I think this is two coats of Dazzle Me over two or three coats of Office. I really like this combo, it gives a bit more visual interest to a plain cream. Very nice topper.
Showing posts with label top coat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label top coat. Show all posts
Sunday, April 17, 2011
OPI Dazzle Me over American Apparel Office
I think that my biggest nail polish love is light blue, but mint green is up there too; I have sooo many! Anyway, a friend of mine gifted me with OPI Dazzle Me, silver shimmer/microglitter in a pale green-tinged base. I thought this would be perfect over a mint green, so I wore it over AA Office:
I think this is two coats of Dazzle Me over two or three coats of Office. I really like this combo, it gives a bit more visual interest to a plain cream. Very nice topper.
I think this is two coats of Dazzle Me over two or three coats of Office. I really like this combo, it gives a bit more visual interest to a plain cream. Very nice topper.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin
I am not really a red nail polish person, but I do think that everyone needs a few. I was feeling inspired by a new red lipstick I tried (more on that in a later post), and Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin really fit the bill.
It's a bright, almost-orange, coral red. Perfect for spring and summer, sexy and fun at the same time. Formula on this one was great, easy to work with and perfect in two coats (that's how many I'm wearing in the photo). I'm thinking about putting it on my toes, too.
On another note, I think I've finally found a base coat/top coat combination that works (for me) with RBL. I have heard that if you use their Treatment System, it works well. The Treatment System consists of Base Coat Prep, Base Coat, and Top Coat. From what I have read, BCP is basically a thin, clear, sticky base and Base Coat is a milky, ridge-filling base coat (Top Coat is just a clear top coat). I mimicked the Treatment System by using Orly Bonder as the BCP, Nail Tek Foundation II (ridge-filling base) as the base coat, and then Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat instead of Seche Vite, since SV is not 3-free. When I used just Orly Bonder and SV with RBL polishes, my manicure would literally start chipping in less than 12 hours, even before taking a shower. So far, my new combo is working well with Bangin! I might try this with other polishes as well.
I have to admit, part of the reason why I bought Bangin is because I thought it was pretty close to the color of one of my favorite pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes!
Not an exact match, but very close. Everyone needs some red lipstick, red polish, and red shoes!
On another note, I think I've finally found a base coat/top coat combination that works (for me) with RBL. I have heard that if you use their Treatment System, it works well. The Treatment System consists of Base Coat Prep, Base Coat, and Top Coat. From what I have read, BCP is basically a thin, clear, sticky base and Base Coat is a milky, ridge-filling base coat (Top Coat is just a clear top coat). I mimicked the Treatment System by using Orly Bonder as the BCP, Nail Tek Foundation II (ridge-filling base) as the base coat, and then Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat instead of Seche Vite, since SV is not 3-free. When I used just Orly Bonder and SV with RBL polishes, my manicure would literally start chipping in less than 12 hours, even before taking a shower. So far, my new combo is working well with Bangin! I might try this with other polishes as well.
I have to admit, part of the reason why I bought Bangin is because I thought it was pretty close to the color of one of my favorite pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Cover Girl IceSlicks
I already swatched Anti-Freeze a while ago, but I recently bought a few more on ebay so I thought I'd do a comparison. I did these all over Diamond Cosmetics Crushed Velvet which is actually a dark purple, but it looks blue in the pictures.
All of them go on clear and the glitter is iridescent. The glitter in Arctic ranges from cerulean to teal, depending on the angle. The glitter in Krypton-Ice goes from teal to yellow-green. Orange Slush's glitter goes from red-orange to yellow-orange. Pink Ice has the same glitter as Orange Slush, plus a royal blue glitter. Anti-Freeze has the same royal blue glitter as Pink Ice, but also small specks of pale green glitter (possibly the same as the glitter in Krypton-Ice).
I really love all of these! Even though I only wore the different colors on each finger for this comparison, I loved wearing them so much that I did it on my other hand too. There's a good amount of glitter as a top coat, I am wearing two coats of each color. Not dense enough to wear by themselves, though. As much as I love these, I do have some complaints. First of all, they REEK! I'm sure it has to do with the chemicals (pretty sure these are not 3-free) but whatever the reason, they smell like rotting garlic or something. I don't even mind the smell of most nail polishes that much but these smell gross. The other big complaint I have is that they do not seem to mesh well with 3-free polishes. I put Seche Vite over my mani, but it was still dent-able for at least two days, maybe more. Also, I'm not sure if this is a well-known fact that I am just discovering, but it seems like when you put SV over polishes that take a very long time to dry, small cracks eventually form in the polish. Weird. Still, I love these glitters so much that I am willing to deal with it all; I don't think there is anything similar out there right now.
I know people have been able to find these at their local Dollar Tree locations, but I bought these on ebay. If you are lucky enough to find some, pick them up!
