7th December, 2012
Today I have a pretty awesome polish to show you! I’m sure most of you will know it, it’s Max Factor Fantasy Fire! I received this beauty of a polish as a birthday gift from my lovely friend Alice from the blog One Nail To Rule Them All (make sure to check out her blog!).
Fantasy Fire is honestly one of the most stunning polishes I’ve ever seen. There are no swatches that prepare you for the beauty of this polish. You just have to see it in person! It’s simply magical. It’s of course also famous for being a close dupe of Clarins 230.
Fantasy Fire is a stunning multichrome shimmer polish that sits in a purple jelly base. It shifts from orange to gold to green to blue. It’s very sheer so I do recommend to layer it over another polish. I used two layers of Fantasy Fire over Illamasqua Faux Pas, a gorgeous deep purple. It also looks great layered over black, navy blue or green.
Here’s a close-up which shows the colour shift. Honestly my swatch doesn’t do it any justice. In certain light settings the shimmer turns into this gorgeous bright acid green shade which is simply stunning.
I have good news for my fellow Belgian readers, Max Factor Fantasy Fire is now available in Kruidvat stores for about €5. Make sure to grab one if you see it! It won’t disappoint! I promise! 
It’s also available at Boots and Superdrug in the UK for £3.99. Huge thanks again to Alice for sending me a bottle of Fantasy Fire for my birthday! <3
Do you own a bottle of Fantasy Fire? Let me know in the comments!
5th December, 2012
I have another review for you today featuring a product from KKCenterHK. This time an eyebrow product by the brand Solone. Let’s take a look!
The Solone eyebrow product is dual sided and comes with a pencil and an eyebrow gel. It came in super cute cardboard packaging! I was drawn to this product because I love finding new and better ways to maintain and define my brows. Eyebrows frame your face and can really make a difference to your look. I’m a big fan of defined and fuller brows, they make your face look younger and fresher! I will never leave my house without shaping my brows.
On the left is the brow gel and on the right the pencil. The formula of the gel is waterproof and comes with 3.5g of product. The pencil twists out and holds 0.25g of product.
The shade I received is called Deep Brown. The gel matched my hair colour pretty well but the shade of the pencil was a little off. It’s a little ashy, almost greenish. In any case not a perfect match for me, sadly. I also haven’t found a way to easily sharpen the pencil so I found that a little inconvenient.
On the left are my natural brows and on the right I filled them in with the Solone eyebrow product. I think the picture shows that the pencil is a little too yellow for me. Too bad because the pencil is very nice! I found it easy to fill in my brows. I’m not a huge fan of the gel as it feels a little heavy on the brows. It holds your brows in place but you can feel it sitting there and I found that a little unpleasant.
Overall not a huge win for me. I enjoyed the product but the colour didn’t quite match me. You can find this Solone eyebrow product at KKCenterHK. Make sure to check out their site as they carry a ton of other great products like water decals, nail polish, eyelashes and more! If you order with them don’t forget to use my 10% coupon code VERYEMILY!
How do you shape or maintain your brows? Let me know in the comments!
2nd December, 2012
Four weeks ago I received 3 Ozotic polishes and 1 piCture pOlish and after sharing one each week, today I finally have the last swatch for you. I kept my favourite till last, Ozotic Sugar 904. As the name suggests this polish is part of the Sugar & Beam collection. Let’s take a look at the swatches!
This is two coats of Ozotic Sugar 904 over a coat of black. You could use one coat over black as well, but I loved the more dense effect of two layers. This also made the duochrome effect a lot stronger! Win! This polish shifts from gold/yellow to green to blue. As with the other shades from the Sugar & Beam collection, you could wear this polish on its own but over black it’s so much more magical!
Here you can really see the colour shift from green to blue. It reminds me of beetle wings! So gorgeuos. 
The polish consists of tiny flaky particles which give you a really sparkly effect. Lovelovelove!
Here’s another macro swatch with shallow depth of field. Isn’t the colour amazing? I think it’s pretty clear to see why this one is my favourite! We all know and love duochrome polishes but what makes this polish extra special is the flaky, sparkly effect. No streaky lines here! I did experience some minor issues with application. Ozotic Sugar 904 has a tendency to apply a little patchy, but this is also helped by applying two layers.
And finally, the bottle shot! If you look closely you can see the blue duochrome effect at the edge of the bottle. Gorgeous right? As with all the other shades, this is definitely one of those you need to see in person to get the full effect. I hope my swatches translate some of this polish its beauty though!
