Christian Dior Trench

Hi everyone, long time no see!  I'm sort of back after a long hiatus.  I use sort of as I am still busy with work, online classes (yay went back to school to finish my degree!) and other things in life, but I did not forget you all.  I also was finally able to renew my pro Flickr account, so I'll be able to post a lot of past manicures I took photos of.   On to the Dior!

This was a birthday gift back in September from Aco-ne ("big sister" Aco.)  

Part of Dior's nude line.  It's such a pretty color, it reminds me of Kirin's Royal Milk Tea but a touch darker with a slight pink undertone.  

I've never had a color like this or a Dior polish before, so I'm super excited to try it out :) 

Thanks for reading!

Revlon Facets of Fuchsia

Hi everyone! After a long and fun summer, I'm back to blogging. I have a bunch of things saved to post, so keep checking in :)

Before I post this picture, I have an announcement to make.. my nails are no longer this long. After a trip to a (bad) manicurist, I had to cut them all off. She did such a bad job that a few of them started to peel, so I had to cut them all off and start over. ::sigh:: Ah well, they will grow back, it will just take time.

Now, one of my past NOTDs- Revlon Facets of Fuchsia. Please excuse the tip wear ^^;; I had to wait a few days for a sunny enough day for pictures. Usually I hate Revlon's formula, but this one was a WIN. Applied evenly, no pooling or dragging. Amazing black jelly color with fuchsia glitter, I can't stop looking at my finger nails. GREAT dupe for Bad Romance (as everyone probably already knows, though they changed the color name to scandalous now.) Revlon, you are really impressing me lately.

Revlon Facets of Fuchsia, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Mint Chocolate Fudge Mani / Canmake Nail Topping Coat Almond Crunch #05

Hi everyone, long time no post! I've been kind of busy lately, I'm currently on vacation visiting family and friends, and before that I had friends stay with me for a week so I've been running around non stop for over a month!  Finally I can post the mint chocolate chip mani that I did a few months ago and never had a chance to show off.  

 I started with Canmake Peppermint Cream #53.  Mint Green is one of the "it colors" for nails this season, so this color was perfect.  It took three coats to be even, but is very pretty!

Then to make the chocolate fudge, I used Sweets Sweets NL36.  Sweets Sweets is a Japanese drugstore polish, and they're pretty cheap at around $3 a bottle.  Their bottles are pretty cute, and I need to swatch this one on it's own eventually.  Maybe for fall.  On top of that I used Canmake Nail Topping Coat Almond Crunch 05 (which contains real almonds and shells!) I finished it off with black rhinestones on the ring finger and thumb.  I really liked how this came out, and got a few compliments from friends :)  What do you think?

Mint Chocolate Fudge Mani / Canmake Nail Topping Coat Almond Crunch #05, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Island Girl Hawaii Aloha Coast

I picked this up for myself when I went to Saipan back in February with friends. This brand is based in Hawaii, but is sold in all pacific American territories, as well as in one store on the Las Vegas strip! The chain that mainly sells this are ABC Stores, a touristy type place.  If you click on the link, you can see some if their selection (not all however, the store had a much larger selection) and you can place online orders!  They ship to some other countries too.


They do seem to copy off other companies I noticed-they made a lesser quality line of the NYX cream glitter palettes, and this bottle is nearly identical to a China Glaze bottle, all they did was put their design on the cap.  They are cheap though.

Island Girl Hawaii Aloha Coast, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

This is bright neon pink with a pearly purple duochrome shimmer, not just a flat neon. That's what really made me fall in love with it! My camera does this color no justice, it doesn't show how neon (or pink!) it really is. My camera makes it look orange, and the neon more muted.

It is pretty sheer, this is three coats and you can still see VNL, so if you're like me and don't care for that, use an opaque base coat. Also, it dries super fast and matte like regular neons though, so if matte isn't your thing, make sure you have your topcoat.

