Matilda's Manis

Nude & Black Lacy Mani

2011-01-29T10:25:00.004Z

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd stop by and show you this mani! I took inspiration from the design of one of those Sally Hansen Minx like things that aren't in the UK. I used one of the full nail designs on bundle monster plate 20. I would also like to see this done with the image on the opposite corner of that plate too - like a lacy fan style pattern. Hopefully you will have the plate and know what I'm talking about!!

I used 2 coats of OPI Dulce de Leche as the base then used the MUA superdrug £1 black for the stamp. I was a very good girl and cleaned the stamp, scraper and plate with remover after I stamped each nail and this resulted in the stamp picking up the full image perfectly every time. I'm so glad I took the extra time to do that because I'm so pleased with the outcome. I hope you like it too
!
Tilly, x

Closing Down Sale

2010-12-20T19:16:00.004Z

UPDATE --- PRICES DROPPED - SEE BELOW!

Hello everyone.

I think the time has come for me to officially close down my blog. I have loved doing my blog and being part of the network, but unfortunately life is just too busy for me to carry on.

Therefore I am having a sale of some of the polishes I have loved (and not loved) to clear out a bit of room.

If you are interested in any of the polishes listed below then send me an email to matildasmanis@hotmail.co.uk. I would love to do this as a giveaway but due to the time of year, I just can't afford to.

So I am selling the following:

Essie
Loophole - about 90% left - £2
Wild Thing - used for about 2 manicures (hard to see exactly how much is left) - £3
Downtown Brown - same as above - £3

Avon
Star - quite a new shade, a pearly white - used for 2 manis - £2

Eyeko
Indigo Polish - used for 1 mani - £1.50

Gosh
Golden Brown - used for 2 manis - £2

NFU
#81 - hardly used - £2

BB Couture
Union Square - used once - £4

Orly
Space Cadet - brand new - £3
Rage - brand new - £3

I will post for 50p to the UK, £1 for Europe and £2 for rest of the world.

I have no idea how much I should be pricing these up at so if they don't go I will lower the price and update the post.

I'd like to say thank you to you all for welcoming me into the world of polish and for reading my little blog. I will keep it open as I use my blog roll regularly to read everyone's posts so expect to see me commenting from time to time.

Take care and have a great Christmas and New Year!

Tilly,
xx

Models Own Silver Fox & Some Glittery Layering

2010-11-17T20:02:00.004Z

Well everyone I am really getting into the party season and was craving some glitter.

I chose Models Own Silver Fox.

First I did 1 coat of Essie Loophole and then layered 1 coat of Silver Fox. I LOVE this sooo much. It was subtle enough to wear for work but pretty enough for people to notice. The only down side is that it took 3 coats of Orly Sec 'n' Dry topcoat and it still was a tiny bit bumpy. Sec 'n' Dry is the thinnest topcoat I have ever used though. Does anyone else have a similar opinion?

So I got home and went absolutely crazy with my other Models Own Glitters and Color Club's Magic Attraction.

Thumb - Silver Fox & Magic Attraction, Index - Silver Fox & Magenta Divine & Emerald City & Gold Finger, Middle - Silver Fox & Magenta Divine, Ring - Silver Fox & Magenta Divine & Gold Finger, Little - Silver Fox & Gold Finger.

All of the above are topped with 1 coat of Magic Attraction to give it extra sparkly holoness :)

I think these could give some of the OPI Burlesque glitters a run for their money!

Now I've got to try and get these off. Does anyone have a chisel?!

Tilly, xx

Eyeko - Vampira Polish

2010-11-13T20:26:00.004Z

Good evening everyone.

Well my week has been busy..."again?!" I hear you say. Yes, well...I got the job!!!! I am so, so happy as it is in a brilliant company and is a major step-up into the field I am interested in. I never dreamed of getting everything I wanted in a new job, but I feel very lucky as it seems this job has it all - pay rise, better hours, large office with professional and young staff, great future prospects and they pay for their staff to learn and get a qualification while at work! Hopefully things will settle down enough - now that I have taken care of the job front - that I can start blogging properly again.

Today I bring you Vampira Polish from Eyeko.

This is 3 coats of Vampira it needs a top coat to give it that extra sparkle and shine. I love it though. Black with red glitter.

I thought I would do a comparison of my black/red shades as I had a couple of people ask me about them.

L-R is BB Couture Napa Valley Red, Eyeko Vampira, Avon Wicked and Eyeko Vampira (without topcoat).

Wicked and Vampira are quite similar in colour, but it's when you look closely that you notice that Vampira is that little bit more special. Definitely worth £3.50.

Napa Valley Red is obviously gorge and not really at all like the others - I just thought I would throw it in for good measure!

See ya soon.

Tilly

Avon Golden Wine

2010-11-06T17:15:00.006Z

Hello everyone :) I've missed you!

I'm sorry it's been so long. Life has been busy... job interviews, family crisis's, more family crisis's, not many daylight hours...knitting! Lol. Yes, I've taken up knitting as there's not much else to do when it's dark in the winter.

Here today I have the beautiful Avon Golden Wine.

A gorgeous deep red jam-packed with gold shimmer. It's just stunning. This is 3 coats.

And look how it looks with flash too...

I am still without a decent camera but will hopefully have this solved soon. I have a second interview on Tuesday for a great company that I would love to work for. So wish me luck!

Until next time.

xx

Orly Cosmic FX Covered in Diamonds

2010-10-17T19:36:00.005+01:00

Hello everyone,

Today I have for you another gem from the Cosmic FX Collection - Galaxy Girl.

I actually think this is my favourite one in the collection. It is a deep red-toned purple with green shimmer fx.

This is full coverage in 2 coats. Such an interesting colour and I think it has unfairly been overlooked a little due to the hype of Space Cadet. This picture is after 3 days of wear so it's pretty hardy.

I decided to layer it with Color Club's Covered in Diamonds.

I think this look is awesome! This does dry a bit bumpy but with a thick layer or 2 of top coat will be fine. Sorry that the picture is blurry, I'm still getting my camera sorted!

I hope you've all had great weekends.

Tilly, xx

Nails Inc - Cambridge Circus

2010-10-11T20:10:00.004+01:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Mine's been surprisingly good! I am looking for a new job at the moment and have decided that being optimistic is the way forward and this has put me in a good "I-can-do-anything" mood :)

This is 2 coats of Cambridge Circus.

This is a beautiful medium lavender creme. I love it. Very pretty and girly after indulging in some of the cosmic fx's which I have on again now - will try to post pics tomorrow if I can get some good ones.

While you're here I just want to say thank you for sticking with me while I've been useless. I've not blogged through the Autumn/Winter yet I am finding it really difficult finding time in the daylight to take pics. I leave for work at 7am - it's dark. I get home at 6pm - it's pretty dusky and will soon be dark! I'm sure I will figure something out that works for me in the mean time I appreciate you reading :)

Tilly, xx

Hello!! A Catch-up.

2010-10-07T19:56:00.006+01:00

Hello everyone.

I'm soo soo sorry I've been MIA. I've been on holiday and then since then it's been a whirlwind! I won't bore you to death with the details so...

Here are my latest purchases:

Avon: Golden Wine, Vintage Blue and Green With Envy. American Apparel: Poppy and Summer Peach.
Eyeko: Rain, Vampira, Military, Cosmic, Indigo and Lilac. Nails inc: Cambridge Circus.

A nice varied selection I'm sure you'll admint. Can't wait to wear Golden Wine and Cosmic Polish!

So here's what I'm currently rocking.

That's right it's Space Cadet (at last!) I don't need to babble on about it because you've seen it a gazillion times. All I have to say is that this is 4 coats and I have vnl!

Oh god these pictures are terrible. Not only am I taking pictures on my phone because my camera is still broken, but I have lost my base coat and run out of top coat - so my manis are just the polish on their own! It's a bit troublesome, I'll be honest.

Now I really need some advice from any of you lovely ladies (or guys) that have OPI Rapidry. I recently purchased a "new" bottle off ebay, but it absolutely reeks of nail polish remover. When I used it my polish came off slightly on the tips of the bristles. It dried pretty quickly but actually dulled down the finish and wasn't shiney at all. Is this the same with all Rapidry's or has this person just topped it up with remover?? Please help because I want justice if this is the case!!!!! Thanks guys :)

Love, Tilly.

Eyeko - Military Polish (for Brave Nails)

2010-09-19T15:57:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone,

Today I have my first Eyeko polish and the newest addition to the site - Military Polish for Brave Nails.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!! It applied great and had full coverage in 2 coats. It's perfect and smooth and really saturated. This is a very dark khaki green. Quite flattering with my skin tone and I think looks pretty darn chic.