You can find Ozotic Sugar 904 and other Ozotic polishes at the piCture pOlish website. If you are not located in Australia make sure to check out their Network page to find an online store that sells these near you. In Belgium and The Netherlands you can find these at PrettyPolish.nl.
What do you think about this beauty of a polish? 
Let me know in the comments!
1st December, 2012
I have another great online store to share with you guys today! I’m talking about Keautystore, formerly known as Lilies Shop. They are an online cosmetics retailer that stock a lot of great Korean brands. I’m a huge sucker for Asian cosmetics, I just love their products and packaging. Keautystore stocks all the great brands, to name but a few: Etude House, Skin Food, Lioele, Missha, Innisfree, and many more!
Today I’ll be talking about a gorgeous Lioele Lip Color. Keautystore was kind enough to include some deluxe samples! They’re so deluxe I would even call them minis! More on that at the end of this post. First let’s talk about the Lioele Lip Color!
The product is called Lip Color Stick, which I would say is very accurate as it’s not really a lipstick, nor is it a lipgloss, nor is it a lipbalm. Basically it’s everything in one! On the lips the Lioele Lip Color feels like a mix of balm and gloss, and the colour is nice and opaque almost like a lipstick. Even though it looks like a pencil, it doesn’t need sharpening. You simply twist the end and the product comes up.
Here’s a swatch on my hand. As you can see it’s very opaque! The colour I have is called Orange. Keautystore has two other Lioele Lip Color shades available, Strawberry and Cherry. The Lip Color has a very subtle scent, nothing too overpowering.
Here’s a swatch on the lips. The image on the left is bare lips, and on the right I’m wearing the Lioele Lip Color. I really love how it looks! It gives you a flash of colour but it’s not too bright or strong.
Lastly a shot of the samples they included! They’re all by the brand Skin Food which is a brand that focuses on natural extracts and ingredients. On the left is the Platinum Grape Cell moisturizer set, next to it the Gold Caviar moisturizer set and in the front is a GoldKiwi mask! I really love both the moisturizers, it comes with a toner and a cream. They smell really nice too.
You can find Lioele Lip Color for $9.60 at Keautystore, as well as many other amazing Korean cosmetics. Make sure to check out their site! If you order you can use my coupon code VERYEMILY for a 5% discount!
Do you like to use Asian cosmetics? Have you tried Lioele? Let me know in the comments!
29th November, 2012
A while ago I made a review for the online store Uniqso featuring a gorgeous pair of circle lenses. Today I’ll be talking about the nail polish that Uniqso has available on their site. The brand they have is called Aqmore, and the polishes are very special since they are water based! Let’s take a look at what I received!
I received a topcoat and a creme polish which came in a super pretty blue drawstring bag. The creme polish is called Blue Butterfly and the topcoat is Super Star Silver.
As I mentioned earlier, these polishes are water based. In short this means they are completely harmless for your nails. They don’t contain any bad chemicals, solvents, formaldehyde, toluene or acetone. This also means removal is very convenient. You simply soak your fingers in warm water and it peels off easily.
I expected this water based polish to be pretty sheer. In any case I did not expect it to be as opaque as it is! I only needed two layers for the picture you see above. Awesome right? You could even get away with one thicker coat. Blue Butterfly is a stunning dusty periwinkle blue. It’s bright but still soft. Such a gorgeous shade! You would never be able to tell this is a water based polish just seeing it on the nails.
Water based polish is perfect for those with children. If you worry about the effects of chemicals on your child, this polish is completely harmless and non-toxic. It’s made with edible pigments so it’s definitely a safe choice for your child.
Here is a coat of Super Star Silver over Blue Butterfly. The topcoat is water based too so the glitter tends to sink down as it doesn’t sit in a suspension base. Not a huge issue though, just give the bottle a good shake and this nicely and evenly spreads the glitter. With the larger stars I had to individually apply them on my nails using the brush but this is typical with large glitter pieces. How pretty is this top coat? I really love it!
I had a pretty good experience with these water based polishes. They are definitely not sheer as I thought they would be, they apply very easily and dry quickly. It didn’t wear badly either despite being water-solvent, these lasted a few days on me before chipping. Overall a great product and if you worry about chemicals this is a great choice for you or your child.
You can find Aqmore polishes at Uniqso for $9.90 per bottle. Not the cheapest polishes but they are great quality and completely safe and harmless. They contain 8ml and have a very convenient brush, not too large nor too narrow. If you order with Uniqso make sure to use my coupon code, EMILY10 gets you a 10% discount on your order!
