Really Easy Nail Art Design (no tools)

Good afternoon guys! I hope you're having a lovely day!

Today's post is going to be a little different, but I'm reaaaally excited about it! If you know me, you know my favourite beauty-related product is nail polish. I couldn't have too many shades! I don't have the patience to do nail art though, and I honestly quite like having only one colour on them, but accent nails are something I've done in the past and really like.

I found a tutorial on youtube that I'll link here and tried to follow the steps it suggested and guess what! I ended up with acceptable nail art I was really proud of! And remember... if I could do it, you can too!

As you see, the design is supposed to be a splash of paint. I used it as an accent nail, but you could do it on all your nails too, you could do more than one splash in each nail... it's entirely up to you! And the best thing is you don't need any tools, you only have to use a toothpick!

First of all, you put on a base coat (always use a base coat, don't be lazy!) and two layers of the nail varnish you decided to go for as the background. I used Basic Cosmetics' oxygen base and Maybelline's shade 342 Coral Craze from their Colorshow range, which you know are my favourite nail varnishes! You let it dry for quite a long time (I actually waited until the next day) and go for the design. Pick the colour/colours you want to use and drop a little on some plastic (you could put it on a youghurt lid, just something you don't mind losing). I used shades 130 Winter Baby and 335 Broadway Blues from the same range. Pick up a toothpick, dip it in the drop and apply it on your nail. Apart from the splash itself, paint some spots that would work as drops from the splash. Top coat (I used Basic Cosmetics') and let it dry! That's the worst part for me hahaha Before applying the top coat, wait a little, I was too impatient on my right hand and I carried a little of the blue varnish away with the top coat.

As you see, it's super easy! Given that we're still at almost 40ºC where I live I went for a summery look, but I love how this design could work throughout the year using different shades.

That's it! Let me know how it goes if you try it.

A big big hug,


Acqua

April Favourites

Hi guys! How are you! I'm really excited because today I'm going on a holiday! Well, it's actually not a normal holiday, because I'm going to a big theatre event with loads of people, you can easily see 6 plays everyday! The people there are really cool and the hotel we're staying in is too, and we're gonna be playing our play on Sunday so it's really exciting!

But before going I wanted to post this April Favourites! I've been loving a lot of things, so it's been hard to narrow it down, but without any further ado, here are my favourites!


1- Maybelline SuperStay 7 Days Gel Nail Color varnishes
I talked about the 230 Berry Stain shade on this post and you know I loved it, so I bought another shade more suited for Spring! It's the shade 130 Rose Poudré, and it's a really pretty nude pink. I think it's very elegant and it's perfect if you tend to go for warmer, more natural colours. It faded a little bit faster than the Berry Stain one, but it still lasts a lot and is really easy and quick to apply. The formula is awesome and there are more beautiful colours on this range, so I'm sure you all can find your style!


2- Essence's Nail Polish Corrector Pen
There's a lot of nails on this post, I'm sorry ^^' But you know nails are my thing! I bought this corrector pen a couple of weeks ago and it's SO useful! It's a kind of marker with nail polish remover instead of ink, so you can use it to "erase" the varnish left outside of your nails if you're clumsy like me hahaha It makes my life so much easier, I'd definitely recommend you give it a try! I bought Essence's because it's the only one I could find, but there are more brands that make them!

3- Bonté's Express Nail Polish Remover
GUYS THIS IS MY LIFE SAVER. It's the best thing I've purchased in a while. It has a sponge inside with a hole in the middle so you just put your finger inside, rub it a little bit on the sponge, take it out and voilà! No nail polish! It works so fast and so well and it saves me a lot of time and effort when I want to change the colour on my nails. I'll let you know how much it lasts, but for now it doesn't seem to dry out or stop working. I think it was like €1.50, so definitely worth the money. Again, I've found more brands with this kind of product, but I bought Bonté's because it was the cheapest and for a trial I didn't want to pay a lot if maybe I wasn't going to like it. I'm definitely repurchasing it!


