Fave Nail Polishes...

[monarch64]

Christa, thanks for sharing that link! Any guesses on Essie''s ring? Looked like a big ol'' cushion cut to me...

She is soooo beautiful--I hope I look as well turned-out as she does when I am her age!

I have Espresso Your Style on my toes this week and it''s holding up quite well...and Mademoiselle on my hands, also looking good after 4 days! I''ve been pretty much limiting the Wicked to weekends here and there, since it shows chips and wear so quickly, but I LOVE it.

Mara, you''re totally right about the dark colors bringing attention to your hands and making your ring pop, I''ve noticed the same thing. Tonight I was watching a Smashbox show on QVC or one of those shopping channels and the gal who was doing the brow demo had on a verrrry dark color and it looked fab!

 

[bstraszheim]

Thanks to Oleander! for the 8ty8 tip! I also ordered from enailsupply for a few things that 8ty8 didn''t have (the Zoya "Remove" which is a polish remover, but also a nail prep. I noticed a difference in my mani''s when I switched, highly recommed it! As well as the professional size of the Seche Base)

I put my new Zoya "Oil Spill" nail polish today : ) It really looks like an oil spill. In some light it is blackish, sometimes eggplanty purple, sometimes green : )

I tried the Essie Waltz/ Fed Up french today and really, really liked it. Looked so natural, not paper white. But I don''t know how to do the tips well. They didn''t look that great. I wouldn''t be able to do the Allure, then paint on top of it. I would mess up and then have to do it again and again. I am going to look for different nail tip "guides" this weekend. Any recommendations for either nail guides, or how to do a great french manicure??

I wish you well,

 

[Christa]

I''ve used Sally Hansen''s French mani guides with pretty good results. Another brand I used (don''t remember what--something I got at Wal-Mart) tended to pull off chunks of the base coat when I pulled them off.

 

[Christa]

Date: 10/27/2006 9:25:43 PM
Author: Bridget S.

I put my new Zoya ''Oil Spill'' nail polish today : ) It really looks like an oil spill. In some light it is blackish, sometimes eggplanty purple, sometimes green : )

That sounds really cool! Any pictures?

 

[bstraszheim]

No and my camera is at work. If it lasts until Monday I will take pictures!

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[cutes814]

Are the pricier polishes better than the cheaper kind? I usually use Sally Hansen polishes, but I have several Essie and Opi colors in my cart...heehee.

 

[cutes814]

Okay, I took the plunge. I cannot believe I just spent $50 buying nail polish!

But I got a ton of stuff:

OPI Espresso Your Style
OPI Honeymoon Sweet
OPI Smok''n in Havana
OPI Charge It In Milan
Essie Room with a View
Essie Pink Glove Service
Essie Mademoiselle
Essie Sassy Satchel
Essie Wicked
Essie Clutch Me If You Can
Seche Clear base coat
1 White Buffer Block
1 Polish Corrector Pen

I know, I know, I went a little crazy, but I had to get the colors you ladies posted! They are gorgeous! Plus, all that for $50.36? Well worth it, considering I tried to buy Honeymoon Sweet from my local salon and she tried to charge me $11! Of course I didn''t buy it, now I got it for $4.29! Yay!

I can''t wait to try them out. Hopefully I''ll receive them by next Weds.

Head2toe is now on my fave list!

 

[ForteKitty]

Oh BOY....

I didn''t want to look thru all 10 pages for the links so I decided to google 8ty8 and clicked on the first one w/o looking...

turns out it''s a BORDELLO!!!

 

[ellaila]

My shop still doesn't have Espresso Your Style, so I was torn between Mrs O'Leary's BBQ, which I've had before and really loved, or a new one called Oh to Be 25 Again! Went with 25, and it's a really great color! A deep reddish brown (looks very brown in dim lighting), and looks awesome against a nice charcoal gray -- so fall!!

 

[ellaila]

Forgot to attach pics to that last post - duh! Here's one where you can see it looking darker ... (and my rings that I must steam clean immediately and my cute little honey of a kitty who wanted some lovin' while I was taking photos

)

 

[ellaila]

And here''s one where it looks redder ...

 

[cutes814]

ellaila, I almost bought the Oh to be 25 again too! But I decided to wait. I''m glad I did because I tend to favor colors that are a little metallic or sparkly.

It looks good on you tho!


ForteKitty, the sites are 8ty8beauty.com and head2toebeauty.com
I bought my stuff of head2toe. I bought a ton of stuff and only paid $9 for shipping. See the list in my above post. The total price I listed included the shipping.

 

[Christa]

Date: 10/29/2006 1:18:37 AM
Author: Milly
Are the pricier polishes better than the cheaper kind? I usually use Sally Hansen polishes, but I have several Essie and Opi colors in my cart...heehee.

Definitely! I didn''t believe it until I tried Essie based on PS recommendations. I was using Sally Hansen before too, and the difference is huge! I can make an Essie or OPI manicure last a week . . . usually I get a hankering for a new color before it really starts to look bad.

 

[diamondfan]

I just got Bobbi Brown Velvet and it is really a pretty deep red...cannot wait to try it for the holidays...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I think I like OPI better than essie. For some reason I get little bumps with essie.

 

[diamondfan]

It could be the top coat you are using...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 11/3/2006 2:22:41 AM
Author: diamondfan
It could be the top coat you are using...

*hangs head in shame* I don''t use a top coat. The base coat is the same I use for OPI and Essie.

 

[diamondfan]

Date: 11/3/2006 5:35:00 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 11/3/2006 2:22:41 AM

Author: diamondfan

It could be the top coat you are using...

*hangs head in shame* I don''t use a top coat. The base coat is the same I use for OPI and Essie.

