Skittle Tips - Skipples?

 

 

 

Needed a topcoat to smooth it out a bit

• I really love this and I don't mind that I went a bit OTT on the ring finger and made a puddle!
• Over CG White Cap (shouldn't that be whitecap?)
• I prefer it to plain ol' skittles

•  Bourjois Bleu Model (this is so not blue to my eyes)
• Barielle Expressive (they have a 50% sale on in the UK and have had for some time)
• L'Oreal Yellow Seahorse
• Essie Smooth Sailing

Do you like skittles or any variant thereof?
Jenni

Bourjois Orange Creation

 

2 coats over ridgefiller plus top-coat as it dries insufficiently glossy. Sadly I selected a topcoat that has seen better days - hence the bubbling and uneven finish. Not perceptible IRL.

Oh, BIG MOAN! Got a lot of chipping on the Bourjois Bleu Model. Hope this is better. And lots of tipwear on OPI JITNB. Not funny! Be warned. Please report back if you experience unwarranted chipping on the new Bourjois. I haven't had a polish wear so poorly in nearly 2 years.

This is an intense and slightly dirty orange. Not quite neon. I like it. These come out just as they look in the bottle. Consistent then.

Worst polishes for chipping?

Jenni

It must be love da da..It must be love da da..(Thanks, Madness)

Bourjois Bleu Model

(BUT before we proceed a big THANK YOU for all the great and amusing comments I've been getting these past few days! Really bucked me up no end!)


If this is blue then I'm Pippa Middleton's body double. Cuticles still dire. Sorry.

It's green. C'est vert. End of.
Whatever you'd call it I do know one thing. It's 3 coats of creamy gorgeousness! Cannot stress sufficiently how good the formula is.Bourjois really does quality nail-polish.

Name that polish!

Don't cheat by looking them up. I'm guessing most of my readers don't have these yet because I haven't seen them much on the blogs I read daily. Looks like they may be fairly new in shops.

Now, my colour vision is rubbish. This I know and was proved by my pitiful score of 34 in the following test.

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77&Lang=en
For example, I would casually call the first 2 nail colours above 'green'. The middle one for sure and the left one blueish-green. That's how inaccurate and imprecise I am.

Bourjois gave them boring names. How would YOU describe them? OR what do you think they are dupes of?

And these? Cool colours don't suit me. Why did I buy them? Duh.

Oh, these were (maybe still are) 3 for 2 at Superdrug.

Jenni

Bourjois Jaune Trendy

(Cuticles are rubbish. Sorry. Having real trouble.)

2 coats and a lot of Mavala ridge-filler. Well, it's a yellow creme. But 2 coats! Honestly, this is brilliant.

And now for random thoughts on a French-theme (those who are easily offended - and French - should beware) calme-toi, ma chere liloo

• All Bourjois stuff is fab and I like the packaging- those little pots they do are so cute
• The French should not be allowed to use English words like /cool, trendy, super/ because it just sounds wrong
• To call anything Jaune Trendy goes beyond wrong to preposterous
• Bourjois are amazingly brave to have put out some great shades this summer - proper funky colours
• The collection is called Paris (*stifles chortles* because .......see next point)
• No Parisienne would ever wear any of these colours, Parisiennes wear dull colours - that is a FACT
• Parisiennes have brown hair
• Parisiennes are immaculately turned out in a way no British woman could ever achieve
• Mid-price and budget French cosmetics ranges never include funky colours and the high-end companies make a bloomin' great fuss about it when THEY do a yellow or a green (ya know what I'm talkin' about?)
• I could say a lot more about Anglo-French relations but I should perhaps quit before being dragged off to a guillotine somewhere
• Why do Brits go on holiday to France but never to Germany?
• What is so great about croissants?
• Why is African French so much easier to understand than French French?
• Have you ever been up the Eiffel Tower? I only got to the first stage and there's a long story (wholly tedious) about why I never made it to the top
• My favourite Paris memory is a little crocodile of French children with their attendants trotting through Parc Monceau in the sunshine - cycling round Versailles was good too but does Versailles count as Paris? (not really)

Jennifer

Bourjois Rose Corset

 

• It isn't rose.Well, roses can be this kinda shade but when we say 'rose' we don't think of this colour, do we?
• It has nothing whatever to do with corsets that I can think of.
• 2 or 3 coats
• Great Bourjois thick quality
• Love the Bourjois brush
• It's one of the shades du jour

Jenni
Is Bourjois too expensive? Discuss. Sorry to be so bossy.

