I'm always looking for ways to help my nails grow and remain strong and healthy. So when I saw an article about how Khloe Kardashian keeps her nails long and strong I was tempted enough to click it. As disinterested as I am in the lives and exploits of the Kardashian clan, I'm not one to pass up on learning about new ways to help benefit nail growth.

The article (or ad, depending on how you look at it. The Kardashians get paid to advertise a lot of stuff through social media) went on to discuss how Khloe uses Barielle Nail Strengthening Cream to help keep her nails long and healthy. The product was originally designed to condition horse hooves to prevent splits and cracks when it was discovered to have the same effects on human nails. It sounded like a miracle cream, so I had to give it a try.

Of course, in addition to having nail art and nail care as hobbies, I also appreciate a good ol' bargain hunt. A quick look on Amazon told me that 1oz of Barielle cream was selling for $20.99 CAD with free shipping, and Nailpolishcanada has a .5oz squeeze-tube version of it for $10 + $4 shipping. After a bit of research, I scrapped Barielle's brand due to cost reasons, and went for European Secrets Hoofer's Choice Nail & Cuticle Cream. I easily found Hoofer's Choice in a shop near my residence, it was the same amount of product as the tub by Barielle, and was more inexpensive. I bought a 1oz container at Sally Beauty for under $5, but I've seen it at Trade Secrets as well (it's notable that Sally's had it a few dollars cheaper).

I'd have to say that it's a great moisturizer for my nails to use in addition to my cuticle oil. I like to keep it in my purse because it's great for when I'm on the go. I like to use cuticle oil pens when I'm out and about, but apparently oil pens aren't a very common device. I can't seem to use them in public without someone asking me what they are and what I'm doing with them! I wanted to be a bit more low-key, so I think that this cream is great because it looks like a normal tub of moisturizer... minus the horse logo and name. Be prepared to explain to friends what you're using on you nails, because whenever I use the product it seems to turn heads! I try to explain it to my friends as "Mane 'n Tail but for my nails."

The product itself is of a thick consistency, similar to Vaseline. I personally find that it doesn't make my skin feel very greasy which is great. However, the smell is really peculiar! It kind of reminds me of Vicks VapoRub. I hated the smell at first, but after awhile it grew on me. I also find that a little goes a long way. A tiny dollop can be spread across all ten fingers. It's recommended that this product is used once or twice a day, but depending on how dry my hands are, sometimes I'll use it more frequently. This means that one small and inexpensive tub can last me awhile. This product, in addition to cuticle oil, has helped me combat flaky nails and reoccurring splits on my thumbnails. Overall, I'd say that this product is great for anyone with dry and brittle nails in need of a little bit of TLC. That is, as long as you can handle the smell!

Pigment powders of all sorts have been burning up in the nail art world. There's chrome, holographic, and chameleon – some of which are also called "mirror" pigment powders. Chameleon powders are called as such because they make the nail shift between two colours, but they can also be called mirror powders because of their ability to make the nail shiny and reflect the light sources around it. Chrome powders can also be called a mirror powder because it makes the nail's surface shiny enough to reflect its surroundings onto it.
I recently purchased all three types of pigment powders from Born Pretty Store to see if these powders truly live up to their hype.

All of the powders came in a cute little container similar to a pot of loose eyeshadow, and they all came with an application tool which are basically little eyeshadow application brushes. When you apply the product to your nails, you may need to take preventative measures so that you don't make a mess. These powders get very messy and will leave glitter all over your workspace. I strongly recommend doing your nails over a piece of paper or paper towel so that you can easily contain the mess and just throw it away when you are finished. I used white paper which turned out to be very convenient, as I was able to roll the paper into a funnel and tap excess powder back into the pot for future use.

