Gelish MINI colors can be purchased at Sally Beauty Supply online at www.sallybeauty.com, or in retail stores. You can also purchase directly from the Gelish MINI website at www.getgelished.com!

The festive reds in this collection all applied really nicely with great coverage.  Each of the swatches that are in this post show two coats of polish. Let’s first take a peek at the two new shades.

Man of the Moment is a rich creamy red that’s not too bright and not too dark… I’d say it’s just right!

I’m So Hot is a dark burgundy shade of red with a lush frosty finish.  The finish is very similar to Queen of Hearts, but the color is several shades darker.

Now onto existing shades from the Gelish line.  Even though I’ve already swatched each of these colors previously, I took the time to re-do them for this post.

Queen of Hearts has always been one of my favorite reds because of its gorgeous frosty finish.

Good Gossip is another Gelish favorite with its super sparkly glittery finish.  This is a hot color for the holidays every year!  Good Gossip looks great layered over darker colors as well.

Life of the Party is one of the glittery Gelish Trends polishes.  It has a sheer base with a red tint and is loaded with red glitter of all sizes.  The swatch below shows two coats with no base color underneath.  It’s a little sheer and sometimes glitter polishes don’t like to adhere to the tips. I think this would look great with a creamy red base layer underneath such as Hot Rod Red or Man of the Moment.

And finally… Hot Rod Red.  This is another classic color, and one of the brighter reds available.

As promised, I’ll have swatches of the Pro Red Matters collection for you very soon.  That collection consists of six new red shades including Man of the Moment and I’m So Hot, along with three other colors (a pearl shimmer, a shimmery green, and silver).

Gelish MINI colors can be purchased at Sally Beauty Supply online at www.sallybeauty.com, or in retail stores. You can also purchase directly from the Gelish MINI website at www.getgelished.com!

I picked up these two Cuccio colors to use in the shop and I can barely tell them apart unless I put them directly under a light. Both colors are very dark and almost look black in certain lighting. I love wearing super dark shades in the winter and I’m sure many of you do too, so I thought I’d share these with you.  These swatches are two coats each.

This is Nights in Napoli, a super dark burgundy cream.

And this is Romania After Dark, a dark grey-ish purple cream.

This photo shows swatch sticks placed directly under a light.  The colors are over-exposed but you can see the tones in each much better.  I think Nights in Napoli is my favorite of the two.  :)

Romania After Dark (left) & Nights in Napoli (right)

If you’ve visited me in the studio lately you may recognize these designs as they are a few of my latest weekly manicures. On the weekends I usually catch up on swatching and reviews and then I decide on a nail art look to wear for the week while I work.  I usually choose something simplistic and I like to add some accents to show my clients the type of work I can do.

This is the design that I wore last week.  I started with a silver base using Gelish Tinsel My Fancy from the new Red Matters Collection (I’ll post the swatches very soon, I promise!!).  Then I stamped over the middle two nails using a Mundo de Unas purple stamping polish, and UberChic stamping plate Out of Africa-01.

For this look I used Pink Gellac Powerful Plum, Luxury Gold and Beautiful Black.  I stamped over the black nail with a Mundo de Unas gold stamping polish and UberChic stamping plate Wild West-01.  I really liked the gold accents in this mani.

This was my least favorite look, but I thought I’d share it anyway.  :)  This design didn’t turn out quite as beautiful as I imagined in my head.  The two accent nails turned out a little muddy, but I still received a lot of compliments on the look.  The base color used was Pink Gellac Chique Red, which has been a very popular color with my clients.  I used a nail art brush and applied a bit of Emerald Green and Golden Rose over top.  I stamped over top with Mundo de Unas gold stamping polish and an image from Cheeky Jumbo Plate #10.

If I’m being honest, I’m not really excited about the brighter red creams in this collection because there are already a ton of similar reds in the Gelish line.  With that said, I’m extremely fond of the other colors.  Let’s take a look, starting with the brighter reds…

Fire Cracker is the brightest shade of red in the collection.  It has a cream finish and seems to lean ever so slightly orange.

