Butter London by Gwyneth Paltrow for Goop and the Sweetie Shop Lacquer Collection.

How about these three beauties? Gwyneth Paltrow designed them for Goop, her own online Lifestyle magazine. Each week, Goop premieres one exclusive limited edition collaboration. Whether it’s a wardrobe staple, a home accessory, or a beauty must, they believe these are the curated essentials for you, your wardrobe and your home. Gwyneth started Goop in the fall of 2008 to share all of life’s positives. From creating a delicious recipe to finding a perfect dress for spring, she began curating the best of lifestyle to help her readers save time, simplify and feel inspired. Enough about Goop and on to the pretty polishes! Let me introduce you to the ”Trifecta of bespoke lacquers”, from left to right in the top three rows of pictures: Hampstead Heath which offers a mossy, green and gold shine, great for a holiday occasion. Abso-bloody-lutley which is the ultimate deep cherry opaque red and Bread & Butter pudding which is a sheer ivory cream. The latter one doesn’t really make me want to run out and buy it but man, that green and even that deep cherry red are delicious! If it wasn’t for the price I’d buy them I think. You can pick up the Goop and Butter London nail polish set for $36 at Goop.com.

Butter London also recently unveiled its Sweetie Shop Lacquer Collection, which will be available from January 2013. The new collection includes six shades influenced by the pastels of sweets such as cotton candy milkshakes and macaroons. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it? But will it look good in the bottle and on the nail? Well let’s have a look at these colors and find out!

The shades are from left to right:
- Jasper – A nice mellow yellow.
- Kerfuffle – A lovely shade of sherbet.
- Fiver – An icy mint color.
- Fruit Machine – A sweet bubblegum pink.
- Molly Coddled – A wonderful bright violet.
- Cuppa – A perfect tea with milk color, it doesn’t get more British than that.
The Sweetie Shop Lacquer Collection will be available from Boots, Harvey Nichols and butter LONDON’s website priced at £12 each. www.butterlondon.com
Which of these collections speaks to you? Or are they both not your thing?
Hollywood’s fabulous 40s by Catrice
Inspired by the legendary film and style icons like Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergmann and Marlene Dietrich the Limited Edition ”Hollywood’s FABULOUS 40s” by Catrice takes you away into the glamourous times of the 1940′s.
Catrice picks up the 40′s trends as a tribute to the self-confident woman, the elegance and incomparable beauty of Hollywood divas and skillfully combines feminine, warm red tones such as rose, rosewood, and cherry red with delicate nude-, beige and brown nuances and modern purple. For a stylish look à la Hollywood…
For this Limited Edition Catrice has picked warm trendy colors with a glossy finish and without any shimmer to celebrate the classic 40′s style.
- Red Butler
- Holly Rose Wood
- Marlene’s Favorite
- The Nude Scene
- Doris’ Darling
“Hollywood’s FABULOUS 40s” by Catrice will be available from September to October 2012.
If this set comes to the Netherlands I will probably only pick up the purple, but who knows, they may be prettier in person, though since they are advertised to be creme colors with no shimmer. In this case that means ‘what you see is what you get’ with these product pictures.
What do you think of this little set? I know there are some pink lovers out there that read my blog that will probably go for this, am I right?
Orly is getting fired up for fall 2012!
The weather here has been slowly changing, the days have been getting shorter, fall will be here again soon and so will the new fall polish collections.
Orly is coming out with a set of 6 beautiful warm tinted high gloss polishes to set the tone for this fall:

- Rapture as you can see is a lovely brown with a hint of purple it looks like.
- Smolder is a yummy burgundy shimmer, burgundy is one of THE colors to wear this fall by the way!
- Ignite is a delicious cherry red créme.
- Flicker is a red shimmer with hits of copper, giving your nails the look of a glowing ember.
- Flare has a beautiful golden shimmer to it.
- And last but not least, Glow. Which is a color that seems the odd one out in this set but as you can see in the publicity picture where the model is wearing a top in this color and has Flicker over Smolder on her nails, it really matches well with the warmth of the other colors.
Looking at these samples on the left I have to say that I may need one or two of these, I have not decided yet.
To me the bottle shots look less appealing to me though for some reason, don’t you hate it when that happens? Though of course it will make my wallet quite happy if I decide to skip this for that reason.
This collection is an Limited Edition and is set to be released September 2012.

