Chester Loves MakeUp

Brand Day ~ OPI #1

2012-02-15T13:32:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome to the first post of Brand Days in the cateogry OPI. I'll spare you the details on OPI. I think we're all aware of the giant in nail polish land that is OPI.

For today I have OPI Russian Navy for you.

This is awesomesauce bottled. Somewhere between Russian Navy and Essie Smooth Sailing I fell in love with blue nail polish. I guess it was meant to be at some point but I'm glad it is such a stunning navy blue shimmer that dragged me over to the dark side.

I'm not sure how many coats I applied but I guess it was 2 coats.

Chester :-)

Valetine's Day Mani #2

2012-02-14T13:02:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

So here is my second V-Day mani.

I used 2 coats of OPI Guy Meets Gal-veston, a coral pink jelly from the Texas collection.

Then I applied one generous coat of Nicole by OPI Step 2 The Beat of My Heart, making sure to fish out at least one heart per nail. I will make sure to return the hearts to the polish when I take off this mani since they are too cute to waste them away.

For the icing on the cake I applied one coat of essence Feels So Good, the Love topcoat that came out with the Re-Mix Your Style collection.

Sadly, I can't celebrate Valentine's Day with dear SO. I'm at my parents for the funeral tomorrow and he's back home. We'll do something special on the weekend when I'm home again.

Do you have special plans for today?

Chester :-)

Valentine's Day Mani #1

2012-02-14T09:41:00.000+01:00

Happy Valentine's Day,

my dear readers!

I hope you're able to spend it with the person or persons who are

very dear to your heart and soul!

I have two manicures for you today. Let's start!

I used 2 coats of OPI Dutch Tulips as my base. Dutch Tulips is a pinkish red creme with great pigmentation and coverage.

I then stamped hearts and the letters love with Konad Special Polish in white and dark pink (although It's barely visible). On my left hand I used:

* thumb - I <3 U on BM02
* index - heart on BM202
* middle finger - heart on essence plate
* ring finger - heart onBM09

* pinky - hearts on BM03

On my right hand I used:
* thumb - LOVE sign on essence plate
* index - heart on BM02
* middle finger - hearts and little stars on BM08
* ring finger - heart on BM02
* pinky - hearts on BM03

A closer look at my thumbs.

And here's a closer looks on the plates.

Stay tuned for the second Valentine's Day Mani!

Chester :-)

Brand Day ~ China Glaze #1

2012-02-13T12:04:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome back today! I hope you all had a great start to this work week.

As I explained earlier today there will be Brand Days from now on. Mondays will be China Glaze Days. Until I run out of China Glaze polishes to feature here - which won't happen. It's one of my favorite nail polish brands.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with China Glaze (are there even any?) it is an American nail polish company that produces big 3 free polishes and launches several big collections a year, usually with 12 new shades. The next one is Colours from the Capitol - The Hunger Games, which I'm really excited about. (I love the books and plan to drag dear SO to the movie theatre!)

So, for this first round of China Glaze Monday I bring you my favorite shade in nail polish: purple. Enter First Class Ticket from the Vintage Vixen collection.

This is a stunning purple with blue glitter particles and an overall cool-toned effect.

2 coats and your standard China Glaze quality, formula wise.

Totally randon thought: Did you ever travel first class? What was it like?

I always travel "second" class, be it airplane or the train. Especially riding the train, first class would seem like a waste of money. But long-distance air travel I think I'd like to have a first class experience (although I don't have the money for that).

Chester :-)

Happy Monday!

2012-02-13T09:32:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

First of all, happy Monday! :D

Now, let's get to the more interesting stuff. I want to thank everyone who participated in my second survey! I heart you!

The majority of you wants to see Brand Days and Theme Weeks.

Theme Weeks are something special in my opinion so you will get those but on a less regular basis than my daily posts. I'm already preparing one fore spring and summer and one focusing on neutral shades. I'd also like to have one focusing on nail art but it may take a while to get this up. By browsing my blog you will notice I don't do as much nail art as some other, fabulous bloggers. But I'll try my very best.

Is there another theme you would like to see?

As for Brand Days, I will start those today.

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays are for those brands where I have lots of nail polish to blog about. Which just happen to be major brands btw.

On Tuesdays I will focus on international brands in the mid-range to upper-range. Saturdays on the other hand are reserved for international drugstore or low-end brands.

And Thursdays will be devoted to German drugstore brands. You will notice that there's no German mid-range/high-end day. That's because I'm not aware of a single high-end brand that's truly German. Et violá!

I hope you'll enjoy the ride! If you have any questions or constuctive criticism please speak up. The comment section is all yours :-)

Thanks for reading!

Chester :-)

NotD ~ China Glaze Haunting

2012-02-12T10:58:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

This will be the last dark polish for now. I don't have many more and those that are still untried are the weird and outta there shades with holo glitter. I don't feel up to holo glitter just yet.

China Glaze Haunting was released with the 2011 Halloween collection.

It's black with fine silver glitter. What's nice about this is that the base is not too thick so the glitter doesn't get all swallowed up by it. And although it looks gritty in the upclose picture it doesn't feel gritty at all. One coat of top coat should be able to diffuse the gritty look.

2 coats.

It's gorgeous! I don't know why I haven't worn it sooner.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ OPI Suzi Takes The Wheel

2012-02-11T14:02:00.000+01:00

Hey my dear readers!

It's the weekend finally. To start if off right I'm going to show you OPI Suzi Takes The Wheel today. STTW was released with the Touring America collection.

I feel this is another shade-shifter that looks a different animal in different light situations. A dusty sage green in artificial light it's a pale olive green in low light to me. It's not apparent in my pics but it is in real life. The middle ground is a warm, medium-dark mix of gray and green.

2 coats. Easy application, just like you expect from OPI.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Borghese Stellare Notte

2012-02-10T11:51:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

I have an international polish for your today. Well, the big brands are international too but this particular brand is not available anywhere in Germany. I got mine in a swap from the USA.

Borghese Stellare Notte is a teal to purple duochrome polish in a black base.

2 coats cover the nail completely. You could get away with only one coat if you'd wear black undies - or something equally as dark.

Want to know another great thing about this polish? These pics took zero effort. It's a really strong duochrome and both shades are easy to spot on the nails in almost every light.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Essie Smokin' Hot

2012-02-09T12:21:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail polish is Smokin' Hot by Essie. It's a stunning shade although it's "only" a creme polish.

It's a dark taupe with strong purple undertones and less brown than regular taupes. Which is just fine with me. Real taupes look like pooooooop on me. This one looks classy. 2 coats.

Sorry for the "old" picture. I had my nails a lot shorter in November.

It's not a happy sight but it portrays the color accurately :)

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Sephora by OPI What's a Tire, Jack?

2012-02-08T10:02:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail polish is an oldie but goodie and a staple in my stash. Sephora by OPI What's a Tire, Jack? is a plain black creme polish.

It has a nice formula and a glossy finish even without top coat. 2 coats.

I love the name. Such a cutie!

Chester :-)

NotD ~ China Glaze Black Diamond

2012-02-07T11:26:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today I bring you China Glaze Black Diamond and a dupe test.

Black Diamond is a charcoal grayed black with silver shimmer. 3 coats with easy application.

When I applied Black Diamond I thought it looked similar to catrice Back to Black. So I did a dupe test.

China Glaze Black Diamond on index and ring finger with 3 coats, catrice Back to Black on middle and pinky finger with 2 coats.

At just 2 coats Black Diamond is not as pigmented as Back to Black. It somewhat evens out with the third coat of Black Diamond but still Back to Black is darker, more pigmented. Apart from the base color Black Diamond and Back to Black are very similar.

Chester :-)

Superbowl XLVI NotD

2012-02-06T11:59:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

I don't know much about American Football. I don't watch any football games because, frankly, it has no big fan base here in Germany - so no sports channel airs the games on a frequent basis. So I don't know anything about the teams.

But I like the game. I love the suspense, the constant back-and-fro motion. And I like to watch well-built men in tigh clothing play a thrilling game. There, I said it.

So of course I had to stay up all night to watch the Superbowl. This is what adorned my nails last night.

Inspired by the color of the New York Giants helmet and gear.

As the blue base I used 2 coats of Orly Royal Velvet, the white base is 3 coats of Essie Marshmallow. I freehanded the red stripes with Essie Geranium, 3 coats on Orly Royal Velvet and 1 coat on Essie Marshmallow.

And I'm super thrilled the New York Giants won! As I said, I don't know zilch about the teams but this is now the third year in a row that I randomly pick a team and they win :D

Chester

NotD ~ Essie Power Clutch

2012-02-06T09:13:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

It's Monday, yaaay... not. I hope you, my dear readers in the USA, had a great Sunday evening watching the Superbowl. Well and my readers in other parts of the world, I hope you had a great weekend too.

I'll keep this post short because I went to bed waay past my usual bed time watching the Superbowl as well. More on that later today.

For now I have Essie Power Clutch to show you. 2 coats.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts

2012-02-05T12:24:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

French Quarter For Your Thoughts came out with the Touring America collection.

I'm not exactly sure how to describe this color. In my spread sheet it's labeled as a light grey with a hint of green undertones. And that's what it looked like in early fall last year. But now in the winter times it looks much more like a medium dark grey with brownish undertones to me. I guess it all comes down to grey with weird undertones. lol

It's a creme finish, as you can see. 2 coats.

And to show you the source of my confusion here are pics from mid-October last year. Tell me I'm not the only one to get a different vibe from these pics that from those shown above!?

Chester :-)

NotD ~ catrice Back to Black

2012-02-04T13:46:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail polish is another one I've already shown you. I've already shown you. But truth be told, those pics were horrible. It deserves a second chance, me thinks.

Bacl to Black is black with fine silver shimmer. 2 coats.

The pigmentation on this is fabulous. This is nothing you have to layer and layer and layer for ever. It's already decent at one coat but 2 coats make this deep and jet black.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ OPI I Vant To Be A-Lone Star

2012-02-03T12:09:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Another polish I have shown you last year already for today. I Vant To Be A-Lone Star came out with the Texas collection.

It's a milky pale blue with silver shimmer. It's much bluer than the other grey polishes I've shown you but that's ok. 3 caots.

Did you get any of the Texas polishes?

Chester :-)

NotD ~ China Glaze Concrete Catwalk

2012-02-02T09:26:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's Nail of the Day is China Glaze Concrete Catwalk. It's a charcoal grey creme with excellent pigmentation.

2 coats. It's pretty much opaque in 1 coat already but I did two just to be safe.

Doesn't it look exactly like blackened tarmac? Me likes.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Zoya Freja

2012-02-01T11:25:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail polish is Zoya Freja. I know I've already shown it to you here but it's still one of my favorite almost-black nail polishes. That's enough excuses to show it to you a second time, right? ;-)

Freja is a gunmetal grey with silver shimmer and purple undertones. 3 coats.

Please excuse my really bad cuticles. I didn't think they'd be that bad but cropping showed me the harsh truth. Sorry!

The formula is your average thin one, it spreads easily on the nail. But it's also brush strokey as you can see on the nails.

Isn't she pretty?

