OPI - Too Hot Pink to Hold 'Em and Ludurana - Arco-Iris

APPLICATION: Smooth
COATS: 2 of Too Hot Pink to Hold 'Em, 1 of Arco-Iris
TOPCOAT?: Yes
SOURCE: OPI from JCPenney salon, Ludurana from Mah (sparksfeather.blogspot.com)
COMMENTS: Another juicy jelly "sorbet" from OPI. Once it was on I had to top it with one of my new flakies, so I put Arco-Iris on half the nail diagonally. This is more sparkly in real life.

Full sun:

Shade:

Indoors, artificial light:

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.

Blush Disco Diva - Funkadelic, and glitter

APPLICATION: Smooth after adding some thinner and balls to the bottle.
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: Only after adding glitter.
SOURCE: Funkadelic from Ross - as part of a set, glitter from Sally Beauty Supply.
COMMENTS: I remember someone saying they wanted to see this one when I first showed you the set. Here it is!
The initial plan for this manicure was to sandwich the glitter by applying a third coat of Funkadelic over it. I liked the way it looked once the glitter was on though, so I left it like that.

Started with two coats of Funkadelic:

Then added glitter:

Added a matte topcoat on day 2 - love it, looks like frosted glass!

Here's a reminder of what the set looked like:

And the purple one (Hustle) at 2 and 3 coats:

Bettina - Earth

APPLICATION: Smooth - though I got bubbles. I'm finding that I have to use a slightly thinner coat first to prevent running/pooling then I can follow with a thicker one.
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: After adding tip color only.
SOURCE: Swap with Jossie (Puerto Rico)
COMMENTS: When I saw Jossie wear this one on her blog, I just had to wear mine for my next mani! Such a gorgeous earthy brown with a hint of yellow. It's a unique color that I love! I did my tips in Fingerpaints - Catwalk Queen because it seemed like the perfect complement. The combination reminds me of a purse or pair of shoes - some kind of dark leather with contrast piping.

So shiny without topcoat!

Marina & Demme - Unnamed cream

APPLICATION: Ghastly! No, really, even after adding thinner it was lumpy. The other colors seem to be a bit better though.
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: Only after the layering.
SOURCE: Burlington Coat Factory as part of a pack.
COMMENTS: This was a disappointing mani. The color is beautiful and has some hidden shimmer in it, but because application was a challenge it  ended up streaky. I  tried to salvage it with a coat of A Perfect "10" - Power Up (dupe for Pure Ice - Busted), and  it looked great at some angles, but still streaky at others. Can't win them all!

Dare Heart N Roll nail polish set

APPLICATION: Smooth
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: See photos
SOURCE: Ross
COMMENTS: Here is the outcome of another recent swatch request. I really like the other sets I have by this company (Tres Risk is what the others were named), so I had high hopes for this one. They're not as richly pigmented or flashy as I expected, but not bad either.

 Without topcoat:

With topcoat:

California Nails - Set 2

APPLICATION: Smooth
COATS: 2
TOPCOAT?: No
SOURCE: Big Lots for $2.50
COMMENTS: This set also applied wonderfully but the colors weren't really special (to me). The red has a nice glow and the lighter purple/mauve is pretty. The dark purple also has some interesting shimmer in it. The other two colors are just basic cremes though.