All of them go on clear and the glitter is iridescent. The glitter in Arctic ranges from cerulean to teal, depending on the angle. The glitter in Krypton-Ice goes from teal to yellow-green. Orange Slush's glitter goes from red-orange to yellow-orange. Pink Ice has the same glitter as Orange Slush, plus a royal blue glitter. Anti-Freeze has the same royal blue glitter as Pink Ice, but also small specks of pale green glitter (possibly the same as the glitter in Krypton-Ice).
I really love all of these! Even though I only wore the different colors on each finger for this comparison, I loved wearing them so much that I did it on my other hand too. There's a good amount of glitter as a top coat, I am wearing two coats of each color. Not dense enough to wear by themselves, though. As much as I love these, I do have some complaints. First of all, they REEK! I'm sure it has to do with the chemicals (pretty sure these are not 3-free) but whatever the reason, they smell like rotting garlic or something. I don't even mind the smell of most nail polishes that much but these smell gross. The other big complaint I have is that they do not seem to mesh well with 3-free polishes. I put Seche Vite over my mani, but it was still dent-able for at least two days, maybe more. Also, I'm not sure if this is a well-known fact that I am just discovering, but it seems like when you put SV over polishes that take a very long time to dry, small cracks eventually form in the polish. Weird. Still, I love these glitters so much that I am willing to deal with it all; I don't think there is anything similar out there right now.
I know people have been able to find these at their local Dollar Tree locations, but I bought these on ebay. If you are lucky enough to find some, pick them up!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal and Sally Hansen Age Correct
Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of updates! I've been trying out a new topcoat and really wanted to see how it lasted before posting. First, though, the color:
This one was a bit of a surprise. It's really a true teal, a mix of blue and green, a bit on the darker side. Very pretty color, unexpected but understated. This is one coat, but as you can see, I should have added another. The flaws are highlighted because of the flash, though.
As I've mentioned before, I've been having a lot of problems with RBL polishes. I usually get a lot of wear out of nail polish, but with RBL I had been getting sizable chips literally within 12 hours of application. I looked up reviews on MUA and saw that one of the highest-rated base coats is Sally Hansen Age Correct No Chip Base and Top Coat (quite a mouthful). It has been discontinued, but don't worry, it's easily available on ebay and Amazon for around $5 shipped. As a base coat, it dried quickly. As a top coat, it took a bit of time (probably 10-15 minutes or so to dry completely) and although it does have shine, it applies thinly and doesn't give you that glassy finish like Seche Vite. Despite this, it held up well! I took the picture after four days, I think. It's my non-dominant hand, but my other hand looked about the same, maybe slightly more wear. This is only with one coat of polish, and for me less coats usually means more chipping. Overall, I highly recommend this product! I think next time I might try it as a base coat only, or add a coat of Seche Vite on top.
Why do they stop making such great products?!
This one was a bit of a surprise. It's really a true teal, a mix of blue and green, a bit on the darker side. Very pretty color, unexpected but understated. This is one coat, but as you can see, I should have added another. The flaws are highlighted because of the flash, though.
As I've mentioned before, I've been having a lot of problems with RBL polishes. I usually get a lot of wear out of nail polish, but with RBL I had been getting sizable chips literally within 12 hours of application. I looked up reviews on MUA and saw that one of the highest-rated base coats is Sally Hansen Age Correct No Chip Base and Top Coat (quite a mouthful). It has been discontinued, but don't worry, it's easily available on ebay and Amazon for around $5 shipped. As a base coat, it dried quickly. As a top coat, it took a bit of time (probably 10-15 minutes or so to dry completely) and although it does have shine, it applies thinly and doesn't give you that glassy finish like Seche Vite. Despite this, it held up well! I took the picture after four days, I think. It's my non-dominant hand, but my other hand looked about the same, maybe slightly more wear. This is only with one coat of polish, and for me less coats usually means more chipping. Overall, I highly recommend this product! I think next time I might try it as a base coat only, or add a coat of Seche Vite on top.
Why do they stop making such great products?!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sally Hansen Dive Deeper and Top Coat Comparison
Hi everyone! My BF has been home the past ten days because he has pink eye. I haven't caught it yet, thank goodness, and he seems to be getting better. I bring it up b/c I feel a little silly taking pictures of my nails in front of him! The only thing he thought was funny was when I gripped my iPod Touch in the last picture so that I could show my thumb, haha.
Anyway, here's my most recent mani, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Dive Deeper (from the LE Tracy Reese collection):
Dive Deeper is a pearly pale blue. Application was okay; the wide, curved brush makes it easy. I like it more than the OPI Pro Wide one b/c the curved shape makes application more accurate. Dry time took a while, but my biggest complaint is that this color is so sheer! I wore it alone, without base or top coat, because I wanted to test its claims to being a "complete salon manicure." It actually held up pretty well, but it took five coats to get the coverage you see in the picture with still slightly visible nail line. I do like the color but next time I'm going to start with a coat of a light blue cream polish to make sure there's enough coverage.
