Tag Archives: nail tech

New Hot Pink & Charcoal Grey Nails

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New Hot Pink & Charcoal Grey Nails

Hello! After over a month of not wearing acrylics due to the quarantine, I finally made my way back to the salon under guidelines that I was comfortable with. At Elysian Nails, I was able to come in for their very first appointment of the day. To be let inside the building, you had to text upon your arrival, get your temperature taken, and be wearing a mask. Check, check, and double check.

Once I was in the salon, there was only about six people there in total with well over six feet of distance between all of the customers. Plexiglass barriers were placed between the nail tech and client as well as between each station. Although these guidelines may feel over the top to some, I felt very safe with them. In turn, this made me feel like it was okay to treat myself to these beauties:

Despite being in a face mask and Elysian being nowhere near its full capacity, I felt right at home as soon as I walked in. Seeing all of my favorite nail techs, hearing the trendy music, and melting into one of their comfy chairs was just what I needed after working the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. It was amazing to be back and I was proud of all of the measures being taken by the owners to keep their customers and employees safe.

While acrylic-less, I already had the colors I wanted to use planned out – flirty and sassy pink in Summer Fling paired with the edgy and cool charcoal grey in Put The Kettle On. Both of these polishes are by Londontown and I highly recommend checking their page out for more beautiful colors and nourishing products.

My nails turned out exactly how I wanted them and, MAN, did it feel good to type with them! Going acrylic-less for the first time in years wasn’t the fondest time of my life but I got through it. I think I’ll stick to my monthly fills from now on, though. 😉

Have you been to a salon recently? What was it like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Cotton Candy Nails

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New Cotton Candy Nails

Helloooo! My favorite form of pampering definitely has to be getting my nails done. To me, there is nothing better than sitting back, relaxing, and getting my talons right. I think my monthly nail sesh is worth every penny and I always look forward to being able to spend a Saturday morning in the salon. Now that I’m actually experimenting with colors, I decided to go for a candy themed mani and I am in love with the soft pink and violet. Check it out:

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After last month’s lemonade nails, I became obsessed with doing different colors on both hands. I really don’t believe in spending an arm and a leg when it comes to getting my nails done so that means no bling bling and anything else that’s going to upcharge my total. Playing around with different polish on both hands is a fun and more cost effective way to amp up your mani without breaking the bank. And, since I’ve began this trend, it has been a hit!

I love my cotton candy colors, which I thought would look really sweet for my upcoming family beach vacation. Soft colors in the sand that reflect an ocean sunset? Yes, please! As per ushe, the nail techs at Elysian Nails had my nails looking their best and I left the salon feeling like a whole new woman. And, the compliments from all of the ladies at Elysian didn’t hurt, either. So, if you see other people sporting this trend – tell em’ Lil Red started it! 😀 😉

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

New Matte Navy & Lavender Nails

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New Matte Navy & Lavender Nails

Hiiii everyone! Thanks to a fabulous new salon and nail tech, I had the most wonderful pampering experience after my month of recovery from surgery. It felt so good to get a much needed fill and have some time to get beautiful after feeling awful for such a long time. And, I even experimented with some new colors and a matte top coat. My new nail tech, Sam, did a bang up job and I am nothing short of obsessed. Check it out:

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The new salon that I have been going to is called Elysian Nails, and it is the most gorgeous and luxe salon I’ve ever been to. And, to make things even better, their prices are insanely low, despite such a posh atmosphere. I follow Elysian on Facebook, and I saw a picture of someone’s nails done in indigo matte and it looked so pretty that I just had to give a shade of blue and a matte coat a try.

I love navy blue and lavender together, so I thought that it would be a perfect color combo to go with as I venture away from all black everything on my nails. But, the matte finish looks so good that I told Sam that a black matte mani next fill just has to happen – no ifs, ands, or buts. I can’t wait!

