Hey, Mister!

honestly, thats such a lame title! -ahaha.

hello, hello! i apologize for my week disappearance! schools been kicking my ass and i cant seem to catch up o__O all the studying i do isnt really paying off. including today, back to last week, i've been packed with school work. i had two exams, three quizzes, an essay, and trying to memorize everything - - but it didnt really work out =( i didnt have time for my nails all week last week nor did i have inspiration. but today is a different story; i treated myself to a little polishing & i, literally, just finished this mani =P


this kinda explains my lame post title; each time i look at my nails, i think "HEY, MISTER!" ...for some odd reason =P i used Sally Hansen White On & Black Out. the half-moons took FOREVER & even with the help of paper reinforcements, i didnt like how they turned out..so i basically free-handed them. i also free-handed the little tuxedo which didnt take as long as i expected.

im freakin exhausted so im going to end it here.

be back soon,
<3KATRINA

NOX Twilight Swatches

hi! i've been a little MIA in the blog world lately, although i did try to pop my head in every so often to check out whats new. again for today, i dont have much to post.

its been about 2 weeks since my no-buy started back up; but i had to break my no-buy on Saturday when i walked into Meijer's to find the whole collection of NOX Twilight nail polishes! i, legit, went crazyyy to see them with my very eyes =P

i ended up picking up my two favorites;

Citrus & Poseidon.

$6.99 per bottle, which is the same price online. i've wanted these two polishes since the first time i saw swatches of them. total beauties! im not sure if im going back to pick up any more of the polishes cause im not really diggin them..but we'll see. i think i kinda like Talon.. =P

on to the swatches -


the beautiful Citrus. i believe this is two coats. Citrus was a bit goopy but it was manageable. coral-ish pink with an awesome gold shimmer. gosh. i have mixed feelings about this one. this was my #1 out of the collection but after i put it on, i didnt like it. then the next day, i woke up & loved it. then i didnt like it again, and then i fell in love with it again. ergh. i dont know how i exactly feel about it. =P


gorgeous Poseidon. three coats here. this one was watery but manageable as well. kinda like a sky blue + turquoise color. total beauty! love, love, love!


im done here for now, hope your week goes well :)

have a great one!,
<3KATRINA

Color Club Manis

hi!~ its been a few days since my last post, i hope you've all been doing well :) the week is already halfway over! *yay

i dont have much to share today but its ok because im behind on my studying, so im behind on painting my nails, and so thats why im behind on posting this blogpost =P


*click on the picture to see the full awesomeness! a link will automatically open up in a new screen.*
i think this was two coats of Color Club's Worth The Risque. this polish came out in the same collection as Revvvolution. Revvvolution remains as my favorite holo and Magic Attraction is still my second favorite.


*click on the picture to see the full awesomeness! a link will automatically open up in a new screen.*
another angle of my nails; the holo-ness is pretty awesome. personal opinion..since the silver is already really dominant in the polish, the holo doesnt really outshine it. its still pretty though =)


*click on the picture to see the full awesomeness! a link will automatically open up in a new screen.*
after two days of just wearing Worth The Risque, i konaded a zebra print onto my ring finger since i was too lazy to free-hand it =P


here's three coats of Color Clubs High Society. two coats would've been fine but i did three cause i was too sleepy while i was doing this mani =P on the nails, the color is a lot darker than it is when its on the bottle... which was kinda disappointing but its still a pretty color. uhm, i was out of ideas so i combined my favorites - dots, stripes, and flowers - all into this one design. guess it kinda worked out =P

alright, gotta get back to studying!

enjoy the rest of your week!,
<3KATRINA

Birthday Mani + Update

first off, thanks SO much for the birthday wishes! ♥ ♥ ♥

i know i sounded all depressed & it seemed like i wasnt looking forward to my birthday in my last post, but i wasnt depressed or anything. its just that...whenever i have high hopes for anything, especially a good day, anything & everything will go wrong. you do not know how bad my luck really is. so i always try to keep my hopes low cause i've been let down too many times -__-

but my birthday was pretty good! MUCH better than i expected. i worked for a good...6-7 hours & then i went out for dinner a Korean restaurant with my friends. thanks for all of you who hoped with me that the cute waiter was there..cause he WAS there!!!!! :D although i didnt get to stare at him often, i did get a few good looks at him [creeperrr. dont hate =P] i also got a free cheesecake from our waitress. oh, and my friends and i usually dont get each other presents on birthdays [we just usually eat & hang out] but i was surprised when a few of my friends bought me nail polishes, a shirt, and gave me a $10 gift card to Sallys ;)

here is a picture of my ugly birthday manicure.

