Review: Bettina Base/Top Coat

Hi! Today I will be reviewing Bettina's Base/Top coat(:

Note from me: I wanted to mention that this topcoat does not smear stamping! How awesome is that!? I also wanted to mention that one odd thing happened to me once, I was going to paint my nails and I used this as a base coat, but instead of drying shiny is dried cloudy/matte! I think it was because I just washed the dishes and maybe my nails were still a "damp" but it was weird! That was the only time that's ever happened to me....

Bottle/Price: For about $3-$4 you get a 1/2 FL. OZ (15 ml) bottle of product. You can buy Bettina at two locations in Florida (go to Bettina FB page more more info) or you can purchase then online by emailing Janet (rosamadistributers@gmail.com).

Bubbling: There is a little bit of bubbling. Not as bad as Pro-FX, but there is bubbling. Have to be careful not to move it around too much. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and the bubbles should go away :)

Brush/Wand: I love Bettina brushes, they are super soft but not too soft, and they fan out nicely. The wand is a pretty nice size as well. Not to short, not too long.

Formula/Smell/Dry Time: The formula is a really nice consintancy. It's thin, but not too thin. It's a tad bit thinner than my Pro-FX products.... It's similar to the NYC Quick Dry. Smell is just like any other Bettina polish meaning it isn't bad. It has that polish smell but not as strong. Dry time was surprisingly fast! Not as fast as Seche of course but really fast! Definitely a major win for this product! Since this product dries fast I wonder how fast their Fast Dry Top Coat is O.o

Gripping: I think this works pretty well as a base coat. It really does grip the polish nicely so it doesn't "move around" is that makes sense. Makes wear time pretty long. Another win.

Anti-Staining: The main reason I use a base coat is to prevent staining, this product passes!


Top Coat: This is an amazing top coat. I didn't expect it to dry that fast and to harden that fast! It's dry to the touch in about 5 min, hardened in 10 min, and fully hardened by tomorrow morning. It's really shiny and smooth. Just to give you an idea about the hardening, it's a little less hard than Seche but it hardens way faster than Pro-FX, which I love! What I also like about it is that it doesn't peel on me like Seche does :) As for wear time, it lasted a good three days before it started to get some tip wear.

Overall: Overall I really love this product. I literally have no complaints other than the bubbling but I can fix that no problem! :) The dry time is amazing and it dries hard, and wear time is pretty good! On top of that it doesn't smear stamping, which is very important to me. This top coat and base coat is an all around win in my book and I recommend it to everyone.

If you have any questions let me know(:

(**Product sent for review**)

Review: Pro-FX 3 in 1 Basecoat, TopCoat, and Nail Strengthener

Hi everyone!! I decided to review my Pro-FX Basecoat, Topcoat, and Nail Strengthener because I know you liked my review of their fast dry topcoat (HERE), so I just thought that I might as well review my other Pro-FX product as well(:

Note From Me: Other than this base coat, my other go-to base coat is the one by Beauty Secrets. But, I am running out of that one and it's kind of gloopy, and sadly, their is no Sally's where I live :(

Bottle/Price: For the price you pay, the bottle is huge. I paid only $4.95 +tax for a 2.5 FL. OZ/ 75 ML bottle. In the second picture you can see how it compares to my Beauty Secret's Base Coat.

Bubbling: To me, the only major downside to this base coat is the bubbling, like it's fast dry top coat, this bubbles easily. To me, that's very annoying but let it sit for a while, the bubbles go away. Also like the fast dry top coat, be careful when applying, cause even if you dip the brush back into the product too fast can result in bubbles.

Brush/Wand: Since I already reviewed the brush/wand on the top coat, I am just going to keep it short and sweet. Ok, both the brush and the wand are giant which isn't necessarily bad. The long wand allows you to get every last bit of product and the big brush fans out perfectly. Even though you would think the large-ness would give you a hard time, it doesn't... which I love! :)

Formula/Smell/Dry Time: Formula is pretty thin.... quite nice. As for the smell... nothing major. Dry time is pretty fast.

Gripping: I think this base coat has a pretty good job of gripping the polish and making sure it stays on. That makes me happy(: Paired with the fast dry top coat, your nails will be invincible!

Anti-Staining: For me personally, the only reason why I use a base coat is so that my nail polish doesn't stain my natural nail. It also helps my natural nail from getting yucky and flimsy... but more on that in a minute. Anyway, I think this base coat does a good job from keeping your nails stain free. My nails will always be a tad bit yellow tinged, but for the most part, good job! Blues usually stain on me and I have been wearing a ton of blues lately and I am super stoked because no staining!! Yay!

