stick of the Bad Fairy?

The Lacquerista followers top 5. Wanna join?

My overkill has been cured. Bring on the bling!

Dior 447 Mandarin Orange... Peachy squishy with golden sparkles

Nfu.Oh GS14 (black holo) and comparison Collistar 18 *video*

New Dior 671 Violette Graphique/Grapic Berry and comparison

New Dior polishes: Bronze Libertine and Aztec Chocolat

New Dior Nail polish range, 21 shades

My number 1 favorite nail polish of all times....

OPI Fair Dinkum Pinkum

Press Release: Essence Metallics Magnetic nailpolish!!! Remember the Lancome Magnetiques?

Swiss Cowboy Leopard

OPI DS Original

CLOSED Black Shatter giveaway

Essence MAGNETIC nail polish swatches and 5 pc GIVEAWAY

Rock 'n Roll themed nail art challenge update

The answers to my guessing game about the holo-est holo that ever holo-ed

Nfu.Oh GS14 (black holo) and comparison Collistar 18 video