Sunday, November 13, 2011

Penny's LBD (for nails)

Penny here!
Just dropping a quick line to share my latest look...I call it Penny's Little Black Dress (LBD)...for nails. LOL! It is often called a 'black french manicure.'  (See pics below...looks better in person). It is by no means a new trend, just something I had not tried before. I like it! Ok...so Halloween has come and gone but this is quite a sexy little number for the holidays if you ask me. It's a funky twist if you're not afraid of the dark. LOL!
  • Achieve the look:  Just polish the whole nail with 2 coats of matte black polish...let dry...then polish across the tip with a shiny clear top coat. I bought the black matte polish online at Amazon.com; its called Body, by SpaRitual ($10).  Because matte polishes are an older trend I had a hard time finding a matte black polish in store, but I would check there first.
I first talked to my manicurist a couple weeks ago about this look and showed her some pics I found on the Internet. She had not done it before but was down to try it. A couple days ago I tried it myself first using french manicure strips from CVS to mark off the tip I would paint clear, but it left a ridge when I pulled off the tape. I was going to try another technique but when I showed my manicurist she said she could do the tip free hand without the tape. I let her try it and it came out great. You can do this with ANY matte polish by the way. I know OPI has my favorite navy (Russian Navy) & deep purple (Lincoln Park After Dark) in a matte formula...I bet those would look cool too!

Wearability issue:
Day 3
Day 1 
I read on the Internet that you shouldn't use oils or lotions when you get your nails done with this look because it affects the matte polish (please ignore my ashy hands and dry cuticles in Day 1 pic...sigh). But it appears that warning isn't just for initial application. The only problem I'm having is that the matte doesn't seem to be staying that grayish dull matte color. I'm on Day 3 of this look and I think oils from hand/body lotion or maybe my hair could be changing the polish. If I wash my hands with soap and dry my nails completely they look a little better. But you have to look close to see the shiny tip. So I may put on a second thin layer of clear on my tip for more contrast. It just seems to me like that matte isn't staying truly matte. I tried cleaning my nails with hand sanitizer to see if the alcohol would reduce the luster but to no avail. This is a little disappointing to me because I have dry skin and will always have to use hand lotions. 

I'm curious to know if a matte top coat acts any differently than matte nail polish. I may try the look one more time with regular polish. I read one blogger who polished her nails with regular polish, then a shiny top coat. Once dried she used nail strips to cover her tip. Then she applied a matte top coat to the rest of the nail. Same look, different technique.

Be blessed. Be beautiful.
Penny

1 comment:

  1. UPDATE: So here I am on Day 6 of this look and totally disappointed. The matte polish is no longer matte and it just looks like I'm sporting black nails. Nothing wrong with that, but that wasn't what I was going for. [NOTE: If anyone knows of a matte polish that stays matte, please let me know]. Ironically, a young lady @ Sephora last evening noticed my nails and loved them. So I guess they were visible enough. Either way I'm off to get a polish change this evening. Penny has problems...I know. LOL!

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