I REALLY want to make Nfu-Oh's holo polishes work for me, but honestly, its been disappointment after disappointment! While I love the colors, I just don't seem to be able to make it work for me! Bubbling issues using the APPARENTLY "MUST HAVE" AQUA BASE just makes the experience frustrating! 

I'll begin with my Nfu-Oh experience by saying I saw swatches online and decided it was something I HAD TO HAVE! Those of you who grew up knowing me, pretty much know that if I want something, I'll move the earth to get it..which is what I feel I did! I contacted Fabulous Street (3 times by phone, leaving a message, which was never returned or acknowledged, and 2 emails which after 2 weeks, I finally got a return email) which is the only place to buy the polishes (aside from ebay) and of course, they did not have the AQUA BASE, NOR did they have the "coveted" #61. I wanted the whole collection so I put in my order and was placed on a waitlist. I waited almost 6 weeks, and finally got the polishes #61 through #66! But the AQUA BASE was on backorder for another 6 weeks, so I went and blew 45.00 on ONE bottle of AQUA BASE on an ebay auction! Ridiculous amount, but I soooo wanted that holographic effect which I felt I was NOT getting (or rather I was sold to believe that I HAD to have the AQUA BASE) using the Nfu holo polishes alone. I received my ebay AQUA BASE, and was sooo disappointed, both at the amount of money I spent on the AQUA BASE AND the polishes themselves..well..and the fact I was on the waitlist for the #61 and 4 more bottles of the Aqua Base. So I thought..well..maybe its the aqua base I got on ebay..maybe it was a knockoff..WRONG! A couple of weeks later the other polishes arrived including a flakie and a jelly (which I'll talk about in a later blog) and had the same issues with the AQUA BASE..too much time to dry and when it did..BUBBLING...I HATE BUBBLING (duh..who doesn't) and SHEET MARKS, 7 hours after application (no topcoat)!!! 

After that initial mental trauma with the NFu's I just set the whole set aside and went on to a BETTER PRODUCT! Glitter Gal Holo's! No AQUA BASE NEEDED..easy application, no bubbles, the only issue is that the bottles were rather small (however that is now resolved because Glitter Gal polishes NOW come in the larger bottle!). 

Back to NFu...as it finally got cooler in Florida (I received them in the SUMMER when humidity and heat are paramount here..EVEN IN AN AIR CONDITIONED HOME) and I think my frustration and anger (over the disappointment of NFu's performance) had cooled off with  the weather, I was prepared to TRY AGAIN! 

This time I decided to try the #66 (a light green holo). I used 2 coats of the Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, making sure I waited 5 minutes between each coat. Then I put ONE coat of the dreaded AQUA BASE. I used a thin coat, noting that its really quite "runny" in consistency, and the brush is rather stiff, but after I applied the AQUA BASE, I looked at my nails under a strong lamp and outside in sunlight..and NO BUBBLING! I then decided to use the #66 (a light green holo).  

Like all of the Nfu Holo's the #66 applies (on the first coat) really patchy and streaky. Maybe its because I did a thin coat because I was afraid of bubbling. But patchiness or not, I did one coat and waited 10 min, then applied another. The polish is almost..I don't know what to call it..weird...its almost powdery, but its not a powder. Its not even like what I could compare to a cream to powder eyeshadow..whatever..REGARDLESS, I put on 3 thin "powdery coats". The 2nd coat went on much easier than the 1st and the 3rd was easier than the 2nd...go figure...I waited 10 minutes between each coat, noting..great...I'm still like I was in the first grade...given I STILL GO OUTSIDE THE LINES WHEN COLORING! But polish on the outside of my nails is my LAST WORRY at that point. After my 3rd coat..I didn't mess with my nails again for an hour and looked at my nails under the same light..NO BUBBLES! I did notice that it had a "powdery" feel to the touch..but refrained from using a topcoat not knowing if the holo effect would be affected. I was happy with the results! 

You'll see the ONE picture (sorry about my horrible cuticles..I didn't think the polish would work given my past experiences with Nfu-Oh) that John soooo GRACIOUSLY took OUTSIDE before he went to work in the sunlight and ASIDE from the raggy cuticles, I was very happy at the results! 

Now granted, I like the results now I know the RITUAL I have to go through to get the effect I paid dearly for, however, there are sooo many other BETTER applied holo polishes out there and for me, it just takes way to much time, I don't know if I'd recommend it. I'll be honest when I say..if I would have read a review like mine before I bought it, if it would have deterred me..because again, when I get that "compulsion to buy"..NOTHING can stop me..so..yeah..I'd still buy the polishes even after reading a "negative review". But that's me being heard headed. 