4- Essence's Kajal Pencil in 21 Feel the Eclipse
This is actually my favourite Essence Eye Pencil, but I absolutely forgot about it for my "Top Essence Products" post! I used it a couple of days later and I wanted to smash my head for forgetting it, so I thought I'd put it on my favourites :) It's not completely black, it's a beautiful deep dark blue and I'm absolutely in love with it! It looks black if you don't look closely, but then you can see it's a touch away from being black. It lasts a fair amount of time for its price. It won't last you a whole day, but maybe a morning or an afternoon.





5- Pantene's Aqua Light Shampoo
I usually use the "Repair and Protect" range from Pantene and I really like it, but a friend recommended this one and I gave it a try! It's really good, it doesn't have as many components as shampoos usually do, so that's definitely a plus. It doesn't damage your hair and it leaves it feeling really smooth and clean. My hair tends to get a little bit oily quickly, and I've found this one to avoid it. Also, I think my hair is less frizzy since I started using it!

6- Danielle Bradbery's Potential
You know I love reality singing competitions and Danielle Bradbery, winner of The Voice US Season 4, is one of my favourite singers. We're being really patient because the process for her second album release has been really long, but some days ago she had a concert and dropped this new song which is SO GOOD. I wasn't in love with her last single, but if the songs that are coming are as good as this one... well, I'm sold! Please take a listen to it, I've had it on repeat for some days and I don't get tired! It's so good!


That's it! I hope you'l have an amazing weekend and I'll see you when I come back!


A big big hug,


Acqua

Top Essence Products & 2000 views!

Hey hey hey! Today I'm reaaaally happy because I REACHED 2000 VIEWS! It's been only a month and a day since I told you I reached 1000 views and I did not in a million times think I would double it in just a month. This blog is a blessing. Thank you so much for trusting me and spending a little bit of your time in my corner of the internet ^^ I'll be forever grateful!

I've been requested before to talk a little about the makeup I use, and I thought I could share it! I started this post as a "Makeup Bag" post, but then I saw how much Essence there was and I decided to make it just Essence. But before starting, let me warn you that I don't use makeup that often and I'm not an expert. I haven't owned a lot of products so I can't really compare quality-wise... So forgive me if I say something that's completely wrong! What I can do, though, is share what I use and maybe you can tell me about what alternatives I can find and if you have used them as well.

Also, my makeup is bought exclusively in a place in my village, and the only brands that they have are Maybelline, Essence, Basic Cosmetics and Rimmel. I've been asked that too, so there you go! That's why I'm jealous when I see all of the cheap and awesome brands you use hahaha Now that I've told you that, let's move on to the Essence products I like the most!

 EYES

All About Bronze Eyeshadow Palette
They're quite new, but I've put them on on a couple of concerts and they work pretty well! They're not as pigmented as I would've liked them to be, but they're quite shiny and long-lasting. I think they cost me about €5, so it was definitely a good deal!

These are from left to right, first row and then second row

Multi Use Eyeshadow Brush
This is honestly perfect for me because I have everything I need in one brush: you can see in the picture there is an angled brush, a sponge and a crease brush! It doesn't have the best quality but it works the way it needs to. I don't think you should buy it if you use makeup often, but for a few occasions it's the perfect one.

All Eyes On Me Mascara
I put this mascara on my March Favourites and I stand by it. It gives that little extra and I've been putting it on everyday recently; no other makeup, just mascara. It lasts all day long and it doesn't make my lashes look too big, it just accentuates them. I really like it!

I <3 ROCK Gloss Eye Pencil
I actually rescued this one a month ago from old makeup, I think I hadn't worn it for over a year! I don't use it a lot but it's my favourite one from Essence. It tends to fade a little bit, but apart from that, it's a good eye pencil! (I don't even think they make it anymore, but whatever hahaha)

LongLasting Eye Pencil in the shade 09 Cool Down
Okay, this eye pencil is really good, but it has a problem: I'm not crazy about the shade! I messed up when I bought it hahaha But the eye pencil itself is long-lasting and precise. I'm definitely gonna but a black one if I can find it! It's kind of bittersweet, because it's good but I don't wear it because of the shade. If blue eye pencil looks good on you I totally recommend it!