What do you think of these colors? Is there a must have color for you in this collection or will you skip this one?
Video – How to do nail art using acrylic inks.
And that’s how I created the nails I posted yesterday. I hope you enjoyed the video and that it inspired you to try out this method yourself.
You can buy the inks, brand Daler Rowney, and the pen shown in the video at an artist supply shop, craft store or even on eBay. The white polish I used underneath the design is O.P.I.’s Alpine Snow to get a nice clear image for the video. The inks are usually so opaque though that you can use any color you like.
If you decide to try this, I’d love to see your work! Link me in the comments if you want.
Mani update – Neon-ized it!
Do you ever have this problem of enjoying the time consuming nailart you’ve done but just are not feeling the colors anymore?
That’s the problem I had with my Monochromatic Manicure. I just needed some color after rocking the black and white for a few days. So what I decided to do is give in to the current neon and gradient craze and sponge some of my neons over this to make it look more summery. Because neons are usually quite sheer it would show the pattern still so I wouldn’t feel like I had wasted my time drawing all kinds of stuff on my nails when I’d only wear the manicure for a few days.
This is what they ended up looking like:
And this is what I used to achieve the effect. Please ignore the condition of my neon yellow, I know it looks miserable but it was in a bag along with a few polishes that broke when I flew back from vacation last year and I haven’t taken the time to clean that one up just yet…
Pictured are:
- China Glaze – Purple Panic
- Essence nail art twins – Gabriella
- Kiko – 336
- China Glaze – In the limelight
- China Glaze – Celtic Sun
- A cut up make up sponge
Have you tried gradient nails yet? If so, what colors did you use?
Essence Colour Art!
*These colors are only available on the large display version in stores.
The rainbow within reach! the colour pigments shimmer in 15 of the brightest colours. they are available from matt to gentle shimmering, metallic and also in different high-gloss effects. These will retail for €2,49 a piece The colours can be used alone or mixed together and are applicable on eyes, lips and nails. The Colour Arts nailbase is a translucent nail polish, if used together with the colour arts pigments it creates uncountable fascinating colour combinations! it can be used as a sealing coat also. This is going to be sold for €1,59 per bottle. Now let’s take a closer look at the pigments and see which is which in the little gallery below:
Essence “Colour Arts” will be available from September 2012 in the Netherlands and from halfway August to halfway September 2012 in Belgium.
I’m curious, will you be experimenting with these or would you rather just buy a ready made polish?
Monochrome Monday

