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]

@JoSometimes, I stumbled across this tool recently and thought makeup sponges were the only way to do an ombre / gradient nail. I found that using an acetone-based nail polish remover and paper towels is easier and more thorough for cleaning up the sponge tip. So far, I've been able to get 2, sometimes 3 uses out of a tip - I can probably get more if I'm more gentle and patient with the clean up process - will try to do that with the next new tip and let you know.

[JoSometimes]

Thanks for the update @itsfi! I’d love to get into ombrés and gradients. If this has more advantages over regular makeup sponges, I might look into it too. 

[itsfi]

@JoSometimes, it’s fun to do an ombré and gradient mani. So many different variations to be had too! 💅🏼 I personally prefer the ombré nail art tool but it might not be for everyone. @RGbrown had some great suggestions (she always has such fab insights!) a few response below ⬇️ for working with a makeup wedge sponge. I plan to give those tips & tricks a try soon (maybe over the weekend) and will let you know whether they change my mind about makeup sponges for creating an ombré nail.  

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Ahhhh, ok, I have seen those before but mostly dismissed them because I am cheap at heart and happy with my wedges 😂😋 So you like it better than a wedge? 

I think brushes mostly work better for gel, since it never dries until you cure it, though I also would not be surprised if there are more folks doing it with regular polish and a brush than I realize lol. As someone who is all about polish, I can be surprisingly hard headed and stubborn about learning new techniques if I'm happy with whatever I'm doing lol  🤭

[itsfi]

@RGbrown, I do like it better than the makeup sponge wedges, for a few different reasons -

• Easier to control placement
• Cleaner ombré but it deposits less color per tap / roll than a wedge sponge - I own that if I were more patient this would be less an issue but I get a lot of air holes/bubbles when I use a makeup sponge. Many times it can be made to look better / more smooth with a couple layers of top coat, but these sponge tips have been good.
• I can get by without needing to use liquid latex around my nails. Conceptually, the idea of liquid latex is great, but I’ve noticed that when I do use it, my nails, cuticles and the skin around my nails dries out something awful.

[RGbrown]

@itsfi 

Have you tried wetting your wedge sponge? Let it fully expand, and then wring it out good. I've found that can help get the finish a little smoother, and also helps keep the sponge from leaving little bits behind. You could also cut the wedge down to fit your nails a little better so there's less overhang. 

I hear ya on latex being a bit of a pain though, it's why I don't do many ombres. I'm too lazy for all that work very often lol

[itsfi]

Ohhhh, those are marvelous tips and tricks @RGbrown! I've not done either but have many a makeup sponge available to put botht those to the test. Thank you, thank you! Will search through my polishes to see if there are any that jump out at me for doing an ombre. 💅

[itsfi]

Thank you so much @Titian06! Hahaha! Waiting for my polish to dry definitely tests my patience - I know I don't have the most patience - doing my nails doesn't just confirm that but it shines on light on just how impatient I can be. 😂🤣😂

I'm finding the sponge tool to be my favorite way of doing an ombre / gradient. I haven't tried a stamping plate yet. I also tried an ombre / gradient nail art brush but that didn't go so well. I'll keep practicing with it though, to see how it works when I have a better handle on how to use it. That's a great question - you can wash the sponge tool, rinse out the polish, but doing so also causes the sponge to expand. I saw on YT that some sponges than shrink and shrivel up and become hardened. The ones I've used have gotten poof-ier. The next ombre mani I do, I'll do ombre on at least two nails - one with a new sponge and one with sponge that's been washed and is poofier. I'll let you know how it goes.

[CynthieLu]

This is beautiful @itsfi I'm loving that Ombre alot 😃 🧡

[itsfi]

Thank you @CynthieLu! I love the inspiration, support and encouragement this thread provides. 💕

[CattyT3]

Thank you for the reviews on each polish. I love all the shiny orange colors you've got - I've been on the hunt for a nice orange that doesn't just look neon or way too coral/ pinky. I did get CND Shellac done for a family wedding in a beautiful almost rust orange (I was told it's a patented color called Fine Vermillion - so I literally cannot get the color anywhere as a regular polish twin) and haven't been able to find something to please my heart enough to try to see if it will be a close second best.

