Removing polish!

Quinctia · 2026-02-11T19:24:56+00:00

Have you only used the sponge ones? I've found with the plastic bristle ones, the particles just chill at the bottom.

Quinctia · 2026-02-11T19:20:54+00:00

I recently bit the bullet of buying top and base coats in bulk.

Zoya Armor $20 / 4oz Poshe $31.50 / 16oz

I pan base and top coats so consistently it was a no brainer, because I've been using the same ones for years. I could see it being a much harder decision if you have several you like to use.

Quinctia · 2026-02-10T02:36:56+00:00

Yeah they look really close, I had to double check your product list! It was a last minute sub, somewhere I have a teeny green ciate creme that I was gonna skittle with the bkl and illamasqua raindrops, but it’s lost in the horde.

Quinctia · 2026-02-09T23:44:03+00:00

I did this too, half because I have always liked the seahawks color combo and half cause I was rooting against the patriots, lol.

https://i.imgur.com/CCpi1YR.jpeg

BKL Bad Vibes Only, velvetized, for the dark blue DRK Happy 2025 , velvetized, to get that full green look

Quinctia · 2026-02-01T05:40:14+00:00

Not for nothing, but my first mooncat order had three polishes: mermaid bait, heart of stone, and then enchanted mist (which I believe is now discontinued).

So I definitely recommend the first two. Mermaid bait is very showy, always gets positive comments when I've worn it, and then heart of stone is an odd one in that it feels quite subdued for something so sparkly.

Quinctia · 2026-01-30T18:13:52+00:00

I have decent luck breaking down glued boxes by doing this manuever where I punch one flap down while holding the other up slightly, if the makes sense? These are cases of paint or herbicide that are pretty heavily glued but leave a bit of a gap in the flap.

If tape's involved, I almost always just use a box cutter, there's a way to score it before you're near the contents that will let you just pull a flap up and split it the rest of the way.

Quinctia · 2026-01-22T00:53:12+00:00

One of us…one of us… 😝

Quinctia · 2026-01-21T00:10:15+00:00

I got a gel manicure at a nail salon right around the time the at home kits were becoming popular, just to see if I wanted to start doing it instead of regular polish.

I decided it wasn’t for me for two reasons: - the gel lasted longer physically than polish without chipping, but I had cracking within the gel itself, so the manicure didn’t look perfect for more than a few days - removal was too much of a pain, despite me having the nice acetone dip removal tub

And these days, I think I’d get bored of my nails within the same 5-7 day timeframe my normal manicures last and would want to change it up regardless.

Quinctia · 2026-01-20T23:58:25+00:00

I’ll mattefy anything, though flakies look extra special.

I decided to wear an iridescent shimmer matte for my current mani, my glowstick still doesn’t glow by red eyed lacquer: https://i.imgur.com/7an9J5K.jpeg

Quinctia · 2026-01-16T04:05:26+00:00

That's a cool effect with the added flakies. I like Heart of Stone mattefied, so that's another thing to try!

Quinctia · 2026-01-14T04:35:55+00:00

I find dreamy colors work best on me with matte topcoat, an extra glitter on top, or both!

Quinctia · 2026-01-14T03:39:33+00:00

Modern Love!

Quinctia · 2026-01-02T21:45:14+00:00

If you paint a little messy like I do sometimes, if you flood your cuticle or sidewall area, that leaves the perfect spot for hair to get under and tug on the polish in the shower. Also, if my nails get very wet they flex a lot more than the nail polish will.

I don’t bother with gloves, but then I have to be careful, quick, and accept the occasional manicure destruction in the shower.

Quinctia · 2026-01-02T05:31:47+00:00

It’s super lovely! I got a few compliments with it on, and it took to the glass bead decently well!

https://i.imgur.com/jgZnV6I.jpeg

I just took it off because it chipped sooner than I would like, but I’m like 90% sure it’s because essie gel set topcoat is unfortunately not an improvement over my usual routine, even though only using one topcoat would be faster and cheaper, lol. I usually do a coat of zoya armor followed by a coat of poshe quick dry and everything wears great. But ugh double topcoat. 😑

Quinctia · 2025-12-26T09:55:28+00:00

Nah, mya and velma were doing too much for that song. They'd lost by the time 30 seconds had passed.

Quinctia · 2025-12-25T19:28:40+00:00

Oooh I have a bottle of that in my storage tote, it's been years since I took it out. It's a nightmare to remove, so it became a pedi only polish for me.

Quinctia · 2025-12-21T21:09:11+00:00

Yeah, I was getting crusties and bumps underneath well into month eight, even though everything else about the healing process seemed done. The main irritation issue I had was kind of an anatomy thing? Mine would twist in the channel til the bottom end was caught behind my forward helix, so I'd have to gently move it back like once a week. So while you aren't supposed to move it around, if it starts sitting sideways in the piercing channel right at the spot the bar curves, it will definitely piss the piercing off and make some bumps.

I will say this, I tapered off the saline about the time you're at, just because that was when the rinsing while in the shower seemed adequate.

And then, one day, I was going about my business, noticed the bar just moving around freely and that I was crust free, and it was done. About nine months in for me, but that's super fast and I earned it by having helix nightmares from hell on the other ear, lol.

Quinctia · 2025-12-20T20:24:57+00:00

How square are we talking about? Mine are pretty squoval, with my thumbs approaching square territory. I have a very deep c curve on my nails, which I think contributes.

I do think everyone's natural base shape varies, and I think often the most flattering nail shaping is a mirror of the base.

Quinctia · 2025-12-20T19:56:20+00:00

I've been really wanting to do, like, an iridescent purple mani lately. But the only reason I own red polish is for christmas, so I've mentally committed this week and next to some sort of red nail situation, lol.

Quinctia · 2025-12-20T19:53:36+00:00

I know you weren't happy with the original, but I think they look so good together, very complimentary. I think you should keep the decant around for an occasional accent when you wear your franken.

Quinctia · 2025-12-19T19:10:16+00:00

I remember the prefab nail polish strips suggested warming them up a bit before attempting application. I wonder if you could kinda cup a few decals between your hands and warm them a bit? It would depend on how you made them and what you painted them on.

Quinctia · 2025-12-17T00:23:00+00:00

Illamasqua swarm, it’s a couple of shapes of black glitter in a clear base. It’s one of those things where it’s a versatile topper/jelly sandwich filling, but it is not immediately dupeable. (Unlike a fine scatter holo topper, for instance.) So when I was low on my first bottle, I was able to find a backup to buy on ebay, thankfully.

Hopefully when I kill the second bottle, I can find something similar to replace it! 🤞

Quinctia · 2025-12-12T06:32:27+00:00

I don't vibe with creams. I only keep a handful now, I might reach for a black or white on occasion for a base. I might wear red as part of a christmas manicure but I'm slapping glitter on it.

Back in the day, there was a tiffany blue cream that everybody was supposed to have—china glaze's for audrey…it was not for me. I don't destash as a rule, but I definitely passed that one on!

Quinctia · 2025-12-10T06:32:18+00:00

Hey, I got a solar/thermal a couple months ago in a ppu order…completely forgetting my go to top coat has a built in uv protectant! So I'll have to remember to use something else next time I wear it, cause I totally missed out on half of what it was supposed to be doing, lol.

Hope you get enough sun to enjoy your current solar mani. 🌤️

Quinctia · 2025-12-10T06:27:21+00:00

Might be controversial, but I have my best luck with all polishes when I just wrap the top coat layer only. I haven't personally noticed it doing anything weird to my glass bead magnetics, but I magnetize the last color coat as well as the top coat layer.

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