http://leonacarolina.tumblr.com/

NOTD: China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:50:48 +1200

Today’s polish is China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy. This shade is neon, really neon, and my photos do not show this at all. It’s so bright! Perfect for summer but also great for brightening up a grey, wet, cold, dismal winter’s day. I used three coats, but from memory I didn’t really need the third. I like to do three coats with true neons - as in the ones that dry matte - as I think it makes the colour pop a bit more, plus three coats means that you’re less likely to see streaks or bald patches on your finished mani.

Another reason why I love this polish is that it matches the flowers in my jeans here! And hey, while you’re clicking that link, why don’t you follow me on Instagram?

NOTD: Color Club Harp On It

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:51:51 +1200

HOLO OVERLOAD! This is two coats of Color Club Harp On It, a silver holographic from the Halo Hues collection (I think this was one of the first six polishes released). I don’t think I really need to say much more, except that you should buy all of the Halo Hues if you haven’t already!

NOTD: Milani Cyberspace

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:47:03 +1200

I really love holo polishes. Can you tell? Part of the reason I wear so many of them is that clean-up is really easy. I don’t topcoat my holos. I understand that some brands are affected by topcoat and some aren’t, but I simply don’t have the energy to research every brand and shade I have before I wear it, so I play it safe and skip topcoat on every single one. I also find that a lot of my clean-up is Seche Vite related. While I love its quick drying abilities I find if you accidentally apply to much it pools on the sides of your nails and in your cuticles really badly. And then when you go to get rid of it, it’s as hard as nails (hah) and takes a fair bit of effort to remove. So no Seche Vite means easier (and quicker) clean-up. Do you see where I’m going with this?

Anyway, back to the polish. This is three coats of Milani Cyberspace. Cyberspace is not a traditional holo in the sense of China Glaze OMGs or Color Club Halo Hues. It’s different - it’s sort of ‘flecky’. There’s particles in there… bits of shimmer, bits of holo. Not a glitter but it almost wants to be one. The colour of this one is also really cool. It’s not a bright blue or even a pastel blue. It’s very muted. And kind of icy looking. Awesome!

NOTD: Daring Digits Punch Me Purple

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:17:26 +1200

I recently had a real itch to wear pink and purple together in a mani. These photos show what I came up with. I used two coats of Zoya Areej and one coat of Daring Digits Punch Me Purple.

Areej is an odd shade - personally, I say it’s pink - but it does sit right on that fence between pink and purple, so I can understand if someone else calls it purple. Application was perfect, something I find with almost every Zoya I use.

Punch Me Purple is a clear-based glitter topper with teeny white hexes and larger purple hexes. I did need to dab this polish on as the purple hexes wanted to bunch up and stick to each other when I applied it with a swipe, but the consistency of the base was great. Sometimes I find indie glitter toppers have quite a thick base - none of that here though!

Haul: Hits

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:30:12 +1200

Just a quick post today with lots of photos and not many words. I recently received my goodies from a Hits group buy coordinated by my lovely friend Rachel! Rachel went through a fair amount of stress with this order due to several situations that were out of her hands, and I want to give her a shout out for toughing it out and delivering all of us our pretty polishes in the end. Thanks!

27 March: Mellow Yellow

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:21:00 +1200

Top: Garage @ The Warehouse

Dress: Supre

Slip: Supre

Shoes: Garage @ The Warehouse

Earrings: The Warehouse

Make up: Eyes - MUA Every Lash mascara in Black/Brown; Lips - MUA lipstick in shade 3; Face - Nivea Visage Young tinted moisturiser, and Australis concealer; Nails - Depend 210 and China Glaze Glistening Snow (check out more photos here!)

So this is my first OOTD post with my new camera! What do you think of the photos? Overall, I think they are better than my old pictures. The lighting is a little off in my full outfit shots (my face is a bit too shadowed for my liking, it makes me look like I’m grumpy or frowning), but I definitely prefer how it captures details.

NOTD: Depend 210

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:36:47 +1200

I don’t wear a lot of yellow on my nails, but today this gorgeous buttery yellow shimmer was calling out to me. This is three coats of Depend 210. I bought it on a whim as I feel like I don’t give yellow enough love (when it’s really not that bad), plus it feels like yellow shimmers are very rare! The formula was a bit streaky and everything looked uneven after two coats, so the third was definitely necessary. You probably don’t need to be told that yellow is well-known as the problem child of the polish world.

