KBShimmer New Nail Care Products Review

KBShimmer has come out with a few new nail care products alongside their Spring collection, and I've got them to review for you today! I will have the Spring polishes up next week, I didn't get enough sun to swatch them this past weekend unfortunately. Plus then my nails will be grown out a little more, so that'll be good. They're super nubs right now, you'll see them in some posts later this week haha. Now, nail care ahoy!

Press Sample

KBShimmer Fillin’ Groovy Ridge Filling Base Coat (left) is a sticky base coat that gives a slightly plumped finish for smooth polish application. The stickiness helps to keep polish on your nails longer and also resists staining. It has a milky color and a medium consistency, a little thicker than clear bases so it takes a little longer to dry. This seems to fill ridges nicely and seems to help my polish adhere easily. I'm not the best judge of longevity with nail products as I change my manicure very often, usually before I ever get chips, so I can't speak to how well this keeps polish on. However, it did seem to prevent staining as I tried it with a shade I know tends to stain and didn't notice any.

KBShimmer Love You Strong Time Nail Strengthener (middle) "contains calcium pantothenate and Vitamin A to help strengthen natural nails without the use of Formaldehyde". The website says it helps weak, thin, splitting or peeling nails because it is a rehydrating formula. I find this very thin, almost watery, but it's not as runny on the nail as I imagined. Dries very quickly and leaves a nice finish. Some nail strengtheners/treatments can leave a less than desirable finish on the nail so I don't like wearing them on their own but this one is fine. You can also use it under nail polish, but I don't know how it would be at preventing staining, but it doesn't claim to be stain blocking. Most strengtheners aren't. I can't speak to how effective it is yet because I haven't had it long enough to form an opinion on that yet.

KBShimmer Oh Matte! Matte Top Coat (right) is a cloudy top coat meant to leave behind a matte finish. They advise to use this over dry polish only, or over quick-dry topcoat-ed polish, in thin coats with as few brushstrokes as possible. I've tried lots of matte top coats and this is probably among the top three. It's easy to apply, leaves a super matte finish, and doesn't get chalky on the neck of the bottle. They do tend to thicken up a lot over time so I'm interested to see if this guy does as well.

image via KBShimmer.com

The last product I have to show you is a new addition to their lotion family, the new KBShimmer Picture Perfect Matte Cuticle Cream. I was among a select few to actually be a tester for this product before its release and I'm really happy with it. (My bottle is a tester so I'm featuring a stock photo from their website.) You know how I prefer a moisturized but matte look to my skin and cuticles when I take photos so this is a perfect solution to that. I've tried a similar product from another brand and still love it, but it's a balm and this is a lotion so there's some variety in this product category now. This comes in a variety of scents as well as unscented. Pink Sugar still has my heart though!

These three polishes and the lotion are all available now on the KBShimmer website. The treatments sell for $6 each and the lotion is $4.50 for a 15ml bottle. Do you use any of these kind of nail care products? Have you tried any of KBShimmer's nail care yet? Let me know in the comments! Talk to you again soon!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

GERmanikure Cuticle Nippers & Crystal Glass Nail File Review

Hi cookies! Have you missed me? I decided to take a mini-break to concentrate on some home and work stuff, and it just so happened that I had a bad nail break on my swatch hand the other day, so I figured it was a convenient time to take some time off. I'm back today to tell you about some products from GERmanikure. I first heard about them on my friend Deborah's blog, Love Varnish. She reviewed their cuticle nippers and crystal glass nail file and I commented about how lovely they sounded. Later on I got an offer from the company to try out the same products and of course I jumped at the chance!

Press Sample

The company Zamberg.com based in Florida is the exclusive seller of GERmanikure products. I read on Deborah's post that these products are made under ethical conditions in Germany, and the nail files are made in the Czech Republic. Zamberg is dedicated to selling products created by skilled and reliable craftsman and reject the practice of products produced in third-world countries to underpaid and/or underage workers. At the beginning of this year they donated a portion of their sales to families in Pakistan and Vietnam who were victims of child labor. Knowing the company has such high acknowledgment of the ethical issues that surround this market gives me confidence in working with them.

The cuticle nippers I was sent are high-carbon stainless steel, which means they are harder than traditional steel while retaining rust-proof properties. They also feature "crush stoppers" that prevent over crushing of the blades, which can make them dull over time. These came with a protective leather case to cover the blade ends, which is perfect for me because I'm pretty klutzy and have been known to scratch myself on the sharp ends of manicure tools.

