QOTW 9: Hobbies

Hey there! :)

Today's QOTW isn't polish related but still fun! :)

What are your hobbies other than nail polish/nail art?

I have to admit, I don't have too many hobbies. Nails are my main hobby. :D

But some other things I enjoy are...

• Crafts! I'd consider myself a pretty crafty person! I really like making charms with polymer clay (though I haven't done that for a few months now). I used to be very into card making and scrapbooking too! :)
• Blogging. Yes, this is nail polish related because my blog is obviously a nail polish blog but I thought I'd include it anyway. ;) I love blogging, it's really fun for me.
• Movies. I love going to the movies! :) I see at least a few movies a month. It would be a lot cheaper to wait till movies are on DVD and then rent them, but I like the whole "experience" of going to the cinemas. That sounds so cheesy. :P
• Writing. I guess this is where my blogging love comes from. In primary school I absolutely loved reading and writing! I wrote a lot of stories and even wanted to be an author when I was younger. I am a huge list maker also. ;)

They're just a few hobbies I can think of off the top of my head. :)

So what are your hobbies? I'd love to know. :D

Elissa

QOTW 8: Do You Own Any HTFs?

Helloooo my polish addicted friends. :D

This week's question is...
Which HTF (hard to find) polishes do you have in your collection?

I don't feel like I really own any SUPER HTFs, but I do have a couple. :)

MaxFactor Fantasy Fire - FF is a polish that everyone wants to get their hands on. It recently was released here in Australia. It's a part of MF's core line of polishes and it's a dupe for Clarins 230, one of the most cult favourite nail polishes! It's a sheer purple with some duochrome-ness of green and red and amazingness. I have a post on it, here! :) This polish is considered HTF to many countries around the world but I can find this in loads of places here (if they haven't all been snatched, that is).

Sally Hansen Pink Rose Diamond - Pink Rose Diamond is from the Nail Prism line by Sally Hansen and it is a linear holo! :D It's completely gorgeous. This isn't exactly considered HTF but you'd never find it in stores anymore. This particular Nail Prism is one of the more common ones and you can buy it on eBay. Some of the other Nail Prisms are much harder, if not impossible, to find. I have a post on this one here.

Aaaand as of a couple weeks ago, I own China Glaze GR8 from the OMG collection! :O WOOT WOOT! This is the only one that I feel is truly HTF because it's discontinued but many people still want to get their hands on them. :) I'm so happy to own this gorgeous gold (with sort of a green undertone) holo!

So I don't really own any truly HTF polishes but these are the hardest to find ones in my collection.

Do you own any HTFs? What are they? :D

Elissa

QOTW 7: Nail Polish Pet Peeves

Happy Sunday polish fiends! :)

This week's QOTW is...

What are your nail related pet peeves? 

I must admit I have a lot of nail related pet peeves. :/ I get annoyed by nail related things a lot!
I won't bore you with all of them... But here are some. :P

• Pearl or frost finish polishes. I haaaaaate them! I don't really know what it is, they just are NOT appealing to me at all.
• The OPI Not Like the Movies style duochrome. I think I thought it was cool when I first saw it. Then I tried Essence - Where is the Party?, which is similar (darker, I think, but has a similar duochrome effect), and I absolutely hated it. It turned me off duochromes but I've found ones I like since then.
• Dry or cut cuticles. I often see pretty manicures totally ruined by very dry cuticles and it's so disappointing! :( Just use some cuticle oil or even some regular body lotion on your hands and cuticles, okay ladies? I promise it'll make your manicure look a million times better. :)

I don't want to be too negative so I'll just leave you with those 3 pet peeves. ;) I could go on forever though...

What are your pet peeves? :)

Elissa

QOTW 6: What Colour Do You Own The Most Of?

Hi girls. :D Hope your weekend is going well!

Today's QOTW is...
What colour do you own the most of in your nail polish collection?

I really don't know which colour I own the most of in my collection. I try not to buy a lot of the same colour if I have something similar!
I'd say I probably own the most blue polishes! :) All different shades, ranging from super light to super dark, I own a lot of blue and I love wearing blue. Kinda funny because I used to think it looked really weird and unnatural haha!

What colour do you own the most of? :)

Elissa

QOTW 5: Favourite Nail Polish Brand

Hey girls! :) How are we all? Hope you're having a good weekend!

Today's QOTW is...
What is your favourite nail polish brand?

To be honest I don't know if I can pin point one favourite brand. I like a lot of brands and I have things that I like and dislike about every brand! I can definitely choose a few that are up there though. :)

O.P.I
OPI is definitely one of my favourite brands if I had to choose. The formula on every OPI I've tried is great and I love their wide brushes. I think OPI nail polishes were the ones that got me addicted to polish. I didn't even know that OPI was sold in Australia until a bit over a year ago. I was super disappointed when I discovered that they retail for $19.95 here. :( I'll admit I paid full price for maybe half my OPIs in my collection. My first OPI polish was Do You Lilac It and I absolutely loved it. I've used half the bottle which rarely happens! I love OPI because they frequently release new collections (about 8 a year I believe...?) and there's always at least a few from each collection that I feel like I must own! :) If OPI weren't so expensive here (though I can buy it cheaper online), it would be my favourite. I think I own about 10 full size OPIs now, and a whole lot of minis! I will say that I hate the brushes on their mini bottles.

