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* 

A mixed bag

It's summer, so I should be wearing either light, bright or pastel colors, right?  Meh.  Sometimes.  I just get a hankering for dark glowing polishes too.  I've been switching back and forth lately.  Here are a few that I don't think I have shown on the blog before.

China Glaze - First Class Ticket

If you are a fan of shimmer you should definitely own this.

2 coats

Color Club - Electric Coral

A bright translucent jelly.

3 coats.

China Glaze - Short and Sassy

Woah mama, hello! 

New York Summer - Hot Magenta

2 coats

New York Summer - Poppies

I was pleasantly surprised.

2 coats

The eye searing
China Glaze - Pool Party.

2-3 coats

Max Factor - Fantasy Fire gave me super powers.  I caught this fish with my bear hands.  (pun intended)

Shout out to Esther from Fab Fingertips for making these super powers possible. :D

Ruby Kisses - Raspberry

2 coats.

This is an opaque jelly and it glides on so buttery.


Do you stick to typical summer polish colors or do you live on the edge?

Hairy Situation

I have received a lot of questions/requests on this hair...

One big hair curl

If your hair already has slight curl or wave, this look is pretty dang easy to achieve.  I made a video on my YouTube channel!

All you need is a basic flat iron, hair tie, and brush.  I don't normally use hair products for this, but if it helps you keep your curls feel free to add them. I use a very low temperature setting, 220 C, but you'll have to find what temperature works best for your hair.


The flat iron in this video is a Remington Tstudio S8800.

The T studio is growing on me, finally after two years of use!  Perhaps I'm just resistant to change, but initially I was not a fan of the iron.  The only thing I ask of my irons is that they are not bulky and have temperature adjustment.

Bulkiness:
On pure aesthetics, I think the cool touch ends make this iron look bulky. I wish they weren't there, even though I realize they have a functional purpose. I decided to overlook the bulkiness in exchange for other positive aspects. At this point I am just used to them and don't notice them very much.

Temperature and digital controls:
This iron warms up very quickly, about 60 seconds. I really love the digital LCD temperature display. It's very easy to set the temperature using the -/+ buttons. The lowest heat setting is 200 C and it goes up to 400 C in 20 C intervals. There is an LED indicator light that blinks when the iron is heating up or remains solid when it has reached a specified temperature. When I initially bought the iron I had problems accidentally pushing the -/+ buttons and inadvertently changing the temperature setting. It was really frustrating. I didn't realize you could lock the temperature. All you need to do is, let the iron come to temperature (solid LED light), and then hold the on/off button for 2-3 seconds.  You can test the iron by pressing the -/+ buttons. Once I discovered this trick, I became more infatuated with the iron.  

Nano-Silver Ceramic Plates
Apparently the plates are made of ceramic and micro-fine, nano-crushed particles of silver that have anti-microbial purifying properties.  I'm not sure why one would be so concerned with microbes on the hair; I guess I could eat off my hair in a pinch.  Whatever, I don't care too much about that, but I do appreciate that after 2 years, the plates look brand new. This is another great reason to love the iron.

Flat iron comparison:
I can't remember exactly, but I think I paid ~$25 for the Tstudio at Big Lots. Before the T studio, I used an Andis Ceramic Plate Flat Iron that I bought at Walmart for ~$12. I liked the design much better over the T studio, but the ceramic plating wore off quickly (within the first 2 years).

I used the Andis flat iron probably for 5+ years (worn plates and all), before I finally stopped being lazy and replaced it. Although initially I was not happy with the replacement, the Remington Tstudio has proved to be a very nice work horse that I don't regret buying one bit.

What flat iron do you use?

Top as base adventure ...

You can also substitute the word 'fail' for adventure.

Color Club usually comes out with a seven pack assortment of their seasonal collection, seven colors or six colors and one clear.




They are terrific bargains (especially when I find them at Ross for $7.99!!) with only one down side. The bottles are unlabeled. I've bought several and usually just search swatches and label them myself.

