How I Do My Acrylic Nails At Home

I just love any excuse to work with my hands and get fully engrossed in little projects for myself that let me be creative and artistic. One of the things I like doing are my own acrylic nails at home! I get full creative freedom to make any design I want and it’s a great way to express myself. Plus, my bank account is so very thankful for all the money I save by not taking monthly trips to the nail salon. Keep in mind though, it takes practice to create flawless designs and know the perfect liquid-to-powder ratio- but you WILL get there in time. Just have fun with it and keep going. Next thing you know your friends will be asking for a seat at the nail salon in your living room!

If you want to get into this hobby and do your own acrylic nails at home, then follow these steps!

TIPS: How To Make Your Nails Grow Stronger

The secret to perfect looking nails all comes down to establishing a consistent grooming routine. For mine, I always make sure that mine includes daily washing, moisturizing and proper maintenance. When it comes to keeping your nails strong, there are many things that can be done to maintain its strength, appearance and health.

It is also important to make sure they aren’t cutting your cuticles off, which stunts nail growth.

Here are helpful tips to keep your nails strong!

Sally Hansen Beautifier Collection by Complete Salon Manicure

My next few posts are REALLY going to have a self-care theme. Mostly because I've been severally lacking. I know.. I know! I totally need to do better but with daylight saving time here. I see more opportunity to do better.... Starting with my nails!

Thankfully I have the Sally Hansen Beautifier Collection by 

Complete Salon Manicure ($7.97 CAN) collection to get me started.

Your Nails But Better: Zoya Naked Manicure Kit

Some girls hate wearing nail polish – I am not one of those girls. There’s always an “it” colour season after season that I lust over (remember the craze over Chanel’s Jade shade? I think I went to about 30 department stores to find it). 

My one pet peeve about bright polishes? The second you get a chip, you immediately look unkept. That is why the Zoya Naked Manicure Kit immediately caught my attention. As much as I love a pop of colour, there’s something alluring about a sheer, natural manicure.

The formula of this kit is great – it’ll improve the overall strength of your nails (bye bye breakage and hangnails) using a formula made of algae, proteins and Vitamins E and B5.

The instant benefits of the polish includes neutralized discoloration, refined nail plate surface, smoother nail ridges and a natural, healthy tone and finish.

The kit consists of four steps – the Naked Manicure Naked Base (refines nail surface, hydrates nail beds and treats damage), the Naked Manicure Pink Perfector (gives nails a healthy pink glow and brightens the tone of your nails), the Naked Manicure Tip Perfector (mimics a natural nail edge – eliminates yucky yellow fingernail edges) and the Naked Manicure Satin Seal (blurs imperfections, seals in the Pink and Tip Perfector).

Over time, the kit promises to support cellular renewal, improve oxygenation of your nails, enhance your nails’ flexibility and strength and increase hydration and resilience.

The kit retails for $30 and is available on NakedManicure.com. Zoya also sells additional Perfector shades in buff, lavender and mauve to achieve other desired nail effects, including deepening, brightening and colour correction.

Essie Loves Tattify

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend Fashion week at David Pecaut Square.
One of my highlights was visiting Essie's media-exclusive backstage lounge to get some #essielove.
My nails were done using one of the newest spring 2015 collections!

I choose "picked perfect" as a base with an accent of "garden variety" from the flowerista collection! This collection marks the first collaboration with designer Rebecca Minkoff. 
She's essie's global color designer.

To jazz up my manicure we used Tattify!
Tattify sells temporary tattoos and nail art wraps.
Definitely a trend that we will see everywhere in the upcoming months.

After all of that was done, I went into the mani cam for my close up!

Do you like my nails?

DIY nails with MICRO Nail

Right now I'm really into beauty treatments. 

I do think it's important to go to professionals for major treatments but 

for the times in-between why not DIY? 

I was excited when I got an email to try the MICRO Nail ($59.99).

MICRO Nail electric polisher buffs and shines in seconds, instantly revealing brilliantly natural, shiny nails. Rotating at 360 degrees and up to 1,800 times per minute, the MICRO Nail has two patented rollers.

It comes with a few rollers. There is the ‘MICRO Smooth’ roller. It's designed to buff away imperfections and stains. This is a common issue with people like me who get gel polishes.

The other roller ‘MICRO Shine’ is the miracle worker! It gives you the natural shine. You can wear your nails without polish or add your fave colour on top!

I used my mom as my nail model. 

