Perfectly Polished Tips 232 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Wrap Up

For the last ten weeks I have been using an array of ASK Cosmetics nail products. The main one is TIPS for Toes. It is supposed to help with weak, brittle, and peeling nails. You can check out what nails looked like prior to applying TIPS for Toes here.

I think I have finally reached a breakthrough with the challenge. I had been disappointed because I could not let my nails get any length. They would chip or break almost instantly. I have been filing daily but not filing down length. I've made it a little over a week with NO breaks or chipping. I am not pleased with the state of my cuticles, I think they need more moisture than what TIPS for Toes and the Skin Milk offer. I am happy about the length but to be honest I don't know if I will keep it.

The peeling I had on my thumbs at the beginning of the challenge is gone. I still have the damage on my ring finger but it's no longer causing the nail to split at the tip.

Before   Week 4  Week 8
Week 1 Week 5  Week 9
Week 2 Week 6
Week 3 Week 7

Left Hand - I have a nasty cut on my ring finger and thought I would spare the internet from having to look at it.

Left Ring Finger

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

Here is a photo comparing my right thumbs. The larger picture is the before and the smaller is week 10.

All in all I am pleased with the results that I got using TIPS for Toes. I wish that I had better results in the cuticle department but now that the challenge is over I can go back to using my beloved Badger Balm. I plan to continue using the product until it runs out, I am hopeful that it will continue to help the damage on my ring finger.

I really enjoyed participating in the Bare Naked Nail challenge but I am very happy to go back to constant polish wearing. Not being able to wear it really gave me a new found appreciation for my nail polish stash. I had been neglecting a majority of for a long while. :)

Perfectly Polished Tips 231 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 9 Update

I am in the home stretch of the ASK Cosmetics Bare Naked Nail Challenge. For the last nine weeks I have used TIPS for Toes Nail Conditioner on my fingers each morning. I have missed polishing my nails dearly though and will be happy when I can go back to polishing all the time!

Before   Week 4   Week 8
Week 1 Week 5
Week 2 Week 6
Week 3 Week 7

Left Hand

Left Ring finger

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

The bits that look like dirt are left overs from my Butter London Blagger manicure. I didn't want to over do it with the nail polish remover or injure my cuticles so unfortunately it's in the photos.

The damage on my left ring finger seems to be improving. I wish I could remember how I injured it initially. The peeling on my thumbs is also almost gone. I'm happy about that.

I think my cuticles need something heavier. The TIPS conditioner has helped my nails immensely; my nail beds are a healthy pink and my tips are bright white. My cuticles still look horrid most days though.

Perfectly Polished Tips 229 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 8 Update

Nothing awesome to report this week. I have been emailing with Lisa from ASK Cosmetics Inc and she says that sometimes 10-12 weeks of using TIPS Conditioner is not enough. I will be wrapping up the challenge in two weeks but I will probably continue to have TIPS Conditioner as a part of my nail routine, at least until I run out.

Before     Week 4
Week 1   Week 5
Week 2   Week 6
Week 3   Week 7

Left Hand

Left Ring

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

See you later with a NOTD post!

Perfectly Polished Tips 227 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 7 Update

Still nothing amazing to report. My cuticles aren't as dry this week but my nails seem really ridged and soft. I think for this week I am going to leave nail polish on or even just a treatment like Gelous and see if that helps at all. I have not worn polish in maybe two weeks I think. Or almost two weeks.

Before     Week 4
Week 1   Week 5
Week 2   Week 6
Week 3

Left Hand

Left Ring

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

If you look at my index finger in the photo of my right hand you can see what I meant in the last post about losing chunks of my nail. Little pieces just seem to come off randomly. I didn't file before taking these because I wanted to show what I was talking about.

The peeling on my thumbs is pretty much gone although it still looks like they were scraped. I'm not too sure what that is all about. At first I thought it was growing out but now it just seems to pop back up in the same spot.

Hopefully I will be back later today with a NOTD Monday post. If not we'll have NOTD Tuesday :)

Perfectly Polished Tips 226 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 6 Update

Now I know why the schedule a post tool is handy! Last week my son was on spring break and we had guests for the week! I had uploaded photos but never got to sit down and write a post. It was actually kind of nice to be unplugged if you will for the week. I should do it more often, with scheduled posts of course!

I am in week six of the ASK Cosmetics Inc. Bare Naked Nail Challenge. I am still following the rules and am still not seeing the results that I thought I would see. I'm not quite sure what is going on. It's not like my hands are in water or heavy duty cleaning chemicals all day long. I moisturize after I wash my hands. Of course I am going to finish out the challenge just to see what happens. There is still time for change!

