Sweet Dots and Pearl Flowers (A BPS Review)

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Hello Loves!  Just a quick and simple mani today.  I'm having a hard time accepting that fall is right around the corner.  My nails really want to be ready for spring!

For this mani, I started with a base of Daisy Duo Classical Violet.  I haven't shown you this one yet, but I'm wearing it right now as part of a wear test so swatches will be coming soon.  ;)  I then added a few dots with Milani High Speed Fast Dry polish in Instant Pearl.  Finally, I finished it off with these precious pearl flowers from Born Pretty Store.

Aren't the little flowers just adorable?  They make me think of the flowers you see on hair pieces for flower girls in weddings.  So sweet! 

Born Pretty has several flower pieces like these and other styles to choose from. Be sure to check out some of Born Pretty Store's other nail art items too!  Use code MANYX31 for 10% off and free shipping. 

~Michelle

*The flowers featured in this post were provided by Born Pretty Store for my honest review.  This post uses Born Pretty Store and Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.
 

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Holographic Studded Nails (A BPS Review)

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Hello Loves.  Today's mani isn't exactly what I had in mind, but when I started adding these awesome holographic studs from Born Pretty Store to my nails, I just couldn't stop.  This is so outside of my comfort zone, but I love it!  lol

I started with a base of, you guessed it, Couture Little Black Dress.  I then planned to add a stud to each nail and then maybe pair it with some stamping, but the studs kind of took over.  I love the punk, yet girly feel of the final mani!

My photos didn't capture these studs in all of their glory.  They have a holographic finish, so they really light up.  This is just the non-work-appropriate mani I needed to lift my spirits.  ;)

If these studs aren't your style, Born Pretty has several others to choose from. Click here to check them out. Be sure to check out some of Born Pretty Store's other nail art items too!  Use code MANYX31 for 10% off and free shipping. 

~Michelle

*The studs featured in this post were provided by Born Pretty Store for my honest review.  This post uses Born Pretty Store Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.
 

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Simply Studded (A BPS Review)

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Hello Loves.  Today's mani is a simple one, but I absolutely love it.  I'm such a sucker for green and the green studs from the 3mm Crackle Leopard Mini Stud Wheel that Born Pretty Store sent me for review were the perfect accents.

I seriously adore these studs, which is crazy for me.  I'm not a huge fan of animal prints in general, but these don't really look like animal prints to me at all.  They remind me more of a marbled finish.  The black and gold and the black and white are the only two that could be animal print in my mind.  The wheel comes with 4 different colors in two different styles each - round and square.  I took a closeup of the 8 different studs.  They are 3mm studs, so they don't lay completely flat on my nails, but that's the curse of deep c-curves, I suppose.

The only down side to these studs is that they aren't reusable.  The finish is not acetone friendly, so they go from cute little speckled studs to plain silver studs during soak off.  Honestly, though, they're so affordable that it isn't a deterrent for me like it would be with some of my more expensive nail art pieces.

Back to the mani.  The base I chose for this mani is a new one-step gel called PurJoi that hasn't been released on the market yet, but is coming very soon.  The color is called Life.  Stay tuned for a full review of this line as soon as they officially launch.  The black for the accent nail is Couture Gel Polish in Little Black Dress.

Born Pretty Store has a large selection of stud wheels to choose from.  If these aren't quite your style, I'm sure at least one of their other wheels will tickle your fancy.  (Wow...I heard my grandmother in my head when I said that! lol)  Be sure to check out some of Born Pretty Store's other nail art items too!  Use code MANYX31 for 10% off and free shipping. 

~Michelle

*The studs featured in this post were provided by Born Pretty Store for my honest review.  This post uses Born Pretty Store and Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.
 

