Cute Makeup Tips

I have such fond memories of Easter - from painting eggs, to hunting for chocolate in the grass, to making fun and yummy desserts! I still love all of that, but instead of painting eggs I'm painting my nails in Easter-perfect shades!

Pastels are so in trend right now. If you're on the hunt for some Easter-friendly polishes here are 5 to throw in your basket! I'm still on the fence about which shade I want to wear this weekend but I'm leaning towards the yellow or mint green polishes - thoughts?

Joe Fresh Nail Polish in Marshmallow ($4 CAD): Light, fluffy, and soft - marshmallow. It's a neutral so you can't go wrong plus it gives your nails a really clean look. I applied 3 coats to get a nice full colour. Perfect for Easter dinner with the family!

O.P.I. In The Spotlight Pink - Femme de Cirque ($10.50 CAD): Pretty in soft pink! Another great neutral that gives you a kiss of pink on the nails. I used 3 coats again to get for a full colour. It will look completely feminine with a floral dress!

Nubar Lemon Sherbet Polish ($10.50 CAD): I absolutely love this sunny and happy polish from Nubar! I prefer a pastel yellow over one that has warmer undertones. Lemon Sherbet really pops against the skin and makes me look tanner than I really am. The only thing I wish was that the brush was a little wider. I also used 3 coats for a fuller colour. This one is definitely a contender for this weekend!

O.P.I. Planks A Lot - Pirates of the Caribbean ($10.50 CAD): I don't usually gravitate towards lavender shades, but this version is a little deeper. This shade totally reminds me of the paint we used to colour our Easter eggs with!

mark by Avon Mini Nail Lacquer in Mojito - Ibiza summer collection ($7 CAD for 2): Mint green is my favourite shade of the season! Mojito from mark. is new for summer, but you'll be happy to know there are many dupes on the market right now. I love how mini the bottle is and it actually applies pretty well. I only needed 2 coats to get a full colour. It's a toss up between this one and Lemon Sherbet!

What pastel shades are you loving right now? What shade will you be wearing for Easter?

I got slushied! Well at least my nails did. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Global’s hit series “GLEE” anymore, Sephora – in conjunction with OPI – comes out with a limited edition nail collection. Needlesstosay, my inner Gleek was very excited to try this product line out!

The collection is comprised of three nail appliqués, seven nail colours and six piece mini kit – all with clever names that reference the show.

I tried “Slushied” which as you can see is a bright, matte blue. It went on really easily and dried relatively quickly, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from OPI. Even though it’s opaque, it’s still got a nice sheen to it. Definitely a fun, playful look!

Other nail colours include:

•    Diva-in-Training: Step aside Rachel Berry. The next solo is yours with this poppy pink hue
•    Hell to the No: This purple shade might as well be considered liquid-pizzazz
•    Mash-Up: Whether your style is sporty or goth, this pearlescent green gray pulls it all together for a pitch-perfect look
•    Who Let the Dorks Out?: Express your individuality and inner-Gleek with this statement peacock green
•    Miss Bossy Pants: A rich raspberry as show stopping as Rachel herself
•    Gleek Out: A glittery lime green that will have everyone singing your praises

When you purchase the mini kit, you’ll get three exclusive colours:

•    Celibacy Club: Even if it's only part of the show, express your inner angel with this glimmering, diamond top coat
•    Express Yourself to Yourself: Even more entertaining than Sue Sylvester in a music video, this coral shimmer shade will have people talking
•    Sue vs. Shue: Stay a step ahead of the rivalry with this rebellious navy blue

The softer sides of green are drawing me in and is now this season's "it" colour of the moment for me. I'm loving all versions in teal, mint green, and now this more muted sage shade from O.P.I's Pirates of Caribbean collection called Stranger Tides.

