Hi everyone!
I was talking to one of my friends recently and they were asking me for advice and tips on nail care and nail art and stuff and I realised I hadn't ever put together a nail care post or written properly on my favourite products for my nails. So here's a list of my nail products that have my it to holy grail status for me, and why they have achieved this highly acclaimed status.
Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter
This is a pretty legendary and well-known cuticle cream throughout the nail blogger world and it's pretty easy to see why. It's thick, nourishing and easy absorbed and moisturises better than any other I've tried. While I know many people, including all of my family, love it's sharp, lemony smell, I have to admit it took a while to grow on me. I hated it when I first bought it (I only bought it because I'd hearing non-stop about it's greatness for ages and thought I had better give it a go) but I've been using it for about a year and I do quite like the smell now. It does have a tendency to melt in the heat (so don't accidentally put it in your beach bag) and when it does melt, it acquires these grainy granules in it. Some people really dislike these, but I like them and the little bit of exfoliation they provide. Anyway, I live in Australia, so it's not like I can keep it under 30 degrees all the time!
It is a little pricey (in my cheap-sake opinion) at AUD$16.50 for a 50g pot, but it really lasts! I've been using mine daily for about a year now and it's not even half empty yet. Purchase it instore at Lush or online.
OPI Original Nail Envy
I give about 70% credit for my healthy and strong nails to this product right here. I'm not joking. Nail Envy has worked miracles for me. You can see my original review of this product here. That comparison was over a week (and I can't believe my nails used to look like that!) and the difference between then and now is quite remarkable. Of course, it's not all down to Nail Envy, although I do believe it has helped a lot for me. However, it's not for everyone. My major issue with my nails was that they were weak and prone to splitting and peeling. Nail Envy helped address that with the ingredient formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is one of the Big 3 ingredients in nail polish and can be dangerous (Lab Muffin does a great post on it here). However, it's a great nail hardener because it helps to fuse the keratin (what yours nails are made up of) layers back together, helping to reduce and prevent splitting and peeling.
In Australia, OPI is ridiculously over-priced and Nail Envy ranges from between AUD$35-$45 in stores like Priceline, Myers, David Jones etc but I would recommend Fishpond, where I have successfully bought Nail Envy for AUD$22 (with free shipping!).
My Glass Nail File
Unfortunately, I threw away the packaging to this a long time ago and I have no clue what brand this was, nor do I have any clue what sort of price it was as I got it as a 2013 Christmas present from my mum. But, I can say that it's excellent. I've been using it exclusively for over a year now and I don't reckon it's gotten any duller. It has got a few dings in it, but that's from where I've dropped it on the floor (to be honest, I'm just impressed it hasn't broken - considering how many times I've put things on top of it and dropped it). I find it's much better to use than a regular nail file as the grit is finer than a regular 240 file and so is much less damaging to my nails. Not that a 240 grit file is damaging to nails, but I find it does encourage mine to start peeling and splitting more.
As I mentioned before, I don't know where mine was from/how much it was, but you can get them from places like Priceline, Target and Big W for between AUD$10-$20.
Sinful Colors Snow Me White
I have searched high and low for a HG white and nearly cried when I found out how good Snow Me White is. I had tried multiple brand of polish in search for the perfect white, including OPI, ulta3 and Sally Hansen and none come close to replicating how good Snow Me White is. It's got a great consistency, it's a true, bright white - no weird grey, yellow or blue undertones and best of all, it's opaque in just two coats!
Also, it doesn't hurt that this retails for AUD$4.95 and you can find this gem in your local Priceline, Big W, Kmart and Target.
Face Of Australia Lady In Red
Surprisingly, I find it very difficult to get a good, solid red. I was using ulta3's Sizzling Red which I loved, but I ran out and wasn't able to find any more, anywhere (so I am beginning to think that it's been discontinued - can anyone provide me with some info regarding that??). Shockingly, it took me weeks of solid searching to find another red that was acceptable to my standards. I needed it not too dark, not too orange-y, not too pink-y and not too yellow-y. I needed a red-red and I finally found it in Lady in Red. It's good great coverage, it's an easy two-coater, the formula is not too thick or thin (making it great for nail art) and the colour is perfect! It will take a lot to tear me away from this as my staple red.
It's also a very affordable nail polish, with the price coming in at about AUD$4-$5 and is available from Priceline, Target, Big W and Kmart.
PVA Base Coat
This is essential for glitterbombs. It just is. Anyone that's ever used a glitterbomb or any polish with glitter will know how difficult it can be to get off and a PVA base coat fixes that right away. Apply it instead of your regular base coat, wait until it's dry (it will go clear) and then glitter away as you please. When it comes time to take it off, simply use a cuticle pusher or orange stick to get under the polish near the cuticle and it should just lift away.
It's a super easy DIY as well. Simply mix PVA with a little water and I like to pour it into an old polish bottle for easy access.
And that concludes my round up of HG nail items. Is there anything you can't live without, nail-wise? What are your thoughts on my HG items?
