NOTD - OPI Nothin' Mouse About It

Hi readers! I hope that you guys are having a wonderful Wednesday.  Work is finally picking up and getting quite busy.  With all this nice weather, people are travelling and going to cottages and leaving us with their dogs.  I hope that you guys get to enjoy this nice weather and enjoy relaxing in the sun.

So for today's nail of the day I'm going to talk about OPI's new Vintage Minnie Mouse collection.  I picked up Nothin' Mouse About It because I thought it was the only truly unique polish from the collection.  With that said, it is clearly meant to be layered so I tried it over a bunch of polishes to see how it would turn out.  I feel like the light pink heart-shaped glitter gets lost on both OPI's Your Web or Mine and NOPI's I Stop For Nicole.  I like how different it looks overtop of Essie's over the edge.  My top three base colour picks would be Essie's Fiji (light pink), Essie's secret story (bright pink), and Essie's e-nuf is e-nuf (bright coral).
 OPI's Nothin' Mouse About It is a sheer pink shimmer topped off with cute little pink glitter hearts.  As a self-confessed glitter lover, I must say this polish looked magical in the bottle.  I must admit, I was a little disappointed with how the hearts were distributed throughout the bottle.  Sometimes you would get five hearts on the brush while other times you wouldn't get any.  This is why I chose to do a cute design with the hearts for the final mani.  The glitter base itself was very smooth and easy to apply, I just wish that the hearts were more evenly distributed.

Overall, I would recommend picking up Nothin' Mouse About It because of the nostalgia factor and the awesome shimmer.  I think this polish will be great around Valentines day and whenever the mood is romantic.  This will be a mani that I won't want to take off.

Keep those fingers pretty!

Trendy Tuesday - Maybelline Styled Out

Hey guys! So today's post is a little late, but better late than never right? Anyways, thanks for the supportive comments yesterday, it really did lift my spirits.  I've finally gotten back home and all I can say is HOT! Wow, with no air conditioning and the windows being closed while I was away, my apartment has turned into an oven.  Hopefully by tonight it will be much cooler.  What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? I hope you guys are enjoying lots of sun.


Today I'm talking about one of the new fabulous finds that I recently bought.  This is Maybelline's Styled Out denim polish.  It's a deep blue polish with a hint of silver sparkle that dries with a matte finish.  I really do agree that this polish looks like denim.  I love these funky polishes and I think it can really spice up a manicure.

This polish has great coverage as well. On top of a base coat, you can get away with total coverage in one coat.  Honestly, there aren't many polishes that I can say one coat is truly enough but Styled Out is great.  Because this polish is meant to look like denim, I wouldn't recommend a top coat (the glossiness takes away from the effect).

Overall, I give this polish two thumbs up.  I love how it applies and the fact that it really does look like denim.  I feel like this polish would be great for fall or winter and doesn't really fit the summer trends.


Is this a polish you've picked up? Have you found any other denim polishes? If so, do you have a favourite?

Keep those fingers pretty!

Mani Monday - Double Polkadot

Hi y'all.  Well, I can officially say that I've run a 10km race (and signed up for my next one).  This is an accomplishment that I thought would never be possible and I am very proud of.  Yet this weekend also brought me to a realization that somehow being behind a computer screen makes people think that they can say anything they want no matter how mean.  Honestly, I write this blog so that I can express my creativity and meet others who love nail polish as much as I do.  But recently I've read some nasty comments others have made on a forum about my nail art.  To those who don't like what I do, why are you taking your time to read my posts? I'm not expecting to please everyone and I'm not here just to gain readership.  I enjoy reading comments and connecting with other polish lovers and appreciate all of you that post positive feedback.  Like we learned in kindergarten, if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.  Now that I've ranted, here's today Monday Mani!

For today's mani, I used two new polishes by Oh My Gosh.  I must admit, I love how these polishes apply on their own but I also love how they look together  The base colour is OMG 008 Bright Yellow (to read the review, click here).  This creamy yellow was the perfect backdrop for some cute polkadots.  For the blue polkadots, I used OMG 009 Cobalt Blue.  I will be reviewing this polish later this week so stay tuned! Once I was done with these polkadots, I thought I would spice it up with additional yellow polkadots on top of the blue ones.  I used the same yellow polish for these polkadots and I just love how this mani turned out.  Because I had two levels of polkadots, I needed two coats of top coat to even out the surface of the nail.

Overall, I must say this is one of my favourite polkadot manis up to date.  For those of you who honestly enjoy my blog, I thank you every much for the time you take to connect with me through comments.  I treasure each and every comment and love seeing your own creative posts.

Keep those fingers pretty & have a great Monday!

Funky Friday - Oh My Gosh 008 Bright Yellow

Hi readers! Today I'm writing you from Ottawa! This weekend looks like it'll be super warm and super fun.  Today we are going to the health and fitness expo downtown to collect our race kits and to check out some awesome deals on running gear.  Though I grew up in Ottawa, I don't generally head downtown so this will be very exciting.  I hope you guys are getting to enjoy wonderful weather and for my American readers, I hope that you have a great Memorial Day long weekend. 

For this funky Friday I'm going to talk about a new polish that I picked up from Shoppers Drugmart.  Oh My Gosh 008 Bright Yellow is a softer buttery yellow unlike the neon colours out there right now.  This polish is also very economical (less than 5 dollars a bottle) and is a small enough size that you will be able to use it up. 

