Whats Up Nails - Dragon Powder

Hey there!

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I am sure you have seen all the buzz about these new chrome powders for nails.  The have taken over Instagram and YouTube and nail blogs for the past few months.  I can understand why because they look amazing.  So reflective!  I have been reluctant to try them because you need to use a gel top coat to make it last and I don't use gel polish.  Actually...I am pretty darn terrible at gel polish.  I have only tried it once before and it was a complete fail.  I very much wanted to try out these chrome powders, so I figured I would give it another shot.  Be prepared to see some fails in this post.  Not because of the chrome powder...because of the top coats that I tried.  The chrome powder I tried was called Dragon Powder from Whats Up Nails.  It is a chrome finish with a green to gold to red multichrome effect.  It is part of the Magic Shifting Powders line.  The effect is stunning!

no top coat

Gelish You Glare, I Glow Swatches!

Hi all!

Polish Etc has been woefully neglected lately, and while I wish things were different, wishing won't change anything. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be able to post more regularly, but also please stay tuned for a big and very exciting announcement in the coming weeks!

I've been wearing a lot of gel nail polishes lately (since they consistently last for more than a week without any sign of wear) and today's post is another gorgeous gel polish. This is Gelish You Glare, I Glow. Gelish is one of my favorite gel polish brands due to their application and wear time. You Glare, I Glow is a bright, vivid, pigmented purple that was released as part of the Gelish summer 2013 neons collection, All About The Glow. This violet purple really packs a punch, and while it may be more of a summer color, there's nothing wrong with neons in early December, right?

The formula on You Glare, I Glow was excellent. I used three coats with Gelish base and topcoat and cured it with my Sally Hansen LED light for the photos below. Three coats may seem like a lot, but I always use at least three coats with gel polishes because it is best to apply the polish in extremely thin coats (a beginner's gel polish mistake is to apply it as you would nail polish, and thick coats prevent the gel from curing properly). Photos are with 5 days of wear and a fresh coat of top coat for shine.

Do you wear bright colors even when the weather is cold and dreary?

Gelish Love Me Like A Vamp Swatches and Review!

Do you ever have a week where you just don't feel like polishing your nails? I know I do. Sometimes it's because I've been busy. Other times, I have a different project to work on while watching TV so I don't want to be bothered to fix a chipped manicure (and I can't stand chips). Since my nails are pretty weak, if I go without polish they chip and peel terribly. That's when I turned to gel nail polishes.

I never thought I could be happy with gel nail polish. I'm one of those girls who changes my nail polish at least every other day. I have a tendency to get bored with colors and I love the fun of a fresh, shiny, perfect manicure every day.

This is Gelish MINI Love Me Like A Vamp, a dark red-toned purple creme. This is from the Gelish Under Her Spell Fall 2013 collection, and it embodies everything I love about gel nail polish. Dark manicures are my favorite (regardless of the season, although I wear them the most in winter) but dark nail polishes look the worst when they chip! Dark polishes also show bubbles, scrapes, and scuffs so easily. This polish doesn't do that, it stays insanely shiny and chip-free until I decide to take it off!

The formula on Gelish polishes is quite similar to normal polish. It applies a bit like a jelly or crelly finished polish, it's a little thin, but easy to control. I used 3 coats for the photos below with Gelish brand foundation and top coat, and set the polish with my Sally Hansen LED light (purchased from Walgreens for around $50). I usually cure each coat of my Gelish polishes under my Sally Hansen light for about 60 seconds, and have never had an issue with them curing incorrectly. (Keep in mind, I'm not a professional nail tech).

Although most gel polishes state that they are for professional use only, Gelish MINI is a brand that can be picked up in Sally Beauty stores all over the US. Gelish is also available online, and I've purchased bottles from both Amazon, and online auction. I know some nail techs don't like that it's so easy to purchase professional products, but keep in mind that gel nail polish isn't easy. If you are someone who gets nail polish or topcoat on your cuticles when you do your nails, it probably isn't for you. Even if you can apply polish perfectly, you're still going to make a lot of mistakes and waste a lot of time until you get this right. The easy way to get perfect gel nails is always to go to a certified nail technician!

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Here's the same Gelish mani after one week! As you can see there's no chips, and virtually no tip wear. While the sharpest corners of my nails had the tiniest bit of wear, this was less than most polish wear after just 12 hours. I'm always impressed by Gelish and just how long it stays looking perfect. In fact, the only reason I removed this gorgeous color was because of growth! I don't like having a gap between my cuticles and my polish and my nails were driving me bonkers. If my nails didn't grow so quickly I'm confident I could get a full 2-3 weeks out of Gelish. The color looks a bit lighter because of the lighting, I didn't pull out my lightbox for these last minute wear photos.

How do you feel about gel nail polish? Have you tried Gelish or any other brands of gels? I'd love to hear about other brands or experiences since I'm still fairly new to the world of gel nail polish!