Nails... Sea Shell

This week I choose to do my nails in a very pretty but simple way. They have a very natural look to them, with a very shiney but sheer opal finish. 

This week I had my nails filled. They were orginally done and filled with UV gel. UV gel is known to be better then other products like acrylic for your nails. It also gives your nails a much more brillant shine. The only down fall with getting uv gel nails is the price point. They do tend to be anywhere from $10-$15 more then acrylic nails, but depending on what you value in your nails the price may be worth it for you.

I then had my nails painted in a shellac polish by ibd called Sea Shell Pink. It is a beautiful soft pink with an opal finish. This color is extremely sheer and will probably need quiet a few coats. My nails have three coats applied to them. I personally could have gone for a couple more coats to really let the color shine through. Just remember you don't want to layer the polish on your nails too thick or you'll create a wonky odd looking nail.

I enjoy this very pretty and natural look. It's definitely something diffrent then what I would ususally wear, but I really enjoy it because it looks so clean. 

I got my nails done at Urban Nails in Toronto, located on the Danforth. Ask for Michelle. She is bomb! 

If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below.

Peace and Luv

Nails... Holographic Starry Night

Today's nails remind me of a deep ocean, or the night sky. My nails are painted a deep dark blue mixed with small silver sparkles and blue reflective flakes. 

This time around I deicded to start my nails off fresh. The last time I got my nails done I didn't go to my usual salon and found that where I did end up going sadly did a terrible job. A week and a half later I got all my nails taken off (which majority of them were already falling off) and got myself a brand new set. I must say I was very happy with the outcome this time. I actually tried another salon called Urban Nails (on the Danforth in Toronto). My nails were done by Michelle, and she did a fantastic job. She is a sweet heart and I work definitely reccomend her work.

I was convinced to change my nails again from acrylic to gel once again. Gel is better for you, tends to last longer and is over all more shiney and natural looking then acrylic nails. Plus the price diffrence really wasn't a huge jump. (Less then $10) 

As usual I got a shellac coat on my nails instead of just regular polish. I find that shellac really does last longer, even on false nails. I also find that it strengthens the nails and do not allow them to break as easily. Unfortunately I am not sure who the shellac is made by but it is called Night Sky. As mentioned perviously Night Sky is a deep dark shade of blue with tiny sliver sparkles. The shellac is very nice on it's own. I wore it for a good couple of days before adding my own decorative touch.

A couple days later I decided to add another decorative top coat to my nails. This "top coat" is called The Holographic by Loréal. (I love the look of the reflective flakes but have absoluely no idea why anyone would call this a holo polish.) In the bottle it looks like a cloudy, clear polish with reflective flakes that shine blue or purple depending on the light. Once applied to my nails it really gave them that extra dimension and that shine I'm always looking for. I then applied a top coat to seal in the reflective flakes and protect my nails.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below. Happy Sunday everyone!

Peace & Luv

Nails.. Angelic Dreams

As usual I got my monthly acrylic nail “fill”- basically I get where my nails have grown out filled so my nails look fresh and some what real. ;)

I chose to use another “mood changing” polish from the Perfect Match collection. There are so many shades to choose from that I still have new polishes to try.

For those who don’t know what “mood changing” polish is it’s basically a gel nail polish that changes color based on your body heat or the temperature around you. For example your nails will change color when your go outside if it’s cold out or when you wash your hands. It’s pretty fancy stuff.

This time I decided on a shade called Angelic Dreams. Angelic Dreams will change from a light blue (cold) to a creamy solid white (warm).

I am still in absolute love with these polishes. I get comments on my nails all the time because of the changing color. They are super fun!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please leave them in the space below.

Peace & Luv

Nails... Gel Polish Manicure- The Pro's & Con's

About a week and a half ago I went to get my acrylic nails filled. While getting them done I decided to try a gel nail polish instead of my regualar polish & top coat.

The only reason I decided to switch was because it was my birthday the following week & thought I would treat myself to something new. I had gotten nails painted with gel once before but my experience with them was a bit of a toss up. I always enjoyed the look of shiney gel nails, however I was never super excited about the price. (Almost an extra $15 in my case.) I also found that the gel polish would fade and slowly rub off when I would use rubbing alcohol while doing make up. Luckily this time around I havent had the same problem. 

This time Im actually really enoying the look and duriblity of my nails. They seem to be a bit stronger & dont seem to be chipping or fading. (1.5 weeks) They are still beautiful & shiney- just a little grown out.

Earlier today I was reading an article about the pros & cons of wearing gel nails or polish. It seemed to me that the biggest concerns are the damaged caused to your nail beds, the frequent soaking of nails/hands in acetone to remove gel polish or gel nails and hands being left directly under UV light to dry. 

Yes, after a prolonged period of time you could begin to see damage to your nails, but that is with anytime of false nail. It helps to ensure you are getting them done somewhere where they know how to do gel nails properly. 

The acetone was a concer because of how much it dries out the nails and skin. I believe it is even absorbed into the blood stream through frequent skin contact. May salons have begun to use acetone soak pads on each nail instead of having the client completely submerge thier whole hand into the acetone.

The UV light helps to cure & dry the nails, layer by layer- which basically means yout hands sit under a UV lamp for half the time you get your nails done. The UV rays, of course are the best thing to be having our hands sit under. As much as there isnt too much of a solution right now, some brands have begun to use LED light which is much better for our skin.

When wearing false nails for an extended period of time you also need to make sure that there are no cracks or spaces for water to leak in. Not only does this allow yout nails to come off faster but it can cause even more damage to the nails, including fungal infections... Yuck. Only get your nails "filled" once or twice, not as long as they will last.

I will admit when I get them filled I will probably stick with the gel polish. If you have any questions or concerns about a new product or trying a new product always make sure to research & ask the questions you want answered. 

Peace & Luv