To Base Coat or Not To Base Coat?

Ever since I started keeping this nail blog, a lot of my girlfriends seem to come to me with their questions regarding nail polish and nail art.  It is kind of funny that now I am a source of information, because I learned everything I know from other blogs and from my own experiments.  One of the questions that I get most often is, “Hey, should I use a base coat?”

I know I touched on this in a previous post, but I figured I might go into some more detail here for anyone that might be wondering.  Also, I am just in a mood to write right now, so why not take advantage of it and get as many posts up as I can?  I like to talk and you guys obviously like to read since you’re reading this now!

Now if you go to any drug store, you will find dozens of base coats.  Every brand has their own base coat, and some brands even have several different types of base coats.  Here are a few examples:

• Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Smooth and Strong Base Coat: This base coat is labeled as just a base coat (in comparison to a two-in-one base and top coat).  According to the description on the Sally Hansen website, it is a gel-like base coat that has a finish thick enough to fill ridges in your nails so you have a completely smooth surface to polish on top of.
• Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base and Top Coat: This base coat advertises stronger, healthier nails and a high gloss finish, hence the “diamond shine” part.  I personally do not like using the same polish as a base and a top coat, because I feel like it can’t really do both jobs since being a base coat and a top coat is two completely different things.  Based on the description of this product, I would suggest using it as a top coat because of its high gloss finish.  However, I am not speaking from experience, so don’t take the advice too heavily.
• Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Base and Top Coat: Here is another example of a base and top coat mixture that contain nylon.  What nylon works to do is hydrate and strengthen your nails, so as a top coat this polish wouldn’t really work too well.

A lot of girls I have spoken to really dislike using a base coat for a few different reasons.  However, in my experience, I would have to disagree with a lot of the arguments I have heard.

Argument #1:  ”A base coat makes my nail polish chip faster.”

This really might be true, but I can’t say that I have ever had this problem.  Nail polish chips for a couple different reasons with the first being that it didn’t really adhere well to the nail in the first place.  I have noticed that when my hands are dirty or my nails aren’t perfectly clean before I start polishing them, the nail polish will not stick.  A few months ago, I painted my friend’s nails right after she had peeled an orange.  Within a couple of hours, her polish started peeling.  It was a complete disaster!  I always make sure to swipe my nails with some acetone and wash my hands immediately before painting my nails, and I don’t usually have a problem.  Secondly, nail polish will chip because the polish was applied too heavily in the first place.  If you paint two or three thick coats of polish in order to get full coverage, not only are you going to be waiting hours for it to dry but your polish will peel!  A base coat will help give a polish a nice surface to adhere to, that way you aren’t painting straight onto a smooth nail.

Argument #2:  ”Base coats are a waste of money.”

This argument is something that no nail polish lover wants to hear!  Some people might think that buying nail polish in general is a waste of money…but I think that can be said for anything!  Anyways, a base coat is actually a good investment to make!  It can really protect your nails, depending on the type of nails you have and the type of base coat you buy.  If you have thin, fragile nails, there are several base coats out there for you that have strengthening qualities.  Dry brittle nails?  There is a hydrating base coat for you!  Damaged nails from acrylics or just from a plain accident?  The base coat mentioned above can fill your ridges and make a smooth, even surface.  Not only can base coats help heal your damaged nails, but they can protect your nails as well.  A lot of polishes, especially neon and darker colors can actually stain your nails.  Trust me, I have worn my share of bright oranges and dark blues that leave my nails looking like I had just tie-dyed!  No amount of acetone can undo that damage.  Also, if you are constantly changing your polish from color to color, your nails never really get a chance to breath and can actually start to turn a yellow color.  While it is possible to fix yellow nails, it is much easier to prevent than to treat.  By using a base coat, you can help eliminate the chances of getting any stains on your pretty little nails in the first place.

On the topic of money, buying a two-in-one base coat and top coat could actually save you money!  If you don’t need a special base coat for your nails, you might as well buy a top coat that can double as a base coat so you are getting the benefits without paying any extra for another polish.  :)

I really just want to re-state that everything I am saying is from my own experience…so don’t get angry if you disagree!  I’d love to hear everyone’s ideas and opinions, so that way I can learn more as well.  I could be completely wrong and wouldn’t know it unless someone spoke up.  :)

Where Have You Been?

