This polish had a beautiful multichrome cat eye effect. The colours shifted from bronze to green, gold, and pink depending on the lighting. The above picture is what the product looks like in the shade. Again, I will note that you don't see the magnetic cat eye effect very well on the pinky nail because I didn't use a thick coat of magnetic polish. Thick coats of magnetic polish = more magnetic particles that can be pulled toward the magnet. I guess that's what I get for testing the polish on my picture hand instead of my picture-taking hand.


This picture shows what the polish looks like under a camera flash. Here you can really see how the product can look pink in some lighting!


Lastly, this is what the product looks like under direct sunlight. This is when I found the product looked the most green/gold. No matter what the lighting was, this polish looked simply stunning!

The Born Pretty Aurora Magnetic Polish is now available for purchase on the Born Pretty Store website. If you haven't checked out Born Pretty's site before, I strongly suggest it. They offer a wide variety of inexpensive polishes and nail art supplies. They also offer free worldwide shipping with no minimum purchase! This is my favourite part about their store, because I live in Canada and shipping here tends to be pricy. Plus, for a limited time they have an offer where you can get $3 off a $6 purchase, which is so easy to do because they have so many great items to choose from!

If you purchase one of their Aurora Magnetic Polishes, be sure to tag me on social (@blondiesnails) so that I can check out your magnetic mani!

I love trying new and exciting nail art supplies, and I love it when companies reach out to me to review their products. Born Pretty Store contacted me to ask if I would review some of their nail art products for them. Of course I said yes! What I love about BPS is that they offer a large variety of inexpensive nail art supplies and free worldwide shipping with no minimum purchase. It's one of my favourite nail art stores because of their affordable prices and because most stores charge a lot to ship to Canada.

One of the products that I chose to review are their laser flakies (Item ID #41970) in colour #1. I've shortened the name for when I have to refer to the product, because "0.2g BORN PRETTY Holographic Chameleon Mirror Nail Powder Laser Flakies Sequins Nail Art Paillette" is a bit of a mouthful! I chose colour #1 because of it's dominant pink colour, as I usually tend to pick blues and purples when I review products. And if anyone recalls, this product is essentially the same as the blue/purple Chameleon Aurora Flakies that I reviewed for Beauty Big Bang awhile back.

This product can be worn two different ways: flakie effect and mirror effect. Both of these effects are absolutely stunning, but I like wearing the mirror effect most to see the multi chromatic colour shifting.

The product page on the Born Pretty website gives directions on how to apply this product and says that you need to use gel polish to wear the flakes. However, I dislike wearing gel polish because the removal process is time consuming. So if you continue reading, I'm going to tell you how you can wear this product without using any gel polish.

Application for the scattered effect is incredibly easy. Start with base coat, a black base, then apply a thin coat of top coat and wait for it to become tacky instead of fully dry. Next, start lightly tapping a sparse amount of the flakes over the nails. Remember to do this in random motions, and to leave space between each part of the nail that you've tapped onto to create the scattered effect. When you are happy with the design, apply a thick coat of glossy topcoat to seal it in.


To create the mirror effect, apply base coat, a black base, then apply a thin coat of top coat and wait for it to become tacky instead of fully dry. Then start tapping the flakes onto your nails until most of the nail is covered. This part is important, because once most of the nail is covered you're going to lightly buff the product onto the nail to cover any spots that are still black. By covering most of the nail before the buffing process, you're preventing the applicator from sticking to the tacky topcoat and smearing your design. If you've missed any spots and the topcoat has dried, simply repeat the process of applying more topcoat, wait for it to become tacky, and buff on more flakes to even out the design. Lastly, finish the look with a thick coat of glossy topcoat.


The mirror effect is absolutely mesmerizing to look at once it is finished. The colour shifts from predominantly pink to gold and green, and interspersed are smaller flecks of holographic flakes. The design can look more evenly buffed in if you use gel top instead of regular topcoat, but as I said before, I hate using gel polish because of the time consuming removal process. And I also wanted to make sure that you guys knew that there's an alternative way to wear this product if you don't own gel polish or a UV lamp. Using regular topcoat for application still creates a desirable look, and I think it would look especially cool if you used nail vinyls that look like scales overtop to create a dragon or mermaid scale design.