I guess I was not really paying attention and just assumed the bottle of clear was just that.

I often use clear as a base or top coat, so I didn't think twice with this Color Club. Although I'm showing Sally Hansen products, I have and use many others indiscriminately.















One mani (actually several now) I decided to use the Color Club "clear" as a basecoat. The result each and every time was...
 

The first time this happen I was all like, "wow that sucks." Then every subsequent time after I started thinking the worst of Color Club. Why in the world does every single polish I put over this "base" not sticking?! It didn't matter what top coat I used or whether I wrapped the tips or not.

This is/was Revlon - Tropical Temptation ... pre scabies.
















This was all too coincidental and Color Club can't suck this much. Then it hit me! This must be a quick dry topcoat!

Indeed formula matters. More reason for me to finish the following series... *link*

Lesson learned: the Color Club clear in the variety packs is not a base coat.

I would imagine anyone who has used Seche Vite as a base coat has experienced something similar.  I mean after all Seche Vite has been known to cause glitters to spontaneously pop off!

Seche Vite also creates waving topcoat flaps ... see here.

Anyone want to  buy these nail strips?

Anyone, anyone? .... Eww, I'm just kidding.

One ugly flakie combo

Here is a collection of a few flakies.  Most combinations are lovely ...

Ruby Kisses - Blues Clue with Finger Paints - Twisted

More Blues Clue swatches are here.

Finger Paints - Twisted over dark base

Black? I'm not sure what this base color was, but it sure does make the flakies stand out.

Revlon - Blue Lagoon w/ Nubar 2010

Revlon - Blue Lagoon is difficult to work with.  It is dry, chalky and a bit gritty, but a very bright baby blue.  I loved Nubar 2010 on top.

I sure do love blues and flakies!

Revlon - Modern Grace with Nubar 2010

OPI - Funny Bunny with Finger Paints - Asylum.

This combination looked great at most angles, like shown.  Other angles made the sheer white (my love) look pitted, but nowhere near what I am about to show you in the next set of photos.

China Glaze - Summer Rain

You either like these kinds of polishes or you don't.  Personally, I don't mind that it is sheer or that it is slightly frosty.  I do mind that it makes my skin color look like poo poo.

It gets worse though...

I decided to top this off with a flakie.  Never again.

At some angles it looks nice. 











Most angles it looks like this...

A true monstrosity.  Just EWWWW.  I must have set a world record for fastest nail polish removal.


Have you ever made a seriously fuggly nail polish combination?

Minty Comparison

Comparison time! A few minty pastel blue/green colors:

China Glaze - For Audrey
Essie - Mint Candy Apple
Elf - Blue Mist
Revlon - Minted
Illamasqa - Nomad

Clearly Illamasqua is the sore thumb. I had to give him extra hugs because he felt so out of place.

I finally bought this baby!!

China Glaze - For Audrey

Sunlight

If only this purchase from China Glaze actually came with something from Tiffany's. *sigh*

Shade

Comparison
Index: China Glaze - For Audrey
Middle: Elf - Blue Mist
Ring: Essie - Mint Candy Apple
Pinky: China Glaze - For Audrey

In terms of color, Elf and Essie seem close, but are different. I guess it depends on how strict you want to be. Elf is muted, Essie is a brighter more true pastel.


The formulas on all of these varied dramatically.

Middle: Elf - Blue Mist
sheer and creamy (4 coats)

Ring: Essie - Mint Candy Apple
opaque and chalky (2 or 3 coats)

Pinky: China Glaze - For Audrey
standard cream (2 coats)

Here they all are.

Pinky: Elf - Blue Mist

Ring: Revlon - Minted
(sheer and creamy 3 coats)

Middle: Illamasqua - Nomad
(standard cream 2 coats)

Pointer: Essie - Mint Candy Apple

Thumb: China Glaze - For Audrey




Illamasqua and Revlon are more green leaning (middle and ring), while the others are more blue leaning. 

