Rainbow Bridge - Ulta3 Fruit Tingle, Ulta3 Tahiti, Ulta3 Atomic OJ, Ulta3 Citrus, Ulta3 Jelly

I don't have my NYE mani on yet so I'm going to have an interim rainbow mani posted instead!

[Rainbow Bridge]

I love how neon they are which I feel my camera didn't capture perfectly, particularly the oranges. The colours really looked like they were applied from highlighters.

[Left to Right: Ulta3 Fruit Tingle, Ulta3 Tahiti, Ulta3 Atomic OJ, Ulta3 Citrus] 

So, from left to right, Ulta3 Fruit Tingle, Ulta3 Tahiti, Ulta3 Atomic OJ, and Ulta3 Citrus. They are all creme neon polishes. Fruit Tingle and Citrus are the closest to accurate in the photos. Tahiti and Atomic OJ are just so much brighter in person than they are in the photos. Tahiti particularly is an almost bright vermilion-pink shade.

[Left to Right: Ulta3 Fruit Tingle, Ulta3 Tahiti, Ulta3 Atomic OJ, Ulta3 Citrus, Ulta3 Jelly] 

Okay, the truth is I broke the nail on my thumb so I was initially ashamed to include it, but I do feel the green adds such a fun contrast yet continuation to the other nails so here we go. The green is Ulta3's Jelly, which is a neon green. So yes, it's an Ulta3 lovefest today and I got a lot of love from everyone else who saw this mani in person too!

Tropicana - Ulta3 Atomic OJ, Ulta3 Tahiti

Today is all about neons and reverse French manicures.

[Ulta3 Atomic OJ
Ulta3 Tahiti]

I actually prefer using a shiny foil when doing reverse French manicures but I'm in a neon mood of late. As usual, I did this by freehand. When the polish is not too thick, it's pretty easy to do by French manicures or reverse French manicures by freehand.

The lighter orange is Ulta3's Atomic OJ, and it's a much more neon orange shade in real life compared to my photos. The darker neon pink-orange shade is Ulta3's Tahiti, and also much more neon in real life compared to my photos. My camera just doesn't do well with neons!

Night Light - BK Glow-in-the-dark polish #16

I wanted something bright for the warm weather and this shade certainly fit the bill...

[Bottle to nail: BK Glow-in-the-dark polish #16 (3 coats)]

This polish is BK glow-in-the-dark polish in shade #16 which is a bright neon orange. As with most neons, photos do no justice! I think the second photo (below) most accurately depicts it's eye-searing glory! I think these nails were really distracting to everyone at work...

[3 coats: BK Glow-in-the-dark polish #16]

I tried two ways of applying this - on my ring finger, I applied three coats of BK#16 polish; on every other nail I used one coat of Revlon Powder Puff (a iridescent white matte polish) and two coats of BK#16. I reckon they look pretty similar but perhaps the ring finger had a slightly richer more jelly-like appearance - I'd probably stick with three coats of BK#16 alone in future.

[3 coats: BK Glow-in-the-dark polish #16]

Formula-wise, this was pretty good - average dry time. Now the lovely thing about this polish though is that unlike many neons which dry semi-matte, this one has a more jelly texture so remains deliciously glossy. I did seal with top coat for these photos though.

[In the dark: BK Glow-in-the-dark polish #16 (3 coats)]

And finally! Does it glow?! As you can tell from the somewhat creepy photo above, it does! However it does need some intense charging up before you turn the lights out, otherwise, no I didn't really notice it too much just going from ambient to darkness. Still such a fun bright colour to usher in our summer months here down under!

Neon Twist - Revlon Powder Puff; Glam Polish Blue Goo, Twister; Lush Lacquer Glowsticks

Today, I bring you a layering experiment that probably didn't need to be quite so convoluted! =p

A slightly subtle take on multicoloured neon glitter that I considered "work-safe"... =p

[Base: Revlon Powder Puff (1 coat); Topper: Glam Polish Twister (1 coat)]

I started out with a sheer white base (Revlon Powder Puff) that you can see on its own here. I then put a layer of Glam Polish Twister over the top. Twister consists of neon matte hexes in varying sizes and colours. Jme has previously used Twister as a topper in this post!

[2 coats: Glam Polish Blue Goo]

I then put two layers of Glam Polish Blue Goo over the top to sheer out the bright neons. Blue Goo itself has some neon glitter in it. This didn't quite work as I planned as the blue creme base in Blue Goo pretty much hid the layer of Twister on the base. Ooops!

[Base: Glam Polish Blue Goo (2 coats); Topper: Lush Lacquer Glowsticks (1 coat)]

Not satisfied, I then put a layer of Lush Lacquer Glowsticks over the top. I adore Glowsticks! It's a clear base filled with many shapes and sizes of neon semi-sheer glitter and the look of it changes depending on how it's layered! Those neon blue bars are my favourite!

In the end, I was pleased with the end result, but I definitely want to try out Twister on its own over a matching base sometime though!

Summer Glow - China Glaze Pool Party

This was one tough polish to photograph and I don't think I got the colour quite right in the end either! Anyway, one of our friends had a pool party yesterday for Australia Day (although with the sudden chill, it was less pool party and more a sit-around-the-barbie-to-eat-and-chat party...), so in honour,.. here's China Glaze Pool Party~!