I loved wearing these laser flakies, and would definitely wear them again. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Born Pretty's website and check out their other nail art products. They have more nail art supplies than you could ever imagine!

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I swear it's like every product that I've been waiting to review these past few months have gotten lost in the mail or have arrived super late! And there's been a few products that I've been very eager to review but will never get the chance to because of the packages getting lost. But one of the packages that I thought was lost in the mail finally arrived!

Born Pretty Store sent me some products to test and review and I'm so excited to share them with you. If you haven't checked out Born Pretty Store's website yet, you're truly missing out! BPS offers inexpensive nail art supplies and offers free worldwide shipping with no minimum purchase.

One of the newest nail art trends that I hadn't had a chance to try yet was magnetic nail polish, so when I picked out the items I wanted to review of course I picked a magnetic gel polish! But you can't just buy a magnetic polish and expect it to work on it's own. To make magnetic polish work, you also need a magnet. The items that I'm reviewing today are the BPS double headed magnet (Item ID #42347) and BPS magnetic cat eye gel polish (Item ID #41907). Of course, if you're familiar with BPS you know I've just shortened the names of these products. It's much easier to say "magnetic cat eye gel polish" instead of "5ml BORN PRETTY Holographic Chameleon Magnetic Cat Eye Soak Off UV Gel Nail Polish Black Base Needed". Plus, this product is not holographic, so to say that it is holographic would be lying to you guys even though it's in the name of the product.

The type of magnetic polish that I chose to review comes in five different colours, but BPS has many other magnetic polishes on their site. And let's be frank, these names are kind of intense! There's Eye of God, Forever Young, Pillars of Eternity, Galaxy in Flames, and No Darkness Within Thee. Whenever I get to pick products to review, I tend to choose blue and purple colours because those are my favourite colours to wear on my nails. However, I decided to pick something different this time and chose Galaxy in Flames, which is a nice, burnt orange colour.

I prefer not to use gel polish unless it's necessary for using certain nail art supplies such as powders and pigments, so I don't have any gel polishes other than gel top coats. But as long as you have a UV lamp to cure this polish, then you can use regular base coat, black polish, and top coat with this product.

To use this product, start off with a base coat and then apply a black base. Apply an even coat of the magnetic polish, and then hold the magnetic stick as close as you can to the nail but without actually touching the surface of the uncured gel polish. The magnetic stick has two ends, one long magnet for straight lines, and a small circular magnet for radial and wavy designs. I chose the long magnet to create a cat eye effect going across the nail and found that using the magnet for about 3-5 seconds worked best to achieve a bold and pigmented strip across the nail. The longer I had the magnet close to the nail (about 10 seconds) the more the pigment tended to disperse across the nail instead of making a clean, more centralized strip of magnetic pigment. I probably had a bit of a shaky hand, causing the magnet to make the magnetic particles in the gel polish travel across the nail. Another important thing to note is that it is best to try and keep your fingers splayed apart so that the magnet doesn't get close to more than one nail at a time. It's a small magnet, but stronger than you'd think. It can ruin the design of the nails that you've already finished if you haven't cured them yet.
Next, you'll want to cure your nails under a UV lamp. I found that even after the product was cured, the polish on my nails were still very sticky, so I used an alcohol wipe to clean them off. This helped so much! Then lastly, I applied a regular topcoat to protect the design. The finished result is so lovely and my pictures don't do it justice. There's much more of a holographic effect on the nails. Not like HOLO (shout out to my fellow Simply Nailogical fans), but like the holographic/lenticular shifting images that you used to see on plastic collectable cards as a kid.

Overall, I wish that the cat eye effect looked more bold like it did in the pictures advertised on Born Pretty Store's product page. However, I was pleased with the effect that I achieved and would definitely try it again. I'd like to test out a radial or wavy design next time, and would also like to see if I can mix the magnetic gel polish with one of a different colour to create a multicoloured look.

