FAQ
Q: When did you start collecting nail polish?
A: I started seriously collecting in 2009. All Lacquered Up and Scrangie were my gateway enablers. I still look at collections of vintage polishes and curse myself for throwing away some all-time greats!
Q: Where do you get your swatch sticks?
Q: What is your favorite brand of nail polish?
A: For collecting, my favorite is Chanel. To me, it is the leader in what colors are going to start dominating the market. And there's nothing like that classic Chanel bottle. From a value standpoint (although this isn't really something I care too much about), Chanel's don't ever depreciate in value. For variety and consistent quality, my favorite is China Glaze. They really try to cater to their customers and offer a huge array of colors and finishes.
Q: Would you sell me one of your polishes?
A: At this time, I am not interested in letting go of any of my collection. When I am, I will post an announcement, and the polishes will be listed on this page.
Q: Why do I get different wear times than you do? Why don't the base coat and top coat you like work for me?
A: In my opinion, a lot of things boil down to body chemistry and how each person's chemistry reacts with different formulas. For instance, I got horrible staining from Orly Bonder, but I know many people love it. Chanel wears very well on me, but many people complain that it chips quickly on them. I get bubbling no matter how thin my coats unless I use Seche Vite. Unfortunately, a lot of it boils down to trial and error to figure out what works best for you.
Q: Why doesn't your description of a certain polish's formula match my experience?
A: There can be differences in batches, but also, different people have different preferences in formula. Application skill can play a factor too. If you have issues with a formula being too thin or sheer, try using a nude creme underneath to help with opacity. If you have issues with a formula being too thick, add some nail polish thinner (not remover).
Q: I don't know what you mean when you describe a certain finish.
A: A few great guides when referring to polish finishes can be found on Lacquerized, Edge of Sanity, and Nihrida.
Q: What camera do you use?
A: I use a Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS. I chose it because I've heard PowerShot's recommended multiple times, and this one was on sale. There are some mixed reviews about this camera, but I've had no problems with picture quality or battery life (*knock on wood*), although color accuracy can be off sometimes even with white-balance. For my future camera, I'm looking into a Canon PowerShot S95 based on its high ratings for color accuracy and clarity in a review here.
I also occasionally borrow my mom's Nikon Coolpix L120. It is definitely a better camera as far as both color-accuracy and photo quality, although I don't know how to work all the settings, which can be frustrating.
I also have an iPhone 5 and honestly find when a polish is hard to capture accurately that its camera often does a better job than the other two, and the picture quality is pretty good as well. Recently, this has been the camera I find myself most frequently using.
Q: Why do you have a jump to read whole posts?
A: For long posts I have a jump to help with load time and prevent posts from monopolizing my front page. Also, having a jump, helps me figure out which posts people are visiting most, which helps guide my content. I don't include the jump for RSS readers, and I don't plan to!
Q: What forums do you frequent?
A: I pop in and out of heavy activity on forums, but the ones I check in on are Makeup Alley's Nail Board and PurseForum's Nail Care. For Chanel-related news, Specktra is my go-to forum.
A: I started seriously collecting in 2009. All Lacquered Up and Scrangie were my gateway enablers. I still look at collections of vintage polishes and curse myself for throwing away some all-time greats!
Q: Can I use your pictures?
A: I work hard to take color-accurate, quality pictures, so please respect that. For personal use, I have no problem with anyone using my pictures as long as they are credited back to me. Any further questions should refer to the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. For commercial use, please contact me at j.allen27@gmail.com.
Q: Can I pin your pictures to my Pinterest?
A: See above. As long as, you preserve the html linking back to my site, I love to see my pictures on Pinterest! Just please give me credit for my work!
Q: Can I pin your pictures to my Pinterest?
A: See above. As long as, you preserve the html linking back to my site, I love to see my pictures on Pinterest! Just please give me credit for my work!
Q: Where do you get your swatch sticks?
