2 Layla: N05 Gel Effect Nails Swatch & Review ★★★/5

This item was sent to me to review but as always will contain my full honest opinion.

Allo polish Pals!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! The weather here in Holland is beautiful and its only going to get hotter over the next few days! Hows the weather treating you? I'm still having some lighting issues so please bare with me. Thanks to HQ Hair for allowing me to review Layla's polish; Today I have a red to show you! Its a very classy red! As you all know I don't really do red polishes, I'm just not used to seeing that colour on my nails but I am certainly warming to them! Today I have Layla's Gel Effect nail polish. Gel nails without the hassle? Lets give it a go!

You can just about see where the bubble issues occurred!

Colour ~ N05 is a beautiful warm post box red. It is just a really classical red and doesn't really learn towards any other tones. It is incredibly vibrant and not for the faint hearted or those fearing a true red polish! Because it is gel effect it dries to a jelly/vinyl like finish. I do love how glossy and vibrant this looks.

Application ~ I had trouble.. I'm not gonna lie, I found this polish a little problematic to apply. The main reason for my troubles is it can appear streaky. If you have to little or too much on your brush you will notice this and pay for it later. Even with this in mind I noticed bubbles. Bubbles bubbles bubbles. That said, all my troubles went away after the third coat and my topcoat made it look seamless, the bubbles somehow magically vanished.

Texture ~ Its rather on the gloopy side. I guess this can be expected from a gel effect nail polish. I would liken this to the Model's own Ice Neon collection in terms of texture. If you get the quantity of polish on the brush right you should do just fine.

 ★★★/5 I do like this polish and it is the first I've properly tried from Layla and even the first proclaimed gel effect. What I really like is that when you have finished your topcoat is does look incredibly glossy and shiny which gives it a very sophisticated look in my opinion. What I didn't like was the application whether that is my fault of perhaps just my bottle the bubbles where a pain yes they smooth out a little with a topcoat but they still look slightly uneven under harsh scrutiny. If I borrowed this from a friend would I go and buy myself a bottle? I think so, it does have a lovely finish and it is a true red.

What is your 'go to' classic red? Have you tried Layla's Gel Effect polish?

I have some other Layla polishes from their other ranges to show you very soon!

I'm off to nom an avocado!

Have a great start to your week,

Love Ithi

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8 Paisley Gradient with Rainbow Sparkle

Allo polish Pals!

Hope your having a great weekend! Have you been upto much? I've had a pretty quiet one so far, of course there's lots of polish as always. I'm looking forward to some peach cider and a movie with my Partner later :D I figured its been a long time since I last did any stamping! Today I created a really simple gradient but I was really pleased with it. I love the colours together. I then took it a step further. I think I went a little over board with the glitter since the purple/blue looked beautiful with the silver paisley on its own. I've had some bad lighting troubles which I'll explain later so sorry in advance that the colours are not completely true.

 

Rubbish lighting but it looks kinda magical, don't ya think?

I started with two coats of China Glaze's fabulous 'Sunday Funday' and added a gradient using Picture Polishes 'Wisteria' which is a really cute purple which is a lot lighter and less 'plummy' then these pictures. I then stamped the paisley pattern using Color Club's 'On the rocks' and BM 315 plate. I finally finished with a single coat (And I really tried to make this as thin as possible!) of Barry M's 'Diamond Glitter'. And there you have it!

My lighting system was driving me crazy the past few days. I charge it fully and as soon as I go to take pictures it just dims..sigh! So I'm not sure I am happy with how the colours came out in these pictures. In fact I really think Funday Sunday looks entirely different which is a shame because it looks beautiful blended... As longs as this issue is fixed for my next swatches. Sorry guys :c

Have you sported a paisley manicure before? What do you guys think of this mani? Do you think I should have just stuck to silver stamping, is the glitter too much?

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Lots of love

Ithi

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9 Sunshine Award!

