Sunday, February 25, 2018

Smith & Cult Lo-Fi

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a great weekend. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for school starting back up after February break and I'm so not ready. It is kind of crazy that March starts this week and then there are only 4 months remaining in the school year! I'm definitely looking forward to warmer weather and bright spring nails.

This weekend I decided to try another one of my new Smith & Cult polishes (got this one on eBay). The color is called Lo-Fi and it's an espresso brown creme. I honestly wasn't sure if I would like it but after applying three thin coats I was totally sold. This is a very rich and creamy deep brown that looks super glossy and gorgeous. I've been really impressed with the formula of all of the Smith & Cult polishes I've tried so far. For my chevron accent color I used Cirque Colors Halcyon, which is a stunning rose gold metallic.







I still have a bunch of Smith & Cult polishes I need to try but they're definitely spring/summer colors and I'm not quite ready for those yet!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Born Pretty Store Chameleon Polish

Hey everyone! I have another Born Pretty Store product to share with you today. They sent me a Chameleon Pearl stamping polish in the shade The Milky Way. I haven't tried it for stamping yet, but I did use it to cover my whole nail.

I actually started with a base of JINsoon Heroine and then wanted to use The Milky Way as an accent. I liked the way it looked so much that I put it over all of my nails! The color shift in this is so gorgeous and can change depending on what you use underneath it. I see a reddish to blue/green shift. This is such a fun topper and I look forward to trying it as a stamping polish next.




There are several other gorgeous chameleon colors to choose from, so definitely take a look on Born Pretty Store to see all of the options along with swatches. 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, February 21, 2018

Holographic Flakie Nails

Hey everyone! How's your week going? I'm off for February break and it's so nice to relax and have some me time. It was an unusually warm (70 degree!) day in Jersey City so I went out for an hour and took a walk along the water. I also got to try out my other Born Pretty Store products that were sent to me and I'm excited to share them with you!

The product I'm sharing with you today is the holographic chameleon flakies nail powder (#1 & #3). The application process is similar to a mirror powder. These powders are meant to be used with UV base coat, UV color gel, and UV top coat (meaning it has to be cured under a light). However, I used the ORLY Color Amp'd Flexible Sealcoat over regular black polish and it worked just fine. Another alternative would be Sally Hansen Miracle Gel. These don't require curing under a light.

Isn't this pretty?!

I started with a base of black creme polish, and you could use any black for that. Then apply the top coat and give that some time to dry. Before you get into the powder I would highly recommend using a liquid tape around your cuticles to save yourself from a whole lot of mess. The best tool to apply your powder is a disposable eyeshadow applicator. I like to dip it into the flakies and then press it onto the nail. I did this until the whole surface was covered and then carefully peeled off the tape. Apply top coat and you're all set!




Have you tried any powders before? I think they're super fun! 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.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Smith & Cult Pillow Pie

Hey everyone! We've been having a rainy lazy weekend over here, but it's given me some time to do nail art with a new stamping plate I recently received from Born Pretty Store.

I wanted to try to do a few different Valentine's Day looks and this plate has so many pretty designs! For my base color I used one of my new Smith & Cult polishes in the shade Pillow Pie, a semi-sheer powder pink. I used three thin coats here to build up opacity. The formula is really nice on this one. The color I used for stamping is JINsoon Heroine, a deep purplish pink. Lastly, I used Smith & Cult Take Fountain for a glittery accent nail.







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

xoxo,
   Brooke


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

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Essie Cashmere Bathrobe

Hey everyone! Hope your week is off to a good start. I feel a little thrown off after staying up late for the Super Bowl, but we're a week and a half from February break. Powering through!

My nails are slowly starting to grow back out without any breaks (knock on wood!) so I painted them last night. I haven't used Essie Cashmere Bathrobe in a while. It's a glossy gray with a hint of shimmer. You'll need two thick coats or three thin coats for this one, but the formula is nice. I used Marc Jacobs Gatsby for an accent nail and Marc Jacobs Glinda for some glitter. Loving this simple but fun look! 





I got all of my Smith & Cult polishes in the mail recently and I'm definitely going to use them soon for a fun Valentine's Day mani. Hope you have a great week!

xoxo,
   Brooke

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Julep Starlit Soiree

Hey everyone! How's your week going? I'm definitely ready for this cold weather to end because my nails/cuticles have had it. I have to keep cutting them down because at least one nail splits every few days. It's so frustrating!

I do still try to paint them when they look decent, so here's a fun ombre look I did with the Julep Starlit Soiree duo (unfortunately no longer available as a duo, but I'll link to the individual polishes at the end of the post). The duo came with Marguerite, a metallic raspberry with gold shimmer, and Kalli, a metallic gold with a bit of holographic shimmer. I saw this duo advertised as an ombre look and fell in love with it and just had to try it myself. I started with just one coat of Marguerite and then sponged on Kalli on the tips. So pretty!







Here's the link for Kalli and the link for Marguerite, which is currently showing as out of stock but might come back at some point.

Hope you have a great weekend!

xoxo,
   Brooke