I feel like I haven’t done my nails in eons. Really, eons. Ever since I went chop crazy and cut my nails down to the nub, I haven’t really bothered doing my nails except for a half-assed attempt on Saturday which I promptly removed. As a little reminder, this is how painfully short my nails are right now:
Well, today I received something in the mail. Oh yes, dear readers, my liquid gold arrived!
The lovely Sabrina from Polish In Paris, recently went on vacay to London and she was sweet enough to get me a bottle of Max Factor Fantasy Fire. I know I will never get my hands on Clarins 230 so this is the closest I will get. Since my nails are still so short, I didn’t want to use any of my Fantasy Fire, but I couldn’t resist at least trying out the other polish she sent me: Essence Blue Addicted. For those of you who recognize this polish right away, yes it is a dupe for Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe. The base of this polish is pretty sheer so I knew that I would have to find a color to use as a base for this glitter gem.
So what color did I pick? Wet N Wild Blue Moon!
Pretty, right? Oh boy…look how short my nails still are. Yes, they still hurt and no, I won’t be doing this again.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I love this. Shut up. I know it’s glitter. One thing I have to mention about the formula of this polish is that it is beyond goopy. I tried it on a nail wheel before I did this mani and it was really bad. It was patchy and goopy at the same time so I knew I would have to bust out the Seche Restore. A couple of drops fixed this right up and it was a lot more pleasant to work with. Either way, it’s worth the effort because I love the end result.
I also wanted to share the cutest card and drawing that she included in my package:
Sabrina’s little sister does the cutest drawings for her and you can see some of her other work here and here. How freaking adorable, right?
I hope my nails grow quickly so I can finally try my Fantasy Fire. What base color do you recommend to use under FF?
Merci Sabrina pour les beaux vernis et remercie ta sœur de ma part pour le dessin. Elle est vraiment douée! Je suppose que c’est ta soeur qui a fait le dessin! 😉
Yikes! Your nails are SHORT!!! Hope they grow quickly so you can go back to giving yourself awesome manicures. I'm not really a fan of glitter myself, but this one is so pretty. It looks like tiny blue bubbles. I think this one reminds me more of The Little Mermaid.
I know! I was having some kind of manic episode or something. lol Get those nail clippers away from me!!! I can't wait for them to grow back. I think I'd rather chop off my hair than do this to my nails again.
I've been saying I hate glitter since I started this blog but maybe I secretly love it.
I have started liking nails that are cut shorter. They seem to have more chic. Personally I don't think they are too short. You have such a nice nail shape. Check out any of the mags and you'll see that short is what you'll see. I'm keeping my nails the same length as yours lately. They're getting healthier and the polish lasts much longer. They don't chip or wear out on the bottom of the nail. Just sayin'.
Paulaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I was thinking about emailing you because I hadn't seen you around in a long time. How are you?
Thank you! You're right that polish does last longer, but I think that they are a little too short for my fingers. I have very short fingers so longer nails elongate my fingers a bit so they don't look so sausage-like. lol Plus, I did cut them a tad too short because they hurt a little.
I'm so glad to hear from you. 🙂
OMG! Blue addicted is so perfect on you 😀
J'ai jamais pensé à utilisé le Seche Restore mais c'est une bonne idée! Merci 🙂
Je suis super contente que tu aimes ces petits vernis, et oui c'est ma soeur qui a fait le dessin 😉
Pour le FF, moi non plus je ne sais pas quel couleur utilisé en dessous, c'est pour ça que je ne l'ai pas encore essayé… Mais ça ne devrait pas tarder^^
🙂 Merci! Je pense que je vais utiliser OPI Dating A Royal.
Yikes! Your nails are SHORT!!! Hope they grow quickly so you can go back to giving yourself awesome manicures. I’m not really a fan of glitter myself, but this one is so pretty. It looks like tiny blue bubbles. I think this one reminds me more of The Little Mermaid.
I know! I was having some kind of manic episode or something. lol Get those nail clippers away from me!!! I can’t wait for them to grow back. I think I’d rather chop off my hair than do this to my nails again.
I’ve been saying I hate glitter since I started this blog but maybe I secretly love it.
OMG blue and glitter!!!! it looks awesoeme! I love it and that card sure is adorable.
I really love it too! That card made my day.
