I wrote the previous Manicure Monday post the Saturday prior to publish. Then, on Sunday, I got rid of the Nude Mood manicure and started anew. So this, really, should’ve gone live Monday. We’re catching up from a lag!
I’ve been doing a lot of neutrals on my fingers and reds on my toes. And I love both – they’re classic, professional, effortless.
But I wanted some color in my life, so I reached for Nina Ultra Pro in Caribbean Blue and my Sensationail Polish to Gel kit.
It took me writing this post to realize that I didn’t publish any manicure details in December. After my 11/26 post with Icelanded a Bottle of OPI in the Infinite Shine formula (haaate), the following week I did a nice China Glaze Gelaze manicure in Swing Baby. It’s a nice, champagne-y gold that I’ve featured on Favorites posts before. Unfortunately, I took no pictures because I am an ass…and because I was gearing up for a business trip that week.
Last week, I took the week off. Between life and the holiday, the need for a break snuck up on me. If you’re in the US, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. If you aren’t in the US, I hope your Thursday was pretty badass, too.
Gelaze Recycle wore like a champ. Not a chip or flaw anywhere, didn’t lift. In fact, I had to fight it off my nails yesterday morning in order to do this set. It wore like steel (that wasn’t a grey joke, but do what you want) and I was thrilled; it needed to be refreshed, though, simply due to the amount of outgrowth.
So, yeah, that’s right – I got THREE WEEKS of wear out of that set. Brings a tear to my eye!
Manicure Monday – 11/5 – China Glaze Gelaze RecycleAnyone watching V for Vendetta today? I will be! Does anyone actually paint their nails on Mani Monday? I don’t! I don’t tend to do much exciting nail art these days, but my nails are almost always painted. I usually paint over the weekend so they’re fresh for the work week. It follows that I’d start a Manicure Monday series; the content basically creates itself!
The Friday before Halloween, I did a simple black set with Sensationail Midnight Rendezvous (which I used in my glitter gel nail tutorial) On my ring fingers, I slapped a coat of Essie Matte About You topcoat for a nearly-no-effort accent nail. I don’t wear black often, and was initially like, “Ah! This is so stark,” but by the end of the ninth day, I found myself rather fond. Yesterday, though, I decided it was time for a different color.
Surprisingly had a devil of a time removing that set. Usually, I can pop my gel polish off fairly easily, but this took coaxing and inspired a bit of swearing. Anyway, after I removed the black gel, I slapped on some Solar Oil and let my nails rest for a while, lacquer-free, while I got some stuff done around the house.
I found myself torn between the new-to-me nude shade I wore before Midnight Rendezvous (posted on Insta on 10/14), China Glaze Gelaze Awakening, and what I ultimately chose, China Glaze Gelaze Recycle.
I’ve written about my love of Recycle before. Grey is fantastic for Autumn, absolutely counts as a neutral, and isn’t as harsh as black but is still on the edgy side.
China Glaze Diva Bride in their Gelaze formula might have dethroned as my go-to nude-pink nailcolor. I’d been wearing a lot of OPI Bubble Bath; it’s a nice, effortless neutral that looks good with everything. As it wears down/away/lifts/chips, it does so gracefully and without making it glaringly obvious that attention is required. I enjoyed it apart from three caveats
OPI Gelcolor lacquers are technically pro-only – so getting your hands on one as a plebe is a difficult task if you don’t know a licensed beautician. I have no idea how much they cost a pro; I know on the diverted market I can get them for anywhere between $15-20, and then there’s the question of whether you’re getting legit product or not (I’ve lucked out so far). It requires three coats to the minimum level of opacity I prefer.
On top of coming in later than usual, my dang graphic had issues – thanks for bearing with me. I’ll update with a picture later. :) For details on my August 2018 Favorites, follow the jump!