It's Chartreuse not Ogre

I get super excited to review Dermelect polishes because I get to skip base coat! I mean, I can skip base coat anytime I want, but with these polishes it is almost like they are giving me permission. I always feel guilty and afraid to skip base coat; I fear and loath staining. This way, if my nails stain, I have someone else to blame other than my laziness/nonchalant attitude. 

Dermelect is adding a few more shades to their peptide infused color treatments. I reviewed a few here and also did a comparison post here.

There are 3 new shades coming out in the 2013 Resort Collection.

I got to try one of the three colors... All The Envy

Dermelect - All The Envy

I was given a choice between the three colors. The other two were much more normal (Lust Struck - Coral Creme; Moon Kissed - shimmery off-white). I thought about it long and hard, all of 3 seconds, and came to the conclusion that I own nothing like All The Envy, thus decided to give it a whirl!

Although the top picture gives my skin a lovely purple hue, it is very color accurate. Simply put, the shade is a chartreuse.

VERY interesting. 

In terms of application, this polish takes a couple coats to get there. It will take about 3-4 coats depending on how thick you normally polish and how much visible nail line you can typically stand.

Dermelect - All The Envy ... 1 coat

This was the first coat. Oh man it was so sheer, but look how even it is!

One the bright side... my nail damage is growing out on my ring finger. Remember this?

Dermelect - All The Envy ... 2 coats

Coat # 2.

No way I could stop here! Not only do I see nail line (which I personally don't mind), but I still see nail bed. Again, this coat is very even.

Dermelect - All The Envy ... 3 coats

At three coats, this shade becomes more solid. You could definitely stop here. In some lighting situations some visible nail line peaks through.

Dermelect - All The Envy ... 4 coats

Overall, the formula was very nice. I experienced no streakiness or bubbling problems.

The rest of the pictures are with 4 coats.

Dermelect - All The Envy ... 4 coats

Depending on the lighting, the shade leans more yellow or green.

Dermelect - All The Envy ... 4 coats

As I understand it, chartreuse made Pantone's fashion color report for spring 2013. See here.

Dermelect - All The Envy ... 4 coats

I mentally prepared myself for the real possibility I'd be left with chartreuse nail beds after removal. I am happy to say this scenario was not the case. 

If you want to be cool, on trend, have healthy non yellow nailsbeds, and are too lazy to wear base coat sometimes ... Dermelect's All The Envy may be just what you need in your collection.

Note: A few coupon codes popped up in my email:

$10 off $50 - 50LESS10
$20 off $100 - 100LESS20
$30 off $150 - 150LESS30

This polish and the rest of the color treatments can be found on the Dermelect website.  $14/0.4oz.

 *Sent for review*

Lazy Solutions

There are base coat wearers and base coat ignorers.  What if these two groups of people came together and had a party?  What if in a tragic turn of events the base coat wearers had a momentary lapse in memory and forgot base coat?!  All is not lost.  A good time can be had by all, as long as Dermelect comes to the party.

Dermelect has come out with a new collection of color nail strengthening treatments for the summer.  I had a chance to try 3 of the colors.

Above It

Luxurious

 

 

Persuasive

 

 

 

 

 

 

These polishes are infused with peptides.  Peptides are made of small chains of amino acids (2-20 for example).  In contrast, proteins are large chains of amino acids, greater than 100.  My general view of protein based treatments (or polish) can be found in this post.  In short, I don't believe protein based treatments change the nail plate like formaldehyde, fluoride, DermaNail, and DMU can.  I do believe they can provide a nice layer of protection for as long as it is on top of your nail plate.  

What is interesting to me with these polishes is that because peptides are much smaller, I wonder if they somehow have the ability to interact with the nail plate?  I wonder about this, but have no other insight to give you.

The other tid bit I found interesting is the description of how to use the polish...

"The first coat instantly bonds to the nail, while the second fuses with the base coat to create a flexible web of color that resists chipping and improves brittleness (patent-pending technology)."