I did quickly swatch my other Eyeko's and some seemed a bit watery but covered well in 2 coats. I ordered Cosmic, Vampira, Indigo, Lilac, Military and got Rain free because I spent over £10! Free delivery was super quick - I ordered Wednesday and got them yesterday.

I'm very impressed with these and will probably be ordering some more when I get back from holiday. Oh by the way I have decided on colours - Travelling in Orly Ole, then taking Eyeko Lilac Polish and Orly Luxe. Think I will even do toes to match!

Hope you have a good rest of the evening.

Tilly, xx

Orly - It's Not Rocket Science

2010-09-18T16:11:00.006+01:00

Hello everyone!

I finally have a weekend to myself so can actually do a post for you!
These last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic - last Thursday was my boyfriends graduation which kinda went on til Sunday, and we're going on holiday Wednesday so I've been busy getting ready for that. The graduation was really fun and I was so proud of him when he collected his degree :) ...the after party was quite crazy and we ended up somehow smashing the lense of my camera so for the moment I am taking pictures on my phone! Sorry in advance.

Anyway, today I have the pleasure of showing you Orly's It's Not Rocket Science.

3 easily appliable coats.

This is a mesmerizing colour - olivey/swampy green base with green gold shimer fx.

I find it hard to find words to describe the polishes in this collection they are just so gorgeous.

I need real help deciding what polishes to take away with me. I'd like to go in BB Couture Sea of Cortez, then I'm thinking to take Luxe and I just invested in some Eyeko's and love the look of Lilac. But then I kinda want a coral so would like to take Essie Peach Daqiuri and then I wonder if I might want something vampy...but I'm only going for a week!!! Lol. What have you taken on holiday this year??

Tilly, x

Apology!!! and Lunar Eclipse...

2010-09-08T22:08:00.003+01:00

Firstly, I am sooooo sorry that I have been MIA for a week! For some reason life has just been pretty hectic. I'm just doing this now before I go to bed and then I'm off to the boy's for the weekend as he graduates tomorrow.

This is the most stunning blue I have ever seen! The colour is just electrifying!
I did 3 coats and have slight vnl but I really don't care when I get colour like this. You can see in the bottle the pink duochromeness although this doesn't show up as much on the nail but then I was only taking pics in direct sunlight. I just can't wait to wear this on my next night out - it's a real party colour!

I won't be back til Monday, so I hope you all have nice weekends.

Tilly, xx

Nails Inc - Garrick Street and Some New Additions...

2010-09-01T18:17:00.010+01:00

Hiya!
Today is a re-swatch of the first polish I posted about. It is a stunningly beautiful purple/blue metallic shimmer with a hint of duochrome!!
I urge you to try and get your mitts on this one. I tried hard, but just couldn't quite capture it's beauty. Application as with most Nails Inc's was good - 3 coats with this to ensure opacity.
And...my Cosmic FX Collection arrived today :) I'm sooo happy!!

(not in the Cosmic FX Collection!) Color Club - Covered in Diamonds

l-r: It's Not Rocket Science, Space Cadet and Halleys Comet

l-r: Lunar Eclipse, Out Of This World, Galaxy Girl.

These are all so amazing I cannot describe it! I will be doing manis and reviews very soon for all of them.

Soooo glad I got 2 of Space Cadet as it's now sold out on Head2Toe Beauty. I also got another Covered in Diamonds and a little something else that I'm planning all to into my next giveaway :)

So the question is - which one do I start with?

Pink and Green Pastel Mani

2010-08-30T13:50:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone.

I wanted something fun for the bank holiday weekend so I did this Saturday...

This is 2 coats of each polish - Nails Inc, Oxford Circus and China Glaze, Re-fresh Mint. The pink was a PITA to apply - very streaky and hard to work with, but I guess it's just what you have to live with when using pastels. Then I put 2 coats of Orly's Prisma Gloss in gold over the top to make it sparkly. I love this top coat. You have to really shake it to spread the glitter out as it all sinks to the bottom of the bottle, but it's so worth it. The sparkles are quite fine and because they're holo they catch the light perfectly.

I didn't realise how long I've let my nails get until I saw this photo. They are all nicely filed down now and my little stump is doing well :)

Have you all had a nice long weekend?

Barbara Daly for Tesco - Glamour & Award!

2010-08-27T19:40:00.008+01:00

Hello! Today I have for you a little polish I brought from Tesco's! It is a Barabara Daly one and is called Glamour.

with flash to show the shimmer

This is a great vampy purple and in the sun you can see a really vivid violet shot through it. This is 2 coats. The brush isn't that great as it's a bit narrow. The polish is actually a bit on the thick side - but I have had this knocking around for probably 2 years now so I can't really judge on that. Oh my poor nail :(

It is still a lovely colour though and I don't have a purple as dark as this in my collection.

Do you have any of the Barbara Daly polishes and what do you think of them?

Now a couple of weeks ago the lovely KarenD from Frazzle and Aniploish tagged me with an award and I have finally got round to doing it! Thank you Karen for tagging me :) :)

The rules:
1. Post who gave you this award
2. State 10 things you like
3. Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a comment

1. Nail polish - duh!!
2. Picnics
3. Baking
4. Reading anything
5. Our little kitty cats and bun buns
6. Cocktails!
7. Camping with friends
8. Selling things on Ebay
9. Devon
10. Spending time with my family

Now I really don't know who has already been tagged to do this so I tag the following:

1. nailpolishuk
2. Shiny Little Nails
3. Oooh, Shinies!
4. happyberrynaiad
5. My Nailz
6. Spread a little happiness
7. Candy Coated Tips
8. AllYouDesire
9. Concrete and Nail Polish
10. Enamored Enamel

So sorry you girlies if you have already been tagged but I love all your blogs! :)

Color Club - Fashion Addict

2010-08-26T19:41:00.004+01:00

Hii everyone.

I'm so sorry I haven't been blogging much. It is raining soo much at the moment so there's zero natural light and I hate my pics in unnatural lighting. Oh well...I had to do it - hopefully you won't find it too terrible!

This is 3 coats of the very pretty Fashion Addict. This was on of Color Club's Catwalk Queen collection. It is a light silvery holo lilac. It is really stunning and unfortunately I couldn't show off just how holo it really is :( I will wear this again when the sun FINALLY comes back!! The formula was pretty good. I had a couple of bald spots with the first coat, but after the 2nd it was fine - I did the 3rd to doubley make sure it was opaque.

This polish was a really bad omen for me! On the first day of wearing it I managed to chip my thumb corner, make my index nail all jaggedy and of course the catastrophe that you can see in the picture. My nail ripped like half way down (maybe that's an exaggeration!) and I just couldn't bring myself to tear it all the way off. However, today I felt I could no longer live with this bright blue plaster on, so I removed it and then quickly tore the poor hanging tip off :( I'm quite depressed, but have noticed that my nails are growing really quickly at the moment, so it shouldn't be too traumatic.

I will post pics tomorrow of my new mani and this little odd nail - poor thing.

Essie - Downtown Brown

2010-08-23T21:08:00.004+01:00

Hi everyone. Today I went for one of my untrieds - Essie's Downtown Brown. Above is 3(!!) coats and I still have bald and streaky patches. I think it probably could do with another 2 to even it all out however, it is a yummy red-toned brown colour though. I think this is an old Essie as even with a quick dry top coat it took ages to dry completely. Overall, it's a nice colour, but not unique and you can definately get something closer with a much better formula. My recommendation would be to go for something like the Ciate I posted a couple of months ago here.

Sorry for being a bit quiet this weekend, something happened within my family that was a bit out of the blue and kinda disrupted things.

I hope you all had a nice weekend - did you do anything good?

BB Couture - Napa Valley Red

2010-08-20T18:09:00.004+01:00

Oooooh. I heart this!

This is 2 coats of sparkly jelly goodness. Sooo amazing! I could have done with another coat because as you can see it is a bit light around the edges. The formula is pretty good, I had to be careful with cuticle drag, but this could just be me.

I'm afraid my picture doesn't do this polish justice, but you've seen other swatches.

Now I have a question, I was lusting after Eyeko's Vampira Polish for a while - do you think this is close to that?

Also, when I was on Eyeko's website I decided to become an ambassador! So if any of you have any orders enter code E10650 where it says ambassador code and you receive a free gift!! How cool is that? And if you spend over £10 then you can qualify for their free polish of the week - and delivery is free in the UK!!!

Think I will put my order in now :)

Winner!!!!

2010-08-19T19:05:00.005+01:00

Helloooo everyone,

The winner of my giveaway is..........

