Show Me Your Nails 2.0

[Tamara76]

Due to some technical glitches with the original Show Me Your Nails Thread, I am starting a new thread with @vegchililover78's blessing (She says "hello," by the way!).

Please share your nail looks, nail art and manicures!

...And don't forget to check out @Beadshopgirl's Nail Stamping Thread for stamping inspiration! ❤️  

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Nailed-It/The-Nail-Stamping-Thread/m-p/3328865

[itsfi]

@WinglessOne, Rue Morgue is a beautiful blue; love the topper over it - I have a harder time with matte polishes but am intrigued by RM and I love to support the brand; gonna add this one to the (ever growing) list.

[WinglessOne]

@itsfi  I hope you like Rue Morgue if (heh, when) you order it! I don't think Mooncat mentions the purple shift on their product page. Here's my swatch stick: the nail is matte and the polish swatch beneath it has a glossy top coat. (I swatched all my mattes that way so I can see how top coat affects them.) 

In this lighting, the purple shows up more in Rue Morgue's matte state than glossy topped state.

This is one of the best behaving mattes I've ever used. So is Painted Polish's Peridot Persuasion, and that one's sparklier than Rue Morgue. I love 'em both. 

[itsfi]

Thank you @WinglessOne! The purple shift is gorgeous. 💙💜💙💜 It definitely is a when not if purchase - did not think I’d say that about a matte polish. I have a matte top coat and prefer that over most matte polishes - it’s weird I know. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

Ohhh, I remember Peridot Persuasion from one of your previous mani - a stunning green polish. 💚 Speaking of stunning green poloshes, what’s that pretty one on your thumb?

Edited to add: Just saw your most recent post and I think I got the answer to my question about the polish. Very pretty.

[CynthieLu]

Wow! I love that Stary Sky you put over top  ✨️  and it really suited that shade

Oooh and Monday Lisa, stunning nails again @WinglessOne 🤩

[WinglessOne]

Belated thanks, @CynthieLu @QueenMarceline & @Samtian ! 

[QueenMarceline]

@WinglessOne Rue Morgue and High Stakes are my faves. Both such pretty colors ❤️

[Samtian]

@WinglessOne Ooh Hush and High Stakes call to me!

[CookieGirl1]

@WinglessOne Starry Sky looks like a fun topper!

[WinglessOne]

@CookieGirl1  It's great on its own and as a topper. It needs a glitter smoothing topper in addition to a top coat (or just a very thick/plush top coat designed to smooth out glitter), but the extra step's worth it. 

[ather]

@WinglessOne  hush is so pretty. And I’m loving the topper starry sky!! I just broke down and ordered swatch sticks to do all my polishes and I’m afraid I’ll have the same few colours over and over too 🫣

[WinglessOne]

Thanks @ather ! I'd say this exercise will help you buy less of your favorite color but, well, you know. 😂 

[ather]

@WinglessOne  I keep putting myself on a no polish buy but when I use up a base coat or top coat I have to spend 50$ to get free shipping so I mean I need it. So I throw in a colour or two each time 🤫 I’ve also been ordering it least once a month! Oops. 

[Titian06]

@WinglessOne - I think your mani looks great!  But you're the one who has to wear it, so I can understand wanting to remove Elusive.  I really like Hush and Monday Lisa. 💙💚💙💚

[WinglessOne]

Thank you @Titian06 ! The bare Elusive nail (right ring finger) is now starting to shed silver dots: I'm finding random ones on clothes, bedding, and my face and neck. 😄 Definitely redoing that nail tonight with something different. I'll keep Elusive on my left thumb since top coat's already making the polish behave there. 

[RGbrown]

@WinglessOne 

I hate it when one polish ruins a mani for me 😖 It doesn't matter how much I like the other shades, if one annoys me, the whole set must go. Throwing a topper (or even just top coat) over that worn down Elusive would probably give it new life, but I hear ya on "nope, I'm done with it". The rest are gorgeous though...I'm really digging on Monday Lisa and Starry Sky ✨

Swatch stick storage is a fun subject!

I hated jump rings. I got them with my first set of sticks because everyone seems to swear by them, but I didn't like how floppy they are, and storage was awkward, so on my next set, I grabbed the ones that came with a long screw and nut instead, and I've been much happier with them. Like any system, there are pros and cons, but I feel I'm able to get more sticks in a smaller space this way than with the rings, and that's important for my current setup. 

I originally started out breaking mine down by cream (then by color), glitter/shimmer (again, by color), and toppers, but as my collection has grown, I've made other subsets...I've got all my mattes and textures together now, one for linear holos, one for scattered holos, one for duo/multichromes, and one for my thermals. 

Currently I keep each category in little pockets made by cutting envelopes in half, and they all stand up in a shoe box (used polishes, at least...I keep unused polish sticks separate until I use them).

Storage box for sticks of polishes I've used.

Swatch sticks come with the longer screws, but I bought a few shorter ones as well...some of my subsets don't need the full length, and this has been helpful in keeping them neat and orderly.

Unused polishes are loose in envelopes broken down by shimmer pink/purple/red, shimmer blue/green, shimmer other, and creams, and are standing up in a candle jar I cleaned out. This sits on top of my table so I have quick access to them for pairing up future manis. Once I've used a stick, I slide it into its used envelope, and when I get a wild hair to be frustrated, I add all those sticks to the screws 😋 (this is the biggest con to this system...it's much more time consuming to take all of the sticks off the screw, figure out where the new ones fit best, and put them all back on it).

My ultimate goal is to ditch the box and have them all on display like this. I'm currently saving candle jars I think would be cool, though I'm gonna need a lot more than this lol. My final display also depends on me finally doing that closet remodel I've been pondering for years, and that's likely gonna be a while, so I've got some time to collect more jars, figure out exactly how I want to break them down, and if I want to continue to use the screws or just leave them loose. It's an ever-evolving process! 

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, this just makes me want to shop your collection even more. 😍 Love how you are aiming to display all your swatch sticks - they look great in the jars. 

[Samtian]

@RGbrown That is like therapeutic to look at. 

[itsfi]

@Samtian, that is so well said. 100% agree. @RGbrown 

[CookieGirl1]

Whoa, @RGbrown, I knew you had an impressive collection but that's AMAZING!!!

[ather]

@RGbrown  Omg! I’m at a loss for words!!! 

[WinglessOne]

@RGbrown  Thanks for sharing your swatch stick storage! I like your envelopes, even if they're an in-between solution for you. 🙂 Neat idea to keep unused polishes separate. 

Your ultimate goal is what I wanted to do when I first began swatching everything. I decided to wait til I was done, or mostly done, before ditching those dang rings. Flipping through them is awkward and annoying and I hate it. Plus, keeping my swatches on rings or screws will compel me to arrange them more precisely by color, and that'll frustrate the heck outta me as I add (or ditch) polishes. Cannot tell you how long it took me to arrange and rearrange all my blues in tint/shade order. I'd rather have 'em all loose in a container so I don't have to think about color order. Plus, the only way I can easily pick polishes by swatch stick is to have super quick and easy access to sticks from multiple color/function/finish families so I can compare color stories—and for that, I need all the sticks loose in containers. 

I especially like your candle jars! I might use magnetic cubbies I can stick on metal tiles, either on the side of my vanity or on the wall. (I currently use them to hold eyeliners, shadow sticks, mascaras, and a few other things.) Or I might go the tabletop cup/jar route. Just gotta make sure my swatches and polish bottles are arranged the same way (by color/function/finish), or I'll go nuts trying to find the polish I want. 🤪