NPC's The Great Polish Giveaway of 2014!

Hi loves!

Whoa, I'm alive!  I'll have a little bit of an update later on in the day, but for now.. I'm sure you've all heard of the amazing giveaway that Nail Polish Canada is hosting.


If you haven't, it's a give away where you can win up to 200 bottles of polishes, depending on how many bloggers participate.  So awesome!



I've decided to nominate Butter London's Wallis - this is a polish that has been on my wish list for aaaaages.

See swatches here courtesy of Vampy Varnish :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NCLA Nail Wraps in Jazzi Review

Hi all!

I was given the opportunity, thanks to Nail Polish Canada, to try out some NCLA nail wraps.  Wraps are not something I typically go for since I enjoy polishing my nails, but after trying these out I think I may have changed my mind a little bit.

Here are NCLA Nail Wraps in Jazzi.  Each Nail Wrap Kit includes: Two sheets of 22 wraps (good for 3-4 applications), a NCLA nail file, easy-to-follow directions. 

I paired the wraps with Color Club Poptastic & Dress for the Parade and added random dots in Gosh Deep Purple.

 

To use these you start off by wiping your nails clean with polish remover.  Then you apply a base coat, and once that's dry you choose a wrap that will fit your nail, peel it off its backing and apply it to your nail.  These are fairly pliable so if you need to stretch it a little bit to make it fit the shape of your nail you can do so without the fear of ripping the wrap.

Once your satisfied with the placement of the wrap, you fold over the left overs at the tip and file it off, apply top coat and voila!  Instant mani.

These were by far the easiest wraps to apply.  The size options are unlimited so you can really find one that will fit your nails perfectly.  I had absolutely no issues with wrinkling, there was just a slight bubble on my thumb nail that I couldn't push out but in the long run it didn't affect the longevity of the wrap.  I had these on for 3 full days with no lifting at all - I just felt the urge to change my mani so I removed them.  Removal was super easy, you just peel them off!

These are now available HERE on the Nail Polish Canada website - they retail for $16 but shipping on these is FREE!

*Products provided for honest review

Snow Day

Hey loves!

Alright, so I fibbed a bit and it's not a *real* snow day.  But it sure looks like one on my nails!  I'm sure by now you've all heard of the nail art contest that is being hosted by Nail Polish Canada.  It's a three-week challenge consisting of one mani a week, and anyone can join!  The prizes are fabulous :)

This weeks theme was snow.  It took a while for me to come up with what I wanted to do, and even as I sat down last night to do these (procrastination at it's best!), I still didn't really know what look I was going for. But I gathered several bottles of polish and went for it, and I'm super pleased with the outcome!

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I went with something you would see on a typical snow day.  A snowman, a common sight after any kind of snowfall, snow building up on a window sill (or maybe just a snow squall, I kept my middle finger simple), and beautiful snow covered trees.. one of my favourite things about a big dumping of fluffy snow!

Here's where I ask a HUGE favour and ask for you all to throw a vote my way by clicking here and voting for my mani (or any other mani you like, there are wonderful entries!)

Thanks in advance!

China Glaze Real Nail App Review

Hi guys!

I have a little something different on the blog today - I was given my first opportunity to review a product, thanks to the fabulous e-tailer Nail Polish Canada.  This was also my first time using nail apps, so I was a little nervous at first but got the hang of it really quickly.

China Glaze Real Nail Polish Appliqués in Shake Your Tail Feather

This was such a fun design.  I was afraid that there would be a steep learning curve in using these so I started with my right hand in case of screw ups since I never photograph it ;)  After not properly stretching it on the first two fingers, I managed to do it well from there on out and most applied like a dream.

The China Glaze Real Nail Polish Appliqués come in a set of 2 strips with 8 apps in varied sizes on each strip, a small orange wood stick to push back your cuticles, and a mini nail file to shape and buff your nails in order to prep them for application.  The instructions say for best result to apply to warm hands to make the apps more flexible but I found no issue in application even with slightly cold hands.

 

To apply you just tear off the strip that you want, peel away the clear hard cover, then the back plastic cover and apply it to your nail.  You can stretch these to your liking in order to better shape them to your nails and smooth them out.   Once your satisfied you just fold it at the nail edge and file off the excess strip in a downward motion.   Apply top coat and you're finished!

Closeup of the pattern

 

 Most of the strips fit my nails perfectly and didn't require any trimming.  The only one that was entirely way too big was the one on my pointer finger.  Once I applied it I just used cuticle nippers to trim away the sides. 

Final Thoughts:  I really liked using these!  It's a really cute manicure and takes a fraction of the time it would have taken me to do anything even remotely elaborate.  The only issue I had was with top coat - it kept peeling off in sheets and I had to keep reapplying.  And I think because of that the strips started lifting near my cuticle and every time I tucked my hair behind me ear my hair would get caught on a lifted part of the strip resulting in pieces chipping off.

This is what they looked like after 4 days filled with baking and dish washing.  I was not easy on these.  And to be honest the largest chip on my pointer finger?  I think it only peeled up because I have a patch on that corner of my nail.  Besides some minor chip, they held up quite well despite what they went through :)

You can purchase these here on the Nail Polish Canada website where they retail for $11CAD.  If you haven't heard of Nail Polish Canada yet you should check out their website!  They carry polish from China Glaze, Nubar, Orly, OPI, A-England, Deborah Lippman, Nfu Oh, Butter London and several more brands.  Shipping time is super fast, customer service is fabulous, and they have a reward program as well!

Thanks for having a look, feel free to leave me some feedback on whether or not this review was useful/useless/too long/etc.!

**Products sent for review - the opinions stated are honest and my own.