GOT white base

Hello, Fireflies!

For today's Golden Oldie challenge, I was supposed to do something over a white base.  I use white all the time.  I have lots of whites.  I didn't feel like any of my whites were unloved enough to choose for this, so I picked an off-white that has been sitting on my desk - unable to put it away, but still doesn't get used all that often;  OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls.

When I saw the nail art that Nik@Nails did for Geniabeme, I knew I had to try it - it's so cool.  I did my best, but I picked slightly different colors, and all 'golden oldies' from my stash.

For the tape manicure, I started it with PeriPera P027, a metallic golden-bluish-green.  For the glitter accent, I chose Literary Lacquers An Honest Puck, for the matching green glitters.

On my index and pinky fingers, I did a gradient with the Peripera and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.  I love how that turned out!

I finished the striping tape nails with a stripe of Literary Lacquers An Honest Puck, and some of the Wet 'n Wild Black.

I never would have come up with this pattern on my own, but I felt compelled to do a version of it.  It's such a cool melange of colors and patterns.

Bottle shot:  OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, PeriPera P027, Literary Lacquers An Honest Puck, and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.  

Isn't that Peripera bottle with the cat topper the coolest? I love interesting polish bottles.

Have you ever seen another's art or makeup or fashion look and felt compelled to do your own take on it as an homage?

An InLinkz Link-up

#WeekOfLoveChallenge - Valentines' Day Gouged Hearts

Happy Valentines' Day, Fireflies!

Whether or not you celebrate, I hope you take a moment today to appreciate yourself and know that I appreciate all of you who spend a moment here with me.  Hugs!

Today's nail art was inspired by a cloud mani done by Lucy's Stash.  I love the layered look of a cloud mani!

I started with OPI This Gown Needs A Crown, a polish with a unique silver satin finish.  It's a similar idea to the OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby, but the texture isn't as fine.

I followed up with Literary Lacquers Strawberry Ice Cream Soma, a soft baby pink with a subtle scattered holo.

Next up, OPI Cute Little Vixen.  I loved the berry color.. but I also loved the name for this mani.  Who doesn't look forward to being a cute little vixen (or cuddling up with one!) once in a while?

Last, but not least, Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso. Lovely, dark eggplant purple with a copper shimmer.  Again, loved the color, but also the name, which means, "more motion."  Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more?

For the hearts, I took an orange stick with some cotton, dunked it in acetone, and rubbed through almost all the layers of polish.  I can't remember who started this, but I believe they called it a 'grunge' technique.  Yeah, my hearts do look grungy.

Topcoat actually worked against me a little - it filled in some of the hearts and made them harder to see.  This probably would have worked better if my hearts were bigger.  Take a note from the Grinch, whose heart grew 3 sizes. 

Bottle shot:  OPI This Gown Needs A Crown, Literary Lacquers Strawberry Ice Cream Soma, OPI Cute Little Vixen, and Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso.

Being in love usually means being vulnerable enough for that person to be able to hurt you.  I hope that today your hearts are full, and not metaphorically gouged out like these.

An InLinkz Link-up

That's Teal-ly Hard!

Hello, Fireflies!

I want to continue these comparisons with a favorite, teal.

Or is it?  I had such a hard time deciding if something was teal or turquoise, or aqua, etc.  By the time I was done, I didn't know what was what.  So, here's the deal:  I picked 5 colors in my untrieds that I thought were fairly close, and whatever they are, they are some kind of blue/green color.

First up is Literary Lacquers Lake of Shining Waters.  This is the color *I* think of when I think of teal.

This is a gorgeous holo, and it really does look like a mystical lake, or what I can imagine the lake in Anne of Green Gables looked like, as this polish collex was inspired by the book.

Avon Cosmic Celestial is not that teal.  I think of this as more aqua.  There is some green in there, but it's pretty subtle.

It is a really pretty scattered holo.  Blue/aqua/grey/green... what do you think?

