tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26143742137098461442024-03-22T13:56:01.077+11:00My Nail Art JourneyMy journey with nail care and nail art since being diagnosed with Breast Cancer in February 2014. I hope my blog will help anyone else going through chemotherapy and radiotherapy to keep from experiencing the horrible damage that I got to my nails during my cancer treatment. Then, perhaps receive the same joy and release I found in the wonderful world of nail art, and enjoy seeing how my life changes post-cancer treatment.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-26703981895777207012015-10-07T15:36:00.000+11:002015-10-07T15:36:11.974+11:00SM Polish "Precious Gems" and "Farewell Winter-Welcome Spring" Collections Swatches and Reviews - 21 September 2015Today I have two <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish" target="_blank">SMPolish</a> collections to show you, which I have used together in the same manicures because they work perfectly together. One of the collections, the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>, has already been released and is available at the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish" target="_blank">SMPolish website on Etsy</a>. The other collection, the "Precious Gems Collection", is being released on Friday, 7th October 2015. I have used the "Precious Gems Collection" on all my fingers, and then added two coats of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a> to my ring finger nails.<br />
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These two collections work extremely well together because the flakies in both polishes match, so it was a no-brainer to decide to use them together when I received them in the mail. The "Precious Gems Collection", which are crelly glitter polishes with lots of flakies and a textured finish, are unlike any I've seen since I started collecting nail polish and nail art products, and Shakeela has done a wonderful job with them all. The <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a> flaky glitter polishes are somewhat unique, too, because so far I've only seen flakies used with other shapes and sizes of glitter in any glitter polishes I've come across and/or bought online, or in the stores And these polishes are a complete glitter bomb, with more than enough glitter to satisfy anyone's needs, I believe.<br />
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The "Precious Gems Collection" is a set of six crelly glitter polishes with a textured finish, and the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a> is a set of six flaky glitter polishes with tinted clear bases that may give full cover in three coats, but it is recommended that you use them over a base colour - either a matching colour polish such as I used, or over a black or white base. There are swatches of all the flaky glitter polishes on the SMPolish site <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">here</a>
showing them used over both black polish and white polish, so please check
them out and see how versatile they are. However, I personally
preferred them used the way I have done, and of course I'm not biased at all.<br />
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I used two coats of each of the "Precious Gems Collection" polishes on each nail, with one coat of<a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/grace-full-nail-polish-base-coat" target="_blank"> Grace-full Nail Polish "Base Coat"</a> and <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/quick-dry-top-coat" target="_blank">"Quick Dry Top Coat"</a>. One coat of the top coat was all I needed to smooth the textured finish of the polishes, and also the flaky glitter polishes.<br />
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So, on to the swatches and reviews. Please forgive my bad clean-ups and application errors. I was having an extremely busy week, and sunlight was in short supply, so I had to dash out and take photos of some of the swatches before I was really ready to. Such is life in Tasmania in spring!<br />
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The first two polishes I want to show you are "Angelic Amethyst" from the "Precious Gems Collection", and <br />
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245884446/luscious-lilac-purple-flakiesindie-nail?ref=shop_home_active_4" target="_blank">"Luscious Lilac"</a> from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCSkbQWIC0GL-5cSoekxIkQG5L_ZSwBozILx-6A4OD_oqXJo7X-Z5_hEDn2JL_xo-jmrX51uiltwePpT98wkZUVCqOSoUJ1JmDEKN1_Zf2OqVo7fjP6euCc1O73r-8YzEk2-NDGImDgk/s1600/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Angelic+Amethyst+Sun+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCSkbQWIC0GL-5cSoekxIkQG5L_ZSwBozILx-6A4OD_oqXJo7X-Z5_hEDn2JL_xo-jmrX51uiltwePpT98wkZUVCqOSoUJ1JmDEKN1_Zf2OqVo7fjP6euCc1O73r-8YzEk2-NDGImDgk/s1600/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Angelic+Amethyst+Sun+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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"Angelic Amethyst" is the most gorgeous soft purple shade, with lots of dark purple flakies and heaps of holographic micro-glitter. As I mentioned before, it is a crelly glitter polish with a textured finish, and like all of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish" target="_blank">SMPolish</a> polishes I have used and reviewed previously, it went on like a dream. One thick coat would probably have been enough, but for the photographs I used two, just to be sure. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245884446/luscious-lilac-purple-flakiesindie-nail?ref=shop_home_active_4" target="_blank">"Luscious Lilac"</a>, the flaky glitter polish on my ring finger, is the most amazing dark purple, and I loved it on top of "Angelic Amethyst". It also went on really easily, I used two coats, and I hardly had to do any dabbing to get the result shown. I just know you'll adore these two polishes. I think they were my favourites of the two collections. Here are some more photos taken in both shade and sunlight. As you can see, they are beautiful in any light.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7u-sHISuf4DGXw8jDrqIWCPmKb_FoGHN9FQTEFmubmUP8aolFDj42Zh22rshdAgFDYOCjJes3a9XuNqGexwxX8EoYHehBSobFQsggmYVwvrFH0U_LPfHf3iQtXdbemf_JVpdjNKYOJpI/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Angelic+Amethyst+Sun+1.jpg" width="276" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-DYGknTrFbGiI0rsQX722Mfh-c8M_jxFdP3JFZKxkMT_7sNk1C8zqNyCC1X2U9T_YyOXdXynvRKERpX92r_SwbxyCHyq9mla5ht9cFsEyOFaTvAB_PCBeFZhVmVIwZC23tOSwnqoh8A/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Angelic+Amethyst+shade+2.jpg" width="317" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXwEbWBKi5PmtgFvnEAtORaZ2USF97LIewHQlsvpMZM00vzJzZQD89-O9xhcxDun3w8UzObXo6YJczQsLFEg7c5OW0dKcwAXIVuroVnW4yNiSwWDFRR5l2vd5b1k2khmYLTVpZlujE0o/s1600/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Angelic+Amethyst+shade+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXwEbWBKi5PmtgFvnEAtORaZ2USF97LIewHQlsvpMZM00vzJzZQD89-O9xhcxDun3w8UzObXo6YJczQsLFEg7c5OW0dKcwAXIVuroVnW4yNiSwWDFRR5l2vd5b1k2khmYLTVpZlujE0o/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Angelic+Amethyst+shade+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next two polishes I would like to show you are "Glistening Sapphires" from the "Precious Gems Collection", and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245781695/get-lost-jack-frost-blue-flakies-indie?ref=shop_home_active_5" target="_blank">"Get Lost Jack Frost"</a> from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>.<br />
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<img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWZ2ldGviKR2gYj8Q21lI-e8LiKHHga2sZiDamtRlxfENBGdaRkx2py6Xj110GSZVJRnDlK5qm9TgdMdfRCMMyyCBB_lJ8TOwXumtr3da-8l58ES4AvVb-DhArmPUY_jxIhb_OEzMufk/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Glistening+Sapphires+Sun+2.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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"Glistening Sapphires" is a gorgeous mid-blue, crelly glitter polish with lots of bright blue and dark blue flakies, and heaps of holographic micro-glitter. It was sooooo easy to use, and went on beautifully, and has a textured finish, but one coat of top coat smoothed it out beautifully. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245781695/get-lost-jack-frost-blue-flakies-indie?ref=shop_home_active_5" target="_blank">"Get Lost Jack Frost"</a> is a beautiful combination of mid and dark blue flaky glitter and holographic micro-glitter, and hardly any dabbing was needed to achieve the coverage shown. Once again the two polishes go together perfectly, as I knew they would, because they both contain the same coloured flakies. You really must try these two gorgeous polishes. Here are some more photos taken in both sun and shade.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbP0giW8xgNojUMVroIkyhMhr5-2NOXqE40J1_uOii6VcA1iOa3Ljoq7ymas9icjTH2D-iFnlrJRuOxWxpUfEOT8shJnY4YwCOMxe1m5XKC9b-7n3gFmQe4-qA-AkoNZFPJDyG8IFL58/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Glistening+Sapphires+Sun+1.jpg" width="296" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBXcR8N8evexbP0Uv-pSZJZ1-7pKmGTmTEz_clTwPZEsB2xG9NecvKDRNHNPjOs5JDVpU1JLJpEf0Jr7DUz0C-kr8h9ZEpXTlRYagljvOweNsQz6tNkba17p1OhlMgT-iBLKReMq_sd0/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Glistening+Sapphires+Shade+1.jpg" width="261" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikunru8PqKyO91qlvvt01dssuVsE9L7l6VZm3FFglyHF9NdIGiL3Jyk3BWSSsES6WEYUuNRUB-rgWTKdYlHhRIAUaFA3E7P8uigrONDJ-aBNHQJpF9ATFUa53LryPTGqHFPEXbk1ZpYRU/s1600/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Glistening+Sapphires+Shade+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikunru8PqKyO91qlvvt01dssuVsE9L7l6VZm3FFglyHF9NdIGiL3Jyk3BWSSsES6WEYUuNRUB-rgWTKdYlHhRIAUaFA3E7P8uigrONDJ-aBNHQJpF9ATFUa53LryPTGqHFPEXbk1ZpYRU/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Glistening+Sapphires+Shade+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The third polishes I would like to show you are "Radiant Rubies" from the "Precious Gems Collection" and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245781517/last-fires-of-winter-red-flakiesindie?ref=related-2" target="_blank">"Last Fires of Winter"</a> from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>.</div>
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<img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZojfYp4IPw6h-feId86bXP1-uDfbcuQlfYEGoy034in7moHhcHtqv9Xw3gTt-52jxT0rNn_xFuBcw_0iZyVT-wKI9qnMQXJO5Ex78LZ-Af95na-suY6IB_OqLGVOdqPe90coSx-YM1Zg/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Radiant+Rubies+Sun+1.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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"Radiant Rubies" is a silvery red crelly glitter base with loads of red and holographic micro-glitter, and lots of lovely red flakies. It didn't go on as easily as all the others, and I'm sorry to have to admit that this is my least favourite of all the polishes. The colour wasn't nearly as pretty as the others in the collection, nor as obvious once on my nails. However, two thin coats gave good coverage, with a textured finish. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245781517/last-fires-of-winter-red-flakiesindie?ref=related-2" target="_blank">"Last Fires of Winter"</a> is a flaky glitter polish with a red-tinted clear base, and went on reasonably well. Hardly any dabbing was needed to give the coverage shown after two coats. The polish is loaded with flakies, and the finish can be a bit rough, but one coat of top coat was enough to give a smooth finish over both polishes. Here are some more photos of these two polishes taken in both sun and shade.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJt9t4gw__fs8v07xIthBC89EMR7qrQ5laj04ZGpvNJyDz3Wxkl-H9mD-LFrT01dzAtfz2VfISVEnMHOWe6bs7FML7xuWnJikcj5VJ2vi3h1ihHaffFJo8KDLtafqdxD5T-TTv7EXNIQ/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Radiant+Rubies+Sun+2.jpg" width="288" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-4NiEIajDHhBnk-tmfiFJR6icpBwyTmc3JHhVSF-DgdLnEbBBmxfbwRdxENVQZGdRvvzSDno7yLMprT-uSZqFZ3yufgP-Vk9e5CGKD3b8YtQ_DfVKAYjnIWbaIXPZ28p5iThyphenhyphengr6_VUE/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Radiant+Rubies+Shade+1.jpg" width="240" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikujkxBe7-w8wqqmymTP5J9Lo2zdmHSkMtarL28BmRV-nwghVyV-qcB_54zXApFoNOfoo1oXL-MixxEcEZoEsbQgD3pPjLSqiTNdQCn_eNm6DDguMu6eQItM93h6CvRjHJZl1oOtSmRPM/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Radiant+Rubies+Shade+2.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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The next two polishes I would like to show you are "Sparkling Aquamarine" from the "Precious Gems Collection" and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245884370/last-winter-sky-teal-or-light-blue?ref=related-0" target="_blank">"Last Winter Sky"</a> from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>.</div>
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<img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7nOk-EYfLqKtO1BJrKB8sFEJhYRuWO1EdrEJ5qHYS_s8k4aXfzbzxlZ-WCaS7jeVB9ohlzJUO8lvEn_QfIQskPzenxOOzIsMq4uqgalFykUtOYQDhruFdGd4p6om4nA0EDNZ4maw91E/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Sparkling+Aquamarine+Sun+1.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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"Sparkling Aquamarine" is a very pretty pale aqua crelly glitter polish, loaded with holographic micro-glitter and lots of lovely aqua flakies. This polish also went on very easily, and two coats gave really good coverage with a textured finish. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245884370/last-winter-sky-teal-or-light-blue?ref=related-0" target="_blank">"Last Winter Sky"</a> is a lovely aqua flaky glitter polish in an aqua-tinted clear base. There are loads of flakies, so virtually no dabbing was needed to get the cover shown. Once again, just one coat of top coat smoothed out both of these polishes beautifully. I really liked this combination, even though aqua is not normally one of my go-to colours. For some reason this particular shade goes really well with my skin colour and I was very happy with it. Once again, here are some more photos taken in both sun and shade.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI1ENGpNdskhW4afScTRuqw5gp31yozvvgA5irx1-_ZaH1QdkoLxxSuG-3RVUklTalUbebHDv7gvsduCyaTQr95tq_od8SOwx50b2Hni-8u5ZeIvjHgHJeYjLheTbyZvzJlyxgis-Zxc/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Sparkling+Aquamarine+Shade+2.jpg" width="232" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rNh7BQamlD1_mrJc-eOl2A_ngtI20vd6OSnCKYOE268zJoQBuEsIHb9TZiWGo8uFxtBShLyAwVviqy9mzUQ2CcFt1wsnMlEuTGfVF8YQ6Z7vHXc4os9u_hrztrLZwpIcY55ZQaNew38/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Sparkling+Aquamarine+Sun+2.jpg" width="266" /></div>
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<img border="0" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHU8X-cSAlMgrEnvUB9R1bWUWhU57XPoCTgRHAm2LVzFp1c8f6CZ5HmPEkuzs5THFDVmUU-94Dryvps-69VDd3tjrB6qadsvHkt6Zv_rv0XlNqdL9c4MFmowuzzGW7vP_er6JaPJtVrc/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Sparkling+Aquamarine+Shade+1.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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The fifth pair of polishes I'd like to show you are "Tourmaline Crystal" from the "Precious Gems Collection", and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245781567/spring-comes-alive-green-flakiesindie?ref=related-4" target="_blank">"Spring Comes Alive"</a> from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>.</div>
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<img border="0" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PQy3T3vaWVKg9OPnlox9omWPpWNYrJ0QVXzMqzewjqiQ7zIX0QdSNB79MS1EewW8QNd0JubseajhMWBR-cZAUsTXbYNrmeqKzroLGuH4HLURjhkMovmKT8PBWanmdtk6H3PKxvySx2o/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Tourmaline+Crystal+Sun+2.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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"Tourmaline Crystal" is a pretty, subtle, silvery-green textured crelly glitter polish, with loads of holographic micro-glitter and lots of emerald green flakies. This polish went on very easily, two coats were more than enough to give full coverage, and it has a textured finish which just one coat of top coat smoothed out very well. The colour is quite pretty, but not really one I am enamoured with. However, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245781567/spring-comes-alive-green-flakiesindie?ref=related-4" target="_blank">"Spring Comes Alive"</a> is very, very pretty, and I just love the colour of the masses of emerald green flakies in the green-tinted sheer base. I think this polish might get some use for St Patrick's Day next year. The glitter went on very easily, with virtually no dabbing, and two coats gave the result shown in the photos. Here are some more photos, taken in sunlight and in shade.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnDo6lbOcCbu81Sb6OtnJ2f6f6HhdDo7W03EqHjh_gQL8DLPk5qMDdOGCeECRKllSECG3ixrmI_FUgXowS_J9q3nF6k8WVJlHf-QESX5YP20lbFIXXhkGYq1AQia51PS4fSujfF7cRDs/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Tourmaline+Crystal+Sun+1.jpg" width="263" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYuD82b0-sW_-X5w5F0k3THD5PnsHlsLOxFftqd47IpEWZFcuD37GwXChb1gY3CBHGd94Eb1PEc6KyqBCV_tD1bpHcUghexOz-4FjwlouzwrECqwLvN23N7Ymoz9_WQQtdzCkWcKKjg4/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Tourmaline+Crystal+Shade+2.jpg" width="235" /></div>
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<img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURY7yEG63LZKNPBkHifycj5dXkGP58_9zBv1H2ShhCCRmOjwKfANSLnNDFf75CgYXlLlNQ5Dnc4Ptv1hkg5YtL7PlQ0kFRNtclWQpArB7oJ7RXfdJyuDAvuuk1urErphVZgQLsikDwak/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Tourmaline+Crystal+Shade+1.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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Now we come to the last two polishes I'd like to show you today - "Yellow Diamond" from the "Precious Gems Collection", and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245884546/sunshine-at-last-golden-flakiesindie?ref=related-1" target="_blank">"Sunshine At Last"</a> from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>.</div>
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<img border="0" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyOZc1bTZl14ynpOUHcE0poRinZ8KTqHrAg3RKpCdhqY5MdRlZ84TYYkRudu_UP9L8lwA5Hlf_N6wHr2mZWl1GehYs6gRvtBWGWc3-_EzFSitj4nscfPQMxerFHEGg7QTjdOD-yTUbA4/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Yellow+Diamond+Sun+1.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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These two polishes were a real surprise because of the colour of the flakies used. "Yellow Diamond is a shimmery, light yellow crelly glitter polish, loaded with holographic micro-glitter, with lots of gorgeous bright yellow (not gold, but YELLOW) flakies. This polish is my second favourite of the collection. It went on very easily, and two coats gave a wonderful textured coverage. I wasn't sure how this colour would go on my skin colour, but was really surprised when I saw how great it looked. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245884546/sunshine-at-last-golden-flakiesindie?ref=related-1" target="_blank">"Sunshine At Last"</a> is absolutely loaded with yellow (once again, not gold but yellow) flakies in a light yellow-tinted clear base. The polish went on really easily, and I didn't have to do any dabbing with this one at all. Just one coat of top coat was enough to smooth out both polishes. Here are three more photos taken in both sun and shade.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6w3uqrucaTW6oPsGPWgn_viSrcpKHWsNWkuJ7v74A1sUxhCf5z-8h7Ycf5mlFDYf_E86jitGd9twS8mR6ebYgVKs1N4NJ8UdLX4QJwER-b4LqzklddpFiXLbNl65sx8ZamH3-efxE2L0/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Yellow+Diamond+Sun+2.jpg" width="286" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGSVEsJBidfUM4gENWol2M4wnjfiYkSiEQ96aHDjjklzglyVxSJtSdqSIM4MQZkXqOlIYeyFHiYEhQXbIRRvDaIJ8wc6DBqYn1dMzG_W7kQbJyRZFEj1JVZvqwT4PRaFn8ysJnnDLn-E/s400/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Yellow+Diamond+Shade+1.jpg" width="241" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5UHP0gc2ZDZpsgs9JjZCjr6DUHu89c_eagMs_ZnS6iUu44zKF0lI_bXv_Q9bgyrEn3h1WpMxTzzbvYfZ0N1Oi4JpvpKUtrrL3X7UNX7toBYJUnjhp6pBw_Jq9-pTOBC5ste1p9tsSWA/s1600/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Yellow+Diamond+Shade+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5UHP0gc2ZDZpsgs9JjZCjr6DUHu89c_eagMs_ZnS6iUu44zKF0lI_bXv_Q9bgyrEn3h1WpMxTzzbvYfZ0N1Oi4JpvpKUtrrL3X7UNX7toBYJUnjhp6pBw_Jq9-pTOBC5ste1p9tsSWA/s640/Precious+Gems+and+FW-WS+Yellow+Diamond+Shade+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, that's the latest two collections from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish" target="_blank">SMPolish</a>. I have to say I was impressed with how easy all but one were to apply to my nails, particularly as the "Precious Gems Collection" is a textured-finish polish. I don't normally like textured finishes because I find they annoy me, and I usually have to apply at least two thick coats of top coat to smooth them out, and the same thing applies to the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?section_id=17730703&ref=shopsection_leftnav_8" target="_blank">"Farewell Winter - Welcome Spring Collection"</a>. With this many flakies of different sizes and shapes I expected them to be very hard to get to sit flat on my nails, and thought I would need two coats of top coat to cover them. However, one good coat of my <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/quick-dry-top-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full "Quick Dry Top Coat"</a> did the job perfectly. </div>
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I just love these two collections, and am really looking forward to the release of the "Precious Gems Collection" on Friday, 7th October. I hope you like them as much as I do. Please let me know what you think of them if you decide to buy any of either collection. </div>
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I've had a pretty rough couple of weeks for many reasons, and that is why it has been a while since my last posting. I'm still not feeling really great (clinical depression rearing its ugly head), but hopefully things will improve soon. I feel like I'm in a big dark hole, and I just can't seem to get out of it. I'm trying art therapy to see if that will help, because it is supposed to be very beneficial to people with my mental health problems. It certainly is very relaxing, and hopefully I will be able to get back to normal (or what I consider normal) very soon.</div>
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I'd love to hear from you with any comments you might have regarding either my blog or the polishes featured here, whether positive or negative, and I hope you'll come back again soon to find out what I have been up to and my latest manicure and/or swatches and reviews.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you with an abundance of His mercy and grace.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I received 5ml sample-size bottles of all the polishes featured here from Shakeela at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish" target="_blank">SMPolish</a> for testing and my honest review.)</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-14732385033437098372015-08-28T12:58:00.000+10:002015-08-28T20:50:02.965+10:00SMPolish "Hidden Depths Collection" - 26 August 2015Today I have three polishes to show you from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245230188/hidden-depths-collectionholographic?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank"><i>Hidden Depths Collection</i></a>, by the Aussie Indie Polish brand <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">SMpolish</a>, that Shakeela, the maker, sent me to thank me for choosing names for both the whole collection and all the individual polishes in this collection. All nine colours are amazing, and I'm going to buy some of the polishes that I didn't get because they are just so beautiful. Here are photographs of the full collection, with swatches done by Shakeela on her beautiful long nails, so you can see why I love them all.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcY7iQ6Pi_vLpstsPIoNqDreQKDw-nRvwpoX5swG2fL6F8cmHMozpjxb7oR0cubQwLmhfy4IjuxfaKbzLji7SYYd_KwT0uQV3lQ8aqjdWqRFkPFM5xRoXCi-DDK4jMK_RuVvLIvNsl_U/s1600/Hidden+Depths+Full+Collection+Photo..jpg" /></div>
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The colours, in the order shown in the photos above, are <i><a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245122341/secret-messagesilver-holographic-indie?ref=shop_home_active_4" target="_blank">"Secret Message"</a></i>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245224472/derp-dark-secretdark-blue-holographic?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank"><i>"Deep Dark Secret"</i></a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245124493/5-free-handmade-tan-nude-holographicholo?ref=shop_home_active_9" target="_blank"><i>"Sly As A Fox"</i></a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245226578/blessing-in-disguise-holographicholo?ref=shop_home_active_8" target="_blank"><i>"Blessing In Disguise"</i></a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245122513/mums-the-word-pink-fluorescent?ref=related-7" target="_blank"><i>"Mum's The Word"</i></a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245224554/davy-jones-lockeraqua-holographicholo?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank"><i>"Davy Jones' Locker"</i></a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245224598/guarded-secretpurple-holographic-holo?ref=related-3" target="_blank"><i>"Guarded Secret"</i></a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245224660/5-free-handmade-red-holographicholo?ref=related-3" target="_blank"><i>"Mulled Wine"</i></a> and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245124307/hush-hushviolet-holographic-holo-indie?ref=related-4" target="_blank"><i>"Hush-Hush"</i></a>. Just click on the names above to be taken to the individual listings on the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">SMPolish</a> site for more information and to order. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4xVLCjGjsUej-8XZpUjpZIPwk65GOw9aRBzro8h4XTMgNuuauQc0xDEF8ywZRo-XBMdvdTpIP6h0dnPzpU50dNYgPP5CX_HoeXO5NYHCg-3ZxxrCQIIymEMYZ_vSsshl5cGLd_W1BR0/s1600/Hidden+Depths+-+Davy+Jones%2527+Locker+Sun+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4xVLCjGjsUej-8XZpUjpZIPwk65GOw9aRBzro8h4XTMgNuuauQc0xDEF8ywZRo-XBMdvdTpIP6h0dnPzpU50dNYgPP5CX_HoeXO5NYHCg-3ZxxrCQIIymEMYZ_vSsshl5cGLd_W1BR0/s1600/Hidden+Depths+-+Davy+Jones%2527+Locker+Sun+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWFwOmbHW3Ygs_5eyRkRTFy0plE6rghyphenhyphenYQOwCBOz0AJcAFZU7Omuxpe6PNcj9cFDUySXPtBz-NNqsgzA7bK1BlxLY1CBP7JrX7NZjaB3lbD8ilKKJZVdldLFR_8fQ_F5ly1t7y3b4XQ4/s1600/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Sun+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
The first one I have to show you is <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245224554/davy-jones-lockeraqua-holographicholo?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank"><i>"</i></a><i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">Davy Jones' Locker"</a></i>, a lovely aqua holographic polish. The holographic shift in this polish is not quite as strong as some of the others in the collection, but is definitely there no matter what lighting I was under. I had problems with getting photographs inside because we have terrible lighting (I hate the new globes the government is making us use). However, the photos I took in the sun and shade outside show just how beautiful this polish is. Like all of the polishes from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">SMpolish</a> that I have tried so far, this polish went on smoothly, and just two coats, with no top coat, gave the finish shown. <br />
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<img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKCto30lRWfSol68buwNlRU-noeTmL3r2nv4Cb2hH1eOnJ-3UVlk5zbCxMBgvP3ZJ1gmQhw-atFnlrrya80R1KwpSZI6YCfb7AgzFFoWRh0oTGW2vlkOcvR3zRUpIIxLcFXzP8KcSFzs/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Davy+Jones%2527+Locker+Sun+2.jpg" width="400" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_R07dOCOAyQPuEN6_wWJvZuRjyRLiP0iCTV_XIQPqc8bON_qkJoQ0Hy7NguJO-R8v7yGk1GQfx2VAFzDx3wkU2frCaGSbuP4Lpyxx79lT9mc5zQz7CMkcasQhloqoXG0LYP1hmT9ntfE/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Davy+Jones%2527+Locker+Sun+1.jpg" width="272" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3fGUlWf7jGlA5DVW4geqRt0jL_7IeT2FSVveOWZ6n-hZQxsRntXAYctaHJXr8D5XtJubyOW4KiuIIn7APCihyphenhyphenmdSLHDCZ3zUinerrLvr6prqgprLi125boWOBg9uzrYa-CFrwuWDbfY/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Davy+Jones%2527+Locker+Shade+1.jpg" width="241" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcadBt66MIsDpR012Xv2CW3_2nh__RXmT6JQXD0XWQ2Qpde8b4q1Eevo1QGGwHFDu8POOcgl5pl-risj6HOTc7mhSGwsS7_MLLuJKWMmNaIgtb4TiR7ruRvNYWbT8EWj4Zg0ygZP23vk/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Davy+Jones%2527+Locker+Shade+2.jpg" width="321" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-rzA_RsIH_tr1BuQOis9G4g7SSqLMNLE-ovNAQXoMw2fz58K6Z31pnzsGayDg5D9G2fuiz4wImnIfesoGZ8SFttvqBB-NDgu4cBFAnNmwFjZ2NuO4GhLWwcsqtsPZ0sL3-KV6AjwhNE/s1600/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Sun+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-rzA_RsIH_tr1BuQOis9G4g7SSqLMNLE-ovNAQXoMw2fz58K6Z31pnzsGayDg5D9G2fuiz4wImnIfesoGZ8SFttvqBB-NDgu4cBFAnNmwFjZ2NuO4GhLWwcsqtsPZ0sL3-KV6AjwhNE/s1600/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Sun+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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The second polish I have to show you from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245230188/hidden-depths-collectionholographic?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Hidden Depths Collection</a> is <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245124307/hush-hushviolet-holographic-holo-indie?ref=shop_home_active_7" target="_blank"><i>"Hush-Hush"</i></a>, a gorgeous violet holographic polish. I absolutely love this polish. It went on like a dream, and the holographic shift is just wonderful. Just two coats of polish with no top coat gave this beautiful finish. It is gorgeous no matter what light you are under, and I just adore it. Please forgive the lumpy look on my index finger in the photos taken in the shade, but I am nursing some broken nails with patches at the moment, and I forgot to put a coat of strengthener under this lot of swatches.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzqOzTbmbKOiNjD4dopimfklF2wbLfBtAeeDqeIl33Otw-sC6VLMq13hpQYHRYlKFecH_sUiEVRanzow5f8jpFjuHjttWG2wpGDk-6qWyrT6Zv1FWk3SNgDCYaEwaNjL6XayYeLRlG9U/s320/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Sun+3.jpg" width="296" /> <img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2u3PI2RdE39WMgKakwzjcSdLz_VdLnZTB_Eb773nBbFakbwpVTJlce7hw81_tXBHb5zAglAk2XiXyMNXjDNKhH8FLBf8WxOWH1qZXeYk5wF1c1wwGusL2FigPPdCV_Xfb3PcghJhzaI/s320/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Sun+2.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZoGwZp1HF_yoWWXtE6bbGylVI-9THzFsR7f_bASvN_-g_sCSoTRSDZtf8jQUPhWPQJEewe2qclsmQg_k4npT6CRN48NybFrCyicVwVaWxvJB5BN3jsMhT9ejW-w6RkLpdSUPvrVAO6w/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Shade+1.jpg" width="232" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2sVpVtAijFxKwqGVU_t2he10-v5ENrTObfZ1P6ZcRgZ-pnVTxZSteqMhMS3ZiHuQP3j2XdCsWt8jsO7_O8L6b_O3KOJ60tcBtFYNbWx5cNb4xOkH2p8aFtTZEeSJcrzRy74ufS4aE68/s1600/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Shade+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2sVpVtAijFxKwqGVU_t2he10-v5ENrTObfZ1P6ZcRgZ-pnVTxZSteqMhMS3ZiHuQP3j2XdCsWt8jsO7_O8L6b_O3KOJ60tcBtFYNbWx5cNb4xOkH2p8aFtTZEeSJcrzRy74ufS4aE68/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Hush-Hush+Shade+2.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnY_rVaOPMqbtMKLryv6CrT24Cx8flNKx4FB0UH_d-y68JMdaFR0q9_cTh4FppshcChnlk6Ho3fLBgq4EoBGoar2rjLDVE-q5YZNwyzXKw_31TjYXvdElQqK_CPHpKT7cIiAkQhjjp5E/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Mulled+Wine+Sun+2.jpg" width="223" /></div>