School is finally out!  I got through my week of finals and now I’m all moved home.  I’ve been looking forward to having a relaxing first week of summer and hanging out with my family, friends, and boyfriend (eeeee!!!) but of course, I got super sick.  My body always does that – get sick at the most unpleasant times.  But now that I’m home and have an unlimited amount of free time (until I get a job) I intend to do more nail art!  Unfortunately, now that I’m sick I don’t really feel like doing anything crazy, so I attempted a jelly sandwich.

 

I’m almost 90% sure I didn’t do this right.  I did two coats of a sheer pink polish my mom got for me at Gap, one coat of Ulta’s Pinyata-Yada-Yada, and one more coat of the sheer polish.  To me, it looks less like a jelly sandwich and more like a jawbreaker.  I’m just leaving it on right now because I don’t have the patience or energy to do anything else.

Do you guys have any advice about how to do a jelly sandwich?  Which polishes have you used and how did they work?  What would you recommend?  I really like the jelly sandwich look but I can’t figure out how to do it!

OPI The Amazing Spiderman Collection

Photo Credit: http://www.myfacehunter.com/2012/03/opi-spider-man-collection.html

Photo Credit: http://www.chicprofile.com/2012/03/opi-spider-man-collection-for-summer-2012-information-photos.html

Yay!  Another new collection from my best friends at OPI!  This is the Amazing Spiderman Collection.

I have to admit when I saw these colors, I was not immediately interested because the colors are very different and not what I would normally wear.  But then I saw some swatches on Scrangie’s Site and I have to say that I would actually consider buying a couple of these colors.  Here are my favorites from the collection:

Photo Credit: http://www.scrangie.com/2012/04/opi-amazing-spider-man-collection.html

This deep blue is called Into the Night – a perfect name for the shade!  From this photo, it’s just a dark metallic blue that isn’t as dark as a dark blue…if that even makes any sense!

Photo Credit: http://www.scrangie.com/2012/04/opi-amazing-spider-man-collection.html

This color is Number One Nemisis.  To me, it looks like a grey-green metallic shimmer!
Perfect for the fall!  It’s not even summer yet and I’m already looking forward to fall and winter…

So what are your favorite colors from this collection?  Will you be rushing out to buy any of them?
Personally, I do like these two colors but there aren’t a shade that I would buy as soon as I saw them.  They aren’t must haves, like the colors in the Germany collection I talked about a while ago!  But then again…they are OPI polishes and they might surprise me like they always do!

Oops…I Did Something Bad

Yeah. I did something bad. It’s getting closer to finals week and all of my final projects are due at times that are very close together. In three days, I have an 8-10 page anthropology research paper due. In about a week and a half, I have (combined) two 6-8 page papers, three reading responses, a take-home final exam, and a creative project due. I think I might just explode. Luckily, writing is my strong suit. I can be very eloquent when needed and I’m usually good at organizing my thoughts and b.s.-ing…I mean elaborating…when needed.

Today is a day that I devoted to writing about half of my research paper. However, I got hungry and needed to make a run to the grocery store anyways to grab a few things for the week so I headed out. Oops…there’s an Ulta right down the street. I have been wanting this specific nail polish…Revlon’s “Whimsical”. I saw a swatch and immediately wanted it, but for some reason I couldn’t find it anywhere! My little sister was out shopping one day and sent me a text with a picture of Whimsical attached and she said, “Look what I found!!!” I just had to run into my Ulta and see if they had it.

Sad, sad story. I went to the Revlon display and saw where pretty little Whimsical was supposed to be, but there were none left. Defeated, but not down I decided to walk around the store just browsing. I knew in the back of my head that sometimes people grab nail polishes and leave them somewhere else…but no…that never really happens. I came across a display that will match your skin tone perfectly with your shade of make-up, so I stopped to look into a mirror and…no…it couldn’t be! One, single bottle of Whimsical peeking out from behind the mirror. I wish I was making this up. But I’m not. And it’s amazing. It was a sign, so I had to buy it. Also, Ulta is having a Revlon Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale, so I decided to grab two other polishes: Radiant (also one I had wanted) and Minted, an adorable mint green shade, perfect for Spring!

