New Poll!

Hi everyone(: I was wondering if you would be interesting in seeing a Halloween nail art series. Be sure to get your vote in before 10/3/11. You can find the poll box to the right of this post or below my tab bar on the right.

Thanks so much for voting!

Bettina #197

Behold! My attempt at the ruffian manicure! 

Haha, I have no idea what happened to my ring finger... it.... got destroyed. Anyway, I was really excited to try this idea. I painted two coats of the grey on first and then with my nail art brush I drew a little semi circle, and then filled the circle in with Bettina Aqua. Now, most of you know that I have no free hand nail artistic ability so even the stupid circle turned out bad. Then I went back and tried to fix it with the grey... let's just say I have a lot of layers of polish on my nails right now, lol.

Besides that (and my ugly ring finger) I think think this turned out ok for my first try... I guess next time I should skip the tiny drawing of a little circle and just use the regular brush :P

Bettina #197 is surprisingly hard to describe. At first it looks like a regular grey, but it's actually a very blue/periwinkle toned grey so in some lighting, it looks kind of like a grey-ed out version of Zoya Caitlin. Very pretty. #197 is so opaque! I literally only needed one coat! Except one coat, in pictures, usually show every single nail imperfection I have so I did two. Formula was awesome. Dry time was average. 

Despite my awful semi circles and my ring finger, I think this turned out rather cute. What about you??

• Base Color: Bettina #197
• Blue: Bettina Aqua
• Stamp Color: Konad Black Pearl
• Plate: BM201

(**Products sent for review**)

Review: Pro-FX 3 in 1 Basecoat, TopCoat, and Nail Strengthener

Hi everyone!! I decided to review my Pro-FX Basecoat, Topcoat, and Nail Strengthener because I know you liked my review of their fast dry topcoat (HERE), so I just thought that I might as well review my other Pro-FX product as well(:

Note From Me: Other than this base coat, my other go-to base coat is the one by Beauty Secrets. But, I am running out of that one and it's kind of gloopy, and sadly, their is no Sally's where I live :(

Bottle/Price: For the price you pay, the bottle is huge. I paid only $4.95 +tax for a 2.5 FL. OZ/ 75 ML bottle. In the second picture you can see how it compares to my Beauty Secret's Base Coat.

Bubbling: To me, the only major downside to this base coat is the bubbling, like it's fast dry top coat, this bubbles easily. To me, that's very annoying but let it sit for a while, the bubbles go away. Also like the fast dry top coat, be careful when applying, cause even if you dip the brush back into the product too fast can result in bubbles.

Brush/Wand: Since I already reviewed the brush/wand on the top coat, I am just going to keep it short and sweet. Ok, both the brush and the wand are giant which isn't necessarily bad. The long wand allows you to get every last bit of product and the big brush fans out perfectly. Even though you would think the large-ness would give you a hard time, it doesn't... which I love! :)

Formula/Smell/Dry Time: Formula is pretty thin.... quite nice. As for the smell... nothing major. Dry time is pretty fast.

Gripping: I think this base coat has a pretty good job of gripping the polish and making sure it stays on. That makes me happy(: Paired with the fast dry top coat, your nails will be invincible!

Anti-Staining: For me personally, the only reason why I use a base coat is so that my nail polish doesn't stain my natural nail. It also helps my natural nail from getting yucky and flimsy... but more on that in a minute. Anyway, I think this base coat does a good job from keeping your nails stain free. My nails will always be a tad bit yellow tinged, but for the most part, good job! Blues usually stain on me and I have been wearing a ton of blues lately and I am super stoked because no staining!! Yay!

Nail Strengthening: I have the flimsiest (is that a word?) nails on the planet and it feels like nothing can make them stronger. I wasn't really expecting anything but I must say that even though my nails still aren't very strong, they seem to be a little bit harder to break which is a miracle! Now, I am not saying my nails are super strong now (which they aren't) but I am just saying they seem.... a bit stronger... just a bit... a pinch? IDK. But what I really wanted to mention was that my nails have been growing incredibly fast and I think it's because of this stuff. It seems like whenever I sit down to do my nails I am always filing or trimming which I think is great because my nails grow so slow!