There are no thumb photos this week. I took photos w/ my phone cam while waiting for my guests to arrive. I had been running around all day preparing and I had forgotten to take photos for the week! It was almost dark by this point and yea. So lesson learned :)

Before     Week 4
Week 1   Week 5
Week 2
Week 3

Left Hand

Left Ring

Right Hand

It's pretty obvious from these photos that my nails are still dry and the damage on my ring finger seems to be getting worse. I thought it was growing out and improving but it looks like it has just gotten larger. I tried letting my nails grow out to see how they would do. It was a no go. The crack in the ring finger makes the nail very week and I also seem to lose random chunks of my nails.

Perfectly Polished Tips 222 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 5 Update

I have hit the half way point of the challenge! I think I had unrealistic expectations of the TIPS for Toes nail conditioner. However, I think my nails have improved from using it daily. My left hand still looks better, I think the only way for righty to catch up would be to not do ANY chores for a week or so. That would be next to near impossible. The nails on my right hand are still growing at the same pace as the ones on my left though. I guess I can trade some rough cuticles for long nails.

Before          Week 4

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Left Hand

Left Ring - the damaged spot might be growing? I need to look at past photos.

Left Thumb - peeling is completely GONE!

Right Hand - the cuticles are still so dry

Right Thumb - still dry & peeling

I had nail polish on for a few days during this week. I know that the polish hardens on the nail and prevents the treatment from being absorbed but I think my nails need the extra protection. During most weeks I experience little parts of my nails breaking off. I had none of that this week. I had the polish on from Friday until Monday evening. Unless of course I had no breaks because of my continuous usage of the TIPS for Toes. I will have to go polish-less again and see if I notice a difference.

Goals for this week - continue babying righty. I need to dig out my rubber gloves and wear them while cleaning. I think it would help immensely.

Perfectly Polished Tips 213 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 3 Update

Here we are in week three, I honestly don't see much of a change this week. If anything my nails and cuticles are looking a bit dried out again. I am thinking that maybe I need to go back to twice a day applications and see if that makes an improvement. I have been pretty consistent with using the cleanser and lotion so I don't think that is the issue.

I feel like my nails have been growing faster, although I keep losing random chunks so I have been unable to leave them grow out. Soon I hope. The damage on my left ring finger is taking it's sweet time growing out, which doesn't make sense! At the rate my nails seem to be growing the damage should be long gone.

I have been awesome about not pushing my cuticles back but I want to so bad. I have to keep reminding myself that it is no good and that having ugly cuticles for a few weeks will pay off in the long run.

Before
Week One
Week Two

Left Hand

Left Ring

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

The peeling on my thumbs is getting better. My right thumb looks horrid all around, no idea why. My right hand looks pretty crappy compared to the left now that I look at the photos. I should probably work on my patients, obviously it took more than three weeks for them to get in such bad condition.

I miss nail polish! I have not put any on since starting this challenge. My last manicure was this over the top, super pink Essie manicure. I have acquired a few new colors so I need to swatch and many do a mani for a few days at least!

Oh, I also asked Lisa about the TIPS for Toes needing time to soak in. She said that whatever is going to be absorbed will do so as soon as it is applied. There is no need to wait for it to soak in. I am back to my normal morning routine now.

While I am on the topic of ASK Cosmetics, they are having another giveaway for the month of March. The winner gets to choose five polishes and I believe they also receive a base coat, top coat, and remover. You can check out the details on Lisa'a blog.

Perfectly Polished Tips 211 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 2 Update

This past Saturday marked two weeks into the ASK Cosmetics Bare Naked Nail Challenge. I have noticed a few improvements from last week but still have a long way to go. After last week's post which I believe was on Monday, the nail on my left ring finger split. Instead of getting up and grabbing the clippers, I bit it. :( I am a recovered nail biter! I do have slip ups every now and again. So of course the next logical thing to do was bite them ALL down to the quick. The growth in these photos is over a week's time. I wish I had snapped a picture of them post relapse. I'm pleased that TIPS for Toes is helping in the growth department.

Before Photos
Week One

Left Hand

Left Ring Finger

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

My nails and cuticles were still drinking up TIPS for Toes and the Revival Skin Conditioning Milk in the above photos. I think that I get my hands wet too soon after applying the solution. I've been trying to get up a bit earlier so that I have 15-20 minutes for TIPS for Toes to soak in before I start preparing breakfasts and lunches.

The peeling on my thumbs has cleared up quite a bit. I thought that it was just because they were freshly moisturized but even looking at them now they are a lot better than last week. I still have dry skin around my cuticles, I actually filed some off of the tips of my fingers because I couldn't stand it anymore. I have not pushed my cuticles back since starting the challenge. I am very impressed with myself. I have been tempted many times. They seem to be settling in and doing their own thing.

The damage on my left middle finger is taking forever to grow out. I cannot even recall what I did to cause it. I must have jammed it or something. Their is a tiny split in the white part again, I am going to be more diligent about filing so I do not encounter another break!

Please don't forget to enter my Sneekpeeq Giveaway! You get 20% off your first order just for entering! It is open until Saturday 3/3.