Scandalous is also a red cream and is just a shade darker than Fire Cracker.  I had some curing issues with Scandalous in the form of wrinkling even though I applied thin coats.

Man of the Moment is even darker yet, and is a nice medium red cream.

Ruby Two-Shoes is a medium shade of red that leans a little pink.  It has a subtle frosty finish that gives it a bit of a glow.  This is one of the more original shades in the collection.

I’m So Hot is a darker burgundy-leaning red with a frosty finish.  The finish on this color reminds me a lot of Queen of Hearts, but the color is several shades darker.  This color has a very luxurious feel to me and I didn’t want to take it off!

Red Alert is the darkest red in the collection and is a great color for the cooler months.

Tinsel My Fancy is a shimmery silver with teeny tiny blue sparkles.  It has great coverage with just two coats and was the base for the manicure that I wore all last week (see it here).  This color is similar to Chain Reaction, but is a brighter silver.

Put a Bow On It is similar in finish and consistency but is green with some golden flecks.

My Secret Santa is a sheer gel polish with a pearly shimmer.  You could add a pearl finish to any color with one or two coats of this over top.

So what do you think?  Do you see any must-have colors?  I personally love the three darker reds and Tinsel My Fancy.

Introducing Glamourize – The Pink Gellac Party Collection! This fun, festive collection consists of five glittery gel polish colors that are sure to dazzle!  All five colors are now available for sale at Chickettes Boutique.  The colors can be purchased individually for $12.95 each, or the whole set of 5 can be purchased for $50 for a limited time.

#174 Diva Gold is a shimmery gold polish with gold hex glitter throughout.  This color looks great when worn on its own, but also makes a fabulous accent when paired with other colors.  Add some bling!

#175 Stardust Gold is a really unique polish with a sheer golden base with an iridescent shimmer, and holographic blue glitter throughout.  It goes on sheer and builds up to opacity.  It can be worn on its own or layered over other colors for amazing effects.  The swatch below shows three coats of Stardust Gold.

#176 Mysterious Black is super sexy!  It has a black-tinted sheer base with a silvery shimmer and black glitter throughout.  This color builds up to opacity and can be used for layering over other colors or worn on its own.  The swatch below shows three coats of Mysterious Black with no base color underneath.  I want to play  more with this color and do some stamping or artwork over top.  :)

#177 Glitterize Black is a black jelly base that’s loaded with multi-colored glitter.  This is my personal favorite of the group because of it’s originality and festive flare… the glitter reminds me of confetti.  I’ve been wearing Glitterize Black on my nails for the past two weeks and have received tons of compliments.  This swatch shows three coats of color, but it looks great with just two as well.

#178 Ultimate Red is a festive sparkly red glitter polish that’s perfect for a party.  This color offers full coverage with just two coats and is dazzling when the light hits it.  It reminds me of the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.  I know many of you will ask how this compares to Gelish Gossip Girl… Ultimate Red is a brighter shade of red, has better coverage and better glitter distribution for even more sparkle.

Check out even more swatches of these beauties over at Love Life Lacquer!  Natasja has taken some really lovely photos.  :)

Which colors are your favorites?

It’s Black Friday at Chickettes!  We have the best deal of the year going on right now… Buy 2, Get 1 FREE on Pink Gellac gel polish colors.  Use promo code B2G1 at checkout to take advantage of this special offer.  The deal applies to all colors except the new Glamourize Collection.  The Glamourize colors are available for purchase individually or you can get all 5 for only $50!

• Shop the B2G1 Deal
• Base2 + Ultra Shine 2 for $22
• Glamourize 5 for $50
• Other Hot Deals!

Deals valid through Monday, November 30th at midnight EST while supplies last.  No rain checks.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I am thankful for each and every one of my readers.  Thank you so much for your continued encouragement and support throughout the years.  Much love to you all ♥♥

If you’re out battling the Black Friday crowds today, please be safe!  I will be shopping quietly from the comfort of my home. ;)

Hey all!  I’m a little behind the times, but better late than never.  This is the CND Shellac Contradictions Collection that was released in the Fall.  These six shades are available in the CND Shellac and Vinylux lines.  This collection contains mostly classic shades and doesn’t excite me too much, but I love the blue color.  Each of the swatches below shows two coats of color unless otherwise noted.

