NYX Matte Nail Polish in Sky Blue

Earlier this week, my husband and I went to the doctor to have our cough (and his asthma) checked. In the hospital, I noticed a girl sporting cute pastel blue polish on her fingers and toes. I envy people who can keep their fingernails and toenails painted with the same colors. Haha! I change my manicure too often that my pedicure couldn't keep up. :)

Anywho, she made me want to wear a pastel blue myself. And I knew just the polish to try on! This is NYX Matte nail polish in Sky Blue which came with my polish swap from Jeiflyn.

This was done in 3 thin coats. I really like the satin matte finish. It was just right, not too matte that it looked flat or dry. I was thinking to myself that I feel like I have Barbie's nails for some reason... I don't know why exactly. :) For me, it looks very clean and neat. I could almost call this mannequin nails, but then they're in baby blue and not nude or skin tone. Hehe!

It's very pretty and I think it's just perfect for the weather! We're starting to get more of those scorching hot summer days, like searing heat the moment you step out of the house. I bet we'll see more of these pastels as spring and Easter approaches. This looks like a great backdrop for an Easter egg nail art. Don't you think so? It has a similar smooth eggshell finish. I like!

The only thing you have to be careful with is making sure that they dry completely. Otherwise, you could get small creases, and these are quite delicate when still wet. It's formulated to be matte. So there's really no protection for the polish. But it's the 4th day that I'm wearing this and I'm still loving it! I'd dare say that the wear on this is pretty good!

Not sure if my nails worked with this outfit, but here's what I wore to my lunch date with Jor-el. I was craving for some Eggs Benedict and we ended up at Bizu! Yum! :)

Jellybean cape button down shirt, Zara floral print shorts, Tonic Bags and Shoes Lillian gold spiked sandals, Jellybean tribal necklace.

Eggs Benedict at Bizu, The Fort (Yumm!!)

What colors would you like to see for spring (or summer here in Manila)? :)
  

Revlon Whimsical over China Glaze Kinetic Candy

So.. this is a disappointing one. Hehe! I don't have a lot of entries that don't sound excited, hyped-up, and adrenaline-rushed! Haha! But I guess when you've tried on so many nail polish and experimented on so many designs, there comes a time when you are sadly, just not happy with the results.

This is 2 coats of Revlon Whimsical layered over 2 coats of China Glaze Kinetic Candy. I think it's a great combination. The colors work very well. It starts off as a pale baby blue with China Glaze Kinetic Candy (sorry, I didn't get to take a shot of this plain) and it turns into a mint green because of the tint on Revlon Whimsical.

Revlon Whimsical has pink and blue hex glitter, regular silver glitter, and faint blue micro glitter, all sparsely mixed into the mint jelly base. It looks very pretty from afar. But not so up close. See the bubbles? Eewww gross. Hehe.

Maybe I'm not being fair. My top coat is largely to blame. I mixed it with some solvent because it started getting goopy and I shaked the bottle so hard. I let it rest for a few minutes and when I didn't see the bubbles anymore, I started using it. Perhaps there were still some tiny ones that weren't visible to the naked eye.

But my beef with Whimsical is that I feel like the glitters are a bit too sparse. You don't get a lot with 1 coat, and to achieve this effect, you need to make 2 thick coats and swirl the brush around to pick up more glitter. Maybe it's meant to be more subtle. But I was just a little disappointed because I read somewhere that Revlon Whimsical has more glitters than Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air.

Aaaanyway, for a quick mood changer, I suggest you head over to Polished Pinay instead, and check out her version of this! :)

My only consolation from this mani is that it was in theme with my outfit last Friday. Haha! But a little too matchy matchy, perhaps? Haha! The spring/summer weather here in Manila just called out for some mint green! :)

Topshop mint green drape front chiffon longsleeve top, Mango tie dye skinny jeans, Tutum Victoria mint flats

Earlier today, I wore it with a coral dress for contrast. This looks like a good color palette. :)

Mango coral dress, Tory Burch Sally 2 mid wedge peep toe sandals in knot

Have you ever tried Revlon Whimsical? How do you like it?

Thanks for reading and a good day to you all! :)
 

Floral Nails

Last week, I was about to let go of my nail art obsession. For some reason, I just got tired of the smell of polish and wanted to stay away from it for awhile. I was polish-free from Monday to Friday until inspiration hit me.

My friends have been feeding this obsession of mine ever since, but even more so when I started doing nail art. They've been posting nail art pictures on my Facebook wall, somehow challenging me to replicate those designs. My friend, Kim, presented me with challenge #2 (the first one being aztec nails, which I still don't have a full entry about).

Anyway, going back, here's how challenge #2 turned out. It's so feminine and dainty!!

See the resemblance to the original?

Unfortunately, I cannot give credit to the original since we can no longer trace back where this came from. So if anyone recognizes the creator of this, please do let me know so that I can give due recognition.

It was challenging but fun at the same time to do this because it's my first time to do roses! Here's a tutorial that I found showing you how quick and easy it is to do. I got this link from another one of my idols, Polished Perfectionist. She does AMAZING roses (among other things!!!)!  Check out her blog entry entitled "Sweet Roses" here.

The challenge: I had a bit of trouble coming up with a close color match.