 I was impressed with the application of this polish.  It was very creamy and smooth and just the right consistency.  I was a little disappointed that it took three coats to get solid coverage but it isn't a deal breaker in my opinion.  This polish dried with a high gloss finish but I would still recommend a top coat. 







Overall, I was very impressed with this polish.  After wearing it for four days, it didn't show any signs of wear or tear.  I think that this polish is also a great colour for nail art project (hint, hint) and will be making many appearances on my nails this summer.

Are you a fan of neon polishes or do you like toned down versions of neon colours? Have you tried any other Oh My Gosh polishes? Let me know which ones are your favourites!

Keep those fingers pretty!

Trendy Thursday - Malibu Sunset

Hi readers! I hope that your Thursday is wonderful.  It's bright and hot here today.  I'm leaving town for a few days to head to my 10km race in Ottawa this weekend so I'm super pumped.  But don't worry, I have lots of good posts that will be posted throughout the next few days.  These will feature many new polishes along with some funky nail art.  So wish me luck as it looks like it will be quite hot for my run (and I don't do well in heat) and I hope you guys enjoy the posts for the next few days!

Today I'm featuring some nail art that has become quite trendy.  I named this Malibu Sunset because it is similar to the logo of the infamous Malibu rum (which was a total coincidence).

To begin, I used three coats of Essie's Fiji (a light pink).  Once Fiji was dry, I sponged on Essie's e-nuf is e-nuf onto the top half of my nails using a makeup sponge.  I let this dry and then I sponged on Essie's Action.  Once both of these colours were dry, I blended them together with the sponge using extra orange and red.  This created the look of the iconic sunset.

Honestly I love how this really plays to the two significant nail polish trends right now (neons and gradient).  These are my favourite Essie colours for this summer and I can't wait feature them again!

Keep those fingers polished!

Wild Wednesday - Jumping Dolphins

Hey guys! I hope that your Wednesday is going well.  I'm so excited for today's Wild Wednesday so lets just jump straight to it!

Photo courtesy of National Geographic.

 Okay, so today's Wild Wednesday is featuring the bottlenose dolphin thanks to the suggestion of www.BigDaddyBeauty.com.  These curious and friendly creatures are being threatened by careless fishing practices that cause dolphins to become entangled in the nets.  Dolphins travel in social groups known as pods and can jump as high as sixteen feet high.  Dolphins range from 10 to 14 feet in length and can live for 45 to 50 years.

So for this manicure, I thought I would recreate the bright blue sparkling waters that the bottlenose dolphin inhabits by creating a jelly sandwich.   For this jelly sandwich, I used two coats of Nicole by OPI Nothing Kim-pears to Blue, one coat of Nicole by OPI Make U Smile, and then a final coat of Nothing Kim-pears to Blue.   I love how this captured the brilliance of the Caribbean Sea.  




In order to create the dolphin, I used Essie's over the edge.  I free handed the dolphin and used a dotting tool to create the perfect eye.  Overall, I think it really captures the look of a dolphin jumping out of the water.

If you love animals and the planet as much as I do and would like to join the Wild Wednesday movement, feel free to message me and I will add a link to your blog on my Wednesday posts.  Otherwise, if you have an animal that you would love to see featured, let me know by commenting on this post or tweeting me @ChippedNailBlog!

Keep those fingers pretty!

Monday Mani - Pure Ice Vinyl Remix

Hi y'all! I hope that your Monday is going well and to my Canadian bloggers, happy Victoria Day! I hope you guys have had a relaxed weekend.  Well, I've been very busy with work and such so today is a major catch-up day.  This week is going to be very exiting and hopefully you guys will enjoy my blog posts.  This coming weekend is the Ottawa Marathon where I'll be running my first 10km race! I've been training for this event since December so I'm super pumped and a little nervous.

 Anyways, today I'm excited to bring you my last nail polish find from my trip to the States.  Pure Ice's Vinyl Remix is a new take on the crackle nail polish trend.  For around five dollars, this polish comes with a white base colour and a coloured crackle.  This collection includes green, yellow, blue, pink, orange, and purple.  One downside is that if you picked up all six colours, you would end up with six platinum magic base coats.  I was super excited to pick this polish up because of how different it was from the normal crackle polishes.  This polish is intended to be used in combination with the other polishes from this collection to create funky nail art.

This pretty yellow crackle is called Emcee Me.  Personally, I absolutely love how platinum base coat applied.  With two coats, the coverage is perfectly even.  The black crackle is try easy to apply, creating a very dramatic look.  Like most crackles, this polish has a matte finish.  As a result, I used two coats of Essie's good to go quick dry top coat to give it a glossy finish.

Overall, I love this concept.  It's a next spin on the traditional crackle that won't hurt the wallet.  Honestly, the one major difference between US and Canadian nail polish supplies is the price.  American prices are anywhere from two to six dollars cheaper compared to Canadian prices.  If I am able to, I would love to pick up more polishes from this collection because I think it would make for some really cool nail art.  These polishes are available at Walmart or on the pure ice online retailer.


I hope you guys have a magnificent Monday! Keep those fingers pretty!

Nail Of The Day - Polkadot Nail Art

Hi there! I hope you guys are having a great day.  It cooled down here a little bit but it still feels like the beginning of summer.  Today and tomorrow I have to work from 8-5 so expect new posts around 1pm.  Anyways, work is really picking up at the dog boarding facility  because of the upcoming long weekend.  I must say that being around dogs always lifts your spirits.  For those of you traveling this long weekend, I hope your travels go safely and smoothly and that you have lots of fun!

