Monday, August 25, 2014

... piCture pOlish blog/insta fest 2014!! ...

Well it's that time of year again people! It seems like only yesterday that I was posting last years fest post. Time flies!


So annual piCture pOlish blog/insta fest is today and this year the girls are featuring "Nail Vinyls" aswell as some beautiful polishes. Awesome! I'm really excited to be able to participate for the third year running. This is the fantastic package that I received from the girls at piCture pOlish to showcase today. Three gorgeous shades plus some funky looking nail vinyls! Let's get to it!

 

Firstly, here is the beautiful polish "Grace". Lately, I've been using a lot more subtle colours in regards to nail polish and this definitely will be getting a lot of wear from me! It's a beautiful gentle colour that is appropriate for every situation.


I've used 3 coats plus a top coat for these pictures. Grace is slightly on the sheer side but I didn't notice the nail line until seeing these photos through the computer.


I'll never fail to stop loving a holo! Even though I love the "in your face" linear holographics, this is still beautifully stylish. As soon as it catches the sunlight, it lights up into that beautiful sprinkle of rainbow.



The description for this polish nicely which is "Paint your nails like a Princess" which I think sums it up. Princess Grace was always flawlessy elegant and classy and that is exactly what I think of when looking at my nails.


And now for something completely different *queue Monty Python music* ... It's Nail Vinyls!


Now it's no secret that I suck-diddly-uck when it comes to using striping tape. It is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to nail art. No matter what I do it is always destined to end up as a megafail and then I'd have a little cry in the corner. I thought I'd be stuck in this trap forever ... Then along came Nail Vinyls!


LIFE SAVER!! Words cannot describe the joy of actually creating this manicure. Look at those fantastic straight chevron lines! BAM! And the best bit is, if I can do this with my years of tape mani failures, then you are definitely able to grab some vinyls and rock a design with no issues. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!


The piCture pOlish colours that are used in this design are Swagger and Fairy Floss which surprised me on how well they worked together! And I didn't realise that Australia is the only place that uses the term Fairy Floss? Everywhere else is Candy Floss or Cotton Candy apparently! There you go!


While the Nail Vinyls come with full instructions to use, my best tip is to have patience! The bottom coat of colour needs to be fully dry or you will end up catching it when you pull off the vinyl. I didn't have any dramas with the chevrons not sticking down or other issues that I find I have constantly with striping tape.


So my steps to recreate this look is to paint the base coat, wait til it was fully dry and then position and place the chevrons. Press them down firmly (especially on the edge of the nail) and then paint over. Pull the chevrons off and voila!! Easy.



Also I really want to mention that Swagger has the best formula of a polish that I've come across lately. It beautifully glides on the nail and then sort of levels out to hide any streaks. One coat is all I used for the Swagger base and it was perfection!

So that sums up this years blog/insta fest post! I'll put the inlinkz at the bottom so you can see more beautiful creations from the day.

piCture pOlish can be found online at the following places:
International Stockists: http://picturepolish.com.au/network

The girls at piCture pOlish will also be retailing a special exclusive 4 pack "Nail Vinyls" including Chevrons, Mini Chevrons, Straight and Right Angles.

Alternatively Nail Vinyls can be found at these links:


Polishes were provided for review but all opinions, Aussie humour and dodgy photography are my own!
 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

... It's back!!! ... 7 days 7 ways!

In the past 3 years, I've dabbled in a few series and segments on the blog and this one, by far, is the one that I'm asked about the most. I've only attempted it a few times but due to mainly being time poor I haven't made it a permanent feature but while I'm celebrating ... it's back!!

So it's 7 days - 7 ways!! For those who aren't long term readers, I use 1 polish for a full week and try to make the most out of it with various combos and techniques. I originally made this series after being asked by friends on how to make the most out of their small polish collection (and by small, I mean like under 10 polishes small, not small as 1 helmer small!)

I've chosen this time around to use Wisteria by piCture pOlish which is available online worldwide. This is the new "reborn" shade that is currently available. Sadly I don't own the original but if anyone has it in a blogsale I'd love to own both!


 
So as always, day 1 is just wearing the polish as is! No gimmicks. Just 3 coats of gorgeous plus a top coat. Easy peasy! I think it's a really pretty purple. It's bright and warm enough to chase those winter blues away! I'm already looking forward to wearing this colour every day this week!


So I'll be here tomorrow with another suggestion on how to wear this polish. If you have a suggestion on how you want me to use it, then leave a blog comment or a message on the Shatter me Claire Facebook wall and I'll add it to the list!

Monday, June 16, 2014

... Aussie Nail Monday - Super Heroes and Villians

Hiya! Welcome to another episode of Aussie Nail Monday. Todays theme is Super Heroes and Villians which is quite exciting! It also gave me an excuse to grab the stamping plates!


