Opallac Sheer Gels
Monday, November 25, 2019
So I was VERY surprised when I went to swatch these and realised that they wen't like that at all, and are far closer to a milk bath nail. 2 coats gives you a good dose of colour, but just enough sheerness to make them elegant. I find particularly with white polishes that they can be a little glaring and you can see every little mistake in the application, especially around the cuticle. But you just don't get that with these! This means that they are the perfect cover-up if you want something really subtle on your nails, but the are also the PERFECT base for nail art - especially Fluffy Bunny.
The 3 shades are: Fluffy Bunny - white, Dear Sheer - Pink, Barely There - pink/orange nude.
Each of the swatches here are 2 coats with a top coat over clear acrylic nails.
Do you need all 3 in your life, maybe not, but you 100% need one of them and I think the 3 shades should cover all skin tones.
Check out Opallac's range over at their website here, or at Priceline.
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| Fluffy Bunny |
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| Dear Sheer |
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| Barely There |
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| Nail art foil over Fluffy Bunny |
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| The super adorable kit they sent out! |
Friday, October 25, 2019
Are you someone who loves their natural nails, but wants to add some strength to them or fix a break in a stronger way than the tea bag method? Then welcome to the world of overlays!
This is a guide for those out there that are not nail techs and have no idea where to begin in the world of pro products. If you have any questions, just let me know and I'll add them to this guide!
What exactly is an overlay?
An overlay is where you take a product that is used for creating nail extensions, but only covering your natural nail. Because you aren't extending the length of your nail the product can be thinner and doesn't require any of the structure that we worry about with long nails so it is much easier to do at home.
What type of overlay product should I get?
There are a whole world of products out there that you can use for overlays. The main ones that spring to mind are:
*dipping powders
*hard gel
*acrylic
*polygel
*silk wrap
If you are a total novice to this with zero training, I recommend going with either a dip system or hard gel. Both are very different systems with totally different products, but similar outcomes. Which one you choose is entirely up to you, it makes no difference to your nail health.
Dip Systems:
Are basically layers of nail glue and fine acrylic powder. Pros - easy to apply, require no light or special equipment, come in a HUGE range of colours (although you want to stick to just clear if you want to paint over it), easy to buy an all-in-one kit. Cons - takes more work to get the end effect totally smooth, degrades easier when you are constantly removing nail polish on top of it (unless you use a gel top coat, but that defies the point), you can't easily extend the nail if you want to venture into the world of fake nails.
If you've ever used ORLY nail rescue, this is just dipping with a bigger price tag. I won't go into full instructions here (unless anyone specifically requests it) because any dip system will come with instructions and it's SUPER easy.
Gels:
This is a very thick clear product (like gel polish but MUCH thicker) that you lay down on top of the nail. Pros - if applied correctly it won't break down at all when you polish over it so you only need to reapply when it grows out, it is self-levelling so it will have a very smooth finish, for overlays you only need one coat so it is quite quick and easy to do once you get the hang of it, it does come in natural colours but the clear is CRYSTAL clear, you can build extensions out of it. Cons - you will need to buy all the bits separately (unless you want to spend a tonne of money), there's a huge variety of products out there and many of them are slightly different so you need to be careful what you get to start with.
So if there is such a huge range of gel products, where on earth should I begin?
If you are in this to help nurture your natural nails while you grow out a break, make sure you get a gel that says it is soak off! Many hard gels out there do not soak, so to remove you need to file them off. If you haven't had a tonne of practice this is very hard and scary to do without taking off the top layer of your natural nail. Be aware that soak off gel products do take as long as acrylic to soak off which may seem like a pain, but it does mean that when you are constantly changing the nail polish on top, it won't be damaged at all. Soak off gel comes in 2 varieties - in a pot and in a bottle. If you are a beginner, I recommend getting a product in a bottle as it means you paint it onto the nail like you do with polish. Although you can get higher end products, if you want to try it out I can recommend this gel here as a cheap beginner gel.
What lamp do I need?
You will see on the market both LED lamps and UV lamps. Rather than go into the difference, I suggest just getting an LED lamp. There are some tiny ones out there that are meant for gel polish, but not all of them will work for hard gel. So before you buy anything check that they will cure hard gel. There are still some budget friendly options out there - here is a previous post to the lamp I use, but it is overkill for starting out (but it is very sexy!)
Step by step - how to apply your gel overlay
1. Prep your nails
This is the most important part of making your overlay stay adhered.
