... splatter attempt 2 ...

I'm seriously loving the splatter look and it's so easy to recreate! There are plenty of tutorials out there so this is just answering the questions I was asked last time both from here, via email and from friends.

[My nails are still painted in Inglot 627 that I reviewed earlier and my splatter polish is Face of Australia Molten Metallics in Gold]

What straws do you use?
Personally I've just been using the kids drinking straws. These are thin straws that I'd picked up from Ikea - they are nothing super special. I wouldn't recommend those bigger straws like the ones from McDonalds but I've heard people have had great success with straws from fruitboxes/poppers/juiceboxes. For the official record these only have a 1cm diameter.

How do you get the paint onto the straw?
From all the tutorials I've seen most put a tab of polish onto a plate or some foil and dab the straw in it. I'm pretty slack so I've just been putting the straw into the actual polish bottle.

Be warned ... if you do it this way you need to make sure you don't have a lot of polish hanging on the outside of your straw. Gravity will be your enemy if you do and you'll end up with giant splotches of where it's just dropped off your straw. If that happens then when you are finish just scoop up the extra polish with the brush and put it back in the bottle

What do your nails look like after the splatter?
Well messy is the simple version. I know others wrap tape around their nails to stop the excess run off onto the nails but I don't bother. Cleanup is really simple and easy after you are done and especially if the nails are still went. I grab some nail polish remover and cotton buds/q-tips and get to work. Should be pretty simple unless you are using glitter then you'll need to get scrubbing!

I've just realised that this looks like chunky baby poo - ewwwww. Sorry about that. Grab your polish brush and pick up some of the extra polish and put it back in the bottle. Then put a clear top coat on and it should be nice and flat with no lumps and bumps :)

Voila - Final product! Ooh ... pretty!

... Inglot O2M Breathable 627 ...

Inglot O2M Breathable 627

Brought from Inglot Cosmetics - $21.00 AUD

The correct title for this post should be "the most expensive polish I've ever brought so far". I'm quickly learning that depending on where you live in the world there is a different opinion on what expensive polish is. While there cheaper polishes in Australia majority of the bigger brands are expensive - OPI is around $20 here, Revlon is around $15. I definitely didn't walk into that store expecting to buy this at all - I just got sucked in to the hype.

This polish is from their O2M Breathable range ... which supposedly according to the sales chick is supposed to make it last longer and chip free and be better for my nails? I'll believe it when I see it!

Now on the whole - it's a pretty brown colour with shimmer through it but ... it's rather sheer. I needed 3 coats to totally cover my nails but on the plus side it's not streaky and dries quickly.

I decided to put this to what I consider the Ultimate Test ... I go swimming at the local public pool once a week and it's hell on my nails! I'm yet to have any polish survive an hour in the toxic chlorine wastepool since I started this blog. It's hard not to put your hands in the water while swimming laps and generally I end up leaving nail polish behind when I go [which I'm sure is disgusting for the next person]

Here is a pretty swatch taken 24 hours before I went to the swimming pool [Note the only top coat I've used is Sally Hansen Insta-Dry]

[excuse the unsightly skin around my middle finger - I've caught it at some stage *sad]

And here is the after picture. To be honest I'm quite impressed - only one finger suffered a slight chip which was the middle on my right hand on the tip. Generally every finger ends up with some damage and half my manicure left behind.

I'm going to come back and review this one on longevity at some stage as I know some people like their polish to last the entire working week - I just need to wait for some pool free time to be able to test this properly.

** Final Verdict **
This polish is easy to wear, easy to apply and easy on the eyes ... too bad it's not easy on the bank balance. I'm not sure if I'm entirely sold on the "breathable" part but I will come back to this polish as I really want to see how many days I can make it last before making a final call on it.

... giveaways ...

Here's this weeks giveaway plugs - all are international! So go sign up!!! I really want someone I read to win!!! GO GO GO GO

At your fingertips 50 followers giveaway - ENDS June 30

Vi Giveaway - ENDS July 4

The Manicured Monkey giveaway - ENDS July 5

Blushingnoir Giveaway - ENDS July 9

... haul update ...

