Citra by Nail Tek

Hi, Ladies!

I don't have any nail art for you today.  (I'm saving a blog post about a challenge I'm doing for the month)  But, hey, I want to share with you something a friend gave me for Christmas.

Citra by Nail Tek.  Didn't ring a bell.  Really.  My friend told me to use it as a base coat saying it is Formaldehyde-Free.  Uhhmmm-hmmm, I thought, maybe after I finish my OPI Nail Envy. 

But one day in December, I re-arranged my stuff and couldn't find my Nail Envy, and there, Citra was, sitting in front of me.  So I started using it.  I hardly noticed 4 months passing, and my nails growing well, until my bottle was down to its last drop. ASDFGKKKKK!!!  I tell you, girls, I HAVE NOT used any base coat to this level.  

I tried going back to my Nail Envy, but it didn't work as well as Citra did for me. :(  Now, I need to go to Beauty Kingdom  for another bottle.  

I just wanted to share with you this product, just in case you want to try.  It is selling for Php720, but all worth it.

And no, no, I wasn't paid to write this blog.  I am just super excited that I have found something that works so well for my nails.  I didn't realize I was chip-free for four months until I used a base coat other than Citra.

Now I can't sleep because I need to wait a few more days before I can buy my next bottle. GAAAAH!!!

Ciao!

Jamie

 

Elmer's Glue-All: Multi-Purpose Glue, Alright.

Hi, Ladies!

I have been out during the holidays, and then internet went bonkers on us, but now I'm back.

So pre-holiday, I was complaining to my friend, Mae (yes, the famous lady behind www.artofnail.blogspot.com), about my weak nails and she suggested I try using Elmer's Glue as base.  This way I won't have to excessively use polish remover which weakens the nails. I will only need to peel off the glue and polish comes off with it.  She actually wanted me to try out the Gel kind, but I was only able to get hold of the Glue-All.  They sell for cheap, around Php20 to Php25 per 40g sizes in all bookstores and department stores in the Philippines.

I took an empty bottle of polish and placed the glue in, and used as I would a regular polish.

(Excuse my nails, they're really yellowish and gross from all the nail art I've been doing)

On my first application, I was kind of worried the glue might alter the color of the polish (but really, a white base only enhances colors, what was I thinking?)  because it was a really milky white color.  And then it dried and looked like this:

 Except for the middle finger which had to dry longer because I apparently applied too thick, you can see that the rest of them dried into a clear coat.

I applied two coats of Sally Hansen Coral Reef to achieve my desired opacity and, voila! Worked really well, like a normal base coat.

 And then I peeled them off just like that.  I felt like a snake afterwards, but hellzyeahhhh I found a new and effective way to protect my nails!

Here are the Pros and Cons:

Pros

• Protects your nails from weakening from excessive use of polish remover / acetone
• Cheap alternative to base coat and acetone
• Peels off really easily
• Readily available anywhere 
• When the glue dries, you will know because from milky white, it becomes clear 
• After 24 hours more or less of wearing your mani, you can take it off as a whole and keep it for catalogue-ing. LOL.

Cons

• Need at least a couple of minutes to dry than your regular base coat
• Polish doesn't last as long because it can be easily peeled off
• Sometimes it takes one push on your nail and the whole thing comes off.  

All-in-all, I would recommend using this if you have a lot of time in your hands, a lot of patience, and aren't looking to wear your polish for days.  

*I will update if I think of any more pros and cons.  I am at a blank right now.

Lastly, I hope you enjoyed your holidays!

Catch you later,

Jamie