Trying drying drops

I got Nicole by OPI drying drops for my birthday. These drops are a highly viscous liquid, much more like a cuticle oil than any nail polish. They come with a little dropper, and the idea is that you drop a drop in the center of the nail and it spreads all around. Miraculously, this works! I was amazed at how thoroughly and completely the drop immediately reaches to all corners of the nail on contact. It’s pretty fun to watch.

To test the efficacy of these instant drying drops, I decided to do a polish that requires a lot of drying time- American nails with black!

I used my standard Sally Hansen Double Duty Base Coat/Top Coat for the base, Rimmel London French Manicure Pro for the nail and Sephora by OPI in Inkwell for the tip.

I timed the drops and, as advertised, at 1 minute they were most certainly dry to the touch.  At 5 minutes the product advertised to be completely dry, which, sadly was not the case.  After 5 minutes had passed (I even used a timer to test them with!), the nails seemed dry…mostly.  I put my faith in the advertising and started poking around the house.  Soon enough, a  one of the tips got a little smudge. When I went to bed not long ofter, I got the subtle imprint of sheet on another one of the tips. By the end of the next day, several tips had chipped. I am not certain this can be attributed to a failing on the part of the drying drops, or if it was a result of the black tips having to be very thick. I freehand my tips, and somehow they always end up getting very thick unless I use the white polish designed for french tip nails. I could try harder to make a thinner coat, but, again, I don’t want to spend hours on my nails every night. The next night I touched up the chips and re-applied the drying drops, giving them a good 40 minutes or so before I touched anything. So far, so good. I’m going to try the drying drops next with a more consistent polish job and see if that makes a difference.

Disco Brites! Black Light Nail Polish

Is it sad that I’ve had this polish for a year and have yet to test it under a black-light?  Yeah, probably.  As soon as I find a black light, I am going to put this polish on, and see how it looks in its element.  Don’t worry, I’ll take a picture, too.

I like the smooth sheen of this polish.  It is very easy and enjoyable to apply.  The brush is crisp and soft and makes for easy freehand french tips.  The only problem is that I feel compelled to announce it’s black-light reactivity every time a passerby comments on it.  I don’t think the general public cares at all, and yet I can’t stop myself!  The color is LA Girl Disco Brites Black Light nail polish.  There is no other information on the bottle, so I guess I would call it…electric blue!  There were only a few color options in the store, and this was the most unlike any color I already had.  For the french tip base I used Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Nourishing Nail Color.  It also has no indicator or color on the bottle, not a number or anything.  It came in a french manicure kit, with a white top coat and guides (which I never had the patience to use).  It’s not my favorite, but this is a color that doesn’t clash with my skin tone or appear too pink.  For this look, I added a few more coats than my normal two. It got some little blanket hairs stuck in it, with explains the imperfections in the photos.

I must also add that I am please with my current nail length.  They had been getting too long so I spent some time shaving them down and I like this length a lot.

And, I had to include the color on my toes.  Why? Because I can.

 

Red French Tips and Rhinstones

This is a photo of some nails I did a long time ago, and thought it was worth posting.  The base is a Sally Hansen Maximum Growth French Manicure color. It doesn’t actually have a color on the bottle, so I have no idea what it is.  The tips are China Glaze in Ruby Pumps (which is my favorite color for the holidays).  And a few rhinestones.

Getting a manicure once in San Fransisco, I overheard the group next to me refer to black tips as “American Tips” as opposed to “French Tips.”  I’m not sure if the red still qualifies as “American Tips” or not.