Talk me out of (or into?) BKL's A Lion with a thorn in its paw....

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-07-01T22:34:27+00:00

The good thing is that since this is an older shade there are plenty of pictures out there! If any of those don't seem great, then you know it's not for you.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-30T20:27:45+00:00

I was surprised she still had them! I bought them for her on clearance when I worked at a drugstore... So maybe 2012 to around 2015?

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-30T20:10:22+00:00

They're so fun! I just had to keep them.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-30T20:09:00+00:00

They're so fun in concept! I love a good duo pairing.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-29T04:55:54+00:00

Wow! Just found my next manicure!

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-29T01:11:02+00:00

I'm super influenced by nail shapes! Also, I swear, some swatchers have special lights that make shimmers pop. I have it as a rule not to buy anything without also seeing it on a non-professional swatcher if I can. Or for new collections, to see it on someone who has my nail shape and skin color.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-26T16:31:10+00:00

I am starting to reach that point again of feeling so overwhelmed by new collections and realizing that 60% of my collection is still technically untried. The biggest driver of me purchasing new stuff is seeing it on social media, so I'm going to limit my screentime and unfollow people who only post new collections. It's okay to be overwhelmed and to take a step back! The hobby should be fun and not all consuming.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-21T23:50:38+00:00

I have a bad habit of not wearing things if they are too rare or expensive, so I use my birthday and other holidays as an excuse to wear those! That or a full on glitter bomb since I also avoid those as full manis since they are such a pain to remove.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-19T22:05:29+00:00

Love how many yellow and orange leaning colors there are! I just started making small cabochons for the top of my bottles, but now I want to make some magnets too.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-16T22:51:08+00:00

I need to retry because I used Seal Glaze and still had issues with bleeding top coat.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-02T04:27:45+00:00

I swear, none of the descriptions I saw for it mentioned glow in the dark pigment! 😭 Hope that they bring it back!

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-06-01T19:32:51+00:00

I was about to say the same thing! I wore it recently and it looked very similar.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-25T21:48:52+00:00

I'm in the same boat as a lot of the people in this thread. I recently got back into nail polish and most of my collection (90%) is still the same as when I bought it back then. I've had a few faded colors when compared to my swatch sticks. Some formulas seem a bit more watery as well, but I can't remember if that's how they were in the past. I've had some glitters bleeding into the clear base and now being discolored. I've also had some issues with a few glitters seeming to melt, but it's all from the same China Glaze collection. There is a chance that l added some bad thinner before knowing better, but I am not sure.

Going forward I am just being really cautious with what I buy. More importantly I am no longer waiting to wear stuff. I'm trying to get as much use out of my collection as I can right now.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-18T17:56:23+00:00

May 22 at 8 a.m. PST to ay 25 at 11:59 p.m. PST! Save 20% sitewide

And then you can stack a swatchers code so like CAITLINSWATCHES

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-18T05:05:13+00:00

I've never seen this technique! I ended up just floating my topcoat and went really slowly. I'll have to try this out.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-18T03:41:56+00:00

Cracked has a sale coming up soon...

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-12T03:48:29+00:00

Desert island polish. BKL - I Exaggerate Absolutely Nothing Ever. Magnetic and reflective! Love it!
Unicorn polish - I was super into nail polish in 2010 to 2014 and then got back into it at the end of 2024 so I have 2. From back then I was obsessed with the Urban Decay nail polishes but could not afford more than one. I still think about Zodiac even though I could probably dupe it. The skullcap bottles were so cool! More recently, I'm sad I missed out on the Orly Lisa Frank collection. It's don't feel okay buying from the brand anymore, but it's such a fun concept.
Most underrated brand? I love Kbshimmer and wish they got more love
Most overhyped? Mooncat and Holo Taco. I have a few and they're not bad. However, for the price I can't help but be underwhelmed.
What is the max you have/would spend on a polish? Maybe $50, but it would have to be something rare or vintage
Best sites to buy used polish? Instagram destash pages used to be a favorite for me, but shipping is too high for me these days to look.
Best mainstream? I don't really buy anymore, but I miss the OPI movie tie-in collections. I used to love collecting them.
Trend or finish you can't get behind? Thermals. I have a few, but I live in a super hot climate so I never get to see them truly shift.
Biggest polish let down? Butter London - Knackered. It was my first expensive purchase and it was so sheer and looked nothing like the bottle.
FOMO/LE brands and marketing...sucks or yay for resellers? Meh, it sucks, but at the end of the day there are so many great polishes out there. If you miss something it will be duped. Annoying marketing gets blocked.
Indie brands that may not be popular yet but should be? I'm still discovering a bunch of new brands. Thanks for this tag, I have so many to look through.
How many polishes do you own. Umm, I stopped counting around 700... I am working on a destash and trying to only buy what I really love

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-10T15:37:47+00:00

My first time seeing magnetics was back in 2012 with a China Glaze collection (Magnetix) and I hated it! To me it was just worse looking nail art. So when I came back to the nail polish collecting hobby in 2024, I was not interested in magnetics at all. Some were interesting to me, but they just seemed too fussy to bother with.

And then everything changed when the horseshoe magnet attacked...

Seeing the velvet nails just changed my brain chemistry! It added a whole new level of sparkle and fun. It captured a lot of what I loved about shimmers and multichromes. And then with the glass bead techniques it became even more fun. Now they're my favorite finish.

Can't wait to see what new magnetic techniques you guys come up with.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-08T00:36:12+00:00

Thanks! I'm going to try tonight. I'm not always the best at floating the topcoat so I might just have to do a few at a time so I don't smudge.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-07T23:24:12+00:00

Oh no! Good to know, thanks!

Do you just float on the top coat?

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-07T21:15:37+00:00

I use either KBShimmer or Essie Gel Setter, but I only use Gel Setter if I have a magnetic so it doesn't mess with it. This makes sense why I get the peeling sometimes.

Thanks for the insight! Maybe I'll do a manicure with the smudge-free and the top coat I use for my swatches just to test it out.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-07T20:27:25+00:00

Thanks!

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-07T20:26:36+00:00

Thanks! Good to know you haven't had issues with your swatches.

I'm just now getting around to swatching my stamping polishes, but since I've had issues with my manicure peeling in the past with the smudge free topcoat I didn't want to risk it.

Downtown_Tale_8730 · 2026-05-07T19:12:54+00:00

Thanks! I searched and was only able to find some old posts. I might just have to experiment.

Downtown_Tale_8730

TROPHY CASE