Rugby beauty

She's got it!

2011-08-06T02:12:00.003+02:00

While this picture might not be very color-accurate, it sure has the feel - finally!
I'm not one for lemmings and I rarely have them but when they do hit, they're not all that easy to shake. The last time was Zombie zest (best name ever) and this time it was Electric pineapple by the same brand, China Glaze.

I'm not a big spender and I am trying to keep down on my consumerist actions, but after a few months, I caved in and figured that "Hey, it's my birthday soon and I really could make good use of some snot-green nailpolish".

Said and done, now it's mine and it makes me feel just as good as when I have run a 10K. I know that might sound sad, but it does. However, imagine how I will feel having run 10K while wearing this?

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Week of fuglies, take 3

2011-07-24T10:08:00.060+02:00

Seeing as the 2nd manicure didn't last longer than a day, I had time to do a third before the week was up. Just as it's precessor, what was in my mind one fugly manicure, it turned out pretty cool. If not cool, it did atleast look a lot nicer on a hot summer's day than it did when I had it on the last time when the world looked like it was drenched in what appeared to be asphalt flavored slush ice.
The polish in question is Love nails by Sinful Colors which is a lot greener than I remembered it to be. Think lagoon minus the creature.
It's more of a shimmer to be used as top (think Lighthouse by China Glaze, the shimmer that brings light to any worn manicure) than a polish as it's quite sheer It took me 5 coats to get opaque.

I don't know what came over me to take the next step, which was matching my makeup with my manicure. I guess it an attempt to make it fugly by hitting the 80's tree all the way down/up. A turquoise smokey eye, but can you even spot it? As always, any color on my eyes seem to just disappear. I don't mean this literally, I don't need a primer, but that there's already too much color going on that you don't notice much. I just don't know how Cyndi (Lauper, the one and only) managed to pull it off? Was is eyeshadow not by the gram but by the kilogram?

My hair's more peachy/cottoncandy now than it used to be (hoptpink) due to spending a lot of hours at the beach. No extreme haircolor is made for extreme sports..or living for that matter.

Week of fuglies, take 2

2011-07-23T21:54:00.002+02:00

This image got lost somewhere in between my phone and this blog, but finally, here it is.
The 2nd manicure in the week of fuglies was a manicure that turned out better than expected; a neon pink + a bubblegum pink.
Youthquake by Color Club topped with a crackle nailpolish by Isadora (which they refer to as a Graffiti nail top) in Masterpiece pink.
It didn't last very long and chipped within a few hours (the polish from Isadora is thick and not doing well) but it didn't look fugly. A fuglyfail minus the fugly and yeah, it wasn't a fail.

Huckle Buckle and the dreaded inch

2011-07-17T00:40:00.005+02:00

While looking in the mirror I realized why I dislike this polish and consider it a fugly:
it's so cutesycute that it clashes with my pink hair and it's making me look like I listen to Echobelly and collect fairies. I, for the record, dont. Don't on either.

Guess I will have to either dye my hair jet-black again or just put Huckle Buckle in a long forgotten drawer?

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The end is near - Return of the fuglies

2011-07-16T03:25:00.000+02:00

While we're on the subject of biting our tongues, why not add this ;

I have worn a coral nailpolish and I liked it.

It's from MNY, got it as a gift a few months back and the number is scratched off (but I think it must be 349). Albeit a dark coral, it's still more orange than red and with a dusty tone, thus coral. Somewhat on the sheer side. I have worn it twice. My legs didn't shake, I didn't throw up and I didn't turn into a granny, but I did have a prolapse. Can I blame it on the coral? Probably not as that's all genetic but being one big sour puss, I really would have wanted to.

First the lipgloss and now this! Is the world as we know it coming to an end?
Well, I must say while it might not have inspired me to do drastic things, it most definitely has challenged me to boldly go where no (wo)man has gone before:
the fuglies.
The rest of this summer will be devoted to all things I dislike. Next up? Huckle Buckle, nasty frosty lavender polish from Essie that I purchased online thinking it was charcoal grey with a blueish tint. What's the lesson kids? Always google for swatches before spending a dime! Fellow bloggers are your best bet when it comes to saving money.

Biting my tongue

2011-07-16T01:02:00.002+02:00

Have you ever heard, or read, me raving over a gloss? It never happened. I am not a glossy girl. I dislike the so-called wands (aka applicator), and I think they're rather unhygienic and definitely not superior to the Juicy Tube-packaging. However, this time I will bite my tongue. All wands are not evil (even if they are per definition) if they belong to a darling gloss. Such a gloss is L'oréal's 6 H Glam shine in a fruity yellow, Fresh Lemon Tonic.
Other than making your lips look as if you just had a nice nectarine, it doesn't get sticky, lasts a couple of hours and the packaging is quite nice. Holding it in my hand makes me feel like something Milla Jovovich has played in a/any movie. The only downside is the fragrance - smells like my grandma's perfume.

Now, if I had a nice blueish/purple lipstick I would swatch it over that, but as I don't, I won't. Now where to find a good blue lipstick?

Summing it up

2011-07-01T23:27:00.001+02:00

Right now, this is all I am about. Not clashing, as these 3 green polishes seem to do in the picture above, but everything green ( the allotment), running and well, green polish. I figured that the scented polish would be right up my alley, but the formula is off. Runny, never dries and doesn't chip but peel off like it was that type of nailpolish. I keep on returning to it, thinking that this time around I'll get it right and it will be me and The lime starts here together forever. We still haven't gotten there.

Edie is another green gal I would love to love, I really do, but she looks sick on my nails. Something about my skin and that polish definitely clashes.

The third of the bunch, Green-wich village is not a favorite at all, but counting nailtime, you could think it was. It's the green I always end up with and today is no exception.

I guess what I am saying is that I need to go on a green-hunt. A proper pea-green. Or fresh broad beans green. Maybe even a mangold green? Any ideas?

It's not you, it's me

2011-06-10T15:55:00.008+02:00

Or rather, it's that darn Blogger-app for Android that keeps eating my posts. As I don't have anything that important to say, I haven't bothered using my laptop to rewrite those posts. I am lazy like that. I am also not using all that much makeup for the moment (see 1st image). Partly because we have an (almost) tropic heatwave going on that leaves me looking like cheese fries, but also because I haven't bought any makeup in 2 months. Well, except that Age Renew foundation I found on sale today that needs to replace the Smashit foundation that I am currently using,

I guess that makes me an old (re)tired hag - I hold on to the look I had 15 years ago (see 2nd image) and I barely even keep that updated and fresh. I guess I should move on and start a macrame-blog?

But don't fret. I still read your blogs and Feline, Helena, Sminkan and Rosella still have me yearning for things that I just might buy one day..
And psst, have you seen these pots? That pot of green needs to come home with me!

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Thank God it ain't OPI

2011-05-11T22:36:00.000+02:00

Purchased a few fauxnad-plates online and with them, I got a mini-nailpolish that was supposedly OPI. You could tell from the start that it wasn't so I just put it away and didn't think too much about it.

Yesterday I found it while cleaning the shelves and couldn't help but try it on. However, there won't be any pictures because I couldn't even manage to put it on - it reeks. Think paint you use on scale models (cars, planes etc like Revell's or Humbrol's) and think oldschool paint that would make your head spin and your heart stop.

It's a don't. Now I just have to figure out how to dispose of this thing.

Gimme head? The ultimate makeover

2011-05-06T00:17:00.002+02:00

Having had the flu for quite some time, I have been bedridden in front of the telly. Day-time tv brings quite a few surprises (not all good) and a couple of laughs. My guilty pleasure is Top model. Not the whole show, but especially the makeover part or when they slather on makeup as if it was wallpaint. That process is something I like - the transformation. It has less to do with beauty, finding it or enhancing it, as it has to do with passing the canvas over to someone else. What would you do with this hair? This face?

I guess that's why I don't get why so many of the girls cry when they get their hair cut short or dyed blond. When they moan about looking like a boy because they don't get to wear lipstick or moan that they look goth because their lipstick is dark. I simply just don't get it. Isn't that the fun part about makeup and hairdye - being able to do whatever and then move on or go back?

I certainly wish somebody would do something fun or exciting with my head. Or even better, what if you could just swap heads? Try on somebody else's face for a change?

This nonsense could be stemming from the fact that while sick, I have had a hard time getting the energy to put on mascara (on the lashes and not the lid) and sport any other look than the red nostrils and puffy eyes. I'm so over the natural look and I desperately need some color right about now and not just on telly.

Like a canary

2011-05-02T15:09:00.002+02:00

The result? As seen on Twitter/Facebook - pink, pink and some dark purple. I want it to fade down to a nice cottoncandy pink.

If you're looking for good tutorials on bleaching/extreme haircolor, I suggest The dainty squid, Phyrra or Zoetica Ebb.

It's not you, it's me

2011-04-20T19:41:00.005+02:00

If someone was to say that I haven't been around much lately, anyone saying just that would be pretty much spot on. It's not (just) that Rugby beauty filled it's purpose as a way to get myself out of a depressed slump/dump, but because right now there isn't much in the polish and makeup field that excites me (other than Electric Pineapple from China Glaze).

Maybe it all has to do with trends and the fact that this retro 80's floral shite that's so popular right now just isn't my thing. Maybe it's because I cut a mohawk again and whenever I do, I tend to wear less makeup as my hair does most of the talking. While it's plain black right now, as it get's warmer, it might just see some more colors. Whenever I go 'hawk, I find color as you can see to the right. (Bra hårdag means Good hair(day). It's sustainable blogging, recycling old pictures)

Writing about press-releases and things that don't personally interest me is not something I see any point in, so until I spot something I fall head over heels with, this blog might be lacking (original) updates. Links to great blogposts by others as well as exciting ideas,sure, that will still pop up.

New friends

2011-03-24T18:45:00.002+01:00

I don't know where and when it happenend but I'm completely smittened by Color club. They might be using stockphotos in their ads but their recent collections Alter ego and the fruit-scented one (name?) really have me hooked.

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A whiter shade of pale

2011-03-18T21:16:00.001+01:00

I've used the Smashit foundation for a good 3 weeks and have also I've used all swearwords I know (and that is alot I tell you). Can't get it to work.
Went shopping for a new foundation and was surpised over the lack of shades; it's all peach, almond and bronze. I am neither, I'm pale with something pink going on.

In the end, I ended up going home with what seemed to be the fairest of them all: Max Factor's Xperience in Light Ivory. It most definitely has it's flaws (takes ages to dry) but it was the only one I could find for the time being.
However, I would really like to find a foundation that isn't just ok or good enough, but great! Do you know of any brand that carries milky-white foundation?

Yet another multiproduct to the rescue!

2011-03-09T13:34:00.002+01:00

I am not sure if this boils down to me being lazy or cheap, but I do love when I can use a product for more than one thing. The Eyeko fatbalm is one of my favorite products as is Carmex and Arden's 8 hour.
This is another - Davines' Balm that can be used as a conditioner for hair and skin as well as a makeup-remover. Since having cut a mohawk (again), I also use it for styling.

It's organic, has lovely packaging and works wonders. The only issue I have is the fragrance - it has quite a pine scent. Reminds me of grand dad's after shave.

Won this in a giveaway at Naturligt snygg and has since also ordered Davines' Replenishing butter, which is another multiproduct, as well as the Oil.
That's yet another reason giveaways are great - you get a chance to try out a brand you never heard of. I can safely say that if I hadn't won these, I probably never would have bought the butter and oil later on as this is a salon-brand and I am no salon type of girl.

Blank face, blank page

2011-03-03T12:24:00.000+01:00

Whenever I come across a product that lets me down or doesn't live up to the hype, it seems I fall out of love with so-called beautyproducts. It has happened before and I would say it's because my love for all things beautyrelated isn't all that deep. I am the first to say it, it isn't. That was one of the reasons I started this blog - it would be a challenge.

