A Skittle, Layered.

Hello, Fireflies!  Today's skittle is a little different.  I wanted to see how layering a polish over different bases created the mani.

I started with (thumb to pinky): Chick Nail Polish Once Upon A Time, a pink with orange shimmer; Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow, a sunny yellow creme; Cult Nails Kiss, a matte tomato red;  I Love Nail Polish Undenied, a metallic purple duochrome; and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.

I built up the thumb with a few more layers of Chick Nail Polish Once Upon A Time, and then put that same polish over all the other nails.  What a cool transformation!

It turned Mellow Yellow into an orange sunburst, and the black creme into a dark, purple shimmer.

But, I think my fave has to be the effect over I Love Nail Polish Undenied.  It amplified the duochrome, and now there's all kinds of reds and purples in it.  Neat-o Jet!

As different as all the colors were, now they could almost pass for an ombre' mani.  Do you ever layer polishes for different effects?

An InLinkz Link-up

Indie January - Chick Polish

Some bloggers are showcasing Indie polishes this month, and I thought that was a grand idea.  I love quite a few of the Indie brands, and think they deserve a little spotlight.

First up is one of the 'lab' Indies - designed by the brand owners, but produced to standard in a chemical laboratory.  These types of polishes are consistent and professional-looking, but with the creativity of a small brand.  Chick polish is fashion-forward, edgy, but with a girly 'chick' feel.

I first became aware of them when they sponsored some samples for the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida.  I didn't swatch All A Twitter, but I used it in a dotticure for the blog.  These polishes I'm reviewing here I bought, with the exception of Hipster Chick, which they graciously offered for free.

First up, Gr8 Grey Owl.  Oh, how the greys have stolen my heart this year.  This grey is light, fresh, and a great palate cleanser. Great for any season.

I can't find the original link to the art I was inspired by, so if you know it, please leave it in the comments.  I created this with a small art brush and Rocker Chick.  I love the combination of the innocent grey and the naughty burgundy...

Gavie Green was a lovely surprise!  I didn't know it was a matte.  So richly pigmented, too.  It's not a true green, not a true blue, either.  Such a fun color.

I love half-moon manis, and this one was funky!  Hipster chick over the Gavie Green, and dots along the line with Falcon Pearl.

Hipster chick is a sheer scattered holo greenish-yellow.  I loved it immediately.  You can see here how it looks on its own (thumb) and from index to pinkie, how it transformed Gr8 Grey Owl, Moss, Gavie Green, and Rocker Chick.

I had an awful time trying to photograph Moss.  It's so glossy, the light just kept bouncing off of it.  This is without topcoat.  It looks like you could go swimming in it.

I went with a floral design for Moss, made with other Chick colors, including Gr8 Grey Owl, Hipster Chick, and Rocker Chick.

Rocker Chick has this incredible purple shimmer that glows from within the polish.

An edgy Rocker can wear studs, so that's how I accessorized this polish.  I especially love the square French, and the teardrop petals.

The last Chick polish I have to show you today is Falcon Pearl.  I don't often gravitate towards metallics, but the grey was irresistible.

I gave it a pinstripe look with Rocker Chick and Gr8 Grey Owl.  I love this look, so easy and eye-catching.

I really like this brand.  Fun, edgy, and cute, but with no-nonsense formulas that don't disappoint.  You can find Chick on Facebook, or on their website.

Will you be getting some Chicks?

Bright Pinky dotticure

I am a shameless nail copycat.  I look at other designs and colors for inspiration all the time.  This time, I got my inspiration from the bag of goodies from our May meetup of the Central Florida Beauty Bloggers.

The base polish is from Milani, a bright Barbie pink called U Pinky Swear.  I did have a little trouble with the application on my left hand, but none on my right.  So what you're seeing here may be the result of not waiting until my base coat was completely dry.  Everything smoothed out later, with topcoat.  This is two coats, no topcoat, yet.

For the dots, I wanted something equally bright that could compete with the Milani.  Barielle End of the Rainbow is an iridescent peacock blue/green, and Chick All A Twitter is a baby blue.  These worked really well for dotting.  The Barielle was opaque enough to work as both an outline and the interior, as was the Chick polish.  As you can see, I alternated the colors.

I think the Chick polish may be the best polish I've ever used for dotting.  It had the BEST texture.  It spread perfectly and effortlessly, didn't dry out on my palette until I was done, and was perfectly opaque, even though it is a light, pastel color.  I can't wait to use it again.

 Right hand, sealed with Seche Vite topcoat:

Barielle is hosting a BFF Sweepstakes on their  Facebook page. The contest starts May 21,2012 and ends June 30,2012.  The prize includes Barielle’s Nail Strengthener Cream, Barielle Base Coat, Top Coat and 3 colors of your choice-a retail value of up to $74.50.

The Milani, Chick and Barielle polishes were provided to me for review (though I had already purchased my own bottle of Barielle End of the Rainbow.)  Nonetheless, the opinions presented are my own, and as unbiased as possible.

http://www.barielle.com/
http://www.chicknailpolish.com/ (coupon code: CHICK20 for 20% off)
http://www.milanicosmetics.com/