Hi girls!

Just a super quick post tonight as I’ve got some chores to catch up on so that we can run out sometime tomorrow to get my hubby a rash guard. He and I are headed to the beach in Moalboal for a kid-free day-trip on Saturday to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary! Yay! I’m super excited and we are both looking forward to some snorkeling, kayaking and lazing about.

I thought I’d show you a few of the quick and easy nail art ideas I came up with using  the Caronia Shades of Summer Collection (See my swatches and review here).

First up is First Crush with a bit of subtle stamping using Color Club Eternal Beauty.  This is an extremely easy way to add a little something extra to your nails.

Next, I added a water decal I purchased from Hokee to add a funky contrast for my accent nail. Fun, don’t you think?

I saved my least favorite of this bunch for last. I try and try again to love stickers for a quick nail art fix. But stickers really seem to be a hit and miss for me. Honestly the local brand, Wish, is always a miss for me. These didn’t want to cooperate, had bits of glitter on them, and I can clearly see the line from the edge of the sticker. That really bothers my OCD self. They looked pretty cool though.

I told you it would be a quickie! That’s all for today. I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Just two more days until the weekend y’all! You can do it!!!!

Keep smiling!
Rach

The post Quick and Easy Nail Art (featuring Caronia Shades of Summer) appeared first on The Nailinator.

Greetings fellow polish lovers!

I’ve got a lovely summer collection of polishes to share with you today. Caronia sent me their new Shades of Summer Collection which consists of six fun shades and includes something for everyone. I’m just going to get right into the swatches and tell you what I thought. All these photos were taken in my light-box.

Summer Fling

Summer Fling is a very pretty pinkish-plum creme. Its formula was just right, and I almost got away with using just one coat. I went ahead and used two to ensure no bald spots—because I’m OC like that. This shade is a fun color to sport during the summer without being too loud and crazy.

Rainbow Tan

Rainbow Tan is a work-safe tan/beige frosted polish. It has me a bit confused with the choice of name as this isn’t rainbow-y at all. It is tan though, so we’ll just go with that. The formula on this one was thinner than the rest and is the only one that needed 3 coats for full coverage. Frosted polishes tend to show streaky brush strokes and this one does just that, as you can see. If you are into more muted shades and don’t mind frosted polishes then I’m sure you will love Rainbow Tan. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Sun Kissed

Sun Kissed is a vibrant orange creme that screams summer! It was an easy two-coater, and I’m surprised how much I ended up liking it despite it giving me lobster hands (making my skin look pinker than normal). This one is not for the faint of heart. Ha!

Sweet Surprise

Sweet Surprise is right! This is a fun, bright yellow creme. It has a shimmer in the bottle that can’t be seen on the nails. But that’s not a problem for me. Application was fine with two coats to full coverage. I love this shade for summer. So bright and happy!

On-the-Go

On-the-Go is a fabulous teal green creme that is almost perfect in just one coat! When I first used On-the-Go a while back, it really did have me “on-the-go”. I went to several stores looking for a bottle for my sister and a couple of back-ups for myself. I love, love, LOVE this polish! I don’t like many green polishes, but I do love this cool dark teal.

First Crush

First Crush is a very pretty, lilac purple creme. Who doesn’t love a pretty purple polish amiright? (Have I mentioned that purple is my favorite color to wear on my nails?) The formula on this one was just fine needing only 2 coats for full coverage. This one if perfect for all you girly girls out there!

This collection has sophisticated, work-safe shades, bold pops of color, and cooler hues, too. There is something for everyone, I’m sure! These polishes have been reformulated and are 3-Free and dry fairly quickly. They are sold individually in 8ml bottles for (SRP) Php31 ($0.69) each at local department stores and grocery stores. The durability of this polish for the price is well worth it. It’s definitely a great budget buy. You can follow Caronia on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with them and their products.

I hope you enjoyed this review and that you found my input helpful. Let me know in the comments which shade is your favorite. Keep your eye out for some nail art featuring these babies.

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to make someone smile!
Hugs,
Rach

The post Caronia Shades of Summer – Swatches and Review appeared first on The Nailinator.

Happy New Year! I’ve got a scheduled post for you today as our plans to go out of town pushed through. Hopefully the weather will have cleared up and we have had the chance to soak up some sun while we are by the beach. If not, I’m sure we are having a grand time anyway.

I thought I would do a quick post sharing some of the nail art I have done for friends and family last month. I did a few designs that are seasonal and a few that would be great for any time of the year.

First up we have some fun zebra stripes in Christmas colors that I convinced The Shutterbug (my youngest sister) to let me try on her. If anyone can pull of this look, it’s her! I did the stripes with acrylic paint and a striper brush.