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The last polish from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245230188/hidden-depths-collectionholographic?ref=listing-shop-header-0" target="_blank">Hidden Depths Collection</a> that I have to show you today is <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245224660/5-free-handmade-red-holographicholo?ref=related-3" target="_blank"><i>"Mulled Wine"</i></a>, a wonderful red-wine coloured holographic polish, and it is my favourite of the three polishes I have from the collection. Application was sooooo easy, and just two coats with no top coat gave the awesome holographic shift shown in my photos. I just couldn't stop looking at it while I had it on my nails. I'm considering buying a full-size bottle of this polish, because the bottles shown in the photos are 5ml mini bottles, so they won't last for long.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM2rztSHxI25zlOtNfOYj4kFA3fxqYJmAHXFpUCEAX_072AuOEeFm2oOMToNGM5gSeNsSXvPpZk1Mscrvilh17MPB1z3ICLf__Ke2y0IM_gPnC1sT-u33EUciC8kkDUE3g_cTfgY6uz4/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Mulled+Wine+Sun+3.jpg" width="268" /> <img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRZK9IEfS_lY1CXqRd-tQaVgRSws7_ecxJG1XGWFJhc3MqinEtu0crkyYmLIZxeb7U69DvPmLCQoyDtv90U-bjIhq_8Ci9OfgfNz_QknneN5VKWFpnK9Wo93FYOO2iblQj8YDtp6lWQA/s400/Hidden+Depths+-+Mulled+Wine+Sun+1.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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I applied one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious "Rock On" Nail Strengthener</a> under each lot of swatches, except for the <i>"Hush-Hush"</i> ones (because I simply forgot). I then added one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/grace-full-nail-polish-base-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish "Base Coat"</a> to each nail, and used no top coat on these nails at all for these swatches.</div>
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Overall, I'm extremely impressed with the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/245230188/hidden-depths-collectionholographic?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Hidden Depths Collection</a> polishes that I have, and will definitely be purchasing some of the other colours very soon. They applied very easily, and were very easy to clean up, too. Also, when it came to taking them off, there was no staining at all, and they came off so easily I was really surprised. So, I'd definitely recommend this collection, and I hope you will support this wonderful new polish brand, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">SMpolish</a>, by purchasing some of these, and/or others from the other collections Shakeela has available. I'm really excited by what she is producing, and I know that she has some more amazing, and some quite unique, polishes coming up in the very near future.</div>
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Thank you so much for visiting my blog, and I hope you will come back often to see what I have to share with you. If you would like to follow my blogs, just fill in one of the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page. There are also links, on the right-hand side, to all my earlier posts in case you would like to check them out, too. I'd love to hear from you with any comments you'd like to make, either good or bad, or perhaps some advice you think might help me along my nail art journey.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, and God bless you.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> I received 5ml sample bottles of three of the polishes from this collection, to thank me for<br />choosing their names, and to enable me to do an honest review and to do swatches of the polishes.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-29797465433944560652015-08-12T00:31:00.001+10:002015-08-14T23:59:35.681+10:00Celestial Cosmetics "Pixie's Place" & LYZ Cosmetics "Hearts On Fire" Manicure - 11 August 2015Today I have my latest manicure, featuring <a href="https://www.celestialcosmetics.com.au/" target="_blank">Celestial Cosmetics</a> <i>"Pixie's Place"</i> and <a href="http://fairybread.storenvy.com/collections/986709-lyz-cosmetics" target="_blank">LYZ Cosmetics</a> <i>"Hearts On Fire"</i>, from the Fairybread February 2015 Sweet Surprise Box, but unfortunately neither of these polishes are available anymore. However both sites have lots of other wonderful polishes available for you, so please check them out and find out why I love them both so much.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjcBlLW5mqCpNqUnt7LfYc0kwFWDh2E3qNWZEz0ksJRu74dp8rd-5P3Jf88yNNl_lkE-aFk9iLHe6CxfokE1Qudq7tnzZMA2PRdIcVjvHwrB-IaxtKFf2NpEFOnTn0gRnk9qVvqBGYwE/s1600/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+Filtered+Sunlight+Close-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjcBlLW5mqCpNqUnt7LfYc0kwFWDh2E3qNWZEz0ksJRu74dp8rd-5P3Jf88yNNl_lkE-aFk9iLHe6CxfokE1Qudq7tnzZMA2PRdIcVjvHwrB-IaxtKFf2NpEFOnTn0gRnk9qVvqBGYwE/s640/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+Filtered+Sunlight+Close-up.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I started my manicure with one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious <i>"Rock On"</i> Nail Strengthener</a>, and one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/grace-full-nail-polish-base-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish <i>"Base Coat"</i></a>, to all my nails.<br />
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Next, I applied two coats of <a href="https://www.celestialcosmetics.com.au/" target="_blank">Celestial Cosmetics</a> <i>"Pixie's Place"</i> to all my nails. This polish is just gorgeous, to say the least. It was described on the website when I bought it as "a bronze scattered holo with flakies", but I'd describe it as a pink/beige bronze holo shimmer polish, absolutely loaded with gold and bronze micro-glitter and gold and bronze flakies. The overall effect is dazzling, especially in the sunshine, and even in filtered sunshine as shown above. It went on smoothly and easily and, if I hadn't planned to photograph it for my blog, one coat would have given great coverage, but I wanted to get more of a crelly effect, so I used the two coats. The finish was lovely and smooth, with no problem getting loads of glitter and flakies in each stroke. As you can see from the bottle in the photos, when I said it was "loaded with glitter", I wasn't joking. If you get the chance to pick up a bottle of this in a destash anywhere, buy it, because I know you wouldn't regret it, but I don't think anyone would want to sell it if they've already got it.<br />
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Then I applied two coats of <a href="http://fairybread.storenvy.com/collections/986709-lyz-cosmetics" target="_blank">LYZ Cosmetics</a> <i>"Hearts On Fire"</i>, a clear glitter base polish, absolutely chock-a-block with tiny bronze glitter, medium pink hexagonal glitter, and silver holo shards. As you can see from the photo above, the effect is stunning. I didn't have to do any digging at all to get the shards because there are plenty in the bottle, the polish went on very easily, and the finish was just a little rough. I used two coats because I wanted to get a jelly effect, and it worked beautifully. This is another polish I would definitely recommend to everyone if you can manage to get hold of a bottle, but I'm not sure that people would want to sell this one, either, if they've got it.<br />
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I finished off with one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/quick-dry-top-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish <i>"Quick Dry Top Coat"</i></a>, which covered even the polish on my ring fingers beautifully. This top coat seems to give every polish, glitter or creme, a perfect cover, and is so easy to use. I can definitely recommend this if you're looking for a good all-round top coat.<br />
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Here are some more photos taken under a variety of lighting conditions so that you can see how beautiful these polishes are. They're even more wonderful in real life, though, so I hope you can get a bottle of each one somewhere. If you want to see larger versions of the photos, just click on them.<br />
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<img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktI_u6GVlANIZUxirHUWY0xpF-ZLyaZzCZsLStY93a580lGYD2BLu4hx8QrLLGq96yuETdvUABmUapIayHHNtLnGwpH8Rj4qJ79Yuucj6JWZ3QTSN6XbGhHUx16wfLe7_N5g710X5uHQ/s400/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+Full+Sunshine.jpg" width="400" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsram1QsdxdhEm-ypXoPmu8jo_obBV0k88liiM3y6fp-3blY5PJU_JNvWHAPjknXe2KIANzL7uMcHCxkRdakBounPP6zRTiw1DNX1668IbzmfPEerlB4PVEQWWYc7UoOUzvy_2Zp6XXE/s400/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+Cloudy+Sky+2.jpg" width="282" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFt-ZgEgpIxuI8d5NpW-8TEGkJqFzvZJdPPiL_Rwi1bR6Xq_iUcFt7Xg_XLexsUVttlY4olA3syMk05i6oSLiFMWoXqiZ_BruqCECxd9HKhc3sDuZu0fRUcoV5DZutDhHsr4_fHiQ3t0/s400/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+Filtered+Sunlight.jpg" width="307" /> <img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_v-OIx6IlWgiiZo3vsSLmLLX2hhPibPqUL03N-updQ7A_WpGCmTtmg0cRtj7aYA_CFyW08chlX8bbhow_ENpoHCGi70Qj5huo66KZAtH8hSVyKfI9Oho0P-VEFPOPr7PZDZFolSRXy1U/s400/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+Cloudy+Sky.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2B4mjP5gN8FHr7hejJfJBInHg66-nRuOSb6RCOB5DtrhZ6LZ2mfLj2dzOVdFZqfxsP3BYF9aVotTiQV6CkcdS7gh4bYvebGE_hnsNX6WIgItpkWHO8x_jZuC59O1SsBUNjhfBxOxSSw/s400/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+In+Sunroom.jpg" width="400" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5IgAB-5BDjWVmppwzERXAlZNAEev95CkXSFuTQ350xo4nekbRfgmswQu_Cx1ms2RiMS8e1TqJpy1bUGzr53joXylZ-BtvVzZarZUS5BaQggYx5r7ARzT95HLXyUVGwLm8HNLGGjHWMM/s400/Celestial+Pixie%2527s+Place+and+LYZ+Hearts+On+Fire+In+Shade.jpg" width="253" /></div>
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So, that's my manicure for another week. As you can see, these two polishes are amazing under just about any type of lighting you could think of. Please feel free to leave comments if you so wish, and if you'd like to follow my blog, you can do so by filling in one of the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page.</div>
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Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you. As I told you in my last post, I have some really exciting posts coming up for you in the not-too-distant future. </div>
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Have a great week, and may God bless you!</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I have nothing to declare for this post. All these products are part of my personal stash, paid for by me.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-6982637648619593382015-08-09T02:39:00.000+10:002015-08-09T02:42:59.084+10:00KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala" & Powder Perfect "Horse-lords" - 7 August 2015I am in love once again - this time with <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/collections/kbshimmer/products/men-are-from-mars-ala" target="_blank">KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala"</a>, which I have used for this manicure, with <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/powder-perfect/products/horse-lords" target="_blank">Powder Perfect "Horse-lords"</a> used as my feature nail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylbyl-jWFk3oYnro_cr4ja_sf-8NdGShXgNjCJnFC0POhj7g07L2pw03BMyKKBBYKzjFBhhAVbYFBJYX19ujA5S2T9iqOVqN5_os42v8OZX1Xo1sWom2EuZji0xJHKGTSMpUpAEeXPaw/s1600/Men+Are+From+Mars-ala+Collection+for+FB+etc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylbyl-jWFk3oYnro_cr4ja_sf-8NdGShXgNjCJnFC0POhj7g07L2pw03BMyKKBBYKzjFBhhAVbYFBJYX19ujA5S2T9iqOVqN5_os42v8OZX1Xo1sWom2EuZji0xJHKGTSMpUpAEeXPaw/s400/Men+Are+From+Mars-ala+Collection+for+FB+etc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I know <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/collections/kbshimmer/products/men-are-from-mars-ala" target="_blank">KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala"</a> has been around for quite some time now, but I was only able to buy a bottle a couple of months ago because it is from a USA Indie Polish maker, which meant it was much more expensive than Aussie Indie polishes, and I've been dying to try it out. As I'd been so busy last week, I decided to do a simple manicure this week, and while I was looking through my polish collection, trying to work out which ones to use, my eyes lit up when they saw this polish. Before I purchased it I'd found lots of blogs that absolutely raved about this polish, and I wondered if it would really live up to its hype - and I can assure you it did. I then looked through my jelly glitter polishes to find one that would go perfectly with this superb marsala shade, and <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/powder-perfect/products/horse-lords" target="_blank">Powder Perfect "Horse-lords"</a> fit the bill exactly.<br />
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I started my manicure as usual with a coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious <i>"Rock On"</i> Nail Strengthener</a>, which is simply the best strengthener I've found anywhere, and I recommend it to everyone. My nails are never intentionally without it, but after a really busy, rough week, my last mani had lost bits of polish here and there, and when I removed my polish I discovered I had three breaks that had to be patched. I also had to file down a couple more nails on my left hand, which is usually my go-to hand for photographing, and that is why I've included a photo of my right hand because the nails are a bit longer. Once the strengthener had completely dried, I added a coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/grace-full-nail-polish-base-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Base Coat</a>, which I've found to be fantastic. Whenever I use it, the polish stays on my fingers a lot longer than with any other base coat I've used to-date, and because I usually want my manicures to last for at least 4 or 5 days, and sometimes even longer, this is exactly what I want.<br />
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Then I added two coats of <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/collections/kbshimmer/products/men-are-from-mars-ala" target="_blank">KBShimmer <i>"Men Are From Mars-ala"</i></a> to every nail except for my ring fingers, although one good coat would have been more than enough if I hadn't been going to photograph it for this blog. This is one of the most beautiful polishes I've added to my collection since beginning my nail art journey, and since doing my manicure I haven't been able to stop looking at it- literally! The colour looks amazing on my skin colour, its changes according to the light are wonderful, and the linear holographic shift, especially in sunlight, is unbelievable until you actually see it in person. It went on smoothly, with no brush marks, and I think I can say, without a doubt, that this has been the easiest polish to apply that I have found since I started doing my nails last October. The colour is simply beautiful - from a gorgeous, soft marsala shade under indoor lighting, to a simply amazing holographic, shimmery, bright marsala shade in the sun, and all the shades in between depending on what light I happen to be in. Put quite simply, every facet of this polish blew me away, I'm now completely in love with the marsala colour itself as well, and will definitely be looking for more similar polishes to add to my collection. The only nail polish store I could find who stocked this polish, and would send it to Australia, was the Canadian online store, <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/" target="_blank">Harlow & Co.</a>, and you will find a link to their site if you click on both the name of the polish and the name of the company.<br />
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Next, I added two coats of <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/powder-perfect/products/horse-lords" target="_blank"><i>Powder Perfect "Horse-lords"</i></a>, a rich, maroon jelly with gold & bronze glitter from this wonderful Australian Indie Polish maker. This went on really easily, and there is heaps of glitter in the bottle, so I didn't have to go fishing for any, or even dab any extra bits of glitter on to fill in any gaps. Two coats gave just the right amount of glitter, and I'm looking forward to actually trying this polish over a dark base polish, or even over a lighter polish that doesn't particularly please me. The colour proved to be the perfect foil for <i>"<a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/collections/kbshimmer/products/men-are-from-mars-ala" target="_blank">Men Are From Mars-ala"</a></i>, and the overall effect was just beautiful.<br />
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To finish off my manicure I applied one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/quick-dry-top-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish "Quick Dry Top Coat"</a>, which was more than enough to cover even the rough finish of the <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/powder-perfect/products/horse-lords" target="_blank">Powder Perfect <i>"Horse-lords"</i></a> glitter jelly polish beautifully, and give a smooth, glossy finish. I love this top coat since buying it, and think it is easily the best one I have at the moment.<br />
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Here are some more photos of the finished manicure under different types of lighting so that you can see why I am so in love with this polish. Unfortunately I was unable to get my camera to catch the full linear holographic effect that you can just see in the bottle in the photo at the top of this post, and also the photo taken in sunlight below, because it caused the camera to flare it was that bright, but I assure you, it is there, and in spades.<br />
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So, what do you think? Do you agree that the <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/collections/kbshimmer/products/men-are-from-mars-ala" target="_blank">KBShimmer <i>"Men Are From Mars-ala"</i></a> polish is as wonderful as I do? And do you love the beautiful jelly glitter polish <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/powder-perfect/products/horse-lords" target="_blank">Powder Perfect <i>"Horse-lords"</i></a> as much as I do? Please let me know if you have any comments, good or bad, or perhaps even some suggestions to help me improve my blogging skills, because I would love hear from you.<br />
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Well, that's me for another week. I hope you will come back often to see what I have to share with you, and I can promise you I have some exciting posts coming in the not-to-distant future.<br />
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Have a wonderful week, and may God bless you with an abundance of His mercy and grace.</div>
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Hugs<br />
<br />
Christine<br />
<br />
(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br />
<br />
Words of Life and Hope<br />
<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">All products used in this post were bought by me, and my opinion is given honestly and freely.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-15159657450312450422015-08-02T00:05:00.000+10:002015-08-28T19:14:26.160+10:00SMPolish "Fairytale Collection" Part 2 - Pastel Colours - Just Released 31 July 2015<br />
Just as a reminder, and in case you didn't see my reviews of the first part of this collection, here is how this came about.<br />
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I was thrilled to be asked by Shakeela Meer, the maker of
these unique polishes, and a really new member of the Aussie Indie
Polish Maker community, to help her name this collection, and was then really
honoured when she asked if I would be her official "namer" for her
polishes in the future. I couldn't believe it, but of course I said
"Yes, please!", and now I am an official member of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish" target="_blank">SMPolish</a>
team. I will be choosing a list of possible names for each polish in
each collection, and in some cases the actual name of the collection,
and then Shakeela will make the final decisions on the name for each
polish. So, as you can imagine, I've really had to put my thinking cap
on and go back to my childhood memories with this collection (and this
is really a long time ago for me, so it was a big ask). It's just as
well that I have always been a bookworm, right from early childhood, so
my memory didn't take too much jogging to bring back so many wonderful
memories of the fairytales I enjoyed way back when.<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/238978464/5-free-handmade-glitter-cream-and-pastel?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">The Fairytale Collection</a>
is described by Shakeela thus: "Each polish in the listing is made up
of either creme-jelly bases or
shimmery bases with the addition of both complimenting and contrasting
glitters. This collection covers any occasion from everyday simple to a
night out, from party to vacation, from tea party to wedding."<br />
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As with the first part of this collection, I used OPI Natural Nail
"Glitter Off" Base Coat and OPI Natural Nail Top Coat on all my nails
for the swatches below.<br />
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Now it's time for me to review the second part of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239052950/5-free-handmade-pastel-glitter-nail?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">SMPolish "Fairytale Collection - The Pastel Colours"</a>, and I hope you will like these
as much as I do.<br />
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The first polish in the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239052950/5-free-handmade-pastel-glitter-nail?ref=listing-shop-header-0" target="_blank">Pastel Colours</a> part of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/238978464/5-free-handmade-glitter-cream-and-pastel?ref=listing-shop-header-2" target="_blank">Fairytale Collection</a> is <i>"The Shadow"</i>, a charcoal grey "crelly" polish with holographic micro-glitter and tiny black and purple glitter. This polish went on very smoothly, and I used three coats for my swatches to achieve the full "crelly" effect I wanted. The finish was quite rough because of the glitter, but just one coat of top coat was more than enough to give a smooth, shiny finish. This muted polish is very elegant and would be suitable for almost any occasion.</div>
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The inspiration for the name of this polish came from the pulp fiction magazine series <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow" target="_blank"><i>"The Shadow Magazine"</i></a>, primarily written by Walter B. Gibson and first published on April 1, 1931. Now, I know you're going to say "But this isn't a fairytale", but the hero of this series, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow" target="_blank"><i>"The Shadow"</i></a>, just seemed to fit this polish so perfectly - shadowy, mysterious, with lots of hidden depth, so I suggested it as one of the options for this polish to Shakeela, and it's the one she went with. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh357KRdOz4SjBEDYX-_Xu2B1YRArFIYlyYK-8l8U54HGxKBDZB1PM3V0pSPGqO5XWrJd0ID9Cfwzg95FDeS-CmozA-ctdhSTSUrJxOa4i6dTkpzszZsmuWpKk_OLgh_LQvZ18foNJmET0/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Thumbelina+in+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh357KRdOz4SjBEDYX-_Xu2B1YRArFIYlyYK-8l8U54HGxKBDZB1PM3V0pSPGqO5XWrJd0ID9Cfwzg95FDeS-CmozA-ctdhSTSUrJxOa4i6dTkpzszZsmuWpKk_OLgh_LQvZ18foNJmET0/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Thumbelina+in+sun.jpg" /></a></div>
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The second polish in this part of the collection is <i>"Thumbelina"</i>, a pretty pastel, but very shimmery, blue polish with holographic micro-glitter and tiny bright blue and pink glitter. This polish was very easy to work with, and I have used three coats in my swatches so that the full "crelly" effect of this polish would be shown. Once again, the finish was rough, but one coat of top coat was more than enough to smooth it out and give a lovely shiny finish.<br />
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The inspiration for this nail polish came from the fairytale <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumbelina" target="_blank"><i>"Thumbelina"</i></a>, written in 1835 by the Danish writer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christian_Andersen" title="Hans Christian Andersen">Hans Christian Andersen</a>, and published in his book <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_Tales_Told_for_Children._First_Collection." title="Fairy Tales Told for Children. First Collection.">Fairy Tales Told for Children. First Collection.</a> For some reason, when I saw this colour I immediately thought of this name, perhaps because I've always loved pastel blue dresses on little girls, especially with polka dots, and that's how I envisioned <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumbelina" target="_blank"><i>"Thumbelina"</i></a> dressed this way - hence the name.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfd6KRtm3S1Q8CxXRFUAW-Nzar4JSpN6Rj9eN3vCJ6np0ethUggaoA_2hpg3AefAEUX3wXTNIqrlXcFxvkrZfBY_NZaszVLjeFKg9j5Ux8Z3iSdJXqv79MutcRj1axQTMxityY1XhayU/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Violetta+in+shade.jpg" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkUiz0tVTvPk7BNYI1zgOFSo529J8Rb4CNvR4h3wWsSfUgjd16C_WkJE7vG6ktyjMIWErOb8UGgWOpbA8lh0A56NI7qo3yfpMwWTDgbrqqSZA2hAM_isTTZLwmd_UdEqI1XSL23lWmhA/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Violetta+in+sun.jpg" /></div>
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The third polish in this part of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239052950/5-free-handmade-pastel-glitter-nail?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Fairytale Collection</a> from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">SMPolish</a> is <i>"Violetta"</i>, a gorgeous, pastel purple polish , with lots of holographic micro-glitter, and tiny bright pink glitter. The polish went on very smoothly, and I used three coats so that the true "crelly" effect would show in my swatches. The finish was a little rough because of the glitter, but just one coat of top coat solved that problem. I really like this polish, and I think it is my favourite from this part of the collection.<br />
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I'm really not sure where the inspiration for this name came from, but many fairy tales and folk tales have heroines that aren't actually given names, and I'm sure this would be a wonderful choice for some of them, and the colour just seemed to scream out for a name like this. I suggested it as one of my selections for this polish, and this is the one Shakeela chose - perfect, I think.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6c0sPC913di6UqCZpzss6lPIEuD0eqBpJVmTswD21OnhfQ7gVhXt6ahpIBeLztbh8mh7ohZAD_QPV4gvgm_y6BdPttMA8w5IbUUsSKEqiAFIrqINZqDkUzxvCQsnVv6SXMt5uwDUsiZQ/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+The+Sea+Maiden+in+shade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6c0sPC913di6UqCZpzss6lPIEuD0eqBpJVmTswD21OnhfQ7gVhXt6ahpIBeLztbh8mh7ohZAD_QPV4gvgm_y6BdPttMA8w5IbUUsSKEqiAFIrqINZqDkUzxvCQsnVv6SXMt5uwDUsiZQ/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+The+Sea+Maiden+in+shade.jpg" /></a></div>
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The fourth polish in this part of the collection is <i>"The Sea Maiden"</i>, a beautiful aqua "crelly" polish with a smattering of holographic micro-glitter and bright blue and aqua glitter. This polish was one of the easiest to work with, and went on very smoothly. Two coats was all I needed to get full coverage and to give the "crelly" effect I wanted. It was just a little rough, but one coat was all that was needed to give it this beautiful, glossy finish. The overall effect of this polish is just gorgeous, and I'm not usually an aqua polish fan. I think you will definitely love this polish if you buy it.<br />
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The inspiration for the name of this polish came from a Scottish fairy tale, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sea-Maiden" target="_blank"><i>"The Sea Maiden"</i></a>, part of a collection by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Francis_Campbell" title="John Francis Campbell">John Francis Campbell</a>, published in 1890 in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_Tales_of_the_West_Highlands" title="Popular Tales of the West Highlands">Popular Tales of the West Highlands</a></i>, and listing his informant as John Mackenzie, a fisherman, near Inverary. I thought this name was perfect for this polish, and really portrayed the colour beautifully.<br />
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The fifth colour in this part of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239052950/5-free-handmade-pastel-glitter-nail?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">"The Fairytale Collection"</a> from SMPolish is <i>"Buttercup"</i>, a pretty, shimmery pastel yellow polish with bright aqua and pink glitter. The polish went on very smoothly, but I really did need three coats to get full coverage and to achieve the "crelly" effect I wanted. There was plenty of glitter, and I didn't have to fish for any at all. Just one coat of top coat was all I needed to give the polish a lovely, shiny, smooth finish. This is quite pretty, but doesn't do a thing for me on my nails because of the colour of my skin.<br />
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The name for this polish was inspired by the fairy tale <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttercup_%28fairy_tale%29" target="_blank"><i>"Buttercup"</i></a>, a Norwegian fairy tale collected by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Christen_Asbj%C3%B8rnsen" title="Peter Christen Asbjørnsen">Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B8rgen_Moe" title="Jørgen Moe">Jørgen Moe</a> and published in 1845 in <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norske_Folkeeventyr" title="Norske Folkeeventyr">Norske Folkeeventyr</a>, a collection of Norwegian folktales and legends. The hero, Buttercup, is described as being so named because he is "plump and fat, and fond of good things", and I thought that description fitted this nail polish perfectly. It just reminded me of a beautiful tub of butter with pretty glitter all through it.<br />
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Now we come to the last of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239052950/5-free-handmade-pastel-glitter-nail?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">The Fairytale Collection Pastel Shades</a>, <i>"The Enchanted Maiden"</i>, a gorgeous, bright pastel pink "crelly" polish, with a scattering of holographic micro-glitter and tiny bright pink and blue glitter. The polish went on beautifully, and I used three coats to get the full "crelly" effect, and I wasn't disappointed. There were just a few bumps in the finish because of the glitter, but one coat of top coat soon fixed that problem, and gave a beautiful, glossy finish. This polish is a very pretty pink, but unfortunately didn't suit my finger colour. However, on someone who can wear pastel pinks, especially bright ones, it would look great.<br />
