Happily Ever After On Avenue Maintain

If every day could be a saturday, I'd live happily ever after. But today's tuesday, so I'll have to find another reason to be happy... ;-)





For this mani I started with two coats of Essie Avenue Maintain (Madison Ave-Hue Collection), a "parisian light blue" (Source: Essie) creme. To be honest, I don't know how parisian blue looks, I'd describe the color as a medium cerulean, just like the color of a summer sky. Two coats weren't quite enough for opacity, but as I planned to sponge over it, I didn't add a third.





As a second step, I added a gradient using a make up sponge, Avenue Maintain and Kiko 265 China Blue, a midnight blue creme. (no topcoat in this picture, that's why it looks so coarse)





On top of the gradient, I dabbed one coat of Aphrodite Lacquers Happily Ever After, a clear base with "blue and aqua shimmer, with various holo and metallic glitters ranging from purple to blue to teal."
(Source: Aphrodite Lacquers)

Application was easy, no fishing for glitters needed, and the polish dried pretty smooth. I finished with one coat of Essence Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer. 

 The Aphrodite Lacquers shop on Etsy is closed right now until further notice, but I hope Rebecca, the owner, will be back soon.

Moonwalk Is My Number One Nemesis

Just to correct a possible false impression: The blog post just combines the names of two polishes, I don't want to start a pro/contra Michael Jackson discussion :-)

I started this mani with OPI Number One Nemesis (Spiderman Collection), a polish that is really hard to discribe. It has a clear (or sheer black? Can't really tell) base filled with gold, silver and black particles that gives it a green-ish, murky golden foil finish. Number One Nemesis is pretty sheer, I used three coats and could still see my nail line, if I held the fingers to the light.

Then I took a new attempt with a technique I just can't master: glitter gradients. I added several coats (I think it was three in total) of NYX Moonwalk, beginning from the tips and ending each coat a little higher up. Moonwalk has a sheer black base and is filled with small and medium holographic hexes. I'm sure, some of you (maybe most of you) would have chosen a polish with a clear base for a glitter gradient, but I kind of like how the tips get darker.

Well, I don't really know. Don't hate it, but don't love it either. I think I have to try much more, until I'm able to create a glitter gradient I'm really happy with...

Textured Tapes

Today's mani was inspired by this mani by Manicurity. I didn't try to create an exact copy, I left out the half moons, but I think the inspiration is still celarly visible.





I started with OPI Glitzerland (Switzerland Collection) and OPI My Private Jet on my ring finger. I used three coats of Glitzerland, a yellow toned gold foil. My Private Jet is a little more opaque, I used only two coats of this brown scattered holo.






























I added some topcoat for a shorter drying time (Sally Hansen Insta-Dri) and after I thought the polish was dry, I added the tape (striping tape plus normal scotch tape for the lower half). As you can see on my thumb, middle finger and pinkie, I was too impatient and left tape imprints on my not really dry polish...

After the tape was applied, I used OPI Honey Ryder (Bond Girls Collection; my all time favorite Bond Girl, by the way, the swiss godess Ursula Andress in her gourgeous white bikini... that's just perfection), a gold liquid sand (=textured) polish over Glitzerland, and OPI What Wizardry Is This? (Great & Powerful Oz Collection), a slightly golden brown liquid sand polish over My Private Jet. No topcoat for this mani :-)

 It turned out a little more subtle than I intened. I probably should have used base colors that are a little lighter or darker than the textured ones. But I'm still pretty happy with the result.

Preview: Girly Bits "What Happens In Vegas... Ends Up On Facebook"

Press Release: Girly Bits Cosmetics "What Happens In Vegas...Ends Up On Facebook" Product Release Date: Monday, July 29th, 12noon EST "What Happens In Vegas...Ends Up On Facebook" Our new, LE polish What Happens In Vegas... Ends Up On Facebook is a dusty eggplant shimmer with holo qualities and blue/purple colour shifting iridescent micro glitters, pink micro glitters and red micro shimmer. This show exclusive shade was created for bloggers who visited the 2013 Cosmoprof North America trade show at Mandalay Bay in Vegas July 14-16, and will be available in limited quantities at Girly Bits Cosmetics beginning at 12noon (EST) on Monday, July 29th. Only one batch was made, and each bottle will be numbered. Where to Buy It This is a limited edition shade that is currently only available for purchase through Girly Bits Cosmetics. Retail: $11.00 _______________________________________________________________ NEW Nail Care Products: Frazzle Fixer - Healing Cuticle Oil Smooth Move - Ridge Filling Base Coat Stick With Me - Base Coat Product Release Date: Monday, July 29th, 12noon EST Frazzle Fixer healing cuticle oil containing carefully selected oils to nourish and protect cuticles and nail beds. For a complete list of ingredients click HERE. Available in 3 scents: Caribbean Dream, Cupcake and Sangria. (Available unscented by request.) Smooth Move ridge filling base coat evens out any ridges or bumps on the nail creating a smooth surface for a more attractive polish finish. Also makes for a great neutral, creamy coloured base under lighter, transparent shades. Stick With Me base coat helps adhesion of polish to the nail allowing for better, longer wear. All three are part of our NEW Nail Care product line. Where to Buy It Our new line of nail care products are currently only available for purchase through Girly Bits Cosmetics. Retail: $6.50 each

Copyright © 2013 Girly Bits Cosmetics, All rights reserved.

Creeping Cabbage

Today's polish has a not so yummy name (Creeping Cabbage), but it looks gorgeous nontheless :-)






Creeping Cabbage has a "swamp green jelly base with a mix of green and brown glitter, green dots, and matte teal hex"
(Source: Pahlish)

I just love the murky green base color! Application was easy, no dabbing or fishing for glitters needed. After two coats it was more or less opaque, but I added a third, as you probably know I want "more" opaque, "less" isn't enough for me ;-)

For a glossy finish I added one coat of Essence Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer.

As I'm really into mattified polishes, I added one coat of Essence Soft Touch topcoat, just to check out how it looks matte. Gorgeous!

Pahlish polishes are available on Etsy , at Overall Beauty and at Llarowe.

Ophelia's Baubles

Today's mani didn't quite turn out as I intended, but I liked it nontheless.





My base color is Essie Bobbing For Baubles, a deep navy creme with grey undertones. Formula was good, very opaque, it's almost a one-coater. I used a second coat to hide some bald patches an the tips, but with shorter nails this wouldn't be necessary. Bobbing For Baubles dries very shiny, no topcoat in this picture.





Then I added one coat of Cirque Ophelia, a clear base filled with periwinkle hexes in various sizes from microglitter to medium, plus one coat of Essence Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer.

My primary plan was to leave the mani like this, but somehow I got a little bored by looking at it, it was too even, too uniform. So I decided to add some irregularity by stamping over it with my base color. I used my DRK-A plate for the pattern. The stamping is barely visible in the pictures, IRL it was pretty much invisible (that's why it looks a little crooked, I just couldn't see where and what I was stamping), but it gave the mani a little more live. I added one coat of Essence Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer.

Cirque polishes are sold at their own store, at Harlow & Co., at Edgy Polish and at Mei Mei's Signatures.