A Very Merry NOTD, with rhinestones!!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! It's a quiet one for me this year, most of my family visiting will be next month due to work restrictions on my time right now - but that gave me time to do a nice mani tonight!

I wanted something that was still in the holiday spirit but wouldn't be too Christmassy and immediately out of date come Boxing Day! So I settled on a mixed metal glitter mani with rhinestones!!

First, the pics:

I love how these turned out!! They look festive but I would totally wear them any time of the year. Funny enough, taking these pics I learned a great way to take indoor pictures of my nails - I always had trouble taking indoor pics in macro mode because everything would turn so yellow in the picture! But for these, I used my camera's "food" picture setting! LOL So weird but hey, it works! Now I don't have to wait for a sunny day (not many of those this time of year) to take outdoor pictures.

The rhinestones were generously sent to me for review by Born Pretty Store. There are 12 colours included and they come in a great little case that lets you turn the window to get at whichever colour you need. I'm very excited to finally have my hands on some of these and I can't wait to do more manis with them, especially with having so many colour options! Definitely try these out if you want a good variety of rhinestones, it's less than $4 for the package and they ship worldwide! See them here!

recent nail polish haulage!

I feel like my nail polish acquisition always comes in big spurts! I'll go weeks without getting any, and then get several in a very short time. Which leads to lovely little haul posts like this!

Sorry about the lighting! It was very cloudy and dark out today, not prime lighting conditions for taking photos! The first four were from a Cherry Culture haul and of them, I am most excited about the glitters, especially the silver! Sooo pretty!! Can't wait to do some manis with them! The Nails Inc one in the middle was a Christmas present from my roomie and it's gorgeous!! My first Nails Inc polish - they call it a 3D glitter and it's got a dark purple microglitter base with larger multichrome iridescent glitter flecks all through it that change colour in the light! So cool!

The next three are all polishes from Icing by Claire's and might I say, I will definitely be going back there to beef up my glitter polish collection! One is bright blue microglitter, the second is a really beautiful combo of blue, purple and pink and one is a mixture of black and gold. Last but not least, a lovely Sinful Colors polish that's a deep blue green shimmer shade.


And then right up front we also have my new glass nail file my roommate gave me - it is sooo nice, my nails feel so smooth when I file them with this!

NOTD Dec 20/11

I'm so excited about these because I've been wanting to do them for sooo long, and now they are ON my nails! Whoop!

The funny thing about this huge Christmas sweater nail art trend happening right now is that I swear I had a psychic premonition about it! LOL No seriously!! Back in the summer tribal nail art was super huge, and I remember thinking to myself about what other kind of complex patterns might look cool as nail art - and I thought to myself, fair isle! I even did a bunch of searches for it but I realized at that time that my nail art needed a little more practice before I was up to it, and that also it wasn't quite seasonally appropriate for midsummer! So I held off... and then winter approached and I started seeing the design popping up all over the nail art world! So there - even though I did nothing to actually start the trend, I was right on the nose for sensing what was gonna be big soon!

Aaanyways, I've finally pitched in with the trend and I just adore the outcome! I did these on false nails because I couldn't fit the design I liked onto my own short nails!

Nail Wheel the Sixth

Finished this last week actually but finally snapped a pic! Got a few fun Christmas designs! I'm crazy about the Christmas sweater one up top! Not toooo stoked on my attempt at the monarch mani, but I do love the teal gradient underneath it!

NOTD Dec 10/11

I wanted to do something else Christmassy and with snowflakes, so I went for something that has the more traditional Christmas colours! I really love this, it turned out so festive!

Gift Ideas for All the Ladies!

This time of year, there's really no shortage of amazing beauty related gifts for anyone on your list, but not all beauty lovers were created equal! Different strokes for different folks, if you will! I've trolled through many of the offerings available and found things that would work well for all the people on your list. Check them out!

For "The Natural Beauty":

Sephora Favourites Collection Beauty and the Bride - A makeup collection targeted towards brides works perfectly for lovers of the natural makeup look. Bridal makeup is all about being soft and natural, so why shouldn't anyone cop that look too? This is an incredibly well-rounded set that comes with everything from mascara, lipstick and eyeshadow to nail polish, primer, blotting sheets and perfume! It even includes a voucher for a complimentary special occasion makeover at Sephora! At only $50 it's a hell of a bargain too!

For "The Makeup Newbie Teen":

Hello Kitty Noir Eyeshadow and Lip Gloss Palette - Maybe she's your sister, niece, cousin or a family friend - but she's young and she's just getting into makeup! Something fun and cute combined with a range of colours for her to experiment is perfect for a girl this age! This adorable palette comes packaged inside Hello Kitty herself and has 25 shadows and 10 glosses for her to try out, along with a double ended brush! $34 makes it an excellent value too!

For "Mama Dearest":

Tarte Radiant & Rested: Volume II Universal Complexion & Color Collection - The more skin ages, the more TLC it needs, so mom will appreciate a beauty bundle that gives her glow some real oomph! This package from Tarte maximizes skin radiance and will make her look glowy and fresh. It comes with all sorts of highlighting and glow-enhancing products like blush, eye brightener pencil and a skin brightening, illuminating serum. $42 is all you'll pay for this beauty!

For "The Drama Queen"

Too Faced Smokey Eye Shadow Collection - The drama queen loves smokey eyes and daring looks, and this palette makes that happen in several combinations! Three different easy looks are put together for day, night or something extra fashionable and fun! Or try mixing and matching between shades! How-to lesson cards are included in this cute little package, selling for only $36.

For "The Nail Polish-aholic"

Sephora by OPI Glimmer Wonderland Eighteen Piece Mini Nail Colour Set - 18 different polishes in adorable mini bottles, with a range of colours from pastels to brights to darks, and finishes from cremes to shimmers to metallics! A little bit of everything for the polish lover who loves everything! $48 for the set!

NOTD Dec 5/11

My first wintery manicure!! I love this one, it looks so delicate and pretty on the nails.. soft sparkly blue and snowflakes with little dots, which I really think pulls the manicure together nicely.

NOTD Dec 2/11

This look was inspired by the sunrise! Not that I'm really ever up early enough to see it... but I guess that's why I can live through it vicariously via my nails! Complete with a glittery topcoat because really, glitter improves almost everything!

I've been really noticing certain aspects of my nail polish skills improving lately, and for me the biggest one is actually one of the simplest - I can finally paint my nails and get pretty much no nail polish on the cuticles or off the sides of my nails onto my fingers! It is so satisfying to finally be able to paint your nails and not spend just as much time cleaning it up afterwards (or living with the messy nails if you were lazy like I sometimes(usually) was). And this only transpired after about four months of painting my nails 2-3 times a week, so I guess with this kind of thing practice really does make perfect!