The Stained Nail Delima/Makeup Haul

Current Nails: Basic French Tip with Konad's stamping of a rose design (sorry guys, forgot the plate name...) This is with a polish called Inner Beauty, which I'll be bringing up later in this post. I have suffered from horrible staining. It's gotten to the point where I've not only resorted to products to get rid of it and prevent it, I'm also hiding it. But with this little weapon of China Glaze, my nails appear as bright and beautiful as they are seen.

This is going to be a duel blog because I just recieved the greatest gift ever from my boyfriend's mom. She went out and got me all of this new makeup, and I'm SO excited, I must show the world. But not until I talk about stained nails.

I always have paint on my nails so it's hard to avoid the "stained nail" look. I have my own personal ways of removing, hiding, and preventing those nasty stains on your natural nails.

First off, you should know that stained nails do not mean unhealthy nails. Nails can be stained pitch yellow, but still be as hard and strong as they should be. Staining, mainly, comes from polishes. The older the polish, the more staining will occur. The darker the polish, the more staining will occur. Staining can also come from smoking.

Removal of Stains
So now you have these nasty yellow stains..what are you going to do? There are many products out there that will aid you in removing, or at least reducing, these stains.

First is buffing. A normal nail buffer can run from $0.25 to $3, depending on where you get it and what it's made of. Buffers literally buff off layers of your nails. Slowly and gently. Most buffers also come with a shiner, as well, which will give your natural nails that unnatural shine that is appealing. It'll also provide a smooth surface for application of polish. Buffing gently can reduce the amount of stains on your nails if your stains are due to polishes and not wearing a proper base coat. After using remover to remove whatever polish is left on your nails, wash hands, buff gently, and then wash hands again. You don't want to over-buff because it weakens your nails. Buffing should only happen about once a week for results. The more buffing, the weaker your nails will become.

Next, there are products out there to help with stained nails. Tons of polishes to apply to nails to get that "instant white" nail look, but I prefer Bubble White. Bubble white is a solution that comes in a jar (or even a single package, if you're just trying it). It's a weekly manicure system that you add to water, it bubbles, you soak nails for five minutes, clean your nails off and your nails are clean, white, and bright. Results aren't immediate, so after I soak and wash my fingers, I like to wait around for an hour or so before applying polish to my nails. There is a difference, but it wont be anything truely godly until incorporated into your routien for about a month (once every week, for four weeks). The individual packets which are good for a one-time deal are $2 at Sally's. I have yet to see them anywhere else. There are jars with the solution as well that go for $10, that obviously have more solution in them. I just bought the jar to save the extra trips (and extra bucks, since I do tend to pick up more than what I need at Sally's) and it lasts for a little longer than a month.

Hiding Stains
What if your stains haven't completely gone away? We can mask it for a few weeks. You can mask it by applying normal, solid polish, but what if you don't want to wear solid polish?
I suggest going to Sally's (or anywhere else that sells Chinaglaze) and get Inner Beauty by China Glaze. It's a polish that is sheer (meaning that it's more transparent than opaque) and goes on as a cloudy pink color. The color doesn't seem to do justice with just one coat, but after a second coat, WOW. Your nails look natural and the stains are hidden by the easy-to-remove, non-staining polish of China Glaze. I often use Inner Beauty to do finished French Manicures, but if you're not into the bold white tip, then just sport the Inner Beauty. It's a natural way of hiding stains and escaping the solid colors for a bit.

Preventing Stains
Stains happen because the nail is not protected from the pigments of the polish. Using a quality base coat and careful polishing-practice, the base coat will protect your nails from the harsh staining of certain polishes. I use Seche Clear, which is an all-around base coat that does just what it needs to do. I apply two coats of Seche Clear, but one coat is efficent enough. Seche Clear acts as a border between your nail and the polish, while securing the polish onto the nail as well.

NOW! My lipsticks. =) <3 I love lipstick. I really do. It's just as much of a fetish as my nails are. XD
(I don't know why I cut out the Chanel one...but it's at the farrr right, and it's where I'm starting.
From the right: Coco Red (Chanel), Pink (Bobbie Brown), Pink Beige (BB), Roseberry (BB), Putty (BB), Roseberry doup (BB), Toasted pink (BB), Redwood (BB), Scarlet (BB), and Tea Rose (BB).
Out of all of these, I really do love the pink beige, it's a neutral with a shimmery pink shimmer to it, and it's just really very pretty. I also like Tea Rose, as a light natural pink. =)

And she got me a pallet. I love Bobbie Brown's pallets. They're great because they come with eyeshadows that MATCH well with a lipstick. This pallet is the Sexy Glamor Pallet, and starting from the right is Charcoal eyeshadow, Pewter Shimmer Shadow, Galcier Shimmer shadow, and Cassis Lip color.