Choi's nails: 2013

I'm having Monday blues.. before Monday

I know it's not even Monday yet but that'll be when my 100th blog post goes live and I didn't want it to be as blue as this manicure so this one has been pushed forward.

This manicure was planned way before my holiday even started and coincidentally fit how I felt yesterday when I found out I'll be starting work Monday again after a good two weeks holiday off work.

This is the first time I've painted my nails in a VERY LONG while. Bunnysitting has taken up a lot of my time and now I've been forced to change the setting where my nails are done, it actually feels quite uncomfortable. I felt a little like a lost case whilst painting and I seemed to have 'forgotten' how my nail pose used to be.

Light box photo. Brightened x1

What I used (Index to pinkie):

Index: Color club's Endless summer as base with Zoya's Maisie on top.
Middle: Zoya's Skylar as base, CC's ES for the cloud with Zoya's Maisie on top also
Orly's Flare for the dots.
Ring: CC's ES as base and Orly's Flare on top painted with the help of striping tape.
Pinkie: Zoya's Skylar on its own.

Light box photo. Brightened x2

I've actually posted about some of the polishes mentioned before on its own.You can check out a swatch of Color club's Endless summer HERE along with the rest of the shades from the same collection. The swatch post actually shows it closer to the true shade compared to these photos.

Zoya's Skylar on its own HERE but I really hate the pictures are there because that was way before I made a light box and made use of any photo editing software. Back then I used to think it was okay as well. Yuck. LOL

Outdoor photo. Brightened x1

Indoor window photo. Brightened x2

To be honest I don't hate this manicure but I don't particularly like it either. It looked a little different than I imagined and added a bit more than I planned. I just wish those gold dots on the middle finger weren't added because you can hardly tell that it's actually a cloud design with the dots above.

Indoor window photo. Brightened x2

I'm not sure about the rest but I love what's on my index finger here. Never expected CC's Endless summer and Zoya's Maisie to actually match so well. Maybe a full manicure with both these polishes or possibly Maisie paired with a black? Hmm, I'll think about that one.

What do you think about this manicure?

Sunday, October 27, 2013
1 Comments

China Glaze's Tinsel town

China Glaze

Thursday, October 24, 2013
1 Comments

Girly mix and match - Some stripes and some roses

Barry M

Tuesday, October 22, 2013
1 Comments

OPI's Ski teal we drop and CG's Icicle

China Glaze

Friday, October 18, 2013
1 Comments

Models own pastel fish braids - First attempt

Fish braid

Monday, October 14, 2013
3 Comments

China Glaze's Blue years eve

China Glaze

Saturday, October 12, 2013
1 Comments

Recreating an old manicure - OPI's Lucky lucky lavender & BM stamping

Bundle monster

Saturday, September 28, 2013
2 Comments

Neon saran wrap with Models own

Essie

Wednesday, September 11, 2013
3 Comments

Some good news, a NOTD and a FURRRRRY little update! :D

Barry M

After all the stress I went through I'm happy to announce that I'm back once again! I'd like to thank my old and new followers also to FEE from Makeup Savvy for recommending my blog on hers. It was a really nice surprise to come back to! THANKS FEE!

Emotionally and physically I've been recovering well and most of my possessions have been replaced but I could only care about my glasses which I've finally received and I've been wearing them everyday even to work to give my eyes the much needed rest.

Earlier I mentioned my camera being water damaged but learning from previous experience I decided to stop fiddling with it immediately and followed through with the rice method in an attempt to save it. (Thank gosh for being Asian and forever having rice in this household.) After leaving it in our rice tub for a few days it still turned out broken so after frustration I smacked it one before flinging it on my bed and kicking it around when I sleep. Pulled it out for the last time some days ago and it worked! I'll need to manage my time for some nail pampering soon, been busy lately and you'll know why later on in this post.

Now, to carry on with showing you my past manicures. Here's Essie's Lapis of luxury layered with China Glaze's Marry a millionaire done back in mid-July.

CG's Marry a millionaire over 3 coats of Essie's Lapis of luxury.

