Reader Recommended Posts & Give Away Winner

Happy Tuesday Morning!!

The Giveaway is finally over and the winner is Christine L. from Steamy Nails!  Lucky!!!

If you didn't win, don't feel bad. I will have another big holiday giveaway coming up soon, with multiple prizes, so keep in touch!

Thank you to everyone who has participated.  I am more than pleased at the turn out and the links that were provided are very nice indeed.  I hope you find these links to be helpful and inspirational. I learned several new things by taking a look at them.  The first half, I sorted the topics by alphabetical order. Then the second half of the list is all nail art related, grouped by design. The very last link is how to make a light box for photographing nails or products.

Check them out and enjoy!

Clean Up Process
http://www.lacquerized.com/2010/02/clean-up-in-6-easy-steps.html

Recommended by Helena at Lacky Corner

http://nailpolishinmyeyes.blogspot.com/search/label/Cuticle%20Clean%20Up

Recommended by Toni Anne Berman

http://polishorperish.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-get-that-picture-perfect.html

Recommended by Manicurette

Cuticle Care

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9szl80dRnIs

Recommended by Steamy nails

http://loodieloodieloodie.blogspot.ca/search/label/Cuticle%20Care

Recommended by Jenn, Paperbacks and Polish

Cuticle Cream – Badger

http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-new-holy-grail-cuticle-product.html

Recommended by Michele

Filing and Shaping Nails

http://loodieloodieloodie.blogspot.hk/search/label/Nail%20Files

Recommended by Elizabeth

Nail Care for Long and Healthy Nails

http://www.makeupveda.com/tutorials/item/134-nail-problems-?-here-are-some-tips-for-long-and-healthy-nails

Recommended by Lulu

Nail Polish Bubbles

http://thebeautydepartment.com/2012/04/avoiding-nail-polish-bubbles/

Recommended by Angelica Ng

Nail Polish Finishes by Type

http://www.lacquerized.com/2010/04/finish-it-up.html  

Recommended by Lacquer Tracker

Soybean based Nail Polish Remover

http://irelishnailpolish.blogspot.com.es/2012/10/soy-nail-polish-remover-by-karma.html

Recommended by Criminal Nails

Nail Art tutorial

http://nailside.blogspot.nl/2012/09/tutorial-vertical-lightning-bolt.html

Recommended by Cait

http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/bow-nail-manicure/

Recommended by Lulu

http://www.lucysstash.com/2012/06/ladybirdladybug-manicure-with-tutorial.html

Recommended by Aylin Leto

Galaxy Nails

http://pinterest.com/pin/86131411593719354/

Recommended by Calli

Nail Art Gradient

http://manicuriously.blogspot.com/2012/05/ombre-with-fizzy-pop.html

Recommended by Abby

http://www.thenailasaurus.com/2012/04/gradient-nails-picture-tutorial.html

Recommended by Sharon

Glitter Gradient

http://pshiiit.com/2011/11/05/video-tuto-pshiiit-se-degrade-avec-essie-et-opi/

Recommended by Ruth

Make your Glitter Mani Super Smooth

http://idrinknailpolish.blogspot.com/2011/10/tip-tuesday.html

Recommended by Drastic Actions

Epic Comparison of all Indie Black and White Glitter As of 05/12

http://www.chalkboardnails.com/2012/05/ultimate-black-and-white-glitter.html

Recommended by the Sneakerette

Water Marbling FAQ: Filtered vs. Tap Water, Room Temp. vs. Cold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZFJubfWGWg&list=SP4B6CE9EFF85ED1C1&index=16&feature=plpp_video

Recommended by Funkiichicka

What Works Best for Stamping
http://www.ooohshinies.com/2011/09/how-to-mix-and-match-for-stamping.html

Recommended by Alison G

How to Make a Light Box for Photography

http://www.chalkboardnails.com/2012/03/intermediate-nail-photography-lightbox.html

Recommended by Tami McTaggart

Lush - Ultrabalm

Hey there!  I hope everyone is having a nice weekend! 