I have started liking nails that are cut shorter. They seem to have more chic. Personally I don’t think they are too short. You have such a nice nail shape. Check out any of the mags and you’ll see that short is what you’ll see. I’m keeping my nails the same length as yours lately. They’re getting healthier and the polish lasts much longer. They don’t chip or wear out on the bottom of the nail. Just sayin’.
Paulaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I was thinking about emailing you because I hadn’t seen you around in a long time. How are you?
Thank you! You’re right that polish does last longer, but I think that they are a little too short for my fingers. I have very short fingers so longer nails elongate my fingers a bit so they don’t look so sausage-like. lol Plus, I did cut them a tad too short because they hurt a little.
I’m so glad to hear from you. 🙂
i have a love and hate relationship with glittered polish, still don't know how to use it well.. i would love to get my polish to look just like yours..
It really is a pain in the butt most of the time because a lot of glitters are super hard to work with. This one was hard to deal with until I added thinner and then it was perfect. 🙂 I think polish thinner is becoming my best friend lately. lol
wait… there's a polish thinner??!!! I bought THINNER like THINNER for normal paint you use on walls..!! OMG. I haven't used it yet.. now I'm afraid to use it..
Yes! There is nail polish thinner. I think maybe we talked about putting acetone in polish which I used to do a long time ago before I knew about nail polish thinner. I actually use Seche Restore which is the thinner you are supposed to use with Seche Vite, but it works great with any nail polish. I love that stuff.
fml. i bought thinner. you know, the thinner you use for normal paint you use on walls.. well.. i haven't used it yet.. i will try with a polish i don't use often.. when i read thinner i thought it was the same thinner all the way.. silly me..!!
LOL. I wonder if it's the same? Probably not but I'm curious to hear what happens when you try it.
i just bought the essie polish thinner.. expensive but I need it.. i will try the normal thinner on a cheap polish and let you know!!
It sucks that your nails are so short they hurt, but I actually think they look really cute. 🙂 I think shorter nails can pull of dark colours better too, like this one. Blue Addicted has a really nice mix of glitter.
Congrats on getting Fantasy Fire! It looks great over pretty much any colour, but I especially love it with a blue polish.
A few people have mentioned that as well: that short nails can pull off dark vampy colors way better. I agree because I hate seeing super long nails (you know the ones that are so long they are curved) with red polish…they start looking like bloody claws to me. Ugh! But to each their own, I guess.
I do love Blue Addicted…it almost makes me want to splurge on the DL one. haha OOhh…yes, I think I will try my FF with a blue base…maybe OPI Dating A Royal.
AH! I love this combo! I have WnW Blue Moon and DL Across the Universe, sooo…now I have another mani I need to copy! Between your posts and Nicole's posts, I need to start making a list!
That was very sweet of Sabrina to send you a historic polish, plus an extra in cute packaging to boot! Maybe I need to brush up on my French (j'ai etudie le Francais dans l'ecole, mais, j'ai oublie beaucoup!) and make friends with French polish addicts, too!
Thanks! I had a hard time figuring out what polish to wear underneath the glitter. I was leaning more towards a green in the beginning, but I'm glad I stuck with Blue Moon.
Ah, yes. She is a super sweetheart. I can't wait to use it. We'll help you brush up on your French. I am glad I am using it again because I am so afraid of losing it. I try to read a lot in French and watch French movies to somehow keep it in front of me.
OMG! Blue addicted is so perfect on you 😀
J’ai jamais pensé à utilisé le Seche Restore mais c’est une bonne idée! Merci 🙂
Je suis super contente que tu aimes ces petits vernis, et oui c’est ma soeur qui a fait le dessin 😉
Pour le FF, moi non plus je ne sais pas quel couleur utilisé en dessous, c’est pour ça que je ne l’ai pas encore essayé… Mais ça ne devrait pas tarder^^
🙂 Merci! Je pense que je vais utiliser OPI Dating A Royal.
OMG blue and glitter!!!! it looks awesoeme! I love it and that card sure is adorable.
I really love it too! That card made my day.
I just got Blue Moon the other day, and this makes me really excited to use it, it is gorgeous! I really love it with this glitter on top, too!! ^.^
Yay! It is a pretty color. I just saw the whole Wild Shine line at CVS for $.69 so I might pick up a few more. 🙂 Can't resist a great deal.
i have a love and hate relationship with glittered polish, still don’t know how to use it well.. i would love to get my polish to look just like yours..
