Friday, December 30, 2016

2017 New Year's nail art


Clink! Happy almost-New Year! I've never been great at coming up with New Year's nail art designs, but this one feels so classy!

The base is Rimmel London Rock 'n Sparkle and I bought it for this great idea I had with a matte top coat and... it sucked XD And I started with a Christmas tree at first, but it just wasn't clicking with the gold pattern. Not classy enough. So I changed it to the champagne glasses instead!

The champagne gold pattern is painted with Artistic Nail Design But First, Champagne! which by the way, I reviewed here. I used the Winstonia #0 and #0000 brushes for the gold pattern, and the Fine Lines brush set for the more detailed accent nail. I LOVE the Fine Lines brushes!







I received But First, Champagne! and the Winstonia brushes as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Bird lady nail art


Heyyyy I hope everyone had a good Christmas/random weekend! Mine was quieter than other years and I'm still exhausted XD Anyways, this bird lady knows how to tame 'em! Or... are we looking at Hitchcockian suspense? ;-)

I made a gradient using Artistic Nail Design Falling In Lust-er, You're Not Glistening To Me! and But First, Champagne!

The whole landscape & details are painted with acrylic paint and my Winstonia #00 and #0000 brushes.

Didn't get any Christmas presents this year? Here's one from me: use PIGGIE at checkout for 10% off your order from Winstonia Store ;-)










I received Falling In Lust-er, You're Not Glistening To Me! and But First, Champagne! and the Winstonia brushes as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Saturday, December 24, 2016

All I want for Christmas... nail art


All I want for Christmas is you... with a little twist! I know it's naughty :-p

I feel this immense pleasure (wrong word for such a design? Hehehe) when I am able to match acrylic paint to the color of a polish and have it go 'invisible'. Can't see it in the light, but it shows up in the dark!

It's Serum No. 5 Wisteria-ously Bright, Laven-daringly Bright, Awesome Blossom & Atomic Peach, the last of which was a perfect match for one of my Apple Barrel acrylic paints.
I painted the words & the snowflakes with acrylic paint and a brush from the Berry Wine brush set from Winstonia. You can use my code PIGGIE for 10% off your Winstonia order :) Merry Christmas!


I hope you guys have the BEST Christmas, however you choose to spend it :)

Friday, December 23, 2016

Parrot Polish Take Me To The Mountains collection swatches & review


Take a little stroll with me through the beautiful nature that the North American continent has to offer! This collection by Parrot Polish consists of 6 shades to represent mountain ranges across the US, with all the shimmer and shine that you might expect from National Parks and other feats of nature.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Wet winter nail art


The waterdrops are why I called it 'Wet winter'! Yeah you try and name all of your nail art, see how well it goes after almost 5 years XD Aaaanyways...

The base for this accent nail is No Taming My Twinkle by Artistic Nail Design, and I've reviewed it here. It makes the perfect sparkly background for a winter scene like this, like a starry sky! I painted the scenery with acrylic paint and the Berry Wine brush set from Winstonia. It's called the bloggers' favorite and now I know why, it's amazing! They have been kind enough to give me a discount code to share with you all, you can use PIGGIE at checkout for 10% :D This is not an affiliate code and I get nothing in return when you use it. It's just a discount ;-)
The silver is from this cool kit I've gotten the honor of trying. It's the Chrome Mirror Powder kit from EZ Dip Nails and it came with... hold your breath... a regular air drying top coat that is suitable for use with chrome pigment powders! (OK you can breathe now!) I'm really happy with this stuff because it makes all those gorgeous chrome nails possible without a UV lamp! It works as easy as applying the 'Top Pure' top coat, letting it dry, rubbing some powder on it until it's smooth and shiny, and then applying another coat of the Top Pure!

To clarify all of this, I'll record a tutorial and upload it to my Instagram and Facebook tomorrow so you can see how it works ;-)






I received Artistic Nail Design No Taming My Twinkle, the Winstonia Berry Wine brush set & the EZ Dip Nails Chrome Mirror Powder kit as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Sunday, December 18, 2016

'Tis the season nail art for Christmas


"Tis the season to be jolly!" thought the little snowman, as he planted a wide smile on his frozen face!

