Review: Pretty2U Nail Polish

Hello! So today I'll be reviewing polishes I got from this brand called Pretty2U. I got to know about them first at Pavillion Shopping Centre it's a  little stall near....I can't quite recall, either near Cotton On or above or below that level. Then last Saturday when I was walking around Sunway Pyramid, I saw a bigger stall of this brand at Asian Avenue, near the Digital section. They had this purple shade that I've been looking for and the price seems okay.

BeauKiss 09 MYR 19.90

This bottle is not exactly Pretty2U brand as you can see, but its sold there. And I love it! The brush is surprisingly soft and allows very smooth application. Its so easy to control I felt so happy applying it. On the pic, its 1 coat. Of course, you can always use 2 coats to have much even colour. They do have quite a variety of colours to choose from. I am so in love with this colour. Even on its own, it didn't look plain. Simply gorgeous!!

 I'd definitely return to Sunway Pyramid's Pretty2U stall to look for more colours that may attract me. The bad thing is, I have no idea if this polish is free from the Big 3-Ts. I did ask the salesgirl there if she knows, apparently she have no idea either. (hmmm...) There are words written on the bottle but are chinese characters. I'm not chinese educated so I really have no idea what it says. The salesgirl spoke to me in mandarin (I can understand mandarin quite okay, just can't read or write; except my name). Hehe. Anyways, I do advice against using any polishes when expecting just to be safe.

Next, is the glitter polish I bought from Pretty2U stall of Pavillion some two months ago, which I am not very happy of. Its rather okay, nothing "WOW" about it.

Pretty2U 68 MYR 19.90

I wasn't very happy with my purchase at all. First reason because I realised the lady sold me a used bottle. But I only came to know about it when I'm already half way home. Lesson learnt: Always check the bottle before purchasing to ensure you are purchasing a new one and not something used. Second reason, this polish dries way too slow. I left it on my nails for 6 hours and its still not fully dried. Dipping into icy cold water didn't help either. While I wouldn't return to the one in Pavillion, I would return to the one in Sunway Pyramid. Plus, Pyramid have quite a number of nail polish outlets and at affordable prices which is good, for people with budgets like me. hehehe.

Here are the two colours I layered the polish on:

Pretty2U 68 over BeauKiss 09

Pretty2U 68 over Revlon Midnight Affair

I think I the purple one better. Feels rather new to me. Well, perhaps because I hardly wear purple polishes. This purple is just way too stunning :)

Polishes from Etude House

Last Saturday I went to Sunway Pyramid since I haven't been there in awhile, in search for new colours that might interest me or colours that I want and have not already own. As I passed by this store Etude House, I noticed they have quite a number of customers. I thought *Hmm* and went to check it out. Oh, its not like I've not been into Etude House before.. I was rather put off for awhile after purchasing their matte series of nail polishes and was totally put off. They were so tedious to apply, and almost never smooth out properly. Anyway, this time I decided I should give their "normal" or the gloss ones (since I've got Inglot's matte topcoat which I'm quite satisfied with) a try before scrapping off their brand from my list of nail polishes.

And then I know why there were many people. They were having mega sales! Yay! 

So, I've been in a search for a pale light blue for awhile now. 

Etude House BL501 - MYR 5.90

Yeap. Just the shade that I wanted. Oh, I got it at MYR 4.13 and that, to me is very good. An excellent bargain. They were 30% discount. Normal price is MYR 5.90. And the quality is not too bad. The pictures of my nails are 3 coats. There is subtle bubbling though....but I'm sure I can fix that if not, reduce the bubbling issues by dipping my fingers into a bowl of icy cold water. Overall, I am very satisfied. Oh oH!! They do dry pretty fast!! Which is what I really like. Hahaha!!

Okay moving on, I got myself a pale light brown polish too. It is also another colour that I've been wanting to get.

Etude House BR307 - MYR 9.90

Alright, notice the price difference? I asked the salesgirl there about it too. Why the price difference? And she told me its because the one that has this dark purplish cap have smoother application. Less streaky. She even proved it to me by sampling it on my sister's finger (since mine already had polishes hahaha!!). But I saw that she was kinda scared. I guess she must be worried if she was proven otherwise.. I saw a washed of relief on her face when she was "right". Honestly, even though I witness it before my very eyes, something in me says its gonna be the same.

And my instincts proved me right. I re-applied these 3 times. Because there were bubbling issues. I hate little bubbles trapped in polishes. And I didn't shake them at all. (I do think its because Malaysia is so darn hot nowadays). They were rather streaky too. Nothing like what was demonstrated. Anyway, on my third try I prepared a bowl of icy cold water to dipped my nails in, after each application. In the picture above, I used 2 coats.

