All About Nails - General discussion board (Brands, trends, maintenance tips...)

Quote by Dancing_Doll
If you don't have a steady hand and want to try a bit of nailart - you can buy some really cool nail wraps from NCLA that just go right on top of your nail and get sealed with clear polish. They have edgier designs too on their website. It's a really cool brand.

Different nail wrap designs here: http://www.shopncla.com/collections/nail-wrap

Quote by Dancing_Doll
I use plain old scotch tape and/or striping tape but I've heard good things about using 'painter's tape' instead.

Quote by slipperywhenwet2012
Has anybody tried the matte/shiny look?



I'm calling this the iPhone 5.

I think I'm gonna try it out once I'm ready to soak off my Gelish. I've seen the other designs you can do, but I'm gonna start with the basic French and play with it from there if it vibes right. (sexual innuendo NOT intended)

Quote by slipperywhenwet2012
Has anybody tried the matte/shiny look?



I'm calling this the iPhone 5.

I think I'm gonna try it out once I'm ready to soak off my Gelish. I've seen the other designs you can do, but I'm gonna start with the basic French and play with it from there if it vibes right. (sexual innuendo NOT intended)

Quote by Dancing_Doll


You're going to use Essie Matte About You, right?

Quote by slipperywhenwet2012
I've been hesitant to play with my Gelish colors...sticking with the solid manicure. I know you can play with Gelish just like you could any other polish...but it's so permanent and more of a process to remove it if you mess up. I came across a different ombre method that might work perfectly for this gel polish, so I'm gonna give it a go tonight.

Quote by Dancing_Doll
This is so cute. Louboutin nails!

Quote by Dancing_Doll


How did this turn out? I like the idea of doing a bit of a pre-mix of the 2 colours first.

Also with the textured ombres above - I totally would never have thought you could do ombre textures. I figured the texture effect would get lost on the sponge.. unless they used a non-sponge method. I actually saw a tutorial the other day where a girl took a bit of polish and combined it with some basecoat so it was thinner and then just brushed it on the lower part of her nail using an old make-up brush for an ombre effect instead of the usual sponge method. Has anyone tried this?

Quote by sprite


i've done this before, it looks really good if you have the lenght for it - blue nails with the undersides done in yellow is really pretty - try it with a plain blue, but the pixie dust Solange, Doll.

Quote by slipperywhenwet2012
COCONUT OIL!!

Ok, I'm done yelling. But I'm sure we all know the benefits of coconut oil. It's miracle stuff. It's great for your nails. I didn't discover how great because I used to just use it mostly for my hair and skin. And while teasing it throughout my hair with my fingers, I noticed that my nails began to grow like craaaaaaaaaaaazy. I keep my nails trimmed short because of the field I'm in. I use my hands a lot, and it's just better and more productive if I just keep them cut short. But anyhoo, just use the coconut oil the same way you would a cuticle oil or cream. Massage into your cuticles and even all over your nails, and I guarantee that you'll see results within a week or two.

And unlike nail growth treatments that give you just a long nail, but it's yellow-ish and fragile and brittle, the coconut oil helps to strengthen and give you a solid, healthy nail. It's great.

Quote by Dancing_Doll


I'm going to try this. My nails are all in great condition except for these two problem nails that I've semi-injured recently (I accidentally smashed them into something). Now they are both a bit peely at the ends and those are the only 2 nails that ever get premature polish chips. I was thinking of getting Trind Nail Repair because I hear really good things about it and then maybe going with a ridge-filler just to even out the chipped bottoms (I don't want to cut them off... *cries* - trying to figure out a way to just make it work until the peely bits grow out). I've also heard good things about OPI's Nail Envy but I think Trind sounds like the healthier intensive-treatment option that can stay on the nail all day. I will do the coconut as well at night.

Quote by slipperywhenwet2012


I say trim them a bit and file out the peely bits with a Sani Block. And in all honesty, I've never trusted any kind of nail growth/repair treatments. Not to discredit them, as I've never tried any. And I probably never will. I know about coconut oil because it's a tried and true method for me. Sometimes when I'm out collecting samples, I've literally dug in the ground and mud with my bare hands, so my nails have taken a beating. I used to get acrylic nails just to protect them, but that made them so brittle. Coconut Oil not only repaired my nails, but it healed them as well as strengthened them. They snag less. It takes a hell of a lot to chip them. The only reason I do Gelish manicures is just to be on the safe side while I'm in the fiend, but I always apply coconut oil to my nails before I even apply a base coat. I rambled like this just to say that I don't know anything about those other methods you mentioned, but I can attest to coconut oil working perfectly.

Quote by Dancing_Doll


Yeah, I've been filing/buffing the peely bits. They're not so bad that I think I need to sacrifice them yet. If I trimmed them right down I'd lose 100% of my nail length because the peel is up to the nail bed on one nail. It's still a little sensitive from where it got smashed. I'm lucky it didn't break. My nails aren't super long or anything but they're definitely a touch longer than I usually wear them and it feels like a fun little novelty for me at the moment.

I'll definitely try the coconut oil. I don't know if it will work for me as a pre-mani thing because any oil left on my nail tends to make my polish bubble. Maybe this will be different, but at the very least it's a good treatment to try for a few hours or overnight and it's something I already have at home so I'll definitely be on it tomorrow.

Quote by sprite
Doll just introduced me to Picture Polish - Australian and cruelty free. i kind of hate her. looke at this!

Quote by Dancing_Doll
This is so cute. Louboutin nails!