Barry M Cobalt blue

Cobalt blue je predivna prigušena tamnoplava. Formula je predivna - nanosi se ko' putar - skoro u jednom sloju i suši se brzo...! :x Posebno mi se sviđa kako predivno stoji i uz potamnjelu i uz blijedu kožu. Barry M se može naručiti s barrym.com i  Alice & Jo's havesentials za 3£ odnosno 4€, jedina im je mana što bočice sadrže samo 10 ml, ali opet i to je bolje od mnogih minijatura koje se prodaju u našim dućanima za puno veće novce.
Cobalt blue is a gorgeous muted royal blue creme. The formula is amazing, it applies like butter - almost in one coat and it dries fast...! :x I love how this color looks on my skin, whether it's summer tanned or winter pale like in these pics. Barry M is available at barrym.com and  Alice & Jo's havesentials for 3£ / 4€. The only flaw I can think of is that the bottle contains only 10 ml, but that still beats a lot of miniatures that are sold in our local stores for much more.

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Nubar Violet sparkle

Upoznajte jedan od najgenijalnijih glittera na svijetu iz najgenijalnije kolekcije glittera na svijetu - Nubar Violet Sparkle iz Sparkles kolekcije (proljeće 2010.). :x Samo dodajte dosta boje, zamislite da su ove svijetlije čestice više pinky i dodajte masu sjaja i dobit ćete približnu predodžbu ove ljepote. Ovdje su dva sloja preko Nfu Oh Aqua basea i dva sloja INM Out the door nadlaka. Imam ga dva dana i nije se otkrnuo čak ni na desnom kažiprstu (koji mi se izlistao pa s njega inače sve otpada u roku odmah), što je za mene fenomen kad su glitteri u pitanju. No možda je stvar i u tome što sam umjesto Seche Vitea stavila INM.
Meet one of the most fabulous glitters on the planet from the most amazing glitter collection on the planet - Nubar Violet Sparkle from the Sparkles collection (spring 2010.). :x Just add some more color, imagine these lighter particles being more pink, add a lot of glow and you'll be able to picture this beauty. There are two coats here over Nfu Oh Aqua base and two coats of INM Out the door top coat. I've worn it for two days and it hasn't chipped even on my right index (polish usually falls off this nail within a day since it's peeling), which is a phenomenon for me and glitters. On the other hand, it may have something to do with the fact I used INM instead of Seche Vite.

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Some swatch spam

Moj prvi swatch spam post. :D Uglavnom su to ili a) lijepi lakići iz kojih su ispali loši swatchevi (svjetlo lampe i to) koje treba ponoviti na ljeto, b) lakovi (ili layering eksperimenti) koji me nisu dovoljno inspirirali da bi im posvetila cijeli post c) lakovi koji su mi jednostavno gadni i koji će postati franken materijal. Pa, krenimo...

My fist swatch spam post. :D The reasons for not posting these individually are various - these are either a) awful swatches of beautiful polishes (artificial light and my camera destroy many colors) that I'll hopefully redo in summer, b) polishes (or layering experiments) that don't inspire me enough to dedicate an entire post to them or c) polishes that are plain ugly and are about to become a frankening material. So....

Nubar Gem je neobičan. Nije ni linearni holo (poput npr. Nfu Oh 61, China Glaze DV8) a niti klasični disperzivni (poput OPI DS Extravagance ili Color Club Wild at heart). Baza je nešto a la frost/pearl prljavo-roze nude nijanse s holografskim šljokicama (ajme, kakav opis). Suši se mat pa je sloj nadlaka obavezan. Ovdje su dva sloja, ali tek sad na fotkama vidim da je trebao i treći. Lakić mi je lijep ali mi baš ne stoji. Mislim da bi tamnoputim curama stajao predivno. :)
Nubar Gem is an unusual holo. It's not linear (like Nfu Oh 61 or China Glaze DV8) and it isn't a dispersed holo either (like OPI DS Extravagance or Color Club Wild at heart). The base is a beige to dusty pink frost with holographic glitter particles (OMG, what a description). It dries matte so TC is a must. There are two layers in the photo but now I see it could have used a third too. I like the color and the effect but I don't like how it looks on me. I think it would look wonderful on darker skin. :)

Art de Lautrec 07b. Sličan finiš Nubar Gemu - kao da je preko sloja sedefastog laka nanesen sloj nekog holo nadlaka. Također se suši mat. Ovaj je lak prvi kandidat za frankening, boja mi je bljak, podsjeća me na ćufte! :D Ali s dodatkom malo ljubičastog moglo bi bit nešto od njega.
Art de Lautrec 07b. Similar in finish to Nubar Gem - it's like a layer of a holographic top coat applied over a pearl brown polish. This one dries matte too. And this definitely  fits the c) category - I hate the color, reminds me of meat balls! :D Maybe a few drops of purple would help...