Perfectly Polished Tips 209 - Bare Naked Nail Challenge Week 1 Update

I have a few polish posts planned, however life got in the way last week. That and upon starting one of the posts I discovered that my photos weren't labeled properly. I didn't have a free second to sit and redo them. I will get those up this week for sure! Whoever coined the term "terrible twos" was NOT joking. This kid is going to have me gray before I hit 25!

Before Photos

Week one of the ASK Cosmetic's Bare Naked Nail Challenge is done. Things were going really well until about Thursday; up until that point I had been applying TIPS for Toes twice a day and my nails and cuticles were looking great. Then Thursday-Saturday I only applied it in the morning, mostly because things came up in the evening and my hands and nails had been exposed to water too close to bed time. It went down hill from there. I'm dried out again and the peeling on my thumbs seems to be worse. I wonder if this is one of those things that gets worse before it gets better. I am using the cleanser and lotion often so my hands are still in decent shape.

I am kind of getting the hang of using the Contoured nail file. I think I watched the youtube how-to video about 20 times already. It is clear in the photos that the filing is not going well at the moment. I am going to cut all of my nails down today though because of the peeling. I also have some type of injury to my left ring nail, it looks like the ridge extended right up to the white part of my nail. There is a small crack in it, I tried to photograph it but I am not sure if it will be visible as it is pretty tiny.

Left Hand

Left Ring - you can see the damaged part and the tiny crack

Left Thumb

Right Hand

Right Thumb

Those are my nails after one week of TIPS for Toes nail conditioner plus the Skin Milk and cleanser. My nails feel stronger but I don't trust growing them out just yet. I'm probably going to cut them down weekly until a majority of the splitting and peeling grow out.

The nail conditioner has a weird scent, I can't put my finger on what it smells like exactly. Celery is one thing that comes to mind but I know that isn't it. The smell fades very quickly though so it's not a big deal. The cleanser and lotion don't have much of a scent at all. I think that is my favorite part, I don't want to apply smelly things to my hands all day!

TIPS for Toes is an oil but it soaks in very quickly, it's not runny either which is a plus. The routine does not take long at all. I keep the soap and lotion next to my bathroom sink and applying the TIPS for Toes has become second nature in the morning.

My goals for this week are to apply twice a day because I really feel like that helped a lot. I have also been trying to drink more water and remember my multi vitamin but those are still a work in progress!

Perfectly Polished Tips 208 - ASK Cosmetics Bare Naked Nail Challenge BEFORE photos

Last month I posted about ASK Cosmetics hosting a Bare Naked Challenge. It's not a contest but more of an experiment. The company chose about 50 people to use TIPS Nail Conditioner and TIPS for Toes for a period of 8-12 weeks. Each participant is encouraged to take weekly photos and notes about the progress their nails are making.

I had been emailing with Lisa and asked her if any spots remained to please let me know and that I would love to participate. My nails have been in horrid shape. You can see how dry they are and they are full of ridges. I still am blaming picking off glitter polish. Even if I were to use remover I feel like it would still scratch them up. (Yes, I tried the infamous foil method and I FAILED...big time).

Here are my before photos, these were taken a couple weeks ago but my nails were in the exact same condition when I started using TIPS for Toes last Saturday (2/11). My cuticles and hands are also in sorry shape. It's sad because I know that could easily be remedied by using oil or lotion but I'm lazy. I figured that knowing that I had to take photos and track my progress would keep me going. Three days in and so far so good! It was so awkward photographing my right hand as I always use my left for swatching LOL.

LEFT HAND

LEFT HAND

LEFT RING FINGER

LEFT THUMB

RIGHT HAND

RIGHT HAND

RIGHT THUMB

The products that I will be using for the next 8-12 weeks are:

-TIPS for Toes (yes, on my finger tips, this is formulated for nails that need serious help!)

-TIPS Nail Conditioner (when TIPS for Toes runs out)

-Contour Nail File (this this looks like a torture device! LOL, I am still getting the hang of using it and feel like it's going to be tough because I love my glass file)

-Revival Hand and Nail Cleanser

-Revival Skin Conditioning Milk (lotion)

My routine thus far has been using TIPS for Toes first thing in the morning followed by some of the hand lotion. Then through out the day I use both the lotion and cleanser together. I have been applying the treatment twice daily. The second time is before dinner, I file then too because they recommend filing daily to keep the nails smooth. Oh, and there is no cuticle pushing allowed! This is going to be the hardest part for me. I have a habit of pushing them back each time I apply oil or cuticle balm. I've had to fight the urge each time I put on the treatment!

I'm three days in like I said and the skin around my nails is looking so much better. I'm excited to see what results this yields in the end. I would love to be able to keep my nails a bit longer and not have to worry about nasty breaks or tearing.

I will be posting my findings weekly and well as weekly photos. They recommend not wearing polish for the duration of the challenge however I think that swatching should be ok due to the fact that nothing will be hardening on my nails. I will wait the prescribed two weeks though because I would like to get the most out of this challenge.