Naked Naivete is a light peach-leaning neutral cream.  I applied three coats of this color because it looked slightly patchy with just two, but two coats will suffice.  This color would probably look better on pink-toned or dark skin than it does on my honey-toned skin.

Safety Pin is a frosty champagne color.  It has metallic qualities, but isn’t quite gold or bronze.  It’s very similar to Gelish Oh What a Knight, but the coverage isn’t as good.  I used this color on my mom’s nails and actually had some issues with curing in my LED lamp.  I had to break out the old UV light to ensure that they were cured completely.  This is another color that doesn’t look great on my skin tone, but looks awesome on darker skin.

Tartan Punk is a medium-toned red with a frosty finish.  It’s similar to Gelish In Case Tomorrow Never Comes and slightly brighter than Gelish Queen of Hearts.

Rouge Rite is a dark red cream.  This swatch shows two coats, but three would darken it up a touch and provide a little better coverage.  The color is similar to Gelish A Touch of Sass.

Poison Plum has a plum jelly base with some purple glitter throughout.  I like that even though this polish has glitter in it, it doesn’t smack you in the face… it’s rather subtle and gives off just a hint of shimmer when the light hits it right.

Peacock Plume as I mentioned is my favorite in the set.  It’s a medium-to-dark blue with teal-toned shimmer.  I can’t find another blue in my stash that’s quite like it.

Do any of the colors in this collection stand out to you?  Any must-haves?

All of the gel colors in this collection have great coverage with just two coats.  When I saw that there were three purple shades in this collection I was concerned that they would be too similar to existing colors, but they’re all very different from what we’ve seen before.  I’m excited to take these into the salon because they offer some color variety that I think my clients will love.

Po-Riwinkle is one of my favorites.  It’s a blue-leaning light purple… a perfect shade of periwinkle, with a subtle shimmer.  This is a great addition to the Gelish line as they were very lacking in light purples that aren’t pink-leaning.  The base color is very similar to LeChat Castaway, which has a cream finish.

Warriors Don’t Wine is a gorgeous creamy plum shade.  The consistency of this polish was on the thick side which made it a bit difficult to apply, but it had great coverage with almost one coat.  This is also a unique shade to the Gelish line – they have tons of dark purples, but this is a nice medium plum.  It’s very similar in shade to LeChat Wildberry.

Extra Plum Sauce is a brighter shade of purple with a gorgeous shimmer finish.  Again, this is a totally unique shade.  This one goes on a little iridescent, but it builds up to opacity nicely.  This swatch shows three coats, but it had good coverage with just two as well.

It’s Gonna Be Mei is a frosty medium pink.  While Gelish does have a couple of other frosty pinks in their line (Tutti Frutti, Taffeta & Tex’as Me Later), this color is much more vibrant.  I honestly thought I was going to dislike this color, but once I applied it I was smitten.

Gelish Kung Fu-schia is just as the name suggests… a shimmery shade of fuschia.  This was a much needed addition to the Gelish line as well.  It’s very similar to Pink Gellac Powerful Plum.

Tigress Knows Best is a bright red cream.  This is the only color in the collection that I’m not excited about just because we’ve seen so many similar reds from Gelish.  They just released a whole collection of reds and the bright reds are all starting to look the same to me.  I get that it fits into the theme of the movie though.

What do you think about this collection?  Are you also glad to see some new shades of purple and pink?

FYI – I haven’t done any fade testing on these colors yet, but if I find any issues I’ll be sure to post an update.  I also don’t plan on doing any color comparisons as I have in the past.  It just takes too much time and my work schedule is keeping me busy these days.

