Paw Palette Ring

                                                                      -ring provided by BornPrettyStore-


Hello!

I thing by now you know I love stamping and gradients, and can't do free hand nail art if it saved my life :) That's why I wanted to challenge myself and order this ring palette from BornPrettyStore:

Basically, it's a little palette for when you're making decals: you drop polish and place it on your ring so it's easier to do stamping decals, or painting things on your nails, if are unlike me and can actually do free hand nail art :) Plus it comes in paw shape and is very adorable, so I went ahead and tried.

I wanted to make some decals for nail art contest I am participating in (find it on Instagram with hastag #clairestelle8feb), so I put FoxyPaws Polish Too Lost In You and A England Saint George, stamped and image from my BP-73 plate (I love this plate so much!),  using my clear jelly stamper, also from BornPrettyStore, placed the ring on my finger and started. And I did it! Look!

While my first decal was drying, I took my chances again, on another stamper

I know this is not an essential nail tool, but it made my life SO MUCH easier! I use to drop polish on plastic or hard paper I could find, and the drop would spread, making the polish dry faster and basically, if I wanted a decal, I had to use several drops of polish to make it work. In the palette, the polish stays wet longer, therefore, so much easier to work with, and you don't waste as much. Plus, it's on your finger, so you can work fast, no need to look where your polish is because it's right there! I love this little ring palette! It looks so cute you can wear it as a ring, or, if you feel like it, you can drop polish in it and make it an extra special ring :)
I will, however, keep it as my little helping hand in making decals. Who knows, maybe I'll venture to free hand nail art with it :)

This is my final result:

This is where to buy it, you'll have 2 options, paw shape like mine, or classic palette shape: http://www.bornprettystore.com/mini-finger-nail-palette-free-hand-manicure-ring-palette-p-23985.html

Don't forget to use RAPYX31 for 10% off your order :)

xo

Stefi

BornPretty Store Black Stamping Polish

                                                                               -stamping polish provided by BornPrettyStore-

Hello!

Today, I am reviewing one of the most essential tool in a stamping lover life: black stamping polish.
Everyone who ever tried to stamp their nails knows that a good stamping polish is basically the most important for getting clear, sharp images, and probably also knows how hard it is to find a good black stamping polish. It needs to be pigmented, it needs to work well with the stamper, and it needs to be really, really black. I present, black stamping polish from BornPrettyStore: 

This polish is everything a stamping polish needs to be: very black, very pigmented, easy to work with. It will, like most black polishes, stain your skin a little if you get too much of it on it, but nothing a little acetone and a good brush can't fix, or you can use one of many latex barriers on the market for protecting your fingers while stamping. I won't do much talking, I will just let pictures talk:

Well, I think that's enough? :) Anyway, this polish is so very good, I didn't use anything else for black stamping since I got it.

This is the link:  http://www.bornprettystore.com/15ml-born-pretty-nail-stamping-polish-black-nail-polish-p-22322.html

It's a great bargain for just $4.79 for 15ml bottle, it goes a long way.

And when you buy it, don't forget to use my code RAPYX31 for 10% off your order.

xo

Stefi

Parrot Polish Black Magic

Hello folks!

By now, I'm sure you know I like Parrot Polish very much, and have quite a few of them. You also probably know I love dark polish, and it doesn't get darker than black :D And when that black polish is holo, and it's thermal....

This is Black Magic, a thermal polish that is black when cold, and grey when warm. It is simply gorgeous! 

The applications, like all Parrot polishes is flawless, two coats, top coat, and you're good to go! 

I love stamping in complementary colours on thermals,  the stamping slowly appearing is magical :) 

They have a lot of thermals, and I plan to get my hands on a few those very soon :) 

Find Parrot Polish here: http://www.shop.parrotpolish.com/ and on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parrot_polish/  and Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/ParrotPolish

xo 

Stefi

BornPrettyStore stamping polish #4

                                                                                               - press sample -

Hello everyone!

As I promised, I have another stamping polish from BornPrettyStore for you :) This one is white, because we all need a good white stamping polish :)

Again, this is also very pigmented, stamps beautifully and dries fast. Also, your top coat will probably not smudge it, which of course depends on your top coat (I use Seche Vite fast dry).

