Franken take 2

I've been frankening again, and I've learned some things since my first attempt. This time I had no creativity whatsoever, because each shade I made is a copycat/takeoff of an existing popular nail shade, with varying degrees of success.

I started with these supplies, which I ordered from Blush1.

Same basic procedure as last time - new polishes as bases, adding in eyeshadow pigment and dashes of other polishes for more character. This time I got a little more creative, adding in loose cosmetic glitter, trying my hand at a creme, and adding chunky glitter.

The first franken of the day was a takeoff of Deb Lippmann's Lady Sings the Blues - a polish of chunky hex glitter suspended in a navy blue jelly base. I've expressed my admiration for it before, and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I hope Ms Lippmann is very flattered since this is the second time I've tried to copy her look. The copy isn't perfect since my base color is again shimmery, and I didn't quite get a jelly look even though my base was clear.
Also, when I swatched it properly on my nail wheel, it looked as though all the larger glitter had fallen to the bottom and it was impossible to pick up with a brush. :( My kingdom for some ball bearings!

My second creation was quite unintentionally a takeoff of Chanel's Jade. I used a mini bottle of Allura white, which came with a french manicure set, and looks almost but not exactly like whiteout. I think I added too much pigment to this because it applies... chunky. Almost like cottage cheese. Kind of gross. But once it smoothes out, it's gorgeous wet. There's iridescent sparkle and silver bits of shimmer and oh, lovely. And then, it dries to the patina of old chalky paint. Ugh.

Thankfully, a coat of shiny topcoat (Sally Hansen Maximum Growth quickdry, to be precise) restores it almost completely to its former shimmery glory.

The third is my absolute favorite of the bunch. It's the same basic base as the navy blue above, with slightly less pigment, and silver sparkles I got from an old Rimmel polish, Glitz it Up.

On first glance this may remind you of another notable polish - Essie Starry Starry Night. On closer inspection it's not that similar, but it has similar qualities - dark blue, jelly, sparkly. Mine is much more sparkly though, because it's not a dark sea of jelly with small but prominent sparkling stars, but rather an entire shimmering base with tiny dots of silver mixed in. In other words, my silver glitter doesn't get as much emphasis because the entire polish shimmers, not just the glitter. Even though it's not opaque until 4 coats, I still love it.

I promise to post some better pictures and swatches soon, because I really love my new creations!

Note: Merry Christmas everyone! I'm suffering from limited internet access at the moment, but I'll have more swatches and my Christmas manicures posted as soon as I can. See you soon!
Nailgirl

Topcoat challenge, day 4 (final results)

By the fourth day of wear, not only was I getting seriously tired of the Barbie Pink (which doesn't suit me at all), but two of my fingers were looking seriously grody.

I was getting tipwear with every polish, and some fingers were losing their shine. I decided to end the test the afternoon of day 4, and I've come up with some results.

1. Seche Vite shrunk, but Sally Hansen didn't.
2. Make Up Academy shows brushstrokes (yuck!).
3. Allura goes completely matte after a few days! Here is a comparison between my two index fingers:

How ridiculous is that? But then, I wasn't expecting much for a polish that gets sold for less than a pound. Into the franken pile it goes.

My new standard topcoat will be Sally Hansen Maximum Growth quick dry, because it's nearly as shiny as Seche Vite, dries just as fast, and doesn't shrink. Seche shrinks on me at least 75% of the time, and it's incredibly annoying. Even when I wrap my tips, it manages to shrink.

So basically, the higher-end polishes (I mean, Sally is still a drugstore brand, but not a discount drugstore brand) performed better, with the caveat that SV shrinks - but people already know that. This was a useful test for me, as I have accumulated all these TCs, but haven't paid attention to which works better. Now I know!

Topcoat Test Introduction
Day 1
Days 2 & 3


Nailgirl

Topcoat challenge days 2-3

The polishes continue to wear at a steady pace. If you see the small chips on my thumbs and index fingers, don't give them undue weight - compare them with the other fingers painted with the same TC. I know I shouldn't, but I do use my fingers for prying things off, picking off stickers, etc., so my thumb and pointer fingers definitely wear faster than my other ones.


