Sally Hansen Black Out, Celeb City, and Sinful Colors Cream Pink

Its pink and black and silver day.  That's what a friend suggested so I came up with this manicure.  I first laid a coat of the Nutrinail 5in1 treatment, because I said i'd give it another chance, even though my last manicure peeled off in less than 24 hours. Then two coats of Sally Hansen Black Out.  Then two layers of Sinful Colors Cream Pink.

Then I decided to put a layer of Sally Hansen Celeb City at the tip, giving it kind of a reverse French tips look.

 Sally Hansen Celeb City

 Without Flash

With Flash

I love the foily finish of Celeb City.  I do find it is difficult to get to go flat though, as any slight touch, even after the top coat has dried gives it ridges, which show up very distinctly in the foily finish. The Sinful Colors had a slightly thin but easy to work with formula, and a touch of shimmer.  The Black Out is not my normal black, as I usually use OPI black, but it was a good formula, not too runny and it was opaque in two coats. The polish is very thick, with two coats of each polish, but I think its cute, and I change my polish every day or two, so it doesn't have to last that long.  I did already nick it a couple times since I did it, but luckily that Celeb City also can be pushed fairly well back into place without leaving finger prints, so its all good. 

On a completely unrelated note,  I found these at walmart yesterday, and they are AMAZING.  The best part is the peanut butter creme has the consistency of the caramel in a caramilk bar.  Yum.

New Polish Review and Swatch - Petite Color Fever in Creme Blue and my first time using Seche Vite

So along with my nail and cuticle treatments I picked up one polish.  Its a brand i've never tried before called Petites.  The color is called Creme Blue.  Its a baby blue with a grayish undertone.  As you can tell by the name, its a cream polish.  I found the application to be decent, the formula is a decent consistency, a bit thin and streaky on the first coat but the second coat made it opaque.  The only trouble i had was that the brush was tiny, so you needed to do lots of strokes to cover the nail, and it didnt even itself out very well.  Any extra polish on any one spot didnt flatten out very well and left ridges.  I started off with the NutraNail 5in1 treatment for a basecoat, and then applied two coats of Creme Blue.  I used a nail art brush and dotting tool to add a design in Orly Meet me Under the Misseltoe.  I topped it off with Seche Vite and it was the first time I've ever used Seche Vite.  Normally I use my go-to Sally Hansen Insta Dri.  I think I'll stick to my Insta Dri in future.  Seche Vite dried just as fast, if not faster, but I don't think it gives the same glossiness as the Sally Hansen.  The Insta Dri also feels more hard when dry than the Seche Vite,  stronger almost.  Overall I liked the color of the polish even though its not in my normal spectrum of color, as I tend to be drawn towards the brighter colors than the gray toned colors.  The formula was good, and it didn't take too many coats to be opaque, which made it not too thick on my nails.  The small brush was both a hinderance and a help, as I had to go with more strokes, but the small brush also gave good precision allowing me to stay perfectly away from my cuticles.  I'd say about 3.5/5.  Worth the low price that its sold for at Rite-Aid, I think it was $2.99 regular price (but I got it for 75% off on clearance).  

This is the Color without Flash and without any Topcoat

This is the color with Flash, no Topcoat

 Without Flash, With topcoat and Design in Orly Meet Me Under the Misseltoe

 With Flash, With topcoat and Design in Orly Meet Me Under the Misseltoe

New Product Trials/Reviews - Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Cuticle Eraser + Balm and NutraNail Total Care 5in1 Treatment

I picked up a few little items when I was down in the states today.

First up, from Fred Meyer, is Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Cuticle Eraser + Balm.  The description on the box says:

   "Combination remover and creme quickly eliminates excess, ragged cuticles & hangnails as it conditions nails and cuticles. The result? Instantly, healthy, beautiful, conditioned cuticles that look up to 80% smoother.

2-in-1 formula with white tea & cucumber gently & quickly loosens & exfoliates stubborn, overgrown cuticles while leaving skin feeling deeply moisturized

Helps prevent hangnails and promotes healthy nail growth

Can be used daily"

 You basically rub a tiny bit into your cuticles every day and its supposed to buffer off the dead skin and moisturize the cuticles all in one step.  Super easy right?  Well, first thing I can say about this is something I noticed immediately after opening it.  It smells AMAZING.  Like you're in a spa with cucumbers on your eyes.  It also looks so pretty with its green and white swirls that I almost didnt want to mess it up.  But I did, lol.  It has a slightly waxy finish to it, which i like.  It gives it a little bit of a moisture barrier on the skin.  It absorbs easily into the skin and even after just one use my cuticles seem a little smoother and more moisturized, although I have a long way to go since winter has been harsh on my skin.  So far this product gets a thumbs up.  I'll post in a couple weeks to let you guys know how its working over the longer term.

Second product I picked up, which I found for 75% off at Rite-Aid is the NutraNail Total Nail Care 5in1 Treatment.  Its supposed to be 5 products in 1.
                                         
1) A growth treatment that shows visibly longer nails in 5 days
2) A strengthening treatment that has stronger nails in 3 days
3) A ridge filling base coat that makes your nails grow with less ridges in the future
4) A super glossy top coat
5) A moisturizing complex for more flexible nails

My first impression is that the lid is triangular shaped, and a little awkward to get off the bottle.  I can't imagine it being easy if you have already painted your nails and are trying to get the topcoat open.  So far I've used it as a basecoat.  Its super shiny, so I imagine it would be as shiny as a top coat.  My nails do look smoother.  I'll let you know in a week if the strengthener and growth treatment worked.