Stranger Tides is not a shocking shade for spring, but it's a new neutral without being so neutral. On my skin tone, it looks more natural but I imagine on someone more fairer it would stand out a lot more. I love this shade especially since it's one I definitely don't own already. The only thing I find with this cream collection is that you need to apply 3 coats to cover evenly (maybe it's just the way I apply it). Otherwise, it's a lovely shade to add to your spring collection! 

Have you tried this O.P.I. shade? Love it? Hate it? Want it? 

To see my review of Mermaid's Tears click here.

Available May 2011 and retails for $10.95 CAD.

Being a makeup artist, I pride myself on helping other women look and feel their very best whether it be giving flawless skin or beauty tips. But even this makeup junkie has a few bad beauty habits with this particular one being the worst. I would never tell other women to do this! 

Yikes! These are the state of my nails at the moment. I don't know what it is about nail polish remover (maybe the rancid smell), but I am lazy when it comes to removing my polish. As soon as I see a chip, I start picking and peeling at it until the point of no return. It's a bad habit and I'm addicted to it. I'll sit on my couch watching a show peeling my polish, not realizing the mess of chipped polish around me until my nails are all bare. In the end, my nails look horribly damaged. I'm not sure how much damage I'm actually doing to my nails but they don't look pretty. And as a makeup artist, my hands are always in my client's face so this is just embarrassing!

This is the wicked colour that was on my nails when they were all pretty looking. Meet Cheeky Monkey's Raunchy Bitch ($15 CAD). It's an awesome dark metallic blue with purple undertones. It lasted on me for about 3 or 4 days max but the shade collection is unique and the names are hilarious! It's also a Canadian company! I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Andrea Pahn, at Stephanie Daga's The Beauty Board event back in November. If you have ever met her then you'll know her line reflects her humour to the 'T'! If you don't have a sense of humour or are more on the conservative side, then this line probably won't appeal to you especially with names like "Hot Slut" or "Party Whore". Otherwise, check out this line - cosmetics are supposed to be fun so just go with it!

What are your bad beauty habits?

Spring is calling my name, but my nails are still clinging to Fall & Winter's deep moody shades. Have you heard of Nubar Nail Lacquers? If not, then you must! I had heard about this brand through other beauty blogs and I can't believe I've waited this long to try it. I'm really impressed with the quality of these polishes!

Nubar's creator, Noubar Abrahamian, set out to design a line of polishes that were free of formaldehyde, toluene, and phthlate after dealing with cancer within in his own family. They are PETA approved, Certified Vegan and Cruelty Free. 

Nubar Marabout ($10.50 CAD): This takes neutral to a whole new level. In person, this polish looks like a deep brown-taupe and is definitely a perfect shade for Fall or anytime you feel like doing a neutral with a kick. I have a wide nail bed so the wide brush applies 3 perfect strokes. This is a creamy polish and applies evenly, never streaky.

I'm really impressed by how long-wearing it is. My hands go through hell everyday - kids are messy lil' munchkins! The combination of the Foundation Base Coat, nail polish, and Diamont Seal & Shine Top Coat gives an unbelievable finish and doesn't crack or chip after a few days even with a lot of hand washing. 

The price is mid-range compared to high-end brands and definitely worth it. The brand has a lot of unique shades and textures to choose from!

Check out GetAllDolledUp.ca to view the entire line and to purchase! Stay tuned for more reviews!

Have you tried Nubar lacquers? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Want 'em? 

I used to think glittery polishes were oh-so-80's, but then when I kept thinking about how I wanted to do my nails for Christmas visions of blinging glittery nails popped in my head. I didn't want to do the traditional classic red or reach for my deep purple shades. All I knew was that I wanted to do something a little different, a little edgy.

I went to all the stores on the hunt for a glittery polish and what do you know, all but one store was sold out! Guess I wasn't the only one who wanted a little bling on the nails. I originally wanted gold glitter but then I saw this adorable mini set from Nicole by OPI Tinsel Tips for $12.99 CAD at Shoppers Drug Mart. Since I wouldn't normally wear a glitter polish a mini bottle is all I really needed. This would definitely make the perfect stocking stuffer! The set includes: 

This is my version of edgy festive party nails - red glitter over a plain black polish. Glitter should stand out on its own. Layering it over black is the perfect way for a glitter polish to stand out. I generally don't like plain black nails but a glittery polish brightens it up. 

