NAILS | Christmas Gradient Dotticure #CBBxManiMonday

I haven't done a dotticure since the beginning of October and I was just itching to do one again and though I had grander things planned for today's manicure, there was just too much to do and I didn't get a chance to start my manicure until 11pm which is when a dotticure is the ultimate solution! 

PR Samples

NAILS | "Walkin' Into Spiderwebs" #CBBxManiMonday

It's crazy that we are now on the last Halloween ManiMonday of the month and though I would like to do one more set of Halloween themed nails on the 31st, I really don't know if I will have the energy to do something incredibly creative, but for today's manicure, I have mixed feelings mainly because it didn't go according to plan and I did not have time to redo them since I am one of those people who prefers to paint at 10pm the day before she has to get up early for work. On top of that, I am still sheet masking every night which NORMALLY I wouldn't do because it's just too many things to do in the 4 hours I have free every work night. When it comes to saving on time while providing amazing results, nail vinyls are my go-to option and I have been dying to try these spiderweb vinyls from Whats Up Nails since last year!

Some PR samples featured

NAILS | Black and White

I always feel like I need a pick me up in the middle of the week regardless of whether I'm working a "true week" of Monday to Friday or something more random. I think I am happiest when I am able to have two new manis a week since I tend to get bored quite quickly by Thursday and let's face it, there are too many polishes out there waiting for a home on my nails!

Today's is inspired by @flowidity108 again and is deceivingly simple looking. I have been dying to do a black and white manicure and this is the first of two designs that have been on my nail art bucket list!

NAILS | 5 Awesome Nail Treatments From Duri Cosmetics

One thing I don't discuss much are the products behind my nails and nail polish even though these are the products that are vital to making my manicure look pretty and long-lasting. Over the years I have accumulated quite the collection of top and base coats, cuticle treatments - all things that promise unequivocal shine and longevity so I definitely have my preferences! A little while ago, Duri sent me a couple of "peripheral" nail products to try and after using all of these for the last, I kid you not, 5 months I have decided on my favourites that I now use all the time!

NAILS | The Bright Matte Green Dotticure

The theme for the CBB this month is "Grey" which I will sneak in at some point with either nails or makeup, but March is also when St.Patrick's Day happens and when else am I going to find an excuse to use all of my green polishes?!

As you know, I have been working with Duri Cosmetics the last few months to bring you some nail art that has been a blast to create since zoning out with nail polish is my happy place. God help me if something were to happen to my painting hand. I should insure it like Taylor Swift does her legs! Anyway, Duri has given me plenty of artistic freedom and more importantly TIME to play with their polishes and come up with designs. They have a ton of colours in their inventory and when I said that green was going to be coming up for March, they graciously sent the loudest and brightest green polishes they had!

NAILS | Valentine's Day Botched Heart French Manicure

This is an example of a manicure that I knew I should have done another way, but was too stubborn to realize it until it was too late so here are my blurry hearts! I know that one of the easiest ways to make a heart is to use a dotting tool, but I actually find it much harder than just drawing a "V" with a paintbrush. I feel the dotting tool doesn't give as much control and instead gives rise to potential shapeless, doughy blobs. Can you tell I'm angry about this? Anyway, my husband gave me a thumbs up to post these so here they are! Happy Valentine's Day!

NAILS | OPI On Pinks and Needles #ManiMonday

I have been having a fantastic time digging through my nearly 2000 bottles of polish to find the best of the pinks and reds for the CBB Valentine's theme this month! This has also made me realize that I need to do a SERIOUS clean out of my polishes. I have a problem with breaking apart collections because I just love how cohesive they look as a group. It's like seeing just four out of five Spice Girls. Geri - I will always miss you!

Today's manicure is short and sweet because I have one more planned for Valentine's Day! I have had to slow down on the nail posts mainly because it has been so dry here in Vancouver that my nails have been breaking. They are short (for me) and because I like a larger canvas/surface area for nail art, I have been slowly growing them out over the last week and a half.

NAILS | Just a Couple 'O Hearts for Valentine's Day #ManiMonday

Hearts. As cheesy and commercial as Valentine's Day is, I cannot get enough of the hearts and the fact that everything is pink and red! I love pink so much that I have to stay consciously aware of HOW MUCH I actually have in my life so that it doesn't start to look incredibly tacky. At least with nail polish, it can be a total pink party and it's A-OK!

In continuing with my love for Duri nail polish, today's heart manicure features polishes from the three collections that jumped out at me the most: From Russia with Love, Revel in Luxury and Sweet Affair. This manicure is similar to a cloud manicure in its execution only with fewer "poofs" or bumps.

NAILS | Purple Gradient Glitter with Duri Cosmetics #ManiMonday

I promise the cheesy holiday nail art will start soon enough, but here is my seque into it with this simple glittery gradient to start off the second week of December! I have officially not missed a single Mani Monday for one whole year now and I guess that is something to celebrate since it's probably the ONE single thing I feel I have been able to commit to. While this year has had its ups and downs, I am happy with how 2016 is wrapping up as I am feeling fairly content with work (now that some difficult people have moved on), but I miss this blog. I miss this space and I hope I am able to find more time to spend in it next year because I love to blog and talk makeup!

We are starting off the week with a couple of polishes from the Sweet Affair Collection from Duri Cosmetics! 

NAILS | Pink, Grey and Studded with Duri Cosmetics #ManiMonday

I am beyond excited to be sharing my very first Duri polishes here! When I first started doing my nails, I never planned on blogging or sharing my hobby with anyone other than my husband and cats. I used to read mainly nail polish blogs and would come across all sorts of exotic sounding brands that I could never seem to find locally or at a reasonable price online. I remember seeing one nail blogger using Duri polishes along with their most well-known product, Rejuvacote, a nail treatment that preserves the life of your mani in addition to stimulating nail growth and fortifying nail strength. After seeing swatch after swatch of these gorgeous polishes, I knew that one day, they would be mine!