As per my previous post, here's a sneak peek on my manicure I did yesterday! More pictures and info will be coming right up do stay tuned! :) <3

Also, don't miss out what's in the October edition of Vanity Trove! :D

Turned into a nail art/nail polish fanatic recently and went on a crazy shopping spree! In the midst of my exploration and discovery for awesome nail products, I chanced upon VOV Nail polish crack series while shopping my life away on GMarket (Now known as Qoo10 though I very much prefer the former).

It was really cheap compared to brands such as China Glaze and OPI which costs around $10 or more. $10 is the cheapest I've seen so far that are currently selling on GMarket and it excludes shipping fees of course. Sometimes I think that the shipping fees are really horrendous and some sellers might try to squeeze more profits out by increasing the shipping charges (which we won't know the exact amt since it's overseas and it depends on the size/weight and how it is packed etc). So anyway, quite turn off by some hefty shipping price which makes it seem all so not value for money...!

Anyway, here's to share my reviews on the VOV nail polishes.

I bought the basic colours, black and white one first. (bought another 3 more colours after trying them out =x)

Bought this recently. OPI's Number One Nemesis and now I understand its name, because I dislike the colour! At first, I'd thought it's shimmery glittery black but boy was I wrong! I did google for some swatches for this colour as well but it looks completely different on my nails?! It's more of dirty green than black. SIGHS.

So because I disliked the colour, I painted the VOV Crack nail polish over it and erm, honestly the crack nail polishes are great, but it doesn't go well with this OPI colour! Disaster! UGH!

No offence, I do like OPI nail polishes but just that this colour is so not me! I'm usually in shades of red, pink and purple and hence thinking of getting a black coloured one...

What I really like about the VOV crack nail polishes is that it dries out very fast! Well, this could be both a good and bad thing. If you paint like a pro with minimal mistakes, then great. But if you have shaky hands, like me, you can't paint accurately and by that I mean to paint from the cuticle to the end with perfect strokes, then it might turn out as a disaster for you because since it dries out so quickly, there's not much time to salvage it. If you try to repaint it over, it becomes lumpy and shows signs of overlapping, if you know what I mean. Compared to normal nail polishes where it's still wet and googey, you can somehow try to stroke it over again and spread them out evenly etc. 

But nonetheless, this VOV crack nail polishes have proved their worth! It's sold for only $3.50 now at GMarket! I can't wait for the other 3 colours (peach, navy and wine) to arrive esp the peach!!! :D I shall use it with gold colour the next time round as shown here!

Heh! So stay tuned! :D

Overall rating :

Requirements to use nail art stickers

1. Lazy/can't draw nail art yourself
2. Impatient/want to save time
3. Shaky hands
4. Suck at art and crafts (I don't belong here!)
5. Patient and gentle enough to stick them on one by one
6. Meticulous
7. Great skills of estimation and alignment 
8. Want awesome results within the shortest time possible
9. Can't afford/don't wish to spend hefty sum for manicure and pedicure

If you meet most of the requirements above, then nail art stickers are for you!

I dug out some of my old nail art stickers which I bought from pasar malam (very cheap! but can't recall the price) and DIY the nail art myself. Well, ok fine most of the credits go to the nail art stickers but... still, I'm here to share on tips using these stickers, which I learnt along the process!

Pictures are all taken with and without flash to showcase the glittering effect of the nail polish and the diamond on the stickers!

If you would recall, in my past entry post, I had used China Glaze Emotion to paint the lighter purple. The glitter hot pinkish purple is from OPI Burlesque Mini Set - The Show Must Go On! and I had merely painted a strip in the centre. 

Now here are the steps and challenges when using nail art stickers. It may not seem as easy as it looks. 

