Nail Art & Review: BornPrettyStore Stamping Plate BP-52

Time for some floral spring nail art!

This is another stamping done with an image plate from BornPrettyStore, the one called BP-52. It consists of one huge print that is full of different floral details.
What I love about this design is that it is one big thing that is made of so many interesting little ones. You get a lot of diversity when you wear it all over your nails. The downside to this, though, is that if your nails aren't exactly big, you won't see that much per nail. I found it to be okay, but it definitely shouldn't be less.

Products used:
Manhattan - M&Buffalo Off The Socks (orange background)
BornPrettyStore - white stamping polish
BornPretty Store - image plate BP-52

What do you guys think of this design? I love how fun and detailed it is!

Remember that you can still get 10% off on BornPrettyStore with the code MS10K31!

xx, Misch

Nail Art & Review: BornPrettyStore Nail Polish Pen

Time for some nail art! The nail art design I am showing you here features the Nail Polish Pen from BornPrettyStore in colour #2, black.

It is a black pen with a cap, under which the tip lies. It's rather small and very pointy, a good thing for details and fine lines. You have to shake the pen really well, and then press the tip down on a piece of paper. Pump until the product comes out and covers the tip. Then you can start to draw!

The nail polish is highly pigmented and you can immediately get a clear and visible line. It's also quite simple to draw with it; it of course requires a steady hand, but it really glides over your nail.

The only tiny problem I experienced was that after some drawing, no nail polish would come out, no matter how often I pumped. But when I let it sit for a while, it worked all fine again. Maybe I was pushing it.

The colour stays very well, but keep in mind to use a top coat on it! If you don't, your design will eventually wash off.

All in all, I'm a huge fan of this nail art pen. It's way easier to handle than regular nail polish, and your possibilities with it are endless. I can definitely recommend it!

Products used for the design:

Essie - Not Just A Pretty Face (nude base colour)

BornPrettyStore Nail Art Pen #2 Black (floral details)

top coat

If you want to get your own nail art pen, be sure to use the code MS10K31 when checking out, so you get 10% off your order!

I really like how this design turned out! What do you think about it?

xx, Misch

This product was sent to me for review.

St. Patrick's Day Nail Art

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For today's occasion I did some nail art showing the Irish spirit. So here's lots of green, as well as the Irish flag and shamrocks!

Products used:

China Glaze  - Running In Circles (bright green main colour)

China Glaze - Starboard (green part of the flag)

OPI - Jade Is The New Black (shamrocks)

Manhattan - M&Buffalo Off The Socks (orange)

BornPrettyStore - White Stamping Polish (white)

Essence nail art stylist (to draw the shamrocks)

It's just a very simple and fun design to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Nothing difficult to it! What are you wearing today? Any green?

In case you're interested in a bit of Ireland-related stuff on here, check out my post on the Cliffs of Moher, Kinsale or Irish beaches!

xx, Misch

Nail Art & Review: BornPrettyStore Stamping Plate BP-55

As I promised, more BornPrettyStore stamping nail art coming up!

This time I used the Image Plate BP-55, which contains 3 big designs and some more smaller ones. The look I picked out is an abstract turn on different leaves and patterns. I love how detailed it is!

For a base I picked Kink by Illamasqua, which has a semi-matte finish and thus gives an interesting turn on the design.
The stamping was done in a white stamping polish also from BornPrettyStore. You can see it here in my last post on stamping.

With this design, I experienced a tiny bit of trouble when it came to stamping the look onto my nails. It turned out well, but in some cases not all parts of the design would come off the plate and therefore also didn't transfer onto my nail. But with such little lines and details, that can happen. And it didn't happen all the time, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get the above results.

The image plate retails for $2,99 on the BornPrettyStore website. By using the code MS10K31 when checking out, you will get 10% off your order.

After all, I really like this design! The colour pops against the dark green background, and it makes for an exciting look!
How do you guys like it?

xx, Misch



This product was sent to me for review.

NOTD: Essie - Cute As A Button

Today I'd like to show you Cute As A Button by Essie.

