{smokin' hot}
I rarely bother with painted nails* because they last three days, tops and I've always had a hard time finding colors that I like. For some reason all the various greys that are out right now just feel much more me than anything I've found in the past. It's enough to have me contemplating a gel manicure just so I could enjoy the effect a little longer.
*Toes, however, are always painted and always in some variation on red. Not sure I'll ever branch out there.
LOVE this color! Makes me want to run out and get a polish change right now.
ReplyDeleteFab! I love Essie polishes. They have an orangey-red (clambake) that I love.
ReplyDeleteI thought about gel polishes, too, but I worry about the longer-term health of my nails. Regular nail polish chips off or comes off, usually within a week. The gel stuff last so much longer. I feel like my nails need to breathe!
The long term health thing freaks me out too. My nails are really healthy (I'm sure that barely ever painting them helps!) and I'd hate to damage them.
DeletePlus...if the gel lasts longer, then you can't change the color as much. Last year I was doing a new color each week! Faaaaaaaaaabulous.
DeleteI did get a mani while in Texas last year and it did something to my nails causing them to peel and break. I had to quit the polish for six months. But, since we're approaching 80 degrees (wha?!) this week, I think it's time for a mani/pedi. Jungle Red? :-)
Your nails look great! Pretty color! Having my nails done always makes me feel alittle more put together.
ReplyDeleteoooooh i like it. *if* you ever do try one of those gel manicures, would you let me know how it goes? i'm so curious and also kind of freaked out by such things.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely report back if I take the plunge. Considering it for an upcoming wedding - but still seriously on the fence.
DeleteHave you ever tried Zoya polishes? They last forever (my manicure from last Wed. is still on with minimal chipping) and they have an awesome color selection!
ReplyDeleteI've never even seen them! I'll check and see if my manicure place has them - I get overwhelmed by the polish selection so I tend to only look at the Essie shelf.
Deleteoo that's such a nice color!
ReplyDeletelooks so good on your nails! i'm going to get that color, I need a change of color myself! Teri
ReplyDeleteFantastic color!
ReplyDeleteMal @ The Chic Geek
I highly recommend the gel manicure. My favorite is the bio scuplture. I did not like the shellac. I've heard people say that when they take it off their nails feel really wierd because they haven't been able to breathe, but I've never had that experience. I can usually get 3 weeks out of a good one. SOO worth it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation! I'll have to check and see what the salon closest to me uses - I've seen them doing gel manis but I've never checked it out seriously.
DeleteI love Shellac, I usually get close to 3 weeks out of it even though as a manufacturing engineer I work with my hands in a mani-unfriendly environment. It hasn't damaged my nails at all, but I always follow my stylist's instructions to not peel it off and to put a little oil on them once a week to keep them from drying out. To be fair though, I have freakishly strong nails that are never prone to brittleness or peeling.
DeleteI'm currently wearing their "Asphalt" shade which looks very close to your "Smokin' Hot". I love it and it looks amazing with my pastel-heavy spring wardrobe.
Oh, that's a lovely grey. I *rarely* paint my fingernails, and when I do, I tend to go for non-colours. Otherwise I'm startled every time I glimpse my fingertips - surely they're not my hands!
ReplyDeleteBut toes? Always a dark shade of red (when I can be bothered to paint them, that is). I don't know why, but it's always some dark red.
Yep. Painted nails almost always startle me (on me). For some reason, this particular color feels totally natural and I love it. I mean, it clearly doesn't *look* natural, but my nails don't feel like foreign objects in it. So now I wonder if I was just choosing the wrong colors?
DeleteToes must always be red. Always. I'll let them get chipped during the winter, but I still hate seeing them bare. It's a weird issue.
I don't recommend gel manicures unless you're going to continue to get gel manicures. They are pretty rough on your nails (but not as much as fake). I would recommend the Rock topcoat, which costs about 7 bucks at Sally's Beauty Supply. It is actually almost a gel (heavens. It might ACTUALLY he a gel) top coat, which hardens immediately and dries 100% when exposed to UV rays. The upside is that you don't need to go to someone to have it taken off, it doesn't chip (though sometimes I get stress fractures where I use the edges of my nails), and usually just wears off the tips a bit. Mine lasts for a week before I change it, and even then it is still respectably good looking.
ReplyDeleteAs for reds, I ALWAYS have red on my toes too! In the winter I love Bull-ish on OPI (a more blue-toned red) and in the summer I use Red-y Set Ex by Essie (a more orange/coral red). I have very fair skin with auburn hair and freckles, so though I love all those colors out there like that grey I can't pull them off. .
Thanks for the advice! I can't see myself doing manicures of any sort long term (I work with my hands waaaaay too much) and I'm concerned about the impact on my nails. I want them to be healthy! I've never had fakes, so I don't have anything to compare it with.
DeleteI might look into that top coat ... I have an Essie one that is pretty good, but last time I used it all my polish peeled off! Not sure if that was a bad manicure or the top coat.
