On Basecoats

There is really not enough information on basecoats in the nail community. Why!! Everyone just says use a basecoat or this, or that, but no-one says what base or topcoat they use! This week, we take a look at them!

I decided to do a summary of the various basecoats that I have HEARD of which are recommended - just bits and pieces from various places I have found, and also a little of my own input.

Disclaimer: I am not saying that these are the only products that are good, the the following are just some of the more popular options out there that I decided to compile and compare and maybe shed a bit more light about them. OK, so here goes!

Why a basecoat is important?

You know the drill, prevents staining, blah blah. But personally I think the important reason for wearing a basecoat is that it really does protect your nails. If I worked in a job where my hands are constantly exposed to water, chemicals, etc, I would definitely recommend a basecoat. I would recommend guys to wear basecoats too because of the importance of keeping them healthy. Read on!

What I look for in a basecoat?

I'll start with the basics and the basis of the following post. Different people look out for various things in a basecoat, and decide which to use from there - Don't follow people blindly just because.

1. Treatment

My nails are rather thin, so I like a basecoat that will strengthen and contain goodies which will help my nails grow and takes care of them in general

2. Easy to work with

This is obvious, I want a smooth coat over the nail plate so that it doesnt muck up the colour that I'm going to add on top of it

3. Prevents staining

4. Prevents chipping (this is last on my list because I like to think thats more of the topcoat's job to do.

What do YOU look for in a basecoat? Do Share!

Now that we got all that down, lets take a look at my first requirement. Among all the different variety of basecoats out there, lets separate them into two groups: Treatment type and non treatment types. Below is a list of products that are genera

lly recommended by the nail comm.

Treatment Types:

1. Nail Tek - Nail Tek's basecoats have received the ravest reviews so far. People swear by them- they have a range of products, but the most popular so far is their 'Foundation II' formula, which I am also currently using, and like it fairly well. They have another product called 'Xtra' for 'nails which were previously thought unsalvageable', which I want to try, too. Nail Tek's products are matte so its unnoticeable when you apply it, just that your nails won't have that natural shine when bare. And I will post a review on my Nail Tek...the next time I change my nail colour. Haha!

2. OPI's Nail Envy Range

Nail Envy is OPI's 'premium' range of products, targeted at nail treatment and the most commonly used one is their 'original' formula, which also comes in 'original matte'. It claims to turn nails from 'mush to muscle' Nail envy also has products targeted at nail ailments like peeling, or dry nails, its all in their website! I haven't tried this yet, mainly because Nail Envy is a little bit pricier than the rest, but I do intend to, because I've been looking for a treatment basecoat that's not matte, read o to find out why.

Hint: Nail Envy retails at departmental stores at 43+ dollars. Don't be fooled okay. Its not worth THAT much, really ;)

On a side note, while searching for a basecoat solution I stumbled into (of all places) a forum for classical guitarists, and the players there recommended both these products to protect their nails with too! So there. Its more than beauty, my friends!

If you don't feel the need to go for treatment basecoats, you might want to consider these:

Non-treatment types

1. OPI Natural base

Whenever I go for a manicure, this is almost always the standard product they use. OPI is of course known for their easy applications and smooth finish, and the natural base is no different.What I know, though is that this is just a very very basic sort of basecoat, but if its good enough of salon use, it should be good enough for you, too, if you're looking for something simple and easy to apply!

2. Orly Bonder base

Bonder means that its got an extra strong grip on your nail, and holds on to your colour better, too. Its secret? The rubber-like texture once its dry. Orly bonder is said to be the base coat to use if you want your manis to last. ALOT of people in the nail comm use this. I haven't tried this, so I don't know how it applies, but the only drawback I have read about this product is that some people noticed that their nails started to peel after using this product. So that's a possible side effect!

3. Sally Hansen

I've become a little bit of a nail snob and will warn anyone off drug store brands but I'll give Sally Hansen credit for dominating the drugstore nail scene, some of their products are actually not bad. (Must ask Dalv for some swatches of the Sally Hansen colours she's got) Sally Hansen has a multitude of products that claim to work as a basecoat, but you know what? After trying out various of their products, I find that not all of them promise to do what they say, or its only half good. Now if you can't wait for your shipment of a product and need a base coat RIGHT NOW, let me suggest you get their 'Hard as nails' basecoat range. This was my first basecoat (when I was 8) and its the classic, been around for ages, type. Now I know the claim to be a treatment product, but as mentioned, I doubt the capabilities of SH's nailcare, but it does make a decent basecoat!