In order to apply pigment powder, you will need a gel topcoat and a UV lamp. However, I've seen many nail artists using gel formula polishes that do not require a UV lamp in order to create pigment powder nail designs (e.g. Essence The Gel Nail Polish Top Coat, Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat). This important to note when doing chrome nails, because just like when using nail foils, pigment powder designs can crack when using traditional top coats. Water-based top coats are also acceptable for pigment powder designs because they will also not cause cracking in the design (Suncoat Water-Based Nail Polish). However, your base coat and coloured polish do not need to be gel formulas. I used a regular base coat and black polish paired with a gel top coat from Born Pretty Store. When my black polish was finished drying, I applied the gel top coat and cured it under my UV lamp. Once cured, I buffed the silver chrome powder onto my nails. The powder applied with ease and instantly transformed my nails from black to chrome. When I was finished applying the powder, I sealed it in with one last coat of cured gel top coat.

If you've been keeping up with the nail pigment powder trend, then you'll have probably noticed that many nail artists have been expressing their difficulties trying to remove excess powder off of their skin. Many have been using liquid latex barriers around their nails so that they can peel off and discard the glitter. Some have also been using acetone and a cleanup brush to remove the small particles from their skin. I personally found that just rinsing your hands under water was a very easy method of cleanup. Just be sure that if you are not using cured top coat that your nails are completely dry before using a hand towel. If your nails are not completely dry, you may accidentally dent your design on a hand towel's fibres.

Overall, my chrome nails looked incredibly chic and I received many compliments on them. They were very shiny and reflective and I often found myself ogling my nails and watching the different reflections appear on their surface. If you are interested in trying out chrome or mirror nails for yourself, be sure to check out Born Pretty Store's website. All of the products that I used to create this look are listed below.


Products Used*:

Silver Mirror/Chrome Powder ($2.65 CAD)
5ml UV Topcoat/Basecoat ($3.18 CAD)
Sally Hansen Salon Gel Polish Manicure Starter Kit ($69.97 CAD)
Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear - Black Out ($2.47 CAD)
Revlon Colorstay Gel Smooth Basecoat (discontinued)

*Product price points are subject to change based on the current exchange rate.

If you live in Canada, or basically anywhere that isn't the United States, then you'll probably understand the struggles of online shopping. Shipping internationally isn't cheap, and after conversion of the dollar, shipping costs, and sometimes even duties, it almost isn't worth it to shop online at all.

I scoured the internet for the cheapest stamping mat I could possibly find. I really had my heart set on the Simply Neat Miracle Mat by Bliss Kiss, but it just wasn't a good financial decision for me. After adding it to my cart and going through the checkout process to figure out how much it would cost with shipping, it came to $34.72 USD. Which isn't entirely bad... But when you work conversion into this equation, that's about $46 CAD. Yikes! I am NOT paying nearly $50 for a stamping mat. Cue the as-seen-on-tv "there has to be a better way!"

I searched high and low for a cheaper alternative to the Miracle Mat. After shipping costs, duties, and conversion, I had come to the conclusion that I wouldn't ever shell out the cash to purchase one. Thinking I was doomed to use the plastic baggie method to create decals forever, I stumbled across the Fairy Mat on Aliexpress. For only $9.21* + free shipping, I thought it was too good to be true. And when you buy off of sites where the products primarily come from China, it's always a bit of a gamble of whether or not the product will be of good quality. I couldn't find a single review for this mat anywhere aside from the reviews on the seller's page. And when you're purchasing from an online vendor, it's hard to know which reviews are real and which are paid for when they're all positive 5-star reviews.

*Prices may vary depending on the seller and/or exchange rate of the current time.

I took a chance on the Fairy Mat, and of course by the time I had received it in the mail, Born Pretty Store had released their new stamping mats on their website ($11.97 CAD for the larger size, or $7.98 for the smaller one). AND, they also offer free worldwide shipping. C'est la vie, right? But the Fairy Mat from Aliexpress still works out to be the most inexpensive stamping mat I've found to date online.

Now let's do some math now boys and girls. My measurements are based on a conversion widget that I found on Google, so don't take my 100% word on these numbers, okay? The Fairy Mat is 33*24cm which is a pretty decent size for a stamping mat. That is roughly 13*9.5 inches.  The Miracle Mat is 16*12 inches, which makes the Fairy Mat a bit smaller. The BPS mat is 11*8 inches (28*21cm) which is smaller than the both of them. They also offer an even smaller mat that is 8*6 inches (21*15cm).

