A Topcoat (That Works!) For Nail Foils

A Topcoat (That Works!) For Nail Foils

I love nail foils. They're fun and easy and can be really eye catching. The only problem is that they are delicate and not many topcoats work with them. Actually, it's rare to find a topcoat that works with them so I wear them without one and get maybe a few hours wear before my manicure is destroyed. I found a solution that has been working for me - water based glossy clear varnish. 

This one to be exact. You can find this brand online here or on Amazon here but there are a few other brands that make a water based varnish. I went with this brand because it is non-toxic and US made. Please, please, please make sure that it is water based and that it is glossy. No need for matte here. I bought mine at a craft shop for about $7 and the bottle is huge. It's easily removed with acetone and if you get any on your skin it will wash off with soap and water. 

I filled an empty polish bottle about 70% full and added water to thin it a bit more. It's already thin but I wanted it a little bit thinner. Here is a bottle shot. I would say a 4 to 1 ratio of varnish and water is what I used. Use water to thin and only water. 

Here is Silver Crush over a silver foil polish. The little rough spots that you see are spots that I missed when smoothing the foil. I always miss spots so I make sure to match my base with the foil so it's not obvious in reality. I applied one thin coat of varnish and let it dry. It dries to the touch in about 10 minutes and it is completely dry (for me) in 20 minutes. When it is completely dry you can apply regular topcoat. It needs to be completely dry before applying normal topcoat. I have worn foils without adding topcoat over the varnish and have gotten great wear so I think the regular topcoat is optional. 

These photos were taken after wearing this for a day and a half. 

Here is what it looks like when I use topcoat without the varnish. Yuck! 

Here is a close up of the same foil with a coat of varnish over it. Shiny and really smooth! 

If you use acrylic paints for nail art this may be something to check out to preserve your creations without smearing. This also works for really adhering stones on the nail and keeping them from catching on things. The best one? It works extremely well at smoothing glitters that eat topcoat! Woo! It's really, really handy to have around! 

I hope you found this helpful! 

Make Your Own Peel Off Base Coat

Make Your Own Peel Off Base Coat

I saw the Essence Peel Off Base Coat at Oooh, Shinies! and was very intrigued! I was more intrigued at how it worked and if I could make my own. I'm curious and that leads to interesting things like making my own magnetic nail polish and making a linear holo polish. Ah, I so enjoy being curious except for that time I tried to "fix" the television. But that one doesn't count! 

The ingredients for the Essence base coat are polyvinyl acetate emulsion, water, ethylhexylglycerin and phenoxyethanol. Essentially it is a mix of a polymer (most likely their own mix), water and conditioning agents and preservatives. It's a very simple mix and pretty easy to duplicate at home. Do you have a basic white glue such as Elmers Glue?  Did you ever put some on your hand and peel it off after it dried? That is how the Essence base coat works. 

To make it all you need is a bottle of white glue or a glue that has a polyvinyl and water base. Please, please do not use super glue. You can also find polyvinyl based adhesives in craft stores. Pour some glue into a nail polish bottle and add a bit of water until you get a nice thin texture. Apply it to the nail and wait until it turns clear. Apply your nail polish as usual. When you are ready to remove it you can peel it off from the bottom. If you don't want to mess around with making your own you can easily pick up some nail foil adhesive. It's made up of basically the same ingredients as the Essence and it is easily found at nail supply places and online. 

I have used my creation about four times and the nail foil adhesive two times and each worked really well. I applied both directly over my usual base coat and had no issues. It's novel and I can't see myself reaching for it very often but my curiosity is satisfied.  

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, scientist, chemist and I don't play one on TV. Please proceed with caution and use common sense. 

Here I am wearing two thick coats of Color Club Magic Attraction (needs thinner) and three coats of top coat. I wore this for about a day and I removed it. It peeled right off! I can't believe I am showing my bare nails. Eek! 

Nail Polish 101

Nail Polish 101

I got a few requests on the basics of nail polish so I thought I would put together a little resource post. I hope this might be helpful to some.

Nail Polish Finish
There are a number of different finish types. Here are a few links that will better explain them.

• Lacquerized
• The Edge of Sanity
• Nail Juice

Topcoat 

I tend to use different topcoats on different polishes since that's my preference. If you have find one that works for you - wonderful! I have yet to find one topcoat that works for all my polishes. 

