NOTD2 (Nails of The Day)

This is actually my second installation for my NOTD Series. Lol. So I got bored, then I decided to just paint my nails earlier. I won't talk much. I'll just show my newly-painted nails to you. I saw the design on Google and I think I can do it naman hehe. So here it is!

For the materials...

I am using three kinds of nail brushes, the one I used for this nail art is the dotting tool, then for filling in the heart, I used the one which is slightly wide then I used the pointed brush for painting the heart beats. I bought the brushes on Divisoria. I forgot the price but it's between PHP200-PHP300, I think.

For the polishes, I used Sansan in French White and my old Sally Hansen No Chip 10-Day Nail Color in Rose.

 It's really simple to do this heart beat nail art and even without steps, I guess anyone could do this. So first, color your nails white. San San Nail Polishes dry fast enough so it does not took me lots of minutes to wait before designing my nails.

The photo above is the result for two coats since a single coat can't fill in sparse parts.

Next is, designing the heart beats using the pointed brush from BK, leaving my accent finger undone. Doing the heart, for me, is the hardest part since I can't draw a perfect heart on my nails. What I did was this: using the dotting tool, I patterned it like a heart so when I used the wider brush, I could just easily fill in the inside of the heart.

The photo above shows the heart unfilled yet.

My heart still looks a bit disoriented hahah. Anyway, for an amateur like me, I think that will do.

So yeah, isn't this easy? Do this for yourself and tell me how's it! Happy blogging!

Love,

Hanna

#NOTD1 (Nails of the day)

Lovely afternoon, everyone! Just wanna share with you guys my colorful but not so colorful(?) nails of mine for today! I'm just in the mood to paint my nails and guess what, this is my first-ever nail art that I did right in my entire life, so yeah, I hope you like it just how I do! Keep scrolling! >:D

Here's what you'll need to achieve the design!

Of course you will need a base coat before you put on the base color to avoid stains which is definitely hard to remove! You don't want that obviously. Currently, I am using San San Nail Hardener as my base coat. You can get it for only PHP37 at any HBC stores nationwide. For my base color, I used Cutex in Black (PHP50). Then, for my second coat, I used Cutex Nail Polish in Pure Cotton (PHP50) and Sally Hansen in Impatiens (I forgot the price). I could use another Cutex Nail Lacquer, but I found this Sally Hansen first on my stash so yeah. And of course, don't ever forget to use a top coat after everything's been dried up to prevent early color chipping!

For the design, you can use  single or two brush (the smallest and thinnest best work for me though.)

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

It's hard for me to explain everything but I'll try my best though. So first, just color your nails black. When dried, using a nail brush, create a wide V-shape on the middle part of your nails then fill the gap with your preferred color. Let it dry. Do the same thing as you've done with the second coat for your third coat then fill everything in. After it's all dried up (seriously, everything must be dried up first or the color would smudge when applied with the top coat), cover everything using your preferred top coat to seal in the color and add shine to your nails.

I don't claim to be any expert in painting nails and this nails art seem to be so much far from nails-that-are-done-by-a-pro. You can see that it isn't neat enough but I'm working on that. Hoho! Anyways, make sure that the previous coat is dried well enough that it won't smudge when touched by the brush. So basically, it took me an hour or two to finish the nail art as I don't have a nail polish dryer.

Share it when you tried it! Have a nice day, beauties! Happy blogging! xx

Love,

Hanna

Pastel Colors For My Nails ft. San San Polishes

Happy Eid'l Fitr! And because it's a no-class day, then I've got lots of time to paint my nails! Yieha!

Due to tedious projects and home works that we're supposed to finish these past few weeks, I've got no time to even pamper myself by painting my nails which, definitely, has been a hobby of mine since...well, I forgot. *face palm* Actually, I have still one report to do but too indolent to even start working. But I have generous time for blogging. *dance dance dance*

Anyway, the polishes that I used today were all from San San, my favorite local brand of polishes. Photos? Sure. And another thing, I've took lots of them. Since I do not know which photo should I feature, might as well include them all in this post.