A: I get my swatch sticks from eBay, using the seller lilyyangstore (not affiliated). They are listed as "50pcs clear Nail Art Acrylic UV Gel Tips Polish Display Practice Stick Fan Board." I found out about this seller through Makeup Alley's Nail Board, and have had no problems with her. Other sellers may stock sticks that wrinkle when polish is applied, although I think it's only the clear ones that sometimes have this problem. These swatch sticks don't wrinkle; expect a couple cracked sticks if you buy a bulk amount (1 bought 1,000 on my first purchase and probably 5 were cracked). These ship from Hong Kong and usually take about 3 weeks to arrive, but shipping is free. *UPDATE 5/13: I have read comments on MUA's NB that some recent orders through lilyyangstore have included sticks that wrinkled, so please do some more research and look around before you buy! UPDATE 10/15: I've heard on MUA that there are more issues with scratched up sticks and weird coating that repel polish. Although, I have only had good experiences with my purchases, I would no longer recommend this seller.* For my latest swatch sticks (2014), I purchased from the seller susuway (not affiliated); shipping was extremely fast and the swatch sticks don't wrinkle. They are listed as "50pcs DIY Clear False Nail Art Acrylic Tips Polish Display Practice Stick Fan."
Q: What is your favorite brand of nail polish?
A: For collecting, my favorite is Chanel. To me, it is the leader in what colors are going to start dominating the market. And there's nothing like that classic Chanel bottle. From a value standpoint (although this isn't really something I care too much about), Chanel's don't ever depreciate in value. For variety and consistent quality, my favorite is China Glaze. They really try to cater to their customers and offer a huge array of colors and finishes.
Q: Would you sell me one of your polishes?
A: At this time, I am not interested in letting go of any of my collection. When I am, I will post an announcement, and the polishes will be listed on this page.
Q: Why do I get different wear times than you do? Why don't the base coat and top coat you like work for me?
A: In my opinion, a lot of things boil down to body chemistry and how each person's chemistry reacts with different formulas. For instance, I got horrible staining from Orly Bonder, but I know many people love it. Chanel wears very well on me, but many people complain that it chips quickly on them. I get bubbling no matter how thin my coats unless I use Seche Vite. Unfortunately, a lot of it boils down to trial and error to figure out what works best for you.
Q: Why doesn't your description of a certain polish's formula match my experience?
A: There can be differences in batches, but also, different people have different preferences in formula. Application skill can play a factor too. If you have issues with a formula being too thin or sheer, try using a nude creme underneath to help with opacity. If you have issues with a formula being too thick, add some nail polish thinner (not remover).
Q: I don't know what you mean when you describe a certain finish.
A: A few great guides when referring to polish finishes can be found on Lacquerized, Edge of Sanity, and Nihrida.
Q: What camera do you use?
A: I use a Canon PowerShot ELPH 500 HS. I chose it because I've heard PowerShot's recommended multiple times, and this one was on sale. There are some mixed reviews about this camera, but I've had no problems with picture quality or battery life (*knock on wood*), although color accuracy can be off sometimes even with white-balance. For my future camera, I'm looking into a Canon PowerShot S95 based on its high ratings for color accuracy and clarity in a review here.
I also occasionally borrow my mom's Nikon Coolpix L120. It is definitely a better camera as far as both color-accuracy and photo quality, although I don't know how to work all the settings, which can be frustrating.
I also have an iPhone 5 and honestly find when a polish is hard to capture accurately that its camera often does a better job than the other two, and the picture quality is pretty good as well. Recently, this has been the camera I find myself most frequently using.
Q: Why do you have a jump to read whole posts?
A: For long posts I have a jump to help with load time and prevent posts from monopolizing my front page. Also, having a jump, helps me figure out which posts people are visiting most, which helps guide my content. I don't include the jump for RSS readers, and I don't plan to!
Q: What forums do you frequent?
A: I pop in and out of heavy activity on forums, but the ones I check in on are Makeup Alley's Nail Board and PurseForum's Nail Care. For Chanel-related news, Specktra is my go-to forum.
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