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The name for this polish was inspired by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enchanted_Maiden" target="_blank"><i>"The Enchanted Maiden"</i></a>, a Portuguese fairy tale collected by <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consiglieri_Pedroso" title="Consiglieri Pedroso">Consiglieri Pedroso</a> in <i>Portuguese Folk-Tales</i> in 1882. I envisaged a gorgeous maiden, in a pastel pink dress, sprinkled with fairy dust, and thus the name of this polish was born.</div>
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So, I hope you have enjoyed seeing all these lovely polishes in this new collection from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">SMPolish</a>, and that you will visit Shakeela's store to check out this beautiful collection, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/238978464/5-free-handmade-glitter-cream-and-pastel?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank"><i>"The Fairytale Collection"</i></a>, very soon. Shakeela also has a couple of other lovely collections available, and has great plans for more wonderful polishes in the very near future. Please support this new kid on the block in the world of Aussie Indie Polishes and encourage her to continue in her endeavours. I know she'd love to hear your comments, too, regarding the type of polishes you would like to see her produce, and any other nail products that you think she should add to her store. Sign up on her Facebook page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SMnailpolish?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/SMnailpolish?fref=ts</a> to be kept up to date with what is happening in her store.</div>
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Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you will be back often to see what I have to share with you about what I've been doing with my nails, how they are going in their recovery from my chemotherapy last year (2014), and any nail art ideas I've come up with lately.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you with an abundance of His mercy and grace.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> I received 5ml sample bottles of all these polishes to help me choose their names,<br />and to enable me to do an honest review and to do swatches of the polishes.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-22436052138090595712015-08-01T19:25:00.000+10:002015-08-02T00:44:52.220+10:00SMPolish "Fairytale Collection" Part 1 - Bright Colours - Just Released 31 July 2015Today I have Part 1 of the latest collection of polish from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239051142/5-free-handmade-glitter-nail-polish?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">SMPolish - The Fairytale Collection - The Bright Colours</a> - to show and review for you.<br />
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I was thrilled to be asked by Shakeela Meer, the maker of these unique polishes, and a really new member of the Aussie Indie Polish Maker community, to help her name this collection, and was then really honoured when she asked if I would be her official "namer" for her polishes in the future. I couldn't believe it, but of course I said "Yes, please!", and now I am an official member of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish" target="_blank">SMPolish</a> team. I will be choosing a list of possible names for each polish in each collection, and in some cases the actual name of the collection, and then Shakeela will make the final decisions on the name for each polish. So, as you can imagine, I've really had to put my thinking cap on and go back to my childhood memories with this collection (and this is really a long time ago for me, so it was a big ask). It's just as well that I have always been a bookworm, right from early childhood, so my memory didn't take too much jogging to bring back so many wonderful memories of the fairytales I enjoyed way back when.<br />
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I will also be doing reviews and swatches of most of her polishes, and I'm absolutely chuffed to be doing this, so here we go with just my second official review and swatch assignment ever.<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/238978464/5-free-handmade-glitter-cream-and-pastel?ref=shop_home_active_3" target="_blank">The Fairytale Collection</a> is described by Shakeela thus: "Each polish in the listing is made up of either creme-jelly bases or
shimmery bases with the addition of both complimenting and contrasting
glitters. This collection covers any occasion from everyday simple to a night out, from party to vacation, from tea party to wedding." <br />
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I used one coat of OPI Natural Nail "Glitter Off" Base Coat and one coat of OPI Natural Nail Top Coat on all my nails for these swatches.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuUMV_pVUZYNM46_7mrS5p2nPrQY0Y2Ekv5odYNtj9J01j82wwA9JlJzq-fhDqBMtRof99b3f08WdcQz6jnLDD2l4jGd_fjGhs2PyYKpdsQTkCLQ8jpE5ZL7EJK5ckYGOSP_jD_WIE78/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Black+in+shade.jpg" /> </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuq-FpsDol7wjbdAY0_JtePBWPKyKjb1VFmLNbrqxrH_oCQ5tVbneBI8kuC31fl5Zu1kJdWD8K_vEcyR1biZTC4v1TzEvsQqFYjmu-2QgWrpb8s9ep64CVJHenl075mztG4x9xxM-YIc/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Black+in+sun.jpg" /> </div>
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The first polish in the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239051142/5-free-handmade-glitter-nail-polish?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank">Bright Colours</a> part of the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/238978464/5-free-handmade-glitter-cream-and-pastel?ref=listing-shop-header-2" target="_blank">Fairytale Collection</a> is <i>"Puss In Boots"</i>, a black "crelly" polish, with an explosion of gold micro-glitter, tiny holographic glitter, small black, blue and purple glitter, and a slight shimmer. This polish went on like a creme, although a little thin, was loaded with glitter, but was a little patchy with the first layer. The second layer went on really well, and then I added a third layer so that I could get the full "crelly" effect and to make sure I had full coverage for my swatches. Because of all the glitter, it dried to a shiny but rough finish, and just one coat of top coat was enough to smooth it out beautifully.<br />
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When I saw this colour, it immediately brought to mind the vision of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puss_in_Boots" target="_blank">"Puss In Boots"</a></i> wearing a huge, shiny black pair of boots, which is the way I have always seen him portrayed in story books. This fairytale was written by a French writer, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault" target="_blank">Charles Perrault</a>, in 1697, and is part of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histoires_ou_contes_du_temps_pass%C3%A9" target="_blank"><i>"The Mother Goose Tales"</i></a>. Unfortunately my photos don't do this polish justice, and it was very hard to show its true beauty, for which I apologise. I will try to better for the next SMPolish collection.<br />
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<img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dekmbG63EIEvwmy5SckheZgJAJ81bET-0BVEVN6EkskHFinWefzaOp25u5eOZyPbKTNj7cLv-W2SQ75Fafd2ez8z_zF3Pdbr7XG-vTcjFjvN-4sXx6WzwQrj3F347bpB2jiTtSfFsJI/s640/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Princess+Rosette+in+sun.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQr3Xj8-fkPzuiHTVMPKwjzs3IRSHfPPRtKSz5_9yuZh5pN-ggJhN_96kDK0OIYbo058v4sl9oW3zaGPmWs3c47WCK14fmUq9tL7qoEQhfaAoZBlr7RvBDwzTLP738ZBvSQRcHIkII1w/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Princess+Rosette+in+sun+2.jpg" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsvjhbP8HictzGopAFlHamEW3FD5RJMNJ8Z9W0N9JQm3Bk_94MmF58InjWweku_g5ZkGPjiP5PrSHkcs9RnULQxDyeZbxSDs6ZHa6SarIWrssKoOYyFvxkwE-m9j71mtAH_zBvjY1aIc/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Princess+Rosette+in+shade.jpg" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBMBdUtM1F_WRhmpp2nnYWrrSPOjtBerbcznAi3gEaTvNOUNrOulLI_i24FAo1Ieo0-VzPVEsKZmnuYIA6Ow1qP2WasNjS1BS34OXYnOXO7xDNXHJuZ-l7TGROAJDVtjJPQWc80eCOZZI/s400/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Princess+Rosette+Macro.jpg" width="293" /></div>
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The second <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239051142/5-free-handmade-glitter-nail-polish?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank">"Bright Colours"</a> polish of the collection is <i>"Princess Rosette"</i>, a bright pink "crelly" polish, with lots of bright blue and pink glitter and a slight shimmer. This went on smoothly from the first coat, and there was no need to go fishing for glitter at all. I used three coats to achieve the full "crelly" effect, and it dried to a shiny but slightly rough finish, but once again, one coat of top coat covered it beautifully. The bright pink glitter is not easy to see in the photos, but I can assure you it is there. If you look closely at the "macro" photo above you can just see it. The glitter that appears to be purple is really the bright blue glitter with the pink polish over it. This really is a very pretty polish, and I definitely liked this colour on my nails, even though I'm not really a fan of pink polish.<br />
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The rose pink colour is what gave me the idea for the name of this polish. <i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Rosette" target="_blank">"Princess Rosette"</a></i> was written in 1698 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_d%27Aulnoy" target="_blank">Baroness d'Aulnoy</a>, a French writer known for her fairy tales. When she termed her works <i>contes de fées</i> (fairy tales), she originated the term that is now generally used for the genre.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_d%27Aulnoy#cite_note-1"></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_d%27Aulnoy" title="Madame d'Aulnoy"><span class="vcard"><span class="fn"> </span></span></a><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8rlxnrj8KZXeLPBC_lNQ3cWBgus9TmYuFGO8f5F5tDGbhQk-UKFIOnM_ybpcLRDgcZQQ1jxhrqSlW36sWWRWl2fmC2TWIjM3WauzyuwnnrMgxaGsXOAWAlIuKhFU-ANWNPp3vxuzcFg/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Nude+in+shadow.jpg" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6U0ePNiX-3TRErSfnhXP5j8QtNOHEoR9-tqWDEsAhppKkj0ctfIaW2HTpIYRulYuaH2dwA0txW47w7U_pw12I7aVlL4V4uMFTy24MYOxjWxCxhLIcbXdoaeuzZO8CpjGPv-VWABsed8/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Nude+in+sun.jpg" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhMoNW2OMFxjaYBhRtsYzufhxIosbnNOkfAUaIoqiNDvfmNEGKtOR26agt2m4Dyoq6JxBLSG_A7to22tvayTKu0nFn8Rw3dsu011oSwAkZ6yAoLPidqVLykFex3KAmYC5GlGiln4XiXs/s400/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Nude+macro.jpg" width="296" /></div>
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The next polish in this collection is <i>"The Emperor's New Clothes"</i>, a taupe nude crelly, tending a little towards mauve on my nails. This polish is loaded with tiny bright pink, purple and blue glitter and a little shimmer. It is very thin, but goes on very smoothly with no need to fish for glitter. I used three coats to get full coverage and to achieve the full "crelly" effect, which is quite dramatic. The finish was just a little rough because of the glitter, but one coat of top coat was all that was needed to smooth this out.<br />
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The first time I saw this polish I knew exactly what the name had to be, because when I thought about fairytales and nude colours, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor%27s_New_Clothes" target="_blank"><i>"The Emperor's New Clothes"</i></a> was the one that immediately came to mind. This fairytale was written by the Danish writer, <a href="http://Hans Christian Andersen" target="_blank">Hans Christian Andersen</a>, and was published in 1837 as part of his book <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_Tales_Told_for_Children._First_Collection." target="_blank">"Fairy Tales Told for Children. First Collection"</a>. <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROtCjlSe_GySf1sJ5KMaNDhml_v1ysybMXmtbZgma7wPFTmfpRHP1GIWWKtxl3JI9MAeFpH6bMuvY7xm8W06ppGNBMw5vPfDAFOgbjsF3GodTCpuZnbGSfp2oH1cz5fi2Dzndn4pfbzY/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Dark+Purple+in+shade.jpg" /> </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BB9nKZdojjpgg9xaGtibzPEml_Xi1_NPs_cAqazMB_UtHBRJrhA__kbnZxxdK0oVU6vhjHVMlPfuGLXeLXYBebYBxuhQROr-YprJ6pls7WcwhUXM38XZCTM548SJhIB-bCgF3UQyyY4/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Dark+Purple+in+sun.jpg" /> </div>
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The fourth colour in this collection is <i>"Royal Butterfly"</i>, and is a beautiful rich purple "crelly", with a lovely shimmer, and lots of holographic micro-glitter, and tiny bright pink glitter. I found this polish very easy to use, and didn't have to go fishing for any glitter at all. I used three coats in my swatches to make sure I got really good coverage, and to achieve a full "crelly" effect, and I think this was my favourite polish in the collection. It had quite a rough finish, but I only needed one coat of top coat to get a lovely glossy, smooth finish. </div>
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The name for this polish was inspired by the fairytale <a href="http://hca.gilead.org.il/butterfl.html" target="_blank"><i>"The Butterfly"</i></a>, written by <a href="http://hca.gilead.org.il/" target="_blank">Hans Christian Andersen</a> and published in 1861. I adore butterflies, and when I think of anything "royal" I think of the colour purple, and hence the name.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozmSBkvL-pUjw12x1BU_qOv47G62uMhaRYYl-YHMSL-k-siOF2fa_UlepYZe814QaLY7RQTFdjnvGB8ALwbPa-idXj8LEbmSc-eAQqEz9fnfpOo8whidTKToWui7EVfFRZT9W22ZEeJk/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Bright+Yellow+in+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozmSBkvL-pUjw12x1BU_qOv47G62uMhaRYYl-YHMSL-k-siOF2fa_UlepYZe814QaLY7RQTFdjnvGB8ALwbPa-idXj8LEbmSc-eAQqEz9fnfpOo8whidTKToWui7EVfFRZT9W22ZEeJk/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Bright+Yellow+in+sun.jpg" /> </a></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXN_vRTL7BcQtJnEhu-XTyEtvyccJthyrY-tHQ6MnsneU7yYEa9gL2AN5KlvjOuuzH1jfFd7RjUwLgKCKWHCxa54SE08GfwopSsILQmEh6bPWJLf9aujH2bI_TtGxo_9WBBWW-HrUNw4o/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Bright+Yellow+in+shadow.jpg" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFalUhaSDKzY_5CsV1bD2aX-ozRdP-B5n0iaWNcycy4MSHm6CH4ayU0rLW9FSgIm5DpNrV5LoyPtk5DzMKOfbmo0UpW7I7qNrl58tHIFlc_e3LEXkN7STuwIktyLQmnMLA8AZRiivXEc/s400/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Bright+Yellow+Macro.jpg" width="231" /></div>
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The fifth polish in this collection is <i>"The Golden Goose"</i>, a gorgeous bright yellow "crelly" with lots of shimmer, and heaps of tiny bright pink and blue glitter. This polish went on very smoothly, and I used three coats to get the maximum "crelly" effect. The only problem I had was a few brush marks, but I think that may have been because I put the third layer on. The colour is stunning, and this is my second favourite of the collection, even though I don't normally like yellow polish. </div>
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The name of this polish was inspired by the fairytale <a href="http://"The Golden Goose"" target="_blank"><i>"The Golden Goose"</i></a>, from a collection of folk tales gathered by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Grimm" target="_blank">The Brothers Grimm</a>. Their first collection of folk tales, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimms%27_Fairy_Tales" target="_blank">"Children's and Household Tales"</a></i>, in which this tale was featured, was published in 1812. This tale was the first one I thought of when I saw the colour of this polish.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf3270yJgsSq9yo7oIGCb08He-P7DRAdYXMvK8T9wGswIBcnCvwaJE6-h4FZiAL8TJneIC_zSXmFg-rUlUx_PuX2JaUhCGJF3-rw3PxEDpODcXEHQ_tYpdsbiTGWePUBja6HbLIocREs/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Bright+Blue+Artificial+Light.jpg" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUF8qLbZ5yNzjz62P7LZEdWRRFfwE0yYEr_0JmFPEB0fHitX7FIvuw5S_2rFmdgcT6zhgkrWs0dUHaAPteI8Ep6uFot8LyMHcQQCIzHdV1BqELlb3u1ynDwU5buHJSrl3R-OjhOh09nuU/s1600/Fairytale+Collection+SMPolish+Bright+Blue+in+sun.jpg" /></div>
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The final polish in this part of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239051142/5-free-handmade-glitter-nail-polish?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank">The Fairytale Collection</a> is <i>"The Bluebird"</i>, a gorgeous bright blue "crelly" polish with a beautiful shimmer. There is heaps of holographic micro-glitter, and tiny bright pink and blue glitter, with no need to go fishing for the glitter. The polish went on really smoothly, but it is rather thin, like most of this collection, so I used three coats to achieve the fabulous "crelly" effect. Although the finish was a little rough, one coat of top coat was all that was need to give a beautiful, shiny result.</div>
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The name of this polish was inspired by the fairytale <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Bird_%28fairy_tale%29" target="_blank"><i>"The Bluebird"</i></a>, another lovely tale from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_d%27Aulnoy" target="_blank">Baroness d'Aulnoy</a>, the French writer known for her fairy tales, which was first published in 1697. As mentioned earlier, the term she used to describe her works, <i>contes de fées</i> (fairy tales), was the origin of the term that is now generally used for the genre.</div>
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So, that's the end of my reviews of Part 1 of the latest collection of polish from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/239051142/5-free-handmade-glitter-nail-polish?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">SMPolish - The Fairytale Collection - The Bright Colours</a>. I hope you like these polishes as much as I do. They are available now at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SMpolish?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">SMPolish</a> on Etsy, so I hope you will go and check them out, and hopefully purchase some of them to support this new member of the Aussie Indie Polish Maker community. </div>
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I'll be reviewing the second half of this collection, The Fairytale Collection - Pastel Shades, next, and hope you will check that blog out, too.</div>
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If you like this collection, please spread the word among your friends who love nail polish and nail art. New makers only become known through word-of-mouth and/or searching Facebook, Instagram and Google, etc, so Shakeela really needs your support at this early stage of her endeavour. Signup to her Facebook page for her polish at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SMnailpolish?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/SMnailpolish?fref=ts</a> so you can keep up with the latest news from her store.</div>
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Thank you for visiting and I hope you will come back often to see what I have to share with you. </div>
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Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> I received 5ml sample bottles of all these polishes to help me choose their names,<br />and to enable me to do an honest review and to do swatches of the polishes.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-1461288760368988562015-07-22T00:55:00.000+10:002015-07-22T00:58:19.747+10:00Purple Manicure For My Hubby's 75th Birthday Party - 19 July 2015Hi, and welcome to my blog. So glad to have you visit!<br />
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I wanted my nails to look extra special for my hubby, Trevor's, 75th birthday on Sunday night, so I decided to wear purple. When my eyes lighted upon these two amazing polishes in my collection, I just knew they were the ones, and that they were crying out to be worn together for this very special occasion.<br />
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7cKdYKlysOsL2kV3gO6LA_qA0J02Cs9rMVpsJd8YrMKhBX3OZPc28SCosRGtkOCtkFX2zY6kLPllTXmPyfsZT0n2hwSMYbuGQQkVTwee68__AqzxtQW1MAiHOABG2TZcDV5z3BZtVm8/s640/SOP+Dementor%2527s+Kiss+%2526+Grace-full+Twinkling+Violets+In+Sunlight.jpg" width="411" /> </div>
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Outside In Sunlight</div>
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These two amazing polishes are <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/" target="_blank">Shades of Phoenix</a> <i>"Dementor's Kiss"</i> and <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> <i>"Twinkling Violets"</i>. <i>"Twinkling Violets"</i> is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1629051177329897/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Fan Facebook Group</a> exclusive polish that I was lucky enough to have the name I suggested chosen for. If you don't already belong to this fan group, or the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShadesofPhoenix/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Phoenix Flames - Shades of Phoenix Indie Polish Facebook group</a>, I'd really like to suggest that you join. They are closed groups, but are easy enough to join, and we get the chance to buy exclusive Facebook Group Limited Edition polishes, the chance to choose the names of some of the polishes, chances to win prizes, and sneak previews of all the beautiful polishes these two amazing Aussie Indie Polish makers come up with for all their lucky fanatics. We have heaps of fun, especially when trying to come up with polish names, and oooohing and aaaahing over the previews of the new collections or Limited Edition polishes when they show up on the Facebook pages. Come on over and check them out - they're awesome.</div>
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Now to my manicure. As usual, I started with one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious <i>"Rock On! Nail Strengthener"</i> </a>to all my nails. Since using this on my nails I've only had one break, and that was my fault because I didn't remove my polish quickly enough when some of it came off, taking the strengthener with it, of course. I banged my nail whilst cooking dinner, and the only bit of the nail that didn't have polish on it broke off - Murphy's Law loves my home!!!!! That is why you are viewing photos of my non-dominant hand, and also why the clean-up is not as good as usual. Once again it looked great until I saw the photos - YAAAGH!!!! Sorry about that, but you can take it from me, next time my nail polish starts to come off, I'll be removing it and at least applying a coat of "Rock On!" straight away - once bitten, twice shy!!!!</div>
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My base coat for this manicure is <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/" target="_blank">Shades of Phoenix</a> Base Coat, and I applied one coat of this to all my nails, making sure to wrap it over the ends of my nails for extra protection, as I also did with the <i>"Rock On!"</i>.</div>
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Then I added one coat of <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/" target="_blank">Shades of Phoenix</a> <i>"Dementor's Kiss"</i> to all my nails, and then a second coat to all but my ring fingers. This polish was a bit patchy with the first coat, but the second coat soon fixed that. It went on smoothly, and it is absolutely beautiful. It is a mid-shade purple polish, with lots of holographic ultra-micro glitter throughout, and I was just able to pick that up in my photos, which I was really pleased about. The photos really don't do it justice, though, which is a real shame. Teneil, the owner of <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/" target="_blank">Shades of Phoenix</a>, has taken maternity leave for the birth of her new baby (born 21 July), so the store is closed at present for a short while, but the <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/" target="_blank">Facebook group</a> is still very active, with people sharing their manicures, etc, and now checking out the pictures of our lastest "mini" <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/" target="_blank">Phoenix Flames</a> member - she's just beautiful. It won't be too long, we hope, before Teneil will be back making more of her wonderful Aussie Indie nail polishes.</div>
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Next, I added two coats of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> <i>"Twinkling Violets"</i> to my ring fingers, which gave me an amazing jelly effect. This is a dark purple jelly polish, with blue tones, and so much tiny purple, blue and holographic glitter it really blew me away. I haven't been able to stop looking at it since I put it on. I just wish everyone could have bought some of this beautiful polish, but I'm afraid that's not possible. This polish was a Facebook group only Limited Edition polish, as I said earlier, so there is no more available at all, unless you could possibly pick some up in a destash sale online somewhere. However, I doubt that would happen, because I can't imagine anyone wanting to remove this polish from their collection. So, don't forget to check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1629051177329897/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Fan Facebook Group</a> so you don't miss out on any more amazing Limited Edition polishes, and also to see the photos of all the amazing polishes swatches that members have put up on the site. I fear if you do you may well become as addicted as I am, and your bank balance will suffer the same as mine.</div>
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To finish my manicure I used <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/" target="_blank">Shades of Phoenix</a> Top Coat, which went on really well over both polishes. The <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> <i>"Twinkling Violets"</i> had a slightly rough finish, so I added a second coat to my ring fingers, and that smoothed it out beautifully. I also made sure to wrap my top coat over the tips of my nails to give me even more protection for my polish. </div>
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Here are some more photos of my manicure, including a macro image of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> <i>"Twinkling Violets"</i> which will give you some idea of just how much glitter there is in the polish.</div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCrKhVbap3gigPPEeKYq5B8Wwv-RRla-7vT3x8xTpuQqMDn9e_4x0_JpK-7rlZovNeJCpvRqu254euIHc7vcXOf2HBkh4GyFSvkulufurR-SifXxCIl94cdzWr36e8iz1xL6vf1l3sGY/s640/SOP+Dementor%2527s+Kiss+%2526+Grace-full+Twinkling+Violets+Inside.jpg" width="633" /> </div>
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Inside Under Artificial Light</div>
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<img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1573Y57Ia4JCzFPaEzomX9pBbVnqP2Ie8MuJpNUrTkNHG7Rigvydusmfr_r5kFTEahRqte7mTseMAUnC75JVV9jmBll4TdcCDFpEeQlVfFDuU31rUQCEYdQ8Haebbi4nTbY8CaLa0Sk/s640/SOP+Dementor%2527s+Kiss+%2526+Grace-full+Twinkling+Violets+In+Shade.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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Outside In The Shade</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegb-w1cskctr1j2crZ09m2MevJFxHaqo-Pu4vIeVap2GAqigBlbU3rnDxk_Pwldel8HjkC2hFoSON4Px4tyJDoFgM6aAx9Ca548yS_JW3llUgqR7l2oyokJrlAurjWiVrcdnyGOfaUgk/s400/SOP+Dementor%2527s+Kiss+%2526+Grace-full+Twinkling+Violets+Macro.jpg" width="393" /> </div>
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Macro of <i>"Twinkling Violets" </i></div>
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So, that's my manicure for this week. I hope you like it as much as I do. If you do, please check out the two amazing Aussie Indie Polish makers at the links given above. You certainly won't regret it if you are an Indie Polish fan - these are definitely two of the best brands available online.</div>
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Thank you so much for visiting, and if you'd like to leave any comments, I would love to know what you think, whether good or bad. I will be back in a couple of day's time, God willing (and providing Australia Post get their act into gear for a change), with a new collection from a very new Aussie Indie Nail Polish maker, and some really exciting news, but I'll have to make you wait for the information about that until then, and leave you wondering - oh, I'm so mean!! I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you about my nail art journey since my dance with Breast Cancer, chemotherapy and radiotherapy last year (2014). It's been a rough ride at times, and the last couple of months have been particularly bad health-wise (more about that later, perhaps), but I'm getting there!</div>
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God bless you, and have a wonderful week.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine<br />
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br />
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Words of Life and Hope<br />
<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-8025705337738804352015-07-12T20:18:00.001+10:002015-07-13T00:07:57.256+10:00Amazing Blue Grace-full Nail Polish Manicure and Nail Care Update - 10 July 2015Firstly, I'd like to show you just how much my nails have improved since my last update regarding the damage to them experienced because of my accident with some nail glue.<br />
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<img border="0" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzQnL3fUOmXMC1KNXQojRnUWxmgEQEQNQePAb52VazCbJ2cbPCfKdUuDLBno42JktaM6oEDDD7otTETbD43qpsfD1WOtvm8xZ4rv0lfPgMS7MPREYPUrTEz1taC1UO2MO5M4Y-SyXS_g/s640/My+nails+update+9-5-2015.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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Back on 9th May 2015</div>
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<img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRoairSWy3n76CbXzR61vz4rjNlDq6PRzFr6ZK0hWlti9b3VTqwdYavoJ5u8vUhxlAPl8XPDaH7S-1OXSIQhd8fkBT1MUGsVgXdHeNnA22ZPa04Mjj8Gmjz3nLa81uGbCSQf0Ip8l9hc/s640/My+nails+update+30-6-2015.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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As they are today.</div>
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As you can see, they have grown quite a bit, and I haven't had a break at all since I started using <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious "Rock On Strengthener"</a> on them at all times. Even without it, after I have removed my previous manicure, they definitely feel quite a bit stronger. As you can imagine, I am VERY happy about that.</div>
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Now, on to this week's manicure. Please forgive the polish left on my cuticles and fingers, but I stuffed up the middle finger on my left hand when I was cleaning up and had to photograph my right hand nails, and I am right-handed, so cleaning them is a lot harder for me and I still haven't mastered it. They actually look pretty good in real life, but my camera picks up every little error or flaw. I'll get there eventually - as the saying goes "practice makes perfect", and because of the nine weeks that I was unable to do my nails I lost some of my newly-learned skill (SIGH)!</div>
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Today I am showing you two amazing polishes from <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> that have been crying out to me to be used together ever since I bought them. It is a lot simpler than my past few manicures, but I really wanted these two to stand out on their own because they are so absolutely AWESOME! I've never worn dark blue before, and now I don't know why, because it looks fantastic with my skin colour. You can be sure that I will be buying more colours like this in the future.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIVJ3V4OmfcAM5_FEFp4IuJCwY7xlA3Rbhx2d8u7Z7x6ECzD-V7CjmY-1-9lhA97V_UYYeZgdR-ErzK3F4jYL6-xHb6My0FMvBQOLyBgVLp2yvYkwsN9spjgCILD3sfWALD1drSc7FKw/s400/Blue+Grace-full+Mani+For+FB.jpg" width="365" /></div>
