Base Coats: Are they necessary or a waste of time?

From left to right:  Essie's "Fill the Gap" ridge smoothing base coat,  Maybelline New York "Express Finish 50 Second Base & Top Coat",  ASK Cosmetics' Base Coat, 

Seche Clear - Crystal Clear Base Coat

 

You don't need to make an appointment at the salon and spend tons of money on getting the perfect manicure or pedicure.  It's possible to do it at home if you follow the right steps.

 

Experts say these steps begin with a clear base coat, which helps your polish of choice stick to your nails more easily.  A base coat also creates a barrier that in turn aids in protecting your nails from the damaging effects of nail varnish.  Base coats prevent staining and peeling, AND they will give your polished nails a more even texture.

 

Base coats come in different varieties:  plain, ridge-filler varieties and a dual purpose top & base coat in one.  Ridge-filling base coats are thicker than regular ones.  As their task is to fill in any lines, ridges and grooves giving the nails a smoother-looking appearance.

 

After the base coat dries (and it should dry relatively quickly with the exception of ASK Cosmetics' Base Coat which remains slightly tacky for better adherence of the polish), apply 2 thin coats of lacquer rather than one in order to give your nails a richer look.  Side note - by applying thin layers of polish your DIY manicure will last longer and not be as prone to chipping.  If you want to skip the coloured polishes altogether, you can simply use a base coat on its own to make your nails look shiny, but natural.

 

Finish off every manicure or pedicure with a good quality top coat to seal in the polish, create a shiny appearance and prevent chipping during wear.  Be advised that some products (Maybelline Express Finish 50 Second Base & Top Coat as seen above) combine a base and top coat functionality, but they may not work as well as the individual base and top coats.

 

So, although it may seem like a hassle at the time, base coats do extend the life of your manicure and help to avoid yellowed nails if you lean towards very pigmented shades such as fire-engine red!

 

 

Do you take the extra step to apply base coat?  If so, what is your favourite brand?

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Can't wait to connect with you - til then, Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes a little hug goes a long way!

Product Review: Bottle Hug - Rubber Bottle Holder

 

Photo 1 - All the different shapes and sizes of the bottles I tried in the holder.

Photo 2 - The product itself (purchased from Nail Polish Canada).

 

Some information about this product:

• It retails for $4.00 on the Nail Polish Canada website.
• The colour choices are white, pink and blue (shown here).
• The holder is made of soft, smooth, flexible rubber.
• There are slots for various tilted angles.
• It claims to have a large base for extra stability as well as a rough surface for easy grip. 
• The company Berkeley also states that all polish bottles fit snugly in it.

Photo 3:  Shown here are the brands and bottles I chose to test in this holder.

 

Photo 4:  The round bottle of Essence fit in nicely and had the perfect shape and size.

 

Photo 5:  The square shaped bottle of Rimmel London did not fit, and if I had forced it in this rubber holder there would have been damage. 

 

Photo 6:  Although Colour Club's bottles are square this one could be placed in the holder.  I wouldn't say it was a perfect fit, but it worked.

 

Photo 7:  The NYC bottles are smaller than most others, yet round.  As you can see from this photo this shape did not fit "snugly".  There was some movement of the bottle from side to side when I dipped the brush in and out of the bottle.

Photo 8:  Here it is even more obvious that this bottle is too small for this holder.  Granted, the bottle would be prevented from tipping completely, but not the perfect fit you would want and expect after reading the advertising statement: "fits snugly to all polish bottles".

 

Photo 9:  The brand name is Pure Ice and this bottle truly fit in perfectly.

 

Photo 10:  A very popular brand of polish is of course Essie, so I had to try it on for size.  It did fit, yet not as snugly as I would have like. 

 

Summary:

This product is a fantastic idea for preventing the tipping and spilling of nail polishes or nail treatments that you might be using.  However, just be warned that not ALL polish bottles fit in and only certain shapes and sizes actually fit "snugly".  That said, I think this would make a great gift for any nail polish enthusiast - an inexpensive, thoughtful present.  Maybe add a bottle or two of polishes (that do fit perfectly) and you've got an ideal gift!

 

By the way for all users of TIPS Nail Conditioner and TIPS for Toes ....

