HANDS, NAILS, ETC.

So here's what I managed to do to myself, and this is after round one clean up attempts with a q-tip and brush and orange stick:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5459/18219067883_53b715f1a4_z.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3895/18653540619_77edd51a6d_z.jpg

Less cool.

also IRL LOL at "we honor yr service, carl"

also also I hope Ivy's pediatrician appreciates my nails when I take her for an appointment tonight sigh

omg whoa -- welcome to the latest beauty trend that is impossible to achieve, good lord
i hope you manage to get it off without too much effort or chemical burns!

i got my first mani in years while waiting around for several hours in a city i'd never been to and i got manicured 1) by a man 2) who invented this cool exhaust system to get the fumes out of the small storefront
he was really nice! we talked about esl classes and vietnamese food (he's vietnamese)

HOLY SHIT that polish looks impossible to manage for pros, nevermind mere mortals. Super awesome, though! I love regular (non-glitter) jellies and have quite a few that are easy enough to work with, but that huge glitter is far too intimidating for me (to apply, not to wear).

yeah - applying each piece of glitter w tweezers sounds more appealing, jeez louise

Some people do that at the end! To make sure everything is perfect. I DO NOT CARE. I just want nails that look like they are underwater. I just want mermaid nails, OKAY???

I think this is a perfectly reasonable desire tbh.

it's 2015, underwater nails shd be more attainable

I dunno, I've been waiting since the days of Sea Wees in the bathtub for my luxurious mermaid hair and I still don't have it!

Sea Wees!!!

I bought some Deborah Lippmann polish because it was mermaid themed.

For regular glitter polish removal, I recommend putting a cotton ball soaked in polish remover on your finger, wrapping it with foil, and waiting 10+ minutes.

I don't love gel polishes and usually put a base color underneath so the gel color doesn't have to be evenly applied. Then I kind of push the glitter blobs around with the end of the brush, maybe even using an orange stick or toothpicks to distribute it around. Then a small flat brush cleans up the gel from the edges but hopefully there won't be as much glitter flakes scattered around.

I had no luck with that, but I don't have the same expertise and experience you have.

I'm happy to say that all the glitter on my fingers wore off over the course of the day. I did a little shower cleanup this morning and slapped another coat of Seche Vite on my nails on a hunch and while they definitely don't look nail blogger perfect, they are just fine for every day wear and have enough of the cool underwater look to make me happy.

I would say I'll never do it again buuuuuut I probably will.

http://blog.flauntme.com/2012/02/14/daily-nail-art-purple-disco-nails/

Speaking of time consuming, precision glitter application jfc

O_o

omg you guys guess what

I bought some of that liquid latex stuff. Just a little tube of it from "Mini Mani Moo" because even though the large tub of sex dungeon liquid latex is way more cost effective, I have no idea if I'll use it enough. I just wanted to try it out. Anywayyyyyyyy so emboldened, I actually did a gradient with a sponge and it looks pretty good. Far far from perfect, but I'm reasonably happy with it for my first attempt. I did a white to lavender gradient and then went over it with green glitter top coat to camouflage all of my mistakes. I won't be giving io any competition but as a hobby, it is fun.

Also these are beautiful and I wish I had the time for such an endeavor: http://www.thenailpolishchallenge.com/2015/06/mermaid-scale-nail-art-whats-up-nails.html

and have enough of the cool underwater look to make me happy.

^^ urgent & key

QUESTIONS:

1. Is Seche Vite still everyone's fav topcoat?
2. Is a base coat necessary, and if so, does it matter which one?
3. How much does polish really vary btwn brands? I'm looking at two v similar charcoals from CND and China Glaze but have never used either!

I think a good base coat is necessary- I started painting my nails again in March, once a week, but I wasn’t using a base coat and now my nails are fucked, peeling and cracking and weak af. So I’d suggest a strengthening base coat

I just use sally hansen quick dry top coat

Differences btw polish brands can be things like how long it lasts without chipping, how easy it is to apply, color quality. But there can be differences within a brand’s line as well, like maybe their regular colors are long lasting but their metallics are shit, for example

Try searching YouTube for the polishes you’re interested in to find reviews

i use sally hansen top coat too. the one with the lil faux diamond on it.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is Seche Vite still everyone's fav topcoat?
2. Is a base coat necessary, and if so, does it matter which one?
3. How much does polish really vary btwn brands? I'm looking at two v similar charcoals from CND and China Glaze but have never used either!

― the masseduction of lauryn hill (Stevie D(eux)), Tuesday, August 7, 2018 1:58 PM (four months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Stevie! I have answers!

1. Yes but I also like Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails. Neither one is particularly expensive iirc which makes it mystifying that salons don't use either, and instead my top coat from the salon is never deep or shiny enough.
2. Yes; idk probably not. It's not going to make your nails stronger or whatever some of them promise, but it will keep dark pigments from staining your nail surface and it probably does make the polish stick better.
3. I care about color options and brush quality more than which brand of polish. Essie brushes, for instance, are small and relatively firm, whereas Julep brushes are big and fluffy and I find them inexact though they do deliver more polish to the nail at one time. But China Glaze was one of my fave brands for color choices. I never had any CND--I think they're more in the gel market?

I'm working on a home reno project right now so it's not the time to do a lot to my nails but I miss having a poppin mani.

Very late but the topcoat I can’t do without is called Poshe and it knocks Seche Vite into a cocked hat. The base coat is great too.

I've used both in the past and don't remember there being much a difference to me. What do you like better about the Poshe?

For a minute I was into Sally Hansen Insta Dri but it goes to stringy crap pretty fast and doesn't take well to thinning.

I like the texture better, it’s a lot less thick than Seche Vite imo and it dries faster and stays around longer. It might be though that I had heard such great things about Seche Vite and was disappointed, whereas I got Poshe after reading about it on some random blog somewhere and was really impressed.

Also, regarding different formulas. Chanel is a favourite of mine but the formula is notoriously lacking. Recently tried a new shade in the new formula and it’s definitely improved but ...this is why I always have a good bit of topcoat on.

I really like Starrily a lot these days but it’s not that easy to get.

OK I'm getting the CND Stickey base coat which everyone seems to be in general consensus about.
I was about to reach for a new bottle of Seche Vite but am reading that it gets gloppy in like 6 months and honestly I don't paint my nails enough. Do all top coats get gloppy in like 6 months???

also there is one vote each for Sally Hansen Insta-Dry, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, Sally Hansen Diamond Strength, and Poshe and I have no idea what to pick! My goal is chip-free longevity above all else, like shine is great too but it's not my tip top priority

You can thin out the Seche Vite with SV Restore, come visit me and I will thin everything you could ever want because I have a big ass bottle that I will never finish before I die.

The Restore works to thin all polishes, not just SV. Don't try to thin with polish remover, that ain't no good.

Hard as Nails and Diamond Strength are not quick dry, I don't think. Which makes them a no-go for me.

I love getting my nails done. Did blie cat eye now. I hardly wear makeup and nails kinda work for me. I do have'em sort. I can't stand 200 meter long nails. Lol

Blue. Short. Sozzers

so wait why are some top coats fast dry and some not? What is the advantage of a non-fast-dry one if fast-dry ones seem to protect your nails just as well?

still don't understand why Sally Hansen makes 15 different top coats when they are all basically designed to make your nails shiny and long-lasting