Wait, wait!  Are you telling me I can skip base coat??  That would be a fantastic option for my laziness and the ultimate solution for a successful party comprised of base coat wearers and ignorers.  I wrote Dermelect just to make sure that I was correct in my assumption and indeed you can do either or.  As soon as I heard this I ran with it.  *Feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge*

Out of the three, 'Above it' gave me the most trouble.  I did two coats for each polish except this one.  It was a bit thick and after two coats it was still a bit uneven.  I think some thinner will fix it right up.  This was the first coat, no base!

After 3 coats, 'Above It' ended up being a bright baby blue that is definitely eye catching.  I really enjoyed wearing this color.  

In direct sunlight.

This blue still manages to look bright in the shade.

The first coat of 'Luxurious' went on smooth and I only needed two coats to make it look flawless.  Again, I wore no base coat.

My camera makes Luxurious look a bit blue, but I guarantee it is lavender purple.  You'll be able to see it more clearly in the comparison pictures in the next post.

Lastly, here is Persuasive in full sun.  What an interesting color.  It is described as peach, but I noticed it tends to morph between pink and peach depending on the lighting.

 Indirect sunlight makes Persuasive look bright light pink.

More shade makes Persuasive look more peach ... and makes my skin look dirty. lol  

OPI's Mimosas for Mr. & Mrs. also has this distinction.

Aside from giving me "dirty skin syndrome", I liked the formula.

You know how I feel about stains?  Look here, here, and here for major stains and how I remedy them.  However, none of that was necessary.  None these colors left any sort of stains. Woot!

Conclusion:

I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed skipping base coat for once.  It was very freeing.  I'm usually the type to wear two layers of base to prevent stains, so skipping this step allowed for frivolous dilly-dallying.  If you are looking for a Dermelect base coat, I reviewed their Anti-aging Ridge Filler in an earlier post, but as always feel free to use what works for you!

My absolute favorite out of the three polishes was Above it, even if the formula was a bit thick.  It was so bright, cheerful and compliment worthy.

This is the first color collection for Dermelect's color nail treatments, so I wouldn't expect the color range to be especially cutting edge, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have appreciated a surprise.  The colors are basic and as I will show in the next post, dupable.  I'm interested to see if their next collection keeps it safe.

These three polishes, along with 3 others, can be found on the Dermelect webiste.  
$14/0.4 fl. oz. 

 *Sent for review* 

Beat the system!

I never understood why the directions on some nail treatments called for an extra coat everyday or every other day. Are you suggesting your miracle juice is able to penetrate through the layer (or four) I put on in the previous few days?! That would be fantastic! However, I'm a beauty skeptic, remember? Once the product is dry, can more product absorb through and penetrate the nail?

The following is my brain daydreaming...
I imagine after a polish has dried (or cured) it can have small pores (or cracks). That, I can accept. Whether it actually happens is another question.  However, I do remember seeing the following video explaining how soak off gels work, which supports the mere possibility in regular polish.


In this situation, a chemical solvent (or perhaps the word molecule may be more appropriate) seeps through these engineered cracks or pores and is able to reach the dissolvable portion of the product. Is this possible for regular polish or treatments?

Let's assume the mere possibility:
My mind can imagine such a process for treatment products. Perhaps after the first layer has dried/cured enough cracks or pores exist and the treatment molecules are small enough to fit through and make it to  the nail nail surface. However, how likely would it be that companies actually engineer their treatment products like this? I have no idea.

Now let's assume this does NOT occur with regular polish and treatments:
There are two main reasons I can think of for these directions to exist, both are purely based on my gut and experience. My guess is they have you reapply the product merely as a coat of physical protection, which in reality any decent base coat or topcoat can provide (it's likely more cost effective too).

The other thought I had was, these directions are a marketing/selling tool. They make the consumer feel like they are doing something everyday to help their nail situation. Meanwhile, more of the product is used up, forcing the consumer to buy more to sustain their results. In the end the consumer feels like they have really contributed to their nail health (yay accomplishment!), while the company is ecstatic over their bottom line (they probably get a party with fancy champagne and hors d'œuvres *jealous*).

I like to beat the system. Ya know, stick it to the man! Treatments that come as a lacquer, I generally only apply to the actual nail surface. All other subsequent coats would either be a base coat or topcoat, depending on whether I already applied colored polish.

