Poshe Nails Fast Drying Base Coat Update

Update from my last Poshe post!  I've been using Poshe fast drying base coat under all my manicures and on my bare nails since 18 February.  Today is now 18 March and not only did my nails grow nice and long but my manicurist told me that they felt stronger than she's ever felt - and I've been going to her around once every 6 weeks for over a year now!  While I loved Rejuvacoat by Duri, they didn't make my nails as strong as Poshe has!  So, here are my nails on 1 March - right before I had a manicure done.

Looking lookie!  I'm pretty darn pleased with myself.  And with Poshe!

In my press release post of Poshe products, I had some ladies share that where Seche Vite has failed them, Poshe has redeemed itself.  You can see their website as to where to purchase their products in the US (my local Sally's has them!).  I've seen the price range from $5.50 to $7 for their base coat.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Poshe Nails Fast Drying Base Coat

I had mentioned earlier that I was going to be doing a trial run of Poshe products on my nails and I'm starting at the beginning with their fast-drying base coat.  This base coat is said to work on both natural and artificial nails, is fast drying, non-yellowing & chip resistant.  The following pictures are from 18 February, and I've worn Poshe base coat alone or under every manicure since.

I do have to agree that this is a fast drying base coat.  I like to start with my pinkie and move to my thumb when painting my nails and by the time that I've capped the bottle, my pinkie is dry.  This is great for me, because I never seem to have a long time to do my nails.


Like my test run with Duri, my nails have been growing well and I haven't had any issues with splitting, peeling or breaking (so far!).  I was supposed to have a manicure done today, but my nail tech had to reschedule so I'll wait another week before posting my nails since I'll be having the length taken down a bit as well.


I think I'm going to start having my pedicures done with this.  Unlike my hands, my toenails are stained from wearing the same polish for up to 6 weeks straight.  I'm not 100% sure what base coat my nail tech uses on my feet, so I will be bringing this in next time I see her for a pedicure.  Do you bring your own polishes to the salon?


In my press release post of Poshe products, I had some ladies share that where Seche Vite has failed them, Poshe has redeemed itself.  You can see their website as to where to purchase their products in the US (my local Sally's has them!).  I've seen the price range from $5.50 to $7 for their base coat.


Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Duri Rejuvacote: Update

So I'm still in love with my Duri Rejuvacote.  I've been wearing it under all manicures or just on its own and my nails have NEVER been this long.


However, on 13 January, I suffered a blow.

Boo.  I don't even remember what I was doing when it broke but the next day it snapped right off when I was taking out the garbage so I'm back to nubbins.  Here's my left hand as well.

You can see how thin my nails are on the index finger - nearly translucent!  Now I need to see about something to make them thicker since the growing is good.  :]  Duri just recently came out with a top coat as well called Miracote that I will probably be checking out when I'm done with my bottle of CND Air Dry and Seche Vite.

Duri [Website] can be purchased on their website or in salons.  I purchased my bottle for $15 at my local salon - it's priced at $14 on their website.

Dermelect Launchpad Nail Strengthener Follow Up

A little over a month ago, I started using Dermelect Launchpad as my base coat.  The product says it hydrates and strengthens nails, resists chipping and splitting, increases integrity and cohesion of the nail plate resulting in natural flexibility and increased moisture and actively removes harmful free radicals most commonly associated with nail damage.  I also wanted to see if it would help my nails grow faster.


I've been under a lot of stress these past 30 days, including three very bad breaks to my nails that couldn't have been avoided.  However, as a whole, my nails were definitely stronger than normal.  I didn't have any problems with chipping or splitting but I can't say that they grew any faster - which wasn't a claim of the company anyway. Overall, I am happy with this product as far as a strengthener, but I don't feel that I would replace my base coat completely just yet.  

Dermelect Cosmeceuticals products are available on their website [official website].

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Dermelect Launchpad Nail Strengthener

Ever since my nail staining in July 2009 when I used China Glaze Paper Chasing (a green with yellow undertones) and did not use a base coat, I have used a base coat every single time.


I started with Seche Clear Crystal Clear Base Coat which simply states "will not yellow".  I had pretty awesome results but then Seche tweeted about Seche Natural which contains wheat protein, calcium and polyurethane to strengthen weak nails.  Okay, yes, I just said polyurethane, but after doing a bit of research, I found that some organic polish companies use it too, so it's not as bad as it sounds.


Well now I'm trying out something new.  Dermelect Cosmeceuticals is a line of beauty products formulated jointly by medical professionals and licensed estheticians.  They have their website [official website], Facebook Fan Page [Facebook] and Twitter page [Twitter].  Just as of note, you can follow Dermelect on Twitter and Facebook for the chance to win a Nail Recovery System (value $70).  I'm not sure if the giveaway is on one platform, the other, or both, but regardless, we're talking free product here!  The giveaway ended last week.


