The five basic shapes.

Essie Aruba Blue (shimmer) // Chanel Ballerina (sheer) as base
Butter London Tart With a Heart (glitter) // China Glaze Lemon Fizz (pastel)

creme   The standard, no shimmer of any kind. Offers the widest range of colors, easiest to mix and match to a pedicure. Look for shades that glow on the nail, instead of looking dull. Alternate finishes that apply much like cremes are neons and mattes, which dry matte. Take especial care with dark vampy shades. They are more likely to stain and require crisp, neat edges and a well shaped nail.

pastel   Essentially a creme with white pigment. Tends to have a very thick, chalky flow that will streak on the first coat, so you may need more polish. Consequently, a pastel takes longer to dry. Most yellows have this issue. N.B. a very low amount of ultrafine shimmer usually alleviates the streakiness of a pastel, if you do not insist on a true creme.

sheer   Translucent coverage that allows the natural tone of the nail bed to show through. Prone to streakiness, so position the brush parallel to the surface and swipe with the flat of the brush (as opposed to perpendicular).

jelly   Differs from the sheer in its squishy gel texture. Applies easily, dries quickly, just be wary that it will never be true-to-bottle.

frost, pearl, and metallic   There are many finer gradations within shimmers, from the complexity of glass-flecked duochromes to a fine, evenly metallic foil. Frosts in particular are prone to brushstrokes. Don't work a shimmer polish too much; when dragged across the surface of the nail, the particles can trap minute air bubbles, and bubble like mad. When mixed into a creme base, shimmers are easier to apply.

holo   When the shimmer catches the light, it takes on a rainbow hue. Linear holos apply as smoothly as the best cremes, but seem to chip easily, so pair with a bonding basecoat. Like any shimmer, scattered holos can bubble when overworked.

glitter   Glitters vary the most in size and shape, from concentrated glass flecks, which bridge the boundary between shimmer and glitter, to small hearts and stars that must be individually placed. Most glitters are best deployed as topcoats or gradients, so the ideal suspension is a smooth gel, with the glitters sparsely distributed. (Pigmentation is not a boon here.) This prevents too much dragging on your manicure. Always look at what's on the brush first, so you've a good idea of what will end up on the nail.

Labels: the beauty primer

10/15/2012 [2]

Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]. Or
follow on bloglovin'. If
you'd like to contact Dain,
feel free to email me.
I'm also on Pinterest.