Thursday 29 March 2012

NOTD: Rimmel 60sec "Funtime Fuschia"


Funny how you keep going back to certain favourite polishes when you need to feel good. I've worn this a lot, this is back in 2009, and it was featured in my very first post back in 2008! The best photo is still from my 2009 post, this is again far too red and "warm" :( I think I am still looking for my photo place in my house!!


I am eagerly awaiting a praying mantis nymph which should arrive tomorrow - that is taking my mind off the swathe of interviews I will be holding, hence the "pick-me-up manicure". I have made up the little guy's Jungle Jar home this evening and it's all looking great :)

I have been thinking about my blog's 4 year anniversary coming up in a couple of months. I am putting together something special for it, so if you have any requests for a special polish you've loved seeing on Pretty Perfect Beauty - let me know! :)

Tuesday 27 March 2012

NOTD: China Glaze "Innocence"

I felt like a fresh nude look today when I decided I couldn't put on my new green from Boots No7 :) I am holding interviews with prospective colleagues for the rest of this week, which always call for a sophisticated manicure! I did 1 coat of Rimmel Whitener and then a coat of "Innocence" sealed with MegaShine top coat.

This manicure is the equivalent of airbrushing for nails! It makes them look clean and well-kept, which I need now as my hands are a dryness disaster zone no matter what I do. I have gone through several bottles of "Innocence" as it seems to be a French manicure shade that suits all. Some clients want a stark white nail tip go with this polish, but most prefer the peeka-boo nail tip achieved by using just "Innocence" as I have done here.

Sunday 25 March 2012

NOTD: Rimmel 60sec "Coralicious"

I am not sure if I've worn this before?.. If I have I probably would have thought the same thing - it doesn't suit me :O This is 3 coats with a slick of Megashine. It's one of those deceptive sheers - no matter how many layers you slap on you can still see the nail line! It'll do for tomorrow though but I will definitely need something much more satisfying tomorrow...

Daylight Savings Time always feel like Daylight Robbery Time for the first few days so I'm staying up late watching trashy TV and cuddling the cat as a protest...

Friday 23 March 2012

NOTD: Brite Bird "How can I resist you?"



So here is the exciting polish I was talking about :) It's made by the lovely Sanna at MakeupMyLack and I couldn't resist it!


However I'm really disappointed that my camera doesn't pick up the green glitter :( It has a great green shimmer in it that you just can't see in my photos, no matter which artificial light I use. I will try and photo this in daylight tomorrow, but you can see Sanna's photo here, which is a lot more accurate.

This is 2 coats over base coat and with a slick of top coat. I love this polish - just what I needed today!

Thursday 22 March 2012

SensatioNail remvoval and 'halfway thru the bottle' update


So I removed the SensatioNail manicure tonight - it was a bit more time consuming than I'd hoped. I ended up soaking it off using the soak-off trays I use for acrylic removal after failing to put foil remover wraps on my own hands. A bit like unzipping your trousers wearing boxing gloves... It took 15mins for the gel to crumble and come off, then just some tidying up and scraping on some thicker areas where'd I'd used more primer. And my nails look just like they did before the application of SensatioNail, just longer!

And now a 'halfway thru the bottle' update - I have been using L'Oreal Hair Expertise EverPure shampoo and conditioner for a month now and I really really like it :) It makes my hair nice and soft and my hair colour seems to have stayed fresher for longer, but I think it's time to colour again at the weekend...

I received my March Joliebox today as well, I will do a review at the weekend when I've had time to test the products :)

I know I promised a hot nail polish but I feel unwell so I don't have time to do them tonight as I will now lie down on the sofa with the cat...

Wednesday 21 March 2012

SensatioNail™ "Raspberry Wine" Day 8

SensatioNail™ "Raspberry Wine" - Day 8
Day 8 of the SensatioNail™ "Raspberry Wine" manicure, and it pretty much looks the same :) I have however buggered couple of nails of my right hand during cooking today (damn you cheese grater!!) so I will have to take it off tomorrow. I would have taken it off tonight but I don't have any acetone at home which is really annoying :( I used it all up during my romance with acetone as remover in the last couple of months...

I have a really exciting polish to put on though which I can't wait to try... But you will unfortunately have to wait until I've taken the SensatioNail™ off!

Thursday 15 March 2012

Gelish Pedicure and a bit more on gel manicures



I did say I thought the SensatioNail LED light will work with other UV and LED hybrid gel polishes, and I was right :)

This is the best gel polish ever, the name in itself is to die for! I give you Gelish "Oocha Coocha Bing Bam, Alakazy Alakazam". Longest polish name ever?? It might be. The colour is a lush sea blue-green that sparkles like crazy. A bit like dragon scales?.. I am still very ill with this cold and it has now gone to my chest so this pedicure was just the thing I needed. When I have a coughing fit I just wiggle my toes above the duvet covers and watch the blue sparkliness and I feel better :)

If you haven't tried gel polishes before, you might be amazed how quick it is - this is 3 coats of coloured polish and a base layer and a top layer. That took me less than 30 mins to do! OK so I cheated and didn't clean up properly but it's my own toes so I'm not bothered with that. Plus bending for extended periods of time when you have bronchitis is asking for a coughing fit...

