essence Galaxy Flakes Effect Nail Polish in Rock My World

Happy #manimonday. I'll make this quick by saying...YES, YES, YES. I LOVE THIS NAIL POLISH. It's the essence Galaxy Flakes Effect Nail Polish in Rock My World ($3.49, exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart) and holy cow is it beautiful. As a lover of essence's regular polish line, I was happy to learn that essence has 8 different effect nail polishes including denim, glitter jewels, polka dots, and sugar. So fun! 

It's a textured, lilac topcoat with bits of iridescent flakies and silver sparkles. Above I've paired it with  Essie's "Using My Maiden Name". Match made in heaven, right? The only downside is that it's a b*ch and a half to remove. 

What nail polish have you been loving lately? 

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Neon and Matte - Ceramic Glaze Nail Polish in Shell Me About It

Matte nail polish and matte lipstick colours in bright shades are kind of similar. The matte texture tones it down and keeps it from looking over the top. Here's something interesting - a nail polish that's neon AND matte. It's Ceramic Glaze's Shell Me About It ($10.99, exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart), a bright cool-toned pink. 

Lately, I've been loving wearing this. It's super bright and the matte texture makes it a bit more interesting than my other bright-coloured polishes. But here's the catch, the polish lasts only 3 days on my fingertips. Unfortunately, adding a top coat changes the finish, so I've always got to reapply or switch my nail colour up mid-week. 

What do you think of matte neon nail polishes? 

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Battle of the Blancs // the search for the perfect white polish

Snow white nails can look amazing with the right polish. It can also go white-out wrong, streaks and all. A cream white polish is an essential in my nail arsenal - a back drop for graphic designs, as a base for an ombre or on its own. This is an analysis of the 5 whites in my polish collection, each evaluated by their brush, colour, opacity and drying time. I'm ignoring (1) price - because per fl. oz. they're all about the same and (2) lasting power - because the Revlon Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat fixes all my chipping problems. 

Rimmel 60 Seconds Polish in Hot White Love, CoverGirl Nail Polish in Snow Storm*, The Body Shop Color Crush Nail Polish in Frosting Fancy*, Quo by Orly Nail Enamel in Purity*, Bourjois French Manicure in in Blanc Glamour 

Rimmel 60 Seconds Polish in Hot White Love, CoverGirl Nail Polish in Snow Storm, The Body Shop Color Crush Nail Polish in Frosting Fancy, Quo by Orly Nail Enamel in Purity, Bourjois French Manicure in in Blanc Glamour 

Brush

- Rimmel Hot White Love // Large brush that covers the nail in 1-2 strokes. The rounded edge makes getting close (but not too close) to the cuticle easy. 

- CoverGirl Snow Storm // Small brush with flat tip. Very reminiscent of an Essie polish, the small brush makes for precise application. 

- The Body Shop Frosting Fancy // somewhere in between Rimmel's and CoverGirl's - but not as precise as one or as full as the other. 

- Quo by Orly Purity // The same size as The Body Shop's brush but the bristles are all different sizes which makes it hard to make the edge of your polish tidy. 

- Bourjois Blanc Glamour // Meant for French mani tips, the brush is rounded and angled, which is awkward if you want to paint the entirety of your nail. 

Colour

Quo's is by far the whitest. CoverGirl's has a slight tinge of blue while Bourjois is slightly yellowy (both totally unnoticeable unless compared to a white piece of paper. Rimmel's is not a perfect cream white, it has a subtle silver shimmer, only noticeable up close. The Body Shop's isn't actually white but a white base with a hint of pink, unnoticeable from far away. 

Quo, Bourjois, CoverGirl, Rimmel, the Body Shop 

Opacity

Quo (2 coats), Rimmel (2.25 coats), CoverGirl/The Body Shop (2-3 coats, depending on your skill), Bourjois (3 coats) 

Drying Time

Rimmel (60 seconds, per the bottle and IRL), everything else - between 7-10 minutes per coat. 

In this case, the lower the score the better. And the winner is... Rimmel's 60 Second Polish in Hot White Love. Despite not being a cream polish, the opacity, drying time and awesome brush shape make it my favourite white polish. Plus, there's a cute little Rita Ora graphic, so what's not to love? 