[edited] I'm also now on Facebook - the link is on the right :)
Also I've updated my blogroll - if you follow me and you can't see yourself just drop me a note in the comments and I'll fix that up :)

I've got a proper post coming tomorrow for you guys but here's some photos of my Chemistry hauls that I've been chasing the last 2 weeks. Majority are either glitter, multichromes or this weird colour change thing that has a bright blue through them - If any super catch your eye sing out and I'll swatch first :D

And a note to myself to get swatching this portion of my stash!

Have a great Tuesday :)

... Max Factor Nailfinity 627 Redly Nightshade ...

Max Factor Nailfinity 627 Redly Nightshade

Purchased from Priceline - $11.95

I picked this up for free as I had a gift certificate that was about to expire. Yay for vouchers!!

I've been looking for a great red for such a long time and while this one is bright and a fantastic looking red - it's not the best red for my nails :( Hello lobster hands! It's definitely the same shade as in the bottle - so no nasty surprises or disappointement there.

It's a dream to apply - it's streak free and dries smooth quickly but ... and it's a big but ... it's so sheer!! I used 3 coats and I could still see the whites of my nails underneath.

** Final Verdict **

A nice red colour but extremely sheer. I'll have to work out another way of wearing this one. I'm wanting to check out some other colours in this range as it was such a dream to apply.

... giveaways ...

Blingernails 100 followers giveaway -ENDS July 21

The Trace Face Files Giveaway - ENDS July 8

... blog suggestions ...

Hey you guys - I'm after some suggestions of new blogs to read - mainly ones about nail polish!

While I'm doing a lot of surfing and clicking off peoples blog rolls I'd love some suggestions of peoples personal favourites to read or recommendations of someone who is like me and new to blogger.

Thought I'd through it out there!

Enjoy your Saturday - I'll leave you with a picture of some pretty Nfu-Ohs that I received weeks ago and was so excited about receiving it ... but I haven't yet swatched :( Must get onto that!

... Friday Favourites ...

Welcome to another Friday Favourites! I still have plenty more of my fave polishes to review for you guys!!   Also we are now on Twitter :) I'm still a Twitter noob but I'd love more people to follow. My name is ShattermeClaire - so get too it! :D


Scandal - Mirage Pink

Purchased from and price unknown :( Wish I could remember

I found this polish in Melbourne really by chance when I was visiting recently and honestly have been kicking myself that I only brought 2 colours and not a whole lot more!

Back then I didn't own any Nfu-Oh and I was only starting to get into polish and I really wanted a pretty corset bottle ... and I didn't care what was in it! So I grabbed this one and another off the clearance rack and left happy with my purchase. I won't say that it's an Nfu-Oh "fake" as if it really wanted to be a fake it would have Nfu-Oh spelt incorrectly on the bottle with horrible smelling contents inside. It just happens to be another pretty corset bottle which happens to have decent polish inside!

The brand is Scandal and I've always assumed it comes from Korea as I picked it up from a Korean chemist ... the internet wasn't extremely helpful when I brought these in knowing more details. [Google says they have a webpage but my virus protector won't let me anywhere near it!]

This one is mirage pink and it tends to change between the colours rose pink, orange and gold depending on the light. I saw a similar colour to this the other day which was Revlon Kiss Me Coral but whether they swatch similar is another thing all together. I've got it now on my wishlist to try and get hold off!

I haven't yet tried this with a dark base but I've found that's a bit on the sheer side so you'll need 2-3 coats. It's streak free and quick drying.

You can see a bit of the gold shine through in the bottle :) I only own 2 Scandal polishes but I can't get either to line up properly again with the corset top *sad* :(

** Final Verdict **

I am so happy that I found this polish. It's one of my favourites as it's not bright enough to be overpowering but easy enough to wear everyday yet still grab peoples attention. Pretty!

... Chemistry 203 ...

Chemistry - 203

Essential Beauty/ Essential Distribution - $4.55
[current sale - if you buy 5 bottles its $3.95 each]

I went out of my way to get my hand on some Chemistry polishes after I'd heard about them on the MakeupAlley boards. They are definitely Ozotic dupes to the point that they have the same number!

They don't come in the pretty round bottles that the Ozotics do and you get 1ml less polish [it's only 15ml bottles] ... but the price is a lot cheaper! Ozotics are generally between $12.95-$14.95 and these basic Chemistry branded polishes retail for under $5 [the multi-chromatics are only $9.95 if you buy them singular - I paid $3.95 for the few I got my hands on! Wooooo]

203 isn't much to write home about by itself but it's a great as a top coat. It's a clear polish with red glitter and holographic strips. Sparkle City!!! Glitters in clear polish generally looks fantastic in the bottle but are bitterly disappointing when on the nail. I'm so glad this didn't let me down!!