Back when I was still in grade school, I always love to apply different shades on all of my finger nails. Since I was in love with them, and cannot choose which one's the best, then I prefer getting my nails painted using each bottle. It's like putting rainbow on my nails except they are not the rainbow colors. Hahah!

As you can see, the bottle looks sturdy enough for longer storage period. I actually dropped one during the photoshoot and it didn't break though. It has this signature polish handle colored in blue with the shiny silver-like plastic in the lower part.

One bottle costs only PHP37 (for a 12ml bottle), hence, the quality of the products exceeded all my expectations. I do not intend to compare them to high-end brands of nail lacquers since I haven't even tried one. The only brand of nail polish (which is more expensive than local brands such as Caronia, Chic, Bobbie, etc) is the Cutex which undeniably is still a lot cheaper than Orly, Zoya, etc (price ranges from PHP300 up to thousands). And there was no way that I would be able to collect nail polish from China Glaze, Orly, Sally Hansen, etc during these times because I was only getting money from my allowance.

If you can see, the brushes are almost similar to those of high-ends'. I cannot comment on the consistency/texture and application although I've read some reviews from other blogs that it works just as good as pricier brands.

But if you are to ask me, the application is pretty good. The brush is wider compared to other local brands so the application takes lesser time to do so. On the first coat, you will see that the polish is not that opaque enough (since they are pastel and you cannot expect a strong color payoff). You will notice streaks also. Note that I am not the professional in doing manicure.

And another thing that I like about them is that they don't tend to create bubbles. It also takes 4-5 days before you notice some cracks on your nails.

first coat

second coat

So that's my mani for today! Try to mix and match too girls! Happy blogging! xx

My Favorite Shades from Cutex

Hello! Today, I am going to swatch two of my most favorite nail colors by Cutex! These are green and Coral! Well, I actually don't like green of any shades or brand before I get to try these gorgeous colors from Cutex. I found these two as I went to Watsons at SM San Lazaro last December. Right. They have been sitting on my stash unused for quite a long time now. I hate myself for not trying them on as soon as I got them.

As I have told you, I used to hate greens of any shade so I didn't get the chance to try the green one the soonest since I also bought it for collection purposes. It turned out that it's the very first green polish I have ever had in my stash. Would you give me a high-five for that? LOL.

Picture! Picture!

Look at them! Aren't they cute? They are a bit different from the actual colors because I took the pictures during night time since I prefer painting my nails at night.

And the best thing about these colors is that I thnk they are perfect for my complexion! Plus they make my nails healthier because it's keratin-infused! I love that the texture's neither too runny nor too thick. It just glides well with every stroke, you'll definitely feel like you're a pro! I used to apply it after my preferred base coat. For the photos below, I used two coats only and I got a very pigmented nails already.

This is the actual color. Isn't it the best shade of green ever? Hihi I think the color's between pastel green and dark green. And on the back of the bottle, the name says, "Green there, done that." I currently have more than a dozen of Cutex Nail Colors, yet I have used only these two. Anyway, I'm planning to use the other shades the next time for another blog review.

This one's the "Tropical Bliss". The color here's a bit darker than the actual shade. It ranges between neon pink and coral pink. Hihi. It's just too girly but I'm loving it even more every time I look at my nails! I love how it makes my hand elegant-looking and everything! Looking forward to try the other shades on my stash soon!


What I like?

• has keratin for healthier nails
• packaging doesn't look cheap.
• not too thick nor too runny.
• costs 109php for a 7ml bottle originally, but I bought it at more than half the price (PHP50) because I think they are on sale?
• the brush is quite manageable and thick for the bottle size that it doesn't need too much stroke to cover my nail plates
• single coat could be enough, that's how pigmented the polishes are (I just apply another coat so it won't chip faster)
• big-5 toxins free!
• quick-drying
• doesn't create streaky lines
• doesn't smell like paint or rugby
• available on Watsons (SM Valenzuela, SM San Lazaro particularly)

What I don't like?

