Wednesday, January 27, 2016

6:00 AM

Hobby Polish Bloggers presents - Gradients


     If you've followed my blog for any length of time you know I'm a member of the Facebook group Hobby Polish Bloggers. Its a great group of supportive bloggers who help answer questions and are really there to help each other grow. Every month the group votes on a theme and has a link up. This months theme was a gradient, which I took a step further and added a little nail art.  Are you ready to see it?


    I know this isn't an original look, not even for me. I did a similar one for a summer time nail art challenge back in 2014. What can I say I'm a fan of this look! Plus I needed something summery to cheer me up after the frigid temps here lately. 

     For my gradient I used 3.5° and Coral Reef, two polishes from an upcoming collection by Parallax Polish. The Wonders of the 7 Seas Collection is releasing in early Feb and I'll have all the details for you in a future post. And trust me you wont want to miss it! Sparkles, shimmers, and glitter everywhere you turn, its a stunning collection. 


   The image I used is from Bundle Monster plate bm-424 stamped with Zoya Black Swan. The best black in my collection when it comes to stamping. But I'm always looking for another one so if you've got a favorite let me know so I can check it out. 

    So there you have it, my take on a gradient manicure this time around at least. Now let's see what everyone else has come up with. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!


Friday, January 22, 2016

6:00 AM

40 Great Nail Art Ideas- 3 Shades of Purple


     It's Friday, which means it's time for another look from the 40 Great Nail Art Ideas Challenge. For those of you not familiar with this challenge here's a quick recap...This challenge is set up a bit differently than most. For starters there is the option to do weekly manicures with one week dedicated to themes, and one to colors. Or you can do every other week and stick with themes only or colors only. For the color portion of the challenge each person is also assigned a pattern. The end result is 40 different looks all done in the same colors. I opted to do the color challenge and you can see my previous looks using TealOrange, Purple and GreenBlack and WhiteGrey, Glitter toppers, and Pale Blue.  This week we are using 3 shades of purple and the technique I have is water marble. 

    Water marbling is one of the reasons I got into nail art, and was the first look I tried. So this was a fun week for me with remembering the excitement I felt back then and how proud I was when it turned out to be a success. I still haven't mastered how to get all my nails to look the same and probably never will to be honest. But I sorta like having each nail similar but not exact. And that's just how this manicure turned out. 

nail-art-water-marble-manicure-purple

    I used 3 colors from Sinful Colors in my water marble because I have had the most success with this brand so far. And I don't feel as guilty about wasting so much polish because of the overly wallet friendly price. The colors are Mesmerize, Sweet Tooth and Winterberry. 


     To make the colors more intense I used Milani White on the Spot as my base color. As a general rule I have a layer of white under all my water marbles actually. I think it stems from that first water marble attempt, where the polish looked so thin in the water and I was convinced it wouldn't be opaque on my nails. Now it's just habit I guess. one of those weird quirks us nail bloggers develop over time. Id love to hear about yours in the comments...hint hint. 


    Well I've run out of things to say about this manicure, and to be honest I not really sure there is more that could be said. So now it's time for you to leave me your thoughts in the comments because I love reading them. And then check out the other looks for this weeks challenge. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!


Wednesday, January 20, 2016

6:00 AM

Aveniro - Glass Nail Files


     Good morning everyone! I've got a different kind of post for you today. Instead of focusing on nail polish or nail are, we are going to take a look at some tools you can use to prep for the perfect manicure. The folks over at Aveniro generously sent me 3 nail/foot files to review.  But first let's get into a little background of this company. 

     Aveniro Ltd. is a unique glass nail files producer from the Czech Republic. Since these glass files are made of the Bohemian crystals, they are renown for their unlimited lifespan, efficency, simple maintenance and positive effect on the health of your nails. 


