Summer Fun: Beach

I love layering polishes. It's such an easy way to create an effect, or expand your pallette.

I really had no idea what to do for this theme. At first I though I'd do nail art. But I didn't know what image/pattern to do, and I only have one brown, and it's not the right brown for a beach.

So I went a little further and thought, "Ocean." I love the ocean, and I love blue polish. A water marble, perhaps?

My forays into watermarble have not really been what I would call successful, however. They turn out okay...but not great. More practice is needed.

I did one marbled accent for this manicure, and layering for the rest. For the marble, I put down a base of Brash "Green Machine" (1 coat) and for the marble I used Maybelline Color Show "Porcelain Party," Sally Hansen Insta-Dri "Blue By," Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure "Calypso Blue," and China Glaze "Dorothy Who?"

On my thumb and pinky, I used a base of "Blue By;" for the ring finger I put down 1 coat of "Green Machine", and on my middle finger I used a single coat of Sally Hansen Chrome Nail Makeup "Aquamarine Chrome" (for those wondering, I added a few drops of nail polish remover to that one, which solved the thick/dry issue completely. It is now the fabulous one-coat polish I remember from high school once more).

On top of each of those, I did one coat of "Calypso Blue."

I love the way the layers came out. Each base brings out something different in the shimmer of Calypso, which is one of my favorite polishes. I LOVE blue nail polish--it is second only to my love of foils.


I know I've been kind of blah this week on the nail art front, but bear with me because I do have something special planned for Fav. Summer memory on Tuesday.

Speaking of which, what is your favorite white nail polish? I need something that's going to be opaque; I'm thinking I might have to resort to acrylic paint, if I have any left from my art school days. Is there such a thing as a good, opaque white?