Green Sparkly Things

My first proper manicure from my zoya polish that I bought from Qoo10!
From their website:
"Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. "

I have no idea what that really means but I am sure it all things good! Its even safe for use on pregnant ladies!
The polish went on really smooth and it was  breeze to paint with. It was like painting with liquid butter (if that makes sense?).
I also noticed that it did not really have that alcohol / chemical smell that other nail polish formula, yet it still dried as quick as the usual ones.

You will notice that I had a golden mess going on for the ring finger. Urgh, tried to be a smart ass and tried to apply some gold with cling wrap. SUPER FAIL.

The Zoya polish lasted for really long and it was completely chip free. Even though I used SV as the top coat, it showed very little shrinkage as compared when I use SV with OPI and ChinaGlaze.

LOVE IT!

Nail Alert: OPI The Man With the Golden Gun

Have you seen the new topcoat by OPI? To celebrate James Bond's golden anniversary, OPI has released a special top coat that contains 18 carat gold leaf! Talk about feeling high class!

It also comes in a limited edition gold bottle and its a bit pricey as compared to the regular polish (about USD30)  but what did you expect? it's gold on your nails!

This ATAS top coat is meant to be painted over a base colour and appears as golden flakes with a super shiny finish to your manicure.

I think it gives off a rather nice robin egg look, instead of the usual shatter (which can come off a little over powering). 

I would love to get my hands on one! But I would feel absolutely guilty about changing my nails once a week! Can you imagine just throwing gold away like that? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night! 

Next on my to do list........FIND A DUPE! How hard can it be? We have silver flakes readily in the market, someone will make a gold foil flake look alike...right?

In the meantime, the rest of the James Bond collection is quite standard and nothing really screams BUY ME (i think).

From right to left  1st row- The Spy Who Loved Me, Casino Royale, You only Live Twice, Die Another Day, Skyfall, Golden Eye

2nd Row - The World Is Not Enough, Moonraker, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Living Daylights, Live and Let Die, Tomorrow Never Dies 

Naked nails

Over the weekend I decided to remove my nail polish because they’d been chipped on my toenails and as much as I like dark colors, the green on my fingernails was a little too somber for me.

So I went to Sasa to check out nail polish removers because Chelly had recommended that they had alcohol-free removers. Unfortunately, the outlet I went to didn’t have much to choose from and none were alcohol-free. So I settled on this – Oversa. It was the only one that didn’t look like the usual Sally Hansen and Cutex polish removers.

This claims to have nutrient oils, pro-vitamin B5 and keratin and it comes in a convenient pump bottle that nail salons are so fond of using. It also smells really nice, like a cross between a floral and powder scent, reminds me of my grandma. I wonder if it’s dangerous that it smells good that people don’t see a need to use it in a well ventilated space? After removing the polish, my nails didn't have that über dry feeling but instead was smooth with what felt like a thin layer of oil. For a small bottle of 175ml, it doesn’t come cheap at $7.95 but for the goodness it packs, I don’t mind paying the price. Will see how long a bottle will last so watch this space.

Glitter at Tiffany's

I ran out of nails to paint so I decided to do my toes instead. I was looking for an easy design that didn't require too much time because my back starts to hurt when I bend over to do my nails. #growingold

I started out with 2 coats of Re-Fresh Mint from China Glaze and sponged the glitter on.

For sponging, I either apply the paint directly on the sponge or pick it up from a pastil plate. I read that a lot of girls actually re-use their sponge but I can't do that. The polish dries up and everything becomes stiff. Unless they wash it I guess. But what for? These things are really cheap.

In order to maximize the sponge and make the entire "cake" last (didn't you hear? the world is ending, stock up on sponges! heh heh ), I tear a tiny piece each time and use a tweezer to sponge the polish on. Each piece should be able to last an entire set of nails. The trick is NOT to let the sponge soak in the polish, your printing becomes sloppy and gross. All you need to do is dab and go, dab and go.
Try to make the bottom edge of the nail covered with glitter and slowly dab less and less as you approach the top. If you want a really finished look, you can dab the base colour downwards a little when you are done with the glitter.

This style is very forgiving and is especially useful if you have smudges or dents you would like to cover.

As with everything else, finish off with topcoat! In this case, I used SV, my absolute holy grail item.

Review: SNAIL Cell illuminating Multi-Step Treatment

I am a big fan of snail products and can hardly resist when I come across a new cream/mask/gel/whatever-else that is supposedly infused with it.

In Singapore, I think it was the Korean brands that first started bringing in snail stuff. But recently I have been seeing a lot of other brands bringing it in too.

Here is a video I found from 3 years ago, discussing snail secretion in beauty products in America. 