And, a challenge it is. What to write about when you're not using all that much makeup at the moment? When you haven't purchased something in a long time?

(I'm so blank I found this in the editor - had forgotten to post it)

Should we cut organic brands some more slack?

2011-02-25T14:40:00.002+01:00

Is it okay to completely diss a new independant brand? An organic brand? Should we give one of the good guys less critique? I must confess that my Smashit knockdown (over and out in less than one hour) makes me feel like a super-evil villain, but at the same time, if I had tried it at a store, I wouldn't have bought it.

However, now that I have it in my hand, I will use it. It works ok if I skip the daycream and if I don't use my beloved Davines face-balm (more on that later). It works on a makeup for dropping the kid off at day-care level, but I wouldn't wear it when I go out or when I want a foundation.
It's really too bad because the Milk-shade is perfect for my skin. It matches my neck perfectly which no other foundation has.

Above you see it next to my daycream which is a creamy white, and on a blueish buttercup from Royal Copenhagen. It is the perfect tone for my skin.
However, on a closeup on my dry skin (the back of my hand) you see that the formula is rather greasy and has a tendency to run, leaving a finish that makes you wonder if you have had a snail visiting. A snail that also took a slimy walk in your compact foundation before moving on to your skin...

So, please Smashit, work on the formula. Work hard, work harder and I will love you forever. You have a good thing going here as you are one of the first brands that have realized swedish women are pale as ghosts. And please remember that products that were furnished for reviews are not purchased and those reviews shouldn't be referred to as praise from customers.

As it is now, I am not impressed.

Wut?

2011-02-24T16:47:00.004+01:00

Spell-checker is your friend. And hey, weight? These aren't good signs of what to come...

Edit: Tried it on and am not pleased; I wouldn't call this a foundation, rather a tinted day-cream. My "Milk" doesn't cover anything and a concealer won't stick to it's rather greasy surface. However, my skin is silky smooth.
This retails for 275 SEK which is $43/£26.70. It's organic. It's locally produced. A foundation for the palest of the pale - Milk. It should be a hit in my book.

What disappoints me the most is that this foundation has been hyped by all the bloggers. Every other blogger has had a Smashit-giveaway and they have all given it raving reviews. Granted, I had high expectations that I guess this foundation could never had lived up to, but in the end, it's mediocre. My last foundation was Max Factor's Xperience Weightless foundation (in Light Ivory) and while I wasn't pleased with that foundation either (too sheer, too greasy, never dries), I still think it was a lot better than this. Harsh but honest and true.
In the next few days I am going to try and use Smashit as a tinted daycream (nothing else underneath nor above) and see if I am more pleased.

This also leaves me wondering about the sincerity of some of those bloggers - why is it that people that purchased the foundation aren't as pleased? Does free get a better review than money withdrawn from the Visa?

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To find a foundation

2011-02-14T18:02:00.001+01:00

I ran out of foundation a week back. Not feeling too great, I didn't bother with buying a new one. I postponed and then I postponed the postponing. With no foundation, I didn't bother with blush or mascara and suddenly, I was tuning into something that made a wallflower look bright, extravagant and just too much. Plain Jane just isn't me. So, I decided to pick up a new foundation and put my money where my mouth is and go organic. Having seen that the new swedish brand Smashit has gotten good reviews, and was available at Tradera for next to nothing I decided to give it a go. I have yet to have it arrive on my doorstep, but I'm expecting great things from this.

And, I know, I know that it's quite entertaining that a polishaholic is getting giddy over organic makeup but I like to know when I'm meddling with nasty chemicals, ie, nailpolish and Coca Cola Zero. If there's an affordable organic option, I don't see a reason as to why not get it.

(PS: Rosella EcoBeauty has a picture of the foundations if you want to find the one for your complexion)

Almost a week

2011-02-01T18:40:00.003+01:00

The flu hit me hard and I haven't been doing much lately other than... Nothing much. This means I have been neglecting my appearances (more than usual) and guess what - my last manicure, 2 layers, has lasted for 6 days with no base or top! Lousy pic but hey, I'm sick. It's MNY's 753.
Having read other blogger's experiences with this polish I must wonder if MNY doesn't need some quality control?

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Good head

2011-01-28T18:47:00.003+01:00

These last 3 years, I have had black hair. Doesn't need as much maintenance as my pink/red/petrol/turquoise/purple/emerald did. Keeping my mohawk trimmed and colorful was a handful.

Which leads me to why I am writing this post; so many years have passed since I used my first La Riche (I went pink at 20) that there has to be something better on the market. Something that is permanent and doesn't keep on staining and draining? Something that can handle a bit of rain?

(Good head? By Turbonegro)

7 random facts that aren't so random when you come to think of it

2011-01-26T18:31:00.001+01:00

I've been tagged for 7 random things meme which is also called Stylish Blogger Award. Figuring this blog is about whatever you put on your face, nails or hair, I decided to stick to my theme. I am not tagging anybody, I'm encouraging you to steal it.

I recently purchased my first black nailpolish but I have yet to wear it. Always thought black as too obvious, too overused and just too cliché. So no, I have never worn black nailpolish.
Crayons makes me want to put on make-up. I am not sure this is a good thing or what it says about me but it's true.
When I was 13, I thought white and emerald-green was a killer combo on the eyelids. For a long, long time I really thought it was.
I'm a blond. Somewhere inbetween golden blond and dirty blond. With my big brown eyes and somewhat prominent chin, somebody told me it made me look like Tori Spelling and I haven't been natural since I was 14.
I used to have 7 piercings but all but one are retired. I still miss my stretched lobes, but I had to let them go when my kid though they were good things to pull.
Don't even own one item from Mac and I am proud. Haven't even been tempted.
I rarely use perfume. Not just because I'm asthmatic, but because I think most scents remind me of Joan Collins. I prefer the Library of Fragrances series where the scents are the ones we remember from daily life and special occasions.

My secret stash

2011-01-23T02:24:00.007+01:00

I guess it comes to no surprise that while I may not update all that often, I tend to capture every polish, makeup or lipstick that has ever entered my personal space.
Most of these photos never see the light of day, or the www of the internet because
A) I am to lazy to blog
B) the photos from my phone are rather crappy and not very color-accurate.
I take a picture because I don't want to miss the opportunity, but when it turns out to be all shite, it's a waste of bandwidth and time.

However, before I delete these off my phone, I am making a Spamapalooza-post so that all that time wasted won't feel as wasted.

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Some polishes are neither or

2011-01-19T14:54:00.002+01:00

A while back, just before Christmas, I spotted these and had to get 3 for 69 sek. Dirtcheap, definitely dirtcheap. I remembered having seen them over at Saint-Bella's blog and I had been looking for them ever since because I can't resist trying a new brand. Plus, I like the design. I know that most polish-connoisseurs aren't fond of square bottles but I prefer them as it makes storage so much easier. The selection available wasn't very exciting but I managed to get 3 that weren't far too similar to anything in my collection.

However, the formula is hardly worth the 23 sek($3.48) each bottle cost. It's thick. Not even thick as syrup, thick as honey that's been in the fridge. The gold was thick and streaky.
However, they're durable. Really durable. Haven't been using base- or topcoat and it stays on for 4 days without any major chipping. I guess that this means it was actually worth it even though it was a pain in the **** to use. I also guess I should buy some nail-polish thinner.

She's got red lips, she's got blood on her fingertips

2011-01-16T00:16:00.004+01:00

There's a red theme going around and I am guessing it was Lipglossiping that kickstarted it all with her Red series, encouraging everybody to wear a bit of red.
I do have what I consider the perfect red, Devil from Make up Store, which is a cold scarlet red. Rarely wear it though because a good red requires impeccable skin, white teeth and being able to remember you are indeed wearing makeup. I have and am neither. Rather than wear more cover and remember to be a lady at all times, I just don't wear red.

But when I do, like today while taking the dog for a walk in the pouring rain, I look like that. Add a flash and you get that startled I didn't do what you just think I did-look.

Now the other Lipgloss-blogger, Lipglossbitch has her 3 from 1 going on and this week, it's all about budget lipstick. Now I must confess that I am not sure what budget means deep down because really, all the cheap american brands cost a lot more over here (compared to what you guys pay) so in the end, it doesnt mean much. I guess one could call it drugstore-brands but I would have to pay just as much for a L'Oreal as I pay for my favorite brand Make up store.
That being said, I picked my favorite 5 of which 2 are from Make up store, ie, not a drugstore-brand. They all come in the 100-150 sek range ($14.98 to $22.50)

From above;
Make up Store's Berry
Make up Store's Devil
Sephora's own 829 (991)
Nivea's Chocolat Exquis (85)
Sephora's own 664 (971)

The Sephora lipsticks were bought as a part of a lot on Ebay. A lot that had all types of red, some blue, some yellow, some green etc.The best lipstick I have ever come across - highly pigmented, easy to work with and stays on like a charm. My favorite lipstick of the bunch above is the first, sheer and as if you had just had some raspberries. You can see the color better below.

Sale for life

2011-01-12T16:33:00.001+01:00

I'm in the middle of exams but I had to treat myself to a palette. It might be Hello Kitty which I still can't stand, but nice colors and it was on sale...so. My 3rd Hello Kitty palette.

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Makes me blush (literally)

2011-01-08T00:09:00.001+01:00

I haven't been around much lately (papers and essays are due) but today is a good day to post;
Lacquerized made an appearance and former beauty-blogger Bjooti made a re-appareance as a lipstick-blogger.

That gave me inspiration to post about one thing that I have put off posting because it seems so dull. Rouge, blush or whatever you may call it, is not something you get excited about, is it? I rarely find one worth keeping. My love for blush started with Make up Store's lovely blush in a cute bubblegum pink (called Chic). It was a 3-in-1 product from Jessica Simpson's Dessert treats that was followed by Eyeko's fatbalm in Raspberry.

Lately, it's been a Mosaic powder from NYX that's been swirled, dotted and dusted. I won it in a giveaway but as I haven't seen it mentioned in any blogs (lately), I think it needs to be mentioned (again and again). Mine is Plummy and can be blended into a couple of different shades (as they all can).

Reading this I realize that this is yet another giveaway post. Why is it that I am more amazed by the things I win than by the things I buy?

Nailpeeps are catpeeps, right?

2010-12-30T23:47:00.001+01:00

This blog arose from the ashes.... well no, not really. This blog got started in grief. Knee deep, over and out. 2 days before I started it, I had to say goodbye to two companions that I had by my side for more than 10 years. The older cat (approximately 17 years old) had been ill for a long time and the younger, the 14 year old black devil, was starting to show the same signs but at a more rapid pace. As they had been sidekicks for a good 12 years, I decided they went together. Leaving one just to deteriorate while missing her friend, just to have to be put to sleep a few months later didn't seem all that human. Left all alone with mad as a hatter-dog Roky was the newbie Sigrid and a few days ago, she finally got a sidekick of her own, Vera. I must admit I cried my eyes out before picking her up - was I really over the other two? Was it right to get a new cat so soon? But then again, is 9 months really to be considered soon? I guess it goes to show how important those two cats were to me.

The polish in the picture arrived that very same day and she, yes that tiny little mitten, thought it was a plaything for her. Guess she's found the perfect household to make her kingdom? The polish in question is LA Girls' Rock star in a glitterpacked color with the very fitting name Overdose. I guess Vera likes glitter?

Dealing polish

2010-12-28T23:55:00.001+01:00

A month ago, I fell in love. For so many years, all throughout my pre-teens and teens, french blue which is also called royal blue, was my favorite color. A nailpolish that color and my favorite finish, jelly, add to that was just to good to be true.

The ~~sweet kitten~~, sorry, fierce feline, that is Alizarine claws, she bought it for me and just in time for Christmas, I got that and 3 other beauties.

