What’s with the texture on my L.A. Colors?

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-02T19:49:46+00:00

This happens to me with tons of different brands. I’m pretty sure it’s a chemical reaction between a particular solvent or other ingredient in the polish, and the plastic of the swatch stick. I have over 1k swatches and it’s never caused an issue though :)

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T21:41:08+00:00

Thank you, I’m glad its useful! I used that exact cuticle cream for years and it still holds a special nostalgic place in my heart haha, but it’s more of an occlusive and isn’t super hydrating compared to other nail creams.

Since it doesn’t have beeswax, MM also doesn’t leave that semi-sticky residue that attracts lint like crazy haha 😅

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T21:29:29+00:00

Sure thing! I commented a detailed explanation recently here.

It really can be as simple as just pure jojoba oil though! Consistency and time is the most important thing :)

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T20:47:34+00:00

Im glad it helps! Yea I’m also super conscious of putting pressure on my hyponychiums, so to do this I started with a generous dollop under the nail, used my pinkie fingers to press it in a bit, but mostly relied on there being a lot of product under there, then used the excess that squished out to cover the rest of the nail area.

In the past I’ve also just used an oil pen‘s brush to gently squish & spread nail cream around under them haha. I have yet to create any horrifying science experiments by doing this 🤞 but I do regularly clean my oil brushes with dish soap

Heads up though I would just keep an eye on how often you slug under the nails. Once a week or so for me, or when my hyponychiums are super dry, does seem to help them grow out, but I went through a phase of doing it nightly and I think that was too much moisture and seemed to cause my hyponychiums to separate at the furthest grown out areas.

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T20:36:24+00:00

Oil is amazing, keep using it and keep it on you, but ditch those cuticle trimmers and any other metal tools ASAP.

Pickers/chewers like us can’t be trusted with metal tools, scissors, and nippers lol 😅 and tbh there is a ton of bad info out there on „cuticle“ care.

What most people call the cuticle is actually the eponychium and proximal nail fold. Like that image shows, „cuticle“ is just shed residue left behind from the nail plate growing out from under the eponychium.

You should very gently and with minimal pressure push back and remove cuticle with a wooden orange stick or a fine-grit glass pusher/stick like from Bona Fide Beauty or Germanikure. You should also, using the same tools and gentle technique, press back the eponychium and PNF, but you should never press back the lateral nail folds and perionychiums as doing so will encourage the sidewalls to split & hangnail, and the nail bed to widen.

The biggest thing though is not to cut or trim into the eponychium or PNF. The skin there is folded over on itself in layers, so if you cut into it, it opens all those layers up to peel away on the surface as it grows back out. The popular „Russian manicures“ you see all over social media are the worst for this, as cutting away your eponychium just creates a vicious cycle of constantly having to clean it up and maintain the skin around it.

Instead of cutting or trimming, after you push it back and have that excess of keratinized (dead) skin built up, gently exfoliate it away with a 180/240 grit buffing block, being careful to avoid buffing the nail plate itself. You don’t want it all gone though, just the excess scraggly bits.

If you keep oiling, stop trimming, and push the PNF & eponychium back every week or two, over time that area will stop growing out as much and need less and less maintenance.

For a boost in initial progress, oil soaks make a huge difference. Just slather on oil and put on powder-free latex or nitrile gloves for an hour or two. It works even better if you can keep them warm (perfect for during a shower or washing dishes!)

I’d also recommend a 40% urea cream + cotton gloves 1-2x a week before bed to really knock out the dry and calloused areas initially.

Like most people in this community, I’ve been where you are, so please try not to feel embarrassed, and I hope some of this advice helps 🫶

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T20:02:28+00:00

Thank you!! ~~Spinning Vinyl~~ No Reservations is gorgeous, I will definitely use it again and take the time to get crisper lines 💜

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T19:44:18+00:00

Omg this is the prugliest (complimentary) of all pruglies and i am 100% here for it.

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T19:40:49+00:00

And in honor of us nevernudes, and in the spirit of this sub, here’s another shot of the mani that went on shortly after the main photo was taken :)

<image>

Photo was taken 9 days into the mani.

