Nailipedia

Sunday, 22 April 2012

New Page: My Nail Care Routine

I created a new page on the blog describing my nail care routine. I will be updating it as and when I find new products, change my method or learn new tips. If you haven't yet seen it, please feel free to have a look and share your suggestions!

Friday, 20 April 2012

Nubar - 2010

If you like flakies, and I know many of us collectors do, I'm sure you've heard of Nubar 2010. Nubar is a cruelty-free, vegan brand based in the USA. All their nail varnishes are B3F and reasonably priced.

This top coat was released for their 10 year anniversary. It's a clear base with different size iridescent flakies that reflect mostly red and green. The formula is pretty good and dries quickly; one coat is enough for layering.

I've been thinking about this post pretty much since I started the blog. I wanted to do it justice and show it to you over lots of different nail varnishes, but then realised that it looks so cool over black I don't need to show you less interesting options. Here's a few anyway, so you can see what I mean:

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From Top Left to Bottom Right:

OPI Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow Suede

OPI Jade Is The New Black

Over black it's just amazing, like autumn leaves or even embers. I really like this look, it certainly shows off all the different colours vividly.

Click to enlarge

This is definitely a must have as it can update your mani in a matter of minutes. If you, like me, fancy a change after a day or two and can't afford to completely change your look, make sure you try this.

Brand: Nubar

Name: 2010

Type: Flakie/Top Coat

Pantone equivalent: N/A

Make Up Alley rating: 4.6/5

Potential dupes: several potential dupes, Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure is probably the most popular one.

Buy it from BeautyBay £5.50 (with free worldwide delivery)

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Enhancing Base Coat

2 x OPI Black Onyx

1 x Nubar 2010

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Saturday, 14 April 2012

Nails Inc - Notting Hill Gate

It's not news that most Nails Inc polishes are named after places in London/stations. While Notting Hill Gate might bring memories of Julia Roberts being glamourous and Hugh Grant being awkward, it reminds me of something much closer to home.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in late Summer 2003 when I went to Notting Hill to have a coffee with my now husband. Norah Jones was playing in the background, we were sitting on a brown leather sofa in a small venue on Portobello Road and realised we wanted to be more than just friends. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So I ended up buying a pink nail varnish! I haven't gone insane, I am a romantic and this is not just any pink. This is a cool pink, it's neon! I thought it'd look great as a vibrant pedi colour but haven't tried it yet.

The formula on this is very good. It goes on smoothly and only needs two coats. The finish is between a matte and a creme, for those who, like me, are not familiar with neon polishes. I thought it might glow in the dark but it doesn't, I hope that gives you an idea of how eye-catching this product is!

I honestly can't wait until the sun is back, hopefully for more than a week, in the UK and I can wear this again. When my little girl gives it back, that is!

Click to enlarge

I also created a few mani options below using Nails Inc Paddington for the French tips, star and dots and Nails Inc Electric Lane holographic top coat. In hindsight, I'm not sure how good they look... see for yourselves:

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Brand: Nails Inc

Collection: Neon

Name: Notting Hill Gate

Type: Neon

Colour: Pink

Pantone equivalent: Rhodamine Red

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Illamasqua Collide, comparison coming up soon! Other neon pinks out there.

Buy it from Nails Inc £11

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Extending Base Coat

2 x Nails Inc Notting Hill Gate

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Thursday, 12 April 2012

OPI - Black Onyx

I only bought Black Onyx last year. I used to wear a lot of black in my late teens and had moved away from the hardness that it provides in recent years, but decided I needed it in my life again. I trust OPI to produce a good quality product and this was no exception: perfect coverage in two even coats, glossy finish, good drying time, long wear, excellent brush... all the things I have come to expect from them.

As I was taking the photos below, I was wondering what to write about this nail varnish. What can you say about a black creme? Then I remembered that it's not all about Rock/Punk/Goth nails, there is so much you can do with black!

Black is great for Nail Art and also serves as a perfect base for some finishes such as duochromes and flakies. You can use it on French tips for a twist on the traditional white and it's a safe colour for pedis.

Even if you're not a black lover like I am, I think every woman should own one good quality black polish.

Click to enlarge

Brand: OPI

Collection: Classics

Name: Black Onyx

Type: Creme

Colour: Black

Pantone equivalent: Black

Make Up Alley rating: 4.2/5

Potential dupes: Many!

Buy it from Demon's Beauty £7.16

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Extending Base Coat

2 x OPI Black Onyx

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Wednesday, 11 April 2012

Orly - Fowl Play

I remember seeing this polish last year and thinking it was so me I had to have it. Then I ordered it, tried it once and was a bit underwhelmed, so I put it in with the others and forgot about it until now.

Orly is a brand I am not very familiar with, despite having been around since the '70s. Their formula is free from DPB, Toluene and Formaldehyde; their full size bottles are slightly larger than average (18 ml) and they have a rubber "gripper" cap.

Fowl Play is a purple jelly base with different sized flakes that flash red, green, orange and gold. It also has blue glitter particles and silver micro shimmer, so it's full of goodies! The formula is a little thicker than I am used to and drying time is not its strongest point. It took me about three coats when I used it before, which implied long waits and hard work... for me at least.

This time around I wanted to see the effect without getting lost in the coats, so I used one coat of a-england Elaine as a base and only did two of Fowl Play. One would have probably been enough to show the best bits, so if you're ever in a hurry and want to sport some flakie goodness then bear this in mind.

After looking at the photos I took today, this polish does look gorgeous on and it's pretty special. So maybe the jelly consistency, which is in effect what puts me off, is worth it after all. Do give it a try.