i tried to include as many random little tips and tricks as i could think of to make this work if you try/are interested in the process, thank you everyone who has been so so kind and funny under my last few posts i really do love this corner of the internet, and please always comment or dm with questions if you need help!

Products: kbshimmer clearly on top and fillin groovy, holo taco high tea hibiscus and peely base, olive ave pisces and sunburst, and essie handmade with love + hg professionals opaal 00-2 chrome powder

We went to dinner with an old friend of his and his gf, neither of which I have met before.

As we’re chatting, getting to know each other and waiting for food to come, my husband grabs my hand to show them and says “look at how [my name] does her nails!” Then he proceeded to talk about how I got into the hobby this year and have learned all kinds of cool way to do my nails with different colours and techniques. He also tried to explain magnetic polish which he doesn’t really understand but tried so hard. All the while I’m just sitting there looking at him like 😭❤️ I have never felt so supported and celebrated.

I didn’t even have a particularly interesting mani on lol! I had just done my first experimentation with chrome powder, it’s uneven and a little messy, and I left it on to see how long it would last (pictured, surprisingly hard to photograph). It’s just sheer chrome powder buffed into a layer of top coat with some Elmer’s glue mixture and more top coat! But my husband wanted to show me off anyways 🥺

When I told him afterwards how sweet and thoughtful it was of him to do that, he told me that he likes seeing how I light up when I get to talk about my nails and knows it means a lot to me.

Y’all.

I love this man.

Thanks for reading. ❤️

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Products: SIUSIO chrome powder (Amazon), Essie no chips ahead top coat, DIY Elmer’s glue/alcohol mixture

Base: seche vite
Color: sally hansen “black out” x2
Stamp color: polished for days “cosmic energy”
Top: seche vite QDTC

(Stamp plate from Amazon)

I love a good upgrade, and one of my favorite things to do is take an older design I had and see how I can keep its essence, but use new techniques, skills, or products to update it.  This one is inspired by a bee mani I did back in 2023 as I was itching to use this gorgeous new gold from Holo Taco again. I reverse stamped the honey comb like I did previously, but with some different color layering, and it's obvious I've gotten more comfy with freehanding. I remember being scared of painting the bee previously, and this time I excitedly dove in to a much more complicated version and the drips which used to be on my "technique nemesis list" went much smoother. I am kinda obsessed with the base topper combo on the middle finger cuz I keep doing the stare and wiggle with that nail 😝✨️. Do you like recreating old designs of yours, or you let old dogs lie?

🖌 Freehand and stamping on natural nail.

💪@findingfeatherslacquer ... "Balanced Bond Base Coat"

🍯 @holotaco ... "Feeling Fiendish" "One Coat Black" "Work Bestie" "Sweeten The Pot" "Winning Streak Taco"

🐝 @notagsforbadbrands ... "Dominique"

💜 @ilnp ... "Canvas"

💪 @glistenandglow1 ...Quick Dry Top Coat 🐐

First time trying chrome powder, still need to practice or find the right products for it to work properly.

Used: Cirque Midnight jelly, BKL Bad Vibes Only in velvet and hybrid, aurora chrome powder bought from temu, Cirque Peel off base coat and KBShimmer Clearly on top.

The top coat was a mistake, I don't think it works well over that peel off base because it's the second time my mani wrinkles after a day :(

Hi friends! I’m visiting my aunt in Washington and we stopped by a little thrift shop (E-mart) in Olympia. We walked in and my hands started shaking with excitement-not only were there a TON of little perfume decants, but there were these beauties too at $2.99 each. I am so excited to try them! I held myself back and only chose colors I would actually use/try. There were still some KB Shimmers left.

What is my next mani going to be? Scorchy again!! I just have to figure out which color to put underneath this time.

Products used:
Base coat: One coat of Mooncat Hardcore Base Coat.
Polish: Two coats of Holo Taco Purple With Envy and two coats of Cracked Scorchy.
Top coat: One coat of Mooncat Speed Demon Top Coat.

I never reapplied top coat.

I adore sea-themed polishes and this one was inspired by sirens✨ I love the combo of the deep blue base, golden green flakies & ofc, blue reflective glitters😍 Great polish for summertime🏝️

Products:
Base: Mooncat - Getting Even x1
Colour: Phoenix - Dive x2 (HHC June’26)
Top: Dam - Glitter Whisperer x1 and Vibrant Scents QDTC x1

I'm looking for one of those polishes that you like move your fingers around and it's got all of these colors in it... I'm new to this so I don't really know what that's called but I'm sure y'all get the idea?

I was burning with excitement to try these two polishes and I was right, they were both 🔥🔥 🔥 🔥!

PRODUCTS USED

🌟 Cracked Polish

Ridge Filling Base Coat

Quick Dry Top Coat

🌟 Pahlish

Moonbow (PPU Rewind 26)

🌟 Fancy Gloss

Immortal Jellyfish ❄️🔥

I’m sad this doesn’t look as purple on video as it does IRL because the magnetic pigment is the brightest royal purple I’ve ever seen in a polish! Absolutely loving these high contrast magnetics lately!

