NAILS | Flowers and Butterflies #CBBxManiMonday

 

Purchased by me

Let me tell ya, these nails look so much better in these photos than in real life! I was looking through my collection for a really bright green and honestly, while most of my nail polish is organized by colour and in drawers, there are still around 100 bottles of random brands that I don't know where to put and it was in my search for bright green that I came across this mini SCENTED bottle of Sephora by OPI in the shade Watermelon (yes, it does still smell like watermelon once you apply it and for days after too!).

NAILS | Fly Butterfly #CBBxManiMonday

Purchased by me

Oh man, I know I'm late and this post shouldn't even have the word "Monday" in it, but I am a stickler for consistency! I have been dedicating all of my free time to getting the office organized and lemme tell ya, going through thousands of bottles of polish, sheet masks and lipsticks are no joke! It's a ton of work! I feel like once I have the space setup, I will be more inspired to blog, but then at the same time, if I blog more, then I will have fewer things to PUT in said space. It's a chicken and egg kind of deal. My husband's solution to create space is to just put everything in one place - the garbage. Sigh, the husbands will never understand!

NAILS | Mattify Me with Flakie #CBBxManiMonday

I slept like a zombie last night so forgive me if this post is a bit short! I had waking dreams non-stop and I kept thinking it was time to get up even though I had the day off so by the time my alarm went off at 8am, I was in no mood to get anything done. I have been mildly productive today in terms of getting some groceries and small house clean up done. I also took some time to call he customer service line for a really old Mutual Fund account that my parents had set up for me while I was in high school as I had obviously forgotten the password. Now, I'm looking forward to an afternoon nap which I see as SUCH a luxury so I will take full advantage of it when I can!

Press samples 

NAILS | Abstract Fall with OPI Muse of Milan #CBBxManiMonday

I cannot get enough of the new OPI Muse of Milan collection! I think a part of my love for the shades is that I have been ready for Fall since June. It wasn't a normal summer for anyone and though we still could have patio season, I am still not comfortable dining out. If anything, social distancing and keeping my social circle super small (really my husband and 5 co-workers) has fed right into my anti-social personality. I have also never liked shaking hands, hugging or kissing cheeks and now I can use COVID as an excuse! While I wouldn't have called myself a germaphobe, I have never been all that comfortable with physical forms of affection let alone with people I don't know. Call me crazy, but I am honestly so much happier now that this is the norm!

 [Press samples]

NAILS | Holo and Half Moons #CBBxManiMonday

Just like that, September has arrived and as I write this, I am on my last day of staycation gearing up to head back to work for what has traditionally been a busy time for me (until the end of the year really), but with the effects of COVID I honestly don't know whether I will be busy with business or managing complaints. Oh well, I can't stress about something I cannot control so I will just keep on trucking and continue to be thankful that I still have a job and many pretty beauty things to play with like this new holo polish that Born Pretty sent! They sent it way back in May, but it only made it to by mailbox last week and since I know sunshine will soon be absent in the next few weeks, I am doing my best to showcase all of the holo polishes that have caught my eye this summer! 

PR gifted

NAILS | Scotch Taping #CBBxManiMonday

As I write this, I am once again tearing up to "Fuller House" on Netflix. The nostalgia of watching this show plus how much raunchier and funnier it is has been thoroughly enjoyable even with the new family members. I highly recommend the show to anyone who just loves a cheesy good time and grew up on "Full House"! It's a good thing "Fuller House" is so feelgood because this manicure did NOT make me feel good. AT FIRST.

PR samples

NAILS | Watercolour Feathers #CBBxManiMonday

Watercolour nails. For a moment, they were all the rage a few years ago and though I have tried once or twice in the last seven years, they are just nails I never really do even though I do think they are pretty. Maybe I just think the idea of diluting nail polish is blasphemy, but when I realized I had two of the Born Pretty Blooming Nail Polishes, I figured it was time to try this again and add some extra flair if I could!

PR samples

NAILS | Going Matte #CBBxManiMonday

Ah, the first set of nails for 2019! In the spirit of making resolutions, the theme for #CBBxManiMonday for the rest of this month is "Nails I Don't Do" so be prepared to see some truly crazy things (*dramatic pause*) from us! I had planned on doing a different set of nails to start off this challenge, but Marie Kondo got the best of my husband and I at 9pm last night and by the time we had finished, it was far too late to do anything that required significant dry time. I did think of something that was quick to do for this challenge and it was MATTE NAILS. I have never been a fan of them and while I have done them on occasion for effect, I rarely buy a matte nail polish and keep it that way so here is it is - totally matte - from the Sinful Colors x Kylie Jenner Denim & Bling Collection is the swatch "Kobalt"! 

Purchased by me

NAILS | Lest We Forget #CBBRemembers

Today felt a bit like a Sunday, but for many like myself it was a regular work day. It was a quiet day though so I got a chance to catch up on some paperwork and prep for our client event this week without feeling overwhelmed. I missed out on Remembrance Day nails last year, but with the present political climate and the recent shooting in California, those fighting around the world, veterans and those who have survived and need support have been on my mind.

This year, I decided to go back to the classic poppy design, but instead of painting on a white background, I decided to try a new thermal nail polish from Born Pretty (I did not realize that it was thermal until I started painting!) to simulate the sky.

PR samples

NAILS | Happy Summer Polka Dots

I think for the next 10 weeks expect to see only bright manicures from me! It doesn't seem right to wear vampy shades while the sun is shining and the temperature is above 20 degrees. I was browsing Pinterest, as I often do for nailspiration, and came across this pin and loved the colour combination of orange with the neon green studs. I guess I liked the pineapple too, but I didn't feel like more fruit this week...

