Monday 3 February 2014

Manic.Monday: China Nail Art

There's no denying that in the UK we have an amazing selection of brands available to us, but there are some that we just can't get - at least not yet, and a few examples are Marc Jacobs, Wet n' wild, Bath & Body Works and IsaDora. I'm sure that the first three brands are very well known to many of you and I have mentioned IsaDora previously, but if you haven't seen that post it's a Swedish makeup brand which is very popular in Europe, that offers a great range of products and colors at very affordable prices. Every time my parents visit they always bring me one or two IsaDora products with them as a surprise and for Christmas I was very happy to get three lovely effect polishes from the IsaDora China Nail Art collection for Christmas. Since it is the Chinese New Year I thought I would join in the celebrations by showing these fun and colorful polishes inspired by Chinese culture.
The China Nail Art collection is a range with nine glitter polishes that alludes to new and old China that you can use as a top coat, but they are so enriched with different colored glitters that you can also easily wear them on their own. Like many glitter polishes the consistency is a bit thicker than you'd find with ordinary polishes, but they're still easy enough to work with without getting a gloopy thick layer on your nails. The brush is of fairly average width but because of the richness of the glitter you get a good amount on the brush to apply to the nail. You can of course apply the glitter polish exactly as you would an ordinary nail polish , however as with a lot of glitter polishes the distribution will be fairly uneven and you might need to go back in and move the glitter around. Personally I find it easier to dot the speckles onto the nail, placing them exactly where I want them, rather than brushing them all over the nail and that way there's less correcting afterwards.

Despite having a slightly thicker formula, the polish dries quickly and evenly for a wonderful glittery effect that will last for about 4-5 days. If you want to use these as a top coat, they are intended to be used mainly on top of a black polish for a truly stand out effect and if you also apply a high shine top coat, you'll get a gorgeous colorful effect, almost like fireworks against a dark night sky. On the other hand if you like the textured look and feel of these fairly coarse glitters, you can quickly build up a nice and solid glitter and for the colors and effect to really pop, I would recommend that you apply at least three coats. The downside of applying several coats of an ordinary nail polish is of course that you make it more sensitive to chipping, since the slightest nudge can really mess up your mani - BUT when it comes to glitter polishes it seems like the more and thicker the layers you apply, the easier the glitter is to remove and you can almost peel it off the nail without having to scrub or use tinfoil or whatever wonderful trick you normally use to get rid of glitter polishes.
From left to right (3 coats, but no top coat):
Isadora 864 Hong Kong
Isadora 866 Dragon
Isadora 868 China Empress

The three shades I got were; 864 Hong Kong which is a luminous almost electric blue with a neon luster and silver specks that reminds me of big city lights and neon signs in the evening, 866 Dragon which is a beautiful jade green that makes me think of the scales of a powerful Chinese dragon and 868 China Empress which is a lovely rusty regal bronze shade that makes me think of a heavy, opulent and lavish brocade in a dress fit for an empress.

They are all gorgeous and eyecatching and as we're seeing out the end of the year of the snake and welcome the year of the horse, I do it with a sparkly Chinese inspired mani, wishing you all a Happy New Year - Kung hei fat choy!

55 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing.
    xx, michelle
    http://michelleolthuis.blogspot.com

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  2. I love Hong Kong! That would be gorgeous over OPI's cobalt Eurso Euro!

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    1. I gad to look it up :o), but it would be a lovely combination. Great tip - thanks for that :o). Xx

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  3. So cute nail art! Great products Isadora!
    Have a good day

    Viky --- MySecretFashionPoison

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  4. great post! Love your blog :)

    lifelation.blogspot.com

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    1. That's so lovely of you - thank you, I really appreciate that :o). Xx

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  5. Beautiful shades, I love the red especially! It's funny because now that I'm living in Europe I get to discover so many fun brands that we didn't have in Canada.
    xo
    styleontheside.com

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    Replies
    1. It's such a shame we can't get IsaDora in the UK because it's really is a great brand with a nice range of products :o). Xx

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  6. Great nail art and lovely shades!!!
    Have a great week darling!!!!