The polish Kate wore - Bourjois Rose Lounge (allegedly)

http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/GraziaDailyNails/archive/2011/04/29/win-kate-middletons-wedding-nail-polish.htm

"And...breath.  Finally we've seen the dress, the hair and the make-up but you know what GDN is reeeally interested in - her digits!  So we can exclusively reveal Marina Sandoval, manicurist extraordinaire, painted Kate Middleton's nails yesterday lunchtime in Bourjois' "Rose Lounge" no 28 (mixed with a little bit of Essie 423 Allure). The pale creamy pink shade is perfect for our future queen because, as we all know, Kate wanted to go neutral-classic for her bridal look. Of course, as William placed (actually, pushed and shoved) the wedding band on his new wife, we all cooed at the way Kate - sorry, Princess Catherine has stayed true to her classic style on the biggest day of her life." (From Grazia).

Sorry about my horrid yellow nails. This is 3 coats (above). The flash has bleached it a bit. I don't have Essie Allure and I can't say I regret it because I do have quite a few pale Essie polishes and they typically require a vatful on each nail before you'd notice you even had nail polish ON. What's the point of that then? Kate Whatserface I ain't! If I put polish on then I want POLISH, ya hear!

Ugh. Horrid yellow tips. I tried to paint opaque white underneath but there's not enough free edge so I just made a mess. It's a nice polish if you like that kind of thing and better than yer streaky old Essies.

So bring out the FlorMar. Phew. Better.

No disrespect to HRH btw. She's very lovely and all that. I'm only an envious old trout. I was always a bit on the rough side...

Jenni

Barry M Nail Effects in Pink, Diamond Cosmetics Rubies & Diamonds + Bourjois Une Seconde

 

I got myself in 57 kinds of trouble with this. I tried to manufacture a stencil from a paper label. Nah. Ended up with red splodges on a couple of nails and had to stage a rescue operation.

Hey, it's bright. It's alright. 

 Jenni

Kinetics Coral Sea + Bourjois Rose Corset

The accent finger is Bourjois. See below.
Both polishes are superb. This is the only Kinetics I have and the ebay-tailer is no longer listing them so I am stuffed. 2 coats over my worst (RH) nails.Like the proverbial butter.

Got Coral Sea because I'd seen it elsewhere.
http://shortnchic.blogspot.com/2011/03/coral-fixation-kinetics-nail-colors.html

In a massively coral-loving mood at the moment. The Bourjois has been sitting in a basket for months now. I anticipated a streaky multi-coated mess as it's pale and pastel but it built up beautifully after 3 coats with no drama whatsoever.

Today I am happy with my nails. If you know anywhere in the UK that I can get Kinetics for less than £5.50 a pop then please share. It was worth every penny and I would pay more but any bargains are welcome...

I am crazy for coral/peach at present whereas normally they are shades that really don't appeal. Do you have any current fads or fancies?

Jenni

Bourjois Bleu Violet

It is actually a genuine blue. Very cool-toned. It's looking blurple but I couldn't catch it accurately.
Suffice it to say this is my favourite blue ever. I'm not much of a one for blues in clothing or anything else but I do love this inordinately.

The China Glaze Fairy Dust on the index finger started out as accent nail. Then I noticed a big smudgeroony on the ring finger so had to douse that in Fairy Dust too. So it's not so much accented nails as naff nails.

Bourjois. Now then, now then.

1. Very good quality. Long-lasting. Highly pigmented.
2. The So Laque range does deliver 'ultra shine' as promised.
3. The colour range is mostly as lame as a 3-legged nag. Do you believe there is not a GREEN Bourjois polish in existence in the whole of the company history? How can this be so!   

It's actually sunny! Hurrah. Do you like a bit of sunshine? Or are you going to be depressed until May? Those of you who are making forays into foreign and sunnier climes may gloat at this point. I do actually love the winter - as long as it's DRY.

Jenni

Bourjois Violine Sublime

Shimmery gold veins in the burgundy (maybe more of a claret) in the bottle. Not SO much on the nail but still visible. Nicer than it looks here.

