Mini Haul, My Latest Mani, and a Summer 2012 Polish Line Release Update

My second favorite prop: Vodka!!! Second only to a luscious bottle of polish. I don't get to enjoy these chilly beverages nearly often enough. 

Here was my mini haul from Sally Beauty. I had a coupon for $10 off a $20 purchase. So I spent a grand total of less than $11!!!! Wow!!!! 

I know, I know....no pretty polishes. I am banned from buying anything that's not on my WISHLIST. I have almost filled a Helmer in just a matter of months. And to be honest, it feels pretty extreme. I am trying to be very selective about what polishes I buy and I've solemnly swore I won't over-fill my Helmer. I won't call this a no-buy...just a selective-buying period. 

I pretty much just stocked up on the necessities: acetone, Gelous, polish thinner. I have been having a lot of friends over for mani/pedis and I go through certain supplies pretty quickly. I got these nifty toe separators which I LOVE! I never use the larger ones because they hurt my toes. These are perfect!!! I got a crystal file, which kind of sucks, so I wouldn't recommend it. I also got a cheapy bottle of liquid mascara. I usually use a pencil but thought I'd give liquid a try. It was not a fun experience at all. LOL! My friends say I just need more practice. I don't know about that though, I like my make-up to be simple and quick. I picked up a gigantic birchwood stick because...well...it was big. Plus I love those things. They are handy for all sorts of nail related endeavors. I like to use them to clean under my nails and to push my cuticles back. They also work great for a variety of nail art tasks. The cashier at Sally's threw a couple sample packs of a foot soak into my bag. SCORE! I love free stuff. 

As for my mani, I finally tried out one of my polishes from the China Glaze Magnetix Collection. I bought all but one. I've used them on other people, but I had not yet tried them on myself. I am now an even bigger fan! 

This is one coat of China Glaze "Cling On", variations of the 3  magnet designs, and 1 coat of Butter London P.D. Quick Topcoat. My only real problem, was I kept touching the magnet to my fingers like a nail-tard. 

This polish was super easy to use, it was a one coater, and voila...instant nail art!!! I love these polishes and I can't wait to get the new magnets and maybe a few new colors when China Glaze releases the Magnetix II collection later this summer. 

In case you missed that release, here's a promo photo:

Now, as for the release of my Summer Line, everything is ready to go except my swatches. I am releasing a total of 6 new colors as well as 3 of the old ones.

I ripped off a pinky nail over the weekend and maimed my nails. By maimed I don't mean nubbin nail, I mean that I am freakin injured! Swelling. Bleeding. Exposed nail bed. I am no baby, but it hurt so bad and was throbbing so horribly that it kept me awake all night after it happened. So much for taking all my pictures! Here's a pic, it's not nearly as bad now. It's been a couple days and lots of nurturing later.

So I found a "hand double" (my lovely niece) to fill in for me and I'm hoping to get in a power swatching session later today. I can't make any promises on time frames though. I'm so over-committed right now. I am taking summer classes at school. I am cramming for my graduation this December. My classes aren't hard, per say, but I am really bogged down with class work. I'm taking 3 online classes right now. That's a 9 week semester class crammed into 3 weeks. I am turning in 3 page case study papers 4 times a week!!! That is no exaggeration. I love to write and I'm pumping this homework out like a pro, but between the kids, the house, my job, blogging, polish.....and that's not even the half of it. I don't have any choice but to re-prioritize on a daily basis. I hate that! I want to throw myself into launching this polish because it's ready to go. I have no choice but to put other things first sometimes.

I already have an associate degree and I'll be graduating in just a few short months with my Bachelor of Business Administration degree from KSU. I am going to throw the biggest graduation party this town has ever seen. I'm more excited to plan my graduation party than I was to plan my wedding and that's real! This is a huge life long accomplishment and dream of mine. Anyone can get married....THIS is something I am truly proud of. :)



Anyway, there's my story of what's going on in my life right now. I don't usually like to do wordy personal posts, but I've had a lot of readers ask me to start opening up a little more, so hear it is folks...a life story! :) 

3 Part Mani: Part 3: More Layering: OPI "Super Bass Shatter"

So what do you do, when your week old mani starts to show some minor tip wear and a growth gap but you don't feel like changing your polish???

SMOTHER IT IN SHATTER!!!! 

In case you missed it, here are links to my nailcare routine and parts 1 and 2:

My Nail Care Routine

Part 1

Part 2

I know the majority of people are either over or never liked shatter polishes. I think they're okay. They aren't like to die for, but I was pleased that it gave me a few more days to wear this mani around. What do you think?? Have you ever been too lazy to change your polish and just slapped some crackle on it??