I used my pretty roses stamping plate, BP-73 :)

If you need a good white stamping polish, search no more: http://www.bornprettystore.com/15ml-born-pretty-nail-stamping-polish-newly-sweet-style-nail-polish-p-22179.html

Polish number is 4 :) 15 ml for $4.79 is a bargain, don't you think? 

This is the plate: http://www.bornprettystore.com/rose-flower-nail-stamping-template-image-plate-born-pretty-bp73-p-20790.html

I used it with a MoyouLondon plate, just so you see it works well with all the plates :) This gorgeous green holo is FoxyPawsPolish Accidental Boob Graze :)

Don't forget to use my code RAPYX31 for 10% off your entire order :) 

xoxo

Stefi

BornPretty Store Stamping Polish #16

                                                                                               - press sample  -


Hello friends!

I have some new stuff sent to me from BornPrettyStore, so lets get on it right away. I have 3 stamping polishes and 2 plates, so let me start with stamping polishes.
I choose 3 very light colours, because I always wear dark and I'm trying to go out of my comfort zone. One of them is a very pale and gentle pink:

BornPrettyStore stamping polishes are very pigmented and they stamp really well, no surprise there. 

As I've stated before, they do have a little smell, but nothing overpowering, and it goes away as soon as the polish is dry, which is very fast, especially for such a polish that is thicker than regular ones. 

If you are in search of a good stamping polish, I recommend! 

It look much more pink in the bottle, on the nail it looses some of the colour, but still manages to stay gentle and pink :) I created this manicure using BP-73 plate with roses and flowers. I will show you more of this plate, but let me just officially say that I can't believe I didn't get it sooner :) 

There's a lot of stamping colours available, so go buy them here: http://www.bornprettystore.com/15ml-born-pretty-nail-stamping-polish-newly-sweet-style-nail-polish-p-22179.html

This polish is colour number 16, and you get 15ml of polish for only $4.79 which is a great price! 

If you need to get your hand on the stamping plate, here it is: http://www.bornprettystore.com/rose-flower-nail-stamping-template-image-plate-born-pretty-bp73-p-20790.html

Also, don't forget to use my code RAPYX31 for 10% off your order. 

Talk to you soon :) 

xo 

Stefi

BornPrettyStore Feather Decals

                                                                         - water decals sent to me by BornPrettyStore -

Hello everyone!

You know, I am really starting to like water decals! They are so easy to apply, and you get a cute manicure in matter of minutes.
BornPrettyStore sent me these for review, and I really liked them:

They are quite easy to apply, take the foil of, cut the feather you want to use, then dip in in some water for about 30 seconds, and transfer to your nail. Be careful that your nail polish is completely dry, and you can dip your nail in water, that way placing the decal will be easier. After you have your decal where you want it, put on top coat. Just be careful, if you put too much top coat, the decal might become smudgy, they are quite delicate. This is my manicure with these adorable decals, a did a gradient of Barry M Berry Cosmo and Essie Bahama Mama

As I said, I like water decals and I sure will be ordering more from BornPrettyStore.

You can buy these here: http://www.bornprettystore.com/sheet-peacock-feather-nail-water-decals-black-white-feather-pattern-stickers-p-20711.html
Item number is 20711, decals number D463, and they are currently just $1.17 which is a great price!

Don't forget to use RAPYX31 for 10% off your entire order (because we all know you'll buy more than just the decals :) )

xoxo

Stefi

Rhinestone nailart with BornPrettyStore

                                                                                           - rhinestones sent to me by BornPrettyStore-

Hello folks!

Today we have a quick and sweet manicure with some rhinestones. You know I love stamping and rhinestones are not my thing, I think this is the first time ever I put them on my nails, so I decided to branch out a little and try these from BornPrettyStore.

I got the black ones (item number 20993, #7) and thought they would go pretty well with a berry polish, so I chose Zoya Thea.

I placed the rhinestones on wet topcoat and pressed, and they held up pretty nice. But still, if you are clumsy like me and tend to bang your fingers against all doors in the house, I recommend glue :) All in all, I think these are a really easy and fun way to spark up a simple manicure :)
Buy them here: http://www.bornprettystore.com/50pcs-shining-rhinestone-nail-decoration-flatback-nail-studs-charms-nail-manicure-p-20993.html

Don't forget to use my code RAPYX31 for 10% off your entire order :)

xoxo

Stefi

Stamping with BornPrettyStore

                                                                              - stamping polish sent for review by BornPrettyStore

Hello friends!

