JoliePolish Stamping Polish

Hello everyone!

Lately I've been playing around with my stamping plates and nail polishes. To be honest, I suck. I suck at stamping. The nail polish never picks up on my stamper or when it does, it never transfers onto my nail.

I've been a fan of Bory's shop aka Joliepolish for quite a while (she's known for her awesome clean up brushes), as soon as I saw her talking about coming out with stamping polishes I knew I had to try them out!  Today, I will be reviewing the stamping polishes I purchased from her shop and offering some tips that I have found useful when it comes to stamping.

Item description: The set includes 8 polishes. Bory made a full set and a mini set. I always like to purchase mini sets (if available) it gives me the chance to try out the product and also save a bit of money. The full size set retails for $48 and the mini size set retails for $28. If you're new to stamping like I somewhat am, I suggest you purchase one of her stamping kits, they are amazing! She also ships extremely fast!

A long time ago I had this crazy idea of purchasing a bunch of stamping plates in hopes that I would become really good at stamping haha! I purchased a set of stamping plates from Pueen which i've had stashed in my drawers for maybe 2 years. I decided to use 2 plates from that set. The set is from the 2013 Nail Art Collection.

Look at that really noticeable scratch on the stamping plate ^^^ That was done using the scraper my original stamping kit came with (not bought from Jolie Polish). 

The scraper (not the stamper) looked like this one ^^ (picture taken from google..oops)

You can somewhat see the metal on that scraper. This is not good!

Tip: Instead of using this scraper, replace it with a credit card that you no longer use, a business card works great too, or a plastic scraper that some stamping kits come with. As long as it's plastic and not metal, you'll be good.

For this stamping plate I used a business card I had laying around the house and there is no visible damage on my stamping plate! Yay!

Now for the fun part (I hope). 

I originally had bought the stamping kit when I bought my stamping plates and no matter what I did they wouldn't stamp! ugh, so frustrating. So after contemplating for a really long time on whether or not to purchase another stamping kit, I decided to go ahead and purchase another one. I have bad luck with them because that one didn't work..after purchasing 5, yes! FIVE! different stamping kits I decided stamping wasn't for me. Clearly i'm crazy for even purchasing 5 to begin with haha. 

Then this little stamping fairy comes along (Bory) and starts posting on instagram (@joliepolish) about her stamping kits and how she preps them for you before she sends them out to you (talk about amazing customer service/satisfaction). I already had way too many stamping kits so I decided to just purchase the replacement head for my original stamper. (picture shown below). 

As you can tell, my stamper handle (black part) is all used up. The yellow stamper is the replacement head I purchased from Bory's shop ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/joliepolish). 

Here are some images using the stamper I bought from her shop along with the stamping polishes she sells. Both the stamper and the stamping polishes work AMAZING! The polishes are opaque and have this amazing shimmer to them. They truly stand out. 

This last picture using the yellow stamper didn't pick up the polish very well.

Tip: Buy some Mr. Clean erasers and lightly rub your stamper head 

This will help pick up images a lot easier

Also don't forget to clean your plate and scraper after 2-3 uses! 

Clean your stamper by using a lint roller or some tape :)

Because i'm such a stamping kit fanatic I have also been seeing a lot of stamping kits with smaller handles. I decided to purchase another stamper but from Winstonia. I really like the handle on this stamper. If you have small hands like I do it's so much easier to grip. 

Below are pictures showing the stamper using the stamping polishes. 

Now for the manicures I did! For the first manicure I just did a stamped gradient, because those are so much fun! I started off with a white base, this is Sinful Colors 'Snow Me White'.

The polishes transferred beautifully onto the stamper! They even made such a great gradient!

Here is a macro of my favorite nail using 3 of the stamping polishes from Jolie Polish. 

This mani was just a tester mani, I wanted to stamp using all the polishes just for fun but I really ended up liking how it turned out. 

Aside from stamping, these polishes are really good for gradients. I actually covered the mani shown above because I was too lazy to redo my nails. I only needed to sponge over the nails ONCE and you can't even see the mani underneath it! wooooow! That's how opaque these polishes are! After sponging on the gradient, it didn't take long for them to dry so I just stamped some flowers over them without a problem! 

After messing around with the polishes practically all night, I needed something quick to wear so I could go to sleep. I used one of Joliepolish stamping polishes on my pointer and pinky. Only ONE coat was needed. How amazing is that? I also couldn't go without stamping my other two nails. 

If you're in a rush to go to sleep or to get out the door, these polishes are great even for a simple mani. 

