modern nail color: June 2013

Mont Bleu: Glassware

*waves lazily* Such a perfect weather for sleeping in today! The light drizzle, the cool breeze... zzzz..
So why am I up on a lazy Sunday? Well, a close friend of mine recently introduced me to World of Warcraft and gifted me with a copy of the game (yea she is awesome!!). Since I am going for a call break later this week, I figured I should start prep-ing by downloading the game and readying myself. This is my first MMORPG so I guess I need to do some homework as well heh. Hopefully I won't be a complete fumbling fool when I start playing. ;P

Anyway, while waiting for the download and installation to be done, I have some goodies from Mont Bleu to share with you today!

I stumbled upon Mont Bleu through various nail blogs that I frequent and fell in love with their beautifully decorated glass nail files. Yup! Mont Bleu Ltd Company is one of the world leading suppliers of glass nail files. Their glass nail files are made of high quality Czech glass; they are decorated by patterns, or by Swarovski crystals. Not only that, they also provide a whole range of products adorned with sparkly crystals! *turns into a magpie* Take a look!

Mont Bleu Glass Nail Files - regular and travel-sized.
I am not sure if I have ever talked about my manicure routine (it is definitely on my to-blog list but I don't think I've ever sat down to work on it >.< ) but one of my essential manicure tools is a glass nail file. They are generally of a medium-fine grit - enough to take down length without damaging your nails. I prefer glass files to the usual ones because they are built to last and don't have to be replaced - a thorough wash and quick dry makes it all ready to be used again. As such, the regular sized glass nail file is the only product that I requested to try when Mont Bleu first contacted me.

Prior to this, I had been using my trusty OPI glass file since.... way back in 2011. I was actually very happy with it until these Mont Bleu files came along and blew it out of the water. Not only are these files prettily adorned, they are surprisingly quick to take down length. That is a life-saver especially for impatient folks like me. <3

Mont Bleu Glass Foot File.
All reservations I had about my feet breaking the glass file melted away when I saw this file. It looks sturdy, feels sturdy and is sturdy. It has a coarse side and a smoother side. The coarse side is, well, coarser than the glass nail files but not too rough on the feet either. The finer side smooths everything thereafter. I love how smooth my feet feels after some filing. Definitely a keeper.

Mont Bleu Tweezer.
Tweezers are almost indispensable in my life. Apart from having one to shape my brows, I also have some tweezers lying around to pick up random things like studs/rhinestones for nail art or as a replacement for my fingers when my nails are still wet. As with most tweezers, this pair of tweezer from Mont Bleu is nicely slanted at the tips for easy shaping. It has a fairly good grip. Plus, I really like the brushed metal finish and the crystals - simple but very chic-looking.

Mont Bleu Metal Compact Mirror.
Another beautifully designed product from Mont Bleu. This is made from extremely reflective metal which I love but, unfortunately, unforgiving of the fingerprints too.

Mont Bleu Earrings.
It is not very obvious from my picture but these are quite sparkly in the sun. By now, you should know I have a soft spot for things like that - simple, elegant and sparkly. ;)

All in all, I am very impressed by these Mont Bleu products. In particular, I would highly recommend their glass files. You can take a look at the full range of Mont Bleu products here. Mont Bleu delivers its products internationally so happy shopping! ;)

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**Products were provided for our honest review. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.**

Cameo Colours Lacquers - Poison Apple - Thermal Nail Polish

Hello dear readers!

I decided to post for the 2nd time this week because I couldn't wait to show you swatches of this awesome nail polish. This from an indie nail polish brand called Cameo Colours Lacquers. Poison Apple is part of their Thermolinear collection. This thermal beauty changes from brown when cool to a salmon color when warm. This is not only a mood or thermal nail polish, it is also a linear holographic nail polish.

Here you can see the beautiful thermal effect. This effect is due to the temperature difference between the nail bed and the free edge. *You don't need crazy long nails in order to get the gradient effect, just a few millimeters of nail length will be good enough ;)

Now, when your body temperature is warm enough, your nails will be entirely salmon color.

When cold, your nails will be dressed in a brown shade... can you see the linear holographic effect?