The rules for this award are easy and fun:

- Thank the person who nominated you!
- Post the award logo on your blog

- Share 7 facts about yourself

- Nominate 5 or more blogs that inspire you

Allo polish pals! How are we all doing? Are you hanging on for the weekend? Today while I give my nails a well deserved rest and some TLC (I lie a little.. I have a water marble in mind as we speak!) I am posting the sunshine award I received from the ever lovely Gelic who nominated me. Thank you so much Gelic! If you get a chance to check out her blog I really recommend you do!  I am really honored to receive this award from one of my favorite nail bloggers! So lets get started!

1. A big percent of my nail polishes are chilling in England until I can pick them up and bring them to Holland in August (Yipp-ee!)
2. Even as a trained make up artist I can incredibly grossed out when it comes to touching peoples eyes. I always had to act confident even though it terrified me!
3. I have a strange love for socks... You know when people joke about socks for Christmas? I freakin' love getting cute socks!
4. I used to want to be a children's book illustrator. I still like to draw and paint from time to time.
5. I used to be a goth. Long spiked dog collars, knee high buckled platform boots. Yeah. I thought I was so cool.
6.  I'm a huge sushi fan. I don't think there's any seafood I wont gulp down!
7. The only 'English' food I really miss since moving to Holland is Salt and vinegar crisps (chips) because I have a weird habit of licking my chips before I eat them!

The nominee's I am choosing inspire me in different ways. It can be their art skills, the way they write and their use of imagination. There where so many to pick from so I'm sorry if I left someone out.
The 5 blogs I have chosen to nominate are as follows.

Lou is Perfectly Polished ~ Fellow British nail blogger Lou, I've been following her blog since around the time I created Ithinity Beauty. When I see her creations I am sure she is a stamping pro!
Claws Up ~ LittleMonsterx14 whether she is posting about her adventures, showing her nail art or sharing her life I always enjoy reading her blog. She's very creative and I love her use of colour and her inspiration is always unique.
NailCraze ~ I don't remember how I stumbled upon Natalie's blog, Nailcraze but she is a huge inspiration to me. Natalie always has perfectly neat designs and not to mention she is the creator of Nail Craze nail plates, how cool is that?
Owl Love Nails ~ Julia's blog is home to some outstandingly beautiful swatches and offers clear and descriptive reviews about each polish. Julia gets me lemming for so many polishes!
Nail Manic ~ I adore Elin's nail blog. Not only does she post great swatches but her nail art is super cute.  I also find I discover a lot of new brands while browsing Elin's blog and that's great for me because I am always keen to find new favorites!


So there we go! I could have nominated so many more but I'd be sat here for hours! I hope you find time to take a look at these amazing blogs. I'd also like to personally thank each of them because I really do enjoy visiting their sites.

Have a great day!
Love
Ithi

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5 First Adventures Into The Wild! Snow Leopard!

Allo polish Pals!

How is your week going? I can't believe we're half way through the week already!

Today I bravely went where I have not been before.. Animal print! While I love animal print on animals I've always been scared when it comes to animal print clothing or nail art. Well today I took the leap with my first ever leopard print.. Snow leopard to be more precise!

 

I started with two coats of Color Club's 'On The Rocks', a really beautiful metallic silver. I then used Model's Own 'Grey Day' to add spots and bordered them with Mash nail art pen in black. I decided I didn't want just print on my nails so I took it a step further and added some eyes. On my index and ring finger I added circles using Essence 'Lets Get Lost' and Anny's 'Bikini Girl Blue'. I then carefully added the eyes using the mash pen again and lined underneath with Mash nail art pen in white.

What do you guys think? I personally like how the eyes pop out of the silver background! In real life the eyes catch a little shimmer from the Anny polish I applied, it gives it a cute little twinkle!

I didn't realize until after I'd taken the pictures and somehow managed to run out of my supply of batteries that there was some silver around my thumb nail.. Pssh! Oh well :)

Have you guys been inspired to try animal print nails? Did you stick to original colours or did you go crazy with neons?

