Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween NOTD: Incoco Fright Night Appliqués

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween!

I'm just squeezing in a quick post before it's over, but of course I had to wear another set of Incoco Fright Night nail appliqués for Halloween today.

This time, I chose one of the really pretty orange and black glitter-based appliqués called Fright Night.  The entire appliqué is made of a super sparkly orange glitter, and they are printed with black bats, houses, and gravestones.  I love how shiny they are!


I will note that these ones were a bit more difficult to apply than the previous ones I reviewed.  You can't stretch them as much since they seem to break easily, so I did not get as precise with the fitting as the other appliqués I've worn.  They were still very quick to apply which was perfect since I didn't have much time for nail art today.



Incoco Nail Polish Appliques retail for $8.99 and you can purchase them at incoco.com!


Thank you for reading!


Kristin


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

My Current Nail Care Routine!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Hi everyone!

I get a lot of questions about my nail care on Instagram and YouTube, so I figured it was about time I let you all know my usual routine and go into detail about the products I use.

You can read about what I like to use in depth below, or just watch the video (at the end) for the basic tips and a little demo on how I file my nails.  I hope this answers some of your questions!


Now, my nails are by no means perfect; I am very happy with the shape and health of them at the moment, but the tips are still slightly yellow from wearing so much polish. :( 

Just a little disclaimer before I begin though - I have had a vegan diet for many years now (no animal or dairy products), so I'm not sure if that changes anything, I just thought I should include it since not everything will work the same for everyone.


First up, nail polish remover:  I only use non-acetone to remove my polish, Beauty Secrets Non-Acetone is my favorite.  The only exception is when I clean up around my cuticles because I use a brush dipped in Beauty Secrets Pure Acetone to get a cleaner line.  Sidenote: I always use "lint-free cotton rounds" to remove my polish; I can't stand cotton balls!

Filing / buffing:  I never cut my nails .. ever.  Instead, I file my nails every few days with a glass (or crystal) file before applying fresh polish.  My nails grow extremely fast, so I have to file them often or they get out of control.  When it comes to buffing, I will buff a tiny bit here and there, but it's definitely not healthy to over-buff your nails.

Cuticles:  I have super dry skin from head to toe, so I am constantly applying creams and oils throughout the day.  A favorite for years has been Badger Cuticle Care, a cuticle balm.  I massage and push back my cuticles regularly (no tools, removers, or cutting involved), and make sure they are always nice and moisturized if they are looking dry.  I love to use a moisturizer with shea butter on my hands and cuticles because it's so rich and I don't have to reapply as often.

Base coats:  If I'm going for long-wear, my favorites are CND Stickey or Chanel's Protective Base Coat.  I have multiple backups of Stickey because it works well and it's reasonably priced.  The Chanel is of course a high end product so I use it sparingly (mostly under my Chanel's), but it's the only thing I've really found to be long lasting that also keeps my nails at their whitest.

If I am just swatching or don't expect to wear a polish for very long, I will grab whatever base coat I'm trying to use up.  Lately, I've been grabbing a Julep base coat, or Essie's Grow Faster.  The wear time on the Essie is not great, but it does seem to actually make my nails grow faster, so I would recommend it for those of you who have a hard time growing your nails.


Polishes:  I prefer to use mostly 3-free or 5-free, but I have been changing my polish so often lately that it hasn't been a big deal.  If you're wondering, a few of my favorite brands (in general) are Chanel, Jin Soon, Essie, Color Club, Enchanted Polish, and Elevation Polish.  I could list so many more though!

Top coats:  I have been using inm Out the Door for quite some time now.  I've tried many different top coats over last few years but I always come back to it.  It dries fast, wears well for me, and doesn't seem to get thick or smell awful like some others.  I also really like a-England The Shield, but it can be harder to get so I usually just stick with my OtD.

Additional tips / info:  I always have polish on my nails to keep them strong; honestly, I never even leave the house without at least a base coat on so they do not split or break.  However, if a nail happens to break, I will patch it with some nail glue and a teabag, or use the Orly Nail Rescue kit.  I also always carry a spare glass file in my handbag wherever I go.


Here is the video I put together for my nail care:





Let me know if you have any other questions, or tips & tricks for keeping your nails white; that's one thing I am still working on!

Thank you for reading, especially if you made it this far! :)


Kristin

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Miss Ashleigh Swatches & Review!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Hello everyone!  Sorry I've been MIA lately, but I have a whole bunch of really awesome polishes to show you from a new-to-me brand, Miss Ashleigh!


I was so excited while I was swatching these.  The majority of the polishes I was sent are totally unique, and the rest are just amazing staples that everyone needs in their collection.



In addition to all of the fun colors, I was also sent Matte Hatter, a matte top coat.  It worked great over each polish I tried, dries fast, and gives a really nice matte finish.  I will add the matte version under each of the swatches below so you can see what it looks like.

Now, I'm just going to get right into the swatches since this will be a very lengthy post!

Tickled Pink is a neon pink holographic polish.  This pink is so awesome.  The formula is perfect in two coats.  The holographic effect is much stronger in person than I was able to capture in photos.  I wish I could've done this one justice!



In the Navy is a shimmery navy blue polish.  It's one of those polishes that just glows from the inside and is dark around the edges.  It's also opaque in one coat (though I did two for the photos).  


In the Navy with one coat of Matte Hatter

The Devil Wears Nada is a nude creme-jelly hybrid.  It was so lovely to apply (two coats, not streaky at all), and very flattering on my skin tone.  It's a really great neutral, not too pink or too yellow, just lovely all around.


Lady Bug is a berry-red jelly with big black hexes and some golden shimmer (which sadly did not translate well in my photos).  It's also slightly darker in person, but oh so adorable!  I am wearing two coats plus top coat in the photos below.


Lady Bug with one coat of Matte Hatter

Betty Confetti is a white creme with different sizes of rainbow colored glitter and iridescent glitter.  I was surprised at how opaque the white base was; it only required one coat, but I wanted more of the glitter so I used two coats for the photos.


Betty Confetti with one coat of Matte Hatter

Mardi Gras is a clear based rainbow glitter (basically every color except red).  I love the size of the glitter in this polish; it's packed with big hex glitter, as well as smaller hexes.  It looks amazing over every color, and the glitter was super easy to apply.  I only used one coat for each swatch.  I am obsessed with how Mardi Gras looks matte as well.

One coat of Mardi Gras over The Devil Wears Nada

Mardi Gras over The Devil Wears Nada with one coat of Matte Hatter

Mardi Gras over Tickled Pink with one coat of Matte Hatter

And I saved the best for last .. Thermals!

Kryptonite is a green holographic thermal polish.  This one just makes me happy.  It shifts from a gorgeous teal-emerald green to a bright lime green.  I used two coats which was opaque in person, but there is a bit of visible nail line in my photos, so I suppose I could've used a third coat.  The formula was fantastic though!

Cold state



Supernova is an amazing purple to blue holographic glitterbomb thermal polish.  I swatched this one last because I knew I wouldn't be able to remove it when I was finished!  In it's cold state it is a beautiful bright purple, and when it's warm it turns bright blue.  It is also packed with big and small holographic hexes, metallic pink circle glitter, and holographic shimmer.  To die for.  I used two coats for the photos.



Here's a little recap I created for Instagram:



Miss Ashleigh nail polish retails for $14, and there is a really great range of colors and glitters to choose from on missashleigh.com.au!

Which one is your favorite?


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin


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