Summary:
This is all just me thinking aloud. I have no proof of anything. I wish I could be more concrete, but until I learn something new, I say don't waste your expensive treatment products as extra layers.

As a reward for making it all the way to the bottom of this post I'll show you meat and a franken:

Because who doesn't like meat in their mouth, duh!

Prosciutto.

The franken!

Really easy to make!

I used Revlon - Tropical Temptation and NYC - Starry Silver Glitter.

I've swatched Revlon - Tropical Temptation here. It somewhat resembles Revlon - Make Mine Mango here.









I have a Nail Treatment/Hardener Series, click here.

Ooo colored nail treatments

The 4th hour of the today show the can be really ridiculous entertaining.

Morning boozing ... yes Hoda and Kathie Lee have the market cornered.










The other day I happen to be watching and caught a segment that stated Dermelect was launching a color line.  Very interesting.  I Googled furiously and came across ...

Dermelect

More fishing and I discovered they are taking color requests for their Spring collection on their facebook.  Heck yes!

Dermelect Facebook Page

Voice your opinion.  I requested duochromes.



I do hope they take these requests seriously and this is not just a ploy.  :-/



In any case, they have one color already out there called "Makeover":

Peptide Infused Concealer and Treatment.  Anti-aging Ridge Filler.

You can use it either on its own or as a base coat.

I am testing out the wear, but in the mean time let's look at the color.



 

This takes me back straight to high school.  I wore a color similar to this ... all the time.

Actually, it was a Wet 'n' Wild ... just like this.  Like my beloved sheer whites, I went through bottles upon bottles. 

Dermelect Makeover Ridge Filler
1 coat

Obviously sheer and my nails are yellow, eh *note to self - take care of that poo poo* 

2 coats ... still sheer and I can guarantee it will stay that way.

2 coats vs. 3 coats (left to right)

My nails look less yellow no? Perhaps the blue shimmer counteracts this uglyness.















Fluorescent light:
3 coats
sheer blue shimmer

I am reminded how I love this look.  Clean, crisp, simple.

Daylight
3 coats.  In real life the blue shimmer is more visible.

First impressions:
As far as color is concerned ... nothing special.  It is easily dupe-able, for a much lower price.  However, the color is infused with good ingredients, so that does bump up its status slightly.  The jury is still out on the rest ... to be continued.

What would you recommend Dermelect include in their new spring line?








*This product was sent for review*

Trind Nail Balsam

A while ago, I was given a bottle of Trind Nail Balsam to review.  Before I go into that, I'd like to say a few words about the company.  I first heard of Trind from one of my readers about 8 months ago, which prompted some late night searching for nail care stuff and beyond.  I must say after many months of communication with the company and the president (US Chapter, Trind Nail & Hand Corp), I have nothing but utter respect and admiration for their products and philosophies on nail care.  I have had amazing conversations with the president and find myself totally smitten with his knowledge, commitment and passion.  I have so much love for nail care that meeting someone with the same passion is enthralling.

I first became interested in the Trind Nail Balsam after reading that it was a moisturizing product you could apply right before nail polish.  This is a bit surprising because normally we aim to remove dirt, oil and other grime from the nail surface before polish application to get the best polish wear.  I was a bit skeptical, yet not totally enraged because after all I put glycerin in my acetone and don't have much problem with polish wear. 

~$13-19 for 0.3oz/9mL

The consumer website can be found here.
















How I use it:

The product comes with a brush.  The Balsam smells flowery and fresh; it has hints of the perfume Sun Moon Stars ... to me.  At first I noticed the scent a lot, then I guess I got immune.

I shake the product well, then apply a thin layer to each nail.

I have gotten quite good at taking pictures with my chest and chin no?

Allow the product to soak in for about 2 minutes.  It will look wet.  Sorry my nails are a bit yellow; that situation was remedied here.

I massage any excess into the nail and cuticle.  The product penetrates really well and leaves the nail and skin nicely hydrated.

The nail surface does not feel sticky or dirty, just hydrated.

Now I am all ready for base coat and polish without having to further prep the nail with alcohol or acetone!

