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Cult Nails

    Comparison, Review, Uncategorised

    Top Coat Comparison: Rica, KBShimmer, Seche, Cult Nails and INM

    Finding the perfect top coat is the perpetual struggle that all polishaholics face! There are dozens out there and everyone seems to have their own favourite. We’re all mostly looking for the same things in a good top coat – easy application, a glossy finish and lasting power – but it’s hard to find one that offers all three.
    When Katie at Harlow & Co saw one of my recent top coat rants, she got in touch to see if I’d be interested in comparing some indie top coats with a few popular mainstream selections. A few are ones that I’ve tried before and others are completely new to me so I was very excited to size them up against each other and hopefully find the perfect top coat along the way.
    It was very hard to compare these because they’re all good top coats in one way or another. They all have at least one of the three traits we’re looking for (that’s easy application, glossy finish and lasting power in case you forgot!) but only a few have all three.
    I’ve ranked them in order from worst to best so if you’re only interested in reading about the good ones, scroll down a little bit!

    INM Out The Door
    Given the amazing things I’ve heard people say about this in the past, I was expecting great things but I was sorely disappointed with this top coat. It was not very fast-drying and I found that it leaves very noticeable streaks on my manis. Even a second coat can’t smooth things over. It also chips fairly easily at the tips. The only thing that redeems INM Out The Door is the fact that it doesn’t shrink my mani!
    Gloss 3/5
    Lasting Power 3/5
    Overall 2/5
    Although drying time is good on this one, the streaky finish makes it an absolute no-no for me.

    Where to buy: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK)


    Seche Vite
    What can I say about Seche Vite that you haven’t all heard before?! It dries insanely quickly and gives amazing shine but it has its downfalls too. I know from past experience that this top coat gets thick and gloopy before you’ve even used half the bottle and once it gets to that point, it starts to shrink on your nails. By this, I mean that it literally shrinks as it dries and takes the nail polish underneath with it. It pulls away from the tips and cuticles so you have a layer of paint that’s just slightly too small for your nail!
    I’ve heard it said that if you ‘wrap your tips’ (paint all the way over the very edge of your nail tip) it doesn’t shrink quite so badly but I’ve never mastered this technique. Having short nails, I always just end up with a lot of top coat stuck to my fingertips so I ain’t got time fo’ dat!
    Gloss 5/5
    Lasting Power 4/5
    Overall 3/5
    If I’m paying upwards of £5 for a bottle of top coat, I want to be able to use more than half of it. However, the quick drying time and rock hard finish is this top coat’s saving grace.

    Where to buy: Amazon (US), Boots (UK)
    Cult Nails Wicked Fast
    This top coat really lives up to it’s name. It truly does dry wickedly fast! It’s also very shiny but again, from experience, I know that this gets gloopy when you’re close to the bottom of the bottle. However it’s nowhere near as bas as with this Seche.
    Gloss 5/5
    Lasting Power 4/5
    Overall 5/5
    This is a fast drying, glossy top coat but does get very thick towards the bottom of the bottle. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this top coat because while it lasts it’s amazing!

    Where to buy: Harlow & Co
    Rica Glossy Glam
    This top coat is really great for covering those thirsty glitters. Two coats and the finish is completely smooth. It’s fast drying and is indeed Glossy but I don’t like the brush as much as I could. It’s a perfectly functional brush and a great all round top coat but I think a wider brush would be a great addition to the already amazing Glossy Glam.
    Gloss 5/5
    Lasting Power 4/5
    Overall 5/5
    I don’t have a bad word to say about Rica Glossy Glam. It offers brilliant shine and speedy drying time.

    Where to buy: Harlow & Co
    KBShimmer Clearly On Top
    This one is a great all rounder but I wish it dried a little quicker. I LOVE the brush in this one which is wide and flat. Combined with the perfect consistency, it makes applying this top coat an absolute dream and it never smudges my nail art.
    Gloss 5/5
    Lasting Power 4/5
    Overall 5/5
    With two coats, the shine of this polish was unrivalled. Although it’s not quite as quick to dry as Glossy Glam, the wide brush and lower price tag push it to the top of the list.

    Where to buy: KBShimmer, Harlow & Co

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    It seems Indies are really winning this race. Perhaps the fact that the creators of these indie polishes are so closely involved with the online nail community gives them an edge because they’re so tapped in to their audience and they know exactly what we want out of a top coat.

    It was so tough to choose between Rica and KBShimmer for the top spot but that wide brush really gave KBShimmer the edge and I’m happy with my choice although  I do wish it wasn’t so difficult to get hold of these indie top coats here in the UK. Most online stores offer international shipping these days but it can be pricey so you have to buy a lot of bottles at once to make it worth the shipping costs.

    Most of the polishes on this list are available from Harlow & Co where international shipping is available.

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    Stamping, Uncategorised

    Day of the Doctor Nail Art

    Back in the day, I used to be a big Doctor Who fan although I cannot claim to be a true Whovian. After Rose’s time on the show came to an end, I started watching it less often and still haven’t really come around to the idea of Matt Smith as The Doctor. Nevertheless, I’ll still be watching the 50th anniversary episode this evening! After all the best Doctor (don’t argue with me, you know it’s true), David Tennant is returning and I’m sure there will be more than a few familiar faces and other surprises along the way!


