I be haulin' - Beauty Outlet

I am apparently not over my "it's Christmas time to spend money" bug... so that combined with my laziness equals multiple blog entries that make me look like I went on a spending spree of nail supplies. Hoorah.

I kinda went crazy at my local Beauty Outlet because their nail polish inventory has increased immensely since the last time I was there. Another thing that got me to buy stuff was that they now have a roll of scotch tape hanging by the polishes and you can use that to test out the colors. No more blind purchases. Yay!

From Left: OPI Nail Lacquer "My Private Jet"; Seche Vitte Dry Fast Top Coat; Orly "Limelite"; OPI Nail Lacquer "Ski Teal we drop"

1. OPI "My Private Jet" : Haven't used it yet but I got it because it basically dries with a really "dense" and "mineral-y" look, like a granite countertop. So cool.

2. Seche Vitte: I joined the ranks and bought a bottle of this so-called "Best top coat" from all the nail blogs I read. And I love it. It's thick but doesn't smudge my Konad nail polish and only needs one coat, versus the 2 coats I needed with my Avon top coat. Looks like I'll be changing that blog entry that says what my top and base coats always are. Oh ya and I just realized I actually bought this on eBay, not at Beauty Outlet. Yay eBay bucks that get me a free top coat that's way better than my old one.

3. Orly "Limelite": Not much to say yet, since I haven't used it. But I had never seen a shimmery color like that before so I went ahead and bought it. 

4. OPI Ski Teal We Drop: I love this blue. My sister commented last night that it looks like algae green, which is true in indoor colors. Then in daytime it's blue again. Nail polishes with color-changing-trickery are always awesome. I used this color already on my recent half-moon nails. So lovely. 

And one last thought ... am I the only one who imagines cheezburger cats saying "o rly" when I see the brand "ORLY?"

For the record: Top and Base Coats

2011 is around the corner and that means I'm going on my third year of keeping this blog updated. And that means... I'm tired of typing out the same top coat/base coat spiel every time I post a nail blog. So here it is once and for all so that I can just post a link to it from now on:

My top and base coat

Avon Nail Experts:

Smooth Beginnings Base Coat and UV Gloss Guard Top Coat

I like these because they're thin enough to really seem like base and top coats without being too heavy. And I love that there's a difference between them -- I hate it when I'm looking at drugstore brands and they claim that the product is both a base and top coat. They're completely different products, man! One is to help keep polish on and the other is to protect and keep things OFF, so I really don't get how you can use the same product for both.

The base coat has a gritty feeling to it when it dries, and the top coat is smooth and flows nicely. I really like them, and I never have a problem with bubbling. I usually do only 1 coat of the base and 1-2 coats of the top coat (hence the difference in levels on my bottles that were bought at the same time...)

So there it is, if you're ever curious.

My latest purchases: Avon Top Coat, Drip Dry by OPI

Avon Nail Experts: UV Gloss Guard Top Coat

I really love this stuff. It's a lot thinner than my previous topcoat by Nailene and it never leaves little bubbles on my nails. That, and I love how it makes my nails look like they don't have a top coat on. I prefer that to having a clear layer floating on top of the colored nail polish.

I bought it from Avon through Amazon: Here's the link if you're curious. $3.99 + 5.99 shipping, but I pretty much got it for free since I opened up an Amazon Credit Card and will be getting a $30 credit back on my bill. Yay freebies!

Drip Dry by OPI: Lacquer Drying Drops

Previously I've used Sephora by OPI Nail Colour Drying Drops but that was $14 (plus shipping if I didn't have access to a store... which I don't, during the school year). Instead I found the next best thing on eBay, from the seller jenbyk for $6.99 + $1.95 shipping, which ended up being super fast.

So far, no complaints. It works the same as the non-sephora affiliated drying drops, and I'm guessing it's the same product but with a different label. I like it.