Ballet Beauty

I'm in love with these new limited edition polishes by Nails Inc.  They bring together two of my favourite things... ballet and beauty!

They're delicate, feminine, and beautiful for a Spring or Summer wedding.  You can view the full range here.


xBBx

Jessica GELeration Nails - The Holiday Test

As promised, I had GELeration put on my nails before going on holiday to see how it would hold up against sun, sea and sand.

Here are my nails at the end of week one...

Perfect!

and at the end of week two...

Gel has started to lift slightly.

The gels stayed on very well and none of them chipped.  During the second week the gel did start to lift slightly from around the nail bed, although it was only noticeable if you looked very closely at the nails.

I will definitely have GELeration put on my nails for my next holiday.  It saves taking nail varnish abroad with you and is one less thing to have to think about... allowing you extra sunbathing time! ; )

Love,

xBBx

How To: Remove Soak-Off Gel Nails

Please note: There are different types of gel nails available at nail bars and salons. Some are soak-off (e.g. GELeration and BioSculpture) and others are file-off.  This post refers to soak-off gel nails only.

To remove gel nails yourself you will need:

• Cotton wool pads cut into small squares
• Tin foil cut into small squares
• Coarse nail file
• Cuticle stick/wooden hoof stick
• Acetone OR gel remover solution OR acetone based nail varnish remover
• Buffer
• Cuticle oil and hand cream

Tin foil and cotton wool

What to do:

1. Buff your nails with the rough nail file just enough to take the shine off. Think of this as 'breaking the seal' on the gel so that the remover solution can be more effective.  You are not trying to file away the gel.

2. Soak a piece of cotton wool with acetone or remover solution and place on the nail.  (I would recommend the remover solution as acetone can be very drying.  A 4oz bottle of GELeration Erase Remover will cost around £6-7 and will last a long time)

My nail with cotton wool soaked in remover solution

3. Wrap the nail tightly in tin foil. This traps heat helping the removal gel or acetone work much quicker.

My nail wrapped in tin foil - Edward Scissorhands style!

4. Repeat for each nail in turn. I usually do one hand at a time as it's difficult to do the second hand when the first is wrapped in tin foil!

5. Leave the gels wrapped for about ten minutes.

6. Remove the foil and cotton wool.  The gel should have lifted from the edges inwards.

7. Use a cuticle stick to coax the rest of the gel gently off the nail.  If it doesn't lift easily then soak for longer - don't damage the nail by forcing the gel off!

8. Buff your nails and apply cuticle oil and hand cream to help restore any lost moisture.

Remember, if the gels don't lift easily then you must soak them for longer.  Never pull gel off your nails!

I hope this helps : )

xBBx

Jessica GELeration Nails - The Verdict!

So after two and a half weeks I finally removed my gel nails.  With only one small chip in my thumb nail, they lasted amazingly well.  I could have kept them on longer but the gel had grown out a little too much for my liking.  You can see week by week photos of my gel nails here.

I would recommend gel nails to any bride.  Unlike nail varnish, you don't have to worry about chipping or breaking a nail and you can get the gels done several days before your wedding - one less thing to have to worry about!

Next month I will be conducting the honeymoon test on GELeration to see how it holds up against sun, sea and sand!

I'll also be blogging about how to remove gel nails yourself if you don't feel like paying a salon for the privilege!

xBBx

Jessica GELeration Nails

Last week I tried out Jessica GELeration soak-off gel polish for the first time and so far I'm loving it!

GELeration is a self-levelling gel designed to be chip, peel, and fade resistant.  It dries in seconds under UV light and lasts approximately three weeks.

Picture courtesy of Jessica Cosmetics

The nails have to be carefully prepared before the gel is applied to ensure it will adhere properly and not lift. After shaping and buffing the nails, the GELeration process begins...

• CLARIFY - A cleanser is used to clean the natural nail.
• PREP - A nail primer solution is applied to prepare the nail plate.  It removes excess moisture and balances the pH level. 
• START - A base coat is then put on to create optimum adhesion whilst allowing nails to keep their flexibility.
• COLOUR - The gel polish is applied.  GELeration is currently available in 26 colours
• FINISH - A top coat is used to seal in the GELeration polish and leave a high shine.
• CLARIFY - A cleanser is wiped over the nails to remove any sticky residue. 

The whole process was surprising quick, taking about 45 minutes.  I put this down to two things...

1. Having a skilled nail technician.
2. The gels come ready in bottles, just like nail varnish, so there's no fiddling around with pots of gel and cleaning of brushes.

The best part is that your nails are dry in seconds so you can walk straight out the salon and get on with your day.  I'm always botching my nail varnish as I get restless waiting for it to dry!

Here are my nails with the GELeration in French:

Day One

I'll be posting a photo each week so you can see how they hold up...

xBBx


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UPDATE:

Here are my nails seven days after GELeration was applied.  They have not chipped or lifted at all and are still very glossy.  If you look closely you can see where the gel has started to grow out a little.  I remain impressed!

Day Seven

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UPDATE:

Here are my nails fourteen days after GELeration was applied.  The gels have grown out quite a lot at this point, although my nails do grow very quickly so not everyone will have so much natural nail showing after two weeks. 

Day Fourteen

I have a small chip in my thumb that has resulted in the gel starting to lift a little but it's not very noticeable. 

Up close after fourteen days.  The gel is lifting slightly on my thumb nail.

I'm not sure the gels will last another week and I'm getting the urge to take them off now as I can see a fair bit of natural nail.  We'll see...

Elizabeth Street

I think I have found my new favourite 'bridal varnish!'  Elizabeth Street by Nails Inc is a beautiful nude varnish with a very subtle shimmer.

This colour is a great option for brides who don't want a French manicure or a bold colour on their wedding day.

Use one coat of Elizabeth Street for a very natural look, or build up the creamy colour with two or three coats.

Two coats of Elizabeth Street

You can buy this glossy nude varnish for £11 from http://www.nailsinc.com/nailpolish/elizabeth-street-nail-polish/344/

I just hope my pictures do this gorgeous shade justice!

xBBx

The Regal Look

To celebrate the royal wedding, Nails Inc. have created a range of gorgeous limited edition varnishes. 

'Will', the collector's item, is a deep red varnish with a union jack crystal encrusted cap.




Very British!
(Picture borrowed from Nails Inc.)



'Kate', the trend colour, is a nude polish with a sapphire crystal encrusted cap inspired by her engagement ring.



My favourite!
(Picture borrowed from Nails Inc.)

 

The Royal Collection, is a set of four regal colours with exclusive gold caps!



Will you be wearing one of these on your big day?
(Picture borrowed from Nails Inc.)



Join the waiting list to make sure you are one of the first to get your hands on these bling bling varnishes!

xBBx

Gold Glamour

I'm a self-confessed nail varnish addict and recently added Jessica's Palladium to my collection.

Palladium is a metallic gold colour with a sparkly finish.  You can experiment with one, two or three coats depending how bold you want the final colour to be.  You can see my nails here with two coats...

Palladium is easy to apply and dries very quickly.  It's perfect if you're short on time and want to add some glamour to an outfit.  If gold features in your wedding colour scheme, consider this varnish for either yourself or your bridesmaids.

Remember to always use a base coat before your colour and to apply varnish to clean, dry nails.  If you have just removed old varnish, wash your hands and nails in warm soapy water to remove traces of the nail varnish remover.