So for today's nail of the day I did a little funky nail art.  I have been on a real nail art bender as I have recently purchased a nail art tool with a brush on one end and a dotting tool on the other end.  This makes nail art so much easier compared to using a bobby pin.

For this manicure I used two coats of OPI's Number One Nemesis (to read a review click here); two coats of Essie's e-nuf is e-nuf for the bottom part of the nail (to read a review click here); and Quo by Orly French White for the dots.  I began by applying OPI's Number One Nemesis to the whole nail.  Once this was completely dry, I applied Essie's e-nuf is e-nuf from the right bottom corner to the left top corner of my nails.  Again, once this was dry I added the dots using the dotting tool purchased from Sally Beauty Supply.



Overall, I absolutely love this manicure.  I have been wearing it for the was four days which is quite rare for me.  I think nail art is a great way to express your own uniqueness (and you'll receive lots of complements!).  Do you like doing nail art? What is your favourite nail art trend?

Keep those nails pretty!

Wild Wednesday - Tiger Talons

Hi readers! I hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday.  This morning started off a little grey but the sky is slowly starting to clear so hopefully we will have another spectacular spring day.  I hope you guys are getting to enjoy nice weather as well!  Anyways, I thought I would start a new Wednesday trend.  As you may know, I have studied environmental sciences and hope to pursue a career in protecting the environment.  As a result, I came up with the concept of Wild Wednesday.  From now until the end of June I will be featuring one animal every Wednesday.  I would love to hear suggestions from you guys so email me , tweet me, or leave a comment below with your suggestions!

Image from National Geographic (click here for more info) 

Today's animal is the bengal tiger.  This large cat is native to India and is endangered.  Right now the wild population sits at around 1,250 bengal tigers which is approximately half of all the tiger subspecies put together.  These nocturnal mammals live alone and travel vast distances to hunt other animals such as buffalo, deer, and other large mammals.  They use their distinctive coat as a method of camouflage while stocking their prey. An adult bengal tiger weighs approximately 240-500 lbs and is six feet in length (head and body).  Though generally thought of as fearsome, bengal tigers generally avoid humans.  Not only do bengal tigers look impressive, they sound equally as impressive too! Their roar can be heard from distances as far as 2 miles away.

For today's manicure, I thought I would replicate this large cat's stripes.  To begin, I used two coats of Quo by Orly French white.  This really made the orange pop.  On top of the white, I used two coats of Essie's Action I reviewed this polish yesterday which you can read here).  This neon orange was a perfect contrast to the black stripes.  To do the striped pattern, I used the Konad stamp plate m57 and Essie's Over the Edge.  After stamping I freehand painted more detail to darken the pattern and to make it more realistic.  

Overall I was very pleased with how this turned out.  I really love animals and the environment and believe that it is our job to protect the planet.  I hope that this mani can inspire you to do one good thing for the planet today! 

Have a Wild Wednesday and keep those fingers pretty!

Trendy Tuesday - Essie Action

Hey guys and gals! I hope that you are having a great and sunny day.  I can officially say that summer has  officially come to my neck of the woods.  It's been a pleasant 25ºC (or 77ºF ) and sunny for the past four days.  I also have gotten in the summer mood by planting my indoor garden and sporting some pretty neon nail polish.  When I ran my 5km race this past weekend I was approached by a nice lady who told me I had the brightest and prettiest nails on the course.  Honestly, I love receiving these types of complements (who doesn't?).  As a result, I thought I would make my trendy Tuesday post about the neon nail trend.

So those of you following me on Twitter (follow me here) may have noticed that prior to my trip I was hounding my local beauty supply store in hopes of finding Essie's Action.  Well, I was unsuccessful in Canada but lucky at the Lake Placid Rite Aid.  I was also lucky because this polish was four dollars cheaper! Man, I'm really jealous of American nail polish prices.

Anyways, this amazing orange was the only polish from the Poppy-Razzi collection that I felt was truly unique.  I must admit, when I purchased the bottle I thought that this polish was a softer tangerine orange but once it was on my nails, I realized that it was more of a pylon orange.  So be prepared if you purchase this polish.

In terms of application, I was a bit frustrated by this polish.  First off, it was very sheer making it hard to obtain consistent coverage.  As recommend by Essie, I used a white polish (Quo by Orly French White) underneath of Action.  Yet it still took three coats to get good coverage.  Also, these neon polishes dry with a somewhat matte finish.  As a result, a solid coat of top coat was needed.  With a coat of base coat, two coats of French White, three coats of Action, and a coat of top coat, the finished product was pretty thick on the nail.

Overall, I love the colour but wish coverage was a bit better.  Honestly, if I had the choice I would buy this colour again because it just sucks me in.  For me, this colour is very unique and out there and it will be making multiple appearances this summer (especially for nail art).  Multiple companies are coming out with neons for the summer and honestly I can say that I'm very excited.  I hope that you love this trend as much as I do! Have you picked up any neons? Which ones will you be adding to your collection?

I hope you get to enjoy some amazing summery weather!

Mani Monday - OPI Number One Nemesis

Hello readers! I hope you guys are having a great Monday.  I decided to switch things up a bit on my blog.  I've removed the blogs I follow from the sidebar and put them onto their own page in the upper tab.  If you would like to have you blog added to this list message me at chippednailblog@gmail.com.  This week will be full of interesting posts as a result of my trip to the states.  I was lucky enough to pick up some polishes that are hard to find or not sold in Canada.  I was also lucky enough to find a dotting/nail art brush! As a result, lots of new nail art will be coming soon!