P.S.
I wanted to thank you for your kind words on my original post a week ago and for sticking with me. I'm feeling a bit better now (still not looking forward to the funeral in mid-February) and been swatching and changing polish every day. The whole process is really taking my mind someplace safe and calm. Another big fat plus? I've never had so many pics in the "edit later" file than now.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ China Glaze Recycle

2012-01-31T12:08:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

China Glaze Recycle is from the Ecollection in 2008.

Mid-tone gray with brown undertones on me. 2 coats.

Chester

NotD ~ Misa Beyond Infinity

2012-01-30T13:18:00.000+01:00

Hey my dear readers!

I hope it's not too boring for you here. I mean who wants to see gray and black nails when the weather is so blah too. Hope you stick with me. I heart you!

Today's polish is Misa Beyond Infinity from the Surreal Escape collection. It's a blue-toned dark gray polish with silver shimmer. 2 coats.

It's only a little bit brush stroke-y as you can see on my middle finger.

There's another gray nail polish in my collection that shows such heavy blue undertones: catrice London's Weather Forecast.

They are somewhat similar, aren't they? Well, let's take a look at how they look like on the nails.

2 coats each. The color concept stays the same. Beyond Infinity is definitely darker and contains more blue. London's Weather Forecast has finer shimmer - it almost looks like a plain creme compared to the shimmer of Beyond Infinity.

I think they are equally as beautiful. Do you prefer one over the other?

Chester

NotD ~ OPI Skull & Gloss Bones

2012-01-29T14:19:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

The nail polish of the Day is OPI Skull & Gloss Bones.

Ok, please don't pick on me. I agree that it's a stupid name, especially in this situation right now. But there's no way around it. Sometimes there are things you just have to deal with. Like this stupid name.

Skull & Gloss Bones is a warm, soft putty beige.

2 coats.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Essie Chinchilly

2012-01-28T15:25:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Essie Chinchilly for you today. This is a soft gray with brown undertones. It feels like a pale taupe to me. The first pic hints at that but it's not really that brownish.

2 coats.

It's a beautiful, classy polish.

Chester

NotD ~ Illamasqua Raindrops

2012-01-27T10:32:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail polish is Illamasqua Raindrops.

It's a pale gray with silver flecks. I think the proper term is irregular glitter flakes but I could be wrong.

3 coats. I love the squishy look and the silver specks are simply gorgeous.

In natural daylight it looks a bit more blue-toned but not as harsh as my pictures make it.

Best shot at the silver specks in daylight. They aren't that apparent unless you take a close look.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ catrice London's Weather Forecast

2012-01-26T11:54:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

The results from the first survey are in. The majority of you, my dear readers, feels good about my daily posting schedule. So I will continue in this way and put up more posts on special occassions.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey! :-)

For today I will show you a catrice nail polish. Though I'm not sure if it's available anymore.

London's Weather Forecast is ablue-toned darker gray with silver shimmer.
2 coats.

It has a somewhat thin consistency but it's still easy to work with. No running mess :-)

The next pic is not as color accurate but it shows the fine silver shimmer better.

Chester

NotD ~ OPI It's Totally Fort Worth It

2012-01-25T09:14:00.001+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's polish is from the OPI Texas collection. It's Totally Fort Wort It is a soft silver-ish grey with sparse pink microglitter.

The pink microglitter is visible to the naked eye but only if you're looking at your nails up-close. The overall effect is a soft silver-ish grey.

3 coats.

Chester

NotD ~ Essie Over the Edge

2012-01-24T10:06:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's polish is called Over the Edge but if I'm not mistaken it's just the renamed retail version of Over the Top. It also has that stupid wide brush that I despise. Only I don't despise it the way Essie did it. It's wide and flat but has a rounded tip, like a cat's tongue. Somehow this works great for me. [The wide, flat brushes with a straight tip (think OPI pro wide brushes) don't work that well.]

Anyways, charcoal black with silver shimmer. 2 coats.

You can see teal and pink specks too amid the see of silver ones but the overall effect is a silver shimmer.

Chester

Ummm... and a NotD

2012-01-23T09:03:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Umm... there has been a change in plans.

Yesterday morning a good friend of my family has died. He was 83 years old. He was always so full of life... Even after his wife died several years ago (who he loved dearly) he was still living a good, cheerful life... It has been going downhill for him for a few weeks now... He had to go to the hospital on Thursday... His heart stopped beating on Friday but they resuscitated him... And now he has crossed the bridge.

I'm sad to see him go. I'm not looking forward to his mourning ceremony. It will be so final.

Anyways, I know he didn't know of my love for nail polish and all these things but I don't want to let my blog lay dormant. Let this be my way of coping, ok? It will keep my hands occupied and my mind focused on something else beside grief. I'm just not in the mood for cheerful colors right now. I will focus on grays and blacks instead.

Thank you for your understanding!

So, for today here is OPI Baby It's "Coal" Outside. Black with heavy silver microglitter. 2 coats.

Chester

NotD ~ Sephora by OPI Chestnuts About You & Don't Be Eggnog-ious

2012-01-22T14:55:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone and happy Sunday!

Sundays are my favorite day of the week. So for today I have two great polishes by Sephora by OPI for you, Chestnuts About You and Don't Be Eggnog-ious. Both came out with the Glimmer Wonderland collection last year.

I applied 2 coats of Chestnuts About you first. Then I applied 1 coat of Don't Be Eggnog-ious on my right hand.

My left hand got special treatment, so to speak. Originally I had imagined this combo to become a tape mani but I didn't like the effect so slathered on a second coat.

I ended up with 1 full coat of Don't Be Eggnog-ious on the whole nail and the taped off part on the tips is a second coat. So it's 1.5 coats, maybe? Or 2.0? I don't care because I love this gradient effect more than the 1 sole coat I did on my right hand.

Here's another look at Chestnuts About You, an adorable rose-colored champagne with a foil finish. 2 coats.

Daylight bulbs.

Daylight.

Daylight with flash.

By the by, I got these two as a gift from a lovely lady in the States. Cin, if you read this, thank you (again)! :-*

Chester :-)

NotD ~ China Glaze Pelican Gray & Essie Pure Pearlfection

2012-01-21T13:25:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

The weekend has finally arrived, yay! What are your plans? Dear SO and I will have two relaxing days just to ourselves. Maybe we will go shopping to IKEA, he needs a few book shelves.

I wanted to show you my NotD that I wore last weekend. Inspiration goes to a member of the MUA nail board, sorry I don't remember who posted about this subtle sparkly idea.

This is 2 coats of China Glaze Pelican Gray, topped off with one coat of Essie Pure Pearlfection.

It's so sparkly but in a not-in-your-face way. <3

And here is China Glaze Pelican Gray on its own. 2 coats of this light gray with subtle silver shimmer.

It makes me think about April thunderstorms and Illamasqua Raindrops. I hope this doesn't provoke the Rain Gods.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ BeYu Alligator Lace

2012-01-20T13:11:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's polish is one I have already shown you. It was part of my Superbowl XLV mani I did last February.

331 Alligator Lace is a nail polish by BeYu. It's a medium green with gold shimmer. It's a frost and a bit brush stroke-y, not terribly so if you use a light hand to smooth it out. It's most apparent if you enlarge the pics. 3 coats.

When I went to BeYu's web site to check if it was permanent or not (I couldn't recall) I got a tad confused. When I bought this polish over a year ago the bottle only showed the number and "Alligator Lace" was what it was called on their web site. Now 331 is called "Jungle Fever". O_o French Toast, anyone?

I must check if this is simply a renaming or if it's a new color/finish.

Anyways, I like it. It reminds me of spring and that one is already on its way.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ essence Colourbration & Candyction

2012-01-19T13:55:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

I'm putting out a second post today because it's about two polishes from a current LE, Crazy Good Times by essence. Spotted last night and I instantly hauled ;-)

It appears that Crazy Good Times is a carnival LE because of the bright crazy colors and several flashy fake lashes. From what I've seen it's a nice collection that makes me wish for spring already. (Carnival season does nothing for me but I couldn't pass up spring polishes, right?)

The first nail polish is Colourbration, lime green wth gold microglitter. Formula was a bit thick and gum-like but several drops of thinner were able to redeem that. 3 coats.

I like this polish a lot. Fresh gras in March, sunshine and warm rain. :-D

The second polish I bought is Candyction, a bright coral jelly with gold mylar glitter. Formula is great on this one and easy to handle. But the jelly is still too thick to show the true flakie beauty :-|

Also, no matter what setting I used on my camera she doesn't want to pick up reds and corals and pinks true to life. Double :-| So I had to adjust the color.

At 1 coat since I love the squishy jelly look.

At 2 coats. Not much has changed. It has a bit less VNL but the color pretty much stays the same.

A great shade for summer I think. I wish the flakies would be more prominent, both in the pics and on the nails.

What do you think? Too bright for a Februar release? Or apt for carnival season?

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Sephora by OPI Sample Sale

2012-01-19T10:12:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's polish of the day is another one I got in 2010 already when I was in Florida for a month. I managed to get my hands on the Sephora by OPI brand and this nail polish has been applied the moment I got back from Sephora. I haven't much blogged about those polishes but I'll get there, eventually.

Sample Sale is a bright, noticeable red with shimmer. I find this polish is glowy year round and equally as beautiful for Christmas as in the summer. 2 coats.

Although you can't see it by looking at the bottle this is my most-used red nail polish. I have a lot of similar reds but when in doubt I reach for this :-) I guess it helps that this one has the brush style I prefer.

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Zoya Tao

2012-01-18T09:56:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Another day, another polish. For today I want to show you Tao from the Zoya Mirrors collection for fall 2010.

This is a nice medium grey with silver shimmer and distinct green undertones, at least on me. I've also seen Tao pull way more blue than it did on me. I actually prefer it pulls green rather than blue because then it would be too similar to Essie Fair Game for my liking (which is also lighter, more silver-y).

2 coats of a good formula that was easy to manage.

Laura, I <3 your 'baby gunmetal' description. It's totally fitting.

Chester :-)

Survey Time

2012-01-17T20:41:00.003+01:00

Hey everyone!

If you take a look to the sidebar you'll see two surveys there. I'd appreciate it if you'd take a minute to share your thoughts with me.

The first one is about my posting schedule. Is me posting every day about nail stuff ok for you? I can continue as is, post less frequently or blog about nail polish more than once a day.

The second survey is my attempt for more structure. I love to structure things, make lists and all that jazz. So I had the idea to dedicate each day of the week to a certain nail polish color. Say Mondays are purple so I'd blog about a purple nail polish each Monday.
Of course I can also do brand days. For instance Friday could be China Glaze day.
Another idea similar to the latter is brand weeks. So at infrequent intervals I can hold an Essie Week or a Drugstore Brands Week here on the blog
And, of course Theme Weeks, like spring time, summer & vacation, office friendly polishes or back to school colors.

Please let me know by participating in the surveys.

Thank you!

Chester

NotD ~ essence Cut Off The Beige

2012-01-17T10:10:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

This essence nail polish came out in April or May last year in the You Rock! LE.

Cut Off The Beige is a light brown with silver shimmer. This is nice but nothing that totally rocks my world to be honest. 2 coats.

