Vert D'Orient

♥

I am in looooooove. All other tealy greens can pack up and go home. This is the unchallenged victor. What a beaut, what a stunner! And not only is it positively gorgeous, the formula is exactly what it should be. The brush is a good width, applies like a dream, perfect coverage in two coats.
I usually tend to be pretty satisfied with Yves Saint Laurent polishes, but this one is everything I could ask for in colour and application. This.. this is all I have to say, I'm afraid! I'm just beyond satisfied with it.

The owls are not what they seem.

 Who's excited about the return of Twin Peaks? Meeee!

I've been wanting to do some Black Lodge inspired nail art for a while, but it kept on not happening somehow. 
Then I ordered some chevron-guide stickers and.. they were way too big for what I wanted to do, so that didn't pan out.

Then I got a pair of those scissors that cut zig-zag patterns, which is how I accomplished this. The scissors kept misbehaving though, so I'm not sure if I'll see a return of the chevron on my nails again soon. 

Damn fine cup of coffee.

The base whites are Safari's 'No56' and a Hema polish, neither of which I particularly recommend. The black, Catrice's '39 Black to the Routes'. The red nail, based on the scenery of the waiting room, is actually several shades of red stripes layered over each other to get that curtainy effect, though it's not too clear in the pictures. They are YSL, 'No04', Max Factor '549 Red Passion', Rimmel '035 Wine Not' and Koh's 'Red!'.

Cell.

Though I've done Hannibal inspired nails before, the inspiration here is a lot more subtle and I doubt anybody would have picked up on it without my specifically pointing it out.

In Hannibal's third and final season, we see the titular character held institutionalized in an impossibly stylish cell - the walls wood paneled and lined with golden details.

In this scene, the lighting gave the normally white walls a green tinge that I loved in combination with the gold, and I tried to reproduce the effect on my nails.

Colours used are YSL's gold from the 'Belle de Nuit' duo, and Koh's 'Groovy Green (239)'.

The lines were accomplished by utilising the help of my trusty sidekick, Striping Tape.

Belle Émeraude

A mani from a while ago, right after an unfortunate break, argh.
The green used is Max Factor's '16 Emerald' and the gold is from YSL's limited edition duo 'Belle de Nuit'. What I like about this gold, as opposed to the other one in my collection is that this is more of a 'true' gold, a yellow rather than a pink-leaning. Especially in this colour combination, the yellow gold works much better to elevate both colours to an interesting whole.

Brun Parnasse.

Inside, almost no light.

Swatched a while ago, as the miraculously longer nails probably gave away, is YSL's 'No20 Brun Parnasse'.

I think brown nail polishes are under appreciated, which is odd because they can go so well with so many things.
There are no issues with the application of this polish whatsoever - it covers very decently in two layers and has a very shiny finish.

The only thing I think is something of a shame is that, even at two coats, it looks very close to black unless held near a very bright light source. You just don't get to appreciate it for the colour that it really is if you're under the impression that it's black, you know?







I did take a picture in the bright sun, when there was such a thing to speak of. As I'm typing this it is absolutely pouring down. I rather fear the summer has well and truly gone. The picture does show what a nice shade it really is in the right light.

Royal Purple.

Aside from Luscious Green, I was also given '116 Royal Purple' for my birthday, also from the Nyx brand.

Unlike its green buddy, it was clear from the start this one was not going to be able to cover on its own, and thus would require some layering. I could have just used it over a similar purple as a base, but wanted to try something with a little more visual flair.

This simple combination of triangle-tape and striping-tape has YSL's  '141 White Gold' (which I guess is what the cool kids are calling silver these days) as a base.

Belle de Nuit

The subtleties of the shade proved difficult to photograph on the nail.

One half of YSL's Duo No3, 'Belle de Nuit'. It's a gorgeous, luxurious, deep purple that goes with just about anything. It held up well for a few days but you can see the tipwear had already set in on the nail of my index finger.

I've grown a little weary of nail art attempts not going to way I want them to, so I've decided not to stress myself out over it and wear some specimens from my collection without any embellishments for a while. They are supposed to hold up well on their own, anyway.

