Holo Stamping with franken: Boom Boom Ba

It's about time I showed another of my Spectraflair frankens, isn't it? This one, I've named Boom Boom Ba, and it's made from one bottle of Essence Break Through with a tiny amount of Spectraflair and some clear polish to thin the base. It has a fairly subtle holo effect, but it's just enough to add some life and dimension. My bottle of Break Through is one of the old ones, but according to the Essence website, it should still be available in their newer Colour & Go line.

full sun

Here it is in full sun. This is two coats Boom Boom Ba, stamped using Color Club Revvvolution and Cheeky Jumbo plate D. My bottle of Revvvolution is not as holo as I'd like it to be, but I'm not sure I'd call it a dud bottle, as it's still very nice. Hopefully you can see the effect here in the stamping. This is the most true-to-color photo of the bunch, as the others pull too blue.

full spectrum lamp

 Here it is under my full spectrum lamp. As you can see, the holo effect is slightly less, but still visible, especially in the bottle. Again, this is bluer than the polish is in real life.

shade

This is full shade, and the holo effect is completely dampened, but it's clearly not a plain cream polish. It has depth, but no rainbows.
Here's the song inspiration behind my franken name, complete with a video from the TV show (Dead Like Me) where I first heard and enjoyed the song:

Great song, great show.

More Purple Layering

light box

NYS Hot Purple + Nicole by OPI Count On Me. 2 coats NYS + 1 coat NOPI, with topcoat. Shortly after using my beloved Hot Purple for the glitter sandwich I posted last time, I found another spectacular use for it - as the base color under the beautifully iridescent Count On Me. If you look closely at the above pic, you will see prominent blue shimmer in the direct light, but you'll also notice some pink highlight to the side - both are the NOPI! I really adore duochromey shimmer polishes like this, especially when they're sheer enough to layer over darker colors that really showcase the color-shifting properties. I couldn't capture the completely pink shift on camera, but it's there irl. This really sparkles, too - I would classify the finish as micro-glass fleck, if that makes any sense. It's in a sheer, pink-tinted base, that only marginally changed the color of the base polish.

full sun

Here's a shot in full sun, just because. I wasn't counting on the NOPI being quite as sheer as it ended up, or I would have used three coats of NYS Hot Purple, or a proper underwear polish. As it was, the VNL was only apparent in full sun. Once again, I really needed to wrap the tips with every color layer, especially for photos. D'oh!

I'd like to expound a bit on how NYS Hot Purple has totally won me over on jelly finish polishes.  I really dislike most jellies/sheers I've found for the following reasons: 1) they aren't supposed to be sheer, so they end up looking like the bad formula that they are, 2) they're just watered-down, washed-out versions of a color, 3) they're usually a streaky mess, 4) I'm not fond of the unintentional French mani look, 5) they'll never even get close to opaque, no matter how many coats you slather on (see the NOPI above), or 6) they're so dark that by the time they're opaque, they're also black (google Nars Zulu, for example). NYS Hot Purple, on the other hand, ticks all the right boxes for me. The rich, saturated color is outstanding, and never looks black. The squishy translucence and shine are irresistible. It's a real multi-tasker, too, looking stunning with layering (especially glitter sandwiches!) or all by itself. It's buildable to full opacity in three coats. Now I find myself seeking out sheers, but I don't think I've found any that equal this one yet, especially for the price (only $2.50, and cheaper online)! Needless to say, I'll be snapping up any more New York Summer 'Hot' polishes I find.

How about you? Have you ever been completely converted on a finish or color by a single polish?

My Favorite Purple Jelly

Hmm, layer cake? Jelly roll? Jelly sammich? Must have food on the brain. Specifically, grape jelly. Love my New York Summer Hot Purple! I found this beauty for $2.50 in a bin at the nail salon in my local Wal-Mart - and I'm considering going back for more! I can see myself using this color a LOT. It's the perfect shade of purple, with just enough blue and the jelly finish is just so squishy and delicious! I forgot to get pics of it alone, but I think you'll get a good idea of the color from my layering pic. Behold!

full sun

New York Summer Hot Purple layered with Colormate Glitter Glam and Confetti Tasmanian Devil, in this order: 1 coat NYS HP + 1 coat CM GG + 1 coat NYS HP + 1 coat C TD + 2 coats topcoat. Capisce? (Note to self: wrap tips on ALL color layers when applying a jelly. That's not tipwear or shrinkage you see at the free edge, it's just the translucent nature of jellies - it wasn't as noticeable IRL.) Love this combo! I used two different glitters for the layers, because after the first layer of Glitter Glam, I wasn't as fond of the all-one-size-glitter-pieces as I thought I'd be, so the Confetti gave me the smaller glitter, also. Whenever I do a jelly sandwich now, I like to do a glitter layer on top, as well as in the middle, because I think it gives it more depth.
FYI, I got Colormate Glitter Glam at Big Lots, in a three-pack (with two other great colors) for $2. If you've been meaning to try Diamond Cosmetics polishes, but haven't gotten around to an online order yet (like me), they also make Colormates. And Big Lots has been selling some awesome colors in three-packs, as well as individually (for 80¢ or $1, depending on location). Dollar Tree has also been selling some singles lately, fwiw.

