Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
OPI The "It" Color (3/31)
I found folders of swatches created on August 30. Hooray for acting ahead!
OPI's The "It" Color was the second bottle of OPI that I ever purchased so it is special to me, as evidenced by the fact that it's about halfway empty. Or halfway full, whatever floats your boat. It's part of the Mod About Brights collection released in 2008.
I want them all. But living where I live, where nothing's ever readily available, you learn to make do with what is.
This is surprisingly a very flattering and not at all hard to wear shade of yellow. Application was a bit streaky but can be evened out with a third (generous) coat. Creme finishes are my favorite kind of polish, since they come in just about any color. Plus they're great for wearing alone. If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not such a big fan of nail art. The simpler ones I'm fine with, but stamping and freehand manis are not for me.
Are you in love yet? Normally yellow is a tricky color to wear but you got to admit, this one's not too bad.
I wish Pantone makes their own brand of nail polish in all of their colors. That would be awesome.
xo Nicia
OPI's The "It" Color was the second bottle of OPI that I ever purchased so it is special to me, as evidenced by the fact that it's about halfway empty. Or halfway full, whatever floats your boat. It's part of the Mod About Brights collection released in 2008.
I want them all. But living where I live, where nothing's ever readily available, you learn to make do with what is.
 |
| indoor lighting, no flash |
This is surprisingly a very flattering and not at all hard to wear shade of yellow. Application was a bit streaky but can be evened out with a third (generous) coat. Creme finishes are my favorite kind of polish, since they come in just about any color. Plus they're great for wearing alone. If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not such a big fan of nail art. The simpler ones I'm fine with, but stamping and freehand manis are not for me.
 |
| indirect sunlight, no flash |
Are you in love yet? Normally yellow is a tricky color to wear but you got to admit, this one's not too bad.
I wish Pantone makes their own brand of nail polish in all of their colors. That would be awesome.
xo Nicia
ORLY Chica Boom (2/31)
Thankfully I have a few swatches that I saved up exactly for times like this. The pictures are not of the greatest quality but I think they'd have to do. This blog is in desperate need of revival, as a blogger once told me that the key to a successful blog is to post everyday. Such a big impossibility for someone like me, so I opt to blog on a weekly basis. More, if I'm not lazy. And when my nail grows back. And when I get a keyboard that actually works.
Anyway.
Orly Chica Boom is part of the Carnivale collection that was released in 2009. It has a jelly finish meaning it required three coats (or more, but in this case just three) to be opaque. It's the usual Orly formula, kind of hard to apply but gorgeous on the nails.
I love it. Reminds me of juicy oranges for some reason. I'm not such a big fan of jelly finishes but I think I'm slowly warming up to them.
It's so glossy and cheerful without having to be too bright. Bright colors tend to be picky when it comes to lighting. You think your mani looks great when you first have it on but once you step into the next room it just looks wrong. Don't you just hate that?
I'll try to look for more swatches that I haven't posted. I'm pretty sure they're among the massive amount of folders conveniently called New Folder under another New Folder under another New Folder. Great.
Just great.
xo Nicia
Anyway.
Orly Chica Boom is part of the Carnivale collection that was released in 2009. It has a jelly finish meaning it required three coats (or more, but in this case just three) to be opaque. It's the usual Orly formula, kind of hard to apply but gorgeous on the nails.
 |
| indoor lighting, no flash |
I love it. Reminds me of juicy oranges for some reason. I'm not such a big fan of jelly finishes but I think I'm slowly warming up to them.
 |
| indirect sunlight |
It's so glossy and cheerful without having to be too bright. Bright colors tend to be picky when it comes to lighting. You think your mani looks great when you first have it on but once you step into the next room it just looks wrong. Don't you just hate that?
I'll try to look for more swatches that I haven't posted. I'm pretty sure they're among the massive amount of folders conveniently called New Folder under another New Folder under another New Folder. Great.
Just great.
xo Nicia
The One Where I Don't Make Up Excuses & Actually Tell The Truth
Okay, so two things!
One. My left index nail broke, right to the nail bed. I tried to salvage it for a little under two weeks by putting on a really thick manicure, which worked for a while, but washing my hair (and doing pretty much everything else) had proven to be such an ordeal that I really had no choice but to cut the whole thing off before things get too ugly. And since that left me with one nail looking like it belonged to my feet, I had to file down the rest of my nails. I guess I could still do swatches, but that one miniature nail really bothers the crap out of me. So I'm waiting to grow it out to an acceptable length (to me, there's really no standard, my nails just look better long)and then I'd even everything out and hope for the best. I swear I would throw a fit when I break another nail in the process. I should really invest in a nail strengthener asap.
