Mermaid Scales - Zoya Logan, LA Girl Glitter Addict Purge, Milani Jewel FX Teal

I absolutely loved the manicure I posted yesterday, but after a couple of days, I couldn't resist adding another layer to it.. and here's what resulted!

[Mermaid scales]

The combination of blue, silver and green always brings to mind an underwater feeling, doesn't it? =) That's why I named the folder containing these images Mermaid Scales.

[Previously on Plisherrific...]

Quick recap from yesterday, this was one coat of Zoya Logan followed by one coat of LA Girl Glitter Addict in Purge. Gorgeous greeny goodness!

[Base: Zoya Logan (1 coat);
Glitter: LA Girl Glitter Addict Purge + Milani Jewel FX Teal (1 coat each)]

I then popped on a layer of Milani Jewel FX in Teal - INSTA-WOW! This glitter polish is a combination of large blue, silver, green and holo hexes with small blue hexes scattered throughout. Sister company Jordana has a dupe called Cosmic in their Glitters collection.

[Base: Zoya Logan (1 coat);
Glitter: LA Girl Glitter Addict Purge + Milani Jewel FX Teal (1 coat each)]

Click on the image to get a clearer look at the glitter combination. Everything lays flat and one coat of SV is sufficient, but go two coats for an ultra glossy finish.

[Base: Zoya Logan (1 coat);
Glitter: LA Girl Glitter Addict Purge + Milani Jewel FX Teal (1 coat each)]

This was so super duper blingy in real life but I don't think I managed to capture it that well! I was actually unsure before what undies to use with Milani Jewel FX Teal but I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. I think I'm getting the hang of this glitter layering thing!

Emerald - Zoya Logan, LA Girl Glitter Addict Purge

I did one of these last year, so here's the one for 2013! I've been on the lookout for a nice classic dress in solid emerald but it's really hard to find this colour on its own, for some reason. Last years post was about Tangerine Tango, and coral was everywhere (though admittedly coral/burnt oranges have been around for a really long time, on a fashion timescale). I'm hoping that now that Pantone has picked Emerald as Color of the Year for 2013, we'll be seeing a lot of it popping up everywhere!

 

[Emerald: Pantone Colour of the Year 2013]

So, here's a manicure along the bright green theme! I've been on the hunt for THE perfect green polish for so long. I have so many greens now, hence the green glitter skittle gradient I did recently. However, I reckon this combination comes pretty close to what I'm looking for!

[Bottle to nail: Zoya Logan (1 coat)]

This is Zoya Logan from the Ornate collection. How gorgeous is this! I also own Ivanka (swatched here), but I've always been disappointed by the sheerness and how the base pulls slightly blue. Now Logan here in these photos is ONE COAT.

[1 coat: Zoya Logan]

ONE COAT, ladies and gentlemen! The base is actually a darkened blue-green as well, but there is a lot of heavy gold shimmer, almost glass-fleck particles that Zoya is famous for. This actually neutralises the colour, preventing the blue from cooling the shade to pine.

[1 coat: Zoya Logan]

You can see that the blue base is visible at my tips, so despite the very impressive pigmentation, it's not really opaque, it's just that in combination with the heavy shimmer, it's not very noticeable at all unless you hold your nails up to the light. I mean, seriously guysss, ONE COAT.

Anyway, my love of bling has been highly documented on Plisherrific, so here's my love of bling coupled with love of green - LA Girl Glitter Addict in Purge.

[Base: Zoya Logan (1 coat); Glitter: LA Girl Glitter Addict in Purge]

Here's one coat over Zoya Logan. Now, the green in Purge is MY IDEAL GREEN.

[Base: Zoya Logan (1 coat); Glitter: LA Girl Glitter Addict in Purge]

Ahhhh, I stared at my nails so hard the whole time I had this manicure on. The different glitter sizes work really well to give a more twinkly effect that uniform glitter sizes would've done.