• Cremes: I like a thinner easily spread topcoat that covers in one coat and completely. A creme will show a topcoat gap much more compared to other finishes. I like Orly In A Snap for cremes. 
• Glittters: Glitters are notorious (not all) for being topcoat drinkers. The best way to combat that is to apply a non-quick drying topcoat, like Gelous, Revlon Extra Life No Chip Top Coat and Zoya Armor, and apply a quick dry topcoat over that like Seche Vite or one that you have that has gotten a bit on the thick side. This helps to keep the glitter from being dull or gritty. 
• Flakes: I have found that some flakes can be a little thick or uneven when applied. I prefer a heavier topcoat for these to even things out and smooth out the surface. 
• Holo/Holographic: I don't know where the decision that topcoat dulled holo polishes came from. I have yet to experience this. You may notice dulling when first applied but when dry everything shines. If you do have the dulling issue you try a non-quick dry topcoat. 
• Older polishes: These have chemicals that aren't present in modern polishes. Seche Vite really works well with these even though it can be touchy with other polishes. 
• All others: For everything else I just go with mood or that specific polish and how it acts. 

Manicure Types

There are tons of ways to do a manicure. French, American, rhinestones, feathers and whatever else you can stick on your nails. Try it - you can easily remove it. 

• Sticky sandwich is when you apply a gripping basecoat, Orly Bonder and CND Stickey, add a layer of color, another coat of gripper and another layer of color. This helps with wear and seems to work for some when applying fussy holo polishes that may bald or streak. 
• Jelly Sandwich is a base of color in a jelly finish with an application of glitter and a coat of the jelly color over that. It gives a muted and soft look. You can see an example at Another Bottle of Polish?!
• Ombre is using colors in the same family to create a gradient look with a different color on each nail. Parokeets did a great one as well as Nihrida. 
• Skittles is a different color on each nail. They are usually bright colors so they look like the candy. You can see one at Manicure Mommas. 
• Gradient is having a gradient look on each nail using the same colors. Nails and Noms has a great one. 
• Water Marble is one I have never mastered. Never. My Simple Little Pleasures makes it look so easy so check out her blog for water marble manicures. 
• Konad/Stamping is just that - using an image plate and nail polish to stamp an image onto the nail. 
• Scotch Tape is using tape to section of parts of the nail to create a design or pattern with nail polish. You can see some great ones from Nail Stories and Nailside. 
• Foils are little sheets of vibrant colored foil that you apply to the nail after applying foil glue. So simple and easy. Topcoat can cause issues but I have been using Orly Glosser with great results. Dollar Nail Art is a great source for foils and Enamel Girl has a great tutorial. 

Removal

I use felt to remove my polish, always. It's hardier, doesn't leave lint and it's quicker. It's inexpensive and can be had at craft stores, fabric shops and big chain stores. I prefer white so I don't worry about dye coming off the material and staining. Nail polish remover is a preference but most removers are pretty much equal if they are acetone based. It's the additives that make them different - like Zoya adding glycerine to help with dryness. You can buy acetone at hardware stores and it will work fine.

Other Resources

• Loodie Loodie Loodie is a great blog for care and treatment of nails. She gives excellent (and accurate) information on treatments and what they mean and how they work. 

• Dr. Frankenpolish is a great blog for learning the basics on mixing up your own polish. 

• You can learn how to do clean up from MeganChair at Polish or Perish.
  
  
• The foil method of removing glitter makes things easier and All You Desire shows how.
  
  
• Do not throw out that dried up polish or use acetone. Get yourself a bottle of Seche Restore and check out how Scrangie saves the polish. 

GlitterAde: Quenching Thirsty Glitter

GlitterAde: Quenching Thirsty Glitter

I like wearing glitter. I don't mind the removal too much but what really annoys me is when I put on three layers of topcoat and it's still a bit dull looking. You know what I mean! The thirsty glitter or the topcoat eater that stays shiny for a few hours or maybe a day but needs another layer of topcoat at some point to bring back the shine. I usually wind up wearing what feels like 100 layers of polish on my nails. Of course sometimes the polish just pops off because it's so thick. It's just annoying. Plus, it's really rude of the glitter to be so greedy.

