I ♡ Nails Inc Haymarket

You may have noticed that I don't talk about nails very often (only once, here), and there is definitely a reason for that: my skills at doing my own nails are pretty sub-par. Actually, pretty beyond sub-par - no joke. After the average manicure, I tend to have at least one already smudged nail, and depending on the brand of polish, usually a number of streaky ones too. Essie & OPI are pretty standard brands that work just fine for most people, but seriously, even those I tend to make streaky on a few fingers here and there.

Last week, I decided to put on Nails Inc Haymarket, a pretty green-blue, and I've been sporting it ever since. I've even gotten a number of compliments on the color at work - from both guys and gals! :)

Now I won't say that my manicure is without fault, cause I definitely missed an edge here and there, but I just love Nails Inc polish. Even a poor manicurist like me can apply this evenly, and with most shades, it can even look perfect in one coat. Heck, even my boyfriend can apply Nails Inc polish well, LOL!

In terms of wear, I've had great success with Nails Inc as well. Most polishes chip or at least have tip wear on me in 1-2 days (maybe 3 if I put on a base coat), while Nails Inc typically manages 3-4 days even without a basecoat!

I just love Nails Inc polish, it really is my favorite brand at the moment. The price, at least in the US, is very in line with Essie and OPI, and there are so many great shades and effects to choose from.

Have you tried anything from Nails Inc? Any tips and tricks for the at home manicure that work for you? Do share! :)

Nail Care Favorites

I am really, really inept when it comes to doing my nails. Really, I'm not just saying that. I can manage to make just about any polish look streaky. So, in light of this ineptitude, I want to share with you guys a few things that have helped me along the way. Rescue Your Nails is a book I picked up a few summers ago, out of desperation. In the book, Rescue Beauty Lounge founder Ji Baek details many tips and tricks and teaches you how to give yourself a salon experience at home. I refer to this book constantly! Now if only I had skill...

Another problem I run into is regular nail maintenance. While I am lucky to have nails that grow, I tend to often forget to trim them and even more frequently use my nails as tools in my daily life. As a result of this, I do see quite a lot of breaks, often far down, as my nails grow longer. I have to admit that I'm guilty of just ripping my nails off as they break, but I've been trying to take more time now to properly trim and file them. This glass nail file is an absolute lifesaver - really if you don't have one, you need to get one. Not only is it a massive timesaver, but it gives your nails a much smoother, even shape. I still can't believe I waited so long!

I also often have ridges on certain nails, which then interferes with any attempt to paint a nail nicely. In the summer, Mimi of Makeup Withdrawal recommended Nail Tek Foundation II as a great base and ridge filler. Like wow - this nail foundation adds so much shine to my nails and makes them look indestructible. I can also put on a coat of polish more smoothly too! Woohoo!!

When it comes to polish, Julep's cream formula and Nails Inc are my favorite options right now, because it is easy to give myself a streak free manicure. Butter London is up there on the list too!

In any event, I still have much to learn! I'd love to hear about your favorite nail tools or any fool proof techniques that you'd like to share! :)

Nail Polish Review: OPI My Very First Knockwurst

Meet Kimmi here. :) 

First of all, I want to send a huge thank you to Joyce for offering me the opportunity to contribute to her blog.  I have been curious about the blogging world for a while now, and I am beyond excited to share my thoughts on a polish from the new OPI Germany Collection with her readers. I must admit, I am not too sure which aspect of the polish I find to be the most interesting: that it is a shade I really like or where I bought it at.

In my neck of the woods, OPI is primarily sold at Ulta stores and stand alone nail salons.  However, I stumbled across OPI at the hair salon inside of a Walmart.  Finding the popular brand in Walmart was only the first half of my shock.  The salon had a special sale going on for the polishes: Buy One, Get One Half Off.  Half off!!  My boyfriend knew I was not about to let a deal like that slip through my fingers.  Not only did the salon have the "basic" OPI shades, but they also had polishes from the Shatter line and the brand new Germany Collection.

From the preview pictures I looked at online, the Germany Collection did not interest me that much.  When I saw the collection in person, however, the neutral nude shade My Very First Knockwurst caught my eye.  I did not have a single nude shade in my polish stash, so I figured I would give this one a shot.

I apologize if the watermarks are annoying.  I also upload the images to my Instagram account, and I watermark them in case they are stolen by another account.  A lot of pictures stealing has been going on lately and I would rather be safe than sorry.

I must admit that I love this shade!  It is very professional looking and a safe color choice to go with for the work environment.  The pinkish nude kind of reminds me of the NARS lipstick in Cruising.  The polish is of the excellent OPI quality, but it did streak a bit on a few of my nails.  However, it was more than likely my fault.  Before this manicure, I had to remove some glitter streaks I had on my nails and it probably left a few of them "roughed up."  I fixed the streaking by using my Avon Smudge Corrector to smooth it over and applied a third coat of the color on the nails that needed it.

What are your thoughts on the latest collection from OPI?  Have you found high end products at surprising locations as well?

On My Nails: Revlon Popular

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Love the look of this nail polish. This is one coat, but I think I'll add a few more for maximum glitter.

It is a delicate sheer pink shade, and I've never been too good at nail polish application so I blame any streaks on that! I would look to Sephora's new OPI glitter top coats if you're looking for more sparkle.

What do you guys think? I'd love to buy some of Deborah Lippmann's glitter polish, but that's not in the budget this month! Maybe for Christmas? Hmm....