knailart

Festival Style: Crystal Geode Nail Art

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Mon, 11 May 2015 21:56:00 +0000

Matte Crystal Geode Nails by knailart

These matte crystal geode nails are the perfect festival season accessory! We started with a silver sparkly base around the edges, and a clear sparkly base on the rest of the nail—perfection isn't required! After that, we used a thin coat of OPI's Sheer Tints to start off each nail followed by various similar shades from lightest at the inside of each 'crystal' to darkest at the edge of the silver shade. We dripped some acetone over the nails (and blew dry!) before finishing with top coat to get the finished smoky look.

Crystal Geode Nails by knailart

We love how these look matte, but they are much more realistic when left shiny. Let us know if you try something like this out, and happy polishing!

Fresh Fun Rainbow Nail Art for Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 21:27:00 +0000

Rainbow Nails for Spring!

Spring is here and we've taken some inspiration from the copious of mini eggs we've consumed (as pictured above). We used 8 different colours with a pastel and bright shade of each to create this fun look!

A close up of our Rainbow Nails for Spring!

NOTD: Matte Pastel Florals for Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 16:37:00 +0000

Matte Spring Floral Nails with Deborah Lippmann 'Glitter in the Air' as the base

As Spring (slowly!) begins, today's NOTD are these spring florals using Deborah Lippmann 'Glitter in the Air' as the base - a fabulously minty glitter that is the perfect backdrop for these beauties!

Happy polishing!

DIY: Plan your nail art with the knailart nail art template!

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 01:50:00 +0000

Check it out! We created this template to plan our nail art and keep track of the polishes we're using.

Print this out and write down the polish names, add a quick swatch, and sketch or draw on your designs! We've included it here as a photo file that you can save and print, or you can download the larger pdf version here!

Share your creations with us on Instagram with the #knailart!

TUTORIAL: Green Flash Gradient Summer Nails!

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 03:50:00 +0000

Hey everyone!

We tried to match our ultimate summer favourites - our Ray Ban Green Flash aviators! We used a sponged gradient of O.P.I. Angel with a Leadfoot, Essie Vices Versa, Sally Hansen Dive In, and Essie I'm Addicted over two coats of O.P.I. Push & Shove to create this super fun look. Check out the video tutorial to see how we did it!

This looks super amazing in the sun... If you try it out, let us know by tagging us @knailart or using the #knailart everywhere social!

Our Bio Sculpture Gel Experience + Feather Nail Art!

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 00:13:00 +0000

We have always considered gel nails, as when we have a nail break it impacts the size of our tiny canvases! We decided to take the plunge and try out Bio Sculpture Gel nails with Bio Sculpture Gel Canada - and we were super excited with the result!

Bio Sculpture Gel is the only gel to have a clinical trial and a five-star safety rating, and soak off without acetone! We wore these for two weeks before our impatience kicked it, but we think we could have stretched it one or two more weeks (if we didn't have polish ADD).

Bio Sculpture Gel has three different options for flexibility, and we went with Flexi gel - the medium option! The free edge gel was added to extend the natural nail, and after buffing we were left with gorgeous, completely natural looking nails! We were totally impressed... and if you want to see the 'before' shot, click here.

We then decided to go with a bright blue coloured gel shade from their Carnival trend collection - it's number 175, Havana Nights. After that, we topped the look off with some fun feathered nail art!

Check out the progression of our mani below, and let us know if you've tried out Bio Sculpture Gel!

Disclaimer: Some of the products or services mentioned in this post may have been provided by the company/PR in exchange for our honest review.

NOTD: Minions!

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:02:00 +0000

Minion Nail Art with Bananas! thumb

SWATCHED: A England Excaliber Renaissance and Hurt No Living Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Fri, 30 May 2014 14:00:00 +0000

One of our favourite online retailers, NailPolishCanada.com recently stocked some amazing A England lacquers - so we were very excited to get to try this brand for the first time, and we were not disappointed!

A England Excalibur Renaissance

Excalibur Renaissance is the most gorgeous silver chrome polish! We've been seeing so much chrome this spring with O.P.I.'s release of Push & Shove and the sparklier My Signature is 'DC', but this polish applies beautifully in two coats. We're in love.

