Roundup Time!

Bettina Ethereal Collection

Wow, where to begin? I'd been wanting to check these out, but the memory of the process of acquiring them was a bit daunting, and it wasn't until the fabulous Fingers of Fingers Polish Mania (go check her out here) started showing swatches of them that I decided I needed them. She contacted Janet at the email address and put in a good word for me. See, the only way I know to buy Bettina polish, apart from driving 3 hours to Orlando or 7 to Miami, is to send an email off to a distributor telling what you want then you wait for an invoice. I've done this multiple times over the years and it usually takes three emails to get a reply. I guess they're really busy. (I suspect it is a salon that sells Bettinas, or the distributor taking orders from US retail locations so I'm really small potatoes) But lo and behold, I got a quick reply and after a short delay as they were out of a couple of the colors, I now have the whole 9 piece Ethereal collection!

against white they seem dark

More true-to-color, no topcoat here

My first thought swatching these was "these remind me of one of my all time favorite collections China Glaze On Safari!" not because of the colors, but the smokiness, unusual colors and amazing application. See, these aren't pastels, not in the normal way. There's no chalky white base, no streakiness, no opaque, "dead" or "solid" color, these are  solid in two coats, yet still glowing with an inner light. I could not be more pleased, especially as they are less than $4 each with shipping. Winner winner, Bettina, bravo!

To purchase, if you don't live near a retail location, check out what you want here then email your request to jrosado@bettinacosmetics.com.  I will be following their new releases closely, this is becoming one of my very favorite brands!

Copy That, CopyCat- inspired by a video- Nail Art Swirls

This video here of a nail art drag just looked so stinking simple I had to try it. Having a very big sad from not being able to get the Pipe Dream polishes, I dragged out my Bettina Resort collection along with a special OPI for the blue. Various combos later, I'm not too unhappy with my first try. I'm showing the right hand in the interest of full disclosure. Bettina Pro base a topcoats.

Quick NOTD- Illamasqua Radium

I've featured this before, it's one of my go-to-need-a-happy nail polishes. Illamasqua Radium is a brilliant apple green two coater with a subtle shimmer. Fave. Back up worthy.

Caramel Apples? Elevation Jellies

I bought these a long time ago, with the thought of doing the tortoise shell mani, but realized I hadn't bought the third color needed :( So I painted 4, yes 4 coats each of Elevation Temperance and Cascade. They're both true jelly polishes, sheer yet buildable in three or four coats. This is post-mani, red cuticles and all, but I wanted to show the squishiness and gloss they have. I wore this four days with not the slightest bit of wear or chips- Bettina Pro-B Color-Fusing base and Color Enhancing topcoat.

 

Bettina Grandeur Collection for the Holidays!

See my write up  here

Yipes! Stripes! MSMD

Yipes, stripes, Beechnut's got 'em, yipes, stripes in Fruit Stripe gum, yipes stripes five different flavors, get Beechnut's Fruit Stripe gum! Ok so now if you're over 50, you'll have that jingle in your head all day, you're welcome!

I didn't set out to make my nails resemble the gum from my childhood, I actually was doing a MSMD of the wonderful Manicurity here.  However, I'm not a white base person, so I used LVX Cashmere as a base. It's a creamy stone color you could also call a warm pale gray. I also don't lean towards primary colors much, so Bettina's Resort collection with it's tropical shades fit my taste.  After finishing, this song came into my head I hadn't thought of in many years, and I have to admit, they do look a little like the gum-

Paula's Tri-Color!

I was recently accepted as a contributor to an online beauty magazine, and today's mani will be my first for that publication- I will link it here after it is shown online there first, OK? Instead, Paula graciously allowed me to pick both colors and design for her today- Bettina Resort collection polishes make a bright and cheerful manicure, with stripes of two polishes accented by a fan-brush design down the middle. It's mu first time trying this technique, and I picked up a few tips- first, don't overload the brush with paint, and also, use fast-dry topcoat before doing the accent to keep the third color from bleeding into the other two.

What do you do when you can't pick one color? Skittles!

After painting about 15 girls nails in my daughter's 4th grade class yesterday I was painted out, but my manicure had suffered greatly in the classroom. I wanted summery but not neon or pastels, so I chose Bettina's Resort collection. Bettina is a Puertorican brand available in Miami and a few other cities. I bought mine through a rather complicated series of emails and paypal transactions two years ago. The Resort collection is 6 bright tropical colors that have an ever so slight jelly feel to them.  These are 5 of the 6. The yellow and green needed three coats, the others were fine with two. They apply smoothly and needed no topcoat although I used HKGirl.

Dotticure! Orly and Bettina

Orly Gumdrop- a pale blue leaning mint cream dotted with Bettina Sand Blast- a pale clear gray cream- two coats of Gumdrop and three of Sand Blast.

More Untrieds!

Bettina Sand Blast, a pale true gray makes a perfect base for Utopia Blue Lagoon, a jumble of matte blue and white squares, hexes and small bars with a healthy dose of small holo glitter. Gelous and Dazzle Dry over.

Lovely holos!

Missing the Sunshine-Bettina Sherbet

It's been chilly and damp for days now, so instead of a winter/holiday/Christmas mani, I decided to do more of a summer one- this is Bettina Sherbet, a bright coral leaning pink (think non-holo China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy with a tad more orange) accented with Candy Lacquer City Girl, a sophisticated topper of all matte glitters, mostly black and white with pink, red, blue, green and purple as well. The Bettina was a bit sheer and needed four coats to cover all bare patches (the polish is quite thin and a little runny) and the glitter had to be dabbed on- I did Gelous over the glitters and Cult Nails Wicked Fast for topcoat. My mood is perking up already!

NOTD Bettina Green Apple with Utopia Hibiscus Accents

I had this in my basket for a long time before I pulled the trigger- and now that there aren't any more in the shop right now, AND it's on my nails, I am so very very glad I did. Utopia's Hibiscus is a special glitter topper with a splendid blend of red, orange, green yellow and holographic glitters combined to look just like a flower would when it's been torn apart. But sparkly. Really. I would even dare to say as beautiful and complicated as a polish by She Who Will Not Be Named. Orange, Coral, Pink, Red, yellow, Green, gold, silver Hexagons, bars, squares micro glitter.. is how the maker describes it. And I say, Well Done. Gorgeous polish, as all are the Utopias I own. Not nearly enough from what I have seen thus far.
Gelous and two coats of Wicked fast over.