I misplaced my Lemony Flutter, so for the last few weeks, I've been using Ultrabalm to moisturize my cuticles. I have to say it works very nicely.  Ultrabalm is organic jojoba oil with super soft wax.  I rub a moderate amount on my fingertips right before bed and the next morning my skin looks plump and silky soft.  Sometimes I rub it all over the back of my hands too.  It feels a bit greasy at first, but after 20 minutes it soaks in.  I don't recommend using this when your busy because if you don't wait, everything you touch will have greasy fingerprints on it. 

What do I like about Ultrabalm?  A LOT.   There really isn't much that I don't like.

• Its simple, just three ingredients, and fragrance free.  (Smells earthy, kind of like tree bark or mulch, but the smell is faint.)
• vegan
• cruelty free
• petroleum free, no mineral oil
• easy to use balm, no droppers or brushes, the oil doesn't run all over the place.
• You can use it on other body parts, not just hands.
• It works; jojoba oil molecules are supposedly small enough to penetrate through the outer skin layer.  Thus it has more moisturizing capabilities rather than just creating a barrier and locking in moisture.

I think the price is fair, some might think its expensive but there's no mineral oil in it, no preservatives, its organic (theoretically less pesticides) and made by hand.  You get what you pay for sometimes.

I bought mine at the Lush boutique at the mall near my house. 

I did a post on other cuticle moisturizers, click here.

What Lush products do you like?

Review: China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

I have wanted to do a top coat post for a while and I have a draft that has been sitting around for the longest time. I didn't post it because it is verbose, and I wasn't sure how to best organize and present the information. Nevertheless, I finally decided to present one top coat at a time, in digestible chunks.

Let me start by stating my requirements of a good top coat; it must be quick drying, least toxic as humanly possible (free of DBP, Toulene and added Formaldehyde), adds noticeable shine, durability, be a good smudge fixer and leveler. 


Side note: If I come across a slow drying top coat, defined by me as taking longer than 2 minutes to dry to touch, I will use it to remove glitter polishes. That's right, I have two methods for removing glitter polishes and using clear polish or slow drying top coats is one of them. Just slap some top coat on top of old glitter, wrap a piece of cotton soaked with acetone polish remover around your finger, wait a few seconds and swipe. Works like a charm. The top coat will soften the old polish, making it easier to remove.

I am on my fourth bottle of China Glaze's Fast Forward (ChG FF) top coat so this should be a fair review. The China Glaze website, says it penetrates and drys all layers of polish in 60 seconds. Sometimes it does dry that fast, I think it depends on the humidity of the environment you are working in as well. 

PROS:

• Quick drying: 1-2 minutes dry to touch, 5 minutes go about your business.
• Good smudge fixer.
• Superior leveler, by that I mean, I love it for glitters, it delivers a smooth finish.  Very close if not equal to Seche Vite.
• Easy to find, Sally's $5-6, nail suppliers, $3.
• Big 3 free, (free of DBP, Toulene and added Formaldehyde).

CONS:

• Sometimes can causes serious shrinkage, especially with jellies.
• Gets too thick halfway through the bottle. How do I deal with this? I use one bottle until it is half way done, set it aside. Start using another fresh bottle until it too, is halfway empty. So now I have two used half bottles. I add nail polish thinner to both half bottles.  Finally, I combine the two bottles to make a full bottle and finish that off; OR toss it if I'm tired of it and I want a fresh bottle.
• Smells strong and toxic, not as bad as Seche Vite, but it's not good.

One example of shrinkage.  ChG FF top coat here. 
I must have applied ChG FF a little more thinly here, and the shrinkage shows up only after drying. 

What to do about shrinkage?  The remedy for this is to apply a super thick coat, to every nail, every stroke, everytime AND wrap the the tips of the nail. By not wrapping the tips, shrinkage looks like tip wear but you will see it appear on all nails at the same rate.  Genuine tip wear appears only on certain nails first, then eventually to all nails.  For me, my index fingers wear down first, then my thumbs.  Lastly, shrinkage will occur more readily if the top coat becomes too thick. 

I don't have a favorite top coat.  There is no be-all-of-end-all top coats, to me. My theory is that one size does not fit all, and that is how I feel about top coats. I use different top coats for different polishes. I wonder if nail polish manufactures formulate top coats especially for their polishes so, sometimes I will match brand to brand.