Well, I was playing around and discovered a solution that has been working for me. I have a bottle of TBK Trading's Glamour Polish Base (the one for glitter) and filled an empty bottle until it was about 60% full and filled the remainder with my own topcoat mixture. Wow. It works wonderfully. It's on the thick side but applies evenly and it also smooths, fills and levels the glitter. I apply a quick dry topcoat over that and it is like glass. The best part - that glassy look lasts until I take it off. I have named it GlitterAde - get it? A play on words - glitter + Gatorade = GlitterAde the Glitter Thirst Quencher. Ha!

I wanted to show photos but it's hard to show shine versus no-shine but I tried. I used OPI Designer Series Temptation because it is a huge, huge topcoat eater no matter what I did. Brat.

Without topcoat.





With Glamour Base 24 hours and many hand washings later. I didn't apply quick dry topcoat for this because I wanted to test the dry time and wear. Dry time was about 10/15 minutes and it wore really well. It works even better with a quick dry over it. I'm still playing and tweaking but so far so good.





If you happen to have a bottle of the Glamour Base try it over a thirsty glitter. It may work for you.

Franken: Magnetic Nail Polish

Franken: Magnetic Nail Polish

Warning: This post contains foul language and is wordy. I am not a professional. I'm just curious and need very little sleep.

This was the most intensive and pain in the ass franken that I have ever made. I cursed (very creatively too) and got frustrated. I made a huge mess a number of times. I was even tempted to throw things against the wall. I researched iron oxide and other material that is magnetic. My eyes become cross from the reading. Basically, I had fun! I especially enjoyed the creative cursing. But fuck me people! I made a magnetic nail polish from scratch.

I picked up some black iron oxide to fiddle around with in polish. The problem is that this stuff is BLACK. A very deep and very true black. It will make whatever you put it in blacker and darker. That includes your wall, carpet and pants. The black works for a dark or charcoal color but not for a lighter color. It will also stain your nails. Isn't that fun to discover?! I picked up some red and yellow iron oxide to lessen the black/dark effect. This helped but it wasn't giving me the effect I wanted.

I did a bit more reading and discovered finger print powder. I picked up some silver magnetic finger print powder and played with that. It's not as strong magnetic wise. I decided to mix the iron oxide with the finger print powder but it was too rough and textured. I ground it up in an old coffee bean grinder. Perfect! I added the magnetic powder to pigments and added that to a base. After all this I had a nail polish that was magnetic. I patted myself on the back and had ice cream.

Now the bad part. It is really, really, really not worth making it yourself. From my research the raw magnetic ingredients do not come in small amounts. It's also time consuming and tedious. It's also not worth the money. When I added up the cost to make the few bottles I did I could have bought myself some other polishes with money to spare for more ice cream.

I have no idea where to buy the stuff I used online. I bought all my materials offline. Still interested? Here are my tips:

1) Do your research. I did and so should you. Use caution and common sense. Wear clothing you don't care about and gloves. I suggest a mask as well just to be safe.
2) I used iron oxide in black, yellow and red. You may see it as ferric iron oxide.
3) I found a 2 to 1 ratio of iron oxide (1 part) with finger print powder (2 parts) worked the best.
4) Make the polish using raw ingredients for the best results. 2 to 1 ratio again - 2 parts pigment and 1 part magnetic powder.
5) Mix the dry ingredients together. Add that to your empty bottle and add your base last.
6) Shake it and let it sit a bit. It doesn't settle completely so shake it before using it.
7) A basic magnet can be used. I used a square business card magnet and used tape on it to make a design. Or you can cut one of those up into something like a star.
8) If you don't grind the powder you will get a rough texture finish to your polish.
9) Paint a nail with a thick coat. Hold the magnet close to the nail for about 15 seconds while the polish is still wet. Very important - make sure the polish is wet. It's best to do one nail at a time.
10) I did find that metallic polishes worked best if I was making one from already made polish. I got the best results with making my own color with pogments.
11) Don't put your fingers in your mouth while they have pigment on them. Yuck.

I think that is it. See? Not really worth making it yourself. It's just a big old pain in the ass to make and I can honestly say that I won't be making any more.

Here is a copper/red one that I made. It's a quick and dirty swatch.