RIA!

Well done girl :)

So it turns out I didn't make myself clear enough when I launched the giveaway - I meant that it was only open to my existing 50 followers, but as I had quite a few new followers enter (and when I re-read the original post, realised I wasn't that clear about the first 50 followers thing) I thought it only fair to enter all of you.

But, I gave my first guys an extra entry. Random.org gave me....

If you don't get how this meant Ria won, then email me and I will happily explain - i just don't want to babble on about it on here and bore everyone to death!

So there it is, my first giveaway is over and thanks you guys for all the great suggestions of polish. I'm going to investigate tomorrow night and update my need list soon :)

Thanks again to everyone who entered.

Nails Inc - Montrose Place

2010-08-18T18:46:00.003+01:00

I was watching Leighton Denny on QVC last night (we had it recorded on the v box) and he showed a gorgeous hot pink polish with a blue flash and I thought..."ooo, I have something similar to that". So off I trotted to my stash and grabbed this little girl.

This is 2 coats of Nails Inc Montrose Place. A hot (almost neon) fuschia with blue undertones. I love it. Really bright and girly.

And I had my worst haul ever today. At the weekend I emailed Head2Toe Beauty to find out when they were putting the Cosmic FX collection online and I had a reply today saying that they are on there now!! I only bought the whole collection and a back-up bottle of Space Cadet! And a couple of other colours while I was at it for my next giveaway. Spent almost $50 and am now wating for the shipping bill to come through. Uh-oh! I will probably go on a no-spend for the rest of August and September! Dear oh dear. But on the other hand, I am SOOOOO excited. They are normally pretty quick at delivering considering they come from America, so I might get them next week or beginning of the week after.

Are there any other girlies out there waiting for their delivery for Cosmic FX?

Tilly, xx

BB Couture - Union Square

2010-08-17T17:57:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone,

Today I am showcasing for you Union Square...

inside

outside (overcast)

This is 2 coats with base and top. It is a light chocolatey/dark taupe foil with silver micro glitter. From other swatches I've seen I was expecting to be blown away, but unfortunately it turned out to be nothing special - maybe it's just my skin tone because it looks gorgeous on other people! Now, don't get me wrong I don't dislike it, I was just expecting more...

The application was perfect, no streaks and dry time was good too.

Does anyone else have this polish? I'd be interested to hear your opinions on it.

Tilly, xx

Misa - Runway Diva

2010-08-15T18:25:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone.

Today I have a lovely polish that I won in nailpolishUK's giveaway the other month.

It is Misa - Runway Diva...
This is 2 coats. It is a really pretty dusty medium pink. This reminds me of the Eyeko Tea Rose Polish, and I do actually feel all refined in it and would love to drink a cup of tea out of a teacup like this while sticking my pinky finger in the air...

So adorable! I'm going to keep my eye out for a dainty tea cup now :)

My BB Babies and Funky French

2010-08-14T10:03:00.003+01:00

As I told you on Thursday I received my very first BB Couture polishes, so here they are...

l-r Napa Valley Red, Sea of Cortez and Union Square

I can't believe I waited so long to order these! I ordered them from the lovely Kim at Overall Beauty. I love BB's range - their colours are so unique and beautiful and I think for my first 3 I picked some real good'uns. These cost me £25 including postage, and paying through Paypal meant I was charged just under £2 for the privilege of buying something in dollars!

I've already worn Napa Valley Red (forgot to take pictures but will definately be wearing again soon) and although it's kinda sad, I am planning on wearing Sea of Cortez when I go on holiday in September - obviously I will be taking another polish, but this one I want to travel in! Lol.

I also picked up this Models Own the other day - Green Flash. I've not tried it out yet but will obviously post pics when I do.

For my mani today I took (alot) of inspiration from Shiny Little Nails - I hope she doesn't mind, but I bought some nail guides the other week and really wanted to try them out.

I did the tips with Essie Peach Daiquri - 2 coats - and I don't have a dotting tool, so I used the pin of an earring to do the dots on the pinky. I'm really not digging the dots too much because they look a bit messy, but think I will invest in a dotting tool.

I also found using the guides a bit tricky but I think with practice they will be quite good.

Do you have any BB's? If so which ones do recommend that aren't already on my wishlist?

OPI Dulce De Leche

2010-08-12T07:22:00.003+01:00

Good morning - it is so miserable here today :( Rain, rain go away!!!

The first picture is in the sunlight and the second is in shade.
This is 2 coats of Dulce de Leche with top and base coat. A perfect pink-toned nude. There's not really much to say about this, except that I really, really like it. It's so clean looking and I feel well-groomed when I'm wearing it! I got this off ebay a while ago for about £4 so it was a nice little bargain too!

I got some BB's in the post yesterday :) :) :) :) :) They are AMAZING! I will be showing you pics soon!

I'm Having A Giveaway!!!!

2010-08-08T17:31:00.005+01:00

Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to my 50 followers :) I love you so much. I honestly didn't think my blog would be that much of a success and was quite reluctant to start it. I'm so happy I did though, you are all such lovely girls and I love that I am part of this network!
To celebrate I am haivng a small giveaway...

I am giving away: some pretty 3D nail stickers, Barry M in Gold and Lemon Ice Cream, Sally Hansen Star Opal Nail Glazes in Fire Opal and Rose Gold Opal, Models Own in Purple Haze and Pink Fizz and a glass nail file.

I know it's not too much and I didn't properly prepare for this, it's just a spur-of-the-moment thing. Maybe if I reach another significant milestone it will be a lot bigger and will include some more expensive stuff.

All of the polishes have been used once, except the Sally Hansen's which have just been used on like one nail - they are really pretty, I just never got round to using them properly! The stickers and file are new :)

I have a little rule for this giveaway. I love my followers and I don't really want to encourage people to become a follower for the sake of entering the giveaway when they don't actually read my blog. So...

The rules:

1) You must already be a follower through Google Friend Connect to enter. This might seem harsh and I'm really sorry, but this is a Thank You to my existing followers.

2) To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling me your email addy and your favourite polish of all time (totally selfish - I want to expand my wishlist and know you lot have good taste!) .

3) The last date for entry is Wednesday 18th at midnight GMT.

4) I will choose the winner using a random number generator and will let the lucky person know by email on Thursday 19th. If I don't hear anything back by the evening of Sunday 22nd I will pick another number - so remember to check your email or tell me if you will be away!

5) This is open to international followers.

I think that's everything, if I have left anything out let me know. This is my first giveaway, so chances are that I probably have!

Good luck and THANK YOU!!

17 - Seabreeze & Konad

2010-08-08T13:25:00.005+01:00

Hello everyone,

Something sad happened today, I have had to send my nails to rehab. Their problem was stained tips and peeliness :( It's a sad time but I'm sure they will get through it and be back to normal again in a couple of weeks.

I have something nice and summery today after yesterday's grungy look.

Above is 2 coats of Seabreeze. It photographed almost neon-like, but irl it is just a normal medium blue creme - very pretty. The first coat was streaky but all was fine with the 2nd.

I wanted to Summer it up a bit more though...

For the design I used Konad white. I'm not very good at konading, but I really like the way this turned out. I like how the butterflies look like they are flying towards each other on the ring and middle finger.

I only have 2 of the basic image plates that I got with my Konad kit. I would love to get a plate with full nail designs on, do you guys have any recommendations on any particularly good ones?

Orly - Iron Butterfly

2010-08-07T19:51:00.004+01:00

Today I am showcasing you my only matte in my collection - Orly's Iron Butterfly. It is amazing! This is 2 coats with base coat. The makers of matte polishes say you shouldn't use a base coat, but I've heard from other bloggers that you will get staining if you don't. I love this colour - it is a charcoal black with silver shimmer. It dries pretty quickly so you have to work quickly when applying. This picture was taken this morning, but after I spent the morning (and afternoon) shopping I noticed that the matteness had started to become a bit more satiny rather than a real non-shine matte. This was slightly dissapointing as I had to reapply another coat to matte it up again!

Of course - I couldn't resist putting a high shine top coat on this afternoon...

...again, quite lovely!

I know the matte look is a bit like marmite - but what do you guys think about it?

Tilly, xx

Avon Nailwear Pro - Wicked

2010-08-04T20:27:00.008+01:00

I will let the pictures speak for themselves with this one...

