Color Club Maintenance Minis

I haven't been painting my nails much for awhile now because I ran out of Seche top coat and the Essie one just completely sucks, but then Color Club came to the rescue! By sending me a little pack of minis which include a top coat, base coat, strengthener and cuticle oil.

STUCK ON YOU

This is the little base coat included in the pack. I used it in the manicure shown here and it reminded me a lot of Orly's Top 2 Bottom. It was quite a thin base coat and a little goes a long way with Stuck On You. It also dries very quickly.

I thought I'd put it over these two Essie shades because they always seem to be a mission. Mint Candy Apple is a little streaky and Mink Muffs never seems to dry or stick. Well, for Minty it really did help with the streakyness, really seemed to hold on to it. For Mink Muffs.... read on...

It has been two days now and not a single chip/lift/peel! That's even with me constantly fiddling with my nails throughout the day, doing dishes, washing, typing... Stuck On You passes the test for me as a great base coat!

VITABASE

This was the first mini I used because my nails aren't in the greatest shape right now and could use a little strengthener. When I first got a whiff of this, it took me way back to my nail course days. It smells just like the top and base coat we had to use, so I do quite enjoy it just for that :)

Before Vitabase I was using Natural Nail Growth Stimulator just by itself. After applying Vitabase and wearing it for a few days, I forgot what it was like to have a strengthener on that doesn't peel! I do love the Qtica stuff, just the peeling drives me nuts... My Mum doesn't seem to run into that though...

Vitabase did make a noticeable difference in my weak nails but it did not make them as strong as say Zoya's Anchor does for me.

TOP COAT

I was desperate to paint my nails! Then I remembered about this little Color Club mini. It's ok readers, we don't have another Essie Top Coat mess on our hands.

I found it was quite similar to the Stuck On You base coat, a little goes a long way and has a thin consistency. It did dry fairly quickly and I didn't acquire any dents or nicks within ten minutes of applying it and throughout the day I didn't get any dents or scratches like the Essie.

I applied it over Essie's Mink Muffs and Mint Candy Apple because Mink Muffs has always been a challenge to completely dry and just make it wearable really. Color Clubs Top Coat sufficed. I will be testing this top coat out on a few other colours too :D

CUTICLE SOOTHE

Update: I've only managed to use this once because I really don't like the smell of it. It reminds me of medicine. Boyfriend says he couldn't smell anything though so I don't know... :D

It seemed to work ok though for the day I had it on but I know a one day trial isn't fair. So I will give it another go shortly!

OVERALL

This isn't a bad set of maintenance minis at all! I think it's a great idea as a gift for a friend or yourself as you get everything you need in one pack. They seem to work with other brands which is a major plus.

Have you tried these treatments before? How did you find them or do you have something you can't live without? :D

More about → Color Club Maintenance Minis

The Zoya MatteVelvet French Manicure

Loving matte nail color? Looking for a way to make it extra special? Want to extend the wear?

Here's a beautiful way to keep your color on longer and give it that extra WOW factor.
Try the Zoya MatteVelvet French Manicure...

1. Clean and prep nail plate with Zoya Remove +.

2. Apply one coat of Zoya Get Even Basecoat (It's milky matte finish works with matte colors).

3. Apply two coats of your favorite Zoya MatteVelvet shade (Posh shown).

4. Apply a thin "French Tip" of Zoya Armor Topcoat over the nail tip. Make sure to wrap the Armor over the top and around the back of the nails free edge to extend your color wear.

More about → The Zoya MatteVelvet French Manicure

Zoya You Tube Haul

YouTube Video from ParisPaysMyRent (we hope she's feeling better).

She recently picked up Zoya Nail Polish in Sari, Lulu, Sabrina, Barbie, Audrina, Dita, LC, Valentina, Divincia, Sofia, Casey, Angelina, Paris, Blair, Posh - MatteVelvet, Lael, Roxy and Indigo.

More about → Zoya You Tube Haul

Miss Zoya meet Miss Yaya!

Looking for more nail polish swatches and beauty information? Check out the adorable Miss Yaya from My Own Judge. Here she swatches and reviews Zoya Nail Polish in Paz, Ali, Malia and Rea.

"I adored all these colors. Every single cream applied like a dream and the colors were all equally unique and vibrant."