I was pleasantly surprised by the Fairy Mat's excellent quality, and I now use it all the time when I do my nail art. The mat is made of a bendable and durable white silicone, which has yet to stain from use. Any polish residue can be cleaned off of the mat with 100% acetone and a cotton ball. I've used it for reverse stamping which was very fun and a new experience for me. In the past, I used to create decals for my nails by using the plastic baggie method (i.e. you just paint onto a baggie and wait for your designs to dry, then simply peel off the design). I found that my decals dried faster when I painted them onto the stamping mat than when I painted them onto a baggie. I'm not sure why, but I'm blown away and will probably never be using a baggie for nail art ever again. If I'm not using the Fairy Mat for actual nail art, I love to paint my nails over the mat because if I make and accidents, it's super easy to clean. It also has a bunch of little stencils that you can use as guidelines to create decals, a little ruler on the bottom right corner, and two sets of fingernail templates that you can use as approximate guidelines for your designs. If you really want an inexpensive stamping mat, then I would recommend giving the Fairy Mat a chance.

Be sure to check out my video below! I'm still playing around with my Fairy Mat and all of the different things I can do with it. Reverse stamping is fun and all, but I've learned that stamping mats can be used for lots of interesting nail art techniques. I saw someone else do this trick on Instagram, but I have no idea who it was. If you figure it out, please let me know so that I can credit them! If you recreate this design, please tag me so I can check it out (@blondiesnails).

Matte polish is trending, and you can make some really cute nail designs with matte polish. However, some matte polishes don't last as well as glossy polishes, which means chipping down the road. And we all hate it when our freshly painted nails start chipping early. One typically wants at least a couple days of wear out of their nails.

Covergirl's Plumpify BlashPro Mascara, retail $9.97CAD Walmart

I recently received Covergirl's Plumpify BlashPro Mascara in Black from BzzAgent to test and review for free. I was super excited to try this product, as last year I tried Covergirl's Super Sizer mascara through them and fell in love with it. Since then, this mascara has been my favourite drugstore mascara and my every day go-to. I loved Super Sizer so much, that I got my hopes up and couldn't wait to try another one of Covergirl's "amazing" mascaras.

Covergirl wasn't lying when they said that the Plumpify mascara had their biggest brush ever. The double-action brush is supposed to create voluminous lashes from the base, but it's difficult for the brush to reach the base of your lashes without the bristles pricking at your lash line. The brush is created of a hard plastic with long bristles twisting around it. But the brush is created in such a way that the mascara's formula can't even cover all of the bristles – you can still see the original red colour of the brush that is present before you dip your brush in the formula. The brush is also so large that it has difficulty going in and out of the tube. While applying the mascara, the large applicator makes it uncomfortable to apply the mascara. One has to be careful not to prick their lash line with the hard bristles, and careful not to touch their eyelid or brow area while coating the tips of the lashes.

The formula itself though is good, which makes the brush the disappointing feature. The formula is smudge-resistant, opthalmologically tested, hypoallergenic, and washes off with soap and water. Removing the mascara at the end of the day is easy, which was a refreshing change as I usually use a waterproof formula that is difficult to remove. The formula does give a nice curl to my lashes, my lashes are defined, the formula doesn't clump, or flake throughout the day. The mascara gives a more natural curl and lift to my lashes, which is nice if I want a makeup-free makeup look, but I like having volume, thickness and oomph in my lashes. Because I liked the formula and not the brush, I thought I would be clever and screw on the applicator of my Super Sizer mascara onto the neck of this bottle. However, it didn't work. I spoke with another BzzAgent about the brush and she said that she MacGyver'd herself a new brush by using a disposable brush, some wire, and the lid that comes with the Plumpify mascara that you take off before putting the brush in. It was very clever, but I already threw out my lid and don't have any disposable mascara brushes at my disposal.

All in all, I loved the formula of this mascara, but the brush was too large and gimicky for me to enjoy. If the product had a different brush, I probably would have liked it more. For now, I can use one coat of this mascara to use the formula, and use my old Super Sizer brush to get the volume that I crave for my lashes.

