Franken: First Pets

My very first pets when I was a kid were two goldfish named Pinkie and Goldie.  Since this polish is a pink/gold duochrome and I'm not terribly creative when it comes to naming these things, feast your eyes on "First Pets":

I made this using Orly "Love Each Other" which is great for suspending pigments and glitter when you can't get your hands on suspension base, and a pigment I got on ebay from "Anna's Art Asylum".  The color change on this is spectacular - a real challenge to photograph.

Nerd Lacquer - Home of the Untempered Schism

This one is from a Doctor Who themed collection by indie polish company Nerd Lacquer.  It applied nicely in three coats, dried quickly, and wasn't too gritty (this is with two coats of Gelous and one coat of Seche).

Franken: Fat Mermaid

Homemade or hand-mixed nail polishes are sometimes referred to as "frankens" (get it?) This is one I made using a mix of Claire's "Twinkle Twinkle" and Sinful Colors "All About You." I think I named it Fat Mermaid because the color simultaneously reminds me of mermaids and Mardi Gras...but it was a while ago so I'm not quite sure.

Layla Jade Groove

After (suffering through) my last two-week gel manicure I'm feeling compelled to make up for lost time. This is from a relatively new polish collection by Layla, an Italian nail polish company. This was taken in the sun, and it looks just as glorious in person.

Essie Navigate Her

Pastels have a tendency to give the dreaded "lobster hands" which is exactly what it sounds like - your hands look much redder than they actually are in contrast.  This seems just green enough to avoid that and the notoriously bad application pastels usually have.

SensatioNail gel polish kit: Pink Chiffon

You may have heard of "Gel" nails, or Shellac, or Gelous.  All of these are specific brands of a type of nail polish that is cured with either a UV or LED light.  There is no dry time and they're advertised to last longer than regular polish, up to 2 weeks. You can remove it by soaking your nails in acetone with supposedly no harm done.

When I saw the kit at WalMart I couldn't say no, particularly knowing how many of my friends would love to be my guinea pigs in exchange for a gel mani!  Here is my first try on myself - I'm not sure what caused the bulbous-looking finish at the tips...something to get better next try.  Now the biggest challenge is not getting bored with the color!

Deborah Lippmann: Big Red Machine

 

So this is the next big thing...magnetic nail polish. No, the polish itself isn't magnetic. You apply it and while it's still wet, you hold a specially manufactured magnet just above the surface and magical designs appear. Check it out!