BTouch

I apologize for my lack of posts. I've just been busy and haven't had much time to swatch, photograph, and upload.

Two days ago I noticed my nails were looking a little bit ragged. I haven't been using my beloved Nailtiques lately, which is bad especially since I have been growing them out for the first time in years. They are long and strong, but some of the tips are peeling. The nails on my left hand have a yellowish cast to them since I always swatch on my left hand.

I decided I needed a professional manicure. It was a Saturday evening, and I wasn't home and by the time I would have gone to to my regular nail salon it would have been closed. I found a place near where I was and they did a "cheap" mani-pedi. Only $18. I usually expect to pay $20-$27, depending on the place, and the day of the week. $18 on a Saturday seemed like a good deal.

I walked in and immediately I was turned off. It reeked like acetone. The whole salon looked very unprofessional. And the ultimate turn off... they had a very small selection of nail polish! A few standard selection of Essie colors and a jumble of colors from different brands. I saw a light blue color from a brand called Btouch that looked ok. Since the salon didn't LOOK unsanitary, I just figured I should give it a try and hope for the best.

Overall I think my nails came out nice. There were no frills in this mani/pedi, but the end result was fine. The color looked better on my nails than in the bottle.

I wish I had my camera when I was in the salon so I could have taken a picture of the polish bottle. Has anyone else heard of Btouch brand? The color I used was called "174-Ocean Blue". It reminds me more of a pool blue. I love this color and will try to extend the life of this mani/pedi as much as possible! Lets see how long it can last!

ORLY Plastix- "Purple Pleather" Review

FYI: ** I bought this polish with my own money. My opinion is honest. None of the companies mentioned in this post will provide compensation for me for doing this review. **

I was roaming around Ulta looking for Essie's "Lapiz of Luxury" (which was sold out) when I stumbled across a display for a new line from Orly.

Only recently have I gotten into matte finishes for nails. A few years ago I tried a matte color and it was horrible! Not only did it look bad on my nails, it wore off fast. After that I didn't pay much attention to matte colors until I started reading nail blogs. Since they weren't looking as bad as my personal matte experience, I decided to try one. And I ended up really liking it! (I can't remember the name or brand, I'll probably do a post about mattes in the future where I will mention it again.)

I bought the "Purple Pleather". When I got home I looked it up and found this description:

"ORLY, the company that continually pioneers the Nail Lacquer arena with the most cutting edge colors, technology and textures, introduces the Plastix Collection. Complementing the Fall 2010 runway looks that featured bright neon colors amid shiny black plastic, latex, and rubber reinventions of vintage must-haves,Plastix evokes the vintage classic trend with four new lacquers and a unique new formula that coats the nails with a smooth glossy matte “plastic” finish. The exclusive finish and texture is a first in the nail category, delivering a monochromatic, shiny and rubbery look that takes experimentation to an entirely new level, with the focus being on both the distinctive nail surface, as well as the latest in color trends. The unique look can not be achieved with color alone as the finish is a must for recreating the true “plastic” statement."

Plastic finish??? Cool!! And it is from the Fall 2010 collection and isn't going to be released until July 2010. I got lucky!! I wish I would have had the chance to swatch it right away, but I had camera issues. So here it is (2 coats, no base or top coat):

Indoor lighting

Outdoor lighting/partial sunlight

To compare the much buzzed about plastic finish, I put Essie's Matte about you top coat on my index finger, and Sally Hansen Double Duty Base and Top Coat on my ring finger. As you can see, the finish is definitely more matte than shine, yet it has a soft sheen to it that a regular matte doesn't have..

Overall I liked the color and the formula. It went on smooth. The drying time was about average. When you first put on the polish it looks wet, and as it dries it begins to look more matte. The plastic finish wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I was thinking some kind of magic outer space technology or something... lol. It was still pretty neat though! I probably won't buy the other 3 colors. The teal looks cool, but I already have a teal matte. The orange is interesting looking, but I think I'll pass for now. The red didn't appeal to me all that much because I am not wearing reds lately.

The Orly Plastix line would be perfect for someone who wants to try a trendy matte look, but who doesn't like the dull finish of other matte polishes.

First (bottled) franken!

I have been mixing nail polish colors ever since I was 9 or 10. I saw a contest in Seventeen magazine where you were to create a new nail polish color and give it a name and a brief description of what the color means. I never entered the contest, which I regret now. At first I was too young and then I kind of forgot about it because I stopped reading Seventeen because I liked magazines like Cosmopolitan and Allure since they were more "grown up" (::rolls eyes:: LOL). So since then I loved to mix polish swatches on paper and give them cool names. For some reason it never really occurred to me to mix whole bottles.

Some past winners of the contest are:

"Ciel de Nuit" (the first year winner)

"Rain" and "Shine" (they had a double winner one year. "Rain" was a sheer shimmer light blue grey and "Shine" was a sheer shimmer pastel yellow. I'm not sure if these were the exact names and color descriptions, but I think I'm pretty close.)

"Haute Chocolat" (the most recent winner it seems, from 2008)

For this franken, I wanted to be as original as possible and not mix already made colors. I chose to mix pigments with clear polish. I used a Sally Girl Mini nail polish. I had bought some pigments from Coastal Scents a few months back to make mineral makeup. I took a deep cool toned burgundy pigment and added it to the bottle. I then added a sparkly gold hoping that the end result would be a pretty purple with gold shimmer. It turned brown. Since it didn't come out as originally planned, I was disappointed. I did a test swatch on my nails and then suddenly realized it wasn't as bad as I thought! Don't mind the sloppy cuticles, as this was just supposed to be a test swatch!

I haven't seen many brown polishes around lately. I want to restart a brown trend! This fall I'm definitely going to be wearing a lot of browns.

I don't have a name for it yet. Suggestions are welcome!

Nail Polish Credits?

Am I the only one who sometimes wishes that there were "nail polish credits" in movies, magazine articles/ fashion spreads, music videos, and where ever else you see models or famous people with manicures/pedicures?

I probably wouldn't care about a beige nude or a sheer pink. But every now and then I see a cool color or design and I want the same thing! The first time I saw "Minx" nails, Beyonce was rocking them. As soon as I saw that cool mirror foil look I HAD to find out what she was using. It took awhile on Google, but I finally found out what it was.

Today I was watching Lady Gaga's new video, "Alejandro". I must say, I really like her nail color. It is a slightly metallic blue black grey color. It isn't the most unique shade, but I still like it. I did a little bit of research on what brand it was, but I haven't turned up anything.

I guess I'll have to make a franken! :)

Check out the video. You can see her nails clearly from about 3:06- 3:17.