My cuticle story has been documented on my blog several times, so I won't go into too much detail, but long story short, I don't "cut my cuticles". What most people think of as their cuticles is actually eponychium, living skin around the nail. I only cut the occasional hangnail or dry skin around my nails that could snag or rip further. In order to do this safely, strong and sharp nippers are essential. I'm very happy with my experience with these nippers so far, I have had no issues with them and find them to be comfortable to use, sharp, and easy to clean.

The second product I was sent for review is a GERmanikure crystal glass nail file. The surface is fully uniform  and resistant to dulling because it's chemically etched unlike other cheapy files that use sprayed on texture. Because the unique etched surface results in a soft rounded texture, it does not harm your nail edge, while other types can snag or tear them. These are resistant to breaking too, which is good for clumsy folks like me. This also came in a luxe leather case for extra protection. I have used Czech made crystal glass files for years, and this one has the same excellent quality and performance that I've come to expect.

You can purchase these products at Zamberg.com. Do you use nippers or crystal glass nail files? If you do, I definitely recommend checking out GERmanikure. And if you don't, I recommend checking them out even more haha. I know not everyone has a need for nippers, but I bet all you nail enthusiasts use nail files and these really are the best for your precious tips. Thanks for coming by today and I'll be back with more nail polish soon!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

OPI Spring 2016 New Orleans Collection Swatches & Review

Hi everyone! OPI's latest destination collection theme is New Orleans and I've got all twelve shades to show you today! "Sweet, spicy, soulful and vibrant, the palette is perfect for a town where parades pop up everywhere, and dancing in the streets is de rigueur." I really enjoyed this Spring collection and I think you will too!

Press Sample

OPI Let Me Bayou a Drink is a very pale pink blush shade with an icy shimmer. I was expecting this to be difficult but it went on surprisingly easy for me. I did need three coats for full opacity though.

OPI Spare Me a French Quarter? is a mid-tone raspberry crème. Awesome formula, almost a one coater but I did two here. Very shiny!

OPI Humidi-Tea is a nude peach with orangey-pink super fine speckles and silver shimmer. No issues, easy application and opaque in two coats. I've heard this was a problem child for some others who've reviewed this, but it was lovely for me.

OPI Take a Right on Bourbon is a warm, metallic light pewter. The application on this was pretty good for being a thin metallic, but of course it was very brushstrokey. This is very similar to My Silk Tie from the Fifty Shades of Grey collection that came out last February, but that one is more silver while this is a warmer tone. I used two coats here.

OPI I Manicure for Beads is a warm purple crème. Great formula, almost opaque in one coat, but I used two. A sweet shade of grape, my preferred tone of purple.

OPI Crawfishin' for a Compliment is a light dreamy orange crème. This one had a nice formula, but I didn't quite get full coverage on two coats so I needed one more. This color makes me crave sunshine and warm weather!

OPI Show Us Your Tips! is a light periwinkle blue with lots of silvery glass fleck shimmer. This had a sheerer formula, so I needed three coats for opacity. I love this color but I have to admit that I really hate the name, ugh.

OPI Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya is a warm coral pink crelly. This is soooo my type of shade! Pretty nice formula, but since it was more jelly-ish in consistency I needed three coats.

OPI Rich Girls & Po-Boys is a vibrant blue crème. Another almost one coater, I used two here. Applied like butter, and dried incredibly shiny! I'm still swooning over this.

OPI She's a Bad Muffuletta! is a hot red crème with a hint of pink. Really just, WOW! Practically painted itself on and you can definitely get away with just one coat. I used two per usual here. This is going on my toes, stat!

OPI I'm Sooo Swamped! is a lush mossy green crème. I'm really impressed with these formulas because this one also covered in almost one coat. I did use two here. This shade reminds me of my favorite Muppet, Kermit the Frog :)

OPI Suzi Nails New Orleans is a light, bright pink crème. This is the only formula I found to be a tad streaky, but only slightly. I used three coats here, but I've heard a lot of folks say they only needed two. Bubblegum pink at it's finest!

This collection is available now wherever OPI is sold, such as Ulta, Sally Beauty Supply, and professional salons for around $10 per bottle. I'm head over heels for this collection! Although I've heard a few folks say they find the colors too basic and aren't interested in all the crème formulas, I had a great experience with the shades though, and I love a good standard crème so I'm happy! I don't think every shade is necessarily a "must have" though, so you can definitely go through and choose your favorites. Let me know which ones you want to try!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.