When do I decide to use China Glaze FF top coat?

• To seal over a glitter polish, nail art or nail accoutrements.
•  Over any China Glaze cream polish.
• As an attempt to fix any smudges.

Before I finish, China Glaze and Seche Vite are made by the same company, American International Industries.  ChG FF top coat and Seche Vite are very similiar, I do like them both except Seche Vite has toulene in it.  I'm still working with Seche Vite and will do a review on that soon.

Thoughts, comments?  Please share!

Moisturizing Your Cuticles

Besides hand hygeine, if there's only one thing you want to do to take care of your hands and cuticles, is to at least moisturize them with lotion.  Take it one step further and pay special attention to your cuticles and the skin around your nails.  Cuticles serve an important function as a barrier against fungus and bacteria from entering your body.  So why not pamper them and care for them properly?

In addition, when cuticles and skin are allowed to dry out, the dry skin peels and looks unsightly.  If you have been reading my blog for a while you might know that I'm a reformed nail biter.  I use to pick, peel and pull at dry skin and hang nails.  This is a horrible habit!  I used to actually cause trauma to my fingers and sometimes they would bleed!  A nice entry point for bacteria.  I'm lucky I never got an infection. 

Point is, since I have been moisturizing, I don't suffer from hang nails anymore.  Peeling skin is at a minimum.  If there is a small peel, I will trim it with a cuticle trimmer.  So below are some cuticle cremes I use and love.

Let's start with Lush's Lemony Flutter. 

Lots of bloggers love this, and I can see why.  Lemony Flutter unlike cuticle oils, are really easy to use.  The product does not run all over your fingers, it is a soft balm.  Thus it is easy to control its application.  As you can guess Lemony Flutter smells of lemons; a lot.  I like the strong smell of lemons and find it kind of therapuetic.  I put this on before bed, it can be a little greasy, but when I wake up, my fingers look nice and healthy.  The first ingredient is lemon extract, followed by shea butter, then beeswax. 

I got my small pot (0.5 oz) off of eBay for about $5. The regular sized pots at Lush stores are around $12. This small pot is about 6 months old and there is still a lot of product left.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme

Burt's Bees is a very close second, to me, when compared to Lush.  In contrast, Burt's Bees Creme is a hard balm, and I have to rub pretty hard to get some product out.  So now I just scrape the top with the back of my nail.  Half the size of a pea will cover five fingers for me.  It's not as greasy at Lush, and doesn't smell as strong.  It still works really well, if not the same.  The ingredients are a little different.  First on the ingredient list is sweet almond oil, second is beeswax, then lemon oil. 

I got mine at Ulta for $5.99, 0.6 oz.  I've seen these at Walgreens too.

L'Occitane en Provence's Cuticle and Nail Creme. 

I like L'Occitane because I don't have to stick my fingers in it and seems more clean to me.  I also like that I can squeeze a little bit of product on to each finger.  Aside from Burt's Bees and Lush, this is not at all greasy.  L'Occitane's Creme is thick, almost tacky.  I can feel a pull when I rub it in, but it absorbs really fast and smells kind of like baby powder.  I rub this on right before I take photos and there are no finger smudges on things after I touch them.  So I can put this one and go about my business right away.  I only need a teeny amount for each finger.

The first ingredient in L'Occitane's Creme is water, then shea butter, thirdly polyglyceryl-3 ricinoleate.  Sixth ingredient is apricot kernel oil which I see in some cuticle oils, like Essie.

This is the priciest of the three, $18 for 0.5 oz.  I splurged on it because I wanted to try it.  I do really like this creme a lot but with Lush and Burt's Bees around, I kind of hesitate on fully recommending L'Occitane because of the steep price. 

So there you have it, the three cremes I would recommend.  All are cruelty free with natural ingredients. 

Which cuticle creme/oil do you like?

Filing and Shaping Nails

Filing and shaping your nails is an important part of nail care, hygiene and aesthetics.  It is amazing that I say that statement, because I am a reformed nail biter. I also used to cut my nails.  I don't do that anymore, because my nails break or crack if I cut them down with a clipper.  If I want to shorten my nails I file them down. I basically use three items, either a file and buffing block or just a glass file.  First I will go over the equipment and then the basic method on how to file.

