NAILS | Purple Holo Taping Gradient #CBBxManiMonday

It's the first set of nails for 2022! I was seriously at a loss for what to do even though our theme is "Purple and Blue" as an hommage to this year's Pantone colour of the year "Very Peri" which is kind of a purply-blue. These are two of my most favourite shades to wear so I think I was just lacking in inspiration for what to do, but then I saw this super pretty HOLO gradient from @hannahroxit and I knew I'd found my muse!

Some press samples

SKINCARE | TULA Limited Edition INSTA BRIGHT Energizing and Brightening Sheet Mask

I wanted my 100th sheet mask to be EPIC which meant that it was most certainly going to be holographic and though I had been looking at a couple of different brands, when Shayna from A Pop of Colour alerted me to the new INSTA BRIGHT Energizing and Brightening Sheet Mask from probiotic skincare line TULA, I knew I had found my 100th mask. After using TULA products over the last couple of months (a review of their Pro Glycolic Resurfacing 10% pH Resurfacing Gel Toner is coming!) with positive results, I knew that good things were about to happen with this probiotic blend of Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, fermented birch water, hyaluronic acid and lemon extract. I was ready to experience THE GLOW!

PR samples

NAILS | In My House, It Will Always Be the Year of the Cat

I know I have tons of blue glittery polishes, but this was a December release from Picture Polish and it's called Kitty. I mean, come on I HAD to get it! This is a blogger collaboration with Metka from Lacquered Bits and it is a blue sparkly holo with multi-coloured glitter mixed in. I can't even describe it well because I just get so lost in it!

NAILS | Subtle Summer Holo #ManiMonday

I know, I know, it's not Monday anymore, but I guess because of the long weekend today is Monday for a lot of people. I actually have my weekend now so I'm feeling good, productive and also ready for the pedicure I have planned for later this afternoon. I haven't had a pedicure since June and although I won't let anyone touch my nails, I cannot be bothered to paint my toes. I enjoy the extra foot massage and for today's appointment, I added in 15 minutes of reflexology so looking forward to that!

I have posted a few times about the limited edition Cirque Colors Vice collection and after realizing that I hadn't used three of the shades, this holo taping manicure was born. Yes, I may have a slight obsession with using striping tape and YES, I have less lazy nail art planned for the month, but sometimes when it's all about the pretty colours like these ones, crazy nail art can be a bit distracting.

NAILS | Picture Polish Ocean by Kelly's Kolors Swatch

It was INCREDIBLY hard to choose a nail polish to wear to Cosmoprof knowing that I really wouldn't have time to do my nails while I was there. Granted, it's not like there wasn't any nail polish at the show, but I just didn't want to worry about doing my nails in 47 degree weather! It was intense! I knew it would be sunny in Vegas so you know what that meant. HOLO!

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 | Holographic Drip Marble

I figured it was time to try something new and the "Drip Marble" technique has been on my nail art bucket list for a couple of months now so because it takes a bit of time, I decided to try my hand at it over the long weekend. Since I find water marbling so incredibly messy and time consuming, I'm always looking for ways to get the look without as much work. This technique involves dripping nail polish on to a plastic lid or something that you can pick up and rotate and manually, swirling the colours around and into each other. This technique gives a more random marbling pattern, but still comes out quite pretty. There are a number of videos on how to do the Drip Marble technique so pick your favourite!

NAILS | A England Symphony in Blue and Silver...and Cats

The summer A England Collection is HERE! I know there are a number of companies that do holographic polishes now, but there is always something incredibly classy about the way A England does it and no, it's not because I'm saying it in my head with a British accent! I find that the collections are never repetitive and though holos make up a large number of their releases, there have been cremes, glitters and duochromes as well. The collections are always smaller which I appreciate because how many times have you seen a nail polish release with 8-12 "new" shades. There are only so many ways to do a nude or red so nothing ever really feels new except for the combination of colours. Never the case with A England!

This summer's A Sargent's Vision Collection is named after the American painter John Singer Sargent who specialized in the Edwardian era. I will be working my way through the collection of four polishes over the next week or two, but for today we will start with the first polish that caught my eye - Symphony in Blue and Silver* ($15.50 CDN) which is a powder blue holo with shimmers of green and silver.

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 | Holographic Icicles with A-England Angel Grace #ManiMonday

I had hoped it would have been even just a little sunny this weekend for me to photograph A-England's Angel Grace*, but alas the day I had some time was probably one of the rainiest most dreary days I had seen in awhile so as much as I hate flash, t'is the only way to see the rainbow of a scattered holographic polish!

NAILS | A-England Shall Be My Queen Swatch and Tiny Bit of Nail Art #ManiMonday

I love a good holo polish and when I first started my journey through the rabbit hole of nail polish, getting my hands on A-England polishes was a dream come true. I purchased my very FIRST A-England polish from Nail Polish Canada back in 2012 (Tristam) and to this day, this brand has some of my favourite holos. I only wish I had better lights and/or sunshine in Vancouver to showcase how pretty Shall Be My Queen* is! 

