This is my app launch release.

This is my app launch release. I can't write another thing because migraine, but let's see how it goes!

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Hey y'all! It's release day!

TL;DR:  app.polishallthethings.com

This project was started with the intent to be a collection management app, so it has core features like storing polish information, photos, wish list polishes, etc.  I have tried to make it easy to get started by adding spreadsheet imports with smart photo matching, AirTable imports, as well as the ability to add individual items.  There are some pretty comprehensive search/filter features, and a module to digitally swatch photos so that you can search by color, as well.

I tend to go hard when I decide to do something, so there are a lot of other things on the site, as well.  There is a marketplace for destash items, and under Explore > Discover, there is a Dupe Finder and Search By Color feature.  Those features are limited to items that are already in the collective database, so they will only improve as we add to the database and digitally swatch our items.  I've been so busy working on the app that I've only digitally swatched about 80 of my polishes, so please be patient with those features.

The profile page is optionally public, as well as the information that shows on it.  It will display your collection data with stats.  There is a link near the polish stats that will allow you to categorize / auto-categorize your brands as indie / boutique / mainstream.  That is a feature that is also in progress.  I will be adding more brands to the auto-categorizer as the database grows.

There is also a WIP page that will show you Collection Health data, such as which items are missing data, what items need to be swatched, what names might be dupes, etc.

Brand pages / Brand dashboards are a work in progress.  Brands can upload collections / items and have verified pages, meaning that they are run by the actual brand.  Unclaimed brand pages will be flagged as "community" and will pull data from collections.  Brands can also use the Calendar feature under "Explore" to add releases / events that can be copied to user calendars so they never miss a launch.  Additionally, Brand items can be copied to a user's collection or wishlist.

To address this right off, on every photo there is a place to add swatcher credit and a link to their socials.  If a swatcher does not want their photos used on this app, there is a link so that they can report the photo and ask that it be removed or credited.  I will follow the DMCA process to address those issues if / when they come up.

From here, what this app turns into will be based on the needs and wants of the community to the best of my ability.  I am the sole creator and maintain-er of this project at this time.  It is a passion project that has been in the works in my brain for literal years.  I am so excited to share this with all of you.  Please, please, please, give me your feedback.  Report bugs.  Request features. (via Contact Us or on Discord)  It can't grow if I don't know what is missing.  But please be patient with me; this is my first solo project and I am learning a lot of things as I go.

There is an Announcements section under Explore where I will keep everyone posted on upcoming features.

Without further ado, head on over to the site and let me know how it goes!  Please expect bugs and for things to not be super perfect yet - it's pretty functional from the testing we've done, but without doubt there will be some hiccups and growing pains.

Thank you so, so much for reading! 💙

I'm planning to release my app on February 1st.

I'm planning to release my app on February 1st.  I could puke, I'm so excited.

I have this amazing discovery page where you can search by color.  You can also search for dupes of your favorite polishes.

I really don't know what to do with myself (besides stay busy and work on the finishing touches).

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Putting indie/boutique/mainstream banners on my polish app like:

Putting indie/boutique/mainstream banners on my polish app like:

Just kidding. It was meant for the top left corner, and I'll get it wrangled over to there. That accidental placement just gave me a chuckle. 😂

Things are really coming along. I hope to have my first couple of Brand Pages being tested by Friday.

Also, I got my EIN today.

Exciting times!

Sneaky Peek...

Sneaky Peek of some profile features for the app I'm trying to start Beta Testing today. I'm so excited! 😁😁😁

Polish Collectors, this is for us! ❤️❤️❤️

I did these nails on Tuesday...

I did these nails on Tuesday, and then I put the ghosts on the night before Halloween.  I don't do holidays, so my nails are the closest I get to acknowledging that they exist. 😆

I really feel like these turned out great.  I used a dark blue gel and then an aurora chrome powder over it.  The chrome is still looking great, with no tip-wear, which is almost a miracle because I type a lot.

I don't have much time for nail art these days with the Web Dev bootcamp.  I don't have much time for anything.  But Monday starts week 8 of 12, so we're getting closer to the end.  For now, I'm keeping things simple.  I just threw on these vinyl ghost decals that I made in September and called it done.

Nails this week...

Nails this week. I got shorties because they are recovering from a bunch of stuff, but shorties can be pretty, too!

I'm listing the Spiderweb Nails on Etsy tonight. I almost chickened out, but Shaun is encouraging me. I needed it.

My flat ass pancake nail beds...