Clockwise from top: buffing block, glass file, angled file.

The glass file tends to be the holy grail of files according to a lot of bloggers and I can see why.  However, its a little tedious when you want to file down a bit of length. 

Why I like the glass file: 

It is a gentle one step process.  I can file down some length, (if I have patience), shape and seal the nail all in one step. 

Its washable and durable.  I keep it in plastic case to prevent it from breaking.  Glass files are suppose to be long lasting.  I have had mine for about nine months and it works like new. 

Why I don't like it:

It takes a while to file down your nails. 

Its a little expensive, $6-7 at Sally's.  I personally don't think that is a bad price for something that will last a while but other people might think that's outrageous.  Another customer started talking to me in the store one day, and asked me what is the BEST file for natural nails.  I showed her the swissco glass file.  When she asked me how much they were, I told her.  She thought I was totally nuts to spend that kind of money on a file.  So, with respect, I directed her to the regular nail files....  Sheesh, sometimes its about priorities and perspective.  Thank goodness for the 99 cent files that are pretty darn good, so those of us that are on a tight budget can have nice nails too!

Angled foam board nail file.

The angled foam board nail file, is a nice upgrade from an ordinary emery board.  These are washable and ridged for good control and durability.  These last me about three to four months.  The one pictured is 180 grit and probably the roughest grit my natural nails will take.  I use to use the 150 grit board but it was a bit too rough, and would sometimes tear the edges.  I would say I have medium strength nails, they are not too hard, but they are not soft and weak either.  The 180 grit is recommended for natural nail.  The 150 grit is recommended for both natural and artificial nails.  If you have really hard nails the 150 grit might be okay.  The lower the grit number the rougher the file, obviously.

I love the foam board file because when I want file down some length it does the job in no time.  Just like a glass file you can use these to shape the nail too.  Plus, they are nice and cheap, about 99 cents.  I have a couple of these scattered around the house.

The buffing block.

The buffing block is for finishing the rough edges after filing.  This is a 320 grit block, it leaves a nice smooth finish and seals the edges of the nails.  I also will buff the tops of my nails gently before I paint them, not all the time, just sometimes.  The sometimes is usually after removing glitter and there's still some around, or lint left over from a cotton ball.  By the way, this block does not buff to a shine.  These are about 69 cents at Sally's. 

I file my nails with dark nail polish on.  Here I'm wearing China Glaze's Foie Gras and its about three days old.  After a couple days of wear, I usually have pretty bad tip wear.  So, I'll take the opportunity then, to file my nails, if needed.  I start a the edge and work my way to the center.  Then, I stop at the center and go to the other side and work my way to the center again.  I'll do a couple of big swipes over the top to square it off.  Of course, you should always file in one direction.  The reason why I file my nails with dark polish on, is so I can see what the overall shape of my nails are, as I'm filing.  If I file my nails without polish, I tend to follow the nail line, and end up with crooked or lopsided edges. 

I usually file my nails in the squoval shape.  I love square nails but my corners tend to chip when I square them off. 

I file and shape my nails throughout the week as needed, usually when I'm hanging out in bed. 

Thoughts, questions?

Sourcing for Nail Polish and Other Manicure Supplies

This certainly isn't a new idea, but have you ever tried going to a nail salon supplier to find nail polish?  There are two suppliers in my area that I'm willing to drive to that will sell to individuals without a nail tech license.  The benefit of going to these places are wholesale pricing and a large inventory of "salon, professional" quality supplies.  I'll review one store, that I try to get to, on a monthly basis. 