Two. My keyboard is broken and I'm using an onscreen one, so imagine just how hard it would be to blog even with perfectly fine nails. Geez, that first point took me over twenty minutes to type. So excuse me if I end this now, but I'd be back to regularly updating this as soon as things get in order.
So that's it. Hope things are looking better for you guys.
xo Nicia
One. My left index nail broke, right to the nail bed. I tried to salvage it for a little under two weeks by putting on a really thick manicure, which worked for a while, but washing my hair (and doing pretty much everything else) had proven to be such an ordeal that I really had no choice but to cut the whole thing off before things get too ugly. And since that left me with one nail looking like it belonged to my feet, I had to file down the rest of my nails. I guess I could still do swatches, but that one miniature nail really bothers the crap out of me. So I'm waiting to grow it out to an acceptable length (to me, there's really no standard, my nails just look better long)and then I'd even everything out and hope for the best. I swear I would throw a fit when I break another nail in the process. I should really invest in a nail strengthener asap.
Two. My keyboard is broken and I'm using an onscreen one, so imagine just how hard it would be to blog even with perfectly fine nails. Geez, that first point took me over twenty minutes to type. So excuse me if I end this now, but I'd be back to regularly updating this as soon as things get in order.
So that's it. Hope things are looking better for you guys.
xo Nicia
Friday, August 26, 2011
Kleancolor Blood
I attended an event last night for FADAL (Fashion Designers Alliance) MANILA at Seventh High with my friends from school. The dress code said to wear something red, which I rarely do, so I thought that I should just paint my nails red. Oddly enough, I only own one red nail polish. And not for very long as I've only bought it last weekend.
This is Kleancolor Blood
And I think I'm in love.
Application was flawless, I used three thin coats for this. I'm not such a big fan of the color red, but this shade is just glorious. And such an appropriate name too, don't you think?
I can't stop looking at my nails!
This post also marks my attempt to do the 31-day nail challenge. I won't do it every day because I don't change my manis that often. But I'll try to update as much as I can.
Wish me luck!
xo Nicia
This is Kleancolor Blood
 |
| indirect sunlight |
And I think I'm in love.
 |
| indoor lighting |
Application was flawless, I used three thin coats for this. I'm not such a big fan of the color red, but this shade is just glorious. And such an appropriate name too, don't you think?
 |
| Kleancolor Blood, three coats |
I can't stop looking at my nails!
This post also marks my attempt to do the 31-day nail challenge. I won't do it every day because I don't change my manis that often. But I'll try to update as much as I can.
Wish me luck!
xo Nicia
Monday, August 22, 2011
Weekend Haul!
I went to a bazaar this weekend and blew off my money on nail polish. Now I'm broke but that's okay, at least I have new colors to swatch!
Got some OPI,
hoarded on Kleancolor,
and new Orly!
My cat Lucille who's always curious.
Anyway, I have Orly Blushing Bud on my nails right now. I still hate the brush that comes with most Orly bottles, but I really love the color of this one. Application was not easy as the formula was a bit on the thick side but this gets A for opaqueness. One coat was opaque enough but needed a second one to even it out. I used Orly Top 2 Bottom as my top coat.
So I'm looking forward to swatching the rest! Til my next post.
xo Nicia
Got some OPI,
 |
| OPI Serena Glam Slam |
hoarded on Kleancolor,
 |
| Top L-R: Midnight Queen, Disco Purple, Iridescent Fuchsia, Blood, Neon Orange, Funky Yellow, Neon Yellow Bottom L-R: Metallic Black, Neon Aqua, Chunky Holo Teal, Chunky Holo Purple, Chunky Holo Bluebell, Madly Matte |
and new Orly!
 |
| L-R: Space cadet, Galaxy Girl, Witch's Blue, Midnight Star, Blushing Bud, Chica Boom, Green With Envy, Gumdrop |
My cat Lucille who's always curious.
Anyway, I have Orly Blushing Bud on my nails right now. I still hate the brush that comes with most Orly bottles, but I really love the color of this one. Application was not easy as the formula was a bit on the thick side but this gets A for opaqueness. One coat was opaque enough but needed a second one to even it out. I used Orly Top 2 Bottom as my top coat.
 |
| indoor lighting, no flash |
So I'm looking forward to swatching the rest! Til my next post.
xo Nicia
Saturday, August 20, 2011
OPI Glitzerland + China Glaze Crushed Candy
I have a love-hate relationship with crackle nail polish. Some combinations are really cute especially when the colors are subtle, but oftentimes crackle manis just look.. dirty on the nails.
This is one of my favorite crackle combinations. I start with three coats of OPI Glitzerland.
Yep, it's pretty awesome by itself. But since I first swatched this around the same time I got the entire Crackle Glaze collection, I decided to try out China Glaze Crushed Candy with it.
