FingerPaints Fun-Fetti

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I got an unexpected surprise today, so I can show you FingerPaints Fun-fetti, the stand-alone FingerPaints holiday glitter release I'd shown you the press release for last week.  I hadn't really expected Sally Beauty Supply to go through the hassle and shipping expense of sending samples of this one out, but it showed up today.  I had something to go to earlier tonight, and I opted to change my manicure to Fun-fetti rather than wear makeup.  It got a good compliment, so I think it was the right pick - the woman next to me while I was out touched a finger and said "It's beautiful!", which was nice.

I looked at the bottle next to Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular!, and the FingerPaints glitter is both bigger and brighter.   I don't have OPI Rainbow Connection for comparison.

FingerPaints Fun-fetti and Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular! Comparison

For the manicure, I thought Fun-fetti could use an opaque base, and I chose silver.  I used Orly  Dazzle, but I think any silver foil would work well (Dazzle is good and I've used and like Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City and  FingerPaints Easel Come, Easel Go myself, and have only heard good about Zoya Trixie).  Dazzle needed two coats to not be blotchy, and after giving that a few minutes to set I added two coats of FingerPaints Fun-fetti, which is a bit on the thick side but easy to apply and fast drying.  It currently has one coat of Tout de Suite for top coat, and although it's not perfectly smooth and I'll add another layer of top coat in the morning, it's surprisingly not lumpy.  The glitter lies far flatter than I'd expected given its size.

FingerPaints Fun-Fetti Nail Polish, Two Coats over Silver

Here's a closer look at the glitter.

FingerPaints Fun-Fetti Nail Polish over Silver, A Closer Look at the Glitter

I really like this.  Some of the glitter's at the upper end of how big I like it, but in the bright colors it works for me.  Typically random compliments come on manicures that are a lot of work, so getting one simple layered glitter was an indicator of how cool this polish is.  I also think it'll be pretty versatile in terms of colors it can be layered over.

The press info tells me this will be available from November through January only at SallyBeauty.com for $4.99 and is a limited edition, and that's a link to it on their site (I just checked to get a link and found it there already).  That's what I know about FingerPaints Fun-fetti, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

FingerPaints Fun-Fetti

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I got an unexpected surprise today, so I can show you FingerPaints Fun-fetti, the stand-alone FingerPaints holiday glitter release I'd shown you the press release for last week.  I hadn't really expected Sally Beauty Supply to go through the hassle and shipping expense of sending samples of this one out, but it showed up today.  I had something to go to earlier tonight, and I opted to change my manicure to Fun-fetti rather than wear makeup.  It got a good compliment, so I think it was the right pick - the woman next to me while I was out touched a finger and said "It's beautiful!", which was nice.

I looked at the bottle next to Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular!, and the FingerPaints glitter is both bigger and brighter.   I don't have OPI Rainbow Connection for comparison.

FingerPaints Fun-fetti and Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular! Comparison

For the manicure, I thought Fun-fetti could use an opaque base, and I chose silver.  I used Orly  Dazzle, but I think any silver foil would work well (Dazzle is good and I've used and like Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City and  FingerPaints Easel Come, Easel Go myself, and have only heard good about Zoya Trixie).  Dazzle needed two coats to not be blotchy, and after giving that a few minutes to set I added two coats of FingerPaints Fun-fetti, which is a bit on the thick side but easy to apply and fast drying.  It currently has one coat of Tout de Suite for top coat, and although it's not perfectly smooth and I'll add another layer of top coat in the morning, it's surprisingly not lumpy.  The glitter lies far flatter than I'd expected given its size.

FingerPaints Fun-Fetti Nail Polish, Two Coats over Silver

Here's a closer look at the glitter.

FingerPaints Fun-Fetti Nail Polish over Silver, A Closer Look at the Glitter

I really like this.  Some of the glitter's at the upper end of how big I like it, but in the bright colors it works for me.  Typically random compliments come on manicures that are a lot of work, so getting one simple layered glitter was an indicator of how cool this polish is.  I also think it'll be pretty versatile in terms of colors it can be layered over.

