Gold Knockout Pout

My nails were naked for a whole week, because I wasn't really sure what to wear. But few days ago I finally decided. It was time for Essie's Knockout Pout. It's part of Essie's Summer 2010 collection. 

Really lovely pink with peach undertones and it has a satin finish when it dries, so it's probably a neon? :) The formula is a bit thick, but you can easily get away with 2 or 3 coats. I'm not really a fan of Essie's brush, I prefer big flat brush over Essie's. It's a bit hard to capture on photo, but it's such a lovely shade in person - sometimes more peach and sometimes more pink. :)

Then I added a coat of Essence's Make it Golden on half on my nails and over also Milani Jewel FX - Gold. Make it Golden is going to be discontinued this fall, so be sure you'll grab it before that, I need a back-up of this gorgeous polish. :L

Daylight

 OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthene

Essie - Knockout Pout / 2-3 coats

Essence -  Make it Golden / 1 coat

Milani Jewel FX - Gold / 1 coat

Beauty Secrets TC Fast Finish Polish Dryer

Extra photo... :i

What do you think? :i Have a lovely Friday and weekeend and thanks for reading!

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

The winner is...

I almost forgot that I had a giveaway going on, but I finally picked a winner. :party Something less than 100 entries, some didn't read simple rules so their entries were invalid.. Oh well. :i The winner of BPS $18 Gift Card is...

You were lucky #35. ^_^

I'll send you an e-mail right now, so please check your e-mails, you have 48 hours to respond or I'll have to pick another winner. :)

Thanks to all who entered and thanks to Born Pretty Store, who sponsored this giveaway!

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

Original Signature

I'm too lazy to change my manicure often so I try different layering or stamping. The weather is just perfect to dig out some holos. :L

Both, Original & Signature are unfortunately discontinued and HTF, so I don't use them much. Both are a bit sheer so they're perfect for layering. <3 I layered them over my last two colored manicure I showed you here. :D.

Sun

Base
OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue / 2 coats

Ruby Kisses - Sweet Thing / 2 coats

Beauty Secrets TC Fast Finish Polish Dryer

Layering

OPI - Signature / 1 coat

OPI - Original / 1 coat

I love how Original looks over blue. :L  I need to find a perfect combination to recreate OPI's Glamour, which I still want. ^_^

What's your all time favorite holographic nail polish? :rainbow Thanks for reading!

Xoxo,

Ivana

Sweet Thing Pacific Blue

Can you tell I'm absolutely in love with twocolored manicure? Well I'm wearing third combo in a row. :i I hope you're not already bored with them. :P

 

H&M Dress

New Yorker Bracelet

Yap, neon pink and royal blue. :L Both a bit hard to catch on picture, but you get an idea. ^_^ Do you remember I had an wrist operation in December? Thatt's why I'm havng a scar on my right hand. :$

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue / 2 coats

Ruby Kisses - Sweet Thing / 2 coats

Beauty Secrets TC Fast Finish Polish Dryer

 Let me know what do you think! Thanks for reading! :)

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

Aquadelic Fancy Fuchsia

Huh, can you read me now? xo This malware problem almost made me stop blogging. But it should be fine now. If you're still having problems please let me know. If you have this malware problem, try to remove your blogroll, ads, favicon,..., check Google Webmaster Tool and ask for another check from Google and it should be fixed in a day if you removed everything you should.. :) I also extended a BPS $18 Giftacard Giveaway for two days and added a Google form instead of Rafflecopter, because I'm not really sure how safe Rafflecopter is.

It's finally super hot here and because I love neons atm so much I decided to wear my new neon top. <3 I usually don't mach my nails with my outfit, that's why I decided to wear another fun combo with neon pink and turquoise. I think I finally found a way to wear turquoise and green shades more often :)

I played with taking pictures to catch my nails and my outfit in the background. :)

H&M Top

Tally Weijl Shorts

New Yorker Bracelet

Daylight

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Thumb, Ring finger: China Glaze - Aquadelic / 2 coats
Orly - Fancy Fuchsia / 2 coats 

What do you think? :) Do you like this combo?