Top Coat: I actually just bought this for the base coat (they didn't have just a regular one, they had a cuticle oil, nail strengthener, this, and fast dry top coat) so I actually haven't tried it as a top coat at all... so ya... I am going to have to skip this for now. But if I try it in the future, I'll be sure to edit it in(:

Overall: Overall I really love this base coat and I will continue to buy it. To me, the only major downside is the bubbles but that can be fixed. I love the brush, dry time, and the anti-staining. It grips your polish so that it stays on and I just genuinely love the product!! So far I am really liking this brand (despite bubbling) and I kind of want to try their cuticle oil... but that's besides the point, lol.


If you have any questions feel free to ask(:

Bettina Aqua

So I have had this post sitting in my drafts folder for a while now because I wasn't sure when to post it. But since I have been kind of tired and lazy lately to do my nails, I thought now was the perfect time(: I wasn't originally going to post any of these photos just because they were so far off color wise, but as I was looking through them again these two were actually pretty accurate.

Aqua.... so clean.... so pretty, so becoming my new favorite(: Aqua is basically an aqua blue (no derrr, lol) with some green undertones. It's a tad more green IRL than in the photos. The formula on this was great. Super pigmented, applied smoothly, and dried fast and shiny. This is two thin coats.


What are your thoughts on Aqua??

(**Product sent for review**)

Gradient/Sponge mani take 2! :)

Since I loved my last gradient mani so much, I had to try it again... this time with stamping! :)

Despite my off centered stamping, I think this turned out great. I think the colors work nice together, and I love the image.

Haha, and yes, I used Bettina again.... I don't know... there is just something about their polishes.... whenever I get ready to paint my nails, I always gravitate towards them first.... lol.

Anyway, thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what you think! :)

• Base Color: Bettina Ocean
• Green/Sponge Color: Bettina Trees
• Stamp Color: Konad Black Pearl
• Plate: BM221

(**Bettina products sent for review**)

Bettina Indigo

Hi everyone!! So today I tried my very first gradient/sponge manicure:)

Ok, seriously, I am so in love with Indigo. The color is gorgeous. Indigo is a royal/navy-ish blue with some indigo undertones. The formula on this was dreamy and super opaque. I could have gotten away with one coat but out of habit, I did two. Dry time was lightning fast and it dried shiny! I seriously have no complaints... Unless it stains which I am hoping it won't.

Afterwards, I cut a little piece off of a cosmetic sponge and I sponged a little bit of Bettina #28 to the tips. I think it turned out great!! It looks so cool IRL. I love love LOVE it:) Definitely going to do sponge mani's more often! Just for fun I painted 1 coat of Finger Paints Sparkle Top Coat over my left hand thumb... I think it looks cool... kind of "outer space" looking :D

Have you tried sponging yet?? :)

• Base Color: Bettina Indigo
• Purple/Sponge Color: Bettina #28

(**Products sent for review**)

Poll Runner Up: Bettina #189

Hi! Today I get to show you the polish that got second place in my poll(: I wanted to use this one purple polish for the stamping but it didn't really show up :( I also tried to use the white first and line up the purple so it came on more opaque... but that failed... to the extreme. In the end I just ended up using white....simple, but cute:)

#189.... such a pretty shimmer.... #189 is and aqua-ish blue with some gorgeous green undertones packed with micro shimmer.... so much shimmer that it actually looks like a sheen. #189 is a tad but more green in real life... just a little bit... a pinch:) Formula on this was great (as usual) and dry time was fast. It's a little sheer but it's very build-able. In the photos you can see some slight VNL, but it's not that noticeable IRL. This is two thin coats.

My stamping looked a little flat so I decided it was the perfect time to use my Finger Paints Sparkle Top Coat! I must say... I am in love!! I definitely want to start using glitter more often. It's gorgeous:) 

Also, I have so many ideas I want to try out!! I am starting to think this is going to be a good week....