Outside in shade

Outside with flash

Inside at dusk with ceiling lighting

I apologise that the last picture isn't too clear, but this is what the polish looks like most of the time. Wicked is definately up there in my top 10 favourite polishes of all time. Everything about it I love - the colour, the subtle but stunning shimmer, the bottle, the brush, the formula...I could go on. It is a vampy brown/black creme but with this sexy cherry/brown shimmer running through it. I love that it looks black, but when you get close it's like "whoa". This line of polishes from Avon is much better than the one I showed you on Monday. The nailwear pro's are much more professional, bigger, more user friendly bottles, perfect brush and formula. This is 2 coats with top and base and I think it looks really expensive.

I've just had a look on the Avon site and have found that their Nailwear Pros are half price - so only £3 a bottle!!! They have some really stunning colours too (loving the look of Vintage Blue and Green With Envy), although I can't see this one so maybe they've discontinued it?

Have a look if you fancy snapping up a bargain by clicking.......here!

Sorry for the ramblings, but I'm quite in love with this one <3>

Avon Arabian Glow - Teal Infusion

2010-08-03T18:16:00.006+01:00

My mum hates polish on her fingers, so I've started painting her toe nails once a week. Last night I picked out this little girl for her and loved it so much on her toes that I put it on for my mani :)

This polish is one of 3 colours of the Arabian Glow polishes - the others being a purple and a gold. Teal Infusion is a pretty, bright turquoise with a hidden, subtle green shimmer that only comes out in certain lighting.

Bottom label shot is because that hideous label takes up all of the bottle in the top picture. You can see here that the colour doesn't look different on the nail. I did 2 coats, but could have done with 3 as it is slightly patchy in places.

This is a stunning colour for summer and love it equally on toes and fingers. These are £6 for an 8ml bottle, but I got this when it was just released so think it was only about £3. I think it's a gorgeous polish, but there are bigger (size-wise) and better polishes out there for £6. Definately one to invest in if you see it on offer though (which they normally are).

That's all for today. Little Milly got spayed today so I'm going to go and give her lots of cuddles and affection.

Tilly, x

Miners - Denim Shorts

2010-08-01T14:31:00.003+01:00

Hello everyone.

After a really nice week away, I am back home and have the Sunday blues :( It always happens doesn't it, that feeling of "I'm-going-to-jack-my-job-in-and-move-to-where-I-went-on-holiday!" Ah well.

I bought this colour in Devon on a make-up stand of a cosmetic company I've not heard of before - Miners. They have a website www.miners.co.uk and they describe this colour as "a washed out blue with light pink undertones, a perfect shade for the beach or to brighten up a natural, plain look." It is really pretty, but unfortunately not as blue on the nail than in the bottle. It looks almost like mother of pearl on the nail. I think maybe it would be better described as a subtle pink shimmer with a blue base. This is a makes a nice change for me, I normally wear quite saturated colours so this is quite refreshing. Above is 2 coats of Denim Shorts with top coat. Their other Spring/Summer colours are very pretty and remind me of the Zoya Reverie Collection with the different duochrome tones.

That's all for today. Hope you've all had nice weekends :)

Models Own - Purple Haze. PURPLE + GLITTER!!!

2010-07-26T10:20:00.003+01:00

Good morning!

I have an amazing treat for you today...

Well what a little stunner this girl is! Purple Haze is a bright/dark purple glitter with a clear base. The camera (again) couldn't pick up the correct colour for this. Imagine it as a pink toned purple rather than blue - very pretty. This is 2 think coats. You really can't help but to apply thick coats as it is a thick polish. I was a bit disappointed in the finish in this as it dried very matte, bumpy and not sparkly or shiney at all. I needed 1 coat of Essie G2G and 2 coats of Caviar top coats! It's still not perfectly smooth, but good enough for me. This is my first Models Own I have tried and will definately try out some others, maybe a creme or shimmer? Any recommendations?

I'm not looking forward to the removal of this, but I'm planning on doing the tin foil trick - probably while the boy is surfing while in Devon. I'm going to take Off With Her Red with me to paint my nails mid-week. I'm hoping this won't chip and will last me until then!

I hope you all have a nice week.

See you soon!

Orly Olé

2010-07-25T20:47:00.006+01:00

Hello everyone.

I hope you've all had a nice weekend. Mine was lovely again. I spent the weekend on the Broads with my Dad and Stepmum. It brought back lots of memories from when we used to go on holiday there every Summer when I was little. We had a lovely lunch today in a pub by the river while enjoying the sunshine and watching the boats sail past :)

I got home and painted my nails with 2 coats of Olé. The below picture is without topcoat! Look how shiney!!

I got this from the salon last weekend and it wasn't until I got home that I thought I had a dupe...Essie Peach Daiquiri.

Not a great picture - but you have Olé on the left and Peach Daiquiri on the right. As you can see they are pretty darn close, but Olé is more orange than Peach Daiquiri.

Orly Olé is a perfect summer colour. It's one of those colours that are hard to describe. Orange, coral, and also pinky! You get the idea. Even though this is a mini, it still applied really nicely and was opaque in 2 coats.

I have no work this week so me and the boy are going camping in Devon. I am not clever enough to scheduled posts, so I'll be doing one more tomorrow and then I won't be back until next Sunday. Fear not though, I shall return and am planning a giveaway soon so watch this space!

Tilly

Orly Shine

2010-07-24T10:03:00.003+01:00

Wow. I am very impressed with this. Look how shiney it is! I mean I kinda guessed it might be abit shiney as that's it's name, but this is ridiculous. This is taken under lots of grey cloud!

2 coats of the glorious Orly Shine. With the Luxe and Rage I experienced some pretty bad shrinkage, but this time I used Nails Inc Caviar top coat instead of Essie Good to Go and I have none :) This is my most favourite collection ever! I love the metallicness and the microglitter, means that in the sunlight as well as being reflective, it is also sparkly. This silver also never leans green. I have Essie loophole and sometimes in indoors it can look a bit...I don't know, unclean kinda, this is just gorgeous in every light.

I am going to visit and stay at my Dad's new home today. He moved to the Norfolk Broads last week and loves it. I can't wait to be by the coast :)

Also, something random. I was driving to work the other day and saw a car and thought "Oh, I wonder what nail polish that colour is!" Do you ever think that or am I being getting possessed??

Tilly, xx

Nails Inc - All Saints Row

2010-07-23T06:44:00.003+01:00

Good Morning my amigos!

Last night I painted my nails in Nails inc's All Saints Row last night, but had to wait for the light this morning before I could take pictures.

This was part of the Jetsetter's Collection I got off of QVC. This was a one coater - but above is 2 because I needed to neaten up the sides. The picture is colour accurate - it is a medium blue. I thought I had been swatching loads of blues lately but I looked and this is my only true blue creme. The rest are either shimmer, glitter or cremes with a but of purple in them.

I also used the Nails inc Caviar top coat. It has a lovely consistency and is thinner than my Essie Good to Go, but I prefer it because it's easier to apply. Doesn't dry as quick - but still pretty fast.

Let me know if you've picked up any of the Nails inc collections. They are about £20 - £25 from QVC for about 4/5 which is a really good price!

Tilly, x

Rimmel - 805 Grey Matter

2010-07-21T21:16:00.005+01:00

This is 2 coats of Grey Matter - a lovely medium grey creme. I LOVE the brush. It is really wide, you almost only need one stroke to cover the nail. I thought it would be hard to use but it's so easy - this picture is with no clean-up and it also dries very quickly.

I wore this shiney for a day and then got curious as to what it would look like matted up.

Above is with one coat of Orly's Nails for Males Matte Top Coat. It gives an edgy satiny finish. I really like this. Not very summery, but still pretty cool!

I'm kinda off the hook for 2 weeks while one of (the strickest) women at work is on holiday, means I can get away with wearing some non-work colours for a while...yay :)

Tilly, xx

Nails Inc London & 17 Cosmic Heather

2010-07-18T22:10:00.006+01:00

After reading The Swatchaholic's post about jazzing up your nudes, I decided to give it a go.

I did 2 coast of Nails Inc - London (Part of the buy 2 bottles of diet coke and get 1 Nails Inc polish free)

This is a lovely light taupey beige. Apologies for the blob on the middle finger - I had a hair on my nail and this was the result after brushing it until the little mite came off. I fixed this with Avon Smudge Fixer afterwards.

Then I put 1 coat of 17 Cosmic Heather...

Cosmic Heather is a lilac based sheer with a golden shimmer. I'm not sure whether this is still available as I got it quite a while ago. I hope you'll agree that these are a winning formula together.

Thank you to The Swatchaholic for putting this idea in my head - it's perfect for someone not wanting to wear a work appropriate colour!

I hope you've all had a nice weekend.

