Manicure Monday SNS Nails Review

For almost as long as I can remember I've loved having my nails painted, I think nails can really add that finishing touch to your look - they can also have an effect in transforming your look say from girly to something a little edgier. Nails definitely can make a statement, and I love that about them. However, as I've mentioned before in my manicure Monday posts, my nails are seriously easy to chip - if I can get a few days chip free with a polish I'm doing good. I'm not sure what it is but I'm so prone to chip nails and it drives me mad. Nothing looks tackier than a hand full of bodged up nails.

A few months ago I was admiring my friends nails, she was wearing a colour very similar to Revlon Up The Ante and she told me that she'd had them done in a salon and they were something called SNS Nails - a unique powder formula that is supposedly non damaging and completely chip proof. I wont go in to the nitty gritty but there's more information about them here if you were interested to find out exactly how it works.

Sick of chipped nails and constantly taking polish on and off or having to make touch ups, I decided to treat myself a few months ago and try out these SNS nails. Having never had my nails done before I was quite excited to say the least. Basically there's a few steps but your nails are dipped in the powder several times and then set with a special top coat. The process takes about half an hour or so but once done the nails are good to go about your day to day tasks.

I have now had SNS nails done three times and I am absolutely loving the results,and can officially confirm that SNS Nails allow:

• At least three weeks guaranteed chip proof wear - these do not budge, I clean dishes all throughout the day, do gym work 6 days a week including weights and using boxing gloves, go to work using sharps etc.
• Opaque and shiny coverage- even after three weeks the colour shows no sign of diminishing, and they still shine as nicely as they did on day one.
• Nails grow as normal - the only real tell-tale sign that these are due freshening up is the nail regrowth at the root and around the cuticle where it grows out.

 There's a tonne of colours to pick from, I had the light green first and to say I'm impressed is an understatement. After three weeks they were still going strong, not a chip or sing of chipping in sight. You could probably get longer wear time chip free if you can handle the regrowth for a few more days too. These have saved me so much time applying nail varnish, waiting for it dry and then the inevitable touch ups and I am just loving not having to worry about chipped nails.

I think SNS nails which stands for Signature Nail System is fairly new and I'm not sure how widespread they are in salons yet especially here in the UK, but they are well worth researching or trying out if your nearby nail salon does offer them!

QOTD: Have you tried SNS Nails?

Manicure Monday: Essie Cocktail Bling

My chosen manicure colour of choice for this Monday's post is from Essie and its their shade Cocktail Bling. I don't own many polishes from Essie (definitely a BarryM girl me) but I think I'm going to branch out this year and try a few more from the brand. I've had Essie's Cocktail Bling sitting in my collection for well over a year now but I've never really enjoyed it until late. Its quite an unusual shade to describe as I would say it sits somewhere between grey and pale blue with a hint of mauve in there too.

Its not what I would call the 'prettiest' colour in my collection, however lots of my clothes at the moment have hints of this shade in them and wearing this polish brings it out really subtly. Its definitely an appropriate colour for the winter as its not a pastel its pretty muted down but has
a trendy yet sophisticated edge to it. This is best worn with a bottom and top coat as the colour and shine lasts far longer!

QOTD; Have you tried Essie's Cocktail Bling?

Manicure Monday: The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector

Today's Manicure Monday post is less about the nails and more about the hands - I'm featuring a fabulous cream that I've been using recently that has reminded me of the benefits of taking care of your hands. Now I don't know about you but applying hand cream is something that I only ever do when the mood strikes - and that is usually in the depth of winter when I suddenly notice that my hands are shot to bits from the bitter cold English weather. Well actually, its the beginning of December now and so far we've been pretty lucky with cold spells this winter I'd say. However the minute it does turn colder, my hands are usually the worst area thats hit. So I'm pretty happy that I have this product from TBS lined up ready to prevent that from happening to me this winter.

