Christmas nails: China Glaze Emerald Sparkle & Ruby Pumps

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! I know I am!

I ninja-ed into getting this post done because I really wanted this to be posted on Christmas day itself. My house is filled with family members so it was pretty hard! I had to stay up late and make sure that everyone was either asleep or otherwise occupied.

I did 3 coats each of China Glaze Emerald Sparkled and Ruby Pumps. Ruby Pumps is my favourite polish! I hope RP doesn't suffer the same fate as ES. ES is pretty, but I'm not the hugest fan of green. Perfect for Christmas though, especially with RP!

Camera flash

With one of my new Christmas tree ornaments! I think you know why I chose it ;)

China Glaze Emerald Sparkle

China Glaze Ruby Pumps

I think the glitter is square. Either that or my eyes are playing tricks on me.

China Glaze should totally re-release Emerald Sparkle with Ruby Pumps as a Christmas set. Maybe make gold, silver, blue and mixed versions. Who wears cremes on Christmas anyway?

Merry Christmas again! I will be feasting tonight! (:

Blue & White Foil Christmas Gradient

Hi guys! It's been awhile (try since Halloween) since I last wrote a post that wasn't another day in my contest. Let me see if I still remember how my posts are written!

I originally planned 12 days of Christmas nails but I haven't had as much time as I would've liked and life has been really hectic this week. I'll probably post a few Christmas themed nails after Christmas itself.

I've been trying out a different camera and some different lighting conditions. Let me know how they look and which ones stay/go :D

Anyway, here is 3 coats of Revlon Royal (gifted to me by an awesome friend) with a Skin Food Pedicure Sparkle #11 (white foil) gradient. I thought it would look nice and snowy. Not that I've ever experienced snow. I accidentally overdid the gradient on my index finger, so we'll call that a blizzard?

Camera flash

Artificial lighting

Artificial lighting

Sorry for the photo spam! A part of me thinks you need to see every manicure in EVERY type of lighting.

I hope you enjoyed that! I'll try to post more but I can't guarantee anything, especially since I'll be spending time with my family. I don't really know how Christmas week is going to go, but I will try my best to post stuff! (:

Guess This Red Contest Day 8

Wow, if life and I were in any kind of martial arts competition, I would definitely get my ass handed to me. I thought of scheduling the remaining days' posts but I realised I needed the links to them, which don't exist until they're posted.

For the details, the rules, the winner selection and the prize, go to the original/Day 1 contest post. The forms for Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are now closed, so please do not enter any answers there, as they will be disqualified anyway.

I would highly recommend that you read everything in the Day 1 post if you haven't already, before submitting an answer. Also, if you are a new follower, you might want to get all the previous clues by going to the post of that particular day (:

This photo was taken under artificial lighting.

Day 8 Clue: This polish is formaldehyde, phthalate and toluene free.

Follow me on Twitter: @NthgPersonail
'Like' my Facebook page: Nothing Personail

Guess This Red Contest Day 7

Only 4 more days! Real life has been kicking my ass HARD, I'm so sorry for making you guys wait!

For the details, the rules, the winner selection and the prize, go to the original/Day 1 contest post. The forms for Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are now closed, so please do not enter any answers there, as they will be disqualified anyway.

I would highly recommend that you read everything in the Day 1 post if you haven't already, before submitting an answer. Also, if you are a new follower (HI!), you might want to get all the previous clues by going to the post of that particular day (:

This photo was taken under artificial lighting.

Day 7 Clue: This polish was given a lot of press in the year 2010.

Follow me on Twitter: @NthgPersonail
'Like' my Facebook page: Nothing Personail

Guess This Red Contest Day 6

Hi! I wonder if you've forgotten me by now! It feels like forever since I last wrote a post but I have been swamped lately (for real this time) and I've been really tired for some reason. So busy, that I considered canceling this contest, but I know that wouldn't be fair to you guys who've put in effort to find the answer!

For the details, the rules, the winner selection and the prize, go to the original/Day 1 contest post. The forms for Days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are now closed, so please do not enter any answers there, as they will be disqualified anyway.

I would highly recommend that you read everything in the Day 1 post if you haven't already, before submitting an answer.

This photo was taken under artificial lighting.

Day 6 Clue: The name of the colour is in the name of the colour.

