I’ve been holding onto a little secret for a while, and today I finally get to share the details with all of you! I’m excited to announce that I have entered into a collaboration with Pink Gellac, a high quality European gel polish company based in Amsterdam.   Together we bring you the Pink Gellac by Chickettes Holiday Sparkle Collection!  I curated this collection by hand-selecting six colors that I thought would be perfect for the approaching holiday season!  A limited quantity of these colors have been produced with the Chickettes logo on the bottles, and they will be sold exclusively through the new Chickettes Boutique!

I have been working with Pink Gellac for a little over six months and swatched their entire line of colors, which can be seen on their website. I was really impressed with the quality of their polishes, and was thrilled when they asked if I would be interested in collaborating with them on this special collection.  The six colors in the Holiday Sparkle Collection are existing colors from the Pink Gellac gel polish line which consists of 48 shades and a handful of special effects gel polishes.

The Colors

Emerald Green is a teal-leaning shimmery emerald.  I really wanted to include a green in my holiday collection, and I fell in LOVE with this color when I swatched it.  This isn’t exactly a traditional green, but it certainly shimmers and dazzles!

Emerald Green needs to be shaken well or it can go on a little frosty and show brush stroke lines.  When well mixed the shimmer gets more evenly dispersed creating a metallic-like finish.  It’s opaque in two coats.
And what holiday collection is complete without a red?!  Ok, so Passion Pink isn’t exactly red, but it has a dark reddish pink base and a subtle pink shimmer.  This shade is also opaque in just two coats!

Velvet Purple is a very unique shade. It has a blackened purple base and very subtle purple and blue shimmer that resembles crushed purple velvet.  I love dark blues and purples in the winter months.  This color is also opaque in two coats!

Magic Pearl is a pearly white with a golden shimmer. This color reminds me of freshly fallen, glistening snow. Not that I’m ready for snow, mind you, but alas it will be upon some of us soon. Magic Pearl is a little more sheer than some of the other colors and I personally prefer to apply three coats. If you don’t mind a little visible nail line, two coats would do the trick.

These next two polishes are fun, festive and flashy!  Add some sparkle to your nails with these silver and gold glitter polishes!

Fabulous Silver is is a dense silver micro glitter in a clear base that builds up to opaque coverage in 2-3 coats.  The base is thicker than your average gel polish and the glitter is very dense, which makes it wear better as a stand alone polish than as a topper.  It’s perfect for accent nails!

Luxury Gold is a dense gold micro glitter in a clear base that builds up to opaque coverage in 2-3 coats.  Like Fabulous Silver, the base is also a thicker consistency and the glitter is very dense.  I love the luxurious feel of this gold.  It’s not too yellow, and it’s also not bronzy.  I recently did some nail art using Luxury Gold as an accent, which you can see here.

Here is a demonstration of how the two glitter polishes build up to opacity.  They both have great coverage with just two coats, but a third coat really takes it home!

Application, Wear & Removal

I love the quality of these polishes so much that I put my name on the bottle!  I think that kind of speaks for itself.  I’m not going to conduct a full review of Pink Gellac since I’m selling the polishes, but Michelle at Manic Talons is conducting a wear test and writing a full unbiased review based on her findings. Keep an eye out for that in the coming days.

In my personal experience, these polishes have a great formula and are very easy to apply. They last 2+ weeks without any signs of wear. The removal time is average, with a 10-13 minute soak-off using the Pink Gellac base and top coats. The glitter polishes do take longer to remove, which can be expected of any glitter polish in a clear base.

I always tell you that you can mix and match brands, and you can absolutely use your favorite base and top coats with these colors.  In the very near future, I will also be offering Pink Gellac base and top coats which each have some unique characteristics.  I should have those within 1-2 weeks, and will post about them when they become available.

Where to Buy

The Pink Gellac by Chickettes Holiday Sparkle Collection and individual colors are available for sale exclusively online at the Chickettes Boutique, which is now open for business! There are currently limited quantities in stock. You will be able to place a back-order in the event that a color sells out as there are more on the way!

FREE SHIPPING is offered on orders of $65 or more within the U.S.!

The Chickettes Boutique offers global shipping.  If you’re in Europe or other parts of the world, these colors are also available for purchase through the Pink Gellac website, though they won’t have the Chickettes logo on the label.

Summary

I hope you all love these colors as much as I do!  It’s such an exciting time and a bit other-worldly to see my logo on the bottles. I welcome feedback and photos from anyone that purchases these colors. Please tag me on social media if you post pictures of your nails, or feel free to post photos directly to my Facebook page.

Find me here: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+

It’s almost my favorite time of year… Halloween!  I love carving pumpkins, decorating, costume parties, trick-or-treating… the list goes on.  You can also dress up and be as creative, silly, or strange as you want.  This is the first of a few different nail art ideas that I have for this year.

