Born Pretty Store Plate QA33

I've had this plate for ages now but I broke a nail before I got a chance to review it. I thought the images were really cute! I decided to use the cow and the pig stamp because It's not really reindeer season. (I'm assuming the other one is a reindeer). 

The image picked up on the stamp fine. The pig didn't have eyes so I used the eyes from the reindeer. 

Sorry about the scratches on the plate picture, I forgot to take a photo before I used it. 

I know my last post said I wasn't going to be posting much but the trains home today were delayed so I didn't get to the post office in time to pick up my order of bottles. I didn't have anything else to do so I though't I'd post something. 

               NAIL ART INFO 

Polish Used:

Ulta3 - Lily White

Ulta3 - Pink Peony
Ulta3 - Cocoa
Ulta3 - Black Satin

Tools Needed:

Born Pretty Store Plate QA33

Stamper

Scraper

Price: $2.99

Where To Buy: 

Born Pretty Store 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | YouTube

The image plate in this post was provided for review. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

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Alanna Renee International Stockists!

As most of you know I've started my own indie polish brand - Alanna Renee. I have some good news for my international readers! Alanna Renee polishes will soon be available from Shoppe Eclecticco in Singapore and Color4Nails in the US. Both stores provide international shipping. Keep an eye on each store's facebook page for launch dates. I'll probably announce it on the Alanna Renee facebook page too. The pricing has not yet been confirmed.

I'll be quite busy preparing these orders so my blog posts will probably be a little light until they've been sent off. Thanks for your patience!

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Pretty & Polished - Hearts & Daggers

I'm wearing Hearts & Daggers over Pretty Serious - Party By The Pool in the swatch above. Hearts & Daggers has a mix of red heart glitter, black hex glitter, black diamond glitter, black bar glitter, white bar glitter, white hex glitter and shifting rainbow glitter in a clear base. 

All the glitter in my bottle has sunk to the bottom so I had to invert the bottle for a while before applying. I had to fish to get the largest hex glitters out. I used the dabble method to apply this and placed the larger glitter where I wanted it with the brush. 

This is the last swatch photo that I have of my pretty long nails. Hopefully it wont take too long to get them back to that length. *sigh*

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: Pretty & Polished
Name: Hearts & Daggers
Coats: 1 over blue
Colour: Multicolour Glitter
Finish: Glitter
Made In: USA
Volume: 15ml
Price: ~$4.81 - $9.61
Where To Buy: 
Pretty & Polished  $5.00 - $9.00 (USD)
Pretty & Polished Etsy Store $5.00 - $9.50

Shop | Website | Facebook | Pinterest

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Artsy Wednesday - Colour Blocking

We've decided to move Artsy Wednesday to every other week rather than weekly. I missed the last one so it's been a whole month since my last Artsy Wednesday post! 

I used neon colours so I used a white base to make the neon stand out. I started with a few coats of Atomic Oj over the Lily White base. Once that was dry I applied some tape down one side of my nail and painted on a few coats of Purple Pumps. You can see I was a bit impatient on my pinky nail and the polish lifted up when I removed the tape.

               NAIL ART INFO 

Polish Used:
Ulta3 - Lily White
Ulta3 - Atomic Oj
Ulta3 - Purple Pumps
China Glaze - Frostbite

Tools Needed:
Tape
Nail Art Brush

I used a nail art brush to apply Frostbite to the tips of my nails and finished with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

My poor broken nail has grown out just enough so that I could file them to the same length. It's been three weeks since I broke it. This post shows how short it was when I broke it if you're interested to see how much it's grown. I've only got one more swatch photo saved up from before the break and then I'll be sticking to nail art until it grows out a little more.

Visit the other Artsy Wednesday blogs for more colour blocking manicures:
Michelle - Lab Muffin

Maria - Maria's Nail Art

Catrine - Unnaked Nails

Melanie - Nail & Polish

Jessica - Beauty Gnome

Emily  - An Accent Nail

Ameerah - Valiantly Varnished

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Misa I Do Spring 2013 Collection Preview

Images source: Fashion Polish

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CrowsTows - Cheshire

Cheshire has a mix of gold hex glitter silver holo hex glitter, purple hex glitter and pink hex glitter in a clear base. I think these glitters make a really pretty combination. I've had my eye on Cheshire for a while. I missed out on it during one of the Llarowe restocks but I managed to get it in the next one. 