Have a great day, as always I appreciate your comments on my nail art!

Love

Ithi

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11 Model's Own: Bubblegum Ice Neon Collection Swatch & Review ★★★★/5

Allo polish Pals!

How is your week going? Hope you had a fantastic weekend! I'm excited this week as my Partner and I will be booking our tickets to visit my family in England. Some of you know I moved to Holland in February so I am looking forward to a good catch up and seeing my pets. It also means I am reunited with the polishes I couldn't bring with me. It will be nice to bring them back and have all my nail polish in one country, one house even! Today I have another Model's Own polish, Bubblegum from the Neon Ice collection to share with you. This one was an utter pain to try and photograph!

First three images are taken without a top coat.

 

 

Colour ~ Bubblegum as you would expect is a very bright neon shocking hot pink. Its incredibly florescent so beware if bold nail colours are not your thing. In my opinion bubblegum leans slightly towards blue, but appears at times to have a super light coral tint. Its really hard to put my finger on what exactly it is. Bold and beautiful!

Application ~ Easy to apply. It covers nicely in one coat and has good opacity but I opted for two coats. Like some of the thicker Model's Own polishes (ie Pukka Purple, Purple Passion) its thick consistency may appear a little streaky after application but as it dries it miraculously becomes smooth. My big word of advice is that if your applying any of the neon ice collection for the first time your key to getting it smooth is to really control how much polish you have on the brush. I've read of people having issues with the polishes thick consistency so getting just the right amount will help you out big time.

Texture ~ Just like Pukka Purple it is incredibly thick, It is a smooth gorgeous texture that dries into a sort of jelly/vinyl finish. When wearing this I actually thought it could look like bubblegum wrapped around the nail!

 ★★★★/5 I have to be honest that I am not as crazy-obsessed with this as I am Pukka Purple. But if your looking for a really strong vivid pink I would suggest this. I do love the finish on these Ice Neon polishes. As I stated before in my Pukka Purple review I applied a top coat and fell in love with just how glossy and shiny this polish looked. I certainly prefer these with a top coat. Without a topcoat it is supposedly matte but in my opinion again its not matte-matte.. its somewhere between shiny and dull.

Have you tried any polishes from the Ice-Neon collection yet? What is your go to neon pink?
Have a great day!

Love

Ithi

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8 Freehand Silvery-Star Abstract With Gradient

Allo polish Pals!

Have you had a good weekend? I had a fantastic time yesterday with my Partner visiting the local market. The weather was just perfect, Holland is beautiful! I really wish I had taken my camera ~ I'm so forgetful lol. Also I think Saturday was the first time in my life I've ever worn sunglasses. How crazy is that?! Today I have a freehand silvery star abstract manicure to show you.

I started with one coat of Rimmel's 'Black out' and Paris Memories '225' on my thumb, index and ring finger and added a gradient using Essence 'I'm The Boss!' and Nails Inc 'Regents Park' on the tips. I finished my thumb nail by applying one star gem and a few circle gems trailing off from it. On my middle and pinkie fingers I applied two coats of Nails Inc 'Regents Park' and drew a freehand abstract design with stars using Mash nail art pen in black. I am really happy with how striking this is, its not perfect but it does stand out very well! 

A few years back when I was art crazy (You can see my deviant gallery here which contains traditional, digital and nail art) I used to love doing flowy star abstracts. Sometimes in black and greys, sometimes with stupidly bright colours! So there's my inspiration.

I used to do alot of abstract! 

What do you guys think of this silvery abstract manicure? Have you sported any gorgeous silver's lately?

Hope you had a great weekend also! As always, I appreciate your comments and I like to see what you think about my creations, feel free to leave a comment :)

Love

Ithi

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5 Coral Loves Greyson

Allo polish Pals!