totally random but thats how i usually do my nails =P i dont remember what polishes i used cause i was up til 2am changing the manicure. my middle finger is totally covered up in rhinestones; i've always wanted to do that so i figured that doing it on my birthday would be the best time :D i still dont like the mani but i dont hate it as much =P


i'd also like to add that i went to my second year of Korean class today ;)

seriously, i didnt make up my mind about class until last night RIGHT before i fell asleep. i was sooooo nervous for class today; i dont know why, but it went well! i need to study hard to prove to my parents that this class is worth it! i was also reallllly nervous to come home because i knew my mom would be pissed. which she was. well, she wasnt as mad as i thought she'd be, so that was good. [sarcasm] i got a REALLY GOOD lecture from my mom. [end sarcasm] but she'll be fine & get over it.

i wanna give a big THANK YOU to everyyyy single one of you for caring & supporting me & helping me. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

you ladies are awesome!
hope your weekend has been great,
<3KATRINA

It's My Birthday!

today is my 20th birthday!

its nothing exciting. especially since birthdays are never great days for me. for the past two years, my birthdays have sucked. *tries to avoid flashbacks. i have a feeling that this year will be no different. you know that *icky feeling in your tummy? the uncomfortable, unknown burden sitting on top of your heart, weighing it down? yup. thats how i feel. i dont know why...

maybe its because i still dont have an official answer as to if im taking Korean class on Saturday or not? [ i did talk to my mom a bit about class; at first she was ok. and then yesterday, she was like "DONT. TAKE. IT!" and i dont really wanna argue with her about it on my birthday. ergh -__- ]maybe its because i have to work from 930am-5pm today? maybe its because my birthday mani is FAIL! i dont know what it is. but its alright.

but its not all downhill for me. after after work today, my sisters, some friends, & i are going to a Korean restaurant. there was a hot waiter there during the beginning of summer but toward the middle of summer, he disappeared. lets hope he makes an appearance ;) after dinner, im not quite sure what we're gunna do. but its all good with me.

oh, and this post has no ties in with nails, cause my birthday mani sucks. and im trying to fix it right now. haha

anyway, off to work in a bit.

enjoy your day!,
<3KATRINA

Thank You + Manis

first off, i'd like to thank each of you ladies for giving me your thoughts and advice on my personal post last night. it really means a lot to me and i really appreciate you taking your time out to read my jibber and then give me your insight on the situation. i've read each comment a few times and im taking what you ladies say to heart; im still trying to add everything up together in my head so i still dont have a final answer. but thank you so, so, so much! if i could hug each of you, i really would :)

as i promised, im gunna lead this blog straight back to nails :) here is a few manis i've had over the past month in a half - i've just been behind on posting =P


i actually think this was from 2 months ago; haha. i was trying new designs & my younger sister, Kiana, let me practice on her. this is unusual because Kiana doesnt EVER let me paint her nails so while i had the opportunity to do her nails, i took it! :D doesnt her hand position kinda look funny? HAHA.

on the left side of the picture, i was using my new nail glitter that i picked up at Meijer. its just a purple glitter so i tried it over different colors. i believe the pinky is just fully glitter; no base color. on the right side of the picture, i was practicing plaid on the pointer finger. the middle finger has some fimo fruits along with a glitter gradient down the nail. i tried sponging on the ring finger; it actually turned out nice but Kiana wanted stickers on it so i added a few stickers. on the pinky, i tried out my new layering polish; it turned out alright and then, again, Kiana wanted a nail sticker on it.


- WOW! my hands look super pale! =/ - this is my first Catrice polish that i won from Sharana's giveaway some time last month. 3 coats of Catrice's Oriental Orange. the polish was much thinner than i expected but it applied beautifully. plus, this picture was taken after 4 days of wear..and the polish still looks great!, doesnt it? :D


also, last month, i bought my first Konad stuff. i got three plates - m57, m69, & m73. i also got a black Konad polish, the scraper & stamp - obviously - and the image plate holder - which isnt necessary. Konad is much easier than i expected and surprisingly, i havent used it very much yet. this mani was done when i first purchased my Konad stuff. but here is a picture of 2 coats of China Glaze's Bahamian Escape. the color is not accurate - its not as bright of a blue as the picture depicts. if you wanna see a better, color-accuate picture, check out my swatch here.


lastly, i have a more recent mani; well, this was from two weeks ago. i tried another glitter gradient using China Glaze's Medallion but you cant really see the gradient unless you look really fast & then look away. -haha. i ended up liking this mani a lot although theres not much to it.

i also wanna mention that i still have on my Teddy Mani, since Monday night!!!! i cant seem to bring myself to take it off! the mani still looks decent; my nails are [obviously] growing so theres a gap between my cuticles & the design but everything else still looks pretty good!