The ring nail yellow isn't pollen btw. It's a reflection of one of the bathroom lights.
2 coats after 15 hours wear.
It was £3 from asos. And remember that asos have dropped their P&P in the UK so it's worth it, I think. The ridge-filling properties of these are really rather good. I also got a brown one for £2.80 that will be useful in the autumn. I can shove some GOSH Rainbow over the top or the glitter franken I made to jazz it up.

Ad-break. Another feisty one from the 1970s. Not much more to say except that I begin to detect some themes in polish advertising - fruits and berries is a very popular one. But this is the only ad I've seen that has a boxing-spin. I wonder how successful this was. I like it because it's different. Red, black and white is always quite arresting although not unique. 

And now for a very weird one from 1998. Why weird?

Maybe it's just me but does that hand look like it belongs to that woman? I think it doesn't. It seems too big for the model. I find it quite disturbing but I am prepared for you to tell me that it's completely kosher. At least they didn't have a 'plane in the ad. That would have been a bit TOO literal.

When I go to Croatia does anyone know what brands I may be able to find there? Do hope I can happen upon a novel little something!

Briefly back...

Jen

Barielle Belly Dance + Bourjois Beige Sophistique

Removing that Bourjois red made my hands all...red! Needed a lot of scrubbing. But the Bourjois did such a good job of ridge-filling that I had the inspired *modest? moi?* idea of using the beige one as a base coat. Then it took just 1 coat of Barielle and I was done. Here goes. 2 coats would've been better.

You can see the Beige beneath because I'm not exactly meticulous about these things but people don't habitually grab my hands and rate my nails. Although the woman at the check-out in the CoOp last week did say I had an interesting concept i.e. different colour nails on the 2 hands. So now I have conceptual nails. I'm almost Picasso.
Belly Dance. Ghastly name. Belly dancing is becoming popular though. You can even take lessons these days. It's not the most flattering colour on me and does make my hands look lobster but I still like it. It's sort-of pinky-purple although it also ISN'T. It was on a BOGOF so I don't mind that I don't love it. The Bourjois is now my default ridge-filler. It works better than anything else I've tried.

Today's ad

• Plasteen - where are you now?
• 15 cents
• What a vast range of complex colours!
• Can anyone figure out what those brooches are, please? This is really bugging me.
• And for AggieP (should she be reading this) a redhead! Natural, I'd say.
• It's one of those photos where you start to wonder, "What is she thinking? Who's she talking to? What's going on?"

What polish do you wear that you believe doesn't really flatter you but you like it regardless?

Jen

Scarlet Woman + Bourjois Effet Faux Ongles Rouge Modele + Cover Girl Candy Apple

24 hours after application. Daylight.

The Bourjois is on 3 of the visible digits. 2 coats + B + T.
"False-nail-effect" doesn't sound that appealing to me (which is what this polish claims) but it plays a blinder, does this. All it means is that it smooths out my deep-as-the-Marianas-trench ridges. And THAT is no mean feat. I have another colour (beige) and I'm getting 2 more while they're cheap at asos. 2 for £5 odd and no P&P. The colours are not exciting but Bourjois say they are going to widen the range. I know from the beige one that this polish lasts and lasts. I'm delighted with this.

Inside with flash. From which you can tell I have a chip on the index finger (the Cover Girl) and that the Bourjois has the barest hint of shimmer.

Why don't we wear more red? Is it SOOOOO boring and beneath our notice? I am loving this on my nails. Partly the colour and partly the fabulous coverage properties.

False nails? Acrylics, glue-ons? Don't know why I'm snobby about them as my hair is as far from natural as you can get (think straw). Perhaps it's because I knew someone who got a terrible fungal infection from wearing false nails. It was really gross. It's more common with fake nails than natural, isn't it? I also don't like the regularity of fake nails. Mine are atrocious and I can't shape them for toffee but they look sort-of honest. Which again is ridiculous because my hair is entirely UNauthentic. Prejudice is an odd thing. Totally irrational.

Anyway, I am now on a massive red-binge. I have about 5 reds out of over 300 so it won't last long.

Revlon ad from the Seventies (that's a guess). I think Fire and Ice is a nice idea for a range. I wonder if this model was air-brushed? She has a great figure. Probably genuine but one becomes so cynical.

