Blinging nails everyone!
Might have to have a go myself
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I need to go shopping for nail varnish - today I failed to get on with stick-ons, and the last few manicures have been treats at a salon.
I think with toes I could get away with wobble-handed colour…
Your colours look great!
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?
Right back at ya hun
(@MsR: lovely rings too)
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OK… PleasureDrone’s first experience of using Mavala ridge filler. I feel a bit like I’m writing a product review for Lovehoney! Here goes…
As I applied the first coat, things looked hopeful. It goes on quite thickly and seems to be masking stuff already. Once that 1st coat was dry, though, I was rather sceptical. All it seemed to have done was to make my ridges look all glossy! When the 1st coat was touch-dry (and this takes rather a long time, folks), I applied the 2nd coat - and this was where I started to notice a difference. With the 2nd coat dry, the ridges - while not “vanished” - had gone from distinct features to very gentle undulations. Good. 
The real surprise came later in the day when I tried applying a coat of my new greeny-blue shade from NEXT. Before I tell you about that, though, I want to mention a potential health+safety issue. This Mavala stuff is a very old-established product with a big reputation. I doubt they have changed its formula for decades …which may explain why, after just a few minutes of applying the 1st coat in a large but unventilated room, I was getting fume-dizzy! 
So if you’re planning to use this product for the first time, sit by an open window.
The Mavala may still have been giving off volatiles even as I applied my first coat of colour, cos the coloured polish seemed to take an age to dry. Next time, I think I’ll leave a longer period before applying a colour coat.
So what happened when I put the colour coat on? At first it was weird: my nails were so super-glossy that the colour coat wouldn’t adhere! The first few strokes of the brush left virtually no paint on the nail! …but soon after that, it did start to stick - and here’s where things got interesting. As I applied it, the colour went on very smoothly and evenly, and seemed to sort of settle itself equally across the nail.
As I said above, it took an age to dry, but the end result after one coat of colour was a very smooth, glossy effect - almost gel-like. I don’t know whether this effect will last, but right now I am pretty well impressed. It was all a bit of a palaver, but the results are good. Later tonight I shall do a 2nd coat of colour, and if that goes well, tomorrow I will post photos of the result.
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Agreed with the glue! I much prefer doing my toes than my fingernails. Gel polishes are my favourite though.
As a brand I really really love OPI! However they can be around £10+ each which is just a little too much for me when I want a few lol but they are so lovely!
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The holographic effect was what I was after too as something I had not come across in anything other than gels (and I’ve never tried gels).
Well Mr. Postman delivered today and I’ve just had my first play… I am soooooo impressed with this nail polish!
My application is poor, I don’t even have any nail varnish remover in the house to try and tidy them a little and my cuticles are an absolute mess (I swear a decade ago I was better at it!) but the photos will be up as soon as approved. The sheen is incredible and changes between purple and gold which I’ve tried to capture in pics but I promise it’s better in person.
See what you think in the morning 
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@Pietho - Oooo interesting. I’ll very much be looking forward to that!
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All this nail chat and photos just makes me want to repaint my nails everyday!
@MsR - that red is so striking!!! Incredible on you. I’ve never found stick ons work but if I’ve ever had to wear them then definitely glue (and carry it with you wherever you go!)
@Ian_Chimp - I love both those colours on you - I’m a big fan of the essie one, a perfect autumn colour!
@PleasureDrone - So pleased your ridge filler worked, can’t wait to see photos! Although nails are dry to touch after a shorter period of time, they can actually take up to 24 hours to set properly so if you’re using a thick base then I always tend to wait overnight at least (I say that - in reality I’m the most impatient person and don’t usually manage to have unsmudged nails unless I have them done professionally!)
@Lovehoney_Brenna - I’m impressed!! My tip would be don’t round as you go… File at an angle as if you’re going for a point then you can round off the tops at the end. Not sure if that makes any sense… Difficult to describe a filing motion 
@Melody1 - Absolutely get involved!! I reckon some nails to match your teams colours!!
@Forever_his - Oh my goodness I’d forgotten about crackle nails!! Barry M used to bang these out back in the day, everyone went through a huge phase with them in school! Can also vouch for your tip about adding remover to nail polishes when they start to gloop… Its brought so many of my polishes back to life!
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They’re not without their drawbacks, anyone who has seen me try to open a ring-pull can will attest to that
They need to be a little squarer, they’re still a little too round. Old habits die hard haha!
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Ooh thank you, yes that makes perfect sense. I flattened the ends first and was fairly miffed that they didn’t magically turn into coffins haha! I did do a bit of side filing, but definitely not enough
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@Peitho - Loving the holographic stuff! I think the apt word is Phwoooar…
Now explain to me the use of the double-ended magnetic nail stick. Does the NP contain metallic granules that react to a magnet like iron filings or summat?
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Yes, so you use the black as a base coat then one thin layer of the holographic stuff without the magnet then a 2nd slightly thicker layer and immediately after applying this second layer hold the magnet over it for 20-30 seconds to get a line that then brings out the cats eye effect. Works really well.
The holographic polish contains iron filings so if you run the magnet over the outside of the bottle you see it responding. I did do some YouTubing before trying it! 
The double ended aspect of the magnet is just so you can either use the straight one (which is the only one I used on my finger nails) or the circle to get a different effect… I tried this on a big toe but did not account for how much my nail tilted upwards and plonked the magnet into the wet polish - ooops!
I’ll pop up a daylight picture I’ve just taken because it seems in daylight (even without any sunshine - boo!) you get both the purple and gold and it’s really pretty.
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Looking even better in daylight, @Peitho. …and hello horsey! 
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@peitho @MsR @PleasureDrone loving all the gorgeous nail pics 
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@PleasureDrone I checked the ingredients of the Palava ridge filler against the Poundland one, and they seemed pretty similar. Going on the premise that the biggest ingredients are first in the list, it seems the Palava has more Isopropyl Alcohol in. Could that be what’s making it smell more and taking longer to dry?
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Oooo ta, @Ian_Chimp - yes, that would make sense, I guess - although having used pure isopropyl alcohol a lot over the years for cleaning tape recorder heads, one thing I know about it is that it evaporates very fast and doesn’t leave me feeling giddy. Maybe it’s working in devious collaboration with one or more of the other ingredients? Either way, it’s pokey stuff.
At some point I’ll have to try applying the NEXT polish on its own, without the ridge filler base, and see if it dries to a harder shine.
ADDED LATER: Palava - very droll… 
https://lovehoneyforum.com/t/nail-polish/260445/31?u=pleasuredrone
@Forever_his - that looks lovely! I dunno why you hate the shape of your nails: some folks spend hours trying to get theirs that shape. 
@Forever_his woohoo! Glad you’ve joined in with the nails - they look lovely! There’s just something about having pretty nails, it makes you (well me at least) feel good
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