I have yet to try the majority of them out, but I applied Sinful Colors' San fransisco on my nails a few days ago and it's holding up too darn good to be removed. I never was a green type of girl, but I think it is starting to grow on me (no pun). It is something about the Sinful colors' bottles that makes the polish look perfect. Almost better than they do on the nail. This particular polish looks a lot darker in the bottle than on the nail, it's rather sheer, and reminds me a lot of that warm -toned pinetree-colored paint a lot of classic (muscle)cars have.

The other green in the photo above, Edie from Color club is more turquoise than green, but has actually been a lemming of mine. Number three in the tree is Color club's Youthquake.

Now my next concern is; what do you send the polish-girl that has it all and then some? Get her addicted to lipgloss?

If it glitters...

2010-12-25T11:16:00.004+01:00

..it is gold! The golden polish might not be 24 karat but that's what it's called. It's from Pieces, a brand that mostly carries accessories, and it was a streaky mess, but also quite inexpensice (ie dirt-cheap). On top, the beloved Party hearty from China glaze. And yup, this was before clean-up

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Every gal needs a magic wand, right?

2010-12-22T14:17:00.002+01:00

Yet another win from the NYX-giveaway and another item I have an issue with; the applicator. I have always felt that the tip, or the brush, is rather unhygenic, so I never buy lipglosses with this type of applicator. I guess that's a reason I used to love Lancome's Juicy tubes.
But now I have this NYX lipgloss, Crystal soda, and it's rather cute in it's peachy glitter smelling like Dr Pepper, so I would like to use it. That is if I can get past my aversion for the lipgloss-wand. Please tell me I am not alone in this?

Pretty pencil

2010-12-17T23:26:00.000+01:00

My nails have been in a poor condition lately so there's nothing to show there but I will show you my favorite companion. Atleast lately, it has been. Over the top by Essie, an old one that proves that Essie still has it when it needs to. A nice graphite, the nicest of them all. It's a shimmer but the shimmer is subtle and doesn't make a messy application where you'll know exactly how and where the brush has been. It's so nice I'm getting a 2nd one for later.

Like a virgin

2010-12-10T21:59:00.000+01:00

I won a giveaway recently that I entered mostly because it was something I have never used and never thought of using. Just thinking about this item makes me realize why I love nailpolish so much : it's easy, lasts for days and it won't smudge in the rain or fall off if you're having too much of a good time.
It's nothing like a perfect red lipstick....that will end up all over your partner's face if you fancy a snogging. Nailpolish, it's the direct opposite of fake eyelashes.

Now I have these. They are mine. To be used when I pick up the kid at daycare? Working on a paper on sense of coherence? Or maybe when I am out and about, and to be forever lost in a drink?
When do you wear these types of things?

Lemme give you some money

2010-12-10T14:43:00.001+01:00

While I may not be the most active blogger at the moment (a bit underwhelmed by my nails and face at the moment), I read a lot of blogs. I may be a bit underwhelmed by bloggers en masse as well, but there are some blogs that just make logging in worth while. A "Nice post" doesn't do much and regularly commenting might do some more, but I think Flattr would do the most. A lot of blogs I read and in particular polish-blogs aren't part of a clique and they don't get send a lot of items for reviews. Most of the blogs I read, the people buy their own stash and they blog because they like to do it. It's a hobby.

That's where I think Flattr would come in handy. I'd like to leave something in the tip-jar when I read an excellent post by a blogger that isn't swamped by freebies or ads. I would really like it if you had a tip-jar. Flattr is sort of a tip-jar. It requires that you're activated and you wouldn't mind tipping yourself, but most importantly, it means I could tip.

Please sign up so that I can have a chance to show you that you're writing some great stuff!

This is what it would look like on a Flattr-post but don't Flattr this because it's nothing to Flattr. Start using it instead!

A hand model she will never be!

2010-12-06T11:38:00.001+01:00

What do you get if you take one bitter old mom trying to create the girly-girliest party ever? It was pink, pink, silver, oh the tiaras! pink glitter, some purple and hey, it's 1 am!
You get a mom that gets so fed off with all that princess-shite that she turns herself into the wicked witch from the North. Atleast as far as the nail went. A witch I already am. China Glaze's L8R G8R and MNY's black 677. The latter was a thick mess that sort of ruined the manicure, but hey, if you're a wicked witch and it's 1 am, who gives a damn?

In the next few days, I might add some Party hearty by China Glaze to make it a little less in your face.

The nails

2010-12-04T10:57:00.000+01:00

There's been a post everybody's been doing lately and you could call it scare-tactics ; don't go without basecoat / don't ever start using polish / get acrylics, but whatever you may call it, it still has some odd appeal. If your nails are covered by an opaque medium 99% of the time, seeing them without feels almost perverted. Pure nudity, bareing it all.
Here's my nudity that's the direct opposite to porn;

I rarely wear basecoat, my cuticles don't ever get any TLC, the nails are thorn and this was taken after having been cleaning the flat - it dosn't get any worse.

You know you want to

2010-12-03T10:37:00.003+01:00

I don't know how much you are all into the Christmas spirit-thing or if it's just about trying to avoid being dragged into a Secret Santa-exchange, but a lot of beautybloggers have giveaways this season. All in the name of giving. Most of the time you don't have to believe in poor baby Jebus, you don't have to decorate your home all like Rachel Ray does or even own a single Christmas sweater to enter.
I know a lot of bloggers are doing this, but the two I am keeping my eye on are the Lipgloss-girls:

Today they both have items I not just wouldn't mind, but would probably give an eye or a thumb for:
the swedish Lipgloss have a NYX-themed giveaway while the british Lipgloss have a Sleek-themed giveaway. You know you want to enter, don't you? Click on the images.

Don't be fooled by the pricetag

2010-11-30T12:07:00.001+01:00

I know that a lot of polishoholics think that the MNY range of nailpolish isn't worth a dime. I know that even more makeupbloggers think that MNY as a whole is cheap crap that should solely be thrown to the fashion-hungry pre-teens. However, I like their nailpolish. It might not be the best product on the market, but competing in the true budget-range, it comes out a winner.
What I expect from a good polish is that it's color accurate (bottle vs layers on nail), easy to work with (rather thin than thick and lumpy), won't get matted down in no time and won't chip just because you waved like Paris.

While the color-range at MNY might not be all that exciting, it certainly has a couple of tricks up it's sleeve. 2 of those are seen above accompanied by 3 Hello Kitty glitters (the foil is the winner of the 3) and the magnificent MPJ by OPI.
Left to right:

MPJ by OPI.
669 by MNY
445 by MNY (nr 2 from the left)
Silver Kitty by Hello Kitty @ HM
Kitty Queen by Hello Kitty @ HM
Kitty Princess by Hello Kitty @ HM

All 2 layers though some might have needed 3.

So, what am I saying? Not much other than don't be fooled by the pricetags. Beauties come in all price-ranges.

New friends on the block

2010-11-29T13:05:00.002+01:00

While I understand why MNY wants to arrange, market, sell their makeup and nailpolish by color, it just doesn't work for me. Put 6 pink colors together and I won't even look at any of them. The same goes for the browns, the greens, well most of them.
However, if you mix them all up and let them clash and bring out the hues in the other colors, I want them all! 40 polishes in a mixingbowl might look cheap compared to a fancy display, but in the end, I'll buy more than I would if you had it arranged according to the rainbow.

It's like books - the library won't keep all the books on teens that lost their virginity on prom-night in one section and stories on workoholics getting hooked on after-work's beer and beer-nuts in another.
But then again, they do keep the chick-lit in a specific section. Maybe MNY is targeting the same audience - the ones that want the choice already made?

The polishes above are all MNY. I had a hard choice making my decision though as the MNY displays don't ring my bell. At all. While the illustrations are cute in a Nylon type of way, the arrangement of colors makes me think of crayons at a daycare center.

My hair has got needs!

2010-11-29T10:02:00.001+01:00

My hair's curly and dyed, re-dyed and dyed some more. I say hair, you say brittle. Add some hairspray and you'd have cottoncandy.That's how bad it is.
While I love my conditioner, American cream from Lush, it doesn't do what it has to do during the winter. It just doesn't. My hair looks lik a bird's nest.

So I am looking for good hair treatments, hot-oils, masques, etc and the more natural, the better. No silicones and such. I save the scary chemicals for the nails and my nails only. That's one obsession where it's hard to go natural, but the hair? Shouldn't be that hard. An important issue is that what I use for my hair, my 4-year old daughter wants to use, so I want it a bit safer than your regular haircare.

I tried the Macadamian hair oil and while did something (not much), it was not very natural (despite it's description) and it was rather expensive. If I am going to pay that much to have nice hair, I want to buy a product that won't take a crap on the environment. I want something my kid can use herself without me thinking the WHO will be knocking on the door, telling me I am doing harm to my kid.

So any and all advice - what do you use? What have you been hearing good things about?

3 from 1, part 2

2010-11-26T11:53:00.002+01:00

Yet again, I'm late on this, but better now than never as this time it's about nailpolish! Varnish, lacquer, nagellack, whatever you call it, that's this weeks theme.
What's your favorite cremes? Unfortunately, I'm not a creme person. It's just not my favorite finish. I like a couple, have a bunch but I mostly use them for layering unless it's a polish that really stands out. I tend to get tired off a creme a lot faster than off a jelly or a glitter. However, these are my 3 favorites :

Orly's Mandalay Ruby (Is this creme or jelly? Nobody seems to know)
Sinful Color's Dream on
China Glaze's Grape pop

However, looking at the other bloggers' posts (especially Sminkan's) I realize that I need to get more green and petrol cremes. A good limegreen creme and a peagreen creme would be idea.

Nice polish, not so nice photos

2010-11-26T02:40:00.005+01:00

I know I dissed Seche Vite earlier this month. I just couldn't get it to work. Or rather, I couldn't get it to make my manicures more durable. I asked for advice and I got some; don't paint it on, flood the nail!

The advice worked wonders and my Ingrid lasted 7 days.
On day 7, it chipped and I did what we all do, I added a layer of glitter. In this case a layer of Zombie zest which made it a military green with a golden shine.

I know the photos are both rather crappy but the weather hasn't been co-operating with me lately. And, to be honest, I haven't really been in the blogging mode. Too much of everything right now.

More Kitty Kitty

2010-11-26T00:39:00.001+01:00

They're all glitter and the silver-polish looks like you're playing around with liquid metal. Or hey, led soldiers! My un-educated guess that this is a good foil for those of you that want to live on the cheap side of life.
I just couldn't help myself, 19.50 sek/ $2.80 á piece.

3 from 1, part I

2010-11-15T23:19:00.003+01:00

Swedish makeup- and beautyblogger Helena asked her readers and fellow bloggers what their favorite 3 items to use in the shower is. This is my answer:

A: The oatmeal from Lush that is also known as Curly wurly.
While it is not something I would recommend to those that have dyed their hair and would like to maintain that color, I would recommend it to everybody else. My kid loves it and I love it even though it drains all color in no time. Permanent haircolor is no challenge for Curly wurly.
It might be darn expensive and somewhat hard to rinse (shredded coconut in curly wet hair? It takes time!) but it's the first schampoo I've ever tried that doesn't make my scalp itch or makes the hair feel dry and frizzy. A good haircolor is easier to find than a good schampoo so I am sticking with this one.

B: A nice kitchen-towel. The older and the more worn, the better. Thread-bare - even the better. I rarely use scrubs or peeling, I use a towel. Seems eco-friendlier and doesn't have the goopy, gluey feeling to it that most scrubs have. Use once, throw it in the washer. Repeat.

C: This is a tie between Snow Fairy from Lush, a lovely bodyshower that smells like those candy-hearts with words on them, or a proper foot-file. While the latter sounds odd that's something I've learnt the hard way through working in restaurants - you need to take good care of your feet. Daily good care. When your legs start to ache after a long day, it's usually the feet that needs some intensive care.
Rather than to use a foot-scrape or other tools that looks like they could be considered weapons, use a foot-file more often. Your whole body will thank you.

