Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July, US girls.  :)  

This is a manicure that I have had floating around in my head for about 3 months, and I finally had a chance to do it.  :)  I just love the way it came out.  

Here's what I used...

Thumb and index finger - BB Couture Fairy Blood

Middle finger - Revlon Royal with Konad White Special Polish

Ring finger - Nails Inc Floral Street with Konad Red Special Polish

Pinky finger - Jessica Majesty Blue with Dollish Polish It's a Me Mario

Stamping plate used was BundleMonster plate BM20.  

I hope everyone in the US has a safe and happy Fourth of July, and that everyone in the rest of the world has a safe and happy Wednesday.

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Revlon Royal

Today is Day 24 in my "30 Days of Blues", and today, I have for you a polish that was a recommendation in several comments in my cobalt blue posts.  Many of you told me that Revlon Royal may just be what I was looking for, and I think you may be right...

This is 3 coats of Revlon Royal, a bright, cobalt blue jelly.  I did 3 coats, because I had a thin spot on my ring finger. If I had waited more time between my first coat and my second, I wouldn't have had the thin spot, as it was from drag.  So it's definitely a polish that can be opaque in 2 coats, just make sure to go slow.  I also recommend 2 coats, if you can, simply because it's brighter at 2, rather than 3 coats.

I'm not sure why I hadn't picked up Royal before.  I'm not a huge fan of Revlon's formula, so maybe that is why.  I also thought it was going to be more of a creme, rather than a jelly.  Not sure where I got that.  LOL.  Anyway, Royal is a perfect cobalt jelly.  I hate to say it, because essentially it means that I wasted $20, but this is so much better, in my opinion, than RBL IKB:2012.  Though, I do need to do a direct comparison between IKB and Royal just to make sure, I think that this polish is what I wanted IKB:2012 to be.

Best part, this Revlon cost me $6 and that was at Walgreen's.  If you can get it at a big box (which the ones around me are always OOS of Royal), it's less than 5 bucks.  

Revlon Runway Collection Nails Part Deux

I posted about 2 of the Revlon Runway Collection Artificial Nails last month. I had plans of using another box sooner, but alas, I got caught up in other things. A few days ago, after my latest unfortunate incident with Zoya (the one that sparked my Dear John letter), I decided to try another set.

I tried Minx this time, and lemme tell you... it's my favorite thus far. This is the only one that has received compliments from strangers (thank you, girl in Target). She was shocked when I told her they were Revlon rather than spendy salon nails. Here's a pic of them:



I just took this, and since I've had them on a few days, they don't look as good now as they did before. Also, as the base of the nail is sheer, and I have damage to my natural nails, you can see the damage. Thankfully, this is something that you only see if you are looking at unforgiving macro photos, or if you were to stare at my hands for awhile.

The design on these is different than any other funky french (is it just me or does the phrase "funky french" make you giggle a little, too? LOL) glue-on I've tried. Thus far, it happens to be the most flattering on my hands. The nails is a peachy-pink base, with a white french tip. On the white tip, there is a black fishnet design, and between the french and the base is a thin silver glitter line. One thing I really like is that the design isn't the same uniform size. It varies based on the size of the nail. I thing that really helps in making these look like expensive nails.

The length is very short, though I think the package labels them as "medium", but these are far from medium. I kind of like this length, though. One of the fortunate things about wearing glue-on nails is that I can go from long to short to back again without any effort. I'd been wearing my nails pretty long, and I'm finding with these Revlons that typing is much, much easier. LOL.

It did take me 3 boxes before I was able to apply them without getting glue all over me, so there is a learning curve (as there is with just about any new nail/nail polish related product), but they are a great product. Plus, I'm a spaz, so you may have no problems. Speaking of the glue, Revlon glue is the best glue I've tried. Seriously. It's the only glue I use now. I wish I could buy the glue on it's own. I love it that much.

I'm really pleased with these Revlon nails. I especially love Minx. I may even buy a box of these to have on hand. Also, after trying these, I'm eager to try a few more of Revlon's Artificial Nails (the Color Allure nails in Revlon Red look awesome). I may pick up a pack of these next time I scout for np at CVS (the only place I've seen the Color Allures).