Hint: Try if you must, but mt advice is don't waste your money/time on their other treatment products unless you need something urgently. Take it from me, who was drawn in by SH's promises. OPI, Orly and Nail tek can be gotten for less than SH and work better, too.

4. The Face Shop

When I was a face shop girl, I always thought the most fun part of applying my colour was applying the basecoat. I loved how it applied and made my nails looks pretty and shiny, and it wore so well! Never mind that it didn't really help with staining! So if you're on a major budget or just want to add a shiny pinkish tint to your nails, this $2.90 a bottle basecoat is just for you!

Matte or Not?

If you're going to get Nail Tek, or Nail Envy Matte, or even Orly Bonder, here's something to consider before opting for a matte base coat:

Firstly, as always, working with a matte is tricky business- especially when you're going to use it as a base coat. You NEED TO NEED TO NEED TO make sure you work fast and apply evenly. Use the 3-stroke rule. Because matte's don't give you much time to work with the product. It's important you get them on as smoothly as possible if not it WILL goop up and screw up and affect your other coats of colour. There are some things even Seche cannot fix.

But once you get the matte done right, I promise you they will be as smooth as any other topcoat with the added bonus that mattes, being a little more porous in texture will adhere your nail colour better.

I hope I've managed to shed some light about whats good in the market! Which ones would you pick?

Finally, remember that everyone's nails are different, and not all the same products work for everyone. Now, go forth and seek for the product which worketh most for thee with my blessings!

And do let me know what works for you!

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby you are mine!

Over the rainbow on Ruby Pumps!

I always wanted a pair of Dorothy's Ruby Slippers!! I still do! But since I haven't found the perfect pair (yet!!) I'll have to compromise and settle for a humble alternative- on my nails, No less! Presenting to you the very very very very very HIGHLY acclaimed, over talked-about Ruby Pumps by China Glaze. Lets see how she lives up to her reputation.

Without flash

Application: This is a glitter suspended in red jelly, and was most uneven at first coat. It is a definite 3-coater, or it could be just me. But then again, MANY of CGlaze's colours do require at least three coats (my 'something sweet' did, too). It gooped up just a weeeeee bit, though it could be due to my (lack of) skills as well. But darling seche fixed all that in a jiffy!

See that lovely gloss!

Disclaimer: I'm very sure this colour was invented with CGlaze EXPECTING people to use a top coat, because I must tell you that it looks dark, dull and lifeless without one! Even the glitter does not stand out! In these pictures I had used TWO coats of Seche Vite to achieve the glazed, ruby-like look of it. A few days later I applied another coat of Nubar Diamont topcoat and let me tell you, nail junkies, Nubar (I must've gotten the old formula) works absolute wonders. It's glossier than Seche twofold. A pity about what happened to it, though.

With flash

Did you know that ruby also happens to be my birthstone? Heh heh!

In all honesty, I was disappointed and HATED the colour on me at first. So much for all that hype! I found the red too cool and dark for me, somehow I was expecting a younger, more popping red. Like if only the actual colour could be the one with flash! I thought my hands looked really mature (ugh!). Salima will no doubt remember me complaining to her about how I hated the colour, but then, y'know it started to grow on me!

So much so that when it started to chip, I removed and REAPPLYED THE SAME COLOUR and had it for a week. I was deciding if I should keep the colour for Attica's Red themed party and for me to keep the same colour for a week, that is some feat my ruby baby has achieved! Congrats!

So I DID wear rubyP to the party, and you can see how (as sali pointed out) it stood out from my skin. People even asked if I got them done at a salon. I was pleasantly pleased at the effect! =D

OK I hope this is evident in the pic please concentrate on the middle area of the picture which is my nails, thanks. See how this little darling stands out? Though to be fair, you all must know that I only got a desirable shine after two coats of Seche Vite and one of Nubar Diamont. SO!

Bonus pic!

Freaky shot.

But dyamn, my hands so white, they can compete with Edward Cullen's! OK, I meant Dita Von Teese.

'I've got a girl and Ruby is her name. She don't love me but I love her just the same'

Solid Gold a winner!

Guess which little baby turned up at my doorstep today?

