CH Nails Magnetic 60

My boyfriend and I had our first anniversary a little while ago. We agreed to not do big extravagant presents but to get something small for each other to mark the occasion, as we're both living on strict budgets (he's a full time student and I only just started working full time after deferring my studies this semester). It was a lovely sunny day so we went down to Studley Park Boat House (Melbournians, if you haven't been there - go! It's gorgeous!) and I was presented with this:

Magnetic nail polish! I have the most awesome boyfriend ever!

This is a brand called CH Nails. Neither of us were able to find much information about them (he spent a while researching on the internet before buying these, bless!). He got them for me right before I finally found the Ulta3 magnetics, after listening to me moan that I couldn't find them anywhere - how adorable is that? Well now I never have to buy another magnetic polish...

This is CH Nails number 60 (there's no names, just numbers), using two of the magnets from the set that BF very thoughtfully included with the polishes. The blur on my ring finger is meant to be a starburst, but I'm not very good with the magnets just yet. More practice is required - luckily I have another 11 colours to try out :D

Robyn x

Ulta3 Magnetics - Hypnotic

I finally found Ulta3 magnetics!

I must be the worst nail polish hunter in the world...it has taken me months to find these polishes, then I found them at a chemist which I walk past all the time. I found Hypnotic at the Soul Pattinson Chemist on Bourke Street, near the corner of William Street, in the Melbourne CBD.

Hypnotic is a dark reddish purple in the bottle. Also, check out my "nail board" - it's just a bit of thick cardboard I use to protect my desk when I'm painting. The big splodges are from stamping!

Once magnetised, it goes a gorgeous dark berry sort of colour with loads of shimmer with paler streaks which shift as you move your nails.

This polish is pretty tricky to apply. You have to put down a thickish coat (on top of an already dry coat), then while it's still wet you have to hold the magnet just above the nail. Ulta3 magnets are simply stuck onto a piece of cardboard so it can be tricky to get the magnet at the right height. I had a few mishaps - once I held the magnet too far away and the pattern didn't appear, another time I got polish on the magnet from holding it too close. You also have to do one nail at a time and since I'm a bit of a klutz I did smudge a couple of nails.

The finished result on my nails (with a permanent marker streak on my index finger - oops! I was labelling swatch sticks). You can see how tiny my nails are compared to my swatch stick :) My Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat probably wasn't the best choice for this manicure as you can see it's dragged some of the colour - next time I will probably put a normal top coat and then the Insta Dri. Also, on the nails I fudged, instead of taking everything off and starting again, I just whacked another coat on top and went on my merry way. I think the polish must be quite slow drying because I went to bed five hours later and woke up the next morning with pseudo-sheet marks on those nails (the top coat was dry but the polish underneath was still soft). Next time I won't be so lazy!

What so you guys think of magnetics? I personally quite like the effect. Everyone makes magnetics now so you should be able to find some cool colours out there!

Robyn x