Matte No wipe Top coat from Born Pretty

Matte nails have been trendy for some years right now and I am never tired of them. 

If you want your nails to be matte, you have two options:

The first is to buy special matte nail polish., your other, more economic option is to buy a matte top coat. There are many matte polish for normal polishes but a fewer options for gels.

Here it is  a vary good matte top coat for soak off gels form www.bornprettygel.com 

I think the best one out there for the price, Unlike other formulas, this one completely mattifies polish without changing its color. It looks very opaque and it is velvet at the touch, almost gummy like and the effect lasts long. 

In the bottle is looks a little bit more opaque than normal clear top coat but this is totally normal. 

It is very easy to apply and the formula is not too thick or too liquid, it does not drag the colour underneath. 

I used it over this Egg shell special polish and it gives the perfect effect for this nail art.

You can cure under the lamp (time depending on your specific lamp) and it is no wipe, perfect for a top coat. 

 

How to care for problematic nails

Hello!
This post will be a bit different but I think it is important to talk about whats underneath our canvas, our natural nails and their frame, cuticles!

I used to have strong, long and beautiful nails, they were growing fast and they do not need a lot of taking care of. then I started having health issues and the fairytale with my nails ended soon, with low iron levels and anticoagulants I said farewell to my strong and long nails.

My nails became so brittle and weak that I had to use full cover false nails for nailart (yep this is my darkest secret).

That said, I still wanted my natural to look good and long so I that I could paint them and be nice in my daily life.

So I have learned in these last years how to take care of problematic nails, here are some tips that I would like to share with you:

1. Keep them painted

The number one mistake I did when trying to fix my nails was to keep them natural and away from polishes. At the time I did not realized that polish was a big help for my brittle nails, it provides extra layers serving as protection to your nails.
I always switch base coat, I alternate whitening base coat and stenghten base coat (this last one can make the nails stronger but also dryer, so I suggest to do not use it everytime).

2. File them .... in one direction

Do not file them back and forth but in one direction. Going back and forth will heat your nails and create minor cracks.
Also a rounder shape will prevent breaking at the edges.

3 Don't cut your cuticle and keep them moisturazed

Our cuticles are a very important barrier that stops bacteria, germs and fungus. I have never cutted them.
Cuticles can be pushed back with an orange stick after you use a moistirizing oil to soften them.
The oil should be used not only for manicure routine but everyday best before bed time and more than one time at day.

In these last days I used the new cuticle pen from Born Pretty Store, they sent me this and few other products to try and review for you. Id code # 42380


As you can see it has the shape of a pen that you can easily carry in your purse or leave it on your desk while working on the pc.

It has an easy to use applicator that features a brush top with a twist up applicator to add more oil to the brush. You have to turn the base of the pen to force the oil into the brush tip. I like that - keeps the oil from running out all over the place.  It's very easy to use and there's no mess. I like that I can control the amount of oil that is dispensed through the applicator

 You can get a 10% discount at @bornprettyofficial using my code: RASX31

The ingredients are all natural: it has natural oils such as Safflower oil, olive oil, grape seed oil to moisture formulated for cracked and rigid cuticles and nails.
It also has Keratin and vitamin E to strengthen the nails.
It has also a very nice smell,

I have been using it for a week and as you can see from the picture this oil helps to restore a healthy nailsurface and the formula moisturaze the cuticle and penetrate easily.

If you want to use it as a cuticle softener. These are the instructions:
1.Apply cuticle softener and wait for 1-2 mins
2.Push the dead skin softly with cuticle pusher
3.Remove the dead skin with cuticle clipper
4.Apply cuticle oil

I hope this post was helpful! Have you tried these tips before? What works for your nails?
I would love to know!

Lace design over Holographic polish!

Lace over holo! . The plate is #BBBXL069 . You can use it for a french lace nailart too. 
This plate is from Beauty Big Bang, this store offers inexpensive items and free worldwide shipping with no minimum purchase required

You can use my coupon code LAURA for 10% off on www.beautybigbang.com
You can find it at this link:
https://www.beautybigbang.com/products/french-theme-rectangle-lace-design-nail-art-stamping-plate-for-manicure-bbbxl-069

The plate is very well engraved and has different designs, some geometric lace pattern and some flower too. There are some vertical long stripes and some oriziontal. You can easily use this plate for an accent nailart or for a bridal nail art using a white stamping polish over a nude nailpolish.
The plate is very well engraved and I had no problems in picking up the images.

In this nail art I used a holographic nail polish as base, the nailpolish shade is number 001 (sku #J6414TM1A).

Tropical nails! free hand with striping brush

Hello!
I recently received a nail mail from Born Pretty Store, I have been in an affiliation progam with this company for many years. I really trust their product and they always have nthe newest trend in the nail art field and I have never been disappointed.

This time I decided to experiment with some free hand designs. I picked some new brushes and tool.

I tried two striping brushes and i have decided to use one with acrylic paint and one with nail polish to see if there were some differences.

The first one I would like to show you is this Dual-ended Liner Drawing Brush . Id product # 42603
Nail artists know that you can never have enough nail art tool so when I find 2 products in one I am super happy. In this tool you will have one end with a dotting tool and the other end with a striping brush.

The company was kind enough to offer a 10% discount to my readers. Just use promo code RASX31  during checkout. Shipping is free on all orders as well!

The handle is very fancy, it is transparent and filled with sheer purple rhinestones. It is very beautiful and it stands out in my collection.