[Bottle to nail: China Glaze Pool Party (2 coats over white)]

China Glaze Pool Party is a fluoro pinky-orange, closer to the bottle colour in the photo above. Super fun and eye-catching!

[2 coats: China Glaze Pool Party]

My photos are all slightly too hazard orange than in real life; there's definitely a bit more pink to it. But altogether a great shade. I used two coats over white to make it really pop but this is chockers with pigment and applies well.

[2 coats: China Glaze Pool Party]

As with most neon colours, it dries matte, so remember to pop on a layer of top coat for extra gloss!

Ribbity Romp - Glam Polish Leapfrog

I'm loving neon glitter in creme bases and this here is one of my favourite polishes at the moment!

[Bottle to nail: Glam Polish Leapfrog (2 coats)]

This is Glam Polish Leapfrog, an aqua creme base filled with neon pink, yellow and green hexes of varying sizes. Application was great and these pics show Leapfrog at two coats (no base shade).

[2 coats: Glam Polish Leapfrog]

I love how pigmented the creme base is without dulling the pops of colour from the neon glitter. It is a bit muted in its participation in the neon trend, but great if you're dipping your toes and trying out some neon on your nails!

Super Base - LA Girl Matte Pink, Revlon Powder Puff

I was in the mood for something super bright the other day and pulled out this lovely fluoro pink from LA Girl.

[LA Girl Matte Pink over Revlon Powder Puff]

This is LA Girl Matte in Matte Pink - a gorgeous bright fluoro pink that dries to a plasticky matte finish.

[Bottle to nail: Revlon Matte Suede in Powder Puff]

Like most fluoros, this looks best over a white. I didn't want to go for a straight up white so I picked Revlon Matte Suede in Powder Puff, a white matte with a blue shimmer to it. Love this as a base for neon and lighter polish shades!

[2 coats: LA Girl Matte Pink over Revlon Powder Puff]

I then used two coats of LA Girl Matte Pink to get this awesome fluoro look. Here's what it looks like when the polish is still slightly wet (on the ring finger), compared to when it's dry (index and middle).

[2 coats: LA Girl Matte Pink over Revlon Powder Puff]

Rather than the super matte look, this one is more of a plastic/rubber type matte? Regardless, I loved it - super eye-catching indoors and even more blazingly pink outdoors!

Also, if you haven't already had a look, don't forget to check out my blogsale! Everything for cheap!

Got The Blues - China Glaze Blue Sparrow + Shooting Stars

I wanted a real bright blue nail polish, and Ev recommended China Glaze's Blue Sparrow while we were out shopping. It is gorgeouusssss...

[China Glaze Blue Sparrow (Neon)]

I love it, but I think it needs a glossy top coat to be truly appreciated. Blue Sparrow is a true neon shade, so it's bright but dries matte. The moment I layered a gloss top coat over Blue Sparrow, the blue microglitter in the polish really sparkled. The nail polish is so lovely!

[Base: China Glaze Blue Sparrow
Tips: China Glaze Shooting Stars]

As I mentioned in my past post, I have a chip on one of my nails, so I'll be doing gradient manis and French tips for the next few weeks to reinforce the nail and keep it from breaking. For this mani, I used China Glaze's Shooting Stars as a sort of gradient-French mani. (Is there a correct name for this?)

[Base: China Glaze Blue Sparrow
Tips: China Glaze Shooting Stars]

I love China Glaze's Shooting Stars. It's a dense, fine silver holo glitter, with the holo leaning towards an orange and green shade. It also has pastel-coloured holo hex glitter. The hex glitter catches the light in a soft, captivating way. Layering it over Blue Sparrow provides a nice contrast, and it's just shiny prettiness everywhere.

I only have one outdoor photo (as seen above) because the others just turned out weird. :(

[Base: China Glaze Blue Sparrow
Tips: China Glaze Shooting Stars]

[Base: China Glaze Blue Sparrow
Tips: China Glaze Shooting Stars]

Blurry iPhone photo so that you can see the pretty holo! It really is a strangely soft holo, hard to describe, but immensely pretty.

I'm so happy with these China Glaze hauls! :D

As Bright A Blue - China Glaze Blue Sparrow

Random swatch! An older one, but still a fave. =) This is China Glaze Blue Sparrow from the INK collection. It's meant to be a bright blue neon, but with the added microglitter, it doesn't have the usual flat finish that neons tend to end up with.

[Indoors: China Glaze Blue Sparrow]

[Indoors: China Glaze Blue Sparrow]

The formula is great and the finish is really smooth and streak-free, though it needs at least two coats - I've used three here. You can see VNL (visible nail line) in my pics here but I don't think I noticed it on the nail until I looked at the photos later so I don't think it is that obvious.

[Indoors: China Glaze Blue Sparrow]

When I first swatched it, I was a bit disappointed. Where was my bright neon crazy blue??? Oh well... at least it was definitely true to bottle! But once out in direct sunlight, it definitely is an eye-catching bright blue, neon while still being medium blue and with the added dimension of all those glitter flecks! I ended up really liking this one!