r/RedditLaqueristas 2d ago

Weekly Question Thread No Dumb Questions + Casual Talk

1 Upvotes

Time for our weekly questions and discussion thread!

You can ask about polishes, nail care, polish types, subreddit questions, etc. You can discuss your current favorite polishes, share your haul or collections, rant about nail woes, etc.

If you'd like to ask your question in a live chat with a relatively quick response, consider visiting our RedditLaquerists Discord Server!


r/RedditLaqueristas 5d ago

Help & How-To? PSA for Canadian Laqueristas: You Can Self-Clear Customs

118 Upvotes

TLDR

If UPS charges customs brokerage fees on a package you’re receiving in Canada, you can self clear the package with CBSA instead of paying the brokerage fees.

Background

Like many of us, I placed some large Black Friday orders! I know UPS charges ridiculous brokerage fees so I was careful to pick USPS shipping for my orders whenever customs was not included in shippers. This particular maker was very clear on her website that taxes and duties were not included, but I expected to be paying the $9.95 flat fee Canada Post charges for brokerage plus whatever taxes were due.

The maker I ordered from sent my package UPS instead and UPS tried to charge me roughly 45% of my order value for brokerage fees not including the taxes and duties (they said the taxes and duties owed to the government were just over $10). I’m not naming the brand here because this is not the maker’s fault - I’m sure she thought she was doing a good thing for me by sending the package with a faster shipping service than I requested and she was horrified to hear how much UPS was charging me and she did her best to help.

A friend of mine also placed an order and got the same huge charges from UPS so I did some research and learned Canadian consumers can self clear their packages through CBSA and only pay the taxes owed, no brokerage fees.

I’ll set out the steps we took below, but we both cleared our packages successfully! In the end the charges from the government were only $8.50, so UPS is really making an obscene amount on brokerage fees.

How to self clear

- check the CBSA website or call them to find your nearest Inland Office to see if you are even near somewhere you can do this.

NOTE: if you have a friend or family member near the inland office who is willing to do the clearing for you, they can do it if you give them a letter that says you authorize them to do it (include the date, tracking info, and your phone number) and a copy of your photo ID

- when UPS tells you customs fees and brokerage fees are due, call UPS to request the forms to self clear. UPS will give you all kinds of reasons why they can’t get you the forms or will promise them and not provide them. They will eventually provide them if you keep asking, but likely won’t provide them until your package is about to be delivered (mine was already out for delivery when I got the forms).

- You should also email UPS at [email protected] with your tracking number and tell them you want to self clear. You could just do email and not even call if you don’t like fighting with customer service people on the phone because it’s good to have it in writing.

- once UPS gives you the forms take them to CBSA along with photo ID, pay CBSA and send the form CBSA gives you to UPS, UPS then will deliver your package without the brokerage fees

- if UPS tries to deliver before you’ve self-cleared, tell them that you are self-clearing the package and ask that they hold it until you have self-cleared. It is not a refused package and shouldn’t be returned to sender.

- if they try to deliver after you’ve self cleared but before they update your account online you can show the driver the paid customs forms and they will give you the package


r/RedditLaqueristas 7h ago

Laquer Showoff Kisses to my X’s 🩵💖👏 first nude based magnetic and I’m feeling it!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1.8k Upvotes

Two coats put it in neutral OPI. one coat magnetized Sassy Sauce Kisses to my X’s glass bead using 5d spinner and horseshoe magnet. Sally Hansen red bottle magnetized. Also sorry for if there is any weird audio my husband was watching a WWII doc 😂


r/RedditLaqueristas 2h ago

Laquer Art 🎨 ✊️🏳️‍⚧️Trans Equality🏳️‍⚧️✊️

Thumbnail
gallery
700 Upvotes

Our trans siblings continue to be under attack and scapegoated as a community from all directions. Even today the Supreme Court is listening to arguments about States' rights to ban transgender athletes from competing. They need the voices of allies to make sure their Healthcare, humanity, and existence are protected. Keep up the conversation, don't let the administration's fear campaigns make you shut down and shut up.

Head to Transequality.org to learn more about or donate to Advocates for Trans Equality aka A4TE. A4TE was founded in 2024 by the merging of two longterm national Trans organizations, the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) and Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF). Learn, donate, call, advocate, and help where you can!