Skyline nail supply is located in Falls Church, VA in a dumpy, run-down, ethnic strip mall.  This place is always busy, at least when I go there.  There are trucks dropping off and picking up merchandise by the pallet continously.  The front of the store is littered with cardboard boxes and inside is somewhat a disorganized mess.  The shelves are rougly organized by nail polish brand and the individual colors are all mixed up on messy shelves.  Essie and Station nails dominate the store.  There are rows upon rows of dust covered old Station nail polish its gross!  China Glaze and OPI share a section, Zoya and Orly share another.  Color Club is shoved in the back and for the longest time they only had neon Color Club to choose from.  CND is there too but covered in so much dust I don't want to touch it.  Other than nail polish, you can by nail files by the case, tubs of lotions, cleansers, scrubs, and giant message chairs.  Cuticle remover and cuticle oil too come in massive amounts!  Oh they also have an endless array of fake nails and acrylic and gel nail supplies. 

I'm sorry I don't have pictures of the inside but the owners are Vietnamese, which I am not, and I didn't want to start snapping pictures and get kicked out!  Can you imagine getting cursed at in Vietnamese over nail polish?  OMG! OMG!

Here's a recent haul from early April.

Left to right: CG: Foie Gras, Dance Baby, Electric Beat, Seduce Me, Hook and Line, Orly Rose Colored Glasses, CC Gingerbread, Candycane, Zoya America, Dita. 

All China Glazes are $3 each.
Orly $4
Color club $2
Zoyas $4  (They have a bad selection of Zoyas all mainly reds and pinks.)

OPI are $3 each, but If you haven't noticed I don't buy OPI because they are owned by Coty a parent company that tests on animals and same with Essie, owned by Loreal.  This may change in 2013, as I wonder if these companies will have to comply with European regulations to stay competitive. 

I have bought some old nail polishes from here that were no longer good and I got burned (both Zoyas).  There are no refunds or exchanges allowed.  So I only try to buy new collections here because I know that they are fresh.  When the Hunger Games collection came out March 23, Sally's was ransacked and there was nothing left.  At Skyline they had the whole collection in cases, so there was plenty to go around and they were $3 each, not $5.99 at Sally's or a whopping $7.99 like they are at Ulta.  They also still have a bunch of China Glaze and Orly Christmas sets still left over.  There kits are cheap too, for example if you wanted the whole China Glaze electropop collection, there are two sets of six, so each set is $18, still $3 per bottle.   And they come in the plastic box that you see on Amazon or Transdesign.  They also let you take apart the sets too.  The guy in the store said to me if I only wanted to buy two I could take apart the set and leave the other four behind.  I said "Really?  Won't that ruin your set?"  He said, "No worry, I will sell the four later."   COOL!  I thought.

So put up with the dust and be super nice, (because the prices are not marked) and have fun shopping for hard to find salon polishes on the cheap. 

Do you ever go to wholesale nail suppliers?

If you missed this morning's half moon mani post click HERE.  It is awesome, so don't pass it up!

What do those symbols mean on the back of your cosmetics and nail polish?

I have a quick post for you today.  I spent some time looking up all of those little symbols and I hope you find this helpful. 

Orly's Bonder

Revlon's quick dry top coat.

Zoya nail polish, Anja.



Orly's Nail Armor.



Ahava, hand cream.

Nail polish can not be thrown away with regular trash!  Yikes!  It must be taken to your nearest hazardous waste transfer facility.  It is flammable and if it leaks into our environment, soil and water it is dangerous.  See here.

Animal testing for cosmetics have been banned in Europe since 2009, and long term testing will be banned in 2013.  Imports of cosmetics that have been tested on animals is also banned in Europe since 2009, thank goodness. Now when will the U.S. get on board?  See here.

I hope it is just a matter of time before we follow in Europe's footstep.  In the meantime, what is an average, working class person like me suppose to do?  Our voice is heard by the purchases we make, every time we buy cruelty free, big 3 free nail polish we vote for no animal testing, no carcinogens and other toxic chemicals in our products.  I know nail polish is still hazardous material, but it doesn't have to be if we use it responsibly. 

Have I been guilty of being ignorant and making mistakes? Absolutely; but I'm trying to find and share information.  I hope don't sound like I'm lecturing or judging because I'm not.  I think it is important to know what we are buying and using.

My last point.  Want to curb buying urges?  Become an educated and discerning consumer.  As soon as I decided to stop buying products form giant cosmetic companies that test on animals and use toxic ingredients the buying list becomes much shorter.

I like to enjoy my nail polish guilt free and without worry!

Please share your thoughts in the comments section!