For the pumpkin nails I started with two coats of Pink Gellac Velvet Purple… this is one of the new shades that I just started selling this week.  I thought the dark purple with blue flecks resembled a night sky and would work well as a backdrop.  I painted the pumpkins with some Mundo de Unas stamping polishes.  I’m admittedly not very good with hand-drawn nail art, but I recently purchased some fine-tipped Wistonia sable brushes to practice with.  I’m hoping to master fine lines and details eventually.

The spider web nails have a base of two coats of Pink Gellac Magic Pearl… also one of my new colors.  I stamped the spiderweb over top using a plate from the Bundle Monster Holiday set (BM-H07) and my black Mundo stamping polish.  I added a few extra lines into the spiderweb with my brush.  After letting the stamping polish dry completely, I topped each nail off with my Pink Gellac top coat (which you will learn more about in a few days).

I receive a lot of questions about stamping over gel polish, and though I’ve covered it before it can’t hurt to revisit the subject.  These are the steps that I normally take:

1. Prep your nails for a gel mani – lightly buff and cleanse.
2. Apply your base coat & cure.
3. Apply your color coats & cure.
4. Apply a thin layer of top coat & cure.
5. Wipe off the tacky layer (if there is one).
6. Stamp over the top coat using your stamping polish or regular nail polish (RNP).  I get the best results with very thick polishes like ones from Mundo de Unas, and Konad.  I have found some regular nail polishes that stamp well including metallics from China Glaze and Klean Color.
7. Let the stamping polish dry and then apply another layer of gel top coat over top & cure.
8. Clean any excess stamping polish off your skin using  polish remover.  A little acetone won’t hurt your new manicure as long as you are quick and don’t let it soak on your nails.  You can also use non-acetone remover or alcohol.

For more info about stamping, please watch my Nail Art Stamping Basics video.

Hi Everyone! I now have the Pink Gellac gel base & top coats in stock at the Chickettes Boutique! These products have some characteristics that make them stand out from the crowd, so I thought it would be worth a post to highlight the differences.

Base² Growth Treatment Formula

Pink Gellac’s new gel base coat called Base², is a vitamin-infused base! Base² ensures optimum adhesion of your gel polish for long-lasting results. This base coat contains vitamin E, B5 and calcium to stimulate the growth of your natural nails. Base² also prevents discoloration and staining of your nails. Buy it here!

Ultra Shine Top Coat

Pink Gellac Ultra Shine top coat is hands down the shiniest gel top coat I have ever seen or used.  It’s a no-wipe top coat, which means there is no tacky residue to clean off at the end of your manicure.  Ultra Shine cures to a perfect high-gloss shine in 60 seconds in an LED lamp, or 120 seconds with a UV lamp.  It does take a little longer to cure than your average top coat, but the shine is well worth the extra few seconds of time.

I had to demonstrate the shine of this top coat so that you can see what I’m talking about.  I prepared some swatch sticks with a black base, and topped each off with some of the various top coat brands that I have on hand.  The photo below shows them all side-by-side after wiping the tacky layer off of the ones that required it.  In this picture I didn’t wipe the Pink Gellac Ultra Shine or the Bio Seaweed Gel No-Wipe top coat since they don’t require it.  You can see that the two no-wipe top coats are visibly shinier than the rest.

But most people moisturize after doing their gel manicure, so it’s possible that you might moisturize and wipe them off anyway, right?  So after taking the photo above I actually did wipe the two no-wipe top coats with alcohol just to be fair.  Here is a comparison of the two no-wipe top coats after doing this.  They’re both extremely shiny, but Pink Gellac Ultra Shine still wins.  At the bottom of the swatch sticks you can even see the reflection of my head and camera when you zoom in real close.

Gelish TIO has always been my go-to top coat until I started using Pink Gellac, so I had to do a side-by-side comparison of these as well.  Gelish is pretty darn shiny, but the Ultra Shine is even shinier!

The ONLY potential downside that I can think of to a no-wipe top coat is that you can’t burnish glitter or pigment powders into it since it doesn’t have a tacky layer.  But you can still add your glitter or pigments to the color layer, and then use the no-wipe top coat over it.  If you want the best shine, this is it!  Buy it here!

Ultra Shine PEARL Top Coat

I also have the new Pink Gellac Ultra Shine PEARL top coat in stock! This top coat has all of the same great qualities as the regular Ultra Shine, but it also adds a pearl shimmer effect to any color that you use it over. Now you can turn any cream shade into a pearl, just by adding this top coat.  Buy it here!

(The base colors in the examples above are Pink Gellac #133 Fuschia Red and #118 Lavender Purple.  I don’t have these colors, but they can be found at www.pinkgellac.nl)

Color Comparisons

Some of you have asked me how Pink Gellac Velvet Purple and Emerald Green compare to some of the other colors in my collection, so I took a few comparison pictures for you.  Below is a shot of the purples – you can click on this image to view it in a larger format.  Velvet Purple has a slightly bluer tone than most of the dark Gelish purples, and it has some depth with the blue and purple flecks.