I've been editing a friend's book this week so I have storytelling on my mind. Let me tell you about the origin story of this nail art! First, there was a black coat of polish, and a pattern made with black one step gel polish. Then, a freaky lady who is too obsessed with her nails applied a magical powder called Silver Star by Mitty over it, It stuck and made a wonderous metallic relief!

Now dear readers, you might want to know that the blue glitter polish is Swan Lake by Masura and I have reviewed it here.

The little happy snowman came into creation with acrylic paint, a brush from the Winstonia Rose Noire brush set, and a whiff of magic!





I received Masura Swan Lake, Mitty Silver Star & the Winstonia Rose Noire brush set as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Friday, December 16, 2016

SuperChic Lacquer Urban Dictionary collection swatches & review


Hoooooly holo do I have a treat for you! The Urban Dictionary collection by SuperChic Lacquer has been available since September so you have probably seen these around already. Maybe even in this nail polish seduction video I made :-p Nonetheless, these amazing polishes deserve all the attention they can get!

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Happy Christmas penguin nail art


It's here! My first Christmas design! Piggie has dressed up for the occasion, he's in a festive mood :D

The base for this nail art is not a duochrome like you might think! I used two chrome powders from Mitty, named Blue Bullet and Pearly Pink. I applied them over a black base but these are very versatile and will give a variety of effects over different colors. I made a sort of gradient with the two pigment powders, applying Pearly Pink to the top of the nail, Blue Bullet to the bottom, and I mixed up some powder before adding that to the middle part.

I painted the snowflakes with acrylic paint and my Candy 00 brush from Mitty. The little penguin friend was made using with a brush from the Winstonia Rose Noire brush set.
It's a miracle I ever even got this nail art done! I looked up what kind of eyes a penguin has and got caught up watching Happy Feet videos on YouTube. Aaand then I watched both movies on Netflix while painting these nails. My favorite characters are Ramon (seriously, who doesn't love that shorty) and Will & Bill the krill!














I received all of the polishes in this article as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Monday, December 12, 2016

Lifting polish nail art


Wow woops! I guess someone wasn't happy about me doing my nails :-p

I used Picture Polish Black as a base, and I applied the gorgeous multichrome Dragon Powder from What's Up Nails on top of a coat of no wipe gel top coat.

The eyes & hand are painted with acrylic paint and a brush from my new Berry Wine brush set from Winstonia, which btw is an AWESOME brush for precision work! It's true what they say about this set, it truly is a nail art bloggers' favorite.







I received What's Up Nails Dragon Powder & the Winstonia Berry Wine brush set as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Friday, December 9, 2016

Ice city nail art


Ice, ice, baby! Feel free to visit the city any time, but be careful not to fall on those spikes because ouchie!

I consider this kind of a fail, probably because the image I had in my head was way more sparkly, translucent and ethereal. But alas, I wasn't able to capture that! I do however like the icy spikes, they have depth and could either be crystal or ice.

I painted the design with acrylic paint and my new #000 detail brush from Winstonia.
The base I used is a polish called Sky Temple by Masura and it's a duochrome. It goes from electric blue to a blueish purple under the right angle, which is REALLY hard to capture on camera!











I received Masura Sky Temple & the Winstonia #000 brush as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Multichrome ripples nail art


Looks like ripples in the surface of a glass of water, doesn't it? At least that's what it reminds me of.

The base polish is Picture Polish Black that I mattified using OPI matte top coat. I LOVE matte black, especially in contrast with something shiny!

I painted the circles using STYLondon Onyx, which is a black one step gel polish (meaning no tacky layer after curing) which makes it perfect to use with the magic shifting powders from What's Up Nails. In this case, I used Paradise Powder and it truly is magical!
I wore this for a few days and to make this hold up longer, I added a coat of Masura gel top coat over the whole design. I like it matte, but I really like it shiny too! What's your favorite of the two?











