Essence 'You Belong Me To Me'

You may think: huh, is this a dejá vù? Well, it kinda is, because I already talked about this polish before, by this comparison. But now I wanted to test the polish on real nails. And I have to say: this color is definitely one of my faves! :)

Essence You Belong To Me (2 coats), indirect sunlight

Alright, this polish has excellent quality, especially for €1,79. Opaque in 1 coat, nice shine and the texture is not very thin, but not very thick. With this polish (and other pretty new colors), Essence shows that they keep on improving their nail polishes. That's why I can't wait for the new assortment!
In different not-outdoors lighting, the color is a bit more turquoise than you see above.
In short: a very nice bright blue polish with a very nice price too.

XOXO
Blossom

Catrice 'I Scream Peach!'

Sniff, sniff, another polish that will be removed from the Catrice assortment. :(
Because you still can get it now (for 50% off), I'm going to swatch this color. A very bright orange color.
I always thought the color peach is way lighter than this polish shows, but maybe because of the name (I Scream Peach!) they exaggerated the orange by making it a bright one.

Catrice I Scream Peach! (2 coats), indirect sunlight

Close-up Catrice I Scream Peach! (2 coats), indirect sunlight

Sorry that the nail polish doesn't look that pretty anymore, but I've been wearing this color for 2 days now.
Applying is easy and it's pretty opaque in 2 coats, but in some lighting you will see a bit of VNL (visible nail line). That's why I recommend you to apply 3 thin coats.

Like I said, another polish that will dissapear, but get it now, while you still can!

XOXO
Blossom

Friday Favorites: Mean Girls

Today, we want to talk about our favorite movie: Mean Girls. This is such a classic, as a girl you must have seen it, otherwise you're not fetch. Reasons we love this movie:
- Well-written storyline
- The humor
- The characters
- The iconic quotes

With these things above, we actually said enough about it. It's just in one word: flawless. And we all know flawless teengirl/chick flick movies are rare, because there aren't a lot of those films which features all the things above, and most of them are too much of a cliché to be (at least a bit) believable. The fabulous Tina Fey wrote it, and also starred as Ms. Norbury, the math teacher. Nowadays, she is world famous for creating (and starring in) 30 Rock, as well as being a writer and star on Saturday Night Live for many years (which for some reason is still not being aired in the Netherlands. Hello, cable companies, don't you want more money? Tons of people would watch this show). Her witty writing and her understanding of teenage girls led to the creation of a realistic (and shocking, if you're a boy) storyline of how girls treat each other.


We would like to show you our favorite quotes:

Cady:

- "Yeah, everyone in Africa can read Swedish." 

- "Grool... I meant to say cool and then I started to say great."


Regina:
- "Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It's not going to happen!"
- "Boo, you whore."
- "Is butter a carb?"- "Get in loser, we're going shopping!"

- "I know, right?"

- "Shut up."

Gretchen:- "That is so fetch!"

- "Oh my God, Karen... You can't just ask people why they're white."
- "I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me. But I can't help it that I'm popular!"

- "Irregardless, ex-boyfriends are just off limits to friends. I mean that's just like, the rules of feminism!"

Karen:
- "On Wednesdays we wear pink."
- "So if you're from Africa... Why are you white?"
- "I'm kind of psychic...I have a fifth sense!"
- "It's like I have ESPN or something. My breasts can always tell when it's going to rain."

- "I'm a mouse, duh."

Janis:
- "You smell like a baby prostitute."
- "And this is Damian. He's almost too gay to function."
- "Wow, Damian, you've truly out-gayed yourself."
- "And evil takes a human form in Regina George. Ah, now don't be fooled... 'Cause she may seem like your typical, selfish, back-stabbing, slut-faced, ho-bag; but in reality, she is so much more than that."

Damian:
- "Glen Coco? Four for you Glen Coco! You go Glen Coco!"
- "I want my pink shirt back! I WANT MY PINK SHIRT BACK!"
- "That's why her hair's so big, it's full of secrets!" (about Gretchen)

Coach Carr:
- "Don't have sex. Because you will get pregnant. And die. Don't have sex in the missionary position, don't have sex standing up... Just don't do it. Promise? Okay everybody grab some rubbers!"

