I decided to use the China Glaze "Unforgettable Collection" I received in the mail the day before, which I thought was really gorgeous and would make a great New Year's Eve mani. The colors included in the set are: Platinum Silver, Liquid Leather (black), Bridezilla (pale pink shimmer), White On White, and Nova (holographic glitter in a clear base). Here's a photo of the collection.
I started with one coat OPI Natural Base Coat, which is still my favourite. It hasn't let me down once when I've used it, so I'll be keeping an eye out for it on special for sure. Next I added two coats of Platinum Silver to my pinkies (two coats was all I needed for great coverage), two coats of Liquid Leather to my ring fingers (2 coats also ample here), three coats of White On White to my thumbs and middle fingers (which was still didn't give the cover I would have liked), 4 coats of Bridezilla to my index fingers (I think I should have added a pink nude under this, or some other pale colour), and one coat of Nova to my ring fingers over the Black Leather. Then I added some quirky cat stickers I picked up online some time ago (can't remember where - AliExpress, I think), and I love them. I adore cats (have two of my own), so I will most likely be featuring cat-themed nails quite a bit :)
I finished off with one coat of my OPI Top Coat, which I still think is better than Seche Vite if you don't want any shrinkage of your polish, and you want your manicure to last more than a couple of days. The OPI dries quickly, and leaves a great shiny finish. Seche Vite dries your manicure faster, but as I usually have plenty of time, I won't be using it very often. I certainly don't think I'll be replacing it after I've used it all (I've still got a large bottle to go). I'll only use it if I need my mani to dry extra quickly. As usual, I will add another layer of top coat every other day to freshen it up and keep it on longer.
As you will notice, the tip of my index finger is still showing where the nail lifted off the nail-bed down the side of my nail because of the chemo earlier in the year (see just under my logo). My other index finger is the same, and so are several of my other nails. In fact, my left index finger is actually looking worse each time I take my polish off. I'm praying it is not going to come off completely. I'm hoping they will all grow out normally, but I don't know if they will or not. I know a lot of people get permanent damage from chemotherapy.
Also, on Saturday evening I banged my lovely middle fingernail, shown in the photo, which I have been nurturing along for months and months, and took a great chunk out of it, so I had to file it right back. I nearly cried, because now the nail looks all lopsided as the break was so far down my nail. The cat on that nail now has part of his tail and bottom missing. I immediately covered it all with another coat of OPI Top Coat, and hopefully it will last until Tuesday, when I intend doing my nails again. The reason it broke instead of flexing is because the top half of my nails are still so very fragile because of the chemotherapy damage, and still look brown and ugly without any polish on them. I file a tiny bit back each time I do my nails, so they are slowly growing out, and I guess I'll just have to be patient. My middle finger on my right hand is still being held together using the "tea bag patch" method because the tip is threatening to come off at any time. The patches are working well each time I do them, though, so I can definitely recommend it as a solution if you have a split in your nail. I just couldn't rescue the other one because it broke right off. BUMMER!!!!
The only polish I didn't particularly like in this collection was the White On White. It went on very patchily, and was hard to get full coverage, even with three coats. The other colours were lovely to use, and went on very smoothly. I particularly like the Liquid Leather, which is a black polish I'll be going back to time and time again, I think. It went on so smoothly, two coats were more than enough, and the finish was really glossy. I just love it! I'm still struggling to get the stickers to go where I want them to on my nails, though, so a couple of them are a bit crooked. The trouble is they are just so darn sticky :). I'm going to try water transfers next time and see how they go.
Well, that's me for another week. God willing, I'll be back again next week (if not before) with my next mani, and I hope the New Year is a great one for you and your loved ones. Have a great week!
Hugs
Christine
(Please check out my other blog below, too.)
Words of Life and Hope
http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/
Christine
(Please check out my other blog below, too.)
Words of Life and Hope
http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/
I have nothing to declare - all polishes were from my personal stash, all bought and paid for by me.
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