Buff the surface of your nails with a 180 grit nail file. Don't be scared, all you're doing is removing the shine of your nail so the gel doesn't slide off. Push back your cuticle (but don't soak your hand to do so). Use a lint-free wipe to scrub the nail with a nail dehydrator or isopropyl alcohol to remove all debris on the nail and dry it out.
2. Prime (optional)
Depending on which gel you have bought this step may be optional. Very dab a few spots of primer on each nails - one dip into the bottle should be enough to do one hand. When choosing a primer that will keep your nails happy, opt for an acid-free primer. The 2 primers I personally us are Young Nails Protein Bond or Hawley Premabond. If you're starting out you can try without but you risk the overlay lifting from your nail prematurely.
3. Forms (optional)
This step ONLY applies if you have a chip taken out of a nail, or if you've had one nail break and want to make it the same length of the others. Get your nail form and slide it under the broken nail, then pinch the bottom of the form together and stick it onto your finger (this is a bit of an art form and hard to explain in text - if you have troubles look it up on YouTube).
4. Application
Pick up a decent amount of product and float it onto the nail so you get an even coat over the nail, trying to not get any bubbles, then pop it into your nail for 5 seconds, remove your hand and wait for it to cool (from what we call a heatspike) and then pop it back in for a minute.
If you are extending or filling in a chip, put the product just where the missing nail is and cure. Then apply over the whole nail as above. (Note that you can't go totally crazy and decided that you want giant talons this way - longer nails require more structure so there's a few more steps you would need to do so they don't snap).
5. Clean up
The gel will create a sticky (or inhibition) layer when it's cured. Remove this with a lint-free wipe soaked in acetone or isopropyl alcohol. If you are building out the edge at all, it will most likely look like a hot mess when you remove the form, but it is SUPER easy to file into shape so don't stress. Buff the top and side walls of the nail so it is all smooth and nice, and file the edge as you would with your natural nails.
6. Removal
When time comes to remove the product, file off as much as you can without filing all the way to the natural nail. Get a cotton bud and soak it in pure acetone, put it on the nail then wrap it in foil. Leave for approx 10 minutes, then remove it and take a cuticle pusher and GENTLY scrape the product off the nail. If it doesn't come off easily, keep soaking until it has the texture of butter and can be easily removed.
That's it! Feel free to paint over the top with nail polish as much as you want. Try to use non-acetone remover to take off normal polish so it doesn't eat away at the gel at all.
This is a guide for those out there that are not nail techs and have no idea where to begin in the world of pro products. If you have any questions, just let me know and I'll add them to this guide!
What exactly is an overlay?
An overlay is where you take a product that is used for creating nail extensions, but only covering your natural nail. Because you aren't extending the length of your nail the product can be thinner and doesn't require any of the structure that we worry about with long nails so it is much easier to do at home.
What type of overlay product should I get?
There are a whole world of products out there that you can use for overlays. The main ones that spring to mind are:
*dipping powders
*hard gel
*acrylic
*polygel
*silk wrap
If you are a total novice to this with zero training, I recommend going with either a dip system or hard gel. Both are very different systems with totally different products, but similar outcomes. Which one you choose is entirely up to you, it makes no difference to your nail health.
Dip Systems:
Are basically layers of nail glue and fine acrylic powder. Pros - easy to apply, require no light or special equipment, come in a HUGE range of colours (although you want to stick to just clear if you want to paint over it), easy to buy an all-in-one kit. Cons - takes more work to get the end effect totally smooth, degrades easier when you are constantly removing nail polish on top of it (unless you use a gel top coat, but that defies the point), you can't easily extend the nail if you want to venture into the world of fake nails.
If you've ever used ORLY nail rescue, this is just dipping with a bigger price tag. I won't go into full instructions here (unless anyone specifically requests it) because any dip system will come with instructions and it's SUPER easy.
Gels:
This is a very thick clear product (like gel polish but MUCH thicker) that you lay down on top of the nail. Pros - if applied correctly it won't break down at all when you polish over it so you only need to reapply when it grows out, it is self-levelling so it will have a very smooth finish, for overlays you only need one coat so it is quite quick and easy to do once you get the hang of it, it does come in natural colours but the clear is CRYSTAL clear, you can build extensions out of it. Cons - you will need to buy all the bits separately (unless you want to spend a tonne of money), there's a huge variety of products out there and many of them are slightly different so you need to be careful what you get to start with.
So if there is such a huge range of gel products, where on earth should I begin?
