Melificent

Nails of the Month

Say hello to a new feature!!!

I’m pretty sure everyone knows by now that I kind of have a problem with nail polish. Namely, my collection looks like something you find at a beauty salon and I may recite the name of Essie colors like they were my children’s. But hey! Everyone has their vices, right? I could do a lot worse than nail polish. 😉

So I’ll be chronicling all my manicures for the month and then linking the tutorials I followed (if they are all fancy-like), and the colors I used, since I get a lot of comments/questions when I post them on my Instagram. This way, I can share the information with all you guys, while also reviewing some shades at the same time! Like it? Good!

1: Galaxy nails; This one was super fun, and surprisingly easy! As long as you have a variety of shades (I don’t have that problem – heh), you should be good to go. Especially when you are following this fantastic tutorial. The colors I used were China Glaze’s Smoke & Ashes for the base, along with Sinful Colors’ Love Nails, Essie’s Boom Boom Room, Savina’s Light Mist & N.Y.C.’s Starry Silver Glitter.
2: Ombre nails; So after such a kick ass tutorial, I decided to subscribe to MissJenFabulous‘ videos, and found that her ombre how to was her top rated. Naturally, I had to give it a try. This one? Even easier than the galaxy nails! Since my nails are so short, I decided to only choose 2 colors, but next time I’m going to go big and try 3. Also, here’s a tip: I personally think you should choose really bright hues that are not similar for the best effect. You may not be able to note the ombre effect if they are too close in hue. Don’t be timid! I used Essie’s Tart Deco & Boom Boom Room.
3: Fancy nails; I’m a big fan of the fancy nail. It just gives a simple manicure that omph that makes it special. Unfortunately, I really needed that with this mani because I was pretty disappointed with the main shade, Essie’s Absolutely Shore. As you see, it’s not very opaque, and that was after like 4-5 coats! Not my favorite color…For the fanciness, I used Essie’s Boom Boom Room again (didn’t realize how much I used it in June) layered with Essie’s Over the Top.
4: Color club; After several recommendations from another polish-obsessed friend, I decided to give Color Club a try. As their name suggests, they carry some pretty fun hues that are very pigmented, so naturally I was drawn to the brights. The one that really caught my eye was Age of Aquarius, this amazing aqua. It is simply the perfect shade for summer. New favorite! Best part? They come in for a lot less than Essie, China Glaze or O.P.I. and (at least in my experience) last so much longer!

Squeeworthy: Clinique’s A Different Nail Enamel

Clinique never fails me when it comes to safe & effective beauty products. I was in love with their new CC cream (here) and I felt no different after checking out their new line of nail polishes, A Different Nail Enamel for Sensitive Skins. It’s formulated to minimize skin sensitivity (that not only includes skin, but eyes as well). Why is this important? Well, did you nail enamel can cause irritation and even contact dermatitis on the thin skin around the eye? It’s actually considered a significant allergen source for those in the dermatological community!

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Nanodots Taste Bad

For those of you that don’t know what Nanodots are, they are super fun magnetic dots that you can play with as just stress relief or use to create some pretty neat stuff. I got to know a lot about them when I visited their booth at Comic Con’s Wired Cafe, and they are a really great product. Unfortunately, looks like their safety has recently been scrutinized due to some questionable activity by competitors. Namely, these competitors decided to sell their version of this product in baby/nursery stores. I honestly have no idea why anyone would think that would be a good idea, considering they are very small balls that could easily be ingested by a baby or small child, but I digress.

Needless to say, Nanodots weren’t too happy about this, and to ensure that their product would be safe, even if someone made the poor judgement to share them with their infant or small child, they added a protective coating to the product making it taste very…undesirable. And that’s an understatement. I figured just writing it wouldn’t really have an impact, so I brought a case of the dots to a recent party and had my friends taste test them, after all, who is more honest than your best friends? I’m pretty sure I’ll never be invited anywhere again.

 

I think that proves their point (boy, were those expletives difficult to edit out). No one would want those anywhere near their mouth (even our hands had the residue for quite some time after), so A+ to you all over at Nanodots!

Taste Nirvana Coconut Water

It’s no secret that I love coconut water. I became hooked last summer, and haven’t been able to kick the habit. Nor do I want to. It’s so good for you and your body. That’s why I was really excited to get some Taste Nirvana coconut water to try and review. The family-owned company boasts an all natural product, complete with eco-friendly glass bottle and no sugar or preservatives added. Something I noticed right away while drinking it was that it did not have a tart after taste like most other coconut waters. Reason being that these come from the coconut plantations of Thailand, not Brazil where the majority of coconut waters do, making it naturally sweeter with more fragrant coconut nose. And it is good. It is beyond refreshing – perfect for a trip to the beach or just relaxing by the pool (honestly, I don’t even need a reason). Plus, how could you deny a bottle of this stuff when it is branded as “happiness in a bottle?”

Melificent disclosure: Company provided me with the product in return for review above. However, all opinions are my own.

 

Incoco Review


Sometimes it’s really difficult to always have your nails look presentable. I don’t know about the rest of you, but it can take longer than anticipated and really test your patience at times. For that reason, I was interested in the whole nail decal revolution. However, Incoco are not your regular nail decals. They are nail stripes made of real nail polish, complete with base, color and top coat. The company boasts itself as providing the world’s only flexible nail polish, which can be contoured to fit any nail shape or size.

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