Above the Curve Gratitude looks more teal to me, but it has a completely different finish - it's still holo, but it has a frosty shimmer, too.

It almost has a metallic look to it, but it's sheer at the same time.

Indigo Bananas Telephasic Worshop looks teal in the bottle, but it has a purple shimmer that is the kind of purple my camera hates to photograph.  It's quite strong, really, but I guess you'll have to take my word for it.

This pix shows you a *hint* of the purple. It also dries matte!  I put topcoat on it for these swatches, but in the comparison shot at the end of this post, I left it matte.  It totally changes the way it looks, though both are pretty cool.

Last, but not least is NailNation 3000 Gina...So Guess What?  which is her tribute polish to her friend and polish blogger.  NailNation is known for her holos, and this one is pretty holo!

Is this teal or turquoise?  Or neither?

In the bottle, the differences are there, but harder to see.  Bottle shot:  Literary Lacquers Lake of Shining Waters, Avon Cosmic Celestial, Above the Curve Gratitude, Indigo Bananas Telephasic Workshop, and NailNation 3000 Gina...So Guess What?

I suppose this would be the 'money shot'.  All the polishes next to one another for best comparison.  No dupes!  So many different finishes.

Teal, turquoise, aqua, blue... they are all beauties! Which is your favorite?

Holoooo, Orange!

Who loves orange?  This girl.  I hope you do, too, because I have a lot of juicy orange goodness for you today!

Amy's Nail Boutique Orange A-Peel.  This is a burnt-orange or blood orange type of color, not your typical bright orange.  It's a jelly, too, so squishy.  This is 3 coats, I believe, and it covered pretty well in Real Life, though there's a little VNL in the pix.  This is absolutely gorgeous.

I started to do a comparison post, and I realized that I had swatched this a while ago, but never posted it.  This is Literary Lacquers More Like Fire Than Light, a bright, squishy, fiery jelly orange holo.  Ka-pow!

Bonus glitter pix!  After I swatched Literary Lacquers More Like Fire Than Light, I put Tough As Nails Lacquer Orange Whip over it. Orange is such a great jelly color, and the glitters just swim around.

So, here's the comparison shot you've been waiting for!  Drumroll, please:

The Chirality was the closest in color, but it's a crelly and doesn't have the same texture at all.  The Chirality was also the only one-coater in the bunch.  Born Pretty holo is close, but took 2 coats to get that nice, dark burnt orange color.  Greatest Treasures looks similar in the bottle to the others, but on the nail is much more pink.

So, no dupes, but Chirality is close.  From a distance, they all look pretty similar, though, which is probably why non-polish people think we're a little cuckoo.  Let 'em.  I know that I need 10 different variations of orange holo.  And, don't even get me started on purple or blue holos.

Bottle shot:  Amy's Nail Boutique Orange A-Peel, Chirality Just Before Dawn, Literary Lacquers More Like Fire Than Light, Literary Lacquers Greatest Treasures, and Born Pretty Store holo #5.

If you'd like more information about Amy's Nail Boutique, you can find her on Facebook, and Etsy.  Chirality also has a Facebook page and a BigCartel store.  Literary Lacquers' Facebook page is here, and her store is here.  Tough as Nails Lacquer also has a Facebook page and an Etsy shop.  Born Pretty sells all kinds of things besides their own nail polish, at good prices.  Check out their Facebook page, where they frequently have a 10% off discount code, or their webstore.

Do you have a fave orange holo?  If you haven't seen it already, I did some stamping on Enkelini Laney Lou a while back, too.  Is there one you like I didn't compare here?

Predominantly Peach 'Parison

I have four peach-leaning Indie polishes for you today. 

Gloss 'n Sparkle Dazzling Dusk.  Yes, it looks pink.  But when I put it with pink polishes, it looked peach.  So, apparently, it's somewhere in between the two. 

Regardless, it's a beaut.  Great application, nice distribution of glitters, and it's preeeeety.  Whatever color it is.

