Nail News

CND Shellac

Hola!

(Let me try this again...accidentally published this before I was finished. Ooops! LOL)
Penny's back! Today I'm going to chat about nails. Some of you know Penny to be a bit fanatical about the nails. I quickly became a nail polish addict (harboring about 50 bottles at my peak). LOL! Well about 6 months ago I took a big step and stopped getting acrylic nail enhancements. Why is that a big deal you ask? Well for almost two decades I have worn some sort of nail enhancement...acrylics, silk wraps, gel nails (old skool kind), etc. So I was used to having 10 just about perfect nails every two weeks. Yes...for at least the last ten years or more I was getting my hands and feet done every two weeks...all year round. Like I said...a little fanatic about the nails. LOL!

Nailtiques Treatment Kit

After taking off my acrylics it was a major struggle. I couldn't stand to look at my hands. But I kept my nails super short and started the Nailtiques After Artificial Nails Treatment Kit ($20, ULTA). I realized I had to remain diligent and use the products as directed to see results.  I also did not wear colored polish for a few months (gasp!) LOL!  The Nailtiques kit had two polish treatments Formula A and Formula B, and a cuticle cream. I believe this product helped to strengthen my super thin, weak, and splitting nails in the following months and I'm glad I stuck to it. After I finished Formula A and moved on to Formula B, I was less consistent and ready for a professional manicure. Eventually I tried a strengthener by China Glaze but wasn't consistent so I don't know how well it worked.

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy

I wasn't keeping track but after about 4 months my nails started looking better. I had an event to go to so my nail tech persuaded me to try a Dip Powder Gel polish. I liked it. It was easy; and required no UV light to cure it. The removal was the same as any other gel polish though. So I had to go back for removal. I tried 2 colors of the dip powder gel, but the range of colors wasn't enough for me, and I wanted something I could maintain myself so I started polishing my own nails at home. This was harder than I remembered. Who would have thunk it?! LOL! Practice makes perfect so I'll keep it up (besides, its saving me a lot of money). Zoya is still my favorite brand and I can't wait to get the new fall colors (Naturel Deux 2014)! http://www.zoya.com/

Vinylux Top Coat

More recently I've had professional manicures with the CND Shellac Gel Polish and liked that. My manicure lasted about a week and a half and that was okay. But Penny doesn't want to go back to being a slave to her nails again; having to go to the nail salon every two weeks. So I'm mixing it up. I've tried at home products like Revlon's Colorstay Gel Envy polish and top coat; as well as the CND Vinylux Top Coat over regular OPI and Zoya polishes.  The Revlon product was pretty good but I have to get used to the wide brush. The polish lasted about 4-5 days without chipping. I'm not as impressed with the Vinylux product, but I want to try it with the Vinylux Weekly Polish to see if it lasts longer. I found that I needed to use more than one coat of the top coat for a good shine pay off, and that it chips after a couple days. But I will give it another go since I heard that its a great top coat.  At the end of the day I want to keep my nails polished and nourished so that they stop splitting and breaking and become more healthy.

SpaRitual Cuticle Oil

 
My latest splurge is the SpaRitual Cuti-Cocktail Nail and Cuticle Oil ($17, ULTA). I love this stuff! It hides my rough, dry and peeling cuticles and smells heavenly. I haven't used it long enough to know how well it works, so I'll be sure to review it again later. It is "formulated with a conditioning blend of evening primrose, grape seed oils and aloe extract. Scented with aromatic extracts of ginger and Fuji apple to keep nails fresh." Thank goodness for my ULTA rewards coupon because this is going to become a Penny staple. :-)

What are your favorite polishes and how do you get a long-lasting manicure?

Be blessed. Be beautiful.
Penny