Today I have a video demo and review of my experience with the Gel II Steam Gel Remover.  I first learned about this product back in July at the Cosmoprof trade show and was super excited to finally see a two-handed steamer!  The Gel II Steam Remover is a gadget that heats up acetone (70% or higher) in a chamber that you place your nails into, and the vapor loosens your gel polish or enhancements for removal.

Features of the Gel II Steam Gel Remover:

• Two-handed unit
• Digital display
• Timer:  the unit beeps when ready, at the 5 minute mark and again at the 10 minute mark
• Removable parts for easy sanitation

Below is a video demo that shows how the steamer works.  Ideally your gel polish should steam off in about 10 minutes, but you’ll see in the demo that it sometimes (usually) takes longer.

In the salon we mostly work with gel polish and I provide a lot of gel removal services.  I was eager to test this product to see if it would be a more efficient solution for gel polish removal than the foil & cotton method.  My normal method is to break the seal of the top coat with a coarse file, and then wrap each finger in cotton that’s soaked in acetone with foil.  I then have my clients place their hands in heated mitts which helps to speed up the process.  After 5-10 minutes the polish is usually ready to be pushed off.  So how did it compare?…

Time:

I timed my normal process from start to finish and on average it took 15-18 minutes.  That includes wrapping, unwrapping, pushing, buffing, etc.

With the steamer all you have to do is turn on the unit and let it warm up, prep the nails by breaking through the top coat with a file, insert your fingers into the unit and wait.  I was really hoping that this would be a time saver, but the average time was 22-25 minutes, and as much as 30 minutes on one client.  In most cases I had to run the clients through two 10-minute cycles of steaming to get the polish to loosen enough to be pushed off.  The results did vary depending on brand.

One other time factor with the steamer is sanitation.  I take apart and disinfect the unit with a hospital-grade disinfectant after each use which adds another few minutes to the mix.  With the traditional method, I just throw out the cotton and foil and move on to the next step.

Product Use:

The ads that I’ve seen for the steamer say that it uses less acetone than the traditional cotton & foil method.  Each compartment requires 5mL of acetone or Gel II Remover for a total of 10mL.  This also did not prove to be true since I  measured my acetone usage at 6-7mL with the foil method.  I take a cotton ball and rip it into 3 pieces and then using a pump bottle I soak the cotton pieces, so each piece gets 3 pumps of liquid.

Cost:

The Gel II Steam Remover retails for $169, which is cheaper than having to buy two of the alternate one-handed steamers.  I charge $10 for removal services so it would take me approximately 17 services to pay for the steamer (actually more if you factor in the cost of acetone).  Over a period of time that could save money in foil & cotton, but I just think those products are so cheap that cost isn’t a primary concern.

Other Observations:

Many times my clients’ nails seemed to be softer and more pliable when using the steam method, which isn’t ideal.

A few clients complained that it was uncomfortable sitting with their hands in the unit unable to move for so long.

Summary:

I still prefer the traditional cotton and foil method over the steamer for professional use since the steamer didn’t prove to be as efficient. However, I do like the steamer for at-home use since it’s a total pain in the you-know-what to wrap your own nails with cotton and foil.  But the product is meant and marketed for professional use.

I think the steamer would be great for removal of acrylic enhancements, but I wasn’t able to test this since the salon that I work in only provides natural nail services.  In the past I found the foil method to be a sticky mess with acrylics.  If anyone else has tried the steamer with acrylics please let us know how it worked for you in the comments.

Visit the Gel II website for more information about the Steam Gel Remover.

The La Palm website says that the gel polish will last up to 3 weeks, and Airgel will last up to 12 days.  I didn’t conduct a wear test on Airgel, but I did test out the gel polish to see how it compares with others.

Application

I decided to wear the color called Merlot, which is a dark wine purple.  I prepped my nails and made sure they were properly clean and free of oil and debris.  The polish was nice and thick and applied evenly with just two coats.  The brush is flat with a square end and was easy to use, though the square tip did make it a tad tricky to get into the curve on some of my smaller nails.  I thought the polish was staying in place without shrinking, but after curing two coats I realized that I did have a bit of shrinkage at the tips which is visible on the middle nail in the photo below.