I've chosen Iron Man and I've used Essie Bordeaux, Essence A Piece of Forever and piCture pOlish Nude. While I think that the colours work really well together if I had to do this mani again I wouldn't use the Essie. Being a jelly it was just too thin and runny for what I wanted to do. Also I found it really hard to match the opacity on each nail.


Iron Man is reversed stamped from the FUN 11 plate and I think he looks quite good considering the issues I had with Bordeaux.



Wanna see more Aussie Nails? Check out these links or check out #anmonday on Instagram!

Lily Jinks - @lilyandjinks
Ann - Nailovelogy
Tracy - @oliviajade19
Holly - @nails_by_holly
Naomi - @nadeekay and Nananaisnails
Erin Wu -  @erinzi and Erin Zi’s Nails
Astrid - @lovessweetas
Sarah Claire - @shattermeclaire or Shatter me Claire
Sylvie - @smudgedpolish
Tammy - @ohmygoshpolish
Christinemay - @xtinemayyy or Nails at 2am
Tash Birch - @tashisdead
Briana -

Sunday, June 15, 2014

... Too Fancy Lacquer - This Love Is Smokin' Hot ...

A bit of a milestone today! Apart from the fact that I've managed to blog daily for half a month, this is the most I've blogged in a month since October 2012!! WOW!!!

A month or so ago I left a memory card at my husbands work and I've only just rediscovered it. It had this beautiful gem on it which I had to show.


This is "This Love Is Smokin' Hot" by Too Fancy Lacquer and being a big fan of pink polishes, I was in love from the time I pulled it out the mailbox! All these swatches are 3 coats with the HK girl top coat.


So bright and so pretty! Sunshine is sadly lacking here at the moment so I'm so glad that I got a chance to wear this when the sun was out as it looks like it'll be awhile before I see blue skies again in my neighbourhood.


I give it bonus points as it still looked a pretty pink inside. YAY! It's definitely most brightest in full sunlight but the shade that it gives indoors is still adorable for any pink fan.


And I couldn't leave it alone so I stamped over it! Now if someone knows what plate this is from I'd be ever so grateful! I can't seem to find it again and I really want to use it as I love how this looks.

Saturday, June 14, 2014

.... Mckfresh Charity Duo - Coral Kisses & Bubble Toes ...

Something super special today! During the past week I received some fantastic mail in the post.

(photo from instagram)

I was very lucky to be a winner in the Charity Raffle over at MeiMeis Signatures that was full of one of a kind polishes! I received a beautiful duo from Aussie indie brand Mckfresh Nail Attire.

There is a fantasic coral polish named Coral Kisses and also a glitter combo in a white base named Bubble Toes. I was so excited to be a winner and it's not often that I'm organised enough to have swatches straight away but here goes!!

Coral Kisses seems to have a bit of everything. Apart from the divine colour, there is a soft scattered holo throughout and on top of that there is beautiful golden red shimmer going on as a bonus.


So pretty! I've forgotten how much I love coral polishes. And I'm so excited that this one made it's way into my life!



Onto the second polish ... Bubble toes consists of various sized and shaped glitter in black, purple and shades of pink, all in a milky white base.


Now I'm not the biggest glitter fan out there but I really liked this. I love the colours and most of all I love that it dries smooth without having to smother it in top coat. I've put a coat of Seche Vite on top of this anyway but I love any glitters that are smooth. If there is a hint of bumps or lumps, I will pick at it and that's a nervous habit that I try to avoid.


If you want to see more polishes at their new homes, check out the tag #meimeicharityraffle
on Instagram!

Friday, June 13, 2014

... Zoya Maya and Zoya Chloe ...

Hiya readers.

I'm been lucky enough to contract bronchitis in the last few days but I'm hoping to keep putting along with daily posts for you.

It's a real short one today but I found this while looking through my memory card and while it's a bit of a nail fail, I wanted to show it anyway as a lesson to myself that you just can't always tell what the camera is picking up.  I only took a small amount of pictures of this combo before I decided it wasn't worth the effort as the replays weren't looking anything like the original colour but when I looked at it today on the PC, it's closer than I thought it would be.

The camera doesn't always tell you the truth.



This is the extremely gorgeous Zoya Maya and I used Zoya Chloe on White for an accent nail. Chloe is a beautiful fleck polish in a pink tinted base but it didn't work for me here. I should have just layered it by itself or on a nude instead of on white.

So the lessons here are a) to keep on practicing and b) that your instincts aren't always right.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

... AIPAS - Animal Side ...

This weeks AIPAS (Australian Indie Polish Appreciation Society) theme is Animal Side! Manis that are inspired by animals!

I chose this oldie because a) I really like it and b) it's up there with the first Aussie indies that I ever owned.