Any red ideas for me? Mainstream or funky?
Jenni

Bourjois 1 Seconde Greyish black or Blackish grey

This is my LH but the accent finger isn't subtle enough - dammit

The flash makes this look much lighter than it is
Lovely and creamy
2 coats but could have made do with 1

That's more like it. Shiny, happy nails. Much more colour-accurate.
Trouble is that one can see the ragged filing on 2 nails. FFS I have a Leighton Denny £10 file and I still make a pig's ear of it. How? Why? And why do I sometimes punctuate and fail to do so on other occasions? 43.

The accent has GOSH Rainbow

I love Bourjois polishes. I haven't had a single Bourjois polish I haven't really liked/admired/loved.
What do you think of Bourjois? Some say the colour range is a bit bland but what thinkest thou?

Jenni
Still too darned hot.

Bourjois 1 Seconde + Sinful Out of this World

Naughty, naughty Nicole!
The extent of tip wear and chipping after 2 days of Star of the Party was mightily displeasing. I'd go so far as to say it was the most badly-behaved polish I have had for a very long time. Those who criticised Nicole for polish quality can now welcome me in their number. Great colour but I don't expect chips on 4 nails after less than 48 hours.

I had one green hand and one purple paw and was sick of colour. A small haul (Sinful) arrived today so silver seemed restful.
This is 3 coats except for the index which I mangled when attempting to pick up a cotton bud from my desk. So that one wasn't redone - no, far too idle to do that - but had an extra coat of Bourjois blah blah.

It kind of works. Adds a bit of interest. A way of almost getting white nails without having to resort to the monstrosity that is a white polish.

I like it. The other hand is grey/black.

I much prefer my nails short-short but I am incapable of filing them neatly (that's point 1) and filing them so they are the same length (point 2). I know some of you hate to see that so I'm sorry. I claim lots of sympathy marks - not for trying but for being such a klutz. I let them grow and hate them and then chop at them with scissors.

So - how often do you do things to your nails other than painting?

How often do you

file
treat cuticles
cut nails
use hand cream
use special treatments
address other nail-issues?

Jenni-fur
Keep thinking it's Friday as I worked today and Thursday is one of my 4 days off. Very confusled! Yes, CONFUSLED.

Layering with Bourjois 1 Seconde

I am liking my Sinful Mint Apple, BB Couture Bassins Bleu II and Nicole SotP far too much to change them today.

So here's one I prepared earlier.

And again

I loved the Essie Mauve-ing Along (still maintain that it's totally misnamed) so dearly that I didn't want to rid myself of it so added the Bourjois. The Bourjois has only a number to distinguish it from any other Bourjois but surely it deserves a splendid title! Bourjois are without exception (almost) great polishes. Can't they have some crackin' names bestowed upon them? For a small fee I'd do it. I would!

I layered with something that isn't GOSH Rainbow. How out-there is that?

Layering

• I've resuscitated my CG Fairy Dust with my big bottle of Restore so that's back in service.
• I found CG Cowardly Lyin' for £2.35 in the Sally shop yesterday. Wouldn't have bought it for any more than that but it was on its own! Like a foundling. Abandoned. Lonely. Neglected. Just shoved in a box with some lotions and potions. What was I to do? I've just put that over 3 nails of Mint Apple and it hasn't spoiled it so Cowardly is now elevated to the status of go-to layering polish.

Do you think £20 per week (hence £80 per month) is way too much or just about OK? I may go cold-turkey sometime. Can't do it yet. *shivers in horror at thought of no-buy*

How much do you put into your pastimes? Maybe not in figures - more a percentage of your income? Are you disciplined or impulsive?

Jenni-fur

Barry M Silver Cascade + Bourjois Paillettes Disco + Barry M Hexograms + Rebecca's giveaway from Nails Etc

Where do I start??

I know I was claiming yesterday to be sophisticated and un-Katie-Price but I do like me a bit of bling. The Nail Glam nails are going strong so there is only one thing to be done. Bling on bling layering.

Subtle or what?
I know I'll regret it come the removal day but that day may be a long time a-coming. Once you've got glitter you've GOT glitter.

Who would've thought that 3 seemingly innocuous polishes could result in such a glitz-fest?

They look fairly harmless, would you not say???

Now take a look at this. See below...

From Rebecca. It's NYC West Village. I took it out of the colossal box and thought - OK, black, yep...
Jumping Jehosophat, it jolly well isn't!!!!

http://nailsnailsetc.blogspot.com/

This is Rebecca whose giveaway I won.

Here she is. She looks frightfully posh and lovely, I think. I'm guessing classical concert. The interval? Something choral? Bach? She'll tell me if I'm wrong.