3 Part Mani: Part 2: Layering: OPI "Pirouette My Whistle"

For those of you paying attention, I added a third part to this mani. I have gotten extrordinarily good at getting a good week or so out of a mani. I will go in and either add more paint or another layer of topcoat to  my manicure every few days and it really does wonders for extending the wear. I'm not easy on a manicure either, I wash dishes everyday, tap out show tunes on my steering wheel, pick dried macaroni off the kitchen table, gardening without gloves, you name it. I credit good tops and bases and the addition of new layers for the long life of each of my manicures. Anyway, here's part two of my mani. If you want to see my basecoats and Part 1, here are the links: 

My Nail Care Routine

Part 1: OPI "Pedal Faster Suzi"

For this Mani I used: 

2 coats of OPI "Pirouette My Whistle"

1 coat of American Classics "Gelous"

I love this polish, but truth be told, it belongs over a more bold color. It is sort of washed out over the pastel pink. It was still really pretty and sparkly, but you missed the matte white glitter unless you were looking for it.

My CURRENT Nail Care Routine

Yes, I change products constantly. I mean...I basically use the same types of products, but like experimenting with new things. 

I use these to "exfoliate" my cuticles and clean my nails after I remove my polish and shape my nails

Here are my clean up products. 100% Acetone is all I use. I haven't had any issues with it damaging my cuticles. I get too annoyed to scrub with any other kind. I have tried a few brands, but I always end up going back to plain old acetone. 

I use polish thinner to thin my polishes if they are old or have evaporated. I used to use acetone, but since I've heard this damages the color of polish I switched to thinner instead. It's pretty inexpensive anyway and a bottle lasts you forever. 

Current favorite base and topcoats: 

• OPI Nail Envy Original Nail Strengthener: I have noticed a marked improvement in the strength of my nails since I started using this. I suggest using a trusted brand of strengthener. I like this one because I noticed a difference. Some people might. Some people might not. 
• American Classics Bridge the Ridge Ridgefiller: I follow my nourishing base coat with a coat of a ridgefiller. My nails are super ridgy and this stuff really smooths them out and the milky pigment of the polish is just enough to make my naturally dark nails look whiter. Ridgefiller also works great for smoothing nail repairs. I suggest any brand. I like this brand, Orly, Butter London Nail Foundation, or Beauty Secrets Ridgefiller. I like a certain consistency when it comes to nail foundation, but I haven't noticed that any brand is better than another. 
• Seche Vite Fast Dry Topcoat: I haven't had a problem with the polish shrinking. But let me tell you now...this topcoat dries fast but DOES NOT PROTECT. I don't intend for it to either. I put this over fresh polish and nail art for quick drying and high gloss. I've heard a lot of name dropping for Fast Dry Topcoats. So there are a lot of these to choose from and everyone has their own opinion on them. 
• American Classics Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat: When my polish is absolutely, positively, rock-hard dry (like I'm talking 12+ hours after application, I usually wait a full day or so), I add a nice healthy heaping of Gelous to my nails. I like that it's thick and protects well. I have also used Oh So Wet which also worked very well. I am picky about this coat. It needs to protect, it needs to shine, and it needs to be thick.
•  I use nippers on hangnails or torn cuticles. It's quick and pain-free. People discourage using these bc you could hurt yourself. But just like with Tweezers or any beauty tool...don't be a psycho with it and be careful. Easy peasy! This is a tool that must be sharp to work. 
• I use baby nail clipper to shape my nails cut the corners off of my nails as they grow. They work great for rounding my nails. They also prevent the cracking you have sometimes with the large ones.I don't like filing my nails. I do my best to avoid it because my nails peel and break more when I use them. 
• I use just about anything to push my cuticles. If my nails are long, I use my thumbnails to push my cuticles because it doesn't scratch my nails and its gentle. Orange sticks work good too. They're gentle and they clean under the nail really well. I have a metal spoon I like a lot but I really only use it on stubborn cuticles or when I'm doing someone else's nails. 
• I use a really fine grit yellow spongy nail block to buff the free edge of my nail for like a few seconds. It's specially made for natural nails. I buff just enough to remove any crust or peeling off the edge of my nail. That's as far as I go with filing. 

Ah yesss...and here she is....

