Nails Harmony Gelish Golden Treasure

Foraging season is upon us!  That means for the next few weeks at least I need some nail armor - a gel manicure seemed perfect.  I've just about used up the base/topcoat that came with my Sensationail kit so I ordered some Gelish products off of Amazon.  This is one coat of Foundation, two coats of Golden Treasure and finished with a coat of Top It Off.  It seems to have cured well and while I'm not crazy about the look it certainly feels strong.

SensatioNails Gel Polish Kit Pink

You may have heard of "Gel" nails, or Shellac, or Gelous.  All of these are specific brands of a type of nail polish that is cured with either a UV or LED light.  There is no dry time and they're advertised to last longer than regular polish, up to 2 weeks. You can remove it by soaking your nails in acetone with supposedly no harm done.

When I saw the kit at WalMart I couldn't say no, particularly knowing how many of my friends would love to be my guinea pigs in exchange for a gel mani!  Here is my first try on myself - I'm not sure what caused the bulbous-looking finish at the tips...something to get better next try.  Now the biggest challenge is not getting bored with the color!

Nails "STYLE" and "Hot Pink Floyd"

These 2 polishes are meant to be worn alone, however they can be worn with shiny top coat, they would  look beautiful either way. I used 3 coats for each color since I tend to have more VNL with the length of my nails but if you have shorter nails you can definitely get away with 2. Application of these were nice and smooth, no flooding or pooling. The glitters are suspended well so there is no need to fish. Dry time was excellent! I didn't have much of a chance to test the wear of them but I did wear Hot Pink Floyd for about 24 hours, I showered, washed dishes did some house work and I had no chipping or wear. Jen tested them longer and this is what she had to say about it  "This matte polish holds up much better than most and is the same great quality brand base as my other polishes. Tested this matte base for a week and held fine in normal wear and tear. Showed no signs of wear for a couple of days." 

Stylr...

...a matte, velvet finish deep teal crelly with blue, purple and green iridescent and color shifting glitters.

I want to point point out that the photos above are not very color accurate, STYLE is a deep dark rich teal. I had a hell of a time getting this to photograph with the correct color, the photo below is fairly accurate, (though the quality leaves something to be desired.) This is a gorgeous polish, it has such a lovely shimmer and the glitters really put off a nice glow, this really needs to be seen in person to truly appreciate it's beauty.

Most color accurate photo, taken with Flash 

Hot Pink Floyd...

...a matte, velvet bright hot pink jelly with bits of real silver, iridescent glitters in blue, purple & green. 

All photos of Hot Pink Floyd are shown as 3 coats.

I have a life long love for pink and this one is just super gorgeous, so of course it is my favorite of the two! I want to note that these do dry with a little bit of texture but it isn't abrasive or catching. I wore it while doing a lot of things around the house and  didn't have any issues or feel the need to pick like some glitter polishes make me want to do! 

So what are your thoughts? Do you like matte polishes or would you top coat these beauties?

Nails Beauty, fashion, and all things lovely

Nicole Scherzinger imPress Press On- Manicure by Broadway Nails

This post is somewhat impromptu simply because I am aware the Nicole Scherzinger imPress Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails have been in stores for a while now.  But while on the train today, I was complimented on my fabulous mani.  When the hip looking girl next to me turned and inquired about their designer, I proudly dished about how they were in fact the Nicole Scherzinger press- ons.  I had a brief conversation with her in which she was surprised to learn they were not my real nails.  It got me thinking that since this was my second successful time using them, I should share a post reminding my fellow beauties of these great little treasures!

By My Side

The set I have been wearing the past six days is called By My Side (and holding strong towards day seven).  Part of her signature series, it is a flirty, brightly colored print for summer.  I love these nails because they fit snugly in the cuticles, they don't slide around, and you can even file them to change the shape of fit.  So far they have decent durability, but since the polish on them is real, their edges have chipped just ever so slightly. 

As for application, it took me less then 10 minutes.  I simply sized each nail, then placed out on the table.  Each set comes with a prep pad, which I used to cleanse each nail, thoroughly.  Next, I removed the plastic backing of each fake nail, placed it to my natural nail and held it firmly in place for 15 seconds.  Personally, I feel this is where most people go wrong  (if it turns out they don't have as much luck with these nails).  The adhesive sets within the first few seconds and continues to set for the next several minutes.  Therefore, its best to have pressed them firmly in place when first applied.

Retail: $8.99

I love these nails because they're quick, they're easy, and totally trendy.  I know the line now includes press-on pedicures, which I have yet to try.  But if they're anything like the manis, they're certainly worth a try!

The Beautiful Pink Nail Lottie

Broadway Nails imPress Press-on Manicure

In the SpringFever voxbox I received a set of "Just Say Yes" (a gorgeous hot pink!) press on nails by Broadway Nails. I just have to say, so far, I love these nails!! Being the spouse of a medical student finances don't always, okay, rarely allow for self spoilings like manicures and pedicures. Last summer I fell in love with glue on pedicures! So cheap, easy, and fabulous! But, it's glue. It's messy and irritating and can be kind of annoying. When I got these nails in my voxbox I was stoked to give them a try! They are a more adult version of the press-on nails for little girls. You know the ones, where the stickers come a brown piece of wax paper separate from the nails and it's a bigger hassle than glue-ons.

I actually went to Walmart and bought a set of Broadway Nails' imPress Pedicure set, too! I am going on vacation to visit my in-laws this week and really wanted a nice set of piggies. I just put the nails on today but I am seriously loving the ease! They were so much easier (read that cleaner!) than glue-on nails. I love all the different styles and colors available, but I have to say Influenster knew what they were doing when they sent me the hot pink "Just Say Yes" color! Simply beautiful!

The thing I like best about these nails really is how easy they were to apply. Just find the right size, peel off the backing, and press on! It really doesn't get any easier than that.

The one thing I didn't like about them was the length. They were a little long and I definitely had to file them down. The toenails were a good length, just the fingernails were a little long. When I went to Walmart they were sold out of the fingernails so they might come in different lengths but I can't be sure.

In a few days I will write an update letting you know how long they lasted and if they are worth it! I'll also do some research to try to find out if they're available in different lengths! Keep checking back and I'll update as soon as they start falling off!

I received this product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

UPDATE: I applied my mani and pedi impress nails on Monday. Thursday my mani started to get loose. I could feel my hair getting stuck in the nails when I'd run my fingers through it. But they stuck it out! It wasn't until Saturday night that I got frustrated with the mani and decided to pull them off myself. They probably would've lasted another day or two if I hadn't gotten frustrated with my hair getting pulled. The pedi, though... Well it's been 10 days and they're still going strong!! I don't think they'll last much longer now that I'm back at work and have to wear high heels.