So today I'm featuring OPI's Number One Nemesis.  This was the last of four polishes from the OPI Spider-Man collection box set.  Personally, I think I saved the best for last.  For these pictures, I used three coats of Number One Nemesis and one coat of Essie's Good to Go fast dry topcoat.  Number One Nemesis is a greenish-grey shimmer with multi-coloured glittered.  The main colours that jump out are grey, gold, green, and just a hint of silvery blue.  This polish was a little thin but with three coats the coverage was great.


Though I do not own Chanel's Graphite polish, other bloggers have done side by side comparisons.  It is obvious that this polish is a very close dupe.  With this said, two polishes from this collection are pretty close dupes for expensive polishes.  So if you are on a tight nail polish budget, this collection is a great way to pick up some colours that you wouldn't have otherwise gotten.

Overall I love this colour.  It will be making many appearances throughout this summer.  I am a sucker for glitters so I like that this polish is a toned down version of a glitter.  Is this a colour that you'll be picking up?

Have a great Monday and keep those fingers pretty!

Nomination for the Versatile Blogger Award

Hi readers! So this past weekend I ran a 5km race.  Like most things in life, you are likely to do your best in a supportive environment.  Races prove this theory over and over.  Unlike the traditional 'race', charitable road races provide a supportive atmosphere where everyone wants you to do your best.  Everyone has had a bad day and no one judges you based on your time.  Blogging is a lot like this too.  With time, you grow this supportive network around you.  These readers and fellow bloggers know what it's like to make mistakes, struggle in gaining readership, and the excitement that comes with gaining followers and having people comment on your blog.  They are similar to the other runners who want to see you succeed and achieve success.  Success may mean gaining readers or simply connecting with others.  With that said, it's not the author that makes the blog, rather it's the readers and fellow bloggers.

As a result, I think it's important to acknowledge other blogs that are doing great things.  With this said, I was humbled when Liesl and her blog Liesl Loves Pretty Things awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award.



The rules for nomination are as follows:

•  Thank the person who gave you this award. 
•  Include a link to their blog. 
•  Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. 
•  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award
•  Share 7 things about yourself.

Drumroll please! Here are my 15 Versatile Blogger Award winners:

Xun-Lin & Magdalene from Legally Nailed
Kat from Hooked On Polish 
Gosia from Life in Color!
Jackie from Pampered With Polish
Lyndsay from Pixie Polish
Rachael from The Perky Polisher
Nubbin Nails from Nubbin Nails
Victoria from Manicurator
Terra from Swatch It Up!
Laurie from Dressed Up Digits
Emma from Globe & Nail
Rebecca from Polished Peripherals
Kimmie from Nailed for Justice
Julie from Tales of Knit and Nails
Corners of Today from Nail Polish Required

Here are seven interesting facts about myself:
1. I love to travel (anywhere and everywhere)
2. I was in BSc Nursing program for three years
3. I love animals but never had a pet as a kid
4. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at the age of 16
5. I am a tree hugging, birkenstock wearing, granola eating tree hugger
6. I still play soccer and hockey
7. I'm a proud Canadian!

I hope you guys follow these blogs and share the love!

Super Sunday - OPI's Your Web or Mine?

Welcome back readers and happy Mother's Day! I hope you had a wonderful week last week.  I know I sure did.  Thank you for your patience with the lack of posts last week.  Well, it turns out that the wireless internet at the campground I was staying at wasn't reliable making it impossible to post.  Anyways, I was lucky enough to be able to explore the Adirondack park for the past week. I must say, this area is absolutely stunning and we were lucky enough to find an amazing cabin to stay in.  The KOA Lake Placid campground has some very unique cabins that back onto the Ausable River.  If you are looking for a neat place to relax and explore, I must recommend this campground and this region.  I can tell you that we will be visiting again.

Okay, so when I last posted I was in the middle of reviewing OPI's Spider-Man collection.  Well, I thought this colour was perfect for Mother's Day!  OPI's Your Web or Mine is described by OPI as "the perfect pink for sticky situations".  I had to giggle when I first read the description and I think this pink is turning into one of my favourites.  This salmon-pink is quite frosty.  I was a bit disappointed because the brush strokes were quite noticeable no matter how many times I applied this polish.  I also found that this polish was a little thin and took three coats to get decent coverage.  I think this polish would look best if used overtop of a white in order to ensure even application.



Overall, I love this colour.  It's like no other pink in my collection.  Though I am a little disappointed with how it went on, it will definitely make many appearances on my nails.  I bought this polish from Trade Secrets or check out OPI for more info about purchasing.

I hope you guys have a great Mother's Day (even if you're only a pet-mom :) ) & keep those fingers pretty!

NOTD - OPI Spider-Man Into the Night

Hey guys, I hope you're having a great Friday! Today has been very hectic for me as we're getting ready to travel tomorrow.  Anyways, as I said yesterday I'll be bringing you guys all the new nail polishes that came with the mini OPI Spider-Man box set. 

This wonderful colour is OPI's Into the Night.   This colour is a deep metallic blue but not super dark.  It had an almost chrome-like finish.  I was a little disappointed with the formula because it was a tad thin and took three coats to get decent coverage.  Even with these three coats I can still see some thin areas.  As a result, I would recommend wearing it over top of a white in order to really make this colour pop.  This polish wears amazingly.  I'm on day four and I am use starting to see some tip wear. 

