Top 6 Best Nail Polish Racks & Stands

Whether you're a technician at a nail salon or just someone like me who owns an ungodly amount of nail polish, you know that nail polish bottles are actually a lot harder to efficiently store than you'd expect. They're like this strange break in physics where despite being small and, for the most part, of a standard shape, nail polish bottles seem to take up twice the space you expect them to and trying to fit them into general organizers leaves all kinds of wasted space.

But when lacquer bottles are properly displayed and organized, they can look like memorizing gradients, a wall full of colorful crystals.

Why it matters for salon use.

How you store your lacquers is going to greatly affect, if not decide completely, how professional your set up will look. You can have the sleekest, brand new manicure stations, but if your clients have to dig through a jumble of nail polish bottles in a big plastic tub or pick through bottles stacked five deep on a bookshelf while trying not to knock them all over like glass dominos–it's not going to matter how nice the rest of your salon is.

Having neat, clean nail polish displays with tight organization makes your space look infinitely larger and more professional. Plus, those lines of colors can double as wall art and save you money in the decor department. When it's easy to see all the nail lacquer options without having to dig around, it's more exciting for the client and it won't take them as long to take stock of what you have and choose the color they want. The faster they pick, the more clients you can fit into your schedule.

Why it matters for personal home use.

Trying to strong arm wall shelves, bookshelves, filing cabinets, and storage bins into being effective nail polish storage is like trying to store loose silveware in your kitchen cabinets: you can do it, but it's going to be a hassle, waste loads of space, and result in a lot of cussing. There's a good reason there are storage options made specifically to work with these shapes.

When you have proper storage, you can see every color you have and avoid the trap of accidentally buying doubles of a shade you forgot you already had because it's buried at the bottom of the pile.

And while this may not be the case for everyone, some of us have partners who are already giving our nail polish collection the side-eye as it slowly spreads and takes over a corner of the apartment. Proper storage racks take up less space than bins or drawers which everyone can appreciate. Plus if you happen to buy a wall rack that has a bit more space than you really need, no one can reallly complain when you expand to fill that space. I mean, the storage was going to be there either way so why leave it empty, right? (Personally, my research for the top 20 best glitter nail polish shades sort did some damage to my free space. Not that I'm complaining.)

Types of racks and stands.

Counter displays. These are stands that are meant to sit on tables. They hold fewer polishes than wall racks, but have the benefit of keeping colors close at hand. These are great for manicure stations for technicians to have their preferred cuticle oils, top coats, ridge fillers, base coats, etc. at the ready. If you're still on the hunt for these essentials, read my guides to the best cuticle oils and creams, best base coats, and best top coats for long lasting nail polish. The same is true for home use. Stands are a good option to keep your current favorites of the season at your fingertips. Using only these types of racks is an effective solution for storage if you only own a few dozen lacquers.

Metal wall racks. If your collection is expansive and/or professional, wall storage is the way to go. Metal racks are durable, long lasting, and come in a variety of sizes. The wire construction gives the opportunity for decorative scroll-work that can turn your storage into wall art. The only downside to these racks is that depending on the design of their shelving, the wire can cover or distract from the nail polish bottles, partially obscuring the color of the bottle.

Acrylic wall racks. These units, made of either colored or clear plastic, may seem a bit bulkier, but tend to be lighter than metal options. I find acrylic shelves have a cleaner, more professional look that makes the colors of your polish pop. The downside to these is that cheaper models tend to look really cheap so if you like this style, don't skimp or your display will look dingy.

No matter which you choose, the difference between having every color at your fingertips and trying to remember if you still have that dusty purple you like is mind-blowing. For personal use of polish-addicts, it's a whole new level of convenience and space-saving storage. And for salon use, it's a professional must.

Read on to see the best nail polish wall racks and stands that are available right now.

1. Home-it Nail Polish Rack

The Home-it nail polish rack is a great affordable organizer for home use that can store up to 102 nail polish bottles. That number, of course, is going to be based on the smallest nail polish bottles around because marketing, but with six shelves that are 20 inches wide and two inches deep, even if you only own the chunkiest nail lacquers around, you're still going to be able to fit over 80 bottles. At 24 inches tall, it's big enough for substantial storage but doesn't have to take over an entire wall.

