NOTD: OPI Samoan Sand

Another nude I’ve been wearing a lot lately.

This goes on quite streaky on the first coat but evens out nicely on the second. I wore 3 coats for maximum opacity and this also helps reduce the streaks. Definitely a must-have polish for “mannequin hands”. It also reminds me a lot of Zoya Melodie just that OPI Samoan Sand has a touch more pink/peach in it.

Yes, I certainly consider this a staple in any polish fiend’s stash.

OPI Tickle My France-y

Picked up OPI Tickle My France-y some time ago but this is the first time I’m wearing it!

 

This is the awesome-est nudish pink to wear to work. Very nice neutral, appears lilac/pink with some brown/mauve undertones. Formula was excellent too, goes on in one smooth coat. I used 2 coats as usual. If you notice some shimmers, it’s because I layered Zoya Gigi over it (would love to wear TMF alone, but I accidentally smudged one finger).

Swatch & Review: Perfectly Nude with ZOYA Melodie

Zoya Melodie is one of my greatest finds in 2011. This is the nude I have been looking for all my life. It didn’t give me corpse-y fingers and contained just the right balance of beige and pink to give a really pretty neutral look. I am very glad I picked this up and according to my supplier, it is now (unfortunately) OOS and would probably not come in anymore. However if you do come across this, and you need a neutral polish for work… This is fabulous.

Color Family: Neutrals

Finish: Metallic

Intensity: 3 (1=Sheer – 5=Opaque)

Tone: Cool

Zoya Melodie (3 coats):

Sorry about the picture spam. It’s really too pretty and I can’t resist snapping more pictures just for the sake of it.

Two coats would have sufficed, this went on more pigmented than I had expected. As you know I’m fairly impatient and this resulted in alot of bald spots so I had to use a 3rd coat. No streakiness too and was easy peasy to work with. Wears like iron with Armor Top Coat too, and to speed up the drying process I used Poshe Top Coat over it.

It’s been almost 24 hours and I don’t even spot any sign of wear and tear though I’ve been using my hands a fair bit today.

I’m really not trying to act cute here, but see how the nail colour complements my skintone?

DIY Nude Nails

I’ve decided to go on and DIY a nude nail colour after failure to find a suitable one. This idea is credited to Pursebuzz as I decided to do this only after watching her video.

What you will need:

1. Clear Polish (any brands will do, I used a cheap one from Elianto)

2. Mineral Foundation (can be a shade that doesn’t suit you)

3. Paper towels

4. Clean dish (I recycled a screw-top cap  from a sample jar)

5. Fast-drying Top Coat (or any normal top coat will do)

I chose this mineral foundation  from Everyday Minerals in Winged Butter. The undertone is perfect and matches my neck but the colour itself is too dark.

Step 1: Decant some mineral foundation onto a clean surface or dish

Excuse the stained bare nails!!

Step 2: Mix in some clear polish and create a coloured mixture.

It is important to keep adding clear polish to the powder to smoothen out the texture, otherwise it will be clumpy and powdery bits will stick to the nail. I learnt it the hard way and had to keep re-dipping the brush in polish in order to achieve a consistency that allows me to properly paint my nails.

No pictures were taken when I was working to achieve the right consistency because it took me a few tries and time was of the essence when it comes to this. I had to work quite quickly otherwise the polish tends to clump on the dish, making it harder to work with.

End Result:

Besides the fact that the colour is atrociously off, the coats were thick, goopy and uneven because I couldn’t guage how much polish to mix on to the dish. It took me a few tries before I could accurately estimate the “right” consistency. The polish looked far better on my right hand but no pictures because I’m too much of a klutz to hold the camera steady on my left hand.

I had on like 5 coats of clear polish to even out the texture so it looks REALLY thick. But hey, at least the application looks rather even.

Hate the colour though. I might try it with a different shade next time.

I LOOK JAUNDICED.

It removed ok like a regular cream polish so that’s great. If anyone had tried this too, or have any recommendations on what mineral powders are good to use, let me know!