For something a little different, I used China Glaze Glistening Snow as an accent on my ring fingers and thumbs. I didn’t use top coat on this polish as I liked the sort of matte glitter look it had going on - sort of similar to the Liquid Sands and Pixie Dusts that are oh so popular now. It wasn’t rough and didn’t catch on my clothes or hair, and I really liked the effect!

NOTD: Glitter Gal Teal Green

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:36:11 +1200

Another Glitter Gal and another holo today! This is Glitter Gal Teal Green. I don’t consider this a teal, however. It looks more emerald to my eyes. That’s not a bad thing though, it’s gorgeous! These photos show two effortless coats. It’s an absolutely stunning polish and has instantly skyrocketed into my list of favourites.

NOTD: Glitter Gal Citrine

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:08:12 +1300

I have another holo to show off today! What can I say, it’s summer (or more correctly, it was…) and we have had lots of sun. Perfect holo weather! This is three coats of Glitter Gal Citrine. In my photos, it leans a lot more orange than it is IRL - it is definitely orange toned but it’s actually more in the gold colour family.

The colour difference is down to the fact that these shots were taken with my new camera! I’m still learning how to take good (read: clear and colour accurate) photos. I got a Canon Rebel T3 EOS 1100D. I had never used an SLR before buying this baby so I jumped in at the deep end. This was the first NOTD I photographed after I got the camera and I’m pretty sure I’ve improved immensely just since these shots. You will have to tell me if you see a (good) difference from now on!

Haul: Pahlish

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:03:00 +1300

At the beginning of February, Shannon from Pahlish announced a very special promotion: free shipping! With a coupon code, everything in her Esty store shipped free for a few days, including international orders. Of course, I took the opportunity to grab quite a few polishes. Here are some bottle shots of my haul!

Clanking of Crystal has a sky blue base with different shades of blue circle glitter and square glitter, with blue microshimmer. A must have for a blue fiend like me!

Like Calendars Dying has different shades of green glitter in a mint green base. Like Clanking of Crystal, it has circle and square glitter. But something different is its gold microshimmer!

Ace of Fours is a very complex polish. It has a blue base with teensy glitter in grey and blue. There is also pink, purple, and blue shimmer apparent in some lights.

Still Alive has gold and green glitter and shimmer suspended in a dark green base. Photographs don’t capture the true beauty of this one!

Pink Roses and Red Valentine Lace has a dark purple base and a multitude of pink, blue, burgundy, and purple glitter.

Heart of Manis a vampy red-based polish. The glitter in this one is mainly burgundy but there are some sparks of blue and purple too.

Prayers for Rainhas a dark blue base, with different shades of green, blue, and teal glitter. Sizes and shapes vary.

This New Sun has a burnt orange base (my photos are showing it to be more vivid than it really is). The glitter in this one is iridescent, with different colours apparent depending on the lighting.

I’m so spoiled for choice with my new Pahlishes that I haven’t been able to decide which one to wear first! Any suggestions? Which one is your favourite?

NOTD: KB Shimmer Watercolor

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:06:48 +1300

Sometimes, when I read nail blogs, I see a polish that I have bought but haven’t got around to wearing yet. Sometimes this inspires me to grab my poor, unloved, forgotten bottle of whatever it is from the depths of one of my helmers and put it on my nails ASAP. This is what happened with KB Shimmer Watercolor! I recently received this beauty in the mail (as always, my definition of ‘recently’ is very, very loose…) thanks to a friend of mine who coordinated a small group buy. I also picked up Clown Puke, Diva, and Lilac Dreams - but that’s a story for a different day.

I layered Watercolor over two coats of China Glaze Sky High Top, a medium blue shimmer. It was the only blue I had that matched the base colour of Watercolor! That surprised me as I thought I was quite the blue hoarder. I also did two coats of Watercolor itself, for a bit of depth and more variation of glitter. Both polishes applied very well. No issues to report at all!

NOTD: Jade Fascinio Violeta

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:36:11 +1300

Today’s NOTD is Jade Fascinio Violeta, a beautiful purple holo. Of course, I have been a very bad blogger again and have been drafting posts with photos only, so I don’t remember if this is two coats or three. Sorry! Regardless, I do remember that it was a breeze to work with. The colour is vibrant and bright and the holo really stands out, even in artificial light.The entire range of Jade holos are awesome - if you don’t own any of them yet you need to get at least a couple!

