Nail Photography Tips

Hey guys! I have another tips & tricks post for you today. I mentioned in my Nail Blogging tips post that I would also do one about nail photography so I have that for you today!

Cuticle & Nail Care

My first tip is to keep your nails and cuticles healthy and nice looking. Keeping your cuticles and nails looking nice plays a pretty big part in nail blogging. I have a full post on cuticle care HERE. I would highly recommend using a cuticle oil/cream/treatment a few times a day and also using a hand cream. It's just nicer to look at cuticles and nails which are well kept and hydrated.

Keep your polish neat and clean as possible. This isn't overly important when you're first starting out with your blog or nail photography, but keep in mind that most people would prefer to look at nail photos/blogs where the cuticles aren't flooded with polish. It's just easier and nicer to look at.

Everybody totally understands that it's hard to paint your nails neatly until you get the hang of it. Heck, I still even flood my cuticles sometimes. Try to go as slowly as possible and don't go too close to the cuticle. If you do get any polish on your skin just grab a small makeup brush dipped in nail polish remover and sweep it around the areas where you got some polish on the skin.

Cameras & Lighting

Something I feel very strongly about with nail blogging/photography, is that you do not need an expensive camera to get started. Honestly. Sure, DSLR cameras do take beautiful shots but you don't need one. Especially if you're just starting out, it isn't necessary. I think it's even acceptable to use an iPhone camera! The newest model iPhones (4S and 5) take great good photos as long as they're well lit! Actually, a lot of the time my iPhone can take better colour accurate photos than my camera haha.

For the first 6 months I was blogging (on my old blog), I was using a simple Samsung point and shoot camera that I already had lying around. I think it costed about $150 (but I got it about 5 years ago so I'm sure it'd be a super cheap camera now haha!) but I'm sure most people already have a simple point and shoot camera around the house! If it has a macro mode that'll be best for nail photos. :) Just make sure you read the manual and play around with the settings and lighting to see how you can get the best photos from your camera.

For Christmas last year, I got a Nikon L310 camera. It's not a point and shoot camera but it's not a DSLR either, it's sort of in between those. It's not hard to use but it takes good quality photos in my opinion and it was REALLY affordable. It has an awesome macro mode for an affordable camera! Honestly, it's cheaper than a lot of point and shoot cameras! It also takes very good quality video so I definitely recommend this camera! It's awesome! :D

Maybe in the future I would think about buying a DSLR camera but right now I'm more than happy with the camera I have.

Rose from Every Little Polish has an AWESOME post on cameras & nail photography which I definitely recommend you check out, here. She's more knowledgeable about photography than I am lol.

Something to keep in mind is lighting for your photos. I mostly use outdoor lighting for my photos, but sometimes I use a homemade light box (I used this tutorial from Sarah @ Chalkboard Nails to make mine), depending on the weather conditions. I do prefer the way my photos look outdoors to be honest. Light boxes can take up a bit of space and I don't have a lot of that lol. And I don't have the best lighting for it either. My hands always end up looking a weird colour and the polish never shows up right so for me, outdoor lighting is better. It just sucks in winter when there's not a whole lot of sun. :( You can find more professional light boxes that come with lamps, on eBay or Amazon if you'd prefer to take that route.

I think that covers it! Please, if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask! I'd love to hear from you! :) You can email me, tweet me or leave me a comment. :) I'll be happy to answer.

I'll have another post about nail photography soon showing you a little more of my personal photography set up! I'll also cover watermarking your photos in that post.

Nail Blogging Tips & Tricks

Hey guys!

I have another tips & tricks post to share with you today. Today's post is about nail blogging! I know that a lot of you have been interested in knowing some of my tips and tricks for starting/maintaining a nail blog.

Now, I've been blogging for about a year now, (including my old blog Lissa's Polish Addiction) and though I'm not a "huge" or "successful" blogger, it's still my main hobby I guess you could say, and something that I spend a lot of time on, so I feel like I can offer a few tips.

