SkylarSavvy Nail Art

skylar-ralyks:

June 27, 2012

BEAUTY HAUL! 

The Beginning of my Gelish Fetish

Woohoo! I only wonder why it took me so long to get my own when we have the same great stuff at the spa where I work. It’s so nice to have it at home where I can take care of my nails at my leisure!

I finally came to my senses because it’s hard for me to keep from biting my nails, or picking at my cuticles, or generally making a mess of things, if I don’t have a hybrid gel manicure to fortify my weak nails. See, the time/money/effort I put into my nails = a deterrent. So as long as I can keep them looking clean and neat, the less likely I am to destroy them. So far, the hybrid gels are the only thing that keeps me from returning to bad nail habits. It’s awesome that the manicures last for up to three weeks, so there’s just no chips to pick at! What’s more: it’s possible to do nail art over it, so why would anyone bother with a polish manicure in the first place? It’s not even worth it!

Now, I still have my amazing polish collection because polish is just peachy for toes. Polish stays on toes no problem. Probably because humans are not chimps and we don’t really use our toes for the same things we use our fingers for. Like picking labels off of stuff, or scratching, or typing. Usually. hehe :) 

Here’s what I got:

Salon Edge 36 watt UV Lamp. There’s no point buying a Shellac or Gelish brand lamp when an off brand lamp does the same thing. Gelish just cures in two minutes rather than 30 seconds. But really, that’s no big. The price difference is at least a hundred for the shellac lamp and the Gelish lamps are still close to three fifty. So. If you’re thinking about getting your own lamp- save your money and get a decent off-brand lamp with a timer. Like this one!

Gelish: Top It Off. I DO recommend buying the corresponding base and top coats because I’m not entirely sure mixing brands of polish doesn’t compromise the chemistry of the products. And the whole point is to have a manicure that LASTS.

Gelish: Foundation Gel

Gelish: Hot Rod Red. As seen in my Astros nails post! It’s the best crayola red I’ve come across! 

Gelish: Sheek White. Again, they spelled it that way. It might be supposed to be Sheikh or Sleek. But whatever. It’s an opaque white that I bought for french manicures. 

Gelish: Passion. A Lovely pink.

Gelish: It’s A Lily. This color is a pastel purple-y pink. It looks like a vintage pink color that’s in right now. 

Gelish: Vegas Nights. My absolute favorite glitter! It’s a silvery micro glitter that shines with the color of a thousand rainbows! Oh okay, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea. 

Gelish: Silver Sand. This one is a chunkier multicolored hex glitter that has a base that appears a little yellowy in the bottle but actually dries clear. Also note, you have to gently shake the bottle from side to side to stir up the glitters that settle on the bottom. NEVER shake it up and down, you’ll get gel into the cap and it’ll be a sticky mess when you open it. 

Gelish: Water Field. Water Field has a clear base of mostly silver micro and hex glitters with some multicolored hex glitters thrown in. The result is a silvery sparkle. 

Gelish: Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get Busy. I bought this sheer bluish/purple glitter to use for french manicures over the natural nail part to add a hint of shimmer. The glitter is superfine and sheer. Even if you did three coats if this it wouldn’t be opaque, but it makes a nice accent color over some of the other Gelish colors. It’s part of the Aurora Effects collection. 

I have some more colors coming to me soon, to round out my collection. If you can’t tell, I’m a fan of glitter. It’s just that with gel nails- as opposed to polish, the end result is smooth and un-textured, and unrivaled in the amount of shine that it has. Glitter that has the potential to get everywhere and make a huge mess and stick to everything is just annoying. But obviously, the gel stuff stays put!