The black polish is from Barry M. Cosmetics, a popular cosmetic line from the U.K. It's the first product I've ever tried from the line and I have to say I am impressed with how opaque and non-streaky their polishes apply. It's only my first day wearing it so I'm not sure how long it will stay chip-free but there will be more reviews to come. The line is not available in Canada but if you want to see Barry M. in Canada join the Facebook page here.

What do you think of my festive party nails? Too edgy or goth for a nice Christmas dinner?

The holiday season is a fun time for trends so don’t be afraid to try something new. If the idea of colour on your face seems too drastic, why not try colour on your nails? If you’ve done the reds and golds, royal shimmering purples is a fun alternative! There are many purples to choose from this season so you’ll be sure to find one that you’ll love.

If your style is edgy, go for a deep almost black purple. If you love playing with trends, go for purples that look almost grey. If your style is sophisticated and classic, purpley-plums will look beautiful on you!

What do you think of purple nails? What is your go-to holiday polish?

The colour brown can sometimes get a bad rap for being "boring". Zoya's Cheryl ($7 USD) from the Fall Wicked collection is anything but! I instantly fell in love with this rich, jeweled, smokey brown. It's a shade I definitely don't have in my nail polish stash. I love the mix of brown, copper and gold shimmer. It's one of the decadent shades just perfect for Fall!

Have you tried Zoya Cheryl? Love it? Hate it? Want it?

Meet the new black. Kelly is a deep grey shade with undertones of purple and blue. Sometimes a straight black shade can seem boring and and a little harsh against some skin tones. If you're in a gothic mood but don't want to go halloween-black, Kelly is a nice alternative. Although, I didn't love it or hate it against my skin tone. It was just alright for me. However, on fair-skinned beauties it would be lovely!

Have you tried Zoya Kelly from the Fall Wonderful collection? Love it? Hate it? Want it?

I love when I fall in love with beauty products unexpectedly. After a summer of the bright and sparkly, my tips were longing for something less happy-go-lucky and something more smutty. No, "smutty" is not a word but it's what I describe as not-so-pretty yet edgy and definitely sexy. The navy's, the blacks and the gun-metal greys are cool but I wanted something out of the ordinary and that I didn't own already. I didn't know what nail colour I was looking for until I met Storm, from Joe Fresh that is. 

Taken on the first day

It's a neutral - big deal right? Believe it or not I don't own many neutrals and definitely not one like Storm which is from Joe's Fall collection. I instantly fell in love with this colour! It's the perfect combo of taupe-grey-mauve. If this hadn't been in my swag bag from eTalk, Storm may have never come into my life. Ok, I'm getting a little silly I know but when you're on the hunt for something you're not quite sure what you're looking for and it magically appears, everything in the world just seems right. My nail polish fanatics can attest to this - right? 

To my surprise, the application was smooth and non-streaky especially for a cream formula. The brush width was pretty decent considering I was able to get a nearly perfect application. What was an even better surprise was that this $4 (CDN) polish remained chip-free for 7 days! Pretty impressive since I usually notice a small chip by the 2nd or 3rd day with some higher-end brands. It lasted through many makeup applications, washing dishes, brush washings and daily scrubbings of one dirty little kid! Even on day 7 it still had the same luster and shine as it did on the first day.

Well, like most of my beauty relationships ours ended and I moved on to the next polish. But it has stolen my heart and I will be back for more! Now I want every shade from the Joe Fresh line which won't be hard since I can purchase 3 for $10! Ah-mazing! If you're in the mood for a neutral that's chic and affordable, Storm is a definite beauty must-have this season!

Have you tried this nail polish? Love it? Hate it? Want it?