Tag Archives: nail polish

Apr14

New Hot Pink & Tiger Orange Nails

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New Hot Pink & Tiger Orange Nails

Hello!! I had a simply lovely day on Tuesday and can’t wait to share with all of you in the next few posts. I visited my loved one at the hospital, got my nails done *finally*, prepared a gorgeous OOTD, and saw Jesus Christ Superstar in Akron with my mother in law! Due to family emergencies, I had to cancel my fill last week and had been looking forward to a trip to Elysian Nails every time I caught a glance of my grown out talons. They were really, really bad! Thankfully, the team at my happy place always gets me right and I am loving my freshly done claws:

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Unfortunately, my favorite tech from Elysian Nails moved onto a new job so I have taken to scheduling appointments with anyone that I can get. My preferred choices are usually all booked up and that’s fine because all of the employees at Elysian are excellent. Due to the rush of spring nails and pedicures, old staff members have been brought back and I actually ended up having an appointment with one of my least favorites. The few times she did my nails in the past, she was so rough and it made for a pretty unpleasant experience. However, she really turned things around this time and while I wouldn’t go to her again, I still enjoyed my time at the salon and zoning out to HGTV. 😀

For my nail polish colors, I wanted bright, springy hues and had highlighter colors in mind. The weather in Ohio has been lovely and I wanted my nails to reflect it! To start, I chose a vibrant tiger orange and went from there. I decided that pink would be a nice compliment and selected a bottle of hot pink polish. But I am calling BS! It looked pink in the bottle but it applied as a cherry red. I didn’t care enough to switch out to the flamingo pink I was eyeballing and I still like this combination all the same. It reminds me of Taco Bell sauce packets and I see absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Spring has finally sprung and I am ready for some fun in the sun with these nails! They are exactly the pop of color I needed and I am eager for my appointment next month with one of my go to girls… I actually just booked the appointment!

What color of nail polish do you have on? What is your favorite springtime activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Jan15

New Light Blue & Tangerine Nails

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New Light Blue & Tangerine Nails

Hello!!! This past week, my talons were in desperate need of a fill. They were grown out and one was lifting badly, which was perfectly awful. Unfortunately, my normal salon was closed for their holiday break when the lifting incident occurred so I enlisted the help of my tech for a salon she recommends. Then, she said exactly what I hoped she would: She would come to my apartment and do them for me! What. An. ANGEL. There was nothing better than getting my nails done in my own home and I seriously felt like a celebrity – it was amazing!! Check out my new and improved claws:

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My tech, admittedly, didn’t have as expansive as a nail polish selection as the salon but when she sent me my choices the light blue and tangerine orange instantly stuck out to me. I love bright blue and orange together and it makes me think of a day at the beach. However, the softer hues of these polishes make it feel appropriate to start thinking spring with and it’s a nice change of pace from the typical darker shades for winter.

I have never had any type of salon service done at my home that wasn’t something I was capable of doing by myself. It was seriously one of the best experiences to be able to relax, girl talk, and hang out without being surrounded by other salon goers. If you have the opportunity for your nails, hair, etc. to be done at your place, then I can’t recommend it enough. I always feel pampered after a trip to the salon but this took it to a whole new level. Plus, it made my apartment smell like a nail salon and it was, honestly, freaking awesome lol.

An afternoon at my apartment salon was just what I needed and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The constant applying of nail glue to my lifted nail was getting so annoying. My nails look amazing and I am so thankful to my tech for working her magic!

Do you have a good relationship with your nail tech or hair stylist? Have you ever had a salon treatment at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov20

New Mocha & Glitter Pink Nails

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New Mocha & Glitter Pink Nails

Hello! During the trying times of Lil Red’s life right now, I find solace in the beauty salon. This past Wednesday, I got my hair done for the holiday season at The Shear Shop. And, this Wednesday, I visited Elysian Nails for an appointment with my favorite tech to get my nails looking right too. Now that I have been spending almost every day at the Cleveland Clinic (A sixty-six mile round trip drive), it is important for me to take some time for myself to avoid going crazy. Although my mental health was at a negative ten (Which is better than negative one hundred!) when leaving Elysian Nails, my acrylics still looked like a million bucks! Check it out:

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Thanksgiving is just around the corner and, although I am not one for holiday themed nails, I like to choose colors that give a unique twist for the season. This fall, I have noticed a resounding amount of pretty beige, cream, and burgundy shades that look lovely but are just a smidge boring for my taste. At the nail polish wall, I was instantly drawn to the mocha hue that I selected and loved the grey undertones that added dimension to the neutral shade. Then, I decided to dress it up with glittery pink for some holiday flare without going overboard. The colors play against each other so well and they both pop beautifully in the light. This is one of my favorite color combos that I have done in a long while!