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  7. You find the prettiest nail polish, love it:) happy new month dear
    Shana-Style

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    1. Happy New Month to you too, and I am REALLY glad it's a new month :o). Xx

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  8. Replies
    1. Thank you very much - they look so colorful on a black glossy base shade :o). Xx

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  9. Happy Lunar New Year Charlotte!!! The polishes look amazing. The third one China Empress is my favorite!! I'm glad that we have the brand over here too but I guess that I haven't seen these polishes yet :)
    Thanks for the like on BL. I liked your posts back :D

    xx Mira

    www.glamdevils.com

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    1. Hey Mira, thank you so much and have a super day :o). Xx

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  10. fabulous these nailpolish!
    I posted a new article, I'd love to know your opinion
    would you like to pass from my blog?
    tr3ndygirl.com
    kiss

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a million, you can't go wrong with some glitter :o). Xx

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  11. lovely!!
    http://sissascorner.blogspot.it/2014/02/sammydress-lovely-kitty-dress.html

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  12. Lovely nail polish I really like the blue! However I always find these types extra hard to remove ;) x

    www.krystelcouture.com x

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  13. These are really pretty...I bet they would look fab over a creamy texture nail polish. You certainly know how to pick gorgeous polishes. I'm not much of a polish wearer on my fingernails...you are slowly but surely changing that! lol Have a wonderful day!

    Keisha xo

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    Replies
    1. That's so lovely, you've really made me smile - THANK YOU! :o) Xx

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  14. These are so fun, I always love a fun glitter top coat! But they are such a pain to remove!
    xoxo
    http://littlethingsandelephants.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. They can be, although these aren't too bad :O). Xx

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  15. I've never heard of this brand before but the polishes look amazing! x

    daisy-drops

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    Replies
    1. It's a lovely effect on a black base shade :o). Xx

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  16. Never heard of this brand, but the polish looks funky and interesting x

    fabheadtotoe.blogspot.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. I especially like Hong Kong and Dragon :o). Xx

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  17. Never heard of the brand and this nail polish does looks interesting and funky. Thanks for sharing.

    xo
    Sam
    http://fabulouspetite.blogspot.com

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  18. Interesting colors! Very fun!

    Brittnee
    http://beautyproductaday.com

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    Replies
    1. You can never go wrong with some glitter :o). Xx

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  19. love the china nail art collection :) have one too


    xx
    bianca
    www.worryaboutitlater.com

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    Replies
    1. It's very pretty and I might pick up some more shades next time I'm in Sweden :o). Xx

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  20. These are beautiful. They are so similar to Nails Inc Feathers effect nail polishes, and I found the same issue, in that if I wanted to build up the glitter layers, they peeled off really easily! Hong Kong is a stunner. xx

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    1. They are in a way yes, you're right. For me that's the easiest way to remove glitter :o). Xx

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  21. Love the effect of these nail polishes!

    Ray | Obey Ray

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  22. Haha I like how they look like sprinkles!

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  23. I loved all three colours! They look so pretty :)

    From Making Things Alive

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  24. Once I read you cannot get these easily in the UK I should have stopped because these polishes look amazing and I won't be able to find them :x. Just the fact that they are not easily achievable makes me want them even more haha!

    -Shelby
    http://bittersweetshelby.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. LOL - I know that feeling, that's me every time I read about all the fabulous brands in the US :o). Xx

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  25. They are so pretty.

    www.candycrow.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Subha - thank you so much, have a great day :o). Xx

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  26. Great colours I love a bit of glitter xx

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    Replies
    1. I completely agree, it's so much fun to spruce up an ordinary shade with some glitter :o). Xx

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  27. These are so pretty, I have a Barry M one similar to this but they're pastel colours :) xx

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    1. Thanks a million Sadie! I think I know which ones you mean, they're very pretty too :o). Xx

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  28. I love the colours :) x
    lipstickandlightening.blogspot.ie

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