The directions say to cure each coat for 30 seconds in a 36 watt LED lamp, so I used my Gelish 18G lamp.  I didn’t have any issues with curing until I got to the top coat.  After curing for 30 seconds and then cleansing, I noticed that many of my nails had a cloudy appearance.  In my experience, this usually means that the top coat isn’t fully cured.  After taking this picture I opted to apply a second layer of top coat to hide the cloudy look, and I cured this second coat for 60 seconds which did the trick.  After wiping the second time the top coat was clear and more shiny, though the top coat wasn’t as shiny as I would prefer.

Wear

I wore this color for two full weeks, which is a long time for me.  :)  I’m pretty rough on my nails now that I’m working in a salon and handling acetone all day, but I’m very pleased to say that the polish held up really well.  I didn’t have any issues with chipping or peeling until the very last day when I broke a nail.  The break happened when I was playing a game with my niece, and was totally my fault.  Up to that point the nail still looked perfect.

Removal

I used the traditional foil method to remove the gel polish.  It only took about 10 minutes of soaking in acetone for the polish to push off nicely.  I didn’t experience any issues or problems with removal.  My nails looked nice and healthy after the soak-off.  Yay!

Below are pictures of a couple other colors that I received.  Toasted Almond is a nice brown-toned neutral cream.

And Very Chromatic is a silvery shimmer polish.

Visit the La Palm website for more information about The Gel Couple.  There’s a link at the top where you can find a list of distributors, and the Gel Couple sets can also be purchased here.  The retail price for the colors is $12.99 per set, and the base & top coats are $15 per set.

I created this turquoise nail art look using gel polish and a Sharpie marker.  I’ve seen lots of tutorials on creating turquoise nails with water marbling, but I wanted something a little easier that I can do in the salon without making a huge mess.  I’m pretty pleased with how this turned out, but the technique may still need a bit of refinement.  I think the gold flecks could also be done with foils, which I may try next time.

I made a video that shows how to recreate this look, which you can watch below.  And here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Prep your nails (file, push cuticles, buff, cleanse)
2. Apply Pink Gellac Base2 and cure for 30 seconds (LED)
3. Apply two coats of Pink Gellac Gipsy Blue and cure each for 60 seconds (LED)
4. Dab a bit of gold polish onto the nails using China Glaze Passion & a balled up piece of plastic wrap
5. Allow to dry for a minute or two
6. Apply a layer of Pink Gellac Ultra Shine NO-WIPE top coat and cure for 60 seconds (LED)
7. Using a black Sharpie marker, draw some vein lines onto the nail
8. Use a small brush or sponge and dab alcohol onto the lines to soften them
9. Then refine the lines with a straight-edge brush and alcohol by pushing the lines inward
10. Repeat steps 7, 8 & 9 to darken the lines
11. Apply Pink Gellac Ultra Shine NO-WIPE top coat and cure for 60 seconds (LED)

If you try this technique, I’d love to see it. Post a link in the comments, or tag me in a picture on Instagram or Facebook! :) And if you have any suggestions for improvement, please share.

This is a nail art look that I created using negative space and a snakeskin effect using gel polish.  My clients have been loving the snakeskin effect so I put together a short video demonstration that shows how to get the look.  I’m unsure of where the technique originated, but it’s been around a while and can be done in many different color combinations.

For the white snakeskin nails I started with a neutral base using Pink Gellac Nude Beige.  I applied a coat of Soft White over top and BEFORE curing I added drops of Pink Gellac Ultra Shine top coat into the white layer using a dotting tool.  When doing this, try to apply the dots without letting the tool actually touch the nail or it will leave a little mark in the center of the circle – just let the droplet of top coat touch the nail.  Cure & top coat after adding the dots.

I freehand painted the negative space nails using LeChat My Serenity.  The lighter blue is actually My Serenity mixed with white because I wanted the colors to have the same tone.  I used a small nail art brush to first paint the light blue triangle, and then I painted the dark blue portion of the nail leaving some space in between.

