Simply put, we are addicted to this mani. The OCD in us loves the clean striping tape design, and our metallic love-fest continues in to Spring! While the grey colour almost appears brown in these photos, it was much darker off camera and true to the grey colour, even over the gold. If you don't have striping tape, you can try cutting painters tape or scotch tape (hey - we've done it!) in a pinch. The key is to leave the striping tape longer than the line you're painting, so that you can pull it off without having to dig in to your fresh polish.

We started this mani with two coats of Sonia Kashuk Golden Ticket, which we then allowed to dry fully. The swatch of this colour (our new favourite gold), to the left, is two coats with no topcoat. The shine this polish delivers without topcoat is incredible, however if you apply a second coat too quickly, some polish may drag creating a bumpy effect. Overall, we loved this colour simply for how opaque the coverage was, and that it was a true gold as opposed to the bronze "golds" we see everywhere.


We then used striping tape to make the pattern on our nails, laying tape wherever we wanted gold to remain. You can do this in 2 parts, either by going in one direction (and trying to stay in the lines) first, before laying the lines in the other direction, or you can line up the edges of your tape. The second way is more difficult and more time consuming - we recommend going one at a time. We used two coats of Sonia Kashuk Dime a Dozen which is a shimmery gunmetal (again, with great coverage!). After the two coats are dry - peel away! This part is definitely the most fun - and rewarding. If you peel back a piece of striping tape and it doesn't peel nicely, wait a few more minutes before trying the next piece!

Overall - the Sonia Kashuk polishes were smooth and had full coverage after only two coats. The real winner is Golden Ticket - which may be the best full coverage gold polish we've yet to get our hands on. Sonia Kashuk polishes are available at Target for $4.79 in the US - and hopefully will be available at any Target locations in Canada as they begin to open!

Disclaimer: These products were provided to us by the company/PR for our honest consideration and review.

Striped Pink Ombre Nails

Completed Striped Ombre Nails.

Why we love them:

What girl doesn't love pink? Scratch that, what girl doesn't love every shade of her favourite colour? These nails can be reproduced with any colour, as well as with vertical or diagonal stripes, instead of horizontal. With so many different options, these nails are completely customizable... and we love being unique! These beauties look good with a little black dress and heels in the same shade!

What you need:

• 5+ shades of any one colour, organized by shade
• Scotch Tape
• Nail Art Brush (buy it in a set here)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Place the tape very close to the base of the nail but leave room for one colour. Paint with the darkest shade.
3. Repeating that step slowly moving the tape farther down the nail and changing the colour for each stripe. Try to keep the space between your last colour and the tape constant, for a cleaner look!
4. Once the whole nail is completed, fix up any mistakes with a nail art brush.
5. Paint on top coat after ensuring your nails are dry, and allow to dry!

Close-up striped pink ombre nails.

Nautical Heart Nails

Completed Nautical Heart Nails.

Why we love them:

We love the look of these striped heart nails! If you like the look of striped nails why not play with it and add this fun little heart in the corner? :)

What you need:

• Nail Art Brush (buy it in a set here)
• White (we used OPI Alpine Snow, buy it here)
• Black (we used Essie Licorice, buy it here)
• Red (we used Nails Inc. The Hurlingham, buy it here)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Paint all nails white. Two coats may be required.
3. With the nail art brush, paint two or three thick black lines depending on how long your nail is. Two coats may be required.
4. With the Dotter Pen, dot and shape a red heart on the bottom corner of your nail, left or right is up to you (opposite on either hand looks nice).
5. Paint on top coat after ensuring your nails are dry, and allow to dry!

Single Nautical Heart Nail.