One of the surprises that Aleta from The Nail Junkie is sending with her beautiful polishes is a small jar with pure magic in it. This is the Cutie Balm:

Helloooooooo beautiful people! How is everyone?

Today I would like to show you one more or the amazing Summer Jellies of The Nail Junkie: This is the Orange Jelly.

My order from The Nail junkie arrived and I am SOOO excited about it!!!

First, I got all these fun surprises in the package, that I will show you later this week in another post. And second - I got these REAL GORGEOUS collection of polishes! So as a start for this awesome collection, I would like to show you the Grape Jelly.

For a long time I wanted to do this. I first saw it in Jenna's blog - I'm still thinking, (which if you still don't follow - you very much should!) but I was very unsure about posting a video of me on line...

Then some awesome girls in a Facebook group I'm in, decided to do it as audio only, using Vocaroo service so I decided to be brave a shoot it in video after all. At first, only the group gals could see it. but they were so encouraging and supportive that I decided I will post it here too. Besides, I bet you are wondering a little how I look/sound/act... Well, I hope you do anyway. Even if just a little bit LOL


So the main idea behind the accent tag is to hear how different people from different places say the same words. I will first read a list of known words and then I will answer a few questions. Since my mother tongue is Hebrew, I decided to read the words in Hebrew so you get to hear some. Under the video I will list the words I'm saying, both the English word and the Hebrew one and then I will list the questions.
As for my English accent - don't ask me. I have absolutely no idea where i got it from! It's some sort of mixture I picked up through the years, from my infant days in the International school for diplomat's children in Italy (I lived there when I was 5 years old) through american and australian tv shows and the british indie music scene of the 80's. Go figure... LOL

Oh and... I'm EXTREEEEEEMLY nervous so I'm doing a lot of funny faces in the video, but I hope you won't make too much fun of me. After all, this is the FIRST TIME EVER I'm actually making a video of myself.

The list of words: (In parentheses you can see the word in Hebrew):

Aunt (doda), Roof (gag), Route(kvish), Wash(Lishtof), Oil (shemen), Theater (te'atron), Iron (barzel), Salmon (salmon), Caramel(karamel), Fire(esh), Water(mayim), Sure(betach), Data(netunim), Ruin(laharos), Crayon(iparon), Toilet(sherutim), New Orleans(new orlins), Pecan(pekan), Both(gam ve-gam), Again(shuv), Probably(kanir'e), Spitting Image(shtey tipot mayim), Alabama(alabama), Lawyer(orech din), Coupon(kupon), Mayonnaise(mayonez), Syrup(sirop), Pajamas(pijama), Caught(nitpas), Orange(the fruit is tapuz, the color is katom), Coffee(kafe), Direction(kivun), Naturally(be'ofen Tiv'ee), Aluminium(aluminiyum) and Herbs(isvey tibul)

The questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house? Ha! have no idea!

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called? Kola or Soda

What do you call gym shoes? Na'aley Hit'amlut

What do you say to address a group of people? Hi!! yeah, in Hebrew too LOL

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs? Akavish is a spider. I don't know the specific kind's name.

What do you call your grandparents? Saba is grandfather and Savta is Grand mother

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket? Agala = cart

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining? Geshem is rain, Shemesh is sun and keshet is rainbow

What is the thing you change the TV channel with? Shalat which means a controller


So do you plan to do it too? let me know if you do! I'd love to see and hear you!!!

I am so ashamed... My birthday was at the beginning of June but I had so many other things happening that I totally forgot to get the mani pics off my camera and show you. I am hoping you can forgive me if I do that now though... Can you? Please? *doggie eyes*

I really wanted to try these cute cupcakes for a long time and somehow I never got around to it. Also, i wasn't sure if I should do it with polish or with acrylic colors. I did know however that the base would have to be blue. And holographic. That's a good start isn't it? Oh, and I just received Darling Diva's Dusky Sky. What could be more perfect?

I started with Midnight Blues by Chic, a local company that I like. Midnight Blues is a very dark blue that flows like a cream but has a shimmery finish. It is opaque in two coats. It is a little on the thin side and needs to be treated more careful then I did but I'm afraid I am not the patient kind...