[Nails just look black in this one but check out the holos in the bottle! Woah!]

[blurry photo to check out the red glitter goodness!]

** Final Verdict **

If you already have the Ozotic Pro version then don't bother ... but if you are in Australia and too poor to fork out for the Ozotic versions then I'd definitely give this a try!  I love the shiny red glitter when the sun catches it. Definitely a whole lot better than most glitter polishes that come my way!

... giveaways ...

Jump on board ... you know you want too!! I'd love someone I read to win! YAY!

All open internationally :)

Check out Jessica's Nail Art 100 Followers Giveaway - ENDS SOON June 24 - GO GO GO

Nails from Fairy Tale 100 followers giveaway - ENDS July 20

Midnight Manicures 500 Followers Giveaway ... 6 prizes to be won! - ENDS July 31

Lacquered Lover 50 follower giveaway [but she's close too 100 now!!] - ENDS July 1

Taras Nails 100 Follower Giveaway - ENDS July 3 [2 prizes!]

The Nailasaurus 800 follower giveaway - ENDS July 10

... first splatter attempt ...

I first saw a splatter mani here at The PolishAholic and really really wanted to try it out. So here is my first ever attempt at it! It's good ol' Face of Australia Titanium over Mode Party Girl which I reviewed in my last post.

It was definitely a lot easier than I thought it would be. Dip straw in polish, blow through other end of straw, sit back and look at pretty designs! Easy!

I'm quite pleased with how the middle and pinky fingers turned out but it's obvious I need some more practice! Some places are just huge blotches where the polish just fell off the straw in big clumps.

My husband seems to think that it looks like bird droppings all over my hands - charming! :( I'm quite pleased with it though and I'm going to give it another bash later!

... Mode Cosmetics - Party Girl ...

Mode Cosmetics - Party Girl

Purchased from Carrig Chemists - $2.45

**DISCLAIMER **

My camera really hated this colour so apologies in advance for the photos - for some reason it decided that the colour was light blue and I couldn't do anything to make it appear more green like it actually is ... in the end I had to borrow my husbands phone camera to try and get the colour to appear more like it is. The photos still don't do it justice.

With a name like "party girl" I had to test this polish out. I love polish with quirky names that catch your attention. Although on saying that - when I think "party" the colour aquamarine doesn't exactly spring to mind. But each to their own.

This colour jumped at me out of the polish bin - it reminded me of my last car. It's a bright aqua that seems to change between blue and green depending on the light. There is a tiny bit of shimmer to the polish as well so it's not a flat colour but it's not glittery either.

I really struggled to capture this colour as a sea green which is a shame as it's so lovely.

Streak free and quick drying. 2 coats for a perfect finish.

[Looking more blue than green in the sunshine!]

** Final Verdict **

I'll be wearing this one again in the future. I like the fact that it changes colour between the blue and the green and the fact that it's cheap, streak free and easy to apply makes it all a bonus.

... fake OPI mini bottles...

I received some 100% fake OPI minis during the week from eBay [luckily I had a decent seller who is happy to refund in full without a fight- hoorah!] and I found that there are plenty of sites via google to look at to give you handy advice on what to look out for on full sized bottles but I really struggled to find much on minis at all.

Most of the information given out on "how to tell if your OPI is fake" doesn't even apply to minis as the mini bottles don't have a serial number on the top and they don't have a label on the bottom [recent ones at least have serial numbers printed on the bottom glass]

As soon as I opened the packet I thought they were fakes but still asked a fantastic polish loving friend to confirm for me [thanks Reece ♥ ]

So here are a few photos of what I received in hope that it will help someone else out there in the future if they receive something similar and are unsure if they've got the real deal or not.

Fake bottles around a genuine OPI mini - notice the bottom glass is a lot bigger on the fakes compared to the middle bottle.

Dodgy bottom sticker complete with Asian text.

[I also found if you peeled the label off the the bottles were engraved with single or double digit numbers]

It's a shame that they were such poor quality polish [and disgusting smell] but fortunately they all looked a million percent better in the bottles then they do on nails - that definitely makes me feel a whole lot better about returning them!