Essie's Lapis of Luxury had a normal consistency which is weird because from what I remember back then it had more of a runny formula, I guess after so long it's thickened up to be more normal. The first coat was sheer as with the second only being a little better. I'm wearing three coats in the photos and you could still sort of see some VNL but since I was thinking of layering something else on top it really didn't matter. It dries very fast and shiny and this is without top coat.

Essie's Lapis of luxury on its own. Three coats.

This is how things look with two coats of CG's Marry a millionaire on top. Overall I'd recommend three coats of this or trying to catch more glitter by applying a thicker coat. Its thin to normal consistency doesn't make your manicure look thick but you should pay attention in applying it evenly because some patches would appear sheerer than others.

Two coats of CG's MAM on Essie's LoL.

Here's the finished look with three coats. CG's MaM is a mix of lavender pink and purple small glitters along with turquoise bar glitters and maybe some holo? Yep I'd put a question mark there because there's so much going on that I can't even figure out what's actually there.

Three coats of CG's MaM on Essie's LoL.

And here's the reason why I've been pretty busy lately.

Everyone, meet MOCHA!

(He's not quite a true mocha colour but he's cute enough to take up the name!)

My sister bought this fluff ball home not too long ago and since we share a room together I've automatically been given the responsibility of looking after him. My parents aren't 100% keen on him so he's currently residing in our room until we decide whether he'll be permanently housed inside or out.

At almost 10 weeks old he's playful and fluffy but he just hasn't managed to get his litter training right yet. One minute he gets it right and the next his bits and bobs are everywhere. I guess since he's still a baby we've got to give him more time and patience or explore different approaches since the ones we learnt from the internet isn't fully succeeding.

Everything about him worries us from his body, the way he runs, jumps, and eats to his bedding, litter tray, toys, hygiene and so much more! It's like we became mothers overnight. Being inexperienced pet owners ourselves we've done so much research since we got him, I don't even think I did this much during my last year of University.

All these photos were taken when he was 9 weeks old but the past few days he's been growing quite a bit, much faster than I thought he would especially his ears and feet. He's also fluffier and a little rounder on the backside LOL.

We'll learn though, we want this little fluffy bum to be healthy and have the longest and happiest life while he's with us!!

Mocha: H-Hey what you looking at?!

Mocha: Pffft, couldn't care less. NOMNOMNOMNOM!

Mocha: This is actually a great hiding place. She can't see me right?

Mocha: She gone yet?

Mocha: Well, you can talk to my fluffy backside!

And here's a closeup of this furry buddy :D

Any rabbit owners out there that can give me some good advice on raising him? Or any other pet owners?

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, September 08, 2013
5 Comments

Bad news and pre-hiatus notice!

I know I said I'll post every other day, I've done a good job up until now but this time I have more than a valid reason!

I was unlucky enough to bump into these low life bummers after work who must have thought it would've helped their get rich quick scheme by stealing from me. My whole bag was stolen and I was left with a few scrapes, scratches and bruises so instead of blogging I've been trying to recover the important stuff I lost as well as getting some rest.

This made me grateful for the people who care about me and I'm happy that they were only aiming for my valuable items than anything else. Those could be replaced but I was most annoyed about my glasses. They've not only robbed me of my personal items but also my vision. I've been wearing the remaining contacts I have in my drawers since and will have to do so until my new glasses come which after all the fees have added up cost me a bomb too! My eyes are very strained and tired, even my opticians said so which is holding me back from working on my laptop and that includes blogging.

Other than that, that morning before work I accidentally knocked over my cup of tea. Want to know what got wet? My camera! One of the essentials to blogging! I thought it would've been fine since it was just a little more than a few drops that hit it but after messing with my camera just now I'm seeing problems with the camera screen. Now that I have no camera to work with I'll be forced to have a break after posting all that I've lined up for you.

This means that other than my glasses, phone, personal cards and a few other items, I also have to replace my camera. ££££££! Lucky I currently have a part time job and an active Swagbucks account to help me cover for my loss but it's the fear and shock that needs time to overcome.

So everyone please be more alert! Make sure you don't show any of your belongings and take out your earphones when walking home especially if it's dark and quiet. Ask a family member to pick you up if possible. Be more aware of your surroundings and who's behind you!

Thanks for understanding and everyone stay safe!

Anyone recommend any good cameras within the £50-£200 price range that is suitable for nail blogging?