Easy Polka Dot Nail Art Design

Polka dots are a fun and easy nail art design. Dots are one of the simplest forms of nail art, but they can really make your nails look fun and festive! You can do all the polka dots in one color, or different colors on each nail. Or for a fun sprinkles look, use many colors of dots on each nail.

Polka dots only take a few minutes to add, but they make your nails look so much more exciting!

How to do easy polka dot nail art:

1. First, paint your nails with a clear base coat and allow it to dry.
2. Paint your nails with 2-3 coats of colored nail polish and allow it to dry.
3. Add dots with a toothpick dipped in nail polish. Let dry.
4. Finish with a clear or sparkly top coat.

Sula Peel-Off Nail Polish Demo {Video}

Today is all about peel-off nail polishes! Earlier I posted a video about Suncoat peel-off nail polish. Now, for your comparison, here is a video demonstrating Sula peel-off nail polish.

Have you ever tried Sula Paint and Peel nail polish? What do you think of Sula?

Suncoat Peel-Off Nail Polish Review {Video}

So, I have already mentioned Suncoat peel-off nail polish on My Polish Collection a few times. But since it is my favorite brand of peel-off nail polish, it's okay if I go on and on about it :). Today I have a Suncoat peel-off nail polish review in video format to share with you. Instead of having to read anymore, just sit back and relax and enjoy the video.

After watching the video review, do you think you might try Suncoat peel-off nail polish?

How Many Brands of Water Based Nail Polish Can You Name?

Do you know any brands of water-based nail polish that you can name off of the top of your head? What about naming brands of water based nail polish from their bottles? If you are familiar with many water based nail polish brands, you may be able to ace this quiz! But even if you don't know a single brand, take this quiz as a fun introduction.

I saw a similar quiz, asking you to name main-stream brands of nail polish from their bottles, but there was not a single water based brand listed. I thought it would be fun to put a twist on this idea and make a quiz with only water based polishes.

So, here is how it works. Below you will find 10 numbered images of nail polish bottles. Jot down the brand that comes to mind when you see each bottle. If you have no idea, just make something up! Have fun with it! After you have written down your 10 answers, keep scrolling to reveal the answer key. Don't sweat it, you won't be getting a grade. :) But I would love to hear how you did in the comments!

Name These Brands of Water Based Nail Polish

 

And now, for the answers!

*
*
*
*
*

1. Honeybee Gardens WaterColors
2. Suncoat
3. Keeki Pure & Simple
4. Acquarella
5. Hopscotch Kids
6. Piggy Paint
7. Sula Paint & Peel
8. Suncoat Polish & Peel
9. AQmore
10. Scotch Naturals

Were you able to name any of the water based polish brands from their bottles?

AQmore Peel-Off Nail Polish for Grown-Ups

Yay! I was excited to get to review AQmore, another brand of water-based peel-off nail polish! This is the third brand of peel-off nail polish for gown-ups that I have tried. Thank you to UNIQSO, for sending me a colored AQmore nail polish and a top coat with stars.

I tried out Catherine, which is a pinkish bronze color with a very sparkly finish. It becomes a pinker color if you add the top coat. I love the stars in the Super Star Pink top coat, but I don't love that the top coat smells like regular solvent-based nail polish. Next time I would just get the colored polish.

AQmore is a peel-off polish, so it is just meant to be worn for a day or two. I painted my nails with three coats of Catherine and wore the nail polish for two days. The polish had an unpleasant smell while painting it on, which is too bad. If you are looking for an odorless peel-off polish, take a look at Suncoat Polish and Peel.

To remove AQmore nail polish, I simply soaked my hands in warm water for five minutes, loosened the polish around the edges, and peeled the polish off! Easy-peasy!

Overall, the smell of the nail polish is a turn-off. But the sweet bottles and girly colors might be enough to get me to add some more AQmore peel-off polishes to my collection.

Have you heard of AQmore nail polish before? Are you interested in trying this peel-off nail polish?

Piggy Paint Water Based Nail Polish

Piggy Paint is a water based nail polish for kids. It is also an excellent choice for adults who want to use a safe and long-lasting nail polish. I tested Piggy Paint water based nail polish on my fingernails.

If you are using Piggy Paint nail polish on your kid's piggies or fingernails, the colored polish is all you need. If you want to wear Piggy Paint on your own nails and have it last a long time, you should also use the new base coat and new top coat. With the base, color, and top coat the nail polish was almost permanent! It lasted well on my fingernails for a week, with only tip wear, even though I was hard on my hands.

I bought Piggy Paint online in Sea-quin (turquoise). I love the Sea-quin color! It is a beautiful bright aqua/ turquoise color that is perfect for summer time. It is shown above with a mint chip truffle.

The only difficulty I had with Piggy Paint was removing it. Make sure to use one of the Piggy Paint nail polish removers. You may also want to read some advice on removing water based nail polish.

Nail Trends for Summer 2012

Nail trends for summer 2012 include gradient manicures, accent nails and bead textured nails. Let's take a look at these three summer nail polish trends. You can use any nail polish to create these fun manicures.

Gradient Manicures

Here is how to get the gradient manicure nail trend for summer:

1.  Choose 2-4 colors of nail polish to use for the gradient. They can be in the same color scheme or contrasting colors.
2. Apply one layer of clear base coat.
3. Let nails air dry for at least one minute
4. Apply 1-2 layers of the palest colored nail polish, until opaque. 
5. Let nails dry completely.
6. Paint the next palest color of nail polish onto a make up sponge. 
7. Gently press the sponge onto a nail. Continue lightly pressing the sponge onto your nail, working from the top of your nail downward. Stop when some of the base color is still showing. Paint the same color polish onto the sponge and repeat on the next nail.
8. Let the polish dry.
9. Paint another makeup sponge with the next color of nail polish in your gradient. Press the sponge onto your nail, working your way to half way down your nail. Repeat on next nail.
10. Let the polish dry.
11. Repeat with the next color, but only press this color onto the top part of your nail.
12. Let the polish dry.
13. Finish with a large helping of clear top coat.
14. Allow nails to dry.
15. Marvel at your work of art.

