Nail Polish Review: Nicka K Charcoal Navy

Today I'm reviewing another Nicka K nail polish: Charcoal Navy. 

It is true to color and a smooth formula to work with. All swatches were done with only 2 coats of Charcoal Navy and 1 coat of fast dry topcoat. It does look streaky up close, but it is not a sticky nail polish to work with at all. I really love the microshimmer and how it looks closer to black at times. 

Very true to color!

For some added glitter, I put on some Wet and Wild Kaleidoscope. Unfortunately it is difficult to spread the glitter evenly, as seen.

I highly recommend this from Nicka K. So far it seems like they do dark colors better than the light ones! 

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by either company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

NYC Tudor City Teal, Essie Pure Pearlfection

A review of multiple nail polishes!

First up: NYC Tudor City Teal + Essie Pure Pearlfection

Tudor City Teal seems more of a mint green than a teal, but still a wonderfully bright color for the spring and summer. Application is great; it's not very streaky and opaque with two coats! My biggest gripe is that it dries quite matte, so I decided to layer Essie Pure Pearlfection on it.

No Essie topcoat. Quite matte.

Essie Pure Pearlfection is basically a silver microglitter coat. It is gorgeous and smooths out any bumps in my bottom layers! The combination is amazing in the sunlight and the best part is that my nails were chip free for 5 days straight! 

Gorgeous glitter!

NYC Tudor City Teal and Essie Pure Pearlfection are an amazing combo that I highly recommend. 

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by either company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

A small update on my Etsy:

Posted a modeled pic of my gothic cross cuff set recently! Get it here. And stay tuned! 

New Chain Cuff Earring

Another limited edition chain cuff earring is now available! This time I have used silver plated french hooks to maximize the movement of these beautiful Swarovski heart crystals and the cute open wings.

Two crystal color options are available: one is a girly pink, the other is a gorgeous deep blue.

Alternate color option! Swarovski crystal heart in Bermuda Blue. 

Get it today before someone else does!

Pinterest!

I finally made a Pinterest to post all my Etsy photos and my blog photos!
Please follow me here:
http://pinterest.com/everlastinghail/

More boards to come! (hint: I love desserts. Actually I love food too.)

I am also working on new Etsy items! Here is a sneak preview:

As always, keep track of my tumblr: http://everlastinghail.tumblr.com/  

and my store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Everlastinghail

for updates! 

Etsy: New Gold Starpearls and New Gothic Cross Pictures!

New addition to the starpearl ear cuff! Gold stars are now available, check it out here!

No piercings required!

Gold stars!

I also updated photos for the gothic cross ear cuff and the gothic cross chain ear cuff set! 

The gothic cross cuff is still on sale! Get it here. 

On sale!!

This set features sterling silver studs for those with allergic skin like me! Get your set here.

Review: BSN Matte Sky

B.S.N. Matte Sky with Nicka K Express Fast Dry Top Coat.

I bought this at my local dollar store. It goes on far better than expectations! This is two layers with the NK Fast Dry Top Coat. The first layer goes on streaky, but seems to become a sticky base coat for the second layer, causing the polish to smooth out as seen:

Excuse the bubbles! They are a result of too much topcoat at once. 

Unfortunately, my camera could not capture that it is more teal on the nails than seen in the bottle. Still gorgeous though! A nice summer color without being too bright and pastel. I would definitely recommend it if you can find it. It also seems to be 3-free, which is nice, but smells terrible as with all nail polish.

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by either company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

Etsy Contest

My feather crystal cuff earring was entered into the Etsy Contest!
Please vote for me here:

http://etsycontest.com/?votefor=Everlastinghail

Please also continue to play to support the Etsy community! Any of the items on the site can be bought from their respective stores. Take a look!

Please also follow me on tumblr: http://everlastinghail.tumblr.com/
and check out my store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Everlastinghail?ref=si_shop
Thanks~

Next up will be a nail polish post on the B.S.N. brand! Stay tuned!