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Outside in Shade</div>
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The two <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full</a> polishes I used for this manicure are "Mandy" and "Eboni". Neither of them are still available, unfortunately, but you may be able to get some from a friend or through a stash purchase if you are lucky. Also, Theresa may even make some more like these again in the future. I certainly hope so because I have completely fallen in love with both these polishes and this colour.</div>
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I started my manicure, as usual, with one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious "Rock On Strengthener"</a> on all my nails. Once that was completely dry I added one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/grace-full-nail-polish-base-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Base Coat</a> to all nails.</div>
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Next I painted three thin coats of "Mandy" to all my nails except for my middle nails, on which I only applied one coat of "Mandy". Then I painted two coats of "Eboni" on my middle nails, and added a little bit of dabbing to make sure I got some of the stars on each nail. I didn't have to fish very hard because the polish is really loaded with all the glitter included in it.</div>
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"Mandy" is a deep blue that has purple undertones, lighter blue micro flakies and blue fantasy flakies that create the most wonderful colour effect. I haven't been able to stop looking at it since I put it on because it is so beautiful. It went on a little patchy at first, but I had good coverage with two coats. I only added the extra coat so that I could get the full effect of the polish in my swatch photos. The finish is slightly matte and a little rough, but just one coat of top coat was enough to smooth it out and really make it shine.</div>
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"Eboni" is a dark purple galaxy jelly with holographic silver stars, violet hexagonal and square glitter, and rainbow iridescent glitter. It went on really well, and two coats and a little dabbing to make sure I got some stars on each nail gave me just the amount of jelly effect I wanted. I used a layer of "Mandy" underneath it because I wanted to give it a more blue effect, and it worked really well. The finish was quite rough because of the larger glitter and stars, so I had to use two coats of top coat to smooth it out, but that is quite normal for larger glitter anyway, so it was not a problem. </div>
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I finished my mani with one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/quick-dry-top-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Quick Dry Top Coat</a> on all nails, and an extra coat on my middle nails. The finish is so smooth, and has a beautiful shine. This really is a lovely top coat which I definitely recommend. </div>
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The overall effect of these two polishes together just blew me away. It doesn't matter what kind of light I'm in, they shine, shimmer and sparkle like sapphires, and my middle nails look as if I've deliberately done a galaxy nail art design, and are just gorgeous. Once again Theresa from <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> has come up with two superb polishes, and I just can't get enough of her products. I wait with baited breath every time she is working on a new collection or special edition polish, and I know that there will always be so many of them that I want from the collection that I won't be able to afford them. It's times like this when I wish I was still working. So, please check out her site and you'll see why I'm addicted to this wonderful Aussie Indie polish brand. Here are some more photos in different light situations that will show you just how gorgeous these polishes are and why I just had to use them together. I even managed a macro of "Eboni", which really shows its beauty, but please ignore my horrible clean-up job. I will get better, I promise!</div>
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<img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8IJ_fEzNUhII3ULS0afEcI7MMisBgjh_9luxBy-OUR0NByTRehP-DBX9rzt5H_OORXvHPPujvG3T6NRSMl-yK2cMg9tdq6zqk8dL9vMWD2w2oXqaVMlp-84K5SB3Ide5APhYSSe4j_w/s400/Blue+Grace-full+in+Shade+1.jpg" width="400" /> <img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwI8LzMr7ClBGS9S7Tj7QF6wD-WhNQ9WAXuM-r3EpDqZuKaQdXC8572XzdcdeQ4i3gs1vF9Vn7jld9Cm0bDA9O5QwGzhpFbMF2oThbztM75i_0VWyU-mTLLRkeI6VX9UU1NFqPf_c6vE/s320/Blue+Grace-full+Mani+Eboni+macro.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXUKWTiZAw5G3DdJQJwy2cEFycRbRtSHZ14-WH9n1TlxZ3ybhmdPxkOcWvFIcRnAtM5Ku4lUP95tq0aFyDzuQSRpBAfoaHAoVowp5OUk6qTBIFzb4LCgH_gM9GfXaGvIwkf7fGOmWjZ8/s1600/Blue+Grace-full+Mani+In+Sunshine+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> <img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiP0MHROwsVWX1YtllLE7Ok1yTMRaQuD7p8hmbwv17YPrgrjAXP1dOfAv5tZW6jMCnVCVGgLk8PlkP-Chj_rVSKb-BvGisLi_Ymc3_8fxTiIFRb-NE7296uNMsqGB3CxJmyB1PZwmXn0A/s640/Blue+Grace-full+Mani+In+Sunshine+1.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vxmEHPdYewrJ_n9vN-FeGlEGA-TGquvtCj4Gmo4VGfpIlwNLRQqyK6lBNUOdFK9udtDpmtq4ElUSbrqwKH14vzdTv3W9RIqAyZkcTiSk1QUwSzXrgX0nUf-0ANmr1wGjCE3Nt9gRTJg/s400/Blue+Grace-full+Mani+In+Sunshine+2.jpg" width="265" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKta-tObUiWJvqI3jyyrk3YTBBuZVadTc9Lx1H0hlM0f4rQ57EoGEFPyvFJHaarCygXCQka0c2WhV-crgtwe_JFm6c2yFdqE13puvPXX7LbUjqnNA8Idoonc18nNKzOMvYp_tQ_jsneLY/s400/Blue+Grace-full+Mani+Inside+Natural+Light.jpg" width="290" /></div>
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On another note, I am going through some pretty tough health problems at the moment which my doctor thinks are a result of the combination of my chemotherapy last year and the massive doses of antibiotics I had going through three drips in my arm when I got double pneumonia after my second dose of chemo. I had shocking diarrhea from the chemo, but it got a whole lot worse while I was on the antibiotics, and even after I left hospital, I was still on very strong antibiotics for over a month. I was already suffering from lactose intolerance, and thought I had this pretty much under control, but over the last few months I've been having problems with just about every meal I ate. It appears that I now have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), and I've been to see a dietician, who has put me on the FODMAP Free Diet developed by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia (see <a href="http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/">http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/</a>), who are doing intensive research into this particular problem. I've only been on it for 3 weeks so far, but already I'm starting to work out that the foods that are big no-no's with this diet have been causing all my gut problems, and some of them very badly. </div>
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This diet has very extensive food restrictions, and I'm finding it very hard to come to grips with, but if it works I don't care. My brain is in meltdown from researching recipes and information on IBS and this diet, and from having to read all the labels on food packaging to make sure that none of the restricted foods are in the products. One of the hardest things I've found is the fact that I can no longer eat garlic or onion, because I used to use this in just about everything I cooked. However, I'm learning how to use herbs and spices, and other hints and tips I've found, to provide flavour to my recipes. </div>
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If you suffer from IBS, I really recommend that you check this site out (<a href="http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/">http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/</a>), and download the app as well. I have found the app is amazing for when I'm shopping, because it enables me to check just what I have to look out for on labels, and also what I can and cannot eat if I'm not sure. It has a shopping guide, too, and you can even make up a shopping list with it. There is a lot of information on each of the foods you may be having problems with so that you understand why it is happening. The diet is only meant to be short-term initially (6 weeks to 2 months), and if your stomach has settled down by then you can start trying to introduce the different foods to see just which ones are causing you trouble. From what I've experienced so far, they all are, but I'm hoping that, once my gut has recovered, I will find that I can still eat some of them after all.</div>
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Well, that's all from me today, and thanks for visiting. I would love to hear what you think if you would like to leave your comments, and I hope you will come back often to see what I have to share with you.<br />
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Have a wonderful week, and may God bless you!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Hugs<br />
<br />
Christine<br />
<br />
(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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My Nail Art Journey<br />
<a href="http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/">http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I was not paid in any way, shape or form for any of the products mentioned in my blog.<br />All products were bought by myself and my comments are honestly and freely given.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-72358237046884123922015-07-03T02:06:00.000+10:002015-07-03T02:53:46.537+10:00My Grace-full Nail Polish Ombre Manicure for 30 June 2015I received five polishes from the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/category/ice-princess" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish "Ice Princess Collection"</a> (inspired by the movie "Frozen") early in the week, and I just had to use some of them for this week's ombre manicure. They are simply awesome, and I can't wait to buy the others in the collection, very soon I hope. I used three of the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/category/ice-princess" target="_blank">"Ice Princess Collection"</a>, and two other recent purchases from <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a>, as well as the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/grace-full-nail-polish-base-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Base Coat</a> and <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/quick-dry-top-coat" target="_blank">Quick-Dry Top Coat</a>. Here is a photo of the polishes I used:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECWUhLoIAuM26S1NlGv_CBnRdK0vIVX8pnzY7ZzVMXdbOoiLRte9zuTzhN8lvOsxPtLrsDOW2rQUttXsK1UHGkpG3sutoYN0R01pA2mE2XePqANo8A0W2L-EN_IIusvaUDKIMSbNbSCs/s1600/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Polish+Used.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECWUhLoIAuM26S1NlGv_CBnRdK0vIVX8pnzY7ZzVMXdbOoiLRte9zuTzhN8lvOsxPtLrsDOW2rQUttXsK1UHGkpG3sutoYN0R01pA2mE2XePqANo8A0W2L-EN_IIusvaUDKIMSbNbSCs/s640/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Polish+Used.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Aren't they just wonderful. If you haven't tried any of the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> yet, you really should check them out. I, personally, think Theresa Carter is the No. 1 Aussie Indie Polish maker in the country. I just can't stop buying her polish, and just when you think she can't come up with anything more beautiful, she up and does it again.<br />
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Now, on to the manicure.<br />
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<img border="0" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Vyabl9PFFPPtRJYMZ9wRrm56NteH0bqAlr4VwNDDCr7jS46VLQQMI4zc6qlLbr-TrRgHZu-GFFEbLFCyZWVYUiSp_ocdOuoh37V8giQ1qOsI46dGLsmZJfp75FzvGTpEOx8jHcJsskw/s640/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Sunshine+1.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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Photo taken in sunlight!</div>
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I started by painting one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious "Rock On" Nail Strengthener</a> on all my nails, and once that had dried, I painted another coat on my two middle fingers and two thumbs, which are both still very thin fragile. I then painted one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/grace-full-nail-polish-base-coat" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Base Coat</a> on all my nails.<br />
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Next, I painted three coats of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/my-own-personal-snow-flurry-an-off-white-crelly-glitter" target="_blank">"My Own Personal Snow Flurry"</a> on my thumbs to achieve the full crelly effect that I wanted from this beautiful polish, making sure that each coat was completely dry before adding the next one. <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/my-own-personal-snow-flurry-an-off-white-crelly-glitter" target="_blank">"My Own Personal Snow Flurry"</a> is an amazing off-white crelly with black, orange, silver and blue micro-glitter with
silver ultra-fine holographic glitter, iridescent glitter and silver
holo hexes. The overall effect is mind-blowing. I don't think I've seen so many different coloured glitters in one polish before. It went on smoothly, with good cover in just one coat, but because I wanted the full crelly effect, I decided to do three thin coats.<br />
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The second polish I used is <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/ice-crazy-a-blue-toned-grey-crelly-glitter" target="_blank">"Ice Crazy"</a>, on my index fingers, and this is the only one I wasn't overly pleased with. I think the colour just doesn't go well with my skin colour, but it went on easily, and I only needed two thin coats for full coverage. It is described as "a grey crelly with a hint of blue throughout, ultra-fine silver
holographic glitter, iridescent tiny glitters and little flecks of mauve
and blue". However, I found it very hard to get any glitter and/or holo effect at all, except for a tiny amount in the sun and under artificial light. I was quite disappointed with this polish, which is a real shame because I was really looking forward to using it; but even saying that, it is a lovely polish - just not my colour.<br />
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The third polish I tried is definitely my favourite of the five I used. I painted three thin coats of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/open-door-a-linear-mauve-holo-with-violet-flakies" target="_blank">"Open Door"</a> on my middle fingers (although two would probably have been enough if I hadn't been featuring it in my blog), and it is absolutely stunning. It is a linear mauve holo with violet flakies, and the colour shift is amazing, especially in the sun, and even better under artificial light, where I was able to get the full linear holo effect. This is the polish that made me decide that I have to get the rest of the collection as soon as possible.<br />
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The fourth polish I used, on my ring fingers, is "Drowning In Violets", a Special Edition polish which was only available to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/results/?q=Grace-full%20Nail%20Polish%20Fan%20Group&init=mag_glass&tas=0.40453556103374577&search_first_focus=1435850557539" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Fan Group</a> members, and which was named by one of our members. This polish is amazing, with so much different coloured holographic glitter in it that it was really hard to get decent photos of it because of the flashing effect. It just blew me away when I put it on. It was very easy to apply, and this is just two coats, with just a little dabbing to fill in a few gaps in the glitter. The group decided they wanted two versions of this particular polish, which the members decided on by voting on the Facebook page, one with a reddish tinge and one with a bluish tinge, so Theresa then asked us for ideas for the names for the polishes. One of the names I suggested was chosen for the bluish-tinged one, but this version is the reddish-tinged one, named by another member. Members get sneak-peaks of new polish collections, can win prizes, see previews of all the Grace-full polishes, and as shown by this polish and the one I named, amazing Special Editions that no one except members of the group can buy. It really does pay you to be a member of the group, so please check it out and request to join. You won't regret it! We have lots of fun sharing our manicures and nail-mail on the Facebook page, too, and everyone is really helpful if you have any problems you need help with.<br />
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The last polish I used, on my pinkies, is <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/mount-fang" target="_blank">"Mount Fang"</a>, one of the four <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full</a> polishes in <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/category/the-inklings-collaboration" target="_blank">"The Inklings Collection"</a> collaboration with <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/the-inklings-collection" target="_blank">Powder Perfect</a>, who also had four polishes as part of the collection. This is an amazing set of polishes, and I would recommend that you check them out. <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/mount-fang" target="_blank">"Mount Fang"</a> is a deep, charcoal-based, linear holo, with red and gold sparks of colour throughout. It went on really easily, and I only needed two coats to get full coverage. The colour shift and glitter in this is really gorgeous, especially under artificial lighting and in the sun.<br />
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I finished this weeks manicure with one coat of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/quick-dry-top-coat" target="_blank">"Quick-Dry Top Coat"</a> on all my nails, and a second coat on my ring fingers because of all the glitter in the polish. The second coat was plenty to give it a lovely smooth finish.<br />
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Here are some more photos, taken inside under artificial light, in my sunroom under overcast conditions, outside in the shade on a cloudy day, in overcast conditions outside, and in a second one on a different angle in the sun.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE3KuyNord7tyVs3MmKkka6m1eTTu3frY-7DxmXCxY3PmkPFCq_CqrihBKEf0gIBjopHf06Yvss_D39utf2UhitNA1CapkdptZuGo_OFeTXqqw6OQBNnswzNduu6J1NzjjANIonVMg0Q/s400/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Artificial+Light+1.jpg" width="321" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1CyyiaeGBfTSZlQSLN1qc_EWNL7H2fjbAM3EH5z1JmnxXt-iYw0lDqpUCMjVwmTVTmFR2TXhSjCor9HIvmhE21Y9RNw6B7XnBkVypD_FwQG9fIWiZaZ9yoSTS1Rgw8Xmly_vtu67qZM/s400/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Artificial+Light+2.jpg" width="250" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLv3G7N2K6TPXBkzSqSmFYEFzCk390bIk87xQ3N-yJ15mxR1K8HTYtWH5V9Nxje0BNwZVX9LpMuafidxKWjshg9A5vMYeHzIACyayWH8UuQ_m38uAIxe4bjWX4Q2a14TIIjC5qHICpcpM/s400/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Sunroom.jpg" width="270" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KDGgIuF72bnJdHoGYgMEyQyW8kvWbupNHEOoKrj7DmL6RpAJvWhmQ1RzH_b1kc7mtzNBC0RkNRKtvA9tNOxyWeceW0mfWSIIlS191Qut1WYDI9I9Tvy3SGOiWCY_ItKdBSVcUEEfIPc/s400/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Shade+1.jpg" width="333" /> </div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbP7rzL0yNzEwsSsdVp2z035g1-y6-wrnAelbonsrPy2jM5v-tTDgj1loeM8KkqxGS4A34fURB_mB_y-VqsKtEWyHKxhe5z4NqhjU8Hiam51rJgarD58PW6g6Ux6VpJFtXC3zfN6Eb7c/s400/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Overcast.jpg" width="293" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhRUESLVtkOCLqIGLQOBgrwj9DlAhhfPTFoP0ipnZuJrx7UvY0M6WtH7ZrXXAFWGuKcWeXvJi2cA83Gvq4u89IHLxZukgSk9AVuhAqkOjL9T58AiiHEJ4e8ifn7fWvR_p3Ng5_4zA7Gc/s400/Grace-full+Mani+30-6-15+Sunshine+2.jpg" width="292" /><br />The drops of water on my thumb in the sun are sprinkles of rain that fell while I was taking my photos LOL!</div>
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As you can see, the different effects seen under different lighting conditions are amazing (this is a word my husband told me yesterday that I never used until I got hooked on Aussie Indie Nail Polish - now I say it all the time). I just can't stop looking at this manicure, and I'm going to be very sad when I have to take it off in a few days. I hope you'll take the time to check out all the wonderful polishes that Theresa has for sale at <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a>, and that you'll check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/results/?q=Grace-full%20Nail%20Polish%20Fan%20Group&init=mag_glass&tas=0.40453556103374577&search_first_focus=1435850557539" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Fan Group</a>, too.</div>
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Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you enjoyed seeing what I had to share with you. I welcome comments, good or bad, so feel free to leave one if you so wish. You can also follow my blog by filling in one of the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page if you would like to be notified when I add another post. My next one will be photos of my bare nails 2 months ago compared to now, and I am amazed at the difference that short time has made to them.</div>
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Have a wonderful week, and may God bless you with an abundance of His mercy and grace!</div>
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Hugs</div>
<br />
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I was not paid in any way, shape or form for using any of the items mentioned in this post,<br /> and my honest opinions are given freely and without any bias at all.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-55981095948796398292015-06-24T21:36:00.000+10:002015-06-24T21:36:22.176+10:00Green Skittlette Manicure - 23 June 2015Finally I've managed to get my manicure for this week done, and it is a green skittlette, featuring two of the polishes I got in the Lyme Disease Awareness Giveaway Prize and another beautiful green polish. I can't stop looking at my manicure, even though I thought I would never wear green nail polish, because it's never been one of my favourite colours. Needless to say, I've changed my mind. Then again, with these three beautiful polishes to use, I think it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsiEd8gqKiQwDHSXBWkMimowkCKKSOF5C5hLRut2_U6ZEww2F1YzgKHB3ScwhBE9FMAK7WCRLjhv0te_nv80juoNDd-h1Aodn3K5vsmtyMgSeR4UeLNLxAjI7M4119R0dINkxMH_tr4Q/s1600/Green+mani+23-6-15+Products+used.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRsiEd8gqKiQwDHSXBWkMimowkCKKSOF5C5hLRut2_U6ZEww2F1YzgKHB3ScwhBE9FMAK7WCRLjhv0te_nv80juoNDd-h1Aodn3K5vsmtyMgSeR4UeLNLxAjI7M4119R0dINkxMH_tr4Q/s320/Green+mani+23-6-15+Products+used.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The polishes I used are <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious</a> <i>"VT100"</i>, <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> <i>"Lyme for a Cure"</i> and <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great" target="_blank">Emily de Molly <i>"You're Not That Great"</i></a>. <i>"Lyme for a Cure"</i> is the Limited Edition polish made only for the Lyme Disease Awareness Giveaway" last month, and <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great" target="_blank">"<i>You're Not That Great"</i></a> was also in the prize package. If you haven't already seen my post about this prize that I won, you can check it out below. I also used <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious <i>"Rock On Strengthener"</i></a> and <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish <i>"Quick Dry Top Coat"</i></a>.<br />
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<img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEkjyy9Zz75zzLyhARqlrN0B0a8Z3WYTbL_TOVzE8OAL72GE0xOjIz2Z-6YEMuRp4xJ7OxXKQMIVGlb5g9lHvTphFT4_p9fdZfHjKJCY20TbC2bC-VYNrRGtQaxggLfm8OiXsykgq2OI/s400/Green+mani+23-6-15+In+Shade+2.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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Taken in the shade in my sunroom.</div>
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I started with one coat of <a href="http://Pretty Serious "Rock On Strengthener"" target="_blank">Pretty Serious <i>"Rock On Strengthener"</i></a> on all my nails, then another coat on a couple that are still very fragile to give them a bit of extra protection. Then, would you believe I forgot to put on my base coat? I couldn't believe it myself, but there you go. It will be interesting to see how <a href="http://Pretty Serious "Rock On Strengthener"" target="_blank"><i>"Rock On"</i></a> performs as a base coat on its own. I'll let you know when I do my next manicure.<br />
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Next I painted my pinkie and my thumb nails with two coats of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious</a> <i>"VT 100"</i>, which is a beautiful deep-green shimmer polish with micro silver and green glitter, which unfortunately is no longer available. The polish went on really smoothly, and is almost a one-coat polish, but I used two coats for my manicure. The colour is gorgeous, and there is an amazing amount of glitter, which unfortunately was very hard to catch in some of my photos, but here is a macro photo of it that will give you some idea of how lovely it is.<br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfZmu06v-IgA8BQPiYA3dqHuhA6mCO-12AckPq9Yt9-bC0yGW14-x_P6xTL_tylu_uOLjFVbDJZldc63bYvtvaF9crT1-drg125osfln7Imf7lwBJv4WEWSSJTJdckw_ieaSBMdjYpT5k/s320/Green+mani+23-6-15+Macro+of+PS.jpg" width="299" /></div>
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Taken in overcast conditions outside.</div>
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Then I painted my index and ring fingers with <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> <i>"Lyme for a Cure"</i>. This polish is just beautiful to use, and coverage was fantastic with two coats. I'm so glad I won this prize, because this polish isn't available to others, and the colour is so gorgeous and rich, with so many colours flashing through it I couldn't name them all. It's a beautiful green holo, but unfortunately I was unable to catch its true beauty with my camera. Here is a macro of it, however, which does show some of the colour shift.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPBBtEQqw4BRzyeZkB2bGDTPGM-eJI76PH9apcFmaaXc9Vaanr9CnBpsYfaN68Y9g78eYaI_4fSrH36P_asM62W0PoDeb1noa8clcFTRrQWm3yIs5xL8PJrunWvLZ158AEH25C01FhqY/s320/Green+mani+23-6-15+Macro+of+Grace-full.jpg" width="209" /> </div>
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Beautiful, isn't it? This is one of the polishes that has completely changed my opinion of using green polish on my nails. I can assure you, I will be using lots more in the future.</div>
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The polish I used on my middle nails is <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great" target="_blank">Emily de Molly <i>"You're Not That Great"</i></a>, which is a lime green crelly, loaded with holographic lime and turquoise glitter, and blue shimmer. I used three coats because I wanted to get the jelly effect, and the effect is amazing. I don't know why it is called <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great" target="_blank"><i>"You're No That Great"</i></a> because it certainly is great! I found it shifted almost to turquoise on my nails, but still had enough green in it to look great with the other two polishes. Here is a macro shot of it for you to drool over. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJII-baf-nJZmFC199hpcZwh26fz5mkWG0tNZkXooDegRS9N1ohUpMfF3FSekyIPRstTf_eikUENC14X_q2_J0G1m7WiQSMFluPtU8PnxMNzSRuu5Ge9OrTWnd8t1UHlI7liW1_qKE7Q/s1600/Green+mani+23-6-15+Macro+of+EDM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJII-baf-nJZmFC199hpcZwh26fz5mkWG0tNZkXooDegRS9N1ohUpMfF3FSekyIPRstTf_eikUENC14X_q2_J0G1m7WiQSMFluPtU8PnxMNzSRuu5Ge9OrTWnd8t1UHlI7liW1_qKE7Q/s320/Green+mani+23-6-15+Macro+of+EDM.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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This polish is still available, so pop on over to <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great" target="_blank">Emily de Molly</a> for a look at some more great photos.</div>
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I finished my manicure with one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish <i>"Quick Dry Top Coat"</i></a>. This is the first time I've used this top coat, and I'm very impressed with it. There was no bubbling on any of the polishes, unlike with the OPI <i>"Natural Nail Top Coat"</i> I used for my last manicure. The finish is lovely and glossy, and it flowed on beautifully. I can really recommend it, so pop on over to <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full</a> to check it out now.</div>
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Now, here are some more photos of my complete manicure, which will show you why I'm so pleased with the result.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyhw3yKoEMduqDoX-l2TNeHzmlbhPgeZ9X9qATCwuryevs4s2FpMobUE8-zqhWU7O9rydxYnNm5GvDpIxuuBeFrvfZPZR_ZuDj6I-iMaNnzKTyavX4QvHnXV-G8b4y7ydMie_0aaT0Sk/s400/Green+mani+23-6-15+In+Sun+1.jpg" width="350" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-pfXIfceOKPFaBdk3sjBt45uWPPt_7YwhvFHuiehRww_aruyVPD0kvkguZD17vWO5YzjgnM8-UCPghD5cK-ELY3KMOvTyM-uG8hezk3GexK8y79u1BoB5HB2LVlDg7tCepTjHWGrBvE/s400/Green+mani+23-6-15+In+Sun+2.jpg" width="360" /><br />These photos were taken in the sun on my front porch.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtk9Zt_PBDQW0thvpOOZjaoIMRR2PqyJCkSmWUxUlf6PMI_hCZA7Nw6yAF-xa5rJ7mp8AHGyHM1JIyV_Enrko1uzD_N-qiIszAjTJOLMz1WH6S41g7yLceAnr78TCiBRj5FfFOKAl8kMk/s400/Green+mani+23-6-15+In+Shade+1.jpg" width="297" /><br />Taken in the shade in my sunroom.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTENC-QszDF-H9aBjxzPygo5e2gkhon9UdfFKtsPiq_SNVOwwVO3UVFyk8itvT-l83I1OI0O8YhasVjAnjwUYnWiWLxe-Yuz5dbj-ZG_nt415osWoXIraTbfT8h4H3igz74bHJe0eBZ0/s400/Green+mani+23-6-15+Artificial+Light.jpg" width="272" /> </div>
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Taken inside under artificial light. </div>
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<img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7qAhj4qQ0tO6Dtvpjsb9r_r6j9rUDIHbmOybQBMVe_-r-4vUjRPTt6tlBUATcwJhMyOgvzJIrRUMCuk7g4DVjekg3cMR2fNh_NqjHQTnQ0V6MuGLYhdwgNLHuGJ6Y2KswyQrswWQjEY/s640/Green+mani+23-6-15+Outside+Overcast.jpg" width="640" /><br />Taken in overcast conditions outside.</div>
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Well, that's my manicure for yesterday. I'm really pleased with all the polishes I used, and just love the final result of the combination of these three polishes. I hope you agree, and I would really appreciate any comments you might have. <br />
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Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you. You can follow me by filling in the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page if you so wish.<br />