Next we have some super cute and easy winter wonderland nails I did for The Bookworm (my other younger sister). We started with a light blue base (Sansan Warm Blue), and I stamped snow flakes and an adorable snowman from my OB19 plate that I purchased last year from MyOnline Shop. I added a few tiny dots for a finishing touch.

Next up is a look The Queen Mother requested after seeing my Holly Jolly nails. She wanted my holly stamped accent nail with all the other nails in red. I wish I could remember the name of the red she brought along. It is a stunner. I will check with her and update this (then I’ll probably go out and buy it!).

Next, I’m showing you a look that I was surprised to find I ended up really liking. A friend showed me a picture and I did my best to replicate what she was asking for. First I painted the whole nail in a very light jelly pink. Then I added color to just half of each nail (alternating brown and white). On each brown nail I painted a tiny gold bow. On each white nail I taped off the non-white part of the nail and stamped an image in black over the white. The tape kept the stamping on the white part I had painted before. I added a gold stripe across the nail and was finished. I had never tried a half nail design like this and had also never tried a stamping technique like this. It is always fun to try new things.

The next look is a floral design, something I’ve done several times before with different color combinations. This lovely lady picked mint green and off white as her base colors and wanted small roses and leaves. This was my first time painting such tiny roses which proved to be a challenge. I did my best, though, and she liked them so that is what counts after all.

The last look I have to share with you is so fun and colorful! My friend wanted rainbow stripes with black strokes. I used a striping brush to paint each color in rows starting from the cuticle out toward the tip (purple, blue, green, yellow, pink and orange). I used black acrylic paint and added the black marks. We did this on her accent nails and thumbs. Since we used 6 colors I suggested we paint the other nails with those colors. They look suuuper cute!

I love doing nails for other people. It is fun to take on the challenge of suggesting things that will suit them and colors that will go with what they have in mind. Do you do nails for family and friends? If you follow me on Instagram you have probably already seen these as I share them there most of the time.

I hope you have had a wonderful holiday vacation so far. Mine has involved lots of food and laughs with my family which is just the way I like it. I’ve been under the weather with a crazy cold that won’t go away. But on the bright side, my hubby has been a darling taking care of me and the kids most of the time. I’m a lucky lady for sure!  Whatever you ended up doing for the New Year, I hope you have had a great time and blessed year ahead!

Hugs!
Rach

The post The Nailinator Does Nails appeared first on The Nailinator.

I’ve got another product review to share with you. When Born Pretty Store contacted me a while back asking me to review some of their products, I knew immediately that I wanted to get my hands on their 12-Color Hexagon Glitter Set I’ve heard so much about. When I received the package, I immediately set about putting tons of glitter all over my nails! I was thinking of doing something pumpkin related with these. But after I finished with the orange glitter, I realized that they looked more like koi fish scales. They were so fantastically glittery, I decided to leave them as is. Aren’t they pretty?

To achieve this flashy look, I started with two thin coats of a similar base color (Caronia Bourrée in this case). After my base color was dry, I applied a bit of clear polish down the center of my nail and, using a damp orange wood stick to pick them up, carefully placed the glitter piece by piece in a straight line down the middle of my nail. Then I worked out towards the sides of the nail, applying clear coat column by column to get the glitter to stick. Using my cuticle nippers, I cut some glitter in half for the edges of my nails. After the nail was covered to my liking, I applied a generous layer of clear coat to seal it all in.

I can’t believe that it has been a year since I did a full glitter placement mani! They are so pretty and fun to wear.

Hexagonal Glitter Review

Let me tell you more about the 12-Color Hexagonal Glitter Set from BPS.  The pack comes with 12 different colors each packed nicely in a clear pot with a screw top lid. There is a ton of glitter in each pot and the colors are very pretty.

I have to say that some of the hexes are cut very well , like these orange ones for instance. There may have been one or two oddly cut pieces that I found while I was placing these bits, but most of them were just right. The silver ones that I used for another look, on the other hand, were not so perfect. I had wonky hexes, half hexes, and wonky half hexes (you get the picture). If you plan to use these on a matching base then the wonky shapes won’t be such a concern. But if you look closely at my other mani, you can tell clearly that they are shaped a bit off—a contrasting color makes it a little more obvious. In reality though, I wore that design for several days and had many compliments on it with no one noticing anything amiss. Maybe it’s just my OC self making note of the shape issue, but the silver hexes are the oddest of the bunch. The rest are significantly better.

I decided to include a little gallery with a sample from each pot of glitter so that you can see for yourself the general quality of the glitter. The color is hard to make out on some of these, but the silhouettes show just how well-cut (or not) each color is. Just click/tap an image to enlarge it and then flip through them one-by-one.