totally random, but im going on another No Buy next week. i have a few bottles that i need to pick up for a swap this week, and then im done for a while. im only mentioning this because i tend to do better when i publicly say this. its true. plus, my "untrieds" have been piling up! theres about 70 polishes i havent tried so i figure i should put use into those :) wish me luck that i'll succeed!

alright, this post ends here. if youre in the States, you ladies enjoy the holiday weekend! if youre not in the States, still enjoy your weekend :D

thanks much & be safe!,
<3KATRINA

Personal, Non-Nail Related Post

i usually keep my life out of my posts; sometimes i'll complain about my day[s]..or i'll briefly describe my weekends, but generally, i dont like to get too personal. not that im shady or anything, but i dont get too personal with people very easily. with that said, im going to make an exception for today. i feel like im in a hole & i need different peoples advice. so if you dont mind reading about my slight issue, please continue on. if you'd rather stay out of it, its totally cool.

k. lets start. so, if you didnt know already, i LOVE Korean music; just a little more than a year & a half ago, my sister got me all addicted to kpop. & all & my mom thought i was a total freak! so last September, my sister, our friend, and i took a Korean class. [the class is NOT part of any college, so there isnt any credit earned.] my parents hated it but my mom hated it more than my dad. she thought we were just going to learn for the [hot] Korean guys, but really, we werent. plus, im not Korean so she thought it was a ridiculous idea to learn about another culture + language. but after the first semester ended, my sister & our friend didnt take the second semester but i loved it SO much that i took the second semester by myself. i guess i caught on pretty quickly cause i got moved up to the second level during my second semester only.

now that its September again, the Korean class is about to start - - next Saturday, the 11th, to be exact. [ ONE DAY AFTER MY 20TH BIRTHDAY!! - just sayin' ;) ] my little heart has already decided that it wants to take the class. i've already told my boss so my work days are already starting to work around the class. the only thing is that i havent exactly told my parents. i've tried talking to my dad about it & i just slightly brought it up & all he said was "dont waste your time, just finish college." i know if i bring it up to my mom, its gunna end UGLY so im avoiding that for as long as i can.

its $225 [or something] for a semester & i would obviously be paying for it myself - as i did in the other two semesters. but right now, money is a slight issue. since i got into my first car accident a few weeks ago, i need to save up to buy a new car. plus i, literally, had to pay out of my pocket for this semester at college since i was lazy & late and i didnt file for financial aid <--my mom is still SUPER pissed about that. but my mom was sweet & bought my books for me.

so my problem is... should i take a class that i really enjoy but my parents hate or should i not take it cause my parents dont want me to and i know i'll regret it ?? =(

i've only told four people about this problem of mine; my sisters both said "mom's gunna kill you." my cousin said i should just take it, and my awesome friend, Anouk, agreed and said to take it since i know im going to regret it later.

if you made it this far, thanks! <3 i really needed to get this off my chest cause EVERY time that i think about this, i go crazy - literally. i cant sleep because of this issue.

i'd really, REALLY, really appreciate some feedback. and again, sorry i had to get personal on this post =/ i'll get back to nails soon.

thanks much! <3333
<3Katrina

Viva La Nails Review

[ahh - this post has been long overdue.]

when i found out that the sweet people at Viva La Nails offer bloggers and youtubers sample packs [PLUS FREE SHIPPING!!], how could i resist?! well, honestly, i originally didnt want a sample pack..but after seeing everyone's sample packs & the awesome things you could do with it..i just knew i had to try a sample pack! plus, you know me & nail art..we're friends [sometimes] =P

once i signed up for my sample pack, i was SUPERRRR thrilled! but it look -literally- two full weeks for my sample pack to finally come to me. each & every day that i waited, i slowly started to think i wouldnt get it ..but thankfully, i was wrong :) by the end of the two weeks, i wasnt so thrilled anymore. so i've put off the samples til now.



today, im going to share with you the water decals that Viva La Nails offer. when i first saw everyone's posts about the water decals, i was wondering how "easy" it really was.


here is four coats of Milani's Creme Brulee. thats right, four coats *ugh. i hate doing more than three coats of polish. anyway, i loved the design of this decal. and yes, the water decals are really as easy as people say it is :)


recently, i used another water decal for a mani. just a simple french tip with pink [i cant figure out if the pink things are "glitters" or "dazzlings" oh well..] circle things. i really liked the look of the decal + pink things, but i hated the pink part of my mani - too pink for my likings.

anyway, this is it for this part of the review. if youre a blogger and would like to receive a free sample pack, its really worth it. i think they are currently out of stock, but definitely check back in & get your sample pack!
http://www.vivalanails.co.uk/samples.html

thanks for tuning in,
<3KATRINA