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Sunday Manicure (Vol.9)

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Products used:
Erre Due Diamond Base Coat 6.49€
Sephora Color Hit Nail Polish in no.64, Walk on the Wild Side 5.40€
Erre Due Ceramic Top Coat 6.49€

First Impressions:
Thought I’d go for a twist on the festive holiday green (with a bit of a sci-fi, metallic teal version) for the last week of 2013. After the major disappointment of last week (Vol.8), I was ecstatic to get back to a polish with great consistency, easy application (I have fallen in love with the Sephora nail polish brush), amazing color payoff and real short drying time. Judging from past experience with Sephora nail colors (see Sunday Manicure Vol.2 & Sunday Manicure Vol.3 ) I am fully expecting my 2 coat (+topcoat) mani to last the full week once more, making me quite the happy camper. All in all, I think it’s about time I admitted that (a) these guys know what they’re doing when it comes to nail polish and (b) I am now a big, big fan!

You guys ever tried anything from the Sephora nail range? What did you think (and is there anything you’d recommend I try)?

Sunday Manicure (Vol.8)

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Products used:
Erre Due Diamond Base Coat 6.49€
Dior Golden Winter Diorific Vernis in
751- Marilyn 26.22€
Erre Due Ceramic Top Coat 6.49€

First Impressions:
Back to a classic holiday red for Christmas this week, with Dior’s re-issued Marilyn. Now, while I have to admit to loving the color (a true red with an almost invisible shimmer), I also have to say I’m not really crazy about the polish itself. First off, the brush felt a bit awkward. I’m used to sweeping one side of it then applying color on the nail with what product’s left on the other. This didn’t work here, since practically no product was left on the brush if you did it.  So, “dip and apply” seemed like the way to go. The polish consistency was also a bit off and getting a uniform color result proved quite tricky. There was no streaking but the color seemed to pool in places, creating what looked like “bold” patches in others. I actually had to re-do one nail ’cause of that, so not too happy… Two coats (+ topcoat) and about an hour later I am still not feeling confident about going to bed (feel nails sticking to each other still, and would hate to wake up to a bedsheet-ruined night’s work) which is another thing I am not happy about. All in all, considering value for money,  I doubt I’ll be buying Dior nail polish again…Any of you have different experiences? Do share…

Holiday Gift Ideas (For Her)

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If you are anything like me, it is now about the time (less than a week before the holidays) when you start panicking over not having bought presents for any of the people on your list yet…

If that is the case, fear not! Today is “Holiday Gift Guide Day” over here at Lifestyle Counter, hopefully providing you with enough ideas and inspiration to tackle the looming task in a most efficient (& happiness inducing) way.

So, without further ado, here’s my Christmas 2013 selection for the women in your life (expect a few ideas for the men in it also, during the next few days):

Sunday Manicure (Vol.7)

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Products used:
Erre Due Diamond Base Coat 6.49€
Essie Belugaria Collection Polish in Luts of Lux 12.00€

First Impressions:
A little twist on the classic holiday manicure colors this week, with a blue lapis lazuli shimmer from Essie’s Belugaria Collection. “Lots of Lux” is the only color that did it for me in this collection. Everything else looked… well, either way too much (like “Belugaria”) or just not right (like “Peak of Chic” which actually scared me a little – sorry Essie!).  My photo does not do the color or lovely shimmer of this much justice. The actual shade is a bit lighter than it appears here (but not as light as on the Essie website) and has got a great deal of cutesy sparkle to it.  The polish has a great consistency and is very easy to apply – despite its particular nature (a bit like O.P.I. Liquid Sand). Applied 2 coats, over a base, with no topcoat as per Essie’s recommendation. Drying time was minimal and the end result is lovely – albeit a bit… scratchy. Not sure how long this will last or how well it will fare in contact with water, given that there’s no topcoat, but for now I quite like it.
Have you tried this yet? Thoughts?

Beauty Obsession of the Day…

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Clarins Ombre Minérale 4 Couleurs (Eye Quartet Mineral Palette Long-Lasting) in 11 Forest

This quad is right up my alley with satin, glitter, matte and frost mineral eyeshadows in some of my most flattering colors: khaki, brown/taupe, a green-based charcoal and a shimmery golden beige.

At $42 (still need to find out the exact price on the Greek market), it places itself firmly on my “to buy next” beauty items’ list…

Have any of you tried this? And if so, what did you think?