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Sweet and Innocent Dots and Roses (a BSG Review)

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Hello Loves.  I recently decided I was in the mood for a sweet little doticure.  No surprise there, right?  I don't know what it is about dots, but I just love them.  Dots and roses are always a great combo in my mind.  I started with a base of IBD Just Gel Juliet and then added large and small dots with Couture Ooh La La French and Couture Naughty-Cal.  I had originally planned to freehand a few roses, but then I realized that these adorable acrylic roses Born Pretty Store sent me for review match perfectly to Juliet and Naughty-cal.

These roses are listed as "3D Nail Art Sticker Candy Color Rose Flower Nail Decoration".  That's one heck of a name, so I'll break it down for you.  They are little acrylic roses that can be applied to the nail with nail glue, acrylic or even gel.  They remind me of miniature versions of the butter cream roses that you see on cakes.  They aren't squishy or edible, but they do make me crave cupcakes. lol Below is the product photo from Born Pretty that shows the various styles and colors available. The ones I used for this manicure are in the center of the bottom row, and I now want them all!

I was expecting these roses to be much larger, so I was pleasantly surprised when they arrived to see that they are quite small. I'm not afraid to go bold with my nail art, but I find that larger pieces get in the way when caring for young children. These do have a bit of height to them so they are raised off of the nail, but only slightly higher than your average large bow.  I took a side shot so you can see the height a bit better.

I attached the roses with a bit of super glue after curing the top coat and removing the tacky layer.  I then went around the seams at the bottom of the roses with a bit of top coat to seal them to the nail.  I did not top coat over them like I usually would because I didn't want them to be super shiny, but doing so will certainly help prolong the wear time.

Here's another shot of the final mani.  I was going for sweet and innocent.  What do you think?  Did I nail it?  ;)

If these roses aren't your style, Born Pretty has several others to choose from. Click here to check them out. Be sure to check out some of Born Pretty Store's other nail art items too!  Use code MANYX31 for 10% off and free shipping. 

~Michelle

*The bows featured in this post were provided by Born Pretty Store for my honest review.  This post uses Born Pretty Store and Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.
 

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Denim & Pearls: Born Pretty Store Review

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Hello Loves.  As you may have noticed, I'm on a bit of a bow kick lately.  When I was given the opportunity to select a few items to review for Born Pretty Store, these Sweety White Bowknot Pearl Studs nearly jumped off the page.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of country music, and a line from a song popped into my head when I saw these bows.

"And when we went to dinner you wore blue jeans with your pearls

That's when I knew you were my kind of girl"

My Kind of Girl - Collin Raye (1994)

Needless to say, I knew I had to have them for this denim and pearls manicure!

I started with a base of Couture Gel Polish in Skinny Jeans (swatched here) and then added stitching with a detail brush in Pure Ice Silver Star (my favorite silver nail polish for stamping and details).  Of course, I finished the look with the pearl bow on the ring finger.

I was pleasantly surprised when these arrived to learn that they aren't flat on the back like a lot of bows.  These are slightly curved, which is awesome if your nails have deep c-curves like mine.  I usually have to build up a platform for bows to rest on with gel.  In this case, I was able to stick them on with a bit of nail glue and the curved back allowed enough contact with my nail for them to stay put.  :)  The pearls also seem to be firmly attached to the base.  I wore this manicure for a week and none of the pearls popped off even though I didn't topcoat over the bow with gel like I usually would.

Here's another shot of the manicure.

And finally, a closeup of the bow itself since the contrast between the dark denim polish and the white bow doesn't photograph as well as I like.  You can see the detail much better here.  I had to play with the contrast on the photo a bit, so excuse the weird skin tone.  With the little rhinestone accents, these would be perfect for a wedding manicure too!

Born Pretty also has a selection non-nail art items in a similar style to these bows. Click here to check them out. Be sure to check out some of Born Pretty Store's other nail art items too!  Use code MANYX31 for 10% off and free shipping. 

So, how about you?  Are you a denim and pearls kind of girl?  Or do you save your pearls for special occasions? 

~Michelle

*The bows featured in this post were provided by Born Pretty Store for my honest review.  This post uses Born Pretty Store and Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through these links generate commissions that help fund this site.

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