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]

@RGbrown, that's so cool (and thoughtful) of your sis to stop by the store and video chat with you there. That's awesome you have some goodies directly from the store. 💞 I reallyl love that you recommended the What's Up Nails store as a destination site! Travel is typically for work for me, so I don't always get a chance to get out and explore places, but when I do, I try to find ways to visit local stores and restaurants in addition to major sites. I'll have to remember the store the next time I'm in the Phoenix area.

[QueenMarceline]

@RGbrown Aww, that's so sweet of them. Those polishes are also super cute 🙂 Enjoy your new goodies.

[Shosh85]

@RGbrown  So sweet of your sister! I bet those are both beautiful shades - I especially like the looks of that purple one! 😃

[CookieGirl1]

Awww, that was sweet of her, @RGbrown!  I bet those polishes are gorgeous in person.

[ather]

@RGbrown  Ooooo vacation sounded amazing! And those polishes!!!!

[Titian06]

Congratulations, @RGbrown !  The video chat and gift had to be exciting! 💖💖💖

[Saradestin]

Aww that’s so sweet of her @RGbrown! Beautiful polishes! That had to be an amazing and fun trip 😃

[WinglessOne]

@RGbrown  Oooh, The Dark is one I've been stalking. Very kind of your sister to give you a video tour of What's Up Nails. 🙂 Can't wait to see those 2 shades on your nails! 

[WinglessOne]

This mani is just 3 days old, but I might remove everything earlier than necessary. I’ve been testing 2 old polishes I forgot I had, and trying 2 of my newest arrivals. 

Left hand: 

Left: indoor lighting. Right: outdoor indirect lighting to better show Hush's color shifts.

Details: 

Spoiler

All are 2 coats unless otherwise stated. 

Thumb: Revlon Elusive. Teal glitter of various sizes in a black matte base. Don’t know how long ago I bought this… maybe 8-10 years? but now I remember why I've hardly used it: “elusive” accurately describes the glitter; the black base is just sheer enough to require at least 2 coats for coverage, further masking the glitters; and the dry-down is the gunkiest murkiest matte finish I’ve ever had on my nails. In fact, I think this is the polish that made me swear off all matte polishes for several years. On this thumb nail, I applied a glossy top coat to bring out some of the teal glitter. I think I see some blue shimmer in the bottle, but good luck finding it on my nail. 

Index: ILNP Hush (3 coats). A multichrome that shifts blue > teal > purple > magenta. At extreme angles, it pops yellow-orange. Hush is one of the first ILNPs I ever bought, and I still enjoy it despite the thin formula. 

Middle: By Dany Vianna Starry Sky (3 coats). A blue jelly full of scattered holo, silver, blue, and yellow glitter, including blue and yellow stars. Glitter Grabber was a must to even out the texture. This is one of my newest polishes. It was inspired by Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. I wish it came with a bag of extra stars, as the jelly base is dark enough to kinda hide them on my nail. 

Ring: Revlon Elusive topped with 1 coat of By Dany Vianna Starry Sky. If I keep using Elusive (big ol’ if), it’ll become a base color only. This nail also shows me how Starry Sky might look as a topper over other polishes. Still needed Glitter Grabber to smooth out the glitter’s rough and pokey edges. 

Pinky: Mooncat Rue Morgue, a dark blue matte with a purple shift. A glossy top coat brings out the purple shimmer, but my camera had trouble catching it. Rue Morgue is the polish that made me reconsider my mattes ban: it applies nicely, shows no brush strokes, and shows some of its color shift even without a top coat. I forgot to take a photo before applying the top coat… d’oh. 

Right hand: 

Left: indoor lighting. Right: Indirect & kinda overcast lighting through slightly open blinds to catch Mermaid Tail's blue shift.

Details: 

Spoiler

All are 2 coats unless otherwise stated. 

Thumb: Revlon Elusive topped with 1 coat of Pacifica Mermaid Tail. The latter's the other newest polish I’m testing. A dark base color is almost the only way I can see Mermaid Tail’s teal > blue shift. 

Index: Pacifica Mermaid Tail (4 coats). See how much green-tealer it looks here than on my thumb? The blue shift does still happen, but not as readily as it does over a dark base color. Also, it’s still not opaque enough after 4 coats but I refused to lay down a 5th. 😄 

Middle: LynBDesigns Monday Lisa. In some lighting, this crelly base looks very green; in others, it’s teal. Loaded with scattered holo glitter plus blue and purple flakes. Another polish inspired by a famous painting. 

Ring: Revlon Elusive. Left it bare on this nail to see if it can stand without a top coat. It can't: 

Spoiler

This photo was taken yesterday. Even more silver dots appear today. (Outdoor indirect lighting.)

Hand washing and/or sanitizer stripped the teal color off the top layers of glitter. It also removed a layer of black, making this nail slightly less opaque—though you can’t really tell in the photo. But hey, I can actually see some (now silver) glitter now! 🤣 

I should note that Revlon never labeled this shade as a matte on its bottle. Matte polishes have come a long way since this one was created, and I dunno, maybe Revlon insists it's not matte but some weird quasi satin somethingorother finish. If that was their intent, they missed the mark with Elusive. The more I think about this polish, the more annoyed I get, which is why I'll probably strip down all 10 nails for a completely different mani tonight. 

Pinky: Revlon High Stakes. A dark teal cream from Revlon’s ColorStay Gel Envy line. This is the other oldie I forgot I had, though I doubt my bottle's as old as Elusive. Applied very smoothly and was almost opaque at one coat. Glad I rediscovered this one! I need to use my other Gel Envies soon. 

Speaking of blue polish: 250 swatch sticks have taught me I need to stop buying blues. I have so few reds compared to blues. And I'm not even done swatching my old Essies yet. 🤦‍♀️ I need to decide how to store all these swatch sticks. For now, they're grouped by color family or function (toppers, thermals, and I think I'll put all the plain jellies together) on binder rings. I'll have to hang those on a vertical surface if I wanna keep 'em that way. I might take them off binder rings and store them in cups per color or function. I think they'd be easier for me to access and use that way, especially since I'm gonna try to pick mani polishes via swatch sticks instead of looking at bottles. (I have a storage solution for most of my bottles that puts them "away" but not completely out of sight.) 

[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.