Cute As A Button is a coral-toned pink shade. It's bright enough not to be considered a pastel, and has a very glossy creme finish. In reality it is a little less pink than in the picture.
Its consistency is very jelly-like, making for a visible nail line when wearing it. It's patchy with the first coat, but looks great with the second. If you don't mind to have some nail line showing, you can definitely leave it at 2 coats.

Cute As A Button is one of my favourite shades because it's a lot of fun to wear, but still not obnoxiously bright. It is part of Essie's permanent line.
You can also see me wearing it here with a Paisley nail art design.

Does anyone of you own this nail polish?

xx, Misch

NOTD: Peony Flower Nail Art

Here's some new nail art from me! A floral theme, because I'm tired of the grey weather outside. And as we're going to be stuck with it for quite some more time, why not bring colour to my nails at least?
The design are some flowers. I was inspired by peonies, but did not completely stay true to their looks, but rather settled on what looked good in my opinion.

Peony Flower Nail Art - Products used:
Essie Mint Candy Apple (background colour)
Essie Marshmallow (for white parts of the flowers)
Essie Need A Vacation (for light pink parts of the flowers)
Essie Watermelon (for dark pink parts of the flowers)
OPI Jade Is The New Black (for the leaves)
make-up sponge (to dab on the flowers)
BornPrettyStore Nail Brush No. 1 (to draw)

The great things about this type of flower is that you don't have to be exact at all. You can dot on the colours, swirl them together, mix them, everything is possible! You can make them as accurate or random as you like. I first used a make-up sponge to simply dab them on, and then went in with a nail art brush to add some more defined details. But that's totally up to you!

Do you like the design?

xx, Misch

NOTD: Winter Snowflake Nail Art

With Christmas already around the corner, it was definitely time for some seasonal nail art. Here you have some snow flakes!

Products I used:
Essence Top Speed Nail Polish 26 Look At Me (very old colour, any dark blue will do)
Jesse's Girl North Star (bright glittery silver)
BornPrettyStore Nail Art Brush No. 1 to draw the snow flakes

This design definitely requires some skill, a very steady hand and lots of patience. But it is not impossible to do! You can always go ahead and draw bigger snow flakes, which makes it easier for you.

I've already done some snow flakes in previous years, in case you're interested in more colour variations. Click here for the 2011 and the 2012 versions.
Which one do you like best? Let me know in the comments below!

xx, Misch

Tape Nail Art + BornPrettyStore Nail Tape Review

The last product of my BornPrettyStore series to show you guys! It's their Nail Art Striping Tape*.

Using this tape, I tried two different techniques. The first one just required putting the tape onto my nails.
It is super easy to apply. All I did was cut off a little part, stick it onto my nail, and cut off the excess. It sticks very nicely and therefore doesn't even require a top coat to seal it. You can apply one, though, if you want.

The tape doesn't come off easily during wear, which makes this a very lasting design.
And you can create so many different looks!

The second way I tried it was to use it as a tape, paint over it, and then remove it. That didnt work out so great.
I had painted on a base colour, sticked on the tape, and painted over it. So far no problems to be seen, all went well. I let the polish dry, and then removed the tape.

Unfortunately the tape had stained onto the nail polish, leaving some red marks where it was. Also, it had removed the base colour I was wearing.
So this technique is not so good with this tape!


After all, I'm a huge fan of the tape, because you can create so many fun looks with it! It's unfortunate that you can't paint over it, but it doesn't really matter. It's not the usage for what it's made after all :D

What do you think of it?
xoxo, M




* THIS IS A SPONSORED POST

Rhinestone Nail Art + BornPrettyStore Rhinestones Review

Today it's time for the next review and nail art design using my BornPrettyStore stuff! Here are the rhinestones.

Products used
Essence 50s Girls Reloaded LE 01 Ahoy
BornPrettyStore 2mm Rhinestones*

The rhinestones are fairly easy to apply to your nails. I painted the desired area with a clear top coat, and then, using tweezers to pick them up, pressed the rhinestones into the still wet nail polish.