Facial Peeling Gel Review: IOPE Moisture Skin Soft Peeling Gel, Ecopure Aloe Peeling Gel & Etsy Update

As promised, a review of two Korean Facial Peeling Gels! I will be reviewing Ecopure Aloe Peeling Gel and the IOPE Moisture Skin Soft Peeling Gel. 

Both are marketed for people with dry or combination/dry skin, like mine. Ecopure boasts of being 89% natural and "5 free," which is about the limit of what I can understand from the bottle. IOPE was recommended to me by a Korean beauty salon salesperson, who really understood my skin type!

To experiment, I am using them on my hands.

Before.

IOPE is on the right and Ecopure is on the left. Texture is quite different because Ecopure turns a bit grainy just from spreading it and is a bit more sticky because of the aloe content. 

Ecopure on the left, IOPE on the right.

Also note that IOPE has small, blue beads to help with the massaging: 

See the little beads in the photo? I don't think they make a difference.

After rubbing! There is practically no difference in the amount of gel rubbed off. The beads just disappear. 

After cleaning it off, my hands feel significantly smoother. There is practically no difference except that Ecopure will dry a little slower due to the aloe content.

After washing it off. 

Although on the hands it is quite similar, it is a different story when used on the face. Although both do not remove whiteheads and blackheads, they bring them to the surface to make them easier to remove with a blackhead mask or washing off with a  washcloth.

Differences: 

IOPE dries out my skin a lot more, so it actually creates some more flaky skin after the scrubbing on areas that were originally dry and flaky. However, my cheeks are extremely smooth after using it. To combat the dryness, I always use a moisturizing mask or a heavy moisturizer afterwards. The good thing is that the drying effect wipes out acne effectively and even shrunk my pores after a year of use.

Price: Expensive. $30 a bottle (100 mL)

Ecopure is extremely moisturizing, to the point that after use there is no flaky skin and I only need to use some toner. Due to this, I would only recommend it to people who have dry skin, since otherwise it may be overly moisturizing. I have not seen any differences in my pores or acne. 

Price: Relatively inexpensive. $13.95 a bottle (150 mL).

Overall: Choose the one best for your skin type. Both are good for smoothing out the skin, but IOPE does not work well on skin that is extremely dry and flaky. IOPE caters more for people with acne, while Ecopure moisturizes. 

Finally, an Etsy update:

Limited edition! Only one available. It is a cuff to stud earring featuring three mini stars dangling off a silver plated chain. The stud is genuine 925 stamped sterling silver. You can buy it here. 

It can also be seen on tumblr: http://everlastinghail.tumblr.com/  Please follow me!

A special note: If you notice I have watermarked that image, because someone stole my blog picture without permission or crediting me! Please know that all photos are my property, so please do not take them without permission or crediting. You can always ask me first if you want to use something from my blog. This includes text!  

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by any company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

Nail Polish Review: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Clear, Wet n wild Kaleidoscope

I decided to do a very plain, clean manicure featuring only these three nail polishes:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Clear, Nicka K Express Fast Dry Top Coat, Wet n wild Kaleidoscope

My new manicure is a break from all the colorful nail polish. I simply had on two coats of Sally Hansen's Clear, a coat of Nicka K Top Coat on that, and finally some Kaleidoscope at the tips for some sparkle.

 Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Clear is very shiny, and really hardened my nails. The photo below was taken 5 days after my manicure was done. Not a single chip! The only downside is that it takes too long to dry, but I solved that with a coat of Nicka K Top Coat. Since it is in clear, the top coat will not change the color of the polish. 

Sally Hansen clear is extremely shiny! Unfortunately the glitter of kaleidoscope is not captured here.

Although in the bottle, the polish looks dense, the tips took a few strokes to paint such "dense" glitter.

I definitely recommend the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in clear, because it is so shiny, anti-chip, and protects my nails from breakage or denting. Wet n Wild Kaleidoscope is not really recommended, unless you are willing to spend time painting on several layers to get denser glitter. As usual, both nail polishes are below $4, and can both be purchased at the drugstore.