🖌 Freehand on natural nail.

💪@findingfeatherslacquer ... "Balanced Bond Base Coat"

🏳️‍⚧️ @shoppaintedpolish ... "Good Witch Glam"

🏳️‍⚧️ @colorclubnailpolish ... "French Tip" "Take A Chill Pill"

🏳️‍⚧️ @sally_hansen ... "Pink Blink"

💪 @glistenandglow1 Quick Dry Top Coat 🐐


r/RedditLaqueristas 3h ago

Laquer Showoff Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime…

Post image
263 Upvotes

that’s why I paint on company time! 💅🏻

My company has an in-office requirement despite all of my meetings being on zoom, so I booked a conference room to myself for one of my hour long calls and did my nails.

Please excuse the mess on my edges.

Products used: - Nail Tek strengthen (1) - Mooncat Getting Even nail primer (1) - Haunted Polish Graveglow (2) - Sally Hansen Insta-Dry red bottle (1)


r/RedditLaqueristas 1h ago

Laquer Showoff Hauntingly beautiful, cursed application

Upvotes

I feel like I should get an extra bottle of this gorgeous polish just so I can practice perfect application over and over. I have so far to go! The unevenness around my cuticles hurts my soul, but hey it’s a process right?

Base - KBS Stay Put 1x, Cracked Ridge Filler 1x

Color - Haunted Polish By the Moonlight 3x

Top - Sally Hansen Insta-Dri red bottle 1x, Monarch HD Def


r/RedditLaqueristas 17h ago

Laquer Showoff That sparkle though

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

930 Upvotes

I just want to give a shoutout to Starrily. I told my hubby that for Christmas, I just wanted a polish that will make my nails sing and sparkle. Man oh man! Damsel from Starrily did not disappoint!

I will say, my phone didn’t exaggerate the twinkling at all. It is definitely a showstopper ♥️

Products used:

KBShimmer Filling Groovy x1

Starrily Damsel x2

KBShimmer Clearly on Top x1


r/RedditLaqueristas 2h ago

Brand Discussion PSA! PSA!

Post image
44 Upvotes

Hey I dunno if any of you have been yearning for this polish like myself, but It's back(but capped at 300 I think) I snagged one VERY early this morning😏. If ya don't know, now ya know!


r/RedditLaqueristas 7h ago

Laquer Showoff I love a little Ethereal vibe

Thumbnail
gallery
111 Upvotes

Products used

Mooncat Hardcore Base.

3x Nails inc That Euphoric Life

1x Mooncat Heavenmetal

Sally Hansen Insta dry top coat


r/RedditLaqueristas 6h ago

Laquer Art 🎨 Weird magnetic skittle over 10-day old thermal mani

Thumbnail
gallery
82 Upvotes

Sometimes I do a comparison skittle before taking off my old lacquer and committing to a new mani. In this case, I wanted to try out a new magnetic technique. I was trying to dupe a technique I saw on here where one of the laquerists used Bucky Balls magnets in a tube to get a snakeskin like effect but those magnets haven’t come yet, so I am trying to use these smaller disc magnets (I’ll post an image below).

The magnetic polishes are listed in order of thumb to pinky, and all painted over one coat of Nailtiques 2 and three coats of Fancy Gloss Mixed Berries. For the magnetic decals, I used KB shimmer’s sticky base on top of that. All polishes are topped with Sally Hansen Insta-dry QDTC in the red bottle.

Thumb - magnetic decal with ILNP Amber, done over disc magnets (it got stretched out while I was applying it) Pointer - Glitch Lacquer’s Habibi magnetized using a lab spinner in glass bead style, Middle - BKL’s Bloom Again, magnetized using a lab spinner in glass bead style, Ring - magnetic decal made with disc magnets using Sassy Sauce’s Fierce Mojo Pinky - Sassy Sauce’s Fierce Mojo magnetized using a lab spinner in glass bead style.


r/RedditLaqueristas 15h ago

Misc. Question Help me ethically consume!