2. MyGift Wall Mounted Salon Nail Polish Display

This set of three shelves from MyGift is a good choice for professional salons or for large home collections. The combined three racks can hold up to 246 bottles of nail polish. That's not joking around. If you have a full rack and changed your nail polish color every two days for a year without repeating any colors, you'd still have over 180 colors left that you hadn't worn. I like the clean, straight lines of the metal shelves that don't distract from the nail polish bottles making them easy to see and browse quickly. It's a good compromise having the scrolling at the top and a more minimalist style where the bottles sit. A party at the top, business on the bottom approach.

3. Beauticom Blue Professional Nail Polish Wall Rack Display

This rack is eye-catching with its solid blue backing which gives it the feel of a more substantial, permanent shelving unit. The front walls of the six shelves are transparent instead of blue, giving you a crystal-clear view of the colors of your lacquer bottles. It's a great choice for salons. Holding up to 96 bottles of nail polish, it isn't as substantial as others, but a few of these in a block really add up and the clean, no nonsense lines have a much more modern look to them than the metal scrollwork racks. The Beauticom Professional Wall Display comes with mounting hardware and all you'll need is a drill to install it.

4. Makartt 3 Tier Wall Mounted Nail Polish Display Rack

If what you're looking for is the ability to customize your shelving space, these clear acrylic wall mounted shelves give you countless options. These three mini racks, each 15 inches long, can fit approximately 40 nail polish bottles in total and can be arranged in whatever pattern best fits your needs. With a short, clear plastic lip, they keep polish bottles from being knocked over.

5. Sodynee Nail Polish Counter Display

Counter displays like this one by Sodynee are great for both holding smaller personal collections and as a retail display set next to a register at a nail salon. Your nail polish bottles have "stadium seating" of six levels, which makes it so that each bottle is easy to see. The clear acrylic plastic limits visual obstruction and keeps your counter space from looking too cluttered. This display comes in three sizes. All of them have six vertical levels, but you can choose different widths.

6. Pana Black 6 Tier Wall Mounted Metal Rack

At space for up to 100 nail polish bottles, the Pana Wall Mounted Rack is another great option for both home or salon use. The front bar has more scroll work than I would generally recommend for salon display, but it's low enough that over a third of the bottle shows over the top of it so I don't mind that much. This sturdy metal rack has six shelves at 21 inches wide, 25 inches high, and 2 inches deep.

Top 6 Best Total Solar Eclipse 2017 Shirts

On Monday, August 21 of this year, a total solar eclipse will be visible in totality across 14 states — spanning the entire United States. It's a remarkable astronomical event that has not occurred across the contiguous United States since 1918. The band of totality will pass over parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina — so millions of people will be able to view this stunning celestial phenomenon.

A total solar eclipse is when the Moon's diameter appears to be larger than the Sun's as it passes between the Earth and our star. This type of eclipse blocks all direct sunlight and casts darkness over the land during the day! It's truly a unique and incredible spectacle to bear witness to. The total solar eclipse will occur in a narrow band across the United States, but a partial eclipse will be visible in a much wider band on either side of the totality line. Total solar eclipses are rare events, so having the ability to spectate one is truly an opportunity worth seizing.

Festivals and events celebrating the total solar eclipse will be happening across the country, so if you plan on viewing the eclipse from within or outside the totality band you oughta show up in style. We've tracked down the best Tshirt designs out there having to do with this rare and powerful event so you can celebrate the eclipse while wearing some cool threads and also be left with something to remember the experience by.

1. Total Solarity Eclipse T-Shirt

Total Solarity has designed some very cool shirts for the upcoming eclipse. If you're looking for a unique, standout shirt to wear for the eclipse you should really check out some of their recent designs. Their shirts are creative and artistic, yet not too in your face. This design is available in five different colors (Black, brown, grey, white and dark heather) and has men's, women's and youth sizes available. The solid colors are 100% cotton and the grey heather color is 65% cotton and 35% polyester. Total Solarity recommends you machine wash this shirt cold, and dry it on low heat. It's described as having a lightweight, classic fit. This is a shirt you're likely going to want to keep in your wardrobe long after August 21st.

2. Total Solarity Eclipse 2017 T-Shirt

Here's another rad design by Total Solarity picturing the Sun and Moon nestled together within a colorful mosaic-like pattern. The colors of the design are pretty striking against all 5 of the available shirt colors (black, brown, navy, heather blue and dark heather). This shirt has the same specs as the previous shirt by Total Solarity listed — the solid colors are 100% cotton and the heather colors are 65% cotton and 35% polyester. There's also men's, women's and youth sizes available for this design. Customer reviews insist this one runs true to size so you can buy in confidence. It's a lightweight shirt that's ideal for warm or hot weather. Total Solarity employs a double-needle sleeve and bottom hem with their shirts– pretty standard. Don't forget there's free returns through this seller (and for most of the shirts listed here) so if you for some reason don't like the fit or design of the shirt you're able to send it back.