I was talking to one of my friends recently and they were asking me for advice and tips on nail care and nail art and stuff and I realised I hadn't ever put together a nail care post or written properly on my favourite products for my nails. So here's a list of my nail products that have my it to holy grail status for me, and why they have achieved this highly acclaimed status.
Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter
This is a pretty legendary and well-known cuticle cream throughout the nail blogger world and it's pretty easy to see why. It's thick, nourishing and easy absorbed and moisturises better than any other I've tried. While I know many people, including all of my family, love it's sharp, lemony smell, I have to admit it took a while to grow on me. I hated it when I first bought it (I only bought it because I'd hearing non-stop about it's greatness for ages and thought I had better give it a go) but I've been using it for about a year and I do quite like the smell now. It does have a tendency to melt in the heat (so don't accidentally put it in your beach bag) and when it does melt, it acquires these grainy granules in it. Some people really dislike these, but I like them and the little bit of exfoliation they provide. Anyway, I live in Australia, so it's not like I can keep it under 30 degrees all the time!
It is a little pricey (in my cheap-sake opinion) at AUD$16.50 for a 50g pot, but it really lasts! I've been using mine daily for about a year now and it's not even half empty yet. Purchase it instore at Lush or online.
OPI Original Nail Envy
I give about 70% credit for my healthy and strong nails to this product right here. I'm not joking. Nail Envy has worked miracles for me. You can see my original review of this product here. That comparison was over a week (and I can't believe my nails used to look like that!) and the difference between then and now is quite remarkable. Of course, it's not all down to Nail Envy, although I do believe it has helped a lot for me. However, it's not for everyone. My major issue with my nails was that they were weak and prone to splitting and peeling. Nail Envy helped address that with the ingredient formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is one of the Big 3 ingredients in nail polish and can be dangerous (Lab Muffin does a great post on it here). However, it's a great nail hardener because it helps to fuse the keratin (what yours nails are made up of) layers back together, helping to reduce and prevent splitting and peeling.
In Australia, OPI is ridiculously over-priced and Nail Envy ranges from between AUD$35-$45 in stores like Priceline, Myers, David Jones etc but I would recommend Fishpond, where I have successfully bought Nail Envy for AUD$22 (with free shipping!).
My Glass Nail File
Unfortunately, I threw away the packaging to this a long time ago and I have no clue what brand this was, nor do I have any clue what sort of price it was as I got it as a 2013 Christmas present from my mum. But, I can say that it's excellent. I've been using it exclusively for over a year now and I don't reckon it's gotten any duller. It has got a few dings in it, but that's from where I've dropped it on the floor (to be honest, I'm just impressed it hasn't broken - considering how many times I've put things on top of it and dropped it). I find it's much better to use than a regular nail file as the grit is finer than a regular 240 file and so is much less damaging to my nails. Not that a 240 grit file is damaging to nails, but I find it does encourage mine to start peeling and splitting more.
As I mentioned before, I don't know where mine was from/how much it was, but you can get them from places like Priceline, Target and Big W for between AUD$10-$20.
Sinful Colors Snow Me White
I have searched high and low for a HG white and nearly cried when I found out how good Snow Me White is. I had tried multiple brand of polish in search for the perfect white, including OPI, ulta3 and Sally Hansen and none come close to replicating how good Snow Me White is. It's got a great consistency, it's a true, bright white - no weird grey, yellow or blue undertones and best of all, it's opaque in just two coats!
Also, it doesn't hurt that this retails for AUD$4.95 and you can find this gem in your local Priceline, Big W, Kmart and Target.
Face Of Australia Lady In Red
Surprisingly, I find it very difficult to get a good, solid red. I was using ulta3's Sizzling Red which I loved, but I ran out and wasn't able to find any more, anywhere (so I am beginning to think that it's been discontinued - can anyone provide me with some info regarding that??). Shockingly, it took me weeks of solid searching to find another red that was acceptable to my standards. I needed it not too dark, not too orange-y, not too pink-y and not too yellow-y. I needed a red-red and I finally found it in Lady in Red. It's good great coverage, it's an easy two-coater, the formula is not too thick or thin (making it great for nail art) and the colour is perfect! It will take a lot to tear me away from this as my staple red.
It's also a very affordable nail polish, with the price coming in at about AUD$4-$5 and is available from Priceline, Target, Big W and Kmart.
PVA Base Coat
This is essential for glitterbombs. It just is. Anyone that's ever used a glitterbomb or any polish with glitter will know how difficult it can be to get off and a PVA base coat fixes that right away. Apply it instead of your regular base coat, wait until it's dry (it will go clear) and then glitter away as you please. When it comes time to take it off, simply use a cuticle pusher or orange stick to get under the polish near the cuticle and it should just lift away.
It's a super easy DIY as well. Simply mix PVA with a little water and I like to pour it into an old polish bottle for easy access.
And that concludes my round up of HG nail items. Is there anything you can't live without, nail-wise? What are your thoughts on my HG items?
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