It has a nice formula. The brush is teeny tiny and hard to get a good grasp on it, due to the square brush cap. Here it is compared to a regular essence Colour & Go brush. It's just a bit shorter than the latter but round and less stiff.

Despite the mini brush this tiny bottle actually contains more product (7ml/0.23 fl.oz) than essence Colour & Go bottles (5ml/0.16 fl.oz).

I admit, I'm a bit miffed about the inconsistency across essence's permanent range vs their LE range. Different bottle heights, different caps, different brushes, different amount you get for your money. Their formula is usually good for a drugstore brand. It's these details that make me think essence is not very well designed across their whole range. Their image as a brand is not consistent in my opinion. Does this bother you as well? Or am I too picky?

Chester :-)

NotD ~ OPI I Brake For Manicures & Honk If You Love OPI

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

I hope you have a good start to this week. To cheer you on for a steady pace here are two more fall nail polishes. This time from OPI's Touring America collection.

I Brake For Manicures is a warm dusty eggplant color. 2 coats.

In most lighting situations it looks like a smoky black but in sunlight you can see the lovely smoky purple color.

It's super glossy even without top coat and very well pigmented. It's almost a one coater.

Honk If You Love OPI on the other hand is a dark grape color. 2 coats.

This is another well-pigmented shade. Just like I Brake For Manicures it could be one-coater if you're careful.

This looks nice and classy. I think it would make a great base for some stamping nail art.

Chester :-)

Notd ~ Butter London Victoriana

2012-01-15T14:53:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

For today I have a nail polish that took me by surprise. Prior to Victoriana I didn't own any Butter London polishes and wasn't very motivated to ever own any. Not because I heard bad things about the brand. They were just not available to me and when they became available their polishes were much too expensive for my liking. I mean who would pay €17,00 for a single nail polish? Apparently, me.

Look how gorgeous it is! 2 coats of a dusty sky blue filled with fine silver glitter. There's a green tint to it that is not as apparent in daylight but I like it nonetheless.

When I applied it, it spread easily on the nail without being super runny and it dried well. What really surprised me was that after one day I had no tipwear and only minor tipwear after the second day. This doesn’t happen very often! I’m so used to visible tip wear after one freakin’ day it’s nice to know not all polishes are created equal :-P

It reminds me of Zoya Skylar though. I will do a dupe test later when that has arrived.

In the meantime, what do you think of Victoriana. Is it worth the price tag?

Chester

NotD ~ Zoya Nimue

2012-01-14T12:09:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

I hope you have a great weekend so far. Dear SO and I finally have some time to ourselves. It is much needed, we didn't have time to meet up during the week and it shows in both of us :-(

Today I want to show you a nail polish I wore shortly before Christmas. Please excuse the nubbin nail on my middle finger, I had a bad crack below the nail line (yes, in the nail bed *ouch*) and when it finally grew out it decided to rip right off in a careless moment. Of course I had to kinda nubbinize the rest of my nails too.

Nimue is a smoky purple with silver shimmer and mauve undertones from the Mirrors fall collection 2010. 2 coats.

Nimue was a great reprieve from all the crazy Christmas colors and I think it will fit right in with early spring time.

Did you buy any polishes from the Mirrors collection? How to you like them?

Chester :-)

NotD ~ Sephora by OPI On Stage

2012-01-13T10:27:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today I want to show you Sephora by OPI On Stage, one of the polishes I used as a base color in yesterday's post about essence Time for Romance.

2 coats of this dirty plum shade.

It has good pigmentation although it's not a one coater.

I really like the name, with my job and all, but I think I won’t ever fully warm up to this shade. I can't decide if it’s either a bit too dusty or a bit too plumy. What do you think? Love or Hate?

Chester

NotD ~ essence Time for Romance

2012-01-12T11:36:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Time for another glitter nail polish. After all, the carnival season is creeping up on us.

Time for Romance has been released sometime in the fall last year. It has silver glitter in both medium-sized hexagonal shape and in fine round shape and very fine iridscent glitter in a dirty rose tinted base. 2 coats.

And here are some layering combinations. They are not the most original since they are all shades of purple. 1 coat layered over OPI Done Out in Deco.

1 coat layered over Sephora by OPI On Stage. The perfect base for Time for Romance, the tinted base disappears right into the base color.

1 coat layered over OPI I Brake For Manicures. Another great base. It makes the glitter particles pop.

Because of the the tinted base it doesn't make much sense to layer it over any other color. Just for fun here it is over catrice Khaki Perry (which I've shown you here on it's own)

The only question that is still bugging me is if Time for Romance is supposed to be dupe. You know, Blue Addicted and Make It Golden came out at the same time and those are dupes of Deborah Lippman Across the Universe and Boom Boom Pow. It's not far fetched to ask myself this, right?

Chester :-)

Kiko nail polish ~ swatches of permanent shades, part 3

2012-01-11T14:30:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today's post is the last one about my latest haul at Kiko Make Up Milano. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here.

Today I want to present to you

260 Rosa Metallizzato Microglitter,and
277 Mirtillo Glitter

(I'm sorry for the cropped-and-pasted-together pic.

At least both polishes are portrayed coloraccurately.)

Let's start with 260 Rosa Metallizzato Microglitter (Metallic Rose Microglitter).

It is a sheer lilac-toned pink with a foil finish. I must warn you, it's really sheer. The overall effect is soft and girly, 2 things I don't handle well. It's interesting to see this shade on me but it usually doesn't stay longer than a day. 3 coats.

And the last one is 277 Mirtillo Glitter (Blueberry Glitter).

This is a cool-toned raspberry pink with a sparkle finish - think the kind of sparkle Zoya does. It could very well fit in with the theme of Zoya's Sunshine collection from last summer. 2 coats.

There are only two polishes in my stash that come close to 277 Mirtillo Glitter. And both are not very close. For comparison's sake, here's a dupe test with OPI The One That Got Away (2 coats; ring finger) and China Glaze Raspberry Festival (2 coats; middle finger).

As you can see, China Glaze Raspberry Festival is considerably warmer and more red-toned than Kiko 277. And while OPI The One That Got Away is in the same cooltoned range as Kiko 277 it leans more purple and is a bit darker. The sparkle is the same in all of them but that's as afar as it gets. Obviously no dupes here.

I hope this was helpful to you. If you have any questions, comment below.

Chester :-)

Kiko nail polish ~ swatches of permanent shades, part 2

2012-01-10T09:24:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Here are some more permanent nail polishes that I picked up in November. Part 1 can be found here.

Today's polishes are

245 Rubino Scuro Perlato, and
254 Rosso Vino Microglitter

Let's start with 245 Rubino Scuro Perlato (Pearly Dark Ruby).

Close-up bottle shot because it is that awesome :-)

This is a vampy red with a bit of a glow from witin. This comes from the red and pink microglitter you can see in the bottle shot. 2 coats.

All three of these polishes are vampies with lots of shimmer going on. OPI Midnight in Moscow has a blackened base which the other lack but it also has only red microglitter. OPI Tease-Y Does It has a similar base color to OPI Midnight in Moscow and a sparkle that both OPI MiM and Kiko 245 don't have but in the microglitter / glow from within department it is much more alike to the Kiko polish. Close relatives but no dead-on dupes.

And as the second polish here is 254 Rosso Vino Microglitter (Wine Red Microglitter).

This is a fuchsia pink with pink, purple and silver microglitter. The microglitter creates a silver shimmer effect. In my opinion there is not much wine red in this color. It rather reminds me of dark, ripe berries. 2 coats.

Again I don't have many polishes to compare it to. The two ones I found are OPI The One That Got Away (2 coats; middle finger) and China Glaze Cowgirl Up (2 coats; ring finger).

OPI The One That Got Away is lighter and has sparkle that Kiko 254 doesn't have. China Glaze Cowgirl Up has a similar but darkened base and it's more opaque. The shimmer is more lively in China Glaze Cowgirl Up whereas the shimmer in Kiko 254 looks flat. Cowgirl Up is definitely related to Kiko 254 leaving the OPI polish a distant cousin.

Stay tuned for part 3!

Chester :-)

Kiko nail polish - swatches of permanent shades, part 1

2012-01-09T15:36:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Remember back in November when I hauled at a Kiko store? Remember how I promised you swatches? Yeah, me too. I got sidetracked since then. *hangs head* Well, today I want to show you some more polishes I bought.

Those three polishes are permanent as far as I know and they are (from the left to the right):

228 Trasparente Microglitter Sparkle Touch

230 Glitter Arcobaleno Sparkle Touch
271 Argento Multicolor Sparkle Touch

Let's start with the most unassuming one of the lot, 228 Trasparente Microglitter Sparkle Touch (Transparent Microglitter in sparkle touch finish).

This has a clear base with fine silver sparkles. It looks like glistening ice in the bottle. The overall effect on the nails is very soft, it's barely there when swatched on its own. 3 coats.

I think it works best when layered over a darker color. Here is one coat over Kiko 245 Rubino Scuro Perlato. Though it's lovely in flash light the effect is still very soft in the shade.

The next one is 230 Glitter Arcobaleno Sparkle Touch (Rainbow-colored Glitter in sparkle touch finish).

It has a clear base with blue, green and orange glitter. 3 coats.

1 coat over Essie Bobbing for Baubles.

The last one for today is 271 Argento Multicolor Sparkle Touch (Multicolored Silver in sparkle touch finish).

It has a clear base with silver glitter and scattered holo glitter. I'm sorry the holo particles didn't want to shine out but I had no sun, only fog to work with. 3 coats.

1 coat over catrice I'm A Star.

And here is a comparison of similar polishes in my stash. I used Essie Bobbing for Baubles as a base. With 1 coat each we have (from index to pinky):

essence Hello Holo (Nail Art Special Effect Topper)
Kiko 271 Argento Multicolor Sparkle Touch
mny On Stage
essence Julia (Nail Art Twins Glitter Topper)

(Blurry to show the amount of holo they contain.)

As you can see they aren't that similar to begin with. Kiko 271 is a mix of silver glitter with a few small hexagonal scattered holo glitter pieces. essence Hello Holo is packed with the latter but lacks the silver glitter. essence Julia has square holo pieces but is less dense than essence Hello Holo. mny On Stage is a whole different piece of art packed with fine scattered holo pieces and some chunky hexagonal silver glitter.

I hope this was interesting and helpful for you. Stay tuned for part 2!

Chester :-)

NotD - OPI Road House Blues and Sephora by OPI Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild

2012-01-06T18:45:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

I wanted to show you my current manicure. I'm really enamoured with it and got a few compliments on how blingy it is. It makes me smile when people notice my nails and actually care enough to mention it.

So, as a base I used OPI Road House Blues, a dark navy creme that came out last fall with the Touring America collection. 2 coats. I loved RHB the second I saw swatches. It's a gorgeous navy blue that's well pigmented and dries fast.

Then I applied Sephora by OPI Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild, a clear top coat filled with medium-sized and chunky purple and blue glitter. 1 coat. Overall this is a very dense glitter polish. The blue glitter is far less than the purple glitter but it adds a nice twist. Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild was released just before Christmas 2011 with the Sephora by OPI holiday collection. I'm sure there's a name for this collection, at least I read a name once online but I can't find that source anymore.