So this is one of the Natural-style press-ons against one of my bare nails. The Natural style of press-on has a lower apex than the Sculpted, and I think that any apex at all is too much for me, as evidenced by all of the space between my nail and the bottom of the press-on.

If I wanted to wear these, I think I'd need to fill in that gap with a hard gel and then glue it on. But that's a lot of trouble.

What I did when applying these was apply glue, then jam them down to my flat nail bed until they dried. Jamming them down flat caused them to push under my cuticle. Also, when I released them, of course they returned to the rounded shape, pulling my flat ass pancake nail beds with them.

Needless to say, it was not a good time. 0/10 stars, do NOT recommend. My nail beds and cuticles are still sore and I removed them on Friday.

This is why a sizing kit is super important. Be better than me. Don't hurt yourself over nails. Make sure you order a good fit and don't force anything that's not working.

For comparison, this is Shaun's nail bed.  He has a very strong apex. He'd probably fit perfectly into one of these nails.

Got these today! I'm so happy.

Got these today! I'm so happy.

I'm planning to mail the sizing kits tomorrow. If you want one and haven't let me know, now would be a good time! ❤️

I haven't done nail art in a very long time...

I haven't done nail art in a very long time, and I wouldn't really count this as art, either. I just put on my structure gel for strength as usual, then plopped down the water slide decals I made.

I made these for the work event I attended. I didn't really know what to expect, but I had a great time. I met so many of my coworkers and it was so crazy to finally see everyone in 3D. I interact with so many people on Slack, many of who I felt super connected to, and meeting in person just took that to the next level. I definitely came away from the event feeling energized about work and more secure in my work relationships. I also met a ton of cool people that I didn't know already.

I can't go without saying that it was amazing seeing my friends from GCU. It was hard being in Cincinnati for those 5 months away from my family, but we had a wonderful cohort and mentorship and we learned so much and grew together. It was such a great feeling seeing those familiar faces.

Anyway, I didn't want to let the week end without shouting out my wonderful work place for planning, executing, and treating us to this get-together. I love working remotely, being here with the family and the pets, but I do think I needed this. I'm looking forward to the next one already! 💙

I'm not gonna bore y'all with a photo overload, but...

I'm not gonna bore y'all with a photo overload, but I'm in Scottsdale, AZ for a work retreat. The hotel is super elegant and has a botanical garden that I'm definitely planning to visit tomorrow. It's beautiful here; but of course I'm biased because I love desert life.

This hotel is bougie af. There's a real bidet in my bathroom, it has valet parking, and people who will shuttle you anywhere here at the resort.

I drove here because I love being alone and I love driving and OBVIOUSLY I love looking at the saguaros. It always makes my day when they start appearing. We don't have them in New Mexico. They need a very specific environment to thrive.

It's been a whirlwind couple of days with travel and getting settled in. Today we had tons of enrichment meetings. I'm super proud that 2 of our cohort have made it to higher positions despite having only been with the company for two-ish years.

The best part has been meeting my coworkers face-to-face. I knew a few from going to GCU together, but I've interacted with so many more on other projects and through Slack. Seeing these people in 3D has been so crazy. It's like "OMG - I know you!" every time I turn around. There are so many amazing people here. Everyone is so smart and friendly and supportive. It's wonderful.

I'm in my room getting some rest. Last night was a late night of catching up with some GCU peers, having pizza, and getting lost (this place is literally huge. 😂) My room is also not in the main hotel, but at a Casita and valet shuttled me to it after I gave up on wandering in the dark. 😂 Paired with an early start this morning and being on the move all day, I'm exhausted. Time to rest up for tomorrow!

I did these this past Monday, so they're slightly grown out...

I did these this past Monday, so they're slightly grown out because I just photographed them today.

It's nothing fancy, but I haven't dressed my nails up in months, so it feels really nice to have some color on. I keep a hard gel overlay down and that's the most effort I've been putting into them. I'm also doing a new shape. I've never been a huge fan of square nails, but I realized at some point recently that I'd been filing my sidewalls down super short to get my claws and was losing strength in my nails because of it. So I've put a lot of effort over the last few months into growing my sidewalls back out, as well as making sure my c-curve is tight when I cure my gel. I've had a lot fewer issues with breakage because of those things.

I'm really hoping I'll have time to get back into nail art soon. It's a little hard with a toddler dog around. He wants to help with everything and when he starts zooming, he parkours all over the place. 😂 I never know what he's about to do.

Anyway. This is what I'm wearing until next weekend or so.

Polish:  'Ard as Nails - Carol Anne

Stamping Plate:  Maniology - Spiral Illusions (M401)

It's been a while since I've posted a nail pic, but...