First a little explanation of the word:
mon·o·chrome [ˈmɒnəˌkrəʊm] noun.
1. a. A picture, especially a painting, done in different shades of a single color.
b. The art or technique of executing such a picture.
2. The state of being in a single color.
3. A black-and-white image, as in photography or on television.
Now on to my nails and the inspiration I used. I decided to free hand this challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I love stamping, but I do it all the time and I just wanted to do something unique this time.
A little while ago I decorated some smooth pebbles with a little pen and acrylic ink and a lot of people liked them. My mom keeps the ones I made for her in a little glass bell on her patio table.
From left to right, on the picture on the right, you see Rejuvacote which I always use as a base, next to that is my Seche Vite topcoat. The bigger white bottle is my white acrylic ink. Next to that a beautiful small bottle of BK’s black holo and in the back on the right is Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees. The pen I used is laying in the foreground. It’s just a simple fountain pen that comes without cartridges and that you have to dip in ink to work. The ink I bought at an artist supply store a while ago, along with the other three basic colors yellow magenta and blue, and of course black, that way I can mix almost any color I would like.
After I had painted my nails with Suzi Skis and my ring fingers with the BK holographic polish and they were completely dry I started to draw on my nails like I had on the pebbles, just kind of going with the flow. Not having planned any pattern beforehand I came to this end result and I hope you like it! It did prove to be a bit of a challenge to draw with my left hand onto my right fingernails but I think they came out really well. I’m slightly ambidextrous and did not know it I guess!
I hope you all enjoyed this post and will become inspired to give something like this a go yourself sometime!
OPI Outrageous Neons Mini Collection.
Another fabulous neons collection about to be launched is the OPI Outrageous Mini Collection.
OPI has made a video to tell you all about this little bright collection right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZvmbkRS9tk
And if you haven’t got a lot of time or a bad connection and can’t watch video yet are curious about the colors in this collection, here’s a pic and the names of all the colors:
- Ridiculously Yellow
- Formidably Orange
- Riotously Pink
- Seriously Purple
Besides these colors the set also consists of a special white basecoat and the opi topcoat. All bottles contain 3.75ml which is 1/8 fl oz.
If you have not seen a Mini polish compared to a full OPI bottle I’ve quickly taken a picture for you of a full sized bottle and a mini I got with one of the Halloween sets many years ago.
Now I have to admit, I love these, but I wish they’d just release full sizes of these so I could just get myself the purple. The other colors are fun, but I already have similar colors and I usually am not too crazy about mini polishes as with longer nails you only get 3 to 4 wears out of each color if you use them sparingly.
What do you think of this nifty little set? Will you be getting these or are you going to skip this?
Nails of the day follow up!
I’ve decided to add some stamping to the previous nails using Dashica XL SdP image plate 8.
I am really enjoying this a lot right now. I hope you like it too!
Nail of the day: Mint to teal gradient
Just a very quick drive by posting of my nail of the day which is a gradient I did using China Glaze – For Audrey as a base color and along with that I used Sinful Colors – Why Not, Mattésse Elite – Vig(Thank you again Marissa for sending me that set! They’re stunning!) and Nicole By O.P.I.’s Khloe had a little Lam-Lam to sponge over it leaving me with a nice fresh looking gradient. I hope you like it!
Have you tried gradient nails yet? Or is this not your thing at all?
Orly Feel the Vibe Summer 2012 Collection
All the big brands seem to know it and are showing it in their new collections, brights are part of the hottest looks for this summer!
Orly isn’t one to stay behind and always stays on trend with their collections. So this Feel the Vibe Summer 2012 collection is filled with gorgeous neons and colors that match them and if used in a manicure along with the neons will make them pop even more.
Here’s a quick introduction to the colors and their names:
- Beach Cruiser – A neon fuchsia
- Skinny Dip – Electric light blue
- Dayglow – White with a pearly finish
- After Party – A navy blue with iridescent blue shimmer
- Melt Your Popsicle – A neon orange
- Glowstick – A neon yellow
How are you feeling about all these brights coming out for the summer? Do you follow trends or do you wear whatever you feel like?
Essence Fruity

The next Essence collection was just revealed here in the Netherlands via a press release and they have picked a very cute theme this time that fits Spring that at the makes you long for summer: Fruity!
This collection does not only have 5 lovely polishes but also some other nice nail related goodies, keep reading and I will introduce you to all of it.
First up though, I have five cute and fruity nail polishes to show you, namely:
- 01 Banana Joe,
- 02 Peach Beauty,
- 03 Very Cherry,
- 04 One Kiwi A Day…
- 05 Mashed Berries.

As you can see in the close up pictures on the right (click it to enlarge) there are 2 creams and three glittery polishes in this mini collection. And I have to say, I do like the little touch of using different types of glitters for the polishes. The Kiwi green one has a different glitter shape than the Cherry and Berries ones, which is a nice little detail I think.

That’s not all in the nail department by the way as they are also releasing a cute little set of fimo cane slices that looks like sliced fruit called “Nail Fruits” that comes with its own nail glue. Because the slices are of course a bit thicker than say a striper line or some dots you make with a naildotter they have added a Nail Art sealing topcoat called “Stay Fruity” to the collection.
Now we come to something I am quite excited about: With this collection they’re also releasing a scented topcoat called ”Smells like strawberry…“ that… you guessed it; smells like fresh strawberries! I am so going to have to chase this one down because I am very much into fruity scents and how fun will it be to have a yummy scent coming from your nails all day?
The Essence Fruity collection will be exclusively for sale at Kruidvat & Trekpleister from halfway April until May 2012 here in the Netherlands.
So, what are your thoughts on this collection? I myself will probably only grab the topcoat but I do think that if I like it that I will grab several.
Another amazing upcoming trend in nailart – Velvet!
Earlier today I was just happily browsing through my Youtube subscriptions, looking at nailart videos of course and oh man, I found something awesome.It’s a nail art video by the incredibly talented Ukrainian-based nail tech Liliya Sereditskaya, and she is using something I had not seen before on the nail, a strange type of powder. Liliya herself calls it Cashmere, have a look and see what you think by clicking on this link, as she sadly has requested that it can not be embedded on any site but Youtube, so I will link you to it instead.

