Hi there! I’m Quinn, the nails (and occasional face) behind Gingerly Polished. Every photo you see is swatched on my own nails, and taken by me. I started this blog in 2016, and 4 overflowing Helmers later, here we are, with no sign of slowing down.

A little about me: I’ve lived in Chicago now for over 5 years (can you tell by The Bean), moving here in 2017 after graduating from a college in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I absolutely love the city, and hope to have many more years here. This blog is my side hobby – with my full time job being a graphic designer.

Here are the brands you can expect to see regularly appear here! I choose to focus on Mainstream, Drugstore, and occasional indie brands.
Mainstream: OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Orly, Zoya; drugstore brands: Sally Hansen, Sinful Colors; and the occasional indie: Holo Taco, Glam Polish, KB Shimmer, ILNP, Mooncat.
I hope to add in and review and try out more brands in the future! (As my budget allows. I’m still purchasing most shades with my own money, and I still have to eat and pay rent).

I have before had makeup swatches and reviews on this blog, and though they’ve stopped for now, I do hope to one day add them back. I absolutely love purchasing and trying out the newest drugstore releases, and I’m sure they could be helpful to others!

All the fun bits:

I swatch all shades on my own natural nails. I also choose to not use top coat in any of my swatches, to show how a polish will dry and appear straight out of the bottle. My nails are quite ridged, so often they can take a coat or two more than others with smoother nails.

I film live swatch videos on my iPhone 11. All nail photos are taken with my Canon t7i camera in a lightbox, and then edited in Photoshop. I only edit for color accuracy and brightness/contrast, and to remove any stray fuzz or crusty cuticles that may distract from the shade. I never edit a shade to look like it has a better formula than it does – you would see that in the live swatches anyways.

PR Disclosure: Though I am very lucky to receive shades sent to me by companies, I am under no obligation to post and review said shades from the brand. I never guarantee positive reviews, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I review these shades thoroughly and in the same manner as I would with any polishes purchased with my own money.

Affiliate Link Disclosure: I do make a small commission when purchases are made using a specific link or code. These are all clearly labeled, and you’re under no pressure to shop through my link. It just goes to help support me and this blog, and continuing buying way too much nail polish.

All thoughts and opinions posted here are my own. Every shade is reviewed in the same manner.