Revlon Runway Collection Nails

I was recently contacted by the company that makes Revlon nails to see if I'd be interested in trying their new Runway Collection and posting a review on my blog (Thank you!!!). I normally don't use french glue-ons, but I figured I would since I have experience with glue-on nails and I've always wanted to try the Revlon brand. Plus, the designs were nice and looked different from other nails I'd seen out in drug stores/ big box stores.

I received them early last week while I was wearing my disastrous mint green mani (shudder). I was just expecting to receive a box or two, but I was sent the entire line. So, I had a hard time choosing my first one. I picked Sateen (91086). It's a french manicure with the base leaning slightly pink. The french on this nail is a mauvey pink satin base with a burgundy, floral print. The floral design looks very Asian-inspired to me. Separating the base from the french is a thin burgundy line and a charcoal grey glitter line. Here's a pic:

It's a pretty nail and I loved it in the box, in fact, it was my beginning favorite. However, I found the pink base to be too warm for my skintone, unfortunately. Also, because it was a bit see-through (just the nature of the beast with a light colored nail base), you could see the air bubbles that I wasn't talented enough to avoid and the damage to my natural nails underneath. Although, these 2 things were only apparent if you were staring at my nails.

The design was nice, but the charcoal grey glitter line just didn't match with the rest of the nail, IMO. A silver glitter would have been a better match. I found the dark grey to be a wee bit distracting. Application was a bit difficult. I've been using glue-ons now consistently since March, so I kinda consider myself a "Glue On Mastah" and I was gluing myself together all over the place. Maybe it was the new glue (I've never used Revlon's glue) or maybe it was because these nails are shorter that the Nailenes I regularly apply. Either way, my hands looked a bit messy after all was said and done. I did get better with the second box, more on that later, but it still wasn't flawless. I guess there's a learning curve with this, just like there is with any new product. Also, the sizes on these aren't consistent with other glue-on nails I've tried, even those made by the same manufacturer. This isn't really a complaint, rather a heads-up to try all the sizes close to your nail size before you go with a particular size.

Now, the good stuff... since I've been bitching and moaning up until now. :) The design looks nice on the nail, despite the distracting grey line. I did get several compliments on this design as well as the one to follow. Additionally, Revlon's glue is very good, holds for 4 days on me, easy, which is so much better than other brands. Also, you get a full bottle of glue rather than those little stick vials. It's easier to hold and control, for one, but for me, a continual glue-on user, it's nice to have a bigger container of glue for future applications. I've begun using this glue instead of my Kiss Pink Gel glue. It's much better. Lastly, and this is probably a continuation of the previous praise, but these nails lasted 4 days without lifting, and they probably would have gone farther had I not damaged one. The package says that you need to take them off after 10 days, but I NEVER get that kind of wear out of fake nails. Normally, I'm looking at 3 days max.

Before I close out this entry, let me show you a pic of the second set I wore.

This is Studio (91104). The base on this is a pearlish white with a satin-finish silver french with bisecting black lines. My husband picked this one out and I think he did a great job. I'd had a bit of a nail disaster before applying this nail and I needed something to put on my nails that required little effort to look great. I think I prefer this design over Sateen and is my favorite of the 2 I've tried. The wear was the same as Sateen, though with Studio, I did have a bit of tip wear (which you can see in the pic).

All in all, I think these are a great product. Perhaps not for someone with me who has damage to their natural nails, but I will still wear them. They are great for someone who wants a fancy french mani to wear to an event, but doesn't want to shell out the big bucks for a salon mani. In fact, Revlon's marketing approach on these nails is that they are a substitute for a set of salon-applied acrylics with nail art. Rather than spending $50 for this look, you can spend $7. Also, for me, these are great to have around for when I need to put on a full set of nails and I don't have time to deal with polishing my nails. 10 minutes and I was done. The come in 7 designs and can be found at drugstores and big box stores all over.

And, just for comparison's sake, I went to Sally's over the weekend and got 2 boxes of nails that were meant to look like salon manis. They even say "for professional use only" on the boxes. I plan on trying these over the next couple weeks to see how they compare to the Revlons. Also, as I have 5 more designs of these Revlons to try, I will probably scatter them out over the next 6-8 weeks.

So, what do you think? Do you like these Revlon nails?