Tammy Taylor - Top Gel Plus, Clean-It, Clean Finish Buffing File, & Brush on Nail Glue

Some random additional products provided by Tammy Taylor.

 

Tammy Taylor Top Gel Plus

Here for $19.95

This is a gel top coat that can be cured under a LED or UV light. I don't have a lot of gel system knowledge, but I do have the Sensationail LED lamp, so I tested it over a completely dry regular nail polish. It did cure within 40 seconds as it states and it provided a high shine with a thick glossy look. (I'll spare you the pics because it was on my toes) I can't attest to the wear time or compare it to other gel polishes because I don't have a full system with the proper base coats.

 

"Clean - It"

Here for $8.95

This is meant to be used prior to any gel system application to ensure better adhesion, as well as after a gel polish is cured to remove any sticky residue from the surface of cured gel polish. I found it worked great with the Top Gel plus polish, it's a nice size of 3 oz, free of any harsh odor.

 

Clean Finish Buffing File

Here for $11.95

This has a heavy grit to it that can rough up the surface of the natural nail prior to polish application. Also it can be used to buff off the gloss of a cured gel polish, so you can use the acetone-soaked-cotton-ball-wrapped-in-tin-foil onto the nail to remove gel polish.

 

Tammy Taylor Brush On Nail Glue

(I can't find the direct link on their site.)

I don't often have a need for nail glue, but I sometimes use it to apply rhinestones if I want some extra staying power. This being in a brush on form makes it really easy to use and control the amount of glue placed. It's a nice size bottle of a full 15mL or 0.5oz.

More about → Tammy Taylor - Top Gel Plus, Clean-It, Clean Finish Buffing File, & Brush on Nail Glue

Pink Doodles

I needed a blank slate to try out some new nail art items from Born Pretty. Nail art brushes and a nail art pen. I figured a notepad type doodle would be just right.

 This nail art brush set is found here for $2.57.

 They each had a few random stray hairs, easily solved with scissors. I used the blue paint brush for the blue lines, and the red paint brush for the red lines. I used acrylic paint for the colors. (The base polish is Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White)

The nail art pen can be found here for $5.99.  They have 6 available colors: white, gray, hot pink, red, black, & yellow. This was obviously the pink one.

 It's easy to use, just shake it up well, pump the tip against a piece of scrap paper until the color flows. Then it draws pretty easily. Just like a marker. 

I found it was sheer in places, like my pinky in the picture. I just made one pass of my signature. The rest of the doodles were passed over twice.

More about → Pink Doodles

Born Pretty - Cuticle Pusher & Cuticle Nippers

Some tools were also sent my way from Born Pretty. 

The cuticle pusher/remover can be found here for $1.89. 

It works great! The left side is slightly curved and allows you to easily push your cuticles back and scrape at the dead skin the clings to the nail bed. ( I think that's what the technical "cuticle" is anyway) The right side is angled to a point which is helpful for cleaning under the free edge. The tool is very sturdy and made from stainless steel so it can be properly sanitized.

The cuticle nippers can be found here for $2.74.

It works great too! I'm really pleased with them as well.

Here I have the Born Pretty cuticle nippers stacked on top of my Tweezerman nippers so that you can see how they compare. Approximately same size, but the ones from Born Pretty feel more lightweight. Construction appears the same.

 A closeup of the nipper head. Born Pretty has a smaller angle to the blade part. It has a longer cutting area so it lets you get it further to any hangnails or awkward positions. I've had my Tweezerman nippers for quite a while now and they have gone a bit dull. The Born Pretty ones are really sharp and crisp which makes things go easier and quicker.

Side note - I'm not recommending that you all go out and start cutting your cuticles. They are there for a reason and that is to protect your nail from infection. I don't personally cut my cuticles any. I push them back with each polish change and I use cuticle nippers to cut any loose bits of skin, extra growth on the side of my nails, or to smooth out the toughened skin at the corners of my nails.

More about → Born Pretty - Cuticle Pusher & Cuticle Nippers