New Favourite Nude Nails! My Nightly Craving - Gelish #579 Swatches

I was all set at my recent nail appointment to go for a deep and shimmery grey polish over the top of my clear acrylics, but then the lady next to me pulled out a few nude shades and my eyes clapped onto this grey/brown/pink/lavender nude concotion and I was all "excuse me, what number is THAT!?" I googled the number from the swatch stick at the salon and it turns out that My Nightly Craving was released in 2013 in the Under Her Spell collection, which was full of cozy cream shades that scream winter. Perfect for the rainy grey weather Melbourne is experiencing this week!

This is my first time using a Shellac/Gel/Gelish type product over false nails, and I have to say that not having to sit and wait an absolute age for them to dry has already won me over! They're also a lot shinier than a standard polish with OPI topcoat, even Mr commented that they looked fancier than normal so that's a win. Something to note is that the colour does seem to fade/change a little over time, which was also noted in this blog post I came across in my searches. It doesn't really phase me as it just seems to be a tad more brown-nude than the pinked lavender greige kind of nude it began as, and I like both of those nude variants anyway! If you're going to be scrutinizing your nails though, the shift of pink and brown may drive you a little insane.

 

It was hard to capture just how beautiful this shade is, so it's worth having a look if you have access to Gelish where you are. The colour change is a bit of a pain but no-one looking at my nails has noticed it and the compliments have been rolling in. I'm very tempted to pick up a full bottle of this next time I'm out shopping...

Emma x

Anniversary Nails; Rose Cashmere with Razzle & Dazzle

When it came to choosing a nail colour for our anniversary weekend away, I knew I wanted to choose a feminine looking shade that would push me outside of my comfort zone a little bit. As soon as I saw Michele1218 wearing a chic neutral in this video I decided to go down that route...what I eventually decided on was much more pink in tone but I was still happy with the dusty nature of the shade and how the glitter made it a little more festive for our mini-break!

I'm definitely happier with how this looks on my newly applied acrylics, my nails are too weak to polish so I like to get clear acrylics and be able to enjoy my nail polish collection properly! I chose L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Le Vernis in Rose Cashmere, which is a dusty pink mauve crème that screams chic to me, almost like a grown up Barbie colour? It's pulling a bit more purple in these photos than it looks in reality, I definitely recommend checking out this L'Oreal range in store as most of my favourite shades come from this line and can be hard to capture on the fly!

I topped my last two fingers with a coat of Savvy by DB's Razzle & Dazzle which is way prettier on the nail than the bottle would suggest (check out this full mani I found online, it's stunning!) I love the way the fine gold shimmer and pink hexes tie in with the base shade perfectly, I can't wait to see what this topper looks like on top of other manicures, too!

When you wear a glitter accent, which fingers do you paint?
What is your favourite feminine nail shade?
-Emma x

Sweet & Simple Nail Art for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day isn’t the biggest deal in the Bovary household (in fact, I think we are less romantic on that day than any other!) but it’s a nice excuse to share a good meal and there is definitely no harm in that! We’re heading down to the beach house tonight with Charlie in tow, to chill out and hopefully head to a restaurant for dinner tomorrow night. I’m not one for elaborate nail art most of the time as my skills are lacking, but cute simple nail art is hard to beat and I painted my nails with the first design that popped into my head when I thought about love and how simple it should be!

I started with two coats of FABY Valentina’s Day* before using my el cheapo eBay dotting tools to turn three dots of FABY Innocent Fantasy* into a cute love heart on my ring finger! My nails have all broken right down after having acrylics for the wedding, so please forgive the state of them. Valentina’s Day flooded some of my cuticles but I really think that was because I didn’t give myself a manicure before throwing on the colour, the formula was pretty decent and I like that it’s more a strawberry red shade than a straight up harsh fire engine sort of rouge. Innocent Fantasy seemed to be more pigmented than the similar shades I have from essie so that’s always a positive – I haven’t painted my whole nail with it though so I’ll reserve judgement. FABY has only just launched in Australia and I’m happy to have another 5 free brand around!

Mister Bovary was actually really impressed with how quick and cute the nail look ended up being, and I think next time I might try it with a metallic blue shade and some silver or white polish to change it up a bit. I adore my dotting tools, they are so easy to use and being so affordable means I was able to pick my mother in law up a set as well – she goes through stages with polish and has a pretty enviable OPI stash I must say!