Now back to my paper. Now I sit here dying to paint my nails, but I know I have a paper to write. I came up with a plan. A brilliant plan. For every page I write, I get to paint one coat on my nails. Start with a base coat, one page = first coat, second page = second coat, blah blah blah, you get it. Here is my night in photos.

Here are the three colors I bought at Ulta for the Buy Two Get One Free sale!
Whimsical, Radiant, and Minted.  I have not seen Whimsical or Radiant at any store other than Ulta.

When I was unsuccessful with finding Whimsical about a month ago, I attempted to franken my own.  I used a half full bottle of NYC glitter (I don’t know the name) and put in a little bit of white polish and a few drops of blue.  As you can see, mine is not as much of a jelly as Whimsical and the glitter is a little bit different…but it was a good first try.  May one day I will swatch the two and see what they look like!

One page of my paper done = one coat of minted.  I wish this color was less streaky.  It’s a bit thin, but I am totally fine with the because the color is a perfect mint green.

Page two = two coats.  It is still streaky, and definitely needs three coats.

Bam!  Three coats and it’s perfect.  If I didn’t have Whimsical, this would have been perfect!  I plan on wearing this color (and Tart Deco) very often this Spring.

Well, it’s a good thing that I had Whimsical because after three pages and three coats of Minted, I fell asleep.  This, in turn, caused those annoying sleep lines a few annoying wrinkles.  The next day, I put Whimsical over the top and was pleasantly surprised and disappointed.  First of all, there is definitely not enough glitter in this polish.  I had to literally pick out glitter and place it on my nail in order to get as much glitter on there as you see above.  I really wish it was more dense.  However, I really like how the glitter is a jelly and not a clear base, so it doesn’t really change the color of the polish but just makes it a little more creamy.  I love this polish so much for some reason though…it reminds me of cotton candy and something about it just makes me want to wear it all the time.  In the picture, the color of the polish is a little bit off, so I added one below.

Love it.  I have gotten a lot of compliments on Minted and my nails just make me happy.
I’m excited to try Whimsical over other colors, specifically Tart Deco (of course), white, and black polish.
Do you have Whimsical?  Better yet, do you have a polish that you hate to love?

What’s on your nails right now?

Tart Deco

After a very long hiatus, I am back!  I have been extremely busy these past two weeks because it is nearing the end of the semester for me!  I only have about three more weeks and then I am off for the summer!  There are so many things that I have planned for this summer, and blogging more often is definitely a part of my plans.  My family is also taking a little vacation down to Mexico, and I would love to share pictures with you!

Since lent is over, I have taken it upon myself to buy a few nail polishes that I have been “lemming” for (is that the phrase?).  The first one I picked up is Essie’s “Tart Deco”, which I had mentioned in a previous post.  It was the last one in my local drug store, so I took that as a sign that it was meant to be.

 

Once again, excuse the cuticles.  I’ve had a really hard time getting rid of my icky winter hands.  The cold really did some damage!  Do you have any recommendations for lotions/creams?

I absolutely adore this color.  It is perfect for spring, and it is bright and eye-catching without being neon.  It is the perfect mixture of pink and orange – a coral color!  I loved it on it’s own, but after a couple of days I decided to put some Shine of the Times over it, and Tart Deco really pulls out the orange and yellow flakies in the polish.  I think I will definitely be using this color quite often.  The only problem I had with this polish is that it was quite opaque.  It took three coats to get full coverage, which isn’t usual for other Essie polishes I have tried.  I wish the Essie brushes were bigger too…

On another note, I saw a Deborah Lippmann polish that I really wanted, but I found it’s dupe – Revlon Whimsical!  However, apparently this polish is difficult to find as well.  I tried to make a franken to match it…that’s a different post for another day.

How have you all been doing?  What is on your nails right now?  Have you tried Tart Deco?  If not, I’d highly recommend it!