Last time I got my nails done, my go to girl was unavailable and that was okay because every nail tech at Elysian is awesome. However, the salon experience just hits different when your favorite gal and good friend is the one pampering you. It was SO nice to catch up with her after some time apart and it felt so good to chat about literally anything other than all of the stressful stuff happening in my world. And, of course, my preferred nail tech knows just the way I like my nails after almost two years of being her client and they are sharpened and shaped to perfection. The gorgeous shaping and nail polish colors look divine and it was a very much needed pick me up. ❤

The amazing staff and atmosphere at Elysian Nails truly feels like a home away from home each month and going there is a monthly treat that I always look forward to. I have my appointment already booked for December before the schedule fills up and I can’t wait to go back!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? Do you prefer gel or regular nail polish? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Oct30

New Deep Red & Black Nails

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New Deep Red & Black Nails

Hello!! October has been a crazy busy/stressful month for yours truly and it took me forever to find some spare time to get to Elysian Nails. My old nails were definitely reflecting the craziness because they were looking JANK – so grown out, dull, and some of them were lifting! Thankfully, the wonderful techs at Elysian are always there to get me right and my girl, Shelly, hooked it up:

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I have been going gaga over the gorgeous Halloween nail art that has been plastered all over my Facebook newsfeed. Ghosts, mummies, spiders, and dripping blood nails sent my Halloween loving self into a tizzy. While I would love to indulge in nail art, I just can’t justify the additional cost. Between my nails, hair, and a constant desire to treat myself, it is expensive being Lil Red! So, I decided to go for my old spooky season standby of black and deep red. Is it as exciting as a full Halloween set? No way. But, my nails look fabulous and, for that, I am grateful.

Because my go to nail tech wasn’t working during my appointment, I was treated by the fabulous Shelly doing my fill. It is always so nice to catch up with her and her sister because they work side by side. Shelly is also the literal fastest nail tech I have ever been to. Despite the fact that she had a lot of fixing up to do on my nails, I was still out of the salon in an hour and that blew my mind. At other salons that I have been to, the techs can be hit or miss. However, every single nail tech at Elysian is so incredibly skilled and kind so it is never an issue when I can’t be fit into my usual tech’s schedule. For that, I am also grateful! ❤

There is nothing like getting pampered at the salon after a long and trying month and I left Elysian feeling way better than I did before. As always, I can’t wait to go back already!

What color of nail polish are you wearing? Do you get nail art when you get your nails done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug21

New Violet & Punch Pink Nails

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New Violet & Punch Pink Nails

Hello! After several long and stressful weeks, I was in desperate need of some self care and had been counting down the days till my next appointment at Elysian Nails. Not only did I need a pampering session but my nails were looking JANK. As always, Elysian got me right and my nail tech did a fabulous job on my talons. Check it out:

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Normally, I have a color palette in mind before I go to the salon for a fill. This time around, however, I decided to let the polish wall speak to me and made my choice almost instantly. Directly in my line of sight was the OPI shades in Strawberry Margarita (Which I totally get) and Grandma Kissed A Gaucho (Which I don’t get at all).

Lol despite one nail polish name making no sense to me or my nail tech, I am in love with this color combo. It is such a perfect palette to wrap up summertime with before we move onto plum, oxblood, and jewel tones for fall. These nails look like a sweet candy treat or summer sunset and I catch myself looking at them constantly. So cute!

As you all know, pampering is my favorite form of self care and this trip to Elysian Nails definitely helped put some pep back in my step. It’s almost impossible not to when I leave the salon with nails looking like a billion bucks!

What color of nail polish are you wearing? What are your favorite summer nail polish colors? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Apr26

New Sparkling Cherry Cola Nails

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New Sparkling Cherry Cola Nails

Hello! Because of a busy work schedule, it took me longer than usual to get into Elysian Nails for my monthly fill and let me tell you – I needed it! My nails were so grown out and I broke one of them at work and it was unbearable to me to have a stumpy nail for over a week. Thankfully, my go to girl, Gabby, always gets my nails looking right and I am in love with my new claws. Check it out:

I have been getting my nails done for years and Gabby is, hands down, the best nail tech I have ever been to. She works so quickly but in that time she creates masterpieces and her attention to detail is astounding. I was really impressed this time around because she didn’t even have to remove my nail that broke which is what I have always experienced before. She shaped a good as new talon out of the broken remnants of my pointer finger and free shaped the acrylic to lengthen the nail. This was so awesome to me because I absolutely hate getting acrylics removed and this was a pain free and crazy quick alternative.

As per ushe, my nails turned out flawlessly and I am completely obsessed with my color combination this time around. I really wasn’t sure what I wanted for this fill as I have been more focused on what my nails for my wedding will be like – especially because I’ll be getting them done at my next appointment! I normally have a pretty good idea of the colors I would like to have before I go to the salon so I approached the polish wall hoping that a shade would jump out at me. And that’s exactly what happened!