     There are several benefits to using a glass file. They don't tend to split your nails. They don't wear out as easily and other files, they can be washed with warm soapy water. They are also extremely efficient, meaning it doesn't take too many swipes across your nail to shorten it. There is one major downfall though, glass files are fragile and can break easily if dropped. Thankfully that hasn't happened to me yet!

As you can see each file comes with it's own pouch to store it in, which makes keeping them from getting banged up much easier. There are also several styles to choose form as far as the decorative handles go. After looking at the website it was hard to pick a favorite, and I wanted them all. 



     First up is the manicure file. Type L42 with is 195 mm long, with a 4 mm thickness. This glass file is meant for manicures, but can be used for pedicures. The decorations are an orange color with a 3D sticker. The surface of the sticker is made to ensure that the file will not slide between your fingers and is easier to hold. There is the option on the website to design your own 3D sticker with a logo or favorite image.  

     These files are double sided, thin and the filing surface is etched into the surface of the file for longer use. All around I thought this was a very high quality file. It was easy to use, was smooth across my nail, and cleaned up nicely. 

     Next up are the foot files. I was sent 2 of these to review. One regular size, and a travel size. 


    You will notice that these files are wider and shorter than the manicure file. They also have a slightly rougher surface  on one side than the manicure file. 


     Type XL62r - 165mm long with a 6mm thickness. This is referred to as the large foot scraper. 
     

     Type L62r - 135 mm long with a 6mm thickness. L62r is referredd to as the small foot scraper. A smaller version of the XL62r, recommended especially for traveling. I have not actually used this one yet, but I am assuming it worked just a s well as the full sized version. 

    "The foot file is gentle and safe. In comparison with other pedicure tools you take no risks of injuries while using our foot files. Skin does not tear after its usage but becomes soft and tempting to touch. Moreover our glass rasp is produced in DUO variant, i.e. with two different roughnesses on one file. The coarser side removes fast and effectively calloused skin and the smoother side serves to neatening of skin."


     I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first with these. I'm particularly hard on my feet. I'm standing or walking for most of my day and if I can get away with being barefoot I will. No matter how many pedicures I get, or how much lotion I put on my heels are always rough. Let me tell you these really work! No they aren't a miracle cure but my feet felt smoother for longer than with traditional files. And I have a feeling if I keep using them, come summer time I am going to have the softest feet to show off in my sandals.

    As of right now these files are not available for single purchase, only wholesale but if that changes I will let you know. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!




Friday, January 8, 2016

6:00 AM

40 Great Nail Art Ideas- Pale Blue Base


     Its time come again for another installment of the 40 Great Nail Art Ideas Challenge. For those of you unfamiliar with this challenge here's a quick explanation. This challenge is set up a bit differently than most. For starters there is the option to do weekly manicures with one week dedicated to themes, and one to colors. Or you can do every other week and stick with themes only or colors only. For the color portion of the challenge each person is also assigned a pattern. The end result is 40 different looks all done in the same colors. I've opted to do the color portion of the challenge and have been having a lot of fun so far. 

     Now after doing 2 similar looks for this challenge I wanted to try and think outside the box and come up with some interesting looks to share. I think I did just that with my tie-dye manicure but for this week I was crunched for time and took the easy way out. You'd think after having 2 weeks off from work I would have found a little time to do some nail art! Sadly my style seems to be put things off till the very last minute lately. So here is my pale blue base manicure with a tribal pattern. 

     I started with Pure Ice Prince Charming from the newly released Fairy-tale Forrest Collection. A pale blue with subtle micro shimmer. 

  
     Thank God my clear jelly stamper showed up last week because it made adding the tribal pattern go on almost effortlessly and faster than I've ever done a stamping manicure before. Seriously if you like to stamp and haven't pick this miracle stamper yet do it right now. I mean it, open a new window and order that baby up. I'll wait.... got your order placed? OK let's continue.


     Like I mentioned above I was crunched for time so stamping was the only way for me to go and I really liked this image from the promotional plate offered by Cult Nails about a year ago. I'm still so sad that they closed up shop...one of the very first indies I ever purchased. 

