Tag Archives: nails

Winter means….

08 Thursday Dec 2016

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…snowflake nail art! I am obsessed with snowflake nail art. My MoYou London plate (website linked here) remains my most used stamping plate of the year. That sounds kind of sad but it is absolutely amazing. The best thing is I can use it well past December! Where I live it snows until March so I never feel weird or out of placing putting it on my nails.

I hope you like this icy gradient and double stamping look I created for the Challenge Your Nail Art 12 Days of Christmas!

Facebook Group | Social media tag: #cyna, #12daysofchristmas

 

snowflakegradient2Gradient: OPI No More Mr. Night Sky – dark grey, I Drive a Super Nova – light (both from last winter’s Starlight collection)

Stamping: MoYou London stamping – Festive collection plate 02, Barry M Cosmetics Chai (grey), SinfulColors Snow Me White (white)

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Spring 2016 Collection – daniPRO Nails | Review

19 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by in Nail Art, Reviews

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Press Sample

 

IMG_2163I was recently contacted by a PR agency I’ve worked with in the past to test and review a new-to-me brand called “daniPRO”. According to the PR statement, this brand is innovative because it was created by podiatrist, Dr. Gary Evans. daniPRO lacquers are 4-free (meaning they do not contain toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and DBP). However, upon closer inspection, I noticed these nail polishes do contain camphor, which is considered a toxin making daniPRO’s “free of toxins” statement website not completely true.

The stand-out ingredient in these polishes is undecylenic acid which helps prevent fungus. It is also important to note the fine print on both the bottle and website that say this ingredient is “not effective on nails”. What does that even mean? The ingredient is not effective on nails or it is not effective at treating fungus?

Honestly, even before I put on this nail polish, I noticed too many “discrepancies” for my liking but as long as its 3-free (no DBP, Formaldehyde or Toulene) I’m happy to try the nail polish as nail polish.

I was sent four separate colors, and a top coat, for review. The colors are a light petal pink, a more electric one and a “true” red.

The top coat was nothing special. It dried relatively quickly but it pulled the base color which does not make it ideal for sealing in nail art. This type of pulling and base removal is one of my biggest pet peeves and I cannot overlook it!

 

Forever Girl is a light petal pink. I applied four (yes, 4!) coats and the result was still patchy and streaky. The formula is thin and floods the cuticles easily. My camera is very forgiving in daylight but as you can see in both photos below this polish is no good.

bottleshotingrass

 

My Girl is your typical bright pink. It appears more electric in the sun. I achieved “acceptable” opacity with 3 coats but the final result is just as streaky as Forever Girl. The formula is very thin and immediately floods the cuticles. However, this polish’s one redeeming quality is that it cleans up very easily (which is rare with a color like this). It’s a shame really because I loved this color against my skin tone.

pink2pinkwbottle_edited-1

 

First Kiss is a true candy apple red . I am pleasantly surprised with this formula. It is thin but not streaky and I reach full opacity after two coats. If I am in a rush I might get away with one coat but there is a slightly visible nail line.

red

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Final Thoughts: The formulas were subpar (there are much better ones out there). I could forgive this major flaw if the colors were ones I could not live without. Even after looking at the full selection on the daniPRO website I am 100% sure every other nail polish brand out there sells them. The top coat pulls the color and does not given the same glossy finish as others I’ve tried. It will, however, work well in creating DIY jellies.

At $18.00 a pop you’re better off buying Zoya. Their polishes are cheaper, have better formulas in the exact same colors and more.

daniPRO social media:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#AtoZChallenge – U is for Ugly-Pretty Shade

28 Thursday Apr 2016

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I previously stated I have a soft spot for limited edition Chanel nail polishes so Peridot, from the Fall 2011 collection, is no exception. Yet, I rarely wear it. The duochrome is kind of weird and sits funny against my skin. It is one hell of a color though. It shifts from a burnished gold to a dirty khaki with loads of shimmer thrown in for good measure. It is such an interesting shade but definitely an ugly-pretty one too!

What do you think of it? (I will update the pictures when I get some sun!)

 

peridot

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#AtoZChallenge – P is for Pros and Bronze

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

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This particular shade ended up in the back of my gold polish shelf because I rarely use it. I don’t know why though because it is a seriously gorgeous color!

