Creative Nail Design

 

Apothecary: CND Air Dry

Hello ladies,

I want to introduce you to my favorite quick dry topcoat: Creative Nail Design Air Dry. It dries, seals and adds shine to polish on claw and occasionally on hoof. 

My topcoat holder is the bronze sculpture of the Ram in Fitler Square Park. 

CND Air Dry has been my topcoat for the majority of my manicures this year. It was given to me as a holiday gift by my boss, who is a former nail tech and currently does hair and make up design for drag shows.  I have been using CND treatment products for about three years. Air Dry was added to my treatment apothecary in December 2008. Stickey base coat and Super Shiney top coat began my devotion to Creative Nail Design. They were first recommended to me by a friend who owned her own nail salon and did nail design for fashion week. She used CND treatments on her clients' nails. 

I have maintained different nail lengths at various points in my life. I can say that since using CND products my nails are the longest they have ever been.  Air Dry hardens polish to a glassy finish with speed. I paint on Air Dry when my polish is still wet. I use a paintbrush dipped in acetone to remove any excess polish around my cuticles. My nails are ready for Konad stamping by the time I have finished clean up on all ten fingers. I am very efficient doing clean up as it's an almost daily practice. 

Air Dry is self-leveling. This means that the topcoat will create a uniform seal over the nail without any visible brushstrokes. Another benefit is I have never experienced tip pull with Air Dry. I have no issues even if I forget to cap the free edge of the nail with a thin layer of color before adding topcoat. There is no shrinkage of polish after showering. The color stays as I paint it and the only tip wear I experience will come from actually using my hands. Shrinkage exposes the free edge of the nail. It can leave the nail vulnerable to damage that can cause peeling or flaking at the tips. It also makes polish more prone to chipping. 

I love using Air Dry over glitter polishes. The consistency is thick enough to smooth over the glitter for maximum shine in one coat. 

CND has recently done product revamping, making their treatment line big three free. My current bottles of Stickey and Super Shiney contain toluene and formaldehyde resin.  If this is a concern for you, please check the labels to be certain which formula you are purchasing. I have had great success with the older formula. I am hopeful the newer formula can summon the same magic through my fingertips. 

I have the 2.3 fl oz. size of Air Dry. The ball size product has a far superior brush to the 0.5 ounce bottle.  I was using the smaller size for the past six weeks and couldn't wait to return to the larger bottle!  I do not recommend purchasing anything but the 2.3 ounce size. It currently retails for 9.95 at Victoria Nail Supply. 

I have a cute manicure to show tomorrow and news of a fun outing. There will actually be sun available for photography. I'm so excited after five days of cloud cover!

Happy painting ladies! 

Fainting Couch: Golden Cat and Glitter

Hello ladies,

Today I am introducing the Fainting Couch, a series of polishes that are so beautiful I can't believe they exist. Qualifying polishes will appear on occasion and without warning. When you see the title, position yourself by a deeply cushioned sofa. Swooning is optional. 

I walked to a tiny nearby park, Fitler Square, with a bottle of Creative Nail Design VIP Status and a statue of Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess. What else would I bring to the park? En route, I talked briefly to several people in the neighborhood and no one seemed the least thrown off that I was walking around carrying a gilded cat statue! I suppose nothing is surprising after the parasol. I chose the statue to help showcase the polish because the gold exterior is of similar luster found in collections of Egyptian art. I received the reproduction Bast as a holiday gift when I was still in high school. It's from the Metropolitan Museum of Art catalog. While the gold is still bright, there is a slight patina not found in relics from royal tombs. I will begin and end with bottle photos. Please click on these photos.     

In the picture where Bast is facing the camera, my nails are in full, intense sun. It was like trying to capture the light refracted from a disco ball. The bottle picture in the final photo shows a settling of the round holographic glitter pieces towards the center of the logo. The shimmer surrounding it is composed of micro spheres of gold.   

VIP Status is an older, discontinued polish from CND. I found mine on ebay. While not plentiful, there are still bottles to be gathered. I used Creative Stickey as a base and two coats of Creative Air Dry for the top coat. Even layered between CND treatments, VIP Status was lackadaisical about drying. I finished the manicure, made an attempt at clean up with a brush and 100% acetone. That translated to making sure there were no holographic sparkles anywhere but on the nail. The gold particles were not to be contained! Usually at this time, my polish is dry to the touch. I carefully checked e-mail, read blogs, had a granola bar...the polish was dry, but could still be dented. I added another coat of Air Dry since the glitter felt textural when gently rubbed. With a second coat, there is a little bumpiness, yet nothing that could catch or pull. It feels like high grade embossed paper.  

VIP Status would make an incredible evening out accessory as long as you start dressing in the late afternoon. I love this polish! I am willing to work with it in regards to dry time. I am sure were it available during the reign of Egyptian royalty, many a queen would have sparkled along the Nile for its presence.

Here's my daily contest reminder for new visitors: Enter here to win a bottle of N.Y.C. Nail Glossies in Molten Metal. The contest runs through August 16 and is open to followers and e-mail subscribers. 

I hope you enjoyed today's glitter!