I have another treat from BornPrettyStore to show you today. It's a pink/purple stamping polish :)

As you can see, this is a 15ml bottle, which is a lot of product for not really that much money (it's currently on sale for $4.59), and, as I will show you soon, it stamps really well.

See? No gaps or bald spots. The plate I used for this manicure is also from BornPrettyStore, it's L003 plate and I love it! I tought you would like to see how this polish behaves on light and dark bases, so I made a black and white gradient for it:

As you can see, it shows really well on both colours. I do have to tell you that this polish does have a smell, but it's not overpowering and it completely disappears when the polish is dry. I also have to tell you that I am very sensitive to smells, I often get migraines if something smells strongly unpleasant, but I didn't have such problems while doing my nails.

Here is the link to the stamping polish: http://www.bornprettystore.com/15ml-born-pretty-nail-stamping-polish-newly-sweet-style-nail-polish-p-22179.html

And the link to the plate: http://www.bornprettystore.com/large-designs-nail-stamp-template-image-plate-born-pretty-l003-65cm-p-17921.html

Don't forget to use my code RAPYX31 for 10% off your purchase :)

xoxo

Stefi

Nail care with Cuter Cuticles

                                                                                                            - all items purchased by me

Hello friends!

How are you? Are you looking forward to autumn? I have to admit, I am. We've had a pretty hot summer in Croatia, I feel like we were on heat wave alert for 2 months, and my migraine was acting up during those hot days, so I am very much looking forward to autumn crisp nights. However, I am not looking forward to all the fog: I live in a town with 4 rivers, and sometimes I think the fog here is a living, breathing, scary creature. :)
Anyway, back to business. :) I always talk of nail polish and stamping plates and all sorts of nail art here, and I thought today we might go back to basics: nail care. I'm sure you all know all kinds of tips and tricks for having healthy nails, so I will just tell you what I do.
First of all, I have to tell you that I've been blessed with good genes, my nails are basically healthy and they are really very low maintenance. They are quite hard, which means they are prone to breaking, and that's why I need a good moisturizing routine, to keep them flexible so that they bend and not break. As far as a base coat goes, I always use one, these days it's either The Knight by A England or Essie's Help me grow. But, the real secret is the cuticle oil. For a very long time, I've been using products from Cuter Cuticles.

Cuter Cuticles is a Canadian indie brand with nail care products, and I got myself addicted to Coffee Bean Cuticle oil. I have my own oil blend I made at home, and I use it, but I always go back to my Coffee Bean, I am never without it :) It smells like freshly ground coffee, but the scents is not overwhelming, just enough to make you sniff your fingers all the time :)
This was my last order:

Yes, I am the coffee monster :D What can I say, I really really love coffee. :)

There are a whole lot of scents in the shop, and if you would like a scent that is not listed, just ask, and the owner Sammy will hook you up :)

Except oils, Cuter Cuticles has balms, they are called Barrier Butter and they are perfect, especially for winter, when our hands, nails and cuticles are more prone to be dry and suffer from the harsh weather. There are also mani bombs, and mani tea. I bought mani tea with my last order, and it's excellent, smells divine and after you soak your hands in it, they feel so smooth and nourished.

They work like tea for your hands, take a bowl of hot water, put the bag in, wait for a couple of minutes for the water to cool and the tea to soak, and then you can enjoy a little bath for your hands, and your feet. :)  I usually soak my hands after I file my nails, once a week, sometimes more often if I was gardening a lot

See how my nails are healthy? I know they are yellow, that's what you get when you wear dark polishes most of the time, but still, they look quite nice :)

Cuter Cuticles also has liquid latex called Cutie Guard, it's a latex barrier you put around your nails when you do messy nail art, like gradients, and it's a life saver for me.

I can't recommend Cuter Cuticles products enough, so please go and check the store and order something, you will not regret it! The prices are reasonable, you won't pay a lot for shipping, and I'm sure you will get yourself hooked just as I did :)

This is the shop: http://cutercuticles.com/shop/  
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Cuter-Cuticles-748037935244372/timeline/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/canaildian_girl/
What do you use for nail care? Tell me in the comments :)

xoxo

Stefi