Overall, I really like how unique this colour is but I feel like it's a little dark for the season.  The consistency of the polish could have been better and I would recommend wearing on top of a white or nude. 

Have you tried this colour? Is this one that grabs your eyes?

Keep those fingers polished & have a fabulous Friday!

Nail of the Day - OPI Just Spotted The Lizard!

Happy Thursday everyone! It's almost the weekend again which means I'll be in Lake Placid soon.  This is a great thing because I'll be able to pick up some polishes that aren't available to us Canadians.  I'm also hoping to be able to pick up some nail art supplies so my nail art will quickly improve.  Anyways, like I mentioned yesterday I picked up OPI Spider-Man mini-collection on a recent trip to Toronto.  This mini collection comprised of four of the seven wonderful colours.  I was a little sad that these minis didn't include Call Me Gwen-ever.  But alas, I am very excited to talk about this collection. 



So the first colour that I'll be talking about is OPI's Just Spotted the Lizard.  As described by OPI, it's a reptilian yellow-green.  Honestly, I would describe it as a golden-green chrome with teal and green duo-chrome.  Just Spotted the Lizard has a shiny metallic finish that is very prone to brush strokes.  I also found that this polish was quite thin and took three coats to get good coverage.  I would recommend using this polish over top of a white in order to get the best coverage.  Like many polishes, I recommend a high gloss top coat to really make this polish pop.

  I also love the fact that this polish is an exact dupe of Chanel's Péridot.  Though I have nothing against Chanel, I am currently not in a place to afford Chanel nail polish.  I have always been in love with this colour so I was very excited when it became apart of the OPI Spider-Man collection.  If you want to see a picture comparison, check out Scrangie: OPI The Amazing Spider-Man Collection post.  She gives a great side by side comparison. 

Overall, I was very impressed with this first colour.  In my opinion, it's a must-buy.  This colour is an awesome metallic that is very different from the other colours that we have been seeing this season.

I picked up this set from Trades Secrets for $14.99 or you could buy each colour individually from $9.99 Canadian.   

So what do you think? Is this a colour that you will be picking up?

Keep those fingers pretty!

Wicked Wednesday - Nubar's Elegant Indigo

Hi readers! Welcome to wicked Wednesday which means that we are halfway through another week.  I have finally begun my vacation so I'll be spending some much needed R&R as well as time to pretty up my nails and find some interesting and new polishes! Beginning tomorrow, I'll be highlighting the new OPI Spiderman collection.  I'm so excited to bring you this new collection because the colours are absolutely amazing. 

Today I'll be talking about Nubar's elegant indigo.  This polish was apart of the Fall 2011 collection.  I found this polish at my local Winners for around seven bucks Canadian.  At first, I thought this polish was a deep purple base with blue and purple duo-chrome shimmer but really the base is a pure black.  In the bottle, this shimmer was very stunning.  Sadly this did not fully transfer onto the nail.  For these pictures, I used two coats of polish but one coat would have been fine.  The consistency of this polish was amazing but it needed two coats of topcoat to give it a high gloss finish.












Thinking that it was a purple base, I tried elegant indigo over top of Essie's no more film.  Surprisingly, this made the polish look like a true purple instead of black.  I also think it made the shimmer more apparent. 

Overall, this is a wonderfully funky nail polish.  This polish will definitely be making frequent appearances for winter and nail art.  As my first Nubar polish, I was very impressed. 

Let me know what you think & keep those fingers pretty!

Trendy Tuesday - Polkadot Dragonfly

Hi readers! I hope that you are all doing well.  The weather has been miserable but I'm hoping that May will bring sun and warmth.  I was fortunate enough to travel to Toronto yesterday where I was able to make progress in my enrolment into a post-graduate certificate program.  Hopefully that this extra qualifications will mean a career.  Anyways, this trip also meant that I was able to pick up some new polishes.  As a result, I'll be bringing new colours such as Nubar's elegant indigo and OPI's Spiderman collection.  Keep your eyes peeled for these polishes in the coming days!

Today, I was in the mood for a sunny summer nail art mani. I have been such a fan of the polkadot trend that I decided to do this dragonfly using polkadots.  I repeated the dragonfly design on both of my thumbs and used the same colours for repeating polkadots on my other fingers.

For a base colour, I used Essie's turquoise & caicos.  As I have said before, this colour is absolutely amazing.  It reminds me of the colour of the Caribbean Seas so I thought it was fitting to use it as the background of my dragonfly.  For the body of the dragonfly, I used Essie's e-nuf is e-nuf. I have always been fascinated by the colours of dragonflies so I thought this colour would be fitting.  Because  dragonflies always seem so have shimmery wings, I thought it would be great to use China Glaze's Prism.  This purply silver really catches the light and almost seems to dance in the sun.  For the eyes, I used my new Nubar elegant indigo.  This black polish with a blue-purple duo-chrome shimmer.  I'll be talking about this polish tomorrow so stay tuned!


In order to do the polkadots, I used the end of a bobby pin. I still haven't found a set of dotting tools in Canada which is so disappointing.  If you guys know of anywhere in the states where I can pick them up, let me know because I'll be visiting the Lake Placid region next week.  Anyways, I really like how bobby pins do polkadots.  In order to even out the surface, I used two coats of Essie's good to go.  Not only does this topcoat dry very quickly, it also leave a super high-gloss finish.

