Hey y'all!
I need to come out and say this: I have been seriously rubbing myself lately! Sometimes it's deliberate, when I am consciously aware of the need to do it and the gratification that comes from the rubbing and touching. Sometimes I do it as a compulsive reaction to anxiety or stress, and I find myself doing it and counting the number of strokes I make. Most commonly, however, it's just an absent-minded habit. I'll be watching television, or reading blogs, and look down and realize I'm doing it right then, just gleefully rubbing away without any thought to who might see or what they might think of me!
I've been living with this horrible secret for some time now, and I'm thankful that someone else brought it up in the British Nail Bloggers forum, because after a rather lengthy thread, we all now realize we're not alone. We rub ourselves and we're tired of being ashamed of it! That is to say, we rub up against our painted nails, either against our lips or fingers (or other places?? - I dunno). So, in a little group therapy session, today we're all going to be showcasing the best polishes on which to rub it out! I've selected 10 polishes and toppers that I find myself continually touching, but I can't possibly rank them, so I'll just group them into "types". It's also important to note that these polishes should always be completely dry before anyone goes smearing their fingers against em, or sticking em to their lips or in their mouths. Nail polish is not intended to be ingested, y'all, so let's use a little common sense when we're rubbing ourselves, shall we?
Without further ado, let's get started:
The Top Coats
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
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| Seche Vite over OPI DS Pewter |
Since this is the most common exterior barrier on my nails, it only makes sense that I would find myself rubbing on it a lot. All nail bloggers and connoisseurs know, it's a thick, glossy topcoat that dries like glass on top of my nails, and the smooth finish makes it irresistible for my fingers to run over the surface of one another, just *trying* to find a bump or blemish on the surface!
OPI Matte Top Coat
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| OPI Matte Top Coat over Sinful Colors Dancing Nails |
I don't own any matte nail polishes, because with this top coat, I don't feel like I *need* them! This gorgeously supple top coat mattes out even the shiniest of shinies, and leaves a satiny smooth finish on top of my nails. The bonus: It's a fairly quick dry-time, too. Sometimes I'll finish a bit of nail art or a nail look in general and realize that while it looks nice, something is just *off*. That's usually when I reach for this mattifying top coat to see if I can't make the look come together. This is one polish I'm definitely guilty of rubbing against my lips - specifically I find myself rubbing my thumb against my bottom lip, usually while I'm deep in thought or otherwise concentrating.
Shatter/Crackle Toppers
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| OPI Super Bass Shatter over Models Own Indian Ocean |
Almost every brand has at least one version of this type of polish, which is best applied in a thin, single layer, over a contrasting color. My favorites are the OPI Shatters, though I also have some W7s and one Barry M that I'm not fond of (Croc Effect). I love the textured feel that results from a good cracking polish, and unless I need to wear the look for longer than a day, I often don't top coat because I like the way the cracked polish feels against my fingertips when I rub across.
The Jellies/Crellies
China Glaze Are You Jelly?
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| China Glaze Are You Jelly? and Max Factor Fantasy Fire (on middle and ring) |
While they're a bit of a pain to work with if you want an opaque nail, jellies (clear but tinted base, can see through) and crellies (sheer base, slightly opaque but thinner than a traditional creme finish) give a great texture to your nail if you're a compulsive rubber. Pictured above are 3 coats of the crelly
Are You Jelly? on all fingers and a single coat of the jelly
Fantasy Fire over my ring and middle fingers. I love the additional flare that
Fantasy Fire adds to the gorgeous grape jelly color of
Are You Jelly? while not changing the color too much. In addition, this mani left me with two different but similar textures to play with on my fingers, with the satiny finish of the crelly and the smooth but rubbery feel of the jelly on different fingers.
Effect Polishes
Maybelline Color Show Vintage Leather
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| Maybelline Tanned & Ready |
I only own two of the Vintage Leather collection from the Color Show line, but I found myself quite pleased with the texture of the polishes once they were on the nail. This isn't the really thick plastic feel of some of the higher-end leather effect polishes, but it is very much like a thin plastic or rubber with some grittiness from the shards in the polish that give it the "distressed" look (though not very successfully, in my opinion). I did find myself rubbing my middle finger against the top of my index finger pretty frequently, enjoying the very different feel of the polish.