Nail Strengthening: I have the flimsiest (is that a word?) nails on the planet and it feels like nothing can make them stronger. I wasn't really expecting anything but I must say that even though my nails still aren't very strong, they seem to be a little bit harder to break which is a miracle! Now, I am not saying my nails are super strong now (which they aren't) but I am just saying they seem.... a bit stronger... just a bit... a pinch? IDK. But what I really wanted to mention was that my nails have been growing incredibly fast and I think it's because of this stuff. It seems like whenever I sit down to do my nails I am always filing or trimming which I think is great because my nails grow so slow!

Top Coat: I actually just bought this for the base coat (they didn't have just a regular one, they had a cuticle oil, nail strengthener, this, and fast dry top coat) so I actually haven't tried it as a top coat at all... so ya... I am going to have to skip this for now. But if I try it in the future, I'll be sure to edit it in(:

Overall: Overall I really love this base coat and I will continue to buy it. To me, the only major downside is the bubbles but that can be fixed. I love the brush, dry time, and the anti-staining. It grips your polish so that it stays on and I just genuinely love the product!! So far I am really liking this brand (despite bubbling) and I kind of want to try their cuticle oil... but that's besides the point, lol.


If you have any questions feel free to ask(:

Review: Pro-FX Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat (+Comparisons)

Hi everyone!! So I recently bought a new topcoat(: I was cruising Twitter and Rie (Nails and Noms) mentioned that she got this new top coat, and it was fairly similar to Seche Vite. I have been needing a new bottle of TC, so after she said that it was like Seche, the very next day I went and bought it. I also ended up buying the 3 In One Base Coat, Top Coat, and Nail Strengthener, but I'll review that another day. Anyway, this is a super long review so better grab a snack or something.

Note From Me: I have 3 go-to topcoats. Seche Vite, NYC Quick Dry, and now Pro-FX Quick Dry Top Coat. Seche is basically my holy grail but it's really hard for me to find where I live. The NYC one was recommended by Sammie (The Nailasaurus) and that's really easy for me to get. I really like that top coat as well. Very nice brush (similar to OPI pro wide brush which I love).

Bottle/Price:  Ohmygawd the bottle is HUGE! I first saw this brand at my local Walmart about 4-5 months ago, and I have always wanted to try it because of the bottle. Apparently it's "salon size". It's 2.5 FL. OZ/ 75 ML. You can see in the second picture, how it compares to a regular bottle of Beauty Secrets Base Coat. This top coat was fairly cheap considering it's size, I only payed $4.95 +tax.

Bubbling:  Rie mentioned that this top coat bubbled on her friend really badly. (It didn't bubble on Rie though). I noticed that this top coat gets bubbles really easily which I absolutely hate! Even if it looks like there isn't any bubbles, move it even slightly stupid bubbles start popping up. And even when you paint it, as you dip the brush back into the bottle it slowly gets bubbles. But, the good thing is, is that if you let it sit for a while, the bubbles go away:) But still, be careful while applying and be sure to not shake it.

Brush/Wand:  The wand is super long and giant. It also touched the very bottom of the bottle which I think is great, it allows you to get every last bit of product. The brush is very soft and much like Seche. But a little bit bigger. If you have enough product on, and with a light touch, it doesn't smear your stamping! :) Also, if you don't let it drip on one side, you can do your whole hand without having to re-dip. Even though the brush/wand is very large, I had no problems what-so-ever(:

Formula/Smell:  The formula is a little thinner than Seche Vite. Formula wise, Pro-FX is closer to NYC. It smells just like Seche though. (It actually has the word "Seche" on the bottle)

Dry Time/Hardness:  Although dry time is quick, it isn't as quick as Seche. It also doesn't harden as fast. It's dry to the touch in about 5 min, fully dry in about 10-20 minutes, hard enough so you don't ding anything in about an hour, and fully hardened by the next day. Which I guess compared to Seche, that's a while, but it is very hard nonetheless. Nothing can really ding the surface and it lasts super long so yay!

Wear Time:  Ok, now for the good part! Wear time! Most top coats start peeling/chipping on me by the second day. This top coat, doesn't chip/peel or even have tip wear until the fourth day... which is usually when I start getting bored of the color and start picking at it. Seriously! Not even tip wear! The other day (I forget what color I was wearing... Zoya something rather), I didn't have anything until day four. I went to the beach twice, swimming twice, sand, dishes, showers, school, everything!! That's pretty awesome!

Shine:  Last but not least, shine. It does dry very shiny, and stays shiny for the most part. I have been out of Seche for a while so I can't really compare it to that... NYC dries shiny as well, but doesn't stay shiny.... for me at least.

