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What color polish are you rocking right now?

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel with Essie matte top coat. Summer has started so felt like a bright colour :mrgreen2:
 

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Krisking said:
@Dee*Jay, the first time I tried it (thinner coats), the limiting factor was edge lifting (just one nail and then I removed the whole manicure). The second time I did get a couple tip chips after a week.

I hope you like the infinite shine. Whether I use regular OPI or the Inifinite Shine (can't tell a difference), my favorite combo is with the Seche Vite or Seche Vive Gel effect topcoat. :dance:

ETA: When I need a new topcoat, I plan to try the CG Fast Forward and Poshe that @Cockatiel and @ecf8503, respectively, have recommended.
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If you like Seche Vite and Vive, you might find Fast Forward is kinda similar to those. It's like Seche Lite with lesser shrinkage (for me at least) and it thickens up halfway through the bottle just like Seche. I get lots of bubbles though so if you hate bubbles I would stay away but I like it better than Seche. Dry time is comparable. I have a new bottle of Poshe which I am going to use for my next mani since I finally used up this Orly top coat. The Orly was the complete antithesis to the Seche-type top coats with complete opposite pros and cons. It is so thin, doesn shrink polish and doesn't thicken up so I actually used it up without thinning it but ruined all my manis for months, by always giving me bald spots and brushstrokes Upon application. And it just wasn't shiny either.
 
@Cockatiel, thank you, that's a great review! I've not had bubbles with Vive, but I do suspect shrinkage at the cuticle edge. Do the bubbles come from shaking the bottle, or they just happen regardless?
 
Krisking said:
@Cockatiel, thank you, that's a great review! I've not had bubbles with Vive, but I do suspect shrinkage at the cuticle edge. Do the bubbles come from shaking the bottle, or they just happen regardless?
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I think it's the top coat because I use different top coats and treat them same and only have this problem w Fast Forward. It's like I get numerous bubbles per nail.
 
So I gave myself the worst mani ever last night trying to use the OPI Infinite Shine no-light "gel." This stuff is THICK. I know you're supposed to do thin coats but it's like trying to paint your nails with maple syrup and it comes up out all uneven and gloppy. I'll keep at it a few more times (assuming this wears OK), but I highly suspect I'm going to end up going to back to the gel once all this experimentation is over...

(Too embarrassed to post a pic of this horrible mani!)
 
@Cockatiel, ugh, that's frustrating!

@Dee*Jay, I wonder if you got a bad bottle. Mine has been thin, same consistency as regular OPI.
 
Krisking said:
@Cockatiel, ugh, that's frustrating!

@Dee*Jay, I wonder if you got a bad bottle. Mine has been thin, same consistency as regular OPI.
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Oh my -- this stuff is NOT the same consistency at all! Well that gives me hope that maybe the other two colors I got will be better. Thank you!
 
@Dee*Jay, my OPI IS colors are slightly thicker than regular OPI but not like molasses. You may have a bad bottle. A polish thinner can help.

FWIW, IS doesn't last longer than regular polish on me so I don't buy it anymore.
 
Dee*Jay said:
So I gave myself the worst mani ever last night trying to use the OPI Infinite Shine no-light "gel." This stuff is THICK. I know you're supposed to do thin coats but it's like trying to paint your nails with maple syrup and it comes up out all uneven and gloppy. I'll keep at it a few more times (assuming this wears OK), but I highly suspect I'm going to end up going to back to the gel once all this experimentation is over...

(Too embarrassed to post a pic of this horrible mani!)
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That sounds so frustrating Dee*Jay. Sounds like you had a bad bottle, maybe go to the store and exchange it?

I was playing with OPI Infinite Shine for the first time yesterday night as well. Found it easy to apply but really hard to clean up (maybe because of the colour?)
Basecoat: ORLY bonder
Polish: OPI Infinite Shine Vodka and Caviar (3 coats)
Top coat: Seche Vite

Excuse the crappy clean up job. It was late at night, but I really wanted to play with the new red
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BM, maybe I did get a bad bottle... at least I hope so! Then the others should be better.

Land, I normally do three coats of color but I was just so frustrated after two of this stuff that I called it a night.

After doing gel for all these years and being so familiar with that type of polish perhaps I've just lost the ability to use regular polish at this point without making a complete mess of it. :(sad
 
Regarding OPI infinite shine, I don't think it is any better than regular OPI. Granted I use it w base coat and generic coat not like the instructions say but I get the same results. Actually non of the longer wearing polishes that are not light cured are truly longer wearing in my opinion. If anything they have weird formulas that are not nice to paint with. The Vinylux line has such a weird chewy texture and not self levelling at all and of course I still get some dents on the tips after like a day or two.
 
Cockatiel said:
Regarding OPI infinite shine, I don't think it is any better than regular OPI. Granted I use it w base coat and generic coat not like the instructions say but I get the same results. Actually non of the longer wearing polishes that are not light cured are truly longer wearing in my opinion.
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+1
 
Krisking said:
@leukolenos, I haven't tried the Essie Gel Couture (although I might, now that Essie has changed their brush). Do you like it? The CND requires a 60 sec LED cure. If you have a light, it's worth a try!
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The Essie gel couture doesn’t require a light, but I get pretty good results if I use a ph balancer or dehydrator type of product before use. I prefer it over regular polish, but I don’t think it’s as good as a proper gel.

Let me know about the CND (if you still have it I’d like to try!)!
 
Alright... this little experiment is over. 24 hours in and I was chipped to sh!t -- and I didn't even DO anything but live my normal life! I'm back to real light-cured gel from this point on.
 
I just read Essie came out with a new bonder base coat.
 
Looking for a dup of this Color Street navy steel, a dark blue with grey (not green) undertones. Any thoughts?

While I'm at it, also on the hunt for a good dark, chocolate brown. Not too black... TIA!

20181115_154455.jpg
 
Krisking said:
Looking for a dup of this Color Street navy steel, a dark blue with grey (not green) undertones. Any thoughts?

While I'm at it, also on the hunt for a good dark, chocolate brown. Not too black... TIA!

20181115_154455.jpg
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How about Zoya Natty and Salior? And OPI Less is Norse.
 
Caviar Bar Essie Gel
DD6B3624-3340-41CA-A896-032A5C8CE9A6.jpeg

Just changed it to 3 coats of Sandy Beach Essie
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Just re-done mine but they're not finished. Last week I had Hocus Pocus by Pop Polish :cool2:
Tri-colour thermal with glitter and flakies :mrgreen2:

Pop Polish Hocus Pocus.jpg
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