CND Vinylux


Today I want to share with you a fairly new product from CND.  It's called Vinylux and it's an extended wear polish system that offers the benefits of gel polish (super shine, quick dry and long wear) without the hassles (removal GRR), dangers (UV exposure) and cost of the gel systems.  If you're like me, you probably don't use gel polish at all.  In fact, until I was working in a spa I never used gel because I changed my polish so regularly that it wasn't really an issue.  Now, however, I've grown a bit out of polishing everyday and as I'm in the process of relocating to a new area, moving, changing job, and a whole slew of other things it seemed like a good time to NOT have to worry about polishing for a week or two!  It's also about HALF the cost of gel polishes. Please don't mind the kitty hair in the above photo. Aoife loves new polish too! 

So the system is easy: Buy a top coat and a polish color. There are over 62 colors to choose from (not enough for a polish addict like me BUT plenty for now and then!) and they do offer a number of finishes including cremes, shimmers, and duochromes.

 

This is the color I chose. It's called Pretty Poison.  This is an indoor shot.  It's actually a really stunning color. It's going to be perfect for fall!  The application of this is pretty easy too. They recommend no base coat and for extra long wear you can use a nail prep like Scrub Fresh or Bond Aid. I was skeptical of the dark color though so I went ahead with a base coat anyway.  One thing I didn't like was the consistency. Where gel polishes are super thin, this stuff is super thick. Like SUPER thick. You really have to wait about 2 minutes between coats or it's just going to drag away what you've already done. It looked kind of a mess when I had finished two coats but the top coat evened everything out perfectly. THEN you have to wait ten minutes for it to dry. That's the major polish to gel polish difference. BUT when you factor in the extra time it takes to cure gel polish it probably evens out the same. Now about that shine....



Hello! The shine is no joke on these. It really does mimic gel polishes and honestly, the shine is what I love most about gel!  Now I wanted to test the wear on this for you guys but the day after I put this on I was called into work for a special project and...well nothing was gonna make it through that mess. Though surprisingly, while normally these projects would demolish my polish, this time I only had a bit of tip wear. Still, I want to try it with the proper prep and with a more average amount of wear and tear. So very soon you'll see this again! What I can tell you is that removal is a BREEZE and with one coat of base I had no stains. So I feel good about it! :)  

What do you all think of Vinylux Weekly Wear polish? Would you like to see more colors?

It's Real...Gelish much?


So since I've had to remove my polish pretty much every other day since I started work I'm experimenting with Gelish here and there. You'll probably see a few Gelish mani's coming up since I'm learning how to do it and practicing doing it at work.  A few things I learned about wearing gel polish:. One: it feels thicker than regular polish. Remember the first time you wore lipstick?  The way it made your lips feel a bit...suffocated?  Not unbearably so but just enough that it was a bit irritating?  Well gel polish is kind of the same way.  Your nails feel a little bit more stifled than with regular polish, but you get used to it very quickly.  Two:  they make your nails stronger but also dry them out more.  My hands are in water ALL day long and I really think that if I had gone polish free they'd have broken by now just from being weak all day.  The gel polish really helped to beef them up and keep them strong while I'm working.  That said you're meant to oil them everyday which I forgot to do and so when I removed the polish my nails were extra dry. :(  Three: they're wicked shiny.  Honestly. People get addicted to the shine and I have to admit I kind of have too.  They're MUCH shinier than any top coat I've used.  These lasted about six days and would have probably lasted longer but my thumbs are in acetone all day and I accidentally filed off my top coat so the tips got a little eaten.  The lack of shine there annoyed me though so off they came!!  I really loved this color because it made my nails look so healthy and it was natural enough that I could polish over it when I felt like.  I have an accent nail here of Sephora by OPI in It's Real.  It's a clear jelly base with flecks of real 18K gold in it.  It's really pretty and subtle but it doesn't shine like normal glitters.  It's a bit more of a shine than a shimmer!  I hope you enjoy!!  Have you ever tried gel polish?



Colors used:
Gelish in Sweet Dreams
OPI for Sephora It's Real

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