I then layered two coats of Dusky Sky. I really loved the way it looked but... I thought it was too dark to be a background for more colors...

So I decided to use my loyal Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away. This combo gave me a nice  medium holographic blue.

Taken Indoors with flash

Taken outdoors in direct sun

And after finishing the background, I decided to give the acrylic paint a chance.
This is my first time of free hand painting with acrylic paint, and I'm afraid I didn't add enough water to it because the paint was very thick and hard to work with. You can see in the picture below that the paint created thick un-even layers on the nail and it looks all bumpy. At first I was really bummed about it but when I finished these two cupcakes, somehow... I liked them. And I didn't care much.

It's weird. It doesn't often happen that I like something that I do. Especially not if it's not turning the way I wanted it. But somehow I did like these cupcakes. Well, maybe I'm finally growing up... LOL   By the way, the candy bits on the cream is made with a very fitting polish: Deborah Lippmann - Happy Birthday.

So happy belated birthday to me! How old you ask? I say why getting technical? Let's party!

Maybe you remember, a couple of months ago I told you I had a process starting at work that's meant to turn me into a bank employee, while I am now only an out-source worker. I hoped it would be better but the company I work for doesn't want to let me go because I make a lot of money for them, while they treat me so bad when it comes to all sort of working conditions. Anyway, this thing is dragging and dragging and at this moment I just wish it will be over already. So today's good news is that we're getting close to the final point - the actual contract. Now here's the catch: my salary hadn't change in 5 years. But most likely the bank, that's suppose to take me as an employee will not want to give me a raise to make up for these 5 years, because by taking me as an employee, they already have to spend a lot of money on me. And so we are now dancing around the big green and gold...

Natural light

So while I am going through contracts and the different options, I thought I would show you my "good luck with it!" manicure. Green and gold. What could be more appropriate?
Say hello to Jessica - Iridescent Eye, the famous (and probably the cheapest) dupe for Chanel Peridot.

I don't have the Chanel version but there are many comparison posts. Personally I think that Iridescent Eye  is wonderful. it's very easy to apply, it's opaque in two coats - well, three if you have been uncareful, have a lovely metallic finish and is beautifully multichrome that changes from copper to gold to light olive green to dark peacock green as the angle and lighting change. 

Taken in artificial lighting and flash

Taken in artificial lighting and flash

Taken in artificial lighting and flash

And now I only have to wait and see what will be the final word... I hope you like it!

You can get Jessica - Iridescent Eye at Ninja Polish for the amount of $6.

So everyone got all crazy over Nail Venturous Floam and it made me think... well... i'm not the kind to wait up all night just to get that bottle of polish. So I always missed it in the sales and I kind of... gave up on it. Then suddenly I got an email from a friend blogger. She said she had an extra bottle and asked if I would want it. Hell YES!!!

So this is the cute package I got from Andres. Just look at that sweetness! But right there in the middle, lies something I really never thought I'd see from this close.    

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH Andrea!!! I LOVE IT!!!

The cute cute package I received from Andrea!

This is pure summer fun in a bottle! Blue and yellow and green and lots of fun and sea and sand and a yellow polka dot bikini! Or at least, that's what it's reminding me of.
I decided to layer it over the same colors that's are in the polish, and see how it will look. I wondered if any of the colors will "get lost".

RtL: Zoya - Creamy, Nail Venturous - Floam, Chic - Fresh Grass, Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away

Taken with Flash

To my surprise, Not only that none of the colors were lost, but the background colors gave the fun glitter a whole new dimension! I felt like I was looking into those little colorful pools in the sea-world, where they keep all the shells and sea stars and anemones and millions of tiny colorful fish!  I certainly understand what was all the fuss about!

This is pure awesomeness!

Taken with flash

Taken with flash

Every layer is stuffed with glitter and you really don't need to work hard to get it on the entire nail. I used two coats of the color polish and then two coats of Floam and two coats of my Chic Fast Dry Top Coat, and I got amazingly beautiful aquariums right at the tip of my hands!!!

Just look at these layers!!!

The only down side of this polish is the fact that the gorgeous Nail Venturous Etsy stroe is currently on vacation. You can check for updates on her Facebook page, or if you get real lucky, you might catch this beauty at NinjaPolish, but even there it's not an easy one to get. Take it from someone who never runs after the bus though - This is pure gem in the polish world.