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Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you!</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I was not paid in any way, shape or form for using any of the items mentioned in this post,<br /> and my honest opinions are given freely and without any bias at all.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-25845271259513741342015-06-20T02:26:00.001+10:002015-06-20T17:23:40.358+10:00Lyme Disease Awareness Giveaway Prize I Won - It's Awesome!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/search/label/Lyme%20Disease"><img alt="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/2015/05/lyme-disease-awareness-nail-polish.html" border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iGT5EA7u-FLHmmY47w21DJuqAUZcKcHEyDVpvuyr6iEVooE-YxGzteTolNhOAL3SwSuU0H22VMyzGP_iYL7ZtyJA1YrS8A7U8Aw7X1kU_bCXwK1oJqSTnEEWpv6SZtGY8l5qAGGdSh0/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+2.jpg" width="320" /></a> <img alt="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/2015/05/lyme-disease-awareness-nail-polish.html" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwZYNvPA_UIl_gfFx4_PubnOvXdIKSNePswkci_VkFD82zPBC8-Y7W8aRe8fEEhrmww7sOOSx5ImQMKZTHXHmvAWaEM_l4mJrjR_AsbjeMz1wx4TIPMlnhF9SscvYLM_PnEhGK6eRBV0/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
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Finally I've managed to find time to show you the <a href="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/2015/05/lyme-disease-awareness-nail-polish.html">Lyme Disease Awareness Giveaway Prize</a> I won a couple of weeks ago, and received last week. It's so awesome, and I was blown away from the moment I opened the box! Once you read what was included in the prize you'll realise why it has taken so long for me to get around to writing this post.</div>
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Alinta, the owner of the <a href="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/">Polish and Paws blog website</a>,
ran this giveaway as a way of raising awareness of the fact that the
Australian Government still does not recognise the fact that <a href="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/search/label/Lyme%20Disease">Lyme Disease</a>
exists in Australia, despite numerous TV documentaries and current
affair segments on the subject; despite the fact that most doctors know
it exists and are treating thousands of patients here; and these
patients are literally living a hellish existence, simply because they
can't afford the treatment they need and the government won't provide
it. Please check out the link to Alinta's blog post on the subject <a href="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/search/label/Lyme%20Disease">here</a>,
and please start helping us to raise awareness of this horrible disease
and make the government sit up and take notice. This is a major
medical emergency in this country and needs to be fixed NOW!</div>
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To start with, here are pictures of the box when it arrived in the mail, and after I had just opened it.</div>
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<img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkmNCSc5mPz94XNmrmYz3GlYr5DuqcFPhWZ7F7ge3L0enXnwUSJZvyzMwgU-UaQ82jQOjCVOAKBDBKagw10_slHc-Trg9nqUGVpjTYxsqK2hwOErP1WlW8_jzlHn_zbPvZZ5f-twJsD0/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+1.jpg" width="320" /> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtz1OLIaeALUCal2JMZOsy7fQV_abGWf0ImQsSBGkkrkGlJ9my3s810tJJzdTzm0KtV0uEJ6BrBoHgnTEzKHgAREMxvj_OcHFuReRldNN_af43EbWHMjmjKqG39tlDUE0QPo3EhYRGgg/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+1a.jpg" width="263" /> </div>
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Now to the details of what was in the box, and close-up photos.</div>
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Firstly, I discovered the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> Limited Edition <i>"Lyme for a Cure"</i> polish, made specifically for this Giveaway's prize winners and, unfortunately, no one else, and another polish from <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/">Grace-full</a> <i>"Navy"</i>, which is also unfortunately no longer available on the site. <i>"Lyme for a Cure"</i> is absolutely wonderful, and unfortunately my photos don't do it justice, but when I actually use it in a manicure very soon I'll try and do better. <i>"Navy"</i> is also gorgeous, and has so much glitter in it that it sparkles like sapphires. Please check out the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> site to find out what other amazing nail polishes Theresa, the owner and maker of Grace-full Nail Polish, dreams up and puts together for all her many, many fans. I, for one, am completely addicted to her polish, as you will have discovered if you have read any of my previous posts when I've featured some of them.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZ5wORnlpudYsQcEW8LmBSawnHCCSGpA0l5A_syW1ORVmN0prQ5U3pQZkzT4UnZVQeR0g6nvYdgCXl5LiI1Ls3Dc58EHuB_-CmPMIdiAz63IcwXCDgjyCjjhigB0hgUr3PYttY17vCpo/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Grace-full+1.jpg" width="302" /> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDf8T9polVx5glB7e04kIejOaj_cOBFcvVYKwWrvxeK1TXz7BhS3xPfM4fXnIixj2TR0LbZqHW6cRj7yWDJNCZd0XronZGDGRJC8PEM9mllgn8t21AFqEiRIhi1nyiHMFZaOpwJp85T1A/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Grace-full+2.jpg" width="242" /> </div>
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Secondly, there were two <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/">Emily de Molly</a> polishes; <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great"><i>"You're not that great"</i></a>, a lime creme with holographic, lime and turquoise glitter with a blue shimmer, and <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/queen-of-the-sea"><i>"Queen of the sea"</i></a>, a green creme
with gold to green shimmer; and three <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/">Emily de Molly Stamping Plates</a>. The two polishes are just beautiful, and the holographic glitter in <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/you-re-not-that-great"><i>"You're not that great"</i></a> is just amazing. This is another polish brand I am addicted to, and there are some absolutely amazing polishes coming out very soon, as well as the ones that are already available. I can see that I'm going to be kept very poor in the near future :) The designs on the stamping plates are fantastic, and there is a lot of variety. The plate numbers are <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/edm06-stamping-plate">EDM06</a>, <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/edm10">EDM10</a> and <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/edm12-stamping-plate">EDM12</a>. Thank you so much, Theresa, for donating these gorgeous polishes for such an important cause, and especially for the limited edition polish.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMZeKcXHAuDRwP5EovS4nYiNDPywTO_lKRLPurUSovjHv5c8-HMRLqtJsBDZ6KvfwjNLEkT8xvREX7ta-8CiGJ1ja-Z78b3KO0zGBPs9C3ZIxEFB31Uib0yiVsoWkIxU5v3h9TgYrTNs/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+EDM+Polish.jpg" width="275" /> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyf9UYWDXgY8lK3i1v3T5vDmYRST2yjW6BzSPOdtI_qlO-Jzn8jTTLlsiv6L3HkQYF7V0xPMQjrKbXP7BfSc0G1c5VgkfSX5bfsl6F_0WsYYfFzZlxvv6Z5VpD6YT8g4OcKIUIDMxb0c/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+EDM+Plates.jpg" width="276" /> </div>
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Next, there were three <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/">Powder Perfect</a> polishes; <i>"Christmas in a Tropical Climate"</i> (no longer available); <i>"Four Poster Bed"</i> (no longer available); and <i>"<a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/nail-polish/products/addictive-personality">Addictive Personality"</a></i> (on special, so may disappear soon), which has a soft pink base with a crelly formula, and glimmers of navy, turquoise,
pink and coral glitters will shine through as you layer the polish. My photo just doesn't do any of these justice because I had to take them under artificial light. The weather here in Kingston, Tasmania has been so overcast, and wet, that it's been almost impossible to get decent photos for weeks now. I'll try and do better when I use them in a manicure. Thank you so much, Jacinta, for donating these lovely products for such a wonderful cause.</div>
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<img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVlrUyRVSIswIa5CcM8lPf9UED78dGIcoJnkgd5oGz-07Vpi2nzKie6ea2vFYfx0M2sBIbvGTa0-ih_0UMKL9SntuZ5CSna4fHSouNqyuW7757XjHIMKJjYkpY2MLZF8QZ3oGwhWnQZs/s400/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+PP.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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But wait! There's more! Next there are three polishes from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EP-Polish-Company/1491235841156407">EP Polish Company</a>; <i>"Lahni"</i>, <i>"Waveryley"</i> and <i>"SPF+Sparkle HOLO Top Coat"</i>. The blue and green are a lot brighter than the pictures show, and are actually neon colours, and the holographic effect of the top coat is just gorgeous. Unfortunately the store appears to be closed at the moment, but I think it is only while they get some more polish made. If you click on the company name it will take you to their Facebook page, and you will be able to find out just what is available and when there. Thanks so much to EP for donating these three lovely polishes to this cause.</div>
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<img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrrrf-nQSxcXhk3o5sXXU_oTMjFNea5d8HwDQxxCbx24-K201Wofv8ZYqpGDMOQ9i6vQwpTZ3wlxcy-TG0NcHLIDMHdWZ3_fDfu4v9o7pVcag_BhhuxSz4-Qy8MdYEDQ9JwMNrlvKQCk/s400/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+EP.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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But wait! There was still more! The next items I found in the box were three of the new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ulta3?fref=ts">Ulta3 Autumn/Winter Metallic Collection</a>; <i>"galaxy"</i>, <i>" 24 carat gold"</i> and <i>"moon dust"</i>. I have completely fallen in love with this set of five awesome polishes, and have actually bought a second bottle of each of the five polishes in the set, and now I have three bottles of these three. YAY!!!!! I used the copper one, <i>"from the mine"</i> in my last mani (see previous post), and it is just amazing. If you have a pharmacy that sells these polishes, check them out - you'll want to buy them when you see them in person, I'm sure!</div>
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<img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj1aS_b8Gmyd6CYR3lKC_E1YGO5LRpQfWUyWDur78VXiS6aE2Zdk9wbDck-tvml1yqL9YgUq6r_4z6Ju0xu1Ppxg2xHefRtteYS02sosPd_w3Qqd1bXl26UetqK2DheUSNGHnTFZ-0Hs/s400/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Ulta3.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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But there was even more! The next thing I found in the box was a bottle of <a href="http://peitaspolish.bigcartel.com/">Peita's Polish</a> <i><a href="http://peitaspolish.bigcartel.com/product/nail-care-items">"Cuticles be gone"</a></i>, which is pretty much self-explanatory. Peita's Polish has a very good reputation in the world of Indie polish, so please check them out.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4BQBajfau4oR8sVrwiv4gp7rAruIqP3R1nM3ZYG5oAKuWKFRussclAPpxZUp-hqs4BElEtrXNl6powIiQ3mj506to0kGkO4zDBSyDdTAvTja9pe1ISRKAF3DMCFxOuvsr4tV93OZonE/s400/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Peitas.jpg" width="215" /> </div>
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But wait once again! There was even more! The next things I found in the box were some green cancer awareness ribbon vinyl stickers from <a href="http://www.she-sells-seashells.co.uk/shop/cancer-ribbon/">She Sells Sea Shells</a> in the UK. Her range of nail vinyl stickers and stencils, and other nail art items, is terrific, so please check out this site. You can buy these <a href="http://www.she-sells-seashells.co.uk/shop/cancer-ribbon/">Awareness Ribbons</a> in nine different colours, and there are 40 in a pack. Then I found a set of four very fine nail art brushes, for find detailed work, and some gorgeous silver and gold decals in twelve different designs (see close-up below). These are going to be great to use in my nail art in the future.</div>
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<img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWbllK9eutOsn8kavSCSKabuJc615wn36ia0U3Zzk1b9ywOGiO0AZw9VGEQSVqD9V-pHPNasFAFkaQW4uCPhmHJcPEToBrDV3e70Kpuf-f_pEG4-eiJM0q_BUTbs3_Wk3WhjTD491b60/s400/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Brushes+etc.jpg" width="400" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgec35Fib6p3ffXe-Q6baIgk2R-ZFdzJ6mHiRR9kah0bSWc44MoeobWuAKGN9V0NYWH3JXAkOPyeEn-SCvVShNqEZrzwVPGCnjZjAHXc4h2yLqMAbp6reuz4HA_2PPoTc9JaiP5oMEXY/s1600/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Decals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgec35Fib6p3ffXe-Q6baIgk2R-ZFdzJ6mHiRR9kah0bSWc44MoeobWuAKGN9V0NYWH3JXAkOPyeEn-SCvVShNqEZrzwVPGCnjZjAHXc4h2yLqMAbp6reuz4HA_2PPoTc9JaiP5oMEXY/s320/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Decals.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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Then I found even more - three gorgeous sets of nail art transfer decals from <a href="http://nailedkit.com/">Nailed Kit - Nail Art Made Easy</a> in the USA, shown below. These look terrific, and I'm going to trying
to decide what I can try them out on as soon as possible.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5T-4I3s4AsflmMwOiSW4eWxkrZdJgKQp7zwJNZckTkblqmfTC3XQB1AweQMgb1avyEc_tfbDv4pE-KNHKkFd2QhKQfdKIEj7iQWcWf-1tCn9aOavhhbGbuByRbLoJZRaGGAr5iGL2o_o/s400/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+Transfers.jpg" width="351" /></div>
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And last, but definitely not least, there were four miscellaneous manicure and nail care items - a tube of <a href="http://www.powderperfect.com.au/collections/treatments-and-topcoats/products/cute-icle-balm-tube">Cuticle Balm from Powder Perfect</a> in "Birthday Cake" fragrance (which smells scrumptious, and not too overpowering); a <a href="http://www.twobirdslacquer.com/product/cuticle-oil-pen-dispenser-4-5ml">Two Birds Cuticle Oil Pen Dispenser</a> with a lovely, light, lavender fragrance; a nail polish removal pen, and a hang-nail remover tool. Please check out the <a href="http://www.twobirdslacquer.com/">Two Birds</a> site, because they have some wonderful polish and nail-care products.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCNtV5TbdayAnFA1-VM3mn_dPuwLnOLq78Kuhyphenhyphen8qVP8DbCQaaGOBeize_ZQh_vChX0dJgSUy7OqYF3Z4x3ufxkAaoXsjIXeiwuiAhn5rLRITQ6yRohai6xDo7s1MTT2bIdLzxUA_taZA/s400/Lyme+Disease+Awareness+Giveaway+Prize+3.jpg" width="208" /> </div>
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So, that's my amazing prize! You can imagine how surprised I was to find out I had won this, and I was still pinching myself to make sure it wasn't a dream until it actually arrived in my hands. </div>
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Thank you so much, Alinta, for running this Giveaway promotion, and I hope you are feeling OK. I will be continuing to promote awareness for <a href="http://www.polishandpaws.com.au/search/label/Lyme%20Disease" target="_blank">Lyme Disease</a> as much as possible on Facebook, Twitter, etc, and hopefully the government will wake up to themselves and admit we have a very big problem, which they have to deal with NOW!</div>
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I'll be back in a few days with my next manicure, and until then, thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you. You can follow my blog by filling out the boxes at the top right-hand side of my blog if you so wish, and I'd really appreciate any comments you may wish to make. All suggestions will be accepted with much gratitude as I try to make my blog interesting enough for people to visit. I'd also appreciate it if you would share a link to my blog with your friends and colleagues so that more people with cancer, going through chemotherapy, can be encouraged to look after their nails before they start their treatment, and hopefully will avoid having the same damage occur to their nails that happened to mine. After all, that is what I started my blog for, and if it helps even just one person I'll be happy.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you!</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-23807732980873336422015-06-14T23:18:00.000+10:002015-06-14T23:25:23.883+10:00Brown And Copper Skittle Manicure - 14 June 2015Finally, after over a week of major ups and bigger downs in our home and in our lives, here is my latest skittle manicure. I used five different brown and/or copper colours, and I am amazed at how well they went together. Here are the products I used:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjAQXC1cMQdMFx-Xh6zQ3nOwhyUlAct2XWosIeOEhUMemUxglnATcqi4gBLffKaEnWRCw7A4NNd6a7lsEF5QmTLSFKDVJZHqT_jh0BKRDOvbkgtGGnOLbjRhOwCVNCRvZgbWUj2c9Wrw/s1600/Brown+manicure+13+June+2015+Polish+Used.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQjAQXC1cMQdMFx-Xh6zQ3nOwhyUlAct2XWosIeOEhUMemUxglnATcqi4gBLffKaEnWRCw7A4NNd6a7lsEF5QmTLSFKDVJZHqT_jh0BKRDOvbkgtGGnOLbjRhOwCVNCRvZgbWUj2c9Wrw/s400/Brown+manicure+13+June+2015+Polish+Used.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now to some photos of my manicure, taken in artificial light at BigW and outside, but with light cloud cover, and just a touch of sunshine.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGnxVEy_f-KmH6DDdNglrTtjeyby00IzhyphenhyphenhBGuITUcj0kr9lRTJ3wjx-tJL2YUIQ0v6pJczlOp483P67VNTLLHA2xalPX5xdQyGhHrKTu_PTqryFMQsI4XYiyx357njoZ-jULL-Hpe9M/s400/Brown+manicure+13+June+2015+Artificial+Light.jpg" width="280" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHScQ6K_ZP1fahS6LOyxQSlOxs3bEV0enJG99efVVmg0h6wzTn-hXPgtQMLlpHMslPoaL7EyEmu5q1NcyMkba4TN2anLKqkJzW02rJ4XRyTmSdNi5jaA8TP7D95cJnyJiN8iSCg4P_tU/s400/Brown+manicure+13+June+2015+Outside+Litte+Sun.jpg" width="313" /></div>
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Under Artificial Light at BigW Outside In Shade</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNiiVpv9F96uBB8_2wJsxQOlWjvSEjOAoe5xSUl3BzAShIGAVS0XGhbYLR-PsBCS1S28BHs7kQzjNc4esBl79D_j7O0za_6iPFTKrOisBsvJXPUBaA3-OStR0zB0Scuf17Vfg6-jWuXQ/s400/Brown+manicure+13+June+2015+Outside+Cloudy.jpg" width="387" /></div>
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Outside Under Light Cloud</div>
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I started with one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious <i>"Rock On"</i> Strengthener</a> on all my nails, and a second coat on a couple that are still very thin and fragile. Then I put one coat of OPI Natural Nail Base Coat on them all.<br />
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On my pinky fingers I used <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/index.php/cosmetics/nails/nail-polish/nail-enamel-15-ml" target="_blank">Model's Prefer <i>"Double Shot"</i></a> creme polish, which looks like a really dark brown in the bottle, but with two coats on my pinky nails it looks black, so I was a bit disappointed, because I wanted it to be brown to fit with the rest of the colours I used. However, it was very easy to work with, and I had excellent coverage with two coats.<br />
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On my ring fingers I used <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> <i>"And My Axe"</i>, which is a dark red-brown jelly packed with holo, silver, gold, copper and bronze glitter. In real life, just looking at it on my hands, I seemed to have full coverage with just two coats but, thanks to my hubby buying me a smart phone with such good photographic ability, I realise now that I should have added another coat, and perhaps done a bit of dabbing. Like all my <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a>, it looks amazing under any lighting, but especially under artificial light and in the sun. Unfortunately it was cloudy yesterday, so it was very hard to get any photos in full sunlight. That's the problem with living in Tasmania in winter. Unfortunately this polish is no longer available, but there are heaps of other wonderful polishes available.<br />
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On my middle fingers I used <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a> <i>"Seasonal Sunset"</i>, a rusty, jelly-base colour packed with gold and copper glitter. In real life it is a real glitter bomb, and it was so hard to get a a photo that did it justice. It goes on like a dream, and I only needed two coats to get fantastic coverage. I probably could have had enough cover with just one good coat, but I wanted it to look good for the swatch, so I gave it the extra coat. This polish is also no longer available, and was a gift from a dear friend who knew that I wanted a bottle of it and that I hadn't known about <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a> when this colour was available. Thank you, Therese. I absolutely love it!<br />
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On my index fingers I used <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/product/freds-courage?tid=27" target="_blank">Shades of Phoenix <i>"Fred's Courage"</i></a> from the <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/catalog/shades-potter" target="_blank">Shades of Potter Collection</a>, which is a burnt orange, autumn-leaf coloured polish. It went on really smoothly, with full cover in two coats, but when I put the top coat on it bubbled, and got worse overnight. I was so disappointed, because the colour is amazing, and I was so looking forward to using it. I will definitely use it again with a different top coat. The <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/catalog/shades-potter" target="_blank">Shades of Potter Collection</a> is wonderful, and I can't wait to try the other colours in the collection.<br />
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Finally, on my thumbs I used one of the new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ulta3/photos/a.148853015174539.28600.126080404118467/865140026879164/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Ulta3 Autumn/Winter Metallic Collection</a> polishes, <i>"from the mine"</i>, which is a gorgeous copper, metallic glitter bomb with a textured finish. I also added just one coat of this polish to my pinky fingers to try and take some of the starkness off the colour on them. I don't normally like rough finishes, but with just one coat of top coat this was not so rough that it catches on things, and I love it. All this collection is beautiful, and I just had to give this one a try. If you haven't tried these polishes yet, get to your nearest Terry White Pharmacy and find them as soon as you can. There are five in the set, and every single one of them is just gorgeous. <br />
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I finished off with one coat of OPI Natural Nail Top Coat, which gave everything a lovely glossy finish. However, as I mentioned earlier, it made the polish on my index fingers bubble, but not any of the other polishes.<br />
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So, there you have it for this post. I'm really pleased with how the colour combination worked out and my nails are growing once again, although they still have a long way to go, thanks to both the <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Nail Care treatments</a> I am using, <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank"><i>"Rock On Nail Strengthener"</i></a> and <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/cuticle-hero-super-hydrating-cuticle-oil-11ml" target="_blank"><i>"Cuticle Hero Super Hydrating Cuticle Oil"</i></a>. They are really great, and I'm so glad that I discovered them, and was blessed with some items from this range by a lovely friend of mine. Thanks, Chris, you know who you are.<br />
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I'll be back again soon to show you my birthday present stash from my hubby, and a couple of other great finds. Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back soon to see what I have to share with you.<br />
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Have a great week, and God bless you!</div>
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Hugs<br />
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Christine<br />
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br />
<br />
Words of Life and Hope<br />
<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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burnt orange Autumn leaf coloured polish.</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-13213624095783350512015-06-05T14:48:00.000+10:002015-06-14T18:46:53.544+10:00An Amazing Gift from a Very Dear Friend!!! 5th June, 2015I have to let you know that my faith in humanity has been partially restored, and it's so nice to know that there are beautiful people out there still who care about others, and who are willing to show they care. I received an amazing gift package from a friend, who I've only met recently, and I can't believe how generous she has been. Thank you so much, Therese, from the bottom of my heart! You are one very special person, and there should be more people like you in the world. If there was, the world wouldn't be the hell hole it is today. Here is a picture of the items Therese sent me, with more details of the polish and other items below.<br />
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<img border="0" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJ1_zSF8uIlbXPY7bGY6YONVFn9O-tbDd9Rggf0x47KRgGcVwEUCGgzmti8pWetea6rfKcgTY5wJs5r6VK-ejVgulMHX0gVsT7gCFoC_mgo_pB9jS4-5f4B_Td5LDghL194tTjuj7ng0/s640/RAOK+from+Chris+3-5-2015.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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As you can see, this stash is amazing. There is a beautiful card with a lovely message, two awesome bottles of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Nail Polish</a>, "Seasonal Sunset" and "Generally Dangerous"; two lots of striping tape (gold and hot pink); two water transfer decals which look like postage stamps (unfortunately I didn't think to take them out of the package so I could show both of them) - one shows famous European landmarks, and the other one has the word "SHOES" written all over it in different sizes and fonts; two black acrylic bow decals with holographic glitter on them; two pretty, multi-coloured, bow decals with diamantes in the middle of the bows; two silver butterfly decals with holographic rhinestones all over the wings; two gold butterfly decals with pink, yellow and holographic rhinestones on their wings; one sheet of purple floral transfer decals; and one sheet of pretty blue, yellow and white flower sticker decals. </div>
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Here is a photo of the two <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious nail polishes</a>:<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nnQM-HPMc7QpsetLJGoeT6G6d3APqaMHPzronLRj_OBvZf1u-mgtjhxXA20U0y57a-hmM3j9-xcdmDs-1WNCTJoWi8z8ZdbToWU1fMehjcbz6jtRcVViTYoT9wGD6zUzuQauzGxsaXg/s400/RAOK+Pretty+Serious+3-5-2015.jpg" width="280" /> </div>
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It was extremely hard to get a good picture of "Seasonal Sunset", but it is a dark burnt-orange jelly base that leans a little towards brown, with tons of gold and orange glitter in it. It is definitely my kind of colour - in fact, I'm starting to fall in love with browns and oranges, especially with glitter and shimmer in them. The other polish, "Generally Hazardous", fits the bill completely, and is a wonderful orange creme with a really gorgeous golden shimmer through it. I can't wait to try this on my nails, and I think these two polishes will go together really well in a skittlette manicure, so I might give that a try one day soon.</div>
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Overall, this beautiful gift completely blew me away. I didn't think that people like Therese, and Christine, another friend that sent me a beautiful care package of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious products</a> that I shared with you recently, still existed. I know the nail art community are extremely helpful and encouraging, but this takes that to another level, and is unbelievably kind and generous. Thank you both for making me realise that there ARE some beautiful people left in the world.</div>
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Well, that's enough for this post. We have been dealing with a few disasters this week, and I am physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. I'll post some more news very soon once I've taken some photos of some new nail mail, and also the details of an amazing, humongous prize I won yesterday. I'll take photos when it arrives and do a post then. Will be doing another manicure this weekend, too, so will have that to show you as well.</div>
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Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back soon to see what I have to share with you. Don't forget to sign up to receive emails when I have a new post, and please leave comments, even if they are complaints, so that I can continue to improve my blogging.</div>
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God bless you, and have a wonderful day!</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine<br />
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br />
<br />
Words of Life and Hope<br />
<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-23109737026432023602015-06-02T20:48:00.001+10:002015-06-02T23:08:47.161+10:00My Skittlette Mani On 31-5-2015YAY!!! Finally I've been able to do a manicure! I am so over the moon that I could finally paint my nails, and even though my camera showed EVERY flaw on my cuticles and the fact that I couldn't paint over the tips of my nails because they are so short, I'm very pleased with the result.<br />
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So, here are the products I used:<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3oqKGDXh2ljL_tAGdaeIFyeiRXMMRJcoxhl8P_tEyttal2QLGe8EB8-MKo-Pv2CpsKrlCstL8Ec8TvYTxgGml8UveZyec_PfJhuF2DeNV6mxf6_lxzte1-E8yDk4A1CRwasoXQfKxC_Y/s400/Skittle+Mani+31-5-2015+Products+Used.jpg" width="390" /> </div>
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I decided to do a skittlette manicure so that I could feature several of my new polishes in the one mani, and these three look amazing together. All these polishes are Aussie Indie Polish from some of the best makers in the world.<br />
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I started by putting one coat of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious "Rock On"</a> strengthener, and then one coat of Revlon "Quick Dry Base Coat" on all my nails.<br />
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Next, I painted two coats of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/kate-a-hot-pink-linear-holo" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish "Kate"</a> on my thumb, index and pinkie nails, although one coat would have been enough if I'd used a thicker coat. This polish went on like a dream, and the colour just blew me away. It kept changing depending on what angle the light was hitting it from, so it is very hard to describe. Theresa, the owner and maker of the amazing Grace-full polishes, describes it as a hot pink linear holo, and it is from the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/category/last-girls-of-summer-holos" target="_blank">"Last Girls Of Summer" </a>collection. All I can say is, if you don't already have this polish in your stash, you are missing out badly. I'm going to order another bottle soon before it disappears forever, so that should tell you how much I love it. Thanks, Theresa, for making such an awesome polish. You're the best!<br />