You have to make sure to let them dry thoroughly, because otherwise they'll be coming off your nail very easily. Once they're dry, though, they stay in place!

What I don't particularly like about rhinestones is the fact that they are somewhat bulky. With these, though, it's not so bad, they're fairly small! But still, you get them caught in your hair when brushing through it, or on your clothes.

The wear is fine, concerning the obvious fact that these won't stick too long. When being careful, your design might last you a couple of days, but once you do some hard work with your hands, they'll come off pretty fast.

After all, I do like these rhinestones a lot, I love how they look. I'm not the biggest fan of the feeling of wearing them, but still, I do recommend them!

Have you tried rhinestones on your nails?
xoxo, M



* THIS IS A SPONSORED POST

Paisley Nail Art + BornPrettyStore Brushes Review

After showing you my little haul from BornPrettyStore, today it's time for the first nail art design using the products!

Paisley Nail Art - products used:
Essie Cute As A Button
Essence 50s Girls Reloaded LE 01 Ahoy
BornPrettyStore Nail Art Brushes*

The design is very detailed and took quite so time to create, but I think it was well worth it! I used all three of the nail art brushes, which vary in bristle length. So for longer lines, I used the longer brushes, and same goes for the shorter lines.

All brushes are very thin, and especially once you dip them into polish they leave one controlled thin line. By varying the pressure on the nail you can determine how thick your line turns out.

The brush I like best is the first one, with the shortest bristles. You have the most control with it, and you don't have to fear slipping with the long bristles, which might happen when you use the brush with the longest bristles. But with a steady hand you can control them all nicely.

Cleaning was also very easy, I wiped them on a cotton pad soaked in nail polish remover, and the colour came off right away. They also didn't lose any bristles.

I'm very pleased with these nail art brushes! They are great for all kinds of details, not only lines. I love how precise you can be with them, and the price is also really great! They retail for 2,99$ on the website as linked above.

If you're looking for new nail art brushes, I can highly recommend these!

xoxo, M



* THIS IS A SPONSORED POST

NOTD: Essie - Need A Vacation

Here is Essie's Need A Vacation for you.

This shade is a bubblegum pink, but not too bright. It's a nice creme, and also applies like one. Very smooth, and rather easy to achieve great coverage with 2 coats.

In Germany this was available as part of a Spring 2014 Pastels Collection, but I don't think it was available anywhere else. The shade itself, is, though, so you can go and check it out. It's a lovely girly pink!

What do you think of it?
xoxo, M

NOTD: Essie - Strut Your Stuff

This is Strut Your Stuff by Essie.

It is of a medium blue shade, very much like a sky blue. It looks very creamy and doesn't contain any shimmer particles. Essie calls it a "compelling cobalt aqua", which I find to be a rather accurate description.
The formula is rather thin at first, looking a lot like a jelly. But with a second coat it builds up very nicely, making for a full, creamy coverage. I am, however, wearing 3 coats in these pictures.

Strut Your Stuff is part of Essie's Summer 2014 Collection, called Haute In The Heat. It should therefore still be available!

What do you think of it?
xoxo, M

NOTD: Butterfly Wings Nail Art

Time for some more nail art!

This is actually a design I already did about two years ago, but I was in the mood of recreating it, and to be honest, I really love the result. It's supposed to depict the wings of a butterfly.

Products I used:
Kiko 279
OPI My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours
Essie Forever Yummy
p2 eternal
Essence Stampy White Nail Polish
make-up sponge for gradient
toothpick

It takes some time to do this, but it's not as hard to do as it looks. I can do a tutorial for it in case you're interested!

What do you think of it?
xoxo, M

NOTD: Triangle Nail Art

With a little more time on my hands, I am finally able to do stuff I didn't have a chance to do while studying all the time. One of these things is most certainly nail art!

For my first design I chose something geometric and abstract. I was pretty much testing out whether my skills had vanished. Luckily they don't have, at least not fully.