If you are in this to help nurture your natural nails while you grow out a break, make sure you get a gel that says it is soak off! Many hard gels out there do not soak, so to remove you need to file them off. If you haven't had a tonne of practice this is very hard and scary to do without taking off the top layer of your natural nail. Be aware that soak off gel products do take as long as acrylic to soak off which may seem like a pain, but it does mean that when you are constantly changing the nail polish on top, it won't be damaged at all. Soak off gel comes in 2 varieties - in a pot and in a bottle. If you are a beginner, I recommend getting a product in a bottle as it means you paint it onto the nail like you do with polish. Although you can get higher end products, if you want to try it out I can recommend this gel here as a cheap beginner gel.
What lamp do I need?
You will see on the market both LED lamps and UV lamps. Rather than go into the difference, I suggest just getting an LED lamp. There are some tiny ones out there that are meant for gel polish, but not all of them will work for hard gel. So before you buy anything check that they will cure hard gel. There are still some budget friendly options out there - here is a previous post to the lamp I use, but it is overkill for starting out (but it is very sexy!)
Step by step - how to apply your gel overlay
1. Prep your nails
This is the most important part of making your overlay stay adhered.
Buff the surface of your nails with a 180 grit nail file. Don't be scared, all you're doing is removing the shine of your nail so the gel doesn't slide off. Push back your cuticle (but don't soak your hand to do so). Use a lint-free wipe to scrub the nail with a nail dehydrator or isopropyl alcohol to remove all debris on the nail and dry it out.
 |
| A fully prepped nail |
2. Prime (optional)
Depending on which gel you have bought this step may be optional. Very dab a few spots of primer on each nails - one dip into the bottle should be enough to do one hand. When choosing a primer that will keep your nails happy, opt for an acid-free primer. The 2 primers I personally us are Young Nails Protein Bond or Hawley Premabond. If you're starting out you can try without but you risk the overlay lifting from your nail prematurely.
 |
| Small amount of primer |
3. Forms (optional)
This step ONLY applies if you have a chip taken out of a nail, or if you've had one nail break and want to make it the same length of the others. Get your nail form and slide it under the broken nail, then pinch the bottom of the form together and stick it onto your finger (this is a bit of an art form and hard to explain in text - if you have troubles look it up on YouTube).
 |
| A long form fitted - there are many styles of forms but any will work for this |
4. Application
Pick up a decent amount of product and float it onto the nail so you get an even coat over the nail, trying to not get any bubbles, then pop it into your nail for 5 seconds, remove your hand and wait for it to cool (from what we call a heatspike) and then pop it back in for a minute.
If you are extending or filling in a chip, put the product just where the missing nail is and cure. Then apply over the whole nail as above. (Note that you can't go totally crazy and decided that you want giant talons this way - longer nails require more structure so there's a few more steps you would need to do so they don't snap).
 |
| Apply a small amount of gel to where nail is missing then cure |
 |
| Apply gel to the whole nail then cure |
5. Clean up
The gel will create a sticky (or inhibition) layer when it's cured. Remove this with a lint-free wipe soaked in acetone or isopropyl alcohol. If you are building out the edge at all, it will most likely look like a hot mess when you remove the form, but it is SUPER easy to file into shape so don't stress. Buff the top and side walls of the nail so it is all smooth and nice, and file the edge as you would with your natural nails.
 |
| After the form and sticky later is removed |
 |
| Filed up and ready to go |
6. Removal
When time comes to remove the product, file off as much as you can without filing all the way to the natural nail. Get a cotton bud and soak it in pure acetone, put it on the nail then wrap it in foil. Leave for approx 10 minutes, then remove it and take a cuticle pusher and GENTLY scrape the product off the nail. If it doesn't come off easily, keep soaking until it has the texture of butter and can be easily removed.
That's it! Feel free to paint over the top with nail polish as much as you want. Try to use non-acetone remover to take off normal polish so it doesn't eat away at the gel at all.
 |
| All painted! (20/20 hindsight this could have been filed neater, but you get the point) |
Friday, October 11, 2019
If you've seen my previous posts on my hair drama, you know that I am playing around with products at the moment, trying to find a way to get that silk smooth glossy hair that I dream of (we're finally getting our hot water system replaced, so goodbye rust water, hello chelation time!). So I was stoked when I was sent a pack of Batiste's new range of dry shampoos to try out. In the past I've been a little dubious of dry shampoo because I have horrendously dry hair that seems to just get drier the longer I go without washing. That and if you're a Brad Mondo fan (go check his YouTube if you haven't seen him before!) you know the fear of the white powder!
