Update on the Gelish® Winter 2020 Collection

In my previous post I noted that Hand and Nail Harmony (HNH) had created 12 winter 2020 colors, assuming that all of them would be available as Gelish gel polish. However, I’ve received emails from distributors that seem to indicate only six of those 12 colors will be available as gel polish. Here are the colors available as Gelish (in full size and mini):

Image from Nail Tech Supply

• Be My Sugarplum – plum shade
• Bare & Toasty – nude beige creme
• Don’t Snow-Flake On Me – pale lilac metallic with chunky glitter
• Fa-La-Love That Color! – dark gray creme, almost black
• Stilettos In The Snow –  ruby red creme
• Liquid Frost – silver metallic with chunky glitter

It appears that the other six colors will be manufactured as Morgan Taylor Lacquer only, at least in the U.S. While this is disappointing, it is likely a business decision. The cosmetics and beauty industry as been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as many salons are operating at a limited capacity and consumers are spending less on non-essentials like cosmetics. For a large manufacturer like HNH it may not be profitable or even possible to manufacture all 12 colors. It’s a shame, but I am grateful for what we are getting, even with the distribution issues, and look forward to better in 2021. Until then, continue supporting the brands you love when you can!

Swatches of the Gelish® Disney Villains Collection

Recently I swatched all six of the Gelish Disney Villains collection… and check out all these great Fall colors!! Currently I’m loving Mistress of Mayhem and Make ‘Em Squirm.

Have you purchased any of these or had them applied at the salon? Which are your favorites?

If you’re looking for swatches from any other Gelish collection, be sure to check out the Smoke & Mirrors page with photos of collection swatches from 2011-2020!

Looking for a list of all the Gelish colors?

Did you know the Smoke & Mirrors nail blog maintains a full list of Gelish® colors? It goes all the way back to 2011 when Gelish released some of their first brush-in-bottle gel polish colors, like Tiger Blossom (the first Gelish color I remember seeing on someone) and the Aurora FX collection (the first collection I saw in person at Sally Beauty – I had to have them all!).  Recently the list has been updated with the color names and SKUs from the latest collection, Shake Up the Magic!, for Winter/Holiday 2020.  It also has for item numbers, release dates, and updated color names. Be sure to check out our handy reference list!

Watch Me Swatch the Gelish® Disney Villains

Our swatch video for the the Fall 2020 Gelish collection, Disney Villains, is now available on the Smoke & Mirrors YouTube channel.

Check it out if you’re interested in seeing how smoothly these colors apply! In the video, I’m swatching using the Mini size bottles, but these colors are also available in the full size bottles.

Image from Gelish

Note that 1) these polishes were purchased BY ME for testing and use; 2) This is NOT a sponsored video; and 3) The Smoke and Mirrors Nail Blog and YouTube channel is not affiliated with Gelish®.

More information about these products can be found at Gelish.com.

Looing forward to winter holidays 2020

As the pandemic stretches on, we all occasionally need some good news and events to get excited about. For me, that is the change in season and the new nail colors that come with it! So I was happy to see some news in the last couple days about the upcoming Gelish collection for Winter/Holiday 2020, called Shake up the Magic!

The Shake Up The Magic! collection of 12 new shades is inspired by the magic and nostalgia of the festive season, including glittering snow globes. Danny Haile, CEO and Founder of Gelish Soak-Off Gel Polish, says, “The Shake Up The Magic! collection takes us back to the magic that comes with the holiday winter season that we all remember as a child. We wanted to create shades that were eye catching to get you through all the exciting  events that come with the holidays, but also versatile enough to take you through the wintertime. This collection is sure to add a little holiday cheer to your nails.”

Image from Cosmoprofbeauty.com

It’s still early, so not much information is available on this collection. I was able to find good information at BeautyandHairdressing.co.uk (collections are typically released earlier in the UK than in the US) and the Cosmoprof website. This collection appears to have 12 colors, including some darker shades, nudes, shimmers and a a couple glitter toppers. So far I have only seen the full size and mini Gelish collections for sale with 6 of these 12 colors, so we might have to wait a little longer to find out if all 12 will be available for purchase in the Gelish gel polish.

Due to a temporary health condition I’ve not been doing my own nails lately, and haven’t had a client in a very long time due to the pandemic. But none of this has dampened my enthusiasm for all things nails and my excitement at seeing new collections being released. What about you? Have you been using more or less nail products in the last few months?