That's it for today. Have a nice Friday evening!

Chester

A new page

2012-01-06T16:22:00.001+01:00

Hey everyone!

I added a new page at the top of the web page where you can see all the nail polishes I own and links to swatches. I want this page to be a useful shortcut to swatch pics for you.

My nail polish drawers

Putting together this page made me realize how many of those polishes I have worn and taken pics of but they never made an appearance here O_o . Post by post I will redeem that - it's my goal this year to blog about every polish on this list, complete with nice swatch pics and possible dupes.

If any links don't work or you end up at the wrong spot, please contact me so I can fix it. Thanks!

Chester

essence crystall-ice-d nail polishes

2012-01-03T09:48:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

German cosmetic company essence has launched a new limited edition, crystallICEd. The color scheme is very soft and fluffy, white and light taupes dominate. The collection contains a liquid highlighter, cream eye shadows, lip glosses and five nail polishes.

Since I'm not much for lip gloss and liquid or cream products I had a closer look at the nail polishes. Four of them were allowed to come home with me.

First up we have Frosted Champaign. (I wonder if the essence polish naming team is unable to pick up a dictionary on how to spell Champagne correctly. Shesh.) The color is a rather pigmented white with gold shimmer particles. Imagine Essie Tennis Corset but with a much whiter base. It's lovely for a palate cleanser. 2 coats, but you are left with a bit of VNL.

Next one is Iced Age Reloaded, a sheer light taupe with gold shimmer. At just one coat it looks lovely with a hint of color and shimmer and lots of glossy shine. 2 coats with a tiny bit of VNL left. I like the name, a lot but then I also like the Ice Age movies.

The next one, Ice Crystals on my Window, is a sheer white with pearly shimmer and tiny white flakes. The flakes are not very visible on the nail but you can see them in the bottle. It's not fully opaque at 3 coats with a tiny bit of VNL. I think essence has hit it right on the nail with the name for this polish.

The last one I got was Ice Eyes Baby which is a semi-sheer light blue with multicolored shimmer particles. It's nice and fits the winter theme well. 2 coats with a bit of VNL left. Up-close you can see some bald spots but they aren't visible to the naked eye. If you're terribly concerned about this, I advise you to put on a third coat.

The fifth nail polish was a light grey, a tad darker than Iced Age Reloaded, with almost invisible purple shimmer. You know how the lighting at make-up counters and polish racks makes all the undertones visible and then when you're in broad daylight there's only half of it left to the visible eye? Yeah. Even in this magical light the purple shimmer was almost invisible. I could only see it when I tilted the bottle at an certain angle. I think it's safe to say that this kind of shimmer would be gone in daylight. How's that for subtle shimmer? ;-)

The consistency of these four polishes were good in general. The one exception is Frosted Champaign which was a pita to work with. Thick and gloppy it didn't want to spread on the nail at all.
True opacity can be achieved with 3 coats on all of these but I found them lovely and opaque-to-the-naked-eye at 2 coats as well.
The bottles are uniformly clear glass with white matte tops. Tiny white snow flakes are printed on the clear labels and on the brush handles which give these bottles a cute, whimsical feeling. They contain 8ml / 0.27 fl.oz.

Chester :-)

A Question to you, my readers

2012-01-02T20:08:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Thank you for staying with me in 2011, for reading and commenting on what I wanted to talk about on my blog. I'm really grateful for every one of you!

So, I want to make this blog more satisfying for you. Because, after all, I'm blogging for your reading and viewing pleasure. In order to make this blog more worthwhile I'm asking you what you would like to see more of on this blog?
At the moment I have a couple ideas but I'd really like to get your input on this question before I dive head first into something and you don't want to read about it.

Please leave your answers in the comments below. I will consider each and every answer carefully.

Chester :-)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T16:40:00.000+01:00

Hello my dear readers!

I'm wishing you a very happy new year!

May you reach all the goals you set yourself

and may your dreams come true this year!

I wanted to show you my NYE mani and look. Pics were taken in the afternoon when my hair was not yet meant for being shown in public, I'm sorry.

Products I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Dalliance e/s
MAC Melon pigment
MAC Knight Divine e/s
MAC Brulé e/s
MAC Creamy Bisque e/s
Kiko 414 Antracite Perlato (Pearly Anthracite) e/l
catrice Blackest Black Lashes to Kill waterproof mascara
MAC Semi-Precious Pearl MSF
Labello Milk & Honey l/b

And this lovely combo adorned my tips.

As a base I used one coat of Essie Bobbing for Baubles...

...and topped it off with one coat of a topcoat I frankened with Specktraflair pigment myself.

I love this combo. It's so fiery and sparkly. Perfect for New Year's Eve, if you ask me :-)

Have a good beginning of 2012!

Chester

Tag: 2011 as a Beauty Year

2011-12-30T20:34:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Everyone in the blogosphere is looking back on 2011 so I thought I'd join in on the fun. I saw this tag on Beauty Butterflies and found it the most intriguing one in terms of what the year brought me beauty-wise.

BODY CARE

Body
In this area I was doing a project 10 pan / empties project for more than 7 months this year - from shower gels to soap bars and body lotion. Lots of them were gifts from friends and family. And while I enjoyed using them I didn't have any favorites.
And I'm thankful nobody has gifted me these kind of products this Christmas.

Hair
I'm still true to my HG shampoo and conditioner by Garnier Fructis, although this year proved difficult to supply my needs. I consider myself lucky when I find it in a (mostly) dusty drugstore on the (most definite) outskirts of town. And then I haul! :-)

Face
2011 was also the year I found my HG skin care routine with the 3-step system by Clinique. This works like a charm for my skin.

MAKE UP

In general
I was a lot more conservative with my looks this year. Lots of neutral eye shadows, black eye liner, neutral cheeks and lips. I miss the more playful ones. Hopefully 2012 will be more colorful than 2011 (although I'm looking forward to the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette).

Eyes
I loved using my MAC version of the Naked 1 palette though I feel it's time for a change now. Recently I have also rediscovered my paint pots and liquid liners where I especially like that they are so easy to use. And apart from what I thought about MAC Brulé e/s last year it has been my go-to highlighter and transition eye shadow this year, outdoing my former go-to MAC Blanc Type.

Lips
This is the area where my project 10 pan for lip balms and lip glosses is slowest and I dislike it. I found I dislike concealer lips but MAC Hibiscus was a full success for me and dear SO ;-)

Face
I finally found a foundation that is natural enough for daily use, MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural. In terms of blush I hugely enjoyed MAC Mineralize Skin Finishes a lot. But I'm still searching for a good golden highlighter.

Nails
This was the area I was focusing on in 2011 whereas make-up took second place. I finally found a good base coat in MicroCell 2000 Nail Repair that helped lots with my peelies. My collection has grown tremendously, especially reds and greens. My favorite collection was OPI Touring America. My favorite purchase was SpecktraFlair which I got all the way from Australia.

This was my beauty year 2011. If you've posted something similar I'd love reading it.

Happy New Year!

Have a great New Year's Eve party!

Read you again in 2012!

Chester :-)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T16:56:00.000+01:00

Hey my dear readers!

I'm wishing all of you

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

No matter whether you celebrate Christmas on the 24th or the 25th of December,

I hope you have fun and get to enjoy being together with friends and family.

Lots of thoughtful presents to you and a happy time.

To shorten the time until Santa comes to visit you,

or maybe he has left already,

here's a video for you.

It's addictive, trust me :-)

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 12 ... My favorite holiday music

2011-12-23T12:12:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the final day of my 12 Days of Holiday Fun series.

To me, Christmas is incomplete without proper holiday music. And since I'm a singer I thought I'd present you my favorite pieces for the holidays.

"We Need A Little Christmas", performed by the Glee cast, is the ultimate get-into-the-happy-mood song for me. I can't stop giggling uncontrollably when I listen to it for the first time after a long time.

A few tranquil notes from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, first the Sugar Plum Fairy...

... and second the Arabian Dance. Awesome choreography by the Mariinsky Theater ballet group and wonderful music.

For the kitschy side in me I love Celine Dion's version of Happy Xmas (War is over). I like how she merges classical singing technique with modern music. (Sorry, link only. This is one of the many songs the GEMA company is blocking from Youtubers in Germany. Boooohooooo them.)

And though I'm not Christian "Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier" by Johann Sebastian Bach moves me to tears. Here it is sung by the girls cathedral choir in Mainz, Germany. A bit too slow for my taste but nicely sung.

The next one is from my childhood and in German, too. (Sorry darlings.) It's basically about the ecstatic joys of falling snow. Yes, from time to time I am hopelessly childish. ;-)

I love "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt for it's sweet tone and Eartha's smooth yet sexy voice. Plus, it's so much fun to perform this song on stage.

Then there is the heart-breaking story of "The Christmas Shoes", sung by NewSong. It always gets to me. I think I'm no exception here. *sniff*

And for a male touch I love Michael Bublé's version of "Grown-Up Christmas List". Another great, contemporary song for Christmas themed performances.

And here my 12 Days of Holiday Fun end. I hope you had fun along the way! What are your favorite holiday songs?

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 11 ... Another Christmas mani

2011-12-21T12:10:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today is Day 11 of my 12 Days of Holiday Fun series. And I bring you cookies! Well, not really. I had planned this to be a Christmas cookie baking post. But first, I didn't have enough time to take pictures of the whole process and dear SO was unresponsive that day. Second, they didn't come out as planned. So here I am nomming on my tasty but fugly looking cookies and writing a post about something else instead.

After my last holiday mani I thought, well, that wasn't very creative. Next thing I know I had another NotD all planned in my head. It did come out beautifully, if I may say so.

So, here are some Christmas lights to brighten your mood.

Please excuse the crappy android pics. My camera battery died on me when I went to take pics. Oh the joys of technical gadgets! LOL

So this is two coats of Zoya Veruschka. I then taped my nails off in half and applied one coat of Zoya Posh. Next I used a dotting tool and applied dots on the tape line in China Glaze Twinkle Lights, China Glaze Ring in the Red and China Glaze Tinsel Town.
The above pic is matte. Below you can see the mani in a glossy finish. For that I applied one coat of China Glaze Fast Forward.

What do you think? Is this more festive than the last mani?

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 10 ... Jewels in the Sky Look

2011-12-20T15:11:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome to Day 10 of my 12 Days of Holiday Fun series.

Christmas is drawing near, and so does New Year's Eve. This year I plan on partying with dear SO at a club where his brother is dj-ing on New Year's Eve. As in, live and techno and house and all that jazz; not the kind where you just push cds into a cd player and press play, lol. So I tried to capture what I imagine will be a fantastic, sizzling atmosphere.

Products I used - eye area:
MAC Bare Study (primer and base)
MAC Goldmine e/s (lid)
MAC golden yellow pigment (middle of the lid) *
MAC Patinum e/s (crease)
MAC Melon pigment (crease)
MAC Brulé e/s (transition)
MAC Nanogold e/s ( highlight, inner corner)
MAC Undercurrent pgl (upper lash line)
MAC Feline e/k (tightlining, lower water line)
catrice Blackest Black Lashes to Kill waterproof mascara
BeneFit Light Brow Zings

* This pigment is oart of Crush Metal Pigment Stacked! 2 from the Spring Color Forecast collection.