Happy Friday to you all! How was your week? I'm looking forward to an exciting weekend with my partner, there's been a lot going on! Tonight however I had another #@!? moment when I realized my memory card wasn't in the camera. After frantically going through all the laundry I'd done today I discovered my amazing partner had put it back in the jewellery box I keep it in. He's a life saver.

Today's post is inspired by a ring I own..Sadly its sitting back in England waiting for me to collect it but none the less, I saw the colours and it reminded me of it. So :)

I used two coats of Essence 'Grey-t To Be Here' which is a beautiful mid grey with pinky-coral flecks. I think the coral polish sadly distracts away the pinky flecks because they just don't show so well in these pictures. I then using striping tape to create the lines and painted with Essence 'Off To Miami' ~ a gorgeous vivid coral. On my ring finger I used the polish brush to create a half-heart and in the center applied Layla's '01' which was sent to me for review by HQ Hair (I'll be reviewing this brand very soon) I also applied a little heart on my thumb nail using a dotting tool. I do wish I had the ring to put next to it but I actually like how this manicure looks anyway!

What do you guys think of this grey-coral pairing?

I'm looking forward to going to the local market tomorrow. I'm not sure what to expect! What are your plans for the weekend? Hope you all have a fantastic start to your weekend!

Love

Ithi

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0 Sharing One Of My faves! Pretty Polish Store!

*All images featured in this post are property of Prettypolish.nl

Allo polish Pals,

How are you doing? Is your week going well? The weather here in Holland is currently so warm and beautiful. What’s your weather like at the moment?

Today's post is a little different today because I will be sharing with you one of my favorite and highly praised websites where you can purchase nail polish (So many amazing brands) at amazing prices, receive friendly service and find just about all you could be looking for. I am personally a huge fan of Pretty Polish.  Read more to see my full review :)

Image From Prettypolish.nl

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11 BlueSea 3D Butterfly Nail Art With Daisies & Reader Discount

*This product was sent to me to review. As always this review will still contain my complete honest opinion.

Allo polish Pals!

How is your week going? Today I have a review of BlueSea's Butterfly Eye Catching Nail Art Decoration to show you. I adore these cute butterflies. Want to know a secret? I'm terrified of real butterflies! It all stems from my stupid fear of moths. But today I have my butterfly friend in a sunny manicure to suit the gorgeous weather here in Holland.

   

After I tried to move the butterfly..

These Butterfly 3D nail art pieces were sent to me by [Kkcenterhk]

These are so cute and fun. I really like them but I just wish they where the slightest big smaller. As you can see that on my recently shortened nails they stick out a little bit. I think they would probably sit better on my thumb nail. They are made of hard plastic so will not bend but it does mean they are quite durable. They come in all sorts of beautiful colours and patterns, There's a color for everyone on their website. I would recommend these for those who have a special occasion planned because they seem too extravagant for every day where and lets face it.. You don't want to waste these beauties by applying them and then doing the dishes! These are totally reusable Because they are made of thick plastic I recommend cleaning them off after use with a Q-tip and an acetone free remover.

I painted all nails with China Glaze's 'Sunday Funday' and added a gradient on every nail expect my middle finger using Picture Polishes 'Jade'. I then used a dotting tool to create the flower middles with China Glaze's 'Sunshine Pop' and added the white petals using Mash Nail Art pen in white.

I finally added my butterfly using a teeny tiny dab of nail glue. In some of the pictures it looks much neater. This is because I then changed my mind and moved the butterfly causing some mess. I wanted it to appear to be perched on top the daisy. Not sure I succeeded in achieving it appear like that but I quite like this look!

What do you think of this floral sunny manicure? Have you tried 3D nail art yet? Don't forget when you use the coupon code 'ithinitybeauty' at kkcenterhk.com you will recieve a 10% discount! 

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Love

Ithi

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4 A Day By The Bay ~ Mani Remake!

Allo polish Pals!