Have you ever tried water based polish? Or would you try this? Let me know in the comment!
27th November, 2012
I have a review on some full water decals for you today! They are from the awesome Asian cosmetics supply KKCenterHK. Last time I showed you some smaller water decals from them which I loved. This time I tried these full water decals. Since I had such a great experience with other water decals I figured these would be great!
I chose this beautiful floral design featuring roses and vintage colours. The wraps comes with 12 decals and a small nail file. On the back of the packaging you will find instructions. You start by cutting around the water decal, following the edges of the design. Then you place the decal in some lukewarm water and wait for 10 seconds. Take it out, remove the paper backing. Finally place it on the nail, then clip down to size and add top coat.
It sounds easy but it sadly wasn’t! I found that the previous decals I tried will easily stick down on the nail once you pat them dry but these full decals had a tendency to slide around at all times. Adding topcoat shrinks the decal and makes it wrinkle up a little, though this disappears for the most part once you add a second coat of topcoat. The biggest issue for me was when I added topcoat the decal would slide around or fold over. I had to redo a few nails because the topcoat made the decal slide off my nails completely.
There’s definitely some patience required when you apply these. But when you are extra careful with the top coat and application, you’ll get awesome results! It’s definitely worth it in my opinion.
Anyway this is what they look like on the nails! Doesn’t it look beautiful? I really love them! Since the decals are so long (almost twice the length of my own nails) I was able to use the leftover part as well. On my pinky for example, I used the excess part of another decal. This way you definitely get a lot of use out of the decals. I cannot stand wastage so I simply couldn’t throw it away.
I was able to do a full set of nails using these decals. On my right hand (not pictured) I used just two decals, and three leftover parts, so I still have three full decals left! I can still use those in future manicures as accent nails. Yay!
Overall I loved trying these full water decals but application definitely wasn’t as easy as with small water decals. I was hoping these would be the ultimate nail wraps but that was sadly not the case for me. If you have the patience the result is definitely worth it though. And these last quite well too, they behave like regular polish, maybe slightly better. I’ve had mine on for three days now I believe, and there’s no chips and barely any tipwear!
You can find these floral decals (and many other gorgeous full decals) at KKCenterHK. They have a lot of great products ranging from nail art deco to make-up, even wigs and clothing. If you place an order with them, make sure to save some money by using my coupon code, VERYEMILY gives you a 10% discount! Enjoy!
Have you ever tried full water decals? What was your experience in using them? Let me know!
25th November, 2012
Today I have pictures and swatches of another new Ozotic polish! This time from the Sugar & Beam collection. The shade I’m showing you today is called Beam 908.
In the bottle this polish might look a little unremarkable. A simple sparkly white colour. But when you layer it over black it turns into this gorgeous colour shifting polish. This particular one shifts from green to pink. Again it’s one of those you have to see in person to fully appreciate. It looks completely different in every light setting, and it never disappoints!
You need just one layer over a coat of black to get an amazing effect with this polish. It’s simply stunning! You could even wear this polish on its own. The effect is more subtle and soft but definitely just as pretty.
Here’s a shallow depth of field close-up. You can really see the pink and green particles here! Doesn’t it look awesome?
And lastly a bottle shot! This polish was very easy to apply, I didn’t experience any issues whatsoever. As with the other Ozotic shades, the formula was great. I also really like the Ozotic brush. It’s not too wide and not too slim. And the bottles look stunning! I love the typography of the brand name. It simply looks great!
You can find Ozotic Beam 908 and other Ozotic polishes on the piCture pOlish website for AU$12 per bottle. If you’re not located in Australia make sure to check out their Network page to find an online store that sells these near you. Would you wear this polish? Let me know in the comments!
23rd November, 2012
Today I have a review on these two brush sets by Real Techniques. I’ve been swooning over them for ages now, and when I saw Teri from the blog Bella Chique ordered them on Amazon, I decided to take the plunge and order these with my birthday money! I couldn’t be happier with them. They are simply amazing!
The two sets I got are called the “Core Collection” (on the left) and “Starter Set” (on the right). They come with a multipurpose black brush roll which you can fold so the brushes sit up on your desk as pictured.
The Core Collection set comes with the following full-size brushes:
- Contour Brush: This brush is perfect for applying contouring, blusher, bronzer. It’s super soft! As are all the brushes. They feel amazing on the skin.