Hilfe!

2010-11-09T20:11:00.001+01:00

2nd try with Seche Vite and it still chips faster than without Seche. What am I doing wrong? Basecoat this time was Orly's Bonder. Then 2 coats of China Glaze's Classic camel and on top of that, one coat of Seche Vite. Chipped within 24 hours.

As far as Classic camel goes - it looks lovely in the bottle. Looks like something out of a diaper when you try to paint it on your nails. A thick mess. Could cover in one coat if you're good with a brush. As I am not, I had to do two. Doesn't look as amazing on my nails as in the bottle but paired up with China Glaze's Ingrid, I think it will make an excellent coffee-inspired manicure. Ingrid being the half-moon on top of Classic camel - sounds good enough.

The nails in the picture above look a bit duller than in real life. The golden shimmer in Classic camel brings out the red undertones in your skin and when you try to take a neutral photo, the polish ends up looking flat. It's not. It's shimmery. Think a latte with the fat (from the milk) glistening. Not so much camel as a latte, I'd say.

She's pale as the background on Facebook

2010-11-09T00:43:00.002+01:00

My skin has the same color as sour milk. Not sourcream, but sour milk, white with blue undertones and some yellow tint. I can never find the perfect foundation but the closest to a good one is Rose ivory by L'oréal's True Match. It's a little on the pink side though, so last time I went with Max Factor's Xperience Weightless foundation in Light ivory . Unfortunately, while the color seems a better match, the foundation slides off my face. Either it's way too greasy or it clashes with my daycream, which is Triple active by L'oréal. As winter's approaching and I'll have to move on to my skin-oil (Stem, how I love thee), I'm guessing I'm heading for disaster foundation-wise: landslide!

So when Lipgloss Bitch announced she has a foundation-giveaway with a brand that's known to have foundation for the überpale geekgirls, I was all ears. Have anybody heard about this brand, Smashit, before? It's new to me.

I am not sure if this giveaway is international or not, but why not give it a go?
Plus, I would still like some info on the brand as well as some good advice on the best foundation for pale kids from you guys. Budget-brands are always preferred (my wallet's slim but not because of Weightwatchers) but I'd take a perfect match over money left in my pocket. That's just how superficial I am (and honestly, who wants that orange chin-line? I doubt that will ever be considered chic.)

All these choices

2010-11-06T17:29:00.000+01:00

A nice butterscotch (Classic camel), a sparkly guacamole (L8R G8R) or maybe some ground cinnamon (Ingrid)? I've been wanting these for a while and now that I've got them, I can't figure out what to put on. Can't choose.

If it looks ancient, it might not be

2010-11-06T14:16:00.002+01:00

When I got my Seche Vite, I also got 5 colorful beauties and one of them, I had to try on just then and there. Worn manicure or not. Dry hands and torn cuticles don't matter. The polish is so 70's (baked peppers, stuffed tomatoes and all that) that I just had to get it. Next time, it's going over a brown creme.
Do you know what polish I'm talking about?

It's my first time - be gentle

2010-11-04T23:01:00.002+01:00

I know that to come nailpolish-conaisseurs, polish is nothing without proper basecoat and most importantly, topcoat. I rarely use basecoat and I have never ever used a topcoat. I wouldn't mind something that makes my polish dries faster and stay on longer, but so far, topcoat has been an expensive affair. All the good ones are expensive and cost more than a polish, which leaves me debating (with myself and my wallet) if I shouldn't just go for color over maintenance?
I always go for color, it's the easy choice. Color is why I love polish, not because I want to keep my nails flawless. I am not really a girl who goes for flawless anyways..

This time though, I went for color and maintenance - it all was on the less expensive side.
Still not as cheap as on Ebay but a lot cheaper than in stores, so I went with it, Nagelglädje at Tradera. 90 sek ($13.80) for a Seche Vite which usually retails for 120 sek (18.45) in local (as well as online) stores. I know that to you americans, this is still a sum that makes your wallet scream and run for cover, but over here, we're used to it. We get everything a day late and a dollar ~~short~~ pricier.

Now I am just hoping that this little bugger is as good as you all have been saying.

Love is

2010-11-04T15:22:00.001+01:00

A good polish. Wasn't supposed to wear polish last week and this week, I just couldn't settle on one so I had none. That was until the sun hit my Orange pacific from China Glaze bottle and I realized it was the perfect Halloween/fall/Thanksgiving -color. A dark orange-red, a deep coral with golden shimmer. Looks edible.

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If it looks edible, buy it

2010-11-01T11:03:00.001+01:00

I'm pretty hooked on nail-polish, I admit to that. The 2nd thing on my Gimmegimmegimme-list is something that's not so easy to get my hands on unless I am willing to order over the internet, and that I am not: Lush. The closest store is far far away and I must admit that has probably done wonders for my wallet. Whenever I enter a Lush-store, I go nuts. Sometimes I even go back for a 2nd round of going nuts.

The good thing about going to Stockholm, other than the obvious - getting my back fixed, was that it's a city with a Lush store. Of course, I went crazy and had I been a rich girl, I would have had loads more to carry and probably killed off my back for once and for all. One could say, my lousy financial state saved my back!

I mostly went for old favorites, things I know work wonders like the American cream conditioner and Shimmy shimmy bar but I also decided to give Curly wurly a try as well as the solid perfume Imogen rose.
Doesn't sound like much, does it? But when I came to my senses and realized I had bought schampoo for $22.40 and a bottle of conditioner for $29.95, it just didn't make any sense. I don't go for luxury-items like that, unless it's at Lush. What is it with Lush that makes me spend money I don't have?

Now, don't get me wrong, I adore Lush but there is something odd about my relationsship to that brand that makes me spend that much money on something just because it's natural. A lot of the products aren't better than anything else on the market and some are just vile, but it's natural. We love natural. It's something about the atmosphere and the somewhat naive philosophy surrounding Lush that just makes me go gaga for gogo.
If it was a cult, I'd be the first to sign up.

Foxes on the run

2010-10-28T19:35:00.001+02:00

My makeup bag is unexistant; basically just Eyeko's mascara and fatbalm plus different types of eh...bodygrease. My skin is paperthin and chafing like it's it main purpose in life. But yes, of course there's some Zombie zest in there. A girl needs some purchased scruffiness, can't be going for pretty all the time.

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Post surgery

2010-10-27T20:11:00.001+02:00

I look like an ogre after having to clean my hair and skin with desinfectant soap, and I feel like one. You don't realize how dependant you've become on skincare, deoderant and make up until you're told it's a bigger no-no than B.O and a nose redder than Rudolph's. Guess who's going to put on more make-up than Dame Edna the minute she gets out of here.

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Another thing I don't get

2010-10-22T14:15:00.002+02:00

The cracked nails by BYS had me interested. The cracked/graffiti nails by Isadora didn't. Then Barry M released their version of the cracked nails and suddenly, I'm interested again. One could guess that this strange reaction might have something to do with my aversion to Isadora's mighty big brush? I definitely think it does so to prove myself wrong and write myself off as a bitter tart, I bought a bottle of Graffiti nails by Isadora. At a sale, but still, I purchased it. Color called Masterpiece pink. Put it over Purple pop by China Glaze which had topcoat of HM's Hello Kitty Glitter purple, which together was arather stunning Liberace-style type of manicure.

Now my nails look like varicose veins . That's mighty Halloween, isn't it?
Sure, it dries ultra-fast. An easy way to spice up an old worn manicure when you're too darn lazy to deal with it and you know that glitter isn't what you're looking for
My result was so Eh.. that I didn't even botter with cleaning up - this comes off in the shower in an hour.

Be purple, be yourself

2010-10-20T14:40:00.002+02:00

You know it's Wear purple day?
I know all these colors and ribbons confuse a lot of people, for instance October is pink as well as green, but every now and then, there's just that something you know you need to support.This is one of mine. I'm wearing Grape pop by China Glaze (a nice creme that is opaque in one coat) and if it wasn't for this very occasion I wouldn't have noticed that I have far less bottles of purple nailpolish than of any other color. I think I need to scout for some more. Say, what's your favorite purple?

In the picture you see two HM Hello Kitty glitters in purple, Grape pop by China Glaze and in the back, the matte version of Lincoln park after dark by OPI, a purple that is so dark it's almost black.

Do you ever find yourself staring at your bottles?

2010-10-15T15:23:00.001+02:00

I've been spending some quality time with My private jet lately. It's one of those polishes that people tend to love or hate, and I've been in neither category. Until now.

I had applied two layers of MNY's 669, a perfect graphite grey, but the application wasn't perfect. Far from it. Instead of starting over, I decided to do some layering. Add some depth. One layer of My private jet made it look nice and the 2nd livened it up good! Took the yellow tint out of the MNY and brought some of the teal from the OPI. The result in itself isn't that interesting but my experience with My own private jet made me revaluate that particular polish. It may chip pretty darn fast but it most definitely brings something new to the party every time. Depending on the weather and the light, it looks completely different. My daughter described as Turd-polish and from a distance, sure. This summer I could only see the teal shine through but as autumn approached with it's specific light, suddenly, it's more pink'ish brown. What will it look like when the winter hits with it's icy blue light?

I am so much of a nerd I think I need to google pictures of this polish just to see what it looks like at your place.

Good friends

2010-10-13T00:54:00.000+02:00

I've said it before and I will again - go check out your local MNY-stand. Us europeans aren't that used to getting good nailpolish for cheap, so I for one, jumped and will jump again at the opportunity.
My combo of the raspberry red jelly (holo)glitter on top of the egg yolk creme held on for dear life - 7 days on the nails. No topcoat but Orly bonder as a base.
Below you see them swatched. One coat with a 2nd as a french manicure.

A little purple never hurt nobody

2010-10-12T01:11:00.001+02:00

When life gives you lemons, you really wish somebody would make that perfect lemon-yellow jello nailpolish.
When you look like you haven't slept in days, so go with the flow and add some more red and purple.

In the rearviewmirror

2010-10-06T14:52:00.001+02:00

I never did snap a good picture of the MNY-polish that got me all dizzy with excitement, #665, so I decided to do that today. Unfortunately, it's cloudy and that polish needs a bit of sun to come to life, but I compared it to Orly's Witches Blue so you could get a hint on where on the colorscale this lands.
MNY's blue is a greyish blue, like good ink. First layer is a lot more grey but the more layer you add, the more the blue comes out. MNY is the one closest to the camera. Both 2 layers on no base and no top.

My guess is tht the MNY #665 is close to another lemming of mine, OPI's Ink. Does anybody know how they compare? Is OPI more purple like Indian Ink?

Care for the necessities?

2010-10-04T14:50:00.000+02:00

I rarely try to fix what goes wrong during the day. If it slides, let it slide. Smudges? Ah, never did mind a smokey eye.
I rarely bring makeup with me unless I travel. During the day, I don't do nothing that could be considered maintenance, so concealer, powder and all that stays at home. Don't fix it if it isn't broken and if it is, focus on better things.

Now I don't know if it's you guys that got me thinking I should or if it's maybe, or more likely, my aging that has made me think that I need hourly maintenance, but I finally bought a nice makeup case to come along in my bag. Now I just need to figure out what needs to be in it. Toothpaste, Carmex, concealer and what more? What is it that you all bring with you? I wouldn't mind bringing my polish so we could cuddle and make out, but I wouldn't use it.

The vanity bag is a Sourpuss bought through Bad Reputation. It's Misfits and the very same image that my husband has tattooed on his chest. Keeping it in the family, sort of.

What you need

2010-10-03T22:57:00.003+02:00

I was debating whether I'd post this or not. The reason is something as superficial as I don't like how beat I look in the photo. My eyes look dead to the world. The photo in itself is nothing worth posting either.