There's some things that only people with long nails will understand. Things that nubby nailed people just don't get about us individuals with long nails. Not sure what I'm talking about? Well read on, because I'm about to get real with you.


1. Picking small things up can be a challenge



Some smaller objects can be extremely difficult to pick up. Coins, cards, bobby pins, etc. Once you drop the item on the ground your choices are limited. You can either struggle trying to pick the item up, have someone else pick it up for you, or accept your fate and leave it where it lays.

2. When you break a nail it's like losing a friend



This one hits home so hard, I just broke my thumbnail on my right hand (thank God it was not the hand I take pictures of for this blog, or I'd be even more devastated than I already am). It took me MONTHS to get it to the length that I had it at. Thumbnails are the slowest, most difficult nails to grow for me, and it was the longest it had ever been. But then tragedy struck, and I broke my nail. All my hard work and patience was gone. And if you think for one second that I'm going to file down all of my other nails to match the length of this one, you're dead wrong. This nail betrayed its sisters. It's a traitor. A back-stabber who needs to earn their place back in the family.

3. The click-clacky sound



You know the one. The one you make when you drum your fingers on a table that is oh-so satisfying but will annoy the hell out of anyone within earshot.

4. Using keyboards can be a bit of a challenge



If you grow out your nails naturally like myself, you adapt to being able to type with long nails. But if you get an acrylic manicure and try to use a computer right at the get-go, typing is a challenge. It can also be uncomfortable trying to type with that extra length that you're not used to. Even if you're a good typist your sentences can start to look like lorem ipsum. 

5. Touching your eyes is a no-no



Your nails are long and pointy! Touching anywhere remotely close to your eyeballs can be scary because you can jab your peepers. Forget about wearing contacts. If you do, I admire your bravery of not fearing temporary blindness.

6. Opening soda with your nails is dangerous business



Unless you want to break a nail, you have to change how you do some daily tasks. The most dangerous one is opening soda cans. I often use a knife or some other utensil to pry open the tab. Rule number one of long nails is don't use your nails as a tool! If I need to open a can and have no tools at my disposal, I make my boyfriend open it for me. Adapt. Overcome.

7. You give the best back scratches



People may complain that your nails are too long or too pointy, but they won't complain if they ever need a back scratch. Because with your long nails, you give the best scratches!

8. The undersides of your nails can get dirty as heck



No matter how great you are at maintaining personal hygiene, the undersides of your nails can get a little filthy. Scrapings of foundation from touching your face, bits of food from prepping meals, globs of lotion from moisturizing your skin, etc. Everything and anything will get caught under there. And to be honest, it's a little gross.

9. Your nails are an unintentional dangerous weapon



Sometimes you scratch yourself or others accidentally. You may wake up in the morning with scratches and you don't know how you got them. My boyfriend fears holding my hands, or having my hands near him in general because my squared-off tips have been known to knick him. Long nails are beautiful but deadly.

10. Every time you do your nails you have to show everyone and anyone who will listen



Us people with long nails don't care if it's a creme polish, multichrome, glitter, holo, or Van Gogh painting on our nails. We'll show off our fabulous manis regardless, take pictures of them, and post them to our social media accounts. Because if you got it, flaunt it.

Recently, Beauty Big Bang sent me some products to test and review for your all. If you don't know what BBB is, they are a nail art company that offers a wide variety of nail art items for inexpensive prices, and also offers free worldwide shipping. If you live in Canada or anywhere outside of the US like me, this is great news because shipping usually costs an arm and a leg to get to me!

One of the items that I chose to review was BBB's Chameleon Aurora Flakes. I chose the colour 5C (Item ID: J7421) which contains a variety of blue, teal, purple, and silver holographic flakes. These flakes are similar to the ones that I reviewed last year for BBB, except they are opaque instead of iridescent.