Also in the box? Another 15 polishes! 

I took pix of all 16 but thought I'd get into trouble posting loadsa photos. I'm lucky enough to have a Mac but when I log onto the blogs when at work (rubbish PCs probably a squillion years old) I realise how many decades you have to sit waiting for pix to load and how likely it is that the brain will spontaneously combust from sheer aggravation.

Still searching for that elusive easy-going yellow. Will this be the one? It's a bit shimmery so maybe....just maybe...

Favourite flavour ice-cream?
And what does Button Moon mean - if anything?

A demain
Jenn ee/bah/gum fur

Bourjois Effet Faux Ongles - Beige Sophistique AND Pop Beauty Nail Glam Twinkle

Phew! That's a lot of writing for the names of 2 polishes!

The Bourjois is new. As in new on the market. I saw this on Just Nice Things on Helen's super-long nails and just had to have it. It looks better on her but that doesn't mean I can't wear it.

It's some amazing, revolutionary, innovative, life-enhancing,  revelatory ....stuff.
It does apply beautifully, I must admit.
Whipped cream. 2 coats.
Look, if you want all the technical hype I'm not up to that.
It's from asos. The colour range is bor-ING! But I wanted a boring colour so that's OK. I got a bright red too and that looks as if it will be hot!
And asos is free P&P. More companies are going this way. I likey likey.

And I got 3 Pop Beauty Nail Glam. OMG, I am going to get more. I registered with them or something and got a discount. Even at £6 full price these are superlative. 2 coats. Not very gritty. They don't have a huge variety but I'm having them. Having them all, do you hear!!! Seem to be getting a bit crazed..

And in sunlight.

3 questions. 1 is not nail-related. You have to guess which one.
1 Your fave nude? If you have such a thing. The concept of nude polishes was anathema to me but a few weeks ago.
2 Best glitter?
3 Should that Green fellow be sacked as England goalie? How shocked were you by that error? I'm saying 100% appalled. I could have saved that with my bloomers round my ankles whilst whipping up a souffle and taking a 'phone call from my Mum.

Jenni-fur

Another pig's ear - Butter London Minger and Bourjois Rose Virtuel

Minger
It is mingin' - i.e. it doesn't suit me
Lovely quality polish though for the right person and I am offering an exchange (see right)

Dear Lord, what does it look like? I didn't change the middle finger from yesterday because I'm like that...
2 coats here, pre-cleanup because I wasn't sure if I'd keep it on
It's a creme

On the RH something more successful but unexciting

Bourjois Rose Virtuel - holo
2 coats, easy as you like
I am a huge fan of Bourjois

The Max Factor Blue Energy from yesterday pleased me and remained flawless but I had meant to apply Minger yesterday but had forgotten to remove the large cap before applying base coat and was thus scuppered

There's always another day in the world of nails....
Oh, and is anyone up for exchanges?

Jenni

Nightmare! Max Factor Blue Energy and Bourjois 1 Seconde 11

Honest to God. Today hasn't been a great day and this has put the icing on the bl00dy banana cake (I hate bananas)

I don't really bother about VNL but the Bourjois (3 coats) needed a topping of Mavala Gold Diamond to make it a bit less bland
The Max Factor (from a cheap etailer like the Bourjois) went on very nicely in 2 coats
But I'm trying not to leave such big gaps round the cuticle so I inevitably made a s0dding mess
The Bourjois goes on so easily. It has the fan-shaped brush that looks very odd but is perfect for my nails as my hands are somewhat small. Kiddie-paws.

Why blue and orange?

They are complementary colours on the colour wheel and should therefore make each other "sing".

IRL this looks a lot better - yes, I know, I WOULD say that...

So it does work and I have achieved my end to a certain extent.

To cheer me up, because even my camera wasn't cooperating and insisted on providing unnecessary amounts of flash, I now insert a pic of CG Sprinkles with GOSH Rainbow. Even this isn't true-to-life as it shows the pink rather cooler than as perceived by my (admittedly failing) eyes...

I hope there'll be something new in the post tomorrow that simply screams at me to be tried. Not very hopeful however as there is always a dearth of post on Monday. Does anyone else find this to be the case?

What is your favourite blue? Shall I do a poll? Or a quiz? Do you want a giveaway? Anyone?

A decidedly grumpy

Jennifer