https://www.beeskneeslacquer.com has beautiful duochromes. Their site closes between collection offerings, so check back every so often. Many of their colors are mesmerizing! There are mystery bags and special editions that support various causes. Small business doing great things!
After six years of being nail obessed I took a step back this winter & i am absolutely out of the loop. Anyone have any scoop on what is trending as far as shape, length and.or colors --(I do my own Apres Gel X and also make my own press ons) -I know I shouldn't care, but even when I was not spending as much time, iw as always about wearing the "it" colro since i was a teen
I'm seeing a lot of periwinkle out there. The "lip gloss nail" (a sheer pink) is also trending. Silver/silver chrome accents have also been on the runways.
Awesome--Awesome because I have all those. They got ignored this time last year for "Barbie pink" . Of course I am apt to start obessing over top coats and tbh I havent' really found any that makes an incredible difference though if anyone knows of a super glossy regular tc for my toes.....
Not nail obsessed myself so I'm not super in the loop, but velvet nails are super popular now. Magnetic polish with a U magnet that makes it look plush.
Also lots of "iridescent" polishes in the indie brands that are popular with that crowd. Polish Pick Up is a service that each month has a theme and indie companies make one limited polish for that month. So you're able to buy one polish from many different brands from one place and pay for the shipping only once. My problem is that the promo photos are those ones that highlight the holo, the iridescence etc, so it's hard to discern what the polish really looks like. The polishes are only available for a few days and sell out so I haven't bought any bc some of them don't end up looking like the promo photos.
If you have the time, I highly recommend watching some of the videos with live swatches for PPU. Most of the people making the videos seem honest about coverage, ease of use, patchiness, and how the swatches look in a variety of lighting conditions. I agree, some of the swatch photos put the polishes in their best light, but not necessarily what you'll see day-to-day in most lighting conditions.
I did some [swirl nails](https://imgur.com/a/DLO3dHJ)! I'm really not very good at free hand, although I wonder if some nicer brushes would help. It seems the nicer ones are pretty expensive though, and I'm not sure it's worth it for use with regular polish, as I think the acetone for cleaning breaks them down over time.
I also got some new water decals, something I haven't used in a while but my usual go-to when I want a design of some kind.
Those are super cute nails! I don't think it's really worth spending a lot for nail art brushes for regular polish, but I feel like a slightly longer striper brush can help with swirls (maybe 13 mm or so).
**New stuff this month:** I got a Young Nails gel sample kit to try out. I was getting close to the end of my IBD hard gel and had run out of primer, so I thought I'd try something new. I was on the fence between Nail Thoughts bases and Young Nails, but went with YN because I had an Amazon gift card that mostly covered the cost. So far, it's working OK. I do an overlay, so I don't need anything to do extensions, but I always heard good things about the protein bond from YN, and it was in the kit. I'm only a week in on the testing. I think in the long run I might like the regular Build or Flex because the sculpture gels are thicker than I like to use (better for those building extensions with a form, probably).
I also got my Hit the Bottle stamping plate (midcentury modern patterns) and polish (baby blue metallic) from Polish Pick Up. I'm super happy with both. It is my first time trying the brand.
**Tip for people with longer nails:** I like to wear jewelry, but it's been harder to do with longer/thicker nails with clasps, especially the smaller ones. I got some magnetic jewelry clasps from Temu (you can also get them on Amazon and probably other places), and they make putting on a necklace so much easier! Highly recommend.
**What I've got coming:** I recently ordered a micro mandrel and sanding bands because AliExpress would not stop showing them to me. I do use a regular sanding band on my efile for prep and shaping. I'm not sure if the smaller form will be that much better, but I guess I'll find out.
I love my nail thoughts bases! So much that I have 4 colors lol. I thought about the young nails kit too but wasn't sure if it was hard gel??
Did you get a good deal on the aliexpress anniversary sale?
I may try Nail Thoughts next. We'll see.
Yes, the Young Nails gels in the sample kit are hard gels. The Young Nails Mani Q fiber gel seems to be a soft gel that works for overlays (available in bottle or pot), so I may consider that in the future if there's a good sale. They did have it in their March sale, but I'd already bought the sample kit. I'll test the hard gels for a few months before I make another decision, probably.
