Excuse the long absence....

I've had a crazy couple of months! How have you been?
Can you believe it's almost Christmas??? Crazy I say!

so..... let's catch up a bit - I'll post a heap of pics to show you what I've been up to
and then we can do the Aussie Nails Christmas Nail Art challenge together, ok?

Paint It Blue! - Final Days and Auction (!!!!)

Welcome to all the new followers - I hope you like what you see and stick around after the giveaway!

The last few days of the blue month (aka April) were exciting for a couple of reasons:

1) I kind of happened to discover how awesome layering toppers can be and 2) the auction!

So let's start with the pretty fingers first:

added water drops for the wet look

Pictures in time

I have been a bit slack lately with posting, but I do have some of the manis to show you.

This one I did using one of my magnetics - they are heavily pigmented, so work well for stamping!

The base is Essence Where is The Party?

And here is one I did when I was in the mood for blues.

OPI Dating a Royal with CG Blue Bells Ring

This summer was a hot one - 

Nikolai in a very comfy twisted position

My first ever ruffian attempt - it grew on me after a couple of days lol

OPI Designer De Better and My Very First Knockwurst

I tried some layering and stamping in one go

OPI Nein! Nein! ...Ok Fine! with CG In The City stamped using Essie No Place Like Chrome

It was too blingy, so I added a matte TC. Much better!

I also got some more indies - like this one - Mardi by Alanna Renee: 

And this was my mani for Chinese NY:

I also played around with some new plates from Brazil:

And finally, here is the design I did for Australia Day back in January:

Isn't that bottle shot pretty???

So there you have it - some of the designs from the last 7 weeks.
Thanks for stopping by!

Going Down Under: Gloss'N'Sparkle

Who would have thought there is so much to show? I better wrap this up before Valentine's Day!
Two more brands to go)) Today it's everyone's fav:

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I love Angela's line because it has something for every taste: tinted glitters, glitters in a clear base,
shimmery polishes and even a holo top coat! I chose just five to share.

Going Down Under: Portmans

Here is another great brand and polish line:

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I stumbled on these by accident, they retail for $6.95 or 2 for $10.

The BATTLE (Nail Polish) Challenge - Week 8

Today I am sharing my interpretation of Animal Print vs Tribal Print!

Having fun with layering stamps again!

Going Down Under: Chi Chi Cosmetics (Part II)

Welcome to the second and final part of the Chi Chi swatches. Enjoy!

All the purchase info is in Part One.

Going Down Under: Chi Chi Cosmetics (Part I)

Today I have another awesome Aussie brand to show you - Chi Chi Cosmetics!
I will be splitting these swatches into two posts - so be sure to check in tomorrow for more))

I have picked 5 polishes to share in the first part.

Holiday haul and #nailmail!!!

Hi lovelies, I thought I should post this awesomeness that came my way during December.

First up, my mum brought me these tiny little precious bottles:

They're super cute!! Will post swatches))

The BATTLE (Nail Polish) Challenge - Week 6

Time for the next installment - Stripes vs Dots!
I didn't do a post for this challenge for a while, so time to catch up))

A Real Mermaid and A Kitten

I know I said "see you next year!" already, but I had to post this (the base of my NYE mani)
Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?

With Flash

What to expect in 2013

Howdy all! In case you missed me (or didn't know I was away! LOL) - I'm baaaa-ack!

Thought I should stick my head out and just let you know what to expect on the blog after the holidays. 

First of all, let me say "Thank you!" for all your lovely holiday (vacation and Christmas) wishes. 

We had a fantastic time in Bali (and I will show you all of the OPI goodies I found!!).
Also I am planning to dedicate January to showcasing some more Australian brands
(since January 26 is Australia Day).

I will also continue the to follow the two challenges (Where in the world? and The Battle).

Not sure if I should put the Blog Sale page up again - I'd love to hear your opinions on this!

Also, there was a lot (I mean a whole lot!) of nail mail waiting when we got back,
including Secret Santa presents - so I'll do some posts on that!

Of course, Nikolai and Cat will be appearing on the blog too!

Here are some pics of our holiday:

That's about it!

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and New Year's!

Glitter me this, glitter me that

Today I thought I would show you some more glitter!!!

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When I was reorganizing  my stash not too long ago (here) I found some glitters that looked similar,

so of course, I had to compare them!

Where in the World - Day 13 Netherlands

Today I have yet another stop to share on the worldwide challenge adventure!

I used this image as my reference for the design:

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It is also my first attempt to create a splatter effect, without the mess))

The kitten and the Helmer

Today I will show you the "before and after" of my storage system.

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen a preview already.

A very thorough inspection

In case you don't know, the Helmer is "kitten-approved" (or rather "kitten-proof") storage solution.

Bloggers that inspire me

During my meeting with Mai from Nanna Nap last weekend we got to talking about what and who
inspires us, so I made a short list of bloggers that got me into nail art (not literally, because
I have never met them, but indirectly though their beautiful pictures)

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The Polishaholic is my number one source for swatches of collections

The Nailasaurus - Sam is very creative (check out her Michael Kors inspired studded nails!)

My Simple Little Pleasures - Colette is my first love - she is THE water marble guru! Love her kitty too))

Oooh, Shinies! - Bregje is the master of stamping (I tried it because of her!) bonus - lots of kitty pics!

Let Them Have Polish! - Chris is funny and adventurous

Nails and Noms - Rie has great designs and also amazing recipes

ChitChatNails - Marta's photos are stunning!

Nihrida - has a great collection and I love the reviews (obsession with Essence started here) plus lots of cats!

So there you go - some of my favorite people online! I'm sorry if I missed someone, this is my opinion only and if you have someone you admire greatly - please let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by!

Living up to the name: Cats & Nails

It's that time again - kitties take over the blog!

Cats everywhere))

That's Nikolai being cute on top of the blog sale box

I even found a way to get kittens on my nails!

Hello, kitty!

I was recently combing through my stash looking for items to part with (check out the blogsale - I added heaps of new stuff!!) and I found this Hello Kitty polish that I don't think I've worn yet.

Hello Kitty Violet Salom

It took a gazillion pictures to capture the shimmer/duochrome/whatever-it-is-called-greatness in the bottle, in real life it is very obvious in the bottle and on the nails though.

THREE Nail Art Challenge - Day 7 Soft

Today's design was inspired by the two little fluffy cuties in my life - Cat & Nikolai (pic heavy kitty post):

Playing cat-ch up!

Seeing as the blog is named CATS-n-nails I think I should do another post with pictures of the little monkeys.

Nikolai looking very cheeky