Hi Goddesses
For today's Ask Crumpet, I thought I'd pick up some comments you've left about Ask Crumpet on the Giveaway. You've raised some really interesting topics, and I thought that today I would gather together the ones that are to do with basic nail care, maintenance and products.
One of the most common questions was around nail routine, nail maintenance and cuticle health. I'm going to be honest - I am not an expert at this. I have a terrible time stopping my cuticles getting too dry. The best product I have found is OPI Avoplex - it's like a serum that you brush on to the cuticle. It's pricey, and the tube is small :(
However, I do have a lovely friend called Bee, who is a licenced Nail Tech, and she has done a fabulous series of posts on this subject - I really urge you to check it out HERE.
I'm about to start my nail tech course, so once I start learning, I'll happily pass on any cool things that work.
I also received quite a few questions about base coats and top coats. I've tried a few, but not all, so I'll try and give you a run down.
What you see above is my nail care kit lol. OPI Nail Envy for Peeling Nails is my base coat, and Poshe is my top coat. FOR EVERY MANI. Whenever I stop using NE, the split in my left index finger comes back - that's why it's patched again and looking wobbly in some of my photos.
* so what other base coats can you use? *
When I first got into polish a year ago, I used OPI Base Coat and Zoya Base Coat. Both are fine.
I've also tried OPI Chip Skip. This did NOT react well with my chemistry, and the polish chipped FASTER lol. It also has a really strange consistency to it - it goes on like water. Weird.
Recently I've tried CND Toughen Up, which seemed fine, and I know a lot of people swear by CND Sticky, as it adheres the polish to the nail. I haven't tried it, though (and if I do, I'll have to avoid using it on my left index lol).
* so what about top coats? *
For me it's all about Poshe. I will not hear a bad word against it. I love it. It dries super fast and super tough and super glossy. There is nothing I don't love about it.
When I first started out, I used OPI Rapid Dry Top Coat and Zoya Armor. The OPI dries fast, but not as fast as Poshe, and not as tough as Poshe either. The Zoya - meh.
Seche Vite. Seche Vite. That seems to be every blogger's favourite top coat. I tried it and hated it. I got very bad shrinkage with it. I also got bad shrinkage with a Sally Hansen one that was recommended to me.
The other ones I hear a lot about (but haven't tried) are Wicked Fast by Cult Nails and The Shield by a-England and HK Girl. The people that use them rave about them. I'm very much a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of girl, so I'm sticking to my Poshe.
* base coats and top coats - The Final Word *
Over the last year I have learnt and come to believe in this - base coat and top coat success is down to individual body chemistry. They seem to react differently to each person's skin ph, nail ph and other things I don't understand. So, what works for me, won't necessarily work for you, and vice versa. Personally, I think this is one area where you just have to keep going til you find one you like.
But to the person who specifically asked about good base coats for peeling nails - OPI Nail Envy for Peeling Nails. Absolutely.
* Staining *
There are all sorts of ways you can prevent staining, from good base coats, to using a ridge filler to using (and I might try this) a neutral polish over a base coat.
There's ways to clean up staining - they involve chemicals you can find in pharmacies - but I'm not into that.
So, I'm sitting here typing this with just a base coat on my nails, yet they look clean and shiny and not at all stained. A few days ago however, they were yellowy orange in the middle. So what happened ? Well nothing, other than that I changed my polish.
Now, I haven't worked out the precise science of this yet, but just as there are some colours that stain, there are others which seem to lift the stain / brighten the nail. I'm pretty sure red is one of the ones that works, and purple must be, because purple is all I've worn this week. So, try it - what have you got to lose!
* Remover *
For me, there is only 1 polish remover - Zoya Remove. This is acetone with added glycerin (and you can just add glycerine to your own acetone to recreate the Zoya formula).
I'm sure there are scientific reasons for how it works, but what I know is this - it leaves my nails feeling conditioned, and stronger. So I won't use anything else. I appreciate it's pricey, so if you can't afford it, Google or YouTube how to make your own - it's worth it.
So, I hope that filled some gaps for you all. Keep the questions coming, and make sure you enter the Giveaway !!!
Enjoy xx :)