My Own Judge

More about → Miss Zoya meet Miss Yaya!

Beauty Blogger Love for Zoya Nail Polish in Casey

To say Jaimie at Just Kiss N Makeup really likes Zoya Nail Polish in Casey would be an understatement! (Originally posted 9/09)

Product: 5 out of 5!
Packaging: 5 out of 5!
Quality: 5 out of 5!

"I LOVE THIS COLOR (Zoya Nail Polish in Casey). Its so sexy!! I love the way it makes my hands look. They're just hot! I actually went to get my nails done at the salon with this color yesterday and I got stopped by this nice lady inquiring about my color. I gave her the stats and told her to keep an eye out for my review. If you're reading now, hi! This color is that show stopping. I love deep dark purples and grays and this is totally fitting my mood and my new fall wardrobe lol. All you need is two coats, hit it with a sealant and you have perfectly shiny lacquered nails."
Just Kiss N Makeup

More about → Beauty Blogger Love for Zoya Nail Polish in Casey

General Nail Care : Base Coats, Moisture and Breakages!

As requested, here is a post on general nail care! Lets start off with a base coat. The most essential in my opinion. I simply would not have nails without it!

BASE COATS
Currently I am using QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, but seeing as it peels off quite easily with me I use Zoya's Anchor Base Coat on top.

This helps it stay on for a long time. Also the QTICA is really thin and doesn't cover up all my lumps, bumps and peelies I have at the moment so the Zoya really helps even that out to a nice smooth and shiny surface. The two work so well together. Long, strong nails so quickly and easily.

I think the trick to finding out what base coat works for you is simply just to try a whole heap for about a month and see how it goes for you. If not, you can always gift the base coats to a friend or maybe use it in a franken.

MOISTURE
If you find you have peely nails or nails that just keep on breaking, make sure you are keeping your nails moisturised. Your nails produce their own oils but these can be removed with cleaning agents, washing your hands a lot and of course, using remover. So any chance that they are naked, just give them a good dousing of oil.

Any kind will do but a lovely home recipe that my mum makes up is 30mls of almond oil, 30mls of jojoba oil and 30mls of rice bran oil works a real treat. Removers are quite drying to your nails but your nails should reproduce the oils you took away in 24hours.

But if you do a lot of mani changes you may want to chuck a bit of oil on them to help them rehydrate quicker. Also having your tips polished most of the time will help protect them.

A COUPLE OF RULES
Buffing. I would do this once every few weeks at the most. But this is only because my nails with the state that they're in really need evening out. You don't want to buff too often though because this takes off layers of your nails.

Trust me, you just need to see my nails in person too see what the damage looks like.

Another important rule is to not use your nails as tools. I know it seems like the easiest way of opening up that can but you can use the side of your finger or a utensil like a knife or fork to aid you.

BREAKAGES
Has your tip started peeling off at the side? A quick fix is some nail glue and a small square of either a tea bag, toilet paper, tissue... almost anything that's thin really.

Make sure your nail is clean of oils and cut a bit of the material you have chosen to fit over the breakage and a little more for support. Add a little glue to the broken area, carefully place your material (not too close to the tip though! otherwise it will start to peel off), then put the glue on top of the material. The material should turn transparent to some degree.

Of course the best thing would be to buy a silk wraps kit for these kind of emergencies and it will work much better and last a lot longer!

I hope this helps you in some way :)

More about → General Nail Care : Base Coats, Moisture and Breakages!

Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator : Day 18

Ok so today is day 18, shall we have a squiz at what Qtica has done for my beaten up nails?

As most of you know on my nail course I had about 6 sets of acrylics, 5 sets of gels and a couple of silk wraps. That's a lot of my nail that was taken off in such a short time. You can see how thin they are where they are red-er. There is also a lot of splinter hemorrhaging going on there. Those little brown/black lines are dried blood.

VERDICT: They sure did grow a lot in 18 days, but didn't quite give me the 0.635cms they guaranteed me. I used it everyday as a base coat though, maybe that effected it? Somehow? I don't know.

Qtica Nail Growth Stimulater made my nails very strong which is great, just what I need for these thin softies.

I couldn't wear it two to three days though as it instructed because it kept making my manicures peel off. I then tried my base coat over the top of it and that extended the wear to at least a day.

