Custom Kicks with stamping

Keeping up with the 'bold' theme, Custom Kicks is a polish I bought ages ago and have only just tried. I'm undecided about how I feel about this colour. I love it in the bottle but it's not really my colour and not very flattering on my skin tone. I think I'm more of an autumn/warm tone person. The colour is a vibrant light teal or aqua with loads of gold shimmer which is more obvious in the bottle. Nevertheless it's a very nice polish to apply. It is a somewhat thick formula but applied very easily and this shows two thick coats which dried quickly. In fact I'd almost say if you were careful this could be a one coater.

Base colour: China Glaze Custom Kicks

Nail plate: Bundle Monster BM225
Stamp colour: China Glaze 2030
Topped with Essie Good to Go

My first Giveaway - and the winner is . . .

Firstly I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway and for taking the time to look at my blog.

I started this giveaway just shy of 50 followers and now there are over 200 of you - thank you to everyone who is a follower and for all the comments you leave. I read and appreciate every single one.

On to the giveaway winner . . .

Whimsical Glam

Congratulations!

(I have sent you an email and you have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen from the entries)

Zoya Charisma with stamping - bold!

Today's polish is Zoya Charisma which I didn't realise was a matte polish until I applied it. My word - it certainly is loud in the bottle, and while it is quite opaque it applies a bit streaky so I needed three coats. I'm not sure how best to describe this other than say it's a bright (obviously!) fuchsia bordering on purple. And loud it certainly is! Didn't help that I was wearing a green top lol Check out this . . .

Base colour: Zoya Charisma

Nail plate: Bundle Monster BM224
Stamp colour: China Glaze 2030
Topped with Essie Good to Go

Another Nina Ricci polish with Konad stamping

I recently recieved in the mail another boxed set of 5 Nina Ricci mini polishes. I had no idea these are considered 'high end' polishes until I saw that my little bargain for $15.00 actually had a RRP of $131.00! - for 5 mini polishes. Check out some of the other lovely colours here. Despite that, I can't recall seeing any other reviews of swatches of them on other blogs. Has anyone seen/used them??

Anyway, I'll keep on counting myself lucky to have scored a great bargain. This is Nina Ricci #18. The polishes don't have names, just a tiny number printed on the base of the bottle.

This formula is effortlessly easy to apply and opaque in two coats. I would describe it as brown based burgundy with loads of gold shimmer.

Onto the pictures . . .

Base colour: Nina Ricci #18

Nail plate: Konad M64

Stamp colour: China Glaze Hi-Tek
Topped with Essie Good to Go

Maybelline flakies!

I'd just like to start off by saying how impressed I am with the pigmentation in this polish. For such a tiny bottle of colour it certainly packs enormous presence! This gorgeous blue based creme red is almost opaque in one coat and super quick drying - in fact almost too quick. These pictures show Candy Apply from Maybelline Mini Colorama and topped with Pink Pinata also from the Mini Colorama range. I'm very impressed and looking forward to trying the other colours.

PS just thought I'd add that colour is how we spell color in New Zealand :) for those of you who thought my spell check is on the blink lol

Cult Nails - Iconic

Oh my! Does it get any more beautiful than this?? This is Cult Nails Iconic, a rich plum berry with loads of gold shimmer and red and gold flakies.

The formula applied easily despite the flakies and these pictures show 3 coats although the formula was opaque in 2. It's just that I went to bed without a top coat and ended up with some interested sheet textures! These pictures show topped with Seche Vite. I really wanted to try my new Cult Nails topcoat but will wait until I'm not time restrained to do this. I did use Cult Nails basecoat and it was quick drying and easy to use. Will see if there's any staining when I remove this lovely lot.

On to the piccies . . .

Zoya Yara - and an attempt at stamping!

Today's mani follows on from my Zoya haul. This lovely polish is Zoya's Yara and is a super pigmented (like Neeka) polish that is almost opaque in one coat. This shows two coats and I've been trying to perfect cleaning up around my cuticles with a paint brush dipped in acetone.

Yara is very easy to apply and is a gorgeous dusty olive green with loads of gold shimmer.

I wanted to attempt a tape mani and taped off the lower section of my nails and mattified it with China Glazes Matte Magic and stamped over the join with China Glaze 2030 and an image from BM 12. I'm a bit disappointed how this turned out as I had an idea in mind - and this wasn't it! lol

Base colour: Zoya Yara

Nail plate: Bundle Monster BM12

Stamp colour: China Glaze 2030

Oh oh oh - look at what arrived today!!! Cult Nails haul!

I am so excited - after taking advantage of Cult Nails international FREE SHIPPING (wow!) I purchased some more of their wonderful polishes . . .

L-R: Living Water, Let Me Fly, Cruisin' Nude, Devious Nature, Iconic, Get It On (Basecoat), Wicked Fast (topcoat)

Can't wait to try out these amazing colours. I'm especially looking forward to trying out the basecoat and topcoat and being able to complete a mani 4 free.

Here's some closeups of the bottles - check out those amazing shimmers - except for Devious Nature which is a beautiful creme. Click to enlarge . . .

Living Water

Living Water

Let Me Fly

Cruisin' Nude

Devious Nature

Iconic

Now . . . which to try first !? Think it's a toss up between Living Water and Iconic.

Zoya Neeka with stamping

This is yesterdays mani and I wasn't able to get photos of Neeka without stamping as I was in a hurry to get ready!

Anyway my experience with Neeka was outstanding. This is one of the most pigmented polishes I own and I was totally impressed with this formula. Neeka is a gorgeous dusty purple with loads of gold shimmer. This polish dried quickly but most outstanding was that if I'd applied it just a wee bit more carefully, I'd say this would be a one coater. These pictures show two coats, just because I can! lol

Now that's got me thinking that Neeka would probably be very suitable for stamping . . .

Base colour: Zoya Neeka

Nail plate: Konad M71
Stamp colour: China Glaze 2030
Topped with Essie Good to Go

Zoya Veruschka with stamping

This is a polish I recently bought off Ebay and hadn't got around to trying. Veruschka is a rich forest green with a matte finish. And when Zoya says matte velvet they aren't kidding. The formula is amazing to apply, opaque in two coats and effortless to get even.

I stamped this with China Glaze 2030 and it didn't go as well as I would have liked . . . perhaps this is because I was stamping on a matte finish. The stamping polish just didn't want to stick to the base coat. I don't know, it's not something I've done before. Anyway it turned out ok, I think.

Can't decide if I want to make it matte of not . . . !

Base colour: Zoya Veruschka

Nail plate: Bundle Monster BM21
Stamp colour: China Glaze 2030
Topped with Essie Good to Go

Zoya Faye with stamping

Of all the colours I got in my Zoya haul, Faye cried out to be tested first. Oh my what a gorgeous colour!

Faye is a duochrome with a purple/pink base and loads of gold glitter. It took three thin coats to be opaque and in my haste to stamp her, I forgot to take any pictures doh! Anyway, prior to stamping my nails looks very similar to the polish inside the bottle in the pictures below.

Sorry there's a lot of photos but it was difficult to capture how amazing Faye looks in different light.

Base colour: Zoya Faye

Nail plate: Konad M65
Stamp colour: Konad Special Polish Black
Topped with Essie Good to Go

And then I topped her with China Glaze Matte Magic.

I'm not sure if I prefer matte or shiny . . . .?