*UPDATE*

So after over two weeks of using this mascara, here are my thoughts:

My thoughts on the brush hasn't changed. The brush is still large, too bulky to fit back into the bottle with ease, and the bristles are still hard and prickly when I try to apply the mascara. If you look at the picture above, there' a lot of mascara build up on the tip of the brush when you take it out of the bottle. This hasn't changed. I'm constantly wiping the tip of the brush off before applying the product. However, you can take advantage of this issue by using the stamping method to coat the roots of your lashes. Basically, take the tip of the brush (after wiping off some of the excess product of course) and just stamp the bottom of your upper lash line. It's the best way to get coverage of your roots without feeling the prickly bristles, and can give a more seamless finish between your lashes and liner.

The formula is still great and gives pretty decent coverage and wear throughout the day. It doesn't flake or get sticky, and my lashes are defined. However, there is not as much curl and length as I wanted from the product. I've never had a need to use an eyelash curler before, but if you apply one coat of mascara, use a curler, then apply again, you can gain a more optimal curl.

Anyways, I hope that you found this useful. Even though I wasn't much of a fan of the Plumpify mascara, I kept using the product to try and find some more pros than the cons I had already listed. After giving the mascara a second chance, these were the methods that I found that helped me to combat some of these issues.

If you're a nail artist, I'm sure you've heard of the Born Pretty Store. Born Pretty is a beauty supply store based in China that sells inexpensive nail art tools and supplies. Oftentimes, they send nail art bloggers some of their products for free to test and review in order to promote their store. And I’m no exception to the wide array of bloggers who have been sent their products in return for endorsement. It’s honestly a great experience to be able to try out nail art supplies for free. Most of the time, I really do like their products. Only once have I actually not liked one of their products (I’ll get into that later though). The bottom line is: Is the Born Pretty Store worth your time?

Written Reviews	20-100 points
Submit a Picture	15 (or 30) points
Submit a Video	20-100 points

3 Free Polishes:

This week, I received Lise Watier's HydraForce Hydra-Protective Comforting Creme to test and review from Glam Sense (Please note that I received these products for free to test and review from Glam Sense. The following review and opinions are solely my own.). I was mostly excited to receive this product because I needed a better facial moisturizer. I'm currently using one that I like, but don't quite love. It's a basic, unscented moisturizer that does it's job: it moisturizes. But if you recall, I'm currently using the Bioré Baking Soda products for my face wash and scrub, and it does leave my skin a bit dry. I needed something more hydrating than my current facial moisturizer. So you can see why I'm really excited to try a high end facial product.

The Lise Watier HydraForce Hydra-Protective Comforting Creme (gawd, what a mouthful!) retails for $45 CAD and is a formula for normal to dry skin. Lise Watier also sells HydraForce Hydra-Protective Creme-Gel for normal to combination skin. What's interesting about these products is that they use Gaspé algae extract to combat extreme weather conditions and maintain healthily hydrated skin. According to Vanessa Craft from ELLE Canada, the Gaspé algae (also known as Laminaria saccharina) "helps to reinforce the skin's protective barrier and prevent water loss." (read her short article about this 'miracle' algae here). Craft says that the Gaspé algae is a "seaweed found along the cold northeastern part of the Atlantic coast" that "develop[s] a highly efficient system in order to survive in [extremely cold] conditions. If harvested in the fall, it contains a higher active molecule concentration than at any other time of the year." I don't know about you, but I thought that this was really neat. In addition to this 'miraculous' seaweed, according to Lise Watier, this product boasts that 100% of women claimed that their skin felt more hydrated after use (this information is based on an evaluation for 25 women after 28 days of treatment with HydraForce).

Think the algae was neat? I haven't even gotten to the most interesting part about this box. With my facial moisturizer, I received a little device that plugs into my phone's audio jack and tells me how hydrated my skin is. It's a cute little gadget with what looks like two small, silver angel wings. First, I had to download the free Hydra-Detect app by Lise Watier onto my phone, then plug the little device in. When you open the app, you have five tabs. One is the main testing page, which is followed by tabs labelled Hand, T-Zone, Cheek, and Moisture Levels. You click the tab of the area that you want to test, hold the little angel wings against your skin, and wait for your phone to buzz and tell you what your moisture levels are. The Moisture Levels tab is handy because it tells you what the percentage of hydration your skin is — ranging from Dry to Normal, Hydrated, and Exceptional.