It's been a while since I've posted a nail pic, but here are my first spring nails.

Overlook my nail shape; I'm in the midst of making sure my sidewalls are even, so I haven't been shaping them as pointy as usual.

The base is a blue speckled gel polish by Born Pretty. I used the bunny/spring plate made by Pretty Fingers by Robin.

I'm not thrilled with my detail on the bunny. He looks chocolate rather than real, but it's fine. It goes with the season either way. 😂😂😂

Since I am particular about my nails...

Since I am particular about my nails I try to avoid using them as tools. It helps a lot to prevent damage and breakage if I don't use them that way.

I saw a smaller version of the Tab Buddy recommended on reddit, but it was made more for drink cans, not soup cans or cans of cat food. I bought another device from Amazon for lids with larger tabs, but it's clunky to use so I find that I just don't.

I emailed the team at Tab Buddy asking for a larger version for different types of cans and they actually made them! They emailed me once some were available for purchase, so I snagged 2.

These XL ones have been amazing. I didn't even realize that they were magnetic until Shaun stuck it to the fridge. That's great because it's always right within reach.

I think these are a wonderful idea. Even if I wasn't super picky about my nails there have definitely been times that my hands have been sore and uncooperative when my PSA flares up. I know this might seem like a dull thing to be excited about, but I don't care. I love things that make my life easier and our cats get wet food 2x daily as a treat (not to mention that I'm a fan of soup), so I am using this thing daily.

They have some super cute designs. I'm linking them below because they really earned my business by taking my suggestion seriously. ❤️

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TabBuddies

So this is what I'm doing to my nails for strength at the moment.

So this is what I'm doing to my nails for strength at the moment. It's not beautiful or interesting, but I do think it's a pretty neutral and looks nice with my skin tone. I could do nail art over it with gel or regular polish. I just haven't had time.

So this is just structure gel, which could possibly be considered an overlay. But it's not as thick as polygel and (in my opinion) much easier to apply. It takes a fraction of the time to create an apex in the correct position and get a nice glossy finish. With polygel I was using pop-its to get my apex and smooth finish, but there was always an issue of shaping/filing the free edge and creating a smooth transition at the cuticle. By the time I was done with that process I was no longer interested in doing any sort of nail art, which is the whole reason I ever want to do my nails.

This gel also removes faster and easier than polygel. You can buff the surface and soak off with acetone. To make it faster you can use an e-file to take down the bulk of the product. This is similar to removing polygel with an e-file, but takes a lot less time. My polygel overlays were always on the thick side.

Here's hoping this is a good solution for growing out the damage I did to my natural nails. It would also be nice if it worked as a reinforcement for them once they grow out. I don't like to grow my nails super long, but I really hate it when they break. Who doesn't, I guess. 😂

So far they feel nice. Not thick or heavy, but somehow strong. They aren't bending at all. Hopefully, my application was good and I won't get any lifting for a couple of weeks. We shall see!

I did not plan / stage this, but...

I did not plan / stage this, but when I saw it I had to get a photo. 😂😂😂

First 50 done!

First 50 done! Now <100 more days of this and I'll be done. 😂😂😂

It was actually really fun once I got started and got over my nerves. I miss my polishes and I love them. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍 They are so beautiful and bring me joy.

So all of these were in one of my "red" drawers. As you can (most likely) see, they are not all what is usually considered to be red. So when I do the big sort with my friend, we are sorting them by the color that the swatch ring says. That makes a lot more sense to me for ease of finding what I'm looking for.

I'm not in love with these and...

I'm not in love with these and the stones weren't a great idea (Shaun told me so), but they're not bad. This is a pretty purple polish with an orange flash, so I wanted to use gel stamping polish and chrome powder to see if I could make it look like the orange was cracking through. It didn't turn out the way my brain expected, but that's ok. It was fun to do them and  I'm gonna keep them on until I'm tired of them. 😂

Shaun's nails I did yesterday.

Shaun's nails I did yesterday. He won't let me use cuticle oil (he doesn't like the feel of lotions or oils), so ignore the dry cuticles. 🙄 But his favorite colors are red and black. I found out yesterday that I could use gel stamping polish and then use chrome powder over it to make it pop. He really likes these. The patterns are all different because we were just trying stuff out.

We had a little date the other day...

We had a little date the other day. Those are the nails I tested on Shaun.

Why is my husbang so cute, even when he's chewing? 😂 I love this human being so much. ❤️

Boyfriend picked out my nail polish.

Boyfriend picked out my nail polish. Now let's see if I still got my nail art skills.