Super Supply Sunday Meets Nail Mail

Happy Sunday, Lab Partners! Today we have another Super Supply Sunday for you! We'll take turns and tag team it.

Part 1: Allison

Don't you love a week with good nail mail? This was a pretty good week for me! Some new polishes were delivered to my humble abode:  Ace sent me the Color Club Poptastic Collection and a Sally Hansen Glitter, and I also got three Funky Fingers:

Nail Mail! Color Club Poptastic collection and Sally Hansen Strobe Light

Funky Fingers: Sold Out Area, Sound Check, and Monster Ballad

So what does all this polish nail mail have to do with supplies? Well, let's keep looking! I also got a new hand cream from Paula's Choice. If you'll recall from my review of Julep hand creams, I love hand creams, particularly those with sunscreen. I'll review this new Paula's Choice cream with SPF 30 in the future.

Paula's Choice Resist Hand Cream, SPF 30

Ah, but now on the the BIG nail mail: Do you see the words on the side of the box? That's right--it's (another) new polish rack! A nice rack is one of the best supplies a polish lover can own. Before I got my first rack, I stored my polishes in assorted baskets and trays. That was fine when I had only a few polishes, but as my collection grew . . . well, it got a little difficult to see what was what. Then the happy day came when I bought a polish rack, and I was so happy with it I bought it a sibling. The reason I went with this particular rack is the fact that it's a standing rack, as opposed to a wall mounted rack. I know plenty of people who have and love wall-mounted racks. In fact, our very own Ace has one and will talk about it below.


Unlike Ace,  I wanted racks I could stand because 1) I didn't want to put more holes in the wall, and 2) I wanted racks I could move to another location if I chose to. And one of the best things about my standing polish racks is they come fully assembled. They're packed quite securely, and are remarkably light weight (until they're loaded with polish, that is).

Partly unpacked. You can see part of the packing strewn about the room!

No, this photo isn't upside down. The top of the rack comes flipped upside down so that it's tucked safely inside the rack. 

All that I have to do is flip it right-side up and voila . . .

But my very favorite thing about my polish racks is . . . they revolve. Check out this itty bitty video clip (you might want to have the audio on to experience the sound effects):


Pretty nifty, huh? I get a kick out of spinning them around from time to time. I'm easily amused.


If you're interested in purchasing one of these racks, I bought mine from Amazon for $69.99 plus $12.49 shipping. Not inexpensive, but not horribly pricey, either. In my opinion, these racks are worth every penny for someone with a rather large (and growing) polish stash!

Part 2: Ace

Just like Allison, I was sick of keeping polishes in boxes and spending a lot of time looking for things, sometimes with a half-dry mani on my hands. I don't have much counter or shelf space so a rotating rack like Allison's was out of the question (although I love that video, so much fun!). However, if I moved around some of the artwork in my home office, I decided I could make room for a wall-mounted rack or two.


I ordered a rack from Amazon for $33.99 plus $3.99 shipping. It arrived the next day (seriously!). The brand name is "Fiji" and it's a simple acrylic rack. Unfortunately, one corner had broken in shipping but it doesn't affect the functioning of the rack so I asked for a $15 refund instead of returning it. Then I ordered a second rack to go under the other. 


There are two pieces in the box: the main rack and the "polish station" sign. My husband mounted these for me so I can't comment on how difficult it was but it didn't take him long - maybe about 20 minutes.

Part of my home office showing my racks and my fab ergonomic chair (I need it with the hours I am on the computer!). The rest of the office is a mess of papers and cables and computers...

There are two identical racks - we just didn't put up the "polish station" sign on the bottom one.

Next to the racks, I have a rolling drawer cart thingy called Andy (Ikea), which may no longer be available. I use this to store spare supplies, cotton balls, gifts and giveaways. You can also see my mani/pedi box, which contains lotions, remover, base and top coats, files and other tools. When I want to do my nails, I just pick up the box and choose a polish from my rack. No more spreading all my polishes around the living room and creating clutter!

Additional storage in Ikea "Andy" and my mani/pedi box.

Something to keep in mind if you order a rack, you may want to assume the bottle count that will fit is less than what they advertise. My rack was listed as holding 96 bottles, though I've seen the same rack advertised as fitting 105 bottles elsewhere. Some bottles will take up more space (e.g., Butter Londons don't fit lengthwise) but then I have quite a few minis. In the end, each rack fits just under 100 bottles (including minis though).


I got some nice nail mail this week too! I had a great MUA swap and acquired my first Lippmann - will review these for you soon but so far I love these polishes - though I haven't swatched the OPI yet.

Makeupalley swap: Nfu-Oh 52, Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle, Orly It's Not Rocket Science, and OPI Absolutely Alice

I also got an order from drugstore.com with lots of EOS balms - I've been addicted to these ever since Allison sent me one and I like gifting these. 

EOS Balm-fest!

The order also contained a polish, Manic Panic's Hellfire, but a half empty dried up bottle arrived so I am awaiting a replacement.

Was hoping to try Manic Panic polish for the first time - whomp whomp whomp... Must wait for replacement.

And finally, not nail mail but an arrival nevertheless were polishes from the UK that our friends brought. They were on vacation in the USA from London and were with us for a couple of days. They brought over some UK exclusive Nails Inc mini set, OPI DS minis, and a Paul & Joe set. The OPI muppets minis seen in the photo also arrived recently from Aveyou.com. Oh and I almost forgot - my Zoya BOGO order arrived too: Edyta, Colbie, Lauren and Charla (to replace the one that broke) joined their sisters on the rack and my Zoyas now have their own shelf.

Some UK goodies!

Wow, I have so many lovely polishes including untrieds and now I can see them all! Do you think this will make me buy less? I hope so. The second rack still has room for more polishes but I have group orders in the works. Whatever I acquire has to fit these racks because I don't have any more wall space for polish!




How about you, lab partners? How do you store your polishes? Did you get nail mail this week?


Until next time, sending you lab love!