Crackle french

I felt like doing french tips for a change, if for no other reason then to check how stained my nails are compared to a white tip.

I remembered I'd thought about making a sort of icy look with Krackpolish and blue- only tried cracking once with CG Pink Underground .

Here white Krackpolish over midnight blue Ciudad Victoria by Wild and Crazy colors on tips. Only clear top coat over the whole nail.

The line is not all that smooth though I did clean it with a q-tip. Still I like the crackle effect. It goes well with my navy blue/ white tunic and dark jeggings. I know it'll last chip-free for 2 days tops, but then I'm onto something new :)

Hope you've had a great weekend!

Spring is almost here, I can feel it.
Next I'll change into something more vibrant :)

GOSH Black Passion with Rainbow - layer play

On Black Passion I layed on a coat of Matte Top by Orly. Then off to try Rainbow. As you might tell from the quantity of pics, I can't stop staring this one!




I don't know how much the matte base affects the final look but I think the black looks quite concentrated here. As you remember Black Passion is shimmery and very glossy so I was afraid it'd steal too much attention peaking under there, hence Matte Top.


These are colors I don't wear in my clothes often; red and gold like in fire, and neon-like green. But this polish might just change that :)


Here light coming from up and back. On every pic, just one coat of Rainbow over the dark base.


A side pic, shows the flakes more defined.

It really is a rainbow in the bottle :)
Thanks for looking!

Black Passion by GOSH

Here's the first GOSH I put on, Black Passion. Shimmery dark grey, can't say vivid but definitely not dull. I like the way it applied: not too thick but not too watery either. Doesn't drip when unscrewing the cap and holding the handle downwards, but goes well on nail. I don't really care for the wide handle, but it's not the clumsiest cap/handle around either (compared to for example Golden Rose ).

It looks very shiny. This is just one coat and no top coat, as usual. Click to view larger.


If you click the lower pic, you'll see how it already started to wear off the tips. I barely had been wearing it for few hours, just typed a bit... In terms of wear-time this seemed to be similar to O.P.I.'s Russian Navy Suede (to all Suedes maybe?). Maybe it's the humidity, maybe something else, perhaps next time it will perform better I don't know but I hope so.

Overall, pretty polish and it has a place in my collection. But I value the staying power and this didn't convince me. Not the best first introduction to GOSH for me. But I've got more! Time for layer play next...

Waiting for the sun,
to show you the Rainbow ;)

Oh my Gosh! - Sparkly mini haul

When I go nail polish shopping without a plan, I either get a wide variety of bright colors or stick to dark but sparkly polishes. Like this time. These are my first GOSH polishes and Rainbow (on the left) has been on my wishlist for ages - and it dictated the other selections.

Here she is, in her flaky glory! Can't wait to get to layer this one.

On the big pic next to her is Black passion, shimmery very-dark grey or soft black. Looked like mud through the lens so I spare you from a bottle pic, but I'll show it soon enough on the nails :)


Here is Black Velvet by Mavala. It looks very much black in the shade, and the dark shimmery purple it lends in the light is very exciting. I probably won't be using this much in the Summer time. But it is a gorgeous alternative to plain black, I'll keep it in mind.

Here is Bright Passion, which I picked because I just wanted to have 3 GOSHes. For no other reason that I prefer to buy in 3's. Silly habit of mine. I swatched it on a fake nail and it reminds me of thick holographic straws on a muddy base. Not sure what I'll do with this one...

Now this was a find I didn't look for but was pleasantly surprised to pick up. It's Night Party #75 (Öiset Juhlat) by Lumene. Rainbow flakes in a brown shimmery base. Like a beautiful Fall in a bottle.

I already know what I'll start with...
I'll be back soon to show you :)

My nail tutorial with pink and dots on YT

Thanks for all the great comments on the look! My vid for "Pink and dots" is up now :)



If you want to watch it in YouTube click here or go to my channel .

Have a great start for your weekend!

Pink and dots

This is the look I was talking about. The initial inspiration was YouTube guru LOVE4NAILS with her video:



And then I started replicating it, with pinks of course. Realized after laying on the black tip, that it didn't really flatter my oval shape of nail. Decided to break the pattern with adding dots. The pinks I chose were so similar that I ended up making a dividing line between them with black. My favorite way of creating: failing with one attempt leads to new ideas!


This could be my signature look: with my favorite polish Miami, black area and then white dots - I can't really imagine more Dooish look! Or wait - adding some kind of animal print maybe... LOL

Materials used for this: Miami by Mavala, white polish by MissMe, Sylva by Wild and Crazy, Enamel Art 1000 black two way striper and then black by Kiss.

Nail wheel is from eBay and on it you can see some summery yellow swatches. I plan to make a comparison post about them when I get to play with all my yellows :)

I'm editing a video tutorial of this look.
Coming up before the weekend :)

The best cuticle treatment

Hello everyone and thanks for all the great feedback I've gotten! A shocker to see there are over 200 Google readers with me here! And a half more of readers who come and visit regularly without Google-connecting. Hope you all enjoy :)

I want to share with you a new-to-me tip I saw few weeks ago on YouTube by Love4Nails. She told about her nail care routines and I spotted her recommending Vitamin E oil used straight on cuticles and nails. I already had Vitamin E oil (tocopherol) to be used on facial treatments and I didn't think it could be used straight as well. The bottle says it's normally used for 0,5-3% in products. But I did try it straight and I did love it!