Here's the colours I tested out ... see they look ok in the bottle but in real life ... yick! Definitely nothing special and nothing to write about. [These are all shown over my favourite black - Coral Colours in Black Sateen]

Exciting stuff hey ... probably the worst thing I've ever put on my nails.

So there you go - lessons here are ... don't buy polishes off eBay [even if they do slug you a small fortune for it] and that Google is your friend in regards to finding out more if you are thinking that your polish isn't genuine.

... Friday Favourites ...

Wayhey - it's another episode of Friday Favourites :D

Maybelline mini Colorama - 67 Wonder Violet

Available from Target/Priceline/Big W - $5.95

I love purple. It's just a colour that has always jumped out at me, made me smile and has been one of my favourite colours for years. But ... I struggled to find a perfect purple polish for years. They were always too dull or too blue or too black or the total wrong shade. All hope was lost ... until this came along.

It is a bright purple but it has shimmers of blue and gold throughout. It's definitely not a dull colour and always brightens up my day when I wear it :) 

I know I've said it before but I love mini bottles. It's the only way I have been able to use up a full bottle of polish in the past. Just seems to be fantastic not to have all that waste!

[Ooh ... just realised how red and wrinkled my hand is looking in this photo - sorry bout that! My hands aren't liking this cold winter weather]

** Final Verdict **
I love this polish. It's been in my top 5 for years and I just can't stop wearing it! ♥ I'll also mention that this polish has an extremely long wear life even without a topcoat which is great for when you are feeling lazy! I generally can get 5 days out of this colour without touchups before the wear around the tips starts to look dreadful. A definite plus!

... Face of Australia - Titanium ...

Face of Australia - Titanium

Purchased from Priceline - $4.95 [on sale this week at Big W for $3.95!]

Yes ... another silver! I promise I do have other colours in my collection [which seems to be growing daily ... I'm sure I'll be back on "no buy" soon *sad*]

I'll be honest - this was an impulse buy ... and one that I don't regret at all! I picked this up from my local Priceline while buying cough syrup for my sick children and it was there on the counter shining at me!!! How could I resist throwing it into the collection of stuff I was buying!

This is from the Face of Australia Molten Metallics collection which I think is a fab collection of metallics. All are shiny and bright and everything you expect a metallic to be.

Titanium is a bright silver. It catches the sun and reflects! It's not a shimmer or a glitter - it's just a bright foil colour. My kids refer to it as "Robot Fingers". So think shiny brand new machinery [not dirty factory machinery - eww]

It's also a one coater!! WOW!!! One coat will completely cover your nail in silver without going gloopy or blotchy or smudge city before it dries - but a word of caution ... this one is a real pain to get off of your skin if you make a boo-boo [hence the shocking pinky finger in the pic below]

** Final Verdict **

I love the fact this polish goes on with a single coat! It probably won't be the best loved of my silver polishes [I still love Heavy Metal from piCture pOlish] but I have been using this as a base coat a lot especially for nail art [I also used it in my franken- All about Sass]. It's simple yet striking.

[edited] Big W have a 20% off Face of Australia polish sale on now!! I went and brought some other colours - for $3.95 it's worth a try and it's not going to break your budget!

... First attempt at mummy tape mani ...

I wasn't going to upload this but as someone pointed out - if I don't record where I started I won't have anything later to compare my efforts too.

I decided to give the mummy tape mani from Nailside a go while I was feeling half creative and wasn't in the mood to wrestle my existing polish off.

So here is the result - not the clearest of lines so I'm not totally happy with it but it's a start! And I figure you have to start somewhere!

Colours used were Picture Polish in Heavy Metal [left over from my last post!] and BYS in Garnet

I actually really like these colours and want to do it again [although I might go for a feature nail the other way around with colours]

Any tips and handy hints appreciated :)

... Picture Polish - Heavy Metal ...

Picture Polish - Heavy Metal

Purchased from picturepolish.com.au - $9.95

Now that's what I'm talking about!!!!  A bottle that looks exactly like the product that comes out onto your nails!! Excitement Plus!!

This polish comes from the piCture pOlish "metallics" range and it's definitely metallic! It's lovely tones of silver that definitely shines in the sunlight and it's a bit like a glitter as it goes on - there are little particles of silver but unlike a glitter you don't need a coloured coat underneath. This is perfect just as it is.

It's not a smooth polish but a few coats of a top coat will sort that out and make it totally smooth and still as shiny as it was without.