In terms of polish wear ...
I don't remember ever having any problems with polish wear.  As an example, I remember wearing

China Glaze - Stella

for about a week while I was at a conference and it looked flawless.



This product does not contain oil which probably helps with proper polish adhesion. 


So what makes this stuff so special?  A few key ingredients:

Liposomes!
I don't know about you, but I first heard of liposomes when I discovered Prostrong.  They had a moisturizing product they included with the accelerator that was pretty great.  Later they made it pink (using Red 33) which I have an allergy to and our relationship ended real fast.

Liposomes are really neat little things you can read about here.  Simply speaking they are fatty sacks filled with, well with whatever you want to fill them.  They can vary in size. 

What is most important is not that this product contains liposomes, because many do, but about the quality and quantity of  the liposomes.  You can be sure you are getting high quality liposomes that allow moisturizing ingredients to penetrate the nails and provide real moisture.

Biotin:
Normally we are accustomed to hearing about biotin as a vitamin/supplement taken internally.  It is metabolized by the body and delivered ... well everywhere.  However, in this product the chemists have specifically formulated it to stay on the nail.  An exact amount is stabilized and its delivery is controlled on the nail bed.  Does that mean no pimples?!?  That could be a plus.

Allantoin:
I love this stuff as I have mentioned in this post.  It has the capacity to increase the hydration levels in the skin and has exfoliating properties.  Read this if you want more info.

Panthenol:
Simply speaking, this is a moisturizer.  More fancy ... this is a provitamin of B₅.  It can absorb water from the air and is an emollient. 

Phytantriol:
Helps retain the moisture in the nail bed.


Overall thoughts: 
What a great little product!!  The winter months bring me a lot of trouble with dry skin and nails.  I need all the help I can get in the cold weather.  You can be sure I will continue to grease up my cuticles extra hard with oils and balms while I'm wearing polish and apply this Balsam under new manicures.  *Don't forget to wear gloves when it gets cold outside to protect your nails from the lower temperatures and wind!*

Trind has many other fantastic high quality products from nail hardeners to nail colors.  Solveig from Nailin' It! has had fantastic results with Trind Nail Repair.  Have you tried any of the Trind products? Thoughts?

*This product was provided by the company for review*

A non greasy moisture option

Recently I was sent a moisturizing cuticle cream for review ...
Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle Treatment.  And by recently I mean months ago.  I have had the last few months to try it out and see what it has to offer.

As you know I am a tyrant when it comes to moisturizing nails and cuticles.  It is one of the most important things you can do for your nails, if you want them to be strong and flexible.  I have preached several times on the topic in the following posts:

1. Have you moisturized today?
2. In a pinch here is a possible substitue
3. Moisturizing Nail Polish Remover ... i.e. Zoya Remove + substitute and the video here.
4. My face telling your face that you need to moisturize

If you have previously perused the posts you know that I favor a combination of two ingredients ... oil, followed by a waxy cream/balm/butter to seal in the moisture.  However, moisture delivery is a highly individual thing.  For example many people don't like the greasy feeling or have had  unfavorable reactions to oils.  I hope to show you that perhaps Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle Treatment would be a good alternative to your moisturizing routine ... I'm talking to you Abby and Lena! <3

First a few vitals:
Product: Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle Treatment
Size: 1 oz.
Price: $18
Can be found here

Now some pictures:

Here is the humungous pot you get.  I am not sure if you realize, but 1 oz. is a lot ... especially when you're only putting it on your cuticles!  Therefore, the $18 price tag is not as frightening.  It will last you a long time.

The product itself looks heavy, but is surprisingly light on the skin (more on that when I get into the ingredients).  It has a very light scent of roses, but not old lady roses, because that crap stinks.

  I would normally take a small bit out ... like so ...

Put a small bit on each finger.  Actually you can put waaaay less than what I have done, but surprisingly either way your hands will not be greasy.  Your skin will just be left hydrated.

Then start working it in by massaging each finger nail and cuticle for a few seconds.  Stimulate those cuticles!  Hopefully this will get the blood flowing and encourage faster nail growth.<--not a proven fact, I'm just a dreamer.

It makes no difference whether you have polish on or not, as long as you moisturize frequently and consistently!