22 February: Dragons and Leopards

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:35:00 +1300

Dress: eBay

Shoes: Garage @ The Warehouse

Earrings: eBay

Make up: Eyes - NYX eyeshadow base in skin tone, Shade 4 and shade 9 from the MUA Starry Night palette, and MUA Every Lash mascara in Black; Lips - NYX round lipstick in Eucalyptus; Face - Nivea Visage Young tinted moisturiser, and Australis concealer; Nails - A England Dragon

Hmmm. Another post that I half drafted and then forgot about… what to say, what to say? How about one of those tag thingys that do the blog rounds every now and then? I received the Sunshine Award from Sahra at Beyond The Base Coat a little while ago, and I’ve been such a bad friend and fellow blogger and haven’t answered her questions yet!

1. What was your favourite childhood TV program or movie? Rainbow Brite and The Star Stealer! I had it on VHS and watched it whenever I could. I also loved The Wombles, The Simpsons, and Fraggle Rock.

2. What is your current guilty pleasure besides polish/nail art/beauty related products? Hmm. That’s a hard one. Maybe eBay. Does eBay count? I love buying cheap accessories and clothing from there.

3. Are you a summer or winter person? Summer. I feel the cold far to easily to enjoy winter.

4. If you had $500 to spend on anything you wanted what would it be? This is a hard one. I always have something I want to buy. I think I would grab something from Black Milk - perhaps these galaxy leggings or these hex colour leggings. Or both. And more.

5. What has been your most frustrating blogging moment? I don’t think I’ve ever had a frustrating blogging moment per se, but I do get a bit annoyed when there’s a user interface change on tumblr or one of the other platforms I use for my blog stuff. It’s so inconvenient to have to learn how to do everything again!

6. Who is your most hated villain character of all time? Oh, gosh, this one is tough. I’m not a huge consumer of films and TV shows, and I can’t really say I’ve ever ‘hated’ a character in a book. Um. The Governor from The Walking Dead? He’s pretty annoying. He’s too predictable, and he totally wears an Oreo as an eyepatch.

7. What is your go to comfort food? Chocolate mug cake. You’re welcome.

8. What hopes and dreams do you have for your blog? I hope to finally get to 100 followers - I’m currently at 94 so all going well it shouldn’t be too far away. Apart from that, I’m not sure!

9. Kitties or puppies? Kitties!

10. If your life was a movie what genre would it be and who would play you? Haha - my life is not interesting enough to be made into a film!

I’m not going to tag any other bloggers to pass this award on to (boo!) but if you’re interested in answering the same questions I did, feel free to do so in the comments! I’m not tagging as I’d like to know what you think of tags and awards like this one. Are they fun, or not something you want to see from time to time on LCC? If you’re a blogger, how do you feel about being tagged in these things?

21 February: Flare

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:10:00 +1300

Top: Supre

Black top: Garage @ The Warehouse (worn underneath)

Skirt: Garage @ The Warehouse

Shoes: Garage @ The Warehouse

Necklace: eBay

Earrings: eBay

Make up: Eyes - MUA Every Lash mascara in Black; Lips - Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Berry Queen; Face - Nivea Visage Young tinted moisturiser, and Australis concealer; Nails - OPI Chop-sticking To My Story and Pahlish Three French Hens (check out more photos here!)

This outfit was so much fun to wear! I haven’t worn heels in a while so it was strange to be tottering around in them again but they made me feel very fancy schmancy on a day where I didn’t have much planned. Short skirts and heels certainly aren’t an outfit choice I go for often, but sometimes they can both be incorporated into a look tastefully. I think the loose fit of the orange singlet balances everything out. What do you think - are short hemlines and high heels mutually exclusive?

NOTD: Pahlish Three French Hens

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:12:49 +1300

So many photos! Pahlish Three French Hens is such an amazingly beautiful polish that I couldn’t resist. Here it is (one coat) layered over two coats of OPI Chop-sticking To My Story. In my recent Pahlish haul post I said I would pair these two together soon, and here it is. A perfect match just like I thought!

Chop-sticking To My Story is a burnt orange creme that leans much more brown than say, China Glaze Life Preserver, which is definitely on the orange end of burnt orange. It is very unique and I hunted it down on eBay after seeing swatches on Vampy Varnish.

Three French Hens has brown, bronze, and red glitter suspended in a burnt orange base. The glitter mix is so complex! Love love love. Another perfect creation from Shannon.

Unfortunately for you guys, Three French Hens is now discontinued, but Pahlish has a big list of other amazing polishes currently for sale. Check out the Pahlish etsy store here and don’t forget to ‘like’ Pahlish on Facebook for regular updates about new colours and sales.