NAILS | Beyond the Nail Mint Microglitter Swatch #ManiMonday

This post almost didn't make it as Sunday was spent at a friend's son's birthday party which was all afternoon and combined with running errands with my husband in the evening, I pretty much fell asleep watching "Friends" on Netflix. I also still needed to pack for my visit to Toronto for GenBeauty(!!) so I was quite torn on how to spend my remaining waking hours. The fact that I have not missed a Mani Monday since November was what kept me going and even though this is just a simple swatch, I made sure it was a good one! I have talked about the Canadian company Beyond the Nail before on Cosmetic Proof and when it comes to indie polish companies, they will rank in my top 10 for both quality and customer service! 

NAILS | ILNP A.C. Slater Swatch aka Saved by the Bell Memories #ManiMonday

Don't judge me for how long I have had this polish...since 2013. I am grateful for making the purchase before our dollar started to fall, but the indie nail polish brand I Love Nail Polish or better known as ILNP, has always been one of my favourites for its droolworthy swatches of some of the most delectable nail polish shades and finishes. It all doesn't help that one of my first blogger friends Christa from ChrissyAi is the hand that is doing all the swatching! 

NAILS | Picture Polish Spring Swatch #ManiMonday

I am in love. Picture Polish NEVER ceases to amaze when it comes to their nail polish shades and at this point, I don't buy a lot of nail polish anymore. It takes a truly unique shade to get me to buy and Spring by Picture Polish was one of them!

NAILS | Getting into the St.Patrick's Day Spirit with Nubar - Reclaim (Reborn!) Swatch

There is nothing like St. Patrick's Day to get a girl to go through her 1400 bottles of nail polish to find ALL THE GREEN POLISH. This post is special because it is the first time I have worn a polish more than once on this blog! Nubar Reclaim is a bit of a cult classic if you've been following nail polish and its blogging counterparts for the last 5 years. Holo nail polishes were all the rage in 2012 and I have some awesome ones to still wear and share on Cosmetic Proof. Nubar Reclaim was my very first linear holo and you can see why everyone loves it - it is pure green HEAVEN.

I first blogged about Nubar Reclaim (here) in 2012 and honestly wanted both the opportunity to wear it again as well as to redo my swatch of them now that I have picked up a few extra photography tips!

NAILS | Picture Polish Cabaret by u_nona #ManiMonday

I am on a Picture Polish kick right now because there hasn't been a single shade I haven't been in love with. Formulas are always bang on and the glitter and holo polishes never disappoint! Today I have another blogger collaboration polish (sigh, this would be my dream!) with Cabaret* ($16.99 CDN) by Russian Instagrammer Nastya aka u_nona! Cabaret is dark burgundy scattered holo polish with tiny hex glitter inspired by never letting life become boring or ordinary.

Beyond the Nail | Space Cadet with Gold Nail Art Decals

What I love most about nail polish are the incredibly creative indie brands that have emerged over the years with cutting-edge colours, textures and finishes unlike what you would find in any drugstore. One of my favourite Canadian indie brands is none other than Beyond the Nail! These are two amazing women and I have watched this company grow from 2012 into a force to be reckoned with! Today I have a swatch of Space Cadet which is a purple holographic, JELLY polish! Holojelly is a combination I don’t see very often, if it all, so I am so glad I own this bad boy!

Swatch It Up | Trust Fund Beauty–Blue Blooded (HOLO!!)

The sun is out so you know what that means. It’s holo time! Today I have another swatch for you from fantastic Canadian nail polish company, Trust Fund Beauty, from the Holographic Collection. Check out Blue Blooded, a holographic deep blue, that is just stunning! What I am wearing is three thin coats with top coat.

Review | Born Pretty Holo Polish #11

I don’t know about you, but I was HELLA excited when I saw that Born Pretty had released their own line of holographic polishes! They have been my go to store for nail art supplies long before I started blogging so I have nothing but good things to say. Today I have holo polish #11 which is a dark purple linear holo that is opaque in two easy coats. There are 12 holo polishes in this collection that are currently on sale for $5.59 each so if there are any colours that catch your eye, go get ‘em now!

This is #11 without flash in normal daylight. Nothing to write home about right?

And here is #11 with flash! So gorgeous! Stay tuned for more holo nail porn…

Day 2 of the N31DC–Silver with Spring-Coloured Squares

Silver is the theme for Day 2 and I’m cheating a little bit by using a silver holo, but I really wanted a background that popped and made people say, “wuuuut?!” I began with three coats of Glitter Gal-Silver 3D/Holo and sat back to enjoy the holo awesomeness before starting my actual design.

I wanted to add on some spring colours, so I decided to draw some squares with acrylic paint and then outline them in black. I wish I had a dress that had this pattern because I am really loving it!