This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by any company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

Update on Etsy Store: Single Cuff Earrings

So I never got around to updating about my Etsy store status.
Here are two ear cuffs that I posted a while ago:

Swarovski Crystal Pearl Ear Cuff

This version is very girly, because this is in pink. =P

Double Star Swarvoski Crystal Cuff

I love how the light shines through the crystals here! The stars are made of stainless steel and very cute.

Something even better about these: they come with color choices: 

Gorgeous Swarovski crystals! Again, my camera cannot capture their beauty.

Please visit my store here! 

Also, a new nail polish review coming soon, as well as comparison of two Korean peeling gels!

Nail Polish Review: Nicka K Top Coat, Nanacoco Ocean Blue

Nanacoco Ocean Blue nail polish with Nicka K Express Fast Dry Top Coat.

Taken under indoor lighting. The Ocean Blue nail polish looks very green. 

Ocean Blue was bought at my local beauty supply store for about $2. It is a beautiful metallic nail polish. Although it should be blue, it is much more like green under normal lighting. The second picture is directly under the sunlight, which shows its true blue color. The pictures simply cannot capture its glittering beauty!

Under regular indoor lighting, with the Nicka K Topcoat on. Not a fleck of blue anywhere!

Under sunlight. If you look at the tips, you can see where I repainted, which is a different blue than the rest of it, which has Nicka K Topcoat on it. 

A big issue with this polish is that it chips in a day! It eats through topcoat, so I had 5 layers of the Nicka K Top Coat to make my nails smooth. Even with all that, my nail polish came off in sheets! Perhaps I need a better topcoat.

As for the Nicka K Express Fast Dry Top Coat, it does indeed dry the polish wonderfully in a few minutes and has a gorgeous gloss.
 However, it cannot be used on fresh nail polish, because it will smear! You must wait a bit for the base layers to adhere to the nails. Furthermore, it changed the color of my Nanacoco nail polish into a bronzy green, rather than a blue. So I would take caution in using this on metallics and polishes that reflect light.

Summary:
I would not repurchase Nanacoco Ocean Blue unless I have a good enough topcoat to prevent it from chipping.
I would repurchase the Nicka K Express Fast Dry Top Coat, since it was only about $1 and would be okay to use with regular color nail polish.

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by either company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

NK Blue Sapphire and Sinful Colors Secret Admirer

I felt like wearing something dark on my nails, but not completely black, so I layered NK Blue Sapphire over Sinful Colors Secret Admirer. It came out extremely sparkly, because both have microglitters. In extreme light, it is a gorgeously bright blue, but under regular light, it is black with a blue hue. Amazingly, this mani took only 2 coats of nail polish, one from each polish.

Nail Polish Review: Nicka K Heart Blue

Another nail polish from the cheapest brand I use: Nicka K in Heart Blue.
In the bottle it looks like a dusty blue, but on the nails its sheen made it have a purple undertone as well.

The formula is quite streaky, as you can see in the photos. It is also really sheer, so even after 3 coats there are patches of translucency.

See how streaky the thumb is?

That translucent patch at the tip!

 I didn't really like the color, so I decided to add Sinful Colors Nail Junkie over it. It then turned into this pretty color! Close up it looks blue, but in certain lighting you can see the teal of Nail Junkie. I personally like this color much better, especially with that light dusting of glitter.

Sorry about the messy nails! I didn't do clean up before taking this picture.

Overall, the Nicka K Heart Blue is not worth the buy, because it would take many coats for full opacity. Even then, the polish would likely be spotty because of its streaky formula. Furthermore, although the basic color matches the bottle, the purple hue makes the color a bit unpleasant to look at. However, it seems to work well for layering under a translucent jelly like Sinful Colors Nail Junkie.

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by either company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

Nail Polish Review: Nicka K Sapphire Blue

Another nail polish from one of my favored cheap polish brands. It was only a buck at my local beauty supply store, and seemed gorgeous in the bottle. I was hopping that it would be something like the famous Essie Starry Starry Night nail polish.

3 coats later:

Thumbnail is scratched because it didn't dry even after 3 hours. 

Under bright light, it is more of a light blue. Shimmer could not be captured by the camera here.