• comes in a very limited shades (I think what Watsons in SM San Lazaro been selling are pull out or surplus of US Cutex branches because they any comes in a very limited shades (for these 7ml bottles only). There are bigger ones, I forgot the size, but they are pricier of course.)
• They are too small. I hope there's bigger sizes available because they run out too fast considering I change my polish every other day!

Would I buy this product again? Definitely, yes! Until the last stock runs out. Hahah!

Would I recommend this brand? Totally! If I'm not mistaken, it's the very first ever brand of liquid nail polish that has been established worldwide back in 20th century, so for me, it's quite a privilege to own even a single bottle from this brand!

Have you tried Cutex already? Feel free to share it here with me! Happy blogging! xx

My Mid-year Haul Collection! (Whoops, Bench, iWhite Korea, Eskinol, SkinWhite, A Bonne)

My life this past couple of weeks involved window-shopping, stalking for new products and of course hoarding things to test them out. It’s because we previously lost our internet connection so I always get bored. Initially, I spent half of my June savings for some products and pieces of clothing that I might need for school.

We all know that June-July is the midyear so sale on goods are here and there. If you are a fashion/beauty junkie, I definitely would not have to remind you of this. Hahaha! So yeah, I believe that I should not let these months pass without hoarding some of the things from my wish list.

From L-R: Pants from Whoops at PHP399
Couple of Pants from Bench at PHP399/ea
Nail Polishes from San San ranging between PHP36-PHP45
iWhite Korea Bundle Packs (Moisturizing Facial Wash at PHP139, Whitening Peel-off Mask at PHP199, Aqua Moisturizing Cream at PHP169, Facial Cream at PHP179)
Eskinol Facial Wash and Scrub at PHP5/ea
Skin White Lotion at PHP19.50
A’Bonne Spa Milk Salt at PHP74

Whoops Pants at PHP399

The first thing from my wish list is pants. I have at least ten pairs of it but they have grown quite big for me already. Maybe it was because of the way they were washed that they don’t fit me well any more. So that’s why I had to buy some. I target high-waists pants or those that have rips on them but when I saw this at the mall at more than fifty percent off (from P1195 to P399), I immediately went to the fitting room and got my size. I bought the blue one first on size twenty-five but soon figured out that it’s quite fitted on my legs so I exchanged it for a size twenty-six and in this color. I think the one I tried on was tried at least a hundred times hahaha! Whoops are still on sale, by the way. They have pants in huge variety of colors and sizes at P399, P499 and buy 2 for P1200.

Bench Colored Pants at PHP399/ea

More pants!!! Bench as we all know is one of the most successful and popular local brands we have here in the Philippines. So when I found out on their Facebook page that they will have their colored pants at fifty percent off, I seriously had to run to the mall and buy these two. I got one in maroon and one in blue. And they are for PHP399 (from PHP799) each as well! I regret buying the other pants from Whoops and hoped that I should have dropped by Bench first so I would not have to buy the other pants and spend my P399 instead on the gray pants from Bench. Ugh!

And now, here's my iWhite Korea product hauls!

iWhite Korea Whitening Pack at PHP199 for 95g tube
(with two sachets of teir facial cream)

You can read my iWhite Korea Whitening Pack review here.

iWhite Korea Aqua Moisturizing Cream at PHP169 for 50 tube ml
(with one sachet of facial cream and one sachet of nose pack)

You can read my iWhite Korea Aqua Moisturizing Cream review here.

iWhite Korea Mositurizing Facial Wash at PHP139 for 70ml tube
(with one sachet of nose pack and whitening pack)

You can read my iWhite Korea Moisturizing Facial Wash review here.

iWhite Korea Facial Cream at PHP179 for 65ml tube (New packaging)

You can read my iWhite Korea Facial Cream review here.

I am an avid beauty junkie, as you can tell. I still have lots of unused face products on my stash, but I feel like I had to buy some more. iWhite products has been on my wish list for a long time now and I’m really happy that I was able to buy them now. I’ve been using the peel-off mask but I only buy those in sachets. So it’s my first time to buy them on tube. I’ve used the facial wash before because it was included on one of the promo pack I bought back then but I was still in grade school that time and I haven’t even started blogging yet and I already forgot how that facial wash works so it’s my time to use it again together with the other iWhite products. I’m actually quite excited for my review post!