Below is a video demo of the snakeskin effect.  Enjoy!  :)

I’m so in love with my nails today!  I sat down to do my weekly mani last night and decided to combine a few of my favorite mediums… stamping, foil, and glitter!  I just ordered some chunky round glitters from Nail Labo, and the colors in the Presto L-9 glitter inspired the whole look.  The colors in the glitter are teal, a light nude pink, silver, and some holographic accents.

For the two glitter nails I started off with two coats of Pink Gellac Beautiful Black and then I randomly placed glitter pieces onto the tacky layer.  I sealed the glitter in with two coats of top coat, making sure to seal all of the edges well to prevent the glitter pieces from lifting.

On the other nails I used Pink Gellac Nude Beige for the base color, to match the neutral glitter pieces.  And then I decided to combine stamping and foils for a unique effect.  I stamped floral patterns onto my nails using Messy Mansion stamping plate MM20 and Mundo de Unas black stamping polish.  After stamping each design, I quickly applied transfer foils to the nail so that the foil stuck to the wet stamping polish.  I used a rainbow foil that had green, teal and purple colors in it (from this foil set).

You’ll notice that my middle nail has a black line across the tip.  Even though I sealed my stamped designs with two coats of top coat, I still managed to wipe off the design on that tip during clean up.  I added a stripe of Beautiful Black across the tip to hide the mistake.  I only wish I had thought to foil the stripe before sealing it with top coat.  ;)

I can’t wait to play more with this stamping & foil combo, and I think my clients are going to love it!

I added a third wall rack to house more polish, and added some Gelish & Morgan Taylor colors to the mix.  The acrylic wall rack is from a local nail store called Luxury, and I bought it to match the existing rack that it’s next to.  I searched online for this rack, but only found ones with six shelves instead of seven.

My licenses and price list are now hung on the wall behind my station, along with all of my swatch sticks.  The sticks are organized on rings by color so that my clients can easily pick out their desired color(s).  Read this post to learn more about how I create and organize the swatches.  The last item that I’ll be hanging up soon is a paper towel holder.  Currently my towels are just sitting on the cabinet behind me, but they’ll be mounted on the wall to my right for easy access.

This is a view of the work station from my vantage point.  I keep all of the liquids to my left, and tools and other supplies to my right.  It’s a small table so I wanted to try to maximize the space while making sure that all of my essentials are within reach.

On the left:  Business card holder, barbicide jar, pump bottle with acetone, nail cleanser, Polizhed cuticle oil & hand cream.

On the right:  MelodySusie 60w LED lamp (review coming soon!), table lamp, cotton ball holder, cup with nail art brushes, and a storage unit with drawers.  The drawers hold foil strips, files, applicators, lint-free wipes, implements, alcohol wipes, and buffers.

I love this little storage unit with drawers that I found on Amazon.  I wanted a way to store all of the little one-use items that need to stay covered, and this works out perfectly.  It’s actually two four-drawer tower units stacked together.  To prevent the top unit from sliding around, I secured it with a piece of velcro in each corner… viola!

The cotton ball holder and drawer units are both made of clear acrylic and it’s important to note that they’re NOT acetone resistant.  I tested this on the underside and acetone did leave a white mark on the surface.  I’m very careful with acetone and keep the pump on the opposite side of the table to prevent any accidental splashes.

Here’s a little closer look at the drawer unit.  The drawers are small, but they hold more than enough supplies to get me through days or weeks depending on the item.  Now I just need to get my books filled and I’ll be a happy camper!  :)  Starting off as a booth renter and having to build a clientelle is challenging, but it’s the best option for me in the long run.

If you’re in the Cleveland area, come in and see me!!  Book online here.

Happy Valentine’s to all of you a few days early! I opted for pink polish and hearts for my weekly manicure in celebration of Valentine’s Day. The light pink base color is Madam Glam Bubble Gum, and the darker pink holographic polish is Madam Glam Dangerously in Love.  Both polishes have great formulas… Dangerously in Love was opaque in just one coat, but I applied two anyway.  And photos really don’t do it justice… it has a gorgeous sparkly holo shimmer.

