In college I met a young lady who truly introduced me to the concept of self-care. Every Sunday she would come hang out in our dorm room, and we would chat and dread our upcoming week ahead. Something that stood out about her was her consistency! She was consistent in whatever she did which included painting her nails in my room. There would never be a Sunday that passed where her nails would go untouched. My roommate and I never really questioned why she did it, but just admired from afar. One particular Sunday afternoon, I decided to question her persistent nature surrounding adorning her nails. Though I don’t remember the full response I imagine the conversation went something like this:
(To learn more about my friend Ericka, visit her blog here!)
Though, I wasn’t as persistent as Ericka, I always try to manage to paint my nails! I do this to make room for myself. Sometimes the only person who knows you need a break is you, so why not do something that is soothing!
My nail polish poison this month is not a brand I usually reach for because it’s more of an up in coming brand. When I first stumbled upon their website while Instagram browsing, I totally fell in love with their concept. Pretty Woman NYC is a 5-free, cruelty free, vegan based company.
What does 5-free mean?
This means that the company’s products are FREE of the 5 nasty toxins you may find in other brands. These toxins include, Toluene, Camphor, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, & DBP.
How could I not be in love with this company? In my previous post, you all should have noticed that I am trying to refrain from unnecessary toxins while I try to live a more holistic lifestyles. These toxins are really hard to avoid in every day products but when given the chance I am sure to take hold of the opportunity to treat my body better. This includes my nails!
Pretty Woman LLC sent me four lovely polishes and a designer nail kit to review. Their polishes choice are categorized by collections, and each collection has a set of polishes that somewhat reflect their names. I encourage you to check out all of their collections as the ones I received were only from two of the many different collections they have to offer. (I am not a professional nail artist so the color application may be a bit messy. But I tried my best to stay “in the lines” lol)
My nail polish poison this month is not a brand I usually reach for because it’s more of an up in coming brand. When I first stumbled upon their website while Instagram browsing I totally fell in love with their concept. Pretty Woman NYC is a 5-free, cruelty free, vegan based company.
Let’s take a look….
Sands N Sunset from the Sand collection
I can truly picture myself wearing this polish during the summer as the name is truly fitting for the season. The polish glided on my nails so smoothly and it gave the perfect amount of texture. Sometimes with polishes they can become too grainy and textured which make them hard to spread, however this wasn’t the case. I used this polish with my Sache Vite base coat and sealed it with the same quick dry coat. It lasted for about a week before it started to chip, which is UNHEARD OF for me and my natural nails. The color payoff was good too for a textured polish. I just loved the orange tone it gave when the light hit it. I was weary about the removal because usually with textured polish, removal becomes a pain, but once again, Pretty woman NYC got the win! Removal was a piece of cake!
Next up…
Coraliscious from the Gelogics collection
I really enjoy using gel polishes because of its lasting effects. I recently did a tutorial on how I use my gel polishes here. Check it out if you haven’t already. What makes Pretty Woman NYS’s gelogic polish so great, is that is cuts out the middle men. There is no UV or primers needed for this polish. Once again the application was really smooth. I did not apply a top or base coat just to see how well the gel adhered to the nail. It did a pretty decent job for a gel polish that only cost 7.99!! I really did get a glassy shine from the polish as it claims so I was a happy camper. The glossy shine is one of the reasons I opt in for Gel polishes over regular polishes. Another great pro to this polish is that the polish can be removed with acetone.
And then there was…
Green Ceramic from the Ceramics collection
I honestly can say that this color is one of my favorite colors. The finish was everything I expected it to be. It wasn’t too matte and wasn’t too shiny. It just gave my nails a nice cute finishing touch. Typically regular polishes are only mediocre in my book but this polish was amazing! It didn’t last a week before chipping, which is expected but I love the smooth texture and the way it applied! A little did go a long way and it was super buildable!
Can’t forget…
Teal Alpha Jewel from the Gelogics collection
So I really wanted to love this polish but out of all of theme I liked it the least. Not because of the color, because the color was gorgeous, it was due to the application. The application was such a struggle. The polish was very clumpy and hard to spread. But once the polish was on it did smooth out and dry fairly quickly. This greenish micro alpha jeweled polish gives a nice glowing/shimmer effect when it is in various types of light.
Grand finale….
Matte Nude nails with blue black and white geometrics from the designer nail collection
I wore these nails for my birthday in Canada and I received nothing but compliments. I doubt anyone knew that these nails were press on nails! Before applying the nails I had to file the sides to match my nails as most were a little oversized. Who knew I had such small nail beds.
Each kit contains: 24 Nails, 30 Self-Adhesive Nail Tabs, 2g Glue, Applicator, Nail File, and a Manicure stick.
I applied the nail glue to my beds along with my Beauty secrets nail glue because I always have to double glue my nails. It’s a good thing I did because the next day my thumb nail popped off despite the double glue, which I expected to happen anyway. The designs on the nails were so beautiful and easy to match with any outfit because of its matte-ness. Unfortunately the polish on the actual nails began to scratch and peel after the third day which was a bit weird. I have yet to try the adhesive strips but I am sure they work well for like a one day occasion. I will say that I did wash a lot of dishes and use my hands frequently as I had these applied, so it was inevitable that they set started to come off after the 4th day as well. Glue does deteriorate over time so that is something to keep in mind.
Overall, Pretty Woman NYC gets 5 stars in my book for their formulation, customer service, and variety when it comes to nail care and nail adornment!
Be sure to stop by Pretty Woman NYC’s website to see what polish is eye catching to you!
