Are Expensive Nail Polishes Worth it ?

Im sure most people interested in nails have

heard of the nail polish brand - OPI.

OPI is one of the most expensive

nail polish and nail product brands out there but are

they really that much better ?

My answer is Yes !

OPI dries fast, goes on smooth and they

have a great variety of colors.

While China Glaze or other brands may

have more neon, bright or youthful colors OPI surely

has enough colors to choose from.

My China Glaze polishes have been annoying the

heck out of me lately. I only just started using CG

a couple months ago. These days I have been

in more of a rush to finish my nails instead of just

sitting watching tv while lounging around with

my wet nails. I have now noticed how they

take forever to set and I keep touching things

accidently & ruining the polish on a certain finger

even after waiting for 10 mins !

When using OPI this rarely happens.

I just apply my 2 thin coats and then Seche Vite.

Even when applying Seche Vite over China Glaze

I dont feel like my Seche works to its full capability.

Its just something about the China Glaze formula...

Why does it stay tacky so long ?!

Ugh.

Besides China Glaze and OPI I also enjoy Color Club,

Etude House & a couple other cheap Korean

nail polish brands. Another 'cheap' nail polish brand

that I cant stand is Revlon. Those take forever to dry as well.

Ive heard some bad stuff about Sally Hansen's polishes

too but I havent tried them.

Love her top coats though.

I do love China Glaze's color selection because they

are so bright and fun but they just

take too long to dry.

I adore Recycle, For Audrey, IV - colors that

I just cant find dups for in OPI.

By the way - have you noticed how OPI's

light - medium pink selection is so lacking ?

Other brands are really way ahead of

OPI when it comes to the pinks.

China Glaze truly has amazing unique colors

so its a shame their formula is so crappy !

If you have lots of China Glaze polishes and are

having this same problem, just buy Seche Vite

or Essie Good to go or some other type of

fast drying top coat.

If you cant find any - use a blow dryer on the

cool setting or just dunk your hands into a

basin of cold water.

Basically, OPI is great - totally worth the price.

You will get tons of applications out of that $8 , $10 or

whatever you pay in your area for OPI.

On the other hand - I do have lots

of other polishes that were under $5 &

come out just as well after using a proper base & top coat.

China Glaze comes out great in the end - that is if you

can avoid effing up your manicure.

Ultimately OPI + Seche Vite = Power Couple.

Experiment and see what works for you !

Fake Konad Products

If you have bought a Konad Nail Stamping system

& cant seem to get the design to transfer

on to your nails or onto the rubber stamper

then you may have a fake.

There are ways to prevent buying fakes.

But, there are also ways to get your 'fauxnad'

to work. 

First I will share with you this video that gives

a lot of insight into the Konad fakes.

Its really interesting !

Trouble Shooting for Fakes : 

In order to get the polish to transfer to your rubber stamper 

you should use a rough nail file and buff the rubber until it looks

a bit distressed. This helps a lot ! 

If its still not working buff at it some more. 

The only problem with this is that eventually 

your stamper will be buffed all away. 

Buy the real thing at : 

http://www.konadnailart.com/

Also check out this blog for awesome

konad nail art designs :

http://konaddict.blogspot.com/

Oh & by the way - I also own a fake Konad system.

Im planning to buy a real one soon.

I got a set from Korea . . . should have known : ) 

Here is an old video of me using my fauxnad. 

If you dont own a Konad Nail 

stamping system 

I totally recommend it.

It makes life a lot easier

especially if you have trouble 

doing nail art with your non-dominant 

hand. There are soo many

plates with endless designs

to choose from. 

Awesomeness  I tell you. 

Happy Stamping ! 

Acrylics : Materials you need

So this is the first part of my acrylic 101 series that I want to

share with you. Acrylics may seem scary if you aren't

familiar with them (which Im not)

But, I will share with you what I am learning in my nail classes

which I have every Tuesday so that you can learn as I learn.

This post will tell you what you need to go out and buy.

You are looking at spending approx $100 - $150 on the basics

My teacher recommends using an OPI line but if you want to

try another brand go for it. OPI has a line called "Absolute"

& one called "Competition" & also one called

"Clarite" Clarite is orderless but they recommend

beginners to start out with Competition because

with Clarite you have to do an extra buffing with a

special Clarite buffer. Its a personal pref.

But I went with the Competition cuz Im clueless

about what the heck she meant about the Clarite !

Haha...

I will list the OPI names beside the items just in case

you want to get the same ones as me but again you can

find these things in many diff brands.

-----------------

Dappen Dish

( A small container used for holding

your liquid or powder)

Bondex2 (This is the Primer. You need this !)

(OPI Competition) Acrylic Liquid

(OPI Competition) Acrylic Powders (Whatever colors you wish)

Im going with Spa White & Sheer Pink for now

Nail Tips

(Im using OPI Clear ones)

Brush Cleaner (OPI)

Artificial Nail Clipper

(This is different from a reg nail clipper)

A couple diferent Sable brushes

(Im using an OPI oval Sable one)

Design Brush / Striper

Cuticle Oil

(I made my own with jojoba, olive, almond & grape seed oil)

Buffer Block

Nail Files: 180 & 100 grit

Nail Polish Remover (Acetone & Non Acetone)

Orange Wood Stick

Nail Forms

Nail Polish

Nail Glue

So yeah this is basically all you need as far as I know.

Once you get all these items you should get an

an empty artist kit or some type of container

with a handle.

& there you have your lovely acrylic nail kit !