L.A. Colors Fink Sizzle matiran. Primijetila sam da od svih lakova najviše volim matirati duochrome lakove. Fink Sizzle je ciklamasto - narančasti duochrome i najljepši mi je u mat varijanti.

L.A. Colors Fink Sizzle mattified.  I noticed that I like mattifying duochromes the most. Fink Sizzle is a pink-orange duochrome that I like most when it's mattified.

L.A. Girl Groupie (Rockstar kolekcija). Definitivno kategorija a)! Totalno me frustrira što ne mogu uslikati ovog ljepotana. Možda pokušam još na ljeto ali ovo je jedna od onih ljubičastih koja uporno na fotkama ispada plavo a sav duochrome se izgubi. (za poštene swatcheve bacite pogled na ove i ove).

L.A. Girl Groupie (Rockstar collection). This one definitely falls into category a). It's so frustrating not to be able to capture such an amazing color. Maybe I'll try again when summer comes... This is one of those purples that my camera perceives as blue and kills all the duochrome in the process. (for some decent swatches, check out  these and these).

H&M Blue my mind. Ime mu paše savršeno! :x Još jedan iz a) kategorije - boja je doduše dosta realna ali ruke mi na fotki izgledaju kao mrtvačke.  Jedan od mojih najljepših lakova - prefenomenalna, inenzivna, skoro neonska nijansa plave (cerulean možda?!). Tekstura je čudnjikava - nekako sluzava i gusta, ali sve se da sredit u dva sloja. E, da - ovo je lak kojeg me frendice najčešće žicaju :D i stalno me pitaju kad ću opet u Graz da im donesem koji.
H&M Blue my mind. It surely blue mine! :x Another one from the a) category - although the color is pretty close, my hands look corpse-like. This is one of the most amazing polishes I own - a fabulous, intensive, almost neon shade of blue (cerulean, maybe?!). The formula is a bit funny - a bit slimy and streaky but nothing a second coat wouldn't fix. Blue my mind is the polish my friends borrow the most. They're always asking if I'm going to Austria soon, and if I can help them get this beauty.

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Claire's Chunky purple

Konačno, nakon mjesec dana čekanja, stigao mi je moj dugo željeni Chunky purple. :x  Ne znam baš koliko je purple, više je zagasita ciklama. Baza je ciklamasti jelly, sitne šljokice su roskaste a velike šesterokutne su srebrne što daje zanimljiv efekt - one koje su nanesene u prvom sloju izgledaju ciklamasto a one u zadnjem sloju laka srebrno.  Na fokama su tri sloja (što je više slojeva, to je boja ljepša i tamnija - s jednim je skroz rozi) i sloj INM Out the door brzosušećeg nadlaka. Mislim da mi je ovaj slatkiš postao novi najdraži magenta glitter (prešišavši Zoyu Roxy :D ).

Finally, after a month of waiting, Chunky purple - my long time lemming has arrived. :x I wouldn't really call this purple, it's more of a deep magenta. The base is a magenta jelly, the small glitter is pinkish while the large hexagonal ones are silver. That creates an interesting effect  - the hex glitters in the first coat shine through the base and the ones in the last coat look silver. There are three coats in these pics (the more coats, the richer and darker the color) and a layer of INM Out the door fast-drying top coat. I think this has become my new favorite magenta glitter (before Zoya Roxy :D ).

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Blog awards... :)

I won some blog awards :). First, let me apologize first for not posting this sooner. And now, on to the awards:

I’ve been tagged for a Stylish Blogger Award by Stickers from Nails, Wanted! and Lindsay from Yacking about Lacquer. Thanks, girls! :)

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank and link the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers

4. Contact these bloggers to tell them about this award!

1. I love coffee.
2. I am addicted to House M.D.
3. I’m an IKEA junkie! (oddly, I still don’t own a Helmer…)
4. I shake polish bottles.
5. I love to dance. If I don’t go out often enough, I dance around my apartment while cleaning.
6. I love animals. Of all the animal kingdom, I think only a few give me the creeps (won’t name those here). I was always rescuing drowning bugs from water when I was a kid. In fact, I did it once last summer.
7. I hate washing dishes. I think the dishwasher is one of man’s greatest inventions.

