Sure. I haven't had luck before but tried this tutorial, http://www.thenailasaurus.com/2012/0...orial.html?m=1, from the nailasaurus blog, and it turned out much better. The holo glitter hides the bumpiness a little.

Thanks! I'll be sure to try it. I think I'll use my sister as a guinea pig tonight. I have a really good top coat that is great at hiding bumpiness, and it almost makes and manicure or pedicure look like a gel, but it comes off like any regular topcoat. It's called the Glosse topcoat by Milani. You can get it at Target or probably any Walmart/Walgreens/RiteAid type place. I love it. It's so shiny, and a coat or two will make even the bumpiest of glitter perfectly smooth and shiny. It's pretty cheap too. It's in a solid gold bottle, but it's clear. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the topcoat rec. I'm using Wet & Wild right now, and it is shit, but I want to use it up before I get another. I was just going to go w/ the Revlon.

Yeah, I hate cheap topcoat. I firmly believe that nothing ruins a good mani/pedi more. It also follows that good topcoat can make cheap nail polish look like a million bucks... :)

There's polish at my local food co-op that is supposed to be super-duper natural and friendly, can't remember the brand name at the moment, but I was reading the info sheet and it mentioned it went on thin/sheer and it required many coats. I lost interest since I don't have the time or patience to take that long to do my nails, and my job is like Munchkin's where I do a lot with my hands and need something durable.

I might go get something professional or buy the do it yourself UV or gel just for topcoats since there would be other polish and a base coat in-between that may help with the allergy issues. My other first word problem is I don't know if I could sit long enough to get my nails done if there is poor ventilation with fumes. I did vehicle and house chores last weekend and I finished a yearly work task today that is not manicure friendly so I may do my nails this week.

I've been using a Revlon topcoat for a few months now. I like it. It's shiny, goes on easy, and seems to help the polish last.

The one reason I was interested in something water based is because I've had a couple Revlon/Sally Hansen polishes clump up in the bottle on me. I haven't had them that long--maybe a couple months and now it's virtually unusable. (Maybe I'm closing them wrong, I dunno, I do have fine motor issues) But, I thought something water based might have a longer shelf life.

Essie is finally for sale in the Netherlands. Sounds silly but I missed being able to buy it in a store. Online just doesn't really cut it since colors aren't always accurate.

Happy! Bought two colors in the last week.

You can put a couple drops of nail polish remover and shake it up really well to thin it out again.

I use either NailTique or OPI double duty base/topcoats. I have way too many colors of nail polish, but it's so much fun to get new colors. My newest are "Posh" by Revlon, and "Tourquoise & Caicos" by Essie. I love that Essie comes in smaller bottles, bc I am more likely to use them up. I hate throwing away polish because I have too many and never use them all up.

This doesn't work as well as thinner. You can buy thinner at any Sally Beauty Supply.

I have used pure acetone to thin out some of my glitter topcoats and it has worked fine. I've never used actual nail polish thinner though. I don't keep nail polish remover around though, I only use acetone.

The advantage is that if you use a little too much thinner, you can put it in a place where nail polish would thicken (steamy bathroom I'm looking at you) and it becomes usable again. That doesn't work with NP remover.

Ooh, that sounds neat. I may have to invest/put it on my birthday list. What brands are good?

Also... polishes to add to my want list: Playdate and Turks&Caicos by Essie. Does anyone know what that metallic gold one by Essie is called? It's used in some of their print ads on the displays in stores... I don't think it's their gold glitter topcoat. It's fine if it's not Essie either, just looking for a good brand of a gold/metallic polish.

^^
Essie and OPI nail polishes are actually the same size. I only use OPI (love the brush) and I want to try some Essie shades. I've used them at the salon, but I don't know what colors to try. Anyone have any suggestions? I'll try pretty much anything.

OPI's Fall 2012 collection takes us to Germany. There are sneak peeks here and here :)

If you want a green color, go for Mojito Madness. It's incredible.

For blues, I like Lapiz of Luxury, Mesmerize, and Aruba Blue. Mesmerize is the blue color I used in that gradient mani up top.

Their luxeffects topcoats are so fun, too - I love Pure Pearlfection and Shine of the Times is close to one of my other flakie topcoats which I love. You'll have a learning curve with the brush size.

I don't like their sheers, but to be quite honest I don't like sheers anyway and always regret buying them and try to give them away to friends.

Thanks for the links on the Germany collection. They all seem pretty forgetable to me, but maybe they'll grow on me. I'll have to buy a new nail box by then, I'm already growing out of what I've got.