The press info tells me this will be available from November through January only at SallyBeauty.com for $4.99 and is a limited edition, and that's a link to it on their site (I just checked to get a link and found it there already).  That's what I know about FingerPaints Fun-fetti, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Nubar Boyfriend Jeans & Chanel Blue Boy Comparison

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Today I have another installment of the Nubar Jeans and Les Jeans des Chanel comparison with Nubar Boyfriend Jeans and Chanel Blue Boy.  I did it the same way as for Nubar Faded Jeans, with a manicure of base coat, two coats of color, and top coat, using Boyfriend Jeans on nine nails and Blue Boy on one.  I gave the mani some time to dry and then took pictures.  The sun is barely out today so I only have an overcast picture, and you might notice that my hand looks kind of red in the picture.  That's because it is - it's 63° inside right now since I refuse to turn on the heat so early, and my hands get ridiculously cold.  Here's the unlabelled version so you can get a first impression.

Nubar Boyfriend Jeans Nail Polish with One Chanel Blue Boy Nail, Two Coats Each

This picture shows you which is the Chanel.

Nubar Boyfriend Jeans and Chanel Blue Boy Comparison, Two Coats Each

I say they're dupes, which is good news.  I really loved the color when it came out of a Chanel bottle and I like it just the same out of a Nubar bottle, but I do a better job with the Nubar brush, so I prefer it.

That's what I know about Boyfriend Jeans versus Blue Boy, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!



Some products were sent for independent review.

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Nubar Boyfriend Jeans & Chanel Blue Boy Comparison

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Today I have another installment of the Nubar Jeans and Les Jeans des Chanel comparison with Nubar Boyfriend Jeans and Chanel Blue Boy.  I did it the same way as for Nubar Faded Jeans, with a manicure of base coat, two coats of color, and top coat, using Boyfriend Jeans on nine nails and Blue Boy on one.  I gave the mani some time to dry and then took pictures.  The sun is barely out today so I only have an overcast picture, and you might notice that my hand looks kind of red in the picture.  That's because it is - it's 63° inside right now since I refuse to turn on the heat so early, and my hands get ridiculously cold.  Here's the unlabelled version so you can get a first impression.

Nubar Boyfriend Jeans Nail Polish with One Chanel Blue Boy Nail, Two Coats Each

This picture shows you which is the Chanel.

Nubar Boyfriend Jeans and Chanel Blue Boy Comparison, Two Coats Each

I say they're dupes, which is good news.  I really loved the color when it came out of a Chanel bottle and I like it just the same out of a Nubar bottle, but I do a better job with the Nubar brush, so I prefer it.

That's what I know about Boyfriend Jeans versus Blue Boy, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!



Some products were sent for independent review.

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Nubar Faded Jeans & Chanel Coco Blue Comparison

Good morning, Dear Reader!

With some sunlight today, I figured I do one of the Nubar Jeans/Les Jeans des Chanel comparisons I'd promised you.  My thought was that I'd do Faded Jeans and Coco Blue and just redo the Coco Blue nail with the Nubar after taking pictures so I could leave it as my manicure for the day, but much to my surprise, that wasn't necessary.  Maybe because the nail wheel was clear on the initial comparison swatches or something (I haven't used the plastic wheels enough to offer more than a guess), they looked different from one another there, but almost the same, with the exception of the shimmer, on my nails.

What I did to compare the two was a regular manicure (base, two coats of color, and top coat), using Nubar Faded Jeans for nine nails and Chanel Coco Blue for one nail, gave it some time to dry, and then took pictures.  The sun was coming and going so I have a direct light picture and a cloud cover picture, but I'll start with the sunlight pic that's not labeled so you can have a look.

Nubar Faded Jeans Nail Polish with a Chanel Coco Blue Nail, Two Coats

Here's the same picture with some identifying text added.

Nubar Faded Jeans and Chanel Coco Blue Comparison in Sunlight

As I mentioned, the sun was coming and going, so here's another look when clouds were blocking some sun.

Nubar Faded Jeans and Chanel Coco Blue Comparison with Cloud Cover

In the sunlight pictures you can more easily see the only real difference between the two, and that's in the shimmer.  In the spots with sunlight directly on the nails, the Nubar's shimmer is more pronounced, but it's still quite subtle.  It's more like Coco Blue looks in the bottle.

That's the first round of Nubar Jeans and Les Jeans de Chanel dry manicure comparisons, and for me they're close enough to call them dupes.  We'll have to see about the other two this week, but since in the bottle these are the two that look the most different from one another, I'm hopeful!  Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!



Some products were sent for independent review.

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Nubar Faded Jeans & Chanel Coco Blue Comparison

Good morning, Dear Reader!