If you have read all this - thank you! My apologies for any grammatical and spelling errors.

A Black Linear Holo Franken and How To Make Your Own

A Black Linear Holo Franken and How To Make Your Own

This post has been edited and the name of the pigment has been removed.

I've been sitting on this post for four months. I feel like a mad scientist! It's alive! Lots of text in this post but I think it is worth it.

I used a pigment powder for this franken. I was given a tiny little bit from a friend who used to own a custom car painting place. It contains magnesium fluoride and aluminum and I don't suggest buying a ton of it and going to town with it. I didn't use it for industrial purposes so felt safe handling it but I did wear gloves and made sure not to inhale it. Also, magnesium fluoride and aluminum are ingredients that you will find in older polishes such as the Sally Hansen Prism line. I was pretty confident because of that fact that it would not explode when mixed with nail polish. It can also be mixed with water based paint so that made me feel even better. No explosions and no body parts have fallen off but as always please be careful and use common sense when using unknown elements.

I highly suggest putting it in a color polish. I added some to clear to make a silvery holo topcoat but it separated after sitting and needed a really, really good shake. Another suggestion is that you add it to polish and not the other way around. It seems to mix better that way. It's a very fine powder so keep that in mind if you plan on playing with it.

On to the good stuff!

I've been letting this sit for about four months because I wanted to see if it would be okay or if it would fail. Plus I kind of forgot about it - opps! It's really okay! Woo and a Hoo! I made a linear holo! How exciting is that?!

I named this My City Bus since I travel by public transportation and not by jet. Ha! Take that OPI! This is one coat over a black creme.

Recipe:

1 bottle of China Glaze Liquid Leather with a bit taken out for room
2 tiny little pinches/scoops of pigment (I used a straw cut to make a shovel scoop)



On the nail.













Here is the silver holo topcoat over a blue creme. It's a bit patchy from sitting and becoming separated. Still pretty but the pigment seems to work better being added to a denser color base like black.

Gold Leaf Franken

Gold Leaf Franken

Rococo Gold Leaf Lacquer intrigued me but I couldn't see spending that on a polish I was uncertain about. I decided to make my own with gold leaf and clear polish. Pain in the butt! Tearing the gold leaf to little pieces and putting it in the clear polish was tedious. One bottle turned green but this one has been sitting for about two months and it's still good. It was a nuisance to apply since I had to dig for pieces to put on the nail.

The best part? I don't like it. *laughs* At least I didn't buy the Rococo. Here it is over Kleancolor Fashionista.









Anybody want this and the silver one I made?

Using Masking Fluid with Nail Polish

Using Masking Fluid with Nail Polish

I saw Liquid Palisade and my interest was peaked but at $22 it is a bit steep. In fact, I think it is way, way overpriced for what you are getting. I'm not shocked often but I was shocked at the price of that product. I knew about masking fluid and it's basically the same stuff just not packaged towards the nail folk. Ah, an experiment!

If you have any allergies to latex or rubber you might want to patch test before using or avoid it to be safe. Please use caution.

I bought a 1oz bottle for about $6 and I transferred it into an empty nail polish bottle. This is what I bought because I was familiar with it.



Here it is in an empty nail polish bottle. Kind of rubbery and I suggest wiping the brush before each use to get the residue off.



When you apply it it is a light blueish color and it dries clear. It takes about five minutes to dry. When you apply it make sure you get some on the skin. When it dries this is where you will begin to pull it off - like a tab. When it is dry I apply the color I want to use as an accent. I let that sit for a minute or two and I use tweezers to pull the masking fluid off. It doesn't mess up the polish and it came off very easily. It comes off like rubber and is oddly fun to pull off. Like when I put glue on my hand and peel it off when it dries - yes I still do it. Don't judge!

I'm still playing and learning but so far so good. Here it is wet.



Here is the finished results. Don't mind any hair or dry skin. Again, I was just playing but it has some nice potential and it's way, way cheaper. I probably should have used more contrasting colors but you get the idea!











Here is my right hand where I did a simple french manicure.



So there you have it. Check out your art/craft supply store for some masking fluid and save yourself the money and use it towards new polish. It works the same exact way as Liquid Palisade. Again, use caution when using something new and I would avoid it if you have latex allergies.