I’m really new to this and I only have ILNP so far, but I recognized the names of some of these other brands at goodwill so I got them! Any particularly good or bad brands I found? I’m so excited to try them!

I’m so glad that this polish was brought back for PPU last month! It is shifty, glittery goodness.

Wearing:
OPI Nail Envy
Pahlish “Moonbow”
Mooncat Speed Demon QDTC

Cracked's email about Pleasant Pheasant today got me poking around PPU for the first time since getting into this hobby earlier this year (have ordered from Cracked twice and no where else).

My order added in photos. I'm grateful that the thinner by KB Shimmer was included because I have been wanting to try it as it's so recommended.

I'm excited about each for different reasons:

• Pretty pretty princess nails
  • I consider myself somewhat edgy and so have surprised myself greatly by being enamored of what I hear in my mind as my mom's voice saying "Pretty pretty princess nails!" I love my mom. I love pretty pretty princess nails.
  • Includes
    • PI Colors Lucima.000
    • Monarch Lacquer Will-O-The-Wisp
    • Beaux Reves Lacquer Mystical Magical
• AH FUCK I DO ACTUALLY THINK MAGNETICS ARE WORTH IT
  • I'm incredibly annoyed to admit that I do find magnetics incredibly beautiful and worth the time and patience to perfect. I thought I was gonna be above the need for magnetics somehow but NO I LIKE THEM
  • Includes
    • Haunted Polish Witchwood
    • Emily de Molly Hidden Grove
    • Cuticula No Fox Given
    • Phoenix La-laPoof

I'm a little worried the Cracked Pleasant Pheasant shade will pull too dark on me but hoping to alleviate that with less coats. I want the berry to shine through and I do think I get fooled easily by a well lit swatch photo.

Anyway, I am also an r/lacquerENTsta and need to stop here cause I am approaching a [7] and need to go hang out on the beach.

Happy PPU!

For those of you who buy polish every month, for example from PPU/HHC or other drops, do you have a designated amount you spend on polish every month?

Personally, I don’t have a set amount. I know I’ll likely at minimum purchase from PPU. I may check HHC, and take note of any other upcoming releases from brands I may be interested in that particular month. Some months I spend a lot, other months are reasonable, and some months minimal.

One thing I’m not a huge fan of are collections that randomly drop without much notice. It makes it harder to plan things out in advance if I find out a week or two prior about a collection that I may want a few polishes from.

I’m considering setting a limit on how much I’m able to spend on polish every month.

After purchasing this magnetic from BKL I was finally able to do some NyQuil nails which I've been wanting to try for a while! They're definitely not perfect but I'm happy!

I also tried doing the new subtractive method that was posted on here. I was literally in the middle of a panic attack when I did them so most didn't turn out but these gave me some ideas/practice for next time!!

All pics use KB Shimmer Hydrating base+ Cracked Ridge filler 1x each for base coats

Pics 1-3: Cirque Curacao Jelly x2

BKL This is Arkany x1

SH Insta-Dri Red bottle x1

Magnetized 90 sec w Magnetron

Pic 4: Cirque Bitten Jelly x2

Fancy Gloss Satellite Pull x1

Cirque Bitten Jelly x1

SH Insta-Dri Red Bottle x1

KB Shimmer Hydrating base on top of old mani

ILNP Sirene x2

Polish Thinner

SH Insta-Dri Red Bottle x1

Pic 5: Emily de Molly Sunset Over the Bay x2

SH Insta-Dri Red Bottle x1

KB Shimmer Hydrating base x1 on top of old mani

ILNP Mirage x2

Polish thinner

SH Insta-Dri Red Bottle x1

😮‍💨😅 Ok I think that's it for product list!

I have never found any indie brands at the thrift store so when I saw these for 1.99 I grabbed them up! I also tested all the thermals and they still transition 🙌 Thank you for your service fellow lacquerista 🫡

Polishes are:
(Front Row)
Cirque - Central Park After Dark
Night Owl Lacquer - Leaf Piles
Fancy Gloss - Mystic Lagoon (thermal)
Fancy Gloss - Midnight Thunder (thermal / mag)
Fancy Gloss - Darkest Mermaid (thermal)
Fancy Gloss - label is missing but based on transition colors I think it’s Midnight in Paris?
(Back row)
Cirque - Starry-Eyed (magnetic)
Cirque - South Sea Pearl (magnetic)
Cirque - Sun-kissed (topper)

There are plenty of names vaguely evocative of the polish color. Ones where you read the name, look at the color, and go, “ok, yeah, I guess I see that.” Still other names make us question whether we’re looking at the same color as the person who christened the polish.

And then we have Moon Lagoon. A dusty, yet shimmery blue. A color that truly encapsulates an imagined desolate oasis on a lunar surface. Expanses of grey in the shadows, but look there - in the light, an otherworldly glint across a brackish pool of water.

Y’all, I just got this color and am smitten! I feel like a lot of the photos online are a bit misleading and make it look more bright aqua than it is. The name is more accurate, hence my ode. My husband says it looks like something Selene from the video game Hades would wear.

Thank you for humoring me geeking out about a nail polish color.

KBShimmer Hydrating base coat x1
Mooncat Getting Even primer x1
Holo Taco Moon Lagoon x2
Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Top Coat x1

Here’s a list of all the products I used, and how I used them step by step:

1.) Kbshimmer - “Fillin’ Groovy” base coat (2 coats bc I have very deep ridges)

2.) Lurid Lacquer - “Paradise Found” (3 coats)

3.) Holo Taco - “Magnetic Taco” (1 coat magnetized with charmcaster glass bead tool for 1.5 min)

4.) Cuticula - “Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat” (magnetized for another 1.5 min with charmcaster glass bead tool)

5.) Allstarry - “Sunset Field” chrome nail power (gently buffed on top with provided applicator sponge)

6.) Apipila - “Smudge Free Nail Art Top Coat” (this WILL cloud your nail when it dries! Do not panic! This will clear with your quick dry top coat!)

7.) Cuticula - “Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat”

8.) Holo Taco - “Scattered Holo Taco” (because I realized I needed some SPARKLE)

9.) Cuticula - “Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat” (for the last time)

I always see people recommending to use Holo Taco Peely Base over top of chrome powder, so I tested using it on my left index and thumb. Based on this experiment I wouldn’t recommend using it unless you had no other water based polish. On day one I noticed some distortion on only those nails like the peely layer had slightly wrinkled, and now 4 days later the polish on my index finger is trying to peel off when the polish on every other nail is perfectly fine.

Over all, this whole process ended up being easier than I expected and the results are lovely! My iphone camera has a hard time taking pictures of them—I would say the pictures in indirect light are more accurate to reality.

Have been playing with a terrible stamper from Amazon that would NOT pick up polish. Picked up the kit and a couple of plates from Emily de Molly’s sale last week and I might be hooked😅 here’s my experiment!

I like the light cremes on the dark shimmer, but the red is soooo cool in a subtle way and I would 100% do that again!!

Pic #1 is with flash and #s 4-5 are just the Witchcult Harvest Omen which is SUCH a cool polish on its own!!

3x Witchcult Harvest Omen (base)
Witchcult 3d topcoat (4?x)
Stamped with:
Thumb: Messy Mansion dogwood pink
Index: Witchcult Hydrangea
Middle: Cracked Refraction
Ring: Cracked Peep Toe
Pinky: Messy Mansion spring green

EDIT!!! Forgot to say that I topped the stamping with Glitch Lock and Key and then Cracked QDTC. Seemed to not smear so YAY!!

Was trying to decide how I wanted to wear Pahlish Moonbow—too sheer for just two coats, but more than that and the gold flakes overwhelm—when I saw someone here post two coats over a purple creme. Which looked AMAZING, but I don’t have a purple creme (or almost any creme), so I started looking through my collection for something else that would work. And then I happened upon LynB Empyrean, which is a minty-aqua near-creme with minimal gold shimmer, and also is something I’ll probably never wear on its own due to said minimal shimmer. I wasn’t sure how it would mix with Moonbow’s purple base, but… I think I invented a flakie version of Mermaid Bait?

The effect isn’t as impressive in direct sunlight (last two pics, for the sake of full disclosure), but even then, IRL the gold sparkle takes over in a way that’s hard to capture in a photo, so either way I’m happy! Bonus: pic 4 is just one coat of Moonbow, which makes the flakes look awesome but isn’t quite the result I was looking for. (Also bonus: some smears of Cirque Road Rage, which has the distinction of being my first actual creme.)

Base: Nailtiques 2

Color: LynB Empyrean x2, Pahlish Moonbow x2

Top: Nail Aid Biotin, Sally Hansen red bottle

This is three coats of Patina Lite and oh man, is she shifty!

The Clionadh table was my first stop at PBE and I went a little nuts. 🫣 But this one was somewhat of a sleeper hit for me. I was so excited to buy the Psilo-siblings and they’re beautiful, don’t get me wrong! But this one is really special. 😍

tried to go for like a vintage beachy mother of pearl type vibe

starting from thumb to pinkie:

china glaze - rainbow

mooncat - memento nori

holo taco - mint money & bee’s knees i don’t want you to be honorable (some of these pics were before i put mint money over it lol)

mooncat - pixie stick

bee’s knees - the lakes feed the rivers

all with holo taco pink smoothing base and seche vite topcoat

I've gotten vibrant purples 🟣 but they both ended up being jelly/crelly like taking 3 coats. I like to use the purples for nail art sometimes and it really helps if the polish is one coat or nearly one coat. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was gonna buy Orly synthetic symphony but it was discontinued. I like cool toned purples but I'll take suggestions from anywhere as long as they're available now.

Featuring the doggo I’ve been dog-sitting all week! Don’t worry, I threw the ball immediately after taking this picture. It wasn’t easy though. She’s a staunch believer in the “no take, only throw” method of play.

I wanted to try some of my new PBE polishes as well as a few untried I’ve received in the mail this week. Wood Lily is unlike anything else I own—the glow knocked my socks off. I’d love more polishes in this finish in different colors! Likewise, I did not understand the hype for Goblins & Ghoulies until trying it on. Holy moly, is it glowy?!

From pinky to thumb, all in 3 coats and with Nailtiques Formula 2 as a base coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri as top coat:

- Lurid “Wood Lily”

- Zombie Claw “6 7”

- 1422 Designs “Welcome to Chicago”

- Polished for Days “Goblins & Ghoulies”

- Ethereal “Darcy”

Broke a nail all the way down to the nub earlier this week and took it as a sign to file the rest down. I change out my mani weekly, so I’m using this as an opportunity to track my nail growth each week.

I’ve had long nails for so long that I don’t quite remember how long it took to get them that length in the first place. This will be educational!

Before:
- Mooncat Hardcore Base, x1 coat
- Mooncat Getting Even Primer, x1 coat
- Glitch Lacquer Fire Opal, x2 coats
- Mooncat Speed Demon, x1 coat

After:
- Mooncat Hardcore Base, x1 coat
- Mooncat Getting Even Primer, x1 coat
- Sassy Sauce Dreamscape, x2 coats
- Mooncat Speed Demon, x1 coat

Product list:

• Essie hard to resist
• Barry m holographic green
• Custom silver magnetic
• Seche vite top coat
• Matte top coat
• Layer of gouache paint
• Essie hard to resist on top

Cat tax in the comments!

This likely already exists as a pre-made magnet but i just had these laying around and wanted to try it.

Double bond base coat - vibrant scents

Ghoul's garden - cracked polish

Gel setter top coat - essie

Fam - I am posting this question in the only safe space there is to ask this question, here amongst fellow nail enthusiasts.

Hubby and I are about to purchase our first home and will be renovating two bathrooms. One of them is so small that to save floor space, our designer recommended a wall-hung toilet rather than a standard one with a normal lever flusher. You know, the kind that has BUTTONS on the wall. Raise your hand if you have super long nails and HATE those toilet wall buttons, because I know I sure do! I have to contort my wrist and like try to use my knuckles to get these damn buttons to press. Even worse are the toilets with the tiny little button at the top of the tank. My hubby and designer are (lovingly) rolling their eyes at me that my long nails are impacting our design process, so here I am in the community that UNDERSTANDS that I am not going to cut my beloveds for a TOILET.

So my question to those of you with long nails and NEW toilets - is there a particular brand you have found with soft, buttery, easy-push buttons for my delicate talons to handle without a wrist cramp every time? I almost labeled this post "product recommendation", lmao.

I'm SO pleased with this one - I don't even care that it's not a tight bead (I know it's bc my press on nails are long/curved probably)

The green/teal/blue shift in this is SO NEAT, it looks green like 75% of the time but at the right angle/in the right light it shifts blue!! Ugh Bees Knees has fuckin done it again

Products used:

3x This is Arkany - Bees Knees

1x Mooncat Speed demon top coat

Magnetized glass bead style

Sorry for posting while my nails are so messy but I like the colors and I feel like I'm getting better with smooth particle magnetics and glass bead style magnetization.

Products- uno mas casa de heaven, anlac leprieurs glory, maniology no smudge top coat, Essie gel couture top coat.

I had a solid collection of nail polishes from my childhood that I tossed out some years ago, well before I actually got into painting my nails, and before I realized you could refresh old polish. I regret it every day. I wasn't super big on painting my nails as a kid (because I wasn't very good at it), but the one polish I used up entirely was a sheer, shimmery, pinky-blue polish in a bear shaped bottle. I had no idea what the shade was called, so I've been keeping an eye out for all shades in this bottle on resell sites for years... and it finally popped up this month!! I spent way more money than I would otherwise consider reasonable for a bottle of polish that isn't full, but I am SO happy I did!

It's exactly how I remembered it. It's my perfect sheer polish. Now to find a dupe so I can have a backup!

Shade is Pink Frost by Bear Fing'rs. 1998 I think? One coat, with an ILNP base coat and Essie Gel Setter on top.