6.18.2013

The Lacquerologist Tells All: How a LacquerHead Packs for Vacation!



Hi everyone!  This is the second edition of The Lacquerologist Tells Alls, and today's topic is How a LacquerHead Packs for Vacation!  It may not make sense to most, but for a polish-addict, this is a big deal!  Which polish should I wear?  Should I pack others to change my mani mid-vaca?  What if I get sick of my polish shade while I'm away from my stash?  What if my mani chips while I'm gone?  Nail art?  SO MANY OPTIONS, so you must be prepared!  I lay in bed at night thinking about these kinds of things (sick? hahaha), so I thought I'd share some of my conclusions with you!


Last year on our beach vacation to Sunset Beach, NC, the beach ravaged my manicure, and I had the goal of wearing the same polish for the entire week.  I had just graduated from my managing manicurist schooling and naturally, all of my family members on the trip wanted me to polish their nails.  While I enjoyed doing nails on vacation, it messed up my manicure, sort of stressed me out working around everyones' schedules, and required me packing up a bunch of supplies and bringing them with me.  This year, I am working full-time as a nail artist and manicurist, and "vacation" means "no work" right?   =)  Don't worry, I won't be leaving my family members out to dry...I'm planning on having a spa night for everyone before we leave so that everyone has beautiful nails for the week at the beach!

Personally, last year, my goal to wear the same polish for the week sort of stressed me out.  I love polishing my nails...it is very relaxing to me and helps me chill out.  Have you ever gone on vacation with your extended family in one house?  You need relaxation time (I love you all if you are reading!! <3), believe me!  So I've decided that this year, I will be polishing my own nails throughout the week as I see fit, because while on vacation you can do whatever you want!  Also, if you are on a vacation at the beach, lotions and extended exposure to water make your nails very unhappy and chip-prone.  So without further hesitation, here is my vacation packing plan!

The Lacquerologist Tells All: How a LacquerHead Packs for Vacation!


This vacation packing plan makes the following assumptions:
  • You are going on a vacation lasting about one week.
  • You like to polish your nails every 2-3 days.
  • You are able to pack whatever you'd like.  If you are flying, be sure to check your airline's rules on cosmetics and liquids in carry-ons, etc and pack your polishes safely.
I've designed this packing list so that you can pack as little as possible and still have a variety of fun nail looks while away from your polish collection and supplies.  To avoid packing liquid polish removers that can be hazardous to travel with (no one wants remover spilling in their suitcase), I have planned my vacation manicures to be simple to remove so that I can use a remover pad...I'm sure most of you have remover packets in your stash somewhere...they often come as freebies in subscription boxes or with purchases.  Personally, my favorite is the Priti NYC Soy Remover Wipe because not only is it an effective polish remover, but it is super moisturizing for your nails and cuticles, so you will essentially get a mini-mani when you use it!  You can purchase Priti NYC Soy Remover Wipes [here] for $9.99 for a 10-pack and see my original review [here].



Before you leave:

Decide on the manicures you'd like to wear while on vacation!  You need to plan three manicures:
  1. Vacation Nail Art Mani.  You will complete this manicure while you are at home before you leave for vacation, so it can be as detailed as you'd like!  By doing your nail art at home, you can avoid packing dotting tools, sponges, stripers, brushes, rhinestones and multiple polishes.  And if you love your nail art so much that you decide not to take it off, no harm done (you'll barely have packed anything extra anyway!).  Try to think about making this mildly easy to remove since you probably won't have acetone with you on your trip.
  2. Easy to Remove Mani.  This would be the first manicure you would do while on vacation.  I would suggest a creme or shimmer polish that is easy to remove with some sort of accent nail.  Maybe a contrasting creme shade?  Or one glitter nail (one won't be too difficult to remove with a remover packet)?
  3. Glitterbomb Mani.  The final manicure you would apply while on vacation can be as difficult to remove as you want because you will take it off when you return home to your stash of acetone and polish removers.  If this glitter polish requires "underwear" consider using one of your polishes you chose for manicure #2....one less bottle to pack!
Once you've decided the manicures you want to do, you'll know which polishes you need to take with you...probably just two or three polishes.  Give yourself a nice manicure before you leave...tend to your cuticles and file and shape your nails.  Once your nails and cuticles are in tip-top shape, do your nail art manicure!  Now you're ready for a vacation!

