Lakilaulea-We are practically neighbors! That's awesome. :-)

Alyj89-I've done a couple of the mystery boxes and wasn't impressed either. I tried Amber again this morning and it went on much better, maybe I just wiped too much off inside the neck of the bottle. I really do look forward to the Maven boxes, plus you can do add-ons for about $5 each if there are things you want from another box or skip the month if nothing appeals to you.

I just signed up for Nail Art Society, which is $9.95/month. There's no choice with that one, though, you just get whatever they send out. I think this is their first month, so it will truly be a mystery.

you just made me feel a whole lot better about my growing collection! LOL

I love it.

The picture thing is awesome too!! I might redo mine tomorrow, so I'll definitely post :)

Hi Ladies....who would have thought I would post twice about nail varnish!
Hubby has said is my natural nails won't grow to a decent length he will pay for acrylics as a Christmas present......does anybody have any useful info?
I don't want to wreck my nails underneath and I have to be practical as I spend alot of time with kids and dogs!
Thanks

Stay AWAY from acrylics!!! I've never tried gel wraps, and I heard they're much better for your nails than acrylics, so try looking into getting that instead. I've gotten acrylics before and each time I always regretted it. The first time I had them done, the salon went cheap with it and basically used fake nails and just put acrylic over it and it hurt!! The fake nails were wider than my natural nails and they stretched them out and I had to get them taken off the next day, which was NOT fun. The second salon I went to was actually much better, but still. They file the heck out of your natural nail so that the acrylics will adhere better, making your natural nails so brittle and thin. Then you pretty much have to get them filled every other week or so or they're ruined. Taking them off is also a pain. You need to get a special remover for acrylics, and again, your nails are so thin and brittle underneath that it takes MONTHS for them to grow back out normal again. Never again. I usually keep my nails short anyway because I type a lot for work, but I've thought about getting gels done. Maybe one day as a mini-goal treat :)

I love nail polish and I love crazy nail polish. I'm wearing Essie Miss Fancy Pants right now. I was just thinking about what crazy holiday colors I can do this season!

Thank you so much for your advice!
I am going to try to grow my natural nails and see how I get on!

Here is Chubby Cheeks by Essie:

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1462/96317603.jpg

In some lighting it looks like a rosy coral and other it looks more opaque orange-red.

Lakilaulea - I completely agree with you regarding acrylics, but to each their own. When I had them it was great...by once I removed them my real nails were in horrible shape. It took about 8 months to grow my nails out completely. So natural nails for me from now on. It is time consuming (cuticle oil every night, manicures twice per week etc) but I enjoy it. :)
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mountain walker - My nails grow really fast, but they used to always break. I use Nail Magic from Sally's and it has helped a great deal in keeping my nails strong and in shape.

ChickieBoom - That is such a pretty color!!!!

Chubby Cheeks is cute! You have really nice nails. My nails would never grow like that. I'm pretty clumsy so I'm constantly breaking my nails. Just knocked into something the other day and had to cut all my nails down.

I love love love the splatter effects nails!
I just took off shocking seas and put on crushed candy.

I've always read that using remover to thin your polish is a no-no. Since remover's job is to break down the chemical structure of the polish, it will ruin it. You should always use thinner, not remover.
http://lacquerlaine.blogspot.com/200...olish-and.html

As to the original question, I just removed Color Club's Ruby Slippers and am applying Orly's Cashmere Cardigan. I heart Cashmere Cardigan. :love:

I've been using nail polish remover for a while on many different brands with no problem. Just two drops, tops, and it's always worked like a charm. No bubbles and goes on evenly. It was just another suggestion; by all means don't try it if you think it'll mess up your bottle. Polish is a terrible thing to waste! :)

I usually don't paint my nails (I work in healthcare) but I fell in love with Essie Turquoise & Caicos for my feet!! They do have the no chip manicures but I can't justify spending $35+ tip every few weeks and acrylics are so bad.

Thank you ChickieBoom. :)

I gave myself a mini-mani last night and used OPI's Siberian Nights and some OPI/Sephora copper glitter as a top coat. I like it!

That sounds like a really pretty combo!

I'm trying to figure out a nice festive color for the holidays. I did L'oreal's Caught Red Handed (deep red with a touch of gold sparkles) for the past 2 years, but I need a change!