NOTD: Pixie Dust!

I’ve really been loving those holo flakies, I’ve been using them a lot. This is probably my current favorite application… and it reminds me of pixie dust!

bluepurplepixiedust | by themani-ac

My base here is Zoya Blu, I also sponged on some Zoya Abby and Purity. While it was still tacky, I sprinkled on the holo flakies with a fan brush then pressed them in with my finger. Once that was set, I topped it off with Essie Good to Go.

And that’s it! Such an easy way to jazz up a mani.

Ocean Nail Supply Holo Flakies Review!

If you follow nail art on Instagram, you’ve probably seen holo flakies everywhere. I’ve been obsessed with them since I first saw them, and I finally got my hands on a jar!

OceanNailSupplyHoloFlakies | by themani-ac

The blue polish I have on is Zoya Mallory, but we’re here to focus on the flakies. So, I did one coat of black polish, I used Zoya Willa. When it was still tacky, I pressed the flakies into the polish, then topped with Essie Good to Go.
I didn’t think one coat of flakies was enough so I did a second coat. I did a thin coat of Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat (you can use any clear polish), and when that was tacky, I pressed in more of the flakies and again, topped with Essie Good to Go.
These holo flakies are beautiful! I kept staring at them in the jar lol. So, you can totally use these with regular polish, like I did. Most of the time on Instagram, they are used with gel. I definitely think you need two coats, if you’re using them with regular polish. I used my finger to press them in, but you could use one of those eye shadow applicators or a brush if you wanted to. They are a bit messy, they can get everywhere, so be careful of that.
As I was testing them, my sister turned and said “that is the most effective way” to get such a glittery look… and I can’t disagree. It’s definitely more effective than a lot of polishes and regular glitter. The flakies also lay a lot flatter than other glitter/glitter polishes, so after top coat everything is pretty smooth.
I haven’t noticed too much wear, just a bit around the edges after a few days, not too much wear at the tips of my nails, which is impressive. Also, no peeling or lifting, which is awesome!
Overall, I’m loving these flakies. I can’t wait to use them in other ways.

NOTD: Something Blue!

Well, I’m back on a blue nail polish kick, but I’ve really been missing nail art so I decided to dive back into nail art with this look.

somethingblue | by themani-ac
The base on my pointer, middle and ring fingers is two coats of Zoya Lillian. Then I have two coats of Zoya Purity on my thumb and pinky, to which I then added the marbling. I also added just a little bit of silver leaf to go with the silver striping tape on my ring fingers. I topped everything off with Essie Good to Go.
I looooove how this came out. It was subtle, but so pretty. And.. it went with my engagement ring!  Hence the name of the NOTD, it was definitely part of my inspiration.
I’m really going to try to get back into the swing of nail art, I promise.

Birthday Nails Part 2!

So, my birthday kind of extended into a birthweek… that obviously required a nail change!

nudeandgold | by themani-ac
I decided to keep to the foil/leaf theme. I have two coats of Zoya Rue, then I used my gold leaf and did a more distressed look. I topped it off with Essie Good To Go.
Easy peasy and it looks super cool! What do you think?

NOTD: Birthday Nails!

It’s my birthday! So, I decided to stop being lazy and actually do a NOTD!

ZoyaAbby | by themani-ac

Let me preface by saying that I haven’t done anything with my nails in forever. I’ve been in a bit of a rut, plus I’ve been loving Zoya Blu lately. I decided to finally try one of the new Zoyas that I got… this is Abby.

So, here I have two coats of Abby, once that was dry, I used my silver leaf and created this gradient. I topped everything off with Essie Good To Go.

In terms of Abby, itself, this was the first time I used it, and I’m liking it more than I thought I would. That sounds silly, because… I bought it… why wouldn’t I like it?! But, I’ve been leaning towards blues and just didn’t think this warmer purple would suit me, but I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a thinner formula, but covers nicely and dries super fast. It’s also very shiny without a top coat. So pretty, I love it.

Zoya 2017 Earth Day Haul!

