Tale of Two Glitter's

Recently I have been quite intrigued by glitter nail polish ever since I got a manicure recently for an event, which I unfortunately did not remember to take a picture of. So when I was these two nail polishes, I thought it would fun to test out which is better; light or dark?

 With most glitter polishes they are just a clear coat with sparkles so it looks better to put a solid colour coat underneath it. The first one I tried out was on the dark side spectrum and I was surprised at how well it turned out. The glitter polish I used is the Kardashian Kolor collection from Nicole by O.P.I called Rainbow in the S-kylie with Essie's Over the Edge. The first set are from my Instagram account but really none of the pictures do justice to what my nails really looked like. I loved how it looked like someone neatly spread confetti onto my nails, I couldn't stop staring at them. I was a little hesitant since I am not the biggest fan of the Kardashian's but this nail polish was so amazing and I would definitely do this manicure again.

The second manicure I tried had more of the bling bling and took a couple days for me to get used to with all it's shine. I tried Set in Stones from Essie's Luxe Effects collection with O.P.I 's Alpine Snow (which is a pure white colour) and I didn't mind the manicure. I usually wear a fair amount of shiny jewellery since I wear basic clothes and just funky accessories so it was a bit much for me. But it would great to do if your going to a nice dinner or fancy event, not so much for everyday.

*Nobody's Gonna Get In The Way Of My Shine*

Shoes: Ardene

I am obsessed with these sparkly shoes and the best part about was they were only ten dollars! I have worn them almost every day to work and they are so comfy. I got them from Ardene, which the Canadian version of Claire's but they also sell clothes as well ( I actually got the shoes and leather lookalike leggings for twenty dollars). It's a great place for get trendy stuff for super low prices, it actually has a lot more for your value than Claire's.

I took my sister to the Pancake House for breakfast before work since she is leaving to go back to school. I will be a mess when she leaves because she is my best friend and house will be so much quieter without her. It was great to have her not work for a month so we had some time this summer to hang out, even with my crazy work schedule.

T-shirt: Gap, Jeans: Warehouse One, Necklace: Funky Fleece

Blazer & Bracelet: Forever 21, Purse: Coach, Nail Polish: Tin by Joe Fresh

I still can't believe how time has flown and that the summer is almost over but love autumn so it's not so bad. I did get to go on vacation for a few days, my family and I went to Minneapolis and did way too much shopping. While there we went to an outlet mall and I had the amazing luck of finding a Coach purse for 70% off the original price!!! Then the next day I went to a normal Coach store and spent $60 on a key chain that isn't available in Canada (I love it and don't care if people think I'm nuts for paying that much for a key chain).

The Best Country Ever

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!

I love being Canadian, it's the best country to live especially for health care. Unfortunately the company I work most of our clientele is American, so I work today and tomorrow. But I get stat holiday pay so it's not so bad and I get the 4th off. Lately I have been obsessed with manicures with a stripe but had only been successful once before (it can get really messy). I really wanted to try and see how it turned out and it turned out great! I'll show how easy it can be if you are patient and a bit of OCD.

OPI Base Coat, Alpine Snow, Essie Lollipop, Opi Top Coat

I always use a top coat  and base, no matter what. It helps prevent chipping and gives you nail a clean finish. You want to start with the colour you want as the stripe in the middle and then paint around. 

So I started with a white colour called Alpine Snow by my favourite nail brand, OPI. You don't have to make a stripe, just paint the whole nail. I decided just to do my big to in white because it's really hard to do stripes on toes and I have tiny ones.

I decided to use another one of my favourite nail polish brands Essie and the colour is called Lollipop. I let my nail dry for about a day and I don't put on a top coat until I finish the manicure. The next step is to put small strips of tape over the nails you wanna paint. I cut a normal piece of tape into four quarters and then try to place them as best you can.

Then comes the annoying part, waiting for the nails to dry and touch ups. I usually wait for 30 minutes to take off the tape and then out comes the perfectionist in me for touch ups. Needless to say it took a while before everything was finished and I was satisfied.

The Final Results

I loved the end results and I felt very patriotic, even in my little cubicle. I even got a someone compliment me on my manicure and then one of the consumers wished me a happy Canada day (the one Canadian one who called today). Hope everyone had a great Canada Day and day off tomorrow (I'll be in my cubicle). Also happy early 4th of July to all my american readers. Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin and on twitter @CarlitaPetita.

Love & Glamour,

Carlita Petita

DIY: Girly Manicure

There is something that always make you look and feel better and for me that would painted nails. When you have your nails and toes done it can make you look more polished and feel more put together. I am going give you some of my tips for a cute & unique manicure. During the summer I was sick of just having one nail polish colour so I thought why not try two? Pink and purple are two of my favourite colour combos plus a home manicure is way cheaper than going to a salon every couple of weeks.  There are some basic items that you will need for your at home manicure.

  Two Bowls, Water & Some Hand Soap

I fill one bowl with hot water and hand soap to soak my hands in my to make my nails soften before I clip and file them. The hand soap that I love is from Bath and Body Works and it's cucumber scented so it kind of gives that spa feeling. I soak one hand from about 5 - 10 minutes and wash off the hand. Then I clip and file each nail to my desired length. I have always drank milk and had a lot of calcium in my diet so my nails grow super fast, so I clip them so there a thin layer of white nail left. The other bowl is for catching my nail clippings so they don't go flying all over the place. 

 Nail Clipper & Nail File

Clippers are essential because I don't have the coordination for those nail scissors. I love this travel manicure kit that a family friend gave me as a gift years ago. I even carry it around in my purse in case of a nail emergency. And of course a good nail file is essential to get those smooth edges.

Paper Towel

I use this when I doing my nails at my desk because I have spilled nail polish and have a permanent pink spot. I took about 4 sheets and folded them until they could fit my hand.

Nail Polish

Ok I will admit I am a bit of a nail polish snob, only buying OPI nail polish. I only buy it occasionally and try to get colours that I will use frequently. I actually was lucky enough to find a base and top coat pack at salon for only $10, where normally it be $12 for each one. A top and a base coat will protect your nails and make it harder for the polish to chip and remove. For my colours I used Aphrodite's Pink Nightie and Do You Lilac It? (Love OPI's name choices) and alternated them every nail.

Before

After

Right Hand: Guess Watch & Pearl ring(from a random jewelry vendor

Left Hand: Jules & James Ring (Zellers)

Love & Glamour,

Carlita Petita