I don't have a pale yellow polish (this looks like China Glaze Lemon Fizz) so I invented my own. First, I layered Orly Spark, a bright yellow, with Essie Waltz, a sheer white, which beautifully tuned down the brightness and saturation, making it a light and dainty yellow pastel.

I also don't have a light gray polish. So I layered my OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, my go-to white polish, with OPI My Pointe Exactly, a sheer gray and one of my favorites from the NYC Ballet Collection. I made thin coats just enough to get a color match so as not to make the polish too thick.

For the flowers, I followed the video tutorial above and swirled Orly Spark and Sassy Nail Art in pink. For the leaves, it was a combination of China Glaze Exotic Encounters and China Glaze For Audrey.

Lastly, for my topcoat, I skipped Sally Hansen Insta-dri Anti-chip top coat and Seche Vite dry fast top coat this time around because I got sick of the smell. Instead, I turned to Orly Sec-n-Dry. It's not as thick, glossy, and long-lasting as the other two, but it smelled less toxic and did the job.

Here are all the nail polish colors that I used (excluding my base and top coats). From left to right: Orly Spark, Essie Waltz, OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, OPI My Pointe Exactly, Sassy Nail Art in pink, China Glaze Exotic Encounters, and China Glaze For Audrey.

Want to see more pictures? ... You don't have a choice! :D

I showed this to Kim in person over the weekend and she said that this is her favorite nail art to date! Yey! I was so touched and reenergized to do more!!!

I also had fun matching my outfits with this design. I didn't realize it would be so wearable! Just think feminine and floral, or yellow and gray combo.

Last Saturday, I went to a 1st year birthday party and to a wedding afterwards. I wore this a pale blue fitted top from Armani Exchange paired with a nude ruffled skirt from Zara. I then synched my waist with a big nude rose gartered belt also from Zara. (You can barely see it on the picture to the left, below!) For my shoes, I wore my Tory Burch wedged sandals for all-day comfort! Too bad I don't have a full body picture! But here are some pictures I took that day.

We took several pictures with the wine because it's extra special at P9,850.00 a bottle. :)

See if you can try to imagine and piece my top together with the skirt below and the rose belt worn to the side. :)

On Tuesday, I went to the office and paired my nails with a Mango elastic waist dress in green, Mango chain detail waist belt, Tory Burch wedge sandals in knot, and a Louis Vuitton Speedy in Monogram Mini Lin cotton and linen canvas. Again no picture, but see below how I tried to assemble the look. I love the proper, sophisticated look. :)

On Wednesday, I went with Jor-el for a check up at the hospital. It was raining, so it was time for my boots to come out and do their job. This is more of an edgy look but still played with the pastel yellow and dove gray theme. It struck me that I had to take a picture! I'm wearing a Mango pale yellow spaghetti strap, Zara dove gray cardigan, Zara navy blue distressed shorts, Zara black leather ribbon belt, Kenneth Cole black knee high boots, and my Forever 21 layered necklace. Kinda funky for your taste? Must be the Taiwanese in me! Heehee :)

So! Do you have any challenges for me? I'm all ears! Leave a comment and I'll try my best to do it!! :)

Thanks for reading!


* UPDATE: Wanted to share with you the picture that I posted in Instragram.
I love love love these adorable frames!!! :D

  

Tonic Pink Jenica Plastic Peep Toe Wedges

Hello everyone! I can't resist but to squeeze in a short post here.

These are my new pink wedges from Tonic and I just love them to juicy jelly bits and pieces!!! (Drool...)

They caught my eye when I first saw them online. And they did not disappoint! When I wore them, oh wow! I felt like Barbie! Haha!

Kim brought these for me last week when we played badminton. I just had to try them on the moment I got home! You'll see me below still in my post-badminton outfit. Heehee

And of course, I had to wear them that same weekend. We were going to the new mall, Robinson's Magnolia, to watch "Katy Perry The Movie: Part of Me" and I thought they'd be perfect! But alas, we were mistaken and the cinema didn't show it in the evening. :,(  I ended up watching "The Campaign" with Kacy (thanks for being a true friend haha!), while all the others switched to "The Possession". (For the life of me, I can never ever EVER watch a horror movie.) To end our evening, there's nothing like a good old classic Banana Split from the Magnolia Creamery! :)

My outfit for the day: Mango dipped hem cold shoulder top, Mango tie dye skinny jeans, Tonic Pink Jenica plastic peep toe wedges, Agnes B. black tote bag, Forever 21 layered necklace, Thomas Sabo charm bracelet, and Swatch date ring.

Great elevation! My shoes kept my feet dry when it rained that night. :) Perfect for those unexpected rain showers! And needless to say, they were comfy to shop around in!

Here is the product shot.

You can order these beauties online from Tonic Bags and Shoes! These are also available in The Ramp Glorietta, The Ramp Trinoma, Wisdom Rockwell, PopCulture Alabang Town Center, and The Maze Ayala Cebu.

If you feel like pink is too loud for you, these come in bone white too! Check out the Jenica album and see for yourself!

Before we end this post, I have a surprise for you! What's a post without any nail art? Haha!

Here's a preview to Kim's aztec nails challenge! Don't they look so good with the shoes?? :)

 

Details to follow in the next post! Hope you enjoyed this one for a change. :)

Thanks for reading!