With some sunlight today, I figured I do one of the Nubar Jeans/Les Jeans des Chanel comparisons I'd promised you.  My thought was that I'd do Faded Jeans and Coco Blue and just redo the Coco Blue nail with the Nubar after taking pictures so I could leave it as my manicure for the day, but much to my surprise, that wasn't necessary.  Maybe because the nail wheel was clear on the initial comparison swatches or something (I haven't used the plastic wheels enough to offer more than a guess), they looked different from one another there, but almost the same, with the exception of the shimmer, on my nails.

What I did to compare the two was a regular manicure (base, two coats of color, and top coat), using Nubar Faded Jeans for nine nails and Chanel Coco Blue for one nail, gave it some time to dry, and then took pictures.  The sun was coming and going so I have a direct light picture and a cloud cover picture, but I'll start with the sunlight pic that's not labeled so you can have a look.

Nubar Faded Jeans Nail Polish with a Chanel Coco Blue Nail, Two Coats

Here's the same picture with some identifying text added.

Nubar Faded Jeans and Chanel Coco Blue Comparison in Sunlight

As I mentioned, the sun was coming and going, so here's another look when clouds were blocking some sun.

Nubar Faded Jeans and Chanel Coco Blue Comparison with Cloud Cover

In the sunlight pictures you can more easily see the only real difference between the two, and that's in the shimmer.  In the spots with sunlight directly on the nails, the Nubar's shimmer is more pronounced, but it's still quite subtle.  It's more like Coco Blue looks in the bottle.

That's the first round of Nubar Jeans and Les Jeans de Chanel dry manicure comparisons, and for me they're close enough to call them dupes.  We'll have to see about the other two this week, but since in the bottle these are the two that look the most different from one another, I'm hopeful!  Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!



Some products were sent for independent review.

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Comparison: Barry M Cyan Blue vs. No7 Stand Back

 I don't know if anyone remembers my post from Saturday (find it here if you missed it) where I mentioned a new colour that I purchased from No7 called Stand Back. I noted that it was very similar to Barry M Cyan Blue which I also have, but I had convinced myself that they were different and I needed both of them. Well I decided to try the two on side by side and I discovered that there is literally no difference in the colour! Oh well, what's one more polish in the pile?!

Barry M Cyan Blue and No7 Stand Back

The Barry M colour is in my Top 10 favourite polishes anyway so I'm sure they'll both get plenty of use. They look so pretty in the sun so I'll definitely be wearing them a lot with the summer coming on.

Quick Born Pretty Plates Review

When I saw that Born Pretty Store were selling Konad replicas for $1.55 each I knew I had to buy a few. I've been lusting after M78 and M79 for so long but my budget never seems to stretch to Konad plates these days. So I bought 4 new plates from Born Pretty for about the same price as one genuine Konad plate and I didn't pay any shipping which is what always puts me off buying Konads.

I got M76, M78, M79 and M57. I already have Konad M57 but I thought I would buy Born Pretty's version too so that I could compare them and I'm glad I did.

I scanned in all the plates I bought along with M57 so all the images are relative sizes for side-by-side comparison.

I was disappointed with BP's M57, the designs are so small! It would be a push to get them to cover my ring finger. Compared to Konad's 15.5x12mm, the all over designs on the Born Pretty plate are only 12.5x10mm (no infographic this time, sorry!)

But. I can't complain because the image on the product page clearly shows that the designs are quite small. I was so excited when I was buying the plates that I didn't spend much time checking the pictures!

I'm really pleased with the other three plates. The patterns on M78 and M79 are the same size as the Konads which definitely redeemed the plates in my eyes as these were the ones I was most looking forward to.

The designs are really well cut and good sizes so I think I'm going to be getting a lot of use out of them.

L-R: Konad M57, BP M57, BP M76, BP M78, BP M79.

You can buy these plates here. They're back to the regular price of $2.99 each now but that's still a steal compared to Konads and the shipping's completely free. Just steer clear of M57 unless you have tiny nails!
These products were purchased by me.

New Bundle Monster Plates Review/Comparison

My set of the new Bundle Monster plates arrived in the post this morning so I immediately cracked them open and started inspecting them! I'll post my new mani later today but for now I want to share my thoughts on the new plates and show you how they compare to the old Bundle Monsters and Konads.

The first thing I noticed about these plates is how crisp the designs look. On the last set, some of the designs lack definition but Bundle Monster have really upped their game this time around.