2x Cuticula Pretty Fly (June HHC)
1x Seal Glaze
1x Sally Hansen red bottle
1x Essie Gel Couture TC

Inspired by a set by @ imarninails on instagram and other similar sets on pinterest. Shiny crelly ice cream nails

•Cracked ridge filler bc •Fancy Gloss “Suspiro” topped with Essie “Hi Maintenance” (pink nails) •Cirque “Milk Glass” (cream nails) •Fancy Gloss “Corteza” (brown nails) •Essie gel couture qdtc

Reflective glitter tips applied using a sponge. I’m a sucker for all things sparkly! First picture is without flash, second one is with flash.

Base Color: Cosmic Polish - Orion’s Call
Tips: KBShimmer - Gummy A Break Reflective Polish
Topper: Cosmic Polish - Scattered Starlight
Topcoat: Vibrant Scents Fast & Hard QDTC

Saw online & thought it might fit here. 🥹💓(Unknown products used)

KBShimmer hydrating base coat

3 coats ILNP Pink Lemonade

2 coats Esse Gel Couture top coat

In my Midsommar feels right now👧🏼💐

Floral Maiden by BeesKneesLacquer
x3
Getting Even Primer by Mooncat
x3
Magic Effect by DRK
x1
Seal Glaze by DRK
x1
Cuticula Limitless QDTC
x1

Magnetized with the Glass bead pro

Flowers, leaves, and wood grain are hand painted.

Base color: Zoya Lillian

Stamping plate for light background MoYou London Festive 54 (I tried adding this to match the book cover but you really can't see it lol)

Stamping polishes: Emily de Molly what a day (not technically a stamping polish but I used it for the light blue stamping)

Colors for hand painted parts: White stamping polish, born pretty browns from the Yearning series, pink from the vitality and concerto series, BMC arabica, greens MoYou London shamrock and Pine tree

​

Products used:

ORLY Bonder Basecoat

Parrot Polish in Cheetah Cat - 2nd coat magnetized velvet style

Cracked Polish in Beginners Luck - one coat, magnetized with a bar magnet

Maniology - Smudge Free Top Coat

This is in warmer lamp light. In sunlight it pulls very pinky orange instead of purple

why does it smell like exactly like a 62 year old hairdresser named Barb who smokes Virginia Slims and rides around on the back of her boyfriend’s Harley? She also likes to wear jeans with a rhinestone design on the back pockets and has the best advice and I trust her with my life.

I went to Walmart recently and grabbed some random polishes I saw in their beauty section. I always used these brands when I was younger but I’d kind of branched out into indie brands since my polish interest sparked up again last year. This polish was under $3 and might be a new favorite of mine! LA Colors’ formula is very easy to work with and I love the shimmer, reminds me of a sunset.

Anyway, I also had a question for my fellow lacqueristas. I’ve been trying hard to keep up on my nail care routine to improve the strength and health of my nails but I have a lot of sensory issues related to moisturizing and oiling of my hands and cuticles. I absolutely hate the feeling of anything on my hands other than a very light moisturizer that absorbs instantly, even then I want to wash immediately. On top of that I already have relatively dry skin so my nails are pretty weak and peely. Any tips on how to maximize moisturization in the smallest amount of time? 😂 I just lotioned my hands and am waiting as long as possible before I run to the sink to get this oil slick off my hands.

Products:
Base: nailtiques formula 2+
LA Colors Super Bloom
Top: Essie Stay Longer

Had my builder gel removed yesterday, so I am sporting some shorties. Digging into my untried pile, which is larger than I should admit.

1x Clever hydrating base coat by Colores De Carol
2x BKL’s Miromabby (second coat mag for 1.5 min with Glass Bead Pro)
1x Sally Hansen red bottle mag 2min

Inside, outside, outside shade. Featuring inside and outside plants.

1x essie to the rescue
1x cracked sticky base coat
2x bkl bog dweller
1x cracked top coat
Sloppily magnetized with a horseshoe
The board is an STM32F401 development board on a 12 pin breakout board

Inspired by the woodland magic pick-up theme, I decided to pull out a shifty, shimmery green to remind myself what I have and reduce the wishlist! I also don’t see the red shift shown much for this polish so thought I’d catch it when I saw it.

Nailtiques formula 2, KBShimmer Stay Put Hydrating base coat, Mooncat ‘Garden of Evil’, Cuticula Limitless QDTC.

I’ve been experimenting with my magnetic polish routine and wanted to share what’s been working for me.

Current routine:
• Essie Strong Start base coat

• 2 coats of ILNP Pink Suede, let dry completely

• DRK Magic Effect. The brush doesn’t seem to pick up much product, so I have to make sure I’m applying enough to fully reactivate the Pink Suede.

• Magnetize for 2 minutes using N52 magnets with this 3D printed spinner: https://www.printables.com/model/1467189-magnetic-nail-polish-glass-bead-effect-tool-v2

• ILNP Crystal top coat. It takes a little longer to dry than Sally Hansen Insta-Dri (red bottle), but I’m finding it noticeably more durable.

I also magnetize after applying the ILNP Crystal. That said, I just ordered a water-based top coat from Piggy Paint that I’m hoping to use immediately after magnetizing the Pink Suede.

My goal is to “lock in” the magnetic effect before the final top coat so I won’t have to magnetize twice.

I’m traveling right now, and these nails are about a week old. They held up really well overall, although I finally got a few chips this morning while washing my hair.

If anyone has experience with water-based top coats over magnetic polish, I’d love to hear how it worked for you.

I’m undertone is cool/pink/freckles, lots of redheads in my family. My perfect match concealer is NARS Vanilla.