BECCA 2-in-1 Base/Top Coat

Although probably not as exciting to look at as colour products, BECCA 2-in-1 Base Coat/Top Coat is a staple in my grooming arsenal. Because nail colour chips so quickly on my nails, I don't wear colour when I'm working as it looks shabby very quickly. However, my nails do look better and seem less prone to damage when I wear a coat of clear polish. Of course, this is meant to be used as a base or top coat but I see no problem with using it as a clear polish, plus it has the advantage of being Formaldehyde, Toluene, Camphor and Di-Butyl Phthalate free.

My nails are still in poor shape and although I'm not strict about it, I do find they fare better with the 3/4-free formulas. Quite a lot of nail polish brands are at least 3-free now and, anecdotally, 3-free colours have better lasting power when used in conjunction with base and top coats of the same formula. I have used this successfully as a base coat works under HIPP x RGB Nail Foundations, Butter London and BECCA nail colours. I haven't used it much as a top coat as, unless I'm using a fast drying top coat, I tend to skip this step.

Ingredients (from the BECCA website)
Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Nitrocellulose, Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer, CI 60725 (Violet 2).

The BECCA 2-in-1 Base/Top Coat costs £12 and is available from BECCA Cosmetics and Zuneta. I got mine as a gift with purchase, you gotta love a good GWP!

Do You Make 'Good Intentions' Purchases?

I was pondering this last night. I moan about my nails, I buy things to make my nails better, use them for a bit then forget or just give up. It's almost as if I think owning them will be enough to improve my nails! I used to be the same with body lotions and creams. I'd have at least five full bottles at any time but I'd never actually use them. I am much better now, I buy less and actually use up what I have. The discovery of Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter has helped a lot too.

My neglected nail 'improvers'

I bought the NailTek Foundation II a long time ago now after reading lots of good reviews. I'm not aware of it doing anything other than making my nails so matte that it showed through my nail varnish. I like the Mavala Nailactan cream but I forget to use it which is the same for the CND Solar Oil that I won in Clever Rabbit's blog giveaway a while ago. I like the Flexitol Cuticle and Nail Cream but found it hardened the skin around the nail. I use Nail Envy all the time but I'm not sure it helps, I've just become strangley superstitious about it! I didn't enjoy the Mavala 2 part nylon fibre thingumy at all so they sit neglected in a box.

Do you have particular products that you persistently buy but don't use? I am alone in this wasteful and shocking habit?

Nail Update and Rebel Nails

It's been over a month since I posted about my self imposed nail polish ban. I've managed to stick to it, despite the horror of my bare nails! I purchased a crystal nail file too and have kept them short to minimise snagging. Unfortunately I haven't been as diligent as I had hoped to be with the other treatments. However, I have applied Nailactan regularly, I've kept my hands in good condition with regular application of moisturiser and in the last week or so I started taking some 'Hair and Nails' multi-vitamins.

So, has there been any improvement? Unfortunately not. My nails look almost exactly the same as they did 5 weeks ago. It does feel a bit demoralising. I do wish I had been better at using treatments to help repair them but I suspect that the multi-vitamins will give me the best results. I can't quite decide whether I should start wearing polish again. As my nails haven't improved in 5 weeks of no nail varnish, starting to wear it again might not actually make them any worse?

As I couldn't make a decision on the nail polish, I thought it would be a good moment to try the Rebel Nails that Oxford Jasmine kindly sent me to cheer me up. If you haven't come across them before, Rebel nails are nail wraps (a bit like nails shaped stickers) which you apply directly to the nail. You select the right sized sticker, peel it off from the backing, heat with a hair dryer and then place on the nail starting at the cuticle end then smoothing down. There are instructions on their website and as well as a helpful video. I won't deny that it's a little tricky on the first go. I found the hardest part was getting the wrap centred on the nail. Removing the excess was also a little difficult but I think that is probably because my nails are so short. I think this is the sort of thing that would get easier with practice. I was really pleased with the end result, the opaque sparkly silver is perfect after weeks of naked nails! I have found that they are prone to lifting up a bit at the tip but it isn't as noticeable as regular tip wear.

I will be leaving these on over the weekend whilst I make a decision regarding whether to continue the nail polish ban. As a final note I will leave you with a picture of the nail polishes that I have queuing up to try.

What would you do?