I have tested this app several times by deleting the app and reinstalling it to clear my data and start fresh. This is why, for those of you wondering, why my results from my unboxing video and the pictures I've attached to this blog post are different.

For my hands, my levels before moisturizing were 37.5%, and after moisturizing my result was 60.7%. The first time I tried this test, my level before moisturizing was 5% (ouch!). I guess even the app realizes that I have eczema on my hands.

   

Next, I tested my T-zone, where my results were higher than I expected. During my first tests, my results pre-moisturizing were much lower. I should note that I used this device after washing my face. I felt like washing my face before taking these tests would strip my skin of its natural moisture, but compared to my first results, if anything it boosted my moisture levels.

   

Last, I tested my cheek. These are my results:

    

My moisture levels for my t-zone and cheek were surprisingly high for the pre-moisturizing tests. During my first test, my results were lower than 50%, so I feel like washing my face definitely skewed my results.

If you are interested in learning more about Lise Watier's HydraForce products and want to test your hydration levels as well, there are HydraForce events happening in several Canadian cities. If you don't live near these locations like me, you can also test your hydration levels at a point of sale near you. The cities that are participating in these events are Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, and Dartmouth. If you would like to learn more about these events, click here.

Please feel free to tag me on my Instagram and Twitter (@blondiesnails) and share your HydraForce experience. Just be sure to use the hashtag #GetInTheBubble!

#BioreBakingSoda

I'm sure by now that anyone who's into nail art has seen or heard of the shattered glass nail art trend. Originating from South Korea, shattered glass nails have blown up in the nail art world. The finished designs are stunning, edgy, and downright gorgeous. To achieve this look, you cut holographic cellophane or mylar paper into tiny, jagged pieces to adhere to your nails. I've heard of some nail artists going as far as using aluminum foil on their nails to achieve the shattered glass look. However, using the right material is crucial to this look. If your glass material is too thick, it will peel off of the nail or not adhere to the slightly curved shape of your nail.

If you want to know where to get the cellophane I used to complete my shattered glass nails, click here.

Shattered glass nail art is super easy. However, it requires a lot of patience. I have tried the shattered look twice now, and it took me at least 45 minutes minimum to finish the technique on each nail. The look can be broken down into these simple steps:

1. Cut your cellophane
2. Basecoat
3. Nail colour of any choice
4. Application of the foil while polish is still tacky
5. Topcoat

For the application, you're going to want to cut your foil into really small, angular shapes. I found that triangular shapes were most preferable. And let me tell you, cutting the foil is a tedious task. It took a long time, and it's a bit of a challenge to cut the foil into such tiny shapes. With my first go at shattered glass nails, I found that the foil shards that I cut were a little too large for my liking. So if you attempt this look at home and are cutting your foil, imagine this: think your shards are the perfect size? Try cutting them smaller than that. Or at least, that's how it was for me. I cut the shards smaller than my first attempt for my second one, and I found that it worked out better for me.

When it comes to transferring your shards onto your nails, nail artists suggest using a wax pencil or a toothpick dipped into water. I tried using a toothpick dipped in water first, and good gracious, just don't do it. It was just not working for me. I don't own a wax pencil, so I substituted that with a white eyeliner pencil that I don't use very often, and it worked out great (they're kind of the same thing, right?).

I found that the finished look was absolutely stunning. However, the foil peeled on the first day of wear, several foil bits just had to be peeled off because I was so fed up with the peeling, and to top it off, I even used a gel topcoat to prevent all this and it still happened. For optimum wear, here are some tips:

• Press down on every corner of your foil shards when you apply them to keep them adhered and prevent peeling of the corners.
• Apply your topcoat as soon as you're done each nail. Don't wait for all of your nails to be done and then apply a topcoat. Applying a topcoat as soon as you're done a nail means that you're sealing in the design and not giving the foil time to start peeling.
• For the love of all that is good, use a peel-off basecoat. Removal is grating. If you don't have a peel-off basecoat, you should invest in one. New York Color has a really cheap one that is usually 2/$3 at my local Walmart.