	Color	Opacity	Brush	Drying Time	Total
1 Rimmel	3	2	1	1	7
2 Quo	1	1	4	4	10
3 The Body Shop	4	3	3	2	12
2 CoverGirl	2	3	2	3	10
4 Bourjois	2	4	5	3	14

What's your favourite white polish? 

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KISS Salon Secrets Luxe Accents & Nail Art Glue

I never thought I would like 3D nail art until I tried using the KISS Salon Secrets Luxe Accents ($6.99). Exploring Asian malls and seeing lots of nail art salon photos with blingg-ed out Hello Kitty Nails kind of put me off. However, it depends on the accents you use and how you use them. 

KISS Salon Secrets Luxe Accents Kit & Nail Art Glue worn with Ceramic Glaze Strawberries N Milk

What I really appreciate about the KISS Salon Secrets Luxe Accents is that the pieces are fairly subdued individually but can be used in combination to create something a bit more crazy. There are six different charms and stones (marble stones, sugar stones, rainbow triangle charms, mini white pearls, clear stones and flowers). The kit also comes with a silicone stick, which is meant to pick up the charms. I find it useless and prefer to use a pair of pointy tweezers. 

The downside of the kit is that it does not include any sort of glue or sealer. For the smaller charms, you can definitely just use your favourite top coat underneath and overtop. However, the larger charms require something a bit more heavy duty. This is where the KISS Salon Secrets Nail Art Glue ($4.99) comes in handy. It's a jelly texture that smells very similar to super glue and it works similarly with a very strong hold that lasts 4-5 days depending on how much typing I'm doing at work. 

While you can get nail art accents for $1 or less from online stores like Born Pretty Store, KISS Salon Secrets nail art kits are conveniently available at your local drugstore or Walmart for a slight premium (and no waiting for 20 day shipping...). 

What do you think of 3D Nail Art? 

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Ceramic Glaze Summer Bloom Collection - Newly Minted, In Full Bloom, Smells Like Rain, Pineapple Breeze, First Sign of Spring, Strawberries N Cream & Freshly Laundered

Available mid-June 2015 is the Ceramic Glaze Summer Bloom Collection. The 8 shades are soft pastels inspired by nature - the first bloom of a flower, fresh air, blue skies, and sun kissed treetops. If you've read my review of the Stunning Soiree Collection, you'll know that I like the formulation of Ceramic Glaze polishes. They're opaque in a couple coats, dry quickly, and last on my nails for 3 days (or more with a reliable top coat). 

Like the Ceramic Glaze Stunning Soiree Collection, the Summer Bloom Collection contains both limited edition and permanent collection colours. Limited editions shades are denoted with an asterisk (*). I've swatched 7 of the 8 in the collection and missing is Lavender Fields Forever*.

Two things to note. (1) Newly Minted (pastel mint green) and Smells Like Rain (pastel baby blue) are matte/neon finishes. This means that they're matte and a little bit harder to work with than the cream polishes (they're slightly streakier and go on less smoothly). (2) Freshly Laundered (pastel light brown) has a hint of silver micro-glitters. It's not noticeable and adds a lovely sparkle to the fingertips. 

Newly Minted

In Full Bloom*

Smells Like Rain

Pineapple Breeze

First Sign of Spring*

Strawberries N Cream

Freshly Laundered*

I feel like this collection was made for me! Pastels are my go-to for warmer weather. My favourites from this bunch are Pineapple Breeze and First Sign of Spring. 

Which colours from the Ceramic Glaze Summer Bloom Collection are catching your eye? 

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KISS Salon Secrets Rococo Veil Kit

I BLING-ed out my nails with the KISS Salon Secrets Rococo Veil Kit ($6.99). According to my very reliable friend Wikipedia, Rococo is an 18th Century (late Baroque) artistic style featuring asymmetrical designs, ornate curves and gold. 

