IthinityBeauty.com Nail Art Blog: announcement

Happy 5th Year Blogiversary GIVEAWAY!

Allo polish Pals!

Thank you for joining me on such an important post! I can hardly believe today marks 5 whole years of blogging for me. That's half a freakin' decade!

Ok, technically IthinityBeauty.com is six years old but today marks my first ever post. It took me an entire year of pondering if I could really blog. I had build it up in my head as a huge and mighty task and I was afraid of failing – not sure why now.

But starting my blog was one of the best personal decisions I've ever made. My blog has been there in times where I've wanted to give up, given me structure and routine while I've not been working.

Its taught me discipline and taught me how to schedule and plan. My organisation skills..well, I didn't have any before.

I've met so many wonderful ladies and had some really fun opportunities. My blog has grown and I have with it, so many things have happened in the past five years, people coming, people going..but my blog has been constant.

I want to thank you all so much to those who follow me and my nail art journey and those who lurk quietly and keep coming back to see what I've created next. You are all a big part of what makes blogging so much fun for me, thank you!

I decided not to do any blogiversary nail art this year. Instead I thought I'd include just one piece from each year. With 822 published posts this was not an easy task at all!! I'm going to end with the most meaningful and deep nail art I've ever created. I'd see that nail art broke the boundries for me, it showed me that not only could I paint something 'pretty' but it could have a real depth to it.

2012 - riiiight back to the beginning!

2013 - Attempting freehand designs.

2014 - Getting braver!

2015 - My first 'big' nail art design. I was so pleased with this at the time. My nails were too long!

2016 - Loving acrylic paints and creating full nail scenes and landscapes.

2017 - The most meaningful nail art I have to date. This one came at a time of loss and hope.

This final nail art was inspired by my self growth, over coming personal difficulties, letting go of things and accepting others into my life, ending a long term relationship and ultimately moving back home to England. People often see this nail art as sad, I guess because she's on the edge of the cliff and the balloon has gotten away from me but its completely the opposite. It was a hard time in my life and you were all so lovely to me.

So as a little thank you for all the support over the years I'm hosting a giveaway!

This giveaway will run from the 16th October until November 2017

Open Internationally - ONE winner will be picked at random.

Winner will have 72 hrs to respond to the email or a new winner will be selected.

See full terms and conditions on the rafflecoptor.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The full prize include the following:

24 set of acrylic paints.

Brush roll containing 20 brushes and dotting tools.

7 sheets of water decals.

1 pot of crushed shell decorations

4 small stamping plates.

1 large stamping plate.

One scraper.

2 bags of skeleton studs.

1 packet of moustach stickers.

1 packet stickers/plate.

1 bag of assorted nail foils.

Shared on bloggiveawaydirectory.com Blog Giveaway

Goodluck everyone! Of course please feel free to share this post if your friends are into nail art!
Thank you again for visiting my blog and joining me on my nail art journey. I'll catch you again on Wednesday!

Love,
Ithi

Life Update - I've MOVED back to England. How To Be Happy

Allo polish Pals,

I hope you are all doing great today? I hope you've a fun weekend ahead planned.

I wanted to let you know what's going on. I think that's one of the lovely things about blogging, even though you and I are here for nails I've shared some of the most important parts of my life here with you all.

As you may know I am currently in England visiting my family again, I arrived late last night.. however.. I'm staying here and I came alone.

I've made the decision not to return to the Netherlands...It pains me so much to leave my boyfriend but I had to make a decision for myself. I could either continue to let my heart slowly break and keep convincing myself everything is fine and that I was happy.. or I could rip off the band aid and break my heart all at once. Sadly with either choice.. people suffer. I've gained an entire new family, I will miss them all so, so much and I have so much love, gratitude and thankfulness to them. It was beginning to get too much and I didn't want to suffocate in the situation. Its a drastic decision and I feel I tried my hardest to help and encourage.. but.. There's a plan and I hope it meets its.. thing. Words...at this point they all look scrambled.