So here are my tips and advice for starting/maintaining/growing a nail blog. I'm not a know-all expert but these are just some of my tips.

Do you have enough time?

Nail blogging can be extremely time consuming. It may not seem like it, but it is. Doing your nails, photographing your nails, editing your photos, uploading your photos, writing your post. It definitely adds up. I've gotten faster at the process of course but I'd say it takes me about 30 minutes to an hour to paint my nails or do nail art, photographing takes about 15 minutes, editing can sometimes take up to an hour (yes, for one post!), and writing my post would usually take 20-30 minutes. So I'd say on average 2-3 hours per post. Sometimes longer (definitely longer for something like this!). If you're a particularly busy person with little to no spare time, I would say that nail blogging may not be for you, unfortunately. :( It takes a lot of effort, especially in the beginning when it can feel like nobody is reading (and never will, lol that's how I felt!) and if you're trying to do it in a rush it could easily feel like a burden. But don't let me discourage you - if you're passionate enough about it and it's what you really want to do, go for it! :)

I have a lot of spare time on my hands, which is why I blog every day. Though, I do schedule my posts which is why you may notice that my posts go up at 9am (my time) most days. But I do spend at least a couple hours every day on my blog. It's one of my only hobbies and the thing I love to do the most. :)

If you're not extremely busy and do find yourself with some spare time, I think that nail blogging would definitely be do-able for you! Even though I post almost every day, that's definitely not necessary for every blogger! I think a good posting schedule for someone busier than me would be maybe 3 posts per week.

Don't Blog For The Wrong Reasons

I have to include this.. Start a blog because you're passionate and want to share your nails with the world! :) If you don't feel that way, then it's probably not a good idea to start a nail blog in my opinion...

Also, just a little note, don't start a blog just so you can receive free products to review. In reality, most bloggers don't get 29349 emails a day requesting reviews.  You can read more about blogger and brand collaborations here on Lacquerheads Of Oz. Receiving free products should not be your goal, but instead an awesome bonus for all your hard work. :)

It will be very obvious to your readers if you're blogging for the wrong reasons.

Remember: Building Readers Will Take Time!

I wish I'd had someone tell me that when I started blogging that it would take a long time to build a decent number of readers. After a few blog posts I only had a couple of followers and felt so sad that no one was reading my posts. I can't remember exactly, but I think it took me about 6 months or so to gain 100 followers.

When I started my blog, I already had a couple hundred followers on my Instagram account who were really supportive when I wanted to start blogging and a few followed me. :) I'd definitely suggest starting an Instagram account for your nails if you don't have one already. It's fairly easy to gain followers there.

Just remember if the followers don't come right away, it's ok! :) And remember to blog for you, because you enjoy it, don't let your motivation be to get followers. I know it can be hard but it'll make it hard to enjoy if the followers don't come right away. So just try to be patient. :)

Choose A Name You Won't Regret!

When I first chose my blog name (Lissa's Polish Addiction), I didn't think too much about it, to be honest. And a few months ago I just got tired of how unoriginal it was, and how long it was (it was too long to use on many social networks!). So instead of just changing my name I decided to start fresh on a new blog (this one you're reading right now), with a new, catchier, shorter name. :) I'd suggest not to do what I did, lol, and choose a name that you're completely happy with. Also, make sure you do your research and make sure the name is not taken! It could be very awkward if you create a blog with a similar or the same name as someone else.

Be Consistent

When I first started blogging I was mainly sharing my NOTDs (nail of the day) and that's about it. I started getting into nail art a few months later and then started sharing that. I think it's important to keep your blog consistent. Choose a topic (nails for most of you I'm assuming lol) and stick to it. It's ok to go off topic once in a while, I know some bloggers like to do a weekly off-topic post, but make sure you do have a topic for your blog.

Also, try to post consistently. When I first started blogging I'd post every day for a week, and then not post for 3 weeks lol! It can be annoying as a reader, however, so try to stick with a schedule (if you're just starting, maybe try for 2 or 3 times a week at first if that's easier for you to keep up with).