For the art, I did some double stamping using the UberChic Love & Marriage 01 plate.  First I stamped the little hearts on vines with a white stamping polish, and then I stamped a few individual hearts using a darker pink stamping polish from Mundo de Unas.  I used a dotting tool to add a bit of Madam Glam Dangerously in Love over top of one heart on each nail to tie the design together.

It’s cute, whimsical and festive!

All of the swatches in today’s post show two coats of color.  I’ve used all of these colors on clients and they all look great on just about every skin tone.

Fog City is a light blue-toned grey cream.

Concrete Jungle is a taupe-leaning grey cream.

Utaupia is a very pretty brown-leaning taupe cream.

And Just Breathe is a very pale, off-white cream.  I applied this color on a client yesterday and had some issues with shrinkage at the tips. It wasn’t obvious after the first coat because the color was so light, but after applying two I could really see the visible tips.  I ended up doing a very thin third coat that capped the tips really well and had my client flash cure each finger to keep the polish from pulling back from the tips.  I love the color, but that was a PITA!  :)  My bottle may just need a good shake, so I’ll have to do that and try it again.

I also picked up one other color called Mi Amour that’s a pink-toned neutral.  I haven’t swatched or used it yet, but it looks really pretty and I can’t wait to try it!

Let’s take a look at them from lightest to darkest…

Prim-rose and Proper is a light off-white neutral with a cream finish.  It has an ever so slight pink-ish tone to it.  The coverage was decent with two coats, but I felt that three coats were needed for a perfect, even finish.

I had a hard time comparing this color with my other Gelish neutrals because most of my swatches have faded over time with a yellow-ish tint.  Eww.  In my initial fade testing of Prim-rose and Proper I didn’t find any issues, so hopefully this color won’t turn over time as well.  The three other nudes in the Gelish line that are similar to this one are Tan My Hide, Need a Tan and Do I Look Buff (this one is probably the closest).  Prim-rose is a touch pinker than the others and is almost an exact match for LeChat Just Breathe, which I just posted a couple of days ago.

I Or-chid You Not is a taupe cream with slight lavender undertones.  I also applied three coats of this color for even coverage since it goes on a bit thin.  The closest colors in the Gelish line to this one are My Nightly Craving and Rodeo to Rodeo Drive, but again I had a hard time doing comparisons because my swatches of those colors faded.  The good news is that Or-Chid also passed my initial fade test and held up well in the sunlight.

Rose-y Cheeks is a soft shade of pink with a slight peachy tone and an iridescent pearl shimmer.  It’s very similar to Can-can We Dance, but is more pink in tone.  I also applied three coats of this color for best coverage.

Don’t Pansy Around is a dark, yet vibrant shade of pink with a cream finish.  At first I thought it was going to be very similar to A Petal For Your Thoughts or Gossip Girl, but this shade is more pink in tone than most others in the Gelish line.  The others lean more toward the orange/red end of the spectrum.  I really love this color, but wasn’t crazy about the consistency of the polish… it was thick and applied streaky.  This swatch is also three coats.

Warm Up the Car-nation is a frosty red-leaning pink with an irridescent shimmer.  This color had a great formula and applied evenly with good coverage in just two coats.  I didn’t find any other colors that were very close in shade or finish.

What’s Your Poinsettia? is a medium red with a frosty finish.  The finish and formula were very much like the previous color, and only two coats were required.  I understand that red was probably needed to finish off a floral collection, but blah… it’s another shade of red, and the name makes me think of Christmas.  Personally I’m over red, unless it’s something spectacular.  This color is very similar to Gelish Queen of Hearts, but the finish isn’t as pretty.

So what are your thoughts on this latest collection?  Any must-haves?

I’m feeling a little fishy…  :)  I’ve been wanting to try to create mermaid nails for a while and finally picked up the perfect stamping plate, Bundle Monster XL24.  This plate has several different beach themed images, and my favorite is this fish scale pattern.