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

Atena the Holographic Goddess

It's June but the weather is nothing like it. And when I woke up into sunny day, I knew what I'll be wearing next days. :)

Blurry photos show the real thing... :rainbow

Sun

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Essence - Mr. Big / 2 coats

Hits No Olimpo - Atena /  / 1 coat

Atena is a bit sheer so I decided to layer it over a berry creme and save some holo goddess for next time. :L The only downside of Atena is that it's not B3F so it stinks so bad but okay, I looove holos like this. ^_^

Do you like Atena? :)

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

Replay Very Berry

I wanted to share both hands of my current manicure I already showed you here but I couldn't get a decent photo when I posted it few days ago. :) I'm still wearing it, because I love it so much. I don't know really why but I love when my mani is something special. ^_^

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Essence - Replay / 2 coats

Essence - Very Berry / 2 coats

You can see my PJ's in background. xD

How would you call this manicure style? I think I'll make another color combination tommorow for sure. :e

Because I only have one picture, here's another of  my big boy in action. :i

Let me know if you'd wear a manicure like this. :P

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

2nd Blogoversary Giveaway *CLOSED*

First I'd like to tell that my keyboard is broken atm, so my next posts will probably be short as possible, because this screen keypad I'm using now is time-consuming. :/

Second, I'd like to thank you for following me here, leaving comments and showing all the support. It means so much to me and I can't believe I'm running this blog for almost 2 years. :e I didn't make a giveaway for a long time, because I want you to be here because you like what I'm showing and not because of the prize. :) And from what I experienced before and saw arround, I think I made the best decision.

 

Since my BPS coupon was used more than 10 times, they decided to sponsor a giveaway I decided to keep it simple. There's just 2 simple obligatory rules - follow me and BPS Official Blog via GFC and no extra entries.
 Edit: You have to follow both to enter not just me. I'm sorry but that's BPS's rule.

The winner will get $18 Gift Card to spend at Born Pretty Store.

All details you need to know are written down in Rafflecopter Google form. Open internationally. Ends on 20 22th June, when my 2nd blogoversary actually is. :party Please fill the Google form to enter. If you have any problems or questions, leave a comment below or send me an e-mail.


Edit: Due to this malware problem I had last two days, I'm extending this giveaway for 2 days. Also I changed Rafflecopter form to Google Form, but all who already entered, I have your entries so you don't need to enter again.

Giveaway is now closed.

Good luck! :)
Xoxo,
Ivana :k

 * Giveaway is sponsored by Born Pretty Store!

Very Berry Replay

I wasn't really sure what to wear on my nails when I removed my Houndstooth Nails today so I picked just 2 random polishes and played with them. :D

Daylight

I have this combo on my left hand and reverse combo on my right hand and I must say I love it. It's kind of weird and funky, but I love when my nails are something special. :P

I used Very Berry and Replay from Essence, but both are discontinued now. :/ Such a shame, because I love them so much! ^_^

Sun

 OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Thumb, index, middle finger: Essence - Replay / 2 coats

Ring finger, pinkie: Essence - Very Berry / 2 coats

Quick post for today! Would you wear a combo like this? :)

Have a lovely start of the week! :h

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

Neon Pink Houndstooth Nails

Let's continue with the goodies I got from Born Pretty Store. I already told you I'm into neons lately and I really need more of them in my life. So when they offered me to try some things from their store, I immediately knew what I want to try out this time. :D

CH Nail #14 is a part of their neon collection. I picked this one, because I wanted something bright and pink. ^_^ I didn't know what to expect but when I tried it, I fell in love with. It's highlighter neon pink. <3 I really like its brush, because it's more on a flatter side, which makes application even easier. Formula is great, you can easily get away with 2 coats. I didn't use a top coat on the picture below, so you can see it has some kind of this plastic finish.