After some Googling I found a picture of an amazing set of faux nails with a velvet half moon manicure in two colors. Now I don’t know about you, but I am just LOVING this look! It’s soft and sensual. Plus it must feel pretty cool on your nails. However, I’m not sure if it would do well with moisture and how you’d use a hand cream. And even more importantly; will it still stick when you wash your hands or take a bath or shower?
Now, if you want to give this look a go yourself and you happen to be in the Netherlands I’m pretty sure you could duplicate it with these velvet powders I’ve found at the Nagelgroothandel online shop. I may have to order these someday soon and give them a go! I haven’t looked if these are in other stores outside the Netherlands but I do know that Marta Stewart has released flocking powder in assorted colors that I bet you can use for a project like this as well.
Have you ever seen or tried anything like these before? Let me know!

Get Teeezed in the boudoir!
Dutch cosmetics brand TEEEZ has recently come out with a wonderful new collection called Boudoir Secrets. And I just have to tell you about it
because not only is this new collection is decorated with a gorgeous print that has gems and cameo jewelry ll over the packaging of the 4 different products. But it also a reminder of the abundance 18th century queen of France Marie Antoinette must have lived in, a rebellious diva who had a passion for the pleasures in life. I love that, the opulence of that time and the sultry style of this collection make a gorgeous combination that I just have to share with you all.
The Boudoir Secrets collection consists of a Bold Eyeliner Pencil, French Kiss Lip Gelée, Boudoir Mascara and of course Couture Nail Lacquer. Renewed formulas, seductive colors and unique packaging make this collection to a serious must have for a sensual and elegant look this holiday season.
Now I wouldn’t have a nail blog if I didn’t want to share the lovely set of 8 new polish colors with you. This set of nail lacquers has 4 rich colors and 4 lovely more muted pastels as you can see on the picture below:
The Couture Nail Lacquers one by one:
- First in the set is Femme Fatale 09, which seems to be a re-release that first was a bit more red but has now morphed into a creamy pink color.
- After that we have Smooth 08 which is not to be confused with the holo lacquer they have called Smooth 01! This seems to be a pink colored cream.
- Outta control 07 is my favorite color of them all, and I’m sure you can guess why, yep it’s a lovely violet cream.
- Icy 02 is a semi transparent lacquer with ultra fine pearl particles. It makes the surface of your nails very smooth, leaving a soft layer like Gel Nails, for an elegant finish.
- Rebel 12 is a gorgeous coral that is sure to look beautiful on your nails during these cool winter days where you need a bit of warmth in your color palette.
- Gutsy 05 can only be described as a rich salmon pink cream that is just a bit darker than a nude but certainly looks to be a nice neutral color to wear.
- Cool 04 is a very soft light baby blue, a color that not everyone can rock but if you can I’m sure it will quickly become one of your favorites.
- And last but not least Free 06, a nice khaki color that is right in between an army green and a grey.
All of these powerful pastels have been directly translated from the latest catwalk trends. And with this new collection Teeez is also introducing an unique formulation: the lacquers leave a thick but smooth layer on the nails, which almost like a Gel Nail effect. They apply thick but are said to be quick drying and will last up to 5 days without chipping! I will of course test this out as soon as I get my hands on one of these.
The polishes are Big 3 Free (free from hazardous ingredients dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde) by they way and have a thick flat brush.
Another wonderful bit of info is that they are fragrance free: therefore suitable for people with a sensitive skin. And one last bit of info but to me one of the most important things is that they have not been tested on animals.
If you want to find out more about this particular brand just visit their website at http://www.teeez.eu, you can also use the site look up if there’s a store that sells Teeez near you!
Are you interested in this new collection or will you be skipping this one? If so, why?











































