I also think that I’ve been an impulsive buyer again but when I really saw iWhite products on bundle packs, there’s no time for thinking twice in buying them. I can tell that these are the old package and they are re-packaging but I don’t care since they still have the same active ingredients and contents are still the same.

The tube for the face cream above is the example for the new iWhite Korea packaging. I’m planning to buy its bundle pack but there’s no more stock so I had to buy the new one and they are more expensive than the old ones.

Stocks are very limited so if you want iWhite products at lesser prices (bundle packs) with free sachets of their other products, I suggest you hurry to the nearest Watsons/department stores in your area now.

A Bonne' Spa Milk Salit at PHP74 for 350g

I’ve been reading good reviews about it so I bought one for me to try out. It wasn’t really expensive so I was surprised. I also think that it would be a good substitute for St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub for a fraction of its price. It wasn’t on sale, but who cares? I wanted it and it’s one thing from my wish list as well. Read my A Bonne' Spa Milk Salt review here.

From L-R: San San Top and Base Coat at PHP36 for a 12 ml bottle;
San San Nail Polishes in Blue Sapphire and Purple Topaz at PHP37 and PHP45 for a 12ml bottle

I didn’t bought them from the mall but I had to include them in my mid-year purchases. Watch out for my review about the San San Top and Base Coat!

From L-R: Eskinol Pimple Fighting Facial Wash at PHP5 for a 6ml sachet;
SkinWhite Advanced Whitening Lotion at PHP19.50 for a 10ml sachet;
Eskinol Papaya Smooth White Facial Scrub at PHP5 for a 6ml sachet

I bought it from the HBC store together with the nail polishes as part of my facial wash review. On the other hand, I bought the SkinWhite Lotion because I think it’s for the face but when I got home, I figured out that it’s a lotion. For the body!!! Anyway, will post a blog review about facial washes in the Philippines soon!

How about you? Have you bought something during the mid-year sale? Bought iWhite Bundle packs or pants on sale? You can share it here with me! Happy blogging!

Love, Hanna

REVIEW : Chic Nail Polish in Edgy Collection

My Chic Nail Polishes!!! Since I love collecting nail polishes in different colors and brand, I have decided to buy these bottles! One of my guilty pleasures. Lol. So anyway, the reason I've decided to write about it is to share with you, girls, what I think about these polishes from a very popular local brand known for its high quality and innovative products in the nail care category: Chic Nail Centre!

As the brand name goes, Chic, the color of the polishes are very suitable for girls who love chic-y stuff. Chic nail polishes are available in variety of colors which was probably the reason why I was hooked up with every shades. Kathryn Bernardo, the teen queen, is one of the faces of this polish brand making way to the collections named after her: Edgy Collection (the one I have and the one the teen queen was said to be using during the filming of She's Dating The Gangster), Knockout Collection, Pastel Collection, and I believe there will be so much more!

Edgy Collection in Blair, Shadow, Raven, Angelique,  Mystique

As you can see on the photo above, every bottle from the collection is sealed with Kathryn Bernardo sealing plastic (or what I call it hahah) to let people know about the collection being exclusively named after the queen of this generation. Such a fan tho. Hoho! Anyway, my most favorite shade for this collection is the Raven, the one in the middle. It's like a glinting royal blue in color. Also, it has a frosty finish, making my application a little streaky though I don't mind because the shade is simply just beautiful for me!

What I love:

• I love the shade! It makes me feel like a rock star! (tho I can't sing)
• Application is easy
• Retails for only 33php
• Doesn't chip easily
• Doesn't stain nails as long as there's a base coat underneath
• Dries quickly
• Toxic-Trio free

What don't like:

• The Shadow and the Raven are streaky when applied
• Bubbles are forming and I don't know if it's in the way I store the polishes or the formula just easily creates bubbles (Note: I twist the polishes before applying to avoid bubbles formation, but it's just the way it is. I also make sure to apply thin coats and allow it to dry first before applying another coat.)