And check this out: I used Elmer's glue for my basecoat, and the polish just popped right off (when I wanted it to, of course). This trick started popping up on blogs last summer, ever since Essence came out with a PVA-based basecoat that was only available in Europe. Somebody did their homework, and realized that plain old white school glue was the exact same stuff, and glitter polish removal was changed forever! I just put some glue in one of my empty bottles, brushed two coats onto clean nails, letting each dry completely (being extra careful not to get any glue on my cuticles), then went to town with my glitter. When I was ready to remove the polish, I just used an orange stick at the base of each nail, and gently worked the polish right off.
As you can see, it comes off pretty easily in a solid sheet, with little damage to the nail. I say 'little' because there is still some damage, especially near the free edge, and I have a theory about that: I think heat has something to do with the ease of removal. My nailbeds are warm enough to loosen the hold of the glue, but my free edge isn't quite warm enough for that, causing the glue to hold a little tighter - pulling up an extra layer or two of nail when the polish is pulled off. I haven't tested that theory yet, but next time, I will either remove right after a hot shower, or use a blowdryer to warm up the free edges, and see if I can't minimize the damage even further. (The other possibility is that my nails are prone to flaking, and this removal process just exacerbates that tendency.)

I'm probably weird, but I find the little nail-shaped flakes of polish fascinating. Look how pretty and translucent NYS Hot Purple is! Anybody else try the glue trick yet? I'd love to hear about your experiences, especially if you can verify (or disprove) my heat theory.

Wisteria Lane

For this look, I started with a base of Sally Hansen Lavender Cloud, then sponged Sinful Innocent and Rimmel Rags to Riches on the tips. The flowers are stamped with American Apparel L'Esprit, Ulta Celebutante and Hot Topic Bright Lavender, with my Essence stamping plate. Then I mattified it.
This is one of my favorite designs I've done in a long time. I love the textured look of the grass and the depth added by using three different purples for stamping.

Vault 106: OPI DS Coronation Cracked

directly under a full spectrum lamp

This is three coats of the lovely and elegant OPI DS Coronation. It's essentially large fleck holographic pigment in a clear base. As you can see, it's not a linear holo. I suppose it's similar to the China Glaze Kaleidoscopes, but a cousin not a sibling. As some of you may know, there were two different holo pigments used in OPI Designer Series polishes - linear and non-linear, and they seem to use each in the same color bases. For example, Coronation is to Shimmer what Fantasy is to Glamour. I'll have to do a swatch post of my DSs someday, to show what I mean. Regardless, the holo (both linear and non-linear) DS polishes are all old/discontinued and hard-to-find, but SO gorgeous! If you ever stumble across any, BUY THEM! You won't regret it!

lightbox

Gorgeous as Coronation is, when I found a new-to-me brand with this gorgeous purple crackle, I had to try it out! This is one coat Nabi New Purple crack with topcoat. It's less blue in real life.
I found Nabi polishes in a little neighborhood discount clothing boutique, and needless to say, I bought a bunch. They were only $1.50 each, even the crackles, which is still the cheapest crackle I've ever seen.
Are you sick of crackles yet? I'm not, mostly because I use them somewhat rarely, and they're still really useful for covering up tipwear and other manicure sins, regardless of trends. I'm not buying many more, just because I have a nice selection, but I will continue to use the ones I have. Honestly, I'm more sick of everyone else saying 'I'm so over crackle'.

NotD: ♥ Purple Valentine ♥

full sun

This is 2 coats Hot Topic Bright Lavender + 1 coat China Glaze Electric Lilac + stamping in white, using BM09 for "LOVE" and Konad m73 for the heart tips. I'm really loving this right now, it's so bright, sparkly and PURPLE!

full sun

Pre-stamping. I'm really happy to have this Hot Topic color - it's SO vibrant and saturated. Plus it's the perfect base for Electric Lilac - check out how well it matches the bottle in this pic! This is probably my favorite shade of purple - any darker and it would have to be called indigo!

lightbox

Here's Hot Topic Bright Lavender by itself, 2 coats. As you can see, it dries matte (most of my Hot Topic crèmes do, and I suspect there's some neon pigment involved), and the color is a bit off here. It's a hard-to-describe color as it is, and it's even more difficult to capture in photos! Reality is probably somewhere between this and the full sun pics, with the full sun pics being closer.
'Bright Lavender' is such an understatement - the China Glaze name (Electric Lilac) would be much more accurate. Or how about 'Violently Violet'? 'Violet Beauregarde'? But, alas, Hot Topic is not known for naming creativity. The only way to know what they call their polishes in the first place is reading the receipt. Bleh. Oh well, I can't complain too loudly when they sell colors like this! Seriously, folks, SO VIOLET!!

