hey, bitches! namaste. as i am a clear expert 😜 i know that you want to know what I use for nail care. i am practically a nail tech pro with overwhelmingly perfect technique, and fly as sheet nails! 😝 truthfully, I've always had problem/weak nails. through trial and error, and youtube instructionals, i have found the nail care tools that have given me a tiny bit of hope. my nails are still short, but now healthy and strong! Here's to a brighter nail tomorrow! please let me know YOUR favs in the comments. i am always seeking recommendations. 💅🏼💕mani-time: bliss kiss glass file myblisskiss.com BEFORE I take off my old nail polish to do a fresh mani, I do a couple of swipes with my fav glass nail file. the glass is more gentle than a classic emery board and going in one direction keeps the nail for developing small cracks. I was using cheap brands of glass files before trying bliss kiss. bliss kiss sells quality products; this is no exception. this brand of file was recommended to me by simply nailogical of youtube. butter london melt away 😇 + wooden cuticle pusher (metal for toes) amazon.com my cuticles are made of bitches. At one point, I used a metal tool to remove the dead skin from that area (cuz you're NOT supposed to remove the actual cuticles ... bitchy or no), but this weakened my nails significantly. They became paper thin and I was none too pleased! I now use butter london's "melt away" to soften up my cuticles. It works fast and easy. I push them back with a wooden stick which is both effective and gentle on mah paws. I still use a metal tool on my toes bc my toe nails are much thicker and my toe cuticles are stupid difficult! My toe cuticles are made of long shore men . Argh! Toe cuticles!! i found some small size "melt away" bottles at tj maxx for $4/ea. the link above is for a full bottle via amazon. i recommend checking out your local tj maxx before ordering the full price option. alcohol after I wash my hands to remove the excess "melt away," I apply rubbing alcohol to my nails only. I have oily skin, and this step removes the excess oils before I apply my base coat and polish. many ppl apply oil or lotion to their hands and cuticles before they paint. but I find that lotions/oils ruin my polish application and create bubbles. i picked this up at target, but you can get it at any drugstore or pharmacy. orly laquer thinner amazon.com laquer thinner is one of the most useful things I have added to my nail care kit. a couple of drops revives older polishes, thicker polishes, or even polishes with tricky formulas. alternatively, it has been recommended to me to leave the cap off of a bottle if you need to thicken a polish that is too thin. 10-15 minutes apparently does the trick! That is my 3rd party recommendation to you! I got this at Sally's beauty supply, but amazon has it, too. acetone + clean up brushes i am sloppy as 😧funk when painting my nails. When I color outside the lines, i use 100% acetone to clean up the skin around my nails. i use tiny brushes dipped in acetone to clean up my cuticles, etc. you can buy nail brushes at sally's beauty, etc., but I just use an e.l.f. concealer brush ($1) to get into the small areas. acetone is very drying, so I finish a mani with oil and vitamin-e lotion. (see below). I got this acetone at walmart post-mani: 😎 butter london holiday handbag oil 😇 eBay.com after I complete the final layer of top coat, i let my mani dry for 10-15 minutes and then apply a cuticle oil to the nail and surrounding skin. this hydrates the cuticle and nail area and oil on the polish is supposed to help it harden more quickly to avoid dents. I picked this up at tj maxx, but you can get it at eBay! moisturizing gloves and vitamin e cream 💤 burtsbees.com samsclub.com i then wait another 10-15 minutes, do another layer of oil over the polish, and THEN add large dollops of vitamin e cream to each fingernail. I then slip my hands into moisturizing gloves and go to bed! This helps to hydrate my skin and the layers of oil and cream help protect the new mani from "sheet marks" or dents in my not completely hardened nail polish. I generally do my manis at night, so I can slip into bed once i am done. it works for me! daily cuticle care ☀️ nail butter nailbutter.com on the daily, i use the very famous "nail butter" on my cuticles and the skin around my nails. i had heard about nail butter from several youtubers and bloggers. i decided to see what all of the fuss was about: yes, it is magic! for years, i had calloused skin around my nails and this is the only stuff that has made a difference! simply pure pens from bliss kiss 🖊
myblisskiss.com and amazon.com cuticle oil pens have also really made a difference. bliss kiss makes a great oil for nails and cuticles and they recommend applying it throughout the day. it is also recommended that these oils be used instead of a nail strengthener. thanks for reading! please let me know if you have recommendations for growing nails out. 💅🏼
