Mani Monday... Holo Myths

Moving forward I will be posting a nail themed or oriented blog every second Monday, calling these entries Mani Mondays.

This Monday my nails are done in a beautiful teal color called Myth by Akzentz Luxio. We decided to jazz them up a bit using a holographic powder finish. We choose to switch it up by doing some of the nails fading into holographic and some nails completely holographic. We also decided to add a couple crystals to some more fun to my nails.

Once I got home I decided to add more sparkle to my nails by going over the pure holographic nails with a sparkly top coat. I also added a glow in the dark top coat to my middle fingers. 

This beautiful manicure was done by extremely talented and lovely Kate owner of Nail Kandy. Make sure to check out Kate's work on Instagram. You can find Kate in Toronto at New Tribe Tattoo (by appointment only). 

I absolutely love these nails and can't wait to post my next manicure! Any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below. I'm also always looking for new nail design ideas so if you have any you would like to see please let me know.

Peace & Luv

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... Mad Love

So first off I must say these are some of the coolest nails I have ever had. I would probably call this set my personal favourite. These nails consisted of everything I love in the way of nail art or how I personally like to rock my nails.

We used all kinds of fun stuff like glitter, mood polish, tribal like designs and lots of gems. This was the first time I had one of those awesome crystal or stud coverd nails. 21 crystals on one finger baby!! >.< To be honest I would have worn any one of these nails as an entire set. I'm already pretty inspired for the next couple sets.

(In the photo above my index fiinger /w 3 gems & middle finger /w 3 gems also changes shade from Black to Grey when warm.)

I got these bad ass nails done at Y2K in Brampton. They were created by a very talented young lady named Lynn. (Seriously, this is my go to girl. If you are in Brampton and like a good freestyle or heavily designed nail, see her.)

I would love to go into more detail with what was used for these nails but we had so much going on with so many different gel polishes and products. As usual my nails are arcylic. I always ask for shellac or gel polishes to be used because I find it lasts a lot longer and seems to make my nails stronger. Even the tribal style designs were done with a gel color. I know a Black to Grey mood polish by Perfect Match was used.

Reccently I have been really into clear nails with a patterned design or just some glitter on it. Probably a hint at nails to come in the future. ;)

As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the comment box below.

Peace & Luv

Nails... New Years Eve 2016

Usually when I go to get my nails done I don't usually choose to get any crazy designs or go all out with them. This is honestly is usually due to one of two reasons. One being that I am in too much of a hurry to get anything done and can't be bothered to worry about trying to take care of the design (being careful nothing is falling off) and two why am I paying someone else to do a design or add gems when I can do it myself at home. With all this said I choose to treat myself and get a wicked design right in time for New Years.

I wear false nails. They are a basic acrlyic nail. The polish covering my nail is a gel reaction polish called.. by... This color is a bright shade of hot pink when cold, and a beautiful light peachy shade when warm. This polish has a light sparkle giving it a more pearly finish. The glitter polish on my right thumb and left pinky is by Essie. This glitter polish is called ... (I chose to apply this glitter myself at home.) The designs done on three of my fingers were ceated with a gel color called ... My manicurist used a thin brush dipped in the black gel to create the design. (Everything was painted on by hand.) The three fingers with the gems on them were applied wit a clear gel as adhevisive.

This design was inspired by other nail designs found online. I got my nails done by Lynn at Y2K Nails in Brampton. 

If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box provided below. Also feel free to send or tag me in any of your New Years nail pictures. Add or tag me @WarPaintLuv 

Happy New Year everyone! Best wishes to you all in 2016. Have wicked fun and be safe. 

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… Heavenly Angel

A few weeks ago I went to get my nails filled and polished. While checking out their selection of nail polishes I discovered the salon had polish by Perfect Match called MoodGel, a color changing nail gel polish. I was, of course very excited about this and had to try it.

 

When I checked out the ring of sample nails I was happy to find a decent variety of colors. Don’t get me wrong there weren’t a bunch of shades in every color but there was definitely something for everyone. The real magic happened when I ran the sample nails under hot water and watched all the colors change. (The polish is based on temperature and will change depending on if your fingers (nails) are hot or cold.) 

 

(Above photo is during color change.)

The first time I tried this polish I had my nails painted in a shade called A Bit Chilly. It was a shade of blue that went from a bright blue when warm to a dark blue/black when cold. 