Literary Lacquer Carrots, Carrots.  This is from the Green Gables collection, and it's what Gilbert said to Anne when he pulled on her ginger braids... and she broke a slate over his head.  And, so their courtship began.

This is peach, leaning orange, especially with the glitters.  But that base is especially gorgeous.  I love the crelly peachy-orange juiciness of it.  One of my faves!

Dandy Nails Sticky Sweet.  I love Dandy Nails polishes.  This one has a base that is unique - slightly metallic, kinda...wrinkly?  I don't know how to describe it, really.  This is a polish that would need topcoat for me, but I wanted you to see the texture of it.

I love the colors - orange, yellow and periwinkle glitters in a peach base.

Rainbow Polish Exotic Plumeria.  How can all these polishes be peachy glitters and be so very different?  I was blown away by this polish.  I love the metallic-looking glitters, the jelly squishy base, the tiny sparkly glitter. 

This glitter adds red to the mix and it's great.  Fresh, juicy plums and peaches.

Here's a bottle shot of the four with the corresponding swatches:  Gloss 'n Sparkle Dazzling Dusk, Literary Lacquer Carrots, Carrots, Dandy Nails Sticky Sweet, and Rainbow Polish Exotic Plumeria.

And, all together.  One thing I love about Indies is how many variations there are. 

Which is your fave?  more pink, more orange?  more texture or a jelly?  tiny glitters or bigger ones?

If you'd like more information about these Indies, you can find Gloss 'n Sparkle on Facebook. She has an Aussie-only Etsy shop, but her page lists some International retailers.  Literary Lacquer also has a Facebook page, and an Etsy shop.  Dandy Nails is on Facebook and Etsy as well.  Rainbow Polish has a Facebook page here, and both an Etsy and Big Cartel shop.

The Green Fairy at Green Gables?

Have I mentioned yet how much I love Anne of Green Gables?  The PBS or BBC miniseries, though.  I never did get into the books.  Well, this nail art is based on the holo named for the homestead - Green Gables.

Literary Lacquers Green Gables.  Nice linear holo, beautiful blue flash - even some orange in there.

This holo is thin, but not sheer.  Great application, builds up nicely.  No special undies needed, but make sure you don't brush over wet spots, or you'll bald the polish.

I found this design on Pinterest that I liked.  Unfortunately, the pinned link was to a page that just collected other nail art, so I don't know who the originator is.  If you know, please let me know, and I'll amend the pin, and this post.

I used SOPI Absinthe Makes The Heart for the glitter in the corner, and outlined with a black striper.  I really love a simple, strong nail art like this one!

Even though the original nail art was done on long nails, I think this looks great even on nubs.  The diagonal line elongates, and the swervy line adds to the illusion.

I think this would look great in lots of different color combinations, too, though I'm particular to the Green Fairy at Green Gables!

Ecopolo challenge - Summer Stamp

There were 4 Nail Collaborative challenges and 5 EcoPolo challenges this month, so I'm sneaking in this challenge without a neon! It feels so good to be bad.

And nothing feels better than a great holo.  This is Literary Lacquers Raspberry Cordial? from the Anne of Green Gables collex.  I have watched the whole trio of TV mini-series based on the books, and the first two are in my favorites.  I have seen them over and over again - in fact, when I get sick, I usually pop one in the DVD player and watch until I fall asleep.  They are the ultimate comfort food for the soul.

But, back to the polish.

I usually prefer my holos without any additional glitter, but this one works.  It doesn't disrupt the holo, but adds to it.  I love the blue fire.

I used my standby gold, Maybelline Bold Gold, for the stamping, and two stamps from the Pueen 22 plate.  The smaller roses in a pattern, with accents of the large rose by itself.

I love the antique look of the gold roses.

Though I am sure that Marilla, from the Green Gables series, would never approve of such fancy things as stamped and painted fingernails, I loved them so much that I did both hands and went out on the town.  Sorry, Marilla!  They are my 'puffed sleeves' if you will.  

What flower says 'summer' to you?