Tilly, xx

Orly Fiesta - Orly Viva Collection Summer 2010

2010-07-17T16:27:00.006+01:00

Hello! Today I made a visit to my friends salon. Had an eyebrow tint and wax and picked up 2 mini Orly's. I got mates rates and ended up with all of that for £13!

I got Ole and Fiesta. 2 colours from the Orly Viva Collection for this summer.

Ole is a nice orange and Fiesta is a hot pink with pink shimmer.

Above - in natural light outside.

Above - in natural light inside.

This was opaque in 2 coats. It is hot hot hot!! I'm not really into pink much, but this I love. It dries not-so-shiney and I also cannot capture this properly with my camera which makes me think it is a bit neon? This is brighter and a bit darker shade of pink in real life. Can something be brighter and darker at the same time? It makes sense to me!

Tilly x

Ahhh! Something Good At Last!

2010-07-15T19:22:00.006+01:00

Today I picked up this little pretty. It's a Superdrug make called 2True and this is shade 10 - £1.95! I bought it because I thought I could make an Adina looka-a-like with it in future. A pink base with a green shimmer - SO gorgeous!!

I put one coat of this over one coat of Nails inc Belgrave Place. Belgrave Place is the most perfect blurple. It is quite blue - reminds me of a spilt ink cartridge from when I was at school.

Anyway...then I tried 2 and got this...

One coat gives it a subtle green shimmer but 2...woah! The green shimmer PLUS pink duochromeness!!! The duochrome was hard to capture but you can see it a bit in the picture above.

Aaaah. I feel much better now. This is just what I needed. I am a happy girl again :)
xx

17 Toasted Almond and Some Stash Pics

2010-07-14T18:03:00.007+01:00

Hello everyone! Today I have a 17 colour for you - Toasted Almond.

This is 3 coats of Toasted Almond. It is a frosty champagney beige. Again another colour I don't like :( what's going on???!!! I keep picking bad 'uns lately. I would love it if someone could suggest a colour I will love because I am a very unmotivated girl at the moment.

This cheered me up though!

l-r Silver Fox, Pink Fizz, Magenta Divine, Purple Haze, Emerald City, Gold Finger.
I got these for under a tenner including p&p on ebay the other day. I wish I could wear these now but I have 2 more days of work left :(

Also some pictures of my stash...I was reorganising.

Meet the big cat - Smokey. He's quite an independant boy and doesn't like it when Milly goes for his big bushy tail!

Tilly. x

Essie - Wild Thing

2010-07-13T20:31:00.004+01:00

This is 3 coats of Essie Wild Thing. It is a dark wine colour (in the bottle - much lighter on the nail) with very sparse holo glitter...I am not a fan. The colour isn't dark enough on the nail and there just isn't enough glitter! I really don't have much to say about it except that I am disappointed.

Does anyone else have this and have a different opinion? I would be interested to hear yours too.

TIlly x

My Silvers - Comparison

2010-07-12T21:56:00.008+01:00

It's Monday again! They come around way too quickly.

I thought that today I would show you my silvers. I only have 3 but thought you might like to see them.

l-r Collection 2000 Inca Silver, Orly Shine and Essie Loophole.

2 coats of colour only with flash.

Collection 2000 Inca Silver is a shiney silver foil - very similar to Shine, but the foil effect is not as fine and the particles slightly more chunkier.
Orly Shine is another shiney silver foil. This, in my opinion, is prettier than Inca Silver - just because it is shinier and the foil particles are finer and more glittery.
Essie Loophole is a plain silver. I am not overwhelmed by this silver. It looks really plain in anything other than flash and sun and compared to the other 2 is just not as pretty.

Without flash.

You can see what I mean about Loophole - kinda boring - and how the Orly is much shinier than Collection 2000.

Shine is definately my favourite, but would certainly recommend Inca Silver to you as it's cheaper and easier to get hold of for you UK ladies.

Love Tilly xx

Hot Glittery Neon-ness!

2010-07-08T18:48:00.006+01:00

Above is 2 coats of Essie Mini Shorts - An orange neon. I love this colour - it is actually a few shades redder and MUCH neon in real life!

I wanted to try out my nfu oh so I put one layer of #81 over the top.

This has a pinky orange base with pink and yellow/gold glitter. As you can see it is very fine and subtle on the nail but I really like it. I wanted to try and make a colour similar to BB Couture's Painted Lady. I saw a swatch on Dr. Frankenpolish's blog a while ago and have been lusting over it ever since and although this is close, it's no cigar!

There are definately quite a few BB's that I NEED in my collection so I think I will be doing a mini haul later this month.

Do you have any recommendation for where to get BB's from?

Tilly xx

Konad French and Lippy

2010-07-06T20:53:00.008+01:00

Today I have 2 different things for you.

First up is your generic french manicure with a bit of konading. I used the image on plate m26. The image was a bit small for what I wanted, so I had to extend it a bit which was terribly fiddly. For the purple I used Essie Bermuda Shorts.

-P.S. I am not 80, just a lazy 20 year old who hasn't yet done the olive oil trick - I will tomorrow, I promise!

While I was out today having a little look around on my lunch break, I noticed my Superdrug had stocked up their MUA stand. I looked at the polishes, but nothing caught my eye there and then I saw this!

I never wear lipstick, but I so want to be brave enough to wear red. I also have no idea what toned red I should go for to suit my skin, but I liked this one. It is MUA Shade 1 - a nice deep red (and of course only £1). It applies really smooth and creamy and I love the way it looks...in my own home at least. I'm going to try very hard to wear this at the weekend (infront of other people...eek!)
I also think my lips are kinda weird shaped and a bit pouty so I'm a bit self concious of making them look even more so in this vivid colour.

Are you brave enough to wear red lippy or am I on my own with this one?

Nails Inc - Devonshire Row

2010-07-05T19:33:00.006+01:00

Hello to you all on this lovely Monday evening.

I hope you've all had a nice weekend - mine was the best I've had for a while!

Bad news with AA - I had about 3 chips on Saturday so it had to come off :(

This is 2 coats of Nails Inc Devonshire Row. I got it with part of the Jetsetters Collection. It's a lovely medium purple creme which looks this colour outside, but a bit pinker inside. I have tipwear as I have been wearing it for a day already.

When I first got this I was worried it would be close to Paris - which I got in the Diet Coke offer - but they are really different...

As you can see Paris is much deeper and redder than Devonshire Row - both are really pretty though. I love DR for the summer, so will be wearing again soon I'm sure!

Love Tilly xx

P.S Please excuse my super dry hands. I have just run out of moisturiser :'( they feel like sandpaper! Quick question...I've seen some Essie lotions on ebay and they sound yummy - anyone have these and are they any good??

OPI - Absolutely Alice

2010-07-01T22:38:00.004+01:00

Ooooh! I am in love. I would marry this nail varnish if I was allowed to! This is of course (2 coats of) Absolutely Alice and 2 coats of top coat to make it nice and smooth.

I know this is going to be a b!atch to take off but I just don't care. I also don't care that this is an extremely inappropriate work colour, but I've made the decision that normal rules don't apply on Friday's. I'm so happy that Jenni gave my this in the giveaway I won the other week. I will be buying at least 3 bottles of this, just incase.

AA, as you have seen thousands of times before, has this gorgeous gold glitter in it which makes it simply dazzling and you can really see this in the blurry picture.

I probably won't be posting now until Sunday, maybe Monday as I have a busy weekend, and it will also be a good opportunity to test the wear on this baby! So I hope you all have good Friday's and weekends - it will hopefully be another sunny one :)

Love Tilly, xx

Gosh - Golden Brown

2010-06-30T21:31:00.004+01:00

So today is day 3 of my mani with Prince Charming! Can you believe it? I normally change my polish every day/every other at the very least. I just can't get enough of Prince Charming though. I had some tipwear - not alot, could have got another days worth - but just really couldn't be bothered to remove it and start again, so instead I decided to do a little layering.

I put one layer of Gosh Golden Brown over the top of PC.

I can just sum this colour up by likening to a bar of galaxy caramel. It looks simply edible. This is a little sheer as you can still see the tipwear, but it's fine over another colour.

I bought this in the beginning of the year. It was in a basket of discounted random stuff put at the tills in my local Superdrug - so don't know if it's continued or what?

Anyway, it's Thursday tomorrow which means we're at the home run til the weekend!

xx

The Cherry Award!!

2010-06-28T20:31:00.004+01:00

I have been tagged by Jenni at nailpolishUK for a Cherry Award!!

THANK YOU!!! :D
(I know, not a very invigorating thank you, but I a thank you all the same. Hehe)

So...now I need to tag 5 people.

These people may have already been tagged, but I don't *think* they have!