However my mum did not experience this problem and her manis are lasting 3 days or more... She is using Qtica, Zoya's Anchor, colour and then Poshe for a top coat. Hopefully I will get the Zoya base coat again soon and I will try it with Qtica.

These are how my nails looked on the 7th of July. I was NOT using Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator here.

The first day I used Qtica.










































My nails 18 days later from using Qtica:

More about → Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator : Day 18

QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator - Day 4

Yes, we skipped day 3 :)

I am having a little bit of a problem with this Qtica Nail Growth... it peels off my tips if I have nothing on top of it and if I do have something on top of it. So! I am trying it over a basecoat.

So far - not a single peel. This may be the way to go for me using the Qtica Nail Growth stuff.

My mum isn't having that problem with the peeling, quite the opposite. Her mani hasn't peeled or chipped one bit!

ANYTHING HAPPENING YET?:
Well, on my left hand it feels like the two shortys there are starting to look almost level with the non-shortys.

My right thumb suffered a serious breakage last night. Broke off all along the smile line so it is a little tender at the moment. I am hoping my lovely Qtica can hurry up this tender process and get it growing out again! n_n

And just in case anyone's interested, I included my graduation mani :)

More about → QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator - Day 4

QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator - Day 2

More about → QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator - Day 2

QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator - Day 1

I got all excited reading that Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator gives you quarter of an inch (0.635cm) growth in just two weeks.

That is quite a lot of nail in a short span of time. Let's test it!

It flows on so beautifully smooth. It is a lot thinner than most treatment base coats I have come across. The brush is lovely, no bushy bristles here, not looking at you OPI >_>.

Well yesterday was day 1 and I wore Qtica alone. It started peeling off my tips but I have found that most base coats do that if you wear them alone. So I redid Qtica and put Starbright Sparkles II on top along with a thin coat of Poshe.

THE ROUTINE:
So we start off day 1 with a coat of Qtica, a colour you can stand for a week and a thin coat of top coat. You are supposed to add another layer of Qtica on top of your mani every 2-3 days. See why i'm doing thin and sheer colours? I don't wanna have bulky nails once the week ends :D Although Qtica is quite thin so you may not even have to :)

Me and mum will both be using it for two weeks to compare results.

HOW IT FEELS:
After I have put it on, it feels a little tingly... like a much softer version (and less annoying) of pins and needles in my finger tips. I quite like that, makes me feel like somethings working. Whether it is or not... we will see in two weeks!

DAY 1:

More about → QTICA Natural Nail Growth Stimulator - Day 1

Products I Love : CND Cuticle Eraser

I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite products. I have many, but just one for now :)

It is Creative Nail Designs Cuticle Eraser. CE for short, ok?

Since I've been using it, must be for about a year now? I haven't had any Pterygium (overgrowth of the cuticle, the stuff you cut). Miracle worker I tell you. Although for people who have something in their system that causes pterygium, this may not work as well for you.

You only really need to use this once or twice a day. I usually use it in the morning and then use CND's Rejuvenator every other time my cuticles feel dry.

I haven't used CE for a long time, it's run out on me and I forgot to order some :( It retails for $49 here in NZ, but I can order it for $10. Craziness.

How to use?

Just squeeze a wee bit onto your cuticle or hand and rub it in. Easy and simple, and now you have lovely moistened, plump, fresh looking cuticles and hands.

More about → Products I Love : CND Cuticle Eraser

Handy Hints - Cuticle Care

Now, you can have the most beautiful nails in the world, but you don't see them if your cuticles aren't in shape. From this article, I hope you find something that helps you to get them looking wonderful!

You can use either a Hand & Nail Cream, Cuticle Oil, Cuticle Cream to get them looking healthy or your skin might just pump out a lot of oil and you don't need any of these :D Take my dad for example, never had any nail care for 50 years and his nails are in good shape. Not a single hangnail. Not a sight of Pterygium (cuticle overgrowth).

