Thursday, March 20, 2014

Happy First Day of Spring Nails!

Happy Spring everyone! Also Happy International Day of Happiness! I've had a strange morning, but the sun, the warmth, my nails,  happy people and friendly storefronts have brought me out of my funk!

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These are my Happy Spring nails I worked on last night and the light periwinkle blue with the combo of the bright neon peach shade, a combo made in heaven!

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To begin I started with two coats of Essie Bikini So Teeny! And since I saw someone on Instagram or one of the various Facebook nail groups I frequent posted this with a layer or Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace (her holo top coat). The result was stunning!

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Then, since I recently purchased some beautiful neons in preparation of warmer days ahead, I decided to put my China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy to good use and decided to stamp with it over this soft periwinkle manicure. I used Bundle Monster BM204 for the stamping image. It isn't real clear, but I thought it looked somewhat plant-like or floral, and since that reminds me of spring, I went with it.

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The color pops and is a bright wow in your face, especially in the shade, as shown above. I absolutely love this manicure and I want to wear it for multiple days, which is really saying something!

Application: Ok I'll get this out first since it's been said all over the web before, Essie's Bikini So Teeny's formula is the pits. It is watery mess that wants to flood the cuticles. Bleh. But the color payoff is so amazing, I can't help but continue to use it. If you've found a dupe out there with a better formula, by all means use it! I'll continue to use my Bikini So Teeny because it's all I have. I'll deal with it's terribleness, because I just love that it is the perfect periwinkle blue!

As for Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace, it was a surprisingly thick polish. Trying to get one thin coat proved a challenge, but I think the end result was amazing and I have no complaints. I still need to swatch this polish over an array of colors. I think a lot of gray might show up in the darker color swatches, but the holo presentation is amazing. More on that at a later post!

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy is a bright neon coral and I absolutely love it. Yesterday was my first time using it and I can't wait to throw it on my toes, it is such a great color. And it stamps, which is incredible! Worked well for stamping!

Where to purchase: I purchased Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace on the Llarowe website for $12. It is currently out of stock, but she restocks her collection pretty regularly. Sign up for her restock announcements via email. Or don't, and save yourself the temptation! Bundle Monster plates are available on their website and retail for about $2 a plate. I think I'll conclude saying where to get China Glaze and Essie (and OPIs for the future), since they are available all over the web and at various beauty supply shops.

What nail polish colors shout spring to you? Have you found a dupe for Essie's Bikini so Teeny with a better formula?

4 comments:

  1. Those are some great nails to start spring off with! Loving the holo as the undie for this look, I'm always looking out for designs that pair holos with other polishes.

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    1. Thanks! I really love this combo too! I should wear the blue holo by itself for a day too though, to appreciate how beautiful it is without the neon!

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  2. Love it! I see a lot of holo stamping over a creme, but you turned that upside down here and it totally works!

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    1. Thanks so much, I think it's the neon creme that really makes it special!

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