- Pointed Foundation Brush: This is a small pointed brush, can be used for foundation but I like to use it for concealer as well.
- Detailer Brush: This detailer brush can be used for applying concealer and lipstick.
- Buffing Brush: This large brush is perfect for buffing in your (powder) foundation or applying setting powder. I simply love this brush! It’s so soft! I really like the shape and size as well, it’s simply perfect.
The Starter Set comes with the following full-size brushes:
- Deluxe Crease Brush: Say hello to the best blending brush I’ve ever laid my hands on! Simply.. Wow! When I first saw this brush I thought it would be too large for my small lids but it’s just perfect! It blends your eyeshadow flawlessly. This is probably my favourite brush out of all of them!
- Base Shadow Brush: This shadow brush is great for applying colour but also for more precise blending.
- Accent Brush: This small brush is great for smudging eyeliner or applying highlight in the inner corners. It’s very precise!
- Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush: This is the eyeliner brush in the set. I haven’t tried this yet but I might use this for lips as well!
- Brow Brush: This brush is meant for applying eyebrow powder. I am used to using stiffer brushes for eyebrows so I had to get used to using this brush, but the results have been great so I love it!
If you watch make-up tutorials on YouTube I’m certain you’ve come across the girls from Pixiwoo. The brushes were designed by one of the Pixiwoo sisters, Samantha Chapman. She and her sister are both professional make-up artists, they’re probably my favourite YouTubers! They have so many amazing videos and are full of great ideas, creativity and tips. I highly recommend their videos!
I’m so glad I took the plunge and ordered these. They are amazing quality brushes and the price is very reasonable too. I paid £15 per set and got a free shipping deal on the Amazon.co.uk site. My order arrived in just two days!
Have you tried Real Techniques brushes? Let me know in the comments!
21st November, 2012
It’s my 21st birthday today! Extra special this year as I am 21 years old on 21 November. I was told by my friends that this is called a golden birthday! So I decided to add some golden sparkle to my nails today and create a gold leaf manicure.
I had more exciting plans for my mani but in the end I didn’t have enough time for something intricate. It was already dark outside when I was finished with my nails so I had to use flash sadly. The gold leaf has a beautiful colour shift to blue and orange which is gorgeous but sadly got a bit lost with the bright flash. I hope you like it anyway!
I used:
19th November, 2012
As promised, I have a review on the Born Pretty Store flocking powder kit! With this kit you can create an effect that is also known as velvet nails. Something I’ve noticed people often either hate or love. With new trends or techniques I’ll often reserve my judgement until I’ve actually tried it myself. That’s what I did with flocking powder as well. Sometimes you just have to see it on yourself to know how you feel about it!
Before I got started I had a few concerns though… Such as, how long would the flocking powder last? Will I be able to wash my hands? Will it be easy to remove? After some thorough testing I found answers to all these questions which I will share with you in this post. First I’ll explain how you apply the powder!
In the Born Pretty Store kit you will find a jar of flocking powder, a pair of flat tweezers and a small brush. They have many different colours of powder, I chose the black since I thought that would make for a really pretty effect.
- The first step is to paint your nails in a matching colour to the powder. In my case black! Make sure it’s completely opaque.
- Now paint one nail again with your matching base colour, make sure it’s a medium thick layer, not too thin. Then scoop up powder with the tweezers and drop it onto your wet nail. Make sure there’s enough powder on there to cover your entire nail.
- Pat down the powder with your finger or the tweezers. Let it sit for a few seconds.
- Grab the brush and softly brush away the excess. Grab a lid or something to catch the powder.
- All done! No need for top coat.
Do this for each of your nails, one by one!
Once you’re done the effect will look somewhat like this! I had to lighten the picture so you could see the effect properly with the black. I have to say I’m a huge fan of this effect! This is definitely one of those you have to try for yourself. I just love how it looks in person. It looks classy and it feels all soft and fuzzy!
And to answer my questions… They last surprisingly well! I didn’t experience faster chipping or shedding or anything out of the ordinary like that. Removal is easier than glitter removal but slightly harder than removing regular polish. In any case nothing to scare you off! And washing hands is not a problem either. They take a few seconds to dry and then they look normal again!
Definitely a fun effect worth trying out. You can find the kit I used on the Born Pretty Store site here (now on sale!) for $6.39. You can also find the individual jars without tweezers and brush, make sure to check out the site! Have you tried flocking powder? What are your thoughts on this technique? Let me know in the comments!
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