Ah! Minty Fresh!

Hi, Fireflies!

I have an idea this week to do a bunch of comparison posts.  Let's see if I can make it all week!

First up, I wanted to go mint!  Seems like mint is a hot topic lately in the polish-sphere, so I pulled some of my mint untrieds to compare.

If you haven't yet heard of Lilypad Lacquer, you need to.  They are a newish Indie out of Australia, and her holos are really quite beautiful.  This is My Enchantmint

This is a crisp, green mint with a subtle linear holo.  Application is flawless.  I did not want to take it off... but I have more mint to show you!

I'm glad I was able to get Enchanted Polish July 2013.  It's a gorgeous mint with a nice subtle linear holo. 

This is a little bluer than the Lilypad, and not as opaque, but it is probably one of my fave EPs.

This polish, Enchanted Polish A Little Fishy Told Me is a charity polish for BASE camp in honor of Talia Joy.

I'm not sure if it's a traditional mint, really.  The blue shimmer is pretty, but it makes this polish look grey/blue.  I actually really like it, but I can see where people might be disappointed that it's not a Talia Joy mint.

This polish surprised me!  In the bottle, Layla Emerald Divine looks very light and pale!  It's actually an in-your-face gorgeous green holo.

Layla formulas are a little finicky, and usually apply better if you have an aqua base on, or have buffed your nails.  I find that a ridge-filling base coat works pretty well for me, especially since this type of mirror-chrome holo shows every ding and divot in my nails.

Urban Lacquer Mother Minter isn't a linear holo, but it's a lovely mint jelly with a smidge of micro holo glitter.

It's very sheer, and I would definitely recommend layering it unless you want to wear 4 coats like I am. 

Here's the bottle shot.  It never ceases to amaze me how similar these polishes can look in the bottle and be totally different on the nail.  From left to right, Lilypad Lacquer My Enchantmint, Enchanted Polish July 2013 and A Little Fishy Told Me, Layla Emerald Divine, and Urban Lacquer Mother-Minter

No dupes.  The Lilypad is close to EP July in color, but the finish is different. 

So, what do you think of all this mint?  Any faves?

Mint Mani for Talia Joy

From Nail Polish Wars:  "For those of you who might not know, the beauty community lost one of it's most treasured members on Tuesday morning ... Talia Joy Castellano.  Talia was a beautiful thirteen year old girl who was battling two horrible forms of cancer, neuroblastoma and preleukemia. She was also a supremely talented make up and nail artist.  You might have seen her amazing appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show, where she was also made an honorary Cover Girl!"

I didn't know Talia personally, but her story has touched me, so I wanted to join other bloggers today in celebrating her life with a mint mani.

This is Barry M. Greenberry.

This is one of Barry's Gelly line - so the shine is all part of the polish - no topcoat here.  It is vibrant and gorgeous. This is three coats.  I could have gotten away with two if I had been more careful.

Talia was so sparkly, I wanted to add a little sparkle to her commemorative mani.  This is Chirality Epica.

This is such a dense glitter, I had to use an *almost* dry brush to get just a little on the nail.  I'm sure this could be opaque if desired, but I wanted the mint to show through.

Bottle shot:  Barry M. Gelly in Greenberry, and Chirality Epica.

If you'd like more information on Chirality, you can find them on Facebook, and their BigCartel shop.

Talia Joy has left a legacy behind on the internet.  If you'd like to check out some of her videos, here is her YouTube channel.

What do Crocs and Sea Salt have in common?

Well, in the nail world, they are both textures!  Today I have a few random ones that I don't have a full collex of.

Julep Madeline - Sea Salt texture.  Their version of the creme texture mani, it is a very pretty delicate seashell pink.  Needs at least two coats for opacity, and is probably the least textured of all the ones I've tried, so it might be a good starter texture!

Barry M. Ridley Road Texture.  Oh, mint.  I must have a mint polish in every brand, and now in different textures!  I love this color, and it's pretty fun in this form.  It's another creme texture, bumpier than the Julep, and I think bumpier than the Milani, too, if memory serves.

Barry M Croc Effects.  I may be over crackle, but I am loving this.  I am wearing Black Croc Effects over Pretty Jelly Hestia (from the Goddess collex - stay tuned tomorrow for swatches from the whole amazing collection.)

I have one thin layer over my index and middle, one thicker layer over my ring and pinkie fingers.  On my thumb I have two layers, with the second applied after the first had already cracked.

With topcoat, it looks like patent leather!  The thinner layers took on a bronze look from the color underneath, and the thumb with two coats took a long time to crack a second time and looks too thick.  I recommend one thick layer.  It's fun to watch it make the pattern, too. It's entertainment!

Ok, I admit, I still have crackle polishes, too, but I rarely wear them.  This effect I would wear loud and proud.  It's awesome.  Same with the sand/salt/etc textures.  They are really fun and versatile.  Did you find one that you liked?  Do you still rock a crackle mani?  Don't worry, I won't judge you... much. ha-ha!