Cuticle drag: Bald spots near the cuticle that happen when the nail polish brush “drags” previous coats of polish away in patches as a new coat is applied. (ZOMG, I just used the word I’m defining in the definition. My 5th grade teacher’s head would explode!) It can usually be fixed with another coat of polish, but it’s annoying.
Dusty/dustying/dusty hunting: A dusty is one of those hole-in-the-wall nail salons in a mall or shopping center (so named because of the dust that collects on the bottles of polish). Once you start looking, you’ll find these everywhere. And what do these places have? Nail polish! Which leads us to … dustying or dusty hunting, which is a kind of treasure hunt at dusties, with the prize being rare, discontinued polishes. If you’re really lucky, you can get a great deal on these – sometimes even less than retail. From the stories I’ve heard on the Nail Board recently, some owners are starting to catch on and will refuse to sell polish. Just keep trying.
Franken (verb or noun): To create a new polish by mixing two or more polishes of different colors or finishes, then adding pigment or glitter (or not).
Helmer: A 6-drawer cabinet sold by Ikea. Helmers are the preferred nail polish storage system in the world of the polish-obsessed. The drawers are the perfect depth for most bottles. Each Helmer holds 500-600 polishes, it doesn’t take up much space, and – best part – it comes in red! How cute is this?
Hungry glitter: the tendency of glitter polishes to “eat” top coat, resulting in a bumpy, gritty finish. Can be remedied by laying down a thick layer of Gelous to “feed” the hungry beasties, then using Seche Vite (or any of the quick-dry top coats, which are thicker than normal ones). This will give you a smooth, glassy, super-shiny finish.
Muggle: One who is not polish-obsessed (apologies to J.K. Rowling). Now… let me climb up on my soapbox for a minute. This word gets thrown around on the Nail Board way too much. I wish it didn’t. I will sometimes use it to refer to myself before I knew much about polish or about nail care in general. But I do my best not to use it in reference to other people. It’s cliquish and judgy. Everyone has to start somewhere. End rant.
Nail Board: A forum for the nail-obsessed on Makeupalley.com. We also love kittehs. TIP: You might want to hide your wallet and/or cancel your credit cards before venturing onto the board. I will not be held responsible for any damage inflicted on your budget.
Shrinkage (yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Real mature.) A phenomenon that happens when quick-dry top coat pulls the polish underneath it toward the center of the nail, leaving a thin line of naked nail along the free edge and cracks in the polish along the cuticle line and sides of the nail. Most noticeable with darker colors. There are many theories about why it happens, but I don’t know the real reason. Something science-y. There are ways to minimize it (wrapping tips, using different combinations of polish under the top coat, thinning the top coat, etc.), but since I change my polish every day I don’t worry too much about it.
Teabag method (again with the snickering?!) One way to patch a torn nail. Similar to using silk wraps, but you use part of a teabag instead of a silk patch. I’ve never had much luck with this method, but some on the Nail Board swear by it.
The Place That Shall Not Be Named (aka, the Bay of Evil, aka evilBay) eBay. There are few things on the Nail Board that can cause as much drama as threads about eBay auctions. Personally, I use it and love it. Yes, there are some scalpers, but they’re easily spotted and avoided. I’ve found some of my favorite hard-to-find polishes there, and I wouldn’t have them otherwise.
Unicorn pee: Clarins 230. The holy grail of multichrome polishes; it's been discontinued for years. It got its nickname on the Nail Board because it was so beautiful and elusive. “Was” because, although it’s still beautiful, a slew of bottles were auctioned off by a liquidator last year, so it’s much less hard-to-find at the moment than it was before. It still costs an arm and a leg on eBay, but the prices today are about a third of what it was going for a year ago.
Wrapping tips: One way to minimize tip wear and shrinkage. When applying color and top coat, tap the brush against the free edge so that the polish flows just slightly under the tip. Probably better explained with photos. I’ll work on it.
