As you can see, I got my swatch sticks! So I’m slowly making my way through my collection. So far I’ve done all my China Glazes and OPIs. The photo of books is a problem I have since starting at the library, I’m addicted to getting millions out lol. I currently have about 25 things out on my card at the moment. Woops!

What have you guys been up to?

-Del xx

I thought I’d give you a preview of what’s on there, because I’m nice and also I think every blog post needs photos hehe.

So yeah! If you like any or all of what you see, find me on Instagram @delindeldani. I think I’d quite like to make it a regular thing to share my Instagram posts on here, possibly once a week. I need to make some plans and decide what I’m going to do with this blog, as I still love it to pieces and feel ridiculously guilty about how much I have neglected it.

See you all soon!
-Del xx

P.S. I’m posting this from my phone for the first time ever, hope it goes okay!!

L-R: Chataigne ; Cobalt Surprise ; Thanks a Latte ; Wintermint

L-R: Chataigne ; Cobalt Surprise ; Thanks a Latte ; Wintermint

Lookit all that pretty! Ready for some photos?

Chataigne, 3 coats

Chataigne, 3 c0ats

Chataigne, 3 coats

Phwoar what a beauty! I can’t even begin to explain how in love I am with Chataigne. If you don’t already know, I’m a sucker for nudes, browns and neutrals, but I’m also addicted to glitter. This baby is right up my alley! It was much more opaque than I had been expecting, and truth be told I could have gotten away with two coats but I’m insane and added a third. Formula is a little thick, but it’s the good kind of thick – more coverage and great glitter pay-off, and it doesn’t flood anything. Dry time is good and removal is easier than other glitters I have. This is also one of the only polishes I’ve worn to work that managed to come home unscathed – an extraordinary achievement!

Cobalt Surprise, 3 coats

Cobalt Surprise, 3 coats

Cobalt Surprise, 3 coats

Another absolute stunner! Somewhat reminiscent of China Glaze’s Dorothy Who?, Cobalt Surprise is different in that the glitter is bigger and has some holo in there, as well as some sneaky tiny purple bar glitter (which I guess is the surprise!). I’ll eventually do a comparison between the two, but for now believe me when I say Cobalt Surprise is more intense and a lot more fun! Same comments for formula as Chataigne – a little thick in a good way, great pigmentation and glitter pay-off, good dry time and decent removal. One happy minx over here!

Thanks a Latte, 3 coats

Thanks a Latte, 3 coats

Thanks a Latte, 3 coats

And now for something a little different! Instead of a jelly base like Chataigne and Cobalt Surprise, Thanks a Latte has a soft almost-chocolatey base with silver and aqua holographic glitter in it. Uuummmmm, can you say LOVE?! This was another one that was just screaming to me as I browsed the shop; there was absolutely no way I was checking out without her. It is gorgeous and subtle, but with a bit of kick so it’s not boring at all! If you don’t understand why I love this polish, I don’t think we can be friends anymore xD

Wintermint, 3 coats alone

Wintermint, 3 coats

And last up is this pretty little baby, Wintermint. I knew from the get-go that Wintermint would be more of a layering polish, but I knew you’d want to see it alone first. Now let’s check out my first layering with Wintermint, and an actual mani I wore to work:

Wintermint, 1 coat over Ulta3 Mojito

Oooooh pretty, right? Now here’s some swatches layered over one of MaSucree’s many many greens:

Wintermint, 1 coat over China Glaze Tree Hugger

Wintermint, 1 coat over China Glaze Tree Hugger

Wintermint, 1 coat over China Glaze Tree Hugger

I love how potentially versatile Wintermint is; I already know that it looks great over green and I’m highly anticipating its usefulness over other shades too! I love polishes that I can experiment with! I also think it looks just lovely by itself if you’re after a soft subtle bit of colour and sparkle. So, win-win all round! This was another polish with the easiest application and formula, I just have no bad words at all for Paris Sparkles.

So to wrap up!

Things I like:

• Great coverage for glitter polishes, I was especially surprised at how well pigmented the jelly-based polishes were.
• Full -sized bottles of 15mL (bow chika wow).
• Price was pretty decent too – only $8USD a bottle!
• Great formula and application – thick but in a good way
• Good drying time and pretty easy removal for glitter – I didn’t even need the foil method.
• Freakin’ beautiful colours.

Things that could be worked on:

• Nada. I’m in love and may consider stalking.

So what do you all think? Keen to pick up some pretties? If you follow Paris Sparkles on Facebook, you’ll see that there are many pop-up sales and discount codes, so keep an eye out for an opportunity to snap some up!

Paris Sparkles polishes are available online through their Etsy store for $8 USD apiece.

Lates!

-Del xx

About 2 weeks ago (woops) I posted some teaser photos of upcoming hauls. Here’s the first! I placed a MUA order when they were having their massive sale, and yeah. Stuff arrived!

