Adventures in Layering Polish

Earlier this month I was looking at my collection and wanting to combine some polish magic together to create one amazing stunning look!!!



There is nothing too complex about today's post, not nail art directions or anything. This is purely a fun trick to bring something new out of your collection just by playing. My inspiration polish for this look was Indigo Bananas Hole in the Sky, which I have swatches of here in case you forgot what it looked like.

I wanted to create the same look, glowing flakies, jelly base, super awesome shimmer and a holo finish to top it off but instead of purple I wanted a teal look!



TA-DA!!!! I practically squeed out loud when I looked at this for the first time under my lamp. It was just gorgeous.





To start off the look I did two coats of Smitten Polish (now Dreamland Lacquer) Lazy River, which is a green leaning teal jelly polish with iridescent green flakies. Then I topped that with a magical shifter polish, Smitten Polish A Wedding Dress that Isn't Bright Turquoise – a sheer turquoise polish with lovely golden shifting pigment that mimics unicorn pee.



And then to top the whole thing off I put a layer of Indigo Bananas spectraflair holo top coat 35 (for a linear holo finish).



The results were stunning and when I took these nails out in the sun, oh man was I SOOO distracted. I could not stop staring at my nails. Just look at that golden glow and the holo finish and the glowing flakies! Too much to take in! :)

I'm sorry to say the Smittens here are no longer available, but you never know what you can find on the secondary market.

So now I ask you what are some cool layering experiments you've tried in your nail polish collection? If you haven't tried yet, I totally challenge you to do so! I think this is a super fun way to use some older polish and create your a whole new stunning look!

Guest Post from In Jeeb We Trust

While I am away I have some very gracious fellow bloggers filling in for me! jeebjeeb at In Jeeb We Trust was kind enough to share this look with us! I hope you enjoy! Make sure to follow her at the link below, you won't be sorry I promise! Her nail stamping and nail art is fantastic, so close to my taste!  

Hey all! I’m jeebjeeb from In Jeeb We Trust.

I just got back from vacation and found a 5 day old email from Traci asking if I would write a guest post for her. I’m like noooooo! Am I too late? Why nails gods why?? Luckily I was just in time. And like her Newsie moniker suggests, I’m on deadline! :) Ándele! Ándele! Anything for a fellow nail\hockey fanatic! (See you Nov 6th Sharks, bring it on!)

I love Traci’s blog because I can always count on two things; holo (& lots of it) and some fun stamping. Two of my favourite things! So here’s a manicure in true Newsie style.

The base is Nubar - My New Obsession, a beautiful turquoise leaning blue creme, covered in one layer of Model City Polish - Seize The Rainbow, which is basically just holographic magic sauce.

 I was feeling like gettin my blue on, so I decided to stamp with Zoya - Neve, that midnight blue shimmer kills me! And it stamped quite nicely, gotta love Zoyas for that. I used my Cheeky Viva Mexico plate, been dying to use this pattern for ages. And I managed to keep it straight! It’s a miracle!! Well… don’t look at my other hand… >_<

Well I hope you enjoyed my brief takeover.
Thanks so much to Traci for having me! It was a pleasure!
Have a good one!
jeebjeeb

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!

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?