Anyway, let me know if you like(:

• Base Color: Bettina #189
• Stamp Color: Luv My Nails White
• Plate: BM201
• Glitter: Finger Paints Sparkle Top Coat

(**Bettina product sent for review**)

Poll Winner: Bettina #28

Hi everyone!! So Bettina #28 was the winner of my very first poll(: I wanted to say thankyou to everyone who voted... all 35 of you! :D Since this one went so well, I think I might do another one next week or something. Let me know what you think. Anyway, I'll have a picture of the poll results (just for the heck of it) on the bottom of the post. But for now, pictures! :)

#28 is a gorgeous deep purple/burgundy shimmer. Stunning. Formula was spot on as usual. The only thing that I didn't like was the smell... it was a little strong. There was a subtle gold duo-chrome in the bottle but that didn't really show up on the nail. That's ok though.... the polish is still beautiful without it.

I did end up stamping it except I messed up horribly so no photos :( Anyway, thanks for reading and be sure to let me know if you love #28 as much as I do! :D

Poll results:

Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to participate in my poll(: Be sure to be on the lookout for the next one! :D

(**Product sent for review**)

Review: Pro-FX Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat (+Comparisons)

Hi everyone!! So I recently bought a new topcoat(: I was cruising Twitter and Rie (Nails and Noms) mentioned that she got this new top coat, and it was fairly similar to Seche Vite. I have been needing a new bottle of TC, so after she said that it was like Seche, the very next day I went and bought it. I also ended up buying the 3 In One Base Coat, Top Coat, and Nail Strengthener, but I'll review that another day. Anyway, this is a super long review so better grab a snack or something.

Note From Me: I have 3 go-to topcoats. Seche Vite, NYC Quick Dry, and now Pro-FX Quick Dry Top Coat. Seche is basically my holy grail but it's really hard for me to find where I live. The NYC one was recommended by Sammie (The Nailasaurus) and that's really easy for me to get. I really like that top coat as well. Very nice brush (similar to OPI pro wide brush which I love).

Bottle/Price:  Ohmygawd the bottle is HUGE! I first saw this brand at my local Walmart about 4-5 months ago, and I have always wanted to try it because of the bottle. Apparently it's "salon size". It's 2.5 FL. OZ/ 75 ML. You can see in the second picture, how it compares to a regular bottle of Beauty Secrets Base Coat. This top coat was fairly cheap considering it's size, I only payed $4.95 +tax.

Bubbling:  Rie mentioned that this top coat bubbled on her friend really badly. (It didn't bubble on Rie though). I noticed that this top coat gets bubbles really easily which I absolutely hate! Even if it looks like there isn't any bubbles, move it even slightly stupid bubbles start popping up. And even when you paint it, as you dip the brush back into the bottle it slowly gets bubbles. But, the good thing is, is that if you let it sit for a while, the bubbles go away:) But still, be careful while applying and be sure to not shake it.

Brush/Wand:  The wand is super long and giant. It also touched the very bottom of the bottle which I think is great, it allows you to get every last bit of product. The brush is very soft and much like Seche. But a little bit bigger. If you have enough product on, and with a light touch, it doesn't smear your stamping! :) Also, if you don't let it drip on one side, you can do your whole hand without having to re-dip. Even though the brush/wand is very large, I had no problems what-so-ever(:

Formula/Smell:  The formula is a little thinner than Seche Vite. Formula wise, Pro-FX is closer to NYC. It smells just like Seche though. (It actually has the word "Seche" on the bottle)

Dry Time/Hardness:  Although dry time is quick, it isn't as quick as Seche. It also doesn't harden as fast. It's dry to the touch in about 5 min, fully dry in about 10-20 minutes, hard enough so you don't ding anything in about an hour, and fully hardened by the next day. Which I guess compared to Seche, that's a while, but it is very hard nonetheless. Nothing can really ding the surface and it lasts super long so yay!

Wear Time:  Ok, now for the good part! Wear time! Most top coats start peeling/chipping on me by the second day. This top coat, doesn't chip/peel or even have tip wear until the fourth day... which is usually when I start getting bored of the color and start picking at it. Seriously! Not even tip wear! The other day (I forget what color I was wearing... Zoya something rather), I didn't have anything until day four. I went to the beach twice, swimming twice, sand, dishes, showers, school, everything!! That's pretty awesome!