Pros & Bronze is a gold, copper, bronze shade with some specs of green mixed in for good measure. In any given lighting the colors give it a speckled look. It was introduced to the OPI line back in 2011 as part of the Serena Williams “Grand Slam” collection. I found this particular bottle sitting in the sad little OPI shelf at CVS!

I like this shade better than pure gold just because it has so much more dimension!

What do you think of it?

 

prosandbronze_edited-1

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#AtoZChallenge – C is for Chanel | Nails

04 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by in Nail Art, Reviews

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I wrote about my wonderful Chanel sunglasses so of course I had to do a polish related post as well!

It is no secret I L-O-V-E love Chanel polishes. If I could buy them all I would. However, that is highly unrealistic so I purchase the “special” ones. One of my favorites is Taboo from the Spring 2013 collection.

taboo This is a gorgeous deep purple with blue and red shimmer running throughout the polish.

 

tabooYou can see a hint of the gold shimmer that is so prominent in the bottle but it really only exists there.

The formula is thick but pliable and fully covers in one coat. For good measure I always wear two. It does stain a little but that is expected from such a deep blurple (blue-purple) shade!

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Check out the Blogging A to Z hub here.

Blue Rhythm de Chanel Vibrato and Fortissimo | Les Vernis Review

04 Sunday Oct 2015

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Purchased.

I first saw an advertisement for this collection in June. I couldn’t find it anywhere and thought it had already launched. I was devastated. Chanel made unique, beautiful nail polishes but there was something extraordinary about their blues. Remember Les Jeans collection from 2011? In August, I noticed a resurgence of Blue Rhythm reviews and my excitement boiled over. I hadn’t missed these two beauties after all!

I wanted to be financially conscious and only purchase Fortissimo but when I saw Vibrato in person I had to have it as well. So, without further ado, let’s jump into the swatches!

 

Chanel Les Vernis - Fortissimo and Vibrato | The Rite of Aging

(Chanel Les Vernis @ Macy’s)

 

2 coats, top coat

Chanel Les Vernis Swatch - Vibrato | The Rite of AgingVibrato is an extremely vibrant cobalt blue. I was skeptical that the photos were highly saturated but no, Vibrato is that just that intense. The formula is good. It is thin but not streaky. It applies easily without pulling and levels well. The polish dries quickly which can sometimes an issue with Chanel polishes.

 

2 coats, top coat

Chanel Les Vernis Swatch - Fortissimo | The Rite of AgingFortissimo is a bright navy with cobalt shimmer running through it. The gorgeous shimmer is prominent both in the bottle and on the nail. This dimension elevates the color from a traditional deep navy to a dynamic midnight blue.

Funny story: I wore this to class and all my students, even the little boys, complimented me on my nails because they were painted their favorite color!

On first application, Fortissimo‘s formula is sheer and streaky and quickly pools into the cuticles. The second coat evens out the color nicely making it an easy two-coater polish. It dries quickly and levels nicely.

I love both polishes and cannot recommend one over the other. They are both extremely unique and gorgeous. If you are like me and love collecting limited edition, one-of-a-kind shades I wouldn’t wait to purchase these. Nordstrom online is already sold out (a sales rep, at the counter, tried purchasing them online and the order was cancelled a couple of days later) but the Macy’s website still has them in stock.

 

Do you own one or both of these nail colors? What do you think? Love them or leave them?

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

#31DC2015 – Blue Waterfall Nail Art

05 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by in Community, Nail Art

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We are only five days in and I already hit nail artist block?? I tried five different designs and none of them looked right! I racked my brains, I skimmed through old photos and I met with absolutely no inspiration.

I realized this morning most of the looks I did in August were all blue! No wonder! I am burnt out. Hopefully if I lay off the color I will recharge my blue batteries.

I did not necessarily want to do this design but I couldn’t do anything else. I pulled out some old polishes I had not used in a while. I forgot how much I love the Nails Inc. glitter. The colors shouldn’t work together but they do somehow!

Hope you like it!

 

#31DC2015 - Blue Waterfall #nailart | The Rite of AgingBases: Barry M Chai & Glitter Gal Galaxy Holo Top Coat; China Glaze UV Meant to Be & Nails Inc. Sprinkles Pudding Lane

Waterfall: acrylic paints

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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