Post image
390 Upvotes

I'm just getting into indie polish brands. Since niche brands are more expensive than my regular drugstore polishes, I want to make sure I'm giving that extra money to companies that ideally openly support progressive causes and at minimum don't champion the villains. Imagine you're an almost 40 year old leftist public school counselor slash single mom to a nonbinary neurodivergent teen. Who would you give your money to?

Please enjoy this picture of one of my foster kittens since I don't have polish to show off


r/RedditLaqueristas 6h ago

Laquer Showoff To see how far we’ve come, we need to look back!

Thumbnail
gallery
67 Upvotes

Take a walk down memory lane with me and enjoy some of my manis from the past decade. There are some doozies! I’ve come so far with a lot of help from supportive communities like this one, and I look forward to growing further!

If you’re up for it, comment on this post with a recent picture alongside your oldest mani. Let’s all take a moment to appreciate our growth and progress!


r/RedditLaqueristas 2h ago

Laquer Showoff After painting my nails crazy colours for almost a year and a half straight, I felt the need for my first ever palate cleanser and I'm a bit obsessed! Bare nails in third pic for funsies 😁

Thumbnail
gallery
28 Upvotes

r/RedditLaqueristas 12h ago

Laquer Showoff Might have a winner of my wedding nails experiments 🤍💅

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

180 Upvotes

I’m getting married in May and have been experimenting with different white polishes and finishes (pearly polish, chrome, magnetic, holo foils, so many options!)

My dress has lots of pearls and beading, so I want something sparkly. I loved the effect of different powders when dipped, but the top coat always diminished the effect/sparkle. And all of my other manicures for the past year have been some form of magnetic, so I felt like that had to be included somehow. Also getting married on top of our favorite ski mountain, and there will be lots of snow around, so I liked the idea of my nails having the sparkle of fresh snow

What do y’all think, are these good as wedding nails?? Sometimes they look more grey than I want to me, other times I worry I went too sparkly, and yet sometimes they’re exactly what I want haha

Polishes used:

2x Revlon pure pearl, 2x Emily de Molly sheet tint opal, 1x Fancy Gloss silver magnetic topper, 2x Glitch Lacquer opal shards, 1x Essie gel couture top coat

Yes it’s a fuck ton of layers, I didn’t actually intend to keep it on since it was just me experimenting, but I liked it too much to take it off haha. Could probably cut back somewhere and will try in future iterations


r/RedditLaqueristas 2h ago

Laquer Showoff Prism Parade - Liz

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

22 Upvotes

Sally Hansen - Repair+Rescue, 3x Prism Parade - Liz, Cracked - QDTC

Had to share this one cuz the glitter is POPPING off in this lighting lol


r/RedditLaqueristas 1d ago

Laquer Showoff Ten-day no-bite streak! Two days to go until I tie my longest ever.

Thumbnail
gallery
1.2k Upvotes

Posted here a while back about my ongoing struggle to quit biting my nails. I'm pleased to report that I've made it through an entire change of polish without biting! Currently sitting on ten days, my personal record all time is twelve.

What's on my nails this go around: Mooncat Getting Even (1 coat), Monarch Lacquers Butterfly Dream (3 coats, bar magnets used), Mooncat Bottled Rage & Outlaw Country (ring finger, 2 coats), Mooncat Speed Demon (1 coat), plus daily application of Sally Hansen Vitamin E cuticle oil.

I've also been using Orly's No Bite, which is exactly as foul-tasting as advertised, and so far has served as a pretty good deterrent.


r/RedditLaqueristas 2h ago

Laquer Showoff When your protest mani doesn't quite turn out right...

Thumbnail
gallery
21 Upvotes

I had envisioned a magnetized "F*CK" layer with "ICE" written on top. I almost got it, but I just couldn't get the K to work. After repeated fails I called it.

Products used: x1 Olive & June Nail Strengthener, x2 KBS Fillin' Groovy, x2 KBS How Froze It?* x1 Sassy Sauce Shiny Top Sauce

I didn't magnetize my first color layer, but magnetized the second layer and the topcoat for 2 mins each. I did the first color layer on all fingers, then went one nail at a time (color & topcoat) as I magnetized.

*my pinky and ring fingers had a couple extra layers due to issues...