My manicure took 30 mins to do, and that included the prepping of the nails and cuticles. Now that means you can have a lunchtime nail appointment AND a sandwich :)

So what is this all about? Gel polishes are a hybrid between traditional nail polish and salon gels. They don't smell and they last for 14 days +. They brush on like regular polish, but the formula is quite different to work with! They are self-levelling however so they are easy to learn to work with. They are all cured with either UV or LED light in a matter of minutes, so there is no drying time! So which hybrid manicures are there out there? Well, CND Shellac may be the celeb fave and most well-marketed among the gel polishes, but for me, nothing beats the variety of the Gelish colours! Their range of EFX Aurora colours also includes a green similar to my beloved China Glaze "Moonpool" and they also have a magnetic range! Artistic Color Gloss has an amazing colour range as well and are just getting established in the UK. Gellux is available at quite a few salons across the UK and they also have some more exciting colours. Gelax is a brand from Essential Nails and you may see this from mobile therapists trained witht their NailTrainer. Larger companies are now also venturing into this territory - OPI are leading the way with their OPI GelColor and Orly have a range of their popular colours in their Orly GelFX range. Jessica Cosmetics have gained popularity with their Geleration range, and Nubar has their Gelicure.

Bottom line is - if you haven't tried it, you should! And if you get bored with the colour you can apply normal polish over it as long as you use non-acetone remover to remove it :)

Wednesday 14 March 2012

SensatioNail™ update

I am very ill again with a bad cold so I am yet again bedridden :( I did get up as the sun broke through to take a photo of my SensatioNail™ "Raspberry Wine" manicure in the sunlight. I notice that I've not been very good at 'capping' the tip when I applied it - it looks like I have tip wear... Oops! But rest assured, there is no wear or dullness yet!

The second photo is my power smoothie for beating this cold - it has a green powder made up of chlorella, spirulina and camu camu in it, and also banana, fresh orange juice, frozen raspberries, red currants and red gooseberries and a helping of oat bran and a probiotic low fat yogurt. It looks a bit like concrete in the glass, but it tastes very nice and fruity! I am determined to have one of these a day to get healthy, I am convinced that the last 6 months string of flu/colds is because I am severly run down and need a serious boost. Lets see if my power smoothies can help!

Monday 12 March 2012

NOTD: SensatioNail™ "Raspberry Wine"




My nail detox ended early due to the release the new SensatioNail™ Starter Kit with "Raspberry Wine"! I have had a thing for gel polish since I had my first set of Shellac nails! I didn't particularly like the colours in the starter sets - red creme and this berry (yes, berry, the photo is crap!) but at £85 this is worth it for the LED lamp alone. Even if you have little or none experience with gel nails, this is easy enough to do. Just follow the video demo on the SensatioNail™ website and you will be fine :) I'll try and take a better photo in daylight tomorrow.

Having worked with both gel polish and gel extensions, I found the procedure very straight-forward. There is an instruction book in the kit as well. I must confess I may have been a bit sloppy with the application in places though... My chosen colour is a berry shimmer.

I'm not going to go into details about the content, you can see them all in the photo and they are all explained in depth on the website. You get:
  • Pro 3060 LED lamp
  • Buffer
  • Lint-free wipes
  • Gel cleanser
  • Primer
  • Gel Base & Top Coat
  • Coloured gel polish

All the gels goes on smoothly, even though I wish the colour gel was a bit more pigmented? The lamp is super-easy to work as the button is preset to 30sec. I wouldn't use the nail file in the kit - it's not fine grade enough to buff the nails gently; I used the 1st stage on a professional buffer block and buff VERY LIGHTLY.

I have done some research online and I think I can use the lamp experimentally with other LED cure gel polishes so watch this space... I will try and wear this as long as possible, but as you know me, 2 whole weeks without a polish change will be tough :)

You can get the SensatioNail™ Starter Kit in Boots now for £85, it comes in "Scarlet Red" and "Raspberry Wine".

Lina-Elvira Loves It Thiiiis Much:
♥ ♥

Sunday 11 March 2012

Nail detox!




My hands are having a bad time at the moment, really dry and cracking cuticles and fingers... :( I have also developed severly dry skin patches on my upper arms, face and legs. I am not sure what's going on, but I am going to have a little nail detox for a week and just apply lots of hand cream and SolarOil. So please excuse the naked nails for now! I managed to buff away some of the discolouration of the nails as well.


Spring is fast advancing here, this is how big my tulip bulbs have come up already :)  This is a variegated leaf type but unfortunately I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called or how it will look when it's flowering!

Tuesday 6 March 2012

NOTD: Essence Color & Go "Get the Fever"


This is one of 3 Essence polishes I've managed to get in swaps. I love how orange this is :) Will definitely cheer me up in the office tomorrow! Burn, retinas, burn!!

This is 2 coats with a slick of MegaShine; it streaks if you are not careful, even though it's very opaque.

Saturday 3 March 2012

NOTD: Barry M "Bright Red"

I got a new dress about an hour ago for this wedding reception I am going to tonight so I decided to paint my nails bright red to match the print pattern on the dress :) My original dress was a wine red colour and I was going to put on Minx but this is much quicker! I love the juicy shine of this red, it's just so summery and happy! This is 2 coats without top coat but true to myself I've added MegaShine since as I am FAR too busy to not have speed-dried nails... :)