1 February 2010

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. 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just tried teal takeoff yesterday and I love it too. It was my first try at Insta-Dry and, though I like it, the brush needs some getting used to. I like both your other polishes also.

My favorite top coat is Essie Good To Go. It does make yor nails dry fast, has a nice shiny finish and is quite good to prevent chiping.

Unknown said...

Thanks Shannon. I am going to Sally Beauty this week to find some supplies, My kids are scared of me when I paint my nails--I don't let them come in a 5 foot radius of me! I always smudge!

Paige said...

Beautiful colors, I love that GOSH polish!

cidell said...

I use quick dry drops from Color Club. I think it's called Ice something or the other. I only use them when I use the Supply Source top coat since it's not as fast a dry as Seche Vite. I also paint my nails at night while watching TV or talking on the phone with my friends so the time isn't 'wasted' :) I also like Out the Door which is available from Sally's Beauty Supply.

I get bubbles only if I paint in the sun or under a fan. Other than that -- no issues with bubbling. I have had some top coats that 'crack'. Not a big fan of that. But, none that I'm currently using. Or can remember the names of.

WendyB said...

Love the teal!

Astex said...

Do all your colors come off without bleeding over your finger nails? I know some darker maroons tend to bleed and blues, but you never mention it in your reviews. I love the Insta-Dry Cinna Snap but hate to put it on because I know it makes such a mess coming off.

I love the Sally Hanson quick dry, but noticed that the brush is about 1/4" short of the bottom of the bottle and I'm reaching the point where I have to practically screw the top on to get to the product...any tips?

Carol said...

I use a regular top coat and a quick dry spray, which I think is silicone based. My beautician used a new quick dry top coat the other day. It was CND Speedy or something like that and it dried so quickly that I was able to go back to work and do all the normal things.

denise@thebluegardenia.com said...

The teal is luscious. Absolutely.

Anonymous said...

I was advised that once the polish is good & dry (half hour or more), you rinse your nail tips in cold water (from the tap) - or at least use cold water the first time you get them wet. For some reason it really hardens up the polish.

Ellen

PolishedPrude said...

I use NailTek 10 speed drying drops when I use a dry drop and I love it. It dries polish extremely fast. If using Seche Vite as your topcoat though you need to apply the drops first and let them completely dry and then apply the Seche Vite or you'll notice white "freeze" spots on your polish.