Do you prefer a matte or glossy finish on your nails? What color of nail polish do you have on right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Black & Purple Glitter Nails

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New Black & Purple Glitter Nails

Hello one and all and happy Hump Day! Last week, I was able to enjoy some pampering at Empress Nails for a much needed fill. I headed to the salon right after work and it was so nice to conclude the day with getting my claws taken care of. They are looking very saucy this time around with a glitter grape purple accent nail and a little glitter on my ring finger for good measure. Take a look:

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For my accent nail, I originally just had the glitter color picked out. But, my nail tech, Steve, informed me that the shade would be too sheer, even though it had a purple hue to it. So, he picked out the gorgeous grape color seen above. At first, I was iffy about it. But, once the glitter was on, I was so in love. So much so, that I wouldn’t mind getting all of my nails that color! To finish the fill, we added some galaxy style glitter to my ring finger for funsies, which made these nails my favorite that I’ve gotten in a long time. 🙂

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

New Beige & Black Nails

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New Beige & Black Nails

Hello and happy Hump Day! I finally had time last week to get a much needed fill for my claws, and I’m feeling pretty blah about them. I went with the usual black and chose a beigey nude color for the accent nail. I was feeling really good about the color palette, because I wanted matte nails and I thought that the black and beige would look amazing like that. But, it wasn’t until after my nails were painted that my nail tech discovered that they were all out of matte top coat. -___- I’m not thrilled with my latest fill, but we can’t always win in life! Lol, here are my claws this time around:

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Another major pisser about this fill is that TWO of my nails broke on the exact same day, which literally never happens. The nail related irritation that day was so real, I could have screamed. Despite the major claw flaws, my talons are shaped up and sharpened, which pleases me more than an exciting color palette. I still would really like to go the matte route, though, so hopefully next time they will have a top coat for me!

What do you do about broken nails? What color of polish do you have on right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Black & Lavender Nails

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New Black & Lavender Nails

Howdy! One color that I am actually quite fond of but don’t wear on clothing is lavender. However, lavender blush is my favorite and you can’t go wrong with a lavender accent nail every now and then. I went only four weeks in between getting my talons filled this time around, but they were in desperate need of some TLC so I don’t feel too bad about it! Take a look and let’s discuss:

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With spring just around the corner, I felt that a pastel accent nail was the perfect way to go. And, I freaking LERVE the heart glitter top coat which makes the nail look like an Easter jellybean treat. Yum! It felt so good to get pampered after what has been a pretty shitty month in between this fill and the last. There’s really nothing better than some time spent just for you with an outcome that is beautiful afterwards.

Which color of nail polish are you wearing right now? What accent nail color should I get next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Pink Glitter & Black Nails

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New Pink Glitter & Black Nails

Helloooo! With my nail tech leaving for a much deserved vacation with his wife this week, I had to fit in a fill a bit earlier than I would have liked. I’ve been going about four and a half to five weeks in between getting my claws fixed up and it has definitely been a time and money saver! Despite getting a fill right at the four week mark, it was well worth it, because they look gorgeous and are right on time for Valentine’s Day. Take a look:

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Despite the harshness of jet black claws, I had to sweeten things up with a pale pink polish with glitter on top for an accent nail. It felt perfectly like goth My Little Pony fun for Valentine’s Day and I just couldn’t resist. Even though I’m not the most girly girl in the world, I can totally sacrifice two accent nails on each hand to all things glittery and sparkles. I love pastel nail polish as of late and am looking forward to doing a lavender accent nail next fill! 😀

What color of nail polish do you have on right now? How long do you go in between getting your nails done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Black & Magenta Nails

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New Black & Magenta Nails

Hi hi hi everyone! My last fill was a fun one, because my mom joined in on the festivities!! My mom enjoys a manicure every now and again so my sister got her a gift card to the salon that I go to for Christmas. Getting your nails done is a pampering, albeit a little boring, process so it was definitely nice to be able to wave at my mom when we happened to look at each other during our time at the salon. For this fill, I chose a magenta color as my accent nail and I love it! Take a look:

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I thought that the accent nail color was so pretty that it didn’t even need glitter on it to make it pop. I love how the purple undertones shine through when it catches the light and it has an almost hologram-y finish that I am obsessed with. And, this time around, my nail tech didn’t put the gel top coat on my phalanges like last time so I am completely satisfied with my fill.

