got my nailz did

a favourite look of mine is the french manicure. however, the basic pink/peach base and white tip can get a bit samey in my opinion and so i’ve freshened it up a little here using some summery shades. the coloured tip (requiring two coats for solid cover) is “orange soda” by 17 in their lasting fix range; top&base are previously posted essence “ultra strong nail repair”; finally, the 90’s style flicks on the accent nail were done using barry m’s “raspberry”, rimmel’s “nail tip whitener“ and finally, a stroke of essence’s tip painter in”multiglitter”. i used the miniscule brush included in this tip painter for the flick.

just a brief post on the polish i use for top and base coats. this polish from the essence range retails at around €3 and came to me recommended by my good friend ali (www.soooali.com ). the label reads “ultra strong nail repair“ and the polish doesnt disappoint. while i do believe that the quality of your nails depends on forces beyond nail products, such as water consumption, good genetics etc, a polish like this really does help if your nails are prone to flakiness and splitting. increases the longevity of the coloured polish too as it provides a very smooth, shiny base. my nails are in better condition now than they were when i used other similar products from sally hansen. definitely great value for money.

inspired by melina matsoukas’ latest video for beyonce’s “why don’t you love me.” the polish brand is sparkle & fade and was bought in urban outfitters last year. the pigment is very strong in this polish so one slick of paint is enough to give full coverage. always a plus if you hate the inevitable chipping due to build up of polish layers. for some reason this brand doesn’t give names to the colours but this baby blue shade is pastel perfection.

(video still via www.sophyrobson.com/sophysblog )

incoco french manicure in first love.

incoco is a US brand of dry nail appliqué and i suppose it’s like a cheap dupe of minx foils. got these for €4.50 in penneys, mary st. and these pics are of my first attempt. fab professional effect and they really do last a week without chipping etc if applied correctly. i took photos of the application every few days and there was no noticable change whatsover.

these nails are very easily applied but you do need to have patience as you have to stick on the transfers and file them down etc. it’s worth it however, as you can rest safe in the knowledge that they aren’t going to chip within an hour like most polish french manis do! definitely recommended and let’s hope they bring in more colours in ireland soon. i have my eye on the glitter tips (see www.incoco.com for more varieties)!

pics of application and packaging via www.incoco.com  

welcome! plan for this tumbler is to have an outlet for my nail obsession… so expect plenty of pix of fab manis. xxxx