Favorite enamel

[Nails At The Hat Hire Company]

have i been doing it all wrong then...i but the nail colour on first then the white oin free edge.... should i do free edge first.....
i love this board its a better teacher than any ive had...
cheers


happy easter

 

[Anna from Toronto]

To get them to use different brands I painted tips, punched a hole in them and put them on a bead chain type necklace and that is how they pick a color, so then they go for color instead of brand.

Well I did exact the same thing ...and GUESS what......the client picks the colour..and they ask me to show which one is it? I mean they wanna see the bottle and the name! :? Yes, they must know the name too
They go.."and which one is this...A-45?"

Like that matters LOL..you like the colour or not ???

I started with OPI (and Nicole), then started buying Creative, after they changed the packaging.
OPI is bit too expensive now and I find it thickens quite fast...they do have nice colours, especially the shimmers, which my clients like.

Creative....I like the polish a lot, goes on very nice!....but I wish they had more pastels (shimmers)

I have some Essie..nice pastels..and a nice blue

And I still have some Matrix polishes, bought them when they were beeing discontinued...I LOVE them, they go on so nice..and they last very long (they don't go thick too fast)...

all together I have about 150 polishes...and 90% of my clients wears forever frenches :? ...yeah...like I need more polish

 

[Barbie]

Sounds like your white is to thick. I use Essie, Blanc, & OPI Alpine Snow for the F/E.CND has one, but I forgot the name, First, after you prep the nail for polish, I slap that white on the F/E,brushing down ward strokes,high up on the sides if you want that look, then I take a *cats tougue* brush a dip in Acetone,and swipe the smile line clean. I work left to right, and have the brush angled backwards, faceing you,Kinda hard to explan, I do one at a time,before the white drys. All ten done, then,base if you want, or your color of choice,some times you need only one coat. I use S-Viete,or non-yellowing top coat. I have been known to use S-V. base coats,for the top, its a great pale white. I oil,to dry, & I love the spray (CND) works real fast, and smells awesome.
Barb :silly:

 

[Nails At The Hat Hire Company]

well ive been looking for a good quality cheapish range to stock as retail and to use in my small home salon...my are they all expensive..cos i need a set for retail and a set to use so im still unsure will have to check out the chinaglaze range
now dont get me started on french white...am i doing it wrong. i have tried loads of different brands of french white and it goes on like 'gloopy' the peach/pink/beige is fine like normal polish but the white seems to 'puff up' and sit like a big blob of.... i dunno fluff... well i tried thinning it but it still looks awful what am i doing wrong...i tried using the mask thingys, which just leave a horrid ridge and tried doing a v shape one side first letting it dry and then the other side but it takes for ever and smudges off even after an hour...i sat and waited that long honest like waiting for paint to dry hahah. any help pleaseeeeee

 

[meckleberry]

FingerNailFixer wrote:

Nicole is good about coming out with the funky colors I personally like, american ocean is my favorite from there.

I also like American Ocean, just bought another bottle today in fact. I just finished putting on Nicole's Fanatical Fuchsia. I really like it as well. I get into the funky colors more so than my clients. Right now my toes are black w/a silver "french". Almost all of my clients want boring colors. Something light or w/no shimmer etc. They all say they really like my toes and wish they were so brave. And yes my toes and fingers hardly ever match.

I have OPI, Nicole, Creative, Essie and one or two Orly. I have approximately 100 and I still have client who can't seem to find a color. I hate to see it when a client brings her own. You know it's got something funky going on - to thick, something is wrong with the brush and god only knows where is has been.

 

[Mrs Geek]

... the Sinful range of enamels??? - we used to bring that into the uk; they had some fantastic really different colours but as a company they were a nightmare to deal with!! are they still around :?:

 

[LayStar]

I always use base and top coat, but I'll try what you said, thanks!, and yep, I always seal in the colour by going under the free edge etc with top coat

xxlaylaxx

 

[kitty]

Laystar did you try, ;
Base coat
White polish
Topcoat
White polish
Topcoat
??? & I always go under the f/e & edges with the top coat.

Just a thought?

 

[Ange in 'Bama]

I have some of those .80 a bottle polishes too Barb, and I love them but I guess my favorite line would have to be China Glaze. "Bad Landing" is an awesome color!

 

[LayStar]

I have about 180 polishes...from loadsa diff brands...I dont use opi, creative (oh I have one creative polish!!) etc, not enough money lol!! I got a billion diff brands though...toma, rimmel, caboodles, mein, miners....loads! Mainly "high street" brands! I have every polish imaginable..except that yucky crackle polish :? nasty!!