China Glaze
China Glaze is definitely another brand that is totally up there for me! I can find them for a pretty good price in salons here so that's great too. China Glaze doesn't release quite as many collections as OPI does throughout the year but their collections are also quite nice! :) I haven't had any problems with the China Glaze formula at all! I think I have the same amount of China Glaze in my collection as I do OPI. :)

Essence
Essence is definitey one of my all time favourite brands. Their formula is awesome and the price tag is even better! Essence is so freakin' cheap and I just love it. They release TE (trend edition) collections really frequently and they have a lot of awesome unique polishes in their collections! :) I own a lot of Essence and I will definitely continue to buy them! Essence has just recently changed the formula and colours of their core line polishes which is both exciting and disappointing for me. I had to stock up on some of my faves before they got discontinued. ;)

Ulta3
Ulta3 is an Australian brand that can be found in pharmacies, Target and some supermarkets. You kind of have to 'bin dive' for colours and you don't really know what you're going to find. Haha. I find the whole bin diving thing kind of annoying when I'm looking for a certain colour. Ulta3 is super cheap at only $2 and their formula is pretty good for the price tag. :) They don't always have super unique colours, but for $2 I like to buy all my basic colours from Ulta3. :) I also find myself buying them when I didn't even mean to go out for polish. :P

So those are just a few of my favourite brands and a little about them. :)
What are your favourite brands and why? If you can, let me know your favourite polishes from within those brands. :D

Elissa

QOTW 4: Favourite Cuticle Care Products

Hello there! Another QOTW for you. :D

This week's question is...
What are your favourite cuticle care products?

Most of us know that the cuticles are super important for the overall health/look of our nails! I'm not gonna get into all the science-y stuff behind it but the cuticles are really important if you want to have nice nails!

When I used to have acrylic nails, I was so cruel to my poor cuticles. They'd always be dry or cut or bleeding. :(
I used to cut my cuticles with cuticle nippers. I would NOT recommend this at all. All you need to do is push your cuticles back once or twice a week, and keep them moisturised! I occasionally use my cuticle nipper to cut hang nails or any bits of dead skin around my fingers/nails. Do not cut live cuticle skin!

I am ALL about moisturising my cuticles. I love it! It makes your manicures look so so so much nicer when your cuticles have been moisturised! :)
I moisturise my cuticles whenever I get a spare moment.
My favourite products for moisturising my cuticles are:

• Lush - Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter! My faaaavourite cuticle butter! It smells AMAZING, and does awesome things for my cuticles. :) I use this one before I go to bed because it is a bit greasy and takes a while to absorb. It's also on the pricey side but it lasts forever. You can also use this butter on any other dry parts of your body like elbows, knees etc. :) This one can be found in Lush stores, or the Lush website. You can also go into a Lush store and ask for a sample before you buy it.
• Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme. This one is more of a waxy balm than a creme. But it's very nice for on-the-go because it's not greasy and it is moisturising. It also smells really lovely. Not as strong as Lush Lemony Flutter but I really like the smell of both of them. I'm not sure how much this one costs because it was given to me as a gift, but I'd say it's cheaper than the Lush one and will also last you a long time.
• CND Solar Oil. I bought a mini bottle of CND Solar Oil cuticle oil when I was in Sydney a few months ago and at first I was not a fan. I'm not a fan of the smell... I can't explain what it smells like but I know that some people do like the smell. I wish I'd bought a full size bottle because this oil is super moisturising and it also absorbs quickly for an oil! :) I've used it all up now and I wish I had more!
• Revitanail Cuticle Oil. I got this cuticle oil as a gift for my birthday about 8 months ago and I still haven't used it all up! It's another nice cuticle oil. It doesn't really have any noticeable scent to me. I like to use this one also before I go to bed.
• OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil On the Go. This cuticle oil comes in a super convenient squeezy tube! This was also given to me as a birthday gift this year. The scent on this one is also a little strange but not unpleasant. :) I mostly like it because of the convenience of the tube.

So I do use a lot of products on my cuticles and it may seem really high maintenance but it's really not that hard to just rub oils/cremes/balms into your cuticles a couple times a day. :)

I also use a thick hand cream before bed, any one will do. :)

You can also just use a regular oil like olive oil if you don't want to buy an oil! Clean out an empty nail polish bottle with acetone and then pour in some olive oil and slather that on your cuticles before bed. :)

So, what are your favourites?! If you don't currently use a cuticle oil or creme, I'd definitely recommend it! You will notice a huge difference in your cuticles and nails. :) Keeping your cuticles moisturised can also help with nail growth so maybe if you are having trouble growing your nails, give an oil a try!

