LVX Spring 2015 Haze

Happy Friday, friends!

Today's post is another shade from the Spring 2015 collection by LVX. 

LVX polishes are free from formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, Dibutylphthalate, and camphor. They are vegan friendly and do not test on animals. They are inspired by fashion trends for the season. 

This Spring collection is a great mix of light and dark colours.

Haze is a gray toned lavender with light silver shimmer.

It was very easy to apply and was opaque in 1 coat and perfect in 2.

I love that this is gray toned. It makes it more of a neutral lavender.

I paired Haze with a stamped lace pattern using image plate BP-02 from www.bornprettystore.com

So pretty!! I love how delicate this looks!

You can purchase LVX through their website www.shoplvx.com or through one of their vendors listed on their website.

LVX Spring 2015 Camo

Hello lovelies!

My favourite season is Spring and though it might not feel like Spring is in the air right now, Spring polish collections are definitely getting me in the mood!

This gorgeous collection by LVX features a mix of bright and dark colours that are full of dimension and are on trend with the hot shades for Spring.

LVX polishes are 5-free so they do not contain Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor or dibutylphthalate. They are vegan friendly and do not contain any animal by-products. They are chip and UV resistant and are formulated to match fashion trends for the season.

The first shade I'll be showing you is Camo, a multidimensional dark army green which shows green in some light and brown in others. It has copper shimmer throughout.

It was inspired by the camouflage green tones popular in several designers Spring lines. This is a dress by Galiano.

I love how unique this polish is! It's sophisticated and rich. This is 2 coats with no top coat.

I love the copper shimmer!

I paired it with some simple nail art using the dry brush method and some gold studs.

More information on LVX polishes can be found on their website www.shoplvx.com. 

Simply Peel Latex Barrier

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're having a great Valentine's Day! I love hearts and I love pink so even though I don't love Valentine's Day, I still have lots of V-Day designs on my Instagram page. 

Today's post features a brand new product that I was so excited to try! It's called Simply Peel and it's a liquid latex barrier that has 2 purposes. It is a protector of live skin cells when using chemical cuticle removers and is a barrier around your nail to minimize clean up when doing messy nail techniques like sponging on gradients or water marbling. (Note that this product is not recommended for those with allergies to latex.)

Simply Peel is produced by Bliss Kiss, the company that makes Pure Oil, the best cuticle oil I have tried. Founder Ana Seidel uses high quality ingredients in her products and does a lot of research to ensure that her products are top notch. More information on Bliss Kiss products can be found here: www.nailcarehq.com

When using chemical cuticle removers, ideally you do not want the remover to affect live skin cells and only to remove the hang nails and dead cuticles. By applying the Simply Peel around your nail bed, it protects the live skin cells.

Simply Peel can also be used to when doing messy nail design techniques that normally require you to clean up excess polish on your finger. Methods like sponging on gradients, stamping, and water marbling often result in polish all over your finger and cleaning it up can be a big task. Having a protective barrier around your nail helps reduce how much clean up is required because you'll be able to peel off most of the excess. I used this in my last nail design. 

Here's how I used it. First I applied the Simply Peel around my nail.

As per Simply Peel's instructions, I allowed the material to dry for 90-120 seconds before moving onto the next step. You'll know the barrier is dry when it becomes clear and the glitter is visible. I love this indicator!

Then you can do your messy nail technique. I used the Saran Wrap method. Full tutorial is on my YouTube channel. 

To remove the latex barrier, carefully peel it away with tweezers or your fingers.

You're left with little to no polish on your finger. It's much easier to remove a small amount around your nail than your entire finger.

I've tried a few liquid latex barriers and this one is one of the best because of its ease of application with the wider brush and even easier removal. 

The price point also makes this one a must buy. A 15mL bottle retails for only $11.99 plus shipping. Some brands sell their liquid latex for over $20 for a small bottle. I highly recommend Simply Peel. It is very easy to use and super helpful!

INM Nails Bikini

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I was having a not so great day yesterday and came home to a nice surprise: the Valentine's set from INM. They are having  a sweet deal for Valentine's Day right now. It features 4 polishes, a heart glitter topper, and 2 of their awesome top coats, all for $25 plus shipping! It's such a great deal! And the heart topper is perfect for Valentine's Day!

The colours in this package are Pink Petals (dark pink), Mardi Gras Mauve (medium pink), Bikini (hot pink), and Casino Royale (red). The glitter polish is called Mi Amor and the top coats are Out The Door fast drying top coat and out The Door Matte top coat.

Bikini, the hot pink polish, was calling out to me when I opened the box. It's a bright pink and is perfectly opaque and fluorescent in 2 coats.