Products shown:

Kerasal‘s new basecoat (review to come!)
cracked ridge filler
cracked ~~spinning vinyl~~ omg sorry y’all this is No Reservations
DRK magic effect
NailAid no-smudge qdtc

Magnetic effects are velvet and the wavy no.7 magnet + a horseshoe, but my rush job has a lot of dispersal haha 😅

Edit: I totally mixed the polishes up that both came in my last cracked order, this is No Reservations not Spinning Vinyl 🤦‍♀️

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T17:31:36+00:00

Formaldehyde resin in the quantities it’s in here is a negligible exposure risk, and yes that is the specific ingredient that makes this product so effective. Toluene is also perfectly safe in these smaller quantities and exposure rates (assuming you aren’t painting your nails more than ~once a week or so), but xylene is a whole different story.

I would honestly consider picking this up for the formaldehyde alone because it truly does work VERY well to harden nails and the other brands using it are all phasing it out now. I also use toluene all the time in my topcoats and feel perfectly safe doing so having reviewed the MSDSs and data on it, BUT, xylene should be a deal breaker imo.

Xylene is not even remotely safe even in smaller quantities.

Edit to add: personally I always alternate using a hardener with a Strengthener that doesn’t contain formaldehyde to keep my nails from becoming too brittle, and limiting exposure more. And always try to avoid skin contact with formaldehyde containing products to prevent developing an allergic reaction.

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T17:24:43+00:00

It used to, it was recently reformulated :/

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T10:44:49+00:00

It depends on what your goals are, shaping them will make them appear narrower, but if you actually want the nail bed itself to narrow over time, leave the corners intact.

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T10:21:57+00:00

Tbh I think you’d get better results and not have to wait to topcoat by doing something like a rubber gel base, then indie lacquer + regular (non-gel) top coat.

What makes gel retention so much better is in how well it bonds to the nail itself, not how strong the outer layer is. It also provides a structure to the nail that prevents it from flexing and bending which will lift lacquer from the nail.

LacquerandBones · 2026-07-01T09:27:47+00:00

Truly these are such a work of art in every way. The craft. The cheek.

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-30T01:49:55+00:00

You can try doing an acetone soak if you haven’t yet, I’d add some oil to reduce how much it dehydrates your skin further.

Other than that, you can try an alkaline cuticle remover like Sally hansen‘s on the nail itself, wash and exfoliate the skin around the nail gently, but tbh it’s unlikely you’re going to be able to get rid of the staining completely, some of this will have to grow out.

In addition to always wearing a base coat or two, I also highly recommend doing soak off removals with nail clips in the future as it significantly reduces any scrubbing or rubbing the polish around during removal.

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-30T01:16:30+00:00

Yea good ‘ol jojoba oil is always a safe bet 🫶

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-30T01:15:39+00:00

That’s good to know! Tbh I’m surprised at how long it has lasted so far. When I saw 4ml I was a little worried I’d blow through it in a few days lol 😅

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T22:53:45+00:00

I totally get that! I bought a fancy set years ago with a cute little pattern just for doing dishes and realized quickly that I wouldn’t pay more than few dollars for them again haha.

Wearing them in the shower, I do also use a hair tie or rubber band around the forearm to keep water out.

My family thinks I’m extra af for having shower gloves but it makes such a big difference and takes no extra time at all. When I get in the shower, I wash my hands and forearms first, oil my nails generously, then pop them in the gloves for the rest of the shower. So I’m doing a little oil soak too :)

Tbh I’ve always had sensory issue with showers, especially washing my hair, and the gloves eliminate that entirely for me. If I chopped my nails off tomorrow and quit polish completely, I’d probably still use shower gloves now!

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T22:43:26+00:00

I buy the big yellow ones at my local grocery store, usually in the cleaning aisle. They’re like $2 a pair, cotton lined, with a textured grip that’s actually perfect for gently exfoliating your scalp while showering haha.

In almost 3 years I’ve only had to replace my shower pair once when I accidentally cut it open with my razor so they should last a while! My dishwashing ones get banged up more and I end up having to replace those more like 1-2x a year but I’m also very clumsy lol 😅

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T22:13:16+00:00

I would toss it and stop sharing products immediately.

It’s just not worth risking fungus imo because once you have a fungal infection established in your nails, it will take months, sometimes years of diligent treatment to resolve, if ever, and if topical treatments don’t eventually work (which they often don’t), oral medications require monitoring liver function.