However, it's the only photo I have of a polish I really think a lot of you will like and maybe even love when you realize how darn cheap it is!
It's my favorite of the MNY nailpolish I bought a while back: Did you ever wish you'd have hair the color of Wonderwoman's? Blackish with a blueish tint? I did. I still do. The nailpolish #665 is that very color. Looks black from afar but when the light hits it directly, it's dark blue. Opaque in one coat, easy to work with. Stays on forever. 29.50:- for 7ml.

The eyes is Eyeko's Magic liner dipped in Face Stockhom's matte eyeshadow Stillness. The makeup is a bit worn, you're catching me on the way home after a day at the libraby.

Below is a picture that Anso snapped. Shows even less of the nails but atleast I don't look sad.

on the run

2010-10-03T15:00:00.003+02:00

Rescue beauty lounge's Recycle with Wet n wild's Kaleidoscope on top. Pic taken with my sweet little Android. Decided I wanted to see what a blogpost from my new mobile would look like.

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88 bottles of polish on the...

2010-10-02T02:25:00.000+02:00

New month, new post. I'm not dead, nor have I stopped looking for the perfect nailpolish. I know it's out there.
But, there's a but, 3 weeks before my back-surgery, my body decided to give me all it got, and I'm to the point where I thank God for having ultra-short nails or they would have not only dug through flesh, but gotten stuck. So, while I have been made up all pretty like a peek-ture with nails to match, I just haven't had the energy to do anything other than the most important task. Note that I consider putting on makeup and nailpolish two important tasks. I know that some people find that odd and that it shouldn't even be a priority, but it is. Making me look and feel like I have somewhere to go and something to do while I am in reality just sobbing at home, makes life a little easier. I guess we're talking about the outlook on life. Making me look like trash just because I feel like last week's worth isn't going to help.

Now on to the good stuff - what a lot of you guys have been doing lately ; showing your Helmers.
I don't have a Helmer and I am trying to settle on never ending up with one, but seeing as this is the polish I've acquired since April, I should never say never.
88 bottles in all their glory and as you an see, I am no brand-ho.
Along with what was already in my boxes before I started blogging, I have 101 more polishes than I have nails. That's not sane.

Short nails and fatty chocolate

2010-09-24T23:45:00.004+02:00

I'm not a brown girl but I couldn't resist this dark taupe, 549, which is by MNY described as color in the plums and purple-range, while in my book this is a brown. A mauve. Fatty chocolate milk brown, like the danish Matilde-chocolate. In the photo it's posed next to the Depend 188 which is a rich chocolate brown. The photo is somewhat over-exposed as it was the MNY-polish is a shade that's hard to pinpoint. It's a dusty, foggy taupe polish, but in a lot of photos, it just came out dark brown.

The polish was uneven, the brush was a mess that needed a cut and even with 3 layers, it's still somewhat uneven, but still, I think this is a pretty ok polish. I'd rather take a thin polish over a thick and hey, everybody needs a haircut every now and then.
For 29.50:- ($4.30) I don't think I'll be getting any miracles, just an ok polish.

My nails are ultrashort at the time. Not by choice (my medication is messing with my skin, hair, you name it) but I am starting to like it. It makes things easy and means the polish won't chip as easy. I got 6 days out of my last manicure (Chona Glaze's Zombie zest + Essie's Over the top) and the one above is on it's 2nd day. As I am the girl that wears no basecoat nor topcoat, I think that's pretty darn good.

MNY in the house!

2010-09-22T19:47:00.002+02:00

When I read at Lipglossbitch that Maybelline New York with it's cute Nylon-like packaging was coming to Sweden, the cynic in me figured it was probably going to be a lot more expensive than it's supposed to be. That's what you get for living in Europe, everything that might be considered budget-friendly on one side of the pond gets overpriced on this side. So, when I heard that MNY was going to try and stick close to the original price-settings, I figured it was wishful thinking.

While I may be a cynic, there's still hope in my heart so I went to look for MNY in some of the stores where it was supposed to be sold and imagine, the prices were much like those at HM. Affordable color to the people, yeah!

While the nailpolish-range wasn't anything spectacular, there was still enough for me to make it hard narrowing it down to 3 bottles. Hadn't I been on a very tight-budget, I'd easily walked away with 6 or 7 polishes. A 7ml polish was 29.50:- ($4.30) which can be compared to Depend's polish which is 25:- for 5ml ($3.65).
There was also a moment where I wanted to buy a piece of the display, but that's just me - hooked on good design/kitsch.

Repetition does it

2010-09-20T22:41:00.003+02:00

Sun's been in hiding for a while so I haven't been able to capture the wonder that is Zombie zest. To be honest, for a while there I was thinking that the zest was all surface and no play. It took ages to dry. Didn't work with Orly's Bonder. Didn't work with Essie's Marshmallow (which I wanted to use as a base to make the zest pop). But, did work well on it's own. No basecoat and it was a go. With no sunshine, the zest was a bit dull so I added a graphite-grey moon, Over the top, by Essie.

The manicure in the picture is a bit worn - it's it's 3rd day. 4 coats plus the Essie. However, I must say that while I don't like chipped nailpolish, I do like a worn manicure as long as it acts like worn denim. Gives a manicure some character. That or I am just lazy and making excuses. I guess the cuticles might give you a clue.

A nice zest for Friday night

2010-09-17T21:19:00.002+02:00

Guess what appeared on my front-step this morning? That's right, Zombie zest. I couldn't help myself and hunted it down on the swedish part of Ebay, Tradera. Seller was Nagelglädje, highly recommended by a lot of polishoholics as well as myself.
First time I let a lemming control me.

The newbie way

2010-09-17T01:17:00.003+02:00

The manicure I posted the other day could be considered a take on the half-moon manicure the vintage gals seem to love so much. Now, mine weren't full moons but if you'd like to do it the proper way, Noveau Cheap just posted a good tutorial.

I on the other hand, did it all backwards.
I remembered it being called the reverse french and did it just like that - my chocolate was covering the mint, which was the original manicure.

To the right you see what it looked like in progress. Less polish used than in the original version. I guess it's the lazy version.

Mint-chocolate or just brown mints?

2010-09-15T18:58:00.001+02:00

What you see is China Glaze's Re-fresh mint, some stickers for french manicures, a nice chocolate brown (aka #188) polish from Depend and a woman who's cross-eyed from reading too much.

Not too bad considering it was my first attempt, but the stickers left a lot of residue. It took scrubbing and a good night of sleep to get rid of it.
The nails are shorter than ever. They can't handle Orly's Bonder. Well, they can as Bonder makes polish last forever and then simply, be peeled off in chunks, but it also dries my nails completely. Like sun-dried cardboard.

Polishspotting for beginners

2010-09-14T22:29:00.001+02:00

Did I forget about Rugby Beauty? No, I didn't, but my computer forgot all about me. You never realize how much your computer means to you until it takes it's last gasping breath... Blogging on another computer feels like cheating. Did I tell you I am a geek at heart? Guess I don't have to.
When it comes to nailpolish, I am turning into an even bigger geek than I would ever had imagined:

Polishspotting

Ever found yourself spotting nailpolish in ads, trying to figure out what brands they are? Putting the dvd on pause whenever a nailpolish-bottle flashes by? Realizing you like the show/movie more if it's a polish-brand you recognize? Seeing Drusilla in old Buffy re-runs makes you want to redo her fantastic manicure?

I do it all. Reading the latest InStyle, I don't (just) get caught up in the makeup-pages but I find myself staring at an ad for a chewing gum, trying to figure out why the white polish looks like chewing-gum. Who would use that? And why would they use it as props in an ad?

Atleast Ikea appears to be using polish from this day and age. From the bottle-caps, it looks like native brand Depend. The other 3 brands? Haven't figured it out yet...but I guess I will

Going from Grandma's

2010-09-10T15:00:00.001+02:00

What do you get if you take your what could be your grandma's wildest nailpolish, which is most likely a lilac creme (in my case this was an old franken), and add your most hated polish to it? You get something that looks like Eyeko's raspberry fatbalm but with golden shimmer. The fat balm might be one of my favorite makeup-products of all time, but it's not a color I want on my nails.
You realize that hey, you're still in grandma-land and this isn't satisfying to anybody so you move on, add some Happy grey and some Outta bounds from China Glaze. All of a sudden you have something that looks like graphite with green undertones. In the sun, which is in hiding today, it should almost look like a nice duo-chrome. I think I actually like this one.

The frankening-bug got to me and let's just say, I've filled my bottles. Now I am looking for juggs, namely the FrankenJuggs. I think I might be the only polishoholic that doesn't have a drawer filled with empty bottles. I have now come to realize it's just as important as filled bottles...

Yet another lemming, but what is it I want?

2010-09-08T15:27:00.002+02:00

I am no Ainos 2 aka Lisa. Far from it, that woman's an artist. I'm not even a konader, don't own a set (while it' on my wishlist).
My nailart isn't so much art as a result of me being bored out of my mind.
Yesterday, at Nia's place, trying to read my Social research method-book, I spotted an Essence white-liner for french manicure. Spotted went on to being spotting. Spotted nails on a pretty worn (understatement) manicure that left my nails completely dry.
Nothing spectacular but it gave me the idea to try and get my hands on all the Essence nailart pens. Not just to keep my occupied when I should be reading, but because they work pretty darn well.

However, I can't seem to find these on the website. Does anybody know which ones I am talking about and where to get them?

Edit: Found them! Of course the lovely Lacquerized had reviewed them.
Now it's just to get them. Anybody up for a trade?

Somewhat hooked on a certain Zombie

2010-09-07T13:19:00.001+02:00

I lust for Zombie zest in a way that is not entirely sane or even ok. If I stumbled upon it, I would not just buy one but two because I'd really like to put one next to me on my pillow. Ok, not really, but it's not far-fetched. I don't think I have ever been so gaga over a makeup-product before. It looks different in every swatch. It goes from olive to lime to muddy waters. It's divine.

However, there's 87 bottles of nailpolish in my box. That's a lot. Sure, still nothing compared to my record-collection or even my pez-collection, but still. Can I justify a new buy? I already know the answer seeing as most of you are hardcore polishoholics, but I'm not there yet.

So, I decided to franken myself if not a dupe, then something similar. My first attempt just looked like snow that had an unfortunate encounter with a bunch of dogs. My 2nd attempt got way too much blue in it and I just couldn't get it more...swampy. Muddy swamp, not the Swamp thing, he's far too neon!

My 3rd attempt looks nothing like Zombie zest but I think I still like it. I should add some brown polish to the batch to make it look more like what I was looking for but hey, I don't even have a brown nailpolish! Which brings me to the conclusion - sure, I can buy more nailpolish. I don't even have a brown yet!

And when I got thinking, I realized that my frankening had used up some of my favorite polish, and we can't have that can we, so I really need to replace my Nail junkie from Sinful as well as Yellow polka dot bikini från China glaze (which is the two biggest ingredients in the franken above. I also used the Happy Grey mentioned earlier and one of my own purple helly frankens).

So now I am saving up money for more polish...and I'm only using ugly polish for frankening. Ugly plus ugly must be a good thing, plus, I won't be wasting the good stuff.

A white week, a wet weekend

2010-09-04T18:50:00.002+02:00

It's not that I have fallen out of love with polish and it's siblings for the face, but I just hadn't had any time over to have them come visit. I've been in a grey zone, reading up on social research methods and doing what a good student does.

Now it's finally weekend and I get to indulge. What do I do? Go grey completely. A good grey though. Not that there are any bad grey shades, it's just a metaphor. A saying that completely buries the sweet color that it is. Our very first pastel. The first color, a baby of the two non-colors black and white.
This, as it has been lately, is yet another good one from HM. I never thought I'd say it, but that brand has it's moments. Not when it comes to clothes or accessories, but certainly nailpolish and sometimes even makeup.