Kiss Salon Secrets Rococo Veil Kit worn over Suncoat Peelable Nail Polish in Mulberry

Rococo looks good in Parisian architecture and on my nails. Put simply, the KISS Salon Secrets Rococo Veil Kit is a bunch of very pretty and ornate stickers. The kit includes 1 sheet of silver and 1 sheet of gold motifs, 1 sheet of blue/white/red rhinestones, and a nail art sealer. Using the kit is a serious no-brainer. Dry polished or acrylic nails, just peel the accent from the clear plastic backing, plop it on your nail, and seal in the deal with some top coat. 

Intricate yet easy nail art is finally achievable with this user-friendly kit from KISS. 

What do you think of Rococo nail art? 

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Ceramic Glaze Stunning Soiree Collection - Blueberry Bubblegum, Boogie Beats, Belle of the Disco Ball, Papaya Sunrise, Russian Rouge & Honolulu Hibsicus

Ceramic Glaze is the sister brand of China Glaze exclusively available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. Each season, Ceramic Glaze curates various polish collections inspired by the runway, the weather and pantone trends. Launching May 2015 is the Stunning Soiree Collection ($10.99 each) - an assortment of understated, cool-toned bolds 

Generally, I found the polish formulation to be impressive. I'm a huge fan of the clay adhesive technologies of China Glaze, so I figured I'd like Ceramic Glaze too. The polishes apply smoothly in thin layers. All of the polishes in this particular collection are a cream gloss and are opaque in 2 coats. The polishes dry quite quickly. In my experience, each layer takes less than 5 minutes to dry down - which makes it super easy to apply polish before bed without getting sheet marks on my fingertips. On their own, the polishes last 3 days but depending on the top coat (i.e. Revlon Gel Envy Diamond)it can last up to 7 or 8. 

Ceramic Glaze uses both limited edition and permanent collection colours in its collections. I've denoted the limited edition colours with an asterisk (*). Swatched for you are 6 of the 8 polishes in the Ceramic Glaze Stunning Soiree Collection. The two shades not shown here are Blue Suede Shoes* (royal blue) and Fabulous and Flirty* (mid-toned lilac). 

Blueberry Bubblegum

Boogie Beats*

Belle of the Disco Ball*

Papaya Sunrise

Russian Rouge

Honolulu Hibiscus

Personally, I prefer soft pastels to understated bolds though there are a few standout colours for me (Blueberry Bubblegum and Belle of the Disco Ball). Regardless, the formulation of all these polishes is impressive and I'm looking forward to watching the Ceramic Glaze Summer Bloom Collection for you! 

Which colours are your favourite in the Stunning Soiree Collection? 

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The Glitter Accent Nail

IMO, accent nails are the easiest way to add glitter without going overboard. I love wearing all glitter everything everywhere but it's  not the most business professional. So, I stick with a neutral on 8 of my fingers and wear glitter on my two ring fingers - so I only seem 1/5 as glitter crazy. 

If I'm only going to wear two nails of glitter, it needs to be really glittery. Wet N Wild's Sparkled is perfect for this...two coats and I get a full-fledged disco ball pink nail. 

Products Used: Essie First Base, The Body Shop Nail Polish in Frosting Fancy*, Wet N Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Sparkled*, Revlon Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat*

How do you wear glitter? 

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NYC Strip Me Off Base Coat

Glitter polish is a pain to remove. So a peel-off base coat seems like a solid solution, right? A while ago, OPI had released Glitter Off, a Natural Nail Base Coat, which seemed pretty cool but ain't no way am I going to ever pay $9 for something that resembles Elmer's Glue. 

This year, NYC launched it's Strip Me Off Base Coat ($1.99) in Canada. The price is a lot more reasonable. Regardless of price, I wanted to see if the product was a good alternative for the mess that is scrubbing my nail beds until they fall off. I only have one want - I want my polish to come off as soon as I will it so but no sooner than that. 

Indeed, the NYC Strip me Off Base Coat looks, smells and feels exactly like glitter glue (I have zero doubt that it isn't). To use it... 