Here is Pink Gellac Emerald Green next to some similar shades.  Emerald Green has more of a frosty metallic finish than the others.  It’s a teal-leaning green, but isn’t quite as dark as Race You to the Bottom.

Pink Gellac is a high-quality European brand of soak-off gel polish.  These products can be purchased exclusively in the US & Canada at the Chickettes Boutique.  Purchase the base & top coats together in a set and save!  And get free shipping within the US on all orders over $65!  Global shipping is also available.

I started with two coats of Fabulous Silver on all of my nails, and then I created the chevron look by applying two coats of Velvet Purple and Passion Pink.  I actually attempted these chevrons a couple of times using tape to block off the silver shape, but the polish kept seeping under the tape.  Some days I can get tape manis to work great, some days not… oh well.  I ended up hand painting the pink and purple shapes with a small Wistonia #00 brush which actually worked out pretty well.  Now that I have the smaller brushes I’m finding it much easier to do freehand art.  (You’re actually going to see my most elaborate freehand art to-date in just a few days!)

Here’s a close-up shot that shows the details of the colors better, and it also shows off that super high-gloss shine that I got with the Pink Gellac Ultra Shine top coat.

The Pink Gellac by Chickettes gel polishes are now also available on Amazon.com! Add them to your wishlist for the upcoming holidays!

I’ve been wanting to do a pearl & gold combination and this design just kind of happened when I sat down at my nail table the other day.  I thought I might try glitter moons, but I wanted something a little more edgy and geometric and ended up with this.  I did this design freehand without any tape.  I started with my base coat and then applied Pink Gellac Magic Pearl very carefully in angled strokes, leaving a bare triangle space.  I applied two coats of Magic Pearl, curing after each coat and then filled in the triangular space with Pink Gellac Luxury Gold.  I used a small nail art brush and applied the gold glitter polish very carefully, also in two coats.  I used Pink Gellac Ultra Shine over top to finish off the look.

Magic Pearl is a white gel polish shade with a frosty finish with a golden sheen to it.  I figured that gold glitter would be a great accent to this color, and they do work very well together.  The gold glitter really brings out the golden sheen of Magic Pearl.  Luxury Gold is a dense gold glitter gel polish that is opaque in just two coats.  It’s perfect for accent nails or design accents such as this.

These two colors are available at the Chickettes Boutique, and they are also now available on Amazon.com so you can add them to your holiday wishlist!

I’d love to know what you think of this look.  I wasn’t in love with it at first, but it’s really grown on me since I’ve been wearing it and I’ve received tons of compliments. 

I’m excited to announce that Chickettes Boutique is now carrying Pink Gellac Silver & Gold Foil Effects!  These gel polish toppers have a clear base with metallic foil flakes. They can be worn on their own or applied over any gel polish color to add a fun effect!  The silver and gold finishes are perfect for the upcoming holidays!

These polishes will cure in UV (120 seconds) or LED lamps (60 seconds).  It is recommended that you use the Pink Gellac Ultra Shine top coat over top of the foil effect for optimal shine, smoothness and durability.

Below are examples of the Gold Foil Effect polish applied over some different colors. Each of these swatches has one coat of the foil topper over a base color.

And here are some examples of the Silver Foil Effect over different base colors.

These polishes are available online via Chickettes at the Chickettes Boutique, and Amazon.com!  Add them to your Amazon wishlist for the holidays!

P.S. I took these photos in the summer when my skin was very tan and my nails were longer!

Hi everyone! I get a lot of emails and messages requesting recommendations for things like gel polish colors, lamps, starter kits, nail art tools and the like. Since the holiday shopping season is just around the corner, I thought I’d write a few posts to highlight some of my favorite things to help with the creation of your wishlists or shopping lists.

Today I’m going to feature some of my all-time favorite gel polish brands & colors.  I can’t tell you how often I am asked about what brands I like and my top color picks.  I must warn you that my favorite colors are often influenced by my mood, the season, new findings, etc… and they change frequently.  A month from now I could have a completely different list.  I was going to try to do a Top 10 list, but there’s no way I can limit my favorites to just 10.  LOL  My list will likely show you that I gravitate towards blues/teals, purples, and pinks… and I love shimmery finishes.

I’m going to group my favorites by brand and show thumbnails of the color swatches.  You can click in the images to see larger versions of the pictures.  Below each picture is a link to where the color can be purchased (mostly Amazon affiliate links).  These are in no particular order!

LeChat Perfect Match

I just recently started using LeChat Perfect Match and I absolutely love the quality of their polishes, and that each gel polish color comes with a matching lacquer.  Many of the polishes that I’ve tried recently have absolutely gorgeous finishes, and immediately jumped to the top of my list of favorites.  All of these sparkly beauties are must-haves in any collection.  LeChat also has amazing Mood polishes that change color with your body temperature, which are always fun to wear.