I received What's Up Nails Paradise Powder as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Magnetic cat eyes nail art


I loooove cats! Black cats especially, maybe because so many people dislike them, or maybe because they're just incredibly gorgeous and sweet <3

The design looked great IRL but it lines up a bit weird in the pictures, and the shine overpowers it too. I think the nose turned out the best!

The base polish is Masura Zeus on Golden Cloud (swatches & review here), it's a magnetic polish that makes a really cool effect when exposed to a strong magnet when it's still wet. It reminded me of cat eyes immediately!

I painted over the base polish, leaving only the eyes open, with acrylic paint and added the details with brushes from my new Fine Line brush set from Winstonia Store. These are REALLY awesome for fine lines! And oh yes, they are having a 30% off deal on brushes only today!




I received Masura Zeus on Golden Cloud & the Fine Line brush set from Winstonia Store as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Friday, December 2, 2016

Masura swatches & review


Masura is a Russian brand, famous for their holographic and magnetic polishes. I was so honored when they messaged me and I got the opportunity to try some of their gorgeous products! I've been working on some nail art with them for the past month, but I really wanted to swatch them as well, to show them in their full beauty. I hope I did them justice, that is up to you to decide ;-)

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Rainbow gasoline nail art with magic shifting powders



This gasoline nail art is SO REFLECTIVE!! You can actually see my head & my camera in the nails XD

I used What's Up Nails magic shifting powders called, in order from cuticle to tip: Royalty, Paradise, Absinthe & Dragon. I do think I need to practice making the transition from one powder into another even smoother.

With these color shifting powders, the 'gasoline' nails keep changing their appearance as the light hits them differently. It's awesome and mesmerizing <3
These are not even all their powders, they have more gorgeous colors now, plus holo & chrome! You apply them over no wipe gel polish, or even some regular polish (I don't know the specifics of this) and I SWEAR it is so addictive!! Applying them feels so amazing, you just rub the powder on and it makes magic!














I received What's Up Nails Royalty, Paradise, Absinthe & Dragon powder as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Glow in the dark damask nail art


This gradient is so gorgeous in real life! It's so... depthy, is that a word? It just flares up in the light and I love it :D

It's made with Artistic Nail Design Falling In Lust-er and I've Been Good-ish from the Holiday Nights collection that I've actually reviewed last Friday. Really easy to use in a gradient, because they're opaque and dry pretty fast! I love how dynamic this design looks and...
...it GLOOOOWWWSSS!!! This white powder isn't just any plain powder, it's glow in the dark powder from AliExpress (I think) that I got from my friend @creatinails. I painted the pattern with gel polish and sprinkled some of this stuff on top. Then cured it, and the job is done!


It feels really rough so it wasn't very comfy to wear at first, but it got better after a few hours :-p



I received Artistic Nail Design Falling In Lust-er and I've Been Good-ish as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Friday, November 25, 2016

Artistic Nail Design Holiday Nights collection swatches & review


This might seem a bit crazy here on my blog... I know there hasn't been a review, or swatches, on PiggieLuv.com for a year now but I've been missing it more and more! I got sent the Holiday Nights collection by Artistic Nail Design for some cool nail art to share with you, and you will see those designs over the next few weeks, but I figured hey, why not swatch them as well? Click to see more!


Thursday, November 24, 2016

Cherry pie nail art


Happy Thanksgiving to my friends from the US! Aaaand happy random Thursday to everyone else who, like me, is spending the day working, eating normally and freezing their ass off.

I found this idea from @nailallie and it made my mouth water!

The base is Artistic Nail Design Mischief is my Middle Name. I'm not a fan of red, but my dad LOVES it! I'm happy I found a way to use this bright firetruck red because it's perfect for the season. I painted the pastry stuff with acrylic paint.

I didn't make actual cherry pie today, but I did make something called soesjes! My dad loves those too, so he and my mom ate almost all of them already :-p



I received Artistic Nail Design Mischief is my Middle Name as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Peekaboo cats nail art


These cats are cheeky little buggers! Before you know it they'll steal your heart and all of your nail polish :-p

The awesome multichrome is not a polish, but Royalty Powder from What's Up Nails. It's a special powder that you rub on top of a freshly cured coat of no wipe gel polish, and it sticks and makes this amazing color changing effect!