Daily Polish

TakiJ at MY UNTITLED BLOG

Baby D at Polish and Powder

JacieO at You've Got Nail

Lily nail at my little world of polish by Lily nail

Now you have to copy the award onto your blog.
Thank me for awarding you with such an award!
Select another 5 recipients.
Include a pic that means something to you.
Write 5 positive comments about yourself.

Here's my picture...

This isn't a particularly amazing picture but it brings back a lot of happy memories for me. My boyfriend took me to Venice a couple of years ago for my birthday, we had a really lovely dinner the night before and he bought me a rose from one of the random guys in the street. It was the best trip ever and I would love to go back.

5 positive comments!...

I am very caring to everyone - even people I dislike.
I'm really good at saving money!
My hair has a really nice wave to it at the moment. (Does that even count?!)
If I see something I think someone will like, I will buy it for them, to make them smile.
I'm very optimistic and always look on the bright side of life...do do, do do do do do do.

Love to you all xx

Orly's - Rage and Prince Charming

2010-06-27T20:28:00.006+01:00

Good evening everyone.

I hope you have all had a nice weekend and are not too disappointed with the football result today :(

Last time I posted was Thursday!! So...I gave blood Friday - and almost fainted but didn't thanks to the nurse tipping me upside down on the bed and putting wet tissue all over me! Lol. It was a bit scary and did give me a really weird feeling just as I finished my donation, but it won't put me off and I will be giving blood again in a few months.I went to a beautiful wedding yesterday - everything was so stunning and perfect. And of course we couldn't have asked for better weather. So I just want to send a congratulations out to the happy new husband and wife.

For the wedding I decided to wear Rage (the rose gold from the Orly Foil FX) as my dress had pinky coloured flours on.

This picture is not too great as it was taken in the campervan.

Application on my behalf wasn't great. I did this while the other half was in the bathroom. This is 2 coats. I love this collection - they are so shiney and pretty, but I seem to always get tip shrinkage with them. It happened on one nail with Luxe, but this time they all did it! It's so wierd because all my other Orly's are perfect! It must just be something in this formula that doesn't agree with Essie Good to Go topcoat.

So today I took this off as it was looking tatty and replace it with one of my favourites - Prince Charming.

This was 2 coats. This is a really chic colour and from swatches I've seen looks very similar to Chanel's Particuliere. Speaking of Chanel's. I had a quick look on ebay the other day as I was curious to see if there were any bargains...people were bidding £40/50 for a bottle?!?!!?!? I cannot believe this...no matter how much I fall in love with a colour I would never pay this! Is anyone with me here? It is crazyness!!

Orly - Monroe's Red

2010-06-24T20:12:00.003+01:00

Firstly, well done England for yesterday :) I must also say that I LOVE David James. Can you believe he is 40 on 1st August?

I have for you today an older Orly - Monroe's Red. Tomorrow I am giving blood for the first time and thought this was fitting.

I was searching for a classic pin-up red on ebay earlier this year, found this and it was exactly what I was after. I really love it - as you can see from the lack of varnish in the bottle. This is 2 coats of perfectness with base and top coat. I know you can see my nail lines on some fingers, but this is not visible in real life.

However........

Click on the picture and you can see in the middle of the big O the goldy microshimmer. Although you can't really see this too much in real lighting, it does make this an interesting little polish.

Thanks for reading :)

Nails Inc Monmouth Street & Milly

2010-06-22T20:48:00.005+01:00

Hello again everyone.

Today I wanted to try a hot pink! I still haven't used the pink I got in the Nails inc (non)Metallic Collection!

Monmouth Street is a real hot pink and a bit pearly I guess but definately not metallic. It is actually very gorgeous.When I looked at the bottle I was a bit...hmm, not interested...hence the wait - but I like it very, very much indeed.

This was really hard to capture, which is why this is an outdoors shot. I like the natural light though, so might try a few more outside. In real life this is a bit darker than it looks here and it also pops more (if that is even possible!). This is 2 care-free coats with base and top.

I'd now like to introduce you to Milly. I couldn't resist taking a pic when she started playing with the bottle.

She loves to play with anything that rolls around on the floor, which is so much fun at night in my laminate floored bedroom!! We adopted Milly from an animal shelter in April and she is now 3 months old. I've never really been a cat person, but she is sooo cute and loveable.

That's all for today :)
xx

Misa - Dirty, Sexy, Money!

2010-06-21T21:18:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone. Hope you are ok this Monday.

Today I have the pleasure of showing you Misa's Dirty, Sexy, Money. This is a stunning merky green with a hint of teal. It's really hard to describe actually. Think khaki and then add a hint of blue. Look...

It is actually a bit less blue toned than this in real life, but this is the closest I could get. This is 3 coats with base and top. It is really a 2 coater, but I applied it really badly (due to me being an idiot and not turning a light on) so needed the 3rd to even out the sides where I missed!

This is the first Misa I have tried and I can't wait to try more. This colour is so interesting and unique and it applied really well. It also dried really shiney and didn't actually need a top coat, but I did one anyway out of habit.

I can totally understand the hype over this polish - it is......erm...I can't actually think of an appropriate word. Awesome? Yeah, a less cheesy version of awesome!

xx

Orly Luxe...Liquid Gold!

2010-06-20T12:05:00.006+01:00

Happy Father's Day!

FYI Magic Attraction = a cow to remove. I need to invest in pure acetone I think!

Today I decided to try out Orly Luxe as Rebecca fancied them last week when I asked you guys which ones you wanted to see.

This is simply stunning. It is a really sexy gold that actually looks nice on me! My skin tone is actually less pink in real life. The gold is quite yellow but not trashy and it has micro shimmer throughout which gives it the foil effect. I expect it would shine beautifully in the sun, but there isn't any in England today, so I took a picture with flash instead.

This is like liquid gold - I can't stop staring at my nails. This is 2 coats by the way with top and base coat.

Tomorrow I'm going to get started on the Misa's :) Can't wait!!

Have a lovely relaxing Sunday.

x

Oooooh Lot's of Goodies!

2010-06-19T13:15:00.009+01:00

Good afternoon everybody...I'm so glad it's Saturday :) This is going to be a very long post - I'm warning you now!

I've got soooo many goodies to show you today - I'm very excited.

First of all I got my giveaway prize in the post. (Technically I received this yesterday, but my mother didn't tell me until about an hour ago!!)

Aaah!! Look at them all! I got a mini OPI Absolutely Alice(!!!!!LOVE THIS JENNI!!!) and Off With Her Red. Then the beauties that are the Misa's. Dirty, Sexy, Money, Runway Diva and Pour Me Something Tall and Strong AND Jenni gave me some pretty sequin thingys :) I love the green ones, they're all mermaidy. I am currently thinking of some awesome design to use them in. The white and blue ones are making me think of snow or maybe I could try doing a cloud with the white ones. That's a good idea actually lol. And last but not least, I got a Minerals eyeshadow in Bronze Turquoise. I have green eyes so this is going to look lovely :)

I'm so grateful for all of these prizes and thank you JENNI at nailpolishUK for being so generous. I will definately be posting swatches of all of these soon. I absolutely adore all of these colours!!! I am so lucky :DSo last night after the DISASTER that was the England football team (mostly Wayne Flippin' Rooney - what was his problem last night???) I decided to cheer myself up. I wanted to try and experiment with Color Club Magic Attraction to see if I could get it to look a bit like Mad as a Hatter. Here's my result.

(You're seeing my right hand because I started with the glitter on my left hand, then realised I hadn't taken a photo of the black. It was insanely hard to get a good pic of my un-normal hand! Lol.)

Firstly I did one coat of MUA Shade 2 and ladies...this is a one coater! It is so perfect. Really, really black and glossy. I didn't use a top coat with this and the dry time was under 10 minutes! I cannot rant enough about this one. Then I topped it with 2 coats of Magic Attraction...

With flash above and without below

Not too close, but still really very pretty. Magic Attraction is a mostly light pink glitter, but also has holo glitter which makes it sparkle something special. I must say though, that with 2 coats of Essie Good to Go, I can still feel the glitter a bit, which is annoying.

Now I have a couple of questions for you...The size of my collection is growing quite rapidly and I seem to be running out of room in my shoe box for all my lovelies. My questions to you are: how do you store your polishes? And how do you organise them? Colour, brand, type? There are just so many options I don't know where to start.

Any help would be highly appreciated :)

If you're reading this bit then well done for keeping with me! lol.

Moon Manicure Attempt and Nails inc South Molten Street

2010-06-17T22:11:00.006+01:00

Hello :)

I got in from work today and thought I would try out a half-moon manicure. It was a bit impromptu and I haven't really looked at any tips on how to do this so I just kinda chucked the varnish on.