I’ve been tagged for I like your blog award by Nail crazy. Thanks, dear! :)

1. Why did you make this blog?

When I started spamming our local community forum with my swatches on a daily basis, I figured it was time to start my own blog.

2. What kind of blogs do you read?

Mostly nail polish and makeup blogs (I browse through a cooking blog every now and then, hoping some of the inspiration will rub on me. Still nothing.)

3. Do you have a favorite make-up brand ?

I love MAC, UD, Too Faced, Bourjois… but mostly buy Essence and Catrice. (I’m cheap when it comes to make-up). :D

4. What about the favorite clothing brand?

H&M (I’m cheap when it comes to clothes too). :D

5. What piece in you make-up bag is the most important to you?

Eye shadow (I bet nobody chose that ;) ).

6. Your favorite color?

Purple.

7. Favorite perfume?

At the moment - D&G Light Blue. My all-time favorite is Davidoff Cool Water.

8. Your favorite movie?

Can’t choose just one.

9. What countries would you like to visit?

OK… Spain, Portugal, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Egypt, China, Malaysia, Russia, Iceland, United states, Canada, Mexico, Tunisia, Kenya… – a lot! The furthest I've been to is France.

The rules are: copy the picture, answer the questions and send it to your favorite blogs!

I’ve been tagged for A Blog with Substance award by KarenD from Frazzle and Aniploish. Thanks, KarenD! :)

The rules:
1. Thank and link back to the giver of the award.

2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using 5 words.
Need-more-than-five-words. (did I get the task right?! :D)
3. Pass it on to other bloggers that you feel have substance in their blogs.

I’m tagging these blogs for all of the above awards:
(*) Kendal 
(*) Goose's Glitter

(*) OnceBitten
(*) Nail crazy *
(*) Pass the polish
(*) Polish lava
(*) Nothing personail  
(*) Hysteria Of Decay
(*) Lendoxia
(*) Mina's blog 
(*) Nails, Wanted! *
(*) Nails for fun
(*) Ditch the mittens
(*) Girl Stuff
(*) Ash-Lilly's Lacquer Lust 

* Except the Stylish Blogger Award for Stickers and I like your blog award for Nail crazy (since they tagged me for these)
**I didn’t check each blog to see if you recently received any of these awards. In case you did, no need to post it for the 100th time. Share this:

Nfu Oh #52

Dugo nisam nijedan flakie uslikala, a ovaj je pravi mali kameleon. Već sam ga slikala preko Orly Royal navy ali sam izgleda skroz drugačije. Na svakom svjetlu i u svako doba dana izgleda drugačije. Više nisam sigurna - je li ljubičast ili plav ili plavo-zelen. Baza mu je indigo jelly no tirkizni flakieji i shimmer u njemu u nekim svjetlosnim uvjetima prevladaju pa ispadne plavo-zelen. Na fotkama su tri sloja i sloj Seche Vitea. Nisam baš sigurna da ova nijansa baze paše uz moj ton kože ali, u svakom slučaju, #52 je divan za layering, a budući da je baza dosta prozirna u jednom sloju, možda bi se mogao nanositi i preko svijetlijih nijansi. :)

It's been a long time since I last swatched a flakie and this one is a true chameleon. I took some swatches of it over Orly Royal navy, but on it's own it looks totally different - it changes completely in different light conditions. I'm not sure anymore - is it purple, blue or green?! It's base is a purple jelly but the turqoise flakies and shimmer in it take over in some lights making it look blue or green. There are three coats and a coat of Seche vite in these pics. I'm not that sure this base color looks good with my skin tone but it's great for layering. Since the base is pretty sheer in one coat, maybe this would look good over lighter colors too. :)

Na umjetnom svjetlu:

In artificial light:

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Kelier blue crackle polish

Prije par dana stigao mi je paketić od Jessice s Born Pretty Store koja me zamolila da recenziram par stvarčica, između ostalog i... dva crackle lakića! ;;) Mislim da me uhvatila lagana crackle-manija :D. Tek sam ih jučer podigla na pošti a već ih mažem preko svega na što naiđem. Nakon nekoliko swatcheva na celofanu preko nekoliko boja, ova kombinacija mi se najviše svidjela. Za podlogu sam koristila srebrni CND Silver chrome. Na jedan sloj još mokrog srebrnog laka nanijela sam jedan sloj crackle laka - tanki sloj na svim noktima osim na srednjaku gdje je malo deblji. Izgleda da što je tanji sloj ima više pukotina a što je deblji, pukotine su šire (ili se to možda čini jer je i plava tamnija pa je veći kontrast prema srebrnoj podlozi). Nakon što lak ispuca i malo se osuši, dodaje se nadlak. Ne preporučujem brzosušeće, bolje je nanijeti neki za sjaj. Ja sam se zeznula i stavila Seche vite - naravno, za 10 minuta Seche je uspio stisnuti sve pukotine :P (vidi sliku dolje). Kako vam se čini ovaj crackle? I koji vam je tip crackle efekta ljepši - ovaj ili OPI/Barry M?
Born Pretty Store drži, osim lakova, raznorazne nail art stvarčice. Poslali su mi i jedan image plate i još par lakića, koje ću isprobati uskoro.Cracking lakova imaju u nekoliko boja: crna, ljubičasta, plava, zelena, crvena (više hot-pink) i žuta, dođu 4.5$ a do 31.1. uz kupon na stranici daju 10% popusta.