This is a grey creme that isn't as opaque as one would wish but just as it's named Happy grey, it is a happy color. Has a warm tone to it that makes it more vivid. It might not change the world, but it's a good polish. Smaller bottle that the ones I've been buying in the past, but still, a 10,5ml (0,3fl oz) will last you a ... month or so. The bottle itself is more stylish than HM's bottles usually are and it feels more Top Shop than HM with it's "I love beauty" message on the cap.

The other polish in the picture is a cheapie, Tropical Manicure shade #65, that will probably accompany this grey later on this weekend. Right now, the grey looks like a good friend but I just know, it won't last. I am not grey. A wallflower may be, but certainly not grey.

Call of the banshee

2010-08-27T15:39:00.001+02:00

To play along the lines of a Feline-post, do you know the word skogsrå? Of course you don't. I wish you did though. It's our swedish little twist on the Banshee. A bit darker, a bit nastier. A hole in the back and all.

That's how I feel today. An alluring call, sweet presence and then a punch in the face. It makes sence my nails look like they're dipped in blood. They're not though, just La Colors Luscious wine. A nice red jelly that might look like wine in it's bottle, but on my fingers, it's blood.

As I have no forestgreen eyeliner, I took the devine Eyeko Magic Liquid Eyeliner and dipped it into my old Stillness eyeshadow from Face. Two old green eyeshadows from HM (Kitty beach party from this summer and a no-name from -04) serve as base. Now I look as mean as I feel.

A new addition to the family

2010-08-26T15:36:00.001+02:00

While I like to have my nails a color that kicks, I don't really like painting them. Neither am I the girl that goes to the salon. I don't like being so-called pampered. I like to do things myself. Even my hair has been in my hands, literally, since I was 12.

But I guess it's about time I confess what I like the most about nailpolish:
getting them, sorting them, matching colors and looking for siblings.
There's not much things that are better than finding a package on your doorstep. A new bunch of colorful individuals that want to meet the rest of the family. Knowing there are more to come.
I guess that's one thing I really like about bying them online - you never really know what you're going to get. The hunt is what it's all about. The expectation.

See, once I used to sort my records by the color of their sleeve. A nice rainbow that had to be broken down and rearranged when I got new additions which was more often than not. A couple of hundred records, it takes time. My acrylics and water-soluble oilpaint, same thing. Sorted all nicely.
These days, I sort my polish. Not even close to a couple of hundreds, more like one....

All that glitters is not your friend

2010-08-25T18:10:00.001+02:00

What do you get when you take 3 lovely bottles of polish and mix them? A nice franken, better than any chocolate cake? Well, in theory you could, but you could also end up with a layering that looks like something the Christmas tree threw up.

Note to self : don't play around when you're irritated. When your body hurts and you don't know where to go and what to do. Your nails will look like you feel. (now that is a mood polish, I tell you!)

That's 3 layers of China Glaze's Flip flop fantasy, which did look great on it's own but in the end, the streaks got to me. I never implied I was good at applying polish and sometimes that shows.

Unfortunately, I am a nitpick and I want perfection. Usually, a nice glitter polish comes to the rescue and diffuses whatever imperfection I think I may spot. Today I figured that maybe my first choice of glitter, Sinful's Nail junkie would be taking it one step too far (fishscale-like glitter on a neon coral) so I settled for one of my untrieds, HM's Hello Kitty polish Glitter purple. Unfortunately, that polish is uneven. Glitter comes in clumps and I just couldn't get it to look somewhat even. So, more glitter to the rescue - adding a french tip using HM's Hello Kitty Glitter Silver.

Now I look like Tammy Faye. All because I didn't want to remove a polish that annoyed me. All because I truly despise removing nailpolish when it isn't over and done with.
Will I ever learn?

Note #2 to self: Buy Konad/fauxnad-set. Might be the rescue when everything else fails.

In a hurry 'cause I got a worry

2010-08-24T14:53:00.002+02:00

It's been a bit hectic lately. Kid off to daycare, husband off to work and I am going back to school. While I may be the girl that blogs about toxic waste, ie nailpolish, I am attempting getting my bachelor of science in public health. If I fail, you can bet I will blame it all on the fumes. Bad bad polish...
No, not really, but I don't see it as a conflict of interest. Should I?
But, I would want to blame the fumes for this little mishap:

I can't get my Ellis Faas Light-pen to work. It comes with a manual, yet it doesn't do what it's supposed to. I think I need to google it to understand what to do when everything else fails. Does it need surgery?
However, I do appreciate the design and not just because it's fallatic presence. I feel like the doctor on Star trek, hypospray to the rescue! I am glad I did not pay for it but won it in a giveaway because a toy for £25($38) would have been a....bust if it wasn't send to the trekkie that even has Star trek-chess.

The pen, ie hypospray, is on top of Iggy's painting of me having just had my nails painted. Eleven fingers on one hand, looking like a flower. That's me, a petite flower all right!
Please note the blue lipstick and the somewhat hysteric outfit. My kid has me pinned.

Walking the green line

2010-08-21T01:06:00.002+02:00

Recently I've been in a green phase and I just got 2 to add to my collection. They're both a brand I haven't heard about before - Golden Rose. I googled it and found some old blogreviews and a website, but nothing more. Why? Wrong side of the sea? Not enough pr through the right channels? Bad rep? From what I can gather from the american website, they're cheap enough to be hoarded en masse and the color-range is pretty good.

I gave mine a quick testdrive and while they weren't opaque (actually far from it, 4 coats and still visible nail line), they were easy to work with and dried fairly quick. One looked like a neon in the bottle (2nd from the left) but was more a green grapes-type of green than a true neon. The other polish was a sheer pear-green jelly with glass specks.

The only thing that bothers me is that I can't find a list of ingredients. Not on the bottles and not even on the original website. But then again, I guess the general public cares less about what's 3free and what's not, than the nailoholic does?

Where do you put your toothpaste?

2010-08-20T10:08:00.005+02:00

I was debating whether I was going to post this because strictly, it's not makeup and it's definitely not fun. But, it might belong under the cosmetics-category and it's one where I have been trying to go natural for a while. Yes, there's that word again, natural. What it means depends on who's using it and whether it's always better for you, that isn't as obvious as one would think.
Nevertheless, my polish-addiction aside, I wouldn't mind having less chemicals in my life.

So, when I had the chance to win a toothpaste/whitener marketed as the natural option by EVA in a giveaway, I jumped at the opportunity. While my current toothpaste may not contain triclosan, it has an list of ingredients that's almost as long as this post.
My last encounter with natural toothpaste was pure horror (anisflavored vomit) but keep in mind, that was maybe 15 years ago. A lot has happened since then. I hope.

First off, the hygenic aspect of this is pure horror. Powder in a big jar. Dip your toothpaste. That's not the brightest idea, so I just put some on a cup and dipped my brush into that.

Did it work wonders? Are my teeth whiter than any marshmallow? Does my breath make the birds sing?
Not really. It's nothing spectacular. I haven't noticed any change in my teeths' coloration yet (5 days in) and as a toothpaste, it's just a more expensive version of the old classic DIY-paste out of bakingsoda. For instance, How it all vegan has a good basic recipee for toothpaste as well as mouthwash.
The only difference is that with this, you have Sodium perborate and Sodium lauryl sulfate added as active ingredients. They're the guys that supposedly are going to make your teeth white(r).
I guess this is where it gets a bit tricky - the former is an ingredient that shouldn't be used on or near lips. Apparently, you shouldn't handle it unless using gloves. That is what I put on my brush and into my mouth. Then I spit it out.

Natural eyh? Guess I will use this as regular bakingsoda, a cleaning detergent. I bet it will be a killer on those dye-stains in the shower.
The Eva Whitener retails for $24 and contains about 1,6 ounces.

Top dollar, if you got the dough

2010-08-17T19:15:00.004+02:00

One thing, or rather two things, that makes me excited about fall being just around the corner, is that I get to use my favorite skincare products again. Slightly too rich and demanding during the summer, especially a hot clammy one like this, but perfect for the rest of the year.

I usually don't use a so-called purchased exfoliant, but rather go with a moist kitchen towel. Threadbare, old and scrubs just like the finest of sand. Nothing store-bought has ever been better than this old beauty-tip from the grannies of granny....until Stem Organics Smooth Skin Exfoliant.
While a towel may be somewhat rough on the skin depending on just how threadbare it is, Stem isn't. It's smooth and fine.
However, it's the Oil that really won me over. I use it on my face, lips, elbows, cuticles and sometimes even in my hair. Works wonders and smells divine.

The only thing that it has against it, is that I can't really afford it. The oil is $40 for 50ml/1,7fl oz and the exfoliant about a dollar less.
That's the problem with most organic products. A catch22 - using organic products is what I (we?!) want to do but I (we?!) can't afford to try it. By not buying it, I am not supporting the companies that make organic products which means that in the end, if everybody was like me, there wouldn't be any organic products. No market, no products.
While the organic produce have become cheaper and easily accessible to public over the last 15 years, organic skincare and makeup is still quite pricey. Sometimes it seems organic just isn't for the working class. They get to stick with parabens and formaldehyde.

I won my Stem Organic products in a giveaway so I got to try them for free. I got to love them for free. However, I doubt I would have spend almost $80 on these products if they were new to me. Would you?

Sometimes it just Depends

2010-08-16T14:59:00.001+02:00

While I may seem to bashing some brands, it's not all pitch black. Not even grey. Well, a rainy cloud kind of gray. See, I have forgotten to mention my all time favorite nailpolish. It was standing in the back, waiting for me to forget all about brights, glitters and neons.
Guess what? It's a Depend polish. Guess what polish is on number 2 of my all time favorite polish? Another Depend. That might be one of the reasons these last few Depend-polishes have been a let down - the formula and opacity on nr 1 and nr 2 were great.
With no further ado, I present to you the five main reasons why I just can't break up with Depend.

The two first I guess most of you recognize as rather recent Depend. It's 054 and 196. While the latter has a formula that leaves a lot to be desired, I am smittened by the color.

In the middle, you find a good khaki-green. MASH, Suicide is painless and all that. It might be so last year (literally), but number 172 is a color most nailpolish brands seem to forget all about. This is my number 2. Forever cherished and forever making me wish Depend made bigger bottles. 5 ml is 2 manicures and then a dried up polish.

Then there was number 169. King and Queen of all polish, all in one tiny bottle. It's the color of a rainy Sunday. Heavy rain and a storm coming. I love it. A dark blueish gray that is like no other. I need to find a dupe for this as it's sold out and discontinued.

Last of the five stars is a glitter. The first glitter to reignite my love for nailpolish that wasn't all grunge. Fine glitter, looks like mercury. Silver with a lilac hint, it's number 119.

Oh, that Liberace cat!

2010-08-14T01:02:00.003+02:00

What sparkles like Liberace, is cute like a kitten and cheaper than your average latte?

That's right, the new Hello Kitty nailpolish from HM which are both glitter. It's still a lot of polish for next to nothing, 16ml for 29.50SEK (0.5Fl oz for $3.95)
What are they called? Purple glitter and Silver glitter. Pretty unimaginative as is the polish itself. Guess the people over at HM are getting pretty tired of this feline with no mouth?!

Bought them earlier today and just before bedtime, Iggy wanted to take her new companions for a test-drive. The purple is cute and nice for layering but I had a hard time getting an even flow of glitter. The more common one, the silver glitter, was a lot easier. Why I have no clue. Glitter as glitter, right?

The photo above is not that color-accurate as it's taken after dark in fluorescent light (Shitty photo of a dull polish - sorry, I just couldn't be bothered. )
The purple polish is just a warm shade of purple. What looks black in the picture and on the bottle itself, is just the glitter distributed un-evenly. The blue is just highlights from my light. Too bad. This polish looks better in my photo than it does sitting on my desk.
If Iggy falls out of love with Hello Kitty, which I guess won't be happening soon, these are going franken.

PS: The bad photo-quality irks me a lot more than the bad polish-quality. Does this mean my polish-aholic days are over? That I am returning to what could be considered normal?