Obviously its not a fun prospect to think that I am going to be 29 this year, living with my parents, unemployed, childless (I had always wanted to be married and with children by this age) and less educated than I'd like to be. But you know what?... It's never too late. You are never too old to dream.

It may look a little scary, how she's sitting on that mountain edge but its full of positivity. Positivity and freedom!

Look how the tree is beautifully in full bloom, like the sparks of possibilities coming to life. Is she sad her balloon has flown away? No. Sometimes you have to let go of what is in your hands to be able to reach for bigger and better things. The petals represent worry, upset and lonliness floating away. I felt so peaceful and calm while I painted this manicure. Sometimes just painting the feels is really therapeutic.

I often felt trapped by the same routine and chores and I just felt like.. isn't there more? Is this really what life is? - I know real life has real things, but I felt like it was all I was functioning for. I was not treating myself well and I was setting a low expectation for what I really deserve and something in me kicked out and said enough is enough.

I was being told I was dramatic but I realise now.. never let anyone tell YOU your wrong when YOU say you are not happy. When it comes to your feelings listen to your gut. Only YOU know how YOU feel.

So what now? I'll still be blogging – pretty much as normal for as long as I can. I have a huge amount of posts to share with you (I'm scheduled until September!) and I'll keep creating nail art. I've been sending packages to my parents containing all sorts of my stuff..so I'll have some of my nail polishes. But we're going from like 1000+ to... I don't know..I'll start organising what I sent over today or tomorrow. In one way it also feels a little freeing in a 'fresh start' sort of way. I'll share my new set up with you guys once I figure everything out.

I'm going to give myself a couple of months to come to terms with the huge changes before I start looking for work. When you spend nearly every day together for four .5 years that's going to take time to recover from. In the meantime got a whole bunch of paper work and technical things to sort out and researching which sort of way I want to go in terms of nail courses or training but I'll take any kind of job when I start searching (anything just to get me back out there and going again) But I want to study - This is all vague as I am typing this but I want to turn my hobby into a career so I will be looking at what I need to get started in the nail industry.

More than anything I want to take time to work on myself, I know how cliché that sounds but I feel like I've been stifling who I am for quite a long time. I want to find my feet and voice again and work towards a future for myself. I've missed my family terribly and will enjoy being able to be around them again. I've missed being the quirky hands on Auntie.

So.. I am sorry there is no nail art today but I just wanted to talk to you one on one, as a fellow naily and friend.

So here's to putting pride aside, saying yes to living, taking a leap of faith, reaching for dreams and looking forward to whatever comes next.

I'll be back on Monday (a few days to catch up and settle in will do me good!) and I'll have some freehand nail art for you.

Thank you for continuing to support me and my little blog. You make this experience such a delight, I'm glad I get to share whatever happens next with you.

Love,

Ithi

IthinityBeauty's 'Magical Spring Time Giveaway' - Open Internationally.

Allo polish Pals!

How are you all doing? I hope you are having a great week so far :)

I told ya I'd have a surprise for you!

As a little token of pure gratitude for your continuous support and kindness I'd like to host another giveaway – truth be told I'd love do to these every month but alas.. I can not. But right now I can and its INTERNATIONAL, BABY!

This giveaway has a slight holographic/fantasy theme to it. One lucky winner, from anywhere in the world will win the following prizes (also listed below)

The Prizes are:

1. Galaxy/Moon Necklace

2. One round stamping plate (BP -25)

3. One large rectangle unicorn stamping plate - (L045)

4. One fantasy owl/dream catcher decal sheet.

5. One bright rainbow coloured decal sheet.

6. 6 piece false nails – to practice or paint up!

7. Holographic chrome powder.

8. 1 tube holographic nail foil.

9. 1 pot gold foil/leaf (Great for crumbling onto nails)

10. 1 pot silver foil/leave (as above)

11. One large patterned stamper and plastic scraper.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules

This giveaway runs from 3^rd April 2017 until May 3^rd 2017 – A winner will be picked at random within 2 days of giveaway ending. If the winner fails to respond to emails after 72 hrs a new winner will be drawn. Please read the terms and conditions stated in the rafflecoptor.

