Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials Tuesday - Nail Polish Thinner

I just thought I would quickly address this topic, since I often hear people talk about it inaccurately.  Too often, I hear people say that they had to throw away their polish because it was either "too old" or "too thick."  Other times, I have heard people say that they added nail polish remover to their thickened polish.  First of all, polish does not get too old and go bad.  So there is no reason to chuck old polish.  Some of the polish in my stash has been there for 20 years.

Second, polish that has thickened can be fixed very easily, but nail polish remover is not the way to go!  Think about it...you use nail polish remover to remove your polish.  It breaks it down.  So adding it to thickened polish will not thin it.  Remover will destroy it.  Simply get some nail polish thinner (I use the Beauty Secrets brand from Sally Beauty), and add a few drops.  If the polish is really thick, add a few more drops.  Then close the bottle, and shake it like mad.  Check the consistency, and add more thinner if needed.

Conversely, there is an easy trick to thickening up polish that is too thin and runny.  Simply leave the cap off for 5-10 minutes, and check the consistency.  Repeat as necessary.  Enjoy the rest of your day, all!

Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials Tuesday - Clean Up

Hi guys!  Today, I thought I would tell you about how I clean up my often messy paint jobs.  All I use is my nail polish thinner and an elf concealer brush.  The nail polish thinner I use is Beauty Secrets, which I get from Sally Beauty.  Some people prefer pure acetone, but I think it is too drying and damaging to my already sad cuticles.  I get great results using thinner without as much damage.  The elf concealer brush is $1.00 at Target.

After painting my nails, I dip the brush into the thinner, and lightly dab it on a piece of tissue to remove the excess.  If your brush is too loaded, it can flood the cuticle, and dissolve the edges of the polish too much.  Then, I use the brush to remove the polish from my skin.  I also use it to remove any polish that flooded my cuticle.  With darker colors, it's best to wipe of the brush after picking up polish to avoid inadvertently transferring that polish to other areas.

I can't take the credit for this trick.  I actually learned this method many years ago from the girl who did my pedis back then.  She used this method to clean up.  She also used this method to do french pedis.  She just painted on the white tip, without worrying about how messy it was.  Then, she used the brush to remove the white to create a nice, crisp, curved nail line.  She was the best!

Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials Tuesday - The Foil Method

Alrighty....don't forget about my giveaway that ends tomorrow!  And please vote for me here.  AND, check out my giveaway page...there's a new giveaway from Glam Polish for 6 of the polishes from ChG's On Safari collection!  Now...on to today's trick.  This is the foil method for removing glitters.

Last week, I showed you how I remove nail polish in general.  Today, I'll be showing you how I remove those pesky glitters!  This will actually work for any stubborn polish or when you have lots o' layers.  You will need nail polish remover, cotton balls, and aluminum foil.

For the nail polish remover, some people use pure acetone.  It does work faster, but you pay a price.  Pure acetone is very drying.  As this method calls for leaving the remover on your nails for longer than usual, it will really dry out and damage your cuticles.  If you really want to use it, I suggest covering your cuticles with a healthy coating of Vaseline prior to using it.  I use remover with acetone.

For the cotton balls, you will want to have one for each finger.  I actually re-use the cotton balls, so I only need enough for one hand.  In this case, I was swatching a color on only four fingers, so I used four cotton balls.

Next, I cut out squares of aluminum foil.  I cut fairly large squares.  I do this because I re-use the foil, too.  I just keep it in a drawer with my other nail implements.  Over time, little pieces will rip off as I un-wrap my fingers and flatten the foil back out.  So, I like to have a larger square so I can still keep using it despite bits of it ripping off.  It saves me from having to re-cut more foil all the time.

You are going to work on one hand at a time.  Once you're ready, you will take a cotton ball and get a good amount of remover on it.  You don't want it soggy, or the remover will just drip down your fingers.  Place the cotton on the first nail.  Next, wrap the aluminum foil around the tip of your finger and cotton ball.  This will keep the remover from evaporating, and hold the cotton ball in place on your finger.  Repeat this process for all fingers on one hand. 

I will leave them on for about 5 minutes.  If you have lots of layers or a really thick, chunky glitter, you can leave it on for a bit longer.  I would top off at 10 minutes max.  Once the time is up, you will remove the foil and cotton just as you would to remove polish - slightly wiggle the cotton ball side-to-side, and slowly wiggle it off the nail.  All of the glitter polish should come off all at once!  Super easy!

Then, I flip the cotton ball over to the clean side.  Add a bit of remover if necessary, and apply them in the same manner to the other hand.  And there you have the foil method!  Happy removing!

Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials Tuesday - How to Remove Nail Polish

First - don't forget about my giveaway, which ends next week!

Second - I have an entry in Bundle Monster's nail art contest.  I would be most appreciative if you would please vote for me to push me into the second round.  You can vote once each day.  Please help!  Voting is through Facebook here.

And third - on to today's trick!  I know that removing nail polish seems like a no-brainer.  But it's surprising how many people still do this the hard way.  So, my military background insisted that I create a step-by-step how-to.

You will need nail polish remover, polished nails, and something to use to remove the polish.  Personally, I prefer cotton rounds.  Depending on the amount and type of polish, I can usually get all 10 nails clean with one round, two at the most.  Some people prefer cotton balls, paper towels, or even cut up felt.  I have heard that the felt does a great job of removing polish, especially glitter, but it also does not hold much remover and can be very drippy.  Just go with what works best for you. 

I use nail polish remover with acetone.  Some like to use use pure acetone, but I think it is overkill.  Regular remover works just fine for me, and I am spared the drying effects of pure acetone.  If you do use pure acetone, I suggest putting Vaseline on your cuticles prior to use to help protect them.

The "hard way" is to put remover on the cotton and go to work scrubbing the polish off of the nail.  Some people rub back-and-forth, others go side-to-side, in circles, or a little of everything!  Once you've removed the polish from the nail, you will probably have a lot of staining on your cuticles, as well as polish that was pushed under the nail that you will need to work on next.  Good luck with that.

Now for the easier method.

I will hold the cotton round over the opening on the bottle of remover and give the bottle a quick tip.  You want to get a decent amount of remover on the cotton without completely saturating it.  Then, hold the cotton on the nail, applying light pressure.  Depending on how thick the polish is, hold the cotton on the nail (without moving it around) for anywhere from 10-30 seconds.

Next, keep applying pressure and slightly wiggle the cotton side-to-side.  As you wiggle it side-to-side, also slowly start wiggling the cotton down the length of the nail towards the free edge.  In most cases, by the time you wiggle the cotton off of the nail, all polish will be gone...no stained cuticles, no polish under the nail.  My favorite part is that if you have some nail art going on, occasionally you will see the design on the cotton in a neat little square.

I will then put a little more remover adjacent to that spot on the cotton and repeat.  I typically "load" my cotton round with remover only 3 times for each hand.  By the third load, it's pretty well wet to get through the rest of that hand.

And there you have it!  Hope this helps someone out there and I'll talk at you tomorrow!  :o)