Lashing out

2010-08-13T12:31:00.001+02:00

After having read Lipglossiping's recent post on what she's learned from beautyblogging, I decided to come out of the closet. Share my little secret that isn't a taboo or anything shocking but apparently it's so elementary that I have never dared to asked anybody about it. Just realized that it's something that I don't do that others consider basics:

Why and when did people start using mascara on the lower eyelashes?
The last time I did that, I was 12 and fiddling around with makeup. More is better was my motto.
With mascara on the lower eyelashes I looked like a panda. Mrs Panda after a long night waiting up for Mr Panda who was out binge-drinking with his compadres, just to find him head down in the lovely lilac-bushes...
I digress, but never the less, no, I don't get it. But then again, I am the girl that cut her eyelashes time and time again during her teens. Thinking they looked more like spiderlegs than something that could prettify a human.
These days, if there's anything black or brown on my lower eyelashes, it's a mistake and a result from me trying to break my last speedrecord on putting on makeup.

Calar me precious

2010-08-11T12:15:00.002+02:00

It seems OPI has a thai-sibling. A bastard, not really part of the family. Not even related, but they have the same curves, smirk and appeal, so you just wouldn't know if you didn't have a closer look.

Found this on the swedish part of Ebay, aka Tradera, and had to get them. Haven't seen them mentioned on that many blogs and yet there are a bunch of asian nailart-blogs? I spotted some pages with the old bottles, but not with these.
It's the same font as OPI except this is not Nail Lacquer but Nail Colour. A tiny bit smaller than the OPI bottle and of course, nothing on the bottle-cap. Supposedly the same size, a good 15ml/0.5Fl oz, but weighs less. Has to do with the quality of the glassbottle maybe?
Can't find what shade or number it is unless it's actually the number molded on the bottom of the bottle, which sounds odd and a pricey adventure for a cheap polish. Different labels or print would be a lot cheaper than different bottles for each shade, wouldn't it?
Above you see two of them surrounding OPI's Yes...I can-can!

Yet to try them. Can't wait actually. This is what I love about collection something - the suspense. The eagerness to play with it.

Repetition

2010-08-10T23:04:00.003+02:00

Not much bums me out more than a polish with great potential turning out to be crap. This time it was the brand rarely mentioned on blogs, BeYu, that was a let-down.
Great color, thick as a brick-formula. Never dried, looked like glue.

Trying to not put a damper on my eggplant-lusting mood, I decided to put on a layer of Opi's Yes...I can-can! which is a similar color but with greyish shimmer. While I have had some minor issues in the past with this polish, it's a strange feeling when you use a good nailpolish after a bad - you can't help but wonder what all these crappy formulas are doing on the market! If it is an uninspiring brand with so-and-so formulas, why are people still buying it? Or is it really something wrong with the formulas or has it to do with who uses it when and where?

I still think it has something to do with chemistry - what you use and wear in your daily life, everything from handsoap to medication to fabric softener, it all adds up. Why shouldn't it? We're all toxic avengers, the sum of what we have done and where we have lived.
What some praise, others consider useless. I got bashed recently for commenting that in my opinion not all basecoats works with all nailpolish, but I do think there's more to polish than just apply and dry. I for certain know that my Orly Bonder does not work well with Depend's polish - they never dry. If that's because my Orly Bonder is the odd one out, made on a Monday, I don't know but it's a fact.

That is why a review is just that - one person's opinion on something.
Having said that, take my posts with a grain of salt - it's my nails in my world.
This means there will be no more BeYu for me.

That's some heavy-duty nailpolish

2010-08-07T11:35:00.001+02:00

While the Depend-polish might have been a pain in the butt(hole surfers) to apply, it's been kicking my arse in the durancy-test. Applied it Monday night and a 2nd layer Tuesday morning. It's Saturday, noon, and it has barely chipped. Survived the allotment, the playground, the amusement-park and several dogs. I guess the thick plastic formula has it's purpose.

It's now to the point where I am getting tired of it. The humidity is off the chart so plaing around with makeup is useless and the nails, well, they don't need nothing from me. What to do? It's not like I have money to go shopping....

And, of course, the photo is a homage to Nihrida. I was thinking about making this a linklove post but I really don't have the time and you can see a bunch of my favorite makeup/nailpolish-blogs to the left on my blogroll. They're might be almost 140 listed, but they'e all good.
While the Wicked vixens might be my all-time favorite bloggers, I just have to point you to the direction of one vixen in particular, Lisa, as her nails are truly work of art.

That's some heavy-weight polish

2010-08-04T17:38:00.001+02:00

I have had some issues with Depend's polish in the past.
This bugs me because simply put: It's cheap & it's swedish - I should do everything I can to support them. In theory that is. It's been harder to practise what I preach as their polish is thick and takes ages to dry.
However, I think I may have stumbled upon the secret and it's to do exactly what I don't ever do when it comes to polish: use one thick coat. One layer that looks like a flood coming down on your cuticles and that's that.
Took some time to dry, but not anywhere near as long as 3 thin layers did, and going to sleep 30 minutes after applying left no dents or scratches.

Granted, it feels thick and as if I had the cheapest acrylics on, but the color is so lovely, I just don't care. I've been lusting after Depend's number 54 since I first spotted it on a blog, but knowing the formula, I haven't bought it....until now.

The photo was taken at Malmö's Reptile Center where Iggy, me and my brother went yesterday to photobomb some poor tourists' photos. Suddenly we stumbled across this pond where dry-ice made it all look like the scenery in some old video with Danzig. Perfect photo-opp!
The polish in the photo above is actually color-accurate while everything else looks odd. This polish just doesn't photograph well.

Another thing while I have you reading - I have to travel some miles to get to the closest Lush, so I would just like to ask - How many of you have tried the Lush Color supplements? I have read two reviews and the verdict was definitely not similar, but quite opposite.

Know your product!

2010-08-02T07:54:00.004+02:00

Why isn't anybody talking about BeYu? From what I understand it's a rather big brand, isn't it?
I must admit that you guys have more of an impact on me than magazines and salesclerks - if Google isn't coming up with some good reviews on a blog, chances are I'm not buying it. I figured that the silence might not be so much about it being a crappy polish, rather that they're not a company that's fully aware of the makeup-bloggers? Can it be as simple as this?
If you don't send out kits for review, nobody really talks about it and no-one adds it to their lemming-list because nobody knows it exists?
Or is it just too pricey? But then again, we see Chanel and Lippmann on a lot of blogs.

This is a polish I went back for. Spotted it in a store and was quite smittened. Asked the salesclerk what finish it had and if they maybe had a display, but her response was so stone-cold ("A finish? Is no such thing. It's opaque, that's what it is") I just put it back and left.
3 days later I went back and had a closer look at the bowl of polish. Yup, that's right, polish that's 70sek for 8ml ($9.70 for 0.27 fl.oz), all thrown in together in a plastic bowl where all the bottles ended up having scratches and specks of polish. Still, I bought it. With all of this going against it, this polish should be the new queen or something, don't you think?!

Maybe I am a snob, (ok, most likely) but when I go to a cosmetics store (which is rare and far between, internet for the win) I want to be able to get some help. Get to know what it is that I don't know. Helpful advice and some positive thinking.
Why else would one buy makeup in real life? It's definitely not cheaper!

Above you see what happens to be an exception to that so-called rule of researching your nailpolish. It's a BeYu polish in a shade called 314, a deep purple creme that ventures into eggplant-land. Looked like a jelly in the bottle, but was not.

Baby you can paint my car

2010-07-31T23:09:00.002+02:00

I have a few untried nailpolishes sitting on a shelf. I bought them all a while back, but I just can't get myself to...It's not that they're not lovely in their own ways, but I just can't see myself wearing them just now. I'm not a metallic(a) type of girl.
They all remind me of carpaint. While I love the idea Autopaint Cosmetics did with launcing classic cars' paint as hues in a nailpolish-line, I am a little more skepctical towards Volvo's attempt at being hip. Simply put, I think more cars should have the color of great nailpolish (can you imagine a car the color of For Audrey or maybe even Pink Voltage?) and less nailpolish should look like carpaint.

But today I figured - why not? Another birthday has passed and why let myself be bothered by what I think I should look like? Why do I pinpoint myself to the point where I don't dare to....look like a Volvo?
If my ass is getting all station-wagon, why not go with the flow?
So, I did. The polish in the back is the only Orly I have that's still untried. I love Orly, so why is it still sitting there? It's Witch's Blue and while it doesn't look very tempting in the bottle, dark denim blue with greyish shimmer, it did look quite freaky cool on the nail. Indoors it just looks like any dark nailpolish but when you go out or step into bright light, there's definitely something blue on the nail. I comes to life and it's intense alright!

But it's still something that looks like I nicked it off my dad's shelves in the garage. Being too cheap, too punk or too DIY to buy nailpolish. Plastic padding, oh, free concealer anyone?
I think we even had a car that looked like it was painted a sunkissed Witch's Blue?! And sure, on the way downtown to get us some cake, I managed to find a moped this color, a perfect match. I'm a moped baby, so why don't you kill me.

Hey, what's up? I'm 34 and I look like a car.
It's no comfort that the car I remembered having this color was a Porsche 911 from the early 70's. I would rather have looked like our old baby-blue Wolkswagen Beetle...

To blog or not to blog

2010-07-29T23:14:00.000+02:00

A lot of my friends and acquaintances still find it odd as well as rather amusing that I have this blog. That I, the girl who looks like she slathers on foundation with an Ikea roller-system and rather spends money on records and books than beauty-products, writes about colors, formulas and brands.
I rarely get what it is they find amusing about it, but then again, I do read a lot of so-called beauty-blogs. Or rather, I read makeup-blogs as well as nailpolish-blogs. The word beauty doesn't seem fitting, it's not beauty-blogs I'm reading.
And by stating that, we're back to the chicken or the egg-dilemma; would there be a makeup-industry if it wasn't for our obsession with beauty? Or did the makeup-industry kickstart our obsession and does it keep us consumers like puppets on a string? Are we all helping them along with our blogs? Who are we supporting, customer or manufacturer? Is there even a distinction any more?

I know this is the type of entry most readers rather skip, but I think it's most definitely something to keep in mind when we read all these blogs. I am starting to think less and less people are thinking about

what they just read
what impact it had on them
why it was there for them to read

Do blog-readers question what they read or are they just a little bit naive thinking it's all about love, peace and happiness?
How much material on a blog is based on pure interest and how many posts are influences by companies sending out material, goodies and review-examples? How many entries are written as a way to get listed by the PR-companies, to get noticed? How many readers read the disclosure policies and how many bloggers truly believe what they're stating about their own blogs?

These last few days, I've seen a lot of entries that I have found quite out of place. Where you can't help but ask yourself - Are these entries are paid for? Where's the fine print I am missing?
It's also quite common that you see the same information spread over a wide range of blogs but everybody's pretending like they just made it up. A brand gets massive coverage in blogs just by sending out an email stating that if said blogger give the brand some space on their blog, they can expect a massive goodie-bag and to be on the list.
I've seen it explained by bloggers as "People want to know / We're just giving them the information / It's just news" but is it really? What would be the difference between an ad and news?

What would you like to see in a blog? What do you avoid? Do you read blogs that have paid ads? That have paid posts?

Quality-control to Major Tom

2010-07-27T11:17:00.003+02:00

What do you get if you put gold (red and silver) glitter in a red nailpolish? You get something that from a far looks like it's copper. I don't like copper. Sounding like a character in a Bret Easton Ellis' book, "It's just, ah baby, not cool. It's just so 90's man."

Del Sol's Heartbreaker look like a copper-polish in a certain light. Quite fugly, but you can't help staring. Jingle bells and Eggnog, Santa's not coming to town - this is a polish that's supposed to make you think of long lost love. You're probably supposed to feel vampy in this polish. I don't. I feel like I'm getting $5 an hour for being Mrs Santa in a local shopping mall. The fact that it takes atleast 4 layers to get decent coverage and that it get's so thick it won't dry certainly doesn't help.