Accent Nails

The accent nail manicure is one of the easiest forms of nail art. Simply paint your ring fingernails with a different design, color or texture of nail polish. You could use cremes on most of your nails and a glitter on your accent nail. Or keep with the same finishes, but use a contrasting color.

Here is how to get the accent nail trend for summer:

1. Paint all of your nails, expect for your ring fingernails with the same design or color of nail polish.
2. Paint your ring fingernails with a different finish, color, or design.

Let your imagination run! There are many ways to interpret this nail polish theme. Pretty much anything goes.

Bead Textured Nails

For the bead textured trend you can use the Caviar Manicure set from Ciate, or you can DIY.

Here is how to get the bead textured nail trend for summer:

1. Paint your nails with one layer of colored nail polish.
2. Let your nails dry. 
3.  Next, work one nail at a time. Paint another layer of polish onto one nail. Immediately pour micro beads onto the nail. Or carefully place them into a particular pattern.
4. Move onto the next nail.
5. Once all nails have beads on them, allow them to dry.
6. Then apply 2-3 thick coats of top coat to glue down the beads.
7. Show off your spectacular beaded nails right away (they don't last long!).

What are your favorite nail trends for summer 2012?

Natural Nail Polish Remover Brands

Along with nail polishes, my collection also contains natural nail polish removers. So far I have tried eco-friendly nail polish removers from Acquarella, Scotch Naturals, Keeki Pure & Simple, and Suncoat. I have not yet found a perfect natural nail polish remover. Some come close, but still have at least one thing wrong with them. Here's what I think of these four brands of natural nail polish remover.

These are all options if you are looking to avoid acetone while pregnant, or just want a safer remover.

Acquarella Water Based Nail Polish Remover

Acquarella water based nail polish remover works well with Acquarella nail polish, but it doesn't perform so well with other brands of water based nail polish. I tried to use it to remove Piggy Paint that had a top coat on it, and the remover did nothing. It also takes a while to remove polish, but that is the norm with removers meant for water-based nail polish. The two best things about Acquarella remover are that it doesn't smell bad and it works great to clean your nails right before painting them.

Scotch Naturals Soy-Based Nail Polish Remover

Scotch Naturals soy-based nail polish remover is one of my favorite brands of natural nail polish remover. It quickly removes water-based nail polish. It is also supposed to work on regular nail polish, but I haven't tried that yet. It leaves nails shiny and moisturized. I don't love that it sprays out of the bottle. I end up breathing in some of the remover. I'd rather it just pour out of the bottle like normal remover. The bottle is made of glass, which seems classy, but it can also be dangerous. I accidentally knocked over my bottle and it shattered on the floor. So be careful!

Keeki Pure & Simple Non-Toxic Nail Polish Remover

Keeki Pure & Simple Non-Toxic nail polish remover seems great right at first. As soon as you open the child-safe bottle you are greeted with a coconut scent. As you start to use the remover you sense a cool sensation. But pretty soon the skin around your nails starts to get dry. It starts to feel uncomfortable to hold the cotton round soaked in remover. Sometimes I don't even finish removing my water based nail polish before I cannot take it anymore. I wash my hands and apply jojoba oil to my fingers immediately. Sometimes I try again later and sometimes I just wait for the flecks of nail polish to fall off.

Suncoat Natural Nail Polish Remover

Suncoat natural nail polish remover could be great, if only it did not smell so bad. It has all natural ingredient and is made from corn and soya. It works to remove both water-based and regular nail polish. But it smells terrible! Not the acetone smell of regular nail polish remover, but a different smell. I cannot stand using it due to the odor. Suncoat recently released a nail polish remover in a gel form, which I hope smells better. I will be reviewing it soon.

Have you found the perfect natural nail polish remover? Which brand of nail polish remover do you use?

Peel-Off Nail Polish Has Its Limitations

As I have experimented with water based nail polishes, I have grown to appreciate peel-off nail polishes. Removing water based nail polish can be tough and time consuming. It is nice to have the option to just soak my nails in water and then peel the polish off.

I decided to try wearing peel-off water based nail polish on my toenails. I thought this could be useful for times when I want to change my toenail polish frequently or while I'm traveling. I painted my toenails with a purple color from Suncoat. It looked great on my toes. You couldn't even tell that it was a peel-off polish. But when it came time to remove the polish, it was more stubborn than expected. I soaked my nails in warm water, as usual. Then I tried to peel off the polish, but it didn't want to come off. I loosened the polish with a cuticle stick and tried again. The polish did come off, but so did the top layer of my toenails. I was left with dry nails with uneven surfaces.

So end the end, even though peel-off nail polish can be fun and fast to remove from fingernails, it is better to skip the peel-off formulas for toenails.

Have you ever worn a peel-off nail polish on your toenails?

Brands of Water Based Nail Polish in My Collection

I have been accumulating quite a few water based nail polishes lately. There are only a few brands that I have not tried yet. Here is a list of the brands of water based nail polishes in my collection so far:

• Acquarella
• AQmore
• Honeybee Gardens
• Scotch Naturals
• Sula Paint & Peel
• Suncoat
• Hopscotch Kids
• Keeki Pure & Simple
• Piggy Paint

Which brands of water based nail polish have you tried?