 

 

 

These bottles fit into the Bottle Hug - Rubber Bottle Holder very well!  This may just be the solution for many women (and men) who have had problems with bottle falling over and spilling in the past. 

 

Do you perhaps own one?  If so, has it proven itself as being practical?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous Bling Bling by Essence

My fascination with Essence continues.  Out shopping I saw a new display with several summer shades.  This one in particular caught my eye and made its way into my shopping cart.

 

Gorgeous Bling Bling has very tiny speckles of bronze and gold throughout.  As you can see for the photos below this glitter effect goes on very evenly unlike some others where you have to fish for the glitters particles, and then they are all over the place and very difficult to apply evenly.  If you look closely, even the lid displays the shade and glitter very accurately.

A truly gorgeous shade - not red, not brown, definitely not orange, but a pleasant mixture of all three tones. 

It applied like a dream.  I find the Essence polishes wear fairly well - 5 - 7 days if you refresh the top coat every other day to ensure longer wear.  But who actually keeps a shade on their nails that long?

Many of you know from other posts that I always finish up my manicure with a healthy cuticle treatment of TIPS Nail Conditioner.  This product keeps my nails in great shape.  It is so simple to apply:  1 product, 1 daily application first thing in the morning, 1 step is all it takes to replenish essential lipids, protect your nails from water/chemical damage, moisturize your nails and cuticles, strengthen and fortify.

It certainly lives up to its name - Gorgeous Bling Bling.  I for one, hope that Essence brings out more of such awesome shades with a hint of sparkle in them.

 

So, thanks a million for stopping by and viewing my latest manicure.  I wish you all the best for the rest of the day.

 

And be sure to let me know - what YOU think of this shade?  Is it calling your name?

 

Take care, Lisa M

 

Stay in touch with me via FB, Twitter @nailcareasklisa or on Pinterest @ASK Cosmetics Inc.

Covergirl's Appletini

Wow, Covergirl really nailed it with the name they chose for this polish shade - Appletini!

 

Since I've seen so many similar shades from other brands, I just had to try this on myself.

Ones I have run across so far that might come close are
Wet 'n Wild's "Pin 'Em Slater"

&

Barry M's "Key Lime"

 

I believe this is my first Covergirl polish that I am wearing.  It applied well in two thin coats that evened out nicely.  The only problem was the bottle size and ultimately the lid and brush length.  They were much shorter than I am used to and this caused some difficulties in the application.

 

For a comparison I placed the Covergirl bottle of polish beside a bottle of TIPS Nail Conditioner, which is what made my cuticles look so shiny in these photos.  I always finish up every manicure with a healthy application of TIPS Nail Conditioner by ASK Cosmetics. 

 

Covergirl's bottle contains 3.5 ml (.11 oz) of product; whereas a bottle of TIPS contains 7 ml (.24 oz) of nail treatment.  So, be sure to keep that in mind when shopping for these Glosstinis.  You are getting much less than normal, so look closely at the price.

 

Next thing to consider is the brush length.....

That's how short it is.  As stated above, it was not easy working with such a lid/brush length. 

 

I love this shade, although I am definitely not a huge fan of greens.  Somehow this shade really has a summery feel to it.  I can't wait to use it in some of my nailart coming up in August.  So stay tuned!

 

Any comments from you on Covergirl, Glosstinis, green eggs and ham........

 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by.  Enjoy this wonderful day.

 

Til next time,  Lisa M

 

Be sure to connect with me via FB, Twitter @nailcareasklisa or on Pinterest @ASK Cosmetics Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybelline's Poolside #975

Seen here 2 coats of Maybelline's Poolside 975

 

Sorry Maybelline, this shade did not impress me in the least.  Although it looked inviting at first, the shade looks awful with my skin tone.

 

 I won't write too much about this shade as my heart just isn't in it.  Last week I tried Azure Seas by Maybelline as well and wow, it left me super impressed.  My fault entirely for purchasing such a pale colour to begin with.

 

Here's how it shows up on two slightly different backgrounds.  I plan on trying to incorporate this into one of my upcoming marble/nailart manicures in August.  It might find its purpose in my stash then.

 

That's all for today.  Hope you are having a good one.

 

If you've tried this shade, let me know how you liked it?

 

Thanks for stopping by,  Lisa M.