I am reviewing their anti-aging base coat, Launchpad Nail Strengthener which is available on their website for $18.  Here's the skinny:

LAUNCHPAD NAIL STRENGTHENER

• Hydrates and strengthens nails using the protein peptide, ProSina.
• Resists chipping and splitting, while providing a great basecoat for your favorite nail polish.
• Increases the integrity and cohesion to the nail plate resulting in natural flexibility and increased moisture.
• ProSina’s anti-oxidant behavior allows it to actively remove harmful free radicals most commonly associated with nail damage. 

It's also big 3 free, which they call their "Green Formula"... free of DBP, Toluene, and Formaldehyde.

Now I don't have a hard time getting my nails to grow.  From super nubbins to nice and long takes about 4 weeks. Now, will this help my nails grow faster?  I'm not sure - that's my test, as well as the other items it offers... resists splitting (which I've done twice this month already) and chipping, and just the strengthening and hydrating properties.  I'm going to use Launchpad exclusively for one month and see how it does.  Even if I'm not wearing nail polish, I'm going to wear Launchpad.  It has a fast-drying formula that provides a soft shine, and is not blue like the bottle. 

Now I did find that it dries a little slower that Seche Natural, but Seche Natural also dries to a matte finish, so that's another thing.  Launchpad recommends 1-2 coats as your base, but I'm only using one.

The bottle looks just like Rescue Beauty Lounge, and the brush is a little short but not unmanageable.  So here we go!  I'll check back in a month or any time that is relevant.

Dermelect Cosmeceuticals products are available on their website [official website].

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Cheeky Monkey Wet Dream & I Like It On Top

Included in my bag of treats from Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics [official website] was their sticky base coat Wet Dream and their shiny shine top coat I Like It On Top.  Even though they are definitely colored in the bottle, they both go on the nail clear.

Wet Dream says on the bottle to shake gentle and apply 2 coats, but I forgot and only used one coat.  The bottle has a nice wide brush for complete nail coverage.  Additionally, all of Cheeky Monkey bottles comes with a small tag on each bottle with a great note inside.  Here was Wet Dream's tag (although I don't think they are specific to each bottle, not sure on that one).

Seriously, just something to make you smile a bit, and I did.  Oh yes, I did.  ^_^

Like Wet Dream, I Like It On Top also says to shake gently and apply 2 coats.  Now, you know that I'm complete spoiled by Seche Vite, but I had to try this out.  Also, you can see that my bottle has a bit missing from it - it arrived that way, but I didn't see any spilling or leakage in the box.  All the other bottles were completely full, and I know Cheeky Monkey is a small company, but I don't know where or how they fill their bottles.  Honestly, not that big of a deal to me, but it was noticeable, especially in the first shot.


Don't forget the tag!

Now, this is the hard part.  I had to wait.  And wait.  And wait.  I waited 15 minutes after the second coat and then brought the nail to my lips to see if it would leave lip prints.  Instead, my lip dragged on past, so I thought I was in the clear.  I then touched my index nail with my finger tip and BAM, finger print.  Yes, the top coat was not fully dry.  This is when my impatience got the best of me and I pulled out my Seche Vite and added one coat of it and within 3 minutes, my nails were hard and slick.  I must say though, I really did like Wet Dream and I think if I had more patience, I'd really like I Like It On Top as well.

Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics is based out of Canada and you can order right from their website [official website].

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Seche Natural Matte Finish Nail Treatment

Seche Vite has quickly become one of my favorite products.  Their base coat which I use exclusively now, dries fast, lasts, and more importantly does not allow bleed through with polishes.  Their top coat is amazing - very fast drying, shiny, and long lasting.  I have read of other bloggers having problems with Seche Vite top coat shrinking and "peeling up" on them, but thankfully I've never had that happen.  I did have one bottle of top coat get thick on me, but once I used some Seche Vite Restore (which was given to me from the company), the top coat worked just fine again.


I do follow Seche Vite on Twitter [official Twitter page] and back in early January, they tweeted about their newest product Seche Natural Matte Finish Nail Treatment.  My ears perked up.  According to the box, "Seche Natural strengthens weak nails with wheat protein and calcium.  Ideal for a natural looking matte finish when worn alone or may be applied under polish as a nourishing base coat."


I began a wild goose chasing trying to find of any store in my local area that had even HEARD of this product, but no one had, but I found it on TransDesign [official website] for $4.20 - not bad.  Thankfully, I was blessed with strong nails - no peeling or splitting here, but I figure this can't hurt.  I want to wear it on days that I don't have polish on, or maybe alternate between Natural and Seche Vite's Crystal Base Coat for awhile.

To be honest, I didn't notice that much of a matte finish over my natural nails - this is one coat.  Maybe with longer nails, you'll be able to tell the difference.