Fun Nail Colors That Last with Max Factor

Nail polish is a very affordable beauty indulgence. This pop of color on the hands is already a fashion statement on its own. When I was a teenager, I remember oohing and aahing on nail polish bottles in drugstores but alas, we were not allowed to wear nail polish in school back then (one of those rules in high school where we have to be "simple") and so the polish was reserved during the weekends or on toes where they were hidden by our school shoes. It was a fun way of experimenting with color without costing a lot. In a way, it's a very affordable accessory.

Somehow, ironically, when I got older, I stopped wearing polish on my hands. This was not because I lost the fondness but because since  my work involves a lot of things literally on my hands like typing (which is prone to chipping) plus chores like dishwashing, cleaning the bathroom, and taking care of the kitty's litterbox  can take a toll on my freshly-applied color. I still however, put color on my toes, as due to nail surgery a few years back from pedi boo-boos, I resolved to have my nails done outside in trusted nail salons.

On my way home from pole lunch class last week, I got a text from Aireen inviting us bloggers for a very fun and pampering afternoon at Beauty and Butter Megamall to launch the new nail colors from Max Factor.
Since I'll be meeting Iana that day at Strata to teach her makeup application for her finals, Megamall was a hop and a skip and a backflip from strata so it was absolutely yes. And hey, I never say no to pampering. I just said that I can't have lotion since I might be poleling that day (I did by the way, and I didn't slip).

Beauty and Butter is such a cute cute nail salon with an art deco theme. Their prices are also quite affordable. I think basic mani costs like Php170 and a mani-pedi package Php350. I like that they do not dig in to cuticles and have excellent service.

The best part of it all is the free and trusty WiFi. They can even lend iPads for their clients to tinker with, like checking Facebook or the news. For those working "from home", they can get their foot spa while catching up on work in their laptops, sort of a yin-yang thing.

Max Factor introduces two polish varieties, the Max Color Effect Mini Nails and Glossfinity, which are very affordable and come in a variety of shades to mix, match, and clash.

The Max Color Effect Mini Nails comes in colors that are bright, bold, and fruity that are an instant fashion statement. It's a great way to change the look. Imagine wearing just neutral classic like white shirt and jeans then a burst of lime green on the nails. Or a black dress with hot pink nails. It's like the red lipstick, but cheaper. It also comes in a tiny bottle that fits the teensiest of all purses.

Check out the color wheel swatches they showed us. As you can see, the colors are brighter and a bit more fun. This would be great to wear on weekends or like a nice party. They're also pretty affordable as a bottle costs Php 175.

For a job interview or a more serious event, Glossfinity has shades that are more classic and neutral as well as occasional navy and deep colors. They can last up to 7 days and stay shiny, from the name. They have roses, pinks, reds, beiges, and browns so if you're the girl who's till scared to go hot pink or deep vampy wine colors, they have neutrals for you.

Awesomeness too is that we could mix and match these colors for our very own fun nail art, which we got to experience thanks to the girls at Beauty and Butter. For me personally, obviously I didn't want something tame, sweet, and neutral. I wanted something fun and something with kitties. there weren't kitty print designs available on the nail art but I went for something close - leopard and tiger prints!

My nails were painted leopard-print spots after a coat of Max Color Effect in Lollipop, a sweet bright pink color. 

 I initially wanted leopard print on the nails but however, toenails were too tiny for leopard print so I settles for tiger prints. At least tigers are cats too.

My leopard nails after. As I took this photo, my nails were already surprisingly dry. I love that there's no need to wait for one million years.So super shiny! Thanks to the Glossfinity topcoat to seal it all in. Oh, by the way, Glossfinity costs Php 245, since the bottle is bigger.

I'm a Jungle Cat! Meoooowwwwrrrr!!!!!!!

Remember the reason why I stopped wearing polish on the hands is that they tend to chip considerably come day 3 even if I have it done professionally? Thankfully, this one stayed on longer. The chip came on day 4 or 5 but it was unnoticeable and day 6 was when it started to lose the shine. But of course again, I do a lot of manual labor and I swim a lot so I guess it's my lifestyle already. The chips though, were not big chunks as like other polishes where it looks like half of the polish is already gone. If you don't look close enough, the chips aren't noticeable.

After day 6, I decided to go DIY and try my hand on nail art. I used a variety of nail polish brands here. I painted my thumb orange from Max Factor's Max Color Effect in Satsuma as a base color and for the other nail, a yellow color from another brand. I personally have a hard time applying opaque colors as they don't come out even but this one was pretty easy, even comparable to a brand that costs twice its amount.

The Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nails I would recommend to a lot of people, for young girls starting out with polish on their toes hidden by school socks or school shoes, or the fickle-minded nail fanatic who changes polish every so often. It's also a great way to experiment with a new bold color as well, and since the bottle's tiny, it's like a sample size first. For those with active lifestyles or with jobs that entail more conservative color palettes and dresscodes, Glossfinity has the neutral shades and last to stay in top condition until the weekend when it's time to make a switcharoo to the fun colors. Although Glossfinity stays on its own, I'd still recommend a topcoat so it lasts shinier and longer.

Happy bloggers with the Max factor Team :) Thank you Max Factor and Beauty and Butter for that super fun afternoon. For those curious, yes, the polishes are already available. I just bought one this weekend.