A England Hurt No Living Thing

Hurt No Living Thing is a dusty grey jelly with fuchsia micro shimmer. This polish is an amazing summer shade, as it doesn't look to heavy on the nails, and it has great shine in the sun! This swatch is three coats, and we imagine you could reach full opacity in four.

Overall, we are super impressed with our first experience of A England! We would definitely recommend this brand and will be checking out more of their shades at NailPolishCanada.com, we've seen some of their holographic polishes and can't get enough!

Let us know what you think of these, or whether you have any A England shades to recommend in the comments!

THE BEST NEON NAIL POLISH: Tie Dye Nail Style

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Thu, 29 May 2014 00:20:00 +0000

Neon Tie Dye Nails with TNA Clemente Shorts, Pandora Heart Ring and Dotted Ring, and Tiffany and Co. Sterling Silver Infinity Ring

With so many amazing neons coming out recently, we decided to revive our favourite summer style and show you how we wear our tie dye nails! Our updated list of the best neon polishes is below, and the video tutorial is available on our YouTube here.

THE BEST NEONS FOR NAIL ART:

Yellow - Orly Glowstick

Orange - O.P.I. Juice Bar Hopping

Pink - Essie Bottle Service

Purple - O.P.I. Push & Pur-Pull

Blue - Essie Bouncer It's Me

Green - Models Own Toxic Apple

If you have any great neon polishes, let us know in the comments so we can put them to the test!

Disclaimer: Some polishes used were received from the company/PR - however, our opinions are our own. This post contains no sponsored links!

NOTD: Essie Too Taboo ft. BA Star Pink Glitter Accent Nail

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Mon, 26 May 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Essie Too Taboo with B.A. Star Fire Magenta Glitter Accent Nail

We spiced up our Essie Too Taboo mani with some Nicole by O.P.I. Matte Top Coat (our fav!) and B.A. Star Fire Magenta Glitter! Let us know what you think in the comments!

SWATCHED: Essie Neon Collection 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Sun, 25 May 2014 21:17:00 +0000

Essie Too Taboo

Today we're sharing our swatches of Essie's 2014 Neon collection - the title shade is Too Taboo, a bold deep fuchsia. All of our swatches are two coats with one coat of white underneath - although some of the shades (including Too Taboo) don't really need the white. The jelly shades do require a white to truly be considered neons. We love Too Taboo, and found the shade slightly unique in our collection, which tends to be pink heavy.

Essie Chills & Thrills

Next up is Chills & Thrills, a blue-purple creme (the hint of purple comes through more in person) reminiscent of Essie's Butler, Please from Winter 2012... This colour has great coverage - however, it isn't unique in our collection. If you missed out on Butler, Please however - we definitely recommend it!

Essie I'm Addicted

Next we have I'm Addicted, a bright blue jelly polish. This polish is closer in texture to last seasons neons - and we hate to say that this one just didn't do it for us. The colour is lacklustre, and it really isn't a neon in our books. This we would skip.

Essie Serial Shopper

Next is a love of ours, Serial Shopper. This is a bright orange-coral jelly that applies beautifully and looks amazing over white in two coats. We totally recommend this and have nothing like it - this is what we love from Essie!

Essie Sittin' Pretty

Next up is Sittin' Pretty - a 'bright' lavender (if there ever was such a thing). This applied a bit streaky for us, as can happen with some jellies. It doesn't really qualify as a neon, but its definitely a unique shade. We find certain purples difficult to find, and thats why we would recommend picking this up if you're on the hunt for this shade!

Essie Vices Versa

Finally, Vices Versa is a green jelly, bordering somewhere between neon and pastel. We actually love this shade, and are happy to report that it applies like a dream! This is definitely a unique colour, and it will be amazing for nail art!

Let us know what you think of this collection and if you pick up any shades! Happy polishing!
Disclaimer: Some or all of the products mentioned may have been provided to us by the company/PR in exchange for our honest consideration.

NOTD: Hawaiian Nails!