Oh, You Trendy, Huh?

Now I may not be a nail polish expert, but I shop for polish enough to know what’s in and what’s out.  I would never deem a certain type or color of nail polish “out”, more like under the radar, waiting to come out and have it’s turn in the spotlight again.

Spring has sprung, but where I live I can’t even tell.  At the moment it is gloomy and pouring rain and it is supposed to be that way all week.  I don’t mind the rain too much, but it isn’t too color inspiring for nail art!  Regardless, I have still been paying attention to what polishes are trendy for Spring 2012.  I’ve given up buying nail polish for lent (like I think I have said before) but I still check out what my local shops are currently selling every time I go shopping.  So here’s a little rundown of what I have noticed so far!

Nudes: Nudes have become extremely popular.  A lot of different shades fall into the category of “nude”, and they are all unique in their own way.

Photo Credit: http://www.zoya.com

However, nudes can be difficult to shop for.  Here is a collection featured on Zoya’s website.  It is called the “Touch Collection”, and it is made up of three different shades of nude – “Minka”, “Shay”, and “Pandora” (not in the same order as the image above).  This was a really smart idea on Zoya’s part, because with three different nudes most of their customers can find a shade that complements their skin tone.  I have not taken a dive into the “nude” pool yet, or should I say, gone skinny dipping.  My skin color is more of an olive/yellow shade so finding a polish that doesn’t look like someone got sick on my nails proves to be quite difficult.  I found this site though: Your Nude Nail Polish Guide and it has very detailed advice on how to find the perfect shade for your skin.  Have you gone into the “nude” territory yet?  What’s your favorite nude shade this spring?

Corals: This beautiful shade of orangey-pink is popping up everywhere.  I am constantly seeing it on runways, in stores, and even on other girls’ nails!  Depending on the shade you pick out, your coral could be bright and flashy or muted and pastel.  I think that Essie has a beautiful selection of corals.

Photo Credit: http://www.essie.com

This color is called “Tart Deco”.  I am trying to get my hands on this color as soon as I can.  It is a beautiful, light coral color that would complement tan spring/summer skin on anyone!

Photo Credit: http://www.essie.com

“Braziliant” is a bright coral that leans more toward the orange side of the spectrum.  I could also seen this on some super tan skin!

Photo Credit: http://www.essie.com

This cute pinky coral is called “Mango Bango”, and it’s another one that I want to own!

Photo Credit: http://www.essie.com

The brightest coral of the bunch: “Orange It’s Obvious”.  This is still considered a coral, even though it looks super orange.  This is perfect for the sunny weather, which I am looking forward to!

Teals and Pistachios: I am so happy to see this color really becoming more popular!  When I first starting really getting into nail polish, I strayed from blues and greens but now I can’t get enough of them!

Photo Credit: http://www.sallybeauty.com/china-glaze/SBS-606417,default,pd.html

This is my absolute favorite light blue, China Glaze’s “For Audrey”.  It’s a tiffany blue, which has a little bit of teal/green in it.  I love to layer it under glitters and flakes, but now that it’s Spring, I’ll be sporting it plain!

Photo Credit: http://imagesec2.cp.ctscdn.com/prodthumb/320/400/92add860-a207-4e15-a4bc-716d09e3578a.jpg

This is just the cutest Spring color ever!  Essie’s “Poised and Polished” just reminds me of a field of flowers!  It would be super cute under some hot pink and purple polka dots!

Hot Pinks and Neons: Hot pink always seems to be a trend in the Spring and Summer.  It’s basically a classic – a staple item for any nail polish lover!  If you don’t have a hot pink in your collection, I would highly recommend China Glaze’s “Pool Party”!

Photo Credit: http://www.temptalia.com/china-glaze-poolside-collection-review-photos-swatches

I have also seen a lot of neon yellow…not a color I plan on wearing anytime soon, but hey, there’s a time and a place for everything!