The Chameleon Aurora Flakes are listed as $7.72CAD on Beauty Big Bang's website, and are currently on promotion for $4.76CAD. They come in a container with approximately 0.1g of product, which doesn't seem like a whole lot, but it is more than enough for several uses. It also comes with an applicator, which is similar to that of an eyeshadow sponge.

What I like about this product is that it is ridiculously easy to apply, does not require gel polish, and you can wear it 2 different ways: scattered or opaque. I made sure to take pictures of both types of application for you guys!

For the scattered effect, I first applied a black polish as a base. I then applied a regular topcoat and waited for it to get tacky but not completely dry. Next, with the applicator, I picked up a small amount of the flakes and gently dabbed over various spots on the nail. You want to be careful not to pick up too much product or dab the entire nail, as you want the design to look scattered and to not completely cover up the black base.


For an opaque look, you will need to apply a black base, and apply a regular topcoat. After the topcoat is tacky but not yet completely dry, you will want to take the applicator and pick up a generous helping of the flakes. You will next want to dab the product over the entirety of the nail. Once you have done this, you can buff the product all over the nail to fill in any gaps that you may have left behind. The reason why you want to dab the product before buffing it in is so that the sponge does not stick to the polish and smudge your base around. You can also just as easily create this look by buffing it onto a cured gel topcoat. However, I understand that not everyone has gel manicure systems at home, which is why I decided to tell you how to apply the flakes with a regular topcoat.

Honestly, my pictures cannot do this manicure justice! It looked way more stunning in person, and I received many compliments for wearing the opaque look. The finished design was a gorgeous multichrome with some scattered holographic flakes here and there. The flakes made my nails shift from green, to purple, blue, and teal. I will definitely wear this design in the future!

If you'd like to try out these Chameleon Aurora Flakes for yourself, be sure to check out Beauty Big Bang's website! You can also use my code BLONDIE to can get 10% off of your order.

Beauty Big Bang's Peacock Holographic Powder - with camera flash.

A couple months ago, Beauty Big Bang reached out to me to test and review some more products for you guys. They gave me a $15 limit to choose whatever I wanted to review, and I picked some nail powders and flakes because those are my favourite nail items to review! Nail powders and flakes are very trendy right now and they create stunning nails with ease.

If you haven't heard of Beauty Big Bang in the past, they are a nail art company that offers free worldwide shipping. If you happen to live in Canada or anywhere outside of the US like myself, the free shipping is a lovely bonus because shipping to my country costs an arm and a leg!

One of the items that I wanted to review was their black chrome nail powder (Item ID: J6201). I've tried out silver chrome nail powder from Born Pretty Store in the past, but I had never played around with a black chrome before. The black chrome powder that Beauty Big Bang sells comes in a 0.5g package and comes with an application brush. It retails for $7.72CAD, but is currently on promotion for $3.86CAD. Less than a gram of powder doesn't seem like a lot, but you only need a little bit of the powder to cover your nails. You will definitely have more than enough powder for multiple uses!

To apply the product, you must first apply a black nail polish as your base, and then cure a gel topcoat overtop. Once cured, you take one of the provided application brushes (which looks like a small eyeshadow sponge) and buff the powder onto your nails with it. Lastly, I finished the application with a cured gel topcoat. The product applies with ease and instantly transforms your nails from a regular black to black chrome.


I will admit, the product does not look 100% like it does in the pictures advertised on Beauty Big Bang's website. BBB shows the product as a very shiny and reflective black. However, the product looks more like a gunmetal grey/black. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it looks different than how it does in BBB's pictures. The product also appears much more reflective in reality than it lets on in my pictures. In real life, the product was very metallic and reflective, and I could somewhat see my reflection on the surface of my nails. All in all, the black chrome looked stunning and I would definitely wear it again.

If you like the black chrome nail powder and would like to try it out for yourself, you can check out Beauty Big Bang's website and use my code BLONDIE for 10% off of your order! I can't wait to show you guys the other products that I reviewed for Beauty Big Bang in my next few posts as well.


Until next time,

XOXO

BlondiesNails