1. Apply one thin layer of the base coat to your natural nails

2. Let it dry. You'll know it's done when it becomes clear (~3 mins)

3. Paint your polish over top of the base coat

4. To remove your polish, scratch it off at the base with an orange stick or your finger nails

I'm happy with this discovery! It works exactly as I wanted it to. Furthermore, the polish on top lasted as long as polish on top usually does (2-4 days depending on the brand). This makes removal ultra-quick and simple. No damages to the nail underneath and absolutely no acetone and 5,000 cotton pads necessary. 

If you hate removing glitter polish (or just polish in general) then is a definite must for you to try! 

Have you tried a peel-off base coat? 

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Quo by Orly Art Scene Collection - Abstract & Graffiti // Spring 2015

New season, new nail polish. This Spring, Quo by Orly has launched a limited edition collection of 4 unique topcoats ($10 each, exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart). While there's nothing surprising about mixed confetti, round, and square glitters suspended in clear polish, as seen from brands like Hard Candy and Indie Polish, I can't get enough. The combinations are endless and Quo by Orly definitely did it right with its Art Scene Collection. 

Abstract - pastel coloured confetti with white squares and small white circles 

Graffiti - black confetti with blue and orange circles with red and black smaller circles

Put simply, these are funky topcoats that are the perfect addition to any nail look. Lasting power is similar to that of any other glitter - annoyingly long and a pain to remove, but totally worth the artsy effect. 

Do you like these kinds of top coats? 

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New York Fashion Week Nail Art // #NYCBeautyPro // Christian Louboutin x Cushine et Ochs

In an instant, New York Fashion Week has come and gone. I keep up with very few designers but my favourite things to browse for NYFW are the nail and beauty looks. One of my favourite nail looks this year was Christian Louboutin for Cushine et Ochs. It's a modern take on the classic runway nude polish with the addition of a jewel-toned green or blue square at the base of each nail. 

Of course, Christian Louboutin Nail Polishes will run you $50+, so I opted for a more wallet-friendly recreation. In this month's NYC Beauty Pro Challenge I used four products ($1.99 each) to create the Cushine et Ochs look. 

Products Used: NYC Strip Me Off Base Coat, NYC In a Minute Nail Polish in 201 Fashion Safari, NYC In a Minute Nail Polish in 274 Rivington Red, NYC In a Minute Nail Polish in 202 Grand Central Station

Instead of a jewel-toned blue/green, I opted for a striking red. Here's how I did it: 

(1) Apply a base coat 

(2) Apply 2 coats of a nude polish 

(3) With a steady hand, use the corners of the brush tip to create square at the base of the nail 

(4) Apply a fast-drying topcoat to seal in the deal. 

It's a unique yet wearable and chic way to wear colour without going overboard. Super simple and easy to DIY at home without any tools, just your polishes. Will you be trying it out? 

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Hard Candy Nail Lacquers in 984 Lace Me Up, 987 Fairy Godmother & 988 Wild Child // Spring 2015

In late February, I attended the celebration of Hard Candy's 20th Birthday (and preview of Spring 2015 launches) - see a few photos on my Instagram. Let me tell you. If you're into bold, bright, fun, and unique makeup, there is so much to look forward to! First up, there's 8 new polishes (a range of now 45). Expect to see reviews of some of Hard Candy's latest and greatest in the coming weeks. 

The Hard Candy Nail Lacquers retail for a fair $3.98 and are available exclusively at Walmart. If you're not familiar with Hard Candy's polishes, the range is a mix of ultra-cool topcoats, unique metallic, and less of the more toned-down shades. Generally, the formulas are good. I find the metallics are opaque in 2 quick coats and stay on my nails for 2-3 days. Even better, the top coats are super concentrated so you can get a good amount of product on your nail without needing to dip back into the bottle. 

984 Lace Me Up 

hexagonal and round pink and black glitter top coat - zero qualms here. This is a great topper! 

987 Fairy Godmother

silver-purple metallic // slightly streaky but not noticeable unless up-close

988 Wild Child

metallic purple with slight green duo chrome // the duo chrome is much more prominent in the bottle, a little disappointing but still a nice colour. 

Overall, three impressively pretty polishes for spring. My favourite is 987 Fairy Godmother which you most certainly will catch me wearing. 

What's your favourite of these three polishes? 

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