gelish – Page 2 – The Nail Architect

15th October 2015

Colour in the spotlight – chain reaction

Name: Chain Reaction

Collection & UK launch date: Urban Cowgirl, 4th August 2015 (singles 29th August 2015)

Description & personal opinion: this is a pewter silver so a nice mid silver with a frost finish.

Matching nail polish: yes Morgan Taylor chain reaction

Viscosity: a thicker frost

Application: great, you can almost get away with one coat, obviously I wouldn’t recommend this. As it’s a frostish finish try keeping your strokes straight when applying.

Lighting variance: (indoors, LEF, outdoors)

Sparkles & trends: as this is a trend I didn’t do sparkles or glitter over the top.

Longevity: no problems

Fading: none

Removal: no problems – quite quick as you don’t need many coats.

Similar colours: there are lots of Gelish silvers available, especially bringing out 3 in as many collections. This one is a good middle ground.

Artwork:

The snake skin effect will not work with this dense colour, obviously you can use it as the base though.

My verdict: this colour has fantastic application even in one coat, so makes it ideal for art work. I have to confess although not a colour I would wear every day, I did catch myself driving and thinking ‘oooh what an awesome colour’. So if you are looking for a silver that’s value for money and to use for art this is the one for you.

Next week: seal the deal

3rd October 20153rd October 2015

Colour in the spotlight – texas me later

Name: Texas me later

Collection & UK launch date: Urban Cowgirl, 4th August 2015 (singles 29th August 2015)

Description & personal opinion: A coppery medium to dark pink with a frost finish, this isn’t really a colour I would chose but has been a popular choice on more mature clients.

Matching nail polish: Yes, Morgan Taylor – Texas me later.

Viscosity: smooth and fluid so easy to apply.

Application: An easy two coats, this is a frost finish though so make sure all strokes are straight to give a neat finish.

Lighting variance: (indoors, led, outdoors)

Sparkles & Trends: I love my jewels keep me warm and all that glitters is gold with this colour.

Longevity: no problems

Fading: I do think this faded slightly and lost some of its initial pink rose tints and went to the more coppery side (sorry for the blurry picture).

Removal: easy

Similar colours: there currently aren’t any similar colours to this in the Gelish collection. The closest non Gelish is Sally Hansen raisin the bar.

Artwork:

My verdict: although this colour really isn’t one I would personally chose it’s a nice colour and popular with more mature clients so is worth the investment especially as it applies so nicely in two coats

Next week: chain reaction

1st October 20153rd October 2015

Red Matters Collection Review

Hi everyone, here are my swatches for the Red Matters collection launched by Nail Harmony on 28th September 2015 in the UK. This collection has 6 core colours and 3 trends. I think this was originally meant to be the Christmas collection however has been released early so it is unlikely there will be another collection now until spring. As a result of this there hasn’t been much lead up, pictures or content about this one so I hope you find this helpful when deciding colours choices. You will find the colours in different lights so you can get a truer reflection of the colour and there is no editing effects or smoothing, just my nails painted with the legitimate colours (indoors, LED and outdoors). Please let me know your thoughts and opinions on the colours, as per usual these are my thoughts and in not those of Nail Harmony UK.

Fire cracker – 2 coats

This is a bright red creme with a slight orange tinge and applies nicely in 2 coats.

Scandalous – 1/2 coats

This is your pillar box red, it’s a hot red creme and is seriously pigmented. Out of all these colours you had to apply this seriously thin and warm before hand to avoid wrinkly. You could do this in one coat, but I would always do two for longevity.

Ruby Two Shoes – 2 coats

This is a beautiful scarlet red colour it has a slight shimmer to it which is just beautiful it also applies beautifully in 2 coats.

Man of the moment – 2 coats

This is a medium red creme which applies well in 2 coats

I’m so hot – 2 coats

This is a beautiful red / burgundy shimmer which applies really smoothly. Think queen of hearts but a bit darker.

Red Alert – 3 coats

This is a deep red cream which looks seriously shiny. I did find it a little on the runny side so make sure you dry brush or flash cure to avoid running into your cuticles.

My Secret Santa – 3 coats

This is a fine white glitter, I was pleasantly surprised at how good a coverage you could get in just 3 coats with this trend. This is the only topper of the collection though and I think will look beautiful over the reds.

Tinsel My Fancy – 2 coats

Yet another silver, but what makes this one different is the beautiful subtle blue metallic sparkles it has in it.

Put A Bow In It – 2 coats

This is a sage green metallic colour which has brown specks in it. Very Christmassy.