I received my Zoya Earth Day purchase last week! This is what I got…

From left to right: Cecelia, Rue, Jill, Blu, Abby and Cathy

A lot of neutrals this time around. I saw swatches of Jill and Cathy when that collection came out and wrote them down for the next sale. I’ve also been wanting Rue for the longest time, but it was sold out the last time I made a Zoya purchase. I love a good blue, so Blu was a pretty obvious choice. I’ve also had my eye on Cecelia for quite some time. As for Abby, I needed a pastel purple in my life.

So far, I’ve tried Blu and Rue. Blue is beautiful, super smooth and opaque in two coats. It was also really shiny before I even put on a top coat. Rue is a thinner formulation, I needed three coats for the opacity I was looking for, but it dries quickly and evenly. I’m actually wearing Rue right now and loving it.

Overall, I’m really happy with my purchase, and I can’t wait to use more of them! Did you get anything from the Zoya Earth Day promotion? If not, you still have time! Use code EARTHLUV to get 50% off your purchase of 6 or more polishes (max 24). You also get free shipping! I actually also got a sample size of Zoya Remove+ Nail Polish remover! This offer is valid until 5/10/17 11:59pm.

Aora Aurora Chrome Powder Review!

Yes, I wholeheartedly jumped onto the chrome powder train. This has to be my favorite one yet.

 

AoraAurorachromepowder | by themani-ac

Props to the boyfriend for getting this for me for Christmas! I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to review it. It is gorgeous. It is a multichrome chrome power. It shifts from green to blue to purple to pink/orange. In the picture you can see some of the spectrum, it does not do it justice though.

I use it with the Aora gel base and top coat. Out of all the chrome powders that I’ve tried so far, this one has the best application. It applied like a dream. It is milled super fine, a little goes a long way and one swipe with your finger leaves it super shiny and chrome before you even use the top coat. I like to apply it with a silicon tool, then use my finger to smooth it all out. Then just lock in that shine with top coat.

I’m in love with this one. I love a green-blue-purple shift in general, but this takes it to the next level.

Born Pretty Store Blue Chrome Powder Review!

So, I bought this set of Born Pretty Store powders back in December/January. I had tried them over white and lighter colors, but I finally got to try one over black!

bornprettstorebluechameleonpowder | by themani-ac

I decided to try he blue first. As my base I have Zoya Willa, which is just black. Then I used my Aora base and tops coats along with the powder. It is like the other chrome powders, so you do need to use it with gel.

When you first apply it over the gel base it isn’t very shiny, but it comes alive when you add the top coat.

I was actually very impressed with the quality of the powder itself, it is very finely milled so you get nice, even coverage. You don’t see any large particles or anything like that.

The color is beautiful, it’s similar to a Zoya Neve, which I love.

Overall, I’m very impressed! I love this color and I’m excited to use the others!

NOTD: Springtime Silver!

Two NOTDs in the same week?! What is happening?!

springtimesilver | by themani-ac

 

My base is one coat of Zoya Purity, then I sponged on more Purity, Zoya Megan and China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle. The sponging created a soft, almost gradient effect for my background. After that was set, I topped it with Seche Vite and let it dry. Once dry, I applied thin coats of Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat to random parts of my nail (one nail at a time) and then added the silver leaf. I just used my finger to apply it and rub it in to create that distressed-ish effect.

I was very in the mood for it to be spring already, and this was very fitting for that. I love the color combo of that minty blue/green and metallic silver. What do you think?

NOTD: Blue and Gold!

Another NOTD?! What is happening?! Getting back in the groove…

blueandgold | by themani-ac

My base is two coats of Zoya Mallory, it’s a creamy royal blue. I hadn’t used this polish yet, but it caught my eye when I was looking through my stash for some inspiration. I was debating about what to do, then I decided to keep it simple and to add some some gold striping tape. I love doing combinations of single and double lines, it reminds me of the midi rings that I love so much! I topped it off with Seche Vite.

I really like this royal blue and gold combo,simple but interesting enough so I don’t want to redo my nails the next day lol what do you think?