Overall:  Overall, I really love this top coat. Even though Seche Vite will always be my favorite, it chips/peels way to fast for way and when using Pro-FX I know it will stay on. You get a lot of good
product for a fairly cheap price, dry time is fast, and I just overall love it! Even though it bubbles easily which really annoys me, the wear time/shine makes up for that.

If you have any questions feel free to ask(:

Zoya Remover+ vs. Sally Hansen Moisturizing Remover

Last week, when I got my Zoya order in, I also received a free mini bottle of Remover+. I couldn't wait to try it out! I have heard so many good things. I also wanted to see how it would compare to my Sally Hansen remover... which is like my holy grail. I have gone through like 6 bottles, I refuse to use anything else. Anyway, I asked you guys on Twitter and Facebook last night, if you would like to see a post comparing/reviewing the two removers, and I got a lot of responses saying yes!! So here it is(:

Note From Me:  Before I started I just wanted to say that I try to stay away from pure acetone. Where I live, everybody surfs, and acetone is used and is for removing resin. So I don't think it's healthy on your nails to use acetone. Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't have any acetone in your remover, because it doesn't work that well if you don't, but I just wouldn't recommend using pure acetone :)

Smell: The first thing I noticed about Remover+ was the smell. It's very different (and strong!) from the Sally Hansen one. SH has more of a... softer smell that I actually don't mind at all, while R+ has more of a strong menthol smell... which I don't really enjoy. The SH even seemed a little bit floral smelling in relation to the Zoya one. 

Removing:  Ok, moving on to what it's actually supposed to do... remove polish. Both of these removers work great! I honestly wouldn't choose one over the other. Both have enough acetone to make removal process super fast and easy. And all you have to do is rub your cotton round/ball a couple times around your finger and BAM! It's gone! (Both removers take me about 3 swipes/rubs to get all polish off. Excluding little bits near cuticle) But I think Remover+ removes shimmer/glitter a little better than SH.

Residue:  One thing I noticed after taking off the polish on the Zoya hand, is that my fingers felt a little bit sticky. Now, my SH remover leaves residue, but I don't think it was as bad as Remover+

Moisturizing:  Both say they moisturize but I can't really tell... I don't really care though if they do or not... I always put my Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream right after so that pretty much takes care of things as far as moisturizing. 

Overall:  Overall, both are great and they both remove nail polish really fast and easy, unlike some removers I know (I am looking at you Cutex!). I wouldn't really recommend one over the other. Both are great. I guess it just depends on what your nail type it.... oh, and the smell, lol... I don't really like the Zoya smell. But the great removal makes up for that(: 

Let me know what your thoughts are or what your favorite remover is! :)

Sally Hansen Salon Effects: Girl Flower

Why do my fingers always look gross?? 

 My fingers seriously don't look like this lol

Wrinkle Alert! JK, my fingers don't look like this IRL

Hi everyone(:  My friend got me the Girl Flower one for my birthday, I was so excited to use them!! 

So after about a month of waiting, I finally opened the box and applied them. So, what do you think??

I personally like them, and they are so simple to use!

Tip: I couldn't figure out how to file off the excess like it shows in the picture (on the box), so I found that it was just easier to cut it as close to the nail as possible. Also, instead of filing regularly, file downward, it's a lot easier and it works better. Another easy way to get rid of the excess is to fold the remaining polish strip over the edge of your nail, and using the rough side of the file, file downwards.

Review: Hard Candy Matte Topcoat

Hi everyone :) Today I have a review of the matte topcoat by Hard Candy (Matte-ly in Love)

 I also have some swatches to show you :) I chose a cream and shimmer/glass fleck/duo-chrome finish so you could see how the matte topcoat looks on different finishes:

Matte Topcoat: Index and ring finger 

 Matte Topcoat: Index and ring finger

 Matte Topcoat: Index and ring finger

Matte Topcoat: Index and ring finger

First of all, I want to say that this was the first matte top coat I have ever tried, so I can't compare it to Matte Magic by China Glaze, or Matte About You by Essie. I do want to say that I had a wonderful experience with this polish, almost immediately you could see the change, it dried really fast, and it truly dried matte, not satin or "plastic" :) The price was really good too, I got it for $4 at Walmart.  Bottom line, for an affordable price, you can get a good quality matte topcoat, that has good application and formula (the brush was decent too), it doesn't smear your Konad (as long as you use a generous amount), and the packaging is super cute. So ya, I definitely recommend it :)

• First Swatch: Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
• Second Swatch: OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui
• Top Coats Used: Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love,  Seche Vite