Products I used - face:
MAC Prep+Prime Face Protect SPF 50
MAC NW20 Studio Finish concealer
MAC Light MSF Natural
MAC Melba blush

Products I used -lips:
MAC Viva Glam V l/s

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 9 ... It's snowing... soon

2011-12-17T12:09:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome to Day 9 in my 12 Days of Holiday Fun. I'm still without snow here in Germany which is really unfair if you ask me. So I thought I'd do a manicure to lure in the snow fairies and make them stay.

For that I used 2 coats of China Glaze Winter Berry as a base.

Color accurate pic.

Then, because I just couldn't favor one over the other, I of course used both China Glaze Snow Globe (the 2011 release) and China Glaze Glacier. So I applied 1 coat of China Glaze Snow Globe on my right hand and one coat of China Glaze Glacier on my left hand.

Less than color accurate pic ;-) of Snow Globe.

Even more less than color accurate pic of Glacier.

So now that my nails looks like soft snow fall and a heavy snow storm let's hope the snow fairy and Mother Hulda show some mercy for my plea.

Is it snowing where you live?

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 8 ... Under The Lilac Tree Look

2011-12-16T14:15:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to Day 8 of the 12 Days of Holiday Fun series! I hope you enjoy this series so far. We're almost there, it's almost Christmas! So for today I decided to share another make-up look with you.

This look was inspired by a song by Katie Melua. It's not very festive but I love it and the color scheme it proposes. It's called "Lilac Wine".

Here's a close-up of the eyes.

Products I used on the eye area:
MAC Bare Study pp (primer)
MAC Charred Mauve gps (base)
NYX Space e/s (close to the lash line and on the lid)
MAC Parfait Amour e/s (on the lid and into the crease, on the lower lash line)
MAC Vellum e/s (to blend out any harsh lines)
MAC Brulé e/s (transition)
MAC Creamy Bisque e/s (highlight)
MAC Designer Purple e/k (upper lash line)
MAC Feline e/k (tighlining the upper lash line, on the water line)
catrice Blackest Black Lashes to Kill waterproof mascara

Products I used on the face:
MAC Prep+Prime Face Protect SPF 50
MAC NW20 Studio Finish concealer
MAC Light MSF Natural
MAC Plum Foolery blush

Products I used on the lips:
MAC Naturally Eccentric l/s (lightly dabbed on)
MAC Moth to Flame l/g

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 7 ... A pictorial tour of the Twinkling Star Christmas market

2011-12-13T17:06:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today is day 7 in my small 12 Days of Holiday Fun series. We're half-way through already! So what better way to celebrate this than to give you a tour of the Twinkling Star Christmas Market. This is the annual Christmas market and it's situated in the inner city between the townhall and the Protestant church. That in itself creates a special atmosphere.

(A pic from the other side of the Protestant church on a very foggy evening. The Christmas market is where the blue and yellow lights are hanging in the trees and all around the church to the front and the other side.)

Let's start.

You can enter the Christmas market from several sides, the decorations are identical yet beautiful.

(The building to the right is the new town hall. Also, those lighted lilies on top of the booths are placed throughout the market and the inner city to create Christmas atmosphere.)

(In the background you can see the old town hall to the left.)

As you can see, there are several aisles in wild array, advertising all kinds of goods. From hand-made soap and wooden dishes to spices and appliances for baking to more traditional Christmas decorations, wooden schwibbögen, smoking men and glass ornaments.

Now let's stop at the Christmas pyramid which is also a glühwein booth. It's not the only one ;-) but it's the prettiest.

Not far away from it stands the tall (30 meters!) Christmas tree, with the manger underneath. As you can see, the figures are as high as living humans. I suppose this is quite scary for young kids.

It's time for a warm drink I think. I know I've shown you this pic before, I'm sorry I didn't find a better one. The pictures on the glühwein mugs are created differently each year, this year they portray the Russian Church and the mountain railway that takes you up the Nero "mountain". It also commemorates the 10 year anniversary of the Twinkling Stars Christmas Market.

My favorite booth at the Christmas Market is the one run by nuns from a Belarus cloister. There's a Russian community in my city centering around the beautiful but small Russian Church and I think they invite the nuns every year. I love to buy from them since I know it's not all consumerism to them. I think their small painted boxes and matryoshka dolls are super cute.

Want a round on the ferris wheel to finish our trip? Try this one, complete with reindeers at the entrance area and cheesy Christmas music. Or take a ride on the old fashioned carousel.

And now take a last look at the Protestant church and wave goodbye to the twinkling stars.

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 6 ... A Day in the Frosty Air Look

2011-12-11T13:11:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Today is Day 7 in the 12 Days of Holiday Fun. Welcome back! Today I present you another make-up look inspired by the cold weather outside - although it's still rather mild here in my part of Germany.

Products I used - eye area:
MAC Bare Study pp (primer)
Alterra 01 White Cream eye shadow pen (base)
MAC light white pigment (inner half of the lid) *
Zoeva light blue e/s (outer half of the lid) **
MAC Tilt e/s (outer v, outer lower lash line)
MAC Vellum e/s (blending color in the crease, rest of the lash line)
MAC Brulé e/s (highlight)
MAC Feline e/k (tightlining on upper lash)
MAC Parfait Amour e/s (used wet on upper lash line)

Products I used - face area:
MAC NW20 Studio Fix concealer
MAC Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder pressed
MAC Light MSF Natural
MAC Petticoat MSF (blush)

Products I used - lip area:
Labello Milk & Honey lip balm
MAC Aristo-Cat l/s

* This is part of the Crushed Metal Pigment Stack 'Summer Stash' from the Surf Baby collection.
** This is part of the Zoeva Metallic Stones palette.

Maybe this look will lure in the chilly weather and some snow flakes? Let's hope so cause I'm ready for a proper winter.

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 5 ... My Top10 nail polishes for the Holidays

2011-12-10T12:06:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome back to Day 5 of the 12 Days of Holiday Fun series.

I'm sorry this post comes a day late. At the moment I'm ill and don't have as much energy as I need to post these on time.

Anyways, I wanted to show you my top 10 holiday nail polishes.

OPI Dear Santa - master of them all since 2009 ;-) - 3 coats

China Glaze Twinkle Lights - 1 coat over China Glaze Champagne Bubbles

Zoya Posh - 2 coats in its matte glory - 2 coats + 1 coat China Glaze Fast Forward to show you how shiny this beauty can be - I love that this is 2 different colors in one just by using a top coat

China Glaze Glittering Garland - 2 coats

OPI Smitten with Mittens - darker-toned cousin of OPI Dear Santa - 2 coats

China Glaze Party Hearty - 2 coats over Zoya Veruschka - dear SO thinks this looks like a Christmas tree decorated with red and silver ornaments :-)

essence Waking Up in Vegas - 1 or 2 coats over OPI Baby It's "Coa" Outside

China Glaze Ring in the Red - 1 coat over Zoya Posh

China Glaze Frosty - 3 coats

Also see last year's post.

Zoya Veruschka - 2 coats matte - 2 coats + 1 coat China Glaze Fast Forward for its twinkling shin-ified glory - again, I love how Zoya matte polishes have so much dimension even in their matte state, top coat really brings out all the shimmer they contain

There are a ton of beautiful nail polishes left that fit the Christmas bill. To name just a few:

OPI Color to Diner For and OPI From A To Z-urich for more burgundy shades
OPI Russian Navy and Orly Royal Velvet for lovers of all things blue
China Glaze Jolly Holly, Orly Meet Me Under The Mistletoe and H&M Envy Me for more green fun
Zoya Kimmy and Sephora by OPI Sample Sale for shimmery reds and
China Glaze Poinsettia and Winter Berry for creme reds
China Glaze Snow Globe, Kiko 231 Multicolor Paillettes Sparkle Touch and Essie Tennis Corset for sparkly layering fun
silver and gold crackle if you're into crackle polishes that is
or China Glaze Tinsel Town and essence Rich &Pretty for silvered holidays

What are your favorite Christmas polishes? I love reading Top Ten posts so if you've put together a Top 10 list yourself, feel free to link to it in the comment section.

Have a good day!

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 4 ... My favorite holiday beverages

2011-12-07T12:07:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

And welcome to Day 4 of my 12 Days of Holiday Fun series. Today I want to show you what I like to drink during the holiday season.

I'll start off with my biggest love - one that I'm consuming every single day in winter. Tea. Yes, I'm boring. But I enjoy tea a lot - that's why it is heavily portrayed in this post.

I like seasonal teas that capture the atmosphere so I make sure I have plenty of stock of wintery and Christmas-sy teas. For that reason I like to shop at Tee Gschwender (not affiliated) for years.

Sencha Caus, a green tea with almond pieces and cinnamon pieces is a staple for my green-tea loving heart. This is probably the third or fourth package I bought since we first met. This is by Tee Gschwender.

One tea that I discovered this year is Rooitea Apfelstrudel, a roibos tea with pieces of apple and almond that smells like applestrudel. This is also by Tee Gschwender.

Another one that's new to me is Teekanne Kaminabend. It's another roibos tea that smells of oranges, lemons and a bit of marzipan. This can be obtained in your grocery store of choice.

(I love looking at those nutritional facts charts. They are hilarious when it comes to tea. Of course tea contains 0% of calories, sugar and fat. It'd be suspicious if it were more o_O )

I also very much enjoy my advent calender this year that i picked up at my local dm drugstore. It's the Alnatura Advents-Kalender-Tee. It's full of 24 bags of different tea, a new one for each day! I can't stomach all of them but from what I've tried so far I liked Guten Morgen Tee (good morning tea) and Energie Tee (energy tea) best.

Now, for the alcoholic beverages I hugely enjoyglühwein made from fruit wines. Cherry glühwein is my absolute favourite,followed by blueberry glühwein and blue elderberry glühwein. They look almost the same in a mug but here's a pic of blueberry glühwein that I enjoyed at the Christmas market a few days ago.

(Dear SO had hot chocolate, traitor ;-) Also, look how pretty this year's Christmas market mugs are. They do a different motive every year. This year's is one of my favorites, it features the Russian Chapel of our city.)

I’m pretty lazy in that I just reheat the store-bought fruityglühweins in the microwave but there’s one version that you have to make fromscratch. And that’s regular glühwein, the one made from red wine. I don’t likethe pre-made ones but if I’m in the mood I do the followingsteps:

1. Take a largepot. The larger the better. It has to have room for at least 2 bottles of winewhich is around 1,5 to 2 liters. … Of course you can only use 1 bottle butwhere’s the fun in that? ;-)

2. Pour in thered wine. The quality is what makes or breaks the deal. My sister and my momprefer dry wine, I prefer sweet wine. Make sure your bottles match :-)

3. Wash severaloranges and one lemon under warm water and cut them into slices.

4. Break one,maybe 2 cinnamon sticks into larger pieces.**

5. Put orangeslices, lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, 3-4 cloves** and a couple of tablespoonsof brown cane sugar into the pot.

