Tag: MAGNETIC
Crazy Plant Lady
I honed a lot of skills during the lockdowns, but one of my proudest accomplishments was turning my black thumb into a green one. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but at least I can now keep ivy and succulents alive. I learned enough to be able to proudly wear this nail polish though – Paint It Pretty Polish “Crazy Plant Lady”.
“Crazy Plant Lady” is from March’s Under the Microscope Polish Pickup and it’s another MAGNETIC polish. It’s inspired by plant cells under the microscope and I feel like I’ve seen plant cells under a microscope before…but that was like 40 years ago, so I’m just gonna agree. This is also my first Paint It Pretty and it was a nice formula and easy to use. I used the exact same method as “Secret Allure” and I love the velvetized french manicure look.
This is two coats of “Crazy Plant Lady”, magnetized with a round rare earth magnet using DRK Nails Magic Effect and over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Secret Allure
The magnet makes all the difference!
Penelope Luz “Secret Allure” is from January’s Masquerade Polish Pickup. The colors are fairly similar to “Nichibotsu”, but the effect is totally different. Instead of the weak ass butterfly wand, I used one of my husband’s rare earth magnets. It’s small and round, slightly smaller than a 50 cent piece. I didn’t have to go through all the drama of holding it over my nails – instead, I just laid half of my fingertip over the edge of the magnet as I painted. The effect is a mix of velvet effect and a bar magnet, giving the impression of a french manicure. I could NOT stop looking at my nails!
So what do you think of my new lightbox? My husband had gotten it for me about six months ago, but I kept forgetting to set it up. I was having a hard time capturing the magnetic polishes in sunlight and I’m very happy with the pictures using the lightbox. I’m still using my phone, as opposed to my SLR – I admit to being a lazy bum. I think I’ll switch to using it for all my nail pics.
This is two coats of “Secret Allure”, magnetized with a round rare earth magnet using DRK Nails Magic Effect and over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Erythrocytes
So many medical words are derived from Ancient Greek. Erythrocytes are red blood cells and DRK Nails “Erythrocytes” is inspired by red blood cells under the microscope…which was the theme of March’s Polish Pickup.
I was so excited to try DRK Nails Magic Effect – will this be the magical product that makes magnetic nail polish easy? Well….yes and no. I started with a base coat and a single coat of polish. I did the second coat of polish one nail at a time, magnetizing the polish with a butterfly magnet. After letting them dry for 5 minutes or so, I then used Magic Effect on each nail, magnetizing again. After those coats dried, I finished with the top coat – one nail at a time, magnetizing each one for a third time. I suspect that the butterfly magnet that I picked up from Polish Pickup isn’t strong enough, so next time I’ll try a different one. I had the best result on my thumb – it looks more like fireworks than a butterfly, but I am diggin’ it.
This is two coats of “Erythrocytes”, magnetized with a butterfly magnet using DRK Nails Magic Effect and over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Nichibotsu 2: Electric Boogaloo
Now that I’ve bought a few different nail magnets, I’m working on improving my results with magnetic polishes.
I referred to a reddit tutorial this time, which suggested I start with a black base coat, then a thick coat of the magnetic polish, magnetize, then magnetize AGAIN, immediately after the top coat. Sounds simple enough, right?
My dumb ass always thinks I know better. I chose a magnetic polish I had used recently – Phoenix “Nichibotsu”, so I could compare results. I figured I would be fine without the black base coat and just used a regular milky clear base coat. Magnetizing the polish twice worked TOO WELL. The polish magnetized so well on a few nails, that it made bald spots in the polish (see the end of my left thumb). It also didn’t help that I didn’t let the thick coat dry enough and it moves around when I applied the top coat. Although my results are remarkable better the second time around, I don’t think I held the magnets on long enough either time. There’s nowhere to go but up!
This is one thick coat of “Nichibotsu” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Miss Runway
Emily de Molly “Miss Runway” is inspired by a dress (probably for a masquerade ball) because it’s from January’s Masquerade Polish Pickup.
“Miss Runway” is a magnetic polish and although I did get what I thought were adequate results with the ring magnet, they are not striking enough to be picked up in picture. I counted to 30! and it still wasn’t long enough…I need to practice, because in the sample pics, I should be able to get a more striking light blue magnetic effect. Arghhhhhhhhhh.
This is two coats of “Miss Runway” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Nichibotsu
Phoenix “Nichibotsu” is from October’s “Natural Phenomenon” Polish Pickup and is inspired by a particular scene in Hunter x Hunter, a popular anime series that I haven’t seen. (My son is a BIG fan.) “Nichibotsu” means sunset in Japanese, and this polish is a multichrome that flashes between bright violet and fiery sunset.
This is my first magnetic nail polish! I’m still getting the hang of it – I don’t think I left the magnet above my nail for long enough, because my thumb and ring finger were really the only ones that “stayed” magentized. I’ll try again soon!
This is two coats of “Nichibotsu” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Melt Down” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Champagne Toast“.