It really is a pain in the butt most of the time because a lot of glitters are super hard to work with. This one was hard to deal with until I added thinner and then it was perfect. 🙂 I think polish thinner is becoming my best friend lately. lol
wait… there’s a polish thinner??!!! I bought THINNER like THINNER for normal paint you use on walls..!! OMG. I haven’t used it yet.. now I’m afraid to use it..
Yes! There is nail polish thinner. I think maybe we talked about putting acetone in polish which I used to do a long time ago before I knew about nail polish thinner. I actually use Seche Restore which is the thinner you are supposed to use with Seche Vite, but it works great with any nail polish. I love that stuff.
fml. i bought thinner. you know, the thinner you use for normal paint you use on walls.. well.. i haven’t used it yet.. i will try with a polish i don’t use often.. when i read thinner i thought it was the same thinner all the way.. silly me..!!
LOL. I wonder if it’s the same? Probably not but I’m curious to hear what happens when you try it.
i just bought the essie polish thinner.. expensive but I need it.. i will try the normal thinner on a cheap polish and let you know!!
It sucks that your nails are so short they hurt, but I actually think they look really cute. 🙂 I think shorter nails can pull of dark colours better too, like this one. Blue Addicted has a really nice mix of glitter.
Congrats on getting Fantasy Fire! It looks great over pretty much any colour, but I especially love it with a blue polish.
A few people have mentioned that as well: that short nails can pull off dark vampy colors way better. I agree because I hate seeing super long nails (you know the ones that are so long they are curved) with red polish…they start looking like bloody claws to me. Ugh! But to each their own, I guess.
I do love Blue Addicted…it almost makes me want to splurge on the DL one. haha OOhh…yes, I think I will try my FF with a blue base…maybe OPI Dating A Royal.
AH! I love this combo! I have WnW Blue Moon and DL Across the Universe, sooo…now I have another mani I need to copy! Between your posts and Nicole’s posts, I need to start making a list!
That was very sweet of Sabrina to send you a historic polish, plus an extra in cute packaging to boot! Maybe I need to brush up on my French (j’ai etudie le Francais dans l’ecole, mais, j’ai oublie beaucoup!) and make friends with French polish addicts, too!
Thanks! I had a hard time figuring out what polish to wear underneath the glitter. I was leaning more towards a green in the beginning, but I’m glad I stuck with Blue Moon.
Ah, yes. She is a super sweetheart. I can’t wait to use it. We’ll help you brush up on your French. I am glad I am using it again because I am so afraid of losing it. I try to read a lot in French and watch French movies to somehow keep it in front of me.
I just got Blue Moon the other day, and this makes me really excited to use it, it is gorgeous! I really love it with this glitter on top, too!! ^.^
Yay! It is a pretty color. I just saw the whole Wild Shine line at CVS for $.69 so I might pick up a few more. 🙂 Can’t resist a great deal.
I love it!! And yeah- you need to throw the clippers out and only use a file. At least even when you have a manic nail hacking episode it'll be slower going. Maybe you'll get too tired and leave your nails a bit longer. Is Essence that super cheap brand in the tiny bottles at ulta? I'm having a blonde moment. I can't wait to see your Fantasy Fire nails!!! I would try black first but I bet blue would look great too. Or a dark charcoal grey…? Whatever you choose I'm sure it's gonna be great! 😀
Yes, essence is the one at Ulta. I never saw Blue Addicted there so maybe it was just put out in other markets. I think they are changing the bottle and price because I saw on their website that they are listed at $1.99 and the bottle looks a little curvy. I hope it's a little bigger to justify the $1 increase! I usually only try to file my nails down…especially since I got my glass files from Sephora. I love those things!
I am dying to try FF!! I was thinking of either trying OPI Dating A Royal or a really vibrant purple. Black or grey also sound like they could look interesting.
I hate hearing about how much people love those glass files!! I clearly can't find the right ones because the one I used a while ago got all dull or whatever in like 2 uses and so I never tried another one. 🙁 I want to love glass files, too!! I already told you about my disappointing trip for Essences at Ulta so I'll just say- I'm eagerly awaiting your FF post when your nails grow out enough to deserve it! 🙂
Have you tried the Sephora ones? They were on sale for like $3 and they are amazing. I bought a revlon one at Big Lots for like $1.50 but haven't tried it out yet.