6. Warm thewhole concoction up but don’t let it boil. Take it off the heat, stir and letit sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on. Stir again and taste. Add canesugar or water or rum as you like.

7. Warm it upa seond time but don't let it boil either. Take the pot off the stove and fish out the cloves and cinnamon pieces. (You're a champ if you used a larger tea bag made from paper for those. ;-) ) Serve with the orange and lemon slices orcut up some fresh ones to decorate the glass.

** Don’ttake too many cinnamon sticks and cloves since their aromas are pretty strong.

What are your favorite drinks in the cold winter months?

Have a merry day!

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 3 ... Dazzled by Gold Flitter look

2011-12-05T12:05:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome to Day 3 of my 12 Days of Holiday Fun series. Today's post is a make-up look that I think is perfect for Christmas Eve, or whenever you open your presents under the tree.

Products I used on the eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Genuine Treasure pp (lid)
MAC Gold Mode pigment (lid, crease)
MAC Brown Bronze Summer Stash pigment (crease)
MAC Short Shorts e/s (highlight)
MAC Brulé e/s (transition between crease and highlight)
MAC Feline e/k (upper lash line)
Yves Rocher 11 Or e/k (lower lash line)

Products I used on the face:
MAC Prep+Prime Translucent Finishing Powder loose (primer)
MAC Light MSF-Natural
Benefit BrowZings Light
MAC Melba blush
Artistry Gossamer highlight

Products I used on the lips:
MAC Viva Glam Cyndi l/s
MAC Quiet, Please l/s

I'm sorry for the craptastic pictures. It doesn't look very sparkly in these pictures but it was in real life. I think it was the sparkly base of the Genuine Treasure paint pot that did it since it made Gold Mode POP. And, seriously, I wonder why I don't use Melba blush throughout the year. It creates such a nice, one-fits-all blush effect.

Do you have specific plans about what you're wearing on Christmas Eve? Do share, I'm curious.

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 2 ... My favorite holiday decorations

2011-12-03T12:03:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Days of Holiday Fun series.

I think decorations are a huge part of what creates the typical holiday atmosphere so I tend to go all-out on it. :-) Unfortunately a huge amount of decorations at still my parent's so what you will see next is only part of the whole she-bang. (I can't wait until I have a bigger apartment.)

I know it's outdated with shops starting the holiday season earlier and earlier each year but I always wait until Totensonntag, the last Sunday before advent, has passed to start decorating. Let's start.

My advent wreath. I prefer real wreaths but this year I stuck to an artifical wreath because of all the needles real ones loose in my warm apartment. I decorated it with a berry garland, straw angels, straw stars and four tealight holders made from glass.

My decorated mini tree. This is an artificial tree that I've had for at least 10 years. Each year I decorate it with wooden figurines because this tree and the wooden figurines, of which some are as old as me, were the first Christmas decorations I had all to myself. I took it with me to dorm school, I have put it up for several years at my parents and now it's here in my own home. *I'm getting sentimental* Anyways, while I've had it for a long time I still add new figurines to it whenever I come a cross a cute and small enough one. (Like, I added a soldier nutcracker and a Santa nutcracker just last year.)

The door wreath. It's my first year having a door wreath and I have no experience making one myself. So this one is rather sparse. I still like it.

Various shelves throughout my apartment. As you can see two are kinda festive in the overall color scheme while one is rather more wintry than festive. I like to portray not only the overall festive atmosphere but also Nature with it's fluffy stuff and glistening things. The things that have a special place in my heart here are the Snezka bell in the first pic. Snezka is the highest mountain in the Silesian Mountains where one side of my family comes from. Personal highlights in the second pic are the small Russian figurine and the big red book is one that I've read numerous times as a kid. The third shelf is about candles and light, and I heart that small red glass angel candle holder. It's so adorable!

So now I'd like to know how you decorate your room or apartment. Is there a special item that you *need* to get in the holiday mood? Any traditions you follow?

Chester :-)

12 Days of Holiday Fun - Day 1 ... Holiday Ribbons manicure

2011-12-01T12:01:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

So, it's December 1 today and that means ... it's almost CHRISTMAS!!!

Are you excited? Because I am! :D I'm already listening to Christmas music for the last week or three, my apartment is fully decorated and I've learned new songs for the annual Christmas concert at my college.

I'm sure you all know the song "12 Days of Christmas", right? Ok. I thought I'd do a little countdown to Christmas for you to take your mind off of all those exciting new presents. Until Christmas Eve I'm going to do 12 blog posts in the spirit of the upcoming holidays.

Today is Day One and for that, I want to show how to do a dazzling manicure.

And here's the How-To.

1. Start with a red base. Use any kind of red you want but to play up the main feature of this manicure use one in a creme or jelly finish since you'll be adding glitter later on. You don't want to many things going on on your nails.
Apply as many coats as you need for nice opacity. It doesn't have to be super-opaque though.

I have used 2 coats of China Glaze Winterberry, a darker berry red in a jelly-creme (a thicker jelly / thinner creme) finish from this year's Let It Snow Holiday collection.

(I'm sorry for the extreme color correction but this was the only way to show you what Winter Berry truly looks like on me. My camera sucks. :-| )

2. Now apply a quick-drying top coat and let your base color 'set' for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

3. Now you want to get out some tape. Whether you use clear scotch tape, matte scotch tape or painter's tape is up to your preference - or use whatever tape is within reach :-) I like to use matte scotch tape.
Cut your tape into 2cm long and very narrow pieces. Try to vary the width as this will create a more interesting effect.

4. Paste the tape on the back of your hand a few times to take of the stickiness. This way you'll avoid pulling off chunks of your base polish when you remove the tape. That's also the reason why it's best to give your base color time to 'set' on your nails and harden completely.

5. Then apply the tape to your nails in varying patterns. You can do different angles, different widths, alternating directions, do them vertical, horizontally, diagonal to the right or the left - whichever way you fancy.
My best advice at this point is to do one hand at a time since it's really difficult to hold the polish brush with taped off fingers ;-)

6. Now get out your topping colors and think about the way you want to arrange them on your nails. Do you want red and green on alternating nails? Do you want a bold red-green pattern and a red-gold accent nail? Or maybe the other way round sounds more promising to you. What about all colors on one nail? You also don't have to do the same order on both hands.

For this tutorial I chose a glittery red, a sparkly green and a glittery gold-red-green --- China Glaze Ring in the Red and Twinkle Lights from this year's Let It Snow Holiday collection and Orly Meet Me under the Mistletoe from last year's 'Tis The Season Holiday collection.

Apply them. Do one nail at a time and pull off the tape immediately after you're done so you get defined lines.

7. Apply one to two coats of a quick-drying top coat.

8. And.... tadaaaaaa! There you have your Holiday Ribbons manicure.

I hope this post was interesting to read. I'd love to see your version of this festive manicure.

Chester :-)

Douglas Fireworks np

2011-11-27T15:58:00.001+01:00

Hey everyone!

In my last post I mentioned a nail polish by Douglas. Fireworks is from the Absolute Nails line that was recently launched by Douglas. In case you where wondering what Fireworks looks like on its own, here are a couple of pictures.

Fireworks is a gold to green duochrome that I think we've all seen before in Chanel Peridot and Sephora Diving in Malaysia. I was hesitant to pick up the Chanel version because of their rather steep price tag but the Douglas version is only €4,95. In my position it was the best deal I could get on a color I wasn't really sure whether I like it or not.

It's a frost finish and well-pigmented. Pictures show 1 coat.

In low natural lighting and with flash it shows a burnt gold or amber tone that I really don't like on me. But in artificial lighting situations it was an ok mix of pale gold and green. Guess I like cooler shades better than warmer ones :-)

The price tag on this was ok to try something new but I wouldn't have paid Chanel prices for such a color.

Happy First Advent Sunday!

Chester :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T13:31:00.001+01:00

Hey everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers in the U.S.!

And for those of us who don't have a federal holiday to spend with the family, happy Thursday!

Today I have a NotD to show you. I took inspiration from Refinery29 where they posted a fun and quick nail art slide show. Take a look! I decided to skip the free hand nail art and made it a stamping NotD.

As a base I used two coats of OPI Color to Diner For. I then stamped it with the BundleMonster plate #209 and Douglas Fireworks since I didn't have a 'proper' gold stamping polish. Fireworks is from the Douglas department store's new line of nail polish, called Absolute Nails.

My dear U.S. readers, I hope you have a fun-filled and peaceful Thanksgiving weekend.

Chester :-)

Lazy Day Look

2011-11-17T18:56:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

This was a look I did recently on a lazy day. The only things I did was reading for my thesis and a short shopping trip to the supermarket.

The reason I'm showing you this is the subtle glow on my lids that's soft pink that I find very charming. MAC Nanogold e/s does this. I didn't even know it is capable of such things and now that I know I want to use it all the time.

I'm not even sure you can see it in the pics but I swear it was there. (Wow, I didn't intend to rhyme.) Anyways, here's what I used.

Products I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Expensive Pink e/s
MAC Nanogold e/s
MAC Brulé e/s
MAC Feline e/k
catrice Blackest Black All Round waterproof mascara
MAC Porcelain Pink MSF
Artistry Destiny l/g

On a related note, Porcelain Pink is finally mine!!! Eeeeek! I wanted Lightscapade so bad but it's just plain soft white-golden shimmer. Porcelain Pink is much nicer imo.

Chester

Dipped in Haunted Ink NotD

2011-11-16T22:37:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

It's time for a new blog post and this was my most current venture into a nice manicure that's more than just one color on all ten tips.

This was 2 coats of Essie Cocktail Bling and 1 coat of China Glaze Haunting on the tips. I love the dark tips. It's like a reverse French manicure. When I wore this mani and laid my hands on my dark jeans the black tips were "disappearing" which made me giggle several times.

Here's the gorgeous Cocktail Bling on its own.

I'm really into greys right now and this one didn't disappoint. 2 coats, great pigmentation. Nice and smooth consistency, easy application.

Chester

Kiko nail polishes ~ swatches of soon-to-be discontinued shades, part 2

2011-11-11T18:13:00.001+01:00

Hey everyone!

Since part 1 was quite heavy on the pics I decided to split them into two parts. Here it continues...

These are the other 3 shades I grabbed. They are called:

# 241 Rosso Lampone Multicolor
# 305 Verde Chiaro Cromato
# 237 Rosso Glitter Sparkle Touch

This one is 241 Rosso Lampone multicolor (Multicolored Raspberry Red).

This is another scattered holo like # 246 but in a deep pink base color. It's a bit sheerer than 246 and needed 3 coats to be opaque.
(Again, please excuse the blurred images. I didn't have much sun to work with so I had to take blurred pics to coaxe the holo effect. And I failed.)

Next up is 305 Verde Chiaro Cromato (Chrom-like Light Green).

This one is an antique silver, a.k.a. a light green with a heavy silver touch, a.k.a. a greened-up silver. It behaves like a foil but I have a hard time categorising nail polish so it might be something else entirely. But it's so shiny it deserves the word "chrome". 3 coats shown. It's definitely unique in my stash.

The last one is 237 Rosso Glitter Sparkle Touch (Red Glitter in Sparkle Touch finish).