Shellac Manicure: Final Thoughts

If you follow me on Twitter, you may realise that the Shellac nail polish came off last night. I feel bad that I didn't make it to a weeks wear but it completely lifted on one nail and I couldn't resist taking the rest off. I managed to see reason though and didn't peel the others. I definitely wouldn't recommend peeling them off, no matter how tempting it is, as it looks like it removed a thin layer of nail with it.

I removed them by soaking the nail with remover that contained acetone. It's preferable to use neat acetone but I didn't have any to hand. I soaked a cotton wool pad and wrapped the nail and finger with foil. Not pretty but it works. It did hamper my typing though..

Now they're all off I'll share my bare (and shocking) nails. They were quite dry when I took the polish off but they recovered after massaging with a generous amount of almond oil. I don't think they're in any worse state than they were pre-Shellac. I think they would have benefitted from a regular massage with oil to stop them drying out.

Would I do it again? I'm not sure that I will be rushing to do it again. It lasted 6 days and it chipped after only a couple of days. At £25 it wasn't a huge expense but I think that money would be better spent on an intensive repair type manicure. After less than a week I was in the mood for a change of colour too. I know it is possible to paint over the gel manicures but as it was already quite a thick layer, I didn't dare for fear of it lifting. What I was hoping for was something to stay on my nails for a couple of weeks and give them a rest from the constant cycle of polish and remover. I should have realised that as my nails present an uneven surface, the gel manicure wouldn't last well for the same reason as regular polish. However, I should point out that whilst it didn't last 2 weeks, 6 days is unheard of for me. From my better nails I could see it had the potential to last longer, though it did seem to fade at the tips.

Would I recommend it? If your nails are in good condition and you're not a colour chameleon, I would say go for it. If like me your nails are prone to peeling and are uneven at the tip, I would say that your lasting time will be greatly reduced.

It's back to square one for me. I still want to try and improve the condition of my nails. I think an all over approach is in order. Multi-vitamins, wearing gloves for washing up and NOT using my nails as a multi-funcitonal tool! I think massaging with almond oil is something I can stick to but I'm not sure which nail strengthener to use. I have Mavala Scientifique and OPI Nail Envy but neither seemed to make much difference. It's possible they would work better in conjuction with the other changes. Lets hope something works as I'm sure you're all fed up of hearing about my nails!

Shellac Manicure: First Impressions

I've been keen to try and gel manicure for a little while now. After a bit of nudging and assistance from Sarah from I Heart Cosmetics, I booked myself in for a bit of "research". If you read my whitterings regularly, you'll know my nails are poor. Their condition, as well as my home life, seem to ruin regular manicures in less than a day, so the idea of something lasting a couple of weeks sounds wonderful.

I had the manicure last night and went for the colour Rose Bud. The lady that did my nails had both Shellac and Gelish colours and after a little discussion she said that this particular polish had lasted the longest on clients with similar nail problems to me. As I suspected, because my nails are prone to peeling, the gel manicure may not last as long as the usual two weeks. Of course, I will chart my progress like a good beauty blogger!

So far so good, my nails still look as good as they did last night. The finish feels different to normal. A little thicker and more rubbery but not unpleasant. The colour is pretty and quite safe (I originally picked something more vampy), though it does seem a wee bit transparent in certain lights. I do love the fact that my nails look well groomed though and I'm keeping everything crossed that it will really be a no chip manicure even on my terrible nails.

I hope you're all having a wonderful New Year's Eve (or New Year's Day if you're one of my Aussie followers). I'm looking forward to more blogging excitement in 2011!

The Quest for Better Nails

My nails are rubbish. My nails and hands suffered a lot during the move and I have been waiting for ages for them to improve enough so that I could put polish on them. I've finally given up waiting for this miracle to happen!

I purchased OPI Nail Envy few month ago and was hoping for dramatic results. I admit that I haven't been at all diligent in remembering to apply every other day but I have applied fairly regularly. My nails seem to be generally stronger but they are still peeling. I haven't worn any polish at all during this time other than the Nail Envy so I'm really surprised there hasn't been more of an improvement.

In the continuing quest for better nails I will be getting the Mavala System as posted about by Get Lippie here. The system includes The Scientific Nail Hardener (£5.50), Nail Shield Strengthener (£8.50) and Nailactan Nail Treatment Cream (£14.95). All of these items are available from Boots.com. I have high hopes for this, not least because it seems you can use it at the same time as wearing nail varnish. I will report back with how I get on.