A few days ago I received a package from Jessica of Born Pretty Store . She asked me to review some of their products, including... two crackle polishes! ;;) I think a have a slight case of crackle-mania :D. I just picked these up from the post office yesterday and I've been applying them over everything I can get my hands on. I swatched various combos on foil and liked this one the best. For the base color I used one layer of CND Silver chrome. While the base polish was still wet, I applied one coat of crackle - all were thin coats, except the middle where I used a thicker coat. It seems that the thinner the coat is - the more crackles you get and the thicker it is - the cracks seem wider (this may also be because the contrast between the colors is more pronounced with the thicker coat). After the cracking is done and it dries a bit, I applied a top coat. I don't recommend quick-drying top coats, I would go with a thick coat (or two thin coats) of a glossy TC. I made a mistake and used Seche Vite and in 10 minutes it managed to shrink almost all cracks back together :P (see picture below). What do you think of this crackle? Which do you like better - this or the OPI/Barry M type of crackle?

Born Pretty Store holds various nail art goodies. I also received an image plate and some more polishes, I'll be trying soon. Cracking polishes come in several colors: black, purple, blue, green, red (more hot-pink) and yellow, they are 4.5$ and there's a 10% discount till 31.1. with a coupon on their site.

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Color Club Wild at heart

Samo jedan brzinski swatch da vidite da sam još živa... napola. Uglavnom, provela sam 5 dana u krevetu strgana od upale grla/uha/svega i još dolazim k sebi tako da mi je snifanje para iz lakova zadnje na pameti. Ali evo jednog starog swatcha. Ukratko - ljubičast, holografski, 1 sloj, postojan... san snova! :x

Just a quick swatch to let you know I'm alive... barely. I spent five days in bed cause of a throat/ear infection so inhaling polish fumes was the last thing on my mind. So this is one from the archives (forgot to post it). In a nutshell - purple, holographic, 1-coater, it lasts... a dream! :x

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New Year mani: OPI Mad as a hatter

Evo konačno i mog swatcha Hattera. Ne mogu vjerovat da ga imam skoro godinu dana a da ga tek sad fotkam. Eto, mogu staviti kvačicu kraj bar jedne od novogodišnjih odluka. Da su bar sve tako lake! :D Što reći o Mad as a hatteru... predivna šljokičava bomba koja se lako nanosi (2 sloja su obično dosta), ali nažalost brzo otkrhne i brzo zgusne. Ovo je jedan od onih lakova za koje treba "malo" pretrpiti ali se definitivno isplati. Na fotkama su tri sloja (treći je dodan da malo popravim izlizane vrhove) bez nadlaka. Uočila sam da se Hatter i sa i bez nadlaka otkrhne na par mjesta za dan ali sa Seche Vite zna kompletno otpast s nokta (pogledajte Ivanine fotke sličnog Hatter+Seche incidenta :D). Unatoč Burlesque kolekciji, iako je predivna, Mad as a hatter je ipak moj najdraži višebojni glitter. :x

And finally my Mad as a hatter swatch. I can't believe I had it for almost a year and didn't swatch it. At least I can mark one of my New year resolutions as done, wish they were all this simple. :D What can I say about Mad as a hatter... a gorgeous glitter bomb that applies nicely (2 coats are usually enough), but chips and thickens too fast. It's one of these polishes that requires some extra effort but it is definitely worth it. There are three coats here (I added the third to fix some tipwear) without top coat. I noticed Hatter chips with or without TC, but when I apply Seche vite on top it sometimes completely falls off (check out Ivana's pics of the Hatter+Seche incident :D ). So I usually choose not to apply TC cause I prefer a few small chips than no polish on my nail at all. In spite of the Burlesque collection, as beautiful as it is, Mad as a hatter still remains my favorite multi-colored glitter. :x

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