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Fri, 23 May 2014 23:27:00 +0000

Hawaiian Half Moon Mani

We're obsessed with these destination nails... We used O.P.I. You're So Vain-illa as the base for the half moons, then dry brushed YSL Safran Sultan, Beige Gallery, and Brun Panasse over top! We then cleaned up the half moons with an angled brush with acetone, and used a dotter to create the multicoloured flowers on the edge! We used a tiny brush and some black and white polish to create the finished flowers for a more realistic look!

Let us know what you think of these nails in the comments - would you wear them? Happy polishing!

Hand Care Hacks: 3 Steps for Happy, Healthy Hands

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Thu, 22 May 2014 16:04:00 +0000

LUSH Cosmetics Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter, Tiny Hands Hand Lotion Bar, and Putty for your Hands

Part of sharing close-up photos of your cuticles on the internet is trying to ensure that they aren't (always) dry and cracked. Using acetone remover daily and washing your hands can lead to dry hands and cuticles, and trust us - it does not look great on film. We always have a few photos where we look at our hands and regret skipping the moisturizer, but we recently tried a new handcare routine and are super excited to share the results! We didn't want to post a horrid before picture with no moisturizer - - if you want something to compare to, click here - so we're going to start off by showing you the products and then a picture after use for Day 1!

LUSH Cosmetics Putty for your Hands

STEP 1: EXFOLIATE!

First we used Putty for your Hands, an exfoliating hand scrub. We recommend adding a little warm water and scrubbing for 30 seconds! If you have extra dry cuticles, you can also use a light buffing tool or nail file to remove some of the dry skin without clipping and breaking the cuticle.

LUSH Cosmetics Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

STEP 2: HYDRATE YOUR CUTICLES!
Because your cuticles can become extra dry from polishing compared to the rest of your hands, its key to use a super-rich hydrating oil or cream. We love Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter (and not just because it sounds delicious) because its thick, creamy and smells amazing!

LUSH Cosmetics Tiny Hands Moisturizing Bar

STEP 3: HYDRATE YOUR HANDS!

Next we like to hydrate our whole hands to ensure there are no leftover dry patches! We like the Tiny Hands Moisturizing Bar because its thick and not oily on your skin.

OUR RESULTS!

We tried out this routine for 7 days and had amazing results! The first three days were documented with post-treatment photographs and day 7 shows our happy, healthy hands looking good all on their own!

Day 1 Post-Treatment

Day 2 Post-Treatment

Day 3 Post-Treatment

Healthy, Happy Hands! (Day 7, Pre-Treatment)

Let us know if you have any handcare hacks of your own! Happy polishing!

Dislcaimer: Some or all of these products may have been sent to us by the company/PR for our honest consideration.

NOTD: imPRESS Press-Ons in Dancing Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Thu, 22 May 2014 03:03:00 +0000

imPRESS Press On Nails in Dancing Queen

We've been having fun playing with these imPRESS press ons we received from Influenster - and we recently played around with filing them into a specific shape! We actually think this turned out pretty well and would definitely recommend these - however be cautioned that they are pretty short, so if you have long nails these may be out of the question. Also be sure to file from the bottom of the nail before pressing it on, to ensure you don't remove any of the pattern.

What do you think of this look?

Disclaimer: We received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

NOTD: Diet Coke Nail Art ft. Coca Cola for O.P.I. Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Mon, 19 May 2014 20:35:00 +0000

We are huge Diet Coke fans - so when we realized the O.P.I. Coca Cola collaboration had a chrome-y sparkly silver inspired by Diet Coke we were super excited. The background polish is 'Today I Accomplished Zero' and the Diet Coke nail uses My Signature is 'DC' (the silver chrome), Coca Cola Red and our blackest black - YSL Noir Primitif. We also added some bubbles using the vanilla coke shade - You're So Vain-illa. Overall - we love this collection! The silver is to die for... Stay tuned for swatches of the full collection!

NOTD: Essie Neon Gradient

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Sat, 17 May 2014 17:15:00 +0000

Essie Neon Collection Gradient (over China Glaze White on White)

We may be slightly neon-obsessed (neon, glitter, pastels.. our top three faves!) so when this years version of the Essie neons came in we sort of went crazy. This is the whole collection sponged over China Glaze White on White! Swatches to come... but its safe to say we're in love.