Beauty Concepts Peach Shimmer

I got this polish at Dollar Tree back in March. It was nameless, so I named it.  It's an iridescent shimmer with a super sheer peachy-pink jelly base in a cute rose shaped bottle.  It sounds really pretty, but I learned a lesson, this is a TOPCOAT only.  The peachy tones in it made my nails look disgustingly yellow (I swear they are NOT that color, nor do they have dirt under them) and I'll layer it over white or another polish from now on.  I'm almost too embarrassed to post this picture, but I have to show what this looks like on it's own.  

Beauty Concepts Peach Shimmer, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

The label under the bottle says: Distributed by Greenbrier International Inc., Chesapeake, Va. 23320.  It does not say the brand name.
Click to enlarge second picture.  If you do get this, trust me, layer it-it would probably look great over white, light pink or light peach. I'm going to have to try that, I'm sure it will be *much* better!

Swap with Lilwen from MUT Nail Polish

Just a short one today.  I did a little swap with Lilwen from Makeup Talk a few months ago, (we're in the middle of another one now, yay!) and while going through my Flickr I came across this picture and realized I forgot to post the polishes I got in it.

Swap with Lilwen from MUT 2 Nail Polish, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

She sent me three of her favorites, Kiko Frozen Nail Laquer in Iced Black 06, Kiko Nail Laquer Azzurro Ceruleo 295, and Essence Colour & Go Date With The Night 45. Erika said she heard Essence Date With The Night is a good dupe for Chanel Haute Chocolate-awesome!  I specially requested Kiko as I heard their cosmetics were amazing.  Swatches to come :)

OPI DS Vintage

This was a very lucky Target find back in January, and is from the original DS line. Does Target normally carry this line? It was the only one there, and I grabbed it quick!

I just LOVE OPI's DS line, I can't get enough!  I'm a big holo fan, so it's not a huge surprise.  I have one more in this line that Julie gave me a while back, I need to get around to posting it sometime soon.

DS Vintage is a gorgeous coral-pink with holo glitter, though I've also seen it described as a salmon pink and peach.  This is two coats, and the formula was great.  Look how it sparkles in the light, rainbows on your nails!  ::love::

OPI DS Vintage, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Sinful Colors Unicorn and spring floral manicure

Now that it's spring, I finally decided it was time to try the first yellow polish I ever bought! (not including the detailing polish) I only recently had the guts to try the trend, and this soft yellow is perfect. The only problem with Unicorn is that it stains your nails, even with a base coat. Next time I wear it, I'm going to try two coats of base coat to see if that helps.  

This is Unicorn.  I had to use three coats, because it was very streaky and had lots of dragging issues.  Click to enlarge.

The base color is Sinful Colors Unicorn, the orange is AC #10, the green is Pa A32, the sparkly white is Diamond Nail Homei D-1 (the worst quality polish ever if you remember a past post.. I still have to swatch it for you), and the yellow detailing polish is AT #4 Yellow. I used my handy Beauty World dotting tool to make the flowers, and a fine nail art brush for the leaves. I used the mini Poshe quick dry topcoat mom gave me to seal it off.

Spring floral manicure, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

What do you think?

Wet n Wild Shiver 439D

Vintage polish time! I found this polish and a few others in a box of my stuff packed away a looong time ago. 

Wet n Wild Shiver 439D, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

I'm guessing this is a "newer" vintage bottle, when they added color names on the front of the bottles, not just numbers. I think it was a dupe for vintage Hard Candy Frigid (they were out around the same time. I found out they kept this color through the years, I saw it in several bottles, and they still have it in their Wild Shine line. Beautiful ice blue pearl, one of the "it" colors for polish this season.

After all these years, the application was perfect, not goopy at all. I forget how many coats this is, but I'm thinking 2-3.

Elegance Renee

In honor of Zoya Renee being an IT color this year again (Erika informed me it is in the latest issue of InStyle) -it was the IT color back in 2009 when neons first made their big return- I have it to show you all another time, but this time I have another Renee polish to show you! 

This is another vintage polish (I'm going to continue to have plenty for you!), a pretty dark olive green with gold shimmer. It was just in my drawer at my mother's house, I don't even know where this one came from! My mom probably got it somewhere and saved it for me since my name is Renee. The color's name is Renee, (duh lol) and it is either numbered 60 (or 69, I can't tell, the label is VERY faded) and it says Cassandra Cosmetics, Bohemia NY 11716. Anyone ever heard of this brand? It looks very 80s-early 90s.