    For the base colour I chose a polish that fits the theme perfectly… Cult Nails Time Traveler – a polish named after the Doctor’s big blue box

    On my ring and pinky fingers, I stuck some 1 mm flat backed pearls and painted them copper to look a bit like Daleks!

    My index finger is painted with Essie As Gold as it Gets and stamped with W7 Black and a design from MoYou London Plate Pro Collection 10. This is meant to look a bit like The Master’s fob since this is a piece of imagery that really stood out to me back in the days when I used to watch the show. Wasn’t The Master a brilliant character?!

    The galaxy nails were created using a couple of polishes including the holographic polishes A-England Rose Bower and Princess Sabra.

    Finally, it’s all topped off with Cult Nails Get It On.

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    Studs, Uncategorised

    Louder Than God’s Revolver and Twice as Shiny

      I think neon is going to be a big trend this summer and while I can’t see much of it making its way in to my wardrobe, I’m more than happy to wear it on my nails… in moderation!

    The nude base colour is Cult Nails Cruisin Nude and I used a base of Barry M White underneath the neon which is Born Pretty’s UV polish #15.
    I painted on the black frames using a nail art brush with Sally Hansen Blackout.
    The studs are also from Born Pretty Store. Square ones here, round ones here.

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    31 Day Challenge, Studs, Uncategorised

    31DC2012 Day 30: Inspired by a Tutorial

    Day 30’s nails have to be inspired by a tutorial. I gotta admit, I did these more than two weeks ago! When I was researching potential tutorials to be inspired by I came across this look and just couldn’t wait another day to do it.
    The tutorial I followed for this look is a brief but brilliant one from Jen at The Polishaholic and it was inspired by a phone case. What I love about Jen’s nails is they really do look quilted. She really nailed the 3D texture but mine has come out a bit… flatter! Either way, it’s a great look. Thanks Jen!

    The colours used here are GOSH Pool Party and Cult Nails Tulum. The caviar beads*, or studs as I like to think of them, are from NPW Nail Art. I used one coat of Seche Vite to finish off. To see a tutorial for this look, go to The Polishaholic.

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    31 Day Challenge, Uncategorised

    31DC2012: Day 21 Inspired by a Color

    Day 20 of the challenge is a bit late. This is definitely the strangest day of the challenge, a color is a very simple thing to find inspiration in so I kind of got lazy and just went for a purple ombre. So I guess you could say I was kind of inspired by purple?! I’ve never actually done an ombre manicure before and I really struggled to find the right colours for this one.
    Stop by Let Them Have Polish and Nails and Noms for some pretty manis!

    The colours used from thumb to pinky are:
    Sally Hansen Plum Night
    Cult Nails Vicious
    E.L.F. Purple Pleaser
    Color Club Pucci-Licious
    Sally Hansen No Hard Feelings
    I topped it off with a top coat of Seche Vite. My first bottle is starting to get thick and I can see the shrinkage problem starting to take hold!

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    31 Day Challenge, Uncategorised

    31DC2012: Day 8 Metallic Nails

    Day 8 of the 31 Day Challenge calls for Metallic Nails and what’s more metallic than actual metal?! The gold stuff you see on my nails is this very interesting Nail Art Foil* from Born Pretty Store. It comes in sheets scrunched up in to little pots and it’s so light and thin that it’s barely even there. I just used a pair of tweezers to tear the foil up in to little pieces and place it on to my nails and I love the outcome. Since I don’t think I’ll be shedding out up to £30 for The Man With The Golden Gun any time soon, this is a great $6 alternative!

    I used Cult Nails Vicious as my base colour. I painted one coat and then, one nail at a time, added a second coat and attached the foil while it was still tacky. I finished up with one coat of Seche Vite but it could have used two just to even out any bumps.

    As always, hop on over to Let Them Have Polish and Nails and Noms to see what Cris and Rie have come up with today!

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    31 Day Challenge, Glitter, Uncategorised

    31 Day Challenge Take 2! Day 1: Red Nails

    Welcome to the 31 Day Challenge. Today I’m feeling very excited at the prospect but ask me 3 weeks in and I might not be feeling wuite so positive about the whole experience! I can’t decide whether to integrate nail art in to the first 6 days of the challenge (which are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet) because the rest of the challenge is so nail art heavy, so I think I’ll take it a day at a time and see where the colours take me!
    Today’s pretty glitter comes courtesy of Aphrodite Lacquers•. The shade is smoulder and it’s a red jelly polish packed with fine, shimmery glitter and some slightly larger red and light pink pieces. I used two coats of Smolder over two coats of Cult Nails Quench apart from on my ring finger, which I believe is know as the ‘reverse accent’. I topped it all with with two coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Advanced.

    You can buy Smolder from Rebecca’s Etsy shop for $8.00 plus shipping.

    Pop over to Let Them Have Polish! and Nails and Noms to see what my fellow challengers have come up with today!

    *This item was sent to me for review. All opinions are my own. See my disclaimer for more information.

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