Every plate in the set comes covered with a thin sheet of blue plastic. I'm not 100% sure why but I would guess that it's just to protect the plates from any scratches during the final stages of production and packaging. I think this is great because I like to remove the coverings as I use each plate so I can see which ones I've already used and which ones I still have to play with!

Another improvement that they've made is to add a plastic covering to the back of the plates, exactly the same as you'll find on the back of Konad plates. I've read about plenty of minor injuries caused by the old BM plates, although I've never suffered any myself, which have quite rough edges so I'm sure this new backing is a welcome addition to all BM owners. The new BMs still aren't as smooth as Konad plates around the edges but unless you run your finger along the edge while applying pressure, they aren't going to cut you!

I think the new feature that most people were looking forward to was the larger designs that Bundle Monster promised us. The 'all-over' patterns on the old Bundle Monsters are too small to even cover my short, fairly narrow nails and lots of people found themselves with the same problem. The designs just weren't sufficient in size to cover the nail with one stamp which led to double stamping with dodgy joins.

So, with me being a perfectionist and general neat freak, I had to measure up all of the designs and put a little graphic together to show you my results! All measurements are in mm, size descending.

New Bundle Monsters: 16 x 13

Konad Plates: 15.5 x 12

Old Bundle Monsters: 14 x 10

The all over designs on the new BMs are indeed bigger than on the old ones and are even bigger than the Konad designs. They're only bigger than the Konads in height by half a millimetre which is only a tiny amount but could make all the difference. 

You can buy the NEW plates from Amazon.com here or direct from Bundle Monster here.

You can also buy these plates from Amazon UK.

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Soak Off Gel vs Nail Polish

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I decided to get over myself and deal with uneven nails for a week for many reasons, the greatest of them being that I wouldn't like myself as much if I were so high maintenance that I'd change it right away.  I've also been enjoying have sparkling pink nails far too much to interfere with them, so I figured that today I'd show you some better pictures of IBD Be Mine and do a rundown of what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of the soak off gel (or gel polish) as compared to nail polish from my current newbie point of view.  I'm sure in a month I'll have even more opinions, but it seemed like it might be useful to do now as well.

When I took pictures of Be Mine on Saturday, I wasn't yet over myself or my uneven nails enough to take the seventeen trillion different pictures it took to get a couple that are color accurate and show the cool glitter, but I am today.  I didn't want to sell this one short because I really fell in love with it when I saw a color dot on IBD's site.  It's in a Valentine's Day set called Kiss and Tell with three other colors for $25, but after doing some heavy-duty searching, I found it for $9 shipped, which was reasonable enough to try it.  So far, I'm thrilled, but since it's pink glitter in a pink base, that's predictable.  It still took two pictures to give you a fair look.

IBD Soak Off Glitter Gel in Be Mine, Accurate for Base Color

IBD Soak Off Glitter Gel in Be Mine, Better View of Glitter

It seemed like it might be handy to have gel pictures on the same page as the pros and cons for visual reference, but since we're all really clear on what nail polish looks like, it didn't seem necessary to put a picture in for that.  To compare them, I'll just start at the start, and my use of the word "gel" refers to both soak off gel and soak off gel polish.