[Base: Zoya Logan (1 coat); Glitter: LA Girl Glitter Addict in Purge]

In the end, I think this combination might be as close as possible to my perfect green polish! However, a recent addition to my polish collection arrived last week - China Glaze Running in Circles.... will it be THE ONE? =)

Stay tuned to find out....

Halloween in Jan - Femme Fatale Ghoulish Glee

I hadn't realised that this wasn't posted yet!

[Femme Fatale Ghoulish Glee]

This is Femme Fatale's Ghoulish Glee. Isn't it remarkable? I can no longer remember the green base I used, but I don't think it's that important cause you can hardly see it since Ghoulish Glee is almost opaque.

Just look at the different glitter in this one. I can't even list them all, but let's try! There's green hexes of all sizes (some holographic, some a pale pastel matte green), square glitter (mid-green to pale green), green-gold holographic bar glitter, small gold hex glitter, small black hex glitter, green-gold microglitter. It's just a feast for the eyes!

After a few days of wear, I decided to go over Ghoulish Glee with black nail polish to get a goth/halloween French mani. The main aim was to cover my tip-wear. :) Not bad, I say!

Oh My Glitter Gradient! - Essence Oh My Glitter!, Kleancolor Metallic Purple

Here's a mid-week mini-post featuring a purple gradient manicure! Apologies for the cheesy title! ;)

[Bottle to nail: Essence Oh My Glitter! (2 coats)]

This is Oh My Glitter!, a shade from Essence's relatively new line-up of Colour n Go polishes. Jme has previously swatched this shade as well. I'd consider this more a glass-fleck/shimmer rather than a glitter but hey~ OMG! is a purple jelly creme with pink flecks throughout. Nice consistency, opaque with one careful coat! Definitely one to pick up from the new range!

[Gradient: Essence Oh My Glitter!, Kleancolor Metallic Purple]

I think I very lightly sponged on Kleancolor Metallic Purple over the tips to create this fast and easy gradient. One coat of topcoat smooths the whole thing right out. Easy peasy!

Brighten Up! - Australis Knickers in a Knot

Happy 2013!! =) Now that the past few days have actually been hot sunny summer days, what better than an eyecatching creme to brighten up your nails!

[Bottle to nail: Australis Knickers in a Knot (2 coats)]

This is Australis Knickers in a Knot, a bright coral pink creme that was gifted to me randomly by my sister! This colour goes on the nails slightly darker than the shade in the bottle.

[2 coats: Australis Knickers in a Knot]

Apparently the Best Formula Ever! Well, I didn't have any problems with it, I suppose. This was two coats and the color was highly pigmented. It does tend to dry very slightly matte like a lot of cremes do, but one shiny layer of topcoat on and it's glossy as can be. =)

[2 coats: Australis Knickers in a Knot]

I still haven't gone to the beach yet this summer! But I've managed to get sunburnt already just by wandering around the city on a sunny afternoon!

Randomly, is anyone else allergic to sunscreen? And if so, have you found any particular ones which do work for you without causing a reaction? I'm on the hunt, but testing it out is such a pain - literally, so any help is appreciated!

New Year Heat - Orly, LA Colors, Dong Dong

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! May the year be filled with a variety of innovative and exciting new polish! :D

I decided to keep it simple this new year. And to be honest, I only remembered to photograph this after a few days, so it does show some wear.

Base: Dong Dong 21
Middle: LA Colors Gold Nugget over Dong Dong 21
Tips: LA Colors Gold Nugget over Orly Luxe

By now, you already know I love gradient manis. I achieved this one with the usual sponging method, but I had to use Orly Luxe nearer to the tips since LA Colors Gold Nugget wasn't dense enough to fully cover the red foil base (Dong Dong 21). Yes, the name of that nail polish is still amusing. :P  With two coats of Gold Nugget (bright orange-gold) over Luxe (pale gold foil), I got the bright, rich gold colour I wanted. Voila! The things I do when I can't find just the exact shade of nail polish I want...

Rather than jelly nail polishes, I think foil nail polishes might be better for gradients, just because they look cooler!