3. Total Solar Eclipse 2017, Sun and Moon Ancient Design

Here's another tasteful design for August 21st's big event. I really like how the various phases of the eclipse are pictured dangling above the sun and crescent moon on this one. This design is available in five colors (royal blue, navy, purple, heather blue and dark heather) and in men's, women's and youth sizes. This shirt runs true to size, so no need to buy big or small. The solid colors are 100% cotton and the heather colors are 65% cotton and 35% polyester. I find that the unique design stands out nicely on all five base colors. This one is a crowd pleaser for sure.

4. Cat Is Watching Total Solar Eclipse 2017 T-shirt

Here's one for all you cat lovers out there. Amazon has all 14 states within the totality path available so you can purchase one to represent your state or where you will be viewing the eclipse from. This T comes in five different base colors (black, brown, asphalt, navy and dark heather) in both men's and women's sizes. The sizes should run true for both the men's and women's cuts. This lighter weight shirt is to be machine washed cold and dried on low heat. If you're into the whole cat-related solar eclipse design, then you'll want to check out this design as well.

5. Vishtea Total Solar Eclipse Tshirt 2017

Here's a neat design picturing the moment of totality with the sun behind the moon emanating energy in colorful, sweeping and looping bands. This shirt illustrates how the sun will give us a rare look at its outer atmosphere while shielded by the moon. The design pictures features of the sun's magnetic field and solar output in a really groovy manner…cool stuff! There's some great color options available for this one and it comes in men's, women's and youth sizes. The colors include Kelly green, royal blue, navy, black and dark heather. All the colors are 100% cotton except dark heather (35% polyester). Reviews claim this shirt runs a bit small and shrinks significantly when washed so buy a size or two big with this one.

6. Total Solarity Eclipse 2017 T-Shirt

Here's another righteous design by Total Solarity. The artwork on this shirt appears to be quite simple at a glance, but there's some pretty thoughtful and complex uses of geometry and color in this design. This shirt comes in black, baby blue and white — every base color really giving the design a different vibe. All colors are 100% cotton. There's men's, women's and kids sizes available for this shirt and free returns if you find it's not what you expected. Like the other shirts listed by Total Solarity, this is a lightweight shirt great for summer weather. I find the "complex-simplicity" of this design to be very styling and because this shirt has no date referring to August 21st's eclipse, you're going to want to wear it long after this month's celestial event.

Makeup That Can Withstand a Workout

For Eve Kessner, an instructor at SoulCycle studios in Brooklyn Heights and Union Square, getting ready for the gym each morning goes beyond brushing her teeth and pulling on a pair of leggings. Before heading out to classes that often start before 8 a.m., she applies Eyeko Sport Waterproof Mascara and a face luminizer by RMS Beauty or Josie Maran Cosmetics.

"Wearing some amount of makeup makes me feel good," Ms. Kessner said. "Part of getting ready and feeling prepared for class are the steps I take in the morning."

Ms. Kessner is hardly alone in putting on makeup before exercising. At Shen Beauty, the Cobble Hill boutique where she bought her mascara, Jessica Richards, the store's owner, estimates that half the women who buy the Eyeko Sport mascara intend to use it at the gym. There is also a companion waterproof eyeliner, and both products promise not to budge, as the packaging puts it, "even under extreme sport conditions."

And this month, Birchbox, the beauty retailer best known for its sampler boxes, is introducing Arrow, a concise collection of cosmetics and skin-care items that are designed to be worn while working out.

The initial offerings include a sheer gel blush and a pink lip balm with color that develops as it reacts to the pH level of one's lips, as well as an aluminum-free deodorant. Additions like a waterproof mascara and a tinted serum and brow gel, along with cleansing wipes and a moisturizing facial spray, are due in May.

While these cosmetics add a touch of color, their effect is less pronounced than, say, highly pigmented powders or products with a more matte finish. "It's really to help enhance your natural self and give you a little bit more polish," Katia Beauchamp, a founder of Birchbox, explained. "We weren't trying to create something that was like a heavy makeup, where you're thinking about perfection. It's more lightweight."