So the thing that caught my eye with these products is that they are all for different hair types, meaning us poor dry frizzy mess girls have options! Also 3 of them claim to be invisible - so of course I had to put that to the test. The 4 varieties are Damage Control, Hydrate, Volume, and De-Frizz. All of these come in 2 sizes, and they have a nozzle that evenly sprays the product. I'm not 100% sure on this, but they all seem to be a formula from the original one and smell much nicer (and quite fresh). On their website they have slightly different application methods, but basically spray at the roots/through hair then brush through. Pretty quick and easy for that mid week refresh. So let's look at them all:
Batiste Damage Control has keratin in it and is for helping hair that is damaged from heat and over-processing (yup hand up here, I can't live without my GHD). This is an invisible formula, and as for each of these, I sprayed it onto a black surface to see how invisible it actually is. This one only had the tiniest bit of white and looked more glossy than powdery, and the white was mainly because I sprayed quite close. I think if you don't have specific concerns with your hair and just need something for a midweek cleanse, then this would be the one I would grab.
Batiste Hydrate is for normal to dry hair, and is formulated with moisturising avocado. Perfect for all of us that need to refresh but have gross dry ends. I think this may be my personal favourite of the lot just because it nicely removed any oil I had at the scalp, but the rest of my hair felt like I had just hit it with a leave in conditioner! There was barely any noticeable white in this spray test at all!
Batiste Volume has pluming collage in it and is for adding volume, body and texture. If you're someone who gets flat on top when your hair is unwashed, or if you're like me and are partial to the scrunched hair look on occasions, then this one is for you. This is the only one that doesn't claim to be invisible, as you can see in my spray test. A lot of white going on here, but it does add good texture and I didn't find the white too noticeable in my hair when I have it all fluffed up.
Last of all is my other favourite of the range, Batiste De-Frizz. With smoothing coconut for settling down hair that has gotten unruly between washes. Once again very little white at all. And rather than try to describe my feelings about this to you, let me show you in picture form - the left is before and right after. Yes I did brush my hair in both of these. Kind of incredible right?
Batiste is pretty much available everywhere, but you can go check out their entire range at their website at www.batistehair.com.au
Friday, October 4, 2019
When I was studying nails, I picked up one of those $30 training hands that you screw onto a table and clip the nails on to - I'm sure you know the ones, they're everywhere. While it was helpful while I was learning, it certainly had its problems. Because the nail beds clipped on, you had no feeling for applying product around the sidewalls and cuticle area - the areas I had the most trouble learning to get right! Also, when you tried to glue tips on, they just would not stick at all, and the bed was really thick which make sculpting hard too. It was a good learning tool to begin with, but it now sits in my nail room gathering dust. I have seen so many amazing nail techs using the silicone training hands (this video still have to be nail YouTube gold) but they are stupidly expensive so I never had taken the plunge.
So then the Flexifinger came onto my radar. They were at the Sydney Nail Fest, so I took the opportunity to pick one up. They offer everything from the full hand and foot, down to a single finger. I got the single one on a stand to try it out. It was $29! Compared to others out there, that is a STEAL! The stand is like something you would get in a car kit with a suction cap base - this is literally the only downside.... the suction cap needs a smooth surface to stick to so it doesn't like the table I use so I have it stuck to a Kmart place-mat. The best part of it is that it takes universal size 3 full well nail tips. It did come with a bag to start me off, but at least it's a super easy thing to replace. You literally slide the tip straight into the finger and it stays put! You can see below I have taken pics both without and with the tip on.
I think the finger is also almost realistic enough to pass on my Instagram images which is a bonus! Although as you can see below that the bit of tip that is inside the finger of course doesn't have anything applied so it wouldn't be useful if you're making display tips to show clients.
And for the record this wasn't gifted or anything, I bought it myself and I really do love it that much. I feel like this is something every tech should have in their arsenal.
Check out the full range at theflexifinger.com.au
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| No tip applied |
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| Tip applied |
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| Insta approved! |
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| The tip removed |
Monday, September 30, 2019
I've got a fun set of eye shadows to share with you today - these are 3 of the ColorStay Look Book palettes from Revlon. I've been eyeing these off for ages, as someone who is not an expert in makeup (although I love it and learning as much as I can!!), I'm not great with choosing which colours to wear together. So having little palettes where the colour story all matches up so perfectly makes my life really easy!