Overall, I am really loving stamping thanks to these polishes and the stamper replacement head I purchased! I'm obsessed! I even want to purchase more replacement heads for all my other horrible kits (not purchased from JoliePolish). Bory is also coming out with other amazing colors to stamp with. Believe me, I will probably be purchasing them very soon. If you aren't a fan of multiple bright colors and want to stick to the basics, Bory also has other colors such as, black, silver, and gold.  

If you're like me, someone who is tired of purchasing very bad stampers go check out joliepolish! She has everything you need, stamping kits, stamping polishes, stamping plates, and most importantly, clean up brushes. Make sure you follow her on instagram @joliepolish her inventory goes by extremely fast so you don't want to miss out on these! 

Let me know what you think.

Have you heard of Joliepolish before?

Until next time,

Karen (minipolishh)

James Allen Mini Nail Engagement Rings Review

Hello everyone!

Today I will be writing a (hopefully short) review of the limited edition James Allen Mini Nail Engagement Rings, perfect for wedding season! I received these rings through the PreenMeVIP program. My review is 100% honest :) 

Here's a quick description of the rings: James Allen designers have created seven limited edition Nail Jewels- finely crafted mini engagement rings for the nails that combine a genuine fine diamond with a 14k white gold band.

The kit I received included: Two finely crafted mini engagement rings for the nails. They came in this two bright red boxes (i'm assuming the same ones real engagement rings come in). In addition, the box came with a cloth and glue for the ring. 

Here are the macros I took of the two nail (charm) rings I received. 

The first one is definitely my favorite! Very classy!

The second one seems more like a princess ring. I kept thinking of this ring that will go perfect with pink nails (My idea of princess haha). 

I've actually reaaaalllly enjoyed playing with these! They have been so much fun! Although I have never been engaged, I could only imagine what type of nails I would like to have whenever I do get engaged. These are pictures of all the manis I have created using these 2 beautiful nail rings/charms. My nail beds are very thin so applying them in a horizontal form was the best way to get a better look. I have seem these on other ladies and they look amazing even on short nails. Look up the the hashtag #JamesAllenRings to see other recreations using these nail rings. 

I actually liked having my nails with a charm/ring. I must say that I did not use the glue the box came with. Since I was scared to lose the ring I didn't want to wear it out and I was not sure how good or bad the glue was. Maybe once I'm done playing with them I will wear them with the glue to see how long they can last on my nails. 

Overall, I really like these nail rings! They are very easy to apply on the nail. They are made perfectly! They are also very light on the nail. You won't feel it weigh down your finger (haha). I would have likes to see different sizes for different nail shapes. That would've been cool and probably made it better for those who have longer or short nails. 

 I don't think they are on sale to the public yet but hopefully they release them to the public soon so others can have fun with them! Especially you ladies who are engaged.

If you visit the Jame Allen website you can browse through their engagement rings and all I can say is wow! They are all beautiful! Can I have them all please?  

Here are all the manis I have done so far. Most of the nail polishes I used are on my IG: Minipolishh :)

                          

So there you have it. What do you think about them? If it retails at a decent price will you be purchasing these? They seriously shine no matter what mani you wear them with.


Until next time,

Karen (minipolishh)

Glisten and Glow Protect and Replenish Duo

Hello everyone!

This may be a little bit long...so...enjoy!

Ever since I started this blog every time I purchase something I try my best to write a review about it or to write a blog about it that way I can keep this trend going. I know when I want to purchase something I make sure I do my research so I look at other instagram accounts and other blogs and hopefully reading my blogs can make you decide whether or not a product is worth it.

Disclaimer: These were not sent to me by Glisten and Glow, I am reviewing them for fun. 
Warning: Do NOT purchase if you are allergic to latex! 

Today I will be showing you the new Protect and Replenish Duo by Glisten and Glow.  From what I know, this duo is not sold individually. The duo comes with a latex barrier called, CTRL-ALT-DEL, this latex barrier comes in a bright pink color. In addition, CTRL-ALT-DEL is a moisturizing latex barrier with a Sangria White Peach scent.  Along with the latex barrier the duo comes with a cuticle oil with a matching Sangria White Peach scent. The retail value of this duo is $15, you can purchase this through Glisten & Glow's shop. Both come in a 15ml sized bottle, which is a really good price seeing as some latex barriers come in smaller bottles for a much higher price.

From what I've seen, latex barriers are becoming very popular and also very helpful for those who love to do watermarble, gradients, anything that can get on your cuticles and sides of your nails. On the plus side latex barriers help clean up the mess faster than using acetone.