The brush is 14,6 cm in total, th string brush is 1,5 cm long,
The brush hair is very flexible and thin but quite resistant.  
If you use it for the first time it is a good idea to clean it with water and wipe them on a towel to get that stickiness out of the bristles and make sure all the hairs stick together for an optimal result.
This brush is very useful to draw  very thin lines, I thin they are perfect for abstract painting or organic design such as leaves, flowes, marble etc.

So I wanted to try a tropical nail art. As base I used a light pink. I started drawing a line for the branch with the striping brush and then a used a bigger brush for the leaves.
Then I draw the palm leaves only with the striping brush I mixed different colours from black, to green, dark green, light yellow.
When you use striping brushes with acrylic paint you can easly clean them with water.

Steam punk nails!

According to wikipedia Steampunk fashion is a subgenre of the steampunk movement in science fiction. It is a mixture of the Victorian era's romantic view of science in literature and the industrialization in most parts of Europe. The aesthetics of the fashion are designed with a post-apocalyptic era in mind. The costumes included clothing, hairstyling, jewellery, body modification and make-up. Steampunk fashion has later gone on to include gadgets and contrasting accoutrements.

Initially, the clothes such as bustiers, bodices', jackets and other items were mostly handmade and customized, but as the steampunk movement grew, entrepreneurs and companies became interested and started to mass-produce steampunk clothing to be sold both online and in stores.

Now steampunk fashion is becoming main stream now and nail art industry is offering many tool and products related to this trend.

I really wanted to try some nails inspired to the steam punk trend but I never found the right product for it. The free hand drawing option looked too difficult for me.
I was recently contacted by the company Big Bang Beauty and in their store I found this set of stickers. 
The sheets has many stickers in different sizes and styles, they all look like clock pieces, or others hardware and machinery parts.

                                                                      SKU: J2102-3C

 If you want to give this product a try don't forget to use my coupon code LAURA for 10% off your order on www.beautybigbang.com

For this nail art I left half of the nail clear and on the other half I did a marble pattern with a black and a bronze shade. Then I applied the stickers between the clear part and the design to make them more visible.
I was really amazed by the quality of these stickers, the designs are very detailed and the glue is very strong so they stick to the nail very well. They don't make air bubble or stains. They measure approximately 4mm 6mm and 8mm in diameter so they are suitable for long or short nails.
You can use some tweesers to take them off the sheet and apply on the nails
I added some 3d mini steam punk nail art decoration, I think they would go well with the sitcker and create a tridimentional effect.
I sealed the designs with 2 coats of clear glossy polish.

Embossed mirror chrome nailart

Hello,
As promised I am going to show you how to achieve this look on nails.
I have seen some embossed nails around the internet last year.
The embossed effect is mainly created by a 3d gel polish applied with a thin brush to create designs and such as swirls, dots, lines.

I am recently enjoying trying out different nail technique and in this post I will share about 3D embossed nail art stickers
As you know I don't use gel polishes, so as always I have an alternative method.
In this short video I will show you how to achieve this look.


I started with a white nail polish base, I applied the 3D nail art sticker.
Then I applied a thin layer of the mirror reflect chrome polish from the company Born Pretty Store.
It is a unique formula that guarantees a mirror effect look in a few simple strokes.
This polish need a special base coat to smooth the surface of the nail and make the result last longer.
I was so dumb that I did not take the base coat so I ended up tring this nail polish on false nails and for a long lasting result I used a water base nail polish from Little Ondine and it worked perfectly.

Here is the video tutorial:

If you decide to give this product a try please don't forget to use my coupon code, it will give you another 10% off:    RASX31 on www.bornprettystore.com

Edgy and dainty jewelry review

Hello there!
Today I would like to show you something new!
I was contacted by the online shop ToSave  for a collaboration. They offered me some product to review and show you. I immediately said yes because I had a look on their site and they have the most beautiful items at the lowest price:
www.tosave.com

I was amazed by their jewelry selection, they have literally anything: necklaces, earrings, watches, jewelry set!

The first item that caught my attention was this metal choker necklace  in a golden colour.
I really love these kind of necklaces they are the good compromise between a choker and a statement necklace.

I think these kind of necklaces are an easy way to add personality to a simple outfit.
It’s as effortless as adding and I think this is the kind of accessorise that every girl or boy must have.

Moreover you have 48 styles to choose from, yes 48! The price can go from a minimum of 1.61 usd to a maximum of 2.45 usd. I picked style 3 but it was extremely hard to choose just one!

The shape is very interesting and original, it is a delicate V shape.   love how encircles your neck, it is an elegant and sturdy design . It's comfortable to wear and have a chain extention that make it adjustable to any size.

This necklace is perfect for the girl who likes to keep things simple and sophisticated.

I have decided to pair it with this cuff earring with a leaf pendant.

I've always loved ear cuff, they replaced most of my stud earrings because they are too cool! I love to wear cartilage hook for everyday, also sleek climbers or more detailed designs like this one.

 It has a small leaf hanging on a delicate three layered chains. This ear cuff will adjust in a curved shape, and it will easily adapt to fit snugly around the folds of the outer ear.
This earring is very light and this is the main quality I look for in earrings, light wear and super comfortable,

The leaf pendant is very well detailed:

These unique and modern pieces will instantly glamourize any of your staple wardrobe items, making sure you stay fashion-forward.

I decided to wear these two pieces with black faux leather top but I think they will give and edgy and rock touch to a simple white t-shirt too.
I think the right hair style will compliment you look too, you can style your hair in a side part or pulling one side of your hair back into a half-up do.

That's all for now,

Laura