This summer I had been slacking on the nail posts because of the terrible state of my nails. Now, luckily, they’re back in shape and totally ready for loads of nail polish. A couple of weeks ago I got introduced to all the new and exciting things happening at Ici Paris XL (for those who don’t know the store: it’s kind of a local Sephora), such as some new products and extra nail polish colors in the range of their own brand ‘ONLY YOU’. I’ve featured these before as I quite love the quality of these polishes in comparison to their budget price: each lacquer goes for €4.95. Since this month there are 15 new colors in stores; which means there are 37 permanent colors & five seasonal editions available now. 

Straight forward packaging, fun names and interesting finishes from the looks of the bottles. I’m already totally smitten with Mystified! 

Wearing all five colors here: from left to right you’ll find Serendipity (base coat), Mystified, Happiness, Free And Easy and Sparkling. Serendipity is a very shimmery golden nude which covers in two coats. Will start off streaky, but that effect should go away with the second coat. Make sure you don’t use too many ‘application strokes’ to avoid that effect. Mystified and Happiness are looking gorgeous, so read on for a close-up of these. Free And Easy is greener than I expected from the looks of the bottle, but still features a golden touch. Two coats needed, but might look its best with three. Sparkling is a pretty shimmery brown and also needs just two layers.

How gorgeous are these? Mystified is a festive and sophisticated deep shimmery blue and gives perfect coverage in two coats. No streaks as you can see. Happiness is a straight forward girly shimmery pink which also covers in two coats. I think it pairs beautifully with Serendipity (as does Mystified). 

Available already in all Ici Paris XL stores! Limited editions are available until spring, I believe.

Thank you sunny day for inspiring me to do this nail art. Now I’ll feel bubbly all weekend! 

So what did I use to create this tiny bit of easter nail heaven? A whole lot! 

The List:
 Chanel Le Vernis in 577 Mimosa
 Pronails in N°269
 Fitflop in Powder Pink
 OPI Nail Lacquer in San Tan-Tonio
 ONLY YOU Nail Colour in 383 Wasabi
 Nail Paint by Barry M in 279 Bright Pink
 ONLY YOU Nail Colour in 313 Miss Bikini
 Essence Tip Painter in White
 Elf in Black
 Pronails Nail Art Marker in Orange

 

I love sharing. So let me share these lovely nail polishes with you! You can win a complete DIY-at-home manicure set, which includes:
Foundation Base Coat by Nubar (mini)
Diamond Top Coat by Nubar (mini)
Banana Split by Only You (full size) (swatches here)

So, what do you have to do to be able to win this package?
First of all: follow me on twitter 
Tweet this message: “I want to win a manicure set including Nubar & Only You nail polish at www.nailsandcupcakes.com #blogcontest”. If you don’t tweet in Dutch you can just go ahead and translate to the language you tweet in.
Also, leave a comment below with a valid e-mail address and your twitter name.
And I have just joined Bloglovin, so it would be nice if you could follow me there as well (optional). 

This contest is open for all EU residents! You can participate until Wednesday March 28th. The winner will be chosen on the 29th. Good luck! 

Update: A bit later than planned, sorry. The winner is.. Katrin! Congrats! 

This week at the office I was surprised by a lovely shiny black goodiebag with pink ribbons. Inside were a bunch of nail/hand goodies from Ici Paris XL! 

Ici Paris XL has their own nail polish line since a few months, with 22 standard colors, 3 nail care polishes and then on top of that for each season there’ll be 5 seasonal polishes. I received all five of the summer colors and I absolutely love them! The colors are so vibrant and the finish is highly glossy. 

From left to right: Pink Kiss, Wasabi, Acid Love, Banana Split and Miss Bikini.

Don’t mind the messy touch.. I had just removed a highly pigmented blue color that kind of got stuck on my fingers.. I’m wearing two coats, no top coat. From left to right: Wasabi, Miss Bikini, Banana Split, Acid Love & Pink Kiss. My favorite colors are Acid Love & Pink Kiss.. I just can’t choose between the two!

Polishes sell for the budget price of €4.95. But, good news! Right now there’s an introduction special: 3 for €9.95. Quickly head out to your local Ici Paris XL to get some of this summer goodness! 

Stay tuned for a chance to win a complete DIY manicure package with Nubar’s top & basecoat, and one of these lovely Only You! summer colors!