Updated: Franken Contest Entry: Kashmir

Update: I didn't win, but that's okay - I loved the frankens that did, and they are totally deserving! Thanks to everyone who voted for Kashmir! I truly appreciate that, and it makes me happy that you like it. ☺ Link to winners' announcement: More Nail Polish I recently entered a frankenpolish contest over on More Nail Polish, and just wanted to let you know. Feel free to vote for my entry if you're so inclined. May I present Kashmir: Not to be biased, but I really like it - the color came out perfectly, and the shimmer is gorgeous! This was two coats, though one would have been enough, if the mini brush in my franken bottle would have cooperated. My recipe is listed in the contest entry, but if you have any questions, let me know. Here's the song I named it for: This video is nine minutes long, so don't feel obliged to watch/listen to the whole thing - I didn't! But you get the idea. Epic! So, why are you still reading? Go, vote! ☺

Moody

I know these are being swatched all over the blogosphere right now, but they're so amazing! So, I might as well throw in my oar and post the one that I got. So much for being unique and different. Oh, well - at least I can be trendy!
So, on to pictures:

Claire's Mood Wild/Calm. 2 coats with top coat. This is some of the coolest polish ever! It is a gorgeous purple with silver shimmer, that changes to pink when it gets warm. WOW. The effect is very strong and instantaneous. In fact, it was a little tough (and surreal) putting this on, because it would change as I was applying. Especially the second coat, which was purple going over pink, changing to pink as I went. 

This shows how quickly and easily this stuff works: I just covered the tip with my thumb for about 30 seconds, and it went completely pink.

Sorry these two are a bit blurry, but they're action shots! LOL. The first one is after running cold water, and the second after hot water. As you can see, they were already starting to change before I could get the shots. Yep, that's some water droplets on the first one; gives it more of that action feel, right? 

Most of the time, this is what it looks like. My husband will tell you that right around bedtime, my whole nail is dark purple. Just about the time I roll over and put my cold little paws on his nice warm chest.
Thanks for reading!

Springtime! At Least On My Nails...

I've been lemming Zoya Adina since the first swatch I saw, but I know I won't be getting it anytime soon, so in the meantime thought I'd try a substitute. I think I'm on to something here!

OPI Done Out In Deco. Dusty lilac creme. Very pretty! This is 2 coats, no top coat. Great application. I'm really getting to appreciate wider brushes. This is the base I used for underneath Significant Other Color.

OPI Significant Other Color. Two Coats (over DOID). This is fantastic! It's definitely tri-chrome, with green, pink and lavender flashes. I love how delicate this looks!

This one definitely shows the dark pink side, and I love how the bottle looks in this one.

Here, you can see all three colors, especially on my middle nail. I love it!

Please ignore the finger print, :P, this is pre-cleanup and pre-topcoat.

Freaky bottles shot.
I don't have any photos to prove it, but this is equally lovely matte. It looks like frosted glass, and retains it's tri-chrominess. (New word, LOL!) Another little tip: instead of regular topcoat, I used Orly Twilight for some sparkle.
Thanks for reading!

Merry Midnight Moon

Happy New Year! May 2010 be your best year ever.
I wish I had some good New Year's Eve party stories to tell, but I'm kinda boring that way. Hubby and I just stayed home and hung out, as usual. We did stay up til midnight, though, just to say we did. :)
Neat little factoid: there was a blue moon on New Year's Eve, and that only happens once every 19 years, so I thought that was cool enough for a little nail stamping tribute.

I used 2 coats of OPI Merry Midnight, and stamped with Essie Steel-ing the Scene, because it was a little sheer, and it totally reminded me of the real moon's color. It was really subtle IRL, and I really liked it for that.

This is the fauxnad plate I used. FYI, this m27 is NOT the same as the Konad M27 plate. I am planning to post about these plates when I finally make my light box and can take decent (read: non-reflective) photos of them. I really had to do contortions with this, so neither my camera nor my light source would be in the pic. ;P

This is pre-stamping, in full sun (sunny window), because the stamped photos look a little VERY washed out. This is much closer to the real color, even if I didn't manage to capture all the flaky goodness.

Here's some good flake-age. Nom! Yes, those are awesome blue flecks in there, too!

(FYI, all photos are clickable to enlarge.)

I wore Merry Midnight's sister, Shim-merry Chic, for Thanksgiving, and I have to mention that both are fantastic. If anyone's curious, the base color for SC is exactly the color of turkey gravy, and for MM, it's grape juice. That totally made me laugh when I was applying these. LOL! I'll have to wear SC again, and take pics this time.

Bonus pic! Here's our puppy playing at being a kitty. Littles always makes our leather furniture look so good. LOL!

Thanks for reading!