I LOVE these colours together and when I caught glimpses of this in the mirror I absolutely adored it! I was just experimenting this time - hence the random pinky - but I will definately try this out again very soon as a proper manicure. I used Orly Shine over Crown Court from yesterday.

Well, this was far to "out there" for work, so I decided to do a nice pink for a change.

This is 3 coats of South Molten Street. It is a lovely pale pink and perfect for french manicures - which I think is what it was probably made for. As all Nails inc's, it applied perfectly and is super shiny. There is VNL, but I like it. I can't wait for the weekend though to use some proper fun colours! I think I will be doing Magic Attraction tomorrow night before the footy :)

Come on England!

Tilly x

Nails Inc - Crown Court

2010-06-16T20:48:00.004+01:00

Hello nail polishers :)

Today I have for you another little gem from the Nails inc Metallics collection - which is turning out to be more shimmer than metallic!

I have been wearing this colour a lot recently on my toes, as it just shines in the sun and is just such a nice deep colour. I've notice that I'm much more of a dark/bright colour pedi girl.

This is 2 coats and taken with artificial flash. As you an see, Crown Court is a really deep red toned purple...amethest probably. It doesn't dry very shiney which is strange, but I always use top coat so that's not a problem. You can click on the pics to enlarge them to get a better look by the way.

This one is taken in a sunny room. See how different it looks? It's really not this burgandy at all in the sun, but I wanted to show you more of the pretty shimmer anyway.

In the shade and inside you can just about tell that it's purple and not black, so pretty vampy looking.

I would put this in my top 5 favourite polishes! It's perfect for all the time and looks stunning when you get in that sunshine.

Please love this as much as I do? :)

Tilly x

China Glaze - FYI

2010-06-14T22:02:00.005+01:00

Hello my lovelies. It's Monday again and I think I am getting a cold :( As you know, I have been away for the weekend and unfortunately forgot to take pictures of the 2nd part of my patriotic mani (which was painted red crosses on each nail) D'oh!

Anywho, look what I had waiting for me when I got back :)

Ooooh yeah!!! China Glaze - FYI from the OMG collection...Such an amazing amount of holo-ness! It's a lovely nudey/gold holographic polish. My other holos are Color Club - Wild at Heart and Fashion Addict, but this is so different to those. The holo particles seem to be much smaller - does anyone else think this?

This is 3 coats and the first 2 I had major cuticle drag and was getting a little worried as to how it was going to turn out, but after the 3rd coat, it was all perfect. I picked up this little stunner on ebay for a bargain £2.20!

I want to do a shout out to Jenni at nailpolishUK because I WON HER GIVEAWAY!!! My first ever giveaway win :) I'm so happy and can't wait to swatch the Misa's I'm getting :D

New Bottles and Ciate LA Confidential PICTURE HEAVY!!

2010-06-10T19:53:00.008+01:00

Happy Friday everyone...well almost!

Today I would like to show you some new polishes I have recently purchased. I would like you to all please vote for the colour you would like to see the most as I love them ALL!

***PICTURE HEAVY***

Not the clearest picture I'll admit but with a flash it just washes every colour out!

So l-r = (Nails inc "Jetsetter's Collection") All Saints Row (medium blue creme), Oxford Circus (pale pink creme), Devonshire Row (medium plum creme), Eden Grove (jade green creme) and Nfu Oh # 81 (reddy orange with lighter orange glitter)

l-r again = Orly Rage (rose gold foil metallic), Orly Shine (silver foil metallic), Orly Luxe (gold foil metallic), Color Club Sexy Siren (turquoisey blue glitter), Color Club Magic Attraction (pink and cilver holo glitter), OPI Dulce de Luce (pinky beige nude).

Those Orly's are HOT!!! I cannot wait to wear them all. I also adore the sparkle in the Color Clubs and the Nails Inc are really fun colours for summer - sorry about how terrible that pic is btw it really doesn't do them justice.

So I decided to swatch the Orly's and Color Club over MUA Shade 1 - just because I couldn't wait!!

Thumb - luxe, index - shine, middle - rage, ring - magic attraction and pinky - sexy siren.

Then I took all those off and got ready for my Patriotic mani...

Yes, this isn't patriotic at all, but there is still 1 working day left. I shouldn't really be wearing this to work tomorrow, but as it's a Friday I can get away with it!

This is 3 coats of Ciate LA Confidential. It is a lovely milky white. There is still VNL but I really like it because it's not chalky and harsh, but actually very chic. 1 coat looks really nice too, just gives a nice healthy colour and shine to your nails. The pinky star is done freehand (badly) in Orly Luxe...doesn't she shine nice though?

Part 2 of my mani will be completed tomorrow after work, but I may not have time to show you until Sunday as I, again, am neglecting the world of blogging for the weekend. Shock! Horror!!

So as I said - I want you to tell me which new polish I should wear for my mani next weekend!! I say next weekend as these aren't quite office appropriate. Lol.

Gosh I am rambling a lot...have nice weekends everybody :) :) :) :) :)

Tilly xx

MUA - Shade 1

2010-06-08T20:25:00.004+01:00

Today I have tried out shade 1 of the MUA range at Superdrug.

It is a real deep jem blue with a royal blue shimmer.

This is natural light...

And I couldn't resist showing off that shimmer...

Click into the pictures to get a close-up! And I know, I know, I have some polish on my skin, this is because I am very lazy and can never be bothered to clean up!

This is a beautiful colour, really deep and interesting and 2 coats which surprised me.

I apoligise for all the greens, yellows, blues of late. I'm really digging them at the moment, but I promise to show something different next! I have quite a few polishes on order so may do a vote or something as to which I should wear first when I get them as I'm never going to be able to decide for myself! Lol.

Tilly xx

Superdrug MUA - Shade 5

2010-06-07T22:28:00.004+01:00

Hello everyone. This is pretty late for me so I'm going to be quick because my eyelids want to shut!

I hope you all had a nice weekend. I stumbled across the new £1 make-up range that Superdrug are now doing - Makeup Academy. I got 3 polishes and a really sparkly gold glitter eyeliner (maybe I'll do an FOTD with it?)

These are shade 1 - the deep sapphire shimmer, shade 2 - the black, I actually didn't own a plain black until this :O, and shade 5 - the Tiffany style blue/green.

I decided to give shade 5 a whirl and this was the result.

Taken so you can see the likeness to the Tiffany blue? Is it blue or green? I need help on this one! Anyway, this was 3 coats. I still have a slightly vnl but I quite like it. I actually really liked the look it had with 2 coats (definately more noticable vnl) but decided to do a 3rd to see the true colour. Oh, and sorry for the huge flash - it was night time :(

These are pretty good little polishes! They have a really wide choice of shades and are lovely colours too. I am guessing that for the darker colours you may need more layers than the lighter ones, but we will see. I think that the blue is next on my list to swatch - it's such a deep and sparkly sapphire colour.

Has anyone else got any of these yet?

OPI - Fiercely Fiona

2010-06-04T07:48:00.004+01:00

Just a quick post before I go to the boyos for the weekend. I'm going to try and keep it on for the whole 3 days!

Fiercely Fiona is an awesome colour as you probably know - there are mega loads of swatches around.
This is 3 coats. Me and Fiona didn't get on too great. It was sooo streaky on the first 2 coats and I still have bald spots on my pinky and ring finger but I am not doing a 4th coat! (I have to go to work in 10 mins and it will never dry!!!)

Did you have any problems with FF?

I'll be checking comments today and we'll be away Saturday and Sunday. So I hope you all have glorious weekends and that you get some sunshine :)

Ciate - Mine's a Mocha

2010-06-01T18:30:00.003+01:00

Hello all.

I have another Ciate from my buy the other day. Today we are back to work appropriate colours so I thought Mine's A Mocha would be the perfect choice.

It's a lovely rich milk chocolate colour - it honestly looks edible!

It applied really well. These nail varnishes have a lovely wide brush so each layer was only 2 brush strokes and this is 2 coats. AND I even wrapped my nails this time - something I never do. AND I didn't use top coat because mine's run out and so just used Avon Quick Dry Drops AND it dried pretty quickly about 15 mins and they weren't dentable. It may have dried quicker, but I didn't want to risk testing earlier than that! Considering this is the first time I've let my nails dry without a quick dry top coat for about 8 months, it wasn't too traumatic.

Do you like this colour? I think it's quite chic for the office.

