Recreating Different Dimension's The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me

So I was recently lusting after some beautiful blue holo polish that was included in Llarowe's A Box, Indied for April. Obtaining an A Box, Indied can be difficult, because they are highly sought after and usually contain polishes you can only get if you get your hands on the box. They are also $50, which is expensive for most people. Myself included.

Anyway I was really wanting Different Dimension's The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me polish, which was only available in the A Box, Indied. So I went into project mode to see if I could recreate the polish. First off, I'll show you some swatches of it from a fellow blogger over at Cosmetic Sanctuary. Lisa was kind enough to share her swatches with me, so go visit her site and take a look around! I'm sure you'll love it!





The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me is a bluish purple holographic polish. The to photo is under indoor light with the bottle light right under a bright light (close to sunlight).

Here is my recreation!









I used two coats of a cobalt blue polish I own, Essie Butler Please, and a coat of my favorite linear holo top coat, Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace. I think I got pretty close, but my blue is a bit brighter, and less purple toned. But I'm happy with my imitation nonetheless.

I really need to practice doing more work with my current polishes. I definitely need to take a break from buying polishes. I need to take up more nail art as well. Just got some new stamping plates from MoYou, so expect some fun nail art coming up soon!

Easter Egg nail art featuring Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace

Spring is here, Easter is Sunday and pastels have been calling me name!

Here is the cast of polishes used! A beautiful pastel rainbow!



From left: Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace, OPI Kiss Me on the Chic, Zoya Stella, Zoya Neely, Essie Bikini So Teeny, OPI You're Such a Budapest and OPI Alpine Snow.

The results:



Bling-tastic holo Easter egg-esque nails! Love this combination! I've been wanting to test out Llarowe on several different colors, so this was the perfect manicure to do so.



The holo is less noticeable indoors in indirect light, above. But in the sun, it is amazing!



Application: OPI Kiss Me on the Chic was a terrible formula, took four coats for this opacity. It's an older polish of mine. I think I bought it to wear at a wedding. The other polishes were all good in two-three coats. Colors by Llarowe Leather and Lace is still a polish with a thicker consistency, which makes getting a thin coat a little difficult, but the holo payoff is amazing. I liked Leather and Lace over all the colors, but probably Zoya Stella the least. Overall, the addition of the dots adds a great egg-like element, topping the whole look off!

What are you sporting on your nails for Easter weekend? I feel like these nails not only scream Easter, the the are the perfect for spring!

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!



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!



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!



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.



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?