How are we all doing? Hope your weekend is going beautifully! I've been so distracted this week so I apologies for blogging less then usual. Next week will be back to normal! Today I am showing you something slightly different. Before I started blogging back in November I created a look I have loved ever since. I never actually showed you this look but it did feature in my previous blog design. The photographs where just awful, awful I tell ya! I flooded my cuticles so badly but I fell in-love with the combination and something else I love about it is it features some of my all time favorite polishes.

Before The Matte Topcoat

I did things different this time round. In the original I started with two coats of Zoya 'Cho' as far as I can remember. I don't have this polish here in Holland with me yet so I started with two base coats of Color Club's 'Normadic In Nude'. I then made the blue gradient using Essie's 'Bikini so Teeny', Model's Own 'Balearic Cool' and Zoya's 'Yummy'. I finally finished the manicure by adding Zoya's 'Maisie' over the gradient and adding Model's Own Pro matte topcoat.

One thing I've noticed.. I'm a hell of a lot tidier at painting my nails since last year! Blimey, what a mess!

What do you think of this look? Do you prefer the old version or the new? Have you had any recent fun with flakies?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, lovelies!

Love

Ithi

x

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10 N.Nail Laser Studs Review + Reader Discount

*The following product was sent to me to review and swatch but as always will contain my full honest opinion.

Allo polish Pals!

How are you doing, are you having a good week? Sorry for the delayed post. This week seems to have gone so fast! Today's post features N.Nail Studs in'laser' (NNAIL-DRN656) sent to me by kkcenterhk.com.

These are small square studs which have a shiny beautiful laser colour to them meaning in the light they shift through the spectrum. They are 3mm in size which means even if your nails are especially small you will still be able to fit them on nicely. I had no problems with applying these though I do recommend you use good quality products to keep them on. Seche Vite works good for me but if you want them to last longer I recommend you use a nail glue and a topcoat. Despite being square in shape I had no trouble with the corners pointing off of the nail. I am really enjoying wearing these studs and I know I'll be reaching for them again in the near future! Also, one quick note. If you take them off, clean any polish or top coat off of them you can reuse them ~ Great huh?

I started with two coats of Art Deco's Irridescent Butterfly wings and added Ozotic Sugar 903 which was a perfect layering polish. I then used striping tape to create dark lines with Essie's 'Bobbin' For Baubles' and on the tips added China Glaze's 'Light As Air'. Now the fun part! I applied a top coat of Seche Vite and using tweezer's placed the studs on and between the lines.

Don't forget the wonders at kkcenterhk have given Ithinitybeauty.com readers a 10% discount on all their products. So if your interested in these studs or any of the other wonderful colours they come in you can use the code 'ithinitybeauty' for your discount. They literally have thousands of nail art tools and decorations so take a look around :)

What do you guys think of this nail look? Have you tried studs yet?

Enjoy the rest of your week, lovelies!

Love

Ithi

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13 Models Own: Pukka Purple Ice Neon Collection Swatch & Review ★★★★★/5

Allo polish Pals! Did you all have a good weekend? I hope you did! I spent the weekend trying out nail products and watching scary movies with my partner.We've been enjoying a little horror! Today I have something less scary and more beautiful for you, Pukka Pie Purple review and swatches from the Ice Neon collection!

 

Model's Own state that these polishes are best kept in the fridge to keep the fluoro really bright but I can't imagine that when these beauties are stored in warehouses or kept for shipping that they are all kept in fridges..? I keep mine with my other polishes which is always a cool dark place and I've not experienced the colour fading at all. That and living with my Partner's parents I don't think they'd be too happy if I hog their fridge and fill it with nail polish!

Colour ~ Pukka Purple is a very rich beautiful purple, and if your looking for a bright bright purple you are in luck. Its flat in colour with no shimmer but its vibrancy makes it very versatile. It reminds me a lot of a cadbury's chocolate purple that you'd find on their wrappers. Matte effect ~ to add shine add a top coat is what this polish claims. I can agree that without the top coat it isn't a high shine polish but there is still enough shine in it that I can't justify calling it entirely matte. Because it was somewhere between completely matte and shiny I went ahead and added a top coat for ultra shine.

Application ~ It goes on easily but if you have just a smudge more on your brush then need be it can be a little tricky. I had this situation but it seems to even out as it dries. With a second coat it looks irresistibly flawless. Please, please allow your first coat to dry before you apply your second or you will get some air bubbles!

 Texture ~ This is a very thick polish, that dries to an almost rubby looking finish. It is perfectly smooth but beware of how much polish you have on your brush otherwise you may run into some trouble. I seem to notice this with all the Ice-neon collection so far but it is not a problem that really amounts to much. Overall

 ★★★★/5 I love Pukka Purple, its finish is beautiful and the dry time is pretty good. The only thing to watch out for is how thick the formula is but if you apply your coats as thin as possible Im confident yours will turn out as smooth. Its a beautiful polish for any Models Own/Purple fan to have in their collection!
 Have you tried any polishes from the Ice-Neon collection yet? What do you think of this vivid purple?

 Have a great day! Love
Ithi x Pin It

11 Circle Glitter Review & 10% Discount!

*The featured product was sent to me to review and swatch but this review ~ as always ~ will contain my complete honest opinion

Allo polish Pals! Hope your having a great weekend! Today I will be showing and reviewing Circle Glitter in Peacock Green.

I applied Anny 'Blue Bikini Girl' to all my nails expect my ring finger and sponged on Model's Own 'Gold Rush' on the tips. On my ring finger I applied two coats of Pitcure Polishes 'Marine'. I then stamped using Nail Craze plate 01 Peacock design and once my topcoat was tacky added one Circle Glitter into the center. Once the topcoat on my ring finger was between wet and dry I carefully added the circle glitter one at a time using small tweezers.

When I move my hand they shimmer beautifully and catching the light they will shift between gold, green and at time even blue. My first concern was Are they going to lie flat on my nail? and thankfully the answer was yes.

These are small enough to lay comfortably on the nail surface. I also did a little experiment to see how hard it would be to break one ~ They are very durable but if you wanted to use half of one it is manageable to cut them with cuticle clippers. The jar I received is packed full of these circle glitter and there are so many different ideas I have for them, I am so tempted to go ahead and purchase some in different colours! Do you like the shimmery mirror ball look it gives?

READER DISCOUNT!! Isn't this awesome? The lovely pals of KKCenterHK have give you, my readers a 10% discount on all their items. If you wish to place an order don't forget to include the coupon code 'ithinitybeauty' when you check out! They have so many wonderful items I hope you enjoy checking out their website.

Have a great weekend!
Love
Ithi

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14 Lady Bugs Or Lady Birds?

lHi Guys!

How are we all doing? Today after a debate with my Partner about what these little guys are called I decided to include them in a manicure. He insists they are called Lady Bugs but me being British, I've grown up calling them Lady Birds. Why do us British call them Lady Birds...? Now that he put that into my mind I really do have no idea. Anyway, here's today look!

On my thumb and middle finger I used two coats of PIcture Polish 'Jade' and used striping tape to create a leafy diagonal look. I then applied A nice thick coat of Essie's 'Mojito Madness' and removed the tape. I made small Lady Bird Bug decals using my Mash Nail Art pen in black and filled them with China Glaze 'Red Satin'. I adhered them to my nail by applying a top coat and letting it partially dry so I could use tweezers to place my self-made decal ontop. I'm a little lady bugged that it looks messy where I stuck the decals as it was looking so tidy before that.

On my remaining fingers I used two coats of China Glaze 'Red Satin' and used my Mash nail pen to create the Lady Bugs...Lady Birds... What do you guys think?

What do you guys call these cute little bugs? Lady Birds or Lady Bugs? Have you tried an insect inspired manicure? 

Love

Ithi

x

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