I’ve been going at least four and a half weeks between fills now and I’m really happy with that. My bank account is definitely thanking me for not going every three weeks like clockwork anymore! I’m all for treating myself, but ballin on a budget it important to me, so I’m proud that I was able to accommodate my pampering sessions to that lifestyle choice! 😀

What color of nail polish do you have on right now? Are you a gel, shellac, or normal polish type of gal? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Silver Glitter & Black Nails

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New Silver Glitter & Black Nails

Hellooooooooo! This past Tuesday, after over ONE WHOLE MONTH of not getting my nails filled, I finally sat my sweet buns down at the salon to cure the jankiness that was on my fingers. I always try my best to wait an entire month to get my nails done, because ballin on a budget, but I’m pretty sure that I waited close to five weeks to get my claws touched up this time around. With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s important to me that I stretch out all of my beauty routines (Hair cut, eyebrow waxing, etc.) for as long as I can so that I can spoil all of my loved ones on Christmas.

I was really pleased with how well my brand new set of nails held up. Although they were grown out, the shape was still how I wanted and none of my nails broke during my no fill marathon. I can’t say that I loved waiting for so long to get a fill but, damnit, if my talons can hold up for that long, then why not? It’s not like anyone other than my nail tech, Steve, was like “Oh my god, your nails look horrible”! Take a look at my new babies and let’s discuss:

silver

For my “funky finger”, as Steve calls my accent nail, I went with a confetti OPI polish over top of a silver Essie shade. I love using glitter polish on my accent nail and I’m quite impressed with myself for doing a pretty darn good rhinestone cross on my middle fingers. I know that I’ve said this before, but I really need to pick up different colored gems from the craft store so that I can play around with different designs on my other fingers!

As always, Steve did a wonderful job on my fill and someone else thought so, too. While I was waiting for my nails to dry, I got asked for the first time if a picture could be taken of my nails! Lol, I should have told the girl that I was a hand model! These past few weeks have been pretty busy for yours truly so being able to sit down and be pampered for an hour was definitely a nice change of pace. And the nail paparazzi was a fun surprise!

So there you have it, my New Silver Glitter & Black Nails! What color of nail polish do you have on right now? What color should my next accent nail be? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Black & Champagne Glitter Nails

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New Black & Champagne Glitter Nails

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! After ten looooong months of having the same set of acrylics on, I finally got new nails this week. I haven’t had a chance to add my gemstone crosses to the middle fingers because I have absolutely no clue where the super glue stash is in my home. But, I do LOVE the champagne pink accent nails against the harsh black on my new set so take a look and let’s discuss:

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Instead of going to my normal salon hang out of Empress Nails to get this set done, I was sort of a traitor and went to LT Nails, instead, which is also close by to my living quarters. Don’t get me wrong, I freaking LOVE my nail tech, Steve. However, he has never put on a set of my acrylics before and I needed to go to someone that I could trust (Not saying that I don’t trust him, but filling nails and applying them is very different.).

I went to Anne at LT Nails all the way back in January to get my last set on and I was long overdue for new nails. I noticed during the last fill that I got that my nails were insanely yellow and because they were so brittle, they were cracking and breaking nonstop. It was miserable. Although it took ten months to finally get new nails, I remembered what a great job was done over at LT and scheduled an appointment at the salon with Anne.

In one hour and fifteen minutes, Anne was able to soak off my old set and apply, shape, and polish my new nails. She worked quickly and efficiently and it was definitely a job well done. One thing that Anne did differently than my Empress Nails techies was that she shaped the nail before the acrylic even went on. This made the shape more sharp and precise and definitely saved a lot of time, as well. The nails are not as long as I would like, but they never are when I get a new set so I am looking forward to them growing out!

I will be getting my nails painted black until the day that I die, but I am so obsessed with the bubbly champagne pink accent nails. Lil Red loves nothing more than sweet colors against punk rock black so this accent nail choice is no exception. The color is as pretty as a New Year’s Eve party dress and I love the bronze and silver glitter against the muted blush pink. I would definitely get another color combination like this again for the holiday season and it is easily one of my favorites that I’ve had in a long time.

So there you have it, my New Black & Champagne Glitter Nails! What accent nail color should I get next? What color of nail polish are you wearing right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah