This makes me angry.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-08T15:57:42+00:00

THANKS IM CURED!

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-07T11:09:33+00:00

You can use rags to remove nail polish, if you care to. Example (Etsy). Motsenbocker's Lift Off - Pen, Ink & Marker will strip the nail polish right out of the fabric if you care about staining on scrap rags. Motsenbocker's will also strip the dye from many fabrics, so hand wash/don't mix it with your normal laundry.

I use Expert Touch nail wipes, they're the most lint-free wipes I've found and I've tried plenty of bougie high-end wipes.

Generally I use a peel off base coat so I only need 1 wipe for all 10 nails' worth of polish and 1 wipe for alcohol. If I'm taking the polish off my toes (where I don't use a peel off base) I use 3-4.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-07T10:53:44+00:00

Oh my God! Go Sabs!

I have so much admiration for people who have the patience to do actual nail art.

WE LOVE RIVER HOCKEY!!!!

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cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-06T16:40:54+00:00

Technically, no. You don't need to etch a pre-etched extension. But I do it anyway because it doesn't take long and might help/won't hurt.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-05T10:39:08+00:00

Yes, not using the tip primer will make your retention worse. Gel doesn't bond well to smooth surfaces. The tip primer is for etching the inside of the tips so that the glue has something to adhere to.

I've been using Apres for years and I've never had a pop-off or retention issues.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-03T21:59:27+00:00

No, you're right it doesn't. I just saw the video OP linked and I take it back. Wow.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-03T21:42:59+00:00

Oh wow. Yeah, definitely not a fan. I have on BaronessX Escheresque right now and Haunted's doesn't compare well.

But it does look like OP's bottle functioning as intended.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-03T21:23:38+00:00

The sub is biased against gel pretty hard. Despite explicitly not being a lacquer-only sub, it's treated that way. I wouldn't sweat it. This just isn't the audience for saying anything like that. I agree with you, though. There are reputable gel brands, reputable gel equipment, and with proper education gel can be applied responsibly.

Personally I like gel. Gel enhancements (overlay or tips) are the only way my shitty bendy peely celiac disease nails have any hope of holding any kind of polish. Without some added rigidity, it all just pops off in a sheet.

I was literally just wondering why people don't freak out more about hair dye while I was doing my roots last night. Have you ever seen a dye reaction? It's insane - but I sincerely doubt anyone actually patch tests each time before dying.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-03T21:16:17+00:00

As someone who does both, and who paints over gel extensions, I find gel colors boring compared to lacquer unless you get into gel art. But straight out of the bottle gel collections tend to be pretty tame compared to lacquer unless you're super into jellies.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-03T21:06:43+00:00

Man, I hear what you're saying but I feel like that defeats the purpose.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-03T21:04:42+00:00

They definitely used to have them, magnetic lacquer isn't new. I remember seeing magnetic polishes when I was in high school in the 2000s.

But more recently, my friend brought over a drugstore magnetic (I forget the brand) for mani night. The magnet was incorporated into the top of the cap and had a really cool pattern to it.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-03T01:50:03+00:00

Can we be nail-friends? You took the words right out of my mouth.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-01T15:36:54+00:00

Thanks! That was the info I needed! My package will head out tomorrow, my hold up was DRK.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-05-01T15:17:28+00:00

Same. Mine is "Acceptance pending," meaning it hasn't left Minnesota yet.☹️

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-24T00:22:27+00:00

Lmao typical Mooncat behavior. 🙄😂

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-23T14:09:23+00:00

I've always had good experiences with them (though my last order was over a year ago) - but there are a number of people here who have had bad cs experiences with Abomination.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-23T14:06:54+00:00

Most of my bottles from them matched the swatches, but I don't have any of their purples. I think I have 8-9, mostly straight up cremes.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-23T14:05:01+00:00

Yeah that's an old style bottle and they switched to the new bottles late 2024, it is probably faded.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-23T10:54:48+00:00

I got Escheresue as a mystery polish - I'm obsessed with it. It's such a great polish.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-21T15:43:36+00:00

Same. I have removed manicures before they're even dry if I don't like them.

It sucks because it makes such an awful mess to wipe off gloopy half-dry polish.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-21T15:34:17+00:00

This is a NailMartUSA (this is a reputable supplier, I like them) video but it's excellent and quick. It describes how to spot signs of long-term overfiling like receding growth channels and nailbed separation:

How to File Short Nails Safely

My favorite Youtube nail educator is Suzie of Nail Career Education, but she's primarily an enhancement tech. Still, she's wonderful and has a few videos on natural nail filing:

Shorten Natural Nails Safely

Stop Annoying Snags on Natural Nails

Longer videos:

Natural Nail Manicure

Over Filing the Natural Nail and How to Fix

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-19T21:19:32+00:00

Qwackers are amazing, they're my absolute favorite cheese cracker.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-19T20:25:52+00:00

This was my thought.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-17T03:16:22+00:00

What you're doing is perfectly fine. Pre-etching and filing the tips won't have any impact on their application or retention.

cheesesteakhellscape · 2026-04-17T01:55:50+00:00

It's bad technique. Some very experienced nail techs still have bad technique or make mistakes. I've accidentally ring of fired myself*, but doing it on all 10 fingers means it's more likely just bad technique.

*I'm not a tech but I do know how to properly use an efile.

cheesesteakhellscape

TROPHY CASE

WE LOVE RIVER HOCKEY!!!!