• Nail Prep: gel carries two extra steps, application of primer and bonder.  Otherwise, it's the same as for polish, just filing, cuticle care, and cleaning up, but as we see this week, errors in filing aren't as easily corrected with gel since breaking the seal on the gel kind of defeats the purpose of wearing it.  I prefer nail polish for this part.
• Application: nail polish is much, much faster.  For me, neither is easier because a consequence of the slower pace of gel application allows for greater care to be taken, which makes it easier.  Mistakes with gel application can largely be corrected before curing, with the exception of the thing giving me a hassle, perfectly even sealer that doesn't touch any skin, applied with a nail polish brush.  It's so shiny that it's difficult to tell that it's uneven, and in both gel applications I've flooded one corner of one cuticle with sealer.  Next time, I'll apply it with a gel brush and that may solve that.  I prefer the outcome of gel application, but my attention span strikes again making it difficult for me to wait for things to cure between steps, so as far as the actual process of application, I prefer nail polish by a lot.
• Wear: here, gel very obviously is preferable.  My Gelicure Hot Pink lasted only six days with zero wear showing  (chips, worn edges, and break in the seal) because the outgrowth bothered me.  One of these days I'll have the nerve to commit to wear one until there's a chip.
• Appearance:  gel's a clear winner to me because of the finish - it's really much more shiny than polish can be.  The Be Mine manicure pictured above is finished with a sealer not as shiny as last week's and it's on its third day.  Even at that, it's shinier than polish with Seche Vite or Diamont an hour after applying it.  I think the fact that I can say that when the gel's a heavy glitter with one super thin coat of sealer is pretty impressive - it would take a ton of top coat to smooth out that much glitter in a polish.
• Protection of Nails: protecting my nails has always been just as important as appearance with wearing nail polish.  My nails break almost immediately if they're bare, and polish does a decent job of keeping them okay.  Gel, however, does an amazing job.  In addition to not breaking, my nails aren't wearing down in their usual spots from everyday life, and this is the first time that has ever happened.
• Removal: nail polish is way easier for me.  The biggest complaint I have about soak off gels in general is putting the stupid foil on my nails, it's just such a ridiculous hassle.  If I'm going to be adult and reasonable, I'll admit that it's a weird annoyance and it's not really a big deal, but either way, polish is far easier.  There's also the fact that in trying a new to me brand (IBD) and a new to me product (soak off gel in pots rather than a polish bottle), I am concerned about whether it will come off, which simply isn't an issue with polish (I always know that even the scariest glitter will eventually come off).
• Other: I had a slightly odd experience with the IBD gel over the weekend - late Saturday afternoon, my nails started to feel a little too tight for my nails beds.  Not painful or bad, just like they were about three pounds to heavy for the jeans they wore to a good Italian restaurant where they loaded up on pasta.  It's gone now, but was odd.  The other thing worth mentioning for me is the convenience of gel as a base for nail art - I find I'm willing to spend 20 minutes decorating, where if I have to apply a polish base I'm far less motivated by the time I'm able to finish it, and there's also the benefit of unlimited do-overs with gel as the base for nail art done in polish.

That's just about all that I can think of that has occurred to me thus far in the grave matter of soak off gel versus polish, Dear Reader, so I suppose I'll just wrap it up.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

 

Soak Off Gel vs Nail Polish

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I decided to get over myself and deal with uneven nails for a week for many reasons, the greatest of them being that I wouldn't like myself as much if I were so high maintenance that I'd change it right away.  I've also been enjoying have sparkling pink nails far too much to interfere with them, so I figured that today I'd show you some better pictures of IBD Be Mine and do a rundown of what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of the soak off gel (or gel polish) as compared to nail polish from my current newbie point of view.  I'm sure in a month I'll have even more opinions, but it seemed like it might be useful to do now as well.

When I took pictures of Be Mine on Saturday, I wasn't yet over myself or my uneven nails enough to take the seventeen trillion different pictures it took to get a couple that are color accurate and show the cool glitter, but I am today.  I didn't want to sell this one short because I really fell in love with it when I saw a color dot on IBD's site.  It's in a Valentine's Day set called Kiss and Tell with three other colors for $25, but after doing some heavy-duty searching, I found it for $9 shipped, which was reasonable enough to try it.  So far, I'm thrilled, but since it's pink glitter in a pink base, that's predictable.  It still took two pictures to give you a fair look.

IBD Soak Off Glitter Gel in Be Mine, Accurate for Base Color

IBD Soak Off Glitter Gel in Be Mine, Better View of Glitter

It seemed like it might be handy to have gel pictures on the same page as the pros and cons for visual reference, but since we're all really clear on what nail polish looks like, it didn't seem necessary to put a picture in for that.  To compare them, I'll just start at the start, and my use of the word "gel" refers to both soak off gel and soak off gel polish.