I think pretty much every company makes a minty blue/green pastel.  Which is your favorite color or formula?

Backhanded Happy Mother's Day

There are many things I love about my Mom. First, the fact she hates being called "mother" so I reserve it for times I want to get under her skin (or for shits and giggles).

I also love that she's the type of mom that as a surprise makes my favorite food even when I tell her I *may* be coming over, not am, may.

But most of all (okay not most of all, but most entertaining) I love how she mispronounces words. Maybe this will only be funny to Russian/Eastern European offspring, but I thought I would share. I'll put these words into context and let you decide for yourself.

1. Many people are not fans of sour cabbage, but when my mom says she's making "sourkraft" I get giddy inside. (sauerkraut)


2. When you get new bedding the set usually comes with sheets, pillow cases, etc. If you get the deluxe set, they come with "sharms".(Shams)


3. My family has done their fair share of DIY. They have installed wooden floors, built a sauna, and finished a basement or two. Till this day, I will never forget my mom asking me to "come hold the shitrock", so they could finish building the sealing. (sheet rock)

4. I still get all "kids, ear muffs!" when these words leave her mouth... "put your bathing suits on guys, we are going to the bitch." (beach)


5. And finally one of my favs that I've mentioned previously in my Hangnail post. The typical convo goes like this...

Nippers

Mom: "Have you seen the neeeepers?"
Me: "The what mom?"
Mom: "Neeeeepers!"
Me: "Wait, what?"
Mom: "NEEEEPERS!"


To honor my mother on this day, I make fun of her. I'm a terrible child I know.  Actually, I love you Mom; your happiness makes me happy! Hopefully this didn't make you cry. That would be terrible of me indeed.

Happy Mom's Day!

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.

Glossybox USA

There seems to be an influx in cosmetic monthly subscription services. One such type of service not yet available in the US, until now, is Glossybox. This one seems to be more geared toward higher end products, but only time will tell. There are many YouTube videos of non US ladies showing their boxes. I still haven't made up my mind on Glossybox, or in general these types of subscription services. That will be a future post, along with a proper review. Until then, take a look at the products (and swatches) for the month of April 2012 ... EDIT!: and read Pink Sith's blog post


YouTube Channel:  www.youtube.com/user/loodieloodieloodie

Comparison to other OPI's -

I'm India Mood For Love (IIMFL)

Kiss Me On My Tulips (KMOMT)
So sad it's dupey.



(No top coat!)

BUMMER!

I have other pinks that have a similar tone, but a different finish.
Creams:
I'm India Mood For Love (IIMFL)
Kiss Me On My Tulips (KMOMT)

Others:
La Paz-itively Hot (LPH) - pink with purple shimmer flash
Wild West Wild Berry - pink with silver shimmer (almost frost finish)




I  may have other brands that could be a dupe to this OPI, but ignorance is bliss.

The Glossybox costs $21/month.
*Glossybox sent for review*

Nothing to see here, just flashing my balls

I've been playing around with Illamasqua's Human Fundamentalism Collection (what a mouth full). Since my last post and video, I have created a few more eye looks. Here are a few pictures, old and new.  If you prefer to see me blab about them I have included a video talking about the products while I flash pictures ... of my balls ... eyeballs.


Click the pictures to enlarge.

The "way too excited to use liquid white eyeliner, so I didn't read the package warning" inspired eye look.

The package clearly states not to put Scribe on your waterline. BUMMER! So, ignore the rule breaking; I need to learn to read first, apply war paint second.

Nails:
Color Club - Mrs. Robinson (click here for another pic)

The "unintentional Tammy Faye Baker" inspired eye look.

The "Effie Trinket" inspired eye look.
More here and in the video (below).

 The "skunk" inspired eye look.

I don't even know. The "I want to have teal eyebrows" inspired look?










Video round up of all the eye looks and products used ... and my DOTS!!:


YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/loodieloodieloodie

*products sent for review*