Apparently suitable for 'Very Dry Skin' I've applied the Hemp Hand Protector all over my hands and cuticles which get very tender and yucky at this time of year, and most hand creams sting like hell when I do this to these delicate dry areas however this one didn't. Its got a very soothing, non greasy texture that sinks in to the skin effortlessly and doesn't leave you there with sticky feeling hands and fingers...The smell is something that you get used to, I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan, it isn't what you would call an unpleasant scent but its not particularly appealing either. However I can look past the smell for what it does to my hands. I'd almost say that it has a medical smell to it, its sort of fresh in that clean medicine sort of way, thankfully the scent doesn't really linger for long anyway.

I received this as part of a gift set, but individually the Hemp Hand Protector currently retails at £11 for this huge 100ml tube and in my opinion I think its pretty good value for money as this stuff really is amazing. A tube this size will literally last you forever as a little goes a long way. Alongside the smell only other downside to this product I would say is that I'm not really loving the design of the tube, it gets very tatty looking plus I generally prefer hand creams which come with a flip on/off lid rather than screw tops as I find them less faffing around.

This hand cream has dramatically helped my hands look and feel so much better. Our hands are one of the main parts of our body that is most often on show, so I don't think that it takes much to look after them whether it be with a manicure or keeping them from being dry and sore - our hands can say a lot about us so I'm striving to keep mine happy this winter. I would 100% recommend this product to anyone, whether your skin is very dry or just needing a bit of attention I can guarentee this product will be of good help to you.

QOTD: What's your saviour product during the winter?

Manicure Monday: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

Are you too busy to faff around with nail polish? Have no time to sit and wait for paint to dry? Or maybe you're just impatient and get bored of the whole 'manicure' process? Well this top coat from Sally Hansen could very well be just for you. This product is the solution to a quick hassle free manicure. Having tried this top coat multiple times now I can confirm that this really does set your manicure 'instantly' and dries it within a matter of seconds. This is an absolute godsend and saves you so much time as it minimises your waiting time dramatically.

I start off with a thin coat of my desired nail colour and allow that to dry naturally before going in with a second coat which you are meant to leave for two minutes and then go over with the Insta-Dri top coat. Don't worry this doesn't come out red as the packaging might suggest! Your manicure is touchable within about half a minute and the top coat also leaves your nails with a lovely shine. I would say don't go too overboard with the top coat or it won't dry as effectively, you only need a minimal amount on the brush - just enough to cover the nail polish underneath.

The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri is incredible value for money, you can currently pick this up at Boots for £5.99 and its on a 3 for 2 offer at the moment. I haven't tried Seche Vite but the Insta-Dri is a few pounds cheaper and does a brilliant job at rapidly drying your manicure and leaving it with a glossy shine so I would definitely recommend picking this up! I don't know how I survived so long without this little miracle top coat...

QOTD: Have you tried Salley Hansen Insta-Dri top coat?

Manicure Monday: Revlon Up The Ante

Today's manicure monday post brings this beautiful nail polish from Revlon that I am besotted with. If you're a fellow Essiebutton follower you may have already spotted this little lovely pop up - I first noticed this in one of her recent Vlogtober vlogs so if you want to see it in action head over to her vlog channel! I think the Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy line may very well be new to the UK as my local Boots or Superdrug didn't stock these in the shops (I ordered mine online from Boots.)

This is the shade 410 Up The Ante and it is the loveliest plum / purple shade thats rather bold and eyecatching, pictures don't do this any justice. Having never owned a Revlon nail polish before I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm more than pleasantly surprised with this nail varnish. The formula is great - pretty chip-proof as far as I can tell, apparently it has a built in base coat so two coats is all you need for an opaque coverage however I did use my Sally Hansen Double Duty as a top coat to finish the manicure. The brush size is worth a mention too, its got a long brush handle so you can get a really precise and neat application easily. I can't wait to try more from this line.

QOTD: What do you think of Up The Ante? Have you tried any of the Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy line?

 

 

Manicure Monday: Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat

Today I'm talking base and top coats, it's been a little while since I did a Manicure Monday post, mainly because I sometimes go through phases of painting my nails. I often get a bit fed up with the unsightly appearance of chipped nails, its one of my biggest peeves and I'm really terrible with them. Sometimes I can't get my nail varnish to last me more than a few hours, although sometimes I think that is down to my own impatience. Base coat? Top coat? Pff I don't have time for all of that.