To find a local distributor of LeChat Perfect Match, please visit the LeChat website.  I have also provided links below to the products on Amazon.com.  Please note that LeChat products purchased on Amazon may not come in the original packaging.

Ready for my Closeup

Night at the Cinema

Hologram Diamond

Shangri-La

Wild Berry

Starry Night (Mood)

Gelish

I’ve been a long-time fan of Gelish and I own almost all of their colors, so it’s no surprise that the majority of my favorites are from this brand.  Of course I like several purples and blues… Mali-Blu Me Away was my go-to color this past summer.  I love the duochrome effect of Big City Siren.  Good Gossip is just a good old classic sparkly red, and Vegas Nights is my favorite sparkly topper.

Berry Buttoned Up

Tahiti Hottie

Whose Cider Are You On?

Race You to the Bottom

Rub Me the Sarong Way

Mali-Blu Me Away

Big City Siren

Good Gossip

Fairest of Them All

Showstopping

Sledding in Style

Vegas Nights

DIY Hard Nails

DIY Hard Nails has a limited color selection, but they have some pretty unique polishes. They have the color changing gels with glitter in them, and the DIY black and white are the most opaque ones that I own. And Pink Crystal is just gorgeous!

Pink Crystal

Pink Frost

Black Cat

ibd Just Gel Polish

ibd Just Gel Polish is a good quality brand that’s affordable.  They have a good selection of colors.  My ibd stash is still pretty limited, but I’ve been trying to get more of them over time.  Midnight Martinis is just a totally unique gorgeous color.  Dockside Diva is my go-to nude/neutral shade.  And I’m No Damsel is my favorite light pink cream.

Midnight Martinis

Dockside Diva

I’m No Damsel

Miscellaneous

These are a few colors from other brands that I like.  I was just introduced recently to Revel and Kiara Sky and I haven’t had a chance to swatch many of their colors yet, but Revel Hysteria stood out to me as a unique shade.  And Kiara Sky has some really unique glitter polishes that look like a nail art effect.  And I also included Gelaze 108 degrees because it’s one of my favorites for summer.

Revel Hysteria

Gelaze 108 Degrees

Kiara Sky Graffiti

Pink Gellac

Last, but not least… Pink Gellac. I admit that this is a shameless plug. I curated this collection so of course I love the colors!  I’m selling these at my boutique at www.chickettes.com/boutique and also on Amazon.com.  I’m planning to run a great Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion next week, so keep an eye out for that!

Velvet Purple

Passion Pink

Emerald Green

Luxury Gold

Fabulous Silver

Magic Pearl

The holiday season is officially upon us, and to celebrate I’m giving away lots of goodies from the Pink Gellac by Chickettes Holiday Sparkle Collection!  This collection, and other Pink Gellac gel polish colors & nail care items are also available for purchase over at the Chickettes Boutique.  Now through Monday December 2nd, all prices have been slashed by 20%!

Learn more about the Holiday Sparkle Collection »

Learn more about Pink Gellac Ultra Shine & Ultra Shine PEARL »

Learn more about Pink Gellac Silver & Gold Foil Effect polishes »

GIVEAWAY DETAILS!

THE PRIZES

1st Place:

• All 6 colors from the Holiday Sparkle Collection
• Pink Gellac Silver Foil Effect
• Pink Gellac Gold Foil Effect
• Pink Gellac Ultra Shine top coat
• Pink Gellac Base² base coat

2nd Place:

• All 6 colors from the Holiday Sparkle Collection

3rd Place:

• Pink Gellac Silver Foil Effect
• Pink Gellac Gold Foil Effect

THE RULES

• The giveaway will run through December 10, 2014.
• Entries will be collected via Rafflecopter only.
• The winners will be selected randomly via Rafflecopter and announced on December 11.
• The winners will be notified via email, and will have 48 hours to claim the prizes or new winners will be selected.
• This giveaway is open internationally.
• Entries will be verified.

GOOD LUCK & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Enter the Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If for any reason the Rafflecopter widget above won’t open, please try accessing the entry form here:
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bddb539022/

Pink Gellac released five gorgeous new colors today!  All five of these new colors, as well as nine existing colors have been added to Chickettes Boutique and are now available for sale!  If you are planning to purchase any Pink Gellac items from the Boutique for the holidays, please get your orders in by December 18th!  The Boutique will not be shipping orders from December 19-27.

So let’s take a look at these amazing new colors.  All five have great coverage in just two coats, and apply with ease!

Pink Gellac #149 Moulin Rouge is a frosty, shimmery red.  This is a really classic color that can be worn year-round.

Pink Gellac #150 Chestnut Brown is a frosty, shimmery brown with red undertones.