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On my ring finger I painted <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/product/dobbys-ears?tid=27" target="_blank">Shades of Phoenix "Dobby's Ears"</a> from the <a href="http://shadesofphoenix.indiemade.com/catalog/shades-potter" target="_blank">"Shades of Potter" Collection</a>. This polish I found to be very thin, and I needed three coats to get full coverage, but it did go on very easily, and dried quickly, with no streaks at all. The colour is a bright muted pink, with a pearl/shimmer finish in the shade, and a lovely, soft holographic finish in the sun. I'm really hard to please with pink nail polish, because so many don't look good on my olive skin, but this one is definitely exception. I looks great on my nails, and will be used often in the future. This collection of polishes was bought for my by my daughter for Mother's Day, and I'm so glad she did (thanks, Megs). Thanks also to Teneil for producing such wonderful nail polish for her adoring public. They are just soooooo pretty. There are five polishes in the collection, and they are all completely different, so please check them out.<br />
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On my middle finger I then painted three coats of <a href="http://fairybread.storenvy.com/" target="_blank">LYZ Cosmetics</a><a href="http://fairybread.storenvy.com/" target="_blank"> Fairybread Artisan Nail Lacquer</a> "Flowers For My Love" from the <a href="http://fairybread.storenvy.com/collections/986709-lyz-cosmetics/products/11483217-january-sweet-surprise-box" target="_blank">January "Sweet Surprise Box"</a> so that I could get the real crelly effect that I was looking for. This polish is an absolutely gorgeous, and the only way you can get it is by purchasing the surprise box, which will not be available much longer, and Elizabeth is not doing any more of these boxes in the future, which is a real pity. She told me that she would be replacing it with something equally as good, though, so I'm keeping an eye out to see what she comes up with, but if you'd like to get this particular polish, you'd better be quick. It is a beautiful very pale pink crelly, with different sizes of hot pink and gold glitter, and a gorgeous soft shimmer. It is really hard to describe, but is really pretty. Here is a macro shot of it. The crelly effect is amazing! Thank you so much, Elizabeth, for this beautiful polish, and for all the others that I have purchased from you.<br />
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<img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7hvKMbK69LLP8jBTDFNVXMbQYj1RyuW0vj0w5easVqSkmOzEigbcfLTff5K0YrKOrf0Tpyvn79I35vtbahWIgpjvWBglyq-rpWV5MKN_Prw-h-TvwwNOPWzyUVcywItCzRVOVI44klY/s320/Skittle+Mani+31-5-2015+macro+of+Flowers+For+My+Love.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
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Next I added some gold decals to my ring fingers, and finished off with one coat of Revlon "Quick Dry Top Coat" on all my nails except for my ring fingers, to which I added two coats for extra protection for the decals.<br />
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Here are some photos taken in different lighting effects to show the amazing differences I found in all these polishes depending on where I was when I looked at them.<br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzHfhziwCVJbeYoJwlEt-QxjPw0fSaOMEKVLzDJb37cwXmSPU4sY-YMbj-Z651TeIdaBNmLL2QsY3ITUhu_lj1VE8bLx8jw4udErf2-HzPQanGq5ERnlsh0RRhiTVQSqnUt5L_LWns1c/s400/Skittle+Mani+31-5-2015+In+Sun.jpg" width="196" /></div>
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Right hand under fluorescent lighting in the doctor's surgery. </div>
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Right hand in the kitchen.</div>
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Right hand again in the kitchen.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f8Zf9i8AnDzbnFfwIMOw7Emw8dfGvde1Kl7v1wyDTK0I8Uw4fQURC4oV1lJWsUIHnexfwhhTT9CtZuA0AbPySSo2xIyhB3Cg-_QjQl7lIZPjCmUVBOPJz0AfrSW5RxJsBFzTlPIlZok/s320/Skittle+Mani+31-5-2015+Living+Room.jpg" width="315" /> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1klME1etRStZK-noAIz8MeoSOWZaA1Fl4JEvufEdXD3e5jniGd87mEF8VjCoTbpFGG9-cCgh0GeF8GAjv3i-11UNa0PChHIwi5nkDIbcH0WExJE8IEHeHStdOq7M9G2z4w-EF4Go7crU/s320/Skittle+Mani+31-5-2015+Inside+day.jpg" width="207" /></div>
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On the left is my left hand under light at night; on the right is my right hand in daylight inside.</div>
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So, that's my manicure for this week. Even though I was so out of practice, and made a bit of a mess of it, I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out and, of course, the beautiful polishes made all the difference. I only wish I could have had longer, better shaped nails so that I could do them full justice, as others have done online. However, now my nails are starting to grow again, and I'm thrilled to bits with that. Since starting to use my <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious "Rock On" Strengthener</a> I haven't had one break, whereas before that I was having them nearly once a week at least, so I love this product, and can definitely recommend it. I am also using <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/products/cuticle-hero-super-hydrating-cuticle-oil-11ml" target="_blank">Pretty Serious "Cuticle Hero" Super Hydrating Cuticle Oil</a>, their heavy duty oil, which is only a very new product in their range, and was sent as part of a RAOK by a friend. Unfortunately, yesterday morning I was in such a rush, because I had two doctors' appointments, one in the morning, and then another one early in the afternoon, I forgot to oil my cuticles, which is why they look so dry in the photos. They have improved immensely since my accident with the nail glue, and I'm really disappointed that I had to use these photos, but we hardly had any sun today, and the light was terrible.</div>
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Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you. I received three more lots of nail mail today, so will share that with you very soon. Please let me know what you think about my blog and/or reviews and swatches. I'd really appreciate your feedback. You can follow my blog if you go to the top of the page on the right-hand side and fill out the boxes, etc.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</div>
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a bright muted pink</div>
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a bright muted pink</div>
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a bright muted pink</div>
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a bright muted pink</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">All these products were either bought by me or given to me by family or friends, and I received no reward for these reviews.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-22761724374522622182015-05-27T21:42:00.000+10:002015-05-29T00:29:20.508+10:00Pretty Serious Cosmetics Polish - My Latest Purchase and RAOK - 27 May 2015I just had to come back and tell you about some more gorgeous polish I received last week, as well as three fantastic nail care products. Some I bought, some were a Random Act Of Kindness from a dear friend I've made online through her blog and interaction on Facebook.<br />
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However, firstly I'd like to tell you that I hope to be able to do my first mani, after 9 weeks of going naked due to the nail glue disaster, this coming weekend. Finally my nails have all grown past the nail bed, so it's safe to polish them again. You have no idea how chuffed I am to finally be able to plan a manicure and, because I've done so much retail therapy to help me recover, I think I'm going to have to do full skittle manis for the next few weeks so that I can feature all the amazing polish I've accumulated. I also think I may have found a place where I can buy storage cabinets for my nail polish, and if I have, I will share the news with you when I get them. I saw one in my doctor's surgery treatment room, and it is exactly what I've been looking for, but the nurse couldn't remember exactly where she bought them. She thinks it may have been from one of the hardware stores, so I'll be checking out Mitre 10 and Bunning's ASAP. Please pray that I can find some, because the situation is becoming desperate. I'm nearly drowning in nail polish and nail art supplies and tools, with nowhere to store them.<br />
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Now, on to the polish, and the nail care, that I received last week from <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a>. Three of these products I purchased myself, and the other three were a RAOK sent by Christine of the <a href="http://www.serenitynails.com.au/" target="_blank">Serenity Nails</a> blog, for which I thank her so very, very much. I didn't know people like her existed any more, but I've made some amazing friends since starting my blog, and following other people's nail art blogs, and I've found they are all so helpful and encouraging. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1byKUbiHNVB_CSiNtgXDSsf9kK1KVrDjSS5SQwrQB0Wx5DgnE1vPIDG9_70MK2GLkKFFGAeD0rVVDTlQfV5mnn5bd-QdRySMY-0lnSeEB3p0sXk30LvzYLO8YClUAreZ3zwnoRpGH48/s1600/Pretty+Serious+27-5-15+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1byKUbiHNVB_CSiNtgXDSsf9kK1KVrDjSS5SQwrQB0Wx5DgnE1vPIDG9_70MK2GLkKFFGAeD0rVVDTlQfV5mnn5bd-QdRySMY-0lnSeEB3p0sXk30LvzYLO8YClUAreZ3zwnoRpGH48/s400/Pretty+Serious+27-5-15+-+1.jpg" width="385" /></a></div>
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As you can see from the photos, all <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a> nail products come in beautiful boxes: nail polish in gorgeous purple boxes, and nail care in gorgeous blue boxes. To start with, I'll tell you about the polish, and then I'll go on to the nail care products.<br />
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The first polish is "<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nails/products/vt100-nail-polish-11ml" target="_blank">VT100</a>", is described by Kaz, the owner of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a> and maker of these beautiful polishes, as a <i>"fabulous emerald green filled with golden micro-glitter!"</i>. I found it too hard to really capture the beauty of this polish, but if you click on the name, it will take you to the page on the store's site where you can see more photos. It will open in a new window and take you there straight away. This is the green I've been looking for to use on St Patrick's Day, and probably at Christmas time, too. Oh, and it's on special at the moment, and I think is going to be discontinued, so if you want some you'd better get there right away before it all disappears!<br />
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The second polish is "<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nails/products/kashmir-nail-polish-11ml" target="_blank">Kashmir</a>", described as <i>"a dark red based purple jelly with golden and copper microflakes, colour
shifting purple to blue glass fleck and red opal flakes."</i> Designed by
Christine from the <a href="http://www.serenitynails.com.au/" target="_blank">Serenity Nails</a> blog, but made by Kaz. The colour and shift is just soooo complex, and amazingly beautiful, and I was blessed with this polish by Christine herself, as part of the RAOK she asked Kaz to add to my order. Check out Christine's amazing swatches on the <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a> site by clicking on the name once again. It will open a new window and take you there straight away. You can also see her review of this polish on her Serenity Nails blog <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/products/kashmir-nail-polish-11ml" target="_blank">here</a>. Her blog has been such an inspiration to me since I started doing nail art and looking for ways to repair and continue to look after my nails, and I know you won't be disappointed by her reviews, etc there.<br />
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The third polish is "CGA", which seems to no longer be available on the site. I bought it while it was on special, and it has been discontinued, so unfortunately you won't be able to buy any, unless you can pick some up somewhere online in a destash or from a friend. The only way I can describe "CGA" is as a pink/lavender creme with a blue-green shimmer. It is just so pretty, and I wish it was still available. <br />
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Now on to the Nail Care items from <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a>.<br />
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Pretty Serious "<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Rock On</a>" is a nail strengthener described as "just what you need to revitalise weak, peeling, break prone nails.
This amazing formula strengthens the nail without hardening to allow
for flexibility and minimised breakage. No more brittle nails here!" As you know, my nails are really weak and fragile from my chemotherapy last year, and I have tried so many products that claimed to strengthen my nails AND protect them while doing so, none of which have lived up to the "protection" side of things. However, with my first application of "<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Rock On</a>", my nails were immediately stronger, and I haven't had a chip or break on them since last week. Before that I was getting chips, peeling and breaking constantly throughout the time I've had naked nails while waiting for them to heal. So, you can imagine how amazed I was to find them feeling so strong and flexible straight away. Some of my nails are really thin, and were still a little too flexible, so I am using 2 coats of "<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/rock-on-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Rock On</a>" on them. Of course, I know the permanent strengthening TREATMENT part of this product won't really take effect for at least 2 months or more, but at least I know that they will be protected while I'm waiting for the old nail to grow out. I just wish I'd discovered this product when I first started doing my nails back in September/October. So, please check it out if you haven't already done so. You won't regret it, I'm sure. Christine of <a href="http://www.serenitynails.com.au/" target="_blank">Serenity Nails</a> has done a wonderful review of this product, with instructions on how to best use it, and anything else you need to know about it, <a href="http://www.serenitynails.com.au/2015/04/pretty-serious-cosmetics-rock-on/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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"<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/products/cuticle-hero-super-hydrating-cuticle-oil-11ml" target="_blank">C</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">uticle Hero</a>" is one of <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a>' newest nail care items, and is described thus:<br />
<i>"If you need something a little more heavy duty than our Cute Cuticles
range, then look no further. Our new Cuticle Hero is the hero your dry
cuticles have been holding out for! Created from a blend of spa quality
massage oils, Cuticle Hero will save the day leaving you with a smile
and a delicate orange scent." </i><span style="color: blue;">This product contains nut oils, so people allergic to nuts should beware.</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> </span>I have been using this on my nails and cuticles ever since receiving it, and they simply slurp it up as though they are dying of thirst. It has the most delicate citrus aroma, which hasn't affected me at all, even though I'm normally allergic to perfumed products, which give me asthma. I've used it at least 3 times a day, and most days even more, and you can see by the level of the oil in the bottle in the photo, which I only took today, you only need a very small amount on each cuticle, so a bottle this size would last you for ages. Find out more information on the site <a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/cuticle-hero-super-hydrating-cuticle-oil-11ml" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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"<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/harden-up-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Harden Up</a>" is another of their newest products, and Kaz says <i>"We ain't got time for weak, puny, brittle nails! Get this strengthener
on your nails right now! Harden Up helps thin, overly flexible nails
find their inner strength. It's time to Harden Up, princess!" </i>I haven't tried this product yet, but if it is anywhere near as good as their other products that I have tried, I'm sure it will do my nails the world of good.<br />
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"<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/cuticle-hero-super-hydrating-cuticle-oil-11ml" target="_blank">Cuticle Hero</a>" and "<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/collections/nail-care/products/harden-up-nail-strengthener-11ml" target="_blank">Harden Up</a>" were part of the RAOK Care Package, and are definitely an amazingly thoughtful gift, for which I am very, very grateful. Thank you so much, Christine. You'll never know how much your generosity has touched my heart. You are an angel sent from above, and I'm so glad that we met. <br />
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<a href="http://www.pretty-serious.com/" target="_blank">Pretty Serious Cosmetics</a> is an Australian based company creating cruelty free and vegan products, and they ship worldwide, so nobody need miss out on any of their wonderful products. I, for one, will be buying many more items from them in the future, and am really looking forward to receiving another package from them as soon as I can afford some more. As I use these products for my manicures and nail art I'll will review them in more detail for you.<br />
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I'll be back in a day or two with the details of a stash that I received today, but that's it for now. Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you. You can also follow my blog if you so wish by filling in the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page.<br />
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Have a wonderful day, and God bless you!</div>
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Hugs<br />
<br />
Christine<br />
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br />
<br />
Words of Life and Hope<br />
ht<a href="tp://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">tp://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-78205670850651027902015-05-14T23:22:00.001+10:002015-05-14T23:25:53.502+10:00More Retail Therapy Arrived Today 14 May 2015I just had to share with you the wonderful polish stash I received from Hayley at <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Emily de Molly</a>, an Australian Indie Polish maker, whose products I absolutely adore. I purchased three of them, and the other one Hayley added as a bonus gift. She also included some cute, oval-shaped silver decals. Thank you so much, Hayley. <br />
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<a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/serenity" target="_blank"><i>"Serenity"</i></a> is described as green leaning blue creme/jelly with different sizes of copper, lavender and turquoise glitter. I can't believe how beautiful this polish is, and the name fits it perfectly. Click on the name to be taken to the website and more photos.</div>
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<a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/absent-minded" target="_blank"><i>"Absent Minded"</i></a> is described as a purple jelly with iridescent glitter that flashes from blue to green, along with different sizes of copper, blue and red glitter. This polish in real life is so gorgeous, words can't describe it. You really have to check it out for yourself. Click on the name to be taken to the website and more photos.</div>
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<i>"A Beautiful Mistake"</i> is unfortunately no longer available on the site (I think I bought the last bottle), and I say unfortunately because, now that I've seen it in person, I want another backup bottle. It is the most amazing red jelly, with different-sized red and iridescent glitter. I am in love once again, and can't wait to try it out when my nails are ready. I think it would be a wonderful polish for times when you try a red polish on your nails, and it's not really what you were hoping for. One coat of this polish over the top, and Voila! Perfection!</div>
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<a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/regal-beginnings" target="_blank"><i>"Regal Beginnings"</i></a> is the polish that<i> </i>I received as a gift from Hayley, perhaps because it was the last one, as it is now sold out. I have to admit that it is not a polish that I would have purchased after just looking at it on my computer screen, but now I've seen it in person, I can't believe how wonderful, and different, it is. The more I look at it the more I like it, and I can't wait to try it out, perhaps on a feature nail as part of a marbled manicure, using all the colours that are used in this particular polish. It is described as a medium purple jelly/creme, with different sizes of gold, blue and black glitter. I would actually describe it as a pale lilac, but what's in a name? </div>
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All Emily de Molly polish is 5 free hand-blended, custom nail polish
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I'm afraid the photos don't really do justice to these polishes, but if you check out the photos of the ones that are still available on the <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Emily de Molly</a> site, there are some great photos of swatches there that will give you a better idea of their true beauty.</div>
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I also received another parcel from Catch of the Day, which is a set of three OPI Top Coats called <i>"Sheer To The Top"</i> Top Coat & Glitter Trio. Sorry the photo isn't as clear as I would have liked, but with the plastic in the front of the box it was hard to get a good picture.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpjhU1T2L-nlBbu_sYPeeRjM6spAWPrCEswWk5lfUe_-YJBPu8OLSG8oA7abDGz0KMtRjULR2Z35ODj_DUqacDNaZPbWS8otPEpxpm8Q65zs0G-wpcYdd6uytBkKDEPOpqU5IekhjeB4/s400/OPI+Top+Coats+hoard+14-5-2015.jpg" width="385" /> </div>
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The description on the back of the box says <i>"Top it shiny, top it matte, or for more drama, top your manicure with glitter! The perfect finishing touch is yours for the choosing!"</i></div>
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<b>Top Coat</b> - dries nails to the touch in one minute, completely in five, with just one to two coats.</div>
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<b>Matte Top Coat</b> - matte protection for all OPI shades! For velvety finishes and oxidized shimmers that fly under the radar.</div>
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<b>So Elegant</b> - Black & Chrome confetti add sophisticated drama to this glitter.</div>
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These three top coats were a real bargain on Catch of the Day, and I just couldn't resist buying them. Firstly because I love the OPI Top Coat, and have used it a lot in my manis on my blogs. Secondly, I needed a good matte top coat, so thought I would give this one a try. Thirdly, I loved the dramatic look of the black and chrome glitter in <i>"So Elegant"</i>, and I'm sure it will be used with all sorts of base colours in future manicures.</div>
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Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope to be back soon with even more retail therapy stashes, my Mother's Day present, which I'm getting tomorrow, and anything else that comes up along the way.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, and God bless you!</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">All polish was bought by me, my opinions are unsolicited and I have not received any payment of any kind.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-20443426851255595262015-05-09T20:22:00.000+10:002015-05-09T20:26:08.182+10:00Update On My Nails and Latest Arcane Lacquer Purchase 9 May 2015Today I have an update on how my nails are recovering from the disaster I had with some nail glue and acetone nearly 2 months ago (see earlier post for more information), and also some photos of my latest purchase from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ArcaneLacquer?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">Arcane Lacquer</a>.<br />
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Firstly, here is a photo of my nails as they are today. Please excuse my ugly hands, which are partly the result of age, but also from losing a lot of weight over the last couple of years, and of course there is no way to get rid of the excess skin. If anyone knows of a way of improving them I'd be very grateful for your advice, because I hate looking at them as they are now. I slather them in hand cream throughout the day but, although they feel nice and soft, they look horribly wrinkly and OLD!<br />
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<img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDbfMAT-bNHcmM6xKq75MvZjUEZcJsL-rs9pXo3WC_vuaRM1dUl_8hwsOKMEMhiIs8VRZnoj2LU1rNoQ715Edx4V5RaM-EbemT2CJvYsDEIDfJA0EQMuxW4MOeoG3B8iiL8MlRDvhv3w/s640/My+nails+update+9-5-2015.jpg" width="640" /> </div>
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As you can see, my nails are coming along pretty well. The nails on my right thumb and left pinky are only just growing past the nail base, as are the nails on both of my middle fingers. Also, many of them are still lifted off the nail bed, the most obvious of which are my two index fingers, but I'm hoping that they will recover as they get stronger and healthier. Most of the horrible brown, flaking tips caused by my chemotherapy last year are finally growing out, and the nails behind them are a lovely, healthy pink. My cuticles are looking so much better, and so are my nails, so I'm
starting to feel a lot better about the way things are going. </div>
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So, if I can keep them safe for another week or two, it looks like I might be able to start painting them again very soon. I'm waiting for a new strengthener I ordered to arrive (Australia Post up to its usual standard), and this one is supposed to actually strengthen them immediately as well as treating them, so it should be amazing. More on that when it arrives and I've given it a try. In the meantime, I'm using Sally Hansen Miracle Cure on them every other day, and continuing to use my Jojoba Oil, Revitanail Keratin Strengthening Serum and Nourishing Oil, and Revitanail Hand & Nail Cream throughout the day, especially after washing my hands. </div>
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I have so many new nail polishes in my stash that I am dying to try out, including the two beautiful <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ArcaneLacquer?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">Arcane Lacquer </a>polishes below. This are another Indie Polish brand that I am very quickly becoming addicted to.</div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ArcaneLacquer?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ArcaneLacquer?ref=l2-shopheader-name" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpOnN1ywG_2HFWrT_2xL1wd31Wh-sbb5cya_XkCfcIG16Y3oSCKbGSYXnl15s8zjNohANnrixX5j873F2ERImIYsL21acMjARQH8Q8zQt0s14kEUxEcEV53VcGw22a-8ufqB8pdZn3og/s320/Arcane+Lacquer+Glorious+Nightmare+and+State+of+Grace.jpg" width="244" /></a> </div>
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The one on the left is <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/204282672/glorious-nightmare-halloween-duo-arcane?ref=shop_home_active_21" target="_blank"><i>"Glorious Nightmare"</i></a> and the one on the right is <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/177259044/state-of-grace-soft-pulses-collection?ref=shop_home_feat_2" target="_blank"><i>"State of Grace"</i></a>. It was soooooo hard to get the true effect of these polishes, although the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/204282672/glorious-nightmare-halloween-duo-arcane?ref=shop_home_active_21" target="_blank"><i>"Glorious Nightmare"</i></a> photo is pretty close to the mark. I have two close-ups of them below, and the one of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/177259044/state-of-grace-soft-pulses-collection?ref=shop_home_feat_2" target="_blank"><i>"State Of Grace"</i></a> shows some of the shimmer and micro-glitter which you can't see in the photo above, but the actual colour is a bit darker. </div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/204282672/glorious-nightmare-halloween-duo-arcane?ref=shop_home_active_21" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/204282672/glorious-nightmare-halloween-duo-arcane?ref=shop_home_active_21" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4geYcAQviR-zey5MSYEh0lWp11KqoOx8PjgZGVacitxmWBx3UCHEO4YKIZ_4XXX-e35iKua6GpE8niczHazHdBCGIfu8PiLrmV5f2lWtWu1jFntQLBAp-JIOJ84-nI6y1Og7bUNeWF8/s400/Arcane+Lacquer+Glorious+Nightmare.jpg" width="223" /></a> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/177259044/state-of-grace-soft-pulses-collection?ref=shop_home_feat_2" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/177259044/state-of-grace-soft-pulses-collection?ref=shop_home_feat_2" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjal30kbHKL_pzj6FDeO1t-9JDJqUSrsKnu0l6Lw2BAwiaeAbR1daC7iCmBshKCOnQDxg4p3cBaU4RekXAHUrNnvnTFDoyg1ZqXciZVhfAxpVBHx6nhnSBCUdvbGxsXg-wpSvIvJCtDFKw/s400/Arcane+Lacquer+State+of+Grace.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/177259044/state-of-grace-soft-pulses-collection?ref=shop_home_feat_2" target="_blank"><i>"State of Grace"</i></a> is described as a mushroom/taupe creme with a
strong gold shimmer and flecks of orange and green, along with gold
flakies, although I would describe it as grey. You really have to see this in real life to appreciate its
true beauty. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/204282672/glorious-nightmare-halloween-duo-arcane?ref=shop_home_active_21" target="_blank"><i>"Glorious Nightmare"</i></a> is described as a deep purple jelly with berry pink, lemon and purple micro glitters. They both are absolutely beautiful, and I can't wait to try them out, which I'll be able to do very soon, God willing.</div>
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That's all I have for you today, but I hope to have more very soon when some of my purchases that I'm waiting on arrive. I hope you will come back often to see what I have to show you, and you can follow me if you wish to by going to the top right-hand side of my page.</div>
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Have a wonderful Mother's Day tomorrow, and may God bless you. For anyone going through treatment for breast cancer, my prayers are with you, and I hope that you come out the other end OK. My mantra now is "I'M A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR, AND STAYING ONE". I actually found a badge with that written on it online, and I'm going to start wearing it everywhere.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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Words of Life and Hope<br />
<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I was not paid in any way, shape or form for showing you these polishes.<br /> I bought them with my own money, </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">and my opinions are given freely and without bias.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-2382012311609248682015-04-27T00:11:00.001+10:002015-04-27T00:14:42.037+10:00My Latest Purchases From Grace-full Polish as promised - 26 April 2015Sorry for the delay, but I've had a very busy week. I can't believe it has taken so long to put these up, because they are absolutely awesome.<br />