Have you caught on to the polkadot trend? Show me your best polkadot art by tweeting me a picture @ChippedNailBlog.

Keep on polishing!

Essie Resort Collection 2012 - No More Film

Hi readers! I hope y'all had a great weekend.  Sorry for being so absent this weekend but between work and visitors, I've been swamped.  Anyways, I have two weeks of vacation now that my bosses have gone on vacation so I'll be going on a little trip next weekend to the Adirondacks for a little R&R and some hiking.  But not to worry, I'll be publishing at least three articles during that week.  It'll also mean that I'll be in the states so I'll have to opportunity to pick up some polishes that are not available in Canada.  If there are any polishes that you think I should pick up, let me know by leaving a comment!

 So as promised, I'll be reviewing the last colour of Essie's Resort 2012 collection.  I must say, I am a fan of this collection and I can honestly say I've been impressed with every colour so far.  This last colour doesn't fit the profile of a typical spring colour.  On first impression, I thought it was more of a fall/winter colour.  But it is striking nonetheless.

Anyways, today I'm bringing you Essie's no more film.  No more film is a creamy deep violet that just sucks you in.  I love how it has a hint of dark blue to it.  The coverage of this polish is fabulous.  I could have honestly gotten away with one coat of polish but I decided to do two coats for the pictures.  The application was excellent and applied smoothly.  Once it was taken off, it didn't even stain my nails.

Overall, I am very impressed with this collection. My top favourites were sure shot and no more film.  But I really have nothing bad to say about she's picture perfect and pink-a-boo.  I absolutely love how they have a subtle glitter to them and they play with the light.  She's picture perfect and pink-a-boo feel like the most appropriate spring colour while the other two feel like year-round colours.

Are you impressed with this collection? What colour is your favourite?

Keep those fingers polished!

Essie Resort Collection 2012 - Sure Shot

Hi readers! Hooray, the week has come to an end! I hope that your Friday is going well and that you have exciting plans for the weekend.  Well, I must admit this post is being written on my lunch break.  Luckily work is fairly easy today as we're in the midst of doing spring cleaning.

So today, I'll be talking about the third polish from Essie's Resort Collection 2012.  This polish is a magnificent magenta with a wonderful shimmer.  I must admit, this was one of the first polishes that caught my eye from this collection.   This truly is a nice colour.  In the sun, it looks pinky-purple.

In terms of the polish itself, I have no complaints.  The consistency is perfect and it applies very nicely.  For this picture I used two coats.  In order to really make this polish pop, it needs a topcoat (I used Essie's good to go).

Overall, this polish really lived up to the expectations I had.  I would say that this is a must buy polish because it would work for both spring and summer.  Have you bought this polish?

Have a wicked weekend!!

Essie Resort Collection 2012 - She's Picture Perfect

Hi Readers! I hope your Thursday is going well.  This is my last day off before I have to work for two days.  Though I would like to work more, it has been slow at work so they don't need the help.  Hopefully the summer will either bring me more hours or the start of a real career.  Anyways, I'm excited to talk about the second colour from Essie's resort collection 2012.

As I talked about in this post , I will be bringing you guys a new colour from the resort 2012 collection for four days.  Well, today I'm bringing you my official first true purple polish.  Yes that's right, she's picture perfect is the first true light purple that I own.  I do own some pinky-purples but no light purples.

She's picture perfect is a gorgeous iridescent lilac.  The shimmer is a blue-pink and it just grabs your eye.  Glitter and shimmer is hard to do justice in pictures but trust me it's just stunning in person.  The polish applied beautifully and was a perfect consistency.  She's picture perfect really surprised me because it dried with a high gloss finish even prior to Essie's good to go topcoat.  For this picture, I used two coats.  I feel that she's picture perfect is a softer, more shimmery version of Essie's playdate.  Though I don't own this polish, I would love to see them compared side by side.

Overall, I haven't always been the biggest fan of purples on nails but this one is definitely a keeper.  It'll be one of those colours that I'll use when I want to spice things up.

Is this a colour you've added to your collection? Does it remind you of other polishes? If so, let me know which ones.

Keep on polishing!

Essie Resort Collection 2012 - Pink-A-Boo

Happy hump day readers! We're half way through this week.  Well, it finally looks like the weather has broken here and we're starting to see some sun. Yay! Anyways, this past weekend I did my usual rounds to my favourite beauty stores to see if anyone had any new nail polishes.  Well, I got a little off track and ended up at Winners.  This ended up being a very good thing for my nail polish collection.  I found a little package that held great potential.  As I've said before, Essie's Resort Collections have always been big hits with me.  Well, surprisingly I hadn't picked up any of the colours from the 2012 collection.  When I was going through the beauty section in Winners, I found a perfect little gem.

The mini Essie Resort Collection cube was for sale for $11.99.  This was such a good deal, especially in Canada.  With that said, I just had to pick it up.

 This cute little set came with the four polishes from the collection.  Sure shot is a glistening magenta, she's picture perfect is an iridescent lilac, pink-a-boo is a micro-glitter sheer pink, and no more film is a rich violet creme.  These colours have incredible depth and are definitely going to become fast favourites.



Okay, so I'm going to switch things up a little bit.  For the next three days, I've going to feature a different polish from this collection.  To begin, today I'm featuring pink-a-boo.

