Friday, December 30, 2016

NYE Glam Nails

Hey everyone! How has your week been? I can't believe it's already Friday so I'm just not going to talk about it and pretend I'm not going back to work next week. Of course with my luck I came down with a cold so I haven't really been able to paint my nails. Constant sneezing and nose blowing does not make for an easy at home manicure, as you can imagine, but I'll save you the gross details.

I did manage to get polish on my nails just in time for NYE. I started with a base of Julep Lillian, a lovely pale pink creme with pretty easy application in two coats. I wanted something festive and glam, so I did a glitter gradient using a mix of Julep Yumi and Zoya Lux. What's the secret to doing this without getting glitter all over your fingers? An eyeshadow applicator. Yup, seriously. I just get a cheap pack of them at the drugstore and they're great for glitter!




I can't believe this is my last mani of 2016. I'm happy for this year to end - there's so much to look forward to in 2017 (mainly my wedding). I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, December 19, 2016

Snowflake Nails

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? The fiancé and I saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (FINALLY!) He really wasn't interested in seeing it but I convinced him to go by agreeing to see Rogue One next week. It was SO good. I know there were many mixed feelings about it, but I went into it not putting the Harry Potter series in my head and I really enjoyed it.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway over on Instagram! Ends 12/26.

We got our first snow here in Jersey City on Saturday (and by snow I mean like half an inch lol) but it was still pretty exciting. I gave nail stamping another try and it came out great! All of my stamping tools (stamping plate & stamper) are from Born Pretty Store. The base color is two coats of Essie Aruba Blue, a gorgeous frosty sapphire blue.





I'm excited for the week to end so I can start my winter break! The fiancé and I have lots of fun things planned. Btw, when you place an order with BPS make sure you use my discount code ASYW10 for 10% off!

xoxo,
   Brooke


Monday, December 12, 2016

Zoya Pepper & Giveaway!

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? It was cold here and we even got a light coating of snow. We've got 2 more weeks of school until winter break and all of the teachers are counting down the days. I'm so excited that I decided to have a giveaway! The prize is a fun little box of Julep goodies. You can check out the details over on my Instagram @manicurediaryblog https://www.instagram.com/p/BN2prNyDSjT/. The winner will be randomly chosen on December 26th. Good luck!

For today's mani I used two coats of Zoya Pepper, a brick red creme. The formula was everything you'd want in a creme. I absolutely love this color! It really is different than any other red I have in my collection.






Hope you all have a great week!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, December 5, 2016

Winter Nail Care Routine

Hey Everyone! It's been a while since my last post. I've been dealing with some nail breakage now that the cold weather is here, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for an updated nail care routine for winter. When the cold temps roll around it is so important to take excellent care of those cuticles!


Lush has some great products for hands/nails. A few months ago I discovered their Golden Handshake hot hand mask. This is one of those products that makes you feel like you're at the spa. The trick is that you need to use boiling water, not just hot, to mix with it. If you prep it correctly you will have a luxurious experience!


Get in the habit of using cuticle cream at least before bed each night, if not a few times throughout the day. Keeping your cuticles moisturized will keep the rest of your nail strong. There are two products I've been loving for this: LUSH Lemony Flutter cuticle butter and Bliss Kiss nail oil. I like to use the cuticle butter before bed and the nail oil throughout the day as I feel it absorbs more quickly and doesn't leave me feeling as greasy as Lush's product.



As for hand cream, I'll admit I can be lazy about it. Part of the issue is that as a teacher I am washing my hands constantly throughout the day. With a lot of hand creams I have issues with absorption so I don't like putting it on at school. Because of this, my cuticles have been drier and therefore has lead to some issues with my nails breaking more frequently. My mom introduced me to a fabulous hand cream from Bath & Body Works. The scent is Shea Cashmere & Silk from their True Blue Spa line. I'm obsessed with this stuff! It smells amazing and it dries literally in seconds - so good! I don't have that heavy/greasy feeling after I've put it on. Trust me, you need this.


In addition to using these products, I try my best to remember to wear gloves outside during winter. It's important to protect your skin from that bitter cold wind! What are your favorite hand/nail products to use in the winter?

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, November 21, 2016

Thanksgiving Nails

I'M BACK! Finally!!! Two whole weeks of unpainted nails has been the worst. My nail still looks bruised but it was definitely healed enough to paint, just in time for Thanksgiving! Note to self: pay attention when closing the car door so this NEVER happens again.

Today I brought back my turkey friend, which my students love. I started with a base of Essie Urban Jungle - 3 coats. The glitter accent is my favorite fall glitter, Julep Autumn. To make the turkey I just used a really tiny detail brush. And a lot of patience haha. The eyes are a tad streaky due to me not waiting long enough for top coat, but I think he's still pretty cute!




Have a great week! I'll have a nice short week at school.

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, November 7, 2016

Essie Cashmere Bathrobe

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? The fiancé and I went apple picking with our families on Sunday and had perfect weather for it. Unfortunately my clumsy self accidentally slammed my finger in the car door and with my luck it was obviously on my swatch hand. Ready for something crazy and gross? If not skip this part! I developed a hematoma and performed a little home surgery on it by (carefully!) making a hole in my nail with a sterilized needle to drain the blood and relieve the pressure/pain. So glad I decided to do it because while I definitely still have pain it's not unbearably throbbing. Story time over!

Today I'm sharing my mani from Sunday, clearly before my incident haha. I went with one of my favorite fall shades, Essie Cashmere Bathrobe. I love this glossy gray with a hint of shimmer. I used Julep May, a pale copper chrome, as my accent nail.