Essence Nail Art - Protecting Base Coat

CH Nail - #14 / 2 coats

I'm really happy with this polish and I'll be definitely wearing this one through the whole summer. I have no idea if these are B3F, because the ingredients aren't listed on the bottle, but this one doesn't stink like polishes with Formaldehyde, DBP & Toluene. It's $4.99 per bottle and the bottle contains 15 ml (with a cuopon code you get a nice deal :i ).

And because I also got this Double Sided Stamper I had to try it out too. I tried this pink houndstooth dress in H&M months ago, which I really loved, but it looked horrible on me so I didn't get it. :D But I really loved that black & pink combination, so I decided to recreate it with this neon pink. :D

Essence Nail Art - Protecting Base Coat

CH Nail - #14 / 2 coats

Stamping: Wet n Wild - Black Créme & Konad m63

Beauty Secrets TC Fast Finish Polish Dryer

And I'm still wearing this manicure, because I love it so much! :L What do you think?

So I tried this double sided stamper for the first time and so far I'm loving it! It's much easier to hold it in hands and transfer the pattern from the plate to my nails. I also got the regular stamper from BPS and they're same size, the only difference is that the double stamper is smoother but it still picks the pattern perfectly as the normal one. Double stamper has a green smaller stamper for smaller patterns but I don't know if I'm ever going to use that one, because I'm really not a fan of smaller patterns. :D It comes with a metal scraper and I prefer credit cards more than metal scrapers, because they easily scratch my plates.

Don't forget to use code J10X31 to get 10% off on your order. ;)

Let me know if you already tried any of these! Do you like Houndstooth nails?

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

*Some of the products in this post were sent to me by Born Pretty Store! For more information read my disclosure policy!

Framed Nails

Few days ago I got another awesome package from Born Pretty Store, so I had to try the goodies right away. :) 

I'm really loving framed nails and I already did them once, you can see them here, where I used just plain black and holographic silver glitter. So now I decided to do them again but this time with gold glitter. This method is kind of time-consuming, but it definitely looks good. :)

The pictures aren't the best, because the weather here is nothing like June should be. xo

I got this cute container full of gold hexagonal holographic glitter (you can find it here, also available in different colors and shapes). It looks like a treasure when you open the container. :L To easily pick the glitter on toothpick, I drop some of the glitter into the lid.

I love this kind of glitter because it's flat and it doesn't bother me as much as rhinestones. So when you add a layer of top coat, the surface is almost smooth.

I started with 2 coats of China Glaze - Traffic Jam. I picked it because it has a really great formula and I already tried it with gold glitter and it looked gorgeous, so I decided to use it again. :L I did one nail at a time. When the second layer was still wet, I simply picked one by one glitter and placed it on the nail. If I was too slow and the surface was already dry, I added a top coat and made the surface wet and sticky again.

 OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

China Glaze - Traffic Jam / 2 coats

Gold Holographic Hexagonal Glitter

Beauty Secrets TC Fast Finish Polish Dryer

They do start falling off eventually, I'd suggest you to add 2 coats of top coat to really seal them on the nails, but even when a few of them are missing, it doesn't bothering me, it still looks as great as before. Unless you're really trying to find where they're missing. xD

Here's a closer look of the glitter! <3 I told you it looks like a treasure! :L

The container looks small but I'm not even sure if I'll ever hit the bottom of this container. :D Don't forget to use code J10X31 to get 10% off on your order. ;)

It looks like I'm having just a plain berry on my nails but there's still something going on my nails. :P 

Flash

Let me know if you like framed nails and my combination. :) I'm really in love with them, I just need to practice how to make perfect framed nails with a creme nail polish. I already tried it once and it looked great but I choose a horrible color combination. :D And I only did my left hand, because I'm not really sure if I'm able to hold the striping brush in my left hand and make some perfect lines. ^_^

Have a lovely week and thanks for reading!

