u/Idntcareabtmyusernme

I have always had issues getting my nail polish to stay on and was so excited because despite being a Simply fan since 2014, I couldn’t try Holo Taco until now, and I couldn’t wait to try out the long lasting base coat in particular

I pushed back and slightly trimmed my cuticles, I lightly buffed the surface of my nail plate and dried it out with pure acetone. I used one layer of long lasting base coat, two of a linear holo, and 2 lasting top coat, wrapping the tip for all layers. I let each layer dry for 15-20 minutes when dry to the touch, and cleaned up around all the edges with a cleanup brush and acetone. I went in with jojoba oil afterwards

Still, despite all this, my nail polish did as it always does and came off in one clean piece! It does this to me even if I use GEL polish! It at least lasted longer than it usually does, my nails looked perfect for about 3 days instead of the usual 1-2. Clearly the problem at this point is something with my nails but I’m at a loss for what to do. Should I try the sticky base coat instead? Does something need to change with my nail prep?

So I normally do stylized work that while not super cartoony, is far from realism. Well yesterday k wanted to try a digital realism painting, with the painting also be something I’m not super familiar with as I usually only use digital painting for background as I find it easier for laying larger shapes and forms, hence why I thought it best for this exercise.

After FIVE HOURS of not even completing the head covering, the outfit or literally half the dang painting lowkey, I’m STILL stuck on the face. I keep touching it but it still keeps looking like it’s missing something.

Something about it is uncanny and I can’t put my finger on it. Ik there’s certain things that for sure need more detail, such as the lips, that are far too smooth right now, and the eyebrows, which need detailing, but I know those aren’t complete fixes for the flat feeling

I suspect that either despite my best efforts (and many layers) that the contrast is STILL too low, or that because my references (and my usual drawing habits) are stylized, that it may have seeped into the piece. The second picture of my usual style as comparison so it’s easier to tell if it’s contributing lol.