The first bottle of polish that I saw was the sparkling raspberry red and I fell in love with it instantly. The hue made me think of a freshly opened can of Diet Coke (My fave!) even though the cans are silver! I decided a cherry cola theme was the way to go and settled on a pinky mauve shade which worked perfectly because of its brown undertones. The end result was even better than what I had in mind and I can definitely picture myself getting this combination again.

Saying I look forward to my monthly fills is the understatement of the century and I left the salon feeling like a million bucks and then some. I simply cannot wait for my appointment for my wedding nails to get here and know that I will be in the best hands at Elysian Nails! ❤

What do you call pop in your neck of the woods? What were your nails for your wedding like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov13

New Lime Green & Navy Nails

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New Lime Green & Navy Nails

Helloooo everyone! I spent a much needed Saturday morning at the salon after an even earlier morning at the skating rink getting my talons fixed up. It was so nice to sit back and relax after a work out that dragged me out of bed at 6:30 (Wah, wah, wah!) and now my claws are all ready for a Thanksgiving extravaganza with the most non-Thanksgiving colors imaginable – but that’s neither here nor there.

I brought my own polishes to Elysian Nails this time around because I had some new shades from Londontown that I have been dying to try out. I used Electric Avenue and Buckingham Blue and the final result is gorgeous. Check it out:

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Londontown is an amazing one stop shop for all of your nail care needs that features a vegan and 9-free formula. Their polishes offer gel like wear, a flawless application, and dries faster than any nail polish I’ve ever used before. I absolutely love all of my Londontown polishes but I think that this navy and funky green combination takes the cake. My nail tech was just as obsessed with the super rich and ultra glossy hues as I was and bringing in such a high end feeling polish made my experience even more posh.

If you have a nail crazy person in your life or you are one, yourself (Like me!), then Londontown is definitely the place to be for all of your holiday shopping needs. With the best nail and cuticle treatments and a wide array of stunning colors to choose from, your stockings will be stuffed with the most lux goodies on the market. Happy shopping!

What color of polish do you have on? What is your favorite funky color to rock? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug11

Posh Polishes

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Posh Polishes

Hey everyone and happy weekend! Lil Red is the ultimate girly girl and nothing pleases me more than caring for my tresses, skin, and having gorgeous acrylics on my nails. But, gorgeous acrylics need gorgeous polishes to top them, which is where Londontown comes in to play. Londontown features a wide array of colors, treatments, and goodies to keep your nails looking lovely one fab shade at a time. Including some of the following:

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And, if the colors Chim Cher-ee, Briolette, and Opal look familiar, that’s because they’re on my acrylics as we speak! Experimenting with different nail polishes is always fun, especially if you can’t find the shade you’re looking for in store or at your salon. That’s why it’s such a treat to enjoy some new colors exclusively at Londontown. And, to make the feeling of luxury even sweeter, the website frequently offers wonderful promotions to save you money. And that’s something Lil Red can always get behind! 😀

What is your favorite shade of nail polish? What color is on your nails today? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May3

Nail Polish Party

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Nail Polish Party

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Thanks to Influenster, I got to try out Sinful Colors’ limited edition Bling It On collection in Teal Midnight. Usually, I’m not fond of nail polish colors if they’re not black so I was a little ambivalent to paint my nails. Unfortunately, once the polish was on my gut reaction of “I’m not going to like this” was right because I really didn’t like it! Take a listen to a cute Lady Gaga song dedicated to the mani and then let’s discuss:

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It’s not that I don’t mind other colors so much as the fact that this was a glitter polish which is a big fat “no” in my book. Had this been a plain old deep teal sans the glitter, I probably would have liked it a lot but as a rule of thumb I really just don’t do glitter of any kind whether it be on lotion, nail polish, or clothing. It’s not my style and it never will be so in all honesty, I feel super weird having this polish on!

I had to put on three coats of the polish just to make it fully cover my nails and even then you can still see through the coat and onto my nails. I guess as a top coat this polish would be okay but you still would need at least two coats to fully cover your nail in glitter. I was actually a bit disappointed in the quality of this polish because I have seen glitter polish that works very well. Because this polish is so thin in comparison to other glitter polishes that I’ve seen it made the application more annoying than pampering.

As a top coat, I do recommend Sinful Colors’ “Teal Midnight” from their Bling It On collection but as a polish alone I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m very unhappy with how they look and even if glitter polish was my thing, I still would be disappointed over the polish quality. Thankfully, Influenster provided me with nail polish remover pads, too, so hopefully those will get the job of taking the polish off done!

It was a kind of sad Nail Polish Party to say the least but I do want to thank Influenster for allowing me to try the product! What is your go to shade of nail polish? What nail polish color would you not be caught dead in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.