My nails this week

Blue: Color Club in, errr, the sticker came off on the bottom, but I've used it before! (2 coats on one side) Purple: Color Club in Pucci-licious (2 coats on the other side) Black crackle: Avon Mosaic Top Coat  Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

My nails this week

Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips in Check it Out. I put a little silver glitter on it and I also did my toes. Heyyyy, $10 mani/pedi! ;)

I wrote about this previously here.

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My nails this week, July 18th

Base coat- Avon Nail Experts Mineral Fix

Top coat- Avon Nail Experts UV Gloss Guard

Main color
Color Club mini in Chelsea Girl (Duane Reade)
Same brand I tried last week, I had to put 3 coats of this color to get it to my liking.

Accents 
L.A. Girl Flare in Yellow (Forever 21 last year). Very opaque, one coat shows a lot.

Absolute! in Orange (local bss)
Absolute! in Fuschia (local bss)

This brand is like 99cents, you need like a million coats ;)

Here they are in better lighting

My nails this week, July 11th

I did the dots on my thumb one by one.

The purple color is a nail polish I found at Duane Reade last week for $2.49, it's a small bottle 0.25 fl oz (mini), a brand named Color Club in the color Pucci-Licious (N20). It goes on like some $0.99 nail polishes do, with a bit of streaks and extremely matte, but two coats and a top coat later, it looks beautiful. I'll be going back for more.

They come in a beautiful selection of colors, so much so that I had a hard time choosing one. The display is what caught my eye.

The green is the same Jade Avon nail polish I used last week. I'm in love with it. Two coats of this (and no top coat) took longer to dry than two coats of the Pucci-Licious and the top coat!

The dots, I used a combo of the Jade and a darker purple (Let's Talk #929) Sinful Colors shade on top of the Pucci-Licious.

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$10 do-it-yourself, 7-day "Minx" Mani/Pedi!

I'm not a huge fan of running to get a mani/pedi done at a salon because I never feel like they do a better job than I can do myself. I mean, for pampering reasons, sure, but I don't need to go to a salon. Plus I've always been self-sufficient and experimental in that department, back in high school I remember doing my nails with small dots all over them, each dot one by one. Not exactly the quickest, but back then I had a lot of time, lol! Now I don't, so I was glad to discover and try Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips back in February or so.  They come in solid fluorescent colors, glitter and art designs...23 strips to choose from, each around $9.99! Because my nails are short, I am able to use the remainder of the strip on my toes! Because these aren't stickers but actual nail polish, you have to work fast and do it all in one shot before it dries out.  Once you open the sealed package, air is already invading and drying it up.  My toenails last longer than my fingers though and I tend to have to do my nails in regular nail polish until my toes start looking like they need to be done.  I am currently wearing Fly With Me, but I've tried Misbehaved and Collide-o-Scope (on my cruise in March, yay!) The Laced Up design is always sold out and Frock Star has been on my radar for a while now. They claim it lasts 10 days, but for me around the 7th day they start looking pretty bad. Certain designs look worse quicker than others. Like Fly With me has a white background, so it shows imperfections quicker. My toenails last more than two weeks. They say it's a breeze to remove, but I find it takes a little longer than removing regular nail polish, but it's no biggie.





I know, I'm brave to put up this pic! As you can see, it is starting to fade and crack, but this is after 2 weeks!


These strips are really a simple to apply, just follow the instructions. I wouldn't recommend applying in a really cold/breezy room as it will dry them out quicker.  You don't need a base or top coat and it literally takes about 20mins, if so much, to do both your hands and feet. Your nails aren't wet or anything, so after the 20 mins, you're all set and ready to go.  No smudging! You can even experiment and do some nails with the design and others with regular nail polish or mix and match strips. You should definitely try them out!

They now have a Designer Collection that I can't wait to try. Don't Get Catty looks HAWT! ;) There are 5 designs total in this collection.

Tip: A lot of drugstores have BOGO 1/2 off or free, be on the lookout and stock up!  The last time I got Fly With Me and the Salon Manicure nail polish that I spoke about in my last post from Rite Aid, paid about $13 for both.   

My Nail Polish This Week, July 4th

Avon's Nailwear Pro Nail Enamel in the color Jade (two coats), on sale for $1.99. It is comparable to Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure. I've tried both, the Sally Hansen's is a thicker so you may not need two coats.

"Up to 10-day wear.* High-gloss shine. Salon-quality precision brush. No formaldehyde, toluene or phthalates. .4 fl. oz.
*With normal touch-ups."

If it lasts 10 days? Not on me, but they claim that it only does with normal touch-ups, which I tend not to do, I just wipe it off and do it over.

No base coat or top coat needed, but I learned to always use a base coat. This time I am using Avon NAIL EXPERTS Lemon Fortifier. I have the Sally Hansen in Fairy Teal and I didn't use a base coat and when I removed it, there were still traces of color on the sides of my fingers and it was a pain to completely get rid of it. 

Tip: bring your own nail polish when you go to get your nails done, at least you can use it to touch up when needed. When you buy the polish they use in the salon, it usually costs more than if you were to buy it at a drugstore or anywhere else ;) Essie and OPI doesn't always mean the best. Yes, they are great (with fun names!), but a lot of drugstore brands are just as comparable. Give them a try!

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