Yeah, that's it, girls! Comment your experience with Kathryn Bernardo's Edgy Collection and I'll be happy to talk about it! :) Happy blogging! xx

Love, Hanna

SWATCH & REVIEW: Cutex Nail Polishes in Shades of Pink Nail Art

Do you know what's the best thing to do when bored? Paint your nails.

I started this blog when I figured out that I want to build my own nail polish collection. I prefer buying local products at the moment since they are much cheaper compared to those high-end ones, though, in my own opinion, they offer less satisfactory results. I do not consider it as a problem since I am changing my polish more so often that I don't mind if a bottle of a local nail polish brand chips more easily compared to those expensive ones because I can always re-apply depends on my kind of shade. It would also save me a lot while I do manicure myself.

Rummaging through my nail polish stash, I found these pink shades from Cutex (I believe that it isn't a local nail polish brand though it's four times cheaper). Cutex is so far my most favorite nail lacquer brands because;

• it does not easily chips
• it does not create bubbles
• it dries out quickly
• it has a nice brush for easy application
• it is toxic trio-free
• it has keratin to strengthen nails
• it comes in a cute size bottle
• nice shades especially those shades that are duo-chromatic
• it retails for only 109.75php, but they are 50% off at the moment

However, I have here few negative points for this brand because they are;

• difficult to look for. I bought mine from Watsons (SM San Lazaro & Victory Mall). I don't know if other Watsons have them.
• comes in very limited shades only and I hope there are some more
• frosty nail polishes are streaky when applied
• smells too strong

Anyway, here's a photo of my current nails! I really love it because it's just so easy to do and let me show you how I did it! Picture! Picture!

My oh-so-yummy nails!

 What I used for my nails this time?

Cutex Nail Polishes in It's My Mystique, I Pink Therefore I Am, Strawberry Fields, Charmed, Caronia Base Coat, Top Coat, Cuticle Conditioner, Scotch Tape, and Scissors

Four shades of pink by Cutex! L-R: I Pink Therefore I Am, Charmed, It's My Mystique, Strawberry Fields

Here's the process on how I made this elegant-looking nail art!

First, is to paint your nails with all pink for the base color. It's somehow carnation pink in shade and if you can just see the frosty finish (well, I know you can't because the picture is on its low quality, sorry!) Be informed that before I painted my nails with this shade, I already applied base coat to protect my nails from polish stains and other chemicals the nail polish has. Don't forget to let it dry first before you proceed to the next step, otherwise, the tape will ruin the polish seriously and you don't want that to happen. Hoho! And when I say dry, it should totally be dry--the kind of dry wherein parts of polish will no longer be attached to the tape when removed.

First step (at least two coats)

Second is to paint your accent nail and every middle part of your nails with the Charmed shade then follow it with the It's My Mystique shade for added shimmers. You can do this by sticking tape on the upper and lower part of your nails, leaving a small rectangular shape in the middle where you will apply the glittery shade. You can use either Charmed or It's My Mystique alone, depends on your choice. But I apply both for a well pigmented and shimmery finish. Don't forget to let it dry!

*DIY TIP: To avoid ruining your polish, you can do so by sticking the tape on any surface first (e.g. skin) before putting them on your nails.

Second step

Results of the second step!

For the next step, I apply the I Pink Therefore I Am shade on the upper half of each nails except the accent nails.  Hmmm! It looks so yummy now! Hahahah! And then of course, don't forget to apply top coat for each nails to lengthen the life of your newly-painted nails or to avoid early polish chipping. Then apply the Caronia Kwik-Dry Conditioner for a smudge-free nails! Then tada! Isn't it so easy? Hoho!

Third step

Note: You can use whatever shades you want for this nail art, of course! :)

So that's my tutorial for today! Stay tuned for more easy nail arts! Happy blogging! xx

Love, Hanna