I now post almost every day but I'm happy to say that I'm consistent with this. :) I actually like to stay very on top of blogging so I usually have my posts scheduled at least a few days in advance because otherwise I'll be trying to put together a post in a hurry and it wouldn't turn out very good. That may not work for some people, though.

Choosing a Blog Theme/Look

Choosing a look for your blog isn't that important but it will definitely help you. You should choose a layout that is easy to read and navigate. If you just google Blogger (or your choice of blog host) themes/templates/layouts, you'll find many many many free ones. And you can also search on Etsy for a paid theme - there's some REALLY cute ones! :)

Don't Spam

I know it can be tempting, but don't post your link in the comments of all the popular bloggers' posts. They will most likely get deleted because most bloggers find it very annoying and they will not check out your blog. If you really want a blogger to check out your blog and give you some advice, I would suggest emailing them personally.

Join Social Media

A great way to get yourself more known in the nail community is to join some social networks! Twitter is an awesome way to chat and keep up with other nail polish addicts. I would also highly recommend joining Instagram! Create a Facebook page too! They all help! And remember to post links on your pages to new blog posts so your followers can stay updated. :)

Pictures & Nail Health

I will be doing a seperate post on nail photography, so keep an eye out for that soon! :) 

My biggest tip, is to just have fun! :) Nail blogging is a hobby (for most of us) so if you find it fun - keep it up! :D It doesn't matter how many followers you have, how good your polishing skills are, as long as you have fun! :)

EDIT: I also recommend you download & read this free e-book written by Violet from Violet LeBeaux! She has some really great tips for starting a blog. :)

Sooo this was a very long post! Sorry about that! But I really hope it helped those of you who would like to start or grow your blog. Let me know if it helped, and if you have any tips to share, please leave them in a comment below. I'd love to hear everybody else's tips because I know I probably forgot something.

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Nail Polish Storage + My Collection

Hey guys!

Today I have another informational post for you! :) I've put my nail care series on hold because I went through all the topics I could think of. Please, please let me know if you have any requests for nail care posts that I haven't done already because I ran out of ideas. :P Just let me know and I'll most likely be able to do the post you request!
I'll be sharing some nail polish storage ideas and show you how I store mine.

I'll mainly be sharing ideas for larger collections (100+ polishes).

The most popular nail polish storage for polish addicts and bloggers would be a Helmer, from IKEA. A Helmer is a 6 drawer unit on wheels (though you can choose to not attach the wheels when you assemble it). A Helmer measures 28x69cm and it comes in red or white. It also has a slot for a label on each drawer, and the drawers are the PERFECT height for nail polish! :) A Helmer holds around 500 polishes.

I got my first Helmer in January and I love it. It keeps my polish really organised (for the most part... you'll see soon lol) and it really does hold a lot of polish!

I believe that Helmers are sold in all IKEAs around the world. They're also pretty affordable in my opinion, here in SA they're $79 but some other states are $129. In the US I think they cost $39.

There's been some confusion lately surrounding Helmers.. Everybody thought they were being discontinued but it was apparently just some IKEAs that are discontinuing the Helmer (sadly SA is one of them :( ) and they're also bringing out a brighter white colour rather than the regular creamy white colour (annoying for people who already own a cream coloured one and want to get another because they won't match).
It's not super easy to see the colour of every polish that's in the drawers, but that doesn't really bother me.

I'll show you Helmer & collection now! (I'm also planning to film a video on this soon, I just need to get better organised first haha). Please excuse some of the drawers, they're a little messy. I actually took these photos close to a month ago so I've actually downsized my collection since then, and reorganized my drawers too.