Elegance Renee, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Essie Porcini

I got this and two other Essies with Julie when we went to have our nails done back in March. We tried a new salon by her house, which was pretty decent, and they had some discontinued polishes for $2. There weren't that many good colors, but at least we got a few things. This color is a pretty dusty pink with gold shimmer. It is semi sheer, perfect opacity at three coats.

Essie Porcini, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Funky Fingers Monster Ballad

A new foil! I *heart* foils- if you didn't know already ^^ Erika gave me this as a present. It's part of Funky Fingers' heavy metal collection, a GORGEOUS vibrant pink foil with silver shimmer. At first I didn't think the silver shimmer was going to show on the nail, but I'm so happy it did! It's such a beautiful, vibrant color, instant love! Opaque in one coat, but I used two for good measure, good dry time.

Funky Fingers Monster Ballad, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Speaking of foils, I have an old WnW foil that one of these days I am going to get around to posting. It's called White Gold, (basically a silver foil) and it's about 8-10 years old..give or take, in those square bottles they used to have. I used to have it in gold too, but I mistakenly tossed it before I discovered np thinner.. and I really regret it :( If any of you know what I am talking about, I am willing to trade good for it (and Maybelline Snow Globe.. sigh) but that's a post for another day.

Anyway, enjoy!

BYS Color Change Bright Purple

This is one of the two BYS color changing polishes I nabbed over the summer before they got sold out. I think Erika might have gotten one too, but I'm not sure!

This is really cool. It doesn't change from sunlight like the Del Sol polishes do, but rather from heat, so you get a really cool ombre look when you go into the cold or air conditioning :)

BYS Color Change Bright Purple, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

The color is named Bright Purple, and it changes from a deep but bright purple to a fuchsia pink with a subtle shimmer. It has a semi-matte finish (just as neon colors usually do) so for those of you who are like me, a topcoat will fix that ^_~ This is three coats, it is kind of sheer o if you don't want visible nail lines, I'd recommend an opaque base coat or a coat of white nail polish first :)

Andrea Acrylic Shield Rock 'N Blues

Hi everyone! Long time no see. I've just came back from my long leave of absence due to a loss in my immediate family. But enough about that, on to the nail polish!

I've got a vintage polish today by Andrea Acrylic Sheild. I found it in my drawer in my mom's house. It's a great metallic dark blue.. looks lighter in the photo (cameras never seem to do blue justice). This polish is OLD. I've had it at least 13 years, but I'm sure it's older. I did an internet search for this, but all I could find was an auction for their base coat on eBay. Anyone know any more about this brand?

Andrea Acrylic Shield Rock 'N Blues, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Canmake Nail Topping Coat

New for Spring 2012! Leave it to the Japanese to create the next biggest thing in nails, nail topcoats that look like ice cream and other desert toppings! I was able to score the last one left on the display (Mixed Berry Seeds) the other day when Yoshi actually found it (how good is he?) but I will be definitely picking up more as they restock.

There are 5 different topcoats, all made with REAL fruit and nuts except for Powdered Sugar. They are: Mixed Berry Seeds, Powdered Sugar, Dried Strawberry, Hawaiian Coconut, and Almond Crunch. I already have a manicure planned, I'm going to make a mint chocolate chip mani (even though mine is berry.. ah well the color is close enough!) Perfect for this season, since mint nail polish is going to be huge!

Canmake Nail Topping Coat Brochure (back), a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

image from here

The colors I will use, Canmake #53 and #04 Mixed Fruit Seeds

VDay Manicure part 3, all finished!

Happy Valentine's Day! Finally, this three part manicure is all finished. If you remember, I didn't intend on making a Valentine's mani, and I originally started with Barry M Buzz Nail Paint. I felt it could use a little something, so I then used the curly heart design on my Salon Express SE18 plate with Konad special white polish, and got this effect:

After realizing this had great potential to be a Vday mani, I topped this manicure with Revlon Blizzard Berry, a Japanese Revlon exclusive. It's a pretty mixed size holo glitter with a pink tinted base. Finally, I put pink and clear stones on the thumb and ring fingers, and sealed it off with Seche Vite. What do you all think?

