Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Gel manicure at home

By now you have probably heard of Shellac manicure. Gel manicure is a hybrid of traditional and gel manicure.
After having spent at least 30 dollars each time at a salon I have purchased my own set to work with. Gel polishes are just like regular nail polish in application -  no need for a separate brush and solvents.
The gel polish kits are now readily available at Walmart,  Shoppers and Sephora and the price ranges from $55 to $190.

I initially had bought the Sensetionail kit from Walmart in the States for $50. The lamp that came with it is a LED one which I love as the curing time is much shorter (30-60 seconds per layer) than the UV lamp. The polish that came with the set however is not that great as they seem more brittle and harder to remove.

The brands I prefer are Harmony Gelish,  Shellac, or Red Carpet.
I tend to buy the polish on Amazon as it is the cheapest.
You need to purchase the started kit (nail ph balancer,  foundation, top coat, nail oil, lint free wipes, acetone and residue remover)  and a UV or LED lamp and a color of your choice. You must have a lamp to cure the polish or it will not dry.

Doing the manicure is similar to regular manicure.
1. Put the ph balance liquid on all nails. Dry. No need to cure.
2. Thin coat of foundation - cure for 30 seconds. I found it easier to cure the 4 fingers of each hand then the thumbs.
3. Color 2 to 3 coats. Cure between each coats -  60 seconds.
4. Top coat -  ensure the coat is thin and seal the edges of the nails. Cure 30-60 seconds.
5. Wipe off residue with link free wipes.

Just like any manicure it takes time and practice. One tip is to not rush. It is very important to put thin coats of polish and that they don't touch the cuticle.

I will have a separate post on the removal.

Trip to Seoul and Tokyo

Possibly all I did was eat and shop and eat some more. Hahaha.
Here are eye highlight picture montage of the meals.

I am back!

it has been a very long hiatus as life has gotten a toll of me. i realize that keeping a blog is a part time job and have not had the energy to keep up.
i still have tons of reviews and ideas for this blog. please let me know if you would like to see anything specific.
some of the topics i will cover in the next little while are:
1. japanese drugstore skincare (sana tonyu)
2. foundations i have been using
3. new Holy Grail mascara (well not so new)
4. gel manicure at home

until next time!

sponsored review: Rescare Aqua Exfoliator

this is a korean product that is meant to exfoliate the face and body. it is quite a large spray bottle (300ml)

the side of the box states: cleanses, nourishes and rejuvenates the whole body, selectively removes impurities and exfoliates dead skin cell leaving your skin smooth and refreshed.
the product is very easy to use - all you do is spray this a few pumps on the areas that you want to exfoliate. and it is almost magical; the moment the product touches the skin, the dead skin cells start lifting right away. with a gentle pressure, you can rub the dead skin off easily and quickly.
the product has a light fresh scent that is not overwhelming and does not feel oily or seems to leave any residues.
it may be weird for those who are not used to removing the dead skin this may be a foreign concept. in Korean culture, it is very common for people to scrub to remove the dead skin while taking a bath.
the Aqua Exfoliator reduces the time you have to soak to scrub.

the skin below does feel softer and smoother. it is recommended that you use the Aqua Exfoliator 1 - 2 times a week. 

as for the face, it is meant to be used after the face is cleansed and dried. i sprayed the product onto my fingers and applied to the face. again, right away the dead skin could be rubbed away.
it retails for about $40 per bottle. if you are interested in this product, please PM me.