Hi everyone,

Six days have already passed since my last Ciate Mini Mani Month post, can you believe it?  The days are flying by and before we know it, it will soon be Christmas day!  But for now, as promised, here is Part 2 of my Mini Mani Round-Up, featuring the surprises hidden behind advent calendar doors 7 to 12.

O
You may be pleased to know that I managed to swatch every single varnish this time, so you can get a more accurate feel for what each one is really like.  As usual, they all have that deliciously creamy signature Ciate formula, which applies evenly, dries quickly and is extremely chip resistant.  Here they all are in their bottles…

O

Day 7 – Cutie Pie

O

Cutie Pie is a pretty, feminine, powdery pale pink shade with a creme finish.  I usually prefer bold, bright varnishes to pastels, but this one really is quite lovely and clean-looking.  The above look was achieved using two coats of varnish and it’s still quite sheer, but I think three would be plenty enough for a more opaque appearance.

Day 8 – Vintage

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Vintage is my favourite varnish from this week.  It’s a deep grey colour, but it has a tinge of greeny blue to it which makes it more unusual than most greys.  I got so many compliments about my nails on the day I wore this.  I have a feeling I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of Vintage – it goes with anything!

Day 9 – Mistress

O

Mistress is a classic, very bright scarlet red, with a slight orange undertone and a high shine finish.  I’m not the biggest fan of orange varnishes so I wasn’t too keen on this when I first saw it, but once I applied it I instantly changed my mind.  I think shades like this can look a bit tacky sometimes, but because Ciate is such good quality, it actually looks really beautiful on.  The only issue I have with this is that it stained my skin when I removed it!  You can see evidence of the staining around my cuticles on the photo below…

Day 10 – Ladylike Luxe & Day 11 – Bumble Bee Caviar Pearls

O

Ladylike Luxe is a shimmery yellow gold shade, and it’s the best gold varnish I’ve ever tried.  For some reason, gold and silver varnishes tend to show up any imperfections on your nails (no matter how small) and though this one isn’t perfect, it definitely disguises imperfections more than any other metal colour I’ve used.  Overall this is a fab varnish – very Christmassy!

The Bumble Bee Caviar Pearls consist of two different coloured pearls – black and yellowy gold.  I gave myself a ring finger mani with them yesterday, and as you can see it turned out rather well for a first attempt!  The pearls were very easy to use…  You just pour them over your wet nail, press them down and leave them to set for 15-20 minutes.  I absolutely love how they look and feel, but they haven’t lasted very well.  This morning when I woke up I noticed that the colour on the gold pearls had faded/rubbed off slightly, and after 24 hours a lot of the beads have already fallen off.  I’m not sure how long they’re supposed to last, but I thought it’d be longer than a day!

Day 12 – Twilight

O

Last but not least, today’s varnish is Twilight – a black base with a gold fleck shimmer running through it, which also looks greeny brown depending on the light.  I have a feeling this was intended to go with the Bumble Bee Caviar Pearls, and indeed it is a great match.  A gorgeous, classy shade to round off the week.

Which one of this week’s minis is your favourite?

Don’t forget, you can read Part 1 of my Ciate Mini Mani Month Round-Up here.  Check back next Tuesday for Part 3!

Naomi x