Nicki Minaj from OPI

OPI have are releasing a new line of limited edition nail polishes after collaborating with Nicki Minaj! The line features six colours.

Here are my two picks from the line





The polish will be available at selected retailers as of mid January next year, and at David Jones in February for $19.95. For more information, check out www.opi.net.au.



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Minx Nails

I'm pretty much obsessed with Minx Nails right now.

Last week I attended the Switch Funky roadshow here in Perth, and we were trained in the use of their brands and products by one of Switch Funky's ambassadors. Since then, I can not get enough of Minx Nails!




Minx is a fashion forward brand that believe you should change your nails as often as you do your fashion. There are new releases designs every month, and there are now so many it's hard to keep up with! Minx is a pre-designed foil wrap that is only available to qualified technicians, and can last between 4-8 days on fingers and up to 4 weeks on your toes!

I came home from the Switch Funky roadshow with 6 different designs of Minx, and here was my first try at doing a full application on my toes





Super cute hey? I love that they have so many designs and lots are metallic so it gets you that extra attention! This design here is called Silver & Turquoise Swirls.


Minx are also about to be patented here in Aus just like in the US, which means all of those similar poor quality products will soon start disappearing off the shelves. Fantastic news for the girlies who put all the effort into designing these products (which started in 2006!).





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Natural Lemon Exfoliating Scrub

I have been so busy recently as this Friday is my last exam before I qualify as a Nail Technician!

My final assignment has been to design a manicure system and create an exfoliating scrub so I thought I would share with you all the recipe I selected.

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub

I paired this Lemon Scrub with the Body Shop's Pink Grapefruit Body Butter to create a Summer Detoxifying Manicure system.




Lemon and Grapefruit both have fantastic detoxifying properties. Here's exactly how each of the ingredients in this easy to make scrub benefit you, as well as being completely natural and chemical free.

Lemon ~ Lemon disinfects, boosts the immune system and is cleansing. Lemon also refreshes, which makes this scrub perfect for summertime.

Sugar ~ The grainy surface texture of the sugar creates a physical exfoliate to remove dead skin cells, leaving the skin ready to absorb moisture.

Olive Oil ~ Olive Oil is a natural, hypo allergenic moisturiser and contains Vitamins A and E which help to renew skin that has been damaged.

After exfoliating, be sure to remove all of the grains from your skin and lather in moisturiser as your skin will be ready to absorb all the nutrients. If paired with a massage, this will also help to boost circulation!

TIPS for making your scrub: Use only fresh lemon juice, as this will ensure you get all of the vitamins and nutrients, and also keep the scrub free from preservatives which are found in pre-bottled juices. I would also recommend to make this scrub fresh each time you plan to use it, or to not keep more than a few days and store in the fridge when not in use.

Hope you all enjoy your new soft skin!



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OPI The Muppets

I'm a huge fan of OPI, and they have recently brought out a new collection based on The Muppets, which are returning to our screens next year! (Don't pretend you're not excited)







OPI's Muppets range features 6 Glitter Polishes, 4 Metallic Polishes and 2 Burgundy Polishes, and as always they come with some super cute names such as
Meep-Meep-Meep,
Warm & Fozzie,
and Fresh Frog of Bel Air.


My top picks from the range are:



To purchase any of this cute range, head to www.opi.net.au to find your nearest stockist, or they can be purchased from David Jones stores.





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Taking Care of your Nail Enhancements

As an (almost) qualified Nail Technician, I have been getting lots of people asking me about what they should be doing to take care of their Nail Enhancements, or why they are having certain problems with their enhancements.