I don't generally post attempts I've abandoned altogether, but I'm making the exception. I found myself insired by art deco patterns and wanted to expand on that with a mani. However after both these nails didn't match up to the standard I'd envisioned, I gave up on the attempt, but I liked the concept enough to give it an honourable mention of sorts here.

Gone Batty.

I'm one of those people for who the entire month 'October' is synonymous with 'Halloween'. And I finally managed to whip up some Halloween-themed nail art I'm proud to show off!

I mean, sure, I did do this stripey-gradienty style not too long ago.. I'm basically just a one trick pony, but the one trick looks good.
The orange is Herôme W.I.C.'s 'Zagora 150'. I wonder which Zagora it's supposed to refer to.. Morocco, Greece? Anyway. Black is YSL 'No56'.

Long Time No Stamp.

I'm starved for title inspiration, is it obvious?

Recently added another Catrice polish to my collection, which stood out to me both for it's silly, pun-riddled name '46 Berry Potter & Plumbledore', and its interesting turquoise shimmer.

First I sponged it over '200 From Dusk to Dawn', but the difference in purples wasn't as big as I thought it would be, resulting in mostly a shimmery tip.

Using YSL '141 - White Gold', I wanted to add some details.. but really, none of it turned out the way I had planned it in my head.

I had only meant to stamp one nail per hand, but because the silver stripes didn't turn out as crisp as I wanted them (curse you, tape!) I stamped all my nails to try and cover it up a little.
I used a full-nail stamp from a BM21 plate, buuuut.. my nails are too long. I stubbornly tried it anyway and had to try and fill in the excess space with more stamping and it's all just a bit messy.
Despite it being a far cry from what I had originally wanted to do, I don't seem to dislike it, either.

We're Ready to Believe You!

If there's somethin' strange in your neighbourhood.. who you gonna call?

Ghostbusters!

Predictable development right here. I really enjoyed doing this nail art though it was painfully difficult to photograph and do justice to the real life thing, so this post may be a little image-heavy.

It's been a while since I did some proper nail art! I think this Ghostbusters logo may have been the most complex cartoony thing I've done so far. Possibly tied with the Clockwork Orange one, I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.
More pictures!

Left hand

Right hand

I'll just admit right off the bat - I don't really like the drip nail art thing. Sometimes when executed very well I can enjoy them, but generally it's just not my cup of tea. However, I wanted to give them a go since I felt they suited the theme and I'd never done them before. I think they do well within the context here but.. eh. On their own they don't really wow me.

The yellow-black striped thing going on is based on the ghost traps they use, and was done with the aide of tape. Unfortunately application of top coat made them streak out a bit but I don't have it in me to touch it up to be honest.

Materials used:

- H&M 'Summer Sunrise', Say No To Racism set.

- 2True's 'Shade 4'

- A YSL metallic black I don't know the number of

- Koh's 'Black!' for the ghost-trap stripes.

- Acrylic paints

Eat the Rude.

I'm sure most have now heard about and possibly seen NBC's new 'Hannibal' show. The first season's nearly over, and I have to admit I wasn't hooked from the get go. A few episodes ago, though, it seems like something clicked with me and now I'm sad I'll have to wait for the next season for so long.
I tend to follow up my fancies with nail art, so Hannibal is no different.

I stopped layering this red (Rimmel - 035 Wine Not) so it wouldn't be a completely opaque shade. The effect won't come across in the picture, but I like the subtle changes it makes in the shade when the light hits it differently, making it reminiscent of liquid. (Blood or wine is anyone's guess.) Bottom polish is YSL 141, which is probably my favourite silver. And obviously it's another half rhombus mani because it suits the theme and not because I am just obsessed with them. Obviously.

And now the more clearly Hannibal part of the nails -

Swiggity swag, I'm a stag.

Black is the Koh polish of the same name, and the antlers are acrylic paint.

Galaxy.

A lover of space since a young age, I got really excited when I saw galaxy nails for the first time. And then I also saw a lot of .. erm, less than great looking examples of the trend, and I became a little weary. However, I found it time to take the leap and simply try.

Some reference..

Polishes used (left to right):
Wild & More 109
Catrice - 840 - Genius in the Bottle
Catrice - 31 - Even More Heavy Metallilac
Essence - 43 - Where Is The Party?
Hema - French Manicure striper
Hema - 10
Koh - Midnight Blue
Koh - Black
YSL - No35

Left.