Pink Gellac #151 Halloween Orange is a frosty, shimmery orange.  This orange has some red undertones and is also a great year-round color.

Pink Gellac #152 Naked is a pale lavender-toned neutral with a subtle shimmer.  I conducted a fade test on this color since this shade is known to have issues when exposed to natural light, but I’m happy to report that there was no fading!  I had my fingers crossed the whole time because I really love this color!

Pink Gellac #153 Petrol Grey is a frosty metallic grey.  I’m pretty crazy about this color too.  It’s perfect for the fall and winter months.

In addition to the five brand new shades shown above, nine other existing Pink Gellac colors have been added to the Chickettes Boutique.  You may have already seen them because I put them up for pre-order during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale.  They’re all in stock now and will be permanently carried.  I plan to start adding some of the brighter spring and summer colors to the Boutique after the new year.

Pink Gellac #105 Blush Orange is a lovely pale pink with some orange undertones.  This color is on the sheer side and will show some visible nail line.  The swatch below is three coats.

Pink Gellac #109 Lipstick Red is a very classic creamy red.

Pink Gellac #112 Chique Red is a very dark burgundy red cream with some purple undertones.

Pink Gellac #113 Intense Taupe is a creamy brown/taupe shade that reminds me of milk chocolate.

Pink Gellac #114 Royal Brown is a rich, dark, shimmery brown.

Pink Gellac #117 Night Blue is a dark, shimmery blue that’s reminiscent of the night sky.

Pink Gellac #120 Beautiful Black is a creamy stark black.  For best opacity I recommend three coats.

Pink Gellac #125 Bronzy Pink is a frosty metallic bronze shade with pink undertones.

Pink Gellac #139 Natural Taupe is a light, neutral taupe shade with a cream finish.

And last but not least, the Pink Gellac Primer has also been added to the Boutique. This acid-free primer is ideal for oily or brittle nails with poor adhesion.  If you often have issues with gel polish lifting or chipping prematurely, using a primer will help the polish last longer.  Primer is applied to the cleansed nail just before applying your base coat.  It doesn’t need to be cured, but you should allow 10-15 seconds for it to air dry.  Apply it only in the areas where you have lifting issues (usually the tips).  Using primer can cause your soak-offs to take longer than usual.

P.S. Head on over to the Chickettes FB page to see if there are any discount offers posted!

You can also find these Pink Gellac products here on Amazon.com.

Now that my nails are starting to grow out a little I’m feeling more inspired to do some nail art!  Today I went for some neutral shades with some added bling.  And I’m happy to say that I finally recorded the gemstone video I’ve been promising forever.  It will be posted separately once I’ve had time to edit it… but it’s coming!

Index finger & pinky: These two nails have two coats of Pink Gellac Naked, one of the new shades that was just released.  I used my Harmony Gel Striper brush and a silver nail art paint called Presto Chiarezza to add some silver stripes to the nails.

Middle finger:  I wanted sheer black under my lace design, so I took a drop of Pink Gellac Beautiful Black and mixed it with some top coat to dilute it.  I painted it on with a gel brush and cured.  Then I stamped a delicate floral lace pattern onto the nail after wiping the tacky layer off.  I used Messy Mansion stamping plate MM44, and black Mundo de Unas stamping polish.  Once the stamping polish dried, I applied my gel top coat.

Ring finger:  This finger has two coats of Pink Gellac Beautiful Black.  When I posted about this color the other day I said it requires three coats, but it was actually nice and opaque with just two coats after I mixed it well.  I applied a thick silver stripe down the middle of this nail using the same Presto color gel and a striping brush.  Then I applied two rows of clear crystal rhinestones over the stripe, using Gelish Foundation gel as the “glue” and a thick coat of Gelish Top It Off to seal it all in.

Here’s a shot that I took that shows my thumb, which is done just like the index and pinky but with two stripes instead of one.  In this picture I’m holding the little pot of Presto Chiarezza silver gel.  I’m impressed that the silver was opaque over the black polish in just one coat!

I’m really hoping to do some holiday nail art soon, but I haven’t felt inspired yet. It doesn’t feel like the Christmas season to me since I’m not decorating my house this year. I’ll be in sunny Florida for the holiday! Maybe I need to do some beach-themed holiday nails… ?!

I created a short video that shows how to create a glitter gradient using a glitter gel polish. Glitter gradients are super easy to do if you have the right polish. In this video I started with a base of Pink Gellac Blush Orange and applied a silver gradient using Pink Gellac Fabulous Silver. Fabulous Silver and Luxury Gold are both perfect dense glitter polishes to use with this technique!

Glitter gradients can also be done using gel polish and loose glitter. See my video on that technique here.

Below is another glitter gradient that I did a few weeks ago using the same technique. The polishes used in this manicure are Pink Gellac Chique Red and Luxury Gold.