And finally, two golden pieces of dialogue:

Girl: "I wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school. I wish that I could bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles and and we'd all eat and be happy..."
Damien: "She doesn't even go here!"
Ms. Norbury: "Do you even go to this school?"
Girl: "No...I just have a lot of feelings..."

Janis: "Regina George... How do I begin to explain Regina George?"

Emma Gerber: "Regina George is flawless."

Lea Edwards: "She has two Fendi purses and a silver Lexus."

Mathlete: "I hear her hair's insured for $10,000."

Amber D'Alessio: "I hear she does car commercials... in Japan."

Kristen Hadley: "Her favorite movie is Varsity Blues."

Girl: "One time she met John Stamos on a plane."

Jessica Lopez: "...and he told her she was pretty."

Bethany Byrd: "One time she punched me in the face... it was awesome."

Everybody who's seen the movie, must have recognized these quotes. A lot of these one-liners are still used in the daily life, just because the movie is so famous and iconic ('You go Glen Coco,' for instance, has become an important part of online-speak)!
Every teen (including boys in our opinion; we know of many who've enjoyed the film) should see this movie at least once in their lives. So if you haven't watched it yet, WATCH IT!
But if you have already seen Mean Girls, tell us how many times so far? And what are your favorite quotes?


XOXO
Sapphyre and Blossom


Disclaimer: GIFs are NOT OURS! But they are fabulous and will illustrate any point you make -- especially the 'Shut up'-one.

Essence 'Wanna Kiss?' + Gosh 'Magic Star'

Today I have a mani that I wanted to show everyone before Essence completely clears out their Multi Dimension line (which they're in the process of doing); this polish can still be found in Kruidvat all over The Netherlands, you just need to be in luck and have a Kruidvat 1) with a double Essence stand and 2) where all the 50% off Catrice and Essence products aren't all sold out yet.


Anyway, on my tips right now is Essence Multi Dimension Wanna Kiss?, which has been there since Friday night (pictures taken today -- amazing chip resistance!). Yesterday evening I didn't have time to completely redo my manicure, but I was tired of the look and worried it might start chipping (one can only hold off disaster for so long), so I put on my trusty Gosh Magic Star, a pastel-glitter topcoat that isn't awfully gaudy but just adds a nice sparkle. As I'm working this week, I'm trying to keep things a bit softer (although it wouldn't bother anyone if my nails were bright green). Due to the terrible rain of the moment, however, I can give you no better than these pictures below.

Essence Multi Dimension Wanna Kiss? (3 coats) + Gosh Magic Star (1 coat)

Extra blurry pic to show the blingy glitter, which looks mostly soft pink if not under lighting

This color is seriously one of my new favorites: it doesn't chip in four/five days of working, travelling, dishes etcetera, and the hue itself is really nice. It's a light pink which has more of a purple than a peachy vibe to it (meaning blue undertones), that doesn't give you lobster hands at all -- it actually makes my hands look more tanned. Essence's Multi Dimension line really impressed me in the past, and I am sorry to see it go. If you can still get your hands on this baby (normally €1,79 but now on sale for just €0,89), I'd recommend you do!

Milani 3D Holographic 'Digital'

Hi y'all! Because Sapphyre and I both loooove holographic (rainbow glitters, duh!) and pink (duh!) we both have this polish in our stash. I shortened my nails a bit and I have to say I like this length better than the one I had. And when I have shorter nails I love to wear glitter polishes because I think they are a bit too much with long nails.

Milani 3D Holographic Digital (3 coats), indirect sunlight

Alright, this photo is the worst because there is no sunlight, but I wanted to post the pic anyway to give you an idea how it looks without good lighting. You can see some glitters with different colors but this pic doesn't do the polish justice at all. I made some other photos with good lighting.

Milani 3D Holographic Digital (3 coats), artificial light

Maybe a bit blurry, but now you can see the rainbow glitter better. I made this picture in my kitchen, so you don't need any sun at all. This polish shows the holographic-'ness' pretty fast.