Right.

I was getting along relatively well, sponging away with my various colours and dotting the stars. And then I'd finished and.. put glitter on top. In retrospect, the glitter was a mistake. I had seen glitter work really well in galaxy nails by other people, but my glitter is FAR too green and there's just too much of it. So I wish I hadn't done that.
Will have to repeat sometime, with a less dense glitter, or going without altogether.

Diamond in..

"Diamond in the rough", get it? Because the bottle says.. nevermind.

One from Essence's 'Floral Grunge' LE, '05 Black to the Roots'. A not-truly-black-but-more-really-dark-gray with little silver shinies spread throughout that (unless tampered with) has a .. something between matt and 'regular' finish.
I didn't like the finish the polish itself had, so I covered most nails in regular top coat and did my ring fingers in matt. I didn't really like the application of the polish either. Dubious coverage and it took more than usual doing to get it on properly. Not one I'll quickly use again, I'm afraid.
I would've liked to do a neater half-moon mani, but the unpleasant application of the polish kind of made me throw the towel in. Meh.

Outta This World.

My birthday was earlier this month, and a friend of mine got me some polishes! (All Rimmel; 035 Wine Not, 198 Azure, 519 Desert Beauty, 600 Deliciously Dark & 700 Block Your Green)

I've already worn Wine Not and Deliciously Dark in a pretty nice layering experiment which I sadly (due to lack of camera) didn't get to photograph but which I may have to repeat in the future because it created a lovely dark burgundy sort of shade.

For today's mani - which is another half rhombus - I used Azure.

 The tape came off very smoothly so I got excellently crisp lines in this one! The silver under Azure is YSL shade 141 - White Gold.

Post title brought to you by this little alien guy.

I'm with Genius.

When Catrice brought their new polishes on the market, I mostly looked forward to 'Genius in the Bottle'. I don't know whether it's the name or the polish itself or some combined factor, but there you have it. I bought it some time ago but hadn't worn it yet. I've since read some reviews and a lot of people seemed to be.. well, I won't say 'disappointed', but definitely a little let down. So I thought I'd try it with some nail art!

Older half rhombus manis to be found: here and here.

I'm really quite fond of this style of nail art. I've done it several times before and never quite had a good name for it, until a friend dubbed it a "half rhombus mani". I stuck with that. This half rhombus is, of course, Catrice '840 - Genius in the Bottle', and a metallic black YSL polish. Ah, the marvelous magic of tape-manis.
Enjoy my tacky vintage effect?

I really don't have very many complaints about this polish. I'll grant you that the duochrome effect seems a lot more impressive in the bottle, and I think that's where most people's disappointment will have come from. Well.. it is genius in the bottle, they don't guarantee it'll still be there when you take it out ;)...
The sheerness is also completely taken care of if you layer it like this, and the dark contrast really makes the gold and green stand out nicely.

I know I'll certainly be wearing this polish again, probably in combination with another style of nail art. I think it simply works best that way.

_{Titular reference and t-shirt, by the way, stem from Stargate Atlantis' resident genius and personal favourite character of mine, Rodney McKay.}

Shol'va!

  Natural light, sadly a bad quality cellphone picture.

An oldie but a goodie? Done March 2011.
I'm a big science-fiction fan, as a result it'll come as no surprise Stargate SG-1 is among the shows I like. So this nail art is rather clearly based on everyone's favourite Jaffa, Teal'c!
Not the world's neatest mani but hey, I still like it. Even if my pinky-nail was oh so short!

The gold is a YSL polish that applies like a dream. It covers well, isn't streaky, has a very nice shimmer and it's just marvelous in any aspect. If gold was more my colour, this would undoubtedly be one of my favourite polishes because it applies so well (I prefer its silver counterpart!)
The brown is a polish from Hema's own brand, which is very cheap and reliable. You'll rarely be disappointed by a Hema polish. Not really visible in the picture, but in real life it has a rather interesting pinkish shimmer to it. That's actually the reason I picked it up in the first place. It's subtle, but nice.

 

Horrible lighting which is unfortunately the best I can do at the moment.