 

This time I tried a shade called Heavenly Angel. It’s this beautiful shade of Magenta pink when cold that turns into a creamy white when warm. I have fallen in love with this dramatic transition. I love the fact that this polish goes from bold to neutral. Another thing I love about these Mood Polishes is that once they do start to cross fade they create a beautiful ombre. 

I have tried to purchase these polishes myself but have had a hard time finding them in stores. I have however found them online at places like EBay or Amazon. I have also found them on specialty nail sites. These polishes go for anywhere between $10-$14 US.

 

Peace & Luv

Nails... Hotski to Tchotchke

Today I did one of my favourite things to do, got my nails done. I was feeling a little adventurous and wanted to try something a little diffrent.

Every 2-3 fills (depending on what kind of shape my nails are in) I like to get my false nails removed and a new set applied. My main reason for doing this is to prevent any fungus or infections. After a while your real nail grows out. The arcylic or gel or whatever you choose to use could seperate from your real nail and allow water to sit inbetween, cause a fungus or infection. 

So this was my time to switch up nails. When they asked me about shape I decided to try something diffrent and go with a almond (stiletto-ish) shape. I really like this look on other woman. Its a retro look that has been given a modern flare. At first I will admit they were a little intimidating. (I felt like I had a new set of claws. It was kinda awesome.) After a short while I did get used to them. It wasnt hard for me to switch from my usual square shape.

 

(Photo's were taken one full week after having manicure done.)

As far as polish and color goes I stuck with my other new trend, Shellac. I feel like the Shellac or gel polish helps keep my nails stronger and more durable. Today I went with what Ive been calling a mermaid color, CND's Hotski ti Tchotchke, a bright and pearly Teal. My nails were topped off with the CND Dimond Shine top coat.

Peace & Luv

Sparkling Green Holiday Nails

Today's manicure was very stright up & basic. I got my usual acrylic fill, with a sparkling green gel polish to keep im theme with the holiday season. 

To create this glittering look we started with a shimmering teal gel polish as a base coat. Once that was set by UV light we began to apply the sparkling green gel polish. I used one coat for the base coat & 3 coats of sparkles to really make sure the entire nail is opaque.

This is a very "basic" look but really quite effective. I have been getting many compliments on my sparkling christmas nails. They arent too over the top but enough to notice.

You can alway add extra Christmas decore to your nails by painting on a snowman or maybe a Santa hat. Get creative with yout nails & let your imagination run free.

Merry Christmas everyone!! Have a safe & happy holiday!!! 

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

Nails... Miso Sparkly

Recently I had my nails filled. I wanted to get my nails painted a shade I didn't usually go with, so I chose OPI's Miso Happy With This Color. After a few days I needed to mix it up a bit and of course add some sparkles.

For more pictures and how I created this look, follow the link below...

Nails... OPI's Miso Happy With This Color

Today I got myself a fresh manicure painted in OPI's Miso Happy With This Color. 

This shade is a very pale pink, almost a nude. I love this color. I think it's very pretty and girly but so sexy at the same time.

This polish was apart of OPI's Japan Collection in 2005.

Unfortunately is an older black label OPI polish so a lot has changed with the formula since it was made. When this polish was applied, it seemed to apply smoothly. However when it started to dry I noticed that it would begin to streak or clump up in some areas. 

All seemed to be smoothed over with a top coat. However it did take the polish a good amount of extra time to dry while using a fan, UV light & finishing fast dry spray. 

 

This polish is a rare polish to find. The best place to find it would probably be online. 

Pricing ranges from $8-$12 CA. 

Peace & Luv

Nails... Decked Out Turquoise

If you know me, you definitely know that I can not go long with a regular manicure. I love having each nail with a different design or style of nail polish. This is my most recent creation. My base color was China Glaze Turn't Up Turquoise.  

 

For this nail art I used... (In order of thumb to pinky finger)

China Glaze (Turn't Up Turquoise)

Sally Hanson's Sugar Coat (Lick-O-Rich)
China Glaze (Full Spectrum)
Hard Candy (Golden Sparkles)

Sally Hanson's Hard As Nails (Black Heart)
Sally Hanson's Xtreme Wear (Mint Sorbet)
Clear Gems
Revlon's Moon Candy (Meteor)

Wet & Wild's Wild Shine (Top Coat)

Peace & Luv

China Glaze- Turn't Up Turquoise

This is a simple mani in China Glaze's Turnt Up Turquoise. 
This shade is satin with a beautiful sparkle shimmer. This shade is gorgeous.

 

You will need to apply two coats to get true color. Dry time is pretty average. 
This shade was apart of the Ink Collection (2008).

Peace & Luv