When you go to Japan, there’s no way that you wouldn’t stop by one of its myriad convenience stores. They’re available in every few blocks, how can we not notice? During our recent Japan trip, we entered at least one every day, mostly to get some food for breakfast, snacks, drinks or anything that might catch our eyes.
Some convenience stores also carry few makeup products. You know, my eyes usually went straight for it whenever I see one. *chuckle* There is one particular purchase that made me really happy because it’s like finding a gem (for me who likes nail polishes). And that is ParaDo Nail Foundation.
So, what is it? Based on my assumptions by looking at the shades, it’s basically a nail polish that will give you the appearance of healthier nails. The name “Foundation” seems to suggest that too. It’s like giving a more even color to the nails, though subtle.
There are 3 shades available, 2 permanent (PO and BO) and 1 limited edition (PK). I chose PO (Pink Ochre) which is a nice pale pink, a type of pink that I would relate to one of those my-lips-but-better shades. The BO (Beige Ochre) is a little more neutral, leaning to nude. To be honest, PO and BO looked very similar so I was having a hard time deciding. PK is noticeably pinker and slightly deeper, pretty too. But I was looking for that subtlety.
Now, up there is a photo of my nails. Apologies for the rather rugged appearance. About 2 weeks before, I peeled the gel polish that was painted on there. To be fair, it wasn’t as bad as the usual. I had CND Shellac on before and it peeled off rather easily. Upon reading, apparently, the brand is indeed less damaging than traditional gel polish. Just thought I put it out there in case someone is interested in trying.
Hopefully, you can see the imperfections on the nail’s surface. My nails have natural ridges too so they’re definitely not smooth by any means.
This is how my nails looked like after 2 coats of ParaDo Nail Foundation (PO). One coat doesn’t give that much color, just the gloss. 2 coats or 3 thin coats will do. I adore, adore the color and the finish it gives! It has a jelly finish. It’s kind of sheer and the translucency softly covers the nails. The white tip is still showing a little but that’s the beauty of it. It’s not meant to look perfect.
The formula smooths out on its own so there’s no concern of a clumpy mess if I applied a little too much. It dries fairly quickly and that basically simplifies the usage. I can just paint the nails and move on to do my errands.
Literally, the day I got this, I painted my nails when we’re back at the hotel, happily sporting this for a couple of weeks, and still looking great (not perfect) even after we got back to Jakarta! I did remove it so I can repaint them 😀
It fills the ridges on my nails beautifully. Some are still showing but the only way to fully cover it is to apply a top coat (my fave is Seche Vite). But I don’t mind it at all. I actually didn’t even put a base coat underneath and a top coat over this. I don’t feel the need to. Sure, a top coat will prolong the wear but I find this held up on its own quite nicely.
Any chip isn’t that noticeable anyway due to the light color. During the trip, I didn’t even bother with how my nails looked because the minor imperfections were easy to be ignored. Again, the idea here is being effortless and get that healthier-looking nails without going for the shiny-freshly-manicured route.
The PO shade goes really well with my skin tone. I’m happy with my choice. I love the flushed hue it gives to my otherwise plain-pale nails. Just a couple of coats, my hands and nails look more alive!
As far as I know, ParaDo Nail Foundation and the rest of the makeup (here’s the website) are available only at 7-Eleven. I didn’t see them anywhere else. The price is ¥500 (before tax) which is rather affordable. I wanted to buy the BO shade and the Gel Top Coat but in the end, I didn’t.
As if that’s not enough, ParaDo Nail Foundation has a sticker showing it had won @cosme Award in 2017. You know that’s a good sign whenever you see that sticker. The recognition. That’s probably how I decided to make the purchase in the first place.
And now I’m probably kind of regretting not getting the others. LOL!
