Teal Overload

APPLICATION: Smooth on all
COATS: 2 of each
TOPCOAT?: After adding shimmer, yes.
SOURCE: JCPenney salon, Nail supply stores, Sally Beauty Supply
COMMENTS: At first glance most people would wonder why I have so many duplicates of the same color. Well, wearing them all at the same time helped me realize that although close, none of these is exactly the same.


From Left (pinky) to Right (Thumb) - BELOW:
OPI - Ski Teal we Drop
Color Club - Gossip Column.
Nyx Girls - Indigo Blue
Fingerpaints - To-Teally Chic
Orly - Sapphire Silk

From Left (Thumb) to Right (pinky) - BELOW:
Orly - Sapphire Silk
Fingerpaints - To-Teally Chic
Nyx Girls - Indigo Blue
Color Club - Gossip Column.
OPI - Ski Teal we Drop

See how different they are? All so pretty...
I then added one coat of Pure Ice - Heartbreaker.
So lovely!

With topcoat:

Two days later I decided to play with one of the Brazilian flakies I got from Mah at sparksfeather.blogspot.com
She sent some awesome flakies. I tend to be one who likes to save the best for last, so I tried the "least appealing" one first - because it had larger flakes - Eliana - Aurora Boreal.

The flakes are a little too large for my liking, and as such, don't all lay flat and smooth. I used two coats of topcoat in the photo above and still had some flakes sticking out.

Before removing I wanted to see what it would look like matte:

So-so. I think color-wise Aurora Boreal is pretty, but for me the flake size and texture is a shortcoming. Now I can't wait to try the others, which have smaller flakes!

For the record:  Nyx Girls - Indigo Blue left my fingernail partially stained after removal. None of the other did.

ABOP Franken - Sheer Strawberry Save

APPLICATION: Smooth
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: Yes
SOURCE: Franken made by mixing an almost full bottle of Sally Hansen - Sheer Strawberry with Orly - La Playa and Orly - Galaxy Girl.
COMMENTS: I've been trying to slowly shrink my gargantuan nail polish collection, and Sheer strawberry was one of the ones on the chopping block. However, it was just begging to be used in a franken, so I complied.

A quick look at Sheer Strawberry (on the right) before the franken - from a previous post:

 And now...

Outdoors in sunlight (you can tell from the nail tips that it's still somewhat sheer):

Orly - Glam Rock, and nail stickers

APPLICATION: Smooth, but had to be applied quickly as it dries fast.
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: After adding stickers, yes
SOURCE: Nail supply store
COMMENTS: I think I liked this mani more before the topcoat. The matte effect is lovely. With topcoat it turned into a color that I'm just so-so about on my nails.

Spotted and Matted - Ulta Limelight

COMMENTS: I modified this mani to the one I originally had planned before being wowed by the color last night. Dots were added with a new Kiss nail art pen ($5.50 for a set of two - black/white or silver/pink). I then put a matte topcoat over it. I picked up this topcoat which is meant for the older Orly Satin Hues polishes at a nail supply that has a small selection of old Orlys. I'm so surprised at how well this topcoat works, and prefer it to my China Glaze matte Magic! Or maybe that just means I prefer the "satin" look to the fully "matte" look...

You are awesome! Orly Satin Hues - Satin Illusion (Pic Heavy)

Thank you so much for all your comments on my last post. I had lost a bit of blood during and after surgery so was very weak. My heart rate/pulse was really high, and just getting up to go to the restroom was a huge challenge.  Late this morning, I was given two units of blood, and what a difference it made!  
Thank you to all the blood donors out there, you don't usually get so see the direct results of what you do, but I have benefited immensely today because of you.  
I now have been able to take a few walks in the hallway unassisted and going to the restroom is a breeze. It's amazing! Since I'm feeling much better, I figured I would post a mani from during the week.
(fyi, my in-hospital mani is just base coat and two coats of gelous, no color. it's held up so far)


Orly Satin Hues - Satin Illusion
APPLICATION: Smooth. It doesn't dry as fast as newer polishes with the satin finish, so easy to apply.
COATS: 3 - and it was worth it.
TOPCOAT?: Yes
SOURCE: Nail supply store in a part of town where I used to live.
COMMENTS: I was really surprised by this since when I swatched it, it looked like a wasted $2, but wearing it , that extra third coat made a difference. It has a blue-ish undertone that's really cool at certain angles. My first pic below is with just one coat. I later put on a topcoat and then stamped with Avon Olive Green to match my outfit (not initially planned). I probably would have worn this a third day, but I wanted to start with something fresh for my  hospital stay.

Cover Girl, Orly, and Finger Paints - Orange three ways

Application: Streaky on the Covergirl and Orly, although the Orly was a bit better. Smooth on the Finger Paints, though this was just tips, so not accurate.
Coats: 3 each of the two base colors. One of the tips.
Source: Cover Girl was from a drugstore, Orly from Victoria Nail Supply, Finger Paints from Sally Beauty Supply
Comments: I couldn't decide what to wear next, so I told myself I would wear bottle number 77 from my spreadsheet. That turned out to be Cover Girl - Candy Corn. I then decided to alternate it with something similar and found the other two colors in my swatched tips.
From Left to right:
Orly - Sol Cabana, Cover Girl - Candy Corn, Orly - Sol Cabana, Cover Girl - Candy Corn
Tips on all: Finger Paints - Tangerine Tint


The two base colors, Orly - Sol Cabana and Cover Girl - Candy Corn are very similar. Finger Paints - Tangerine Tint is darker. It's a bright mani that could have gone wrong. I'm glad I added the white, though now it really makes me want to eat candy corns!