Rss Feed

October, 2009

  1. RAP SHEET: Karen Guinto

    October 29, 2009 by pam

    Guilty as charged.

    Karen Guinto, Merchandise Manager for Store Specialists Inc., is a maniped addict.

    Nails 1

    The stylish mom tells the Polish Police her biggest nail secrets – from her favorite brands and shades to tips on maintaining beautiful nails.

    Favorite nail polish brands: Orly, Essie, OPI and Face Shop

    Top five favorite nail polish colors: Bon Bon (Orly), Noir Ceramic (Chanel), RD302 (The Face Shop), Ballet Slippers (Essie), Eternal Optimist (Essie)

    Her collection “I have about 30.”

    Nail 3


    Favorite nail polish haunts: Rustan’s, PCX, Face Shop

    Nail pampering spot: “I only go to a place where I know the manicurist won’t murder my fingers.  It’s so hard for me to just go anywhere coz my cuticle is very thin, thus the risk of getting wounded is higher.  Since I live in the south, I go to this place in BF called Cosmo World.  My favorite manicurists provide excellent service at a very reasonable price.”

    How often do you change your nail polish color?
    “Every two weeks but depending on my mood sometimes every week.”

    Nails 2


    Pet peeves: “I refuse to have the manicurist place the red stuff/medicine after cleaning, I want my nails clean; when they make a mistake of making my nails round instead of square; when bubbles form in the manicure after drying; when they accidentally nip the cuticle deeper than they should and cause a cut; when I see people with chipped off polish, worse when the polish is only covering half of the nail, might as well remove it or get another maniped.”

    How do you take care of your nails?
    “Going to the parlor regularly; moisturizing.”

    Favorite nail treatments: “Nothing so over the top, just the simple manicure pedicure would do; for nail polish it would be the Orly Top and Base Coat.”

    Favorite polish remover: “Nothing in particular.”

    If you can only wear one shade every day, what will it be?
    “Light, pinkish cream shades like Essie’s Ballet Slipper”

    Tips for other nail polish junkies: “Invest on good nail polish base and top coat, like Orly Top and Base Coat. This would seal in the polish and make the color last longer.  Apply two coats of the top coat instead of the usual one for added staying power.”

    Photos by Mon Guinto.

    Category rap sheet | Tags: | No Comments

  2. INVESTIGATION: Saizen’s Easy Nail Polish Remover

    by pam

    When your nails look this bad, you know it’s time to remove your nail polish.

    remover4

    And our trip to Saizen (3rd floor, Robinsons Galleria) was just right on time because there I spotted this:

    remover1

    Yes, Easy Nail Polish Remover. It came in different colors but naturally, I chose the pink one.

    Since I don’t speak Japanese, the packaging offered little information.

    remover2

    One, it’s made in China. Two, it was produced for Daiso Japan. Three, they hired an awful translator.

    Seriously. Because this is the English text on their warning label:

    “After opening film inside, do not keep bottle tumbled also do not carry bottle.

    Do not use near the fire.

    Do not use with a cigarette between lips.

    After opening film inside, close lid firmly and keep at the cool, dark place not infants touch.

    Do not mix up with other nail polish.

    Do not use when something wrong of nail.

    If something wrong on the skin, stop to use and consult with skin specialist.”

    Hilarious.

    And since I do not have infants hanging out in dark places and I never have a cigarette between my lips, I bought it.

    The promise of “easy” was hard to resist.

    But opening the bottle wasn’t easy at all. I couldn’t peel the protective film, I ended up having to puncture it before ripping it off.

    remover3

    I let my left index finger take the first plunge.

    remover5

    Inside the jar is a sponge soaked in nail polish remover. There’s a slit in the middle of the sponge and that’s where you’re supposed to insert your finger.

    remover6

    I did exactly that and started swishing my finger around. As expected, the nail polish remover was cool to the touch. My chipped nail polish did start coming off.

    remover7

    But because of the lack of friction, I discovered that the Easy Nail Polish Remover doesn’t remove polish thoroughly – especially not around the cuticle area.

    remover8

    I tried the other fingers and the results were the same. I still had to make an effort to remove nail polish from around my cuticles.

    remover9

    Normally, when I use my regular nail polish remover and cotton to remove my polish, I end up getting polish smeared on my fingers. I thought that mess could be avoided with the Easy Nail Polish Remover. But it turns out that you still need to remove polish that the Easy Nail Polish Remover couldn’t.

    remover10

    The Easy Nail Polish Remover had an especially hard time with my thumb because in addition to polish, it also had gold glitter.

    The Easy Nail Polish Remover is no match to gold glitter.

    The good:

    1. The Easy Nail Polish Remover does make things a little less messy.

    2. No need for cotton.

    3. You can remove polish with just one hand.

    4. The warning label was very entertaining.

    The bad:

    1. It isn’t very thorough, you still need to remove residue polish after.

    2. I’m not a big fan of the scent – it’s a bit strong.

    3. Because the label is mostly Japanese, I don’t know what chemicals this polish remover contains.

    4. I’m wondering how hygienic this is. Where does the old polish go? What happens to the germs from your fingers? How many times can you use this polish remover before it becomes dirty and disgusting?