     I used Orly Glitz to stamp with and am extremely happy with how well it worked. For some reason I had it in my head that I had to use gold for a tribal pattern if my base was pale blue. It seemed more authentic to me, but don't ask me why.  And after sitting and staring at my collection for 20 minutes trying to pick a different color I gave up and went with gold. 


    I do actually like the way these colors go together and happy that I stuck with my original idea. But I wanted to see what it would look like matte. Again thinking it would have a more authentic feel to it.


     Now with the matte top coat you lose the sparkle in Prince Charming but I still prefer it this way. Its not a huge difference from the glossy version but it has a different feeling to it for me. Here's a macro of both look so you can pick which one you like better and let me know in the comments. 


   And remember this is a nail art challenge so there's a link up involved, so be sure to check out the other looks. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!



Thursday, January 7, 2016

6:00 AM

MoYou London - The Hipster Collection (Press Release)


     This Friday MoYou London is releasing 7 new plates in the Hipster Collection. I've got your first look right here. 

Bicycles, beards, and dressed up Pandas,
our newest plate release is bigger and better than ever.

Our new Hipster plates are available starting this
Friday at noon (GMT)

Which plate are you going to scoop up?
Give us a shout on Instagram
@MoYou_London,
we’d love to hear from you!

Need a boost of nailspiration?
CHECK OUT OUR
↝ BLOG  ↜
for a dose of tips,tricks and trends!

Heavy black heart Lots of love! Heavy black heart
The MoYou London Team

MoYou plates can be purchased in their shop. As mentioned above these plates will be available Friday January 8th. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

6:00 AM

What's up for 2016?

     Hello everyone, long time no posting. It's been a few weeks and I'm not sure where the time has gone.  The holidays are over and the everyday routine has kicked back in. I've taken some time lately to really think about what my blog means to me and where I want it to go.

     As you may have noticed my heart just hasn't been in it lately. Blogging had become a job that I felt I was always behind on. Rushing at night trying to get things ready for the morning, talking myself into sitting down to edit photos, and not feeling like I was getting much out of it, or even much of a return from readers or followers on Facebook.

   So after taking a step back and not thinking about blogging for a week I was able to look at this with fresh eyes and really put things into perspective. Last year I set 3 goals for myself and then started reading every blogging help post I could find. They all said I had to post on a schedule so people would know when to visit, or that I had to add a ton of keywords to my posts to get ranked in google. And I started out the year ready for the challenge. And then I saw my numbers drop, comments became few and far between and I couldn't get a single like on a Facebook post. It became very frustrating and I thought about just giving up a few times. I almost did quit and then I remembered why I started blogging in the first place.

    It was my hobby that I wanted to share with people who are interested in the same thing. I wanted to work on my nail art skills and catalog my journey. Somewhere along the line I forgot all that and tried to make it a "job" started focusing on the wrong things and lost myself along with my desire.

  So this year I have decided that I'm going to aim for quality instead of quantity. I still might get 3 posts up some weeks but,  Id rather have 1 really good post that people want to read instead of 3 robot like posts that are boring.  I want to do post that people want to comment on and not the typical "wow thats beautiful" or "great color combo" comments. I want to put more of me into my posts cause I'm actually kind of fun sometimes.

     I'm going to do another year long no buy because let's face it, if you look at my collection page up there at the top there's a lot of polish that hasn't made it onto my blog. Which means you might see a lot of discontinued colors, but you'll also find some great core colors from Store brands. And I'm always open to requests if there's something on the list you want to see.

     I'm going to stop focusing on my numbers and get back to the joy of nail polish and nail art. I'll have more swatch photos and continue with my stamping polish comparison series. Basically this year I'm going to have fun with my blog and I hope you'll stick around for that. I like having all of you here, and love hearing your thoughts. So here's to a great 2016!!

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