NOTD: Jordana Lunar Lights

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:49:52 +1300

These photos show one coat of Jordana Lunar Lights over two coats of Essence Bloom-a-loom. I am super duper lucky to have a polish addict friend living close by, and she lent me some of her Jordana glitter polishes to play with, including Lunar Lights. How awesome is that? Thank you Grace!

Bloom-a-loom (goodness, I do not like that name) is a pale lilac. There are flashes of pink and blue visible in the bottle but they don’t translate on to the nail at all. Lunar Lights is an interesting glitter mix: translucent and iridescent hexes and microglitter in a clear base. The glitter doesn’t look like this all the time - instead, the iridescence is more subtle. Sometimes the glitters are blue, sometimes yellow, sometimes purple, sometimes pink. It all depends on the angle the light is hitting your nail beds. You can thank my camera flash for making all of the colours show at once!

The formula of both polishes was good, although Lunar Lights will probably need some thinner eventually (sorry, Grace, I swear I didn’t do anything!). I love the result of the combination. I think it looks really ethereal and reminded me a lot of fairies!

NOTD: Pure Ice Twinkle

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:12:59 +1300

Today’s NOTD is three coats of Pure Ice Twinkle. Twinkle is a coral-y orange with gold shimmer. It’s very pretty and perfect for summer. The formula was great, although coverage was a little thin. Three coats was necessary for adequate opacity. If you look really hard you can see my smile line a tiny bit but this was not at all obvious IRL.

Haul: Nostalgic Nail Lacquer

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:42:03 +1300

Recently I placed an order with Nostalgic Nail Lacquer for some New Zealand polish loving buddies and myself. And what a haul it was! We ordered 24 bottles between 9 of us. It was super exciting having the giant bubble mailer arrive on my doorstep. Even if most of the goodies inside weren’t mine, nail mail is still nail mail!

I was very, very disciplined and picked up only three polishes, all of which were on sale for US$5.

Way Existential is a mix of matte black, white, and teal glitters in a clear base. Similar to I Love Nail Polish Full Turqued in thought, but completely different execution. If you love one, you’ll love the other, and you can definitely justify both!

The Athlete has several different shades and sizes of orange glitter, as well as white squares.

The Princess has white, red, and pink glitters suspended in a pink base. I’m not sure whether this shade of pink will work with my skintone, but for $5, I’m willing to give it a chance!

NOTD: Layla Aqua Zen

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:15:32 +1300

Another Layla today! This is two coats of Layla Aqua Zen, #09 from the Softouch range. Aqua Zen is a bright matte teal. It’s really vibrant! And a unique shade in my collection. I was originally thinking I might destash this one, but the colour is unlike any of my other teal/turquoise polishes, so it gets to stay.

The reason I was considering purging Aqua Zen is its formula. All of the other polishes I’ve tried from the Softtouch range have been a breeze to apply, but Aqua Zen was a problem child. It was streaky and I had to be very, very careful not to go over the same spots too much or I would ruin everything. I know that this is a product of most matte polishes - but going on my previous experiences with the Layla Softouch line I did not expect this. I think the formula variation is down to the fact that this a ‘creme’ polish from the range. All of the others that I have tried have been shimmers.

Regardless, it’s still a gorgeous polish. The finish has a retro plastic-y look to it, which I think is really neat!

NOTD: Layla Marshmallow Twinkle

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:30:21 +1300

Today I have Layla Marshmallow Twinkle to show you! Marshmallow Twinkle is a matte silver foil from the Softtouch line. I say it is a matte, although the finish differs slightly from your standard matte polish. It has a kind of waxy look to it. I read on Lindsay’s blog that these polishes are actually made with wax rather than powdered pigments, so that explains it. When dry, the polish feels almost soft. It’s really crazy!

I absolutely love the polishes from the Sofftouch collection that I have tried, and Marshmallow Twinkle does not change my mind. They apply amazingly - very little clean up is required, and they go exactly where you want them to go when you are painting your nails.

I actually ended up wearing this polish for three whole days as I was working and was too tired to change my mani. The wear time on this is incredible! Especially considering regular mattes and suedes chip on me within a few hours. After three days I had no chips, just tip wear. And the tip wear wasn’t even that bad.

I bought Marshmallow Twinkle from Ninja Polish. They have a great range of Layla polishes as well as other great brands - check them out!