I took so many pictures but not one accurately showed how pretty it is on the nails. It's pretty matte, too. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures of it with a matte coat.
Here is the mani again.
xo Nicia
This is one of my favorite crackle combinations. I start with three coats of OPI Glitzerland.
 |
| Fine glitter goodness |
Yep, it's pretty awesome by itself. But since I first swatched this around the same time I got the entire Crackle Glaze collection, I decided to try out China Glaze Crushed Candy with it.
 |
| one coat of Crushed Candy |
I took so many pictures but not one accurately showed how pretty it is on the nails. It's pretty matte, too. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures of it with a matte coat.
Here is the mani again.
 |
| with flash |
 |
| indoor lighting |
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The (Mis)Adventures of Orly Green Apple
I've been eyeing Orly Green Apple for a long time because it's a color I don't see very often. I just got it yesterday (along with Cashmere Cardigan) and couldn't wait to swatch it. Boy was I disappointed.
First, the brush is thin. Application was not easy at all. It doesn't help that second, the formula is also thin and streaky. See for yourself.
At three coats there were still bald spots and I really didn't want to add another one because it was hard to even everything out with that thin brush. So I looked at my case for something that I can layer and saw an old polish from The Face Shop in GR501 which alone would take about 28 coats to be opaque but is ace at layering.
I was still not satisfied, it was too bright to my liking. So I took out Kleancolor Madly Matte which is not the best matte topcoat in the market but is good enough for saturating down the colors a bit. One coat of that (and the brush in this one is perfect, just one stroke for each of my nail) and I'm pretty happy with the outcome.
Yep, satisfied at last.
Let me know what you think.
xo Nicia
First, the brush is thin. Application was not easy at all. It doesn't help that second, the formula is also thin and streaky. See for yourself.
 |
| One coat |
 |
| Two coats |
 |
| Three coats |
At three coats there were still bald spots and I really didn't want to add another one because it was hard to even everything out with that thin brush. So I looked at my case for something that I can layer and saw an old polish from The Face Shop in GR501 which alone would take about 28 coats to be opaque but is ace at layering.
 |
| + one coat of GR501 indoors |
 |
| with flash |
I was still not satisfied, it was too bright to my liking. So I took out Kleancolor Madly Matte which is not the best matte topcoat in the market but is good enough for saturating down the colors a bit. One coat of that (and the brush in this one is perfect, just one stroke for each of my nail) and I'm pretty happy with the outcome.
 |
| + one coat of Madly Matte |
 |
Yep, satisfied at last.
 |
Let me know what you think.
xo Nicia
Monday, August 8, 2011
Etude House - PP007
I've only discovered the Korean brand Etude House a week ago while I was strolling around the mall. I was instantly drawn to the colorful nail polish selection that they have. What I'm wearing right now is PP007.
PP007 is a purple polish with scattered holo glitter with a smooth and glossy finish. I put on three coats but could have gotten away with just two. Would you believe that I took these pictures FIVE days after I painted my nails, with no top coat! Pretty impressive, right? You can see very minimal tipwear, but that could have been avoided with a good top coat (which I am still yet to find, suggestions at the comment box please). This color is really hard to photograph as it looks really blue in some pictures. It's a muted mauve purple, not that bright and looks pink in under some lights.
Don't you just love how cute that bottle is? I have a few more nail polish from that brand to swatch when I get tired of this mani. I doubt that would be anytime soon, though. It is gorgeous!
xo Nicia
 |
| with flash |
 |
| indoor |
Don't you just love how cute that bottle is? I have a few more nail polish from that brand to swatch when I get tired of this mani. I doubt that would be anytime soon, though. It is gorgeous!
xo Nicia
A confession.
Hi I'm Nicia, and I am consistent at being inconsistent.
Over the period of 20 years which is my life I've had about a dozen blogs. Of those twelve I have kept one, which I don't even update that often. So why do I insist yet again to start another one?
After spending countless of hours that would have been more productively used to study looking at other people's nail blogs, an idea of starting my own one entered my mind. And why not, right? Maybe this would be that one thing that would stick.
I don't claim to have the most impressive nail polish collection, I am no expert at everything about nail polish. I just want to document my manicures, and maybe a little bit of everything else, too.
xo Nicia
Over the period of 20 years which is my life I've had about a dozen blogs. Of those twelve I have kept one, which I don't even update that often. So why do I insist yet again to start another one?
After spending countless of hours that would have been more productively used to study looking at other people's nail blogs, an idea of starting my own one entered my mind. And why not, right? Maybe this would be that one thing that would stick.
I don't claim to have the most impressive nail polish collection, I am no expert at everything about nail polish. I just want to document my manicures, and maybe a little bit of everything else, too.
xo Nicia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)