BornPretty Store: 3D Nail stickers

I am not a fan of nail stickers, never was ... But at the same time I can be convinced otherwise if you can offer me something new that works. And BornPretty Store was nice enough to send me over some of their new nail stickers and I have high hopes for them. Lets see how the did in the review below! :)

Here you can see all the patterns that are featured on the BornPretty 3D Nail stickers, they feature a lot of hipster motifs, deer heads, arrows, mustaches and Illuminati symbols. They all come in white, but they are not as 3D as their name promises. They could almost be Water decals, so I am happy to report when you use them and than layer them with a thick top coat they seem like a natural part of your manicure. 

Here is the nail art look I came up with. I think you can actually see that my index finger was the 1st one I created since it is the least smooth. But with all the next ones I got the hang of using nail stickers. By the time I finished my pinkie nail, the art is perfectly fused with the sticker. So I would advise that you take your time when you apply the sticker, use tweezers to place it, and place a top coat that does not shrink the base. All in all these stickers are amazing and I would recommend them to anyone who has no wish to deal with water decals or stamping. The technology of nail stickers has quite advanced since the last time I used them. 

For this manicure I used Color club Right on and Essence Care & dare Lilly to create the radiant gradient. Then I just applied the stickers and a thick coat of top coat. 

So if you are on the constant hunt for nail art supplies visit Bornpretty store Nail art department and stack up on some of these beauties. And while you are there use the 

10% OFF CODE RJL91

At the same time don't forget to visit their other social media sites where you can see the review of the other bloggers that work with them, or you can see their many Giveaways and New product announcements.

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

xoxo
gin


*these items were sent to me for my honest review*

Tutorial: Mermaid skin nails

Before there were unicorns, but since Summer is upon us everything is mermaid related right now. And the flakie trend is sweeping the nail nation. I am surprised to that since flakie nail polishes are a part of manicure land for years, but ladies are loosing their mind over the loose flakies. I don't get it! I don't like most of loose glitter type of materials. So I created this look that looks exactly as if I would use the loose glitter with only half the mess :)

I used p2 Swimming pool as the neon blue base. The flakies are a mix of 2 polishes named Revlon Heavenly and Finger paints Psychedelic hue. The stamping polish I used is BornPretty Light blue and hehe 005 stamping plate. And for the extra sexy I used a BPS mermaid charm. You will also need a make up sponge if you don't know how to capture glitter inside the polish. 

Step 1: Apply the base nail polish. 

Step 2: Apply the 1st layer of glitter. Here you either do it with fishing out the glitters, or you apply it to a make up sponge and than dab it on your nails. Whatever is your preference. 

Step 3: Apply the 2nd layer of glitter nail polish. I recommend that it is a different shape and color than the original. 

Step 4: Apply the fish scale stamp. If you don't like stamping free hand draw them, they are quite fun to draw. 

Step 5: Time to clean up and add the charm. I used a lot of nail glue to stick it on since it is a big piece. 

The trick to this manicure is to pile on as much glitter as you can, preferably a mix of flakies. And at the same time you will need a stamping polish and a base color to match, or it does not look much like mermaid skin. 

Just look at how pretty these are! And the only mess I made, was the usual with stamping, no glitter everywhere :)

For a bunch of mermaid make up looks that will match my nails visit the page Glam - express for more beauty tutorials. 

xoxo
gin

Nail care routine on a buget

I posted my NAIL CARE ROUTINE a while back. While reviewing that post I realized that I use a lot of 'high end' nail care products. I mean they were not the most expansive items ever, but still... So I took a walk in my local drug stores and picked up some nail and hand care products that are quite cheap and effective. After some testing, I choose to share them all with you. 

Firstly there are the S-he Stylezone Nail serum. A simple and cheap jelly like serum that you apply on your nails and cuticles to promote your nail growth just like a nail polish. It is filled with Keratin and Vitamin E, both help with boosting your nails strength. And due to the fact it is in a jelly form it will stay on your nails a long time before it is absorbed and it is a great way to wear it through the night and it will not end up on any of your bedding. 

The other is Essence Nail repairing oil. In their new Spring/Summer collection they released a few new nail care items and this one interested me the most. It is a greasy oil that helps you with your nail surface, it keeps your nail smooths and strong. It is enriched it with argan oil that keeps nails strong and durable. And an extra perk is that it smells great! The nice floral scent lingers on your nails until you use something strong smelling as nail polish remover. 

And Essence stepped it up once more and created a line of colored nail polish that is supposed to help your nails. I love that! Thou most of the line is full of pink and boring colors I managed to find this beauty named Keep calm and glow on. It is a dusky twilight grey purple with a strong pink shimmer. It features kukui oil which I am not familiar with. But it does make your nails stronger and supports your nails and that is always good news ;) I must admit my nails chipped a lot less than usual when I used this nail polish in combination with the other products in this post. 