Milani 3D Holographic Digital (3 coats), artificial light

I think this is a beautiful polish and in the sun it's even more beautiful, but you can see that the result  in artifical light is already magnificent. This means you can wear this polish to school and show off your pink in rainbow-glitter-covered nails even in the dreadfull classroom lighting. I have another holographic polish which doesn't show its glitters as properly in artifical light as this polish does. I would like to try the other colors from Milani's 3D Holographic-line, but unfortunately, money doesn't grow on trees, you know. ;)

XOXO
Blossom

Random blogpost: Glitter!

As you may guess from our name, everything sparkly, glittery, or shiny captures our attention almost immediately. Needless to say, we also love glitter polishes like crazy. I am a huge fan of OPI glitter polishes in particular, which they traditionally bring out at Christmas. It still pains me to say I didn't buy Mad As A Hatter when I had the chance, and it still is the one polish I really desire (I've tried to find dupes, but unfortunately Funky Fingers Icicle Lights was no match... not special enough). When the Burlesque collection came, though, I swiftly sweeped up my favorites, which are Bring on the Bling, Sparkle-iscious, and Simmer and Shimmer (all of which you'll probably see come by in future NOTDs).

You may ask why I am rambling on about glitter like this, but trust me, I am all leading you to something great: for the upcoming Christmas collection, OPI has teamed up with the Muppets! First of all, I love the Muppets on their own, especially the Ma-nah Ma-nah song, but their wild colours are sure to make for an awesome collection. Although only official pictures have been released so far, here's what I can show you:

This promotional Lena White (UK distributor) poster shows us all great 12 colors (plus shatter); I will definitely be going for Rainbow Connection (though I hope it's not a Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday/Milani Gems dupe, as I went through a lot of trouble to get the latter), and probably also Divine Swine, Excuse Moi!, and Gettin' Miss Piggy With It!

Another nail blogger, Short Wide Nails, has an image of all of the colors, swatched:

Not our image; source: Short Wide Nails

This collection looks really great (although I never get the six 'boring,' safe colors that OPI puts in... Don't they have enough reds by now?), and I can't wait for it to hit the shelves! It'll probably be out around October in the USA, with Europe usually not far behind.

Sally Hansen Hard Extreme Wear 'Hot Magenta'

I feel kind of weird showing you two Sally Hansen polishes in a row, especially since they're the only two I have of the brand, but I was curious how the second one would look on my skin (no nail wheels at hand), so I put on Hot Magenta, from the Hard Extreme Wear line, which has thinner, longer bottles. Unfortunately I misplaced the bottle when I wanted to take pictures, so it's not shown in the swatch photos.

Sally Hansen Hot Magenta (2 coats), indirect sunlight

Sally Hansen Hot Magenta (2 coats), indirect sunlight

The camera wouldn't really pick up Hot Magenta's true hue: in reality it is much more like the hot pink you see in the reflection in the second picture. It applied like a dream, I have to say: I could've gotten away with just one (!) coat, but I chose to add another to cover a few small bald spots.
I was really amazed by the consistency; usually pigmented polishes (aka one-coaters) are too thick to spread evenly on the nail, but this one practically applied itself. Good job, Sally Hansen!

Pieces 'Lavender Haze'

A beautiful light purple pastel. Though the weather may say otherwise, it's still summer and because of that I'm not in the mood for dark colors and that's why I grab light, pastel and bright colors these days.
One of my favorite light colors is this polish from Pieces.

Pieces Lavender Haze (3 coats), indirect sunlight

Close-up, indirect sunlight

It has a creamy texture and it doesn't leave streaks behind after you put it on. But it's a thick polish so you have to apply it quickly, because otherwise it will dry too soon and your latest streak will not mix well with the older streaks so it'll look like a thick mess.
And to be honest, I don't like the rectangular shape of the bottle so if you are a person (like me) who turns the brush while you apply your nail polish it doesn't go very easy and fast, so there will be more time between your streaks which lead up to the thick mess-thing.
But in the end, I love the color and because it's opaque in 3 coats it's worth all the applying-'drama'.