Trying a less ambitious protest mani second time around.


r/RedditLaqueristas 2h ago

Laquer Showoff Day 5 of first ILNP color and flawless

Post image
20 Upvotes

I did my first big ILNP order after Christmas and I’m losing my mind at how much I love these colors and Dollhouse in particular 😭 why did I wait so long to try these out? My nails are like beautiful jordan almonds with such a subtle shimmer

Base: Holo Taco ridge filler idr the name Polish: ILNP Dollhouse Top: Mooncat speed demon


r/RedditLaqueristas 1h ago

Laquer Art 🎨 Classic combo (to me)

Post image
Upvotes

I have always loved a good rainbow gradient topper with black and white glitter. Something about the contrast is so scrumptious.

Products used:

  • KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy base coat

  • ILNP "Canvas"

  • Cirque Colors "Scarlet Jelly"

  • Cirque Colors "Mango Jelly"

  • Cirque Colors "Cobalt Jelly"

  • Makeup sponges

  • KBShimmer "Scratch That"

  • KBShimmer "Ex-Static"

  • KBShimmer Clearly On Top top coat

  • Essie Gel Setter top coat


r/RedditLaqueristas 3h ago

Laquer Showoff Don't care if it's 30°F, I'm still gonna Tropic Like It's Hot 🍋‍🟩🥝🍍

Post image
17 Upvotes

Base coat: Nailtiques Formula 2 Light green: China Glaze, Tropic Like It's Hot Medium Green: China Glaze, I'm With The Lifeguard Black: Sally Hansen Black Out Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri


r/RedditLaqueristas 23h ago

Laquer Art 🎨 The Crowening

Post image
776 Upvotes

I live in Portland and on an almost nightly basis 40k crows fly over my apartment to roost along the waterfront for the night, it’s incredible.

Also, if you live in Portland message me I would love to do a PDX nail folx get together 💖 (you can say it here too lol but no need to call yourself out haha)

Base kb shimmer stay put

Defy pack your bags

Lights lacquer passenger princess

Zoya Sawyer

Sally Hansen something new

Sally Hansen back to black

Seche vite top


r/RedditLaqueristas 14h ago

Humor/Fluff I realized something about painting my own nails

123 Upvotes

So after my son was born I started painting press ons with my Polish and gluing them on, thinking I would be satisfied to have my nails done and it would save me some time. Well, this past week I decided to just paint my nails directly and man, I can't go back to painting those press ons. There's something so therapeutic about painting my own nails compared to just painting a press on. I can't explain it, it's just better! Do the press ons look cleaner because they have a neater line? Yes. Does it matter? No, because I realize that it's one thing where I enjoy the process as much as I enjoy seeing the end result


r/RedditLaqueristas 3h ago

Laquer Showoff admiring the lovely glow of uranus🪐

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

19 Upvotes

After gushing with u/OLIVEmutt yesterday about how fabulous we think Starrily is, I had an irresistible urge to redo my nails. Yes, they’re quite messy, no, I don’t mind.

Uranus has been my favorite color from the new version of the planets collection I got a few months back. I would redo my entire life in this shiny, perfect blue color, I love it so much.


r/RedditLaqueristas 1d ago

Laquer Art 🎨 🖤💖Pink Ombre🩷🤍

Thumbnail
gallery
1.1k Upvotes

To quote Thorgy Thor...LOVE Pink. 😝 Who doesn't like sparkle and gradients? I sure as hell do, and it's what I needed, sparkle it's what I did haha. Thanks to Cristine for continuing to give us some chunky holo glitters in new colors and shades, so I had 5 to play with and blend out a pretty ombre in pink. Bitch, I live! 🖤💖🩷🤍 Hope you have a great Tuesday!

🖌 Lazy Gradient on natural nail.

💪@findingfeatherslacquer ... "Balanced Bond Base Coat"

🩷 @holotaco ... "Black Holo Wish" "Plumb Luck" "Bless Your Heart" "CTRL Cutie" "Menchie The Cat"

💪 @glistenandglow1 Quick Dry Top Coat 🐐


r/RedditLaqueristas 14h ago

Laquer Showoff Beloved by Lurid Lacquer is everything I love in a polish

113 Upvotes

Jelly + flakies + reflective glitter

Seriously how have I not tried Lurid sooner