Good luck to everyone – if you follow me on Instagram you'll also see that you can get an extra entry by reposting my giveaway post!

Don't forget to let your friends know too so they have a chance of nabbing some goodies.

Have a beautiful day, my lovelies. Thank you for taking time to visit me! I'll catch you again on Wednesday!

Love,

Ithi

Giveaways

I'll see you in a few days.. - Feel Free To Spam Your Blog!

Allo polish Pals!

I hope you are having a fantastic day as you read this. I'm going to say something that I don't think I've said in a really long while. I'm going to take a couple days off. Its not something I usually like to do but right now I think I need it.

There are very personal and upsetting things going on offline at the moment and while I have loads of posts ready I just feel it is the best choice; Sometimes your heart knows where to prioritize.

Should things work out how they are supposed to I'll be back on Saturday – yeah, its a mini break but it will give me the time I need.

In the mean while here are some really awesome blogs you should check out OR leave your beauty blog in the comments below. Yes, You have permission to spam and discover each other's blogs.

Whats On My NailsToday?

Sparkly Polish Paradise

Wish me good luck. Thank you for your visit and I'll see you at the weekend.

Love

Ithi

The Giveaway Has Ended - Who Won?!

Allo polish Pals!

Just a quick announcement for you this evening.. The giveaway has ENDED! Check below the jump to see who the lucky winner is.

Happy New Years Eve From Ithinity Beauty!

Allo polish Pals!

Happy New Years Eve to you all! Do you have anything exciting plans to see in the new year?

I'd like to say thank you to those who have visited or commented on my blog in the past year, all the kind comments and support makes blogging such a treasured thing in my life. You really are a great bunch! I look forward to the next year of blogging, visiting your blogs and making new friends!
I wish that this year brings you all the things you truly wish for, that you and your families have a very happy and healthy year ahead. I am sending so much love to you all :)

This past year wasn't an especially great one for me. I found it really hard at times but I did find being here a great way to keep myself motivated and to keep my head above the water. I'm also glad with my painting improvements from the past year, there are certain manicures I was sure I just couldn't do and surprised myself with the outcome.

I can't say I have much in the way of resolutions this year. This time last year I vowed that by this New Years I'd have quit smoking. And I have. I don't even crave or think about smoking now. If you're thinking of quitting you'll be surprised by how much time you gain when you quit. That's one of the biggest things I noticed. This year I'll work on getting those extra pounds off so I can go back to my confident old self. I'll also do my best to be a calmer person because I am such a worrier. Are you committing to any changes for the new year?

For my New Years manicure, I decided to go a little more subdued and grown up than last years attempt which was a glitter-bomb mess.

Have a fabulous time celebrating. If you have any traditions do let me know, I am always interested to find out how people do things!

Most importantly - stay safe and have fun and I'll see you in the new year!

Love,

Ithi

Congratulations To The Giveaway Winners!

Allo polish Pals!

How are you doing today? No nail art from me today since this is my.. 'in between day' but I thought I would let you know who won the giveaways I was hosting. I'd love it if you could all have won but sadly my purse would never allow that! Huge congratulations to the winners and I'd like to thank you all so much for taking part in all the fun. Hopefully we can do another one real soon! Read on to see who won!

[CLOSED] Born Pretty Store $15 Voucher Giveaway

Allo polish Pals!

How are you doing today? This is a sneak attack post since it is midnight (wha, the crazies?! I'm probably snuggled up in bed by now though) but... it looks like another giveaway! Since my regular post is every two days and that falls on today I'll be back at 3pm for some more visual and naily things - Come back later - but stay now, too! (Ohmygoodness, how needy does that sound? )

I can't break the 2nd day rule of my posting pattern. I can't, it breaks my system and then the clogs and coils fall out of my head. Then its all empty and useless up there. Lets move on..

In true celebratory spirits Born Pretty Store have very generously teamed up with me to do another giveaway! Two giveaways at once, what is this blogiversary-tom-foolery?! One lucky reader will win a $15 voucher to spend at The Born Pretty Store. Cool huh?

