Beauty

[lulu1]

It's been a long time; I thought I'd try to resurrect this thread.

I did a manicure and pedicure this morning with Londontown Lakur Plie. It is described as "a sweet, subtle fawn reminiscent of the classic pink-peach ballet slipper."

[juperier3]

@lulu1  Pretty color! I've missed this thread! Hopefully others will join in!

I'm still changing polish every 2-3 days. But I haven't taken a picture in ages. I'll try to remedy that in the next couple of days. I've got several magnetics I've been wanting to wear. But I've also been in the mood to put on a neon. (Which totally explains why my last few manicures have involved glitters and flakies, with a thermal or two mixed in!)

[Lipstickdiva]

Well everyone, I folded like a cheap umbrella and went back to an acrylic overlay.  Sigh.

I had gone for awhile with my natural nails because I wasn't loving my overlays.  My normal salon had closed during the pandemic and never re-opened.  I started to go elsewhere and just wasn't thrilled with the results.  I got them off and decided I was done.  Things were going really well until recently when all of a sudden my nails started to split and rip.  

As luck would have it, after exactly 1 year of being closed, my nail salon re-opened.  I went back and had an overly put on top of my natural nails, most of which were a decent length.  One needed a little assistance.  LOL

I picked a color called Shy Blush and it is very, very light.  Way lighter on the nails than the swatch so I'm guessing they had about 5 coats on the swatch.

  

[lulu1]

@juperier3 

I will look forward to seeing your latest manicure.  You always seem to have more "unique" polishes than I do. (I'm rather conservative when it comes to polish)

@Lipstickdiva 

Hey!  Sorry your natural nails didn't work out.  I have to say, it was much easier to care for my nails when I had gels.  They never chipped, ripped or broke.

I love the color you chose.  As luck would have it, I had to change my polish.  The one I'd chosen was too peach for my skin tone. I  needed a more neutral pink so went back to an OBG for me.

"Pandora by Zoya can be best described as a medium pink-beige nude with blue and mauve undertones and a hint of pearly silver shimmer. An opaque, full-coverage nude that works beautifully on skin with cool tones."

[juperier3]

@lulu1   I didn't really get into wearing nail polish till after I retired. I've always wanted to have "all the colors" of things. I'm pretty much free to wear whatever, whenever... I haven't bought any mainstream or drugstore polishes for years. I bought a couple of polishes from Holo Taco (in the boutique category) All the rest (claiming the fifth regarding how many...let's just say lots and lots) are from indie makers. In fact many of the polishes I've purchased recently are from foreign indie polish makers, particulary Brazil.

I'm still deciding what to put on next, either pink or red magnetic or something lime green. Below are the two most recent polishes I've worn. Poetry Cowgirl is from the US and Beyond the Nail is from Canada.

[juperier3]

@Lipstickdiva  From the research I've done, much of the damage from artificial nails is related to the application and removal processes. Even a small amount of extra damage each time is going to add up considering how long it takes a nail to fully grow out. And there seem to be a lot of techs out there who either have never learned the proper skills or have not updated their skills to go with the changes in products.

[lulu1]

New manicure and pedicure. (I was bored)  Today it's Zoya Brighton (one of my new polishes from the Earth Month trade-in) This is a stock swatch.  I had to use 3 coats for the look I wanted.

"Brighton by Zoya can best be described as a full coverage, diamond holographic soft nude."

[Fifi1]

I have been using Essie - Express often for color - quick no base or top coat and it lasts about 6 days on my short natural nails.

To keep my nails in shape I use the Lipmann system for cuticles, remover, oil and cream and have pretty good luck with it.  I used to go to salon every two weeks for a mani and am now not going as often - been six months!  I have saved tons of $$ - the Salon is expensive $45 for a mani - I found the last year I really didn't miss it.  I still go for pedi's about every 4-5 weeks - I just can't make my toes look like they do!     

[lulu1]

New manicure and pedicure; Deborah Lippmann Naked (a clean sheer bare beige)

(stock photo 2 coats; I did 3 coats on my toes)

[lulu1]

New week, new color; China Glaze Melrose Fireplace, a champagne polish filled with tiny flecks of gold and silver glitter. Some online swatches appear more yellow gold, while others appear rose gold. Mine appears more like this swatch.