Overall, I think this is a great product. This 12-color hexagon glitter set usually goes for $6.85 on Born Pretty Store. They are having a sale at the moment, and you can get this set for $5.48, but the sale ends in just a few hours. If you live in the Philippines, I want to remind you again that, though there are no shipping costs from Born Pretty Store, you WILL have to pay customs fees (about 150 pesos) on any package coming from outside the Philippines. Delivery is also slow if you choose their free shipping option. So don’t expect your package soon. If you plan on ordering something from Born Pretty Store, you can use the coupon code below to get 10% off your entire order.

Glitter placement manis are sooo eye-catching and versatile. I need to try a gradient type one soon or try different colors on each nail.

Have you done any glitter placement nail art? I would love to see! Please feel free to share a  link below in the comments if you feel like it.

I’m off to play some video games with my boy! Have a lovely day and keep smiling!

Hugs,

Rach

The post Born Pretty Store Hexagonal Glitter Review appeared first on The Nailinator.

The Caronia Blue Moon Collection consists of three polishes—Bourrée, Avant, and Chassé.

Bourrée is a metallic copper which is opaque in two generous coats. I tend to shy away from frosted polishes, but this falls somewhere between frosted and fine shimmer. That being said, brush strokes are still something to be careful of as you apply this polish. Now I have two orange polishes I like! Yay!

Avant is a frosted, emerald green that needs two generous coats for opacity. It’s a perfect shade for the upcoming holidays. As I have mentioned before, I’m not a big fan of frosted shades, but I am happy with the color and opacity of this polish. It didn’t stain at all upon removal.

Chassé, is a gorgeous blue shade that is also included in the Art of Dance Collection. I’ve swatched it again anyway because it’s such a stunner! It has a jelly-like finish and is so vibrant! Just look at it! Love! I used 3 coats for this squishy finish.

These polishes are all 3-Free and dry quickly. Suggested retail price (SRP) for this 3-piece (8ml each) set is Php99.75 ($2.22). They are also available individually for SRP Php31 ($0.69) each.

Which is your favorite from this trio? I’m loving Chassé the most at the moment. Here is hoping you are having a great week. Keep smiling!

Hugs,
Rach

The post Caronia Blue Moon Collection Swatches and Review (Bourrée, Avant, and Chassé) appeared first on The Nailinator.

I’m so sorry for not posting lately. I’ve been a bit distracted since we’ve been in Texas. The last two weeks have been a blur of fun with my husband’s folks. We have ridden bikes, played in the sprinkler, been fishing, shopped at Kohl’s (Yay for jeans that fit!), hunted Easter eggs (multiple times), watched a reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto, visited the zoo, eaten Mexican food and more. Needless to say, we have been busy and having so much fun. My nails (and cuticles) have been beaten up and sorely neglected though. I hope you will stick around despite it being a little slow around here. I’m honestly not sure how much I’ll be able to blog in the next 3 months. In fact, what I’ve got to share with you today is something I sported a while back that I haven’t shared yet. But it is cool!

I received this polish as a gift from a great family friend who is also a total enabler in the polish addict department, and I really loved wearing it. This is 2 coats of Revlon Chroma Chameleon Amethyst over two coats of Caronia Trance.

Amethyst is a purple to green duochrome that I don’t think you could really wear on its own. But it is pretty layered over a similar shade. I had great difficulty photographing this polish and capturing the shift. But I hope you can get a decent idea with the awkward pictures I do have to share. The pictures show the brush strokes really bad but they weren’t as obvious in real life.

I added stamping with Pueen Love Elements plate 47 and Color Club Harp On It which ended up looking really cool. I love holo stamping over dark polishes. Don’t you? The shot above was taken in direct lighting to show off the holo. I received a lot of compliments while wearing this.

This is the only polish I have from the Chroma Chameleon line from Revlon. I really like it. I don’t have much experience with duochromes though. What about you? Do you have this one or any of the others? Do you like them?

That’s all for me tonight. I’m off to get the kids to bed (fingers crossed) and hopefully polish my nails too (fingers and toes crossed).
I hope you have a blessed day or night depending on where you are in this wide world.
Hugs,
Rach

The post Revlon Chroma Chameleon Amethyst appeared first on The Nailinator.

I’m so excited about today’s post. It’s not every day that one of our beloved Philippine brands comes out with a new polish collection. Caronia Philippines has partnered with Ballet Philippines to release three lovely shades for their new “The Art of Dance” Collection.

The polishes are all named after ballet moves. Pique is the perfect salmon pink, Chasse is a stunning royal blue, and Glissade is a gorgeous green that is SO hard to photograph accurately.

Lets get right to the swatches, shall we?

