I'm BACK! =)

Guess who? ME!! I'm back and let me tell you, I completely missed blogging. I'll probably start off slow since I'm thinking of getting another camera solely for blogging. That way, I don't need to upload hundreds of photos from my personal camera. For this post, I have used my iPhone 3GS so please excuse any lack of good quality photos.

Some of you know that I am now a proud new mommy! I had my first born last year in October. It was a very complicated pregnancy towards the end. My son is healthy and such a happy baby.
I love nail art and all things nails. But since I have a baby, it's hard for me to do anything without having my son suddenly need me right when I start doing my nails.
I was able to just paint my nails and that's it. No nail art. =(

So, I figured what better time than to review my new nail polish I purchased at Walgreens. The time of purchase, I didn't know any details about the product. What made me purchase it was the matte color selections they had available that I loved and the name itself. I purchased a total of three.

I purchased Rimmel London's Lasting Finish Pro in Electric Pink.
The product/company states (click statement to go to Rimmel London's site)::
Professional polished perfection for flawless up to ten-day color and shine. Enriched with micro-sized minerals that fill in imperfections on the nail surface... creates a smooth and super glossy finish for up to ten days of maximum color impact and shine. Advanced micro formula technology with active time-released system enhances shine over time. It captures and reflects light for color that shines with dimension. UV fade protection keeps color true... ultra flexible and long wearing with superior shock absorption and chip resistance... brush features a wide angled brush for a fast mistake-free prof. application... adapts to any nail shape and requires less strokes to apply...

On one hand I used base coat and the other I didn't. The first time I used it, I didn't know it had a wide brush which I thought it was great. Started to apply the polish and realized that I really didn't need too much polish on the brush, I was able to apply fast and didn't need a second coat because of its consistency. The color is true to what you see and vibrant. It did look evened out on the nail despite having a cracked nail. Drying time was pretty fast (approx 10 minutes I let it dry) since I did use just one coat. I didn't use a top coat (as mentioned before, I have a new baby and was thinking, he will start crying usually when I want to do something with my nails). In a way, I'm glad I didn't apply top coat so that I could truly see how well this product would last. The next day, it didn't look shiny on the hand with no base coat. After three days, I noticed on both hand, that the polish look scratch. For instance, like a phone screen. If not protected you can begin seeing scratches. I'm not sure if it would happen with a top coat. I will try again with a different color and use top coat to see if it makes a difference or not. At five days, the tips begin to come of but not very noticeable. Seven days, chipping on the tips are now visible and a big chip on a thumb nail (side that has base coat). Eleven days later, only visible chips are mostly on the tips but not any where else on the nails besides on one of the thumbnails. Through out the whole 11 days, the hand with no base coat, which was my right hand, was shiny at day one but started to lose shine and become matte. The scratches are most noticeable on the hand with no base. More likely to chip all over the nail if no base coat used .
I do believe a top coat may add more benefit in keeping in more shine. Base coat use is a must! Just one coat is all you need. One coat of the nail polish was enough to apply. I'm actually very impressed. I still have the polish on and it's 14 days now. I tried to p.eel the polish off and it chips off easily on the nails with base than the nails with no base. Color didn't fade at all on hand with base but color faded on hand with no base. More like vibrancy faded as well as shine.
Next color I will apply is Steel Grey. I will compare that with this polish doing the same, one hand base, other hand no base, to see if there's any difference.

Has anyone else tried this polish? Was this helpful? Would you purchase this nail polish?

photographed w/ iPhone 3Gs

Day seven

Day 11
top hand no base coat.
bottom hand with base coat.
Day 11
The thumbnail shown to the left had no base coat.
Thumbnail on the right had base coat.