To anyone who runs pages:

I have a question:

I have been thinking about merging Polish All the Things and Happy Nails.  I don't see why they couldn't be one page.  Does that seem like a bad idea?  I post nails and jewelry both on Instagram under "Polish All the Things" because nails are things, too.

I feel like it would make more sense to merge PATT into HN because I have more likes on HN, but I'm concerned that I could not change my URL.  I guess I have a lot of things to look into.

Any thoughts or tips or reason for / against this?

Hey friends...

Hey friends, I just spent some time this weekend going over my Polish All the Things inventory and re-listing some things on Etsy.  I mostly haven't made anything new since I started school, but I do have plenty of items left if anyone wants things for the holiday season.

There are a few things up on the PATT Facebook page that aren't yet on Etsy, but maybe I will get them listed in the next couple of weeks.  It really all depends on how hard school is kicking my ass, but anyway.  We'll see, and I will definitely make an effort.

If any of you would be so kind as to share my shop and keep me in mind if you do any holiday shopping online, it would be greatly appreciated.  I have a tub of things I've made sitting in my room, and it would benefit me in more ways than one to get some of it moving out of here.

Etsy link

Thanks!  ❤

Since my water marbled nails were coming off...

Since my water marbled nails were coming off and Shaun told me to rest my brain I TOTALLY rested my brain.  I didn't even use it to be very creative, unfortunately.  But sometimes you find a color that's unique enough that it really doesn't need much else.  😃

I haven't bought any polish recently because, well, at a little over 1000 bottles it's honestly kind of tough to find anything new or exciting.  But then I found Moo Moo's Signatures and HOLY COW.  😳  She's got some really interesting colors going on, as you can see from this yummy green with the beautiful pink shimmer.

So, I treated myself.  I bought a few, actually, but this is the one I was dying to wear.  It's called Exotic Foliage, which I think is a perfect name.  It makes me think of some crazy leafy plant in a place far, far away.  So, I stamped an accent nail with a plant, put a dark stone on there, and called it done.

What do you think of this color?  It's giving me life right now.  ❤❤❤

Research polish;
Research plate;
Embellishment from BornPretty;
Stamping technique

I did these on Saturday.

I did these on Saturday.  I guess you could say that I was inspired to water marble some more after I did it on my friend Deb.  I haven't done this in probably 2 years until this weekend, but it was fun.  🙂

I'm really digging this polish.  It is light gray with FLAKIES IN IT, Y'ALL.  FLAKIES.  😳  They give it just a little bit of color and shimmer - not too much.  I love it, which shouldn't be any surprise to anyone who really knows me, because gray is one of my favorite colors.  (Fun Fact:  Gray, Brown, and Green are my top 3 favorite colors.)

Anyway, not a super lot to say about it.  I just wanted to post because I thought it was pretty.  The thumb is my favorite.  🙂

Research polish;
Watermarble technique

It's been a pretty good day so far!

It's been a pretty good day so far!  Is there anything a girl needs aside from friends, food, and NAIL POLISH?  I think not.  😃

I reconnected recently with someone I hadn't seen in YEARS.  We chatted and I did her nails a few weeks back, and now she's hooked!  I got me a nail polish buddy!  😃  We've mostly been stamping, but I showed her how to water marble today.  Got lucky and the first polishes she picked worked!  It was great.

We ordered pizza and talked and did nails.  She even brought her son that Shadow and I hadn't seen in forever, so it was a good time.  I hope we can all hang out again soon!

I know most of my friends are probably watching the game or relaxing, but I gotta get into some homework now.  At least I got to have some fun today.  😃  Happy Saturday, friends!  ❤

Various polishes;
Watermarble technique

So I just took my holo and chrome nails off....

So I just took my holo and chrome nails off. They definitely stuck better with proper application. I'm not sure if it's because I used cheap gel or what, but I had noticeable tip - wear within a few days. I dealt with it for all of this time because I didn't have time to take them off properly. They started chipping, though, so that was my cue. I knew I would pick at them and ruin my nails if I didn't get them off ASAP.

Well... about half of my nails sustained more than minor damage during removal. 🙁 It was my fault, of course, but it's hard to be that patient when your fingers are wrapped up in foil and you can't do anything. 😕

Overall, I think I would do it again if I wanted temporary chrome or SUPER DUPER HOLO nails, but I'd use a peel - off base coat to save myself some time, trouble, and damage. I would just do it knowing that they wouldn't last long. It was definitely a neat experiment and I'm glad that I have these options, but I honestly prefer working with regular polish.