While on the topic of polishes...does anyone use a GOOD white/french polish that DOESNT chip within an hour?? White polish drives me mad...it chips SO easily...despite a thousand layers of topcoat :?

xxlaylaxx

 

[Barbie]

I say, you can't choose one, so I choose them all You can't have to many shoes, or have to many polishes. I know because I have them ! Its like jelly beans you can't eat just one. OPI is the one that everyone recognizes. All the rest, are great, I think a lot of it is in the prep, as to the way it wears. I have $.80 that stays on better than any. I have over 200 of them.LOL. then the rest, can't begin to know how many! Maybe I could paint that bench
Barb

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Well for me it is Toma, we have over 120 different clours for clients use, thats including the 2 way and 3 way colour changing ones.
Great on Extensions, wraps and the natural nail. The seem to last forever on the nails.
Love Ruth xxx

 

[nail_star2003]

I really like Creative colours although I'm just getting into Creative really. The only other polishes I use are from Cetuem. They are quie an unknown company although they do all the trade shows. They have over 220 polishes so there is something for everyone. I love nearly all their colours (apart from the really odd looking ones that look like they've been through someone's backside ukeoff: !!

There's my view so I'll shut up now!

 

[FingerNailFixer]

My alltime favorite color was metro from creative. Personally I prefer creative or nicole, I can wear both with no trouble having them last a full week on my natural nails without chipping. My clients look for OPI so I have to keep that on hand as well because they have seen it before and people here want things they are familiar with. To get them to use different brands I painted tips, punched a hole in them and put them on a bead chain type necklace and that is how they pick a color, so then they go for color instead of brand. Nicole is good about coming out with the funky colors I personally like, american ocean is my favorite from there. Creative brings one out every once in a blue moon as a teaser makes me love it and takes it away...lol...One of my clients always brings in her bottle of revlon to wear and she doesnt make it three days before she has to take it off from wear. So to sum it all up and stop rambling in order creative, nicole, opi. I guess I do have to add, I think it is odd that nicole wears better than OPI when it is the same company.

 

[naturalnails]

I have used several different brands - Jessica, Zoya, Toma, China Glaze and I prefer the China Glaze.

Reason probably is value for money. China Glaze retails for about £2 per bottle less than most of the other salon brands and in my opinion it knocks spots off the others and the bottle is larger so even better value.

I have done blind(ish) testing on clients where I have painted one hand in one brand and the other hand in another and gauged the difference - obviously I chose VERY similar colours. The China Glaze has very good staying power and is very smooth to apply.

Having said all that, I probably do more airbrush frenchies now than varnishing - but I still use a China Glaze French pink lol.

 

[The Geek]

I like CG and Toma because of the VAST array of colors they both offer

Hey Patti... was gonna put CG up there... but had to settle for 'Other' as I can only put 5 poll options up.

When you say 'because of their vast colours'... How many colours do you stock for back bar? Is it more exotic colours you are after... or are you just unable to find that perfect red/pink/purple/skyblue your after in other lines?

 

[Lexuspilot]

I mainly use China Glaze and Toma polishes. I also like Creative. I really like Misa polishes, but they are hard to find near me, so I only have a few that I've aquired at shows.

I like CG and Toma because of the VAST array of colors they both offer and for their wearability. And I think they are both packaged well. My clients really like both brands.

 

[The Geek]

What is it that makes a tech go with one line of enamel versus another? Colours? Marketing? Pretty bottles? Versatility to be able to paint nails as well as wooden benches?

Whats your favorite line and why? Do you stick to one line or carry more? Why? Enquiring minds (like me) wanna know.

 

[kitty]

Jen,
Neither way is 'Wrong' it just depends what look you want. If you put the white tip on over the 'pink' (or peach or nude or whatever the heck colour you're using for the bed!!) then the white will be sharp & a 'true' shade of white. I use this way when I'm doing 'alternative' french,like chocolate brown with gold tips. See you couldn't possibly put the gold on first or you'd never see it under the brown! but If I'm using shimmer colours, or barely there colours, for example Papua Pink Pearl, by Opi then I do the tips first & then go over with the pink.
It totally depends on the look you want & the method you feel comfortable with.
For years when I had my nails manicured they used the same technique as Barbie,(brushing down) but I was taught when I did my nails course 'never' to do them that way! it should just be 1 swipe across the nail??

Barbie I love the idea of cleaning the smile up, its so simple!! I wonder why I never thought of it???? Doh!!

 

[Victoria136]

Hi there,
I love China Glaze polishes!. They have a great selection of colors, something for everyone, they wear well, go on nicely too. I have tried a few other brands ocassionally but go back to China Glaze. Thanks, Victoria.