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!

Pearl cat eye nailpolish from Born Pretty Store

Hi everyone!

Today I have a magnetic cat eye gel polish from Born Pretty Store to share with you. This wasn't my first time trying a magnetic polish but it is my first time trying a pearlescent cat eye polish.

This shade is very beautiful, it is a pearlescent dark blue/silver, very unique and elegant! It is called Lycoris Radiata.
It is named after a beautiful flower known also as red spider lily, red magic lily, or equinox flower, is a plant in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Originally from China, Korea, and Nepal, it was introduced into Japan and from there to the United States and elsewhere. The blue version of this flower reminds me of the nail polish shade!

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

There are other 10 shades to choose from and I am sure you will find something you'll like!

I used this nail polish over a black base, the formula is quite thick and pigmented. I only needed two layers of product and I used a cat eye magnetic stick while the second layer was still wet and I placed the magnet over the nail for 15-20 seconds.

I used the dual ended magnetic board, it gives a strong 3d magnetic effect and can be easly oriented to create the image that you desire.
 No surprise it is a best selling on the Born Pretty online store!
It is long and easy to hold.
There is a rectangular magnet on one end, and a round magnet on the other. The side of the rectangle magnet can be used to create lines, while the round magnet can create more fluid wave and circle patterns (this is the best if you want to create a space nebula illusion).

In this nail art I used the rectangular end diagonally to create a lighter effet all across the nail.
The magnet creates a lighter silver line over the nail, it tends to spread a bit after the polish is dried but it is still visible and it creates a wonderful gradient effect.

Modern art nails! Stamping plate for Born Pretty Store!

Hello,
New day, new nails!
In the previous post I showed you this amazing plate from Born Pretty Store.
I wanted to play more with this plate and use all the amazing designs that it offers.

This plate is part of the Artist collection and it is number L005 and you can easily find it with the code 46155.

The plate measures  12cm x 6cm,is very well engraved and has different designs, I had no problems in picking up the images with different stampers.

In this nailart I used a light base, then I added some brush strokes with other two Born Pretty polishes.
One is a Tiffany Blue I used BP-WT04 called "The noon sunshine".

The other one is one of my all time favorites  Tender (#BP-SP04 ) #43161 .

 I stamped with a black stamping polish. I really like the it, simple and fast but with a great effect!

Artist's Galaxy

Hello!
Today I have another amazing product to show you.
It's a beautiful plate from Born Pretty Store .

 This plate is part of the Artist collection and it is number L005 and you can easily find it with the code 46155.
It is very creative and has 24 designs. I love the fact that it has bigger designs and smaller designs so you can fit any nail size. The designs are mix between human figures and abstract object or natural elements.  There are some designs that are clearly inspired to the tattoo's world (such as the ones with the dagger, the skeleton hand, the gun with the rose).
Others are inspired by contemporary art, the design of the man with the hat and the dove is inspired by a painting Man in a Bowler Hat, 1964 by Rene Magritte. 
The design of a woman and a triangle over her face reminds me of Marylin Monroe and her images used by the Pop art.
The design with the medusa reminds me of ancient riman art and the Versace logo.


These nail stamping plates are deeply etched and easily work with any stamper and nail polish.

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

For this nailart I was inspired by the center design, the two figures embracing with the stars background.

For the galaxy back ground I used Chameleon Nail Polish Glitter Galaxy Chameleon Series BP-GC05 Shining Starlight #43145

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

For stamping I used BP-WT04 called "The noon sunshine". It is the perfect "blue Tiffany shade" a light blue with a touch of green. Very delicate and bright at the same time.

Rainbow Pride LGBT nailart! Love is love

Hello there!

The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had in the world.

for this reason I decided to do a rainbow/pride nail art to support this cause.

As base I used a pink nude colour that could be good on any skin tone. I wanted to use also all the colours of the rainbow flag. I used a striping to paint the base of the nail and drag the colour to the point.

The rainbow flag, commonly known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements. Other older uses of rainbow flags include a symbol of peace. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, as the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride during LGBT rights marches. While this use of the rainbow flag originated in Northern California’s San Francisco Bay Area, the flag is now used worldwide.

for stamping I used a stamping plate from Born Pretty Store from the Artist Collection L004 id product # 46154

You can use my coupon code RASX31 for 10% off on www.bornprettystore.com

I tought this plate was perfect for this theme because it is very minimalistic and has many designs that can rapresent concept such as love, respect and freedom.

My favourite designs are the two arms and hands close to each other that I used on the middle finger and two faces kissing.

Also the design I picked for the thumb was very symbolic:two overlapping faces that form the shape of an heart.

Minimal nailart design! Born Pretty Store product review!

Hello there,
I hope you are all well.
I have recently received a nail mail from Born Pretty Store with some amazing items to review!
This is an on-line store that sells a wide range of products from clothing to make up and beauty, of course nail art tools too!!!
Each season this company presents new collections and colours to add their wide range of products.

Recently they lauched a series of new stamping polishes with light and bright colours for summer!
There are 15 new shades to choose!
These are all light and saturated shade, so hard to find in the stamping polish ranges.
The ones I have are BP-WT04 called "The noon sunshine".

It is the perfect "blue Tiffany shade" a light blue with a touch of green. Very delicate and bright at the same time.

The second shade is BP-WT06 Cherry Blossoms. It is a light baby pink! It is a perfect shade for a bridal or a floral nailart.

you can find both shades with the code #46533

You can use my coupon code RASX31 for 10% off on www.bornprettystore.com

I decided to test these shades immediately with the gold standard master test for light stamping polishes: "stamp on black"!
Any polish can stamp on white or light colours but only higly pigmented polishes can stamp on black or dark colour and be clearly visible.

For stamping I used this amazing plate from Born Pretty Store Artist collection L004.

This plate is wonderful, there are 26 designs on it. I really love the style of this plate, all designs are very minimalistic and made up by fine lines. It really reminds me of the wire nailart trend.
The designs are etched well enough to hold enough polish for a beautiful opaque stamping result, not so deep that end up with extra polish to smudge onto your nail.

For the stamping  used both colours one on the half of the design one on the other half so all designs are bicolour. They stamped perfectly on black so they passed the test with no problem. 

I was able to pichkall the details of the images.