• As the stickers are quite fragile, you need to whole lot of gentleness to remove them from the plastic. What I do is to sort of bend and fold the plastic a little and try to get the sticker out from its edge. It was easier to start from the diamond part compared to the flowers. Be sure not to bend and fold the plastic too much that it affects the rest of the other stickers which are still intact. Just a slight short bend would do. 
• Remember how the stickers were position and aligned before you remove them because I do get confused sometimes, in trying to position the stickers on the nails. If you've done manicures, you would have noticed that the nail arts are done in an 'opposite' style for both hands. A mirror image to be exact. The stickers on the plastic are positioned in that manner for a reason, so try to make use of that for your estimation :)
• I don't encourage you to use super glue on your nails because I reckon that it might harm your nails, hence, I would suggest you to use something which allows the stickers to stick which doesn't harm your nails. I used the top coat - logical right? It's sticky and helps to produce that extra shine and protection for your nails. Because I'm using the China Glaze Top Coat, which I'm quite sure it has some quick dry properties too, it was a challenge to hurry stick the stickers down onto the nails before it dries up. If yours is the normal kind that doesn't dry quickly, ensure that the coat is not too wet to stick the stickers on, or it would be a disaster and things would get real messy. 
• As mentioned above, due to their delicateness, I suggest you to use either the tip of your fingers or hold it together with your fingernail tips at the ends. Remember that these stickers do not have super glue effect so be sure not to let it lose its stickiness. Refrain from using your flesh if possible as perspiration etc would cause them to lose their stickiness.
  
• After you have found the right position on the nail, gentle press it down first and then pay attention to minor areas such as the flower petals, the ends, the diamonds. Most importantly, every single part that can stick, needs to be down sticking to your nails. 
• I had some little parts which refused to stick no matter what I do. So I used the top coat again and dripped a small amount at the required areas and then press it down using my finger nails and/or a pen. As our nails are curved, it might be a tad difficult to get them pressed down onto our nails nicely, so patience is required. Just keep pressing them down while drying them. They would eventually somehow stick and stay. 
• Apply top coat over the whole nails with the nail art stickers once you are done to give the last touch up and shine. 

Ladies, don't expect these nail art stickers to stay on for a long period of time. They are merely temporary and their 'lifespan' is much shorter than those nail arts the manicurists design for you, but of course, the completion time is much faster. I took only around 45 mins or less to complete my finger nails. 

*It would be easier if you use a tweezer to remove the stickers from the plastic and paste them onto your nails, while positioning them. But be sure not to press the tweezer too hard that it tears the sticker apart. 

Have fun decorating your nails with nail art stickers! :)

xoxo
Jean

I'm so eager to share these raves with you babes because I'm really impressed with the quality of China Glaze nail polishes!
It's actually my first time using them and whoa, they have done me proud! :D

In case you are wondering where I'd got them from, it's at Scape @ Orchard, located next to Cineleisure outside of Old Town White Coffee.

Here's the address and their website : 

http://www.scape.com.sg
 
*SCAPE Co. Ltd
#05-01, 2 Orchard Link
Singapore 237978 

Their location map :

This place is relatively new and you find lots of trendy fashionable apparels, nail polishes, accessories, phone accessories, bags, shoes and many more! It's a great place to hunt for good buys! 

The booth which I had gotten my nail polishes from was located on the extreme end near the staircase by the Toastbox Cafe. The place ain't very big, so I'm sure you will manage to find it anyway :)

They are selling OPI nail polishes too, going at $10 each. I bought the China Glaze at 3 for $20! 1 for $8! :D

I'm using China Glaze Emotion in this picture.

Without flash

With flash

Of course, the item that I'm gonna rave today would be...

THIS !!! 

This quick dry nail polish is really really good! It delivers what it promises! Waiting time for it to dry was very fast! This should be applied AFTER the top coat application. Top coat is a MUST - prior to any coloured nail polish and after it. Top coat helps to prevent your nails from damaging and yellow stains. Plus, it gives the nail colour an enchanting gloss as well! :)

This is the Top Coat from China Glaze I bought :)

It's not bad too :)

It's really quite worth it to get the '3 for $20' promo since 1 is approx $6.66! Plus, we ladies can never have too many nail polishes (even though they are of almost the same shades...) right? ;)

Imma gonna get more nail polishes from China Glaze! :D

Please note that China Glaze nail polishes ARE NOT MADE IN CHINA! They are Made in USA! :D

I too had the misconception as well, but who can you blame when almost everything and anything are MIC now? The only reason why they named it 'China Glaze' is because "Our unique lacquers contain China Clay as a nail hardener, the same material that gives porcelain its shiny finish" as extracted from their website.

But be sure to check on the authenticity of the products you purchase especially for online purchases, since China are multi-talented in imitating others! Think 2 Apple stores, Victoria Secret shows and IKEA! 

Happy painting babes and thanks for reading! :D <3

Overall rating :

*Some of the nail polish are starting to peel off already..! So no full marks! :(