So again - THANK YOU SO MUCH Andrea of Finger Painting Fingers!!! I really love this baby SOOO much!!!

If you follow me a little, you probably know by now that I am still far from mastering the art of polish application, as well as the art of taking photos of it. I always have serious issues with my horrible looking cuticles, weird un-even application and terrible lighting conditions for my pictures.
And now I can tell you that this post was the hardest to make, when on top of everything mentioned, the polishes I used are Neon...

index and ring - Pink, middle and pinky - Fusion Neon
Taken in natural light, with not much light...

But - this is a very special post for me, for several reasons:
1. I LOVE Neon polish. And I received the entire Sinful Colors Neon collection, as well as some extras from an AMAZING blogger friend of mine - sweet Lisa @ Cosmetic Sanctuary. And why did I receive them you ask? Simply because Lisa is AWESOME. That's it.
By the way - if you're not following her yet - you definitely should!!!

2. I LOVE comparison posts. I wish I could do more, but I'm afraid I never have anything interesting enough to compare. Surprisingly, I got to do this post which is somewhat a comparison. And I would like to dedicate it to another very sweet blogger friend of mine - Ashley from Ashley is Polish Addicted. (Do make sure you're following her too!!!)

Ok, enough with the chit-chat. Let's go to the main event. I would like to show you a comparison between two Sinful Colors pink neons. Left one is called Pink, and  right one is Fusion Neon.

Sometimes I seriously think that polish companies have issues with creativity. The polish named Pink is actually a hot coral color. It has some very warm undertones to it and I am not sure how much the name "Pink" really suits it. The "Fusion Neon" however is a pure pink. No doubt about it. Cold and bright.

Index and ring - Pink, middle and pinky - Fusion Neon
Natural light

They both need 3 coats for complete opacity and they both dry very quickly into a soft satin finish. They are both very pigmented, well - true neons. But while Pink flows evenly and easy from first coat, the Fusion Neon requiters some help and very careful application or else it gets a little streaky.  And although I love the satin finish, I think a glossy top coat make them pop so much more!

Index and ring - Pink, middle and pinky - Fusion Neon
Natural light

Index and ring - Pink, middle and pinky - Fusion Neon
Taken with flash 

Well, I can't help it. I am totally in love with these neons. Not only the two pinkish ones, but the entire set! I can hardly wait to get the chance to try them all! I definitely think this is a MUST to every polish enthusiastic stash and i am more then happy that the neons are so popular this summer!

So what do you think? Do you have them already? Which is your favorite of the set?

Hello beautiful people!!
Today I would like to show you a gorgeous polish I received in a swap I did with sweet Jo from Wales. If you don't know her, you should check her blog. It's not very much nail related but it is fun! This is Scarab and it's by one of my most favorite brands - illamasqua.

Artificial lighting

To be honest, I find the name a bit strange. The original Scarab - the Egyptian Pharaoh beetle - is known to be green or blue. It has the same blackening metallic effect that this polish has, but until I googled it, I had no idea  there was a red scarab. Turned out there is. Every day you learn something new!

Anyway, Scarab is a gorgeous deep red, that under different lighting changes it's look from black to dark red to dark orange and it has these beautiful orange shimmers inside of it. If you are very careful, you can settle for one coat. But I think two coats does the best for this beauty. Illamasqua has a very nice brush. A little too thin for my liking, but it spreads nicely on the nail and you usually don't need any more then two, maybe three strokes. It dries quickly to a gorgeous shiny creme and it is the most vampy polish I have at the moment, and I simply adore it!

So why am I talking so much? Let me just show you. All pictures show two coats of Scarab and one coat of Chic - a local brand quick dry & top coat.

With flash

Natural light

Direct sun

Direct sun

Natural light

So what do you think? Yeah I know it might be a little too dark for summer, but I just love it!

A few days ago I was reading one of my favorite blogs - The Nail Junkie, and I came across these awesome photos of Aleta's neatly organized stash. When I realized these were from Ikea, I immediately decided I need some too! Personally - I hate Ikea. My own experience showed that it's a very expensive store for very low quality items. But I looked at the pictures of these drawers over and over again and eventually I figured that if someone as professional as Aleta can use a Helmer from Ikea, it can't be all bad.