My Holy Grail Of All My Nail Products

I have this product to thank for my nails getting evenly long. I used to have a lot of problems with a few, not all, of my nails peeling and breaking. This product works wonders for quick repairs. I don't follow the directions. I have my own way of using it. I don't brush the whole nail with glue. I just use the glue and powder on a problem area. I do the process twice. Brush. Dip. Smooth (right away..don't wait for it to dry or its harder to smooth out). Brush. Dip. Smooth. Everything comes in a nice user-friendly kit that's cheap and lasts forever. I think it's like $6 at Sally's. They are always have sales on it too. There is enough product to last ages. I had a problem a few months ago with the glue bottle getting stuck. The nice cashier at Sally's Beauty gave me a new kit and suggested I put some cuticle oil around the neck of bottle where the threads are. This worked perfectly. No more stuck glue bottle. I'm still waiting for Orly to hire me to sell their product since I never shut up about it. :P

And of course MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE!!!

I like using a lot of different moisturizers in various shapes, forms, consistencies and scents. It's my thing I guess. This is just the collection I have with my Helmer and in my purse. I have a whole 'nother collection in my medicine cabinet and next to my bed. I like oils for manicures, lotions for all day multi-use, and balms once a day to nourish. 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my nail care routine. I'm not saying I'm right. I'm not saying I'm wrong. And since I switch it up often, I'm ALWAYS looking for new ideas and useful hints. 

So what's your routine?? 

Got any tips???

3 Part Mani: Step 3: Nail Art: SHAMROCK POP!!!!

Ha, I skipped a step...did you notice? 

Yeah, I sat down today to do my St. Patty's Day nail art and right when I started to paint, I realized...duh...I forgot to take photos of Step 2. 

That stinks!!! Because actually it was a really awesome mani. I layered some Revlon Pineapple Fizz over my Revlon Sunshine Sparkle. It was a really nice looking combo. It looked like I dipped my nails in glistening sunshine. 

Anyway, on to the art...

For Part 2: Layering:
I used:

• 2 coats Revlon Pineapple Fizz
• 1 coat Seche Vite

I wore that look around for a day or so before I added art. 

For Part 3: Nail Art: SHAMROCK POP

I used:

• Green and Black Acrylic Paint from my local craft store 
• Dotting tool from my local craft store
• 1 coat Gelous
• 1 coat Seche Vite

Acrylic paint works pretty nicely for some nail art. The nice things about it are that 

1. It's super cheap and is sold everywhere for next to nothing
2. You get the chance to erase your designs without ruining the polish underneath. HOW?? You can just wipe acrylic paint off your fingernail with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will take off the acrylic paint but not your polish. Just make sure the polish you're doing art on is absolutely dry before you start drawing. 

If you can make hearts and lines pretty easily, I'm sure you can make shamrocks, and probably way better than me. I've got shaky hands. Here's the basic idea:

I loved that Revlon Pineapple Fizz so much! It was from a Revlon Summer 2011 Collection called the "Sweetly Seductive Collection. I know I probably don't have much chance of getting year old Revlons, but if anyone anywhere knows any place I could buy them or swap them...please do tell. They are officially on my BLOG WISHLIST PAGE. I know my list isn't very long but each item is something I really really pine over. 

4 Part Mani: Part 3: Stamping: Cheetah Print

I started part 1 of this mani on Saturday February 26th and it is now 9 days later, March 6th and I am still adding to this mani. I can't believe the paint has stayed on this long. FANTASTIC!!! I added to it today because I was sick of looking at the same thing. But I really didn't have any major tip wear.

Want to know what I think the staying power comes from? I have no doubt in my mind that it's the Gelous Topcoat I use. My manicures have been lasting extra strong and extra long since I started using that stuff.

I've come to the experimental conclusion that it's not price that gives a polish staying power. It's using a good base and topcoat. You may not agree...but for me, it's a fact.

I use a fast dry topcoat when I first paint my nails for quick drying but they do nothing to protect your mani. So after several hours or a day later, I will add a thick coat of Gelous to my mani. I used to use "Oh So Wet" as a gel topcoat, but I am now obsessed with Gelous.

 In case you missed, or don't remember steps 1 and 2, here they are:

• Part 2: Layering: Sinful Colors "Paris"
• Part 1: Polish: Sally Hansen "Quick Sand"

I used: 

• Konad Special Black Polish
• Julep Fast Dry Topcoat
• Gelous Advanced Nail Gel
• Seacret Cuticle Oil (Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!) 

Bundle Monster 221 Plate: Cheetah Print

Stay tuned to see my 4th and final addition to this mani in a day or so when I get sick of the loud cheetah print. :)

The Nail Junkie: 3 part mani: Step 2: Layering: Revlon "Stunning"

See step 1-->The Nail Junkie: 3 part mani: Step 1: Polish! Barry M Indigo:

And here's what Barry M Indigo looks like smothered in glitter!!! 

• 2 coats Barry M Indigo
• 2 coats Revlon Stunning
• 1 coat of Gelous topcoat
• Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

 

Stay tuned to tomorrow to see part 3 of this mani. :)