Solid Gold from the Metal Chic collection! OKay, she comes really late because I actually placd an order for Iron Butterfly and after a month it still wasn't here, and the seller said they had ran out, and could I choose another colour please? Sad face. But anyway I really wanted to try a metallic matte so I chose this in IB's stead. Lets see how this one fares!

So it isn't a platinum sparkling gold, its more of an old gold kinda colour definitely more Roman Artifact than Tiffany's. and it has sort of a matte-satin like finish so its not really the texture of a glitter. Does it make me feel like a metal chick, though? Not really, this one's got more of a glam/ rocker feel to it (funny because i dont fancy the Glam Rock colour from this collection)

I've read about the nature of mattes and how they don't behave like your typical nail colour, so I was really careful with this one, doing all the things people recommended, like working fast, and getting it right within three strokes (thank you, seche, for that training!)

Well, firstly I want to say how surprised I was because I couldn't believe how SMOOTH & EVENLY this baby applied, even at the first coat!! I don't usually get that with my other 'specials' (ruby pumps, space cadet, midnight in moscow all apply horribly on their first coat) so, this is sold gold at one coat over my nail tek foundation

One coat. Not bad, huh? But of course i wasn't satisfied at one coat, and knowing how mattes tend to chip real easily, decided to take Michele from Lacquerized's advice on sandwiching!

So this is two coats, sandwiched with Nail Tek. I'm hoping this method will try n keep the colour. Of course, being the anal retentive on my 3 coat policy, I couldn't resist applying one more coat, even though the results ARE rather satisfying at just two (another first for me).

So here it is, at three coats. I KNOW it looks slightly uneven but I can vouch that it has nothing to do with Orly's awesome formulation for this and mostly to do with my bad judgement and not so honed skills. And hey, its my first time working with a matte! It being a matte is fast drying to boot, so, yay, Orly!

With flash. I placed an order for Iron Butterfly after falling in love with this one, so look out for my post on that! ^_^

The ONLY thing that bugs me about this is that the colour starts gooping up around the neck area real fast =( and this coming from just the FIRST time applying it. This means that the colour tends not to flow down but just dries up, thus using up the colour faster!! Is this normal with mattes? Do you know if a nail thinner can restore mattes normally?!

Bonus pic:

I took this just to see how it fares against my Dunlop Gold Capo. LOL yay <3

Camwhorring with my Philip Pullman book lol. do you find it funny how I have long nails on one hand but not the other? HAHA!

-7th March update-

Solid Gold wore pretty well. I had it on for 4 days, NO CHIPPING AT ALL, minor tipwear, but then I do play the guitar and that was probably the main cause for it. I removed it after a whole night of playing where the tipwear was the worst.

"And on my word, I'd give up my whole life for you and I was reborn, bigger and stronger, and less alive"

Sea of Love

When I read that Accessorize

1) Not only came up with a makeup range which included nail polish, which,

2) Had an almost exact dupe for Mac's Pink Fairy,

I was sold. I had to get my hands on them. I would go through means to find its way to Singapore (we don't carry their makeup range at the mo). I was kind of lucky in the sense that they were having a free-shipping Christmas Promotion, so I got it sent to the US and V-posted it home. If they didnt have the free shipping thing, there probably was no way on earth I would have parted with my money. So anyway, I got a few things, two of their nail colours, Mermaid, and Pink Spice (their dupe for Bad Fairy), and a Purplish/Fuchsia lipgloss. Even then, I had to dig deep in my pockets because Vpost was a killer.

Mermaid and Pink Spice (which I'm saving for Chinese New year!) are from Accessorize's Illusion range, which in my opinion, together with the Rock Star range, are the only ranges worth checking out because they're the only 'original' or interesting range. If you liked any other colour, you're better off buying China Glaze, OPI or Orly. More bang for buck, and better quality too. Unless of course, you lived in the UK!

So, first up in line, was Mermaid worth all that shipping trouble?

Take a look at this:

Gasp! Notice the DIFFERENCE in quantity! Mermaid cost me about $14 SGD, but was TINY. Like 10ml. -_-" Well, I was kind of expecting it, anyway. But still, I felt a little cheated 'cause, y'know, I get Orly for about $12 SGD, and Orly's 18ml!

