Jun 28, 2012

Work safe colour?

Yesterday was parent/teacher interview day at my 7yo's school.  We had a 10min appointment to discuss his school report.  Not that we had any concerns, it's a good report, but I like to touch base with the teacher whenever there's a chance.  He loves his teacher.  This is the first year he's enjoyed school and it's all down to her.  Unfortunately she's off on maternity leave next term and we don't know who her replacement will be yet :(
Anyway I decided on a 'work safe' manicure for the occasion.  I admit I considered something fun, even the school colours and logo but in the end I went for a my-child-doesn't-get-his-weirdness-from-me look.  I also needed something that would be easy to apply and dry quickly so I went with a Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.  I love the Insta-Dris.  Most of them are single coaters and they do dry fast which make them ideal for use as 'underwear' polishes.  They have a strange wide paddle brush which I love.  Really love!  I have a little Insta-Dri collection in the basic colours for use under glitters without adding bulk.  Yesterday I wore #115 In a Flash which is a light frosty beige with a really pretty pink shimmer (that I couldn't capture on camera).

It's very sheer but it's meant to be.  I wore three coats and still had quite visible nail line but it looked good.  At some angles my nails looked opaque but mostly they looked pearly, shiny and classy.  The pink shimmer showed best at low angles, in the shade, looking along the length of my nails and the pale beige was great with my skin colour.
Weird angle in the shade but you can just see the pink shimmer.
Three coats with Orly Bonder base coat and Essie To Dry For top coat.  I almost skipped the base coat because I was in a hurry and I doubt this colour stains but I have a bad break down the length of my (very short) right index nail which I needed to stick together with base coat and silk strips. 
Once the top coat was dry I ran off for a shower and washed my hair, something which is pretty tough on my nails, but everything survived perfectly.


I felt feminine and elegant in this polish (at least my hands did).  Yep I'm really pleased with this colour and even though it's sheer I think I can use it for underwear, for when I just need a light polish under some glitter.
Here's more photos just because I can.  I took a lot trying to capture the pearliness and the pink shimmer.




8 comments:

  1. Every now and then I love to throw on these 'delicate' shades as a palette cleanser :) Looks very pretty and feminine!

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  2. I love Insta-Dri's they were my first online polish order. What lighting do you use for your photos? A light box?

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    1. Where did you order from online? I got most of mine from ebay but I'm always looking out for more. Can't get enough of that brush :)
      I mostly use natural light for my photos. I go outside hold my hand up and spin in a circle so I get light from all angles. For my product shots and any indoor shots I just bounce my flash off the ceiling or wall with a piece of printer paper for a backdrop. ISO 200, SS200, f5.6 and flash at 1/4 power.
      I'm too lazy to get the light box and lights out and can't leave it set up because of the kids.
      I recently experimented with a homemade beauty dish for my flash using plastic plates and tin foil but it didn't look any better than bounced flash.
      Bounced flash is my friend :)

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    2. I got them on ebay from this seller: http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_nkw=insta-dri&_sacat=11871&Brand=Sally%2520Hansen&_dmpt=AU_Nail_Care&_ssn=onelasttouch&_odkw=&_osacat=11871&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

      She was able to get other colours that she didn't have listed and she has combined shipping.

      Thanks for the lighting tips! :)

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  3. Your nails are seriously amazing. If my nails aren't too stained, my favourite 'neutral' look is to put a few layers of Nubar 2010 on over whatever basecoat I'm using that week. I dislike having VNL since my smile lines are all over the place, so I generally avoid sheers.

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    1. Thank you! I love Nubar 2010. I must remember to wear it more often. I wonder what it would look like over this Sally Hansen.

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  4. Occasionally it's nice to give my nails a 'rest' from bright colour. Soft colours are such a great option for the working week too!

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