LIPS


XXXL Nude Lipgloss in the shade 03 Taste The Sweets
This one was actually on my Lip Product Tag! It's my favourite lipgloss I've ever owned: it has a beautiful pink tone and it's not sticky at all. It doesn't dry your lips, which is not easy to find in drugstore lipglosses! I still have to try their matte lipglosses, which I got recommended, I'll let you know if I like them as much as this one! ^^

Lipstick in the shade 13 Love Me
I didn't like it in the beginning to be honest, but I've put it on again after some months and I'm finding myself liking it! I find it looks a lot better if you apply it over a lip balm (maybe that's obvious but I didn't know it, okay? hahaha), this one especially. It's just a simple pale nude pink, and I think it only goes along well with a certain skin tone (maybe that's why I didn't like it in the beginning, I'm paler now haha).

Lipgloss + I Feel Pretty + Love Me

Lipstick in the shade 09 I Feel Pretty
I also put this one on my Lip Product Tag and it's my favourite! I think it gives life to your whole look. It's the one I wear the most on concerts (if you haven't realised, that's when I wear makeup hahaha). I have a problem with lipsticks: I feel really weird when I wear them full-colour, to put it in some way. These two let me apply them just slightly and they look really good like that. They are pigmented enough to be noticed but not too much, and that's something I love about them.


NAILS

Hello Autumn's Nailpolish in the shade 02 Meet My Pumpkin
This is quite misplaced because it's Spring and it's an Autumn shade hahaha But you know I had to include nail products in this! This is an AWESOME nail polish because it's thermo changing. It goes from a very pretty orange shade when it's hot to a brown shade when it's cold and you can't tell me that's not the greatest thing you've ever seen hahaha Essence released this range last Autumn and I fell in love with it. It's not really long-lasting but it can't have everything!






And that's it! Have you really gotten here? I might have gone off the rails a little bit, there are a lot of products hahaha I hope you didn't get bored! Let me know if you have any Essence products or just drugstore products in general that you recommend. Thanks for reading and I'll see you on Monday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

Maybelline SuperStay 7 Days Gel Nail Color Review | 230 Berry Stain

Hi there, guys! How are you today? I hope you're having an amazing day and you'll enjoy this post! Let's go!

I have never done a product review, so I thought I could give it a try. I recently found a blog post (though I've lost the link, I'm sorry >.<) that featured a summary of all the Nail Polishes in the Maybelline SuperStay 7 Days range, and let me say I instantly fell in love with all of them! I especially liked the Berry Stain shade, so I broke my hiatus (it had been 6 months since I bought my last nail polish! I kept buying more and I needed to calm down hahaha) and bought it!

The top picture was taken some hours after having applied it, and you can see the shade is completely gorgeous. I don't think I've EVER gotten so many compliments on a nail polish shade, I got a lot for this one! I also like that it is wearable during every season, even though I think it would look its best in Autumn (I live in a zone full of vineyards and it would suit the season so much!). It's quite glossy, even more if you apply a top coat, but the colour is opaque and very pigmented: you only need two layers and it's done! It dries really quickly too, which is something I really like because I don't seem to manage being still until they get dry. It's not bubbly, the brush is quite thick so you don't have any problems when applying it, it dries evenly, no streaks...

It's not hard to see I loved it A LOT! It's more expensive than the ColorShow range (€5.99 against €1.99), but I think I'm gonna be checking out more of them, even though I'll stick with ColorShow most of the time because the price in relation to the quality is a bargain. I've already eyed new shades from both the ranges and I can't wait to try them out. Bring them on!

Finally, the last question comes: do they really last seven days? Well, you can see on the picture below that they do. I've been wearing it for 8 days now and, although it has begun to fade at the top of some nails (don't mind the thumb one, I didn't do my best job at applying it so it's competely my fault), they still look amazing. If I wanted them perfectly perfect I would change it by now, but I'm not really picky with that and I reckon they will last some more days, maybe even a week! I think next time I use this shade I won't apply a top coat to see if I can notice any changes.