Effects: There are so many new polishes coming out that have special effects to them!  My favorite right now is Essie’s “Shine of the Times”, a flakie that changes colors in the sun!  This will definitely be something I might need to buy another bottle of during the summer…

Photo Credit: http://www.scrangie.com/2011/09/orly-mineral-fx-collection-fall-2011.html

I know this is from last fall’s Orly Mineral FX collection, but this is what I’m talking about.  Polishes that are just packed full of different shimmers and sparkles and things that make it unique!  This is “Rococo A Go Go”…and my Bucket of Polish list keeps growing.

One of the last trends I am going to talk about is the nail art trend.  This trend has been going on for a while and I don’t see it stopping any time soon.  It seems like everyday there is a new nail art trend that everyone is trying – from newspaper nails to half moons to ruffian…it’s never ending!  I am excited to see what emerges this spring with all of the bright and unique colors that are coming out!

I am completely aware that some of you may not agree with what I believe the Spring trends are this year, so this is where I want to hear what you have to say!  What do you think the trends are for this Spring?  What colors will you be wearing, regardless of if they’re “in” or “out”?  Let me know!

P.S.  Keep your eyes out tomorrow for a new nail art tutorial!  I’ve been planning this one all week!

OPI’s Germany Collection

Photo Credit: http://www.facebook.com/OPIProducts

L to R: My Very First Knockwurst, Don't Pretzel My Buttons, Berlin There Done That, Dont Talk Bach to Me, Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!, Schnapps Out of It, Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorfs, Every Month is Oktoberfest, Unfor-greta-bly Blue, Deutche You Want Me Baby, Danke-Shiny Red & German-icure by OPI.

Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Somebody needs to get me some water because I think I’m about to pass out.

OPI just announced their Fall 2012 collection via their official Facebook page.  It says, “Creamy neutrals. Rich jewel tones. Pull out your lederhosen, because this Fall OPI is taking you back to Europe with the Germany Collection by OPI!”

This collection literally has it all: nude, pastel, shimmer, light color, dark color (which we all know I love), blue, red, yellow, orange…the list could go on forever.  In my opinion this is one of the few OPI Collections I think I would buy every single shade from.  Every color looks unique and absolutely gorgeous.  The Holland Collection from this Spring/Summer has some really great colors as well, but I favor dark colors and shades that don’t have a shimmer.  That being said, I also need to get my hands on some Holland Colors!  Specifically “I Have a Herring Problem”, “Kiss Me On My Tulips”, “A Roll in the Hague”, “Gouda Gouda Two Shoes”…maybe it’s a good thing I gave up buying nail polish for lent…

Just from this photo, my favorites are “Don’t talk Bach to Me”, “Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!”, “Schnapps Out of It”, “Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorfs”, “Every Month is Oktoberfest”, and “German-icure”.  I don’t think I can wait until Fall!  There is no question about it: I will definitely be getting most of this collection, if not all of it!  I’d love to do a swatch post of them as well!  I’ve never done one before, and a thoroughly beautiful collection would be a great place to start.  OPI, you did well.

In other news, I bought myself a new laptop!  It’s a Macbook Pro, and so far I’m in love.  I am still trying to get used to the different keystrokes and a very different keyboard, but it’s so pretty and I’m really glad I got it.  I’ve already named him Sawyer, and I refer to him as my boyfriend because he is always with me and he is just so handsome and shiny and new.  Yeah, I might be a little too excited.  I’ve been working two jobs for about a year now saving up for him, so I think I have a right to be excited!

Now that I have a fully functioning laptop, you can expect more blog posts from me more often.  Get excited!

What colors do you like from OPI’s Germany Collection?  Which ones are your Fall 2012 must-haves?

Vintage Rose Tutorial

Finally! A chance to do a fancy manicure! This week has been absolutely crazy, but the good news is that it’s almost over! All of my homework is done and now all I have to do is get through one more day of work and classes. Whew!

So what I have for you today is a vintage rose tutorial. I’ve always thought that roses on nails were classy and cute, but I could never figure out how to make them look just right. I think I finally figured it out. This manicure is totally adaptable, so if you wanted to switch some colors around it would still be super adorable!

Like always, start off with your favorite base coat. I’m getting to the end of my bottle of Sinful Colors Base Coat, but I gave up buying nail polish for lent so I have to make it last!