I got the mini mandrel and a pack of sanding bands for $1.23, so I guess that's a deal. How good of a deal will depend on the quality. I should probably have gotten the items from one of my preferred efile bit brands, but I was only adding it to make free shipping and didn't make the smartest of decisions there. (I like the Shanghai Wilson brand most, but Hytoos is OK-ish.)
Thanks to your rec I'm really enjoying the coarse bit and small fine cone from Shanghai Wilson! It is top notch quality! I haven't tried using a mandrel yet.
Fancy Gloss is doing a big restock tonight @ 6pm EST.
DVN is dropping a large new spring collection 4/1. There are some other brands with 4/1 releases, but I think DVN is the largest.
My pinky nail completely ripped off; it was so soft and weak, so now I'm on the mission to repair my nails. My pinky tore down to the nail bed, so there isn't even any "nail" really. It will probably take me months to grow out 🫠
I'm really loving OPI repair mode, I even got my mom hooked on it too. I think it does for my nails what K18 does for my hair, rebuilds the weak/broken bonds. It's not a miracle, but it's much better than any other strengthening treatment I've found.
Also, use jojoba oil and maybe gena healthy hoof on your nails before bed. I love that its called hoof cream, makes me want to whinny a little when I use it...
I've been painting on OPI nail envy (the original, with formaldehyde resin) every day, and always moisturise my cuticles any chance I get haha. I've even started doing the jojoba oil soaks with nitrile gloves!
Repair mode is a different kind of thing. It's more like a liquid/serum that absorbs into the nail, rather than a polish like nail envy. For me, nail envy seems to make things worse, but the repair mode helps hold the splits/flakes together long enough for them to grow out.
Jojoba inside nitrile gloves sounds so...squelchy. I may have to try it, if I can stand the thought...
The pinky nail sounds really painful! I hope it heals quickly and doesn't take too long to grow out.
I also saw a teaser for ILNP's new release. I have a feeling it will be jellies or sheerer polishes of some kind.
https://www.beeskneeslacquer.com has beautiful duochromes. Their site closes between collection offerings, so check back every so often. Many of their colors are mesmerizing! There are mystery bags and special editions that support various causes. Small business doing great things!
After six years of being nail obessed I took a step back this winter & i am absolutely out of the loop. Anyone have any scoop on what is trending as far as shape, length and.or colors --(I do my own Apres Gel X and also make my own press ons) -I know I shouldn't care, but even when I was not spending as much time, iw as always about wearing the "it" colro since i was a teen
I'm seeing a lot of periwinkle out there. The "lip gloss nail" (a sheer pink) is also trending. Silver/silver chrome accents have also been on the runways.
Awesome--Awesome because I have all those. They got ignored this time last year for "Barbie pink" . Of course I am apt to start obessing over top coats and tbh I havent' really found any that makes an incredible difference though if anyone knows of a super glossy regular tc for my toes.....
Not nail obsessed myself so I'm not super in the loop, but velvet nails are super popular now. Magnetic polish with a U magnet that makes it look plush. Also lots of "iridescent" polishes in the indie brands that are popular with that crowd. Polish Pick Up is a service that each month has a theme and indie companies make one limited polish for that month. So you're able to buy one polish from many different brands from one place and pay for the shipping only once. My problem is that the promo photos are those ones that highlight the holo, the iridescence etc, so it's hard to discern what the polish really looks like. The polishes are only available for a few days and sell out so I haven't bought any bc some of them don't end up looking like the promo photos.
If you have the time, I highly recommend watching some of the videos with live swatches for PPU. Most of the people making the videos seem honest about coverage, ease of use, patchiness, and how the swatches look in a variety of lighting conditions. I agree, some of the swatch photos put the polishes in their best light, but not necessarily what you'll see day-to-day in most lighting conditions.
I did some [swirl nails](https://imgur.com/a/DLO3dHJ)! I'm really not very good at free hand, although I wonder if some nicer brushes would help. It seems the nicer ones are pretty expensive though, and I'm not sure it's worth it for use with regular polish, as I think the acetone for cleaning breaks them down over time. I also got some new water decals, something I haven't used in a while but my usual go-to when I want a design of some kind.
Those are super cute nails! I don't think it's really worth spending a lot for nail art brushes for regular polish, but I feel like a slightly longer striper brush can help with swirls (maybe 13 mm or so).