On top of my Helmer I have my most used nail tools like my clean up brush, tweezers, cuticle nippers (only to clip hang nails!) etc, in this little measuring cup thing (lol - woops, I think I took this from the kitchen and forgot about it), my most used top coats and base coats, hand lotions and my nail polish remover. My desk where I do all my nail painting is directly to the right of my Helmer so I like to have all of this stuff easy to grab on the top of the Helmer. :) I have my lamp there too. I used to use this lamp to take my nail photos but I recently discovered that it's not bright enough for me so I use a different one now. I'll go over that in another post, though. :)

In the first drawer of my Helmer, I've got some other top and base coats/treatments, stamping polishes, buffers, files, brushes, stripers, and other nail art stuff. Oh and my OPI Man With The Golden Gun top coat. ;) Please excuse how messy this drawer is! I've cleaned it up since these photos were taken, though.

Now we have the second drawer, which is the first drawer of polish! In this drawer I only have OPI (including most of my OPI minis) and China Glaze. I have the most OPIs than any other brand in my collection, I think! I just adore the formula and their brushes. Also they do do some rather unique colours from time to time, in my opinion. China Glaze is another of my fave brands, I'd say I love the formula just as much as OPI and their colours are definitely unique too, more-so than OPI I'd say. A few months ago this drawer used to hold 5 other brands as well as OPI and China Glaze sooo I guess my collection has grown a lot from those 2 brands lately haha!

The third drawer is only 2 rows full full right now LOL! It holds Essie, Orly, Color Club, Butter London, Nails Inc, Models Own and Lime Crime. I have more from these brands, but they're in my untrieds haha!

Please excuse whatever that dusty stuff is on top of my Butter London bottles. o.O

And this drawer... is my indies! :D I've got Aussie indies and US indies mostly. Actually I think that's all. Haha. This drawer looks totally unorganised too... lol.

The next drawer is all Aussie brands (plus a couple other random 'drugstore' brands)! :D I swear this looked more organised in person... Haha it just looks messy in this photo. I have some Ulta3, Face of Australia, Cotton On, Chi Chi, BYS, Australis, Sportsgirl, Savvy etc.

This last drawer holds more 'international' and drugstore polishes. Essence, Revlon, Urban Outfitters, Covergirl, Sally Hansen, Sinful Colors etc. :)

And then there's my untried polishes... :/ Yeah I have a lot of untrieds. I have more since the time I took this photo too... :(

I have them in all random boxes and baskets because I didn't have one basket/box big enough for all of them LOL. I haven't counted them but I'm estimating that there's definitely over 100 there.

So I'm guessing I now have at least 500 polishes in my collection. I'm not really sure lol. I do purge them pretty often though and pass them on to other people if I don't like a certain polish. I won't keep anything just for the sake of it. Even HTFs. Haha.

So, for me a Helmer is great but maybe it wouldn't be a great option for some people. So here are some other storage ideas. I won't show photos of all of them or this would be an enormous post.

Nail Polish Racks

Nail polish racks are great for someone who wants to be able to see every polish and colour they own, right there in front of them on the wall. I did want a nail polish rack for a while but in my opinion it would be too expensive and I don't really have any wall space for even one rack, and I'd probably need at least 3 or 4 racks!
So nail polish racks are definitely best for someone with a smaller collection. By smaller I mean maybe 200 polishes max. The polish racks I've seen typically hold around 90 polishes per rack.
I've seen them sold on eBay and Amazon, and head2toebeauty and Transdesign (not sure where they ship them to though..) I believe also sells them. I think they typically cost around $50 per rack.
You can also opt to build your own rack. I have seen tutorials on YouTube on how to build a polish rack out of foam board which is a very cheap option (though I'd be a bit worried about how sturdy it would be... lol). So you can just search 'DIY polish rack foam board' or something to find that if you're interested. You can also build them out of wood, and DulceCandy87 has a great tutorial on this. So if you were to make your own rack, you could really make it as big or small as you'd like.

IKEA 'Alex'
For an even larger collection, the IKEA Alex might be a better fit! An Alex is also a drawer system from IKEA, and in my opinion it's a lot nicer looking and matches with a lot of other IKEA furniture. An Alex is available in a few different sizes but the regular 'Alex' has 9 drawers. I'm not sure how many polishes they own but obviously more than a Helmer.
Some polish bottles are too high for these drawers, however which is a downside.
There are two other types of Alexs from IKEA. There's a 5 drawer version which I don't think would be that great for polish, it only has two of the more narrow drawers, and a wider 6 drawer version.