Disclaimer: Some or all of the products mentioned in this post were provided by the company/PR in exchange for our honest review and consideration. All opinions are our own.

TUTORIAL: Holographic Glitter Polka Dot Nails

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Fri, 16 May 2014 18:14:00 +0000

YSL La Laque Couture in Noir Primitif with Holographic Glitter Polka Dots

We love how quick and easy this look is! Check out our YouTube tutorial to get the details! The glitter is from www.BornPrettyStore.com and is available here in option #1! Feel free to use code 'KNAILART' for 10% off!

Happy polishing!

NOTD: The Blues ft. Revlon Lana'i Lagoon

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Thu, 15 May 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Revlon Lana'i Lagoon over Revlon Parfumerie Tropical Rain

For today's NOTD, we're wearing Revlon's Lana'i Lagoon - a matte glitter bomb - over Tropical Rain, a scented polish. We've been having some rain recently so this look fits perfectly, and the glitter makes a perfect addition to this Spring look!

SWATCHED: O.P.I. Neon Collection 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Thu, 15 May 2014 01:03:00 +0000

Today we have the O.P.I. Neon collection for Summer 2014 swatched for you - for all of our swatches we used two coats, with nothing underneath. If you're looking for the neons to pop a bit more, we recommend using a white coat underneath. O.P.I. has released a white base coat with this collection, which we haven't had the chance to check out. We suspect that pigment in a base coat may alter the ability of the base coat to adhere to your nails... But we will have to try it out before we come to any conclusions. On to the polishes...

O.P.I. Push and Pur-Pull

First up is Push and Pur-Pull, a rich crelly purple with impressive application. This swatch is two coats - and this polish is one of our favourites in the collection.

O.P.I. Down to the Core-al

Next up is Down to the Core-al, a bright coral (who would have thought?) with a slight shimmer. This polish is pretty streaky, as you can likely see in the picture, but the coverage is impressive. This shade wasn't standout for us, but if you're in love with coral it would be a fine addition to any collection.

O.P.I. You are So Outta Lime!

Next is a unique shade, a creme lime that we are absolutely in love with. We don't have anything like You are So Outta Lime! - and the application was amazing. This is a total recommendation - everyone needs this in their collection!

O.P.I. Hotter Than You Pink

Hotter Than You Pink is a bright pink shimmer that has been done before, but is done well in this release. This is definitely not a must-buy, but if you're in the market this a good option. This is also a great classic pedicure colour for summer!

O.P.I. Juice Bar Hopping

Juice Bar Hopping is a bright orange-tangerine crelly with serious neon punch! This is the brightest orange we've ever seen, and it applies amazing. This is a great buy for anyone looking for a rainbow of neon polishes.

O.P.I. Life Gave Me Lemons

Finally, Life Gave Me Lemons is a green-leaning yellow that has a semi-patchy application. The colour of this polish is its saving grace, as its another unique creme polish. The shade is unforgettable, but if you are looking for a polish that is easy to apply - this may not be your go to.

Let us know what you think of these polishes and whether you'll be picking any up for your summer tips!

Disclaimer: Some or all of the products mentioned in this post were provided by the company/PR in exchange for our honest review and consideration. All opinions are our own.

NOTD: Kiss Neon Star Nail Strips + O.P.I. Life Gave Me Lemons

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Mon, 12 May 2014 13:41:00 +0000

For today's NOTD - we mixed some fun Kiss Nail Dress Mix It Up Nail Strips in Margeurita with O.P.I.'s Life Gave Me Lemons for this bright fun mani! The Nail Strips come with two separate designs - the pictured neon and silver stars, as well as silver stars on black! There are enough strips for multiple manis... so you may see more of these in a later post.

Let us know what you think in the comments section - and happy polishing!

Disclaimer: Some or all of the products mentioned in this post were provided by the company/PR in exchange for our honest review and consideration. All opinions are our own.

TUTORIAL: Purple Floral Heart Accent Nail (Perfect for Mother's Day!)