I am currently using the Darling Cream from Etude house and I love it so far. It makes my skin feel soft and healthy the next day. My tub is going to end in maybe a month time and I have started to scout for a new snail cream. So far, I am very interested in SnailStreet Snail Cream. The website is great and it tells you about the wonderful benefits of the cream and the wonders it does with your face. 

I just take the miraculous results with a pinch of salt. If it really is that wonderful, people with flawlessly beautiful skin would be everywhere. It sells for SGD55 and delivery is free in Singapore. Even cheaper than my Darling Cream :D

From the reviews I have read online, it is lighter than the Darling Cream and is absorbed a little better (86% snail stuff). It supposedly dries up upcoming pimples too. The Darling Cream claims to do that too but I honestly have not noticed anything like that. But to be fair, I hardly get pimples to test it out.

In the meantime, I am also trying out some snail masks! SASA has quite a few to choose from and I recently bought a few. Last night, I tried out SNAIL Cell illuminating Multi-Step Treatment mask.

I bought it simply because it looked cool with two portions and everything. (Im a sucker for silly things like that). Also, it was only $2.80 

The top half contains an ampoule that is supposed to help your skin absorb the snail essence better together with all that cell illuminating nonsense. In my science class, I tell my kids that cells are the basic building blocks of life, so no, I really don't think that a simple $2.80 product can make them illuminate. 

The ampoule has a gel like texture and a neutral smell. However, it got really watery and started dripping off my face. Next, you apply the mask on top and leave it on for 20 min before removing it and massaging everything in. The mask was a real let down. Extremely thin and tore easily. 

After I removed it, my face felt so sticky I actually washed it off.

I don't see or feel anything different with my face either. Meh.

Cons:

• It didn't work
• Watery mess all over face
• Super sticky

Pros:

• Only $2.80

Totally. Not. Repurchasing. 

I have a better feeling about the others I bought though..cant wait to try them out!

Tips from a guru

Came across this video on Pinterest. Such basic information but would no doubt be beneficial to us nail geeks.  

Chanel Nail Expert Reveals His Secrets to Getting the Perfect Manicure at Home

My heart's a stereo

In my previous manicure, I had a serious love-hate relationship with the white glue base..and then i came up with a brilliant idea! I decided to apply glue in the center of each nail and avoid the circumference. This way, at the very most, it's be slightly more difficult to remove at the edges but a breeze to remove the bulk of it :D

Items I used:

For this manicure, I used (left to right) SV base coat, white glue from PopBazic (Less than a dollar at Popular), Got the Blues for Red by Opi, Candie by China Glaze and  Cassi by Zoya.  I used two paint brushes, one for applying the glue and one for painting the heart on. The grey thing in front is my new nail buffer from SASA.

Speaking of nail files, i love them! I remember first buffing my nails in Primary 6 and was just so amazed at how smooth and shiny they made my nails. I bought this particular nail buffer for SGD1.40 at SASA and it works so well at making my nails nice and smooth. I only use these things to smooth my nails though. I don't bother with the shine anymore. So I always try my best to find the ones with the smooth sides only. Save money.
Because I do my nails so often, my nail bed sometimes starts to flake a little and peel.
Also, I have developed a recent aversion to using polish removers and have been simply peeling everything off. Hence my white glue obsession. Making your nails smooth before starting your manicure is important because it removes all the flaky bumps and helps the paint adhere nicely.

See how the nail looks so much better after?


Anyway, after the glue dried, I applied the base coat. Base coat is still important despite having the glue as a base because the glue does not prevent staining. You will still need a base coat to protect your nails.

I applied one coat of Cassi by Zoya and stopped myself from applying two as I had initially planned. It had the makings of becoming a granny looking color and I decided that less is probably more in this case.

Once that dried, I applied one coat of Candie by China Glaze. This polish looks so pretty in the bottle.
But it looks like glittery puke once you apply it.
I don't know why, but it has a sort of matte finish which makes everything look so dull and milky. Also, it gets rough and patchy and kinda gross when it dries.
Thankfully, I am not usually bothered by this because with a glossy topcoat on, it gets pretty all over again.


I know I told myself I wanted a simple manicure without any designs or anything but I really can't resist. I used a small brush to paint the hearts on alternate fingers. I was a little worried about the hearts (especially how on earth am I supposed to paint it on my right hand), and in the end I decided to just go with drawing 2 rectangles that meet at a point. With a toothpick, I pick up a bit of polish and make the top edges a little rounder to look a little more like a heart.

Once all that is done, Gelish time! My personal favourite part.

I quite like this one! Might do it for my toes as well :D