LCN Polish Seal.....I've ordered it!

I ordered my LCN Polish Seal yesterday. It is not on back order any more and will ship out to me in 1-2 weeks. I will be using it as soon as I receive it and will update my post with the results. I am very interested in this product. Will I be able to use all my old polishes again and set aside my Shellac polishes? We shall see!

RCM: Gel Polish and Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen

Here's an experimental combination: Red Carpet Manicure Love Those Baby Blues and Sally Hansen Real Polish Strips

Carolyn Braden: Red Carpet Manicure Gel Polish, Lighter Shade of Gray

I am still loving Red Carpet Manicure's gel polish line. My local Meier's store carries the entire collection. Now when I go grocery shopping, I get to browse my favorite inexpensive gel polish that lasts forever!

Carolyn Braden Loving "Ooh La Liscious" Red Carpet Manicure

I'm still preferring Red Carpet Manicure Gel Polish over CND Shellac. The polish stays perfect forever. The formula just seems like it is more stable. Here is my latest color, Ooh La Liscious.


Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden Tries "Red Carpet Manicure" Gel Polish

I switched from CND Shellac to Red Carpet Manicure gel polish today. I am experimenting with the cheaper polish. I did not buy the LED curing light or the "prep" bottle which is step one. The prep is basically just alcohol. I only purchased Structure (base coat), the polish color "Not Really a Taupe" (sort of a very neutral gray) and Brilliance (top coat). I used my UV curing light, cleaned and filed my nails and set to work. I used the system the exact same way as Shellac and I am quite impressed so far. The instructions for CND and RCM both say to do 2 coats but I always do 4 thin layers of polish so it lasts a little longer. I'm impressed with the price too. At $9.00 a bottle (instead of $15-24 for CND) I can try many of their beautiful polish colors that even include a few glitters! I purchased my bottles at Ulta.


Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden's "Red Carpet Manicure" Gel Polish

Ulta carries a gel polish line called Red Carpet Manicure. I love CND Shellac gel polish, so I thought I'd try out a new brand. They have many colors and glitter polishes too! I'll be experimenting tomorrow and will post the results.



Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden's OPI over Shellac

I put two coats of CND Shellac in Negligee on first. I followed with Seche Clear base coat, two coats of OPI Crown Me Already, and one coat of Seche Vite top coat. When I layer regular polish over my Shellac, it lasts about 6 days. When it chips, I quickly use polish remover to swipe the OPI off and reapply a base coat, OPI polish and a top coat. My CND will last 2 weeks and it enables me to experiment with all my favorite regular polish colors!


Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden Tried CND Shellac: Tips for a Do-It-Yourself Application

All the supplies for my CND Shellac experiment came in this week. 

 I applied it last night and here is the the verdict:

It rocks!

The only thing I now have to wait to write about is how long this manicure will last. It is supposed to last approximately 2 weeks, so I will write about that later. I will also write about the removal process when I do it.

Supplies you need if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person like me:


CND Shellac Base Coat
CND Shellac Top Coat
36 Watt, Ultraviolet Gel Curing Light
CND Shellac Color (I purchased Rose Bud and Red Baroness so far)
99% Isopropyl Alcohol (This was hard to find for me. I ended up finding it a Meier's, which a store like Super Target, but they are only in certain states. You can order it on-line if you can't find it in your town).
Vitamin E oil (I used Sally Hansen's)
Manicure tools and nail brush
Lint-free cotton pads (I purchased mine at Walgreen's)










Here's how I did it:


I gave myself a manicure. I soaked my hands in warm, soapy water for a few minutes and then used a nail scraping manicure tool to remove all the cuticle from each nail. I used cuticle scissors to cut away any hang nails. Basically, I made sure my nails were completely smooth and free of any bumps. 


I washed my hands with soap, scrubbed them with a nail brush and dried them completely.


I then applied a very thin layer of the CND base coat to one hand. I cured it in the UV light for 10 seconds. I repeated that on the other hand. 


Next, I applied one coat of the color to one hand. I used Rose Bud for my first try with the product. I cured for 2 minutes and repeated that on the other hand.


I applied a second coat of Rose Bud to each hand and cured my nails again for for 2 minutes each. 


Next, I applied the top coat. I noticed it was gel-like and kind of thick when applying. I did this to each hand and cured each hand for 2 minutes.


I then took a lint-free cotton pad soaked it a little with the 99% Isopropyl alcohol. I rubbed it gently over each nail to remove the gel-like layer that was left on my nails. Not being a trained professional, I thought it was weird to use alcohol because I thought it would remove the polish. I was wrong. It just takes off the gel and leaves a hard, polished nail surface behind. It turns out the top coat is what dries the nails after being cured. 


I then brushed the Vitamin E oil over my finger tips to condition the skin around my nails. The alcohol is drying, so the oil conditions the dried out skin. 


Troubleshooting:


I believe I put the top coat on too thick. I figured this out because I have a couple of tiny air bubbles on two of my nails. (I only notice the bubbles because I know they are there and I held my hand up to my face to thoroughly examine them when I finished).  I didn't realize the gel top coat was so thick as is. Next time I will apply a thinner layer, cure it, then do another coat and cure it again. The thick top coat helps the polish last longer. (Best for thin nails like mine).


Do not touch your nails after curing. Don't touch them between ANY layers of polish. I figured it may leave oil from my fingers on it and make it the rest of the polishes not cure correctly. I also realized (I accidentally touched one nail during the color application) the polish doesn't fully dry until the top coat is cured. 


Be sure to lay your hand completely flat when curing. I held my thumb nail up a little to make it flat so it would cure correctly.




I can't wait to try the other color. I purchased Red Baroness and Rose Bud because I wanted to try them separately, but I also think they may make a pretty pinkish color when I experiment with layering them.  


After all the reading I've done on the product, I think I will be able to use my Stripe Rite (polish with the tiny brushes) to decorate my nails still. I love putting a little flower, stripes, or some fancy design (sometimes sparkles too!) on my ring finger. I will try to do this at some point. One nail tech I saw on-line, took cosmetic glitter and sprinkled it on the nail after curing the second color coat. She then applied the top coat, cured it, and repeated applying the coat and curing 2 more times. That may be something cool to try.    Right now, there aren't very many colors but, I read that more colors are coming out in March 2011.

Supplies I purchased for the process.

Photo of my finished nails. My iPhone didn't quite capture the color correctly. The Rose Bud color I am wearing is actually a pretty pink. It's a soft color that suits my skin tone. It's a cream, not a shimmer. I took some better photos with my camera and I'll post them later. 

Carolyn Braden Tries Sally Hansen Salon Effects Polish Strips

 

I just purchased Sally Hansen Salon Effects Polish Strips.  I got the "Laced Up" design, which looks like my nail is covered in black lace.  My nails look great, but I am truly wondering if it will last.  The box says it can last up to 10 days.  Each design comes with 16 strips, so if you mess up putting one on, you can take it off and use one of the extra strips.  I felt like they were fairly easy to apply, as the directions were very detailed.  I will post whether they are worth trying or not when I see how long they last.  It took me about two hours to fully apply them, but I wanted to make sure I did it exactly correct so I could give an accurate review after I see how long they stay on my nails.

I am very interested in trying OPI's Axxium gel nail polish.  I know my salon does them for $45.00, which I thought was pretty expensive.  After doing a lot of reading about it, I am considering buying an Axxium kit online and trying it myself.  I have taught myself how to do so many things and have come out with very professional results when I've practiced enough,  We'll see what I do soon....... :)