Disney Villains for Gelish® Fall 2020

After a little research, I was able to find some information about the new Gelish® Fall 2020 collection! It will be called Disney Villains, and is now trickling out for purchase online. Hopefully we’ll get more fanfare over the collection’s release next month, but I think some of the announcements that would usually come out have been diminshed again due to the pandemic.

From Gelish – “Gelish and Morgan Taylor are going wicked this Fall and introducing the Disney Villains collection. Disney Villains have lived in the shadows of heroes far too long. What haunts them is that they’re more than just evil, but the world has yet to see them come out of the shadows. The collection brings to life some of your favorite infamous villains with deep shades to bring out your naughty and edgier side and rich jewel tone finishes to enchant.”

Image from Disney Wiki

Did you know that, according to the Disney Fandom Wiki, “Similar to the Disney Princesses, the Disney Villains have their own franchise. The franchise consists of Disney’s most well-known and beloved villains and span from various forms of media and merchandise, typically aimed at an older audience.” How cool is that? As I’ve matured, I’ve come to appreciate the psychology of being a “bad guy” that the writers dive into to create their villains.

Image from Gelish

The colors for this collection are:

• Fashion Above All – metallic silver for Cruella De Vil
• You’re in My World Now – vampy plum for Dr. Facilier
• Just One Bite – metallic red for The Evil Queen
• Make ‘Em Squirm – metallic purple for Ursula
• Smoke The Competition – dark gray for Hades
• Mistress of Mayhem – jewel-tone green metallic for Maleficient

I love how Gelish and Disney included villains from a spectrum of great Disney films through the years – from the classics like Snow White, released in 1937, to the contemporary films like Malificient. Which one is your favorite?

Distressed Floral

This set uses two colors from the summer 2020 Gelish® Switch On Color collection. They are:

• Total Request Red
• Super Fandom

As the accent color on the floral feature nails, I used Wish Upon a Starboard, from the Gelish summer 2016 CosmoProf Exclusive collection, A Very Nautical Girl. The feature nails have the following layers:

1. Super Fandom base layer x 2 coats
2. silver foil on about 50% of the nail
3. a swipe of Wish Upon a Starboard
4. dots and lines painted with Wish Upon a Starboard
5. flower stamped with CJS-04 stamping plate and More like 1 AM from Clear Jelly Stamper

So far I am loving the Switch On Color collection. What do you think of it?  It was a bit difficult to get my hands on, but it looks like Gelish is taking strides to make products readily available through online outlets in the future.

Green Khaki Nails are Trending in 2020

For this design I used a color from the Gelish® Sweetheart Squadron collection from Fall 2016, called Oh Para-chute!  This isn’t one of my personal favorite shades by itself, but it does make for some nice fall nail art. Here I combined it with gold accents. Check out some more great nail art ideas for this “tough and chic” color at Femina!

The polish remover I’m using now

Since the COVID-19 lockdown, have you had difficulty finding acetone and polish removers in stock? I have… and therefore I’ve recently been looking for an alternative to pure acetone, which I’ve used almost exclusively for years to remove gel polish and soak off acrylic.

So if you’re looking for another option, check out the Advanced Nail Polish Remover at your local Walmart.

At first I dismissed this product because it clearly says “nail polish remover” and, typically, we would need acetone to soak off gel polish. But then, in desperation, I finally picked up this product and read the fine print.  It states that you can use it on gel polish, and the first ingredient listed on the back is acetone.  And I decided to give it a try.

Now I’ve used it several times to remove Gelish® and had no trouble at all. It works the same way that pure acetone does to remove gel polish.  Bonus – the oils it contains apparently prevent the skin drying out just enough to keep the dry, chalky skin caused by pure acetone.

Have you used this product? What did you think of it?

“Ultimate Mixtape” of summer purples

Did you know that Gelish has included a purple in each of their last three summer collections? They worked so nicely together that I used those three purples to create this nail look!

• Switch On Color, 2020 – Ultimate Mixtape (on middle, ring, and thumb)
• Rocketman , 2019 – Just Me & My Piano (pinky)
• Make a Splash, 2018 – One Piece or Two? (pointer)

Wearing 3 to 5 colors on one hand is trending right now. In my opinion this technique is more effective on fingers than toes, so I’ll probably have a manicure like this again soon. What do you think? Are you coordinating multiple polishes this summer?