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Sat, 10 May 2014 16:53:00 +0000

Purple Floral Heart Accent Nails - pictured: Maybelline Color Show in Lust for Lilac

Today we're sharing with you a YouTube tutorial we made for our purple floral heart nails! Polishes that we used include:

Base: Maybelline Color Show - Lust for Lilac
Flower Petals: China Glaze - Spontaneous
Flower Centre: China Glaze - White on White
Flower Dots: O.P.I. - Push and Pur-Pull
Lighter Purple (between flowers): Quo by ORLY - Sweet Blush
Leaves: Revlon - Lime Basil
Glitter: O.P.I. - Desperately Seeking Sequins
The nail art brush we used is the medium Berkeley nail art brush, and can be found here (not an affiliate link - just sharing!)

Happy polishing - and remember to let us know if you try this out!

THINGS YOU NEED: Nail Polish Removers We Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Fri, 09 May 2014 20:54:00 +0000

If there's one thing that's important for your nails - its using a good remover. First, you don't want to over-dry your nails with harsh acetone, and second - nobodies nails look good with leftover polish hanging around! Our two favourite polish removers are the Dior Dissolvant Abricot, and the Ciaté Orange Chocolate (Scented...yum!) Nail Polish remover.

The Dior Dissolvant Abricot is acetone-free, which is a huge plus if you have brittle nails. We love this because you can't tell that there's no acetone in the formula - it works just as well as any regular polish remover. And the bottle is gorgeous - so you can't beat that!

The Ciaté Orange Chocolate Nail Polish remover is amazing because the scent is not overpowering, and the quality is great! We use this frequently, and the vitamin-rich formula does not disappoint!

Both retail for a bit more than your average nail polish remover, but when our nails are in need of some TLC, these are the removers we reach for. If you're in the market, we would definitely recommend picking one of these beauties up!

Mother's Day Floral Nail Art

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Tue, 06 May 2014 20:42:00 +0000

Mother's Day Floral Nail Design and LUSH Cosmetics 'Mum' Bubble Bar

We created this floral mani inspired by a Papyrus Mother's Day Card! Pictured with the LUSH Cosmetics 'Mum' Bubble Bar - a great Mother's day gift option for any mom. Gearing up for Mother's Day, we also put together a quick insta-video tutorial.

Let us know what you think, and if you try out this mani let us know!

Impress Press On Glitter Nails in In The Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Mon, 05 May 2014 14:00:00 +0000

imPRESS by Broadway Nails in In The Spotlight

We are super excited to share with you some of the most wearable and on-trend press on nails we've ever seen. For those of you who are less art-savvy, or just want to get a great look in record time - these are for you!

These nails come in both short or a longer, medium-length. The medium length ones fit our longer nail beds perfectly (check out a picture of some neon splatter press-ons on our Instagram!), but the shorter ones are just a bit too short for us. We have also experimented with shaping these nails using a nail file, and it worked out pretty well! Wear time is supposed to be up to a week, but we wore these for a few days with no problem.

To show you some of the short-nail designs, we've borrowed some friends! For this post, Sophie is wearing the Impress Press-ons in In The Spotlight. This look is a orange to yellow gradient, with all over glitter.

Let us know what you think of this look, and whether you would wear these super-easy press-ons!

TUTORIAL: Faded Spring Floral Yin-Yang Nail Art

noreply@blogger.com (Marley Kafato) — Sun, 04 May 2014 17:34:00 +0000

Matte Faded Floral Yin-Yang Nail Art

Get the look - polishes used include:

China Glaze White on White

(Dark to Light)

Pinks - Essie Bottle Service, Essie Boom Boom Room, Revlon Pink Pineapple

Blues - Essie In The Cab-ana, China Glaze For Audrey, Essie Mint Candy Apple

Purples - O.P.I. Push and Pur-pull, Essie Play Date, Essie Under Where

Greens - China Glaze Starboard, Essie The More the Merrier, Essie Navigate Her

Ciaté Speed Coat Pro
Essie Waltz

Nicole by O.P.I. Matte Top Coat

What do you think of this look? Let us know in the comments if you try it out!