Sparkled Beauty

I would have had a big haul for you today if Arthur didn't bring crazy wind to town on Saturday and we didn't have to leave the mall early yesterday for my friend to discipline her kids for not behaving themselves :(

Instead, we are talking nail stuff today.

I was sent a few things to try from Nail HQ, a nail care treatment line from the UK. Not at request, but the items were actually what I needed - a base coat and a ridge filler.

Nail HQ nail treatments incorporate hydrolyzed collagen, argan oil and keratin proteins known in skin and hair care products, to take care of your nails.

Came neatly packed in a nice box with opening showing the bottle inside, held in place by a plastic mold. Not a bad first impression.

The base coat is described as an anti-stain rubberized bonding base coat. I did not find the texture to be really sticky but it held on to the nail polish quite well.

I find the wear of my nail polish, with this base coat underneath, varied among brands and formulas. Some only got one day, some others got three. In general, the base coat is on par with others I have tried but nothing exceptional.

The anti-stain aspect of the product was great. I was glad to find my nails remained its natural state after all the polishes I wore, from light to dark colours and anything in between.

The base coat bottle has 10ml, retails $7.99.

The ridge filler is more on the treatment side, meant for weak, damaged and thin ridged nails.

It hydrates and conditions the nails, also improves wear by providing adhesion properties, with a subtle sheen.

For that purpose, the ridge filler could be worn alone, a break between polishes in my case. The pink tint is almost invisible on the nails, giving off that light sheen to make the nails look healthy. And it gave my nails a smoother-looking surface when I use the polishes that were a little unforgiving.

I also used the product as a base coat, found it not working as well by itself, so I paired it with the base coat above when I need a treatment for the nails.

The ridge filler is the same size (10ml), with the same standard brush as the base coat, retails $9.99. Between the two products, I enjoyed the ridge filler a little more for the look it gave my nails but also used up about a fifth of the base coat bottle already :)

Nail HQ is available at selected Pharmasave and other fine drugstores, and online at Farleyco (Canadian distributor of the brand). There are also a gel top coat, hardener, strengthener, growth, cuticle oil, all in one, and protect & repair.