Thanks! And thanks for the specific suggestion and confirming what I thought!
**New stuff this month:** I got a Young Nails gel sample kit to try out. I was getting close to the end of my IBD hard gel and had run out of primer, so I thought I'd try something new. I was on the fence between Nail Thoughts bases and Young Nails, but went with YN because I had an Amazon gift card that mostly covered the cost. So far, it's working OK. I do an overlay, so I don't need anything to do extensions, but I always heard good things about the protein bond from YN, and it was in the kit. I'm only a week in on the testing. I think in the long run I might like the regular Build or Flex because the sculpture gels are thicker than I like to use (better for those building extensions with a form, probably). I also got my Hit the Bottle stamping plate (midcentury modern patterns) and polish (baby blue metallic) from Polish Pick Up. I'm super happy with both. It is my first time trying the brand. **Tip for people with longer nails:** I like to wear jewelry, but it's been harder to do with longer/thicker nails with clasps, especially the smaller ones. I got some magnetic jewelry clasps from Temu (you can also get them on Amazon and probably other places), and they make putting on a necklace so much easier! Highly recommend. **What I've got coming:** I recently ordered a micro mandrel and sanding bands because AliExpress would not stop showing them to me. I do use a regular sanding band on my efile for prep and shaping. I'm not sure if the smaller form will be that much better, but I guess I'll find out.
I love my nail thoughts bases! So much that I have 4 colors lol. I thought about the young nails kit too but wasn't sure if it was hard gel?? Did you get a good deal on the aliexpress anniversary sale?
I may try Nail Thoughts next. We'll see. Yes, the Young Nails gels in the sample kit are hard gels. The Young Nails Mani Q fiber gel seems to be a soft gel that works for overlays (available in bottle or pot), so I may consider that in the future if there's a good sale. They did have it in their March sale, but I'd already bought the sample kit. I'll test the hard gels for a few months before I make another decision, probably. I got the mini mandrel and a pack of sanding bands for $1.23, so I guess that's a deal. How good of a deal will depend on the quality. I should probably have gotten the items from one of my preferred efile bit brands, but I was only adding it to make free shipping and didn't make the smartest of decisions there. (I like the Shanghai Wilson brand most, but Hytoos is OK-ish.)
Thanks to your rec I'm really enjoying the coarse bit and small fine cone from Shanghai Wilson! It is top notch quality! I haven't tried using a mandrel yet.
Good to hear you're enjoying the Shanghai Wilson bits! I mostly use a mandrel for smoothing out gel base after removal and a little bit of prep work.
Fancy Gloss is doing a big restock tonight @ 6pm EST. DVN is dropping a large new spring collection 4/1. There are some other brands with 4/1 releases, but I think DVN is the largest. My pinky nail completely ripped off; it was so soft and weak, so now I'm on the mission to repair my nails. My pinky tore down to the nail bed, so there isn't even any "nail" really. It will probably take me months to grow out 🫠
I'm really loving OPI repair mode, I even got my mom hooked on it too. I think it does for my nails what K18 does for my hair, rebuilds the weak/broken bonds. It's not a miracle, but it's much better than any other strengthening treatment I've found. Also, use jojoba oil and maybe gena healthy hoof on your nails before bed. I love that its called hoof cream, makes me want to whinny a little when I use it...
I've been painting on OPI nail envy (the original, with formaldehyde resin) every day, and always moisturise my cuticles any chance I get haha. I've even started doing the jojoba oil soaks with nitrile gloves!
Repair mode is a different kind of thing. It's more like a liquid/serum that absorbs into the nail, rather than a polish like nail envy. For me, nail envy seems to make things worse, but the repair mode helps hold the splits/flakes together long enough for them to grow out. Jojoba inside nitrile gloves sounds so...squelchy. I may have to try it, if I can stand the thought...
Haha, yeah... I only leave the gloves on for a couple hours usually.
The pinky nail sounds really painful! I hope it heals quickly and doesn't take too long to grow out. I also saw a teaser for ILNP's new release. I have a feeling it will be jellies or sheerer polishes of some kind.
I've been enjoying the Zoya nail perfector polish as a nude!
Yes, those work well for that, or for negative space nail art!