I've been using Vitamin E oil for about 2 weeks now with a drop of Avocado oil and the combo is divine! Vitamin E oil is sticky and brown like syrup at first but it does soak in well. My nails and tips are always most vulnerable when the winter comes and as it goes - the moisture levels in the air increase, my gloves get wet from wiping the car clean or just doing something outside. The moisture does get on nails too. Now I'm not saying this is magic in the bottle but very close to it. Thinking of how many products advertise with containing Vitamin E oil - and then there is this possibility to buy the stuff on its own!

I've told you before I like using Avocado Oil on the nails and cuticles for I've learned it penetrates well. Now adding this brown stuff to it makes it more sticky - though the color doesn't get any prettier (from murky green to murkier green...) but it does the job. I was sure my skin would adjust to using this (as with hand creams and lotions usually happens), expected them to require more and more. But this combo seems to protect as well - it's not just absorbing but shielding as well.

Then I remembered reading about using a Vitamin E capsule and making a hole in it with a needle, squeezing it on the nails. I never ate capsules so I forgot about the trick until Raquel a.k.a Love4Nails mentioned Vitamin E.

Here's her complete video on Tips for growing long natural nails:



Now some Easter bits. First off, bonfire:

Here's our gang of wicked witches (who gathered baskets full of chocolate eggs from our grannies and next-door neighbours). Pic stylized by the Pirate on the left:
I was supposed to show you my biggest Easter treat, pasha, but it couldn't wait to be eaten. Basically it's just off-white stuff made from quark, sugar, butter, milk, orange peels and drop of lemon juice (+ raisins). It is sooo good and such an energy bomb... Only on Easter time...

I have a nail design inspired by Love4Nails (and pink and dots) for you too. When I get the pics ready I'll post all about it :)

Dots and of the dark side

It came down to dotting the blank space. I quite like it, looks more seasoned.


Which one do you prefer - this one or the earlier non-dotted version?

I promised some glimpses of the traditional food we eat here. Let's start with the most controversial one and I'll bring you something else tomorrow. Here's Finnish Easter delicacy Mämmi. Some love it, the rest hate it. I happen to like it and so do my kids. It looks like shit, really, but tastes like rye and sugar. It makes a wonderful snack with low-lactose milk poured in it :P


There's even darker side to the Easter. Chocolate eggs. On Saturday morning kids here on Ostrobothnia, Finland, dress up as witches. They go about collecting eggs and candy bars from neighbours. Some bring decorated willow branches with them, which is originally tradition for Palm Sunday. There's a legend behind Easter witches that when Jesus has died and not yet in Heaven, the God weeps for his son and the evil spirits rule.

On Saturday night there are bonfires ("to vanquish the evil spirits") where these little witches gather to eat their treats and mingle with neighbours. On bonfires adults too meet and greet after long winter spent indoors... The bonfires look fantastic with flames against the snow and darkening sky. I'll take pics for you to see :)

These are mysterious times. Easter bunny had laid eggs on our mailbox Thursday night, and all these eggs from the previous pic + the green glass bunny were found from there. I know it was the fairy godmother & godfather of our kids, but the kids think it's the bunny. The bunny that elves ride on Christmas time to check if the kids have been naughty or nice. I like to lie to our kids. On Sunday night Easter rooster lays eggs too, on their bedside. Usually it's something they can wear, since by then they have gotten fed up with chocolate... I've yet to buy their surprises ^^

Oh and the tablecloth on the picture was made by my son, 7, at his school. I think it is wonderful. Can imagine how much time was spent on doing it! Those stitches are so prompt all the way around, I don't think I could do it half as good! It was also my inspiration for the chick I made for my thumb :)

Easter stripes

Bright for Easter. I prefer vertical stripes for they make nails look long. Here over First Kiss Enamel Art 1000 2-way striper in purple and Claire's bright green which I wore on darker days - see the pics . It is so bright it reflects the light back!




Here's a chick to go with it.

Bright yellow painted with Enamel Art 1000, outlined with black. I am so not good in drawing animals - but the goofier they come out kind of cuter they are. Got to embrace one's inner child once in a while, so why not on Easter (and Christmas, and Valentine's day...) :)


I'm going to stare at them for a while as is and then maybe dots, maybe glitter? It needs more pattern... and I have time to play... I'll get back to this.

Until then, have a Happy Easter :)

First Kiss by Misa for Easter base

Something bright, something wild for a base to lay eggs to (design coming up later). This would be the time to try out First Kiss by Misa which has been waiting for its turn for months.

My first Misa and I like then consistency very much. This is 2 coats of polish with no topcoat. I also like the bottle. The cap is easy to grasp and unscrew. It is over half of the size of the bottle which makes it a great handle. I wish there were more swatches of Misa up. I'd like to buy more but there are so few images of polish to be found.

I was afraid it would look too shock pink for daytime wear, but when I got it on it didn't look as bad. It has a blue cast not so visible in bigger pics. Delicate shimmer makes it very feminine.

After wearing it for a day going to splash some Easter design over it.

Pics coming up a bit later :)