This is a pinkish orange jelly with multicolored sparkles, I detect gold, purple, blue and silver. 3 coats shown and it still shows some VNL which is no surprise for a jelly.

When I picked it up in the store I was instantly reminded of Zoya Rica but that's less pink and more orange. Again, these are related but not dupes. Zoya Kimmy is noticeably redder.

Again, all of these polishes have a nice consistency, not too runny nor thick and they go on smoothly. The darker colors are well pigmented while the sheers are really, well, sheer. You have to go quite some way to make those opaque.

I hope this was helpful to you. If you get any of these or other great Kiko polishes, let me know in the comments.

Chester :-)

Kiko nail polishes ~ swatches of soon-to-be discontinued shades, part 1

2011-11-11T17:56:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone!

According to a sales person at the Kiko store in Darmstadt a few shades of their nail polishes will soon be discontinued. Several of those I grabbed in my Weekend Haul are amongst them. So, I present you some swatches of those first, before I'll continue with the rest of them.

These are the first 3 shades I grabbed. In detail they are called:

# 301 Viola Nero Microglitter

# 229 Avorio Glitter Multicolor Sparkle Touch

# 246 Mirtillo Rosso Scuro Microglitter

On to the details, shall we? Ok, first up is 301 Viola Nero Microglitter (Blackened Violet Microglitter).

This is purple with blue microglitter. It looks bluer in these pics than in real life. Shown here are 2 coats. It is similar to China Glaze First Class Ticket both in shimmer and color. OPI Russian Navy is also similar although it has different shimmer.

Next we have 229 Avorio Glitter Multicolor Sparkle Touch (Multicolored Ivory Glitter).

This is a clear polish packed with blue and purple flakies. Shown are three coats with which you'll still have VNL. Another 2 coats may have made it opaque. I tend to stop at three coats so that's what you see here.
At the same time it's not really great for layering since it's already well-packed at one coat. I think one coat over any light color might be interesting but I can't fanthom it over a dark base color.
Those kind of polishes always remind me of the winter. Remember China Glaze Frosty? I'm not saying they are dupes but they are at least distant cousins.

Then there's 246 Mirtillo Rosso Scuro Microglitter (Huckleberry Dark Red Microglitter).

Ok, so this is one of the infamous scattered holos Kiko produces. It has a reddened purple base color thats pretty much opaque in 2 coats (shown in the pics) and that is filled with scattered holo particles, or iridescent glitter (pick your preferred term).
(Please excuse the blurred images. I didn't have much sun to work with.)

In general, all of these polishes have a nice consistency, not too runny nor thick and they go on smoothly. The darker colors are well pigmented while the sheers are really, well, sheer. You have to go quite some way to make those opaque.

Part 2 will be up soon so stay tuned!

Chester :-)

Weekend Haul

2011-11-03T15:16:00.004+01:00

Hey everyone!

I was shopping at the Loop5 shopping center in Darmstadt on Saturday and wanted to show you my haul.

The whole lot.

It's 16 polishes in total, 3 by OPI and 13 by Kiko. A pencil lip gloss by Kiko didn't make it onto the picture.

Here's a close-up.

The regular price for Kiko nail polishes is 3,90€ at the moment but several were reduced to 1,50€ because they are being discontinued. In the next days I want to give you swatches of the Kiko nail polishes. Do you want to see the discontinued shades first, in case you spot a few you'd like and still have time to rush out and get them? Otherwise I will blog about them by color family, just like last time.

Chester :-)

Halloween Nails: Halloween is here!

2011-11-01T19:50:00.003+01:00

Hey everyone!

This was on my tips last night.

This was 2 coats Kiko 235 Arancio Perlato (review and swatches here). Stamped with essence stampy polish in black and BundleMonster plates BM-224, -213, -209, -13 and -04. Topped off with one coat of my favorite top coat, China Glaze Fast Forward.

Here's a close-up of my thumbs, they're a bit hard to see in the pics above.

And here is a bonus. I wore these nails in late September and found them quite fitting for Halloween. I have no idea what the base color was (Update: It was 2 coats of OPI Baby It's Coal Outside.) but the crackle color is p2 Red Volcano crackle. It has fine gold glitter in it so it looks much more coppery than red. Hence why I thought it fitting.

Chester :-)

Halloween Look

2011-11-01T18:29:00.003+01:00

Hey everyone!

I thought I'd show you what I did for Halloween this year. I didn't have a character or a costume but rather decided to just oomph up the make-up and nails (which I'll show you in a separate post). The make-up was also somehow spure-of-the-moment, I didn't plan it beforehand.

Ok, so here's what I've used:
Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Brown, Now gps (sticky base for the pigments)
Glamour Doll Eyes scare shadows in Satan's Sheets, Infectious, Undead, Zombie Date Night (from lightest to darkest)
MAC Brulé e/s
MAC Creamy Bisque e/s
MAC Marked for Glamour e/l
Kiko 414 e/k
catrice Blackest Black Lashes to Kill waterproof volume mascara

Face:
MAC NW20 Studio Finish concealer
MAC Light MSFNatural
Glamour Doll Eyes scare shadow in Satan's Sheets

Lips:
Artistry Destiny l/g

I think next year I'll try to match a charakter again. At least that'll give me something to begin with :-)

What kind of looks did you do for Halloween this year?

Chester

Halloween Nails: Ghosty Lost in the Fog

2011-10-30T13:11:00.002+01:00

Hey everyone!

We are another day closer to Halloween so here's another approach to Halloween-themed nails.

This is 2 coats of OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts, a medium grey that's not as cool-toned as many other greys out there. I stamped it with the Konad stamping polish in white and the BundleMonster stamping plate BM223. Topped off with one coat of China Glaze Fast Forward.

Isn't he cute, that little ghosty? He reminds me of Hui Buh. Hui Buh is a ghost living on a castle and he's rather cowardly for a ghost but so adorable.

Chester

Tag: Tell Me About Yourself

2011-10-28T21:15:00.003+02:00

Hey everyone!

Laura from Laura-Summer Beauty tagged me to do the Tell Me About Yourself tag. Basically I have to tell 7 things about myself. Ok, I think I can do this. :-)

Let's start.

1. My circle of real life friends is quite small. I have relocated several times in my life, mostly for school/education reasons, and friendships are hard to maintain even when you live in the same city. This is now the sixth Bundesland I'm living in but it seems I'm here to finally stay. And I've found at least one friend who will stay in my life.

2. I've done a complete one-eighty about my likes and dislikes in music. 10 years ago everything that was neither classical music nor Metal/Rock/Alternative was something to look down at. Now I still very much enjoy listening to Rock, (Heavy) Metal, Alternative and classical music is still ok. But I don't cringe anymore when I listen to musical stuff, jazz or pop pieces. My new-found love for all things musical have even urged me to dance and act, something I've never done before. And I love it!

3. I'm the youngest of four children. All of my siblings are older than me - with which I mean between 15 and 19 years older than me.

The actual entrance to my dorm school.
4. From age 15 to 19 I lived in a dorm. It was a requirement for attending a school that fosters kids with outstanding talents in languages, science or music. You have to pass entrance tests in your field of expertise successfully and you are allowed to enter the school no sooner than at grade 9. If you meet the expectations you can proceed to grade 12 (or 13 as it was in my case) and graduate. Since my college was not that big into college spirit I consider my dorm school to be my alma mater. They did a fabulous job in school spirit and the five years I attended where the ones that really shaped me into who I am today.

5. I have to thank a former band mate for my nickname. One day we noticed that we both don't have any nicknames because of our bland real life names. He knew about my eternal love for cheese (ever was, ever will be) and somehow we ended up at Chester for the infamous chester cheese. Which I still haven't tasted to this day.

6. I'm a pessimist at heart. Whenever I'm confronted with a new situation or turn of events I automatically go into a mental "worst things that can happen" mode. It helps me be prepared for everything. Also, I feel more liberated to watch the situation evolve and act in the best interests because frankly, there's nothing left to worry about. I've all thought of it beforehand.

7. I love winter. Winter winter winter winter! LOVE! Everything about it. Snow. Ice. Long nights. Huge cups of tea. The festive spirit in the air. Christmas fairs. Ice skating. Snow flakes. The cold air. The colors. Candle light. Cuddling up each advent sunday on the couch to watch fairytales, drink tea and eat home-made cookies. Oh, cookie baking! (Almost forgot that one.) Sledding. Building snowmen. Singing carols. And most of all: The big family reunion for Christmas. Most years not all of us are able to make it. (We live pretty far away from each other - I'm talking about 400km at the smallest distance.). But we try. And that's what counts. I. L.O.V.E. W.I.N.T.E.R.! :-D

And I tag:
Claire @ Eyelining Obsessions
Karen @ Frazzle and Aniploish
Nadine @ NadinesBlog
Kim @ Dance As If No One's Watching
Stacey @ Ace Stace Beauty
Elke @ I Am A Curvy Redhead/Blonde
Sonidlo @ sonidlo's nail polishes

Chester :-)

picture source dorm school
picture source snowflake

Halloween Nails: Easy Pumpkin

2011-10-26T11:42:00.004+02:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail post is an easy way to get your nails ready for Halloween. Let's start.

This is two coats of China Glaze Papaya Punch on all nails and two additional coats of China Glaze Ick-A-Bod-Y from last year's Halloween collection. Ick-A-Bod-Y dried a bit, well not really matte but not overly sparkly if you know what I mean so I topped it off with two coats of China Glaze Fast Forward. It's now just as smooth as the other nails which had one coat of China Glaze Fast Forward only. Papaya Punch is the closest Halloween orange creme color in my collection and I think it's doing a fantastic job.

Sorry for the orange stains around my cuticles. Orange is a very unforgiving color when it comes to clean-up. :-|

What do you think about orange nails? Special occassion only? Or is it something you'd wear year-round?

Chester

Halloween Nails: Slimer on Crack

2011-10-16T22:18:00.010+02:00

Hey everyone!

Halloween is right around the corner. Yay!!! Are you excited? I am! I only get to enjoy my Halloween love in private - it's not that big of a 'holiday' here in Germany. But since it's all about the dress-up and having fun I thought I'd post a couple of manicures here on my blog instead.

First up is a manicure I called Slimer on Crack. Do you remember Slimer? Have a look. There are even re-runs currently on TV of Ghostbusters. I admit, I always watched it for Slimer, he's so adorable. (I was zilch interested in the guys or the stories.)

Anyways, here's a manicure that fits the creepy season.

First, I applied 2 coats of OPI Gargantuan Green Grape, a pale green as my base.

Next I applied 2 coats of China Glaze Ghoulish Glow, a glow-in-the-dark top coat. I applied two coats because the gitd effect was not as prominent with only one coat.

Then I applied one coat of OPI Black Shatter and topped it off with 2 generous coats of China Glaze Fast Forward. You can see the end result in the first two pictures.

Chester :-)

Easy Work Look

2011-10-15T23:18:00.006+02:00

Hey everyone!

Sorry about the irregular schedule of my posts in the last weeks. I have been busy with work, sorting out my new life and preparing my thesis. So, this looks has made a regular appearance with me.