Sadly this will probably be my only post for the week since I can't paint my nails until my wound heals waaaaahh. Here's to hoping for a quick recovery!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, October 31, 2016

Halloween Nails

Hey everyone! Today is just a quick nail post with what I wore for Halloween.

I didn't have time to do anything super crazy this year because on Sunday the fiancé and I had our engagement shoot (so obviously I didn't want Halloween themed nails haha). The black polish I used here is Zoya Willa. This polish is a true black with the perfect formula. Two easy coats and dries quickly. The glitter accent is Julep Beatrix, a black base filled with multidimensional glitter. The orange is Julep Marjorie, the perfect Halloween orange with a hint of shimmer. My class at school today loved my simple but festive nails!




Happy Halloween!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, October 24, 2016

Skull Nail Art

Happy Mani Monday! How was your weekend? The fiancé and I braved the gross weather on Saturday to go see some wedding invitations. It's crazy how many options there are!

I am SO excited to share today's mani with you because I tried nail stamping for the first time ever! Okay that's a lie -  I tried it last week and got frustrated so I gave up. But I tried again today and figured it out. The clear jelly stamper and stamping plate are both from Born Pretty Store. Since next week is Halloween I tried out the skulls. This design is so fun!

The gorgeous holo polish on my nails is ILNP Mega (X) and yes, it is blindingly amazing and sparkly in the sun.




Here's how stamping works:
1. Apply base coat or regular polish on the nail.
2. Apply the nail polish to desired image on a plate.
3. Scrape excess polish off quickly.
4. Immediately press the stamper with a gentle rolling motion to pick up the design. The image will be transferred onto the stamp.
5. Stamp the image on your nail with the same gentle rolling motion. The image will then be transferred on your nail.
6. After stamping nail art, apply top coat.

I hope you give nail stamping a try! It was definitely out of my comfort zone but I'm so glad I stuck with it because the outcome is worth it. Btw, when you place an order with BPS make sure you use my discount code ASYW10 for 10% off!

xoxo,
   Brooke


Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided for my honest review by the Born Pretty Store. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Julep Stephanie

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a good week so far. I have really been enjoying this weather! 80 degrees in mid-October? Yes please!

I finally got around to trying out Julep Stephanie, a bright cherry "holographic." Although Julep describes this as a holo, I see it more as a shimmer. Regardless, this polish is gorgeous and applied nicely in two coats. I love that this is a classic red with something a little different.




Enjoy the rest of your week!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, October 10, 2016

Red Flower Decals

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? The fiancé and I got all dressed up and went to a wedding - we had a great time. I've been so excited with the weather finally getting cooler!

Today I have another set of gorgeous water decals from Born Pretty Store to share with you. These are red flower water decals that come with two patterns. I chose to use the top pattern in the set. First I started with two coats of Zoya dove, a lovely grey creme. I applied top coat before moving on to the decals. I cut out the pieces I wanted to use for each nail and soaked them in water for about 30 seconds. When the decal easily separated from the backing, I pressed it on to my nail. I used a hair dryer to set the design and sealed with top coat.





I still have a few more fun products to share from Born Pretty Store in upcoming posts, so keep an eye out. Btw, when you place an order with BPS make sure you use my discount code ASYW10 for 10% off!

xoxo,
   Brooke



Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided for my honest review by the Born Pretty Store. All opinions are my own.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Dream Catcher Nail Art

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a great week. Today we took our second graders on a field trip to a local farm. We had the most perfect weather! And who can argue with getting out of school for the day? I will say I was totally exhausted when I got home and took a loooong nap.

I recently received some fun new products from Born Pretty Store and have the first one to share with you today.

I first started with a base of Cindi Naturals Lola Wants - Lola Gets (cute name, right?!) This is a mauvey pink with silver shimmer. The glitter accent is Julep Cameron. Instead of me getting frustrated with hand painting a dream catcher, I used a dream catcher water decal. These are super easy! You soak it in water for about 20 seconds before sticking the decal on your nail. To set it, you just blow dry for a few seconds before top coat.






I was super impressed with the decal, it lasted without any peeling or fading after having this mani for a few days. I love the color options too! Btw, when you place an order with BPS make sure you use my discount code ASYW10 for 10% off!

xoxo,
   Brooke



Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided for my honest review by the Born Pretty Store. All opinions are my own.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Marc Jacobs Wine Not

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? I celebrated Rosh Hashanah with the fiancé and our families. We are both exhausted from all the travel but had a great time.

I am so excited about today's mani because it screams fall. I've really missed wearing dark colors on my nails. This delicious deep red wine color is Marc Jacobs Wine Not, accompanied by Marc Jacobs Petra. Both of these polishes seem to glow from the inside out. They're so beautiful!




In my next few posts I'll be trying out some new products from Born Pretty Store, including my very first nail stamper. Enjoy your week and the beautiful weather!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Monday, September 19, 2016

Julep Genevieve

Hey everyone! How was your weekend? The fiancé and I had a pretty chill weekend and watched the Emmy's on Sunday night. Always love the red carpet!

I had to get into my Julep polishes from the September box and since I got the PLU (polish lovers upgrade) I had lots to choose from! I finally settled on Genevieve, a gorgeous metallic coppery garnet. I'm OBSESSED with this color and the fiancé was giving me lots of compliments on it. I was able to get away with one coat people. ONE COAT! I also used a quatrefoil stencil to add Julep May as an accent. This mani makes me feel so ready for fall.




Hope you all have a great start to your week!

xoxo,
   Brooke