Questions for all my friends who paint their nails.

[kyogres]

First off, sorry to anyone who saw that incredibly whiny "woe is me!" post. Sometimes I need to write things down to get them off my chest. Sometimes I don't realize that such things should be kept to a private journal instead of sharing them on a public or f-locked post. I'm sorry if I made anyone have flashbacks to the early 2000's and Myspace

Comments

[nerdish]

Sinful colors is NOTORIOUS for drying so slow. Lol. I have that color. I was going to do a blog post on it tomorrow. You can layer this color a lot by using really thin layers. I've got it on my index finger over white right now so it shows up true to bottle. But thin layers are the key with that brand.

I use the three stroke method. Take the brush out of the bottle, wipe one side of the brush on edge of the bottle, put the paint side down on nail, go down the middle, curve to the left at the nail bed and then right. (I can do pictures if you want tomorrow lol) Bubbles form on me when I shake the polish (roll it between your hands) and rush to put on another coat.

Just keep it out of direct sunlight. Mine's in a rubbermaid under my desk at the moment. Polish doesn't go bad.

Practice practice practice really. And a base coat will prevent staining and help the polish go on a bit smoother.

[kyogres]

Oops. The lady at Walgreens told me that Sinful Colors was a cheap alternative to Revlon. She didn't mention anything about it being slow to dry.

I thought I had waited until it was dry to put the top coat on but NOPE, APPARENTLY NOT. I wonder if I somehow managed to wash off the Revlon top coat and expose the blue polish, and if that's what's causing the stickiness. :/

Pictures would be nice. I think I was doing three strokes but going left, center, right. And sometimes I didn't get enough polish off the brush at first, so I ended up having to do more than 3 strokes to try and smooth it out. How many layers do you normally use?

I don't think I've ever used a base coat before. I don't remember having any staining problems when I was a kid, but I guess we'll see. (I think it was either you or someone else who said that the polish was much easier to peel off if there was a base coat?) Any suggestions?

[kyogres]

Also, how slow are we talking? It was still sticky when I washed my hands after an hour. It's been about 4 hours now, and a few of my fingernails STILL feel a bit sticky.

I wish they would dry so I could do things like, I don't know, eat finger food without worrying about ingesting nail polish.

[nerdish]

It's a neat brand, but Revlon isn't too bad to be honest. Check the paper or online, they always have coupons for it. That's how I tend to buy my Revlon.

I think it's because you've got it on so thick. It's a super sheer polish and the fact you've got it opaque could be it. Try running your hands under cold water. Sometimes that works for me.

I normally use two/three coats of a polish depending on the brand and formula. Glitters I go three coats, cremes I can get away with one-two coats.

Zoya has a really great top and base coat. But at $8 bucks each, $16 might sound a little silly at first. If you've got a Sally's nearby or can get it online, I recommend the Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat. It's clear with a green lid. I use that as a top/base coat and it's great. I've heard great things about the new Revlon long last base/top coat but I personally haven't used it.

[pannsie]

I would say it would have to do with either the quality of the brand (I haven't encountered it here, but quality can be questionable with cheaper brands), or the thickness of your layers. If I layer my polish on too thick, especially if the first coat didn't dry, it won't have time to dry completely then I go to bed, and wake up with my sheet texture imprinted on my nails D':. There are some great YouTube videos on good nail plosh application if you want visual examples.. also, perhaps you could search for a fast drying top coat? I haver got one personally, but I hear good things about them. 8]

As for the bubbles.. yeah, I have no clue. 8'D I get them sometimes when doing my right nails. Maybe it has to do with the amount of polish on the brush/smoothness of the stroke. Since my left hand's pretty shocking at everything. :U
/end nail polish essay

[kyogres]

Yeah, I don't think the first coat had dried completely before I put the second on. :x

I saw a fast drying top coat at Walgreens but I was a dumbdumb and got the standard one instead.

Someone else mentioned that shaking the bottle before you use it will help the bubbles.

[raphiael]

For bubbles, I always shake the polish really well and hit it against the palm of my hand with each shake (it won't break, so don't worry.) That keeps it from bubbling up for me.

[kyogres]

Thanks for the tip. I can't believe I forgot to shake the polish. Can you tell I haven't done this in a while?

[midnitesilven]

I don't paint my fingernails because it makes my fingers feel "hot" (I think because there is actually some air transfer through your nails?), but I loooove painting my toenails. :D It's nice to have a splash of color when all I ever wear are boring clothes for work.

I use a bunch of different brands (I think I have like 20 bottles of nail polish, accumulated since I was in middle school), but I definitely recommend Nyx, Revlon, and OPI. They cost more (obviously), but you really can't go wrong with them. I don't run into the "sticky" problem with them, and they seem to dry quickly. I also find that the cheaper brands get "chunkier" throughout a single sitting (I guess it dries on the brush?), and I end up having to break up my session so the brush gets a chance to "rise off" in the bottle. The three brands I mentioned don't chunkify as quickly, so I get the paint job done faster.

As for storage, medicine cabinet or under the sink is usually where I stow mine and it's worked well so far. :)

[kyogres]

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably get a couple Revlon colors in a week or two. They had some pretty ones that I was eying.

I used to paint my toenails, but I don't do it anymore because I never wear sandals and my toenails break off all the time. (My fingernails, on the other hand, have a hard time breaking off even when I'm trying to cut them.)

[saffiremoon21]

I don't know why yours is sticky...that's weird. Maybe try a quick-dry topcoat next time?

I only have one Sinful Colors polish and it's a glitter polish so it dries super quick.

I also do really love Zoya (dries super fast, great pigmentation) but I didn't recommend it initially because it's not as easy to get a hold of as a drugstore brand.

My polish gets stored anywhere I have room (yay tiny dorm room) but I've heard that keeping it in the refrigerator works too. You can buy thinner if your polish ever gets too thick.

[kyogres]

I'm sure there are specialty stores that would carry the more uncommon brands somewhere in my town. I just don't know where. I've never had a reason to pay attention to places that carry makeup or beauty products before.

Thanks for the thinner tip.