Here you can see the swatch of the Essence Keep calm and glow on. It took 2 coats of it for full opacity. I was quite happy to see how naturally shiny this polish is, and it helped with the chipping quite a bit. My nails still did chip but in about 7 days time, which was quite long for my type of nails. 

And some more extra nail care items here are the Catrice Iron strength nail hardener. A type of base coat I need more than air, since I have very weak natural nails. But you have to apply it at least twice a week for a long time to see the difference. Actually that is the same as the fancy nail hardeners, only this time they are honest enough to say all that on the bottle. For me personally it helped quite a bit with my ongoing battle with sad and brittle nails.

The other item I picked up was Essence Honey care had cream, for the only reason that I always pick up anything that is honey themed, I adore the scent that those items carry. The cream is a bit on the runny side, but it gets absorbed in the skin quickly, which makes me happy. The best part is that it contains coconut oil and shea butter which moisturizes your skin and cuticles that help make your nails strong. 

Here you can see my nails and the Essence Honey care hand cream that I applied. I love any type of cosmetic products that smell like honey and this one did not disappoint.  

Visit Glam - express if you need a fine source of posts that show you how to take care of your other aspects of your cosmetic routine. 

xoxo
gin

BornPretty Store: Stamping polish no. 333

No matter if you are a new or a loyal follower of mine I can tell you that I am obsessed with finding the perfect bright turquoise teal shade. And to find such a shade in a stamping polish is twice as hard. But once more BornPretty Store came through and sent me this amazing Stamping polish no. 333 to review. So if you are like me - the search is over! <3 

The bottle of BornPretty Store no. 333 Stamping polish contains 15mL of pure neon turquoise pigment. It is very opaque and as you will see from the pictures below a great polish to stamp with. And you can get it for a steal with 3.99$ a bottle, which is one of the lowest prices for the quality they offer I have even seen.  

As any stamping pro will know, the ultimate test for a stamping polish is to see if it stamps over white and black base. As you can see the polish works fine over both of the bases. It looks a bit more neon over the white base, but that is to be expected from any nail polish of this type. 

As you can see the polish works great. It picks up the images with ease and leaves a rather crisp stamp. I recommend it highly, but don't expect it to look to neon or shiny over black or dark base nail art, maybe try and make the identical stamp with white before you use this one if your heart is set on the neon look. So I created this grey-scale base for you all to see how this stamping polish does over these primary base nail polishes. 

For this manicure I used OPI Alpine snow, Tedi Black and Catrice Londons weathers forecast as the base gradient. The stamping plate I used is MoYou London Festive 39. I also added a bunch of extra star studs I all got from BornPretty store. And the queen of the show is BPS no.333 stamping polish. 

So if you are on the constant hunt for unique stamping supplies visit Bornpretty store Nail art department and stack up on some of these beauties. And while you are there use the 

10% OFF CODE RJL91

At the same time don't forget to visit their other social media sites where you can see the review of the other bloggers that work with them, or you can see their many Giveaways and New product announcements.

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

xoxo
gin


*these items were sent to me for my honest review*

AVON Mark. nail polish review

Avon is kicking ass with the addition of the Mark. collections to their inventory. I hope you checked out my review of their lipstick from their Mark. line. I just love these types of revamps of known brands, since you can always expect some fun new vibes will show up in their products, may it be new formulae, scents or colors. 

And the Mark. Gel shine nail polishes are just that! Can you see the amazing colors below? <3 

The point of the Mark. Gel shine line of the 9 new jelly or creame shades they made available, is that they offer the same quality in their formula as any gel nail polish would, but without any need for a UV lamp. The polish offers a strong shine, promises no chipping and easy removal. And I can agree with it all! The shine is phenomenal and the chipping was minimal (which is a miracle with my messed up nails). 

The brushes are flat, cut in a straight line and feature semi soft bristles. Which makes application quite simple, so there wasn't much cleaning up required at the end. 

Now lets head on over to the swatches <3 

1. Sea my nail - is my favorite of the bunch! It is a vibrant, bright neon aqua blue. In the bottle it looks very demure, but when you put it on your nails it turns neon. I was so happy since these shades are tough to come by. For this swatch I applied 2 thick coats, since the just 1 layer was a bit patchy. It is a pure pigment polish, with no shimmers or glitters inside. The perfect Summer nail polish, a must have for anyone who gets tan during these months since that would mean with this polish you could have the most perfect mermaid nails on  the beach :) 

2. Violaceous - I think the name of this polish is a bit misleading, since there is nothing violet about it. This is a simple nude with cold hues inside, meaning it is not a pink nude but a beige nude (just like make up foundation). Wearing this shade makes me feel like I have china doll nails. The pigmentation is amazing! For this swatch I used 1 thick coat and I was done. Once more it is a thick creme of pure pigment. 