XOXO
Blossom

Friday Favorites: SYOSS Repair 1-Minute Intensive Mask

Welcome to another new section of our blog: Friday Favorites. Every Friday we will give you an exclusive look into our absolutely favorite things. These things can vary from a mascara to a recipe and a body lotion to a book.
Random stuff we like to use/see/taste/hear/read. Here we go!

SYOSS Repair 1-Minute Intensive Mask

I really love using the SYOSS-line. At the moment I use the shampoo, conditioner, mask and heat-protector (from different lines).
And today I want to talk about the mask. The 1-minute Intensive Mask to be precisely. It makes my hair less frizzy and extra smooth after I washed my locks. I dry my hair with a hair dryer, so using a repairing mask (at least once a week) is very important.
I really like using this mask, but I have also tried the SYOSS Repair 2-Minute mask about a year ago, and that one also made a big positive difference between the times I used it and didn't use it. In fact, I have also tried some masks from other brands (for example L'Oréal) and I don't remember noticing a big difference. So from my experience, SYOSS have very nice masks which smoothes and repair your locks, just like the label promises -- but the good thing is that you get a huge jar for just €5.95, which'll last you quite some time.
What are your experiences with hair masks? Which one(s) do you recommend? Please let us know.

XOXO
Blossom

Celebrity Look: Britney Spears 'I Wanna Go'

Girl looks flawless.

It's Britney Bitch! I, as a super-duper Britney fan had to try this look when the video of her new single I Wanna Go was released. This is one of the rare occasions that La Spears wears something on her nails, and if I can link Britney to nail polish in any kind of way, I will. Britney is the first celeb to be featured in our new section: Celebrity Look.

This is the oh-so-easy-to-recreate look on my tips:

The IWG-look (further description below), direct sunlight

Close-up, direct sunlight

To recreate this look I used these colors (of course any red, white or black polish from other brands will also do):
Thumb + ring: Barry M Matt White (2 coats)
Index + pinky: Catrice Back To Black old version (2 coats)
Middle: Catrice Bloody Mary To Go (3 coats, you still can see my nail line, aargggh :( )

I'm not very fond of this look (shame on me, lol). I think if you don't wear red-white-black clothes or hair extensions, this look isn't much fun and pretty random. Everyone can forget the hair extensions, but if you want a good tip on the clothing, I made something up very cleverly: wear this look with a 'I ♥ (city name)'-shirt.
Yesterday, I wore the London version accidentally while I was thinking which manicure I was going to put on next. And I reminded myself I could wear the I Wanna Go-look, since I've been wanting to try it for a while and I was wearing a shirt which features the exact three colors of the look!
But in the end, I don't think I will ever polish my nails in this way, just because I don't really like to wear the colors red and black and I'm not going to wear my London-shirt for three or four days in a row just to make the look happen. But Britney wore it, so I'm glad I tried it anyway. Have fun yourself, though! ;)

XOXO
Blossom

P.S.: I Wanna Go video link

If 'Oh, Tiff!' and 'Take Me To Your Chateau' had a baby...

I really love baby blue and turquoise colors. It stands out and looks very cute and young in some way. So last weekend, when I bought Essence You Belong To Me I noticed it was a mixture (in my eyes) between two other blue colors I already have: Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau and Diamond Cosmetics Oh, Tiff!. So here is the formula:

Oh, Tiff ! + Take Me To Your Chateau = You Belong To Me (each 2 coats), indirect sunlight

O, T!, TMTYC, YBTM, indirect sunlight

 Take Me To Your Chateau is definitely one of my absolute faves. It's opaque in just one coat and it's very easy to put on.

Of course I love the other blue colors too, but TMTYC is a very bright baby blue which totally stole my heart. In fact, because of this polish baby blue has become my favorite color in general (besides pink, duh).
So here you go, with this comparison you can decide yourself what color you like most.