As you may expect, wearing cosmetics in the sweaty environment of the gym also has its naysayers. "When you perspire, you are a setup for all kinds of things to go awry," said Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, a dermatologist in Manhattan. "You're creating a petri-dish situation by perspiring with the added variable of occlusion — that's the covering and the protection of the skin from oxygen. A lot of makeup will occlude the skin. It would theoretically increase your risk of breaking out."

Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas said that eye products like waterproof mascara are less perilous, although some of their ingredients have a high incidence of allergy.

For all that, some women simply aren't prepared to forgo makeup. Heather Thomson, the designer and former cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York City," wears Becca Bronzing Skin Perfector, RevitaLash Hi-Def Tinted Brow Gel, waterproof mascara and a lip plumper to workouts. "It's all about the subtleties that make it look like you didn't do anything, but there's definitely effort there," she said.

Ms. Thomson added that she is often recognized en route to her workouts. "I like to take a little time to present myself," she said.

10 things not to say to your hairdresser

Your image is at the hands of someone else, and one wrong move can have you growing out a disaster for months. Imagine the pressure that hairdressers go through, then, to ensure you walk out looking your best.

It's definitely not an easy job, and when clients have unrealistic expectations or don't understand haircare it makes it that much harder. So, how do you make it go as smoothly as possible for you and your stylist? Well, you could start by avoiding mentioning the following:

1. I know my hair is box-dyed black, but I want to go blonde… TODAY

They're a hairdresser not a magician, and bleach will only take you so far before your hair all falls out. As much as a colourist wants to get you platinum blonde in one sitting, already processed hair can be hugely damaged by lighteners and they need to preserve the integrity of your hair.

Trust them when they say it'll take a few tries over time – it's not just a money-making scheme.

2. It's so expensive

Obviously you could go home and cut it yourself. You can also cook a steak yourself instead of paying more for it in a restaurant.

But you're paying for someone's skill and expertise, as well as everything that goes with it like fancy shampoos, treatments, and glasses of prosecco while you wait.

According to the National Careers Service, an experienced hairdresser will make between £14,000 and £24,000 which is less than the average salary. Don't mug them off.

3. Make me look like [insert celebrity here]

Different face shapes, hair textures, and a myriad of other factors can affect how a style will look on you. I'd love to walk into the salon as me, and walk out as Megan Fox, but it's just not going to happen.

By all means use celebs as inspiration, but don't be annoyed if the finished product doesn't transform you into an a-lister.

4. I saw this new technique on Instagram – Can you do it?

New hair trends come and go every day, and even the most experienced of stylists need continuous training to stay up to date.

Ask your hairdresser when you book if they're able to give you the look you want rather than feeling miffed they aren't au fait with unicorn balayage two days after it became a 'thing'.

5. I love it, I promise

Do you really? That sinking feeling when you walk out of the hairdresser's looking like a poodle is something we can all relate to, but how can your hairdresser fix this if you never tell them?

Calmly explaining that your cut or colour doesn't look like what you asked for means you can work together to leave feeling confident rather than confused.

6. It doesn't look the same when I do it at home – Fix it

It's a given that not everybody's a whizz with a hairdryer, but nine times out of ten your hair will look different when you do it yourself just because you're doing it yourself. The angles are different and your equipment likely won't be as high-end.

Ask your stylist for the best way to recreate the look rather than assuming it's their fault.

7. Can you slot me in today?

While they'll do everything they can to get you an appointment, calling in on a busy day and asking for a last-minute slot is really a gamble.

There's only so many hours in a day, and they're not going to make someone else wait just because you forgot to book in advance.

8. I haven't had a haircut in three years, but don't take too much off the length

Despite the shampoo adverts, no product will get rid of split ends. The only way to do that is cut them off.

No hairdresser will let you walk out with ratty ends, so if they can you need a few inches off, just accept it and get more regular trims next time.

9. Will this make me look fat?

You know there are apps for this, right? It's not a stylist's place to say whether a cut will make you look 'fat' or not.

It puts them in an awkward position, and since weight and looks are subjective you might not get the answer you're looking for.

10. I'm 45 minutes late, what do you mean you can't still see me?

A salon is run like an overwhelmingly tight ship, and most hairdressers don't even have the time to take a lunch break. If you're really late it throws the whole schedule off and everybody else who made it on time still needs to be accommodated.

Your stylist will always do their best to see you, but try to be on time so their day isn't a complete stress-fest.