I love my dark colors, specifically this one! Next, I did two coats of Nicole by OPI’s “Khloe Had A Little Lam Lam”, a dark teal-green that just screams vintage to me.

Using the tip of the brush that comes in the bottle, or another tool if you’d like, make random light pink spots on your nails. They can vary in size, but overall keep them kind of small. The illusion of roses will not work if the pink spots are too large. Here I used Sally Hanson’s Xtreme Wear in “Bubblegum Pink”.
*Ew!  Acetone dries out your skin so bad!  It’s so gross but I can’t put lotion on in the middle of a manicure!   I apologize!

Next, using any tool you are comfortable with (I used a bobby pin), make very small “U” shapes in and around each pink spot. Roses when they have not bloomed seem to have a swirl coming from the center and going towards the edges. To do this, I made one swirl starting in the middle of the spot and ending on the edge of the pink spot. I added one more small line around the edge of the spot. You want to use a darker pink color, but not too drastically different. Here I used OPI’s “Charged Up Cherry”.

Using a shade of green, make very tiny leaves around your roses. Make some single leaves, and make others double! This color is a very old color from Claire’s, it is called “Mean Green”. I didn’t want to use too dark of a green because of my base color, so this worked out perfectly!

Finally, to give it a vintage feel, I topped it off with Essie’s Matte About You, which I’ve been longing for for so long.

I absolutely love this design. It is classy but definitely appropriate for spring. Next time, I might try using a nude color underneath and maybe a light shimmer underneath the matte coat. That might be even more vintage!

How do you like this design? Have you tried a rose themed design before? If you were to replicate this nail art, what color would you choose as your base color?!

I’d love it if you shared pictures of your interpretations of this design. If you get around to trying it out, send me photos!

Is This What Jelly Feels Like?

Happy Monday! I am so busy this week, it is not even funny! I’d love to do a really cute and fun (and not messy) manicure, but unfortunately the hours spent typing my life away for research papers have not been too nice to my hands. I had to cut all my nails off, and one of them painfully broke to a little stub. Last night, I slapped a really cute color on my nails just so they wouldn’t be naked! I just bought this color a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love it! It’s Orly’s “Fowl Play”.

It’s a dark purple jlly base with flecks that reflect different colors. So far I’ve seen orange, red, green, and purple! There’s probably more in there that I can’t see because I did such a quick late night paint job.

I think that this polish might be considered a jelly! I’m not too good with figuring out what categories polish might fall under. I’m trying though! The first coat is a little opaque, but after two coats it’s perfect! Of course, exhausted little me put three coats on and then went to bed, so as you can see on my little stubs below, there are what I like to call sleep wrinkles – little lines you get in your nail polish when it’s not completely dry and you fall asleep.

I also managed to scratch off a little piece on my middle finger. This is just a mess and the picture is horrible quality because I’m in my work office under the most unflattering lighting. I apologize, but I promised myself I would keep you up to date on my nails and this is what I’m sporting for the next few days! As soon as I get my three research projects turned in this week (I know, gross), I will give you a really cute design! Do you have any ideas for my next manicure? I’m sure my brain will be fried by the end of this week so I might need some help!

United at Last!

Well, I can finally say that I have found a polish on my Bucket (of Polish) List. I finally found “Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam” by Nicole OPI. This weekend I went home for Presidents Day and went shopping with my mom, sisters, and aunt. I saw this polish on a shelf and didn’t even care about the price (which is probably a bad thing) and as soon as I brought it back to school I slapped it on my nails.
I did find a couple other polishes on my Bucket list…but I’ll post about those when I use them.
Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam is a gorgeous dark teal with a hint of dark green. It has no shimmer, which I love, and I think it would be absolutely gorgeous as a matte! I didn’t have time last night to do a fancy design (yay college life), so I used my favorite flakie, Essie Shine of the Times, as an accent nail. I don’t know how long I’ll keep this on but for now it’s just perfect.

By the way, please ignore my nasty cuticles. It’s embarrassing! But like I said, I didn’t have much time. I’ll do better next time, I promise!