China Glaze Re-fresh Mint & GOSH Rainbow

2010-05-31T11:04:00.009+01:00

As you can see, I've had a bit of a play around with backgrounds and colours. I'm in no way HTML savvy, so I have just used a background from a website. I wanted something a bit vintagey but not too sickly and girly. I think it works, let me know what you think and if you have any help/ideas/input - they are greatly appreciated.

I have something interesting for you today...

My only China Glaze - Re-fresh Mint. 2 coats.

I really like this colour, it's nice and summery. It's sooo grey and cloudy where I am today so unfortunately haven't got great pictures again. But this is colour accurate and in real life it doesn't make my skin look so red. I guess the green in the varnish draws all the green out of my skin in a photograph?

I decided to add something special so I put one layer of GOSH Rainbow over the top.

I LOVE this. Again, it hasn't pictured greatly due to the sun and when I tried using flash it just made the whole picture white. The flakes have flashes of yellow, green and peach when on top of the mint green. I think I may be alone here but I'm going to put this out there...I prefer these flakies over lighter polish. To me it's just nicer as a subtle effect rather than being so bold over blacks etc.

What do you think?

Essie Bermuda Shorts

2010-05-30T17:13:00.000+01:00

Happy Sunday everyone. Nice knowing we don't have work tomorrow, isn't it? I've literally done nothing today except from put some things for sale on ebay, paint my nails and ate a huge roast dinner and for the rest of the day I intend on watching films :)

I went for Essie Bermuda Shorts today. I'm trying to make the most of the long weekend and get in as many non-workfriendly polishes as possible.

This actually photographs a lot more neon than it really looks in real life. It's actually a bit darker than I could capture. I hear that purples and neons are hard to photograph so imagine those 2 added together...tricky (espically as I only have a basic digital camera). This is 3 coats with topcoat as it dries matte.

This is a lovely colour and I will definately be wearing it again when I can appreciate it in the sunshine.

Ciate Paint Pots Finds!

2010-05-29T17:01:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone.

Before I start on what I've been up to today, check out Villiers Street with Orly Matte Top Coat...

Excuse the 3 day old manicure please :)

Today me and the mother went on a quick shopping spree to primark. I managed to get a full summer wardrobe including tops, tunics, dresses, sandals and sunglasses for under £60. I was so impressed. I'll have to show you the cutest tunic when I wear it. It's beige and has black swallows all over it. SO cute and was a fiver!!!

However, my bargain finding didn't stop there...we ventured into Debenhams and I came across a stand with Ciate nail polishes on for - get this - £1!!!! There was just one colour - Silk Stockings, and from all I could see they were just discontinued and looked like they needed a shake. So I immediately picked one up and made my way to the till. But lo and behold there were more at the till!!

I picked up one of each available.

L-R LA Confidential - a milky white creme
Silk Stockings - a custardy yellow creme
Mine's a Mocha - a rich brown/slightly red creme
Super Sexy Dry - To be honest I just bought this for the sake of it. Not entirely 100% sure what it is. You use it on top of a top coat :S
Hangover Cure - cuticle treatment

These were all £1 each!! They retail at like £7.25 upwards.

I couldn't wait to try out silk stockings, so here it is.

It's safe to say that I am definately a fan. Not just of this colour but of the brand too. The bottles obviously are just the cutest ever, but also really practical. The handle of the brush is so nice to use because it's super long. The brush is flat and wide and the polish applied lovely too. This is 3 problem free coats - it could have been less but I wanted this look more opaque.

I have a great idea for LA confidential with the football coming up :) I'm sure you can guess what I'm thinking...

Do you like Ciate polishes too?

Tilly x

Nails Inc. Villiers Street

2010-05-26T20:32:00.003+01:00

Candy Coated Tips' is having a PURPLE Giveaway here!!

Today I have for you a totally gorgeous berry red shimmer/metallic(?).

Villiers Street was in my "Metallics" collection from QVC. I'm finding it hard to tell if it is really a metallic or not. I guess it is kinda, but in my opinion it is a really subtle metallic finish.

We've not had any sunshine today, so I'm afraid this was taken in my bedroom and the colour adjusted. I promise if there is sun tomorrow morning I will fire up my laptop and post a picture before I head off to work at 7am :)

It applied amazingly - this was 2 coats, although it probably could be a one coater - i just don't feel right doing just one. The more I look at it the more it is becoming my favourite red. It's unlike any other reds I have. I've got Orly - Monroe's Red, a total pin-up red, slightly more orange toned than this. Then I have Nails Inc - Victoria, a real vampy red. This is just a real true red!

I urge you to buy it, although I don't think it's for sale on it's own, so you may just have to buy the whole metallics collection from QVC for around £20. But trust me...you won't be disappointed. I will be sampling more of the beauties from this collection very soon. I do have the dark purple metallic - Crown Court - on my tootsies at the moment, but wasn't sure how well a foot shot would go down!
Tilly xx

EDIT:

In the "sun".

Still doesn't do this justice. It's just a tad deeper and so much morevivid in real life. *sigh* I tried to get it right, I guess some colours just don't want to be photographed.

Ho Hum to Something Yum!!

2010-05-24T18:27:00.001+01:00

I purchased Boots No7 Totally Teal a while back when I had a £5 No7 voucher, used it once and can remember not getting on with it, so I decided to try again.

Then I remembered why I hated it. The application of this is really terrible. It's thick but also streaky and the bottle is way too long. It's hard to describe - but see the pic! Please excuse the mess around the mouth - but this is due to it being so THICK!!! I guess it will be fine with thinner, but I don't have any.

Here's the swatch.

It was just a bit blah. So I decided to put 17's Exquisite over the top and found a room with some sun!

Ahhh. Much better :) I might actually manage to keep this on for longer than 2 days...we'll see.

Tilly xx

P.S DailyPolish is running an amazing giveaway here.

Mmmmm...cocktails!

2010-05-23T09:21:00.000+01:00

I have to wear work appropriate colours all week so I like to wear something bright and fun at the weekend - especially when it is sooo sunny like it is this weekend in England.

The other week I went on a mission to find my most perfect bright coral and scoured the internet for ages looking at a LOT of different swatches. In the end I decided to get Essie Peach Daiquiri. I have found an amazing Ebayer in America that sells Essie, Color Club, OPI and China Glaze at VERY good prices, especially considering Color Club and China Glaze aren't available in the UK. Their name is beautyzone2007. Postage is also very cheap and everytime I've used them, my items have arrived within a week of purchasing! From America!!!

So back to Peach Daiquiri...it really is a beautiful bright sometimes pinky, sometimes orangey coral. I believe it's quite an old Essie, and was a little bit runny, but did apply really well with a loaded brush.
I decided to do something a little fun with it so I did a little konad design in Konad White, plate m26 - the 3 flowers. I did the full pattern on my pinkies and just the medium on the other nails in the bottom corner. My Konading skills really aren't great. I'm really lazy so just do it on my bed on top of my laptop. This would probably look amazing if I bothered to clear my desk and clean the plate and scraper with polish remover between each Konad. Maybe it's just because I know I'll have to take it off later for work tomorrow!

Here is 2 thick coats with basecoat, top coat, konad white and then konad top coat!

Do you like this coral? I think it is pretty much the perfect coral. I hope you have lots of sunshine too today. I'll be going to the garden now to play with the kitten and have a bbq later :) Summer has started...yay!!

Kicking off with Nails Inc Garrick Street

2010-05-20T20:35:00.002+01:00

Hello and welcome to my brand new, shiny blog!!

To start off I am showing you this beautiful colour by Nails Inc - Garrick Street.

This little bottle of polish is what has inspired me to start this blog. My mum bought me the Metallics Collection of Nails Inc off QVC instead of a present from her holiday - absolute win!! Anyway...I couldn't wait to get them and I desperately wanted to see pictures of these amazing colours so I could get a feel for them. However, I couldn't find any at all...so I gathered if I couldn't find any then there might be other people out there who want to see these swatches too. Hence the birth of Matilda's Manis.

This is all quite exciting and I have only ever read blogs before so you might have to bear with me until I get the grips with all this. Anyway, over to the pictures.

All the little pretties sitting together.

Emerald Street, Crown Court, Villiers Street, Monmouth Street and Garrick Street.

Garrick Street - indoors with flash.

This is 2 coats with Essie Mind the Gap basecoat and Orly Prisma Gold and Nailtek Fasten top coat.

It is such a beautiful purple with an overlay of blue which gives it a petrol look to it. It is a really nice formula too. You do need to use quite a loaded brush for this otherwise you will end up with bald spots. Does even out lovely after 2 coats though. I will definately try and get a picture of this in the sun tomorrow - it truely is stunning!

Tilly xx

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