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I have eight bottles of polish to show you today, all made by Theresa Carter of <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> in Port Sorell, Tasmania. These polishes are all hand mixed, and 3 free, which means they don't have those horrible nasties so many of the mainstream polishes have. Unfortunately I still cannot swatch any polish, so all I can show you are the bottles. If you want to see some swatches, just click on the name of the polish, and it will take you to the link on the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish</a> site.<br />
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Here are the first four polishes I want to show you, which were in the first order of the two I'm featuring today:<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHg8T1iY4hLtfE7gmwYkafxghrRVxLe92w7lBZqnKuyA-E5ROiaxIpwpiJQ-lA_3uYGFYS47IWHd8ZPmDVuQqyqnvse8o991U4evhUuzcSns6HBWvpUHxaBv2P0V_lJEae484189ieZmA/s1600/Grace-full+2+16-4-15.jpg" height="411" width="640" /> </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydOvmIlSlDKCeoP6mo102sY082-9JQsAhW2z5rwuzcZoO-ugxzZPxg7bGB7_CTfwfLYGneg849liJ28MMLKYGKxLN4l2PJ17RvX5-rM62SEBivq3-JQxayFek6ZpDQWyIC_y7ZE0EhMo/s1600/Grace-full+1+16-4-15.jpg" height="326" width="640" /> </div>
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The first one is <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/christine-a-teal-shimmer-with-flakie-sparkle" target="_blank"><i>"Christine"</i></a>, which is "a gorgeous rich teal with shimmer and flakie sparkle", which I just had to have, of course, because my name is Christine. However, the main reason I bought it is because this is such a beautiful teal shimmer polish in any light, and photos just
can't do it full justice. The shimmer effect is amazing. It is on sale on the site at the moment, so I don't think it will be around for much longer, because I think it has been discontinued. So, if you like the look of it, you'd better get in quick before it is all gone!</div>
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The second polish I have to show you is <i><a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/mandy-a-deep-blue-with-purple-undertones-and-blue-flakies" target="_blank">"Mandy"</a></i>, which Theresa describes as "a deep blue that has purple undertones, lighter blue micro flakies and blue
fantasy flakies that have sparkling effects and a glamorous look", and that's exactly what you see when you view it in the flesh. It is such a vibrant blue, unlike any I've found anywhere else. It also is on sale, and probably is on the discontinued list, so it is another one you should hurry and grab now before it, too, disappears forever! This polish was a free gift to help cheer me up, and I'd just like to say thank you to Theresa for being so kind and thoughtful. I can't believe how generous and encouraging all my nail art friends and the Aussie Indie Polish makers have been to me since my nail disaster 5 weeks ago. They are really such a wonderful group of people, and I'm so glad I've met them all, and am making new friends daily since joining some of the Facebook groups.</div>
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Now onto <i><a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/eboni-a-dark-purple-galaxy-jelly" target="_blank">"Eboni"</a></i>, which is described as "a dark purple galaxy, similar to O Holy Night but in purple with silver
holo stars, violet hex and squares and rainbow iridescent glitter." I bought this polish for 2 reasons - firstly, because it is the name of my cat (if you change the "i" to a "y"), but mostly because it is soooooo AWESOME! The photos leave a lot to be desired, because it's almost impossible to show it in pictures. The swatches on the site are really good, though, and will give you a better idea of what it's like. It's like looking up into the sky at midnight when you are out in the open away from artificial lighting! I am dying to get this onto my fingers, and the wait is really depressing me. A friend suggested swatching these polishes onto swatching sticks/wheels, but I WANT TO SEE THEM ON MY NAILS! Please pray that my nails will hurry up and grow out so that I can start painting them again.<br />
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The last polish in this section is <i>"And My Axe"</i>, which unfortunately is no longer available. It is a beautiful brown jelly, loaded with copper, gold, pink and holographic glitter of various sizes and shapes. It truly is a unique polish, and it's a shame that it has disappeared from the site, because once I'd received it I would have loved to have bought another bottle. I'm going to see if I can talk Theresa into bringing it back sometime soon.<br />
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Now to the next four polishes, which are from the second purchase that I'm featuring today:<br />
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The first of these polishes is <i>"Tiffany"</i> (which is the name of my other cat), and is a polish that Theresa added to my order as a special thank you gift, and to cheer me up. Apparently it was a polish she made for her friends for Christmas, and I'm sure, if I was one of her friends who received it, I would have gone into raptures, and would immediately declare Theresa as my BFF, because that is how I felt the moment I saw it. It is a beautiful red/gold microglitter, holographic colour-shifting polish, and is mind-blowing. I haven't been able to stop looking at this polish since I opened my package, and my husband kept laughing at me, because I kept picking it up and moving it about under the light, and/or in the sunlight, and saying "I can't believe someone would be so kind as to give me this!", or "OMG! This is soooooo AWESOME!" The pictures above were taken in natural light, but here are a few other photos I took under artificial light<i> </i>to try to give you a better idea of it's beauty:</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYFGhtyiXZoZfL3j2l7ef2GMI6KPOEN1rdQHj9aOqXE5Rv692524TIuYGf4bLvIxB2hyphenhyphen6Vb3GxbG1xq9lXri5V3T54qhPj1pm-BaSWMuZ245RtdWFHNYthQr2QGoinkHdRTkf_kuci8c/s1600/Tiffany+polish+from+Grace-full+Polish+artificial+light+6.jpg" height="320" width="165" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7APkX9Ofwl_3pIW3vaB-Mqs5IUbGLNkCS05igb5iyi_TinGNCuM1YZodFujR21S_LYOH3bG7MjQ50W9p4VIvsWO3PquFMjZzUppyRiakEQIUrwpgeQ9Hjp_cfDO_7WpkQ5NFuAWScbQ/s1600/Tiffany+polish+from+Grace-full+Polish+artificial+light+7.jpg" height="320" width="192" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBPh8HtnFR0gSTx8EY2GT2WYPS3HHzDv-EGJa5jZ0Voul_eDGwmikMkEdY5Bs0vdnyRrQnxEnApvI_kI4rkqhfOsKwBfdE10deDMAMvEAuw4JKzXiO9XYlQmY2CNQxotsQ7QlNprnHXA/s1600/Tiffany+polish+from+Grace-full+Polish+artificial+light+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBPh8HtnFR0gSTx8EY2GT2WYPS3HHzDv-EGJa5jZ0Voul_eDGwmikMkEdY5Bs0vdnyRrQnxEnApvI_kI4rkqhfOsKwBfdE10deDMAMvEAuw4JKzXiO9XYlQmY2CNQxotsQ7QlNprnHXA/s1600/Tiffany+polish+from+Grace-full+Polish+artificial+light+2.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
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As you can see, this one was a very hard one to catch the real effect of on camera. I just wish everyone could have a bottle of this amazing polish. You really have to see it to believe it! Thank you so much, Theresa. You made my day!!!!</div>
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The second polish in this section is <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/love-s-bouquet-glitter-jelly-with-deep-purple-base-valentine-s-2015" target="_blank"><i>"Love's Bouquet"</i></a>, described as "a deep purple jelly full of violet, fuchsia, red, garnet, lilac and purple glitters in various sizes." This one is so gorgeous, and the flashes of colour when you move the bottle are fabulous, but it also is on the discontinued list, and is on special, so check it out on the site before it disappears forever. Don't miss out, now! Be quick and check out the beautiful swatches on the site so you can get a better idea of its true beauty!</div>
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The next polish in this section is <i>"<a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/you-have-my-bow-green-jelly-full-of-green-glitter-with-a-splash-of-gold" target="_blank">You Have My Bow"</a></i><a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/you-have-my-bow-green-jelly-full-of-green-glitter-with-a-splash-of-gold" target="_blank">,</a> which is from the <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/category/the-fellowship-collection" target="_blank">"Fellowship Collection"</a>, and Theresa describes it as "inspired by Legolas Greenleaf and named after the pledge he makes to
Frodo that begins the fellowship. This jelly has a leaf green base and is
packed with different green glitters in hexes, triangles and dots as
they represent both woods of the elves and his last name, and a sprinkle
of small gold glitter to represent his blond hair." This is the green jelly polish that I wish I'd had for St Patrick's Day (if I'd been able to do nail art for St Patrick's Day sigh!). The green is sooooo green, it's like looking at the clover in your backyard lawn just after the rain, with the sunshine reflecting off the raindrops on the leaves. It also appears to be going to disappear soon, because it, too, is on special, so you must grab this one if you love to celebrate St Pat's Day! I'm sure you'll regret it if you miss out, so don't wait too long!</div>
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And the last polish I have to show you today is just wonderful. It's called <i>"<a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/product/trudi-deep-magenta-jelly-base" target="_blank">Trudi"</a>, </i>and is another beautiful explosion of glitter in an amazing jelly polish. Theresa describes this one as "a deep magenta jelly base with Fuchsia diamonds and dots, orange hex and
gold squares and large dots." I couldn't believe the colour of this one when I saw it, and it just blew my mind! The different size and shape of the glitters are so amazing, and I fell in love AGAIN! You really should check out the photos on the site to get a better idea of just how beautiful this polish is.</div>
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I really don't know how Theresa comes up with such beautiful polishes time after time after time, and I didn't think she could top the ones she already has on her site, but she has just proven me wrong. Her latest collection, <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/category/fireside" target="_blank">the Fireside Collection</a>, is so fabulous it set my heart beating the minute I saw the teaser swatches on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1629051177329897/1656268027941545/?notif_t=group_activity" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish Fan Group</a> page on Facebook. (You really should join this group if you want to find out what's coming up. It is a closed group, so only members can get to see the sneak previews, etc, but it's very easy to join). Then, when Theresa finally showed us the official release photo of the set, ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE in the group, I think, fell completely and utterly in love with them all. I have purchased the whole collection, and they may well be the first lot of polishes I review when my nails are ready to be polished again. So, keep an eye out, or better still, check them out right now at <a href="http://gracefullnailpolish.bigcartel.com/category/fireside" target="_blank">Grace-full Nail Polish <i>"Fireside Collection"</i>.</a> If you do end up buying some of Theresa's polish, please let her know that you heard about her site on my blog, and also let your nail art friends know about her site, too. It doesn't get me anything at all, except the pleasure of introducing someone else to some of the most beautiful polishes available, and to think they come from my beautiful home state of Tasmania makes me so proud.</div>
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Well, that's all for today. I'm sure these photos will give you all something to think and talk about, and I hope you love all these polishes as much as I do. Since discovering Aussie Indie Polish makers online I've become even more addicted, if that is at all possible. At the moment just about every one of them is putting out new collections, and trying to choose which one to buy now, and which ones I can wait a pension day or two for, is very, very hard. <br />
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I will try to show you some photos of my new polishes as they arrive, and of course, Mother's Day and my birthday are both coming up soon, so who knows? Maybe I'll be blessed with some more wonderful polish. My nails are growing slowly, are looking quite good, and I only have one more week of this first 28-day treatment program, so I may even be able to try to swatch some polish next week. It will depend how strong they are. If they are still too weak, I'm going to wait a week or so and then repeat the program for another month. I would rather suffer from withdrawal a bit longer than risk damaging my nails again by starting swatching and/or doing nail art too soon. I must say that retail therapy has helped a bit, but having all these beautiful polishes just sitting here looking at me, and begging me to try them out, is driving me quite spare. Oh, well, better to be sure than sorry.<br />
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I hope you'll come back soon to see what else I have to show you, and that you will let your friends know about my blog. You may follow my blog if you so wish by filling in the boxes on the top right-hand side of the page.<br />
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Have a wonderful week, and God bless you all.</div>
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Hugs<br />
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Christine<br />
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br />
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Words of Life and Hope<br />
<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I was not paid in any way, shape or form for showing you these polishes.<br /> I bought them all with my own money, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">except for the two cheer-up gifts, </span>and my opinions are given freely and without bias.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-50287702691401418802015-04-18T20:52:00.000+10:002015-05-09T20:29:53.878+10:00My Retail Therapy Over Last Three Weeks - 18 April 2015As promised, I have some photos to share with you of some of my retail therapy purchases over the last three weeks. Some were ordered before that, but most have been bought since my nails got so badly damaged. I am happy to report that my nails are slowly recovering, and the Revitanail products I'm using seem to be working really well, which is a huge relief. However, it's probably going to be about 6 weeks before I can do any nail art, which is driving me insane. Hence the retail therapy.<br />
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Firstly, I have a stash of new and used polish I bought from a friend I've made in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/justnailpolishsales" target="_blank">Just Nail Polish Sales (Australia) Facebook Group</a>. If you live in Australia, are mad about nail polish, and you haven't already joined this site, please check it out. It is a fantastic group, everyone is so friendly and you can pick up some real bargains, and possibly even some polish you may have been searching everywhere for.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4FWIVjGwInR3aipFVBXci7nisgdkNbcVXGaO9sX4WNPP3FRwrqzsyNq1sgbyTeInSkxDDFMoqFc-gM8wymdTNkgwlEqjCGF-ZbQ503kQ3tIrcgRP9KLCChEVxjQYHx3cgnzUdM4kVsE/s1600/Stash+from+Cathy+16-4-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="585" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4FWIVjGwInR3aipFVBXci7nisgdkNbcVXGaO9sX4WNPP3FRwrqzsyNq1sgbyTeInSkxDDFMoqFc-gM8wymdTNkgwlEqjCGF-ZbQ503kQ3tIrcgRP9KLCChEVxjQYHx3cgnzUdM4kVsE/s1600/Stash+from+Cathy+16-4-15.jpg" width="640" /> </a><br />
This stash is mainstream polishes, but they are all gorgeous.</div>
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Next, I'd like to show you two beautiful polishes I got from <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Emily de Molly</a>, an Australian, 5-Free, Cruelty Free and Vegan Friendly, Indie Polish maker. They owner, Hayley, can only directly ship to Australia from her online store, but she has several international suppliers who stock her products for those who live overseas. Just check her "stockists" list for your nearest supplier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvjbx9ciTL6E2uNj8KLcYalUpSf22i84IsNvin19AWal0Re_4dObsOkIYlel3XjnxQeQksbKK4A2ADtN2s7L5PT5lV2tJ-v14AYSmNTq7TLnGkNRBawG10VJx57hnZtz0Qr51GeT1hyE/s1600/Emily+de+Molly+stash+7-4-15+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIvjbx9ciTL6E2uNj8KLcYalUpSf22i84IsNvin19AWal0Re_4dObsOkIYlel3XjnxQeQksbKK4A2ADtN2s7L5PT5lV2tJ-v14AYSmNTq7TLnGkNRBawG10VJx57hnZtz0Qr51GeT1hyE/s1600/Emily+de+Molly+stash+7-4-15+1.jpg" width="505" /></a></div>
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These two gorgeous polishes are "<a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/restless" target="_blank">Restless</a>", which has a metallic teal base, with a mix of colour shifting shimmer, flakies and micro glitter, and apparently gives full coverage in two to three coats;
and "<a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/cosmic-forces" target="_blank">Cosmic Forces</a>", which is a dark purple/plum jelly with lavender holo dots and hex and pink dot glitter, in lots of different sizes. You might have to fish for the larger dots because they tend to drop to the bottom of the bottle, but it will be well worth it for the results. "<a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/restless" target="_blank">Restless</a>" is still available at the moment, but it is on the discontinued list, so you won't be able to get it for much longer. </div>
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The bottles are sitting on some gorgeous <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/nail-vinyls-cats" target="_blank">cat nail vinyls</a>, which unfortunately I cannot show you the details of because they don't show up in the photographs, but you can check them out <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/product/nail-vinyls-cats" target="_blank">here</a> if you are interested. They really are amazing, with 60 cat stickers and 30 cat stencils. Each cat design has the reverse image as well, which is often not the case with nail stickers and/or transfers, etc. Also, Hayley, was kind enough to include some lovely silver, square nail decals, shown in the photos, as a thank you gift. I can't wait to see what she may have coming up for sale in the future. I'd love to buy every single one of her polishes, but I simply couldn't afford to. The range is awesome, and so are the colours and finishes. Please check out <a href="http://emilydemolly.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Hayley's store</a>, or one of her suppliers, real soon. You won't be disappointed, I assure you.</div>
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Next, I have two beautiful polishes from <a href="http://www.ellamila.com/" target="_blank">ella+mila</a>, another 5-Free, Cruelty Free and Vegan Friendly Indie Polish maker, this time from the USA. They ship internationally, which was a real plus for me, and they are beautifully packaged.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74TQdWQqmEMywqRKMoepbA4npawEHH0I8sIx2rQ-T62-_RUrVe8BqM4KCVvBSI7frvif-HU72iGjvVeilFEdKhXHeBw0cAklCFyq4O8OlXuFfojqJw14db5GLfSgMJwjAzG82l91pJio/s1600/Ella+Mila+16-4-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74TQdWQqmEMywqRKMoepbA4npawEHH0I8sIx2rQ-T62-_RUrVe8BqM4KCVvBSI7frvif-HU72iGjvVeilFEdKhXHeBw0cAklCFyq4O8OlXuFfojqJw14db5GLfSgMJwjAzG82l91pJio/s1600/Ella+Mila+16-4-15.jpg" width="394" />k</a></div>
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These two polishes are just gorgeous, and will be perfect used in the same manicure. The one on the left is <a href="http://www.ellamila.com/polishes/entice-me?category=Dream+Collection" target="_blank">"Entice Me"</a>, from the "Dream Collection". It is a beautiful dusky mauve, which just a hint of shimmer. The one on the right is <a href="http://www.ellamila.com/polishes/honeymoon-bliss?category=Love+Collection" target="_blank">"Honeymoon Bliss"</a>, from the "Love Collection", a gorgeous very soft pinky/lavender polish. It is very hard to describe, and I couldn't quite catch the colours on my camera. They came in cute little boxes (shown in photo), and were very carefully packed so they wouldn't get damaged. I can't wait to do a mani using these two beautiful colours.</div>
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The third lot I would like to show you are two amazing polishes from <a href="https://www.kbshimmer.com/" target="_blank">KBShimmer</a>, an Indie Plolish company in the USA. I bought these from <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/" target="_blank">"Harlow & Co"</a>, who ship to Australia, and I can definitely recommend this company. (Please excuse the cat hair in the photo - it is one of the inherent problems found when living with two cats, and I didn't notice it until I loaded it onto my blog.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RzMaKICd13eDdjtX60TIUHv2lxHG_FWcW-a9hppHg91U6OyV6wfzTJrwVY55ywMx5wZxl4zFc40uoyH02bpUXOuBwiwOgBVlEragG1FYwv-IOKlc567WTP6Jt68GtYDNQ3pR7vkbQwQ/s1600/KBShimmer+16-4-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0RzMaKICd13eDdjtX60TIUHv2lxHG_FWcW-a9hppHg91U6OyV6wfzTJrwVY55ywMx5wZxl4zFc40uoyH02bpUXOuBwiwOgBVlEragG1FYwv-IOKlc567WTP6Jt68GtYDNQ3pR7vkbQwQ/s1600/KBShimmer+16-4-15.jpg" width="352" /></a></div>
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The polish on the left is <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/collections/kbshimmer/products/goldie-rocks" target="_blank">"Goldie Rocks"</a>, a yellow gold metallic polish that has a linear holo sparkle. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the photo doesn't really catch the holo effect, unfortunately, but you should get full cover in 2-3 coats. The polish on the right is one I have been dreaming of getting ever since I first saw it blogged online - <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/collections/kbshimmer/products/men-are-from-mars-ala" target="_blank">"Men Are From Mars-ala"</a>. This is a wonderful earthy, red-brown shade which, when indoors, is rich and warm, and outdoors or in bright light features a linear holographic finish. The photo simply doesn't do this justice, as I couldn't pick up the amazing holo effect, but if you click on the name you will be taken to the <a href="http://www.harlowandco.org/" target="_blank">"Harlow & Co"</a> site where you can see fantastic photos and swatches of it. These two colours would also be awesome used in the same mani, which is what I hope to do once my nails have recovered.</div>
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Well, that's it for today, but I will be back soon to show you some more of my recent purchases, especially the two lots I bought over the last couple of weeks from "Grace-full Nail Polish" in Tasmania, Australia. They are absolutely amazing, and I want to do a special post on these in the next couple of days. </div>
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Please let me know if you have enjoyed seeing the pictures of my recent purchases, and I hope you'll come back soon to see what I have to share with you. You may follow my blog if you wish by filling in the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page.</div>
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Have a wonderful day, and God bless you all.</div>
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Hugs</div>
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Christine</div>
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)</div>
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Words of Life and Hope</div>
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<a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-5238719643398664092015-04-10T20:36:00.000+10:002015-04-10T20:36:56.956+10:00Nail Recovery Update, BUT New Damage! 10 April 2015Hi, everyone! I hope you had a great Easter and got lots of rest, and hopefully got time to do lots of nail art.<br />
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I thought I'd better touch base and give you an update on how my nails are recovering after the disaster I told you about in my last blog two weeks ago, and also let you know what happened yesterday - another disaster!<br />
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Here are some photos of my damaged nails from 2 weeks ago and how they're recovering.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8s7VM_AV5V0707RfROrIM6B17Ipp-PqjIFk6FaoxFWjWrHG-b0bK_Tbv-DmeZZwQICIT9TfAEjxbENFdsDXX5p0dTcFJhndmV-6P481FRMv2FtiP1pUj6rZ4AZWo0gToX4JlCTKVOHZM/s1600/Damaged+Nails+10-4-15+Left+Hand.jpg" height="441" width="640" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO6l0NZeV7GfXGX4IaSnpTDVEs0unh4q8cQ6wFEIOCY-lxLAEYVTaLA3Xf5WSLblXJSTZ9L_FQjR_oy9V7h4MIQnGCHgDJAwDqiBA429TWE0ec1klHHPwmkhhMsVKhlEjanWdfV0PJGA/s1600/Damaged+Nails+10-4-15+Right+Thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO6l0NZeV7GfXGX4IaSnpTDVEs0unh4q8cQ6wFEIOCY-lxLAEYVTaLA3Xf5WSLblXJSTZ9L_FQjR_oy9V7h4MIQnGCHgDJAwDqiBA429TWE0ec1klHHPwmkhhMsVKhlEjanWdfV0PJGA/s1600/Damaged+Nails+10-4-15+Right+Thumb.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see, the two badly damaged nails on the left hand are starting to recover nicely, and so is the thumb on my right hand. I have been using an intensive recovery regime on all my nails and my hands since all the damage was done, and it is very encouraging to see that it appears to be working. For the first week I used pure Jojoba Oil, Revitanail Nourishing Oil, Revitanail Keratin Strengthening Serum and Revitanail Hand & Nail Cream. <br />
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After a week, once my nails had stopped hurting so much, I started on the Revitanail Nail Strengthener program, which involves 2 coats on the first day, 1 coat each day for the next 5 days, removing it on the 7th day, and then repeating this for 3 more weeks. The whole program takes 28 days, and then you can leave it off for a week or two, and repeat the 28 day program again until you are happy with the strength of your nails. You can't use nail polish over the treatment, so I'm afraid my nails are totally nude all the time at the moment.<br />
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As well as the Nail Strengthener, I have continued to use pure Jojoba Oil, Revitanail Nourishing Oil, Revitanail Keratin Strengthening Serum and Revitanail Hand & Nail Cream as often as I can, and will continue to do so in the future, particularly as it really does appear to be working so well. My husband keeps looking at me and saying "Are you still rubbing your nails?", and I just say to him "Again, darl, again!". Nearly every 30 minutes finds me rubbing one treatment or another into my hands and/or nails. In fact, I find myself massaging my cuticles even when I'm just sitting reading because it has become such a habit. Some of the skin on my fingers has started to peel off, too, caused by the burning from the acetone I used trying to get the nail glue off my nails and fingers. The tips of some of my fingers are still very tender and quite sore, so I'm having to be really careful what I do each day so no more damage is done.<br />
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So, that's the good news! Now to the disaster last night. When I took the nail strengthener treatment off last night, I discovered that I actually had two more nails that were broken right down below the quick, and I felt physically sick. I couldn't believe it, even though I had suspected for the last couple of days that one of them may be broken. So, they have now been filed right back as far as I could, and I also filed back my unbroken nails so that they don't look ridiculous. The broken nails are really sore, too, because of how far down I had to file them. Here is a photo of my right hand showing the damage, and also how some of my nails have lifted off the nail bed due to the damage done from my chemotherapy treatment last year. Most of the nails that have broken have suffered this damage, and that is why they have broken so far down my nails.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTBM9alkJy3MLFk7BCEDr3AxKAi-SnlN8e8DbrddYx14ISUxc1gu5kRfLnZ8IInDPcYo2xIe4wOYqYflKQA_r38_jqAOdjqYSNqRKAtH2OTnjOKXcA9pBK1_rePsMfcGctUUF0rXLbCw/s1600/Damaged+Nails+10-4-15+Right+Hand.jpg" height="640" width="376" /> </div>
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Now it's back to the drawing board, and onward and upward, I hope! I'm heartbroken that all this has happened just when my nails were starting to grow, and had started to look quite good when polished. I didn't get to do an Easter design, which I was really looking forward to doing, and it doesn't look like I'll be doing one for Mother's Day next month, or perhaps even for my birthday in June. Getting my nails in good, strong condition is more important at this stage, so that is what I am endeavouring to do.</div>
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I will be back in a couple of days to show you some of my new polishes that I have been receiving in the mail. Retail therapy is great when you're feeling miserable, and many of the Indie Polish makers have had sales and special offers on over Easter, so I've been busy checking them all out. It helps to keep my mind off things, too, which is good. I only wish I had more money to spend, because, after all, a girl can NEVER have too much polish, can she?</div>
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Thanks for visiting, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and for those in Tasmania, make sure you keep warm. It's going to be a wet, chilly couple of days. Please come back soon to see what I have to share with you, and please let others know about my site if you have enjoyed your visit.</div>
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Hugs<br /><br />Christine<br /><br />(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br /><br />Words of Life and Hope<br /><a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-52767374478680313892015-03-28T21:22:00.000+11:002015-03-28T21:22:30.123+11:00Absolute Disaster on 27 March 2015 - DON'T BUY THIS NAIL GLUE!!!!!!Yesterday I had an absolute disaster with 3 of my nails which I was trying to patch, using a different nail glue to the one I usually use, and here is how my nails and fingers look today!<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9aMzlkK7wW0O9pd8cXWTKubg2JgRA5DQIOK6GgzG2IS9VnkL8tQOUAwxcWDq2irHt_nAEa3Yl2WKek-4NL8r7vdk88-99xODLccx5dozrBeSBjWLiJWXimJOI5FEV_ZiRIvd2BWCyevk/s1600/fingers+&+nails+destroyed+by+glue+28-3-15.jpg" height="320" width="289" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTQiIJeoMwWqgMP_9rioY7j103Q4IEg-cKb-Kb94KlTA8HczYRw80dtk1KXrhih64-Fqr94hdZExiDfcreCUE00VmoJ1srwd-XdnjPB23XGCwTRoQnvTtRamiqP3D4dTQd2n6D9ynZiM/s1600/fingers+&+nails+destroyed+by+glue+28-3-15+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTQiIJeoMwWqgMP_9rioY7j103Q4IEg-cKb-Kb94KlTA8HczYRw80dtk1KXrhih64-Fqr94hdZExiDfcreCUE00VmoJ1srwd-XdnjPB23XGCwTRoQnvTtRamiqP3D4dTQd2n6D9ynZiM/s1600/fingers+&+nails+destroyed+by+glue+28-3-15+3.jpg" height="306" width="320" /></a></div>
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As a result of this, I want to advise everyone NOT TO BUY THE NAIL GLUE shown below:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwdxsA_J4HERmXm2ij_f_X1Ik7773SWafLdftKdYlpR5l3A511kzIE8D-IktqhI9UunvJoNfdBRXPZUi5_ewUzlADJh2KuUZRYBqsQHwUywlqpfyzkOua5ZpHboMSFwhiXs-h2xJ3DGk/s1600/Don't+Use+This+Nail+Glue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwdxsA_J4HERmXm2ij_f_X1Ik7773SWafLdftKdYlpR5l3A511kzIE8D-IktqhI9UunvJoNfdBRXPZUi5_ewUzlADJh2KuUZRYBqsQHwUywlqpfyzkOua5ZpHboMSFwhiXs-h2xJ3DGk/s1600/Don't+Use+This+Nail+Glue.jpg" /></a></div>
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and here's the full story of what happened.</div>