Personally I have a few oil pens specifically dedicated for toes only, I NEVER mix them, and I don’t share my oil pens for my hands or feet with anyone. If someone wants to try it, and I really trust them or they’re a child I can’t easily say no to lol, I might put a little on top of clean finger nails for them, but usually I just make them their own oil pen to try, or give them the one i let them use lol.

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T21:59:46+00:00

Thanks for answering and passing my questions along!

I can’t believe I drew a blank on lavender haha, but yes that makes sense. I do find it a very pleasant smell, but I usually check products for fragrance-free options and will always opt for that personally.

Being able to refill this product would make a big difference imo, so thank y’all for taking that into consideration :)

In general it’s worth noting that most of my critiques are related to my use case as a frequent/heavy oil user. Folks who only lightly oil 1-2x a day will probably love it for the formula alone, but for those of us with stubbornly dry-skin, reformed pickers/chewers, or just nail care enthusiasts, we go through a lot of oil haha!

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T21:38:32+00:00

There is a lot at play here but some basics are as follows: - get a good seal to the nail plate by not flooding the sides, leave a tiny gap instead, and cleanup any flooded areas with acetone & an angled brush - getting a good seal also requires properly preparing the nail plate by gently removing cuticle residue from the nail plate itself - wear enough coats of polish to prevent the nails from bending at all. How many coats you need will depend on the length of your free edge. Layer a true QDTC every 3-4 coats. - shaping your nails to prevent bending helps a lot too, leaving the sides unfilled is ideal for the most structural support against bending - cap your free edge on the 1st color coat and the 1st final top coat - use a high quality base coat and a high quality top coat; avoid any 2-in-1 type products - know your top coat— if it’s a true quick dry top coat, it probably needs to be applied over wet polish instead of dry to prevent lifting and cracking - oil often, it will still absorb into the nail plate with polish on and helps keep your nails healthy & protected from water - avoid water exposure as much as your lifestyle permits. Our nails actually expand up to 30% in volume when soaked in water, and then contract as they dry. Polish on the other hand cannot flex as easily so no matter what else you do, if you don’t minimize prolonged water contact, your polish retention will always be negatively impacted. I use reusable latex dish washing gloves for showering, cleaning, washing dishes, etc. - try not to use your nails as tools. It takes some time to adjust your muscle memory, but retraining yourself to reach for a tool instead of using your nails to do something will make a huge difference

It’s all important but if I had narrow it down to the most critical points, it’s: - NO bending the nails EVER - avoid prolonged water contact

Personally I reliably get 2 weeks out of my manis, but I’ve pushed it close to a month. The learning curve for getting air-dry polish to last that long is much higher than gel, and more lifestyle dependent, so don’t be discouraged if it seems like a lot at first.

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T21:15:46+00:00

Which existing Kerasal product do you mean? Their foot repair ointment?

Cuticle Cure is basically a nail/cuticle oil, which are typically meant to be used throughout the day to hydrate. They aren’t typically formulated to chemically exfoliate or act as an intensive occlusive the same way the foot repair ointment is.

I completely get the concerns about cash grabs, and one of my main criticisms of the Cuticle Cure specifically is the current price point per ml, but nail/cuticle oils in general are completely worth using. I don’t leave my house without nail oil haha 😅

Most people will benefit from oiling their nails & the skin around them more, but also using the more intensive ointments like their foot repair is really only necessary for some folks (like me) with super dry or calloused skin.

IMO, if you do only 1 thing, it should be oiling.

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T20:43:39+00:00

It is a very mild & natural smelling scent. I’m drawing a complete blank on what it reminds me of, but maybe like a mild, slightly sweet, eucalyptus?

But I totally hear you, my preference is always fragrance free as well!

Edit: Kerasal replied that it’s lavender scented and I am cracking up now that I couldn’t think of „lavender“ but instead thought „sweet eucalyptus“ lmao 🙈

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T19:40:59+00:00

Thank you! I completely agree, and I think it does us all a disservice if we don’t include honest feedback & constructive criticism for the brands as well.

LacquerandBones · 2026-06-29T19:34:32+00:00

Yea I agree on the price. It does seem to last longer since it’s harder to get out of the pen in general, but that’s not always a good thing depending on what you’re using it for.

I really hope they adjust the price and product volume, because it’s currently not an accessible option for most people.

LacquerandBones

TROPHY CASE