This is "Aussie Bee" by Peita's Polish which is a beautiful bright sheer yellow with an assortment of different sized black hexes. I've layered this over white (OPI Alpine Snow) just to show off it's superb colour!


The bees are from the QA2 plate which is a Winnie the Pooh themed octagonal shaped stamping plate that I brought from eBay many years ago.


I think Aussie Bee is a fantastic yellow polish. It will always hold many memories for me so I'm glad to get the chance to feature it this month!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

... Guest Post with Jenny from Lavish Layerings ...

Hi everyone! This is Jenny from Lavish Layerings and I am so excited to be doing a guest post today for Sarah Claire to celebrate 3 years of blogging! I have known her for a few years now, and she is a wonderful friend. She has always been there to give me encouragement when I'm having some "blah" blogging days and she has such a bright and bubbly personality that you can't help but smile when you talk with her. When she asked me about doing a guest post, I knew I had to do something pink since she loves pink so much. I thought about it, and what polish could be more appropriate than her very own collaboration polish with piCture pOlish, Shocked.

For my mani, I decided to do a "stamp sandwich". I started out with 2 coats of piCture pOlish Shocked and allowed it to dry completely. Next, I stamped on some flowers using Mundo de Unas White and the Cheeky XL Top of the Class plate. I then painted on 1 final coat of Shocked. For the flower centers, I used a dotting tool and dotted on Dance Legend Just Another Star (purple) and Inhale (green) from the Wow Prisms line. I loved this mani so much that I didn't want to take it off! The colors are so bright and fun!





Thanks so much for asking me to guest post sweet Sarah Claire! Congrats on 3 wonderful years of blogging and I wish you the best of luck in the future!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

... Celestial Cosmetics LE June 2014 & Giveaway Post ...

Bit of a double post today people but bare with me! Firstly, I want to share with you the beauty from over at Celestial Cosmetics.

This LE June 2014 and obviously from it's name, it is the monthly limited edition polish! There have been some stunners from the Celestial LE range in the past and this is no exception.


I'm always on the lookout for beautiful holos that fall into the nude/light pink category. Apart from being super pretty, they are fantastic for events and occasions where I want to wear something that's gorgeous but not overpowering or distracting.


Sunshine seems to be rather very limited here at the moment but I managed to get a few quick shots in! Enjoy!! Also Celestial is currently having a sale on until the end of June so why not head over and grab this beauty along with a few bargains!


And now I couldn't turn the big 3 without having some sort of giveaway!! So here it is! YAY!! The lucky winners will win this prize pack of lots of things that I love!!! Holos, Flakies, Pink Polish, Fantastic Cuticle Balms, Awesome Nail Files and Chocolate Biscuits!! What's not to love!!!

YES!! THIS IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!!! 
(but please check out the fine print below!!)

** FIRST PRIZE **
Celestial Cosmetics - LE May 2014
Celestial Cosmetics - LE June 2014
Love Thy Polish - A Beautiful Mistake *
Love Thy Polish - Shangri-La
piCture pOlish - Shocked by Shatter me Claire
Australis - Speck-tacular
Help Me Ronda cuticle balm - Limited Edition Coco Love
Czech Glass Nail File in a hard plastic case
Treat Pack of Tim Tams (om nom nom)

** SECOND PRIZE **
Help Me Ronda cuticle balm - Limited Edition Coco Love
Caramello Koala


** Ugh - It's the Fine Print!!! Please read before entering!!!! **
Open Internationally
All items are brand spanking new
Items with a * were donated for this giveaway. All the rest were purchased by myself.
Shatter me Claire is not responsible for any lost post or opened parcels.
Any customs duties need to be paid for by the winner.
Multiple entries may be removed
Giveaway will end 1st July (Australian Central Time)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 9, 2014

... AN Monday - Welcome to the world! ...

Hiya! Welcome to another episode of Aussie Nail Monday. We've had a few newly baked additions arrive recently so today theme is "Welcome to the World" for baby Ella and Asher. YAY!


I've chosen to do a pink and blue mani. The pink is Lollipop from Cate Ruby and I've stamped over the top using the turquoise stamping polish from Mundo de Unas.



The stamping design is from the Cici & Sisi 05 plate which I really liked. I can't believe I've had these plates for awhile and never used! They are fantastic.

Wanna see more Aussie Nails? Check out these links or check out #anmonday on Instagram!

Lily Jinks - @lilyandjinks
Ann - Nailovelogy
Tracy - @oliviajade19
Holly - @nails_by_holly
Naomi - @nadeekay and Nananaisnails
Erin Wu -  @erinzi and Erin Zi’s Nails
Astrid - @lovessweetas
Sarah Claire - @shattermeclaire or Shatter me Claire
Sylvie - @smudgedpolish
Tammy - @ohmygoshpolish
Christinemay - @xtinemayyy or Nails at 2am
Tash Birch - @tashisdead
Briana -
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