Will I buy more from Nfu Oh? I don't know...her polishes are reasonably priced (12.50 per bottle and you get MORE polish in the bottle .6 vs the standard .5 per bottle), and the bottles themselves are BEAUTIFUL! I haven't seen anything else like them on the market! The fact she's only made 6 holo's is rather disappointing, and they're all in the "light color"' range. Other companies have all taken their holo's to a higher and better color level. Availability is another issue. One would think (ok..when i start speaking in the 3rd party..I'm peeved) there wouldn't always be such a waitlist (I checked again today..and yes, the Aqua Base is still not available, and there's still a limit on how many of the holo's you can buy from Fabulous Street) by now..so then..MAYBE I'M THE ONLY ONE NOT COMPLETELY CAPTIVATED by Nfu-Oh's holo polish! 

Sooo..I guess for ME..the jury is still OUT on Nfu-Oh's holographic nail polish! I'll take more swatch pics when I GET THE TIME to do them! Or when my cuticles are in better shape..whichever comes first!

My

Thinking about my routine for doing my nails..again..I had 2 coats of GLITTER GAL BLACK over 1 coat of Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator (I SWEAR BY THIS PRODUCT..and that will be another posting on my search for nail hardening/increased growth products), 1 coat of CULT NAILS "GET IT ON" base coat. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it, and I'm going to work on posting pics of my nails with my Kodak digital camera, but I haven't quite gotten the knack of getting the holo colors to flash quite yet!

One product I thought I could NOT live without was my ZOYA 3 IN 1 Nail polish remover! Yes, on Zoya's last promotion of their GALLON O GOODNESS, I forked over the 90.00 for the Gallon of Zoya 3 in 1 and didn't regret it..I guess I still don't as since I'm the only one who uses it in this household, well, I'll have lots of it for a long time! However I found Loodie's (loodieloodieloodie.blogspot.com) blog who gave me the "special formula" and I almost died when I found out the "secret" formula was nothing but ACETONE, GLYCERIN AND grrr...H20!!!

Of course I had to run out and buy the ingredients:
 8 oz of pure acetone (sally's for 1.59 per 8 oz..I guess you can't buy it in a larger container at Sally's because you risk being labeled a TERRORIST as terrorists have been known to go to beauty supply shops..I think it was some Sally's store some where..and buy GALLONS to make a bomb..which is not a good thing..besides..if I'm making my own nail polish remover to save money..I don't think I need GALLONS OF PURE ACETONE! ).
Glycerin (found at Walgreens after not knowing where to find it..but the pharmacist led me to it...and it was so hard to find and so easy to overlook but it was 5.71 for 4 oz..but I found it much cheaper online..which I'll do the next time).
Water? Well..I guess I could have used distilled water but eh..on this batch I thought what the hell..just use tap water..and that worked fine Lo and behold! POOF! ZOYA 3 IN 1
Ok..so it didn't have the pretty lavender color and the (well..for my nose and my cats) light scent that doesn't drive my cats upstairs for the next 3 hours in horror. But it does work! Wow! I'm thinking of maybe using some water-based food coloring in the water just to lightly color the solution because I don't want to stain my nails with food coloring, but when I do this..I'll be sure to post it if the water-based food coloring in the water in small amounts works in my homemade nail polish (pseudo Zoya PLUS) remover!

For removing my polish from my nails, as I use a lot of glitters and holo polishes, I always use FELT! Another little thing I picked up reading online as opposed to using cottonballs, beauty squares, cotton rounds (ahh! 3.99 for #50!! SERIOUSLY!!???) AND I always get the stray cotton fiber here and there in my freshly polished nails which drives me CRAZY (as bad as "sheet marks"!!)! Alas! On my LAST trip to MICHAEL'S where I bought 3 sheets (which yields roughly 50 squares per felt sheet) for .19 a piece. I went last week and now the price is .29 cents a piece..but still much less expensive than buying COTTON ROUNDS OR BEAUTY SQUARES! But 3 felt sheets last me around 4 months. Felt pieces don't "shred" when removing the tough glitter polish (hello DEBORAH LIPPMANN!)!

Explanation

As everyone who knows me, knows I write like I talk so forgive the "Utahishness" of the accent that flies through my fingers! I wanted to think of something clever as a title to this blog, and since my LATEST well..ok..ONGOING passion is STILL nail polish, makeup and jewelry..I had to think back when Clint used to yell at me in rehearsals.."THE NAILS, MAILE! THE NAILS!"..Perfect, in that obviously in the oh...couple decades since I've been in school..obviously my vanity for my nails hasn't diminished any. Well..the QUALITY of nail polish I use has gone up but the care and vanity has NOT!

Soooo..in my own little twisted way..I AM going to dedicate my little nail polish/makeup blog to you Clint! I know you'll understand the irony that goes behind it!