XOXO
Blossom

Sally Hansen Ultra HD 'Laser'

Today I get to show you one of my newest conquests: my aunt brought me two Sally Hansen's from the US, and I was mesmerized by this baby below:

Sally Hansen Ultra HD Laser (3 coats), indirect sunlight

Close up of Laser under indirect sunlight

Close up of Laser under indoor lighting to show the purple glow

This is Laser, part of Sally Hansen's Ultra HD line, which basically means that it's jam-packed with really fine glitter, giving the polish its depth (unfortunately, this is not translated onto camera well...). While I'm typing this, I'm constantly watching my nails change color from dark blue to shiny purple. It's not what I would call a duochrome at all; rather it's the glitter that gives Laser its fantastic appearance.

Because it seems a bit like a glass fleck polish, I should note that it does not become opaque quickly; in the pictures above I am wearing 3 thin coats, but in the wrong lighting I can still spot some VNL (visible nail line).

Although I am not a fan of this kind of blue generally (prefer lighter/darker hues), I think the 'HD' in this polish does make it special :) I think this line is not on sale in The Netherlands, but it should be around $5,50 in the USA -- or on eBay ;)

Pastel Shatter Mani

Last week, I decided to try a pastel rainbow manicure, using various summery budget polishes. After about four days, I became tired with the look (and the small chip that had appeared on my right index finger), and then this happened:

Pastel Black Shatter Mani (further description below), indirect sunlight

Close Up of the Shatter effect

This is what was on my nails (on both hands):
Thumb: Catrice Sweets For My Sweets (3 coats)
Index: Essence Makes Me Weak (2 coats)
Middle: Catrice Bye, Bye Birdy (2 coats)
Ring: Essence LE You Rock Speed Of Light Blue (2 coats)
Pinky: Essence Dress For A Moment (2 coats)


Blossom and I have some issues with Sweets For My Sweets, as ours seem to have a slightly different color -- hers is darker than mine, and mine (which is an old purchase) seems more Barbie pink. Nevertheless, I'm crazy about these budget pastels (which range from €1,29 to €2,49).


We decided a couple of months ago to invest in OPI Black Shatter, priced at €13,95 here in The Netherlands, and although I am still not 100% sure on my feelings about the look, I can't help but smile about all the comments I get from people thinking that my nails are either stickers or drawn on. However, as I'm a perfectionist, the fact that the crackle isn't identical on each nail still bothers me (which is why I'm currently sporting a different mani). The image above shows the difference in applying Black Shatter thickly (thumb -- middle) or thinly (ring -- pinky). This wasn't on purpose at all... I just always have to get used to applying thick coats!


XOXO
Sapphyre

Essence 'Movin' On' + 'Hello Holo'

Hi!

So this is Sparkly Tips' first swatch: Essence's Movin' On and Hello Holo.
I bought Movin' On because I was looking for a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Waking Up In Vegas and the other day I saw a swatch of MO and I thought it looked pretty close.
And with that price (€1,79), who wouldn't give it a try?

Essence Movin' On (3 coats), indirect sunlight

Essence MO (2 coats) + Hello Holo (2 coats), indirect sunlight

I really like this color, whether it's a perfect WUIV dupe or not.
It's opaque in just two coats and the formula is very nice: it's not streaky.
And because I was in the mood for a Blackberry Manicure (which means adding a twist to your mani by making your thumbs more fun to look at while texting), I topped my thumbs' manicure off with Hello Holo, a very va-va-voom rainbow glitter. Don't we all love that?
Actually I don't know how holographic this nail polish really is, but it does have a lot of colors in it, I can tell you -- I would call it a holo glitter rather than a true 'full' holo.
I didn't try the Hello Holo on its own, without a color beneath it, but I think this is one of the rare glitter top coats that would cover the nail completely with three or four coats. It costs €1,79 as well -- great price :D.

XOXO
Blossom

Welcome!

Hi everyone!


We would like to welcome you to our brand new blog, so introductions are in order! We are two Dutch girls, aged 16 and 18, who share an obsession for nail polish, cats (especially kittens), sushi, general unhealthy foods (such as cupcakes), sparkly stuff (hence the name) and pretty much anything cute.
We've mainly started our blog to spread our love of nail polish, but the other things mentioned earlier will surely make cameos as well. :)


For now, we'll say see you soon, using our cleverly thought up (or NOT) aliases!


XOXO
Blossom & Sapphyre