Glissade

(I was unsuccessful in my attempts to capture the vibrance of this green. To get a better idea of what it looks like in person check out the poster below and see the green there.)

Aren’t they gorgeous?!?!
I used 3 coats for each of these swatches and finished off with Caronia Fast-Dry Top Coat. You could probably get away with only 2 coats if you applied them carefully and waited long enough between coats to avoid any bald spots.

I would describe all three of these polishes as crellies. That means they aren’t quite as translucent as jellies but are also not as opaque as cremes. The formula was thicker than what I have experienced in the past with Caronia polishes. Application was a bit tricky due to the thicker formula. But, with a little care, it turns out beautifully! They all dry shiny, and despite having to use thicker coats than normal, they dried pretty fast. I was curious about the different consistency (and I even noted a difference in the scent), so I looked at the label and notice that Caronia has officially joined the ranks of 3-Free brands! Yay! I really hope they are able to make the full switch for all their polishes in past and future collections.

 

I have a hard time picking a favorite from this bunch. I love them all. They are similar to some colors in my stash, yet they are all so unique. Because they are crellies they look brighter outdoors or in bright lighting and a bit darker in lower light which is fun too, because your nails look different in the sun and indoors. I wore Chasse for several days, and it had great durability.

Suggested retail price (SRP) for this 3-piece (8ml each) set is Php99.75 ($2.22). They are also available individually for SRP Php31 ($0.69) each. A portion of the proceeds earned from “The Art of Dance” collection will be donated to Ballet Philippines’ Noordin Jumalon Scholarship Program, which supports the training of up to 200 dance scholars each year. Additionally, if you live in Luzon, your 3pc. pack just might contain a voucher for 2 free tickets to see Ballet Philippines in action.

Great quality, colors and a great cause to boot! This is a must have! Are you going to get this collection?

The post Caronia Art of Dance Collection Swatches and Review (Pique, Chasse, and Glissade) appeared first on The Nailinator.

All products used were purchased by me.
All opinions are my own.

Just a quick post tonight as I’ve got to get up early to walk/jog with several friends. I’ve got a simple and easy look to share today that would be great to sport on St. Patrick’s Day to avoid getting pinched! I’m submitting it for the “Stamping” theme for the N.A.I.L. – March theme.

Isn’t it a lovely color?

The post Caronia Lounge with Pueen Stamping appeared first on The Nailinator.

It did NOT disappoint! I used two easy coats here. The formula of Stellar was identical to Trance (check out my review). It dried quickly and it is so shiny and vibrant. It is definitely an eye-catching shade. I think it would be perfect for Valentine’s Day.

I decided to add some stamping and settled on this lace and roses image which is off of plate 27 of the PUEEN Love Elements set. I didn’t use stamping polish so the black isn’t as pigmented as I would like but I still love how they turned out.

What is your ideal Valentine Mani?

Here is hoping you have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Rach

The post Caronia Stellar and PUEEN Stamping appeared first on The Nailinator.

First up is Trance which is what I would describe as a purple foil. It is VERY shiny and oh so pretty! Those of you who have been around a while know by now that I have a special place in my heart for purple polish.

I used 2 coats here. The formula was a bit thick but easy to handle. Clean up was very easy and I wore it all day without top coat and had no wear on my tips. Two thumbs up from me.

I actually put off buying this one because I thought it was too similar to Amethyst by Chic which can be seen here. They are actually quite different. While Amethyst has glitter bits and dries to a semi-matte sort of textured finish, Trance is a foil with a shiny and smooth finish.

Next up we have Moonlight which I would describe as blue and purple shimmery duochrome glitter in a black jelly base. I’ve used two coats over Trance here because I already had it on and I wanted to make sure I had no VNL. After applying it, I think I could have gotten away without the base.

Isn’t it pretty? I picked it up a couple of weeks ago. I had not seen this shade before and I was surprised by it. I haven’t had much experience with duochromes and multichromes. I think this would be a duochrome but I also noted gold tones in certain lighting. I could not photograph it though. If you have any tips on photographing these types of polishes, I would love to hear them.

After applying topcoat (which bubbled a bit because it had been raining for almost 2 weeks straight) I added a little Swarovski crystal accent. I purchased these from Blooming Nail Cebu.

Which is your pick of the two? Both of these Caronia polishes are available in department stores, grocery stores and pharmacies in the Philippines. These shades come in 8ml bottles for approximately 34.75 Philippine Pesos.

What do you think of my review post? I’m still getting the hang of describing polishes for you. I would love to hear your feed back or any suggestions of what other info to include. Please leave a comment. I hope you have a great weekend!

Hugs,
Rach

The post Review of Caronia Trance and Moonlight appeared first on The Nailinator.