    The verdict:

    I don’t feel too bad about spending P85 on this nail polish remover. But for now, I think I’ll stick to my old favorites.

    If you like the idea using a jar and a sponge to remove your nail polish, you might want to consider making your own using your favorite nail polish remover. How? Click here.

    Update:

    After just one day, I threw out the Easy Nail Polish Remover. And for good reason. One, it was leaking. Two, it was staining everything pink. The nail polish remover is so strong that it’s actually melting the color off its packaging.

    Never again.

    Category investigation | Tags: | No Comments

  3. RAP SHEET: Ruby Gan

    October 27, 2009 by pam

    No force was necessary. Entrepreneur, power lifter and fashion lover Ruby Gan ‘fessed up pretty quickly about her nail polish addiction. “I even have them in neon!” she told Polish Police.

    Here, in our first ever Rap Sheet, the Schu goddess spills the beans on her favorite brands, colors and treatments.

    pp-ruby4


    Although she’s gotten over blacks and silvers, Ruby says, “Chanel had the best colors last year - Black Satin, Kaleidoscope and Silver. I would wear the black with silver tip ala French Manicure or even do half moon with them. In: thought they looked cool and made a statement.”

    Favorite nail polish/brands: Chanel, YSL, OPI, Essie, Orly


    Top five nail polish colors: Chanel Vendetta, Chanel Blue Satin, OPI Dating A Royal, Orly Purple Crush, Orly Hottie

    Her collection: “I have more than 15 bottles of different colors and some are left in the salon so I don’t have to bring them whenever I feel like having my nails done.”

     Favorite nail polish haunts: “Rustans, Essenses, PCX and since we’re always late here, I also buy nail polish abroad (Hong Kong and Singapore). That’s how I get the latest collections and the really unique colors.”

    Nail pampering spot: Henri Calayag Salon in Greenbelt

    How often do you change your nail polish color?

    “Ideally, I would like to get my nails done every week. I do a lot of washing – I hand-wash some articles of clothing, I was the dishes, I clean the kitchen. Reality doesn’t permit a weekly manicure though so the most I could do is twice a month. I’d be lucky to be able to have my nails done three times a month.”

    Pet peeves: “I want my cuticles pushed, not trimmed. I don’t like hangnails I hate the red solution that some manicurists spray on your hands and feet. I think there’s a better alternative to that. I hate pointy long nails too! I want clean, short nails; I think they’re chic. I don’t like using colors without first putting on a base coat. It gives me a feeling that I’m naked.”
     
    How do you take care of your nails?

    “I don’t use them to open anything.  They’re pretty short to start with so using them to open cans or tin rings is quite impossible. I use Cake Milk Made Smoothing Hand & Cuticle Buffer.  They smell good too!”

     Favorite nail treatments: Cake Milk Made (Smoothing Hand & Cuticle Buffer), Orly Won’t Chip, Orly Calcium Shield

    Favorite polish remover: Take It Off Lemon Scent, Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover or any brand that does not use acetone 

    If you can only wear one shade every day, what will it be? Chanel Vendetta

    Tips for other nail polish junkies: “Invest in a good basecoat and topcoat to protect the polish. I keep  the bottles in the refrigerator so their shelf life is stretched a little bit more. I don’t like those polish with starts or some big glitters in them because it sticks to your nails, which means they’re hard to take off.  Most likely, you will not an acetone to take them out – which dries the nails totally.”
     
     
     

    Category rap sheet | Tags: | No Comments

  4. CONFESSION: This is the story of one nail polish junkie

    October 24, 2009 by pam

    You know you’ve got it bad when you keep looking at random things just to try to figure out if their color would work as a nail polish shade. Cars, candy, heck, even pots and pans.
Yes, I am a nail polish junkie.

    My love for lacquer began to grow after I graduated from a very strict Catholic high school where nail polish was the epitome of evil.

    Seriously.

    If you made the mistake of showing up at school with polish on your fingernails or if the gym teacher caught you barefoot with the faintest sign of a pedicure, you were sent to the chemistry lab in search of acetone so you can remove the abomination covering your nails.

    But those days are long gone and these days, I can choose to swim in a pool of Essie and OPI if I wanted to.

    And yes, I want to.

    I love nail polish. I love them dark, I love them edgy, I love them sexy. I love nail spas. I love looking at nail polish bottles. I love trying new colors (except green, I can never pull off green). I love discovering new brands.

    One of my secret dream jobs is to work for a nail polish company and be in charge of coming up with names for new shades.

    Since I can’t do that, I’m settling for the next best thing – I will blog about nail polish.

    I will be patrolling new colors, staking out nail spas, forcing other nail junkies to make confessions, upholding lacquer law.

    I am making it my mission to serve and protect your nails.

    Yes, because bad nail polish is a crime against humanity.

    Say hello to Polish Police.

    Category confession | Tags: , | 2 Comments