Shine:  Last but not least, shine. It does dry very shiny, and stays shiny for the most part. I have been out of Seche for a while so I can't really compare it to that... NYC dries shiny as well, but doesn't stay shiny.... for me at least.

Overall:  Overall, I really love this top coat. Even though Seche Vite will always be my favorite, it chips/peels way to fast for way and when using Pro-FX I know it will stay on. You get a lot of good
product for a fairly cheap price, dry time is fast, and I just overall love it! Even though it bubbles easily which really annoys me, the wear time/shine makes up for that.

If you have any questions feel free to ask(:

My first poll!!

Hi everyone(: I decided to post my very first poll asking all of you which Bettina polish you would like to see next. It ends on 9/16/11 so be sure to put your vote in before that date!! :) You can find the poll box right below my tab bar on the right.

Thanks for voting!! :)

Bettina Ocean

Hi everyone! My second un-stamped post. Been feeling so un-inspired. Which sucks cause I had a GREAT stamp idea for this color and it turned out so gross and yucky I had to take it off. Seriously, I did my nails 7 times!! NO JOKE. I finally settled on Planks-A-Lot. Which I actually didn't stamp either. Anyway, I swatched Ocean on Friday. It took me forever! This color is so hard to capture! And even with editing it's still not completely color accurate. Ok, enough talking, onto the photos!

Bettina Ocean.... a very hard color to capture. Mkay... let's see.... Ocean is a stunning slightly vibrant sea-foam green (way more sea-foamy, less aqua IRL) with the most awesome formula ever. Dry time was quick and like most of my Bettina's, this polish dried shiny! This is 2 thin coats.

I also wanted to mention that Bettina Brand is now being sold in two stores in Florida. I am not exactly sure where, but you can go to their FB group page and ask them(: Oh! And one more thing, Ocean is similar to Mermaid Tears (even though by my swatch photos you would think they would be completely different). Let me know if you want a comparison post! :) So ya, think less aqua/blue, more Mermaid Tears.

Anyway, let me know what you all think! Do you love this color as much as I do?? 

(**Bettina product sent for review**)

Zoya Kelly

Here it is... my namesake(:

Kelly is a gorgeous gray with some purple undertones. When you first see it, it looks like a dark grey, but put it next to an actual grey, it's very purple (see pinky on the photo above). Very hard shade to describe. Formula on this was perfection and dry time was fast. This is two thin coats. 

If you follow me on Twitter you would know that I was a little disappointed with Kelly. Not because it's bad or anything, it's actually very pretty, but I personally don't wear colors like this. I love bright colors and this is very dark and it's not something I would wear... normally. BUT, I am going to find a way to rock it!! Because after all, this is my namesake color. I was thinking maybe some awesome stamping?? YES!

EDIT: I take back everything I said! I just recently started using this and I love it!!!!!!

No nail art post today :( I wasn't feeling inspired and I was in a rush.... but don't worry, I'll have something AWESOME for you this week(:

Do you own Kelly?? Do you like it?? What color is your Zoya namesake??

Bettina Snakeskin Mani

I have a cute fall snakeskin manicure to show you today(: I have been wanting to use this brown color for a while but didn't know what to do with it. Finally this idea hit me! I think it turned out great :)

Bettina #195 is a nice chocolate-y brown. But although it appears to be just some ordinary brown... it isn't. If you look look close enough, you can find hidden gold shimmer/flecks!! I didn't think that I was going to like it, but it's really flattering on my skin tone. The formula on this was amazing and buttery smooth. This is 2 coats.

Afterwards, I took a Q-Tip and sponged on a little bit of Bling Dynasty, and then stamped the snakeskin print on BM215 over that.

I <3333 the way this turned out, what about you?? :)

• Base Color: Bettina #195
• Stamp Color: Konad Black Pearl
• Gold Sponging: OPI Bling Dynasty
• Plate: BM215

(**Bettina product sent for review**)