Follow me on Twitter: @NthgPersonail
'Like' my Facebook page: Nothing Personail

Guess This Red Contest Day 5

Hi! I know, it's been ages since Day 4. But I've been lazy busy. ;)

Anyway, I hope you haven't forgotten what guesses you've put in so far.

For the details, the rules, the winner selection and the prize, go to the original/Day 1 contest post. The forms for Days 1, 2, 3, and 4 are now closed, so please do not enter any answers there, as they will be disqualified anyway.

I would highly recommend that you read everything in the Day 1 post if you haven't already, before submitting an answer.

Here's Day 5's photo:

Day 5 Clue: This polish has been swatched by kittypolishnbags.

Follow me on Twitter: @NthgPersonail
'Like' my Facebook page: Nothing Personail

Happy Halloween!

Hi guys! I'm taking a break from the contest posts because I need to post this mani! It's past 12am where I am so it's already Halloween here.

People don't really celebrate Halloween here. No house decorating, no pumpkin carving, no trick-or-treating, none of that. As far as I know there are parties where people dress up but that's about it. This place is so lame haha.

Anyway, I know it's not exactly Halloween yet for a lot of you guys but I thought if I got this post out early maybe you might get some inspiration for the big day or something. Not that this mani is anything great but it requires almost no skill at all so it's easy :D

For the base I used 2 coats of Zoya Pia. It's the only orange polish I have (I think) so.. I didn't really have a choice. I like how the shimmer brings something more to this mani. The black I used is Models Own Black Magic.

On my thumbs I used 2 coats of China Glaze Wireless Holographic top coat and China Glaze Black Mesh. On my middle fingers I stuck on some loose black glitter and holographic black glitter.

Artificial lighting

Camera flash

Camera flash

Artificial lighting

Artificial lighting

Artificial lighting

Right hand

Artificial lighting

Left hand

I accidentally mixed up the photos of the thumb nail in my close-up photos. Oops. You can see the Wireless Holographic top coat in the close-up of my right hand.

I hope you guys had a good Halloween weekend with lots of candy!

Guess This Red Contest Day 4

Hi! I hope you guys are ready to start another day!

First of all, I think I need to say this. In case I wasn't clear, all the photos are of the same red polish. I just have 10 different photos of the same red polish so I could have one for each day. They are NOT 10 different reds. They are THE SAME RED polish. If they were different polishes, I would have said so in the original contest post. I apologise to anyone who might have been confused, but you still have 7 entries left! (:

For the details, the rules, the winner selection and the prize, go to the original/Day 1 contest post. The forms for Days 1, 2 and 3 are now closed, so please do not enter any answers there, as they will be disqualified anyway.

Here is the photo for Day 4:

Day 4 Clue: This polish has been swatched by Lacquer Laine within the last year.

Follow me on Twitter: @NthgPersonail
'Like' my Facebook page: Nothing Personail

Guess This Red Contest Day 3

Hi again! It's definitely taking me a lot longer than I'd expected to get each day's photo out. Sorry ): 

For the details, the rules, the winner selection and the prize, go to the original/Day 1 contest post. The forms for Days 1 and 2 are now closed, so please do not enter any answers there, as they will be disqualified anyway.

Here is Day 3's photo:

Day 3 Clue: This polish has been swatched by The Hungry Asian within the last 12 months.

Follow me on Twitter: @NthgPersonail
'Like' my Facebook page: Nothing Personail

Guess This Red Contest Day 2

Hi! Sorry it's taken me so long to get this photo up. I've been occupied with some puppy drama in the past few days. First, the obligatory contest photo.

For the details, the rules, the winner selection and the prize, go to the original/Day 1 contest post. The form for Day 1 is now closed, so please do not enter any answers there, as they will be disqualified anyway.

Without further ado, here's the photo for Day 2. It might look like Day 1's photo, but I swear none of the photos are the same.

Day 2 Clue: This polish has been swatched by Kellie Gonzo within the last 18 months.

Good luck!

Follow me on Twitter: @NthgPersonail
'Like' my Facebook page: Nothing Personail

Guess This Red Contest

I promised you something special, and here it is. I've been thinking about giveaways and how they're just.. giveaways. Too easy. I'm not giving out freebies. Wouldn't it be way more worth it if you actually had to put effort into it?

If you didn't know by now, my favorite color is red. I love any polish that is red and I could collect all the red polishes in the world if I had the money. This, and the fact that pretty much every polish company has a red creme, is why I chose a red polish.