I use ethe dryng thing at the salon with the uv light in it...I also use the Qtica half time drying oil drops. If you put it on BEFORE you sit through one cycle on the dryer, you get bubbles in your polish. If you sit through one cycle, and then use the drops, it is fine...if it only happens with the one polish, then who knows what it is, maybe it is reacting with something? I wear both brands pretty evenly and have not noticed one being better really than the other...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I do my own nails so there was no drying cycles for me

I do the same steps for both kinds so who knows. Maybe it is reacted to something. I wonder if anyone else had this happen.

 

[Mara]

i''m off to get a mani and pedi today because my nails are looking KNARLY...i have had no time in the last 1.5 weeks to redo my hands and i keep filing them down to keep them painted at the edges but it''s at the end of it''s life...hahaa. but i have to say the espresso your style lasted a long time. i am going to get that again on both hands and feet today so that it can last through my trip.

lol milly, your nail polish list is so long, i was cracking up, PS enablers at work again!! all the colors are wonderful, so i''m sure you will be pleased. and h2t was great..i can''t wait to get more polishes in a few months. hehe.

 

[Mara]

haha funny story. just got home from the nail salon and there was a gal coming in to get her nails done who had what looked like a really awesome browny kind of red but not too dark and i asked her what it was and she said it was OPI ''oh to be 25 again'' or whatever, the same one that has been mentioned here!! it looked really great on her!! now i totally want to get it.

and i had a gal who was there getting her nails done want to use my espresso your style. hahaha. the nail salon didn''t really have any of the new fall colors, they better chop chop and get on it!!

oh yeah and there is nothing like having your nails painted in a dark color by a PRO. much easier than doing it myself at home!!

 

[Christa]

Date: 11/3/2006 5:35:00 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 11/3/2006 2:22:41 AM
Author: diamondfan
It could be the top coat you are using...

*hangs head in shame* I don''t use a top coat. The base coat is the same I use for OPI and Essie.

Ding ding! I think we may have found the problem!

You really need to use a good-quality base coat and top coat (no 2-in-1 thing, two separate products!) to get good results. Your mani will look better and last longer that way.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 11/4/2006 6:26:28 PM
Author: Christa

Date: 11/3/2006 5:35:00 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 11/3/2006 2:22:41 AM

Author: diamondfan

It could be the top coat you are using...

*hangs head in shame* I don''t use a top coat. The base coat is the same I use for OPI and Essie.

Ding ding! I think we may have found the problem!

You really need to use a good-quality base coat and top coat (no 2-in-1 thing, two separate products!) to get good results. Your mani will look better and last longer that way.

But that is how I do it with OPI and it comes out smooth. I can actually see the bumps/bubbles as soon as I paint them.

 

[diamondfan]

Are your nails really dry and clean before you put the polish on? Maybe something in the Essie is reacting to the air or the surface of your nails...just does not make sense if it only happens with Essie. I wonder if there is a way to find the ingredients of both and cross check them? Otherwise just stick to the OPI. It seems better for you overall, but if you really love Essie colors, call the company and tell them and see what they think!

 

[monarch64]

Hee hee, so I was getting on my flight last night, and one of the flight attendants goes "I love your nail polish--it looks like the color I have on my toes right now!" Instead of me just replying with a simple "thank you," I took the opportunity to inform her that it was "Wicked" by Essie. I know I am a complete dork--like she even cared, but I felt like I had to let her in on the brand and color like I was talking to someone from this thread, LOL!

 

[ecf8503]

Date: 11/4/2006 11:10:37 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 11/4/2006 6:26:28 PM

Author: Christa

Date: 11/3/2006 5:35:00 PM


Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 11/3/2006 2:22:41 AM


Author: diamondfan


It could be the top coat you are using...

*hangs head in shame* I don''t use a top coat. The base coat is the same I use for OPI and Essie.

Ding ding! I think we may have found the problem!

You really need to use a good-quality base coat and top coat (no 2-in-1 thing, two separate products!) to get good results. Your mani will look better and last longer that way.

But that is how I do it with OPI and it comes out smooth. I can actually see the bumps/bubbles as soon as I paint them.

Is it with all Essie colors you''ve tried or just one? Maybe there is something wrong with the polish itself (froze during shipping? incorrect chemicals?). I''d take it back to where you bought it and see what they say re: a refund or exchange. Do you shake the bottle vigorously before using? Just thinking out loud here..

 

[Tacori E-ring]

ecf8503- I don''t shake them. I thought that was bad, am I wrong? I only have two essies and the second is wicked which I wear on my toes (since my fingernails are long and I think it might be scary). Maybe it is that one polish. I did paint them outside the last time and they turned out HORRIBLE.

 

[diamondfan]

You should not shake polish. You should roll the bottle in between your hands back and forth to mix it. If you shake to vigorously you might get bubbles...

 

[Christa]

Painting outside will cause problems every time. I make sure there''s no air movement at all, in fact--windows open, fans going, etc. will make bubbles or just a lumpy polish job.

 

[ecf8503]

Oooh this thread is bad for my pocketbook...

I''ve always painted my toes (obsessively so, according to some...), but I''ve had natural unpainted fingers for years (I''m a veterinarian, and so when I was practicing I couldn''t have long or painted nails for sterility reasons). But now that I''m not working outside the home, it''s dawned on me (with the help of you PS enablers!) that I CAN PAINT MY FINGERNAILS!

Thought I''d add a few hand (and foot!) shots for those of you who are wondering what things really look like - oh, as a side note, I use OPI Natural Nail Base Coat and OPI Top Coat.

This is 2 coats of Essie Vanity Fairest -