The device was gentle on the nails and the process was really quick.

MICRO Nail is battery operated and can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart or Micronails.ca.

Sally Hansen Mother’s Day Salon Gel Polish collection + Swatches

It's summer and pastels are now in swing again! 

Just in time for Mother's Day Sally Hansen has come out with Mother’s Day Salon Gel Polish collection ($14.95 CAN). Which is available for a limited time exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart.

If your mom is similar to mine- A lady who always has her nails done, this is the perfect Mother's Day gift! She can save money and still look fabulous.

The colour is step number two.
To complete the whole process you need: 

• LED Lamp
• Gel Base Coat
• Gel Top Coat
• Nail Cleanser Pads

The colours from left to right:
Laven-Darling -lilac purple
For Teal -vibrant turquoise
Just Peachy -glistening coral, 
Glamor-fied -metallic nude

I tried the gel polishes and I was very impressed. 

Check out other colours on sale:

They apply smoothly (no streaking) and the colour exactly what you see inside the bottle.

I'm wearing Laven-Darling!

Which I might add looking amazing on my skin tone.

If you see these in Shoppers Drug Mart pick them up because they're limited-edition and will be gone soon!

Trind Caring Color Polishes - SWATCHES

Have you heard of Trind Cosmetics?

Trind’s unique formulation strengthens the connection between the protein molecules, without altering the balance of the essential moisturizers. The nail becomes strong, flexible and supple because you have that perfect balance between strength and moisture. Activated by moisture, Trind’s formulation prevents further drying of the nail.

I've tried their nail care line in the past and really liked it.
 This time I had the opportunity to try out their polishes Caring Colors polishes.

The Trind Caring Color Line ($13.00 CAN) offers a fascinating palette of fashionable shades for fabulous nails. Color Lacquer that has specially been developed as a maintenance system.

Swatches

CC161

CC166 

These polishes have great colour pay-off.

As you can see above with these colours- two coats is all I needed to get a great finish.

Want to try out these polishes for yourself? 

Trind location finder

My L'Oreal Extraordinaire Gel-Lacquer 1-2-3 manicure experience

Gel polishes are on the rise.

Some people want the durability of Gel polishes without the crazy removal time.

I was recently sent L'Oreal's new Extraordinaire Gel-Lacquer 1-2-3 manicure set.

I had no idea what to expect.

It was a three-step process.

Shake gently. After applying Gel-Primer, apply 2 coats followed by Extraordinaire Gel-Glaze.

Let me start off by saying I love the consistency of the polish.

No bubbling or streaking during my application.

Get the kit here:

All I needed was one thick coat! 

I was extremely impressed with the dry time.

After 7 days

Pros:

• No MAJOR chipping.
• Colour stayed on pretty good for 7 days.
• No UV light needed.

Con:

• Shine was gone.
• Visible wear up close.

I will say that the gel-lacquer holds up better than regular polish for me. I just wish that it still had the shine like my regular gel manicures after a week. The removal was a breeze. I used regular nail polish remover. No issues/ damages to my nail beds.

What do you think about my 7 day wear?

New from Kiss Nail Products: Gel Fantasy Nails & Salon Secrets Nail Art Starter Kit

There are so many nail options out there. Honestly, there is no reason for my nails to bare.
If you see me with bare nails, please scream at me!

These new releases from Kiss products fit right in to my 2014 beauty resolution.

Let's start with the Gel Fantasy Nails kits which I have featured below.

Yes ladies! I'm wearing gel press on nails.

I'm wearing painted veil

Back in Early December, I had the opportunity to meet Gina Edwards. She's a celebrity manicurist who came to Canada to debut Kiss's new nail products for a few select beauty media. Gina complimented me on my nail beds and picked out this oval fantasy gel set for me (seen above).

Shop Kiss Nail Products:

Why gel fantasy nails?

You can sport a sparkling glitter manicure that stays shiny and bright with an ultra-smooth finish, without the hassle of glitter removal! 

Gel removal can be a long process, if you do not know what you're doing. Gel Fantasy gives you the opportunity to get the look you want in less than 10 minutes or less. You can chose to apply them with the mega-adhesive tabs or glue them on. Your preference!

 Each set comes with:

• 24 Nails 
• 24 Mega-Adhesive Tabs 
• Pink Gel Glue (2g) 
• Mini File Manicure Stick

Check out the eight styles below:

A manicurist from Tips Nail bar which applied the nails and added some extra nail art to jazz them up. The glitters that she used is also from kiss! It's their Salon Secrets Nail Art Starter Kit. 

