Product
appearance
You'll notice the Clear
Base/ Top Coat polish actually appears milky white in the
bottle. The milkiness disappears upon drying to form a
clear coat. Sometimes minor settling occurs in some
colours, and you may notice a light ring of colour at the
top of the bottle, or some sparkle floating to the
bottom. We have shaker beads inside, so a light shake of
the polish easily re-disperses the pigment.
Nail
preparation
Solvent-based polishes
can strip healthy nails of naturally produced oils. Since
our polish does not contain these solvents, the oils
remain on the nail. Wash and dry hands thoroughly before
applying polish. Those with very dry skin may wish to
apply a cuticle oil (or jojoba oil or similar) to nails
first before applying polish to help hydrate the nail.
Make sure the oil is absorbed into the nail before
polishing.
Dry time
Dries to a tack-free
state nearly as fast as regular polish. Two thin coats
will dry faster than one thick. Cold hands, low
temperatures and high humidity can prolong drying time.
Water resistant in about 15 minutes. Able to withstand
other chemicals (shampooing, doing dishes) after about an
hour. For best results, polish nails at the end of the
day so they have overnight to cure properly.
Product exceptions
You may find this
product is a bit more difficult to remove from toe nails,
because toe nails are naturally more dry and have less
natural oils.
Scratch resistance
Unlike solvent-based
polishes which reach their maximum hardness in about 40
minutes, WaterColors Nail Enamel must be given time to
create a tough film. About 75% of the hardness is
achieved very quickly, but it needs 4-6 hours to achieve
maximum hardness. The more time you give it to cure
properly, the longer it will wear. You may choose to
apply it at night when the day's activities are done.
However, because the film is quite thin, worn areas at
the tips or scratches can be easily touched up to create
a freshly-applied appearance.
Ease of removal
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The film that
is formed by the water-based system becomes more
difficult to dissolve as time passes. For this
reason, we recommend you remove the polish at or
before one week of wear the first time you use
our polish.
Apply
Odourless Polish Remover to the cotton ball or
cotton pad. Hold the wetted pad on the nail for
a few seconds, and then proceed to rub the
polish off while applying gentle pressure. Do
not scrape at the nail. It may take a few swipes
longer than you're used to, but the product will
come off. People with dry, ridgy or porous nails
may need to work at it a bit longer.
Acetone-based removers will not work because
this is not a solvent-based system. Wash hands
with soap and water thoroughly after removal. If
you have naturally dry skin, you may also want
to use a moisturizer.
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Tips and tricks
While WaterColors Nail
Enamel may look and act like traditional solvent-based
polish, it does have its eccentricities. Most of our
customers tell us they would rather have to do an extra
step if necessary rather than use polishes which contain
potentially toxic ingredients. Here are some special
instances and ideas which can help you create the perfect
manicure.
1) Dry Nails
We've found that
individuals with dry skin and dry nails tend to have a
more difficult time removing our polish. For those folks,
we recommend moisturizing the nails first before applying
polish. Rub a little cuticle oil (or any good oil like
jojoba, sweet almond, olive, etc.) into nails until the
shininess disappears and the oil is absorbed into the
nail. Then polish the nails as usual. You may want to
remove the polish after one week of wear. Moisturize
after removing polish.
2) Cold Temperatures
Since our polish is
water-based, it can thicken in cold temperatures. We
recommend storing our polish at normal room temperature.
If polish does thicken, add ONE drop of water to bottle
and shake well. This should return the polish to normal
consistency. If it does not, the polish had been too cold
for too long and needs to be replaced.
3) Length of Wear
It's rare we ever hear
that our polish doesn't last long enough. However, if you
find the polish isn't wearing as long as expected, the
problem probably comes back to application. We recommend
that you try to polish your nails at night if possible.
Though our polish is tack free in no time, it takes
longer to cure at the molecular level than traditional
polish. So the longer you give it to set up without
exposure to water, etc., the better it will wear. That
being said, everyone wears polish differently. How long
the polish lasts on you also depends on your body
chemistry, daily activities and environmental exposure.
Applying a clear top coat can extend the wear of polish.
We also recommend a base clear coat under our darker
colours such as Vintage Merlot, Risque and Desire.
4) Removal
The film that is formed
by the water-based system becomes more difficult to
dissolve as time passes. For this reason, we recommend
you remove the polish at or before one week of wear the
first time you use our polish. Apply Honeybee Gardens
Odourless Remover to a cotton ball or remover pad. Hold
the wetted cotton ball on the nail for a few seconds, and
then proceed to rub the polish off while applying gentle
pressure. Do not scrape at the nail. It may take a few
swipes longer than you're used to, but the product will
come off. People with dry, ridgy or porous nails may need
to work at it a bit longer. Acetone-based removers will
not work because this is not a solvent-based system. Wash
hands with soap and water thoroughly after removal. If
you have naturally dry skin, you may also want to use a
moisturizer.
Product
Colours
Colours can vary from
screen to screen depending on the quality of the screen,
monitor settings etc. The colours on our web site should
be taken as an indication only. The actual product colour
may differ for the colour represented by your computer
screen.