Pink Gellac gel polish is available for sale at Chickettes Boutique or on Amazon.com. For the month of January you can save 15% at the Boutique using coupon code HAPPY2015!

17 new Pink Gellac shades were added to the Chickettes Boutique this weekend! Now through January 31st you can save 15% on your order using coupon code HAPPY2015!  Shop Now!

Among the new colors are #101 Soft White & #121 French Pink.  They are the perfect pair for a classic French manicure!  Photos of all of the new colors are displayed below.  Click on the thumbnails for a closer look.

Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2015 is Marsala. “A naturally robust and earthy wine red, Marsala enriches our minds, bodies and souls.”  I have to admit that I wasn’t overly excited about this color choice when it was first announced, and was hoping for something more bold.  But there are some very pretty gel polish colors that fit into the Marsala family, and they’re great shades for winter!  These are a few that I found while I was looking through my collection that I thought fit the bill.

The top color is Pink Gellac Mystic, which has just recently been added to the Chickettes Boutique.  The bottom row consists of three Gelish colors. From left to right, they are:

• My Jewels Keep Me Warm (from The Big Chill Collection)
• Exhale (a classic from the Gelish line), and
• She’s My Beauty (from the Once Upon a Dream Collection)

FYI – the last two colors aren’t matte, they are shiny… my old lighting setup muted the shine.

What other Marsala gel polish colors do you know of?  Feel free to share in the comments below. 

I had a little play time with some new products and created this nail art look.  Girly Bits Cosmetics sent me some Stuck on Love nail shields that have a pattern that looks a little like fishnet.  The nail shields have a sticky adhesive on the back and you stick them onto your nail and polish over them to create a pattern.  You can use them with regular polish or gel.  These nail shields will be available on the Girly Bits website on Monday, February 16th (read the press release here).

To get this look, I started by painting my nails with my base colors (gel polish of course).  The shimmery coral color on my index finger, thumb and pinky is Kiara Sky Cocoa Coral, and I used Pink Gellac Beautiful Black on the other nails.  On the two black nails, I wiped off the tacky layer and then applied the nail shield to the nails.  The nail shields are very large, so I was able to cut one in half and use it on both nails.

Next, I applied a coat of Pink Gellac Beautiful Black gel polish over top of the nail shield.

While the black polish was still wet, I sprayed gold glitter over the nails and peeled off the nail vinyl.   Then I cured the nails in my LED lamp as usual for 30 seconds.

Lastly, I cleaned off the excess glitter and top coated!

I used my new Pink Gellac Glitter Effect Spray to get this look.  This is a brand new product that is now available at Chickettes Boutique.  Save $5 on orders over $35 this month with coupon code LOVE5!  They are clear plastic bottles with a pump spray nozzle, filled with 25 grams of loose microglitter.  The glitter sprays are available in gold, holographic silver, pink and red.  The sprays allow you to add a glitter effect to your gel polish manicure by spraying the glitter onto the nail while the gel polish is still wet (before curing).  After adding the glitter, you cure the polish as normal and then apply your top coat.

I find that the bottles spray a pretty generous amount of glitter.  To get this look I think I sprayed each nail 2 or 3 times to ensure full coverage and to completely fill in the pattern.  The glitter sprays are a little hard to explain in words, so I will be preparing a video demo soon!

This is the completed look!

There are some new products available at Chickettes Boutique that I’m pretty excited about! First is the Pink Gellac Matte Top Coat, which is a gel top coat with a matte effect that you can apply over any color. It’s also fun to apply over different finishes and even glitter effects for a different look.  Below is a photo of Matte Top Coat applied over Pink Gellac Beautiful Black.

If you’ve ever used a matte top coat, you’ve probably noticed that after a period of time they start to appear glossy.  This is usually caused by the oils from lotions or skin care products, or even the natural oils from your skin.  When I wear a matte top coat I tend to touch my nails a lot, which makes them appear shiny after a while.  When this happens, all you have to do is cleanse the surface of your nails with alcohol or an alcohol-based nail cleanser and they will go back to looking matte again once they are dry. 

Chickettes Boutique now carries three of the Pink Gellac top coats, and I put them together in a side-by-side photo for comparison purposes.  Ultra Shine and Ultra Shine PEARL are high-gloss, no-wipe top coats that require a 60 second LED cure (36 watt lamp).  The Matte top coat has a 30 second LED cure, and does have a tacky inhibition layer that needs to be wiped off.  The matte effect will appear after the nails have been properly cleansed and then air dried for a few seconds.

The other new products that I’m excited about are the Pink Gellac Glitter Effect Sprays.  They are plastic spray bottles with a pump nozzle that spray loose microglitter to create glitter effects!  Each bottle contains 25 grams of loose glitter, and there are four colors available… Red, Pink, Gold & Holographic Silver.

