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!

Gelish Collections List Updated!

Did you know Smoke & Mirrors maintains a full list of Gelish colors? It goes all the way back to 2011 when Gelish released some of the first brush-in-bottle gel polish colors, like Tiger Blossom, which was the first Gelish color I remember seeing on someone, and the Aurora FX collection, which was the first collection I saw in person at Sally Beauty.  And now it’s been updated with the colors from the latest collection, Forever Fabulous, for Winter/Holiday 2018.  It also has for item numbers, release dates, and updated color names. Be sure to check out our handy reference list!

Don’t Toy With My Heart

For this design I used a technique that’s been around for awhile but I had not yet tried: the “smoosh” manicure.  Here are the colors of Gelish I used:

• black – Black Shadow
• red – Don’t Toy With My Heart (also used on full coverage nails)
• gray – Fashion Week Chic
•  nude/neutral – Taupe Model

I did one coat of Taupe Model as the base, cured it, then applied small drops of all the colors in various spots on the nails.  Next, I used my Morgan Taylor clear stamper to smoosh the drops around so they blended a little, but not so much that the colors became “muddy”. Finally, I cured the design for 1 minute.

Once the smooshing was done I thought it was a little boring so I stamped on top using a design from the Morgan Taylor Designer Plates Flirty Florals collection.  These are some great stamping plates that would do even better with a better stamping polish. (Next time I’ll try using polish from Clear Jelly Stamper.) Check out the macro shot!

This ended up being super easy (and quick) to do, but got a lot of notice. I wore this manicure for over two weeks!

Have you tried the smoosh mani? Let me know how it turned out in the comments!

Acrylic Dip Systems: Part 2 – Professional systems

There has been a spate of professional acrylic dip systems released in the last year or so, perhaps due to the sudden increase in client interest and demand.  There’s no question that acrylic dip systems have made a comeback, and received a bit of an update in the process. Years ago, we did not have all these beautiful colors to choose from!

I love this enhancement service and highly recommend trying it if you have not already.  My recommendation for professional users is the Gelish Dip system. Check out my recent results with this system:

I trimmed my nails a few weeks ago, and used Gelish Dip to protect them as they grew out again.  When I was at the Nail Tech Event of the Smokies over the summer, the Gelish rep suggested that I try using Simple Sheer (instead of the Clear As Day powder I had used previously) for wearing on long natural nails with no polish.  So I finally purchased some and applied it, and I think the results look very natural.

While I recommend Gelish Dip, there are other professional options to hit the market in 2016 and 2017. Recently Nails Magazine Readers voted for their favorite dip system for 2017, and the top three were:

1. Young Nails SlickPour
2. Gelish Dip
3. OPI Powder Perfection

Notice that SNS Nails is not on the list!

Home and pro users can find a couple different options at Sally Beauty:

• ASP – Quick Dip
• SuperNail ProDip

I haven’t tried any of these except for the Gelish Dip system. If you have, please let me know your thoughts! Also, check out Part 1 of this series, explaining what SNS Nails  really are… and what they aren’t!

 

Don’t Break My Corazon

This design was done with two coats of Gelish Don’t Break My Corazón from the Fall 2017 Matadora collection. This is a stunning red in person, and it is the type of red that goes with everything.

On the middle nails I taped off the inner section before applying the Don’t Break My Corazón. After the polish cured I removed the tape and glued on some 3D net embellishments from Born Pretty Store. This stuff is basically a lot of strings all laid in a random pattern and glue together. It comes to you in a small sheet, and you can cut a strip whatever size you need from it.  It is a flat sheet of it, however, and only slightly flexible. And it is not self-adhesive, so I used nail glue to adhere it to the curves of my nail. It stayed on very well, and I had to soak it off with acetone when it was time for removal.

I’m not sure if this design is really my style, but the product worked well and I got a lot of questions and compliments on it!

Gelish Holiday 2017 Little Miss Nutcracker Collection Swatches

The new Gelish Holiday Collection, called Little Miss Nutcracker, has been released, and the Smoke and Mirrors YouTube channel has swatches for you! Please check out the video and let me know what you like, or any constructive criticism you have.

 

Gelish Matadora Collection for Fall 2017

Thanks to the Italian NailPro site and press samples provided to The Daily Nail, we get a sneak peak of the 2017 Fall Collection from Gelish! The collection is called Matadora, “inspired by the impressive landscapes of Spain and it’s vibrant traditions.”

You can find swatches at The Daily Nail. The colors are:

• All Tango’d Up – burgundy cream
• Danced and Sang-ria – dark plum cream
• Don’t Break My Corazon – warm red cream
• I’m Drawing a Blanco – a glittery white
• Mauve Your Feet – mauve cream
• Olé My Way – shimmery dark blue

Gelish Collections Swatches

 Check out my new page with pictures of Gelish swatches grouped by collection. Additional pictures coming soon!

Rocking My Stocking

This is Gelish Rocking My Stocking, of course, from the Wrapped In Glamour collection. I used a light gray from Apple Barrel Paints to hand paint the stripes and dots.

As usual, I loved this Gelish collection when I bought it, and love it even more now that I’ve experimented with the colors. Just a beautiful collection, and it holds up even past the holidays… I can totally see a client requesting this color for Valentine’s Day.

Gelish Winter Collection 2016: Wrapped in Glamour

ICYMI The new Gelish collection for Winter/Holiday 201 has just been released and it’s beautiful!

I have the whole collection on order, and can’t wait for them to arrive!  I might be more excited about these than I am the new fall colors I have waiting to be used.  The colors are:

Check your local beauty supply store, because the collection should be in stock soon. For your reference, I’ve also updated my Gelish master list to show the new colors. Happy shopping!