Products I used:
OPI I Theodora You
p2 eternal
p2 artful
Essence Nai Art Stylist

Do you like the design?
xoxo, M

NOTD: Essie - Go Ginza

This beauty I'm showing you today is called Go Ginza, and it's by Essie.

Go Ginza is a dreamy pastel nail polish that falls somewhere between baby pink and lilac, though it does lean more towards a lavender, cool-toned side. It has a creme finish.

Application is fine as it glides on smoothly. You do have to be careful with your application, however, because due to its light colour it might get a bit patchy. But it's coverage is rather nice, I'm showing you 2 coats.

Go Ginza is part of Essie's permanent line and therefore easily accessible.

What do you think of it?

xoxo, M

NOTD February 5th: Essie - Nice Is Nice

Hey there!

Today I'd like to show you guys a pretty nail polish I recently picked up, Nice is Nice by Essie!

Nice is Nice is a light lilac creme, and it's very cool-toned. There isn't really much more to it.

Application was fine, it glided on nicely and had a great coverage right away. I did three thin coats for the result shown in the pictures.

Nice is Nice was originally part of the Spring 2011 Collection, but it's still available.

Let me know if you are interested in a comparison featuring other lilac shades, such as OPI Do You Lilac It? and China Glaze Light As Air. I'd be more than happy to do one for you!

Do you like Nice is Nice?

xoxo, Misch

NOTD January 10th: Essie - Forever Yummy

Hello everyone!

Today I'm going to show you Forever Yummy by Essie.

Forever Yummy is a red creme. It's very shiny and darker than bright red, more leaning towards blood. But you can still easily tell that it's a red, it's not dark enough to look blackened. It's rather blue-toned.

Application was really nice, it was very squishy, which also makes for a great amount of shine. I did three coats for the result shown in the pictures, but you could get away with two thicker ones.

Forever Yummy really is a classy shade of red, it's not too bright but also not dark. I really love the way it looks, although it's most definitely a rather basic shade and more than easily dupeable. If you'd like to see a comparison to similar reds, please let me know!

What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD January 6th: Essie - Mint Candy Apple

Hey there!

Today I'd like to show you a nail polish I recently purchased, Mint Candy Apple by Essie.

Mint Candy Apple is a mint creme. It falls perfectly between blue and green, not leaning strongly towards either. It's somewhat pastel.

Application was good, it's very creamy and smooth. I ended up doing 3 thin coats to avoid patchiness, but it already looked great after two.

I really like Mint Candy Apple as it's a light and subtle shade, but still not boring. It's a bit elegant and very wearable, so I can highly recommend it. 

Has anyone of you tried this shade?

xoxo, Misch

NOTD December 1st: China Glaze - Glittering Garland

Hey everyone!

It's December, and therefore holiday season for real now! And I want to start this off with China Glaze's Glittering Garland.

Glittering Garland is a deep green color, neither blue nor yellow-toned. It contains lots of glitter particles, bigger than just shimmer, that are also green. Very Christmas-appropriate!

Application was fine, it was a bit thin and patchy at first but built up nicely. I did 3 coats and top coat here.

Glittering Garland was part of China Glaze's Holiday Collection from 2011, called Let It Snow. It might still be available, though!

What do you think of it? And are you in the mood for Christmas yet?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 27: Catrice Rocking Royals LE C03 Royal Blue

Hey there!
Know it took me a while, but here you finally have the swatches of the other nail polish I got from Catrice's Rocking Royals LE, C03 Royal Blue!

Royal Blue is, as the name suggests, a blue color. It's very cool toned and definitely doesn't lean towards green, and also not purple. It has a very strong silver shimmer to it.

It applied really nicely, a tiny bit thick but very very pigmented. Here I'm wearing 2 coats. It dries to a somewhat muted finish, but I put a top coat over it.

This shade actually reminds me a lot of OPI's Russian Navy Suede, which you can see here *click*. They are nowhere near being close in color and finish, but I do see some similarities. Can you agree with me?

What do you think of this one?
xoxo, Misch