It really helps to let the coats dry between. That's why I don't pay to have my nails done. It always seems as though they go too fast! (with the exception of the ladies at my hair salon, but they are never free on Saturdays, which is when my roommate and I inevitably decide to get mani/pedis)
DeleteI am also really rough on my hands, between knitting, pottery, cooking, and dish washing (we won't even get into the manic hand washing that goes on for my job). Even with all that I can get polish to last a week with Rock. Plus it makes your nails SO SHINY. Like glass. I paint my toenails once a month, and that's only because the polish is growing out by that time!
If you do go for a gel mani, let us know how you like it. I have been considering it for a while now, and have not taken the plunge.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful color, btw.
Meg ;)
I will definitely update if I do one! I'm curious too.
DeleteI like gel manicures! I have my own little lamp at home (9V) and Gelish topcoat, base coat and colors. I only go ahead and do them if I know I won't have time to fuss around with nail polish. Personally, they don't damage my nails. The only thing I tell people is to not "pick" the polish off because it will make your nail plate bumpy. I find the whole process pretty fun!
ReplyDeleteWow - so impressed with your DIY skills! I don't even paint my own nails, so I might not be the best candidate for this.
DeleteHow do you get the polish off when you're ready to change?
I've done a couple of those gel/shellac manis and they've left my nails weak and peeling...I think it's like the fake route, once you start you have to keep going....
ReplyDeleteThis is what freaks me out - I don't see myself ever going long term with manicures, and I don't want to have to keep doing them all the time.
Deletei hated how my nail polish chipped after a few days, but i recently purchased seche vite top coat (http://seche.com/products/top/) at my local ulta store, and i absolutely love it! a few friends recommended it to me and my nailpolish has been lasting way longer and feels stronger.
ReplyDeleteThe color is great, and your nails are so nice. Do not even think about those horrible fake nails. I really do not like them! I hate everything that is fake. :)
ReplyDeleteSandra
P.S. I agree that Seche top coat is so good. It really help.
I absolutely love this color! Any gray shades on the nails I think looks great! Shellac or gel manicures really are great and last so much longer than at home manicures! Check them out!
ReplyDeletereally pretty! i never do my fingers, but have vowed to always have my toes painted and looking presentable. i will NOT be one of those moms with nasty toenails and cracked heels. ewww
ReplyDeleteThat was the first color I ever bought from essie! And still is one of my favorites..simply amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love this colour! Essie does great nail polishes. Hope you can take a look at my blog some time lovely.
ReplyDeleteKate {Something Fabulous}
http://thesomethingfabulous.blogspot.com
I too always have red/burgundy on my toes. But I stick to nude on my hands. My favorite is OPI Samoan Sand. It is almost the exact pinky hue of my my nails so it doesn't look like I'm wearing polish, it just looks clean. Your ring in stunning.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Roseann! I do love my ring - it was my grandmother's and it even fit perfectly so I didn't even need to have it sized! I treasure it.
DeleteHow funny, I always have gold on my toes - looks good on pasty white and toasty brown feet!
ReplyDeleteOne of my absolute pet hates is any kind of fake or gel nail. In my view, they never look good, whether they are French manicured, coloured or covered in weird designs, they never ever look classy, no matter how young and pretty you might be (and don't even start me on older ladies...!). Neat "own" nails of any length, long or short, nicely filed and in any colour from clear to black look far nicer, regardless of what kind of hands a girl has. My own are short-fingered and pudgy so I like to aim for a slightly longer but still practical nail to elongate the look of my fingers but I will wear pretty much any colour except neon (I am in my late 40s so think I am probably too old for neon!!). The more unusual colours can look really classy on a woman of any age, I find!
I definitely feel you on the fake nails but hadn't really considered that gels might look fake! I'll need to get a better look at them.
DeleteI've decided that even among some of the fancier, more expensive polishes, Essie is my favorite. Also, every time I see someone with a gel manicure I think it looks gross, like it's super thick and makes their nails look all weirdly round. I see MelD above agrees. Plus they have to take it off, so that's no bueno for me. End rant!
ReplyDeleteInteresting ... I guess I've never gotten a good enough look at a gel manicure up close, because I'd never noticed the thickness issue. That would be a problem for me. I'm easily weirded out by my nails not feeling right (hence my issues with painting them most other colors) and I like them to be super short and super minimal. These pictures are of the absolute longest I'm comfortable with - I cut them all the time.
DeleteHmmmm ... come to think of it - the shortness issue might be a problem with gels. I don't think you can trim your nails with the gels on. Sigh.
I was super sad to see that Essie doesn't carry this colour in Canada! Luckily, Joe Fresh carries a similar colour, Slate, which is adorning my nails today :) Such a pretty winter-spring shade!
ReplyDeleteBummer! I don't think it's super new, so maybe they're just done with it already?
DeleteWow, what a great color!
ReplyDelete