Lacquer Lundi

In response to my last LL post,  both Cindy and Rachel had similar questions.  Cindy said..."I have a question--what tip do you have for drying the polish? With so many coats of polish, it must take awhile. Besides patience or a fast dry top coat, is there any other technique?"  and Rachel said..."Do you have a tip for getting nail polish to dry and set quickly? I feel like I have to choose between sewing and doing my nails at times because of the length of time it takes to dry."

I always use a fast dry top coat.  My favourite is Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat, but there are many others on the market.  A little experimentation is sometimes required to find the top coat best suited to you.  I know many other polishers prefer Seche Vite and although it dries quickly, I cannot abide the shrinkage it causes (when it dries, it shrinks, pulling the polish with it, causing instant tip wear) on me.  Many people also use quick dry drops (often in conjunction with a quick dry top coat) to speed up drying.  I have never used these, so I can't comment on them (any readers with drying drops expertise to share?) or their effectiveness.

I tend to polish my nails at night.  I can sit and watch movies, read or simply go to bed (I polish at least 15 minutes before hitting the sack) afterward so I won't be using my hands much.  This way, I reduce chance of smudging my polish.  If I have to do my nails during the day and I need to be able to use my hands, I go with single coat, holographic or matte polishes, all of which dry much more quickly.

In another comment, Michelle said..."Are bubbles a brand/consistency related issue or an application issue?  If its an application issue, how can they be avoided?"

I have never had issues with bubbles, so when I first read this question, I figured I would have to offer up a big boatload of nothing.  Thankfully, my readers have saved the day by leaving some excellent suggestions in the comments.

On to the pretties:

China Glaze - Kaleidoscope Him Out

- purchased at head2toe.com for $2.99 US

Kaleidoscope Him Out is a beautiful light blue holographic polish that displays its holographic nature whether in sunlight or under indoor lighting (sometimes these polishes are only really interesting outdoors).  I knew I had a winner when I was having a conversation with a colleague and she kept following my hand motions with her eyes rather than paying attention to me.  She was actually mesmerized by the polish!

Kaleidoscope Him Out applies easily and dries quickly (even with the three coats I applied - could have gotten away with two if I had been more careful).  It provided excellent wear - only minor tip wear after three days. 

Sally Hansen Insta Dri - Teal Takeoff

- purchased at Shoppers (chain drug store) for $5.99 CDN

Teal Takeoff is a beautiful teal base with a metallic shimmer.  It reminds me of beetle's wings.  This colour is an excellent addition to my polish stash since I have fair bit of teal in my wardrobe.  In fact I wore this polish a day that I was sporting a teal knit boucle jacket and it Teal Takeoff provided such nice complement to the garment.

Teal takeoff applied easily and although I could have left it at one coat, I applied another to remove all streaks and bald spots.  Unfortunately, I had significant tip wear and one large chip on thumbnail after two days

GOSH - Golden Dragon

- purchased at Shoppers (chain drug store) for $6.00 CDN

Golden Dragon is a medium, blue-tinged green base, with gold micro shimmer.  It is similar to Sally Hansen Salon Project Runway, although Project Runway is darker and its gold shimmer is slightly larger.  The photo to the right shows a comparison - Project Runway on index and ring fingers, Golden Dragon on middle and pinky.  So, if you missed Project Runway and you're looking for the same feel (although not a dupe), pick up Golden Dragon.  I just bought Golden Dragon three days ago, so it`s still available.

Both coats of Golden Dragon applied very nicely and it had okay wear - only tip wear after two days.  You can actually see the tip wear in the comparison picture above.