Essence Peel Off Base Coat – Review

I was using my own DIY peel-off base coat for a while.  But when I saw this Essence product in a store while on vacation I just had to grab it since I have a hard time finding essence stuff where I live.  I think this Essence Peel Off Base Coat was only maybe $1.99 if I remember correctly.  Sorry to say, not a fan of this product though.  I don’t think it works well. I’ve tried it twice and didn’t have good luck either time.

First off, before application, your nails must be squeaky clean with no oils on them.  This formula has a tendency to retract and bead up on your nail.  Even with freshly washed hands this happens.  So you may need to wipe your nails with acetone before using Essence Peel Off Base Coat.

One thing I liked is that you can see when it’s dry.  The bottle says to wait ten minutes, but I don’t think it even took that long.  FYI- Essence dried much faster than my diy stuff.

When I first tried it out it took a lot of work to get off.  I used an orange stick and had to pick a lot!  It was not fun.  Second time I had many more layers of glitter so I thought it would work much better- I was guessing the glitter would peel off in one stiff piece.  But it totally didn’t.  I picked so much (and I used my nails this time, not an orange stick) and it was a hassle.  My nails looked crappy and damaged since it was peeling off the surface of my nails.  Also, it didn’t protect them well as you can see in the last pic above- I got wicked stains!  And I didn’t even think that Zoya Zuza was a stainer.

In essence, I would skip this essence product.  White craft glue (elmers) works better!  Plus, there’s a whole bunch of other products on the market you could try.  Lindsay over at NAIL THAT ACCENT just did a great comparison of a few of the top brands of peel-offs.

What kinda peel-off stuff works best for you??

Godiva Pixie Dust Swatch with a Stamp

When I saw the array of pixie dust colors I knew this nude one called Godiva was my fave!  So I purchased this polish back when the Zoya collection first came out!  Sorry that I’m so behind the ball with swatching this pixie dust!   But there’s a few reasons why I kept pushing this fresh bottle of polish to the back of my stash:

♦ The instructions say to apply this without a basecoat, and that just seems icky to me.  I always wear a strengthening basecoat.  Always.

♦ Pixie Dust is meant to be worn without a topcoat too.  And patience is not one of my virtues, hence my love for quick-drying seche vite topcoat!  So I’m gonna have to wait for Godiva to dry on it’s own?  Every time I try that I end up with sleepy sheet marks on my nails!  Even if I wait HOURS for a polish to dry I will still mess it up when I’m asleep.

So I pushed my issues aside and finally tried my pretty Godiva!  I did use a base coat though since other bloggers said it didn’t make a difference.  I applied it on a sunday so I had the full day to wait for it to dry.  I needed three coats to make it opaque.  It’s beautiful and the texture doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.  In fact, I really like it and I think it makes my nails feel stronger!  I especially notice it when I get out of the shower- my nails are usually soft and bendy then, but they felt strong and tough with my pixie dust on!  Another thing I like is how glittery and glisteny it is in the sun.  I took this pic in the sun to try to capture it- and check out the burst of glimmer in this pic ↓  I didn’t even photoshop it!  🙂

But after 24 hrs I was a little bored with all the nudeness  … so I tried out one of my new Cheeky brand stamping plates!  I went with this weird circle design (CH48).  Out of all the ones to choose from I picked this weirdo splotchy one?  I guess it kinda reminded me of rocks and I thought that would look good with the organic appeal that Godiva has.  It was fun and easy to stamp on pixie dust!  It soaked right in and I didn’t need topcoat.  Next time I will pick a plate with a more crisp image and see how that transfers onto the textured polish.

I’ve been wearing Godiva for about 52 hrs now and it’s holding up well.  I think I might invest in another pixie dust… maybe from Zoya’s new summer collection.  They have some really pretty colors!  So have you tried this stuff out?  What did you think of it?

Orly Ridge Filler Review

We all know that base coats are essential to a good manicure.  But there’s so many kinds out there.  I only started using Orly Ridge Filler a few months ago, but it has quickly moved up the list to one of my most-used nail products!  I love Orly brand Ridge Filler for a bunch of reasons as shown in my pic…

BENEFITS OF ORLY RIDGE FILLER:

♥ As a base coat it does a great job of smoothing out your mani.  It builds up a nice even layer that makes your polish look so smooth and professional.  It’s perfect for disguising ridges or uneven nail surfaces.  (My mom swears by this stuff and won’t let me paint her nails without a coat of Orly Ridge Filler underneath!)

♥ The white tint makes for an awesome base for colored nail polish.  It helps build up opaqueness and you may need less coats of color than normal!  This works especially well with neons or sheer colors.

♥ It acts as a good primer to prevent staining. I reach for my Ridge Filler any time I paint my nails navy blue or any other dark color that would typically stain.

♥ It even looks good on its own!  If you want a nice neutral nail but are pressed for time or feeling lazy…. try one or two coats of Orly Ridge Filler by itself (just don’t go too thin on the coats or it may look a little streaky).

♥ It dries rather quickly.

My only complaint is that the formula is kinda runny so you’ll need to paint it on carefully so you don’t flood your cuticles.  Still, I find myself reaching for this base coat a lot.  Just another reason for me to love Orly!