An Addiction to Remember...

L-R: Seche Vite, TFS top coat, TFS base coat, SkinFood nail polish in RE101, Korean taupe nail polish.

I have to admit,because of my hectic daily schedule,as much as I would want to do my own nails,I just don't have the time to do it. :-( And yes,I'm also lazy. LOL. But anyway,one thing that I always do whenever I go to a salon is  that I always bring my own set of nail items. I started collecting NPs early this year,so I don't have any choice but to use each one of them. Hehe! But aside from the actual nail color,I also take with me items that play important roles in achieving a perfect mani and pedi experience. And those are:

Base coat - I never,EVER put on nail polish without a base coat. A base coat acts as a protective barrier on your nail bed,and makes your polish last longer by making the polish adhere to it. It also prevents staining so yes,base coats are good investments. I highly recommend The Face Shop's Face It base coat. Very reasonably priced at P180.

Red nail polish for my toes - It's been my signature nail color for my toes. Makes my feet look smoother and fairer. Hehe!

Top coats - now this one's a bit complicated. I'm the type who would use 2 types of top coats in a manicure. Why? The first top coat (TFS) prevents the polish from shrinking after I've applied the second top coat,which is Seche Vite. SV is known to dry polish in no time,but one major flaw that it has is that it makes your nail polish shrink when you apply it on wet polish.

TFS top coat - Lovely Me Ex brand is priced at Php 95, Face It brand at Php 180; Seche Vite retails for Php 420++,and is available thru online resellers here in the Philippines.

This is actually my 2nd digiperm for this year. Had it done thru one of the local salons in Antipolo City. The first perm was done in February 2012 at the same salon,and the curls were smaller then. I went for bigger curls/waves the 2nd time around,and I would admit that I like this better tham the 1st one. For setting them I use Monea Curl Defining Milk,it's available in Watsons for Php 99.00 per bottle.

Damage for the digiperm is Php 1500.00 only.

I originally wanted CG's Emerald Sparkle,but when I checked on the swatches online, I would agree that GG is warmer than ES. Both beautiful on their own. I still want ES,though. Hehe!

Used 3 coats on this pic. Taken without flash.3

Base coat: The Face Shop Face It base coat

Top coat: The Face Shop Lovely Me Ex top coat and Seche Vite dry fast top coat

Beautiful. It may be not the classic red that many are expecting, but this is a very very pretty shade,looks like it lights up from within. Used 3 coats to achieve opacity,but be warned that removing this can make you consume like 5 cotton pads on all 10 finger nails. It dries to a glossy finish,but using a high gloss top coat like Seche Vite would enhance the beauty of this polish. :-)

Base coat: The Face Shop Face It base coat -- the first and ONLY top coat that I would use... TFS,dont even think about phasing this out!!!

Top coat: Seche Vite dry fast top coat (to avoid shrinkage of polish,apply a single layer of top coat from another brand,then finish the look with SV).

On days when I dont want to be "loud and proud" with my nails, I go for the basic nudes or taupes. This is a Korean brand,but I couldnt figure out the name since the label it's written in Korean. LOL. I love,love,love this shade,but it chipped horribly after 2 days. :-( But nevertheless, it's a very beautiful color,best worn on office days or corporate functions.

Base coat: The Face Shop Face It base coat

Top coat: The Face Shop Face It top coat and Seche Vite dry fast top coat

It's screaming PINK!!! I had this on my nails for about 5 days before it started to chip. This is 2 coats. I could have gone away with a single coat,but I wanted the nail bed to be completely invisible,so I went for 2 coats. Perfect for spring and summer. :)

Base coat: The Face Shop Face It base coat

Top coat: Seche Vite dry fast top coat