I didn't take a picture for day 3 because not much changed. My tipwear is getting pretty bad, but there are no major chips or anything new like that. The cheaper polishes are gradually losing shininess. I think the results of this test are becoming clear...

Topcoat Test Introduction
Day 1
--
Day 4 and final results


Nailgirl

Topcoat challenge day 1

I have two sets of pictures for the first 24 hours of wear - one the morning after I painted my nails, and one after a full day.

In the morning, I woke up an examined my nails -

I found that all of my nails looked about the same as they did the night before, with two exceptions. There was a tiny amount of shrinkage on the Seche Vite nails. More distressingly, however, my left pinky and right middle finger - the bargain-bin Allura topcoat - had become practically matte, and looked textured rather than smooth. Either that polish is extremely slow-drying and I made impressions on it in my sleep, or the shine wore away overnight.

Currently, the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth quick dry and the Seche are shiniest. The rest (except Allura) are still shiny, but not as much as those two.

Here's how my nails looked 24 hours after I painted them:

There's some minor tipwear all around, in addition to the shrinkage from the Seche. I purposely didn't wrap my tips for this test, because I wanted to see how each topcoat would wear naturally. The nails with Allura look a mess upon close examination - not smooth at all.

I'll check in again in a few days, though I think I'm already noticing the differences between these topcoats.

Topcoat Test Introduction
--
Days 2 & 3
Day 4 and final results


Nailgirl

Five-topcoat wear test

I've only been really into polishes for a few months, so I haven't settled on a 'favorite' topcoat yet. I have a few accumulated, but I alternate them depending on my mood. So, I've gathered them up and decided to put them to the test. The challenge is this:

I will take my 5 topcoats, and use one each over each finger of one hand. On the opposite hand, I will use the same TCs in a different order - since, for instance, I get more wear on my index finger than my pinkie, this will level the field a little.

At the end of a week, OR when my polish becomes horribly mangled, whichever comes first, I will end the challenge and compare the wear of the different top coats.

The players are:

Seche Vite, naillovers' favorite. Known for its fast-drying capabilities, epic shine, and unfortunate shrinkage problems. MSRP £8.95.
Sally Hansen Teflon Tuff, my current go-to TC most of the time. MSRP unknown, £4-5 maybe?
Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Quick Dry TC, a new acquisition in my collection. MSRP £4.50.
Make Up Academy Nail Varnish - Clear, a £1 polish from Superdrug. MSRP £1.00.
Allura Topcoat, a mini bottle of TC I got as part of a French manicure set at the pound store - making its approximate price 20p or so. MSRP £? (£1 for manicure kit)

I've decided to test ultra-cheapie polishes against some more well-renowned brands to really see what difference a high-end topcoat can make. Will I have a much better experience? Will it not actually matter that much? Time will tell!

I painted my nails with the usual basecoat and one coat of Barry M nail paint in Limited Edition Pink. I had high hopes for this color since I love it in the bottle, but I don't think the coolness of the pink (leaning on purple) flatters my skin very much. Oh well. I put one coat of each top coat on - for the quick-dry polishes I waited about 2 minutes after applying polish; for the rest I let them completely dry.



Here are how my nails look on night 1, right after cleanup. This is probably about 30 minutes after I painted my nails - I ran my fingers lightly over my nails, and the two quick dry polishes (SV and SH Maximum Growth) feel totally dry to the touch, while the other polishes feel ever so slightly 'tacky'.

Visually, they all look the same except for my left ring finger and my right thumb - the clear Make Up Academy polish - where I can see the texture of brush strokes. It looks like it wasn't thick enough to even itself out after application.

I'll post an update once they begin to wear. We'll see if you really get what you pay for, or if any of these polishes are a screaming deal.

Day 1
Days 2 & 3
Day 4 and final results


Nailgirl