Having fun with Born Pretty!

Happy Friday!

Nail art is all the rage right now, and I have some fun nail guides from Born Pretty that will make nail art a little easier.

For the first manicure, I used Sally Hansen "Mellow Yellow" (the old version), and Butter London "Jack The Lad".

First I painted my nails with the yellow, two coats and I let them dry completely. Then I applied the nail guides, "French Manicure Wave Edge Tip Guides" , to the tips of the nails, with a small edge of nail left visible.

Painted the darker color on the edge, and after a minute, I carefully removed the guide.

I did a little cleanup after I removed the guide, and the manicure was perfect and amazingly easy.

Next....

"Mellow Yellow" and Shimmer Polish "Jasmine" and "Practical French Manicure Wave Edge Tip Guides"

Unfortunately, removing these guides from the sheet were not easy, and several of them ripped at the point. I used tweezers to remove each guide, but a couple ripped :(

 

But I managed to get a couple of them off the sheet safely to complete the manicure.

The glitter didn't work out the best, but you can see that with the guides you can get a clean line, without all the fuss. :)

Both nail sheets are a great deal at $1.58 a sheet.  I would suggest gently using tweezers to remove the stickers from the sheet, in order to make sure you get the guide off in one piece. My favorite is the french manicure wave edge, it's clean and easy and delivers a great smooth arch for your nail art.

COUPON CODE: 10% off  when you use JS10K31

Check out Born Pretty Store, for more nail guides and for all your nail art needs!

Keep It Sweet!

*Products provided for review.

Bring on the neons!

Yep, it's finally starting to get warm and you know what that means...NEON'S!

I'm starting my Spring/Summer off right with neon's! The first color I grabbed was "Gamma" by Illamasqua, and a coordinating glitter "Carmen" by Shimmer Polish!

I applied four coats of "Gamma", since it is so thin, and three coats of "Carmen" on the accent finger. "Gamma" is a great color by Illamasqua and does not require a white base coat, however it is THIN! Thinner than I was expecting.  I love the color, but I'm not sure I would endure another four coats to get it. :)

"Carmen" is a great a great glitter mix of coppers and gold. I think the copper elements pair well with the neon creme, and the two make a great couple.  Both polishes dried smoothly, and were easily topped with top coat, no major issues.

What is your favorite neon to wear?

Keep It Sweet!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I love St. Patrick's Day, and if you lived in Chicago for 10 years, like I did, you would love it too!

Chicago is amazing  year 'round, but on this day, it comes alive, and EVERYONE is Irish for the day!  What I miss most are the Pub Crawls / Bar Hopping, the Green River (see below) and the constant Parades!

Everyone goes to work on that day, but that's only so you can unload your stuff and go outside to enjoy the festivities, it is soooo much fun!

So in honor of my beloved Chicago, and it's green waters, I give you a teal- green manicure!

I actually wore this last week ( I was feeling very Irish then) but I decided to post it today (today's manicure will post in a couple days)

This is Sally Hansen "S-Teal A Base" and "Shimmer Polish "Sarah".

This isn't the most GREEN inspired manicure, but I love how this polish leans green and blue at the same time. Sally Hansen "S-Teal Base" is a teal-green polish with a slight shimmer, that applies well in 2 coat. I applied 2 for this manicure.

Then I applied 1 coat of "Sarah" on top of my accent finger, and I was in LOVE with this manicure! So simple, yet so perfect!

Shimmer Polish "Sarah" is a tropical blue green glitter polish.  I paired this polish with a blue color and it leaned more blue, then I paired it with this color and it leaned more green. It is the perfect chameleon glitter. :)

The manicure I am wearing today is way more GREEN! I'll share it with you later in the week :)

Keep It Sweet!

*Shimmer Polish was provided for review

Shimmer Polish "Nichole"

Happy July!!!!

Since this week we celebrate Americas independence day (July 4th), I am doing all patriotic themes manicures and polish, let's bring on the red, white, and blue!

I started with OPI "Dating A Royal", and then added Shimmer Polish "Nichole" to the accent nail.

Shimmer Polish "Nichole" is a beautiful mix of red, blue and silver glitter in various sizes. 1 coat covers nicely, and dries to a smooth finish.

OPI "Dating A Royal" is a beautiful royal blue jelly. Yep, its a must have in everyone nail polish collection. After 3 thin coats, it's perfect. The key to any polish that requires more than 2 coats for opacity is THIN COATS. If you do 3, or 4 or even 5 THIN coats, your manicure stands a chance at drying normally and being FABULOUS!

Keep It Sweet!

*Product sent by PR for review.

Blue or Purple?

Happy Monday!

Today I have a "color changing", "glitter packed" manicure to kick off the new week.

I decided to layer Shimmer Polish "Jenny" over  the tips of Ruby Wing "Moonstone".

Here is the manicure indoors.

Ruby Wing "Moonstone" is a light blue creme polish that changes to muted purple creme in the sun.

Shimmer Polish "Jenny" is a mix of blue,turquoise,  purple, pink and gold glitter in a clear base. Easy to apply, and with a clear base it makes for the perfect glitter, for the tips.

Here it is, in the sun.

Bottle Shot changing in the sun

The change take some time, but after 2 minutes you get this...

A muted purple creme. I wish the purple was stronger sooner, but  if you plan on spending a day in the sun, this will be the perfect colors for you :)

I love all of the Ruby Wing colors, and I can not wait to try them all this summer, fun in-and-out of the sun :)

Keep It Sweet!


*Polishes provided by PR for review.

Blue SHIMMER!

Woo Hoo! Tuesday was my big 3 year anniversary  I'm planning a big, week long, giveaway coming up soon, so stay tuned!

Today I have a lovely, Shimmer Polish named "Maria" that I wore last week, and of course ...its BLUE!

I started with 3 coats of Zoya "Tart" (it is thin), and then added "Maria" to the top and let it "rain down" on my nails, LOL :)

Zoya "Tart". It is "...a vibrant medium blue-raspberry candy blue with soft  metallic shimmer". It is thinner, so 3 coats I needed for full color opacity.

Shimmer Polish "Maria" is a mix of royal blue glitter, some lighter and some darker, in a clear base. Varying sizes in the glitter gives this color depth and variation! Applied like a dream, no issues, no sharp pieces sticking up, so perfect !

Here are some pictures in indirect light to show the detail in the glitter...

I wore this manicure for 5 days (1 chip on my thumb), I was super busy and simply too exhausted to paint them once I got home.  Weeks like this are the reason why I do 2 coats of top coat  (or more) on EVERY manicure, you never know when  you need your manicure to LAST!.

Keep It Sweet!

*The Shimmer Polish was sent for review.