You know I am a huge fan of all the nail products I've been privileged enough to try from the store so far but don't forget you don't have to just buy nail art items if you don't feel like it. There are loads of other cool items in store, perhaps its time for a new phone case? Or some new jewellery? The choice is yours! Here are some of the nail art products I have tried and loved

This is a short giveaway! It only lasts for 10 days.

Since this is a virtual voucher entry is open internationally and the closing date is November 1^st 2015 at 00.00am so hurry and enter for your chance to win! Simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have fun, and good luck! See you all later for some more nail art.

Love

Ithi

[ CLOSED ] Nail Art GIVEAWAY open internationally ~ Happy 3rd Blogiversary To Meeee

Allo polish Pals!

How are you today? Do you know what, I almost sailed passed my 3^rd blogiversary! In true Ithi fashion I have been so busy scheduling posts to the extreme and planning things. I thought I was sooooo prepared for the date of my 3 year birthday celebrations but it turns out I was thinking my blogiversary was in November for some reason?! Sadly for that reason I didn't do the nail art I had been thinking of. What an epic fail. I guess that means I'll have to do something extra awesome next year!

I love blogging as much, no, more than I did in year one. I feel I've grown personally in my painting and I've also grown up along side you guys. Some of you have been here through both good and bad times and I am eternally thankful for the friends I have made through blogging. So heres a little thank you.

Luckily I had everything prepared already for the...surprise! Are you ready for a giveaway?! This giveaway will go to one lucky winner who will receive all 8 of these items. Lets have a close up look at what the prize is!

1. A set of 10 acrylic paints and one bamboo brush (The same type of brush I use for my freehand!)

2. A rubber stamper and a purple glass nail file.

3. 1 sheet mixed floral water decals.

4. A set of 5 stamping plates.

5. 1 bag of seashell studs .

6. 1 bag of sweet pink/gold flower studs - contains 5.

7.Mixed studs containing a random assortment (just like the one I reviewed but brand new, of course.)

8. 1 Sheet colourful floral water decals.

You can also enter by following me on Instagram, reposting and using the hashtag @ithigiveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yes, I'll repeat again this IS open internationally.

All these items were purchased by myself and selected personally.

As I already stated, this giveaway ends on the 05/11/2015, 11.59pm GMT+.

By entering you are confirming you are 13+ years of age or have parental consent. The winner will be selected at random and will be contacted within 48 hrs from the closing time. If the winner fails to respond within 72 hours a new winner will be selected. I will not be held responsible for any damages, lost parcels or be obligated to issue a refund of items or replacement. - Basically I am poor, ha.

GOODLUCK everybody! I hope you will enter and share this giveaway with your friends so they have a chance to win too. If You've any questions - shoot! :)

Have a fantastic day!

Love

Ithi

Fish, Fish, Pudding! Freehand Penguin Nails + announcement

Allo polish Pals!

How are you doing today? Tell me, is it scorching hot where you live? It's been pretty hot here in Holland and all I day dream about is jumping into a beautiful topical sea somewhere exotic! - Its not likely to happen any time soon but I did decide to at least cool my nails down with these cheeky penguins!The inspiration originally came from THIS pin.

I really need to say some stuff... Alot happened in the last week. My life is upside down. I can't not share it with you... Cos this is my 'home' too.

Press Release: New Year Hue With Pure Ice

Allo polish Pals!

How are you today? Its snowy here, well... More like a little sprinkling of the white stuff, anyway! Perfect weather to show you the new 2015 collection from Pure Ice. The new collection contains eight new dazzling polishes; Three colour tints and a matte top coat. In the words of Pure Ice this collection contains 'A little bit of grit and lots of glam!' ~ Sounds exciting doesn't it?

Here are some more details about the products in this collection:

Top, left to right
Blue Hue – Blue glitter hint.
Rosy Glow – Pink glitter hint.
Purple Haze – Purple glitter hint.

Bottom, left to right
Frost Finish – A mattifying top coat.

Doll Face – A soft crème peach.

Flawless – A light frosted gold with a metallic finish.