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during the hottest summer on record, I cooled off with some terrific polishes. here are my favs and july "must-FAVs" "I'm soar-t of a big deal" glitter daze luxury lacquers 😇 of the cloud 9 collection shopglitterdaze.com this is a light gray creme with a terrific formula. this indie company is out of dallas, tx and I think they are getting really popular, especially for this collection. this was a great polish to wear this summer and such a dream to work with!! check out a really popular color they have available now: a blue creme called "mom jeans." when ordering from their website, be prepared to wait 10-14 days for delivery. it's not an ideal situation, but worth the wait. on hand: "bright lucite" sinful colors 👿 blue creme on foot: "pragmatic" sinful shine 👿 purple of the moment my by-the-pool shades are fun, bright, and compliment attracting. I am trying to find non-cruelty dupes for these sinful colors/shine must-haves! So cute. "lc" by zoya 😇 zoya.com this red leans more hot pink than it photos here. so gorgeous and with an easy formula. so bright, it put a spring in my summer steps. Also, #myfirstzoya. "kristen" zoya 😇 I've been obsessed with this color for over a year. not your typical color for summer, I am in a long term relationship with this bluish-gray creme. any season. any time. "mrs. tony montana" floss gloss 😇 livelovepolosh.com cocaine chic neva looked so good. omg. this pure white polish is one of the best white polishes you will find. love love love. supposedly opaque in one coat, I found it fell into the trap of getting chalking on the edges. it's easier to work with in thinner coats. still, shut-up, floss gloss. you had me at "mrs." "life's a beach" orly pch collection 😇 ❤️
must-FAV of the flippin summer! I have described it as the "prince that was promised." This is a one-coater neon orange-red! It is everything that you want in a neon and nothing you expected. coming soon ... nail care favorites. 😘 the final installment of my epic summer haul! 😇=cruelty-free 👿=non-cruelty free "breezy" la colors gel line 😇 these are on the cheaper end of the nail polish spectrum @ $2.99/bottle. the colors are phenomenal & unique. however, the staying power of this polish is questionable at best. If I am honest, I prefer the sinful shine gel tech polishes which are the same price. But since going cruelty free, I am no longer buying sinful colors or sinful shine polishes. la colors gel polishes do have some terrific colors and the swatch of "breezy" looks really sweet! Cannot wait to try! "refresh" la colors gel line 😇 this color looks amazing! I don't think that I've ever seen a grass neon green. the swatch is a little patchy, so i might layer it over white. will post a full mani soon. "small + cute = heart" opi 👿 2016 hello kitty collection this color is dead-on dupe for one of the 2 Pantone colors of the year: "Rose Quartz." I have wanted this since I saw a sneak preview of it in December 2015. I am sad that I gave in and purchased it. (As opi is non cruelty free) The polish was on extreme sale at tj maxx, so I figured, at the point of sale, opi was not really getting any of my $$. But that's just a feeble excuse for my weakness. nars duo pack 😇 "sharp lines" left & right
picked up this box of 2 polishes at tj maxx. one is a burgundy wine color "right" and a nice melon color "left." nars is cruelty free and when swatched, the formulas seemed easy to work with. this is the first nars I've ever owned. I feel like these are more appropriate fall colors. but, I don't discriminate! all in all, this haul of 18 polishes is awesome!! I picked up some summer trends, got some long awaited colors, and all at terrific prices! Next, look for my July 2016 favorites. thanks for reading! summer seems never ending in these sweltery days. ☀️To cope with the heat, I dove head first into a pool of nail polish.💅🏼 🏊🏼 sale: I bought these next zoyas through a limited offer that you can take advantage of too. Zoya.com/oldnavy (code: NAVY3) and select 3 freebie mini zoyas (normally $6/each) and only pay standard shipping (for me about $7). Fantastic deal* and a way to test out the brand for new-comers. The selection is limited. Below are some of the polishes included in the sale! ps: I like creme finishes, but included in this deal are some of the famous zoya "pixie dust" polishes. If you like glitter& texture, check it out! *my blog is too small to have sponsors, so please know this is my personal recommendation. below are the 3 mini or "fun size" zoyas I picked up through this deal! "dory" in a mini zoya 😇 adorable blue creme, that yes, looks like the animated fish swatching proves one coat! Wow!! mini note: zoya "minis" are half size of regular bottles at 0.25 oz. way better than mini opis 👿 which are teeny at 0.18 oz. "hannah" in mini zoya 😇 don't know why no "mini" on the label - red creme voted by many zoya collectors to be their fav red creme. Applied beautifully in the swatch! Cannot wait to wear it! "april" in mini zoya 😇 sheer nude, but buildable ive wanted this polish for a long time. I own a ridiculous number of nudes and neutrals already, but this is a polish I see swatched a lot on Pinterest. my swatch here is sorta sloppy, but I can tell this is a very sweet pinky nude. I'll prolly wear this a lot this fall! I've noticed "April" is no longer available - I guess it sold out. minis that also caught my eye: "sia" royal blue creme "cam" orangy-red creme "ness" grass green creme "temperance" mid-light-tone gray creme "road trippin" orly 😇 neon yellow from pch summer 2016 collection From salon brands to drug-store to indies, every polish line came out with a neon collection this summer. It's nothing new, but the trend has gone main-stream in a big way this year. I'd never purchased any neons so I did my research. I sought out the brightest, most opaque, didn't require a white base coat style neons. this brought me to Orly's "pacific coast highway" neon collection. I bought 2 polishes for a discount at transdesign.com and patiently waited for the mail to come and my life to change! orly is