Here are my best tips for caring for your nail enhancements;
• Treat your nails as jewels, not tools. Be gentle on your nails, and don't use them for things such as opening drink cans, picking at things and generally treating them roughly. The more you knock and bump your nails, the more trauma they will receive making them weaker and more likely to break.
• Keep your rebalance appointments. Depending on how fast your nails grow, you will need to get them rebalanced every 2-3 weeks. Leaving too long in between appointments means that your enhancements will be longer and more likely to be bumped, and the enhancement will be weaker as it is no longer covering your entire nail bed. Make your next appointment before you leave the salon.
• Wear gloves when doing the house work, dishes and gardening. You don't want all of those germs to be getting under your nails, and if you get any dirt in a cut or under your nail enhancement, it can lead to infections (or even mould in the case of water being trapped). Its just generally not nice or pretty.
• Use cuticle oil multiple times a day. This will keep the enhancement moisturised helping to prevent lifting from your natural nail, and help keep your enhancements nice and shiny. Your nail tech will be able to recommend an oil to suit you.
• Use acetone free nailpolish remover. Look for products labled acetone free or without acetone listed as an ingredient. Acetone will effect the surface of your enhancement, and can event cause the glue bond to break down.
• Before painting your nails, paint on a clear base coat. This will act as a barrier between your enhancement and nail polish, ensuring that there is no staining to the nail.
• Dry your hands thoroughly after washing. Bacteria thrives in moist conditions, and if any water becomes trapped between your natural nail and enhancement, it could result in mould growing on your nail. That's just not pleasant at all.
• Only ever have your nails removed by soaking them off in remover. Pulling your nail enhancements off can result in damage to your natural nail, not to mention it hurts. Nail enhancements only need to be removed if you no longer wish to have them, a tip has been applied crooked, or there is a medical reason for removal. People often say they they need to let their nails 'breathe'. Ever seen a nail with a set of lungs? Your enhancements protect your natural nails from wear and tear.
• Never let a nail technician use a drill on your natural nail. This can thin out your nail plate, and the result can be quite painful. Your natural nail should only ever be hand filed.
• Steer clear of Nail Salons that use LMA product. MMA is a banned substance, and is very harmful to you with some serious side effects. For more information on MMA, please visit http://www.glambeautyandnails.com.au/MMA.pdf.
• Head in for a repair as soon as you can, if you break a nail or get a chip. This means the enhancement is weakened, and you don't want to do any damage to your natural nail.
By sticking to these guidelines, it will ensure you get the best out of your Nail Enhancements, and keep your nails in the best condition! If you ever have any questions (no matter how silly you may think they seem) call your nail technician!



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Purple Cracking Nail Polish

Hola!!  I personally love anything having to do with beauty and I've become very addicted to nail polishes.  Last year in August I had about two or three nail polishes that would always use and now I have a huge collection, maybe about 40+ nail polishes!! 


When OPI came out with Crackle Nail Polishes everyone and their mother wanted one.  I even spent almost $20 bucks on ebay for one because they were all sold out.  This polish of course gives your nail a "cracked" effect; however, I have become very displeased with the crackle polish from OPI.  It got very thick and goopy and nasty.  I heard a few others talk about that theirs had turned out the same way.  I honestly thought I had a bad polish so I purchased another black one and a few others and at the end they all turned out the same.  I only had them about a week or so.  No bueno.  I haven't used them since.


Born Pretty Store had asked if I would like to review another one of their items and I said sure why not.  I chose to get a crackle nail polish.  I wanted to see if ALL crackle polishes were like OPI's.  I received my package a little over 3 weeks ago and I can honestly say I'm very happy with it. 


I received the Purple Cracking Nail Polish - L036 to review.  I just told the PR to send me whichever one and I got this one.  In all fairness I'm no good when it comes to applying nail polish, please forgive the "coloring outside of the line" look. 


The bottle is 15ml-0.5fl oz
What I found odd about this crackle polish is when you apply it, it dries to a matte almost white color.

Weird right?  However, once you apply your top coat it turns into this awesome purple color.  I used Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat.


What's awesome about this polish is that it's not thick or goopy.  I tried this polish twice to make sure that it wouldn't turn thick or goopy.  

Not thick or goopy!  I really liked this one.  For those of you who love the "crackle" look this polish would be perfect for you.  It lasted for a 5 days before it started to chip on me (I used a bottom coat, Zoya NP in Dove, Crackle NP and a top coat), which isn't too bad.  


Of course with Born Pretty Store the more you buy the less it cost.

They also offer FREE shipping, but I rather pay the extra shipping cost to get it sooner.  If you live in the US it usually takes about 4 or 5 weeks before you get your items if you choose free shipping.


Overall Thoughts:
I'm really like this nail polish and would purchase another color to add to my collection.  Check out their website  to see all the colors they carry.


I give this product 4 out of 5 stars



Till next time....stay beautiful!!
 
Updated:  08/04/2011
Get 10% off your next order at Born Pretty Store
Use Code:  PRISCILLAK31
Valid till December 31, 2011

Please Note:  I received this product for free to review for the company.  All information and review is my honest opinion.
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