Comparisons

30th September 20155th October 2015

Gelish After Hours Collection

Hi all. Here are my swatches of the latest Gelish autumn collection from Nail Harmony UK. There hasn’t been much lead up, pictures or content about this one so I hope you find this helpful when deciding colour choices. You will find the colours in different lights (indoors, LED and outdoors) so you can get a truer reflection of the colour and there are no editing effects or smoothing, just my nails painted with the legitimate colours. As this is the first of such posts I am doing please let me know if there is anything else you think I have missed in my initial quick review.

Sweater weather – 2 coats

Nail Harmony UK consider this to be a mellow charcoal grey. To me it is a cream mid to dark grey with a slight purple tone. It had a good application in just two coats.

Rhythm and Blues – 2 coats

A beautiful denim metallic blue completely different from any other Gelish colour. It had a great application in just two coats.

A Little Naughty – 3 coats

This is a on the darker side of a red / brown. It had a good application in 3 coats. *Nail Harmony have now updated their website and actually class it as a purple, so think it girl with a mortared / brown tone.

Last Call – 2 coats

This colour is awesome. It’s a copper / pink metallic and applies beautifully in 2 coats. If your you or your clients are a fan of oh what a knight this one is definitely for you.

Give Me Gold – 2 coats

Another beautiful metallic gold which is quite light and fantastic to apply in just 2 coats.

A-Lister – 2 coats

Another silver following the success of chain reaction from the urban cowgirl collection. It’s not quite as good a consistency so instead of 1/2 coats this one is a 2/3 coats. Personally though I much prefer this colour it is a light bright metallic silver.

Colour Comparisons

I don’t have many greys at the moment so this is a picture I took at the recent Nail Harmony South West Road Show.

I am so pleased with this collection, its offered me many new colours, I can’t but help think that I would have liked 6 metallic colours perhaps a green and a maybe a purple, but all in all I love this collection especially with the application and consistency its great value for money. And if you grab it now then you actually get one polish free. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments below.

25th September 20153rd October 2015

Colour in the spotlight – Plum tuckered out

Name: plum and tuckered out

Collection & UK launch date: Urban Cowgirl, 4th August 2015 (singles 29th August 2015)

Description & personal opinion: a dark purple crème. Inside this colour can look almost black but outside you can see it’s true plum colour.

Matching nail polish: Yes, Morgan Taylor plum and tuckered out, UK release 1st September 2015

Viscosity: smooth and creamy, not to thick and not to thin. Gelish nailed this one.

Application: awesome! Perfect in two coats, as it’s a highly pigmented colour you need to keep to thin coats to avoid any wrinkling. But I confess I was a little heavy handed withy thumb nail and still ended up wrinkle free. So a great application with no sliding or shrinkage.

Lighting variance: (indoors, led and outdoors)

Sparkles & trends:

Longevity: no problems to report.

Fading: none

Removal: easy

Similar colours: Gelish diva is very similar, but again I don’t currently have this colour

Artwork:

My verdict: an awesome colour for the autumn and winter? which looks stunning in the sunshine and with 2 coats and a perfect consistency and coverage when applying, it’s a great colour to have even if you have similar as its application is awesome.

Next week: Texas me later

19th September 20153rd October 2015

Colour in the spotlight – Pumps or cowboy boots

Name: Pumps or cowboy boots

Collection & UK launch date: Urban Cowgirl, 4th August 2015 (singles 29th August 2015)

Description & personal opinion: a black brown crème colour. It has red tones as you can see from the first layer.

Matching nail polish: Yes, Morgan Taylor pumps or cowboy boots UK release 1st September 2015

Viscosity: a nice smooth application.

Application: This is a really highly pigmented colour and therefore thin layers and dry brushing are a must. I did find in slid a bit during application.

Lighting variance: indoors, led and outdoors

Sparkles & Trends:

Longevity: no problems

Fading: none

Removal: really easy, lifts off nicely.

Similar colours: Gelish love me like a vamp and black cherry berry are very very similar. It’s only in bright sunshine you see the brown tone as opposed to the red tone of the similar colours. As well as black shadow when lighting is not great.

Artwork:

My verdict: I once again love this colour and as I do not own either if the two mentioned above it’s a good colour for me.

Next week: plum tuckered out

12th September 20153rd October 2015

Colour in the spotlight – from rodeo to Rodeo Drive

Name: From Rodeo to Rodeo Drive

Collection & UK launch date: Urban Cowgirl, 4th August 2015 (singles 29th August 2015)

Description & personal opinion: this is a Crème taupe. Personally I think it’s more grey with tones of purple and taupe. It has a beautiful subtle silver shimmer to it.

Matching nail polish: No, alas this particular colour has been replaced by Morgan Taylor with a touch of sass, a dark red crème, UK release 1st September 2015.

