Nail Passion

Nail Art is my passion! This blog is all about nails :) I wanted to share my passion with others and be able to connect and follow others who share the same interests! I hope you enjoy my blog :) Feel free to comment, like, share and/or give feedback. (You can also find me on Facebook and Pinterest).

Thursday, May 26, 2016

LVX 2016 SUMMER COLLECTION SWATCH & REVIEW

Are you guys ready for a 3 day weekend!? I'm surprised I have Monday off...I didn't last year, so it is definitely a nice surprise :)

To get you into Summer mode...because it's almost that time ;) I will be sharing LVX's new Summer Collection with you guys! My first thought upon seeing these colors was that they are fresh and different, which I immediately loved! (I'll let you know my final thoughts after I show you all of these fun colors ;) lol).




Up first is this fun bubblegum pink called, Bon Bon. I seriously don't think you could ever go wrong with this shade of pink! ...can you really go wrong with pink at all ever though?? Especially in the summer ;)




Next up is Lamer. I really like that this is a deep blue, although I after swatching it I did kind of hope that it was at least 1 shade brighter. But still, I love my blues so I won't really complain lol.




Saffron is the polish from this collection that surprised me the most! I normally wouldn't wear a yellow polish on it's own (usually just in designs), but this one was so different that after I applied it I was actually very intrigued by it...I for sure thought I wouldn't quite like it on its own, especially since yellow usually brings out the yellow undertones of your skin, but I actually did really like it...it was just really difficult to clean up my cuticles ;P




Does this look more orange or red to you? At first I thought it looked quite red, then after I applied it I noticed more orange, but the photo to me definitely looks a little bit more red. Coquelicot is a beautiful orangey/red, which I'm really glad about. I feel like most collections I've been seeing lately have had red in them, so I'm glad that this was more of an orangey/red and not a plain red.




Serene is definitely one of my most favorites from this collection! Of all of the blue polishes I own (and for how much I love blue!) you'd think I own a shade similar to this, but I actually don't. I do have a few light blues, but this one is a little bit different...and I'm not quite sure how to describe the difference. So this one is definitely a great addition to my collection.




And last up is Lush, a beautiful minty/green. I liked this color so much I couldn't take it off after swatching it! :P It's so pretty!

The application for these polishes was impressive! With literally all of them! Just about every one of them was almost completely opaque in 1 coat, 2 coats added the perfect coverage. That's one of the best thing about LVX polishes, they all have amazing application!

So overall, I am very impressed with this collection! The thing I love the most about it is the fact that these aren't your usual summer shades. I know you see pinks and blues, but the shades of all of these polishes are fun and different.

What do you guys think?? Do you like them?

Purchase any or all of these polishes for yourself here: 


Sunday, May 8, 2016

LVX NAIL COLOR REMOVER REVIEW

Good afternoon :) I hope all you Mothers out there are having a wonderful, relaxing Mothers Day! Today I have a new product review to share with you.

I was recently sent LVX's new Natural Nail Color Remover wipes to test and review.

I normally don't like to use harsh chemicals or anything of the like, but I favor acetone when removing my nail polish...so when I received the email from LVX to try out their new Natural Nail Color Remover I was intrigued.

LVX wanted to create something different than all of the harsher nail polishes on the market, so they came up with these remover wipes that nourish and strengthen the nails and cuticles, and also contain key vitamins such as Vitamin A, C and E, as well as pure Jojoba Oil.

The remover comes with 12 presoaked wipes...now before you get your panties in a bunch (worried that they won't last you long, which if you do your nails as often as I do, it won't), these remover wipes are large enough and have enough product for you to remove the polish from all of your nails, including your toes with only 1 sheet. So for me, I would need to stock up on these wipes for sure, but I love the fact that they can remove the polish from all of my fingers with only 1 sheet! I usually use anywhere from 3-5 cotton balls for my nails alone.

So my overall thought on how these actually work...I love them! I love that they don't dry out my nails like acetone does. My first thought was actually how I noticed that they seemed to moisturize and nourish my nails and cuticles (as stated in LVX's description). I didn't quite expect my nails to feel so clean and healthy. So I was quite impressed with the way they worked. 

It did take a few seconds longer for the wipes to remove the polish from my nails than if I had used acetone, but I didn't mind that so much since my nails felt so healthy and clean.

The only downside that I see with these wipes is that for me, with how often I do my nails, they are not as convenient as cotton balls and acetone. What I mean by that is the price-to-use ratio doesn't quite justify me buying the remover wipes in place of cotton balls and acetone. 1 box of the remover wipes is $20, and I'll get 12 manicures out of it. Where I can get a bag of 100-200 cotton balls and acetone for less than $5, and quite a lot of manicures.

If you don't like using acetone or other nail polish removers, I would recommend you try these out. I definitely think they are worth it, especially if you don't do your nails as often as I do ;)

 You can find them on LVX's page here: Nail Color Remover


Sunday, May 1, 2016

JIOR COUTURE - L.Y.L.A.S. COLLECTION

Sacha from Jior Couture did it again! I continue to absolutely fall In Love with her polishes and this new L.Y.L.A.S. (Love You Like a Sister) Collection is no exception!

Have you guys heard of Satin finish polishes? I've heard of them, but before now I'd never actually had the opportunity to try them. This Collection consists of 5 Satin polishes and 1 Holo/Glitter, and I know you'll love them as much as I do ;)

**These polishes were sent to me for review. Please see my Disclosure Policy listed in the tabs above.**




This is Jillian, a beautiful opaque lilac. I was so impressed with the application! It was almost completely opaque in 1 coat...so I imagine these might stamp really well!? ;) But as for this color!? Isn't it gorgeous!! I did not want to take this color off! ...which was kind of a bummer that I started out swatching this one :P


Shown here is 1 coat of the Holo/Glitter Katushka over Jillian.