Clearly it looked nothing like the bottle, because the blue wasn't a dark navy blue, even after 3 coats. However, the polish is still a gorgeous blue, and is very shimmery like the picture of the thumbnail, because of the dense blue microshimmers throughout. The main drawback is the extremely long dry time. Even after 3 hours, I could still scratch it or dent it by accident. Maybe I should have used a quick dry top coat. 

Overall, an amazing blue shimmer polish that is a great pop of color in this winter/spring weather. But use it only if you are patient enough to let it dry for 6 hours!

UPDATE: This chipped within 3 days! Definitely use a good anti-chip top coat for this one. 

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by the company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me. 

Sinful Colors Glass Pink and Nail Junkie Review

I've been really in to glittery nail polishes lately, and I found this nice glittery teal (Sinful Colors Nail Junkie) and a pale shimmery pink (Sinful Colors Glass Pink) at a Rite Aid for only $1.99 each.

Sinful Colors Nail Junkie

Under direct light, it looks blue, but in regular light it is a teal color, much like  Wet and Wild's Bijou Blue. 

 Although the end result was nice and sparkly, the formula was very difficult to work with, because it was gooey and sheer. I had to use several brush strokes to spread out a single clump of polish. This led to some unevenness on my thumbnail.

See how it clings to the side of the bottle? Gooey!

Two coats provided opacity, but under the light, it did not look like the color in the bottle. Furthermore, it began chipping a day after application, probably because it is gritty and I did not put on a top coat.

Edit: Apparently the gooeyness was because it was a bad bottle! The other bottles were more fluid.
Also the nail polish peeled off! It was like peeling off dried liquid glue. Not recommended! Perhaps a top coat would help?

Sinful Colors Glass Pink

This is a very clean color, very translucent. The formula was fluid and easy to put on, but 3 coats still caused VNL, which I don't mind at all. It has tiny micro glitter, making the nail polish extremely shimmery in the light.
Unfortunately, its shimmer is difficult to capture on camera.

Very translucent! 

Attempt to capture the shimmer in the polish. Notice especially the index and middle fingernails. 

With 3 coats and no base or top coat, this polish lasted about 4 days before chipping! So it has great staying power, unlike Nail Junkie.

Overall, I would recommend Nail Junkie only for single occasion wear, because it peels off so easily, and Glass Pink for daily wear if you want to just have a touch of shimmer on your nails.

This review represents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by the company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos taken by me.

Palty Jewelry Ash Hair Dye Review

Sorry I've been away for so long! I went on vacation and bought lots of beauty products, which I will review as I use them!

I have virgin brown-black Asian hair and decided to dye it a few days ago with this Japanese hair dye. It was in a cute pink box and had clear pictorial instructions, but of course, being able to understand a bit of the Japanese helped.

Virgin black hair! 

I squirted the tube of paste into the bottle of fluid and shook it. Then I applied using their given applicator. It was a very simple process. I waited 35 minutes, washed it out, and applied their leave-in hair conditioner, which left my hair very smooth.

After: why  is it brown?!

This would have been rated 10/10 for not damaging my hair and being easy to use if it weren't for the BROWN hair it gave me! It was supposed to have purple undertones, but all I saw was brown, and it wasn't even done evenly.

As you can see here, there is a patch of black at my roots.

After only a few days, the color has already gotten darker, but that may be because I'm not using shampoo for color treated hair.

Overall rating:
Ease of use: 10/10
Damage to hair: a tad drier
Availability: Most pharmacy stores in Flushing and Chinatown
Cost: Inexpensive considering it's from Japan.
Color compared to model's: 0/10 Nowhere near the colors on the box

Maybe it was just my hair, but when my friend used Macaron Beige, her hair turned out brown instead of blonde as on the box. So I'm not sure I would use Palty again.

This review presents my honest opinion and was not endorsed by the company. All products were bought with my own money and all photos were taken by me.

Sidenote: My Etsy store has been on hiatus, but I promise to bring new products soon! Please visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/Everlastinghail  Thank you!