• Nail Prep: gel carries two extra steps, application of primer and bonder.  Otherwise, it's the same as for polish, just filing, cuticle care, and cleaning up, but as we see this week, errors in filing aren't as easily corrected with gel since breaking the seal on the gel kind of defeats the purpose of wearing it.  I prefer nail polish for this part.
• Application: nail polish is much, much faster.  For me, neither is easier because a consequence of the slower pace of gel application allows for greater care to be taken, which makes it easier.  Mistakes with gel application can largely be corrected before curing, with the exception of the thing giving me a hassle, perfectly even sealer that doesn't touch any skin, applied with a nail polish brush.  It's so shiny that it's difficult to tell that it's uneven, and in both gel applications I've flooded one corner of one cuticle with sealer.  Next time, I'll apply it with a gel brush and that may solve that.  I prefer the outcome of gel application, but my attention span strikes again making it difficult for me to wait for things to cure between steps, so as far as the actual process of application, I prefer nail polish by a lot.
• Wear: here, gel very obviously is preferable.  My Gelicure Hot Pink lasted only six days with zero wear showing  (chips, worn edges, and break in the seal) because the outgrowth bothered me.  One of these days I'll have the nerve to commit to wear one until there's a chip.
• Appearance:  gel's a clear winner to me because of the finish - it's really much more shiny than polish can be.  The Be Mine manicure pictured above is finished with a sealer not as shiny as last week's and it's on its third day.  Even at that, it's shinier than polish with Seche Vite or Diamont an hour after applying it.  I think the fact that I can say that when the gel's a heavy glitter with one super thin coat of sealer is pretty impressive - it would take a ton of top coat to smooth out that much glitter in a polish.
• Protection of Nails: protecting my nails has always been just as important as appearance with wearing nail polish.  My nails break almost immediately if they're bare, and polish does a decent job of keeping them okay.  Gel, however, does an amazing job.  In addition to not breaking, my nails aren't wearing down in their usual spots from everyday life, and this is the first time that has ever happened.
• Removal: nail polish is way easier for me.  The biggest complaint I have about soak off gels in general is putting the stupid foil on my nails, it's just such a ridiculous hassle.  If I'm going to be adult and reasonable, I'll admit that it's a weird annoyance and it's not really a big deal, but either way, polish is far easier.  There's also the fact that in trying a new to me brand (IBD) and a new to me product (soak off gel in pots rather than a polish bottle), I am concerned about whether it will come off, which simply isn't an issue with polish (I always know that even the scariest glitter will eventually come off).
• Other: I had a slightly odd experience with the IBD gel over the weekend - late Saturday afternoon, my nails started to feel a little too tight for my nails beds.  Not painful or bad, just like they were about three pounds to heavy for the jeans they wore to a good Italian restaurant where they loaded up on pasta.  It's gone now, but was odd.  The other thing worth mentioning for me is the convenience of gel as a base for nail art - I find I'm willing to spend 20 minutes decorating, where if I have to apply a polish base I'm far less motivated by the time I'm able to finish it, and there's also the benefit of unlimited do-overs with gel as the base for nail art done in polish.

That's just about all that I can think of that has occurred to me thus far in the grave matter of soak off gel versus polish, Dear Reader, so I suppose I'll just wrap it up.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

 

OPI Black Shatter vs China Glaze Black Mesh

Hello again, Dear Reader!

I'm back again fast this time!  I put in a scary movie (Chain Letter, it was pretty bad) and I started thinking about the OPI Black Shatter/China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze comparison, then I finally got up and just did the manicure for it while I watched the movie.  It's what I should have done earlier, but I was tired and my brain was disengaged.  I was thinking I should post it since Black Mesh is going fast when it shows up, but it's definitely obtainable.

I used one coat of China Glaze Sea Spray from Anchors Away, which was all it needed, for the base color.  I'll show you that one alone soon.  For the comparison, I just went with the good ol' reliable every other nail for the two black crackle polishes, all topped off with a coat of Gelous and a coat of Poshe.  Here's how it looks.

OPI Black Shatter and China Glaze Black Mesh over China Glaze Sea Spray

Here's the same picture labelled with which is which: OPI on thumb, middle, and index, China Glaze on the ones in between.

OPI Black Shatter and China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze Comparison

They're both inky black, but the China Glaze is a lot less goopy to apply than the OPI, so China Glaze wins Round I.  Round II is how it looks, and there's a little difference between the two in how they crack.  The China Glaze breaks apart into more random pieces, while the OPI has longer lengthwise splits that make it look like little strips of black in some spots to me.  I prefer the appearance of the China Glaze to the OPI, so the winner in today's battle of the black crackle polishes is China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze.

That's just about all I know.  I'm sure as heck not spending another second on my nails today, so until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

OPI Black Shatter vs China Glaze Black Mesh

Hello again, Dear Reader!

I'm back again fast this time!  I put in a scary movie (Chain Letter, it was pretty bad) and I started thinking about the OPI Black Shatter/China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze comparison, then I finally got up and just did the manicure for it while I watched the movie.  It's what I should have done earlier, but I was tired and my brain was disengaged.  I was thinking I should post it since Black Mesh is going fast when it shows up, but it's definitely obtainable.