Hand Cream

• This will help moisterise your hands, nails and cuticles if they are dry. I hate using it as it makes my hands sweat a lot more, and they already sweat quite a bit. My hands aren't the silkiest, but I'm happy with them :)
• Can be quite cheap, found pretty much everywhere

Cuticle Cream

• Cream specially designed for the cuticles. It will help keep them moisterised so the hangnails are no more. I hate hangnails!
• Can contain special ingredients to help with other things
• Don't get confused with Cuticle Remover
• Needs to be used daily for optimum results

Cuticle Oil

• Really, any plan old oil will do. Rice Bran works wonders! :D
• My mum has a recipe for some, I think it contains; Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil and Rice Bran. This stuff is lovely. I think it's 33mls of each.
• I prefer the cream as the oil tends to linger longer and get on everything

Cuticle Remover

• Should only be used once a week, if that. This stuff can really irritate your skin, so please be careful.

Hoof Stick

• The stick that looks like a hoof and we use it to push them back. I prefer the rubber ended ones as it feels more gentle and doesn't hurt as much if you slip with say, a sharp wooden one. Totally up to you though!
• Cuticles should be pushed back daily. The cuticle is an elastic piece of skin, so if you don't keep on pushin' it, your cuticles are just going to move back down.
  
• Even just after a shower, give them a quick gentle push. Or do what I do and give them a push and massage after I have put on my cuticle cream. Feels lovely.

Cuticle Clippers

• I don't really understand the big hoohah about these things. Unless you are actually cutting your cuticle... but then why would you? :S A hangnail is really annoying when it catches on everything, so easiest way is to cut it off. Don't pull it with the clippers, this hurts.

Cuticle Overgrowth Remover Tool

• There are lots of different kinds, so I won't list them all. I myself use a cuticle spoon, but i'm not sure if it is available to the public.
  
• These are great to get rid of the overgrowth you have pushed back, just make sure you take a lot of care when using them and not too scratch up the nail plate.
  

Hmm I think this is everything n_n

More about → Handy Hints - Cuticle Care

Silk Wraps..... *shudder*

EDIT: SOUNDS LIKE I JUST HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE MY DEAR JUICERS, PLEASE DON'T LET THIS SCARE YOU OFF ♥

I've had a silk wrap or, fibreglass wrap, on my right ring finger for two days now. I just removed it now because I could NOT stand the damn thing!

I don't know if my tutor just did it badly or what! It was horrible. Horrible. Just horrible.

We are currently learning how to do silk wraps at the moment... I really feel sorry for whoever's my client :( I already told mum she can't be it.

Why does Steph have so much hatred towards it?
Let's find out!

1. First step of wrapping your tip is to rip up the nail plate. We call it 'etching', but really it is ripping it up, making a complete mess of it.
2. This ripping up really hurt, as she used a very rough file and this was being rubbed over my cuticle at the same time. Very sore.
3. Once all the glue and crap was put on, my nail was so hard. I couldn't move it or bend it. And of course our nails need to bend and move for when we knock them on things by accident or purpose. Because of this, my finger became really sore as the nail had nothing to do but dig into my nail walls. Ouch.
4. It was big, bulky and uneven.
   

I'm really struggling to see the bright side here guys. Did I just have a bad experience? A very bad, painful experience? Or is this how it is?

All the girls in my group were cringing when she was 'etching' my nail, they also gave an OMG face when she said "We might finish all your nails off today Steph". Then today I told them how painful it was... so they probably aren't looking forward to it either lol.

More about → Silk Wraps..... *shudder*

Cuticle Cutting!

Oh boy, don't we all want to know about this?!

A lot of people ask if you should let manicurists cut your cuticles and the answer most of the time is NO!

Buuuut, they aren't actually cutting your cuticle. They are cutting the overgrowth, the Pterguim (pronounced te-RIJ-ium). The cuticle is the elastic skin around your nail, you know you push it back and it goes back into its place? Yes. That stuff that grows out of your cuticle? That is the Pterguim, it is OK to cut that. It won't scar or bleed or anything like that.

Pterguim is usually from neglect of looking after your cuticles or it could just be something in your system that makes it grow. Also it is more common in Indian people as it is just something in their system for them, not necessarily neglectance.

I'll take some photos of my sisters nails when she gets up, she has some Pterguim!

And if your manicureist was actually cutting your cuticle (not the te-RIJ-ium) there is something wrong with what she is doing ok?

More about → Cuticle Cutting!