I used the dabble method for each coat to place the glitter on my nails. The large purple hex glitters were picked up easily but I found them a little bit annoying to place on my nail so most of the time I left them off. I did manage to pull out a couple of strings of connected gold hexes, I left those out too. 

I used one coat of Seche Vite but two would have been better for a smooth finish.

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: CrowsToes

Name: Cheshire
Coats For Opacity: 3
Colour: Purple
Finish: Glitter
Made In: USA
Volume: 15ml
Price: ~ $12.63 - $14.14 (AUD)
Where To Buy: 
Crows Toes
Llarowe - $13 (USD)
Shoppe Eclecticco - $18 (SGD)

Website

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Shades Of Phoenix - Hades

Hades was the second Shades Of Pheonix shade that caught my eye. 

Hades has a mix of silver holo squares, blue squares, black diamonds and short black bars in a black base. The formula was great. It build up easily with two coats. I used a PVA base so removal was easy. 

All the polishes in the Olympus Collection are named after Greek Gods. Hades is the King of the Underworld and God of the dead and the hidden wealth of the Earth. If you want to read more about Hades you can check The Shades of Phoenix store.

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: Shades Of Phoenix

Name: Hades

Coats For Opacity: 2

Collection: The Olympus Collection

Year: 2013

Colour: Blue

Finish: Glitter

Formula: Big 3 Free

Made In: Australia

Volume: 12ml

Price: $9.00 AUD

Where To Buy: 

Shades Of Phoenix
 

Website | Facebook

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Shades Of Phoenix - Poseidon

Poseidon caught my eye as soon as I saw photos of it on the Shades of Phoenix facebook page. I was lucky to snag a bottle on launch day, and lucky I did because this one sold out quickly! 

Poseidon has a mix of turquoise hex glitter, blue square glitter and white bar glitter in a green jelly base. The white bar glitter gets lots in the green base so unless it's sitting on top it just looks green. 

I loved this from the first photos I saw of it and I loved it even more in real life. Currently Shades Of Phoenix polishes are only available within Australia. If you can get your hands on them seriously consider this one!

               NAIL POLISH INFO 

Brand: Shades Of Phoenix

Name: Poseidon

Coats For Opacity: 3

Collection: The Olympus Collection

Year: 2013

Colour: Green

Finish: Glitter

Formula: Big 3 Free

Made In: Australia

Volume: 12ml

Price: $9.00 AUD

Where To Buy: 

Shades Of Phoenix

Website | Facebook

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January Haul

I've been trying to post this for a few days but my internet connection at home has been terrible! I've only got a small haul for January, I've been trying to save money.

These River Way polishes were a gift from my best friend Mardi. She found them in Vanutatu. They don't have names but they are numbered. The blue its #375 and the pink is #321.

Shades of Phoenix is an Aussie indie brand that launched recently and I picked up Hades and Poseidon.

The Aussie Nails Facebook group did an Enchanted Polish group buy and I purchased Hot Chocolate, Bonjour Paris and Ballerina Sprinkles.

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$50 Giveaway Winner

Due to a misunderstanding I changed my $50 Voucher Giveaway to a $50 (AUD) Cash Giveaway. The winner is Renee Christman! I have emailed the winner and hope to hear back within 48 hours or I will have to choose another winner. Thanks to everyone who entered.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Lacquerheads Of Oz

Lacquerheads Of Oz is a new blog written by a group of about 30 Australian nail bloggers, professionals and enthusiasts. Lacquerheads Of Oz will not be your average nail blog showing polish swatches, it will be a resource blog. You can expect to see posts about nail art tutorials, manicure tricks, nail care tips, info on buying nail necessities, how to show off your nails and more! 

I'm one of the contributors for Lacquerheads Of Oz and I hope to see you over there.

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