Pack the following supplies:

You'll be able to fit everything you need for gorgeous nails in one small make-up bag!  Last year I packed a big Tupperware of things to please everyone and myself...not this year!  This is super simple, and even if you are flying to your destination or have limited space, if you pack these things safely in a small make-up bag, you should have no problem finding room for it in your suitcase!  While packing, you can always wrap your bottles in a few tissues and place them in sealed Ziplock bags to make your bag spill-proof!
  • Your desired easy to remove polish and accent polish, if desired
  • Your desired glitter bomb polish
  • Priti NYC Soy Remover Wipes (at least two) or your favorite remover wipe
  • Top coat, base coat, and nail treatment, if you use one (or an all-in-one product)
  • Clean-up brush, if you usually need one
  • Cuticle balm or oil
  • Nail file, just in case there is a chip or break while you are gone





A Few More Tips:
  • I would suggest filing your nails as short as you are comfortable with for your trip.  Longer nails are more likely to break, no matter how strong they are!  If they are a nice, healthy length, they will most likely stay strong for you while you are gone!
  • If you're going somewhere warm and sunny, consider thermal polishes, UV color-changers, or holographic shades that will really be stunning in the sun!
  • Though it is difficult to do so if you are spending the day floating in the pool, try to limit the water exposure your nails get.  When your nails soak up a bunch of water, they tend to change shape and when they go back to their normal shape, the polish is likely to crack.
  • Don't forget the sunscreen on your hands!  No one wants wrinkly skin damage so near their gorgeous nails!
  • Though it is tempting to sit outside and polish your nails, your polish will apply better if you do your manicure in a cool, non-windy location.
  • Think small!  Mini bottles of polish save room in your packing routine!
  • Practice using your clean-up brush dry...it can actually be quite effective if you do it when the polish is wet!  No acetone needed for quick fixes!

Other Options:
  • Gel manicure.  If you are comfortable with wearing gel polish on your nails, a CND Shellac or OPI Gel Color manicure can last you about two weeks.  There are also kits you can use at home, such as Haute Polish.  You can read my review [here] and [here].
  • PVA glue base coat.  Though I have never used this technique on my nails, you can use PVA glue as a base coat so that glitter will literally peel off your nails.  Like I said, I'm a bit leery of excessive use of this technique, but you can read more about it [here]!
  • Nail wraps.  Nail wraps or stickers are another options for long-term wear, if you're into that kind of thing!  Personally, I always prefer polish, but this is another easy-to-pack option for nail art on the go!!
  • CND Vinylux manicure.  The CND Vinylux system provides extended wear without UV light or damage to your nails.  Non-licensed consumers can purchase these polishes from AvenueYou [here]!  Don't forget to get the top coat that goes with the system!

Rainbow Honey and Pretty & Polished polishes, as well as the Priti NYC Soy Remover Wipes shown in this post were provided by the company/PR for previous review.

6.17.2013

KBShimmer Summer 2013: Grayscale, It's Razz-ical, and Blinded By The Bright: Swatches and Review!

Product provided for review

Hi friends! Today I have three of the shades from the new KBShimmer Summer 2013 Collection to share with you!  This collection is so gorgeous...I think I may need them all!  Today I have the following to show you: KBShimmer It's Razz-ical, KBShimmer Grayscale, and KBShimmer Blinded by the Bright.



And here's a quick preview of all of the shades in the collection:

Images from KBShimmer

First up, I have KBShimmer It's Razz-ical, a raspberry jelly with holographic hex glitters and shimmer.  I love that it is full coverage and super sparkly!  This is two easy coats with KBShimmer Clearly On Top top coat, but three coats could be used to cover visible nail line.



KBShimmer Blinded By The Bright is a super neon yellow crelly base packed with rainbow glitters. Here I've used four thin coats with Clearly On Top.  If you use thicker coats you could get away with two or three, but it will take a bit longer to dry!  The formula was easy to work with, however the glitter is a bit sparse, but builds up nicely with several coats.


Poor pinky got smashed!

Finally, this is KBShimmer Grayscale, an amazing black and white glitter top coat.  Black, white, and gray glitters in a variety of shapes and sizes swim in a clear base...perfect to layer over anything!  This is about 1.5 coats of Grayscale over OPI A Definite Moust Have with Clearly On Top.  LOVE this!  I think I like this even better than Lynnderella Connect the Dots, which as always been my favorite B&W polish.




The KBShimmer Clearly On Top top coat is only 2-free.  It does contain DBP.  This may not matter to some, but I just wanted to point this out.  Personally, I prefer to know that my polishes are 3-free or better, but if you don't mind the smell and the chemical, it really does seal in glitters nicely!

The Summer 2013 Collection is available now on the KBShimmer website [here] for $8.75 each or the entire set for $78.75 (with a free top coat) and on Harlow&Co [here].  Next, I'm planning on picking up What's Your Damage, Totally Tubular and Pimp My Pride!  What are your favs?


6.16.2013

The Week in Review: June 9-15, 2013!


Hi friends, and happy Sunday!  Today I have another edition of The Lacquerologist's Week In Review.  This has been a fun week with swatches, a guest post on Lacquer: The Best Medicine, nail art, and my favorite post - the summary of nails from Steffany's wedding!  And Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!  Even if my dad isn't here on Earth anymore, he's still the greatest dad ever...it takes a pretty amazing man to pull that off.  <3



I just love this image so much from Steffany's wedding that I needed to share it again! =)


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