Pink-a-boo is a somewhat sheer baby pink with iridescent micro-glitter.  Honestly, in the box this polish was just another pink but once I took it out of the box, I was taken aback by how pretty it was.  The glitter within this polish is a mix of blue and pink, which is very unique.  The picture really didn't pick up the glitter which was quite a disappointment.  In order to make this polish opaque, I used three coats.  The consistency of pink-a-boo was perfect and the application was wonderful.  I think layering this polish overtop of a white would really make the colour pop.


Overall, this polish is definitely a keeper.  I love the subtle shimmer and the way it applies.  If you are looking for new pale pink for the summer, this one is a great choice.  Let me know what you think! Will you be picking this colour up? Have you tried layering overtop of other colours? If so, which ones!

Keep those fingers polished!

Trendy Tuesday - Favourite Essie Colours

Hi Readers! First of all, I would like to thank A Polish Problem for adding my blog to the Blog Round Up.  I hope that I can share my passion of nail polish with more people everyday! Okay, so today I thought I would write about my absolute favourite Essie polishes out there.  But if I featured them individually, this post would be a mile long (kind of like yesterdays).  Anyways, I got creative and decided to feature all of my favourites using polkadots! This way, you get a taste of each colour in a creative and fun way.

As I wrote yesterday, the weather here has been dreadful.  If it isn't raining, it's snowing (in APRIL!).  It has put me into a bit of a funk.  As a result, I thought I would brighten up an awesome platinum colour with these bright polkadots.  But I ran into a bit of a problem. For the past three weeks I've been on the hunt for a set of dotting tools. In the end, I never did find any.  I've tried Sally Beauty, Trade Secrets, Shoppers, and even Michaels.  If anyone knows of somewhere  to buy dotting tools in Canada, please let me know! Anyways in the end I got creative and used the plastic end of a bobby pin and I think they turned out quite nicely.  


As a base colour, I used two coats of Essie's Playa Del Platinum.  It's from the Resort 2010 collection.   It's a grey-beige blend rather than a pure grey.  The uniqueness of this colour is what originally brought me to buy it.  It truly is a warmer grey.  Then I used four colours for the polkadots. Firstly, I used Essie's E-nuf is E-nuf.  This creamy coral is a great punch of colour. Then I used Essie's Turquoise and Caicos.  This Tiffany box turquoise colour was also released as part of the Resort Collection in 2010.  For the third set of polkadots, I used Essie's Splash of Grenadine.  Again, this colour was a part of the Resort Collection in 2010.  As you can see, this was one of my favourite collections that has been released so far.  Splash of Grenadine is a wonderful mix of lavender and pink.  Alone, this colour almost makes me look like I've got some colour (which is far from the case).  I can't get enough of how it's not quite a true purple nor is it a true pink.  Splash of Grenadine is truly lovely.  The final colour used for the polkadots was Essie's Over the Edge.  This gunmetal grey has a nice hint of sparkle.  As described by Essie, it's "a dramatic metallic midnight silver".  I couldn't have described it any better.  I like how it's not just a flat black, rather it's quite a dramatic grey.

Overall, I love how this manicure turned out.  This was my first attempt at polkadots and I'm sure I'll get better.  Are any of these colours staples on your nails?  Do you use any other home-made tools to polkadot? If so, which ones?

Keep those fingers pretty!

Mani Monday - Cosmetic Arts April Showers

Hi Readers! Mondays are such tough days.  The snow and rain today have made this Monday exceptionally hard.  I mean, snow in April? I know I live in Canada but really, this is like a cruel practical joke.  Anyways, I thought I'd talk about a little Christmas gift I got.  As a stocking stuffer I received a pretty Cosmetic Arts nail polish.  Trouble is, when the price tag was removed, so was the name of the polish.  Well, my strong investigative skills have concluded that this polish is probably Cosmetic Arts' April Showers (appropriately named for today).  Anyways, if you recognize this polish as some other colour let me know in the comments section!

Cosmetic Arts' April Showers is a sheer polish.  With this said, I used it overtop of four colours.  Because this polish is a shimmery blue-green, I wanted to show how a both green and blue make a significant difference in the final look.  I also used light pink and a creme coloured bases to show a more accurate representation of Cosmetic Art's April Showers.


For the picture on the left, I used Essie's Turquoise and Caicos on my index and middle finger followed by two coats of Cosmetic Arts' April Showers.  This really brought out the sparkly green tones in this nail polish.  For my ring and pinky fingers, I used two coats of Essie's Fiji followed by three coats of April Showers.  Three coats was needed to ensure even coverage because Fiji was so sheer.  The pink base colour caused April Showers to have a shimmery blue appearance.  Honestly, I don't think that either of these colours bring out the true appearance of CA's April Showers.  With that said, I really like how April Showers looks overtop of Essie's Turquoise and Caicos.

For this picture, I used two coats of Zoya's Sadie as a base colour with two coats of April Showers overtop.  This was the truest representation of April Showers.  Depending on the light, both the blue and green tones really popped.  For my index and pinky fingers, I used two coats of Nicole by OPI Nothing Kim-pears to Blue with two coats of April Showers overtop.  I feel like the blue tones overwhelmed April Showers.  This was the combination that I was the most excited for but I was the least impressed with.  With this said, my favourite combination for this picture is Zoya Sadie with CA's April Showers.  I feel like the true colour of April Showers aren't drowned out by the base colour.  Overall, my favourite colour combination was CA's April Showers overtop of Essie's Turquoise and Caicos.