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After taking off last week's manicure and the patches I had on three of my nails, I still couldn't cut my nails back because they were broken a long way down the actual nail, and not only on the tip section. So, I set out to put patches on them again before I put on this week's mani. I had run out of the glue I had been using, which came with the Manicare Nail Repair Kit I bought months ago, so I decided to use the nail glue shown above, which I had bought to use to attach artificial nail swabs to my nail polish bottle lids before I put them up on the shelves. It said "Nail Glue", so I presumed it would be safe to use, and I had to make a tiny hole with a sharp needle in the top, so there should have only been a small drop of glue on the index nail on my left hand (the one with breaks on both sides of the nail) when I put it on. However, that is not what happened. It spread all over my nail, and onto two of my fingers, and then dried instantly. My fingers were stuck together, but I managed to get them apart, and managed to finish that patch.</div>
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I then spent half an hour trying to get the glue off my fingers with acetone, and still didn't manage to get it all off, but I wanted to go ahead and patch the other two nails that needed repairing, so I decided to finish trying to get it off after I had finished the patches. I had read during the week that micropore tape from the pharmacy is a good alternative to tea bags to use for patches, so I applied some over the splits on the middle finger on my left hand and the thumb on my right hand. I filed off the excess bit of the fibreglass tape that I used with the nail glue patch, and smoothed off the surface of the glue. </div>
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Next, I added two coats of Sally Hansen "Hard As Nails" original formula nail hardener to all my nails, waiting for each coat to dry before adding the next one. I then added one coat of Jordana <i>"Mellow Yellow"</i> to all my nails except for my ring fingers, and one coat of Sinful Colors <i>"White On White"</i> to my ring finger nails. I was planning to do a gold and green water marble manicure for the Cricket World Cup Final on Sunday, 29 March 2015, in which Australia are playing. However, when the polish finally dried on the patched nails, I noticed that the polish was really rough on the ones I used the micropore tape on. So, I decided to remove the micropore patches and do them the same way as the one with the glue, and that's when disaster struck.</div>
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The micropore tape nails were easy to clean and remove the tape, but when I tried to do the patch on the first nail, glue went all over my fingers again. I then tried to add some acetone to a cotton swab to try to get it off, but the acetone went all over the nails on my right hand, and I just burst into tears. Then I tried to use the acetone to remove the glue from my fingers once again, and most of it just wouldn't shift. I used the foil method with 100% acetone on the two nails with the glue on, and after 15 minutes they still hadn't shifted, so I added more to them, left the remover on for 15 minutes, and the glue hadn't even budged. I tried again, and again, and finally managed to get the patch piece off, but the glue underneath still wasn't going to budge. </div>
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Meanwhile, all this time, my finger and nails was burning because of the acetone, so I switched to an acetone-based polish remover, and after about 2 hours I finally managed to remove most of the glue, but in the process the nail on my index finger broke right off, and the other break got worse. That's when I really gave up, and decided to cut all the broken nails off as carefully as I could, and filed the rest of my nails back a lot so they didn't look ridiculous. I was really crying my heart out at this stage, because I was watching 9 months of careful nurturing and beautiful manicures going out the window, and my nails looked worse than they did when I first started my blog after the chemotherapy damage. One of the nails even started bleeding, and you can see how badly the tips of my fingers were damaged by the glue and the acetone. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTlY6CJOvqPBpZqBlPt2RbV8jRpk8E6UCgTYN6G28Ishg8VJ92hNJ27auoLt_b_p_qGJfoaCAoY_g2KBcXvwbqcKJBIT67wpzh_bJ77SqNgDVNsYZT1hZuQmBSG5qgJkWElMwJoACZoo/s1600/fingers+&+nails+destroyed+by+glue+28-3-15+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirTlY6CJOvqPBpZqBlPt2RbV8jRpk8E6UCgTYN6G28Ishg8VJ92hNJ27auoLt_b_p_qGJfoaCAoY_g2KBcXvwbqcKJBIT67wpzh_bJ77SqNgDVNsYZT1hZuQmBSG5qgJkWElMwJoACZoo/s1600/fingers+&+nails+destroyed+by+glue+28-3-15+5.jpg" height="321" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TCyO3pmTke49o8dcNpP6dHM8bsp2CqHo9bifo0YVQXKrQZwmGGBxb-DM3N0WFVMwumFFDd5iqp12te2BKiE8vrB7Ou5FwDDtis0iiliDgcvss-i6Rp5y0OXB-jMT6Yq2ScPig7SoMXM/s1600/fingers+&+nails+destroyed+by+glue+28-3-15++6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TCyO3pmTke49o8dcNpP6dHM8bsp2CqHo9bifo0YVQXKrQZwmGGBxb-DM3N0WFVMwumFFDd5iqp12te2BKiE8vrB7Ou5FwDDtis0iiliDgcvss-i6Rp5y0OXB-jMT6Yq2ScPig7SoMXM/s1600/fingers+&+nails+destroyed+by+glue+28-3-15++6.jpg" height="291" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, now I won't be able to do anything but nourish, strengthen and pamper my nails and hands for weeks until they start to recover, and start from scratch again. I am absolutely heart-broken, and feeling extremely discouraged. I just wish I could find some glue like the one I got with the Manicare Nail Repair Kit to use with the tea bag patches, but I think the only way I'm going to be able to is to buy a whole new kit, even though I've still got half the fibreglass strips left, and the emery board will last for a long time yet. </div>
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This was a horrible lesson to learn, but I will never put nail glue made for false nails near my nails again, especially the one I tried. After more than three whole hours just to get the two patches off, plus the time taken to put the base coat and polish on, and then take it off, and still picking glue off my fingers, I guess all I can do is start treating my nails and hands with kid gloves, and use everything in my arsenal to repair the damage. My first port of call was, of course, my Jojoba Oil, but I have other things I can use, so my next few posts will most likely be updates on how my nails are going and how the different products that I use perform. </div>
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I hope you won't give up on me, and that you will come back again to see how things are going. If I find anything interesting on my travels around the internet I'll let you know, and will also keep you informed about any new polishes I get while I'm waiting to start polishing my nails again.</div>
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Bye for now, and I hope to be back real soon. Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you.</div>
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Hugs<br /><br />Christine<br /><br />(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br /><br />Words of Life and Hope<br /><a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-39224832617989512332015-03-24T19:15:00.001+11:002015-03-24T19:15:47.822+11:00My First Water Marble Manicure - 24 March 2015Yesterday I did my first water marble manicure, and I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSDvamrto20sTYUcDEzHZ4c6MHn5NwG_hCMhDvG3ZL06G5nEO862m-QaoQ6AQoh1vum798q5TcgmU6WdTz5li0uenhLkqUgLi_7Of-qoGddY29JysxCnh91GvUCZ6Lu-5MMcqPiWlgNwo/s1600/1st+water+marble+inside+-+24-3-15.jpg" height="306" width="320" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwduo4G4hhtIelXQtMqFPlWkeuwob2vkrV6zCaDxN-1q1ww5s6sr4qaJAjFMeQIDxckN-sHTiy9i0SqWIUXvw1WdSKBxfZtk3HFWSThVj9K1xVWvyd-bpqyFwp4ORFGDLqrZCYBud7CkM/s1600/1st+water+marble+shade+-+24-3-15.jpg" height="320" width="318" /><br />Picture on left was taken inside under artificial light, and the one on the right was taken in the shade.</div>
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Please forgive the rough skin around my finger tips and cuticles, but my nails have had a pretty tough time over the last few days. My index finger and my middle finger on my left hand, and my thumb on my right hand, all have patches on them. They broke half-way down my nails - they have all pulled away from the nail bed down the side of the nails because of the chemotherapy damage, and they are still very thin and fragile there. I still don't know whether this damage will be permanent, or if they will grow back onto the nail bed as the new nail growth comes through. Only time will tell! I went out today and bought some Revitanail <i>"Strengthener"</i>, <i>"Keratin Strengthening Serum"</i>, <i>Nourishing Oil"</i> and "<i>Hand & Nail Cream"</i>. They are on special at Terry White's Pharmacies, 3 items for the price of 2, this week (in Australia), and I'm going to start using them all as often as possible. I'm afraid I haven't been following my own advice lately because I've been so busy, and have also been feeling really depressed and not at all motivated, so I have to start practicing what I preach again and try to get things back on track.<br />
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Now, on to my water marble manicure. I started with 2 coats of Sally Hansen <i>"Hard As Nails"</i> strengthener because all my nails are so fragile, and I'm hoping this will help to keep them from breaking. I got 6 bottles of it REALLY cheap before Christmas on eBay, but forgot I had it. When my nails broke (after I'd stopped crying - literally), I started thinking about what strengthening base coats I had that I could use, and I remembered I had this. So, God willing, I won't have any more breaks for a while.<br />
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I then added two coats of OPI <i>"Alpine Snow"</i> white cream polish to all my nails. I don't really like this polish because I need three coats to get a smooth finish, but because I was actually planning to do a plastic wrap marble manicure (tutorial here <a href="http://polishandpearls.com/watercolor-nails/">http://polishandpearls.com/watercolor-nails/</a> and elsewhere online), I just left it at two coats. However, I couldn't get this manicure style to work with the polishes I wanted to use, so I decided to try an actual water marble instead (tutorial here <a href="http://www.beautybay.com/EssentialBeauty/Articles/watermarblenailstutorial">http://www.beautybay.com/EssentialBeauty/Articles/watermarblenailstutorial</a> and in many other places online). <br />
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I then smeared Vaseline around all my nails and part-way up my fingers to make cleaning up a lot easier, because water marbling is very messy. I had to be careful not to get any of the Vaseline on the actual nails, because it would have stopped the nail polish from going onto the nails.<br />
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Next, I filled my bowl with tepid water straight from the tap, and added drops of OPI <i>"Alpine Snow"</i> (white), Face of Australia Pastels <i>"Boys 'N' Berries"</i> (blue), OPI <i>"Mod About You"</i> (pale pink) and OPI <i>"Planks A Lot"</i> (lilac) (in this order). I did this three times for each design (twelve drops in all), and then used a toothpick to make my design, following the above tutorial as a guide. All the polishes spread over the water really well, which was great. I used a small glass bowl because I wanted to do all my nails at the same time, instead of individually or in pairs, which is the usual way it is done, because I was so frustrated that the other design hadn't worked and wanted to get it over and done with. My design was a random one, instead of any particular design, in which I just swirled the colours around and through each other until I was happy with the distribution of the colours. Then I just dipped all five fingers of my left hand in the bowl at once, and repeated all this with the other hand.<br />
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I finished off my manicure with one coat of Revlon <i>"Quick Dry Top Coat"</i>, which gave me a beautiful, glossy finish. I am rather pleased with the end result, and really love the way the colour combination worked out. Of course, I still have a lot to learn about this technique, but with all the advice and tutorials available on YouTube, and numerous blogs and websites online, I should be able to have a lot of fun trying out new designs, and a multitude of colour combinations, in the future. It really is quite easy to do, I found, and the mess was easy to clean up because I had used the Vaseline around my nails and fingers. Next time I'm going to try using sticky tape around my nails and fingers, and see how that goes.<br />
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Thank you so much for visiting, and I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you. If you so wish, you can follow me by filling in one of the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page, and I'd love you to share it with your nail-art friends. Now I'm off to put some cuticle oil on my cuticles and lots of hand-cream on my hands. I couldn't believe how dry they were until I took the photos. My new phone has a really good camera, and it's picking up flaws in my manicures, and every little bit of damage to my nails, cuticles and hands, which don't show up when you just look at them day to day. So, I've got lots of work to do to repair all the damage, as if I didn't have enough problems with my nails already. Oh, well, that's my own fault, I guess, for letting things slide.<br />
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Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you!</div>
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Hugs<br /><br />Christine<br /><br />(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br /><br />Words of Life and Hope<br /><a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-92077579245443017062015-03-16T17:14:00.001+11:002015-03-16T19:07:49.003+11:00St Patrick's Day Quilted Manicure 16 March 2015Today I have my St Patrick's Day Quilted Manicure to show you. I went with the typical green and gold, with glitter on top of the green on most nails, but quilted my ring finger nails using gold striping tape and gold decals, both of which I bought from AliExpress.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-e8dgoVwVDfeErhmWUj2UxD1Vv9cQWiw4pQgt-KzoCUJNW_e2DeY5JRj2rgqVoIXU70XvFGsCXLgr3W67yWvs-2Z_ZgbKUSn3mONlkdn2JDuXLgGlRfnTG0WclZDM7gIzWcgjQyUS10M/s1600/St+Patrick's%2BDay%2BMani%2B1.jpg" height="400" width="220" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtBZPi0-PzN9V8GcGGTYmDTO4Rx8tAYGWNBwsFdyb6cfN6PlYpvIrmMaP13A_TgfZY452KRYolo8RifdngkCmzFA8zA5FdO9PpjtoMFy8KrrsQWFiiwoRJq6WoswjSYTxK_FAF8tZ65A/s1600/St+Patrick's%2BDay%2BMani%2B2.jpg" height="186" width="400" /><br />
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I started with 2 coats of Sally Hansen Nail Rehab, followed by two coats of Sinful Colors <i>"HD Nails"</i> on all nails, and two coats of ulta3 <i>"pot of gold"</i> over all but my ring finger nails. I then placed gold striping tape and gold decals in a quilted pattern on my ring fingers. I then finished off with two coats of Seche Vite over the decals on my ring fingers, and one coat of OPI Top Coat over the rest of my nails.<br />
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I had real problems with the mani because it wouldn't dry. I waited at least half an hour between coats, and they seemed dry to touch, so I added the glitter to the nails. I don't know if it was the ulta3 glitter polish that was the problem, or the Sinful Colors green polish. I thought everything was dry, so went ahead and did my ring fingers, and then added the top coats. They seemed to be dry enough to go to bed, but when I got up this morning, the mani on the nails on both hands had all scrunched up on several nails, and pulled away from the tips on most of the nails. There was none of this damage when I went to bed. Here's some photos of both hands to show you what I'm talking about.<br />
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So, I wasn't sure whether to show you my mani or not, but I thought I should, so that you could see what can happen if you go to bed without making sure your nail polish is dry first. As it was, mine had about one and a half hours to dry after I had added the top coats, which should have been heaps of time. I really wish I knew which product I used caused this, but I don't. <br />
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Also, I realised after I'd added a few decals that the ones I used were too large, and I should have gone for a smaller size, and I should have only used one coat of glitter. It really is a bit over the top. Oh, well, better luck next time.<br />
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My manicure wasn't the only disaster this week either. I now have three completely broken nails which I've had to file back (my middle nail and thumb nail on my right hand, and my thumb nail on my left hand), and one that has a patch on the whole nail because it has broken on both sides (my index finger on my left hand), both of which are below the level of the nail bed, where the edges have pulled away from the nail bed because of the chemotherapy damage I suffered last year. I'm just praying that this nail will hold together until I can get it to a stage where I can file it back. So, I apologise for the state and length of my nails this week, but hope it won't be too long before they grow back to a decent length, and that they finally will have grown out all the damaged areas from the chemo.<br />
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That's it from me today, and I hope you'll come back to see what I have for you next time, which will probably be only a day or two because of the condition of my manicure this week. I really don't think I can stand looking at it much longer, but I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and another one on Wednesday, so I'm not sure which day I'll decide to change it. I want to leave it on at least until tomorrow (St Patrick's Day), so after I get home tomorrow I'll probably take it off and try something new.<br />
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Thank you so much for visiting, and have a wonderful week.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hugs<br /><br />Christine<br /><br />(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br /><br />Words of Life and Hope<br /><a href="http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/">http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-65222063548580145902015-03-11T22:55:00.000+11:002015-03-11T22:55:11.401+11:00Caring For Your Nails Before, During and After Chemotherapy<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: .25in; text-align: justify;">
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</xml><![endif]-->I have just realised that, despite the main aim of my blog being to help others who are going through chemotherapy, I haven't put my nail care advice guide, that I wrote just before I started my blog, on the site. Silly me!!!!! So, here it is, and I hope it can help keep someone going through chemotherapy from experiencing what I went through with my nails. Firstly, I'd like to show you the damage done to my nails by the chemotherapy.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Caring For Your Nails Before, During and After Chemotherapy</b></span></div>
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Before I started
chemotherapy for breast cancer, I was told by my oncologist, and the
breast-care nurse, to paint my nails with dark nail polish to protect my nails
from the sun's UV rays, and to hide any damage that might occur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite using nail polish, my nails were
still horribly damaged - they went a horrible brown colour, started to flake
and peel, and even started to come away from the nail bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went searching for information to help me
repair my nails, and also ways to care for them once they were looking good
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one told me any of this
information before I started chemotherapy, but if they had, I possibly may not
have had any of the problems with my nails that I did.</div>
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So, I decided I
wanted to try to help prevent all the beautiful women (and men) going through
chemotherapy from going through the same experience I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are some things I WAS NOT TOLD that you
really need to know BEFORE you start chemotherapy.</div>
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1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Prevention
is better than a cure, of course, so be prepared and start early. As soon as
you know that you are going to have chemotherapy, start using the nail and hand
routine below, and do it every day without fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully, this may stop you from getting the severe damage I
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can't promise it will prevent
all the damage, but it should help a lot, and should definitely help to keep
your nails from drying out.</div>
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2. Buy yourself
the best CUTICLE OIL/NOURISHING SERUM you can afford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Revitanail and Sally Hansen make some really great ones that
nourish, strengthen and protect your nails, but there are other brands out
there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are readily available
from pharmacies, department stores, beauty shops, Priceline stores and, of
course, online.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have
recently discovered that PURE JOJOBA OIL is the best thing you can use on your
hands and nails, so I am using that now, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is available at health food shops, Priceline and Chemist Warehouse,
but it is a lot less expensive online, and there are many companies that sell
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check out eBay, or just Google it
and you will be amazed by the other uses it has, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's also odourless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>AMAZING STUFF!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I would
suggest you use both the cuticle oil and Jojoba Oil to give you even more
protection from damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Massage one of
them into you nails and cuticles every time you wash your hands if you can, but
at least twice a day, morning and night.</div>
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3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b>ALWAYS</b>
use a GOOD QUALITY BASE COAT on your nails before applying your nail polish,
because today's nail polishes are made to adhere to the base coat, not your
nails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will help stop your nails
from being stained by the nail polishes you use, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also get strengthening and nourishing base coats - even
more protection and nourishment for your nails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Availability is the same as for the cuticle oils. </div>
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4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Apply as many
coats of nail polish as you need to get the coverage on your nail you want,
waiting for each coat to dry before applying the next coat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually two coats are enough, but some
polishes require three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apply thin
coats, because the thicker the coat the longer it will take to dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are available from the same places as
mentioned above.</div>
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5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you want
your nail polish to last more than just a few days, you should use a good
quality TOP COAT to stop it from chipping and getting damaged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some great top coats available,
from the companies I have already mentioned, and of course from the same
places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reapply your top coat every
other day to make your polish last longer.</div>
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6.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finish off by
applying a good quality HAND AND NAIL CREAM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Massage a generous amount into your hands and nails at least twice a
day, but more often if you are washing your hands a lot, because washing dries
out both your hands and nails.</div>
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7.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Always try to
use gloves when you are washing the dishes, gardening or cleaning around the
house, because they, too, will help to prevent your nails from getting damaged.</div>
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8.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Always use an
ACETONE-FREE POLISH REMOVER, because acetone dries your nails out, and is very
harsh on your cuticles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some
great conditioning ones for different skin types. They are available from the
same places as the other nail care products.</div>
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9.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Every time you
remove your nail polish, massage your cuticle oil/nourishing serum into your
nails and cuticles several times, over a couple of hours, before applying your
next nail polish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gives the
oil/serum a better chance of getting right into your nails and cuticles, and
will really make a difference to how strong and healthy they are.</div>
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10.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Don't use a
metal nail file or emery board on your nails, because they will only cause even
more damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy a good quality Czech
crystal/glass nail file , which is a lot finer and so much kinder to your
nails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Manicare sell a great one which
I use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don't be tempted to buy a cheap
Chinese one, because the quality is inferior and could cause damage.</div>
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11.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are
ECO-FRIENDLY VERSIONS available for all the products mentioned above if you are
concerned about the environment or have allergies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are usually advertised as being 3-free or 5-free, which
means they don't contain the nasty chemicals most of the other polishes
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just Google for more information
and where to purchase them.</div>
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12.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lastly, one of
the most important reasons for putting nail polish on your nails is that it not
only helps to protect your nails, but THEY WILL LOOK GREAT, too, and that will
make you feel better about yourself, and that has to be a good thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you see the range of nail polish and
nail art products available, even scented ones, you will be amazed at how
attractive you can make them, it will really lift your spirits, and may even
help to take your mind off what you are going through, which is what happened
with me.</div>
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If this
information helps to keep just one person from getting the damage chemotherapy
did to my nails I will be happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing
my nails the way they were was so depressing, and that was the last thing I
needed, and the last thing YOU will need while you are going through your
chemotherapy treatment, and afterwards, during your recovery period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you already have damage, it's never too
late to start looking after them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
really is worth the effort.</div>
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Here's a photo taken on 25th February 2015, less than five months after the last photo was taken, showing the improvement which following the above regime has made to my nails and cuticles. There is still some damage, for example the lifting from the nail bed, but I'm hoping that will improve with time, God willing. Most of this improvement has come since starting to use the pure Jojoba Oil mentioned earlier. Please do give this amazing essential oil a try. It's an absolute miracle worker, and makes your hands and nails feel great, too.</div>
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I would like to
wish you all the best for your journey through your cancer treatment, and hope
that you reach the other end with a good outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look good and you'll feel better!</div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>© </span></span></span>Christine Chipman 2014</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span> My Nail Art Journey - <a href="http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/">http://chips48nailartjourney.blogspot.com.au/</a></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614374213709846144.post-44901571883215095982015-03-10T20:24:00.000+11:002015-03-10T20:26:20.239+11:00Huge Stash Received Today!I don't have a manicure to show you this week because it was an absolute disaster, and I completely broke the tip of my thumb nail on my left hand down to the nail bed, which is the hand I usually photograph. You can imagine the words that came out of my mouth when I did it, because I really hurt. I had just had a shower, and this nail was being held together with a patch, so I think the water must have softened the patch, and it broke before the patch dried again. Sometimes I wish we didn't have to have showers or baths, because the water can do so much damage to your manicure if you are not careful.<br />
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Anyway, because I don't have a mani for you, I thought I'd show you a photograph of the huge stash I received in the mail today. The person I bought them from was destashing, and I was the lucky recipient. There is an amazing range of brands and colours, and now I have to put them all on my stash list. Looks like I might need my hubby's help to do that. As you can see, my "purr baby" Ebony is only too happy to help.<br />
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Now I just have to work out which ones to wear first, and because it is St Patrick's Day next week, it will be green and gold, I think. I hope it doesn't turn out such a disaster as this week's has. I've just broken the corner off my thumb nail on my right hand, too. Ebony suddenly jumped off my lap and hit my nail with one of her paws as she went, so my nail looks quite odd at the moment, and will do until it grows out. This definitely hasn't been my week so far. Hope things improve tomorrow and the rest of the week.<br />
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Thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back soon to see what I've been doing on my nail art journey.<br />
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Hugs<br />
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Christine<br />
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(Please check out my other blog below, too.)<br />
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Words of Life and Hope<br />
http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07508619481224203811noreply@blogger.com0