Canmake 53 and Pa AA02

I am so lucky to live in a city with lots of Asian influences.  There are so many places to find good Asian makeup and skincare; not to mention food.  Lately, I have discovered a few places that carry nail polish too.  When I saw the Canmake display for the first time, I grabbed about 10 polishes.  I have a mix of pastels and glitters waiting to be swatched.  This was one of them.

I already like Pa nail polish (also Japanese), so I had a feeling that I wasn't going to be disappointed.  And I wasn't.  This is up to par with the quality that I have come to expect from a Japanese product.  Love this light sage green, and I have received lots of comments on it already.

Layering Order:
Gucci Basecoat
2 coats Canmake 53 Peppermint Cream
1 coat Pa AA02
Poshe Fast Drying Basecoat
Chanel Brightening Topcoat
Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
https://www.etakashimaya.com/index.php

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

Ethereal Lilac Haze and Kokoist Excel Builder Gel

I didn't really do any Vday mani this year, as I really didn't get the inspo.  I did wear this gorgeous pink holo, which I think pink is sort of Valentinesy.  BTW I have swatched and posted this before here.  This is one of the indies that I wish came back.  The polishes went beyond my expectations, and none of the ones I have are faded.  I did a destash sale (my store here), and when I was organizing my polishes, I was shocked to see all the fading indies.  Glitter curls too *shrugs*

I didn't want to do a post about all of the faders and shine a light on the negative side of indies.  Instead, I wanted to show one of the pretties that is still going strong, and that I still love.  Perfect application, finish, and drying time after a few years.  That being said, if you have any faders that you would like to talk about, I encourage you to use the comment section here.

Another thing that I wanted to talk about is the Kokoist Builder Gel.  For this, you will need a Led or UV lamp to cure, as well as a brush.  I have posted one of their soak-off Kokoist gels on my IG here.  They have a wide range of colors and they are very durable.  I stumbled onto the builder gel on night, because I was looking for something that would allow my nails to repair, when broken, while not necessarily wearing gel polish and not making them look so thick.  I know that the quality of Japanese products is exceptional, and I have tried a couple of their gels before, so I took a chance on this expensive tub of plastic.

The result was a thin layer of smooth gel that is very sturdy.  The best part is that it can be worn under regular nail polish, as you can see it in these pictures.  I apply it over a gel basecoat, cure it, wipe off the sticky layer, and then I can apply whatever I want over it for two weeks.  My nails grow strong, and they don't break or bend.  I have waited to review this until I was sure that it worked.  It is consistently good, and their customer service is superb.  I still change my mani every 2-3 days and I remove it with OPI expert touch which does not disturb the builder gel.  Can you tell I am wearing anything over my natural nails other than my holo polish?

Layering Order:
Gelish Basecoat
Led 5-45 Lamp
Kokoist Excel Builder
Led 5-45 Lamp
Essie Strengthener Basecoat
2 coats Ethereal Lacquer Lilac Haze
OPI DS Topcoat

Where to buy in the US:
http://www.kokoistusa.com/product-page/excel-builder-20g
Unfortunately, Ethereal is nowhere to be found except destash sales

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.

Essie Let It Glow and Tonic Peacock Parade

I always quickly glance at the Essie stand when I go to the drugstore.  Last week, I got a coupon specifically for Essie, because they probably read my mind or who knows!  So, I spent a little more time looking, and of course I had to squat; 2018 and they can't make these at arm level, seriously.  Anyway, I saw this bubble gum pink & peach mix with gold shimmer that totally caught my attention.  Essie's formula is still horrible by the way, but the color was so nice.

The Essie needed something, so I grabbed this multichrome from Tonic that I had on my to-swatch pile.  I definitely need to get more nail vinyls, because they really make nail art effortless.  I though about pairing the two up right as I was polishing my first coat of pink.  The end result was worthy of this pic-heavy post.

I really like this Tonic.  I didn't want to buy it thinking that I had too many like it.  Thankfully, my friend K sent it to me, and boy was I wrong.  This is nothing like the other teal-to-purple duochromes I've seen or tried.  This shifts to so many beautiful colors, including copper, blue, and pink.  It 'glows' in the shade and indoors.  It is so mesmerizing, because the shift happens really fast, no matter the lighting situation.  I have to say, the finish is a bit brush-strokey.

Overall, I like both of these polishes a lot.  Lately, it has been hard for me to become impressed by new polishes coming out, but these two are definitely winners.

Layering Order:
Gucci Basecoat
2 coats Essie Let It Glow
Seche Vite topcoat
Star Vinyls from Vinyl Boutique (discontinued)
1 coat Tonic Peacock Parade
Guerlain topcoat

Bonus Pictures - Essie Let It Glow by itself

Where to buy in the US:
https://www.cvs.com/shop/essie-nail-color-prodid-1015119?skuId=831502
https://dailycharme.com/collections/whats-up-nails-vinyl
https://www.tonicpolish.com/

If you find something wrong with this post, please let me know, broken links, type-os, different opinions, etc.

These items were purchased by me or sent to me by a friend.  The above are not affiliated links.