I accidentally left out my Great Lips lip balm in this photo and my BB cream, but pretend you see them… Anyway, that’s a concealer, eyeliner, mascara, 2 eyeshadow palettes, 6 lipsticks, 4 polishes, and an invisible lip balm and BB cream. All for about $30 NZD. Woooo! Best sale evaaah.

While I am by absolutely no means a true beauty blogger, I thought I’d attempt some lipsticks swatches on my hand. I’m sorry XD

L-R: Shade 3, Shade 5, Shade 7, Shade 14 Bare, Shade 15 Juicy, and Shade 16 Nectar

L-R: Shade 3, Shade 5, Shade 7, Shade 14 Bare, Shade 15 Juicy, and Shade 16 Nectar

Anyway, enough of that terrible-ness. Onto the polish!

L-R: Amaretto Crush, Shade 13, Shade 21, Stormy Skies.

I think it’s weird how some are named and some are not, but oh well. Onward!

MUA Amaretto Crush, 2 coats

MUA Amaretto Crush, 2 coats

MUA Shade 13, 2 coats

MUA Shade 13, 2 coats

MUA Shade 21, 2 coats

MUA Shade 21, 2 coats

MUA Stormy Skies, 2 coats

MUA Stormy Skies, 2 coats

Aaaand  that’s all the MUA polish I have for now. I’m waiting on another package from them that I ordered with MaSu, but it sadly hasn’t arrived yet (hmph).

Things I like:

• Fairly well-pigmented, 2 coats is sufficient for full coverage in person.
• Price! Only £1, which converts to about $1.80 NZD.
• Formula was easy to work with.
• Looooove the colours!

Things that could be worked on:

• Tiny bottles by my standards (6.2mL).
• Weirdly stiff brush meant I had to be careful with application – you can see where I’ve messed up.
• Only some shades have names… This bothers me >_<

All in all I’m pretty happy with these, and I’d buy more! If you’re buying from MUA and you spot a colour you like, don’t hesitate to pick it up. You can’t really go wrong with such a great price.

If you’re curious about the rest of the stuff in the haul, feel free to ask because I probably won’t end up posting about it. I’m pretty happy with all the stuff I picked out, I chose the concealer and BB cream well and the eyeshadows are amazing. No complaints here!

I’ll be back again tomorrow with some Paris Sparkles lovin’ so see you then!

-Del xx

My first MUA haul (and more should be coming in the post!)

And my first Paris Sparkles polishes!

Something to look forward to?!

-Del xx

The whole darn lot! In my defense… the four in the middle I stole from MaSu (technically the OPI was my Christmas present).

My Very First Knockwurst from the Germany collection, my Christmas present from MaSu because she knows how much I love me some nudes

Nfu.Oh #65 (omggg holo!) ; Nfu.Oh #68 ; China Glaze Luxe & Lush

These were a few that MaSu was a bit meh about so I took them off her hands. I love holos and I’m always keen for a backup of something as awesome as Luxe & Lush!

Mink & Diamonds ; Fiery Diamond

I only have 4 Sally Hansen polishes and they are all from the Insta-dri line, so I’m looking forward to trying these two out! I picked these up for $2 each (!!!) at a cosmetics sale outlet in New Lynn.

Aurora ; Neon Purple

A couple more Kleancolors that I didn’t already have and picked up for $3 each at a dollar store in Lynn Mall. I have seen Aurora used in so many beautiful manis in the blogosphere so decided I needed my own, and Neon Purple has a pretty subtle shimmer that said “buy me, woman!” when I looked at her.

Cocktail ; Candy Sprinkles ; Mistletoe

Yes, I already have a bottle of Candy Sprinkles. But it’s so lovely and I’m terrified of running out so I’ve gotten a backup while they’re still available! Cocktail seemed like a pretty soft girly glitter, which I don’t have many of (I usually get outrageous glitters), and Mistletoe looked so odd I had to have it!

w7 polishes: Metallic Jupiter ; Metallic Mercury ; Metallic Neptune

Ever since MaSucree posted about her w7 hauls I have been stalking Postie stores searching for them, but alas! To no avail! So when I had to opportunity to stalk the very store she found them in, I went a bit nuts. They had all the things I wanted and more…

w7 polishes: Metallic Mars ; Metallic Saturn ; Metallic Venus ; Cosmic Green

I couldn’t resist the awesomeness.

Anyway, wasn’t that fun! I can’t wait to try all these out and hopefully (eventually) get some swatching done. It’s much harder now to fit in swatching with full-time work and a terrible lighting set-up at night. I may need to look into making a lightbox or something! It will be strange because I’ve always preferred swatching with natural daylight. But we’ll see what happens

And so as to leave you with something other than pictures of bottles, here are the nails I wore out shopping!

Kleancolor Ocean Wave (metallic blue) + China Glaze Pizzazz (rainbow glitter) + Nfu.Oh #03 (sheer white jelly).