3. Cherise-ly - is a color tough to describe. A dusky light red with pink undertones. Or maybe a light brick red with a few pinks mixed in? Confusing - but the swatch is accurate and that makes me so happy. So you decide how this is called :) For this manicure I used 2 thick coats and was done. The drying time was quick just like with all the others. No patchy spots or problems with application, a dream polish for anyone who can't decide if they want to wear red or pink nails. 

4. Violetized - This is my least favorite of the bunch. Mostly due to its shade and also partly due to the problems I had with application. This is a cold hued pink that has purple undertones. The problem here is that the formula is very watery. Meaning it was very hard to apply. So for this swatch I applied 4 layers for full opacity, but it was very stressful since it dries very patchy and is very uncooperative when you try to apply it on the nail. But since it is not my favorite shade of the bunch it is ok, since the rest of the collection was flawless :)

The best part of it all no matter where you are from Avon is available to you! So visit their WEB PAGE and online store. Or if you like to be more in touch with all their newest updates follow them on their social media pages:

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

xoxo

gin

*the items were sent to me for my honest review*

BornPretty Store: Steampunk nail decorations

Guys it is Summer time! For some it means time to go to the beach and visit the seaside. But some of us are way more excited to visit all the Comic-cons and Geek-meetings! So I got lucky to get to review the BornPretty Store 3D Steampunk nail decorations. Lets head on below for a full review! 

Here you can see the close up photo of the Steampunk nail decorations, they all looks like old time gears, clock pieces, ninja throwing weapons and small saws. They all come in gold (or silver) but they are quite thick. If you want them to 100% be incorporated into your manicure you need to take the time to bend it in the shape of your nail, than cover it with a gel top coat. I didn't go that way thou - see my review below. 

As I stated above I didn't go the gel manicure route. That would make this nail art way too permanent. I decided to use the studs in the shape they came in, I did not want to bend it to the shape of my nail, thou doing that would be quite easy and recommended to anyone who has very arched nail beds. But if you use just some nail glue and a couple of very thick top coat layers the nail art will be semi - permanent without any problem.

The little box features many gears and cogs of different shapes and sizes, so no matter your nail size or your plans you can use them in different ways. If you are in a mood to create a very artsy look or a very traditional steam punk one this is a great box to own.  

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild Darkest hour as base. Over it added streaks of Julep Passionate Pisces. Than I used nail art glue for each of the gears to keep them on my nails. 

So if you are on the constant hunt for nail art supplies visit Bornpretty store Nail art department and stack up on some of these beauties. And while you are there use the 

10% OFF CODE RJL91

At the same time don't forget to visit their other social media sites where you can see the review of the other bloggers that work with them, or you can see their many Giveaways and New product announcements.

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

YOUTUBE

xoxo
gin


*these items were sent to me for my honest review*

When your nails match your make up

Trend it up is a fun new cosmetics firm that hit our market in the recent time. And when I finally got around to find a stand and choose something for myself I realized I am a big weirdo who is attracted to the same shades of beauty products no matter what they are! Meaning I went for some new polish and came out with other make up while not realizing that I bought all the same shades :)

Since they are mine now, why not make a review?

First here we have the Trend it up no. 210 nail polish. OMG! So much perfection in one little bottle! It is the most perfect neon teal - or Tiffany turquoise (whatever you want to call it). It is super shiny and very chipping resistant ( I wear it on my toes all the time) while staying a strong in your face neon. For this swatch I applied 2 coats. 

I also got this Trend it up Soft matte kajal no. 060. It is a matte light pastel teal eyeliner, that does not require any sharpening, the best kind there is in my opinion. And the other end of the pencil there is a soft sponge like tip that helps you to smudge it if you don't feel like wearing sharp and crisp eyeliners. As fun as it is, the color is not teal - which made me kind off sad, it comes in a very bright light blue color. Still a good shade, just not looking the way it looks on its packaging. I still love wearing it, due to the fact that is very long lasting on greasy skin like mine. 

Next we have Trend it up no. 190 nail polish. It choose this one since it looked like bottled magic. In bottle it looks like a dark plum purple jelly that features micro glitter that looks like it is blue but then it shifts into pink and red. Sadly the effect is a lot more subdued when you apply it on your nails. For this swatch I applied 2 coats. It is very shiny and opaque, but I do wish that the shimmer of the glitter would be more visible. 

I didn't see this at all in store, but the one lipstick I choose from this brand looks just like the polish above when you apply it on the lips.This is Trend it up Everlasting lipstick no. 050. It is an amazing matte lipstick of a nice dark berry shade. You need 2 layers for application, but it stays on your lips for quite some time and touch ups are only required if you eat, drink or smoke. I like it since it does not create a thick layer of pigment the way most liquid lipsticks do. 

Don't forget to visit the page Glam - express to see more posts like this by other beauty gurus. 

xoxo
gin

*these items were purchased by me*