I'll give a word of warning though - this polish comes out of the bottle thick. I got excited first try and thought I could get away with it looking fantastic with one single coat. Lesson learnt. Little is more with this polish. I had to really make sure there wasn't much polish on the brush for each coat or it just wouldn't dry - even with a top coat of quick dry ... so go for tiny amounts to build it up! It's worth it!

** Final Verdict **
I love this polish. It's everything that a silver should be - bright, shiny and in your face! There is nothing dull about this colour and even on a cold and overcast day like today it doesn't take much to still shine and improve your mood. This is definitely going in the favourites box!

... Friday Favourites ...

Welcome to another edition of Friday Favourites :) And hello to new subscribers *waves*

BYS - Nocturnal

Purchased at Cheap as Chips - $3.50

I picked up this colour awhile ago from basically a dollar shop while I was in browsing for some other items. 

Now I'm a sucker for pretty bottles of polish and at least for $3.50 I wasn't too worried about what would happen if it was a dud. The bottle is a gorgeous dark blue with hints of darker polish throughout and the polish itself doesn't disappoint. In the sunlight you can make it turn to a sparkle filled royal blue but generally it's the shiny dark blue colour.

You definitely need 2 or 3 coats of this polish for full coverage - it's easy enough to apply but the first coat is a bit tacky when you run the brush over it.

But ... wow!! I love this colour so much and it feels like a jelly. Thick but smooth.  Shiny but not overpowering.

** Final Verdict **

Why pay a fortune for a jelly polish when you can pick up something like this. Fantastic colour, awesome shine, long lasting [I've managed to make this sucker last for 5 days without a top coat - woohoo!!]

:(

:( My last 2 posts have looked perfect on the blogger screen when typing and then I've had all sorts of errors when posting them up :(

I really do like this layout but I might have to do something about changing it so that I can post up what I actually want to say without a whole heap of formatting issues and then wasting time trying to fix it up

[edited] ok I'm back to a plain layout but I can handle that - less mucking around. Thanks for being patient with me

I've also tried to put all my subscribers on the blog roll on the left ... seems only fair to plug people who actually read :)

... Picture Polish - Razzle Dazzle ...

Picture Polish - Razzle Dazzle

Purchased online from PicturePolish.com.au - $9.95

One day I'll stop buying pretty shiny reflective polishes just 'cos they look pretty. I couldn't resist how fantastic this bottle looks ... purples, greens, blues, silvers ... all winking at me and saying "Buy Me"!

Let's be honest ... although the bottle is every so pretty - the polish itself is only clear with tiny flecks of glitter scattered through out.  It's from Picture Polishes "Glitter" range which I guess is just that - glitter in a bottle with some clear varnish. Shame though as that bottle colour is so awesome.

I could have gone and brought some dollar shop cheapies in those 4 glitter colours and done my nails and saved some cash. The glitter itself isn't too bad but I wanted some oomfph, some bling, some razzle dazzle!

This is shown over my own franken creation "All about Sass"

** Final Verdict **
I'll say this - I was disappointed at first with this polish when I put it on until about 24 hours later when I was outside and realised how fantastic it looks against a metallic colour. I only put the Razzle Dazzle on one hand so I could really appreciate the difference. Also unlike most glitters - this one actually feels smooth without a top coat to fill in the gaps. I haven't found myself picking at the glitter as it's all bumpy - cos it's not there!

While I can't see myself wearing it as a polish alone I can definitely see myself getting it out for a top layer again

***

OMG ... I have hit 10 followers!!! Hello *waves* Thanks for following - I love comments so don't be shy :)

** Giveaway Plugs **

** Sorry my for the strange way this post has decided to format itself **

I'm sure everyone loves a giveaway and even though I don't have many readers [hello the 9 of you *waves* I'm so excited to see everyone of you!!] I thought I'd do my bit to give a free plug. I would so love a name that I recognise to win something :)

All of these are international giveaways so what do you have to loose?? Pretty much nothing so ... Sign up now :D

Rebecca Likes Nails is having a 500 follower giveaway  - ends June 18th

****

Enamel Girl first blog anniversary giveaway - ends June 10th

****

GlidedNails 1500 follower giveaway [wow that's a lot of followers] - ends June 15th

****

Lovely in Lacquer - 100 follower giveaway - ends June 14th

****