But hey, even Mrs Santa has to leave work and go outdoors, doesn't she? That's when I truly get the Heartbreaker-polish. The copper makes way for a blueish tint and the polish turns bordeaux. You know Mrs Santa's going to go home and make some Santa's little helpers...

Over all, this is an okay nailpolish but it's most definitely overpriced ($10 at their website) as all Del Sol-polishes are. The formula is watery, the color-change isn't that dramatic and it seems like the quality-control department is on permanent leave because I haven't read a single review that is the other alike. I know this product has been around for ages, but it needs some work.

Edit:
The polish lasted for 3 days which is more than I expected as the first chipping occoured before I had finished painting my nails. That's a big plus. On the downside though is that it stained. My nails are now an odd shade of coral. That means, use a basecoat unless you like the free nailcolor that staining is...

She's got zombienails for zombiehands

2010-07-25T21:50:00.004+02:00

First I'd like to apologize for the crappiness of these photos. They're taken with my old cellphone because I haven't been able to bring my Pentax. Add to that, on 2 different days but woth with dog and kid in tow.

Anyhow, I'd like to show you what happens when you take 3 layers of Ruby Slipper and add one layer of Electrick! (both Del Sol). I got tired of Ruby Slipper and when it started to chip, I added another color-changing polish to see if something weird would happen.
Nothing weird did happen, but I did manage to get zombie-nails in a certain light!

Indoors, it just looked like plain old silverfoil - clear with glitter plus a shimmery baby blue. Outdoors, albeit no full sun, the red from the Ruby slipper broke through the cold shimmer and it looked like a nice lilac/raspberry duochrome!
I can't wait to see what this looks like on a sunny day. These polishes may not be longlasting (they chip within a day) but mixing, blending and layering might make it a lot of fun.

Uhu, don't say a thing!

2010-07-23T18:57:00.003+02:00

Ever since I Told Iggy there are color-changing nailpolishes, she's been nagging about getting one. To be honest, I think it's quite interesting as well. Have since I was 14, in language-school over the summer in Brighton and bought my first moodring. Thinking it would change the world as I know it and from now, I'd be all mysterious and nobody would ever be able to pin me down.
It didn't happen. The ring rarely changed color and according to it, I was living my life in a slimegreen maner. If I remember corectly, that meant I was not a cool bird, but a stone cold fish.

However, I'm older and wiser these days. Plus, I have a kid that wanted it and I do have a growing nailpolish-addiction to feed. When Nailmail had Del Sol (which is free from the 3 evils)as a subscription-offer, I signed up for a membership and 3 polishes. It's a novelty-item, I know, but sometimes you need things like that to brighten your mood and make you remember what it was like to be an odd tosser.

The polish arrived and sat around for a while. Looked cute on the shelf. Iggy tried them but managed to peel it off before she even went in the sun. So, for the love of my child, and of course, nailpolish, I tried one of them, Ruby Slippers, so she could see what it would look like if she managed to keep it on for more than 15 minutes. It's a clear polish with silverglitter but when you go out into full sun, it turns into a ruby red sparkle.

My Ruby slippers might be cute slippers, but they ain't Ruby red. Raspberries and cream (with glitter on top), sure, but it never really pops like I though it would and has seen at other bloggers. Maybe I need to stay out in the sun for more than a minute? Maybe it has something to do with skincolor and the fact that I'm ultra-pale with a yellow tint?
What ever the reason may be, it's a fun novelty polish and might be great fun to use in nailart. I think I'm going to use this for layering.

Just like a kid

2010-07-22T22:46:00.001+02:00

As a kid, I didn't like things cutesy-cute.
As a teen, I most definitely did not like things cutesy-cute.
These days, I find my makeup in my kid's room - my husband thought it was toys. It's not the first time this has happened.
Guess that means I most definitely like things cutesy-cute today?!

Above you see the joy that is Eyeko's Fat balm in Raspberry. I use it on my lips, cheeks and sometimes even my eyelids. On a hot day like this, it's some Fat balm, mascara and I'm ready to go.

We're in the greenhouse now

2010-07-21T11:04:00.000+02:00

I'm really not the girl to be self-conscious about things and I am definitely not the girl to let any so-called "flaws" hinder me from doing what I want to looking however I want (my big nose is my homie), but I must admit, these last few days, me and my hands haven't been getting on. Zombiehands may sound cool but when it's caused by strep, it's just morbid. Which brings me to Morbid, the polish by WetnWild.
Decided to fight my newfound self-consciousness and shallowness, and match my zombiehands with a polish called Morbid.

Strep or no strep, it's still a green polish. From a far, it looks blackish green but most of the time, I think it's a dark emerald-green with steel-grey shimmer.I've seen it described as a black creme with teal shimmer numerous times, but I don't see it. I see green. I am not a green girl. Ok, limegreen, pukegreen and neongreen may rock my boat, but a solid green is something I only want to see on my allotment. I want to eat it.

But, there's a big but in here, this is a great polish just like every other WetnWild nailpolish I've tried. Great formula (on the thin side), dries fast and doesn't get streaky. One thick coat or two thin is enough to get it opaque. I've read some complaints about the thick cap making it hard to be precise but I think it was workable.
Those that say budget-polish or anything under $10 is just a waste of money haven't given WetnWild a go. The hype isn't just a hype.

(Artistic blurry photo because I care about my readers and I want you to be able to keep your lunch)

Do you do cute?

2010-07-18T18:31:00.002+02:00

When I bought the pink Hello Kitty polish, Cool Summer, a while back, it wasn't for me. It was for Iggy: pink, cute and Hello Kitty - a 3,5 year olds dream-polish.
She has yet to try it as she thinks it's too cute. She likes a dark pink, a fuchsia or hotpink. I don't blame her, I do too. If it has to be pink, let it be PINK! Natural shades and bridal manicures with soft pastels aren't for me.

But here I am. Almost no fingernails left and my skin is still peeling from the penicillin. I want to put some polish on my nails but my generic black/purple vampy colors will look horrid on these fingers. True zombie-fingers, flesh torn off.
At first I figured that maybe a silent taupe would do it, but I have a bunch of untried polish waiting around and none of them are taupe. The only color among them that seemed to flatter these overcooked sausagerolls was an untried pink. The pink, the Hello Kitty pink. Imagine that?!

I guess one can say that if you have no expectations, you will always be pleasantly surprised, and I was. This was a one-coater (even if I used two) of thin creme-polish that almost applied itself unlike it's purple sibling. Not as cutesy-cute pink as the bottle suggests but it has a little more bite to it. Somewhat more intense than your average Pepto Bismol. It's one of those that looks really bright in direct sunlight but indoors, it's not so cutesy cute but quite intense.
As it's one of the cheaper HM-polish (you didn't think that was possible, did you?!) at 19.50SEK for 15ml ($2.50 for an 0.5 Fl), you can afford one for you and all of your friends even though it might not be your favorite shade of pink.

Don't be bullied by the Money

2010-07-18T11:48:00.006+02:00

As you might have read in comments or on twitter, there's been yet another incident where a company threatens a blogger through their lawfirm. A lot of us would probably take a cease and desist-letter not only as an insult, but as a reason to stop blogging. Why spend your hard-earned money writing about something you like, love and praise when the companies that are getting your money, don't value or respect you as a customer?
There's been a couple of companies doing this but I guess we don't hear about them all because frankly, a blogger can't afford a potential lawsuit and even if the threat isn't legit or will hold up in court, who dares to face the dragon?

Daily Polish just did and I love her for it.

I also adore Lacquerized. I want a superhero-toy that looks just like her. She wrote an excellent post about the matter and added an illustration that I can't help but make into a permanent button on my page. It's going into the layout, that's for sure!

Remember, a blogging community isn't just about linklove and being a GFC-follower, but supporting your fellow bloggers. Do that! Even if they don't say anything you might agree with, support their right to say it without being bullied or silenced by companies.

Others that have written on the matter are
Magic Maid, Of faces and fingers and Addicted to all things pretty.
Edit:
As well as A polish problem, Lola Blue blog and My Lucid Bubble

Chicken or the egg, brush or conditioner?

2010-07-17T15:58:00.004+02:00

A while back I won an Aussie haircare set. I've never been a hairgal but I have read a lot of good reviews on the brand and it's products, so I entered the giveaway thinking my chances were slim to none.
I won but luck has it somebody (post-office?!) nicked the hair-masque and while all I got was the conditioner and shampoo, I was happy with just that. Usually I'm going for the cheapest haircare with good conditioner and the most neutral smell which usually means it's VO5 that's going with me home. Since Body Shop's Banana conditioner, not much have left me amazed.

I figured Aussie would make me dump my VO5 Fade Defy. Praised brand vs drugstore cheapie, it seemed an obvious choice.
My first impression of Aussie was yet another thing that made me think it would make me kick VO5 to the curb: great packaging that talks back ("Color mate conditioner for colored hair, funnily enough") and looks cute with it's flowers and kangaroos. The smell is the absolute winner - it smells like apricot kernels which is a fruity nutty smell. Think almonds as there's a reason why apricot kernels are used to substitute almonds when cooking for those allergic to nuts. A touch of eucalyptus keeps it from going from fruity to sickly sweet.
The consistency of the conditioner is also somewhat different compared to most other I have tried. Less slimy and more like a bodylotion which makes perfect sense - you want to rehydrate your hair.

I have a slight crush on my Aussie products, except, they don't work all that well. They're ok, but not more. I think it's the conditioner that sells a brand as a shampoo is just the first stage - getting rid of the shite. A conditioner makes the hard work of turning your frizzy grizzly-fur into a soft shiny mane that hardly needs a brush to look fantastic. My Aussie doesn't do that for me. Shiny, sure but it's still tangled up in a knot. I googled for reviews to see if I was the odd one out, but no, seems I'm not the only one that noticed that the conditioner doesn't do it's job. However, there aren't that many reviews around which I find strange seeing as Aussie is much like Eyeko, showering bloggers in freebies, events, giveaway-items and promotion-material.

I've spend some time trying to figure out what the magic ingredient is that separates the two. The one that my cheapie conditioner has that Aussie doesn't. Is it in the slime? It can't be, can it?
Well, if that slime is Quaternium, I guess it can. It seems to be what separates VO5 from Aussie (as well as the other conditioners I had on my shelf which all had Quaternium). Reading up on the subject, I realize that it is indeed slime, allergenic slime that is linked to formaldehyde. Do I want that in my hair even if it means I don't ever have to brush? Shouldn't I just diss my VO5 and go for Aussie which seems safer?

That's what I did.
I'd rather brush my hair more often and be able to use the same haircare-products on my daughter, than take the easy way out. I have yet to look up all the ingredients Aussie use, but another day, another day.

What's in a name?

2010-07-15T11:23:00.004+02:00

One thing that definitely gets me going, other than cute packaging, is a good name. A good name that sticks, makes me laugh or just fits like a glove. WetnWild may not be the greatest of them all as all it makes me think of is barely legal girls entering Wet t-shirt contests where all they get is the attention of middle aged men.

However, the polish I got in the WetnWild giveaway, a polish I'm not certain is even available in Sweden yet (please correct me if I am wrong) is a shade called Morbid. I don't get why a color like that could be considered morbid but I do think it has a color that Morbid Angel would approve of.
I've seen it described as black with a teal shimmer but I'd rather say dark grey with a forrestgreen shimmer.
I guess it depends on the light and when I took my photo, it was 91 degress Fahrenheit and sunnier than a Beatles' song from the late 60's.

I think a polish named Morbid would and should be corpse-colored. Not the real color, which is yellowish, but like in the movies, a cool blue jelly with red undertones. I've been trying to franken a color like that for ages. The WetnWild polish is a great color, but it isn't morbid to me.