To use the glitter sprays with gel polish, apply your desired base color and on the last coat, spray the glitter onto your nails while the color layer is still wet (before curing).  Hold the glitter spray approximately 10 inches above your nails and spray the desired amount.  Cure the polish in your lamp as directed on the polish bottle.  Lastly, apply your top coat over the glitter layer.  If you apply a LOT of glitter, you may need two layers of top coat to get a completely smooth finish.

I’ve been playing with these glitter sprays and have found that you can spray a little or a lot to get the desired effect.  If you purchase these glitters, I recommend playing with them before trying to apply the glitter to your nails so that you are comfortable with the spray pump to spray the proper amount.  When I first tried them I was doing a full pump of the nozzle and it was spraying out quite a lot of glitter.  I found that you can pump the nozzle very lightly to get a sprinkling of glitter instead of a full blast of glitter.    I also recommend working over a towel or paper towel for easy cleanup of excess glitter.

Below are some examples that I prepared on swatch sticks.  You can click on this image to see a larger version.

This is a closer look at the spray pump nozzle in case you’re curious.  I hadn’t seen loose glitter in a spray bottle before now, and I think it’s pretty genius.  It provides a lot of new possibilities for nail art, as well as things like arts and crafts!

Below are some examples of nail art looks that you can create using gel polish, Nail Vinyls and the glitter sprays.  I started with my base color, Beautiful Black and wiped off the tacky layer.  Then I applied the Nail Vinyl stickers to the nails and painted another coat of Beautiful Black over the areas where I wanted to add some glitter effects.  I sprayed the glitter onto the nails while the polish was still wet, and then peeled off the stickers before curing.  You can see in step 3 that I had a little bit of loose glitter on the bottom of the swatch sticks where I didn’t want it.   I just cleaned that loose glitter off with a cotton swab before applying my top coat.

Another quick trick… if you get loose glitter on your top coat brush, wipe it off with a lint-free wipe and alcohol or nail cleanser before putting the brush back in your bottle!  Glitter can get messy if you’re not careful. 

This is another nail art look that I created and wrote about recently using the glitter sprays.  Read the full article here.

The Pink Gellac Matte Top Coat and Glitter Effect Sprays are available for sale at Chickettes Boutique!

Save $5 on orders of $35 or more using coupon code LOVE5 until the end of February!

The Boutique now also accepts credit cards in addition to PayPal 

Pink Gellac released 5 new gorgeous gel polish shades for Spring, and four of them are currently available at Chickettes Boutique.  The fifth color apparently sold out fast because it’s on back-order, but I should have it in stock in about two weeks. 

Pink Gellac #155 Satin Grey is a light grey with a frosty shimmer finish.  This is a stunning shade that’s opaque in just two coats.  It applied slightly patchy near the cuticle area on the first coat, but the trick to getting full coverage when applying light polishes like this is to float the brush over the nail and not push too hard.  This shade is darker than Gelish The Big Chill and Cashmere Kind of Gal and has more of a silvery feel to it.  Satin Grey looks really lush!

Pink Gellac #156 Tropical is a bright, fun coral-leaning pink cream.  This color is opaque in 2-3 coats, and is in the same family as Gelish Watch Your Step Sister and Gelish Passion.  I love this shade for Spring & Summer!  It certainly has a tropical, beach-y feel to it.

Pink Gellac #157 Sky Blue is a really unique blue cream.  I don’t own any other colors quite like this one, and Sky Blue is the perfect descriptor.  This color goes on a bit sheer, but builds up to full opacity with three thin coats.

Pink Gellac #158 Candy Pink is a frosty, medium pink shimmer.  When compared with my other pinks, this shade appears to have some mauve tones to it.  It’s opaque in two coats, and will show your brush strokes so be sure to apply from edge to edge to get a perfect finish!

Natasja of Love Life Lacquer also swatched and reviewed the colors in this collection, which you can see and read here.  She has the fifth color, Nude Beige, which I will have in about two weeks.  Her photos of Candy Pink look a little brighter than mine.  I’m wearing the color right now and don’t consider it to be a bright shade.  Also, pop on over to Pink Beauty Club’s Facebook page to see some user photo submissions of these colors.

These polishes can be purchased at Chickettes Boutique for $12.95.  Save 15% on your order through the end of the month using coupon code SPRING15!

Also, you can sign up for the Boutique’s mailing list to receive notices about updates and specials. 

I’ve been practicing my French manicure skills for class recently, and I thought I’d share the two applications that I did using Pink Gellac.  I’m often asked for recommendations for base colors that can be used for French manicures, and these two colors worked perfectly!
For this first French manicure I used Pink Gellac French Pink as the base, and Soft White for the tips.  This polish was specifically designed with this purpose in mind, hence the name.  French Pink is a sheer gel polish with a pink tint, providing a very natural look.  I applied two coats of this, and then applied white across the tips with one stroke from side to side.  I went over the tips twice to ensure perfect, even coverage.