Neat, isn't it?

I looked at Ikea USA and saw that this unit costs $39.99. I figured that is a fair price so on Thursday after work, I went to our local Ikea branch. Sadly it was more expensive here (~$55) but I wasn't surprised. I bought this unit in White, because I didn't think the red would fit my desk, and I came home and put it aside. Only on Saturday I decided to try and assemble it.

Themis is really interested in the technicalities. Xanthippe prefers to scratch herself against the box.

When I started to asseble this part I suddenly realized that the trailers on which the drawers are suppose to stand, are all standing in a diagonal line, as if the draweres were suppose to open diagonally upwards. That was weird. All the lines are crocked? If one was bad, I could understand it. After all - you know what I think of Ikea. But having all the lines wrongly measured? that didn't make sense.
After the entire part was built, I realized I placed those trailers in the wrong direction. Duh....

YAY! I'm half-way done!

 The drawers themselves were very easy to assemble, but the handles for them were very tricky! I kept loosing my screws... (Don't laugh! I really kept loosing them! LOL)

...and it's DONE!!

Now to the fun part: filling my new Helmer!
I tried several different systems and I figured the only one that really works for me is by color.
Color is a function of my mood so my pic is up to my mood when I want to do my nails. So I find things much easier within colors then within brands. So here is the content of my drawers:

Blue and green. I have mostly blue, but recently I started collecting some lovely greens as well. And since I have quite a few that I can't define as just blue or just green, putting them together seemed naturaly.

Red, orange and yellow and everything nude, tan and brown. Not that I have too many...

Purple and pink. Here I have a lot of space for future purchases. But in the meantime I also keep here my nail art brushes. I hope to get another Helmer soon and then everything not polish will move in there.

Black, grey and white. Lot's of white. That's an issue I'm having. Maybe I will write a post about it too one day. In this drawer I also keep my gradient sponges. Just a matter of convenience.

I have very few gold and silver polishes so they all gather here. Also, in this drawer i keep all my stamping plates and tools,. stickers of all kinds and some loose glitter and micro beads (for kaviar mani)

In the last drawer I keep all my different top coats, all my glitter in clear base polishes and all the other tools i might need while doing my nails. Also, the box on the right is filled with clear polish. This is always a useful thing to keep.

So as you can see, I am not too organized. I'm pretty messy. But I find my things the fastest this way. And hey, it's neat on the outside! Right?
So how do you keep yours? What's your filing system? How do you find things the easiest?

Finally the weekend is here and finally I am going to try some dotticure that I've been wanting to try ever since I received Liz's box! This dotticure is inspired by the cute little makeup purse that was in my box.

 So I'm starting with Sinful Color's Nirvana, which was also in my box, which is such a beautiful brown polish! It's a yummy milk chocolate color with just a hint of red undertone.  It's opaque in two coats but I thought I better put one more, to cover my bad application skills. It has a shiny creme finish and it's the easiest to apply! Just look at this beauty!

Shot with flash

Artificial light, no flash

Artificial light, no flash

Then I wanted to make those dots in all colors, and I just learned it's not as easy as it looks :-(
I started with this, but I was not happy with the dots. They seems to me too small. Even my largest dotting tool did not manage to get any bigger dot and when I tried to force it bigger, I totally smeared the polish and it lost the dot shape:

So I took them off and tried again. This time I tried to use a straw to make the circles in white polish and then I painted over them with the colors and a small brush. But again it didn't turn right. I don't know exactly what it was but it's very clear that my mind was not present at time of painting...

I did keep this mani for the day but... I'm not happy with it. I will have to do it again soon! And figure how to create large dots that look perfect... Is it at all possible?
Well, these are the colors I used, from left to right: Sinful Colors - Nirvana, Zoya - Savita, Zoya - Lolly, Wet n Wild - Sage In The City, Essie - Van D'go, Sally Hansen - Blue Me Away, Nabi - Orange Matte and Milani - White On The Spot.

So, do you have any tips on how to create proper circles? Larger then the largest dotting tool from the 5 pieces set, but smaller then the common pencil eraser? I would appreciate any help on this!