Black Rainbow

This is the layering manicure I talked about on Wednesday. I wanted to play around with all of the polishes that I use only for layering, because they don't do well on their own.

To start with, I used put down one coat of Pure Ice "Touch Me Here." From pinky to thumb, I added one coat each of:

Essie "Sequin Sash"
Cover Girl 3-in-1 "Rose Quartz"
Maybelline Color Show "Plum Paradise"
Orly "Mysterious Curse"
Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear "Night Lights"

I really love the way this came out. There isn't much difference between three coats of "Mysterious Curse" and one coat over black, and it's so much easier to get nice coverage. With "Plum Paradise," I couldn't see any of the streaky, uneven application I had when using it on it's own. The color is richer and more vibrant, and the opacity is perfect.
I was really shocked that "Rose Quartz" turned nearly metallic and silver, whcn it's such a pale pink. It was slightly warmer in real life than it showed up in the photos, but there was barely any pink visible at all.

For once, "Night Lights" gave a nice amount of coverage. Normally I would do two coats of that, but this time I could get away with one. Same with "Sequin Sash."

What are your favorite colors to layer? Any unexpected surprises?

Summer Fun: Favorite Beach Memory

Woops. I almost forgot about this post. That's what I get for writing it in advance and not adding pictures right away.

Well, that, and some really crappy pictures...

When I was seven, we went down to Florida to visit my great aunt and uncle. This was the first time I remember leaving the state (I went to Canada a few years before and apparently made friends with everyone on the train by virtue of being an adorable three year old who didn't scream or cry once in twelve hours, but I don't remember it). It was the first time I saw the ocean, the first time I went to Disney, and the first time I missed school for vacation.

I wish I could share the photo that this manicure is based on, but I don't have a copy.

We drove from Ohio to Florida, and stopped at Daytona Beach on the way for lunch. We got Subway (which back then was a real treat; they weren't all that common and were considered "expensive" fast food, according to my parents) and ate on the beach. I made a sand castle. My mom snapped a picture and in it, I'm wearing a two piece swimsuit covered in neon stripes and flowers. I was very proud of that swimsuit (I think it was my first two-piece suit, and I felt very grown up).

I have yet to find another suit that looks as good on me.

Of course, my body has changed a little since then. I'm not sure if it's an improvement sometimes (like when it comes to swimsuit and jeans shopping).

Colors used: Maybelline "Porceline Party" for a base; China Glaze " Celtic Sun"; Color Zone neon pink and purple.

I think that neon polishes have joined the ranks of classic red lips, smokey eyeshadow, and string bikinis: They're all things that I love...on other people. While I might hang on to the purple, I think that the pink and yellow will be joining the Giveaway stash I've been putting together (yes, I am planning a giveaway. But not until my followers passes the single digits. I'd like to have more than two people enter, unlike the last time I tried to have a giveaway on my blog).

What's your take on neon? Yay or nay?

Friday Finds, and Color Zone Florescent Pink Review

There is a small, slight chance -- tiny, really -- that I've gone a little overboard this week.

I just couldn't help myself. I was so excited by all the blogs I've been reading, and the tutorials, and having this new blog myself.

So, here's the breakdown, from left to right:
Pop Beauty Nail Glam kit with #4 Black and #58 Split Silver (crackle coat). ($4.99, Marshalls)
Modella Purse kit with flamingo pattern (because I had to. See below) ($2.89, Walmart)
Winning Nails #704306 nail art brush ($4.79, Sally's Beauty Supply)
Maybeline Color Show in #380 Porcelain Party and #280 Plum Paradise ($2.89 each, Walmart)
Color Zone Set including a clear glitter, a florescent glitter pink, and a florescent glitter purple (color names/numbers were nowhere on the packaging or bottles, oddly enough) ($4.99, Marshalls)
Up & Up set of 32 Cosmetic Wedges ($1, Target)
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri anti-chip top coat ($4.49, Target)
China Glaze Celtic Sun ($6.49 Sally's Beauty Supply)

Not pictured:
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Blue By! ($3.59, Target)
Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle Pen ($5.99, Target)

Whew! That should keep me busy. I've been dying to get my hands on some florescent colors ever since I saw this manicure, so that's what I was most excited about. My camera really doesn't like bright things, so it doesn't quite do these colors justice, especially the pink. The second photo is a bit closer to the truth:


I tried swatching the pink this morning, and this is what came out:


That's three coats of the Color Zone pink over 1 coat of the Porcelain Party, topped with the glitter.

Both of these colors are rather streaky and sheer (I'll talk more about the white when I swatch it by itself). The pink is both thin and kind of gloopy, which is an odd combination. It makes it very difficult to apply evenly, and in order to really get the color to pop you MUST have a white basecoat. If I ever use this color straight again, I'll do two coats of white and two of the pink (though I might still need three), just to give it a really good base. As you can see in this swatch, even after three coats, you can still see where the white base didn't completely cover the nail, so I've got some streaks that still show through.

It dried almost instantly, which I like (though I did have the desk fan going at the time, and that probably helped a bit), and was nice and bright without being blinding. The tiny amount of glitter in this polish seems to add more of a texture than a sparkle; most of it winds up being covered by the polish rather than on top of it, so just for kicks I took the clear glitter and put that on top. Even though there's a good amount of glitter in the pot, it was more content to stay on the brush than on my nails. It did add a little much-needed shine, but not as much as I had hoped, and it helped a little with the bumpiness of the glitter.

Overall, I found it disappointing, but I'm reserving final judgement until after I do the water marble.

I did do a little research on Color Zone for this post -- or at least I tried. They don't seem to have a website, nor does their parent company, Blue Cross Beauty Products. So the color names/numbers shall remain a mystery for the time being.

*I love flamingos, I collect all things tropical, and as I found out this week, my first short story, "Birds of a Feather", which is about a Wereflamingo (yes, a Wereflamingo) will be published on July 11! So this was a bit of a celebratory splurge. :)