I freakin’ love this effect, to me it is *somewhat* reminiscent of the Nails Inc. Sprinkles polishes that I’m still desperately lusting after. Sometimes I have to make do with the hundreds of bottles I have here at home. So sad

Lates!

-Del xx

Pst… I also bought a new mascara, 2 rings, some earrings, and a new dress while we were out… But I thought it was enough to show you all the polish

Anyway, as a result of my negligence I have quite a backlog of photos to show you. Today’s photos are all from December, with one from November chucked in.

Enjoy!

2 coats Color Club Ho-Ho-Holly, 1 coat China Glaze Glitter All the Way (this one’s from November)

2 coats China Glaze Exotic Encounters, 1 coat Nfu Oh 56

Terribly terrible photo, but lovely combo!

I received a package from I Love NP: Up to Snow Good and Something About Merry

2 coats China Glaze For Audrey, 1 coat I Love NP Up to Snow Good

2 coats Orly Dazzle, 1 coat I Love NP Something About Merry

After this I drastically chopped off my nails, eep!

And this is what I wore to the funeral. She would have loved it <3

2 coats China Glaze Trophy Wife, Liquid Leather for flowers, and rhinestones from BornPretty Store.

2 coats Mode Vicious Venom, gradient using China Glaze Pure Joy and Golden Enchantment

Christmas Day nails (awful photo!) using Jessie’s tutorial, China Glaze With Love, Kleancolor White, Jordana Black Mark, and Revlon Gold Coin.

2 coats LA Colors Candy Sprinkles

Ta-dah! Wasn’t that fun? A mish-mash of random crap is always awesome. You’re welcome!

See you all next time <3

-Del xx

Here’s where I’ve been since just after Christmas:

This is one of my favourite places ever. Omapere, in the Hokianga Harbour of northern New Zealand. I’ve been going up there since I was a kid because my grandad lives up there! It’s a quiet and beautiful place, and it was a great chance to try to get my mind off things.

However, I’m still pretty stressed. Hopefully my trip to Wellington will help calm the old nerves before I start my new job on the 14th. The Husband and I are jetting off tomorrow morning for our first ever visit to our capital city. We’re looking forward to it

See you all when I’m back! I’ll have pleeeenty of backlogged nails to share from December.

Love you all, and thanks for sticking around.

-Del xx

L-R: Verde 360 ; Azul Disco

I’ve already tried Verde, and I love it! The holographic effect isn’t as strong as others I’ve tried, but it has a beautiful sparkle in the sun

L-R: The Midas Touch ; He Went to Jarred

OMG SO IN LOVE. Not only is The Midas Touch cheaper than the “high-end” alternatives available, it’s also higher quality at 24k gold flakes (as opposed to the 18k I’ve seen). The white gold top coat (which everyone has been clamouring for!) is 12k. Super love love!!!

So of course I had to try one of them out! I went with gold because I’m still on my Christmas nails kick. This is The Midas Touch over OPI You Only Live Twice.

*swoon* I’ll be keeping this on for a few days

What do you guys think? Keen to pick up any gold flake top coats? The Ninja Polish ones are only $15USD a pop! They’re currently out of stock but you can sign up for stock notifications, which is how I got my bottles. Check them out here.

I’m looking forward to The Husband’s work Christmas do tomorrow night, we’re going to a super fancy restaurant and get free food and drinks

Bye guys~

-Del x

Well-wrapped in bubbles and encased in a cute bag with hearts on it ^_^

And here’s Makoto! A mix of green and pink glitters (hex, bar, square, heart, and moon shapes) in a clear base, Makoto was inspired by Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon! As a girl growing up in the 90s, Sailor Moon was a staple in my tv diet. I now have a desire to get the rest of Maggy’s Lovely Moon collection, they all look super amazing and I can now confirm that the formula is great

One awesome surprise was the fact that Maggy threw in a little mini bottle of an unreleased mix called Tink Pink:

It’s a clear base with pink and silver holo hexes, hearts, and butterflies. Adore! I can’t wait to see my niece’s reaction to it as well I’m not sure whether this is a part of an upcoming collection, so I’ll be keeping an eye out on the Daily Lacquer Facebook page for updates! Super happy with today’s nail mail

Anyway, I thought I’d also share what I’m wearing on my nails. I’m making an effort to venture out of my comfort zone by wearing reds more (fuelled by Christmas fever), but I had to have the old familiar glitter gradient.

This is two coats of China Glaze With Love with a gradient of Glistening Snow (both of these are from the 2012 Holiday Joy collection), and a top coat of Fairy Dust to finish off and add more sparkle.

Bit of tip wear there, my bad! I’m sad that you can’t see how sparkly this was, but the weather has been complete butt lately (summer my arse!) so there was no sun to bring out the beautiful holo of Glistening Snow and Fairy Dust.

Anyway, I’ll try to make more of an effort to share more often. I’ll have to get some swatches of my new Daily Lacquers for you!

Love you guys :3

-Del x

Pst… I got a new job! I’ll be starting in January

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