Viscosity: crème base so can run quite thick in the cold, I didn’t have any issues with this though.

Application: 2/3 coats with no shrinkage or running. As this is a crème colour, if you are in a cold salon you might wish to warm the bottle before application to keep the polish thin for easy application. You can do this by standing it on a warm wheat bag, placing in a bowl of warm water or any other method you prefer.

Lighting variance:

Sparkles & Trends:

Top: lots of dots, escargo to Paris, June bride, grand jewels

Bottom: am I making you Gelish? Vegas nights, izzy whizzy and rough round the edges.

Longevity: no problems

Fading: I didn’t notice any fading, that being said I think in all 3 lights it looks lighter.

Removal: 8 minutes of soak off and no problem.

Similar colours: I don’t have a similar colour to this in my Gelish collection. I really couldn’t find a similar colour to this one any where so no comparison to show.

Artwork: all the colours used are from the Urban Cowgirl collection and the glitters are from the nail space.

My verdict: a new colour with good application and so a good addition to your collection. Personally this is not a colour I would ever choose myself but actually I’ve quite enjoyed this colour, a lovely autumn shade.

Next week: pumps or cowboy boots

6th September 20153rd October 2015

Colour in the spotlight – Holy cowgirl

Name: Holy Cow Girl

Collection & UK launch date: Urban Cowgirl, 4th August 2015 (singles 29th August 2015)

Description & personal opinion: this is a sage green crème with a beautiful subtle gold shimmer and grey tone, again it’s another brand new colour to Gelish and I love it for autumn.

Matching nail polish: yes, Morgan Taylor holy cow girl available in the UK 1st September 2015

Viscosity: crème base so can run quite thick in the cold.

Application: just 2 coats.

This applied like a dream, no shrinkage, wrinkling or running.

As this is a crème colour, if you are in a cold salon you might wish to warm the bottle before application to keep the polish thin for easy application. You can do this by standing on a warm wheat bag, placing in a bowl of warm water or any other method you prefer.

Lighting variance:

Sparkles & trends:

Top: lots of dots, escargo to Paris, grand jewels, June bride,

Bottom: am I making you Gelish? Vegas nights, rough round the edges and izzy whizzy.

Longevity: this lasted really well. As you can see from the pictures I quite substantially broke my nails this week doing a big declutter and clean. Thankfully the Gelish held even with 2 coats and stayed strong even though my nails underneath had cracked.

Fading: none

Removal: easy removal on this one.

Similar colours: this is a really new colour for Gelish and I have struggled to find a similar gel polish. The nearest is possibly LeChat tranquility but this does not have the shimmer.

Artwork:

A dotty design using tan my hide, from rodeo to rodeo drive and pumps or cowboy boots

My verdict: this colour is great, with 2 coats I was amazed at its strength and application. It’s a completely new colour from anything around and with its gold shimmer is just awesome for the colder months. You are definitely on to a winner with this one.

Next week: from rodeo to rodeo drive

29th August 20153rd October 2015

Colour in the spotlight – Tan My Hide

Name: Tan My Hide

Collection & UK launch date: Urban Cowgirl, 4th August 2015 (singles 29th August 2015)

Description & personal opinion: A light tan with pink tones in a crème consistency and a subtle shimmer. Personally I group it with my pinks. (For pictures see lighting variance.)

Matching nail polish: Yes, Morgan Taylor Tan My Hide launches 1st September 2015

Viscosity: It’s a crème based colour so applies a little more thickly. Simply keep the layers thin and smooth to avoid any wrinkling by warming before application. If your salon is cool you could do this by standing the bottle on a warm wheat bag, placing it in a bowl of warm water or any other warming method you may prefer. I didn’t have any problems.

Application: Good application in 3 coats.

Lighting variance:

I think it’s clear to see why there has been so many differing opinions on what colour this is, but hoping this helps a lot of you out.

Sparkles & Trends:

Top: lots of dots, escargo to Paris, grand jewels, June bride,

Bottom: Vegas nights, am I making you Gelish? Rough round the edges and izzy whizzy.

Longevity: I had no issues with any lifting, chipping or cracking with this polish

Fading: I have read that this colour is a fader, personally I do not think it is. Here are my nails after a week in the 3 different lights and you can make the decision for yourself.

Removal: I did struggle a little with the removal of this colour, so re-wrapped for 5 minutes and it came away fine.

Similar colours: I think this is a new colour for Gelish and a must have. Closest non Gelish match is IBD I’m no damsel.

Artwork: Liquid stones using “holy cow girl” and “plum tuckered out” with nail space glitters.

Gold french glitter tip fade.

My verdict: You need this colour, it applies nicely and is unlike any other colour. I love it 🙂

Next week: Holy cowgirl