Here it is with a coat of Essie Carnival (a new purchase!):
It looks a bit more washed out in this picture, the first one shows the color more accurately. Carnival is a clear topcoat with holo glitter. Love it! From pictures it looks pretty similar to China Glaze Fairy Dust, but I'm not positive that they are complete dupes since I don't have CG to compare.
I love Carnival so I decided to do a comparison of top coats to see how it compares to the others I have.
Thumb to pinky: Sally Hansen CSM Hidden Treasure, Tony & Tina Lucid Dreams, Essie Carnival, OPI Pearl of Wisdom, China Glaze Kaleidoscope Him Out (all one coat over American Apparel Hassid, no top coat).
Hidden Treasure is very interesting! It's an opalescent flakey with clear base. As you can see in the picture, it mainly shines orange with some yellow and green duochrome. Application was fine but it took quite a while to dry. Dense enough to wear alone with good coverage in a couple of coats. I know this has been pretty HTF lately, but Nubar 2010 is pretty close and readily available on ebay for decent prices.
Lucid Dreams is probably hard to find, but I included it b/c I'm sure there are many dupes out there. This one is an opalescent glitter in a clear base, mostly shines aqua with some orange. Dried quickly, dense enough to wear alone.
Carnival, as I stated above, is a holo glitter in a clear base. Quick drying time, and the finish is almost satiny. The glitter isn't very densely packed, so I would only wear it alone if I was going for a very subtle glitter effect. I'd like to try this over a French, maybe.
Pearl of Wisdom looks like a sheer white pearl in the bottle but shows up over black as a duochrome! I'm sure this would work over other colors as well. Very cool effect. Good drying time. Could be worn alone but it would be very sheer, obviously.
Kaleidoscope Him Out isn't really a top coat, but I thought I'd try it over black just to see. I think it does look kind of cool over black, but I can't wait to try it alone. It's a light blue jelly base w/ holo powder. I'm sure this would be opaque on the nail in two or three coats, and would also look more blue.
What top coats do you like to use?
Anyway, here's my most recent mani, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Dive Deeper (from the LE Tracy Reese collection):
Dive Deeper is a pearly pale blue. Application was okay; the wide, curved brush makes it easy. I like it more than the OPI Pro Wide one b/c the curved shape makes application more accurate. Dry time took a while, but my biggest complaint is that this color is so sheer! I wore it alone, without base or top coat, because I wanted to test its claims to being a "complete salon manicure." It actually held up pretty well, but it took five coats to get the coverage you see in the picture with still slightly visible nail line. I do like the color but next time I'm going to start with a coat of a light blue cream polish to make sure there's enough coverage.
Here it is with a coat of Essie Carnival (a new purchase!):
It looks a bit more washed out in this picture, the first one shows the color more accurately. Carnival is a clear topcoat with holo glitter. Love it! From pictures it looks pretty similar to China Glaze Fairy Dust, but I'm not positive that they are complete dupes since I don't have CG to compare.
I love Carnival so I decided to do a comparison of top coats to see how it compares to the others I have.
Thumb to pinky: Sally Hansen CSM Hidden Treasure, Tony & Tina Lucid Dreams, Essie Carnival, OPI Pearl of Wisdom, China Glaze Kaleidoscope Him Out (all one coat over American Apparel Hassid, no top coat).
Hidden Treasure is very interesting! It's an opalescent flakey with clear base. As you can see in the picture, it mainly shines orange with some yellow and green duochrome. Application was fine but it took quite a while to dry. Dense enough to wear alone with good coverage in a couple of coats. I know this has been pretty HTF lately, but Nubar 2010 is pretty close and readily available on ebay for decent prices.
Lucid Dreams is probably hard to find, but I included it b/c I'm sure there are many dupes out there. This one is an opalescent glitter in a clear base, mostly shines aqua with some orange. Dried quickly, dense enough to wear alone.
Carnival, as I stated above, is a holo glitter in a clear base. Quick drying time, and the finish is almost satiny. The glitter isn't very densely packed, so I would only wear it alone if I was going for a very subtle glitter effect. I'd like to try this over a French, maybe.
Pearl of Wisdom looks like a sheer white pearl in the bottle but shows up over black as a duochrome! I'm sure this would work over other colors as well. Very cool effect. Good drying time. Could be worn alone but it would be very sheer, obviously.
Kaleidoscope Him Out isn't really a top coat, but I thought I'd try it over black just to see. I think it does look kind of cool over black, but I can't wait to try it alone. It's a light blue jelly base w/ holo powder. I'm sure this would be opaque on the nail in two or three coats, and would also look more blue.
What top coats do you like to use?
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