I started by swatching each of these dry over a primer on my arm - you can see below how they all turned out. Although I discovered after wearing them that if you apply the metallic shades with a wet brush, they look very foily and pretty on the eye. I had no problems blending any of them (and goodness knows I have some palettes in the same price range that are impossible to blend!) so that was a nice surprise. Pigmentation is ok, sure it's not as good as my Stila or Too Faced palettes, but it's also a quarter of the price, and still much better than some other more affordable ones out there. For each of my looks, I applied over a very small amount of the ColorStay Eye Shadow Primer (something I have been using daily for months now!) and everything stayed in place for the day. There was a small amount of fallout from the shimmery shades, but I really did slather them on and I don't think there are many shadows this metallic out there that don't have a small amount of fall out. It wasn't enough to be a problem anyway.
When you put them all side-by-side, I think the gold shade may be a double up, but the rest of the colours are all very individual. I also appreciate that in each palette there is a good mix of lights, darks, and metallics for us novices, which makes choosing what to put on the lids/crease easier, and there are enough options that I can get a few quite different looks from each palette. The only downside I can find is that it is quite a small palette, and the pans are quite small so you have to be very careful with your brushes to make sure you don't pick up any colours on the side.
Ok so let's jumt into the palettes:
Enigma (920) is matte and shimmer purples and nudes. This is my personal favourite of the 3 just because even though I am pasty white, my skin is warmed toned and I feel pinks and purples always look really nice on me. I found the purples lent a bit more pink when I applied them (as you can see in the swatches) but I still really like the colours they are.
These palettes all have an RRP of $19.95 (although if you hunt, they do on sale regularly), and for a palette where every shade is wearable, it's worth it!
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
So before I launch into this months' Born Pretty store, I think it would be amiss of me not to address
the drama that has been going around. If you have missed it, go check out this thread on reddit:
First up is a glittery poly extension gel. I'm beginning to get the hang of working with this stuff. I just used one of my gel brushes and alchohol as the slip to work it. They have a whole bunch of elegant neautral colours and glitters, and I love that this one is a subtle gold that is almost a rose gold. It's super pretty! And of course I had to top it off with some flame stickers (from my store) because I can't leave anything plain!
http://bit.ly/2Mvgpxa
ID=AXP46671
I grabbed a few plates this time - along with a whole bunch of extra ones that I bought from Aliexpress, because a girl can never have to many stamping plates! This one is a mandala plate that has a whole bunch of patterns to layer together. I used a Born Pretty grey gel polish, stamped in white and black, topped with matte top coat and a black gem. Like all their plates, great quality and really easy to stamp.
http://bit.ly/2ZkWZge
ID=AXP46961
This stamping plate I chose because I liked all the long patterns that I could do right across my nails (as you can see!). That and it had a few snowflakes and stars that will look great on some Christmas nails, but it has enough designs to use year-round. Like the other plate, it was really easy to stamp with - no problems to report!
http://bit.ly/2ZkWZge
ID=AXP46961
the drama that has been going around. If you have missed it, go check out this thread on reddit:
There have been numerous people having the same issue - I have pictures and receipts, but as they are taken from private FB groups I won't share. Just trust me this isn't a one-off occurence. So I know this is a person's reaction to someting in a product, and does sometimes happen. What concerns me is their customer service lack of care and refusal to give an MSDS. Will this impact me using their products? Heck no, I love my BP nail products! But I personally don't feel comfotable using something on a clients nails that I can't obtain an MSDS to. Happy to do it to my own nails, but to someone paying for a service - not so much. So I will personally keep using everything on my own nails, but will restrict what I use on others to products that I know will be safe, like stamping plates and foils.
Ok, rant aside, let's launch into my latest round of pretties!
All these are available on their site www.bornprettystore.com, but they have requested that I also give out alternative links, so that's why the details look a little different to usual.
http://bit.ly/2Mvgpxa
ID=AXP46671
http://bit.ly/2ZkWZge
ID=AXP46961
http://bit.ly/2ZkWZge
ID=AXP46961
Lastly is a glittery shimmery dipping powder. Forgive that these nails aren't as smooth and perfect as they should be, but lately I've taken to using dipping powders on my right hand as they are so easy to apply, but I did do these over tips - so future note blend your tips properly! Anyway this powder was sooooooo pretty. It has so much depth to the colour that I couldn't stop looking at. Definitely want more from this series (and might have to turn into a traditional acrylic).
And as always, if you do decide to order from the Born Pretty website, use my code VHW10 to get 10% off full priced items.
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