Application wise, I needed apply 2 coats to reach this opacity. This nail polish applies like a dream, no streaks or bald spots. I am in love with both, thermal and holographic effects, so this nail polish was worth every penny.

For info on where to buy this nail polish you can go to Cameo Colours FB

https://www.facebook.com/CameoColoursLacquer

*This nail polish was purchased by me. The opinion expressed of this product is solely my own.

What do you think of this nail polish?

What other color combinations would you like to see in a thermal nail polish?

I personally would like to see a black/red color :)

♥♥Thank you so much for reading♥♥ Have a great Weekend!

Milani - Red Sparkle - One Coat Glitter

Hello dear readers!

Today I want to show you some swatches Red Sparkle by Milani.

For those of you who have not tried Milani's one coat glitter line of nail polishes, just as the name says, it is made with fine glitter and dense enough to over with one coat.

Application wise, this nail polish can become bit goopy in consistency a few minutes after using it, but this can be fixed with few drops of nail polish thinner.

Also, I needed 2 coats because there were a few bald spots since this nail polish has no pigment whatsoever, only glitter. This glitter is top coat thirsty, so I recommend applying 2 layers of top coat for smoothness and shine.

If you like the new trend of textured nail polishes, I think this polish could give the same finish if you let it dry without topcoat ;)

Extra pic :)

What do you think of this nail polish? Have you tried any from the one coat glitter line?

♥♥Thank you so much for reading♥♥

Recommendations USA Nails For Women

Recommendations USA Nails For Women Images Collection

Found this place on a stormy holiday weekend. Every place in the area was closed so I had my husband do a Google search to find a place that was open while I was driving home from my mom's. He told me USA Nails was open and conveniently located just five miles away from my house, I drive myself over to get a mani/pedi. A combo mani/pedi is just $25 Mon-Wed and $30 Thurs-Sun. USA Nails offers massage chairs which is always a plus and their staff is very friendly. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Danny and his staff of three gals, all of which were very nice.

Recommendations USA Nails For Women Images Collection

So how was their work? They do a great job. This is my regular spot now and I totally recommend it. They say if a place is crowded that's a good sign. I usually don't make appointments b/c I just never know when I want to go pamper myself but when I do walk in they are able to accommodate me within 5-10 minutes. Their location is great and parking is always easy. With so many great restaurants around, doing a girls' spa day and then grabbing lunch after is suggested.

Recommendations USA Nails For Women Images Collection

My friend and I saw the sign for $15 pedicures at USA Nails. We walked in the door, and the first thing we saw was a big hole in the very dirty carpet. We should have turned and walked out at that point, but decided to give it a go. We were taken upstairs to a very hot room with gnats flying around, but I got a good pedicure. My friend did not....the massage wasn't done well. When we were leaving, I asked how much the pedicure was, because I thought I overheard the woman tell my friend it was $10. She told me $10, also. I gave her the debit card and she promptly charged me $20. When I left the place, I asked my friend how much she was charged. She also was charged $20. We both tipped, too.

Recommendations USA Nails For Women Images Collection

essence: Spring / Summer 2013

Sent for Review

Happy Sunday everyone! ^_^

I'm feeling particular exuberant today because the air in Singapore has cleared up somewhat in the last two days! The past week had been absolutely horrible. Fires raging in Sumatra caused a huge haze in Singapore with the PSI readings hitting the hazardous range for the first time in years. I have been shuffling to and fro work with a mask because the haze (oh the burning smell!) was giving me a tremendous headache. So I am really relieved that we have some brief respite over the weekends - finally some remotely breathable air! Of course, it would be even better if the government could declare a stop work order next week... yea, I've been told that I am too optimistic :(

Anyway, back to the polishes!

essence Singapore has recently brought in some new shades for spring and summer and they have most generously sent them over for me to share with you. I don't have much to say except that these colors are simply perfect springy/summery shades! Take a look:

Ice, Ice Baby! 4 thin coats.
A squishy off-white jelly that is slightly tinged beige. A little streaky on the first 2 coats but evens out to a perfect glossy finish. It didn't really need the top coat but I top-coated it anyway to speed up the drying process.

