A Classic

This may be a post about a classic French manicure, but everything in it is new to me! :D 1) I've never done a true French, 2) never used a water-based polish and 3) never attempted any sort of lines without masking tape or tip guides. (My little, former secret: I'm terribly untalented when it comes to drawing of ANY kind - I can't draw a straight line to save my life, sometimes even using a straight-edge, no joke!)

I got this kit of mini polishes from Vitacost, after reading about water-based polishes online. I was really curious, and figured this would be the easiest way to test them, along with their special remover. I followed these directions exactly, except I skipped the  nail guides, in favor of a technique I saw in a tutorial on another blog. (Sorry, but I can't remember which one. If it was you, feel free to comment, and thanks for the great tip!)

The kit came with two sheer colors, and I chose Bermuda Pink (as opposed to Palm Beach), because I thought it might counteract the 'slight' staining on my nails. As it turns out, I don't think it would matter, since they're so sheer.

I applied Manicure White to the tips, using two coats. It doesn't matter if it's sloppy, because you use a brush to sweep away the excess. Basically, you dip the brush in remover, then sweep it back and forth across the nail until you get the line you want. The only downside is that you can't use a basecoat or nail treatment, since it would sweep that away, too. But, for being so untalented, I thought it came out pretty nice! It was easy to do on my left hand, but took me forever to do my right, since I'm right-handed and totally useless when using my left.

Finished!
For my fellow curious types, I also wanted to review Honeybee Gardens' formula. To be honest, I was not impressed. The white was a little too sheer for my taste - as you can see above, I still have VNL (visible nail line), which looks especially lame in a French. The pink was really streaky, and wouldn't even out or build up color. (This may be the only time that I request that you NOT click the pics, since it's a little too gory for a close-up. :P) These pics were taken after moving some furniture that night, so there are a few stress fractures across the nailplate, but that could happen with traditional polish, too, so I didn't sweat that too much. What I didn't appreciate was the next day, after I showered/washed my hair, the polish was flaking off everywhere! Ugh, I ended up removing it less than 24 hours after application, which does not make me happy! Speaking of removing, the upside is that it CAN be removed with 91% rubbing alcohol, so you really don't need the pricey remover. The downside is that it takes just as much elbow grease as 'regular' polish, and the remover is not kind to skin!
Just a quick FYI: Vitacost considers this a 'special order' item, which means it takes FOREVER to ship. Normally, they're very quick, but I ordered these (with other stuff) on Dec 12, and didn't receive the package until Jan 8! That is unheard of with Vitacost, and I know it was the polish holding things up, so be aware!
On the positive side, there were no application issues, as far as polish consistency and messiness. Also, this dried as fast as traditional polish, despite the Honeybee Gardens website indicating that it could take up to six hours to cure fully. Yeesh!
All in all, I probably won't be buying any more, but I might franken these into prettier colors and wear them occasionally anyway.