I love that the directions on the box tell you to use it 3-4 times a day, hell yes! Listen to them ... see I am not the only one spreading the crazy moisturizing love.





The product seeps into your skin and leaves your cuticles and skin hydrated and silky.  I was pleasantly surprised and thought this would be the perfect option for those ladies who can't stand greasy fingers.

Since I would put more product than necessary, I would just let the stuff sit there for 5 min or so then massage again.  This is probably overkill, but hey ... I have a problem, this we know.

After a second massage it is nearly gone, but I leave what is left on my cuticle and go about my business.  The non-greasy formula allowed me to do this.

Now the result ...

So hydrated, but NOT greasy!

Don't forget to moisturize under your nails too.

A brush is totally unnecessary for application, however, if you are feeling fancy, do eet!

I have to include the following two pictures because I used my mouth and chin to take them, enjoy!

Work it in!



Polish: Color Club - Alter Ego

Find more pictures of it here.







I must discuss all of the great stuff in the formula.  Many of the ingredients are not the simple moisturizers, waxes and butters that we are used to seeing, although they can be found in there as well.

First I am going to group a whole bunch together, then go over individual ingredients I find interesting:

Emolliants, conditioners and lubes galore!:
cetearly alcohol
dimethiconol
isododecane
cyclopentasiloxane
glycerin
shea butter
almond oil
vitamin E
Isoparaffin
panthenol

The other more interesting ingredients:

Alkyl Benzoate - the main skin conditioner that allows for the non-greasy silky goodness. 

Wax - yes you are my friend.  Not that interesting, but I love you. <3

Hydrolyzed Keratin - Like the keratin in nail treatments, I am not truly convinced they do anything with regard to cross linking to my own nail keratin, but I like having it in there. You can read my thoughts and opinions on protein based nail treatments here.

Allantoin - I love this ingredient.  It does so many things.  It has the capacity to increase the hydration levels in the skin and has exfoliating properties.  Read this if you want more info.

Saccharide Isomerate - marketed as "Pentavitin", it is essentially a moisturizer that has a unique method of delivering hydration.  It contains carbohydrates similar to some found in your skin.  Their interaction apparently results in longer lasting water retention.  I would love to see published scientific research on this, but okay.  

Sodium Hyaluronate - Like Hyauronic Acid (HA) ... but better.  I first heard of (HA) watching Adrien Arpel on one of my favorite TV channels.   This is a great ingredient, but this is not the time or place to go into how it works.  In short, it is a moisturizer, but belongs in it's own category. One day I may write a post on the topic.  Until then, it will suffice to say, when I see it in an ingredient list it makes me happy.

Retinyl Palmitate - not to be confused with Retin-A, which I LOVE, but similar to retinoic acid, it does have complicated anti-aging and conditioning properties that I will not go into in this post.  I will leave it as a possible future post.


Short comings:
1. The container is really large.  It makes it quite cumbersome to carry around and apply 3-4 times/day.  However, like my other cuticle moisturizers, I would happily distribute the product into smaller containers.  Doing this makes it quite easy to reach for and use often.  You can place it anywhere you occupy space ... house, car, purse, work, etc. 

2. Price.  I would consider this a higher end moisturizer, however the ingredients are well worth it and speak for themselves.  You will achieve hydrated healthy nails and cuticles with these high quality ingredients. A price comparison to other popular cuticle moisturizers:

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter: $15/1.5 oz. = $10/oz
Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream: $6/0.6 oz.  = $10/oz
Hard as a Hoof Nail Strengthening Cream: $7/oz
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula: $1/oz (not popular, but cheap and good) :D
Olive Oil:  $0.29/oz (wow! I never did this calculation before, but I like it)

Conclusion:
I looked at the ingredients alone and fell head over heals over this cuticle treatment.  After having tried it, I am highly impressed with what it is able to do.  Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail and Cuticle Treatment is a superb, high quality moisturizing option for the lady (or gent) that does not like greasy fingers!

Remember, no matter what you choose to moisturize your nails and cuticle with, just make sure to do it frequently and consistently!

*The product in this post was provided by Dermelect's PR department ... thank you!*