Mi amor and Little Gold Dress review!

Hey Sensationailers!

Sorry for the haitus! I knew my mom was sending me some sensationail as a gift but it was lost in the mail for over a MONTH! But all is well now! And of course, like many of you, I couldn't wait to remove the old and put some new polish on! My old mani was disco fever tips with a Sugar Plum star/snowflake for Christmas 

I settled on this after many attempts with different nails stickers like this:

And this:

I LOVE the stickers, but I just couldn't get them to stay for the life of me. I think I'm going to stay away from any nail accessories bigger than a rhinestone because the always pop off for me. Some people have used nail glue to get them to stay on, but personally, I would rather try to work on my nail art technique. I've been looking into Winstonia nail brushes, if anyone has any input, please comment! :) 

My new mani is:

I tried to give a couple variations of lighting so you could see the difference. I love both of these colors. Mi amor is the peachy-pink color. The box is a little deceiving, as the color looks a little more pink, but it is a delightful peach color! It's refreshing after all of the silver and red I've been using for the holidays. The accent nail is "Little Gold Dress" and I am equally in love with this color! It has a nice shimmer to it and is the perfect gold color for all of your New Years festivities, if you are looking for anything too flashy! I hope this review and pictures help! Any questions or comments, just comment below! :) 

P.s. The Henna is done by hennani.co.uk (Instagram - @hennanorthernireland, twitter - @hennanorniron) such an amazing artist and a nice relaxing experience! If you live in the Belfast area, look her up! 

Grace x 

Merry Christmas Belfast!!

Autumn mani! Bubbly Champagne!

Autumn is definitely my favorite time of year and here in Northern Ireland, we've had mostly pleasant weather. I thought I would do an end of autumn manicure in one of my favorite neutrals from Sensationail - Bubbly Champagne.  I hope you love this color as much as I do. It is definitely light, but 2-3 light coats should bring this beauty to full opacity! 

Let's get started:

First, take your old polish off.. I was wearing sugar plum with bubbly champagne accents, but it had been almost two weeks - time for a change! 

My setup! I like to have everything handy and ready to go!

1. Buff the shine off of your nails with whatever nail buffer you have. I bought the whole removal kit from sensationail, which came with these foil wraps. They have a little piece of cotton attached that is the perfect size for your nail. They aren't my favorite though, because I feel like you need 5 hands to get them in place and to stay there. But here we go. 

2. Let your nails so for 15-20 minutes then lightly buff off the polish, or use the Sensationail removal tool if you have one. I love mine - it makes removal so much easier and quicker! 

3. Once the polish is off of my nails, I like to put some lotion on them seen here:

I let this soak in while I'm removing polish on the other hand, just to give my nails a little moisture after the acetone.

4. Gently push back your cuticles with the angled stick.

5. Buff your nails a bit with the pink side of your buffer, or any gentle buffer.

6. Take your gel cleanser and lint free wipes:

I only place a small amount of cleanser on the pad:

Like with most sensationail products, a little goes a long way! I like to try to make the cleanser last, rather than soaking the pad in it.

7. Primer. 

Some people like it, some people don't. I apply a little around the edges of my nails. If you're noticing that you're having a hard time removing the polish, you might want to skip the primer all together, or only add a little to the tip of your nails. Sometimes it's trial and error.

8. Base coat:

Place a thin layer of the base coat and cure under your LED lamp for 30 seconds.

I find it easier to cure my thumbs first, then the rest of my fingers - whatever works for you, just make sure to get a proper and full cure.

9. Now place a thin layer of Bubbly Champagne (or whatever color you're using) on your nail and cure for the full 60 seconds.

After one coat:

10. Apply another thin coat of the color polish and cure again for 60 seconds.

After two coats:

11. Apply a thin layer of the base/top coat (clear transparent) and cure your nails for another 30 seconds (or longer just to be safe).

12. Finally, take your gel cleanser and wipe the moisture layer off of your nails with the lint free wipe and voila!

Your own gorgeous, at-home gel manicure!

Review of Bubbly Champagne:

I personally love the color of this polish. It is a little light, but it works for a simple neutral mani. This color works well with Pink Chiffon if you want to get fancy! Again, if you aren't happy with its transparency after 2 coats, put another 3rd thin coat. Don't fret! The color on the box is a little bit misleading, but the color itself is gorgeous! 

If you have any questions, just comment!

Thank you! 

Grace x