Nails... Alien Invasion

I haven't posted a nail blog in forever, and this specific appointment was pretty cool. To catch everyone up I recently moved to Toronto. Since I was now living downtown this meant I need to find a new manicurist to do my nails. I had to try a few places before I found a couple spots that would make me happy. About a month ago a decided to book an appointment with someone I had recently seen on instagram. It was definitely a new but fun experience.

I got my nails done in a tattoo shop and was beyond excited to do so. Being involved with the cosmetic industry I am obviously into make-up, nail, and hair social media. I love following local shop and artist because I love to support my city an the talented people who live in it. I was actually following something completely unrelated, an e-juice company called Cheap Thrills, when a girl who worked for them posted her wicked new manicure on Instagram. She credited a nail artist I had never heard of before, so of course I had to check them out. The name of the company is Nail Kandy, and it is run by a lovely girl named Kate.

The first thing I discovered was that Kate works out of a tattoo shop, something I would find instantly appealing. I decided to email Kate right away to see what her pricing and availability was. She got back to me the very next day and was extremely helpful in giving me the pricing I needed as well as the availability she had. I, of course booked my appointment right away. I continued to search though her Instagram account out of interest, and excitement that I had an appointment to get my nails done too.

Over all I was very happy with my nails. I decided to go with a super fun custom teal shade with a chrome finish. A perfect back ground for some alien nails. The little alien and ship was free hand drawn by Kate. I absolutely loved that she included a little tiny alien inside of the ship. 

Nail Kandy is located in Toronto inside of New Tribe Ink (Queen St). If you would like to check out Kate's work you can find her on Instagram at @nail.kandy. All contact information is available in her profile. Remember to follow and show her some love!!

 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... 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... Heart's Desire

Today's manicure is call You're Heart's Desire. My nails are acrylic and shaped to a point. The shellac Im wearing is called Heart's Desire by Perfect Match. It is a Mood shellac that changes color based on your nail and body tempature. This perticular shellac changes from a bright cherry red to a dark cherry red. I am absolutely in love with this shade of dark cherry red. I chose this polish in theme of fall and Halloween being right around the corner. Blood splatter to follow... ;)

(My nails are wet in this photo because I had to run them under hot water. They wouldn't stay warm. Lol.)

If you have any questions, comments or halloween nail ideas please leave them in the comment box below.

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