Category Archives: Product Reviews

Nail Art Tutorial: Bone Nails

Bone Nails Nail Art

Make no bones about it, but Bone Nail Art is easy to incorporate into any spooky design for a Hallowe’en manicure.

You don’t need any special colours – just black and white. Those are pretty much staples for most nail art, and any nailphile probably already has them in their collection.

I used OPI My Gondola or Yours?, which is a glossy black from the Venice Collection. For the white, I reached for Pretty Serious Presence.

The only additional tools you’ll need are a dotting tool and a striping brush. However, if you don’t have a dotting tool, using the end of an old makeup brush or pen can do the trick in a pinch.

As for the striping brush, you don’t need one that’s specifically for nail art. You can get an inexpensive set of brushes from the Dollar Store’s craft section and then use scissors to trim the bristles to narrow the width to your needs. Easy peasy!

Haha, also, don’t forget to add the rounded areas on either ends of the bones. If you accidentally only do one side, well, it’ll make some pretty risqué adult nail art for a bachelorette party, I suppose! 😉

I hope that you enjoy my step-by-step tutorial with written instructions and photos near the bottom. I love sharing simple and quick nail designs that anyone can recreate. The more we all can spread the joy of painting, the better!

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Maybelline Creamy Mattes Lipstick Swatches, Quick Review & Press Release (NEW Limited Edition Shades for 2015)

Maybelline Creamy Mattes Lipsticks Review

Like nail polish, lipstick is a quick and easy way to change up your look, coordinate with an outfit, or make a statement that ends with more exclamation marks than a campy episode of Batman featuring Adam West punching villains in the nose. ZOWIE! BAM! ZAP!

I’m a fan of the Maybelline ColorSensational The Creamy Mattes that I’ve tried before (Touch of Spice is one of my favourites), so you can imagine how thrilled I was to try their 8 new limited-edition shades.

The United States already had them for a while, but they’re officially set to launch in Canada starting October 27, 2015. Circle your calendars, and get ready for the drugstore dash!

This post contains a quick look at the new Maybelline lipstick shades: Clay Crush, Nude Nuance, Blushing Pout, Rich Ruby, Electric Pink, Pink N Chic, Vibrant Violet, and Burgundy Blush.

I’ve swatched them on my arm and on my lips, so you can see the formula in action.

This is the first time that I’ve swatched 8 lipsticks in a single photo session. (I did it while listening to Justin Trudeau give his victory speech on Monday night on TV.) After applying and removing each lipstick, I was expecting my lips to feel raw by the end, but surprisingly, they didn’t! To me, that speaks volumes about its great formulation.

My bare lips were on the dry side to begin with, but I resisted the urge to reach for a lip balm because I wanted to show you what the formula looks like when you don’t exfoliate, prep your lips, and do a belly dance to appease the lip gods.

(Clearly, I’m not afraid of showing unedited, larger-than-life photos where you can see the natural lines. I’m not afraid of showing my true colours and stripes, so why hesitate with lip lines?)

I was so impressed with how creamy and lightweight they felt, and I will be wearing all of the colours again, except for the bright pinks. (There’s nothing wrong with those, but they don’t suit my personal taste nowadays.)

I may do a review on some shades on the blog or Instagram, so I can go into detail about the wear time after I’ve tested each out individually for longer.

Also, in case you were wondering, the lipsticks have the same frosted red-toned brown lid that the original Maybelline Creamy Mattes have. (The photos in this post are all of the lipsticks going topless. Oh, how scandalous!) 😉

Vibrant Violet, Rich Ruby, and Burgundy Blush are my favourite colours out of the bunch. (You have to carefully apply Vibrant Violet and Burgundy Blush to get an even application, but those shades are worth it.)

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Hard Candy Wild Child Swatches & Review

Hard Candy Wild Child Swatches & Review

Hard Candy Wild Child reminds me a lot of my prom dress, which I wore many martian moons ago. 😉

It had a cobalt blue satin corset and princess-seamed skirt. Beneath it was a petticoat with several mesh layers to help puff out the bottom. Then, on top were a couple of layers of purple tulle that, from various angles, made my dress shift like a duochrome from purple to blue.

This was my fairytale dress, as only the night before shopping, I had done a quick sketch of what I planned to look for. Then, hung on a rack near the ceiling of an evening gown store (the first boutique I went to, which was also on my birthday), I looked up and saw the dress I drew right before my eyes. It was meant to be. *Cue the song “So This Is Love” from Cinderella*

Since then, a lot of time has passed. For instance, dinosaurs no longer roam the earth. Also, wheels have gone from being square to becoming round. 😉

Despite the passage of time, I still feel nostalgic whenever I see the colourful combination like the magic contained inside Hard Candy Wild Child. It’s my prom dress in a bottle!

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OPI A Great Opera-tunity Swatches & Review

OPI A Great Opera-tunity Swatches & Review

OPI A Great Opera-tunity from the Venice Collection is a soft melon that has a smidgeon of pink that differentiates it from other peachy shades in my stash.

Although I’ve learned to love peach on my nails, this particular hue was never the kind that caught my attention. But, like I’m always harping on here, you sometimes need to give a shade a shot in order to find out if it works for you or not. And with a name like “A Great Opera-tunity,” it’s appropriately named!

If you’re like me and have a yellow undertone, colours like this can look a little “off” against your skin. However, I was delighted to discover that it balanced the seesaw so it didn’t clash, but it also didn’t blend into my skin like a Band-Aid.

There’s also another thing about this polish that I really enjoyed. Check out the rest of this review to find out what it was.

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OPI O Suzi Mio Swatches & Review

OPI O Suzi Mio Swatches & Review

OPI O Suzi Mio from the Venice Collection reminded me of a vampire’s cloak, which makes it very timely, as we’re approaching Hallowe’en! (Ahh – I haven’t done any ghoulish or spooky nail looks yet.)

This purple creme reminds me of when I first started collecting nail polish more seriously in 2008. Violets, lavenders, midnight orchids, eggplants, and plums were my jam, and even to this day, they represent the largest portion of my stash. (Yup – even more so than green, my new love!)

A rich purple like this looks mysteriously gothic on just about anyone, and when you’re not in the mood for brights, OPI O Suzi Mio is a great choice!

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Essie Frock ‘n Roll Swatches & Review

Essie Frock N Roll Swatches & Review

Several weeks ago when the weather started getting cooler and my cuticles got drier, I sported Essie Frock ‘n Roll from the Fall 2015 Collection.

Described in Essie’s official press release, Frock ‘n Roll is a shimmery espresso. That’s spot on because it’s a dark and brooding shade that has subtle sparkle.

In the bottle, it looks like a ‘frock star,’ but on the nails, it’s more like an edgy socialite.

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OPI Worth a Pretty Penne Swatches & Review

OPI Worth a Pretty Penne Swatches & Review

To all my fellow Canadians, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! (I’m thankful that I have so many incredible readers like you who are smart, creative, and supportive. My blogging journey wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding without you!)

Today’s in-depth review features OPI Worth a Pretty Penne, which is from the Venice Collection that I did a Quick Look post on.

While it was advertised as being a shimmery copper, I was surprised that it was far more complex upon closer inspection.

Allow me to tell you more!

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