Nails

Gel Does Not Damage Your Nails

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throwback picture from this throwback post!

Everyone, breathe: gel does not damage your nails! After seeing one too many complaints about how, “gel damages your nails,” and all of these, “gel rescue,” type nail recovery products, I’m losing my mind.

Root Cause

If you’ve experienced nail damage after having gel nails, I’m not gaslighting you. Many people DO experience damage after nail enhancement services. My goal isn’t to make you feel crazy! You aren’t.

My goal is, however, to correct a common misconception and improve understanding of nail enhancement processes. Gel does not damage your nails.

If you’ve experienced weak, thin, peeling, or sensitive nails after removing gel, you aren’t alone. The issue isn’t the gel – the issue is how the nails were prepped.

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Manicure Monday – 11/11/2019 – OPI I’m Not Really a Waitress

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OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress - GelcolorOPI I’m Not Really a Waitress – Gelcolor – Two Coats

My boss often says, “You never get tired of the classics.” Usually, this is a response to a joke or movie reference that makes him laugh; I find it to be true for nail color and cosmetics just as well.

An Old Flame

When I was a sophomore in high school, I grudgingly agreed to attend Homecoming with my group of friends. Generously, one of my friend’s moms carted us off to treat us to manicures and pedicures. It was the first time I’d gone to a nail salon; faced with a wall of choices, I plucked OPI I’m Not Really a Waitress from the wall and had it applied to my fingers and toes.

Soon after, I bought a bottle of it. Back then, spending $8 on a bottle of nail polish was unheard of to me. But I’ve purchased countless bottles in the time that has passed.

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October 2019 Favorites

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October 2019 FavoritesOctober 2019 Favorites
1. Becca Backlight Priming Filter, $39 / 2. Pointed Cotton Swabs, $3 / 3. The Ordinary 7% Glycolic Acid Toner, $9
/ 4. The Ordinary 10% Lactic Acid + 2% HA, $7 / 5. Makartt Nail Drill, $58

It’s been six months since I made a favorites post. Ayeee. Just in time to take advantage of the November Beauty Insider sale, though, if the prestige items intrigue you! Let’s jump into it.

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Manicure Monday – 10/14/2019 – Red LED Gel Lamp

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Red LED Gel Lamp

Red LED Gel Lamp

I ultimately bought this incredible red LED gel lamp (and a bunch of other stuff ?) from The NaiI Hub. It isn’t clear who the manufacturer of this lamp is; it lacks branding, and I’m not entirely sure if The Nail Hub is claiming this as one of their products. Either way, frankly, I don’t care because it is excellent. My experience has been nothing but positive since I started using it in July.

Curing My Gel Manicures

For years, I’ve been using Sensationail lamps to cure my gel manicures. They’re what I started with! Eventually, I added their newer model lamp to my nail tool collection. After a couple bad cures with good formulas, though, I started to wonder if it was time for a change. I suspect the LEDs weren’t getting enough power, and here could be plenty of reasons for this:

  • The micro USB cable I used to supply power to it could be bad.
  • The AC adapter could be bad.
  • The power relay in the lamp itself could be bad.

Rather than asking my husband to embark on an electronics teardown for diagnostic purposes, I decided to upgrade my lamp game. (I might still ask him for help with that, though – for science, for a backup, for a small travel lamp etc).

Why Red?

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Chatter: Pro Only Product

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ChatterPro Only Product

Time for a rant. If you happen to enjoy beauty and product and all that jazz, chances are you’ve encountered a pro only product of which you’re fond…even if that product really doesn’t require professional handling.

It’s frustrating to learn that the flavor of the day is only for sale at CosmoProf (hi, PolyGel when it first came out) or through the pro only product supply-chain and vendors (hi, OPI Gelcolor).

The Rub

In my case, I am most-often frustrated by the lack of availability of nail products. Although in many cases certain US states and certain countries mandate licensure to render services on clients, they don’t necessarily regulate the types of products that can be sold. The industry (in the US, anyway) is largely self-regulating regarding the sale of cosmetic products. This isn’t purely a bad thing; it can help service providers maintain business, for example. I can appreciate that to an extent. In other cases, it’s because the general public is … not bright. After all, the FDA just needed to remind people that drinking bleach is bad.

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Manicure Monday – 8/12/2019 – Revel Nail Aurora + Bubbly & Catch-Up

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Yeah, wow, hi. We’ll get into the hiatus in a sec, but first:

I tried an acrylic dip nail system! I suck at it but, third application in, am getting better. I’ve been waffling on waiting to talk about it until I am good at it for Insta-worthy pics but…since when do I care about being Insta-worthy?

Revel Nail Aurora and Revel Nail BubblyRevel Nail Aurora & Revel Nail Bubbly

I’m not writing a review of Revel Nail Aurora and Revel Nail Bubbly dip powders in this post, but I’ll share a couple thoughts:

  • This picture does not capture color accurately. I am wearing both Revel Nail Aurora, which is a nice, light nude pink (it definitely looks pink in person) and Revel Nail Bubbly on top.
  • Although not evident in this picture, my application is fairly bulky. This is because:
    • This application is three dips instead of two because I wanted to use Revel Nail Bubbly on top for some shimmer.
    • I suck at finish filing acrylic. This led me to buy an e-file, which I am still getting the hang of, but it has changed my pedicure world dramatically.

OKAY.

I recently saw an Instagram post from a blogger who decided to face the music regarding her content and who ultimately discontinued her project. That was a bit eye-opening for me. I’m not there, but it’s undeniable to me that I bet Beauty Skeptic take a back seat to everything else. Better no content than half-assed content, right? I haven’t really been buying and trying much stuff, so its really been a drought of content inspiration here, BUT here’s what I’ve been up to:

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