NOTD: another one coat polish and my quick dry products

So I decided to try out one of my new conquests from Topshop today and was DELIGHTED to find out I only need one coat of crystal clouds for full coverage. Another time saver! And the best thing is even with just one coat, it does not look uneven or look like its just one coat, the shimmer (near glitter) was applied evenly with one coat. The brush (thought not as thick as the Nicole by OPI ones) was great in distributing the polish an does not leave streaks like Essie brushes.

I've been meaning to talk about nail drying products for quite a while now. And everytine I do a nail post I forget to photograph my babies. Without them I won't even bother painting my nails because they will take AGES to dry.

I have discovered that KATE do a quick dry spray last summer, since then my life is completely changed. I explored more nail polishes because I know no matter how many coats I put on, just a quick spray, then everything is dry within 30 minutes tops. If I am only applying one coat of polish, then I can resume normal activities within 3 minutes of putting it on. It is a compressed gas bottle and it feels very icy upon application (cold helps nail polish dry faster). But a downside to this product is that you do need to let the nails dry for a minute or two before you spray, or the droplets from the mist will create dimples in your polish. But this spray is a complete steal, it is just under HKD 40 and I am already on to my second bottle if the stuff.

To avoid the aforementioned problem, I ventured out to try the more traditional drip dry oils. I have this one from Nicole by OPI, which is slightly pricer at HKD 80 a pop. But I find that this takes longer for nail polish to dry, or probably it's because the oil does not evaporate as quickly as the KATE spray. This will not affect the finish of your polish what so ever, an feels quite 'nourishing' (since it is an oil).

NOTD: Essie Using My Maiden Name

I've been adding quite a bit of spooling colors to my nail wardrobe lately. And I came across this lovely slightly darker than lavender color. I find most springy purples too light for my taste, this is perfect: it's a mid-tone cool purple magnets iridescence. The color looks really "calm" and "soothing. Probably quite a bit of good color therapy while a fight through finals and term papers.

NOTD: easy one coat polish

Whenever I'm lazy and or in a rush. I always reach for Elite model's nail polish in 04 Claudia. I put on just one coat and it will dry in under a minute. Although with one coat, the polish isn't super opaque, but I actually prefer it that way. I give enough color to cover up my ugly nails but it is still a tiny bit transparent.

NOTD: Essie Not Just A Pretty Face

So last Saturday I went by a nail polish boutique recommended by my good friend Vanessa (you may know her from the other posts on this blog), I was hoping to pick up the widely loved mademoiselle by Essie, but found this little baby instead.

Not just a pretty face is a beautiful strawberry milk color with no shimmer. I picked this up because it looked more pigmented on the swatches the boutique provided than mademoiselle. The color is incredibly gorgeous and really springy, but the only complaint I have with the nail polish is that it's too runny and not pigmented enough. One coat will only give you a very pale pale pale base coat like effect, but it's difficult to apply because of the runnyness of the polish. Polish from the handle of the brush will rush towards the brush to ruin your coat before you have time to react. I wonder if all Essie polishes are like this.