I really do think I have the best stores ever around me…rather, the best stocked stores. Of course that is bad for my wallet…
That's a sacrifice I'd be willing to make. I wanna live where you live!! haha. I'll try the sephora ones. The one I had was just some random brand I picked up (actually I think my mom got it for me) at like a Hallmark or something… just up by the register.
I hope you like them. What kind of files are you using now?
I bought glass file at a random beauty supply store that I think I haven't been back to since and it's been amazing! It's all I've used since I got it.
Yeah…I love my glass files!!!!
I love seeing Fantasy Fire on blogs. I can't wait to see yours!
I can't wait to try it…if only my nails would grow!! They're driving me crazy. I'm never going to cut them this short again.
I love it!! And yeah- you need to throw the clippers out and only use a file. At least even when you have a manic nail hacking episode it’ll be slower going. Maybe you’ll get too tired and leave your nails a bit longer. Is Essence that super cheap brand in the tiny bottles at ulta? I’m having a blonde moment. I can’t wait to see your Fantasy Fire nails!!! I would try black first but I bet blue would look great too. Or a dark charcoal grey…? Whatever you choose I’m sure it’s gonna be great! 😀
Yes, essence is the one at Ulta. I never saw Blue Addicted there so maybe it was just put out in other markets. I think they are changing the bottle and price because I saw on their website that they are listed at $1.99 and the bottle looks a little curvy. I hope it’s a little bigger to justify the $1 increase! I usually only try to file my nails down…especially since I got my glass files from Sephora. I love those things!
I am dying to try FF!! I was thinking of either trying OPI Dating A Royal or a really vibrant purple. Black or grey also sound like they could look interesting.
I hate hearing about how much people love those glass files!! I clearly can’t find the right ones because the one I used a while ago got all dull or whatever in like 2 uses and so I never tried another one. 🙁 I want to love glass files, too!! I already told you about my disappointing trip for Essences at Ulta so I’ll just say- I’m eagerly awaiting your FF post when your nails grow out enough to deserve it! 🙂
Have you tried the Sephora ones? They were on sale for like $3 and they are amazing. I bought a revlon one at Big Lots for like $1.50 but haven’t tried it out yet.
I really do think I have the best stores ever around me…rather, the best stocked stores. Of course that is bad for my wallet…
That’s a sacrifice I’d be willing to make. I wanna live where you live!! haha. I’ll try the sephora ones. The one I had was just some random brand I picked up (actually I think my mom got it for me) at like a Hallmark or something… just up by the register.
I hope you like them. What kind of files are you using now?
I bought glass file at a random beauty supply store that I think I haven’t been back to since and it’s been amazing! It’s all I’ve used since I got it.
Yeah…I love my glass files!!!!
I love seeing Fantasy Fire on blogs. I can’t wait to see yours!
I can’t wait to try it…if only my nails would grow!! They’re driving me crazy. I’m never going to cut them this short again.
Was Blue Addicted an EU exclusive? I've never been able to find it here.
I am not sure but I think maybe it was. I have never seen at Ulta which is the only place I know of that stocks essence.
Was Blue Addicted an EU exclusive? I’ve never been able to find it here.
I am not sure but I think maybe it was. I have never seen at Ulta which is the only place I know of that stocks essence.
I get in these random moods where I just file or cut my nails down, though I have yet to cut them down that short.
I finally got my bottle of Fantasy Fire from my friend too! I can't wait to try it out, but I loooove that Essence polish. 🙂
Oooh…I just used my FF and I couldn't stop staring at my nails. You're going to LOVE it. 🙂
I doubt I will ever cut my nails that short ever again. They were so painful…I really went nuts.
I get in these random moods where I just file or cut my nails down, though I have yet to cut them down that short.
I finally got my bottle of Fantasy Fire from my friend too! I can’t wait to try it out, but I loooove that Essence polish. 🙂
Oooh…I just used my FF and I couldn’t stop staring at my nails. You’re going to LOVE it. 🙂
I doubt I will ever cut my nails that short ever again. They were so painful…I really went nuts.