Peach & Cream. 3 thin coats.
A soft peach puff with slight pearly shimmer. The pearl finish is not that obvious on the nails after 2 coats so that's a big plus for me - I am not really a fan of that finish. I did not think the color was very flattering on my skin tone under some lighting but I wore it for a few days anyway because it went well with my new turquoise phone casing! :P

That's What I Mint! 3 thin coats.
A soft pastel mint with very very slight green shimmer (that is clearly not visible on the nails). You know my obsession with blue-greens - this was instantly my favorite. Of course, I wore it for a few days because it matches my phone casing too! ;) It is a tad lighter than China Glaze's For Audrey and they will make a good ombré manicure - I just need to find 3 more shades of turquoise / mint... See! That's why I need more shades of this color in my life. *nods solemnly*

Hello Marshmallow! 3 thin coats.
A delicate lilac with sprinkles of red and blue shimmer. The shimmers are not that visible on the nails but you can catch a few glimpse of the elusive shimmer where the light hits the nails. It is significantly less similar to China Glaze's Light As Air than I'd thought - more purple and brighter.

Flashy Pumpkin. 2 thin coats.
An eye-searing tangerine orange. It is so bright that I would even call it neon. Super summery but definitely not for the faint-hearted. Formula for this was exceptionally good. It is very pigmented and I suspect you can get away with one thick coat.

Prom-berry. 2 thin coats.
An intoxicatingly rich vampy purple with very subtle red and blue shimmers. The shimmers are not obvious on the nails but they give the nails a slight glowy look when the nails catch the light.

Miss Universe. 1 coat over black.
A sheer black base filled with intense sparkly blue and green microflakies. It is very sheer and will need about three to four coats for full coverage on its own. Very similar to Zoya's Kotori except that it has that extra oomph from the bright green sparkles. Needless to say, I am head over heels in love with this too.

Overall, I am extremely happy with the new colors. The colors, brush and formula do not disappoint. As always, the pastels are slightly streakier than the other colors but they even out fairly nicely on the third coat so I have no complaints there. Plus, at only S$2.90 each, they are a steal - definitely one of my favorite affordable brands.

So, which colors caught your eye? :D

essence cosmetics is currently available at these Watsons stores: Ngee Ann City, City Square Mall, Causeway Point, Lucky Plaza, Plaza Singapura, Bugis Junction, Sun Plaza, JEM, JCube, Parkway Parade, IMM, Lot 1, Anchor Point, Rivervale Mall, Park Lane, Bedok Central, Beautyworld Centre and SMU.

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Nails for USA People

Nails for USA People Images Collection

4 stars for price and service. $30 for mani/pedi in a Spa Chair (yes, it does have full body massage functions but no, it is not sparkly or new). The service was impeccable. Anna and Benny were awesome, even when I accidentally scraped my nail on a fan - twice! 3 stars for ambiance and color choice. Unfortunately, they don't carry Essie nail polish which is my brand of choice but they do have OPI, although, it's a little limited. All that being said, I would definitely go back.

Nails for USA People Images Collection

This is my go-to place for waxing because they're super detailed and spend a good amount of time making sure everything looks good. For eyebrows at least, after they finish the waxing, they clean off your face with this pineapple smelling cloth then use tweezers for all the fine detailing. Then, they put vaseline on your face, which I find kind of weird (they used to put something more cooling but now they use vaseline), but hey, if they know what they're doing, I won't question it. For nails, however, I wouldn't say they're the best. The people there are nice, but they can get pushy. Even when I'm there for just a wax, they ask me if I want my nails done. And if I do get my nails done, they always ask if I want something more (aka more money to be paid). They don't do a bad job on nails, but it's nothing spectacular.

Nails for USA People Images Collection

Great location, great service! I always get my nails done by Danny, who is a PERFECTIONIST. He notices things that I don't and I am one picky gal :-) He always suggests cute flower designs on my nails and knows just what I like. These guys definitely value return customers - they will seat you immediately, give you great treatment if they recognize you. Just something to consider. They always ask me about small details in my life that I mentioned in previous visits. Overall good quality, good price - toe polish always lasts for weeks, Danny is great with gel nails and regular manicures. One star off because the atmosphere/ decor isn't quite posh, but at least you're getting a great deal!