Red Carpet Gel Manicure Part 2

This is part 2 of my Red Carpet Gel Manicure blog, and the results are in.......I LOVE IT.  If you are wanting your manicure to last 10 days then this is the way to go.  My first go at it was a little bit of a process.  Now that I have the hang of it, I'm hooked.

Taking off the polish was actually super easy.  In fact you can either go with the remover kit that has the foil with the built in cotton to add the nail polish remover or simply get foil (the kind you use in your hair when you get highlighted) and cut a small piece of a cotton pad and place it directly on your finger.  (Both you can use regular nail polish remover on the cotton piece)Either way the process was relatively painless.

Since part one of my blog I've gone ahead and done 2 more manicures.  I even found a polish from the Red Carpet line that was extremely close to my favorite Chanel Frenzy polish.

I'm posting pics of the removal to show how easy it is.  If you are interested in trying gel manicures go with the Red Carpet starter or pro set.  You get more bang for your buck, plus the individual polishes are less expensive than others like Gel Pro Plus.

This is the site if you want to see more.Red Carpet Manicure . 

 

 

Red Carpet Manicure Gel Starter Kit

I decided to try the red carpet manicure gel starter kit for a little change of pace. I'm going through a lazy phase with my nails and I wanted something that would last more than a week. This stuff is supposed to last 10 days...Today is day 1.

There are many gel starter kits out in the market but I decided to try the Red Carpet manicure set that I came across at my local Ulta Store. They're all around the same price range, but I thought this kit looked the best. It comes in two types. The starter kit comes with a mini ultra violet light and the pro kit has the standard size UV light. The starter was less expensive so I went with that. The only downside to the starter kit is having the smaller UV light. The larger UV light takes 45 seconds to cure each layer and with the smaller UV light it takes 2 minutes.

Another great thing is their color choices. They literally have 54 different colors where a lot of the others are limited to less than 20. The color I chose to try is 168 The Night is Young. It's a pewter shade and really nice.

My first pass at this was a little more time consuming since I'd never had a gel manicure. Between the prepping of one hand, the base coat, 2 coats of polish and the final top coat it took about 20 minutes per hand. It takes longer with the smaller UV light because you have to do the thumbs separate. So all together it took around 40 minutes. It takes me about 25 minutes to do a traditional manicure. If this really lasts 10 days it will be worth it.

The results of my first try are successful. I'm really pleased with how they look. The only thing I would change is I would've gotten the pro kit for the bigger light. That would have meant 45 seconds for each coat and thumbs would have been included. The smaller light really doesn't allow you to do all 5 fingers at one time.

The starter kit is around $59.95 and the Pro Kit is around $79.95. The polishes are $9.99.

I will let you guys know how it turns out after 10 days.

http://www.redcarpetmanicure.com

http://m.ulta.com/mt/www.ulta.com//ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3950155

Best Body Scrub..Nivea Touch of Renewal Lathering Body Scrub

I have found this great body scrub/wash. I've been using it for a month and it makes your skin feel wonderfully clean and hydrated.

This scrub has micro beads and unlike other scrubs this lathers and leaves your skin soft and hydrated. It's very inexpensive and smells very clean.

I was just reading my fitness magazine and it was voted a Body Beauty Breakthrough. It truly is. Use this in conjunction with the Dial NutriSkin Firming Lotion to really give your skin a youthful glow!

Best Root Lift Ever

This past summer I've been trying to grow out my layers, but at the same time my hair has gotten really flat in the process.  I have very thick, course and long hair and without the layers my hair looses it's BOOM after about an hour.  I decided to try a root lift product to help give my hair some lift.

I stopped by my local beauty shop and I picked up a can of Redken Guts 10 root lift.  It looks like a can of hairspray but comes out like mousse.  I sprayed a little bit into my palms and rubbed it into my roots from the top of my hairline to the bottom and in between.  I blow dried my hair as usual with it flipped upside down and with my round boar hair brush.

Seriously, this stuff WORKS!  My hair was full of lift and body.  I even took a nap and my hair was still full after a quick flip.  I've never tried a root lift product before so I didn't have anything to compare it.  I think that if you're looking to give your hair some "Oomph" then this is IT!  Give it a try.

REDKEN guts 10

THE GOODS!

butter London "Union Jack Black"

Ok, I've traveled outside my comfort zone a little more today. I've decided to give butter London polish a try. It's a truly healthy polish. They are known for their products which contain NO Formaldehyde, NO Toulene, NO DBP, and NEVER have. It is truly a polish that's good for your nails.

The packaging is cute and it goes in super smooth. I'm really impressed with its quality.

I opted to try their true black glossy lacquer called "Union Jack Black". I was a little nervous. This is a really dark color for me. I REALLY LOVE IT!

Ulta really has a beautiful selection of colors. They also have some matching lip gloss which I will definitely be trying next. (butter LONDON official site)

Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Union Jack Black

 

WOW, classy not goth!

Quick link to Amazon for you...

The New Improved Buff Puf Gentle

Over the summer I've been noticing how huge my pores have looked and how I started to get black heads on my nose. I decided to try some things to make them go away.

I tried some pore minimizing lotion. That made my skin feel greasy. I tried Biore strips for my blackheads. It worked a little, but not enough for me to keep using.

I was talking to my favorite sales gal, Fran at my Walgreens and she suggested using a rotating face scrubber since the cause of my large pores and blackheads could be coming from dirt in my face that my face cleanser is just not getting clean. I looked at the prices and honestly $30.00 isn't what I wanted to spend since I've already spent a lot on my cleansing system.

As I stood there in the aisle with the $30.00 scrubber with an indecisive look, Fran made a great suggestion. She said to try the Buff Puf. I told her I used it years ago and that it hurt my face. She told me they made a new and improved "Gentle" version. I thought hmm at $3.99 for 2 puffs in the box it couldn't hurt to try it out.

WOW! To my surprise it was not only very gentle but got shrunk my pores to almost nothing and totally got rid of my blackheads on my nose. HURRAY something inexpensive that REALLY works! My complexion looks awesome and when I put my makeup on, my face looks airbrushed.

In the end I walked away a happy chick! I think everyone should try it!

White with Gray....OK!

After a month of dark colors with a bit of beige, I felt the need for a change of pace. I started out just wanting to do a plain pearlescent white using "It's All About the Glam" from the Kardashian collection of Nicole by OPI. I took a look at it and I thought it looked a little boring. I decided to jazz it up just a little.

I took my nail art tool and decided to use my CND "Asphalt" and just put dots on the left side of my nail and BOOM instant Jazzy!