Nails by Noir

The world of nail polish bloggs is full of strange words of which the meaning is not completely obvious all the time. So to make things easier for all you beginners out there ( and for confused but established nail polish nerds as well… ) I have put together a little dictionary of the most common words out there. And if there are some words you are missing, just let me know. So what is the meaning of…?

B
Base Coat
ALWAYS use a base coat underneath your colored polish. This is maybe the most important thing if you want to protect your natural nail. The base coat protects your nail from discoloring and works as a sticky bas efor ypur colored polish. This makes the polish addhere better to the nail, thus improving the life span of your manicure. My absolute favourite base coat is Nubar Base Foundation.

D
Dip-in remover
My favourite kind of nail polish remover. Depend is a Swedish brand that has developed the dip in remover. You just soak your finger in it for a while, rub of the polish on the built-in sponge, and you are done. It is so much easier than using cotton pads and the old style method. The best thing is that it is reusable.so it last a loooong time.

F
Finishes
In the nail polish bloggosphere you always talk about the finish of the polish, that is the apperence of the dried polish. Some examples of finishes are creme, glitter, frosty, holographic, shimmer, jelly, matte and metallic.

Franken
A franken polish is a nail polish which you have created yourself by mixing several other polishes. You get a unique and home made nail polish, especially for you and your taste. But does anyone know the origin of this word??

French manicure
The French manicure is a common and stylish kind of manicure where the nail is painted in a nude color, soft pink or beige. The tip of the nail is then painted white. This gives a sophisticated and natural looking nail with a perfect touch. To make a more edgy look, the franch manicure may be altered in a wide range of colors and decorations.

K
Konad
Konad is a system of tools to be used for making easy nail art decorations on your nails. The Konad system consist of a range of image plates, stamping tools, scraper, and special Konad polishes. To use it you add the polish on to the image plate, use the scraper to scrape off excess polish. Then you pick the image up with your stamp and finally roll the image on to your nail.

L
Layering polish
A layering polish is a nail polish which you use on top of another polish to create a visible different effect.  Layering polishes are often thin and non-opaque. Glitter polishes in a clear base are a kind of layering polishes that you may use over a colored base.

R
Remover
The chemical you use for removing your nail polish. It stinks, but you have to use it…. Pick one without acetone if it is possible.

Ruffian
The ruffian manicure is a reversed french manicure. Instead of painting the tip of the nail in a different color than the rest  you paint a half moon shape near the base of the cuticles.

S
Seche Vite
Seche Vite is the top coat of top coats. Extremely popular, gives a strong and shiny finish and makes your nail polish dry super fast.

Skittle
The skittle manicure is a playful, bit of a crazy, manicure where you paint each nail in a different color. Make a skittle with non-matching colors, or pick five different shades in a color you like. A perfect way for us nail polish nerds to use several of our precious bottles at the same time.

T
Top coat
ALWAYS use a top coat on top of your colored polish. The top coat protects the manicure and makes it last longer without chipping or scratches. A good top coat also makes the polish dry quicker. Seche Vite and Nubar Diamont Seal & Shine are two popular top coats.

V
VNL
VNL stands for Visible Nail Line and is, just as the name says, the white tip at the end of your natural nail. You want a nail polish to be opaque so that the VNL is not showing.


So, I hope your confusion is gone...