I painted the cats with acrylic paint and my super thin Mitty Candy 00 brush. I had a different version of them in mind but I kept changing certain aspects of the cats until they came out siamese. Aaaaand the I got the Siamese Cat song from Lady and the Vagebond stuck in my head XD

I received What's Up Nails Royalty Powder & Mitty Candy 00 as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Chestnut Chronicles nail art


This nail art design is inspired by Anita GadziÅ„ska. I've been following her for a while now and I'm a huge fan of her sweet, dreamy style!

I've been wanting to recreate one of her works for a long time but I didn't think I could do any of them justice. It's so hard to copy someone else's style, even more so when it's on such a small scale!

I painted this with acrylic paint and my Roubloff 00 detail brush. I paired the design with Masura Sky Gardens, a magnetic polish with a really cool effect!







I received Masura Sky Gardens as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Autumn squirrel nail art


OK last fall design, I promise! At least there's some snow so it's ringing in the transition to winter *wink wink*

The background polish, which is the PERFECT color for fall, is Parrot Polish Great Smokey Mountains. The squirrel is hand painted with acrylic paint, and mostly inspired by a hand painted necklace by @msdaulton_art, who you may know from @bombchelenails.

I do not have a video for this one! Too. Freaking. Hard!







I received Parrot Polish Great Smokey Mountains as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Floating leaves nail art


I'm leaf-ing! Do not fall-ow me! Or, you know... do.

The tiny little mouse is inspired by @davidzinn, but ofcourse it looks way different when it's a million times smaller... I really love his style, it's so quirky and unlike anything else!

I painted the mouse and the leaves and everything with acrylic paint, the normal kind you get at the craft store, and my Mitty Peachy 000 and Candy 00 brushes.
This background polish is Masura Lighthouse Golden Beam and it's a magnetic polish, although to be honest I like it a lot more without the magnetic effect. There are these really gorgeous blue/purplish micro flakies, but they kind of get hidden when I use a magnet. I like this lighter shade better!






I received Masura Lighthouse Golden Beam as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Monday, November 14, 2016

Adorable pumpkin mouse nail art


What's a mousematician's favorite dessert in fall?
.... pumpkin pi!!

The base polish is SuperChic Lacquer Wonderwall, from the Urban Dictionary collection. If you haven't seen my video for this collection yet, then it's storytime! Two thin coats are enough for this stunner to be fully opaque and sparkling with holo!

I painted our mousey friend and his pumpkins with my super tiny Peachy 000 and Candy 00 brushes from Mitty. The Candy 00 is quickly turning into one of my favorite brushes for thin, long lines because it just works SO well!





I received SuperChic Lacquer Wonderwall and Mitty Peachy 000 & Candy 000 brushes as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.  

Friday, November 11, 2016

Absinthe mermaid nail art


OK you guys, my secret is out... I'm actually a mermaid! This actually looked a lot better in real life but it was impossible to photograph in a way that would show off all the unique characteristics of this design.

It's 3D, it's multichrome and it's really fun! Which photo do you prefer, the left or the right half? I didn't know which I liked better. The left one shows off the 3D but the colors are kind of 'off', and the one on the right shows the color better but doesn't have any 3D gel on top (I added it later). You get to pick!
The base is... well I didn't have an actual base, but the main color in this design is Absinthe Powder from What's Up Nails. I applied a coat of no wipe gel top coat over my peel off base coat, cured it, and then applied some Absinthe Powder over parts of my nails using a 19 Dance rounded brush. It's my favorite way of applying powders!

I painted the scales with white acrylic paint, gave them some black details, and top coated. Then I added some depth by putting tiiiiny little blobs of clear sculpting gel on top and that really gave the design its POP!




I received the Absinthe Powder from What's Up Nails as a press sample. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and not influenced in any way other than the quality of the product itself.