Today I will be showing you a gradient I did using the latex barrier around my nails to help me do a fast clean up and to save time. I will also provide direct links for everything, all of the China Glaze polishes were purchased though HBBEAUTYBAR :)


For this mani I used:

• The Protect and Replenish Duo and Fast Drying Top Coat by Glisten and Glow
• Not pictured is the Cirque Colors Base Coat I used. 
• Also not pictured is a makeup sponge I used for the gradient.  

From left to right, China Glaze Bottoms Up, China Glaze Neon and On and On, China Glaze Sun of a Peach, and Julie G Canary Islands 

First thing I did was apply two coats of white nail polish as my base. I found that a white base makes it easier for me to do gradients, it also reduces the amount of times I have to sponge the polish onto my nails.

While I waited for the 2 white coats to dry, I applied CTRL-ALT-DEL around all my nails. The drying time was very fast. By the time I had finished all 5 nails, I didn't have to worry about waiting for the latex barrier to dry. Before starting my gradient, I soaked my makeup sponge in some water then squeezed out the excess water. I found that a damp makeup sponge prevents the nail polish from drying too quickly.

 Once I had my makeup sponge ready, I grabbed my 4 colors (listed above).  There are plenty tutorials out there but just a quick overview of what I did...I started with the yellow polish then painted the peach color, and so on, onto my sponge. This helped overlap and blend the polishes a bit.

As you can see, most of the polish got on the latex barrier.

Once I was done and content with my gradient, I removed the latex barrier with tweezers that I purchased at my local nail art supply store.

The little curly pinky and yellow strips next to the latex barrier are the strips I removed from my nails. They were easy to remove and also came off in one whole piece.

This is the aftermath of what was left once i removed the latex barrier. It really wasn't so bad. I thought it would be a pain in the butt to remove the little pieces that were left over but it actually wasn't bad! I was able to remove the leftover pieces with a bit of acetone without a problem. The downfall about this latex barrier is that for some odd reason it smells a bit weird..I get an unpleasant scent from it, this might just be my batch though (not sure).

After clean up I decided to apply some of the cuticle oil the duo came with. Acetone is VERY drying for my skin. I always have to end up washing my hands then putting a lot of lotion as soon as I'm done with a mani. What I like about this cuticle oil is that it smells amazing and the application is super easy.

I was a bit unhappy with how the gradient came out. I wasn't very sure about it. I knew I originally wanted to do some nailart with it but wasn't too sure about what to do. I recently purchased a new stamper so I decided to stamp some feathers on it but it didn't turn out the way I envisioned it. I also messed up one nail so I had to improvise by adding some gold to it.

I wasn't very satisfied with this mani, I think I messed it up a bit so I decided to add another mani to this blog. 

For this this mani I used:

• Cirque Colors Virgo  (purple)
• Cirque Colors Sunset Park (Coral)
• I also used Glisten & Glow CTRL-ALT-DEL
• TwinkledT Triangle Swirl Vinyls

Here is a picture of how I layered the two polishes to make the colors blend. Applying these nail vinyls was actually very tricky so this is the best I could do. 

After applying the nail vinyls I sponged on the colors until all of the white was no longer visible. It is very important to remove the vinyls as soon as you're done with the last layer. This helps prevent the polish from getting stringy and messing up your mani as you remove the vinyls.

After removing the nail vinyls and the latex barrier I did some minimal clean up and this is the finished product. I definitely like this one a lot more. 

Overall, this was my first time trying out a latex barrier and I am very pleased with it. I liked that I did not have to spend a lot of time cleaning up the nail polish around my nails and cuticles. I also liked that I was able to remove it without a problem and that I did not have to wait long for it to dry. Seriously, by the time I was done applying the latex barrier on my nails, it was all dry. Also, do NOT put your nails close to each other when you apply the latex barrier, you fingers will get stuck to each other if you do. If you are looking to purchase a latex barrier any time soon I recommend you look into this one. 15 dollars for a cuticle oil and a latex barrier is totally a great deal (in my opinion)! Especially for the size of these 2 products. So far I have done at least 3-4 manis and the bottle seems to still be full! You really don't need to apply a lot of product, a little really does go a long way.  

Hope this blog was a bit informative and that it helped you decide whether or not this product is worth the purchase. 

Thank you for reading! Until next time,

Karen (minipolishh)

Bliss Polish Freestyle Summer Collection

Hello everyone!

Today I will be sharing with you swatches of the Freestyle Collection by Bliss Polish. I will also provide direct links to all the polishes.