I am in love with this shade! Sometimes neon colours are hard to apply because they need a white base to really pop or need several layers in order to be opaque and streak free. This one didn't need either and was still perfectly bright!

Because this is part of the V-Day set, I had to pair it with a cute love theme. 

The zig zags were done using a chevron shield from Snail Vinyls. I have a tutorial on my Instagram page now. The stamp of LOVE was done using the QA07 plate from the Born Pretty Store.

INM polishes are available online and through several distributors and stores. Visit their website for more info www.inmnails.com!

butter LONDON Fishwife

Hi loves!

So the weather outside is still terrible, the snow keeps falling. I cannot wait til the Spring. I wanna wear pastels and neon colours again. Today's mani uses a colour that is a good transition colour from Winter to Spring.

I recently won a giveaway on Instagram put on by butterLONDON Canada. I had a $75 gift certificate to be used on their website www.butterlondon.ca. Here's what I picked:

The first product I tried from the bunch is a sage green holographic polish called Fishwife. 

This was 2 coats with top coat.

This is such a unique polish. The holographic effect is light and more of a scattered holo than linear.

I added a stamped design with the SN-004 stamping plate from www.lightinthebox.com

butterLONDON polishes are 3-free so they do not contain formaldehyde, toluene or dibutylphthalate. They come in many colours and some even have matching lipsticks. Visit their website for more information www.butterlondon.ca

Kat Von D Outlaw

Hello lovelies!

I have something a little different to show you today. I've been trying out different cosmetics and started playing with lipsticks and lip stains. A friend of mine was wearing this awesome red lipstick the other day and I knew I had to try it for myself. 

It is called Outlaw by Kat Von D. It's a deep red liquid lipstick that has a matte finish. Outlaw has blue undertones so looks more red than pink or coral.

It has a precision sponge applicator and is quite easy to apply.

I outlined my lips with a red pencil and coloured in the rest with the sponge applicator. 

It's so smooth! One tip I'd recommend is to apply a Chapstick/lip balm before applying the lipstick.

Outlaw is very long lasting and stayed on for several hours. I was very impressed with its staying power! 

I love red lipstick because it's eye catching and actually makes your teeth look whiter lol. This particular one great because it lasts and doesn't stick on your teeth. :D Kat Von D products can be found at Sephora.

ThumbsUp Nail Wraps Roco

Hi lovelies!

In today's post, I have a review of some nail wraps by ThumbsUp Nails. 

These wraps are fun and very easy to use. There's so many different designs available. They are produced in the UK. The first one I tried out is called Roco and it resembles a tribal pattern.

They come with several sizes in a pack so that you can best select a wrap that fits each nail perfectly.

This pattern is so unique and funky. I love the colours and the stripes add some dimension to it. 

Because I have smaller nail beds, I was able to conserve my wraps and cut them in half to fit 2 nails. Opened packs of wraps can be saved for 2 months so I'll be able to use them another time. They can be removed from your nail using polish remover or peeling them off. They adhere well so I was able to keep them on for a few days. Please visit their website www.thumbsupnails.co.uk for more information on these eye catching nail wraps!

China Glaze Gelaze Diva Bride

Hello friends!

So if you're like me and you live in a place that has cold winters, then you may have dry, brittle nails that break easily. I had to shorten my nails down to nubs because of the breaks I was getting. I decided to slap on some gel polish to try to protect them from breaking. 

I used China Glaze Gelaze in Diva Bride and an accent nail of Fairy Dust.

I applied 3 coats for this opacity and cured the polish under a UV light for 2 minutes after each coat. 

After 7 days, this is how my left hand looked:

The polish held up pretty well.

But I did lose a polished nail on my right hand after 5 days.

The entire nail came right off lol. I've been researching why this happens and here are some reasons:

1. My light not being strong enough and I may need to cure the gel longer than the regular 2 minutes

2. My natural nails may release oils and cause the polish to separate

3. Lighter colours are easier to cure than darker colours. The Fairy Dust nail was definitely stuck on and needed more work to remove it

4. The layers of polish were too thick and did not cure fully between layers 

5. The gel itself may not be high quality and just doesn't cure properly

I did notice that by day 7, the sides of the polish did start to lift and I was able to remove most nails by peeling them off instead of using acetone. 

Overall, I was happier with Diva Bride than I have been with other gel polishes I own. I have some that popped off the next day! Boo to that wasted time! At least these lasted a full week.

A key thing to remember is that after removing any polish, you'll want to treat your nails and cuticles with some cuticle oil or balm to help restore the moisture. I used Simply Pure Hydrating Oil by Bliss Kiss.