VDay Manicure part 3, all finished!, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Barry M Nail Paint Buzz

This is part one of a three part Valentine's Day manicure :) It didn't originally start out that way, I whipped this polish out as I bought it on Kitten Nails' blog sale over the summer (also got Models Own Sherbet and Nails Inc. Diet Coke polishes) and hadn't worn this one yet.

This color is a dark, dusty pink. It is actually nameless, as it was a promo that was included in a makeup set in Buzz Magazine last Feb/March 2011. I wish they gave goodies in American magazines! After I polished my nails, I thought it was a great color but a little too plain, and did some konading, then put a final touch on top of that. I haven't taken the third and final pic, I need to get to that. Hopefully tomorrow is sunny!

Barry M Nail Paint Buzz, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

Sonia Kashuk Reach For The Stars Holiday Trio 2010 Champagne Bronze Foil

I originally had a cool mani in mind for this polish, but it took me so long (try 5 days!) to get good sunlight and a good pic, that by the time I got one that was semi-decent (still not completely happy with this one, but for now it'll do) my nail polish started to chip badly, mostly on the other hand.

Sonia Kashuk Reach For The Stars Holiday Trio 2010 Champagne Bronze Foil, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.

This was available only at Target in Sonia Kashuk's 2010 Reach For The Stars holiday nail polish trio. Erika gave me this polish as part of my birthday present over the summer. Beautiful color, but I wish this set came with names! Great champagne bronze foil, opaque in only one coat! Only problem for me was the drying time.. messed up my nails after 2 hours because they just weren't dry (but that cold also be due to the two coats of Sally Hansen nail growth treatment underneath, though other polishes didn't give me that problem over it)..so I threw on another coat and some Seche Vite (my new lifesaver!) and it was just fine.

Ah well, I'll save that mani for the next time I wear it!

Konad: NYC Royal Foil over Sally Hansen Secrets Frost

Here's the manicure I mentioned the other day, my first Konad success! Only because it wasn't a Konad stamper.. it was the As Seen On TV Salon Express stamper from their kit sold at Rite Aid. And ok it isn't actually my first success, it's my second..but it's the first complete manicure with this kit, my first try that came out well was just some test nails. Since the Konad stamper just doesn't seem to work for me, I'm willing to trade it and the nail scraper to a new home, since some people have much more luck with it than others (like Erika and I.) I really like how it came out, I love the chrome purple/silver glitter combo. I used it in a past manicure as well. The leopard design is from Konad plate m57. As the title states, I used the NYC Foil Nail Enamel in Royal Foil that Erika gave me over Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff Secrets Frost, and I topped it off with Coffret D'or gel look topcoat. I was so proud of myself, nail stamping is actually lots of fun when it actually works!

Konad: NYC Royal Foil over Sally Hansen Secrets Frost, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.
Royal Foil looks awfully like Sally Hansen Sapphire Chrome (which is actually purple, so I have no idea why they named it that.) This could be a dupe for it, but I'm not sure if they came out at the same time.. this is a vintage NYC polish so it's very possible. I should whip them out and compare them :)

Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff Secrets Frost

Vintage polish time! Who doesn't like a good vintage polish? I know I do. Remember that score I posted about a month ago? Well I refilled my good ole silver capped Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff bottle and restored it to it's original glory. I have to say, this has been my favorite holo glitter for years, wayyy before the holo craze. It's been one of my favorite polishes of all time, it's just so pretty to look at, and this picture doesn't even give it any justice. There really are rainbows in every bottle. It looks best in the dark, that's when it sparkles like a disco ball. The formula is really great too, it lasts a LONG time without chipping. Ahh good old carcinogen filled vintage formulas..

I actually have a manicure to post with this polish, my first Konad success (because like Erika mentioned, I didn't use the Konad stamp, I used the Salon Express one, which works WONDERS!) but that will be later :) I'll try to snap a pic in low light to show off the sparkle, but my low light pics never seem to come out that great.. anyways, enjoy!

Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff Secrets Frost, a photo by KitaRei on Flickr.