To create these nails I started off with two coats of Pink Gellac Gipsy Blue gel polish.  On top of that I applied random swipes of LeChat Showstopper (a glittery teal) and LeChat Ready For My Close-Up (a glittery dark blue-ish purple).  After curing, I wiped off the tacky layer and stamped the fish scale pattern with a white stamping polish from Mundo de Unas.

Next, I’d like to try a design that looks more like a pattern from The Rainbow Fish, with random flashy scales.  That would be pretty!

Pink Gellac V.I.P. (Very Impressive Pink) Collection

Just in time for Spring, Pink Gellac launched the V.I.P. (Very Impressive Pink) Collection with 5 gorgeous shades of pink!  These colors are now available for purchase at Chickettes Boutique.

Below are my swatches and descriptions of each new color.  You can also find more amazing pictures and reviews from these bloggers:

• Love Life Lacquer: VIP Collection Swatches & Review, VIP Comparison Photos
• Very Emily:  VIP Collection Swatches & Review, Pink Gellac Starter Kit Review

#179 Lovely Pink is a soft, pastel pink with a golden shimmer finish… and it is indeed lovely!  This color offers great coverage with just 2 coats, and application is very smooth.

#180 Flamingo Pink is a coral-leaning pink with a frost finish.  As with all frost finishes, it will show your brushstrokes and requires careful base-to-tip application to get the perfect finish.  This color also has good coverage with 2 coats.

#181 Partylicious Pink is a very fun color!  It has a dark pink jelly base and is loaded with golden shimmer.  It goes on a bit sheer, but builds up to opacity with 2-3 coats depending on your coverage preference.

#182 Dynamic Pink is a beautiful red-leaning pink cream, and if you look very closely you can see an ever-so-slight pearlescent glow.  Only 2 coats are required for full coverage, and application is a dream.

#183 Sparkling Pink is a glittery beauty!  It has a pink jelly base and is loaded with pink hex glitters.  It goes on sheer and builds up to opacity in 2-3 coats, and I love the depth that the jelly base & glitter create.

I also want to point out that the colors in this collection all have new brushes!  These brushes are much softer and have a flat tip with rounded corners, which makes it much easier to apply in the curves of your nails.  The softness allows the brush to float over the nail for a more even finish as well.  The new brushes will eventually be rolled out and available in all Pink Gellac polishes.

Head on over to the Boutique where you can Buy 3, Get 1 FREE with promo code B3G1 at checkout! (offer only valid on gel colors)

I’m so excited to see Spring shades coming out… it stirs up anticipation for a new season.  Even though we had a very mild Winter here in the Cleveland area, I’m ready for warmer temperatures and to see the flowers and trees bloom again.

Picking Petals is a soft baby pink with some peach tones.  This color goes on very sheer and shows a little visible nail line (VNL) with three coats.  It’s similar in shade to ProGel Summer Fling and LeChat Pink Lady.

Peach Charming is a light, pastel peach.  This color provides great coverage with two coats.  This is the lightest shade of peach that I own, and I couldn’t find any other colors quite like it.

Blushing Bloom is also a pastel peach, but is several shades darker and leans a little orange.  It also provides great coverage with two coats.  This color is a shade or two darker than CND Shellac Salmon Run.

Mystic Lilac is a pale, pastel purple.  This is probably my favorite shade of the collection – it’s just so soft and pretty.  It also provides good coverage with two coats.  I think this is the lightest lilac shade that I own though it’s similar to Gel II Merry Go Berry.

Free Spirit is a vibrant shade of minty blue.  It has good coverage with two coats, but I applied three to really take it home.  This color is very similar to Pink Gellac Gipsy Blue, but leans a little more green in tone.

Dreamscape is a soft periwinkle blue.  This color goes on sheer, but builds up to opacity nicely with three coats.  It’s identical to Pink Gellac Sky Blue, and both colors are a great substitute for Gelish Up in the Blue which is known to fade.

So what do you think of the colors in the Enchanted Collection?  I think they’re all really pretty, and overall it’s a really cohesive collection for Spring.