Elissa

QOTW 3: Favourite Top And Base Coats

Hey hey! Another week, another question! :)

This week's question is...
What are your favourite top and base coats?

I try a lot of different base and top coats. Fast drying is the main quality I like in both a base and top coat. I hate waiting for a base coat to dry! And a fast drying top coat is a MUST for me because I usually paint my nails late at night.

My favourite base coats are:
• Duri Rejuvacote - I don't think Rejuvacote is meant to be used as a base coat but I do. It's extremely fast drying, super strengthening and it also promotes growth! It's also very good for girls who are trying to get their nails healthy and strong after wearing acrylic or artificial nails.
• CND Stickey - CND Stickey base coat is just what it sounds like. It dries fast, and I a "Stickey" (yeah their spelling of "sticky" is annoying) finish so that your polish can adhere better!

And my favourite top coats are...
• Seche Vite - Very original I know. Seche Vite is AMAZING though. The fastest drying top coat I have ever tried! And it dries all your layers of polish too! So your whole mani is dry so freaking fast! It is very thick in formula however and once you get about halfway through the bottle you need to thin it out a lot. The shine you get from SV is also amazing. Some people don't like it though because it is NOT 3 Free. I love that I can do my nails, slap on Seche Vite and go to bed in 20 mins and not worry about messing up my nails!
• Essie Good to Go - Good to Go is very similar to SV in my opinion, but less thick. The bottle lasts longer before it needs to be thinned also. Maybe a fraction slower drying time but so nice.
• Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat - Revlon's top coat is not as good as the Seche and Essie top coats but it is pretty good for a "drugstore" top coat. It doesn't dry as fast as Seche & Essie but I'll still use it, if I'm doing my nails in the day time. I'd wait at least an hour before going to bed after using this top coat.
• Sally Hansen Insta Dri - Insta Dri is awesome. A little slower dry time than Seche & Essie but its faster than the Revlon. It's thick but not as thick as Seche. It's super shiny! It also gets thick once you've used a bit of the bottle though.
• Sally Hansen Mega Shine - Mega Shine is pretty similar to Seche Vite for me! Again, a fraction slower dry time but in all other ways, super similar! :)

I'm always looking for new base and top coats to try!
Let me know what your favourites are and what you like about them!

Elissa

QOTW 2: What Are Your Top 5 Polishes?

Hello hello! Here is another QOTW! :)

This week's question is...
What are your top 5 nail polishes?

Yep! Tough one right? For me it is anyway!

I'll have a go though!
• Essie - Lady Like. A muted mauve-y, almost nude colour! So lovely.
• MaxFactor - Fantasy Fire. Just amazingness. Fantasy Fire is a duochrome and it's a dupe for Clarins - 230 and it's amaaaaazing.
• China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy. A coral-pink neon! I looooove Flip Flop Fantasy for pedicures! I actually haven't tried it for a mani yet but I have it on as a pedicure and LOVE it. It's so eye catching!
• Essie - Bikini So Teeny. Gorgeous periwinkle-ish, kinda pastel, but kinda bright blue! Super unique!
• OPI - Just Spotted The Lizard. I'm not particularly a huge fan of duochromes but I knew I wanted this one as soon as I saw it. A dupe for Chanel - Peridot. And I LOVED it when I wore it! So so gorgeous. It's also got the boyfriend tick of approval! ;) My boyfriend thinks it's so cool! And whenever I drag him along to look at polishes he points it out. :P

Sooooo, can you pick a top 5? My top 5 probably changes every week but right now these are my faves! :D
Leave me a comment below! Any totally amazing colours you think I need? ;)

Elissa

QOTW 1: How Do You Store Your Nail Polish?

Hi girls! :)
Just out of the blue I thought about starting a QOTW (Question of the Week) series! :D About all things polish related! I decided I'll post these on Mondays! Which means during October, there'll be two posts a day because of the This is Halloween challenge. :)

This week's question is:
How do you store your nail polish collection?

I store mine in my desk drawers! Since I only use my desk for polishing my nails usually, I decided to just fill the drawers with my polishes. I also made a DIY stand for my polish out of cardboard and a whoooole lot of hot glue... And when I say a whoooole lot, I mean it. :P It isn't the prettiest thing in the world but it's only temporary. :) I use the stand to display my more expensive, favourite or HTF (hard to find) polishes (OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Butter London etc) and then the rest go in the drawers. I also have a basket on my desk which I keep my untrieds in. Or I try to. I sometimes forget to put them in there or just leave them all over my desk! It's hard for me to stay organised! :P

So, how do you store your polishes!? :) I really want to have all my polishes on display because it makes it so much easier to choose a colour! But I have about 200 polishes so it's hard! I want wall racks but 1) I don't have any wall space for them, and 2) they're soooooo expensive! I've thought of DIY-ing them out of wood, but that's still expensive. :(
Help me out if you can think of a way for me to store my polishes if you have any ideas! :)

Leave a comment and let me know how you store yours! :)

Elissa