I will post 10 different photos in separate posts on different days. Each time I post a photo, I will include a form for you to fill in your details and answer. This means you have 10 chances. You can either give the same answer for all 10 chances, give a different answer each time, or spread your answers across the 10 chances. It's entirely up to you. I will also post one clue to go with each photo. 

Ready? Here comes the photo for Day 1:

 

Day 1 Clue: This polish has been swatched by Scrangie within the last 2 years.

The details:

1. Shown is 2 coats with China Glaze Fast Forward top coat. 
2. The photos have not been color-corrected or retouched.  
3. The brand of this polish isn't some random unknown brand. It's a well-known brand which has produced pressed releases and PR samples that have been on a lot of nail blogs. 
4. This polish appeared in a collection/set with another red. 
5. This is not a super old, HTF polish. 
6. This polish might or might not have previously appeared on my blog.

The rules:

1. You must be a public follower via GFC or Twitter or have "liked" my Facebook page.
2. This contest is open internationally. I will not be responsible for the prize being held back by the customs department in your country. If you know that your customs department is very strict and will not allow polish to be shipped in, I kindly ask for you to sit this one out. It would be rather inconsiderate to claim a prize you cannot receive.
3. ONE entry per photo only. Multiple entries will be disqualified. If you're unsure whether your entry went through, you may leave a comment, tweet at me or send me an email to ask. I don't check Facebook often so I wouldn't advise you to ask through there.
4. I will accept answers on each form as long as the next one has not been posted. For example, if it's Day 3 and the photo for Day 4 hasn't been posted, you may still submit an answer. Once the next photo is posted, any entries on previous photos will not be accepted. Each form will be open for at least 48 hours.
5. Any answers which are not of a red creme polish will be disqualified.

The winner:

• The winner will be chosen randomly from all the correct answers. 
• If nobody gets the name of the polish right, the winner will be randomly chosen from all the eligible entries. 

The prize:

I am buying the prize with my own money, you may choose any 5* bottles of polish from the following brands:

• Elianto
• Skin Food
• Etude House
• The Face Shop
• Sasatinnie (or anything else I can find in Sasa)

*subject to availability and pricing (Not all colors from every line produced by the brand might be available. The cheaper the polish, the higher the quantity and vice versa)

To get you all excited, here is a closer look at some of the stuff you could choose from if you win! (click to enlarge!). I might even throw in some extras ;)

I might or might not give clues on Twitter, so you might want to follow me on there or check often to see if anything might be helpful. ;)

Sharing this contest won't give you any extra entries, but I would be very grateful if you spread the word (:

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment, tweet at me or send me an e-mail (my email address is in the sidebar). Good luck!

1st Anniversary!

Hi! Today is so special for my blog because on this day, one year ago, I wrote my first post. I had my first follower, Ivana. And since then I've written 103 posts (not including this one), made Twitter and Facebook accounts, gained friends I never thought I would.

I remember all the things that happened before I finally got to make this blog. First I found Scrangie through Tumblr. And.. we all know what happens when you find Scrangie. I remember brainstorming names with my friend. I remember choosing a theme, background, color scheme and fonts for my blog.

It's been a long time, and I still get excited whenever I get a new follower. To everyone who has been following, reading, commenting, and to everyone who will do it in the future, you have my utmost gratitude. If I was talking to myself this whole time, I would be so unmotivated and I would've quit a long time ago.

Today I thought I would show you something I did a year ago, and what it looked like when I recreated it recently. I think I've made an improvement in terms of polishing/clean-up/photography skills. I also don't wear my nails as short as I used to.

This mani is what I called "Pink & Turquoise Sponge Gradient" back in the day. Haha. I would still call it by the same name today. Since I missed the bottle shots last time, here they are:

I used 2 coats of Skin Food PK213 (Rosebay) as a base and sponged with Elianto Turquoise. Brace yourselves, here comes the old photos:

Omg I am cringing. And.. here are the photos from the recent attempt (the top coat I used bubbled on my index finger and dragged the pink a little) :

The last photo was taken using a DSLR camera.

Once again, thank you so much for putting up with my crappy photos, my walls of text and inconsistent posting schedule. I promise I have something very special (which hopefully will be fun for you) coming within the next few days. (:

<3