Were they really easier to apply? Actually, no. I don't see any difference when I used them. Maybe I'm just really bad luck and happened to pick the bad bottle. *sigh*. Anyway, luckily this one is on discount too 30% as well. I got it for MYR 6.93. I really like the shade though. It's just right for the ideas I have in mind.

There are pro and cons in using Icy cold water to dry nails faster or cool down the temperature of one's hands. I read on the internet to leave it in for at least 2 minutes. But I tried, and two minutes really isn't enough. I keep them inside the bowl for at least 5 minutes or longer between each coats.

The Good : Faster drying time, less bubbles

The Bad   : Wrinkly fingers... hahahaha. Sometimes if water is too cold you can actually feel your finger freezes. Do take them out even if its not yet 2 minutes. Wait a little while and then dip them in again.

So yes, back to the topic about those nail polishes and the brand. In conclusion, while there are dislikes about the polishes, I am quite satisfied. And I will return to buy again should I see any colour I lack or fancy in the future. However, I will not repurchase any of their Matte polishes. Way too streaky for me. 

Till the next post,

Lacqueerisa 

NOTD - Acid Wash Denim (Alternative)

I stumbled into this nail art tutorial about acid wash denim about a month ago when I felt like having denim effect on my nails. I have been thinking of trying different colours for this style just to see how it'll look like. Here you go:

Well, I didn't know how I feel about them initially. As time passes, wow, I really love them! I had a pretty hard time trying to figure out what I should name this look. But decided that I should just stick to what "style" I adapted it from. I have no idea what it looks like, so I asked my brother to see what this look reminded him of and he said "Rubber Balls" (you know, those that you get from slot machines). I kinda agree. Although, I thought they looked like dinosaur eggs at first but decided against it after I googled dinosaur egg pictures and....they looked nothing like dinosaur eggs (darn!). What does this look reminds you of?

Alright, below is the tutorial link which I followed and also other pictures of my nails: 

The tutorial

Tie Die/ Acid Wash Denim

Nail polishes used from left:

 TheFaceShop (YL701)

Essence (Let's get lost)

Nails Topshop (Country Bumpkin)

I created this look by using TheFaceShop YL701- two coats. Followed by a coat of Nails Topshop's Country Bumpkin and a coat of Essence Let's Get Lost. Finishing off with Inglot's Matte Top Coat. 

What I really like about this technique is that it doesn't matter if the colours are not evenly spread out. Oh, do keep in mind to allow each colour layer to dry completely before applying a new layer on top. 

Hello!

I have been aching to share the nail polish love part of me to the world. And what better way to do it than blogging? Haha!!

So here's my LacquerLove story:

Well, it all begins back when I  was still a kid. I saw my cousins rocking the classic red nail polish and I was like "wahhh....I also want!!". Hahaha, but too bad, I wasn't allowed to wear then. In my early teens, I vividly remember picking up my first two nail polishes from Sinma. A sheer metallic duo chrome colours of lilac and blue and a sheer pearl white nail polish. Haha!! Love them. I even recall envying some of my friends who were allowed to venture into bolder colours like navy blue (my favourite!), dark purple and other colours. Hohoho, now that I'm older, I have finally gain the "freedom" to wear whatever colours I feel like wearing. My colours collection have since, grown. I now have shades of mint, peach pink, greens, blues, purples, grey, white, black and the list grows. Hahahaha!!

As much as I love wearing wonderful colours on my nails to brighten up my day, there is a limit to how much I am willing to spend on nail polishes. Thus, I am on a constant hunt for lovely colours at affordable prices with of course, reasonable quality. Its frustrating when a certain nail polish just don't go smoothly on the nails and it hurts the pocket to pay too much for good nail polishes. Nail polishes in Malaysia aren't as cheap as they seem. Please, don't go converting to other currencies and say its cheap. If you're living and earning in Malaysia, you'd know darn well how expensive a good bottle could cost. And knowing myself (perhaps others who feels the same as I do), I don't always wear the same colours. My nail polishes are barely even half. And because of such realization and other turn of events, I have decided to apply them as frequently as possible in hopes they don't get too wasted. Usually, I'd only apply when I'm really happy or when there's functions. But yes, having all these wonderful colours on my nails truly brightens up my day.

Alrights, I have no idea if I am still in topic or off topic, but I guess I'd stop here for now. No pictures of my nails yet, maybe when I've sorted things out and decide which picture to put or what I can share with all of you. =) So yes, till then, I'd be busy exploring around its my first time blogging and first post after all. Do bear with me while I try my best to get the hang of this. He he.

Cheers!!