Claire's Mood Polish Peaceful/Confident

Hey everybody!! So today I have a swatch to show you :) This is mood polish from Claire's and this is the Peaceful/Confident one: (oh, and for those of you who don't know what these are, the mood polishes, change color when it is hot or cold... if that makes sense lol)

First of all, I wanted to say that this polish in real life is a LOT more sea-green-ish. But no matter how many photos I took the green just would NOT show!! >:( What this color reminds me of is this polish my friend owns and it is by Island Girl Cosmetics and it is called Surfer Babe, yup, this color is really similer.
Here, I used 2 coats. The application was pretty good, I had no problems, and the drying time was fast :) (but then again, it was a matte)
You can get these at Claire's for I think $5-6.
(BTW, you can see a pic of the bottles on my Nail Polish Collection tab... if you want to see the color it is supposed to change to and stuff...)

A little review....
 Ok, so you might be wondering why I just posted a pic of "one" color... well, I have a good explanation for that... it doesn't work. Or at least this one doesn't. In the bottle you can see the two different colors but when you put your hand under hot/cold water I see no change what-so-ever. That made me really sad :'( And to tell you the truth, I don't like this color all that much, I LOVED it in the bottle though, but on the nail, it didn't "wow" me if you know what I mean. I have one more mood polish and next week I am going to swatch it and see if it works. Anyway, I would really love if you could post me a comment below telling me if you own any of these polishes and if you do, which ones are your favorites, and whether or not you like them. Also, if you own this particular one and if you see any change when you put it under hot or cold water. Thanks :)

Teal and Green Design

Today I have another mani to show you!! This one kind of reminds me of a water marble, anyway's here's the pic:
I have decided that I like having grass in the backround, so I am going to start taking the "finished" picture out on the grass. I liked this one because I loved the way the light was shining through

• Base Color: Sally Hansen the Real Teal
• Konad Color: Pure Ice Wild Thing
• IP: M78

 Just a little something on the Konad Topcoat...
Ok, I really DISLIKE the Konad Topcoat :( Yes, it doesn't smear your design but it NEVER DRIES!! Even when it is "dry" all of the sudden you smudge it!!! It is so irritating... I borrowed it from my friend because I wanted to try it out... I am so sad :( WHY KONAD, WHY!!!!!!! Anyway, if I had to choose, I would say Seche Vite instead of the actual Konad Topcoat... But that is just what I think, please tell me your thoughts, thanks!! :)

Review: Seche Vite Topcoat

If you look at nail tutorials on youtube, everybody usually has the same topcoat. The Seche Vite Topcoat.

I found out that when you use Seche Vite as your topcoat, your manicure is going to last for a long time. I did my friends nails a couple of weeks ago and I used this topcoat, her manicure lasted for 1 week and 4 days WITHOUT chipping! How awsome is that?! The application is really nice and I love the brush. But what is REALLY awsome is the finish. After it dries, your nails feel so smooth! You can tell right away that nothing can ding the surface.

So basically you get a 1 week no chipping mani and a fast drying anti-ding surface for a great price! That's a pretty good deal.

I am not sure how much they cost at stores, I think this one was around $8-$10, but I know you can find them on Amazon for $4.50 or something like that.

Overall, I really like this product, and I definitely see myself buying more :)

Review: Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen

So today I am going to do a review of Sally Hansen's Nail Art pen:
Ok, so first of all, I love the packaging. You get it in a little plastic box with some design ideas on the side, and directions on the back. And inside you have the pen:
HOW CUTE IS THE FLOWER! Anyway....

So in order to use the pen, your nails have to be COMPLETELY dry, because if they aren't then the pen is going to move the polish on your nails around (does that make sense??). The pen is really simple to use. All you have to do is just draw on your nail which is easy because it has a fine tip.

To get it started, shake it a couple of times, and then press down hard to get the product out, and then you start drawing. But since it is water based sometimes when you draw it shrinks up. (does that make sense too?) So you kind of have to go over the lines a couple of times. Ok, so now here comes the important part: YOU HAVE TO PUT A TOPCOAT ON! Ok, so on Thursday my friends and I were going to go to the movies and I wanted my nails to look cute (I will have a pic of my nails up later). So anyway, I wanted to try out my pen and everything was going pretty good... And when I got home I noticed that the lines were like... disappearing! I think since the pen is water based, it evaporates! So that night I removed the lines and stuff and I redid them, this time with a topcoat. (They are all good now)

You can find them in a bunch of different colors at Walmart for about $7.00, which is a pretty good price.

Overall, I really like this product and I would totally recommend it. It is definitely a good investment :)