Cake Stand
I saw this on Pinterest first but here's a post about it from PinkSweetSz! And Zoya Nail Polish posted a photo of a cake stand full of Zoyas on their Facebook page too! Great for smaller collections, it looks adorable! It may not be the easiest way to see all of your polishes but if that doesn't concern you this would be a really cute option.

DIY Nail Polish Box
A cheap and super easy idea that I saw on the Beauty Department a while back. It would definitely not be ideal for a collection of my size but for someone just starting out or with a small collection it's definitely a fun and cute idea.

Portable Collection
I also saw something cute on Nails By Kayla Shevonne a few weeks ago for someone who maybe has a very small polish collection, or maybe does nails for other people and needs to carry nail polish around with them!

It's called a Caboodles Gilded Pleasure Nail Valet and it can carry all your nail tools and polishes that you need to. Check out Kayla Shevonne's review here.

So I hope this post helps you if you're looking for a new way to store your nail polishes. :)
Please please let me know if you have any requests for more informational posts like this! I have a lot of fun putting these sorts of posts together. :)

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Born Pretty Store BK Nail Lacquer Thinner Review

Hey guys! Today I have a review of a product from Born Pretty Store for you. I've been ordering nail art bits and pieces and other nail things from there for a couple of years now and I've never had an issue with anything I bought from there. :) They also sell things like hair accessories, jewellery and cute phone cases! Everything on their site is SUPER affordable.

I chose to review the BK Nail Lacquer Thinner (item ID: 4887) because I was curious about it. I wanted to know if it actually worked well, because most other nail polish thinners I've seen (around here, anyway) are super expensive. The BK Nail Lacquer Thinner costs $6.88 USD which I think is an awesome deal!

On the website, it says that this thinner is 70ML. I will say that when I received my package, the bottle was only half full and the packaging felt wet and smelled very strong, so I'm guessing that it definitely leaked in transit which is really unfortunate. :(
In the photo below I've shown how much liquid is left in the bottle. This photo was taken after I'd used the product in a few different polishes, though so there was a little more in there when I first received it.
When I had the bottle laying down and I was photographing it, I did notice that a bit of the product leaked out the top so I would definitely say the packaging isn't the greatest as it does seem to leak a bit and that's probably what happened in transit.

But anyway, onto the actual product itself, packaging and leakage aside.

 I tested this thinner with my Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat and my first ever OPI, Do You Lilac It which is pretty old and I've used at least half the bottle so it was a bit goopy and thick.
I'm sure if you've tried the Seche Vite top coat, you'll know that it gets thick extremely quickly and definitely does need to be thinned pretty often.
I added a few drops of thinner to my bottles of polish and gave them a shake and it brought them back to a nice consistency. :)

I'm not sure what the ingredients are in this polish thinner, but it does say on the bottle that it's specifically a SOLVENT. You definitely want to use a solvent as your polish thinner, and not a polish remover or anything (like I'm sure most of us did when we were kids, or maybe you still do now!). Now I suck at science-y stuff but I suggest you check out this post by LabMuffin because she explains it better than I ever could haha. The main thing is that you want to use a polish thinner that contains the same main solvents as your nail polish that you're thinning contains (I think lol!).
I'm also unsure if polish thinners are supposed to have a strong smell... because this one definitely has a strong sort of perfume-y, chemical smell to it. I definitely recommend you use this in a well ventilated area, as you should any nail polish/product.

The bottom line is that I do like this polish thinner! It restored my polishes back to a nice consistency and made them usable again! :) It's a really affordable price. The downside is the packaging and that it tends to leak. If it didn't leak and you got a full bottle, this would definitely last you a pretty long time too!

You can use the code CAL91 to get 10% off your order at Born Pretty Store! They ship worldwide for free! (Who doesn't love free shipping?!)

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