It's been a while since I've posted a "Mini Mani Update" but I'm BACK and going ahead full throttle! Or trying, at least.

On Thursday I tried out some new Essie Sleek Stick nail stickers in "02 croc 'n chic" which I picked up. Unfortunately, here in Switzerland, I haven't seen a large selection of Essie's nail stickers. Most stores have 2 or 3 of the stickers to choose from. But I really like these :)

I applied one sticker on each of my ring fingers as my "accent nail". On the rest of my nails I applied the shade "Bottle Service" from Essie's "Neons 2013" collection. This is a BRIGHT pink shade described as scorching neon fuchsia - love it. I actually don't own any bright pink nail polish shades so I welcomed this one to my collection with open arms.

I started out with one layer of OPI Nail Envy Nail Strengthener. I proceeded with 2 layers of "Bottle Service" and 2 layers of OPI "I Juggle...Men" on top of the nail sticker on my accent nail, to jazz it up a wee bit. I topped off every nail with my new Dry Fast Top Coat from Seche Vite. My nails dry so unbelievably fast with this top coat - it's a definite must if you don't have the patience. I read on someone's blog (can't remember for the life of me) that they aren't a huge fan of the Seche Vite top coat because they find that it pulls together while drying and that you then notice streaks in your nail polish color. On my nails, the top coat works perfectly on normal nail polish, BUT it does pull together when used on the nail stickers! After using the top coat, the nail stickers don't look as smooth - but that doesn't really bother me.

I did some must-needed maintenance on my cuticles since they can get so dry. After making sure my nail polish dried completely, I added some regular cuticle oil around each nail and rubbed it in. I then used some Almond Oil Daily Hand & Nail Cream from The Body Shop. This has been my favorite hand cream for years. The scent is not overbearing and I feel it's very nurturing for my skin. The one I'm holding here is in the old packaging - if you click the link you'll see the new packaging.

Here's a little extra bit for you guys:

When I first applied the nail sticks on my ring finger nails Thursday night, I applied Essie's "Miss Fancy Pants" to the rest of my nails. In real life, this shade matches the little squares on the nail stickers perfectly. Looked really chic and not in-your-face at all. BUT since it's Saturday and such nice weather, I thought that grey-ish shade was way too boring so I slapped on some neon pink - duh ;)

Have a wonderful day & stay tuned for today's #30daysnap photo!

xo Michelle