Elicia is a unique peachy/coral. It's pretty and elegant. I like the softness of it...the satin finish really enhances that, don't you think?? The formula and application were perfect! Fully opaque in 2 coats.


Shown here is 1 coat of Katushka over Elicia.




Theresa is a stunning sky-blue satin. This color is gorgeous in person! ...Not to mention the photos, obviously. But you have not seen the brilliance of this blue until you've seen it in person! And the application was incredible! I'd say it was 98% opaque in 1 coat.


Here's 1 coat of Katushka over Theresa.




I was slightly disappointed with the way this one turned out in photos. My photos, for some reason, couldn't catch the bright color that this actually is in person. Dawn, is a kind of turquoise-y/teal, a very beautiful color. Very unique.


Here's 1 coat of Katushka over Dawn.




And last up for the Satin polishes is, J'Neen, a stunning bright, cotton candy pink! I love the way this shade of pink looks with the satin finish!


Here's 1 coat of Katushka over J'Neen.

So of course after swatching these polishes I am beyond impressed! The finish is amazing! The application is smooth and buttery. The formula is incredible (as always!).

Each of the satin polish was almost completely opaque in 1 coat. And Katushka, the holo/glitter applied very well. It wasn't thick, or clumpy, and the glitters applied fairly evenly.

If you would like these polishes for yourself or you'd like to see all of the other beautiful polishes Jior Couture has, you can find them here: http://www.jiorcouture.com

You can also see my other swatches for Jior Couture in the links below :) Enjoy!


BORN PRETTY STORE NAIL STAMPER REVIEW

Hello again! :)

I have another review for you guys...this one is a little bit different for me, but I hope it helps if you're looking for stampers.

**These products were sent to me for review. Please see my Disclosure Policy listed in the tabs above.**






Ever since I received my first stamper I have been loving the stamping technique for nail art. But over the years I have noticed more and more types of stampers coming out and I've wanted to try them for myself. I started out with the Pink Double Sided Stamper, which is a great stamper, just not that flexible and kind of small when working with full nail designs. Then upgraded to the Black Double Sided Stamper because it was bigger and seemed a little more pliable (It's still my favorite). I've also tried the new Jelly stamper and have never had so much trouble with a stamper before, so I decided to try a different clear stamper, along with a Larger Marshmallow Stamper.

So far, both of these stampers are kind of difficult to use. When I first received them the Marshmallow stamper was super sticky! And unfortunately, still is. I filed it and cleaned it very well with acetone...I haven't tried washing it with soap and water yet...which may help.

This Jelly stamper was a quite a bit easier to use than the other one I have, but I still find it difficult to pick up full images (as you can see above).

Once I was able to get the stampers cleaned, I tried stamping with them and I'm more impressed with the Marshmallow stamper. When it's cleaned, it picks up the images so well! And it is large enough to cover every nail and then some! I'm still working with the Jelly stamper, I find them the most difficult to clean and have to keep tape near to help keep it clean, otherwise I can't pick up a clear image...but I love the clear stampers because they make it SOO much easier to make sure your images are stamped straight or directly where you want them.

So overall, I do really like them both, even though I've had some difficulty with them. Once I figure out how to clean them both in the best way I doubt I will have any problem with them. I would still recommend the Black Double Sided Stamper to anyone who is looking for a good one, because I have never had any problems with that one (so long as you use the right polish).

I hope this helps anyone looking for stampers :) Please feel free to leave a comment below if you would like to know more or have any questions about either of these stamps.

*Born Pretty Store has a wide variety of nail art supplies as well as many other things for very reasonable prices. If you check out the store and find things you want, make sure to use code "UTG10" for 10% off!*

DAMASK NAIL ART - BORN PRETTY STORE REVIEW (DS-264 & DS-265)

Don't you guys just love the elegance of Damask print?? I love it no matter what it's on. And I went a little crazy on Pinterest trying to get some inspiration for this design :P

**These products were sent to me for review. Please see my Disclosure Policy listed in the tabs above.**




This design took me a little longer than it should have. Although I've gotten the hang of placing water decals, this design took awhile because each pattern is an individual decal, including the dots.

You can probably tell in the close up below that the decals aren't quite evenly spaced. But that doesn't bother me...I think that may make me like it even more :) 



The polishes I used for the base of this design are Sinful Colors Snow Me White, OPI Black Onyx and LVX Lemondrop.

These decals come in different sizes and also come in black and white...as you can see. I would definitely recommend these decals if you love Damask :D

If you would like these decals yourself you can find them here: Damask Water Decals.

*Born Pretty Store has a wide variety of nail art supplies as well as many other things for very reasonable prices. If you check out the store and find things you want, make sure to use code "UTG10" for 10% off!*

WATERCOLOR CITY LINE NAILS - BORN PRETTY STORE REVIEW

Happy Sunday :) Today I have some fun Water Decals to show you guys!

I recently received these Water Decals from Born Pretty Store, and I love how fun and simple they are to use.

**These products were sent to me for review. Please see my Disclosure Policy listed in the tabs above.** 




The first time I tried water decals I had a difficult time with them...but having used them quite a few times now I feel that I have the technique down :)

After you've cut your decals and you're ready to place them on the nail, I've found that the easiest way to make sure that they are placed where you'd like is to dip your nail in water. That way they can slide around and they don't automatically stick, making it harder to move and easier to rip.

These decals are fun and unique. I love the watercolor effect! The sheet of decals also comes with a City outline, as well as blackout City...you can see for yourself (and purchase) here: Nightscape Water Decals.

*Born Pretty Store has a wide variety of nail art supplies as well as many other things for very reasonable prices. If you check out the store and find things you want, make sure to use code "UTG10" for 10% off!*