All in all, I totally recommend buying it. The shades are gorgeous and the quality really good. I bet you won't be disappointed!

Have you tried any nail polish shade from this range? Which one would you recommend? Thanks for reading and see you on Monday!

A big big hug,


Acqua

Top 5 Spring/Summer Nail Polish Shades & 1000 VIEWS!

Heya! How are you guys? As you see, there isn't a Quote of the Week this Monday, and this is because I've decided to change things up a little bit!

Looking back into my older posts I've realised that a lot of them are really similar. And I like that kind of posts, but I think I have to combine them with other things so this blog will cover more areas and you won't get bored with it! Don't worry though, it doesn't mean the QOTW is over, it just means that my schedule will change a little bit: on Monday, I'll alternate a QOTW and a Favourites post, and on Friday, who knows what might come! What do you think about it? Do you like the new schedule? Let me know if you have any suggestions!

I also want to thank you BECAUSE I REACHED 1000 VIEWS! This is honestly so crazy. Thank you so, so much for taking a little bit of your time to read and comment, it means the world to me! I started this blog a month and a half ago and I feel like I've come such a long way since then. And I also made the appearance of my blog a little more personal... what do you think about it?

So thank you again, and on with the post!

As you know, I'm not someone who wears make-up everyday, and I'm definitely NOT an expert on beauty-related things, but if there's one thing I absolutely love is having tons of colors to wear on my nails! I'm actually in a hiatus of buying new nail polish shades because I just had so many I didn't use all of them hahaha (I kept buying more and more, I love it!)

Spring is around the corner, and it's my favourite season, so I'm pretty excited about it! I'm seeing lots of people talking about their favourite Spring products, so this post was just meant to be. Again, I'm a drugstore girl, so my FAVOURITE brand to buy nail polish is Maybelline! They are so cheap (€1.99) and honestly, they dry so quickly, they don't crack until a long time has gone by... you can wear them for a couple of weeks and they still look amazing! I do have more brands, but my favourite Spring shades happen to be all from Maybelline's range Colorshow (previously called Colorama) hahaha Well, I hope you won't mind! So without any further ado, here are my absolute faves!



1- Canal Street Coral (shade 329)

This isn't only my favourite Spring/Summer shade, this is my FAVOURITE SHADE EVER. You can tell because I'm about to finish it (and it's not the first one I bought!) It's so bright and cheerful, the tone is reaaaaaally pretty (it's a kind of bright pinky orange), and I also have a t-shirt of the same shade, so when I wear both I just feel so well combined hahahaha I haven't worn it since September, I think, and I cannot wait to put it on again! It's also a lot better than it looks on the picture haha Trust me on this one!


2- Park Avenue Pink (shade 333)

It's a deep and bright pink, and it's the perfect shade to cheer you up! The only problem is you can't wear red clothes when you have it on, because they just don't match hahah But I love the tone, I highly recommend it!


3- Candy Apple (shade 15)

This is my favourite red because it's a bit darker than most reds and it's perfect when you want to feel a little bit more dressed up (you can't quite appreciate it in the picture.) It has a wine-y tone to it, but if you apply more layers it will be more plain red. It's up to you, depending on your mood and on what you decide! My personal preference is the wine-y shade :)


4- Urban Turquoise (shade 120)

This one can be controversial hahaha one of my best friends hates it because she only likes reds, pinks and so on, but I love it because it's such a statement and again, it just cheers me up when I see it! It definitely draws attention to the nails and it's a bold choice, but if you like this kind of shade, it's really good!


5- Broadway Blue (shade 335)

You know I had to buy it when I saw the name! You can honestly wear it all year long, because it suits all the seasons (I wear it a lot on Winter too), but I think it looks good on Spring too. It helps you get away of the typical colours but it's still bright and it has a cool vibe. I don't know if that made any sense hahaha I just like it a lot!


So there you go! I'm really happy about this post because I get to share one of my favourite things with you :) Let me know your favourite nail polish shade in the comments, and see you on Friday!

A big big hug,


Acqua