As a chicken sandwich lover, I think I know which one I'm leaning towards trying 😋

[Mellmars1185]

@CattyT3 Gorgeous orangey nails with gold tips!! ✨️🍊✨️🧡

[RGbrown]

@CattyT3 

CND makes regular polish as well! (It's their Vinylux line) Fine Vermilion appears to have been part of the 2014 fall collection, and doesn't seem to be in their current core lineup, but I see quite a few bottles of it on eBay, if'n you hardcore want that particular shade; looks like it runs around $8-12 from most sellers.

Medium to deep orange shimmers aren't something I have a ton of (maybe I should look at rectifying that lol), but here are a few that might be worth exploring if you'd rather look at other options:

Zoya Amy: perhaps a touch lighter/brighter, but it's orange-orange, not coral

Orly Valley of Fire: Less red than CND, but perhaps close tone-wise

Essie Say It Ain't Soho: a bit darker than Orly VoF, but brings some the red back into the orange for a fiery shade. I still think this probably has less red than the CND polish though, based on the swatches I've looked at

Revlon Uninhibited: more red than the Essie SIAS, perhaps a fairly close shade overall, though perhaps a touch more "burnt" than CND. Another discontinued shade, but widely available on eBay (but if you're ordering from eBay, just get the CND, right? 😂)

@itsfi thanks for the tag! I completely spaced on this being CND (and would have a matching polish) when I read this earlier, so the kick in the pants got my brain moving again 😂

[CattyT3]

Thank you @RGbrown - now I know the exact thing to search for, I have saved the beauty supply websites I can order the viynlux version of the CND shade from later this summer : )

[RGbrown]

@CattyT3 

Ah yay, happy to hear it!!! 🧡✨

[itsfi]

Oh my goodness, your mani is spectacular @CattyT3! 😍 That vermillion orange is stunning and even more so with those pretty gold tips. What a beautiful mani for a family wedding.

I so hear you about orange polishes - love that there's a good variety out there but it seems a challenge at times to find a true orange. The Love That Chicken (Sandwich) polish has a fabulous name! It was a limited release for Polish Pickup, a monthly indie nail polish marketplace. Tagging @RGbrown and @WinglessOne as they may have some swatch sticks of an orange polish that might be of interest to you.

[WinglessOne]

Thanks for the tag, @itsfi! 

@CattyT3  Aw, I wish I'd seen this sooner. I can look through my rusty oranges for some other potential polishes if you'd like... noting to self to do that later today or tonight. I love your gold-tipped orange mani! 

[CattyT3]

Thank you for the offer @WinglessOne - but actually you luckily won't need to do any hunting as the previous replies let me know how to find the actual matching nail polish color by CND, and I've found multiple beauty supply sites that sell it now I know what I am searching for.
So I'm definitely sorted foe deeper oranges with the other nice suggestions too for similar colors by other brands.

Thank you all : ) 

[CattyT3]

Thank you for letting me know CND does regular polish as well @RGbrown and about the chicken sandwich shade also being a limited release one @itsfi 
I'll get sleuthing to try and get my hands on either one or both by the end of summer, and definitely saving all the similar shade suggestions to take a look at as well.
> I'm quite proud of my rust orange + gold combination I went with, the really great nail tech I found a cancellation time slot with right before I was travelling for the wedding was very happy with the result too : )

[LoriCrosby]

I’m going through hell with my index and middle finger nails breaking on both hands after a bad choice to get acrylics thinking it would prevent breakage. Needless to say, my LGBTQ friends make jokes about my “LFG manicure” (looking for a gf - they’re so funny 😑). 

I’m a dog trainer so I break my nails a lot and have puncture marks pretty much everywhere. I’m TRYING, that’s what matters. 

anyway, here’s my LFG manicure and my new polish I got on sale on Flip. ☺️ 

I’m wearing Sunday’s no.44 in this pic 

 

 

[Mellmars1185]

@LoriCrosby Beautiful shade and impressive make-up collection!