I created a video that shows how to accomplish a French mani with gel polish a while ago… watch it here.  In this video, I applied white across the tip and then used a brush dipped in alcohol to perfect the smile line which is a great trick if you aren’t able to paint the smile line exactly how you want it.

For my second French manicure I used Pink Gellac Blush Orange with Soft White.  Blush Orange is a popular neutral shade at the Boutique, and I wanted to experiment and see how it would look in a French design.  I absolutely loved the result!  It’s not quite as classic of a look as the other, but it really seemed to pop on my nails and they looked a little like they might even be enhancements and not just polish.  I received a lot of compliments from this mani!

These Pink Gellac polishes can be purchased individually at Chickettes Boutique, or they can be purchased together as a set for an additional savings!  And don’t forget to check the banners on the homepage for the latest special offers. 

You can now also order gift certificates at the Boutique!  They can be purchased in any dollar amount of $10 or more.  The gift certificates are delivered immediately via email, so they make a perfect last-minute gift for a gel polish enthusiast!

Pink Gellac just released five new gorgeous shades in the Ibiza Summer Collection.  The collection consists of four unique shimmery shades, and one neon cream.  All of these colors are now available at Chickettes Boutique and on Amazon.com!

At Chickettes Boutique, save $5 on orders of $35 or more with coupon code IBIZA5.  Or save $10 on orders of $50 or more with the code IBIZA10.  And don’t forget that orders over $50 also qualify for FREE SHIPPING in the US! (*coupon codes are valid through June 30th)

For those of you who were waiting, the Pink Gellac Ultra Shine top coat is also back in stock!

#159 Glamorous Peach is a lush peachy coral with a golden shimmer.

#160 Clarity Turquoise is a shimmery light turquoise blue with a subtle duochrome effect.

#161 Ibiza Pink is a neon pink cream that’s perfect for the beach or pool!

#162 Intergalactic Purple is a regal, shimmery blue-leaning purple.  This color is a bit iridescent when applied and builds up to a nice opacity in three coats.

#163 Rockstar Red is bright red with a golden shimmer.

Here’s another quick shot of Intergalactic Purple to show off some of it’s shimmery goodness.

I personally love shimmer finishes, so this collection is right up my alley.  The colors are unique and bold!  You can read a review and see more swatches of this collection over at Love Life Lacquer.

Which colors are your favorites?

Pink Gellac released a new collection of nudes called Uncovered¹.  This collection consists of 5 gorgeous neutral shades that are perfect for any occasion, or for the office.  I love the soft subtleness of these shades.  All five colors are now available for sale at Chickettes Boutique!  Worldwide shipping is offered on all Pink Gellac polishes, and the HOT Summer Sale is going on through the end of August.  Use the coupon codes below on checkout to save!

Save $5 on $35…. code: HOT5
Save $10 on $50… code: HOT10
Save $15 on $75… code: HOT15

Let’s take a look at the individual colors in the collection.  Each of the swatches below show three coats of color for consistency.

Pink Gellac #164 Classic Pearl looks exactly as the name suggests.  It’s a sheer pink-toned neutral with a shimmery pearl finish.  This color looks great when worn on it’s own and also layered over other colors!

Pink Gellac #165 Champage is a frosty nude.  This color builds up to opacity, but still shows just a touch of VNL with three coats.  As with most frosts, this color does show brushstrokes so careful base to tip application in long strokes is recommended.

Pink Gellac #166 Vintage Nude is a gorgeous pink-toned neutral.  Vintage Nude is also somewhat sheer and a bit of visible nail line can be seen.  I just love this color and think it’s the perfect nude for my skin tone.  It would work great as the base color for a French manicure as well.

Another great shade in the Pink Gellac line that’s similar to this color is #154 Nude Beige.  Nude Beige is slightly more rosy and isn’t sheer.

Pink Gellac #167 Pure Cashmere is a soft, grey-leaning taupe with a subtle purple-toned iridescent shimmer.  This is another favorite of mine.  If you’re wondering how this color compares to #152 Naked, it’s more grey than purple-toned and is a bit more sheer.

Pink Gellac #168 Elegant Taupe is a soft taupe cream.  This color is similar in shade to #139 Natural Taupe, but is lighter and slightly more grey-toned than brown.  This color has nice coverage in two coats.

Neutrals are very in right now!  Which of these new colors are your favorite?

Good morning!  I’m heading into the Polizhed studio in a few minutes to start my day, but wanted to put up a quick post to let you all know that I’m running a Labor Day sale this weekend on Pink Gellac gel polish.

Buy 3, Get 1 FREE! Use coupon code LABOR2015 to take advantage of this offer.

Valid through September 9th at midnight EST.  Here is the link to the sale:  http://www.chickettes.com/boutique/

Also shipping is always FREE on orders over $50 within the US!

Have a fabulous weekend!