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

*Some of the products in this post were sent to me by Born Pretty Store! For more information read my disclosure policy!

Triangle Half Moon Manicure

I've been wanting to do this triangle half moon manicure for ages, but I'm not really good with tape. Well, I'm just impatient to wait my base color to be 100% dry so I always failed. But the other day I challenged myself and decided to do it. :)

I started with 2 coats of Sparrow me the Drama (OPI) and for an accent nail I decided to add Divine Swine from the Muppets collex. :L

For triangle half moons I used stripping tape - I simply made a triangle with a tape and filled the triangle with the matching glitter Divine Swine. I had some problems with removing tape, because I had to wait the coats of glitter to dry a bit before applying another one but the tiny mistakes aren't so obvious in person. :)

Daylight

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

OPI - Sparrow me the Drama / 2 coats

Triangle Half Moons: Stripping Tape + OPI - Divine Swine / 3 coats

Ring finger: OPI - Divine Swine / 3 coats

Essie - Good to Go

I must say I'm loving this kind of half moon manicure even more than standard original half moon! It looks so edgy! :L Which one do you prefer more? Do you like my combo? :)

Have a lovely Sunday dear readers and followers and thanks for reading! :rainbow

Xoxo,
Ivana :k

Bright Pinks

Did you notice anything new? Yes? No? :D I changed a header and the background in case you didn't guess. I wanted something pink and cute and I like it but I'd love to hear your opinion too! :$

Bright pinks make me feel so good so I love to wear them especially when I feel my nails need to be "noticed". :) So I wore 3 different bright pinks this past week. The only problem is taking pics of them. My phone refuses to take color accurate pictures of some bright pinks so I wasn't really sure if I should post them. But here they are anyway, if I already took them. :)

First was Golden Rose (with protein nail lacquer) in #324. It's bright pink with very watery formula, so I needed 3 thick coats to get a decent opacity, VNL was still there it didn't bother me so much. :) I got this polish from Veri (she bought it in Bosnia), thank you sis. :h Because I had 3 thick coats on I decided to add a coat of G2G to speed up the drying process.

Daylight

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Golden Rose (with protein nail lacquer) - #324

Essie - Good to Go

Then I wasn't really sure what should be next, so I choose the polish I usually pick when I really don't know what to do with my nails. It's my all time favorite bright pink from Orly called Fancy Fuchsia from their Precious Spring 2011 collection. I love everything about this polish. :L I already wore it so many times and I'm happy I have a back up, because I'll definitely need one. It has my name on it. <3 Formula is more on a thick side but nothing you can't work with. 2 coats and you're done. It's so bright and so pink, it's so me! :)

Daylight

OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Orly - Fancy Fuchsia / 2 coats

Essie - Good to Go

And today I got another bright super pretty pink from Tinchi - Ruby Kisses - Sweet Thing .She said she couldn't use it because it stinks so much and I just have to agree with her. It really stinks! :~ I checked the ingredients but it's formaldehyde, toluene and DBP free, so I'm not sure why it stinks so much. :/ Anyway, thick formula, 2 coats and it looks great. :D 

This one was hard to capture, it's really light highlighter neon pink in person, nothing orange-y like on the pictures below. :D

Daylight

 OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener

Ruby Kisses - Sweet Thing / 2 coats

That's it! :D Three bright pinks that I love so much! I'm just not happy with my cuticles and nails atm, they're at that lenght that I really don't like them - I prefer them a bit shorter or a bit longer. xD Oh well... I can complain about everything - never happy! :D

Do you like wearing bright pink? Or are they a bit out of your comfort zone? What's your favorite pink? If I had to choose only one, that'd be Fancy Fuchsia and I think every pink addict should own a bottle! :)

Have a lovely weekend and thanks for reading! 

Xoxo,

Ivana :k