What's The Splatter – A clear polish with black and white hex shaped glitter.
Poppin' Bottles – A silver pearl containing silver hex glitter with a gold iridescent finish.

These polishes are available now.

Good news for American readers, these polishes are currently available at selected Walmart's so and retail for $1.97 each. Pure Ice are currently working on a new version of their website so keep checking in at PureIceCosmetics.com and be sure to check out their Facebook page.

Have you tried Pure Ice nail polishes yet? Which of these polishes grabs your fancy?

I'm lemming for the glitter hues! Don't they look like they'd be so much fun for nail art!

Have a great day!

Love

Ithi

Happy New Year From Ithinity Beauty!

Allo polish Pals!

And happy new year to you all! I hope you will all have a fantastic night celebrating the new year coming in – do you have any plans? I've really surprised myself as I am so excited for 2015 – I'm full of positive energy and I know this will be a great year in many ways. Here's my positive attitude: I will achieve the things I wish to, lets all work hard this year for the things we want!

Lets share, Do you have any resolutions?

Here are my resolutions/Agreements with myself for this year.

This time next year I will be at my goal weight – Since I started getting serious about it in September I have already lost a stone so I will keep working hard, enjoying the working out and progress forward. Since I have already lost some weight I know I can do it
My Dutch will improve. It has to and I am determined to work really hard. I'm not good at forced studying but I know I need to do this for myself.
Keep up with my good sleeping pattern. I'm curious to see this one happen – When I am in England I find it easy to go to bed early and to be up bouncing around at 7am. In Holland it seems a lot harder if there are things to do but I am going to do this!
No more evil food: There are a lot of things I can not eat since it makes me very sick. I spent a lot of 2014 feeling sick. I hate to be a bother so I just eat what everyone else is eating even if I am not supposed to.... That's going to change. I gotta look after myself.

All in All I think these are really achievable and I don't feel I am making unrealistic promises to myself, most of these things will come together in one way or another so I am feeling so optimistic.

For this manicure I began by applying two coats of Rimmel's 'Black Cherry'. Once dried I followed on with a coat of Nicole By OPI's 'Stars At Night' (holo bar glitter) and Rimmel's 'Bedazzle' glitter. I then applied a matte top coat and painted on my numbers and wine glass with Oumaxi Acrylic paint. I finished off by applying OPI's top coat.

Well, my beautiful blogging friends, I wish you a truly wonderful start to 2015, I hope you will all have an amazing and successful blogging year. Lets be our best selves this year! I can't wait to see what designs you will all be sharing in the coming year and I look forward to keeping up with you all. It's crazy to think how long I have known and followed some of your blogs now!

Have a sparkly and exciting new year and stay safe,

So much love, gratitude and happiness for the past year I've shared with you all,

Ithfifi

Ithinity Beauty's 2nd Blogiversary!

Allo polish Pals!
Today marks exactly two years since I posted nail art here at Ithinity Beauty, come sit down and please help yourself to a glass of virtual and invisible champagne! I can guarantee it is practically calorie free! I honestly can't believe that it has been two years and also excitingly tomorrow is mine and Mr Bravo's two year anniversary also! I have really enjoyed blogging the past two years, there are times I have been critical on my nail art, times where you guys have helped me to be a little more confident and encouraging me to post with your friendly and supportive comments. I have made some wonderful friends! Thank you to everyone who has followed my blog since the start and to everyone who joined the conga line along the way, I am truly grateful to each and everyone of you :) For today's post I have some '2 year' nail art and I also thought I would show you y favorites from the past year / the designs I have been the most happiest with.

Pretty simple design but I think it gets the point across. I am hoping to show you some recreations later this week of my first ever manicures. I feel like I have learnt a lot since my time blogging; Both mentally and with every other aspect. Here are some of my favorite manicures from the past year; My nails went through so many changes this year, didn't they?!

Which one of these manicures did you like best?

Well that's probably one of the longest posts I have done! Again I want to thank everyone who visits my blog, the lovely friends I have made who comment and the silent browsers. You guys are awesome and I hope to spend another two years blogging.

Have a fantastic evening,
Love
Ithi