OPI DS Raw Granite
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| OPI DS Pewter |
The Raw Granite duo which came out this fall is a beautiful pair of polishes, both of which are in my line to swatch and review. However, this post came up first, so I had to bite the bullet because I'm in LOVE with the texture of these polishes. Shown above is Pewter, which only slightly edged out Lapis for having a better "lip feel" - because the formula lays down just slightly better and the Lapis was JUST SLIGHTLY more gritty feeling once dried. They both have an amazing texture that feels like smoothed igneous rock, as though someone took a sanding belt to a piece of granite! These are both very similar to the Liquid Sand line, see below, but have slightly larger glitter hexes and supposedly contain real diamond dust, for added sparkle. If you don't believe me on the sparkle, check the very first picture on this post and compare the natural finish here to the extra sparkly finish after adding a clear top coat!
OPI Liquid Sands
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| OPI Solitaire, from the Bond Girls collection |
I am late on the bandwagon of the Liquid Sand polishes. My first bottle was Honey Ryder, also from the Bond Girls collection, and I loved it so much I came back and got two more, though I'm sure they won't be the last. I love the slight grittiness to the finish and find myself rubbing not only my fingers over top, but also my thumb against my bottom lip when I'm wearing any of the Liquid Sands.
Rimmel Space Dust
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| Rimmel Moon Walking |
Like the crackle/shatter polishes, it seems like everyone will soon be joining in with a version of this type of textured polish, created by adding fine glitter to a thin base so much that it won't lay down smoothly. Whereas I have a handful of the OPI line, I was very curious when I saw that Rimmel had started their own line, since I have become a fan of the brand since moving to the UK. There will be a swatch and review post coming on the 4 polishes I got, but like the Raw Granites, that review post got superseded by this one, so there you have it. These are definitely much rougher in texture than the Liquid Sands, but they have more sparkle and feel a bit like spice drops or Sour Patch Kids against my lower lip.
The Add-Ons
Technically, these last two aren't "polishes" per se, but they are a firmly established part of the nail art community, and because I absolutely LOVE to feel these on my nails, they merit inclusion in this list.
Microbeads/Fish Eggs/Cavy-arh
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| elf microbeads in purple and pink from the Ursula Villains nail art kit |
The "fish-egg" manicure has been on the scene for a couple of years now, one of the first things besides rhinestones that nail artists found in craft stores and decided to stick on their nails. Typically made from glass or plastic polymer, these round little beads add a bumpy-smooth surface to nail art and can be applied across a whole nail or strategically (and painstakingly) placed to create unique 3D designs. For me, they make excellent textural distractions for my fingertips.
Flocking Powder
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| MUA Fur-Effect Fluffy Bobbin |
Nail art enthusiasts, in continuing with the "Oh look at this crafting supply thing I found; I'm gonna stick it on my nails" theme, also quickly added flocking powder to their manicures. Originally used as a crafting supply by model builders (to create carpet and grass effects) and paper crafters (to create velour effects on cards, gift boxes, and other items), these synthetic fibers are glued onto a surface to give a velvety texture. In nail art, many creative uses have arisen, from creating snow effects in wintery manicures to making popular puppets come to life on the nail bed (see my first
creation). If I ever want to add a special 3D touch to my nails, specifically knowing that I'll be unable to resist rubbing against them all day long, I'll use flocking powder and enjoy the feel of a soft blanket on the ends of my digits.
So there we have my 10 picks for the best nail things to rub up against. Are you a compulsive nail-rubber too? Sound off in the comments, and let me know what you think of our weird proclivity!
Also, be sure to check out the other "British Nail Bloggers Get Rubbed" entries in the inlinkz below. Next week I'll have some exciting news to share, and continue on with holiday challenge nail art as well as some great new swatches and reviews of stuff I've found.
Much love,
Ali