NAILS | Oooh! It's a Red Holo! #ManiMonday

I wore this holo in the hopes that the sun would come out today for me to take one of those epic holo photos where all you see are rainbows on your eyeballs. Alas, it is bright, but cloudy today in Vancouver so we will have to contend with the ringlight and my telling you that this is the shade Gamma Ray* from the Born Pretty Holographic Holo Series. I have two red holo polishes and though Gamma Ray is nice and juicy, I had some issues with application.

PR samples

NAILS | Mary Kay Fall Nail Lacquers #ManiMonday

I try hard not to do too many vampy looking manicures during the Fall season and I was grateful for October to kind of break up the monotony and give a bit of colour to the manicures I had planned, but that's not to say that I don't appreciate a good set of Fall purples like these limited edition lacquers from the Mary Kay Fall makeup collection!

NAILS | Metallic Nails with Interchangeable Magnetic Charms?! #ManiMonday

I am halfway through a very long week  (no, Thanksgiving isn't happening this year for me), but I am not missing a ManiMonday just yet! I didn't get a chance to do Thanksgiving-themed nails this year, but maybe next month I will think of something for American Thanksgiving! Maybe something with tryptophan?

NAILS | The Magic of Flakies #ManiMonday

I may have to apologize in advance for the brevity of this post as I am typing this up a bit late after two very long days of work. I am looking ahead at the next two weeks of October and though there are some pretty exciting things coming up for the month, it's also a busy one for both the blog and my actual job so things may get quiet here. I've never been one of those bloggers that could pump out a post for the sake of pumping out a post as this place is a journal of sorts for me and I don't like sounding forced.

Moving on to ManiMonday, I am feeling a little nostalgic with today's manicure because flakie polishes were really trending 3-4 years ago and though they are still super cool to look at, they have faded even from the indie polish scene. Flakies are kind of a cool form of nail art because they look like shards of iridescent shards of roughly cut glitter. 

NAILS | Gradients, Glitter and Cats #ManiMonday

I had this feeling of total dread this morning not just because it was Monday, but because I KNEW my day was going to be an unproductive gong show based on a few things that had been brewing on Friday and Saturday. Do you guys ever dress the OPPOSITE of the way you feel? Today's nail art is exactly that. With all of the craziness of today, I would look down at my nails and see these cats with their paws raised, ready to pounce. It honestly just made me smile. Obviously, I adore cats, but there is something about having them on your nails that pushes that love to a whole other level!

NAILS | Gettin' Hot and Heavy with Purple Holo

Whenever I decide to paint my nails holo one night, it's always cloudy with zero sunshine the next day. I still don't have those glorious daytime bulbs for 24-7 holo lighting, but hopefully the camera flash doesn't kill you all too much. I remember when holo polishes were not only expensive, but hard to find. All I have to do now is go to massive emporium e-tailers like Born Pretty and I can literally get everything I need when it comes to nails and then some! I have had great luck with BP holo polishes in the past and when it came time for me to do some shopping, I immediately went for the holo nail polish section!

NAILS | *NEW* Going 10 Free with Maison Jacynthe Nail Polish in Napoli

Hello, One Coater! That's right, the newest innovation from Canadian green beauty company Maison Jacynthe is nail polish! We all know and love their makeup and skincare so I was seriously asking "Is it here yet?" every week leading up to the launch! The shades released are all solid creme colours and though I was only sent three of the 12 shades, all three were one coaters! What you see in the photos below is a glorious one coat of the shade Napoli*! 

NAILS | She Sells Seashells By the Sea Shore #ManiMonday

I always feel like I am cheating when I use water decals for nail art, but they just make a manicure look so put together SO QUICKLY! Since we are focusing on British beauty brands this month (here) for the CBB I thought it was finally time to not just pull out, but UNWRAP the Models Own polishes I won from Live Love Polish three years ago! The HyperGel Gel Effect Polishes came up during the gel-like polish heydey and have a finish that is super smooth and shiny. The sad thing is that you can't even get these polishes from LLP anymore, but I know you can get still them through the Models Own website.

With the glorious May weather we've been having, it almost feels like summer with Sunday's temperature being a hot 29°C! That's pretty much beach weather which means I am officially allowed to wear beach-themed manicures! 

NAILS | Born Pretty Holographic Rainbow Powder Review

I have been seemingly having fun with the Born Pretty Store Rainbow Holographic Nail Powder* (1.5g/$2.99 USD), but it has been a TON of trial and error. It was not as easy for me as the instructions on the website and YouTube had depicted. In fact, my initial experience with this powder had me baffled as I just could not understand what I was doing wrong! I was literally doing what the videos were demonstrating and yet I was having so many issues making the powder stick to the nail surface. I have outlined three of my 17 attempts with the final photos being the ones that showcase a method that worked all the time. Come with me on this magical journey filled with unicorn dust...

NAILS | Going Mirror Chrome for NYE!

My last manicure of 2016! How momentous! I did my nails a lot this month mainly because my husband was visiting family for half the month and I basically just worked, watched Netflix and did my nails. It was the ultimate girl time, but I am glad he is finally home for New Year's! I have been on a bit of a gel polish kick lately after discovering the ease of using J & S Nails Gel Polish and decided it was time to try chrome nails! This is the powder that has been sweeping the nail world for the last half of this year and though I know there are a ton of places to get the chrome powder pigments, I always know that the Born Pretty Store has got my back! They have a RIDICULOUS amount of chrome, holographic and metallic pigments right now and let's just say I have a bajillion other colours to show you, but NYE is all about shine so tonight I'm going to be your disco ball!