Now I'm off to try to salvage my nails. I've got peelies and craters and all kinds of bad junk to smooth out. 😕

Yes, I actually spent money to own this.

Yes, I actually spent money to own this. If you don't know what Simply Nailogical is, you need to fix that. Sooner rather than later. 😛

Y'all. 😳

Y'all.  😳

So I did my nails again last night.  My first application of gels on myself was a complete fail, as all but 3 had pathetically peeled off within in a few days.  Since I am a bad person and did not remove all but those last 3 properly my nails took a little bit of damage, but nothing major.

I'd cut my nails down after the photos of the scale chromes because I figured I wouldn't be taking pictures for a while.  Well, obviously I was wrong.  So, bask in the glory of my silver chrome and holo nubs!  LMAO  Seriously, the chrome is so reflective you can see the reflection of the rainbow from the holo nail next to it.  WHATTT?!?!  😳

I took my time and did it correctly last night - buffing and all.  I used SUPER thin layers of polish so that I didn't flood my cuticles and overall I think this is better.  Hopefully this time they will stay on for more than a few days.

Y'all know I can't just have a hand full of matching nails, so I tried out my new holo powder as an accent nail (ring finger, if it isn't obvious.  LOL)  All I can say is "DAMNNNN."  I have some holographic polishes, but NONE of them compare to the strength of this powder.  I am in shock and awe.  The holo is even visible in regular lighting inside the house, which isn't always the case for holo polish.  Also, it's not completely visible here (because certain angles turn it back into a rainbow), but the center line down the holo nail looks chrome to my eyes IRL.  I just don't even have words for how amazing I think that is.  😳

Another great thing about the powder is that it can be used over any color (as can the chromes, actually), but I only have black gel for now, so that's what I used last night as a base for all.  I've seen photos online that show the base colors peeking through when used under the powders, so that is something to try another day.  I also need to see how I can mix and match gel with regular polish to extend wear, but I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately.  😕

ANYWAY.  It was super hard not to stamp over these because that is just what I always want to do, but I think that my scale stamping actually took away from the beauty of the chromes on my last paint job.  Who would ever guess that less can be more?  LOL  Since these are true gels TECHNICALLY I should be able to stamp over them and even straight up paint regular polish on top of them and then be able to remove it with non-acetone remover without damaging the paintjob pictured.  When this mani starts wearing out I might try it just to confirm.  But not yet.  SO NOT YET.  I'm hoping to enjoy this one for some days.  😃

Research

Gel Nail Chrome Scale Fail.

Gel Nail Chrome Scale Fail.

Try saying that 3 times fast!

So these were done with the chrome powders I got last week. Chrome powders only work on certain types of gel polish, so that's what got me to FINALLY try gel polish.

UNFORTUNATELY I haven't had much experience with gels... literally, this was my first attempt at using real gel polish. I did a good bit of research on it several weeks ago, but by the time I sat down to try it out last night I guess most of what I'd read had gone out the window. 😕

First, I forgot to buff my nails. Then, even though I knew that thin coats were better when using gels - old habits die hard. I did ok, but gel flows easily and I flooded my cuticles. 😕 With regular polish I would just use an angled brush dipped in acetone to fix that, but that doesn't work on gels once they are cured.

So... my terrible solution to that was to clip the polish off me with cuticle nippers... while I was tired. Hence the chunk missing from my ring finger. LOL Since you can't just swipe a gel off and start over, it's on there for now. I'm sick and I have to study for another Calculus test, so it is what it is and that's ok.  Gotta keep my priorities straight (yay for adulting).  😛

I mostly wanted to try out my new stuff and now that I see how beautifully chrome and color-shifting these powders actually are, I'm happy.  I have never seen a nail polish that can achieve this effect quite so well, so these are pretty cool.  Also, if you're experienced in applying gel polish the chromes were super easy to apply.  You just buff it into your gel topcoat and seal!

Pardon my wonky camera angle, but it's hard to get a good pic when you have an interesting finish.  There were 8 powders in the set I bought.  These were my favorite 5 all used over black.  I also bought a silver for Shaun, of course.

Research;
Chrome Powders

😳

😳

This chrome!!!

Pics tomorrow. 😃