Products I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Bare Study pp
MAC Vanilla pigment
MAC Patina e/s
MAC Satin Taupe e/s
MAC Brulé e/s
catrice Blackest Black All Round waterproof mascara
p2 Charming Rose cbb
Artistry Destiny l/g

Chester :-)

catrice week: After Eight

2011-10-13T22:40:00.007+02:00

Hey everyone!

I meant to post this last Friday for catrice week. I have no idea why I haven't.

This is After Eight, a dark emerald green in a grey-ish base. 2 coats because it is nicely pigmented and levels out easily.

It has great shimmer but it looks almost black in most situations. Even with that, catrice was quite creative when you remember what After Eight chocolate looks like.

Credits for this pic go here.

Does this suit your taste? Or would you rather stay clear of it?

- Chester

catrice week: Marilyn and Me

2011-10-06T21:33:00.006+02:00

Hey everyone!

Marilyn and Me is your classical bright red jelly. The thing that makes it different from many more bright red jellies is the round glitter it contains. It's silver and gold.

Unfortunately, the glitter got lost in my pics. It does nicely translate from the bottle onto the nails but direct sunshine and a bright red polish are just some of the things my camera doesn't like. You can see it a bit in the bottle and around the edges of my nails. Look for the dark specks on my nails :-)

This is 2 coats. The formula was a bit thick but nail thinner redeemed that. It dried reasonably fast to the (soft) touch and that's the point where I always use a quick-drying top coat.

I like Marilyn and Me, although I have quite some similar polishes in my collection, lol.

Chester

catrice week: Captain Sparrow's Boat

2011-10-06T12:55:00.008+02:00

Hey everyone!

Sorry for not posting yesterday, I simply forgot. *hangs head* Therefor you'll get two posts today.

So, today's catrice nail polish is called Captain Sparrow's Boat. When I saw the title I was instantly reminded of Pirates of the Caribbean which is probably what catrice had intended ;-) Take a look please.

And now please tell me I'm not seeing ghosts. Yes, you guessed it - Captain Sparrow's Boat (CSB) is dupe-ish. When I saw it in real life I was instantly reminded of a very familiar looking polish by a rather high-end brand - Chanel's Black Pearl. Take a look at some comparison pics.

For your information: CSB is a gunmetal oil slick grey with teal shimmer- just like Black Pearl. At €2,50 per bottle (10ml/0.33 fl.oz.) it's also the fraction of the cost (Chanel retails in Germany for €22,00 to €25,00 for a 13ml/0.4 fl.oz. bottle).

I think it's safe to say that CSB is a dupe for Black Pearl, and a great way to get this unique shade if you missed out of Black Pearl, if you want a back-up for your Black Pearl or if you didn't want to spent so much money on a single bottle of nail polish.

Chester

catrice week: Khaki Perry

2011-10-04T22:52:00.006+02:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail polish is called Khaki Perry and I still wonder about the name. Is it supposed to have something to do with Katy Perry? Did I miss something? If you know the idea behind the name, please give me clue.

Ok, so onto the polish. Khaki Perry is part of the new catrice nail polish range that was launched in September this year.

This is 3 coats. Khaki Perry is a yellow-toned and very light green frost with golden shimmer. In other terms it's a very very light khaki that has been mixed with sun-bleached beach sand. The golden shimmer makes Khaki Perry glow from within which you can best see in the flash pic (the left one in the second row). Since it's a frost it is brush stroke-y but manageably so. The unique color is what makes Khaki Perry worth it in my opinion.

Chester :-)

catrice week: Don't Feed The Birds

2011-10-03T13:28:00.006+02:00

Hey everyone!

I hope you have a good start into October, one of the few months I feel so much anticipation for because of Halloween! Waaah!! Anyways, today is a federal holiday in Germany, it's German Unity Day. My dear SO and I are invited to a barbecue but first I wanted to get this post up.

I thought I'd do a theme week of catrice polishes this week. It's been a while since I blogged about catrice polishes. In the meantime catrice has been productive and launched several new and beautiful polishes which I will try to feature this week. Some of the polishes will be old ones that are no longer carried in their line but I hope that by posting about them some of you will either dig them out of their stash and show them some love or they will find a beauty here or there to pick up in the sale boxes.

So, I'm going to start it off with Don't Feed The Birds, the prettiest yellow in my collection.

Don't Feed The Birds is a beautiful yellow jelly with fine glitter. Sadly it has been discontinued in spring/early summer this year. The pics show it with 3 coats. I'm sure I was wearing b/c and t/c but I can't remember which one. Since it's a jelly it still shows VNL at this point. It wears 3-4 days with minor tip wear and no chipping on me.

If you have any questions or catrice polishes you'd like to see this week, comment below.

Chester :-)

American Apparel - Army Jacket and essence - Make It Golden

2011-10-02T21:05:00.007+02:00

Hi everyone!

Today's nail polish post features two polishes. First up, Army Jacket by American Apparel.

It's a gorgeous yellow-toned olive green in a creme finish. This was 2 coats on top of China Glaze Strong Adhesion b/c. I could have gotten away with just 1 coat but I had some minuscule bald spots so I added a second coat.

By the by, here is a quick comparison to some more true olive greens.

Then I topped American Apparel Army Jacket off with Make It Golden by essence.

Make It Golden is one of the few new polishes essence introduces into their new product range earlier in September. Talk on the nail board of MUA has it that it is dupe-ish to Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow, minus the 24k gold dust of course ;-)
This is 2 coats, topped off with 2 coats of China Glaze Fast Forward t/c. Make It Golden isn't top coat thirsty but I wanted to ensure the glassy smooth finish I so loooooove about Fast Forward.

What do you think about this combination?
I admit, when I brought home essence Make It Golden and rummaged through my drawers to find suitable base colors American Apparel Army Jacket sprung out to me. I was all "Yes, that's it!", lol. Surprisingly when I wore it I was still as enamored with it as I was in the beginning.

Chester :-)

American Apparel - California Trooper

2011-10-01T21:09:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone!

Today's nail polish is called California Trooper by American Apparel. It's a sandy beige, just like the California Highway Patrol uniforms, in a creme finish.

This was 1 coat. Yes, it's *that* opaque. I love American Apparel polishes for this feature. I haven't tried stamping with them but I guess they'd work well for that purpose.

Chester :-)

Untrieds, part 3

2011-10-01T20:18:00.003+02:00

Hey everyone!

September 7 marked the end of the second installment of the Untrieds Project and the beginning of part three. Here are the polishes I was able to cross off my Untrieds list.

You can find my post about part 1 -> here and about part 2 -> here. Part 3 is already in full swing. :-)

Chester

I'm Back.

2011-09-30T21:03:00.001+02:00

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry for coming back to you so late. Exams took a lot more energy out of me than I anticipated and I needed at least one day to myself before it's 'back to our regular program' for me.

Short update, if you want to read it. (If not, just skip the next paragraphs. I won't tell anyone, promise.)
So, I had my senior recital on Wednesday and it went well. Had another exam, the so-called retreat exam on Thursday and that went well as well, although I could tell my voice was still strained from my senior recital on Wednesday. But hey, I *passed*! :D
Now I'm officially out of college. Not yet graduated since I still have to write my thesis. But: No more classes. Instead I will start working on Tuesday. For the time being I'm working in a shop for interior décor and have only 1 very minor teaching job in my field - it's a start. Right? Right.

Ok, so I will try to post more regularly from now on. I guess daily nail posts and a couple of make-up posts until I find a rhythm in my new life.

See you!

Chester

I won!

2011-09-16T22:00:00.001+02:00

Hey everyone!

I hope you had a great week. Are you ready for the weekend? Because I am :-)

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a giveaway by Amber from Rainbows & Sparkles and I won! I was (and still am) super stoked about it! I rarely participate in giveaways and so far I have never won. This was the first time! And I absolutely love my prize, the Serena Williams Glam Slam U.S. duo.

So, as the nail board on MakeUpAlley says, "Pics or it didn't happen!" (lol, I love that phrase) here's proof.

The arrival

Amber included a sweet note which reads "Smile Each Day!" on the outside. So cute!

The prize :-D OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam U.S. with Love Is A Racket and Pros & Bronze

The contestants
First one, Love is a Racket.

This was 2 coats (+ 1 coat of China Glaze Strong Adhesion b/c and 1 coat of China Glaze Fast Forward t/c). Love is a Racket has taken me by surprise. I thought it would be your standard mid-tone bright red but the glass-fleck finish and the hot pink shimmer make this a true stunner. It looks like it glows from within. :-)

The second one was actually the one I was totally looking forward to, Pros & Bronze.

This is 3 coats, plus 1 coat of China Glaze Strong Adhesion and 1 coat of China Glaze Fast Forward. Pros & Bronze is described as a glitter polish but the glitter is so fine and smooth that I have a hard time defining it as a glitter. It feels and looks much more like a foil but in close-up photos taken with flash you can see tenny tiny glitter particles.
I love that this looks golden-bronze in natural light and has a strong pink tint in artificial light. It is gorgeous and meeting it "live and colored" as Germans like to say (aka up-front and personal)

And this is how they look layered.

This is one coat of Pros & Bronze on top of 2 coats of Love is a Racket. They look good together but I actually prefer them as individuals.

Thank you very much, Amber, for these two beautiful polishes!

Chester :-)

..: throws confetti in the air:.. Birthday, Birthday ..: throws some more confetti:..

2011-09-14T09:16:00.013+02:00

Hey everyone!

I don't want to brag or something, I merely want to post the look and nails I did for my birthday last Friday because I really liked the results. Ok? Okay. Also, I'm sorry that I post at such sporadic intervalls. (Exams are still going on.) And I can't even tell you if it will get better come October because I have a job that begins October 1 and I don't know the schedule yet. But I promise to try to do better. :-)

So, for my birthday I wanted to use a favorite eye shadow of mine that I use so rarely - Cranberry by MAC. The rest of my make-up is what I gravitate towards a lot lately - neutral lid, pop of darker color in the crease, liner on upper lash line and outer half of lower lashline, neutral cheeks and lips.

Products I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Creamy Bisque e/s (inner corner)
MAC Jest e/s (lid)
MAC Grain e/s (transition crease)
MAC Cranberry e/s (outer v, crease)
MAC Sketch e/s (outer v)
MAC Brulé e/s (transition highlight)
MAC Shroom e/s (highlight)
MAC Designer Purple e/k (upper/outer low lash line)
Kiko 414 e/k (tightlining)
catrice Blackest Black All-Round waterproof mascara
MAC Semi-Precious Pearl mineralize skin finish (blush)
MAC Viva Glam V

Now for my nails I just wanted something cheerful and sturdy. Yep, sturdy. On the weekend my boyfriend and me were at my parents and I didn't want to bother with anything nail related when instead I could focus on my family and on relaxing. So I opted for durable and cheerful.

China Glaze Strong Adhesion (1 coat)
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky (2 coats, 3 on some for opacity)
China Glaze Party Hearty (2 coats)
China Glaze Fast Forward (2 coats for a smooth finish)

I liked this mani a lot. As did the boyfriend. :-) And I proudly report back that it held up very good. I got one minor chip on Sunday afternoon when we were already heading back home. But it's a pain to remove - which is probably the reason I don't wear glitters more often.

Chester :-)