I am really enjoying this collection. It's very shiny and glossy. The added holo is definitely a plus for me. The swatches are all using indoor lighting. I also purchased these polishes with my own money. I have never purchased a full collection so I bought the mini set which is actually super cute and affordable. That's if you want the whole collection but don't want to spend too much money. The full size polishes retail for $9.25, the Full Size Set (all 5 polishes) retail for $45, the Mini Size Set polishes retail for $25.

The collection consists of 5 beautiful linear holographic colors. They are all very vibrant and none of them except for my accent nail have white nail polish as a base! All swatches are 3 coaters!  The watermarble accent nail was created using all of the polishes in this collection. So..they are great for watermarbling.

The first one in the collection (swatched in random order) is Come Go With Me. My camera struggled so much to get an accurate color. It's slightly darker IRL but still a very bright orange.

Next on the list is Can You Feel The Beat. This polish is actually really neon and very vibrant. It reminds me of lime flavored popsicles and now i'm wishing I had one with me. 

 Lookout Weekend is a bright pink polish. I was very impressed with how much coverage I got with only 2 coats but I like putting 3 coats just in case.

Second to last on the list is Catch Me I'm Fallin' also a very bright blue. I don't think I have a blue similar to this. Like all the other polishes this one dries very glossy. 

Last but definitely not least is my favorite of them all. This one is called Let The Music Play. I personally love all purple holos. I was a bit bummed out that I had purchased very similar purples these past couple of weeks but when I saw this one, I was soon excited! It's definitely something new to my collection.

Of course I've seen a lot of people post their rainbow gradients and I thought I would join in. I was honestly too lazy to sponge it on my nails so I painted half of my nail with one color then half with another color. I'm not sure how well I did at creating this gradient but I liked it.

Overall, I would highly recommend anyone who hasn't tried this collection to try it. It's very bright, very fun, and very glossy. If you have a couple bucks to spend try getting the full collection even if it's just the mini set. I promise you will end up loving them!

Thank you for reading! 

-Karen (Minipolishh)

INFINITE SHINE OPI REVIEW

Hello everyone!

Today I will be sharing with you some swatches of OPIs Infinite Shine collection.  These were sent to me by Preen.me as part of their preenmeVIP program.

This new line by OPI is meant to have a gel-like effect without the actual hassle of applying gel polish such as, putting your nails under a UV light and curing it after early layer. In addition to their gel-like effect these polishes apply like any other regular polish and can be removed with any nail polish remover. These polishes retail for about $11.99 (12.50) a bottle (not including the base coat and top coat that they recommend you purchase). I have also seen that Color4Nails will be selling these for $6.50 a bottle +shipping. If you're willing to wait for them then I recommend you check them out. Especially on Instagram!

After using this line for a couple of weeks I have found some pros and cons about them. If you follow me on instagram you will see some swatches that have already been posted on my profile. My intention for this blog is to have a more in-depth review on the Infinite Shine collection.

Throughout the blog I will be addressing the pros and cons for each mani that I did. Hope this helps in helping you decided whether or not to spend $11.99 on a bottle of nail polish (if you decide to go to your local beauty store).

Lets begin,

For this first mani I used:

• Infinite Shine 1 Primer Base Coat
• Infinite Shine Stay Neutral
• Infinite Shine Raisin' the Bar
• Infinite Shine 3 Gloss Top Coat
• Vinyl Boutique Large Triangle
• Dotting Tool

How to get the look:

1. Prime your nails using the a OPI Infinite Shine Primer Base Coat. 

2. Wait till dry then start off with your base color. For this nail art  I chose OPI Infinite Shine 'Staying Neutral'.

3. Apply a coat of OPI Infinite Shine Gloss Top Coat on your middle and ring finger. Wait for it to dry

4. While you wait, apply dots to your pointer and pinky. I used a dotting tool for this and the nail polish I used was OPI Infinite Shine 'Raisin’ the Bar'.

5. Wait for it to completely dry before applying top coat.

6. Go back to the middle and ring finger. Make sure your nails are completely dry before applying nail vinyls on them. I applied some triangle nail vinyls from Vinyl Boutique (direct link above).

7. Remove immediately after painting your nails. I used tweezers for this part. I find that it makes it easier. 

8. Wait for it to dry then apply top coat.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros
• The base coat dries super fast. By the time I finished applying the base coat my nails were already dry.
• The nail polish dries fast. I found that the thinner the the coats are the fast the nail polish dries
• Without the top coat, the nail polish is super glossy alone.
• Cons
• The topcoat is super tricky to use. You have to make sure the brush does not touch your nailart. Expect the nailart to smear if it does touch!

