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! :)

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.

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...

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!

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...

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!

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 :)