Beauty

[fourpaws56]

I just recently started wearing polish,having fun trying new colors

[bella-luna]

fourpaws - How fun! Welcome to the world of nail polish and to this fabulous thread!

[fourpaws56]

On 4/26/2015 bella-luna said:

fourpaws - How fun! Welcome to the world of nail polish and to this fabulous thread!

thanks

[Snow Owl]

Bella, I've got a really good idea about what Ali looks like and I am going to get her. I've wanted a polish like that for a while. Went by Sally's today and picked up a couple half price clearance sale polish. OPI was the only exclusion, of course. Plus my hair stuff on sale. I got an OPI base coat at TJ Maxx for $4. It's white and is supposed to make polish brighter. I'll try it with neon. Will post a pic when I get home. They had 3 from the 50 Shades collection, also $4. The lady at the salon in Walmart said she thinks their 50 Shades collection will be marked down to $4 in May.

[juperier]

bella - I'm actually fairly happy with the final results of my mani with Cream Tea, EXCEPT that the color isn't very compatible with my skin tone, thus not worth the effort. I think it would work better as a sheer polish. The problem with that is that by the time you get rid of the streaks and patchiness, it's no longer that sheer.

When I bought the bulk of my butter LONDON polishes I had very little idea about all the finishes out there. Looking at my choices now, I have an amazing variety to go back and explore.

I'm so glad you did a mani with Ali...and like it so much. Personally, I think neon polishes tend to be very flattering. Don't blame your camera...the youtubers are always commenting about how the neons (particularly the pink/coral/orange ones) throw the white balance off on their cameras. I don't read a lot of blogs, but the same type comments turn up there too. I suspect that even if the color could be successfully adjusted on the camera, our monitors would get "confused" trying to display the brightness.

[juperier]

fourpaws - Have fun. You'll soon find that it's more than just colors. There are also many different finishes and other options. Some you'll instantly love. Some you'll come to love if you give them a chance. I was where you are a couple of years ago. Even tho I did wear polish many, many years ago, it was only when I retired that I began wearing it again and found a whole new world of color to explore.

This is an amazing group of ladies. We each have our own individual tastes and lots of experience that we love sharing.

[juperier]

Snow - Sounds like you had a very successful trip to Sally's. Please let us know how you like the OPI white basecoat. If it has a decent formula, it would save a layer of polish. But other than that, is there a real difference between using it versus using a regular stark white polish. Using white undies with neons can certainly add a bit more "pop" to some of them. It also can reduce the number of coats needed of the sheerer neons, particularly yellows (tho if I use two coats of white, then two coats of the neon, I still have four layers of polish).

[bella-luna]

Snow - I know Ali would look so pretty on your nails! That OPI white base coat sounds interesting and now I'm wondering what Ali would look like with a white base coat underneath it. I mean...that's a thing, right? Putting a white base under a neon to make it pop?! Maybe I can remember to do that with Charisma - plus, it would help with staining... Of course, I have no idea if Charisma will stain, but the color is so saturated, I'm thinking it's a possibility.

jup - Oh see? I actually love Cream Tea on my skin tone and I'm not a fan of sheer polishes, so in this case, I don't really mind an extra coat or two. My problem is pretty much with the patchiness/streaks. I have worn it 2 or 3 times previously, and I know and it's a bugger to apply, but I had an unusually hard time with it the other day. Again...probably because I was in a hurry.

[juperier]

bella - Found a comment that suggested "four razor thin coats and 1 thick self leveling coat" of Cream Tea. I tried that on one of my thumbs, this time using Orly Bonder basecoat. Application was much easier. Still not a polish that can be applied in a hurry tho.

Whether a true neon should need a coat of white polish under it is discussed quite a bit online. My understanding is that the OPI white basecoat eliminates the need to put on a layer of basecoat, then a layer or two of white before applying your neon polish. But almost every line has a bright/optical white polish. If you already have one in your collection, then give yourself a white mani, minus the topcoat, on alternating fingers. Then you can try whatever neons or near neons you have and see if you like the effect. Sometimes it makes a big difference. Sometimes it allows you to use fewer layers of the neon. Sometimes it's better without it.

[bella-luna]

jup - Thanks for the info on Cream Tea application! Not sure I've ever done razor thin coats but I will give it a try! Really...I love that polish so much and don't want to just let it sit on my rack. I know there's a bit of a division on YT on using a white base under a neon. One camp being (at least with the YT'ers I've watched) "if it's a true neon, it doesn't need a white base under it" and the other being "no big deal...use a white undie if that's what you like with your neon". I'll try doing the every other finger to see what kind of results I get!