famous for previous neon brights: "glow stick" and "melt your popcicle" spring to mind. But pch was supposed to be the game-changer! the night I tried to apply "road trippin" was really upsetting! It was goopy, streaky, and spotty. I did nearly 4 coats before I gave up trying to level it. I felt betrayed. the swatch photo doesn't show all the imperfections, but trust me, it's not cute. i tweeted out my pain and Orly responded. They were actually really kind and concerned when I reported that I had perhaps ordered a "bad bottle." They recommended exchanging it for another. I ended up trying one more thing: I added 10+ drops of Orly laquer thinner (rec to add only 2-3 drops) to the bottle, shook it up at length and did thin layers over white. That did the trick! It was nice and bright and even! So maybe "road trippin" is not an opaque neon, or maybe I did get a bad bottle, but since I figured out how to work with it, I am happy! orly is redeemed for being so nice on Twitter and for this next polish! "life's a beach" Orly 😇 ❤️
pch neon collection this dark orange neon was the prince that was promised! this was a dream polish = everything that I had been told!! Opaque in one coat and the formula was a dream. I will do a full mani and post pics soon! gush gush certainly must-have of the week! Perhaps of the summer ❤️❤️❤️ part 3 will have the nars, la colors + the 👿 opi (how did this turn into a 3-parter?) butter london, zoya, orly, la colors, & *snif* 👿 one opi. get out your "haul pass" because mama's got the biggest summer haul eva! ❤️ "yummy mummy" butter london 😇 creme with subtle gold shimmer took advantage of a 1/2 price sale on select butter london polishes at ulta. salesgirl was not familiar with brand and was unaware it was carried at ulta. way to go, ulta sales team! but despite that rocky start, my trip to ulta that day was spectacular! I got 4 of the 6 polishes on sale. almost bought all 6, but I have dupes in my collection and I did not want to be greedy. also, 1/2 price butter london polishes is $7.50/bottle, so it was a deal, but when buying multiples not a huge bargain. I did really want the ones I picked up: these are polishes I've coveted for years, AND I'd like to think I introduced a young salesperson to the glory that is butter london cosmetics (they also sell phenomenal lippies and lipsticks). Wear: I was really rough on my hands when I wore this, but still, it chipped faster than I would've liked. so wear only when having a calm week. 😏 if you like neutrals and/or wear a lot of nudes, this is great color. perfect for a conservative job or office. "fruit machine" butter london 😇 pink creme aka barbie bitch creme fruit machine = slot machine in American speak apologies for the pedi swatch photo. 😑 i can neva get those right. I was a bit disappointed in the formula here. It's very close in color to opi's "mod about you" but it somehow has a trickier formula (and "mod about you" is notoriously ackward). not the worst thing ever, but disappointing. have yet to wear the other 2 butter londons: below - 2 cremes "tea with the queen" and "toff" next ... my first zoyas 😇🐇 "lc" zoya deep pink (almost red) creme o...m...g 😳 beautiful beautiful. ordered this and others through zoya.com when they had a bogo + free shipping (had to buy 3 polishes which =6). "lc" had amazing coverage: practically a one-coater or "one coat wonder" as they say on the youtube. have worn three of the six. "kristen" zoya 😇🐇 grayish purple creme b-t-dubs, zoya polishes are 5-free (which is the safest), cruelty-free and vegan. you can practically drizzle it over your organic salad and eat it! I bought these online, but they sell them at ulta and beauty brand stores if you prefer to shop at storefronts. typically retail for $9-$10 (if only $9, check to make sure you are not buying the older 3-free formulas). "kristen" has been on my wish list for years and it did not disappoint! highly recommend! formula was easy to work with and I love the color. "jacqueline" zoya 😇🐇 yellowish eggshell creme i bought this to be a dupe for my "you're so vain-illa" by opi 👿 but it's not quite a color match and certainly not a match in formula. I am hopeful this is the last zoya that disappoints. I would rate this a "meh" to a "stay away." 😢 (ps am I using emticons too much?) below are are the full sized zoyas I have yet to wear! coming soon ... zoya minis, orly, la colors and 👿 opi
😇=cruelty-free 👿=non cruelty-free ❤️=must-have of the week june 30, 2016 "wet my thistle" sally hansen miracle gel 👿 interesting green. like a bleached out neon grass green. got a couple of cruelty-free options below. ⬇️ "tilda" zoya 😇 (pic from peachypolish.com) and "gaga for green" China glaze 😇 july 1, 2016 "in the spot-light pink" and "having a big head day" opi 👿 a sheer pink with a great one-coater red on top. zoya has a lot of great reds. I do not generally do nail art, but this is for America. 💥 used scotch tape to create the angled tips. The "in the spot-light pink" is sheer but non-streaky. Still looking for a cruelty-free dupe! july 4, 2016
"I'm soar't of a big deal" glitter daze 😇 the cloud 9 collection lovely formula; heard a lot about this color and the rumors did not do this justice! I did use laquer thinner bc this is a thicker formula. Brush is thick and sort of too stiff if you have small nail beds. But despite that, it is still my must-have of the week! http://shopglitterdaze.com/ ❤️ |
AuthorI try to paint my nails adequately. CategoriesArchives
November 2017
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