I used one coat of China Glaze Sea Spray from Anchors Away, which was all it needed, for the base color.  I'll show you that one alone soon.  For the comparison, I just went with the good ol' reliable every other nail for the two black crackle polishes, all topped off with a coat of Gelous and a coat of Poshe.  Here's how it looks.

OPI Black Shatter and China Glaze Black Mesh over China Glaze Sea Spray

Here's the same picture labelled with which is which: OPI on thumb, middle, and index, China Glaze on the ones in between.

OPI Black Shatter and China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze Comparison

They're both inky black, but the China Glaze is a lot less goopy to apply than the OPI, so China Glaze wins Round I.  Round II is how it looks, and there's a little difference between the two in how they crack.  The China Glaze breaks apart into more random pieces, while the OPI has longer lengthwise splits that make it look like little strips of black in some spots to me.  I prefer the appearance of the China Glaze to the OPI, so the winner in today's battle of the black crackle polishes is China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze.

That's just about all I know.  I'm sure as heck not spending another second on my nails today, so until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

OPI Black Shatter & Mrs.Robinson

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today's title seems ominous to me, like the nail polish equivalent of The Devil & Tom Walker.  Don't be scared, I promise it's not!

Today I have Black Shatter over Color Club Cub Mrs. Robinson, a neon purple creme.  I went to go get a neon purple, and for some reason I remembered Essie Perky Purple as the most neon purple, and also as kind of a PITA in that neon way.  Since I'd been sorting, Perky Purple was with Color Club Mrs. Robinson, which I recall being low maintenance, and I was surprised to see they're really close.  Not exactly the same, but close enough that I'll take the one that's less effort.  I grabbed the Essie bottle when I went out to take pictures so you could see them together.

Neon Purple Nail Polish Comparison: Color Club is my pick

I applied three coats of Mrs. Robinson (I really could have used two, but I hate even a hint of translucency to my tips) and let it dry before adding the Black Shatter.  I was pleased with my results evening it out with Gelous and then a coat of Poshe to dry everything, so I went that route again.  Here's the manicure.

OPI Black Shatter over Color Club Mrs. Robinson

This was one of the most physically painful rounds of pictures I've ever taken.  I have a weirdo chronic eye condition called scleritis that started in recent years (Google if you will, but the reason I didn't give you a definition link is that there are always absolutely awful pictures that'll give you the willies really badly), and I'm wrapping up a bout with it in one eye right now.  One of the major characteristics of scleritis is that it causes incredible pain in the affected eye when it acts up, and with that comes tremendous light sensitivity.  Well, the sun came out today and since my little town is pretty much shut down from the blizzard, there's undisturbed snow as far as the eye can see, so it was the glaring reflected light everywhere and I looked like half of my face was weeping the whole time I was out.  It's my own fault - I should have considered that before choosing the single most difficult color for me to photograph, the one I'm only able to get in direct sunlight.  I just thought I'd mention that so you know why today's pictures are some of my weaker ones - it could either be a more attractive picture or color accurate, so I went for color.

Enough about that!  It's time to show you who matches today's manicure.  

David Lee Roth

If you think about it, neon purple isn't a color a lot of people wear, but anyone who was a fan of good ol' Diamond Dave during the era when Van Halen became Van Hagar will remember this album cover.

David Lee Roth: Enamored with Bright Colors?

If I can't rely on the man on that album cover to appear in photos wearing neon purple and black together, I can't rely on anything!

In including DLR today, I certainly don't mean to classify him with hair bands of the '80's.  The fact is, he has a long track record of success that proves he's talented.  When his first solo album came out, I saw his live show to promote it, and he's a heck of a showman, and his success makes sense to me.  That being said, he really embraced the whole '80's over-the-top way of doing things wholeheartedly.  I know there are quite a few younger readers who probably don't have memory of this time, so I thought I'd show you a poster that was on my sister's bedroom wall then.  Here, you can see much of DLR's appeal was more in what he didn't wear.

Wow.

That was before the regrettable process of transformation...

I Don't Like Where This Is Going

Now Diamond Dave is everybody's Great Uncle Dave, and it's really, really not the same at all.  However, I think we can still take a few lessons away from these pictures: martial arts do a body good, everybody ages, and even if you're wearing spandex pants you can always find a place to stash your spare sweat socks.  It's all about learning.