For this next mani I used:

• Infinite Shine Unrepentantly Red
• I purchased the triangles at my local beauty salon 

This one was my favorite manis I did :D

For this mani I used: 

• Infinite Shine Endurance Race To The Finish
• Infinite Shine Unrepentantly Red
• OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby
• Regular Chevron Tape

The left picture was taken right after I finished the mani, the right picture was taken 6 days later. My nails tend to chip within a couple of days. I was very impressed with how long they last. I took them off because I wanted to do a new mani haha. 

For this mani I did a watermarble accent nail.

For this mani I used:

• Infinite Shine Girl Without Limits
• Infinite Shine In Pursuit of Purple
• Infinite Shine To Infinite and Blue-yond

I actually did not put top coat on 4 nails (top coat on the watermarbled nail) the drying time was so fast. I found that the thinner the layer the faster it dried. I think the drying time might have been about 5 minutes! Impressive!

For this mani I did a sponged-gradient (I think that's what it's called haha) I found that soaking the sponge in water before starting the gradient helps the nail polish not dry out as quickly. On this mani I only applied topcoat on the gradient nails. The other two nails did not have any topcoat. They are still super shiny even without topcoat!

For this mani I used:

• Infinite Shine To Infinity and Blue-yond
• Infinite Shine In Pursuit of Purple
• Infinite Shine You Can Count On It

I will update this blog with any new manis I do using this line

Overall, I am very pleased. Although I wasn't such a huge fan of the topcoat all the nail polishes dried quickly on their own without it and they were great for watermarble! Although they are a little pricey in stores I highly recommend you check out online store they might have them at a cheaper price :D Hope this blog helped you decided whether or not OPI Infinite Shine is for you.

Nails Redesigned Vinyls

I have quite a few nail art manis to you today. Sara from Nails Redesigned was kind enough to send me some of her nail vinyls to play around with. I will be showing a lot of pictures today and i'll try to have links for all the products i've used, including the nail polishes. I'm a nail vinyl lover! I think they are super easy to use and also super easy to do different designs with!

Hope you enjoy! :)

First off I have the base for my first mani.

For this mani I used:

• KBShimmer Radiant Orchid
• Cirque Colors Xochitl

The color in the pictures may very, that's just my lighting.

• Nails Redesigned Swirls
• These come in a set of 50. 25 swirls to the right and 25 swirls to the left. 
• Prior to using them I applied Cirque Colors Liquid Laminate Top coat 
• Make sure you let the top coat completely dry before placing the swirls on your base color
• Once you place the swirls, apply your polish of choice (different color from your base) and remove the swirls immediately after applying the nail polish
• Wait to dry and apply a fast drying top coat of your choice
• I highly recommend Cirque Colors top coat!

Next I have another mani with the same swirl design but with different colors

For this mani I used: 

• KBShimmer Let's Not Coral
• KBShimmer Life Rose On
• I did a watermarble for this mani. You can find many videos on Instagram and Youtube on how to watermarble :)

I added the same swirls listed above. You can't really see it but it was still fun to do :)

Next on the list are Nail Redesigned Quatrefoil Nail Vinyls. I looooveeee these! These are so fun to use and play with! I went with a more simple look but there is so much you can do with these.

For this mani I used:

• OPI Miss You-Niverse
• OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby
• The set for these vinyls include 20 stencils
• They are super easy to use
• All you do is place them over your desired base coat, paint over them and remove immediately. 

I decided to add another mani using the same vinyls. 

For this mani I used:

• L'Oreal Masked Affair (apparently impossible to find online and in stores)
• Azature Light Lilac Diamond

Last but not least are the Wide Chevron Vinyls. Not gonna lie, i've never used large chevrons before so they were definitely something new for me but I ended up really like them! These come in a set of 100. 

For this mani I used:

•  Stardust Polish Apple Blossom
• Stardust Polish Blue Skies
• Stardust Polish Ocean Waves
• Stardust Polish Read My Tulips
• Stardust Polish Dawn 2.0
• Rica Blackout

I really liked this mani. I like the multiple colors and how the black makes it stand out!

 Lastly, this is a mani that didn't really like. It's fun but ehh it's not that great. I did post it because i really like the colors.

For this mani I used:

• Orly MirorrBall
• PolisHaus Bella

Make sure to check out Nails Redesigned and look through all of her other nail vinyls! They are great and as you can see...easy to use for nail art!! :D 

Until next time, bye bye :D