Makeup For Life - Beauty Blog, Makeup Tutorials, Product Reviews, Celebrity Makeup, Beauty Advice » nails of the day

NOTD: Floral and Polka Dot Gelish Soak-off Gel Manicures

Phyllis — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:25:52 +0000

Here are more Gelish manicures that I did in the past few weeks. For the look below, I used Gelish Gossip Girl Color Polish as a base and added polka dots with Gelish Sleek White Color Polish.

As for this one, I applied 2 thin coats of Gelish Sleek White as a base before adding floral fimo pieces.

New to the Gelish Soak-off Gel System? Read my review!

NOTD: Purple Gel Nails With Gelish, MAC Pigments and OCC Glitters

Phyllis — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:02:47 +0000

Finally got to do my second set of gel nails with the Gelish Soak-off Gel System I reviewed last week. This time, I wanted to do a purple look so I decided to mix my own color. Read on to see what I used!

Base – Clear with Gelish Structure Clear Gel.
2/3 Of the Nail – A sheer mauve by mixing MAC Violet Pigment with Gelish Structure Clear Gel.
Tip – A dark purple by mixing MAC Entremauve Pigment with Gelish Structure Clear Gel. I also added a layer of OCC Glitters in Beige and Slate that I picked up from The Makeup Show Chicago.

I really loved how the colors turned out, especially with the glitter. They are super fine and just GORGEOUS! Stay tuned for a review of them!

Nail & Harmony Gelish Soak-Off Gel Nail Polish Review and Swatches

Phyllis — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:51:28 +0000

Due to the lack of authentic Japanese gel manicures in the Chicago area, UV gel nails have always been one of those things I love but can’t ever get enough of – literally! Which is why I finally decided to splurge on Nail & Harmony’s Gelish, one of the first soak-off gel systems.

Hand & Nail Harmony Gelish Soak-Off Gel System
I got the basics which included:

Gelish pH Bond – to be used prior to application by prepping the nail as a dehydrating step.
Gelish Foundation Base Gel – base coat.
Gelish Soak-off Top It Off Sealer Gel – top coat.
Gelish Structure Clear Gel – a clear gel that can be used on its own or to help strengthen thin, weak nails.
Gelish Gel Cleanser – removes any sticky residue from the gel after you have cured them.

along with 4 Gelish Soak-off Gel Nail Polishes:

Sleek White is a matte white which goes on pretty opaque so you can create the perfect French tip with just 1 coat.
Light Elegant is a nude pink with fine shimmer. It applies semi-sheer and shows up a very light pink that is beautiful as a base.
June Bride is a medium pink with chunky glitter. It is the sheerest out of the bunch and takes at least 2 coats for the pink to show up completely. Katy Perry also wore this color at the Teen Choice Awards in 2010.
Gossip Girl is a hot pink that is loud and super opaque.

Gelish Soak Off Gel Polishes in Sleek White, Light Elegant, Gossip Girl, and June Bride

Gelish Sleek White

Gelish Light Elegant

Gelish June Bride

Gelish Gossip Girl

The instructions were simple to follow and application was a breeze. Unlike the old school gels like the IBD I had, the Gelish products (except the Structure Clear Gel) all come with a twist cap and brush applicator so you can apply just like regular nail polish. They also apply thinly and evenly and can be cured under both UV and LED lights. The generic 45-watt UV lamp I got from Amazon works great with them.

30 minutes later, I got my first DIY Gelish Soak-Off Gel manicure on both hands. I used Light Elegant as a base and June Bride on the tips.

Wearing Gelish Light Elegant and June Bride

Although the gradation effect I was going for didn’t show up the way I wanted – which by the way, was totally due to my lack of experience – I am still very happy with the results. My nails looked shiny and smooth with zero bubbles, just like what you would get at the salon. The manicure also lasted a good two weeks with no lifting, peeling or chipping and it made my nails stronger and less prone to breakage and biting (thank God!)

Removing the gel was equally painless. Unlike the previous gel manicures I had at various salons, not a bit of filing or prying was required. All I did was soak a cotton pad with acetone, wrap it around my nail, add foil over it, wait 10 minutes and the gel came off easily with zero damage to my nails.

Overall, I LOVE the Hand & Nail Harmony Gelish Soak-Off Gel system! Yes the start-up cost can be a little high (I spent almost $200 on everything), but it is a great investment and a few manicures is all I need to get my money’s worth. Not to mention each Gelish polish can do up to 50 to 60 full sets so a bottle will last you quite some time.

I will definitely be picking up more colors so I can further experiment!

Overall Rating:

Disclosure: The products in this entry were purchased by me. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips Reviews, Photos and Swatches

Phyllis — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 05:34:00 +0000

My first experience with dry nail polish strips dated back to 2009 with Incoco Self-stick 100% Nail Polish Strips. Since then, I have tried out Chic Prints For Nails by Minx from Sephora, which sadly, were a total miss. Now, the latest brand to jump on the bandwagon is Sally Hansen with its Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. Read on to find out what I think about them!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips
DBP-, toluene- and formaldehyde-free, these adhesive films are available in 16 different shades that range from shiny neons like yellow, pink and blue to multi-color prints and glitter. All the designs are uber cute and I ended up getting 3:

350 Misbehaved is a metallic taupe with fishnet designs.
260 Glitz Blitz is a super glittery yellow gold.
360 Laced Up is a nude with glossy black floral designs.

Each set contains 16 strips, a cuticle stick, instruction booklet, mini file and buffer.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

Just like the Incoco strips, the Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips work the same way. All you have to do is peel, apply then file off the excess. The strips fit comfortably on my nails and while they did not look like nail polish, they did look natural enough. They also managed to stay on for more than 10 days with minimal chipping around the edges and absolutely no peeling, yet removed easily with nail polish remover.

My only complaint is the scent, which is a little stronger than the Incoco strips. Other than that, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips are easy to use and a super fun way to do an at-home manicure.

Below is me wearing 360 Laced Up on on Kiss Active Oval Fake Nails:

Wearing Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Laced Up

Wearing Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Laced Up

Overall Rating:

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips are now available at Wal-mart for $8.50.

Disclosure: The products in this entry were purchased by me. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

NOTD: Bling Up Black Angel Nail Tips

Phyllis — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:09:55 +0000

Finally got to try out the new nail tips I got from Blingup.net! Read on for more pics and a brief review!

Wearing Bling Up Black Angel Nail Tips

Wearing Bling Up Black Angel Nail Tips
The supa dupa cute nail tips come in a pink box, along with a nail glue, double-sided nail tape, nail file and even extra gems and in case they fall off. Thanks to Bling Up’s awesome customer service, you can get a free sizing kit to make sure u have the right sizes and mine perfectly without any discomfort.

Application was relatively easy with the nail glue. It has been a few hours since I put the nails on and so far everything stayed on pretty well.

My only gripe is the length. I prefer shorter nails and these are just a teeny bit too long for my taste. Nonetheless, it’s not a biggie and I’m still typing fine. I will post an update in a few days!

The Bling Up Black Angel Nail Tips is now available at Blingup.net for $40.99.

Disclosure: The product in this entry was provided by the manufacturer for consideration. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.