Are you a Valentine’s Day lover or hater? It’s my first one as a wife! I have my fingers crossed that cupid hits Mister and he nabs me a sweet mug for my morning coffee…otherwise I might pick myself up a new one in Rosebud!

-Emma

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

A Halloween Quad for your Nails - OPI Rock Goddess

Is it just me, or does Halloween seem more popular in Australia than ever before? I've always been a fan of a little trick or treating over the years, and now that we've got our own place I have a pumpkin basket full of sweets ready for any little ghouls that pass my way. OPI have sent me out a 'Rock Goddess' mini pack* which I thought was perfect for the 31st of October, so I decided to use all 4 shades (and the cute black and silver skull bracelet!) in a spooky manicure.

The bright creme yellow 'Yellopalooza' is something I'm really happy to have in my stash even though I'm not sure I'd rock a whole mani with it. Perfect for nail art (think flowers etc.) it's nicely pigmented and I think a yellow like this is a necessity in most nail lovers collections.

The citrus 'Stand in Lime for Days' is right up my alley shade wise, but I was a little frustrated at the streaky marks I was left with after 2-3 coats. I think it's a lovely shade though, so I would still persevere to enjoy it but wouldn't rush out to buy a full sized bottle.

'Rolling Bones' definitely wins the title of best shade name in this mini kit, and I love the spliced shimmer style of a colour like this. I did find it quite sheer though, so if I were to use it for a whole manicure I would definitely layer it over another dark shade so as not to waste it. I thought this would be my favourite shade from the set, until...

'The Drummer is Hot' came along! Despite kind of despising the name, this one-coater (yes! so impressed!) really wowed me. A tomato red with an orange kick in the pants, it was almost too easy to wear and any polish this pigmented deserves a stack of love.

So what do we think- does this rock music inspired nail kit fit in with the Halloween spirit (if we even call it that?) I think it's a bit out there and has a bit of attitude, which is what Halloween is all about for me!

Which shade is your favourite?
What do you do to celebrate Halloween?

Emma @ emmabovarybeauty

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Strawberry Fizz with Gold Glam

 

I am head over heels for the beautiful bright nail shades from Rimmel, and by topping my middle finger with a layer of Jordana’s Gold Glam I was able to jazz it up a little! I like the way the hexes in the golden glitter stand out, and the shade suits the Barbie-esque pink shade of Strawberry Fizz.

 

I’m not normally one for cocktail jewellery of any sort, as I have my staples which I rarely switch up, but sometimes it is nice to pop on something pretty and blingy! Cue the el cheapo, which I’d say was from Diva but it was bought so long ago that I can’t really remember clearly.

 

I think I’ve made the decision that Rimmel’s Strawberry Fizz is the perfect pink for me! What does your perfect pink look like?

 

*Both polishes were bought by me! Honesty, always.

 

 

 

 

 

hauling polish // ft. Rimmel, Essie, China Glaze

For someone who isn't really 'into' nail polish, I sure have a shed load of the stuff!

Target had $4 off Rimmel products, and I realised that it brought their I <3 Lasting Finish shades down to $1.95AUD. I snapped up 5 colours that I adore, and can see myself getting a lot of wear from.

Lively Lilac, Disco Ball

Misty Jade, Hot & Spicy, Strawberry Fizz

So many beautiful shades for less than $10!

I am a huge Essie fan, and was elated to see the Resort Collection mini cube on sale for $5 at my discount chemist. China Glaze were also on offer, and I was good and only chose two shades.

I love the Essie formulation and they seem to have shades that I find really wearable. They are fast becoming my very favourite nail brand!

Your Hut Or Mine, Fair Game, Lion Around, Da Bush

Snow Globe, Secret Peri-winkle

These two shades are right up my alley, I have a few blues like this and adore them all, so was happy with my choice. Snow Globe is one that I have always loved the look of, and I never regret buying glittery top coat sort of shades as you can practically wear them with everything!

Let me know which shade stands out to you most, and what swatches you would like to see and I will be sure to fast track them.

*These were purchased by me. Honesty, always.

Cute as a Button

This polish is described as a 'juicy persimmon delight' on the US Essie site (here) I would describe it as a light peachy pink coral, which appears a little neon in some lights and dusty in others.

I adore the name of this polish, the shade itself is indeed cute as a button so it is very fitting!

I wore this a few weeks ago when Chris and I stayed at his family beach house, and though the wind was howling and the air was chilly, I was happy to have this little ray of muted sunshine on my fingers.

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Do you tend to wear darker shades in colder weather, or are you like me and brighten up your nails?