So that's today's manicure and a corresponding picture from the '80's.  This work week's theme has evolved into an interpretation of the '80's through OPI Black Shatter, a far narrower and more specific theme than I ever would have consciously chosen, but it seems to be working out alright.  I think it would be fun to do another theme for next Monday through Friday, but I don't have any ideas that seem this silly.  If you have suggestions you think would be entertaining, please let me know!  If I get a few good ones, I'll put them to a vote over the weekend and go with the winner.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader,  until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

OPI Black Shatter & Mrs.Robinson

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today's title seems ominous to me, like the nail polish equivalent of The Devil & Tom Walker.  Don't be scared, I promise it's not!

Today I have Black Shatter over Color Club Cub Mrs. Robinson, a neon purple creme.  I went to go get a neon purple, and for some reason I remembered Essie Perky Purple as the most neon purple, and also as kind of a PITA in that neon way.  Since I'd been sorting, Perky Purple was with Color Club Mrs. Robinson, which I recall being low maintenance, and I was surprised to see they're really close.  Not exactly the same, but close enough that I'll take the one that's less effort.  I grabbed the Essie bottle when I went out to take pictures so you could see them together.

Neon Purple Nail Polish Comparison: Color Club is my pick

I applied three coats of Mrs. Robinson (I really could have used two, but I hate even a hint of translucency to my tips) and let it dry before adding the Black Shatter.  I was pleased with my results evening it out with Gelous and then a coat of Poshe to dry everything, so I went that route again.  Here's the manicure.

OPI Black Shatter over Color Club Mrs. Robinson

This was one of the most physically painful rounds of pictures I've ever taken.  I have a weirdo chronic eye condition called scleritis that started in recent years (Google if you will, but the reason I didn't give you a definition link is that there are always absolutely awful pictures that'll give you the willies really badly), and I'm wrapping up a bout with it in one eye right now.  One of the major characteristics of scleritis is that it causes incredible pain in the affected eye when it acts up, and with that comes tremendous light sensitivity.  Well, the sun came out today and since my little town is pretty much shut down from the blizzard, there's undisturbed snow as far as the eye can see, so it was the glaring reflected light everywhere and I looked like half of my face was weeping the whole time I was out.  It's my own fault - I should have considered that before choosing the single most difficult color for me to photograph, the one I'm only able to get in direct sunlight.  I just thought I'd mention that so you know why today's pictures are some of my weaker ones - it could either be a more attractive picture or color accurate, so I went for color.

Enough about that!  It's time to show you who matches today's manicure.  

David Lee Roth

If you think about it, neon purple isn't a color a lot of people wear, but anyone who was a fan of good ol' Diamond Dave during the era when Van Halen became Van Hagar will remember this album cover.

David Lee Roth: Enamored with Bright Colors?

If I can't rely on the man on that album cover to appear in photos wearing neon purple and black together, I can't rely on anything!

In including DLR today, I certainly don't mean to classify him with hair bands of the '80's.  The fact is, he has a long track record of success that proves he's talented.  When his first solo album came out, I saw his live show to promote it, and he's a heck of a showman, and his success makes sense to me.  That being said, he really embraced the whole '80's over-the-top way of doing things wholeheartedly.  I know there are quite a few younger readers who probably don't have memory of this time, so I thought I'd show you a poster that was on my sister's bedroom wall then.  Here, you can see much of DLR's appeal was more in what he didn't wear.

Wow.

That was before the regrettable process of transformation...

I Don't Like Where This Is Going

Now Diamond Dave is everybody's Great Uncle Dave, and it's really, really not the same at all.  However, I think we can still take a few lessons away from these pictures: martial arts do a body good, everybody ages, and even if you're wearing spandex pants you can always find a place to stash your spare sweat socks.  It's all about learning.

So that's today's manicure and a corresponding picture from the '80's.  This work week's theme has evolved into an interpretation of the '80's through OPI Black Shatter, a far narrower and more specific theme than I ever would have consciously chosen, but it seems to be working out alright.  I think it would be fun to do another theme for next Monday through Friday, but I don't have any ideas that seem this silly.  If you have suggestions you think would be entertaining, please let me know!  If I get a few good ones, I'll put them to a vote over the weekend and go with the winner.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader,  until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!