Finally, this is what three coats of Cosmetic Arts' April Showers looks like with no base colour.  Though the picture doesn't show it, without a base colour the coverage is really spotty and streaky.  Overall, application is decent.  The formula is a little thin and you have to be careful to ensure brush strokes aren't left behind.

I love using this polish as a top coat to add a little shimmer to otherwise less dynamic polishes.  This polish was bought at Winners in Canada for around 7 dollars.

Let me know what you think.  Is this a polish you would use? Do you have this colour? If so, how do you use it?

Keep those fingers pretty!

Weekend Nail Art!

Hey guys and gals, I hope your weekend is going well! Now that the craziness of school is over for me, I get to let my hair down and let loose.  As a result, I created a magnificent manicure to match my stellar mood.  This manicure makes me feel a little like Lady Gaga.  Though it's not directly inspired by her, I feel as if this is something that she would do.

Anyways, this nail art was done free-handed.  No tape, no mess.  This manicure started with a base coat, three coats of Nicole by OPI Nothing Kim-pears to Blue (I reviewed this one yesterday), and two coats of China Glaze's Prism (reviewed this polish last week).  


To begin, I painted all of my nails with the blue base colour.  Once that was dry, I painted a diagonal portion of my nail with two coats of Prism.  In order to even out the layers and give the nail a high gloss finish, I used two coats of Essie's good to go.  This fast drying top coat is an absolute life-saver for those who can't wait for polish to dry.


I terms of wear, this combination is super durable.  I have worn this design since Tuesday and there is absolutely no evidence of tip wear or chipping on either hand.  This manicure is definitely one that I have gotten many complements on.  People seem to love the colour combination and how unique it is!   


I must say, I am not an expert at nail art whatsoever.  This is one of my first attempts at anything 'artsy' with my nails.  But this coming week I'll be focusing on art as well as reviewing a few new polishes.


Is this a design that inspires you? What type of nail art would you like to see me do?  If you have a blog, leave a link in the comments to your favourite nail art design.


Have a excellent weekend!

Nicole by OPI - Nothing Kim-pears to Blue

TGIF! Hey readers, I hope that Friday is going well for you.  This weekend looks like it'll be a busy weekend for me because I'll be working Sunday 830-5pm.  Anyways, today I'm showing you guys one of my favourite colours of the season.

Nicole by OPI launched the Wel-Kim To By World collection for Spring 2012, an extension to their previous Kardashian Colours collection.  My favourite colour from this collection is Nothing Kim-pears to Blue.  It's a light blue with a nice shimmer.  I found that the formula was a little thin and that it took three solid coats to get even coverage which was a little disappointing.  But honestly, I love the shade of blue and the hint of glitter that this polish has.

This polish will definitely become a regular nail colour for me. I must say, blue is one of my favourite colours but this is my first true blue polish because I wasn't sure how blue would look on finger nails.

As a whole, this collection was a little disappointing compared to the winter collection.  Pale by Kim-parison is a soft eggshell white.  I think this may be a white that I pick up mainly for nail art rather than a staple colour.    Up and Kim-ing Pink is a light pink creme.  Though I am a fan of pinks, I found that this pink was pretty much a spot on match for the OPI Nicki Minaj collection's Pink Friday.

Overall, I feel that Nothing Kim-pears to Blue is a must have for the season.  This is a buy that I definitely will not regret because it is a unique shade that will also be perfect for nail art.

What do you think? Have you tried this polish before? What is your must-have for the season?

Happy polishing!

Limited Edition - Axe's Anarchy for Her

Happy Thursday readers! It's almost the weekend and I know I can't wait.  With the madness of exams and assignments over, I feel like I can finally breathe.  For those readers who are still writing their last few exams or assignments, I wish you good luck!  Sometimes it can be hard to find motivation in these last few weeks but dig deep and you'll find the needed motivation.  For me, I normally reward myself with a mani or pedi after an exam or assignment so today I'm talking about something quite unique that I found for a very reasonable price.

 When I was at the grocery store last week I found an end display of Axe.  Now normally I don't like Axe because it's such a strong smell, but this one intrigued me because it's their first scent for women in Canada and the scratch and sniff sticker actually smelled quite light and fruity.  What really sold me was the fact that it came with a hot pink crackle nail polish.  So, for around 6 dollars, I picked up this body spray and nail polish.


For this manicure, I used my normal base coat, two coats of Essie's over the edge, and one coat of Axe's Anarchy for Her.  In terms of application, this crackle goes on very smoothly but I found that sometimes it crackled too little in and too much in other areas.  I also found that the vibrancy of the pink faded once on the nail.  To make this polish less dull, I applied two coats of regular top coat and one coat of fast dry top coat.  I found that this really brought out the pop of colour.  I think that this polish would look excellent over top of lighter colours because the lighter colours wouldn't drown out the pink as much as the charcoal did.

In terms of the body spray, I have no complaints.  According to the Axe website, its a feminine mix of fruit (apple and blackberry) with soft florals and a light finish of sandalwood, amber, and vanilla.  (http://www.axe.ca/#/axe-products/anarchy-her-bodyspray)  Though I may not be a perfume connoisseur, I loved how this spray wasn't overwhelming and lasted for a long time.

Overall, I'm glad that I bought this package because of the body spray.  I think with time this crackle will grow on me and I will learn to love it.

Have you tried this crackle? How do you think it compares to other crackle polishes?

Happy polishing!