Yep I'm guilty of just going straight in for the kill with whatever my nail varnish choice is for the day. However I recently picked up the Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat and I have to say that the results impressed me. As the name suggests this is a double whammy of a product acting as both a base and top coat so I've been applying this before and after my nail varnish. This not only makes my manicure lovely and shiny but it also keeps my nails from chipping for at least 2 or 3 days which is incredible for my standards. Even once the chips do start to appear I've noticed that they are only very faint as well which is another bonus.

I do admit that faffing about with a base and top coat is a bit of an ordeal and not something I see myself doing every single time I apply my nail varnish. I usually set aside at least an hour because once applying the Sally Hansen polish and then a couple of coats of your chosen nail colour you're talking like four coats of nail varnish that you've got to wait to dry. But if you do want your nails to last you that bit longer this is certainly worth a bit of extra time and effort.

QOTD: Do you apply base/top coats to your manicure?

Manicure Monday: Maybelline Uptown Blue

I consider myself pretty lucky that I've never really been one to succumb to peer pressure. However when there is a hype around a product I do feel compelled to find out for myself what its all about... The latest hype to lure me to Boots (as if I need an excuse) is the Maybelline Super Stay 7 Day Gel Colours. I've seen loads of people loving these from Maybelline recently and claiming that they really do live up to the '7 days' claim. Now chips in nail varnish are one of my biggest peeves. If I have a chip in my nail varnish it either has to be touched up or all of it taken off. I just hate seeing chipped nails. So of course I was going to check out a product that claimed to give you 7 days of wear time.

I will begin with the positives, the colour range is pretty amazing and there are plenty of summer colours to select from. I wouldn't usually pick up blue nail varnish but Uptown Blue was too beautiful not to pick up. The colour is undeniably gorgeous, its definitely a Cath Kidston kind of girly blue shade. And applied to the nails its super glossy looking and easily looks like you've gone and had your nails done. I was so impressed with this and couldnt stop looking at how pretty my nails were.

However, fast forward just a few hours later and I could already notice little chips beginning to appear, not just on one nail but on a couple of nails. I was so bummed! 7 days? This had barely been on my nails 7 hours! The following morning I refused to accept defeat and tried again this time with a base coat but unfortunately it made no impact and I still had the same result of little chips a few hours later. I was definitely disappointed as I had such high hopes for this product. Someone tell me what the secret is to get this product to last 7 days? What did I do wrong?! The one consolation for me is that the colour really is gorgeous and summery so I can forgive it for not living up to my high hopes... just about..

 

QOTD: Have you tried these Super Stay gel colours from Maybelline? What did you think of them?

Manicure Monday: A Love For Lemon

 

Hello I hope that you all had a lovely weekend, today I'm bringing you the first in a little installment : Manicure Monday. Today's Manicure Monday is naturally Spring inspired - can you tell I love Spring?

 

I don't know about you but yellow is a colour that I can't help but want to embrace at this time of the year - it just seems appropriate wouldn't you say? Cue sunny days, daffodils and little chicks into your minds and we'll hopefully be on the same wavelength here... Plus pastels are so perfect during the spring months so I had a little dig around in my nail varnish draw this morning and these two from Rimmel instantly grabbed my attention. These are shades 280 Sunshine and 058 Lemon Drop, I really like Rimmel nail polishes as they are affordable and the colour range is pretty good. Before applying the nail varnish I prep my nails with a quick file - I love this green polka dot one from Cath Kidston at the moment.

Then to soften my cuticles I take a cotton bud and apply a really small amount of  Lush's Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter to each of my cuticles and then with the clean end I lightly massage it in. The reason I do this is because this product is packed with natural oils and ingredients that can make it a little on the greasy side and so you don't want your manicure sliding all over the place but you still want the benefit of the softer cuticles. Usually after that I'm good to go ahead with the polish, with Rimmel I usually find two coats of application does the job.

And voila, sunny spring nails!