 

Be sure to connect with me via FB, Twitter @nailcareasklisa and Pinterest @ASK Cosmetics Inc.

 

 

Azure Seas by Maybelline

An unbelievably beautiful blue!  It reminds me of wonderful vacations by the seaside and awakes a strong yearning to head to the beach.  I present "Azure Seas #990" by Maybelline to you today!

 

Seen here are 2 coats of this wonderful summery shade.  The photos I display on my blog are usually taken outside in natural light as I find it shows the polish shades closest to their appearance.  I also enjoy finding enhancing, natural backgrounds for my shots - like this one in front of one of my beautiful hosta plants.  The contrast of blue on green here really makes this polish shade come alive, don't you think?

 

 

Whether in the direct sunshine or in the shade this colour is so attractive.  The name is quite suitable and I couldn't stop comparing my nails to the colour of the water in a movie I recently watched.  Have you ever seen "Out of the Blue" starring Paul Walker, Jessica Alba and Josh Brolin?  Well, this was the very first time I saw a movie with Ms. Alba.  The jury is still out on her acting ability, but what I enjoyed most about this movie was the fantastic underwater footage and the breathtaking scenery on the waters surrounding the Bahamas.

 

This is definitely one blue that will be in my collection for a while.  The application was good as always with the Maybelline Color Show polishes.  The brush quality is normal and allows for easy application (please don't look too closely at the job I did here - two strong cups of coffee are not a good pre-requisite for an excellent mani!!)  The wear was standard as well - 5 - 6 days without any significant wear showing up.  I've tried others from the Maybelline collections before and I think they are great!  In this particular case, you get the quality you pay for.

 

Best Practice Advice:  For those of you who use TIPS Nail Conditioner or TIPS for Toes - don't forget to apply TIPS every day around your cuticles and under your natural nail.  Your newly developing nail begins to form between your first knuckle and your moons, so apply TIPS back that far as it penetrates and replenishes the nails and cuticles with essential lipids that we strip our fingers of each day.

 

For more information on these nail care/nail treatment products,

go to ASK Cosmetics website/online shop.

 

Is this a shade you would wear?  Does it make you want to pack your bags and head for the Caribbean?

 

Thanks for stopping by and take care,  Lisa M.

 

 

 

 

 

The Girls are Out! So look out.....

The Girls are out by Essie - one of the gorgeous shades from the summer 2013 collection

 

My nails before the manicure took place.  Can you see the ever-so-subtle shimmer in this polish?

 

As far as pinks go this shade is right at the top of my list of favourites.  The subtle shimmer really adds a touch of "bling" to it.  I think it's the perfect summer shade for either your finger OR toe nails.

One important factor of a really good polish brand is the application brush.  Essie normally has smaller, thinner brushes that always allow for easy application.  Granted, sometimes you require more that the usual three swipes on each nail to do a good job, but the brush is super easy to manage.

 

Not sure if the shimmer really comes to life in my photos.  It's hard for me to tell since I know it's there. 

 

My brief summary:  I love the shade.  It lives up to all my expectations of an Essie polish.  The application was easy and fussfree.  I wore this shade for 5 days.  Had I wrapped my tips better during the manicure, the staying power might have been better - my oversight.  I went ahead and applied it to my toes, which also looks amazing for summer.

Charlotte enjoying her beach time on the north shore of Cape Cod at Race Point

BTW - you might be wondering how I got that ugly brown spot on my ring finger...... you won't believe this!  My new dog, Charlotte is CRAZZZZZY about playing fetch.  In fact, she hounds me all day long to throw something for her to run after.  But the game can get slightly dangerous for the thrower as she doesn't release the ball right away.  She waits and waits; then drops it and jumps after the other one I am holding in my hand.  If I am not fast enough in throwing it, she occasionally catches my fingers with her sharp, little teeth.  OUCH!  That's how I got that little brown blemish on my finger.  Who knew "go fetch" could be so dangerous!

 

That's all for today!  So, I strongly advise you run out and check out the latest Essie shades this summer.   Most of the summer 2013 collection are on the lighter, pastel side, but "The Girls are Out" is awesome.

 

Have you tried any from this collection yet?

 

Stay cool!  Til next time,  Lisa M