About
My name is Andrea and I’m a single mom of a teenage daughter and we live in Shaker Heights, Ohio. I own a small web design company called 2TechChicks, which is where the name Chickettes originates from.
I’m a self proclaimed nail polish addict and the majority of my posts are about nail polish or nail art. My obsession really began when I was introduced to soak off gel polishes, mainly Gelish. I previously hated doing my nails because it always chipped off within a couple of days, but gel polish totally changed that. Now my nails are never naked!
I would like to clarify that I’m not a nail pro, just a blogger with a gel polish addiction! I am on a mission to swatch all of the Gelish colors available, though I’ve recently branched out into a few new brands and hope to be able to provide more variety as well. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback about my swatches and hope that they are helpful to you.
My other hobbies include gardening, cooking, reading, skiing, running, and crafts. I’m one of the founding members, treasurer and manager of a local community garden. The garden is my home away from home in the warmer months.
- My Gel Polish Stash
- My Amazon.com Wishlist
- My Pinterest Wishlist (mostly indies here)
 |
where can I purchase this product? I am really interested but not sure where to purchase your product and everything I need to apply gel polish, I already have a uv lamp so wont need one of those.
Please can you let me know where I can purchase your product.
Hello Antionette – we do not actually sell the products, but many of our posts do have links to the products on Amazon.com where you can purchase them.
Hi there, i am the owner/founder/creator of LacQit One Step Gel Polish. We are located in Kelowna BC Canada. LacQit is the first One Step gel Polish that is Instantly Dry with No Wiping required. LacQit is applied in just 2 easy coats, with the base and top coats infused right into the color, curing for 30-60 seconds accordingly. LacQit can be applied to LacQit without removal or soak-off which makes it easy to refresh or change your color or add more strength as you go.
I notice your blog gets very good SEO. If you would like to try LacQit for a possible mention in your blog please email me!
Thanks so much , Nanci
Hi, thank you for creating this blog. I’ve been using Gelish for about a year & love this product. One question: I love the neutral color by OPI Bubble Bath. Do you know of any Gelish or gel color that is similar?
Thanks!!
Hi Oriana. I’m not familiar with OPI Bubble Bath, but I did a Google images search on it and it looks similar to Pink Smoothie.
Hi Andrea!
I stumbled upon your site while trying to find IBD’s complete swatch collection of Just Gel polishes.
The quality of your images are superb and i was hoping you would have swatches of all their colours? Or know where i can find them online??
This is a huge investment for me and although my first choice was Gelish, it’s just to expensive for me to buy their collection
Please email me on the email I supplied on this comment!
Much appreciated!
Hi Marcela – thanks for the note. I only own a couple IBD’s and I purchased them on Amazon.com.
Andrea,
I love Gelish and found your blog about a month ago when I went searching for swatches. You have the best color swatches on the net by far and your tutorials are great! Please keep them coming
I am struggling with teeny tiny bubbles in my base and top coats. I use only Gelish and I don’t shake the bottles. Any idea how to stop these pesky bubbles from happening?
Hi Jen! I’m glad you found my site. Thank you for the compliments. My top coat also has the tiny bubbles and I haven’t yet figured out how to prevent them. When I apply I just make sure to pull them to the tips to get rid of them before curing.
Hi Andrea:) I am new to your website and I love it! I read your review about Lacqit and it looks so fast and easy. I am a working mom and I really need my polish to last 2 weeks. Do you think Lacqit will hold up or stick to my Gelish? I also have Red Carpet which is great too!
Hi,
I love this website. I’m after the gelish love in bloom collection in mini size but I can’t find it anywhere!! do you know of anywhere I could order it that ships to the uk?
Thanks
Hi Stephanie. The only place that I know of that sells the minis is Sally’s Beauty Supply and I’m not sure if you have them in the UK or if they ship there. I recommend leaving a note on the wall at the Gelish UK site and see if they can recommend a seller. https://www.facebook.com/NailHarmonyUK?ref=ts&fref=ts
Hey Andrea,
I really love your Gelish swatches! I have Bronzed but don’t really care for it. If you’d like it, I’d love to donate it to your “cause”! Let me know if you’re interested.
Joey
Hi Joey – Thank you so much for the offer! I haven’t tried that color yet and would love to get my hands on it to swatch
Hi Andrea found your website when looking for swatches for Gelish your photos are amazing! They made my life so easy when choosing my next Gelish colours. I would love to know what the Aurora FX colours would look like over the neon collection and also when the new ‘glow ‘collection comes out. I love sparkle. Also have you got any swatches of the differences between the french collections as there seems to be quite a few neutral colours to choose from.
Again thank you for your time in creating this wonderful site. Looking forward to seeing the new collection.
From an excited Gelish fan
Hi Zoe. Thank you for the questions. I will focus more on layering effects after I finish swatching the Gelish colors. The new Glow collection is out now – you can buy the minis in Sally’s, but I’m not sure if they’re available for sale anywhere online yet. I only have swatches of colors, but not with a French tip.
I just found your blog the other day and I absolutely LOVE it! Your swatches are great and I love your nail art and tutorials. Thanks so much for doing this!!!
Ok Andrea, new question… I’m having an issue with gelish removal. I follow the cotton soak/aluminum foil and the top layers “flake” off, including the structure gel, with no problem. The base coat, however, is stuck on there like glue! Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Jen
P.S. You’re from Shaker! I work at the Clinic! We’re practically neighbors
Strange. How long are you soaking? Are you scraping with an orange stick or cuticle pusher? It’s good that you’re getting a really good bond, but stinks that it won’t come off! LOL That’s cool that we’re so close… small world. My mom works at the Clinic too.
Well, I have experimented. I have soaked anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes. 10 is perfect for getting the upper layers off – including the structure gel. Even at 20, that base coat is stuck like glue! I have always used an orange wood stick. I was once a little too aggressive and pulled off layers of the nail – not good! Lately I’ve been using a fingernail to gently “scratch” it off because I’ve found that I can control the pressure and it works faster than the orange wood stick. It’s like it refuses to peel up like the rest of the layers. Do you have this problem ever? I read your new FAQs and there was a blurb there about skipping the gelish base coat step. The only way to find out I suppose is to just try it without.
I thought maybe the new one-step polishes (like the LacQit you showed us) might be easier to take off. What was your experience with removing them??
I honestly don’t care if it shortens the length of wear. I’d like to change my polish more like once a week because I get bored with the color. It’s the quality of how they wear (chipping, peeling, shine) and what it could do to my natural nail that I was more concerned about.
I had that problem too…I only put primer near my cuticle and along the tips. HUGE difference. And get the metal cuticle pusher and use the wide end to remove.
If you want to change your colors up more frequently try using just a regular nail polish base underneath. I do that all the time because I like to change the colors up more frequently and it makes the soak off go much faster (and I don’t use a base at all when I swatch). I don’t ever have an issue with the Gelish foundation sticking like that though.
P.S.
I hate that people are using your images without your permission! It stinks that you’ve had to watermark the pics, but I can tell you from doing countless hours of internet swatch searching – you have THE BEST swatches out there! Even with the watermark!
Thanks, Jen! I hate having to watermark them and cover them, but I think it’s the only way to ensure that people can’t steal them and use them as their own.