Create nail designs just like the professionals with this all-encompassing collection of tools and nail art straight from the salon.

It also comes with a Pro Design Guide that gives you nail inspiration from top nail experts!

Each kit comes with:

• Pre-Cut Nail Art 
• 6 Glitter Pouches 
• Design Decals 
• Faux Rhinestones Charms 
• Foil Tape 
• Dotting Tool 
• 3 Nail Art Brushes
•  Nail Art Sealer (3.3mL) 
• Pro Design Guide

Easy nail art at your finger tips!
Are there any styles that you want to see me try? Let me know below.

Have you seen these in stores yet?

My Beauty Resolution for 2014!

Right now, my hands are a serious focal point. Bad nails and a gorgeous ring- DO NOT go together. It’s embarrassing actually! 

No one want to give a disclaimer every single time someone asks to see it! 

My beauty resolution is to take care of my nails weekly. 

I will try my best to use cuticle oil daily, file/shape my nails and give myself manicures!

My favourite product to use is Dior’s Creme Apricot. It’s a rich fortifying cream for your nails. Easy to use- All you have to do is apply the product around your nails and massage it in! I like to use it on naked nails right before I paint them. Perfect product to use right before you go to your bed.
Buy it now.

What is your Beauty Resolution for 2014?

This post was featured on Fashion Magazine Beauty Panel

Did CND Vinylux polishes live up to the hype?

I have seen some of my fellow beauty bloggers trying out the CND Vinylux polishes recently and I was excited to get my hands on the line.

I'm a huge fan of CND shellac polishes. We all know how popular they are in the nail salons. 

I expected the same thing out of the Vinylux line. 

My biggest attraction to the polishes is the fact that they come off like regular polish.

I got the 7 piece The Forbidden mini collection from nailpolishcanada.

Colours:
Blue Rapture, Night Glimmer, Burnt Romance, Steel Gaze, Dark Dahlia and Tinted Love.

When applied with CND Vinylux Topcoat, Vinylux shades lasts for a week on the nails. Vinylux is a simple two step process that requires no base coat and is applied like regular polish. First, apply 2 layers of colour then apply Vinylux Topcoat. With natural light exposure the Vinylux Topcoat gets more durable resulting in a week long manicure.

Formula/consistency.
It's beautiful! So creamy and vibrant.
If I had to score it on just formula, It would get a 10!

Wear
This is where I get baffled. I did everything the bottle said.
Some nails would stay almost chip-free and others would look horrid after day 3.
I have no idea what happened.

I'm still on the fence about this product. 

Has anyone else had the same issue with the CND Vinylux polishes?

Is there a technique that I should be using?

Favourite Fall Nail Colour?

Fall nails can range from neutrals to the deepest plums/blacks.

With that being said, I personally find that deeper tones look really nice on my skin tone.

Currently, I've been trying out CND Vinylux Weekly Polish. 

Not sure how I feel about the line yet but this deep blacken plum is gorgeous!

What is your favourite Fall nail colour?

Mariah Carey Limited Edition Holiday OPI Nail Lacquers

I'm sorry guys... 

I'm totally skipping Halloween and going straight to the holidays!

This holiday- Spiced Beauty is going to be the ultimate gift guide.

I have sooo much to share and giveaway.

Let's not forget it's my 5 year bloggerversary in December!

Out this month is the Mariah Carey's 18 New Limited Edition Holiday OPI Nail Lacquers!

OPI announces the launch of 18 new limited edition holiday nail lacquers inspired by recording artist and international superstar Mariah Carey. This seasonal promotion includes an assortment of red, burgundy, maroon and chocolate brown hues, along with glitter-packed gold, bronze and pearl shades. Mariah Carey Holiday also features six new Liquid SandTM lacquers, ranging from icy blue to frosted pink to sparkling graphite. Each of the Liquid Sand shades showcases OPI’s groundbreaking technology for a textured, matte finish infused with reflective sparkle.

I was sent two shades from the line.

Ski Slope Sweetie

Colour: Golden pearl

Very Pretty! This colour looks way better in person. 

I had a hard time photographing it- but overall you get the idea.

Cute Little Vixen

Deep red violet 

Perfect Fall/Winter shade.

Looks great on all skin tones.

Mariah Carey Holiday collection is available this month- October 2013, at professional salons and spas across Canada.