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

[CookieGirl1]

@WinglessOne thank you!  I don't own many reds but I needed this one.

[Saradestin]

That shade is stunning @CookieGirl1! ❤️❤️❤️ It looks so reflective! 

[CookieGirl1]

@Saradestin It's a fun one!

[Mellmars1185]

@CookieGirl1 Really cool shade and fun name ❤️🧡

[CookieGirl1]

@Mellmars1185 It's the name that does it for me 😂

[RGbrown]

@CookieGirl1 

Goegeous! BKL does glowy and shifty so freakin' well 😍

[CookieGirl1]

@RGbrown their polishes are a little hit-or-miss for me; I've rehomed about half of the ones that I've purchased because they've been really sheer and I have a strong VNL but I love it when I find a winner (like this one)!

[RGbrown]

@CookieGirl1 

Ah, yup, quite a few of theirs are sheer. I get not wanting those (but don't rule out trying them over a nude or black or white base too (or any color, really)...some of the shifty shimmer pigments do amazing things over other colors! ✨)

[CookieGirl1]

@RGbrown that's true; I guess I just don't like to have to make a polish work when I'm expecting better.  I mean, if I purposely buy a topper, that's a different story...

[RGbrown]

@CookieGirl1 

I totally get that!

[RGbrown]

😲

Looks like my plans of doing a sheer mani tonight need to be adjusted 😆 I've had quite a few blues and greens stain lately, but this is by far the strongest, and Essie Smooth-e is apparently terrible at preventing them 😐

ETA: I had a lightbulb moment and remembered that cuticle remover will sometimes remove some staining (depends on the pigments, and I'm fuzzy on the science behind it, but it's always worth a shot), and got a good bit of it up! There's still a hint of blue, but yay, much better!

 

[WinglessOne]

@RGbrown  The science behind it: I don't think polish color matters much, considering what potassium hydroxide does. (That's the “exfoliating” ingredient in cuticle removers.) It's quite alkaline and corrosive. It dissolves keratin regardless of what color's painted on said keratin. 🙂 It can also destroy the nail plate if left on too long, plus cause some nasty chemical burns if not rinsed completely off skin within a few minutes of application. That’s why I don’t recommend using cuticle remover to strip staining—at least not as a regular habit. Not saying you don't already know that. Just leaving that here as a cautionary note for anyone else who might be reading. 

Side note: potassium hydroxide’s sometimes used in cosmetics as a pH balancer. In that case, the % used should be small enough to not melt skin and nails off. 😄 Obviously cuticle removers contain a higher concentration of this stuff. 

Glad you got some of that staining off, though! Good to know about Essie Smooth-e's not-so-good protection against staining. Though I will say some blues (particularly Zoya PixieDust Juniper) have manage to stain their way past my favorite base coat. Not surprising, but still annoying. 

[RGbrown]

@WinglessOne 

Michelle/Lab Muffin did a (blog post? Video? It's been so long since I've seen it that I honestly can't remember if I watched it or read it now) about stain removal and how cuticle remover will do better with some pigments than others. I think it was fairly old, so probably a blog post, and not as detailed with all sorts of info like some of her more recent stuff, but it worked for her specific scenario and it popped in my head last night, so I figured I'd give it a shot. 

I definitely agree that it's something to be careful with; I dropped a little on and left it just long enough to tear off a little piece of cotton ball to wipe it back off with, and was pleased to see just how much it pulled up. I tried it on some of my older blue stains though, and it did nothing 😞 Might have gotten more if I had let it soak for a bit and scrubbed, but I'm not that worried about the remaining bit...polish generally covers it (except maybe my current mani, ha 😂). And I definitely don't recommend other hacks out there like lemon juice and toothpaste and bleach and buffing...at least cuticle remover is somewhat formulated for the nail area, even though it's still wise to be cautious with it.

I don't think I've ever found a ridge filling base that's good at blocking stains, sigh. I could probably mitigate that a bit more by using two base coats, but that becomes too much like work, and I've never been able to make it a habit 😕

[WinglessOne]

@RGbrown  Hmm, I'll have to look for that Lab Muffin post. Also, I'm curious enough to see if there's any publicly accessible data on potassium hydroxide (or anything else typically found in cuticle removers) as a color stripper. Adding this to my long list of Look It Up topics. 

I posted earlier in this thread about that Zoya Juniper stain and how Butter's cuticle remover removed a lot of the blue... probably the post where I showed my nails before and after cuticle removal, where I pointed out what & where the cuticle actually is vs. the skin folds around the nail. I think that was the day I removed Juniper from a couple of nails. I also think I cautioned in that post that folks shouldn't use cuticle remover as their usual stain remover unless they don't mind losing a layer or more of nail plate. 😄 And yeah, I cringe whenever someone suggests lemon juice for any DIY nail or skin project. That's a whole lotta nope. 

[Saradestin]

Wow! That’s serious staining @RGbrown ! At least you were able to get rid of part of it. So sad that you have to change your plans on  your sheer manicure. You will come up with something gorgeous anyway 

[Mellmars1185]

@RGbrown The cuticle remver made a big difference. That blue really left a mark!

[CookieGirl1]

Oh my gosh, @RGbrown, too funny but not 😂.

[ather]

@RGbrown  Oh nooooo 😱

[RGbrown]

@ather 

I can't help but laugh over it (otherwise I'd be very upset, and what's the point in that? 😆) But thankfully...cuticle remover removed a good bit of it, probably 90% or so...about to update with a new pic! I mean, my nails still look awful when they're nekkid, but at least I don't have a bright blue one anymore 😂

[ather]

@RGbrown  I agree. Gotta look at the positive side!! I actually say the thumbnail of the picture and thought you had done a type of tie dye nail inspired look. But when I opened the post up I was like nope 🤪

[Saradestin]

Ok y’all. This is it!! After I ruined my previous Valentine’s mani, I had no choice but to create a new one and I am so glad I did! This is my first time doing a gradient mani and it came out so beautiful! What I am most amazed with, is the little time it took me to create it. The ring nail is messy because I was in a rush to go to pick up a friend at the airport and I didn’t let the polish dry so it lifted, but from the distance it looks good enough. For the rest, I used the stamping plate to create the gradient effect.

I used Orly white tips as my white polish and Zoya’s Tweedy as my ring nail base and one of the polishes for the gradient. The other two were an old Kiko Milano polish and Zoya Lisa.

As stamping plate I used WhatsUp B024 Love is in the Air.

This is probably my favorite mani of all time! 😃💗

This is how all startedShade photoFull sun