So, as you can see, teeny tiny, short stubby cap, an annoyance to hold with an even more annoying excuse of a brush! But I trudged on, and here is the result:

Without flash

This is a mighty pretty one! The name Mermaid does its shade justice as the duo-chrome flashes from an Aqua blue-glitter-mermaid scales to a gorgeous sea green that leaves you wanting to stare into the depths of the ocean present on your nails. I know alot of others have reviewed this colour out there, but this is truly a stunning shade, that MAYBE justifies the $14 needed to bring it to the sunny shores of Singapore where this colour can thrive!

You can sort of see the duo-chrome effect in this pic

Application: Was not bad at all! Three coats, over my horrid Sally Hansen base, followed by my cheapy Face shop top coat, but easy to work with! Now, IF ONLY the brush were more decent, it would have been perfect!

With flash

I'm liking it, and I like rocking this colour. Wears quite well, too. Minor tipwear, but I think it lasted without chipping till I removed it (a few days? can't remember!) It was a bitch to remove though! Partly typical glitter behaviour but also partly because of the base coat (ugh!)

Sali, when you go to the UK, I'm making you bring more of these stuff home for me!

'Dry your dity little eyes, my water turns to turpentine'

I'm in love with Space Cadet!!!

I've been showing off this colour, the dupe-that-is-better than MAC's Mean and Green from their Venomous Villains collection.

This is Space Cadet from Orly's Cosmic FX collection, and man is it cosmic!!!

No pictures for now, because I made a horrible mani of it.Mainly because I used a horrible base coat. NEVER use that sally Hansen shit as a base coat. It does not promise. I'm also not used to Orly's think brush =( I miss the thick awesome coverage OPI brushes have!

Many people have been saying that they have no idea how to describe the colour, and I think I will attempt to. I think it the main colour is this glitterly rose-purple base which can appear like a dark purple glitter in the night. Then there's the Green/gold bit to it, which is sort of a well, dirt green glitter. Someone once called it 'petrol coloured' and I think thats semi-accurate.

And when the rose-purple and green mix hues its just... mind blowing.

Also the pigment isn't the best around,it needs 3-4 coats, and even after that, one needs an awesome top coat to finish it off because the formula is so damn unstable.

That aside, this colour is WORTH all its pains. I will make an effort and fight for this colour. And to think the MAC formula is worse, has a worse brush and yet is still so highly sought after! So I'll post pics of this awesome baby once i get my hands on that Seche.

Awhile back I tried my Mermaid colour from accessorize, another awesome colour which I am late on updating so catch up on that soon!

My first Classic Manicure/ Pedicure

Okay, okay, I know this post is loooong overdue. I apologise for the tardiness, but lets get started!

Awhile ago (last month?) I bought a deal from a Bigdeals for a mani/pedi. Admittedly this started my love affair with nail colours and the urge to paint every bare nail in sight (yikes), but let me show you what I got!

All colours were painted in this order: OPI Natural base, OPI Colour (2 Coats), Seche Vite fast dry (Can you believe they made me pay four extra dollars for Seche?! Incredulous!)

I wanted a Hot Pink for my toes, and ended up settling for this, which I felt was fun, girly and not to Aunty-looking.

So, this is OPI's DC Cherry Blossom (I forgot the code) ! Unfortunately, it looks like a really orangey base under artificial light, which I hate.

But, under natural lighting I love it! Will I get this colour again though? Maybe not! I really don't like its orange undertones at times! I'll check out shorts story sometime and see how that compares to this.

For my hands, I wanted a light shade of pink (still on the search for my Miwako Sakuarda), and though its not Miwako, I still like this colour fairly well! I had no idea what this colour was because I asked the manicurist to recommend me a light pink and she suggested this, which when I tried to sneak a peek at the bottle was labelled R31. Later found out that this is a shade called 'Sweet memories' and its pretty old... can anyone place this colour?

This is it with flash...

And without flash. I absolutely love this pigment. It stayed on for ONE WEEK without chipping/white tips showing. And I loved how she filed my nails, lol. Lessons, anyone?

Thats it! I'm gonna be purchasing Sweet Memories soon because I really love how sweet yet natural this color looks. Overall it was a good Manicure... something I need to aspire to!

Ta-dah!

My Miwako Sakurada wig from Gothic Lolita wigs.

I loveeee the curls, and its really soft! So what do you think? Be honest now!

I'm so tempted to do a wig haul with them, ugh!!