Franken take 2

I've been frankening again, and I've learned some things since my first attempt. This time I had no creativity whatsoever, because each shade I made is a copycat/takeoff of an existing popular nail shade, with varying degrees of success.

I started with these supplies, which I ordered from Blush1.

Same basic procedure as last time - new polishes as bases, adding in eyeshadow pigment and dashes of other polishes for more character. This time I got a little more creative, adding in loose cosmetic glitter, trying my hand at a creme, and adding chunky glitter.

The first franken of the day was a takeoff of Deb Lippmann's Lady Sings the Blues - a polish of chunky hex glitter suspended in a navy blue jelly base. I've expressed my admiration for it before, and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I hope Ms Lippmann is very flattered since this is the second time I've tried to copy her look. The copy isn't perfect since my base color is again shimmery, and I didn't quite get a jelly look even though my base was clear.
Also, when I swatched it properly on my nail wheel, it looked as though all the larger glitter had fallen to the bottom and it was impossible to pick up with a brush. :( My kingdom for some ball bearings!

My second creation was quite unintentionally a takeoff of Chanel's Jade. I used a mini bottle of Allura white, which came with a french manicure set, and looks almost but not exactly like whiteout. I think I added too much pigment to this because it applies... chunky. Almost like cottage cheese. Kind of gross. But once it smoothes out, it's gorgeous wet. There's iridescent sparkle and silver bits of shimmer and oh, lovely. And then, it dries to the patina of old chalky paint. Ugh.

Thankfully, a coat of shiny topcoat (Sally Hansen Maximum Growth quickdry, to be precise) restores it almost completely to its former shimmery glory.

The third is my absolute favorite of the bunch. It's the same basic base as the navy blue above, with slightly less pigment, and silver sparkles I got from an old Rimmel polish, Glitz it Up.

On first glance this may remind you of another notable polish - Essie Starry Starry Night. On closer inspection it's not that similar, but it has similar qualities - dark blue, jelly, sparkly. Mine is much more sparkly though, because it's not a dark sea of jelly with small but prominent sparkling stars, but rather an entire shimmering base with tiny dots of silver mixed in. In other words, my silver glitter doesn't get as much emphasis because the entire polish shimmers, not just the glitter. Even though it's not opaque until 4 coats, I still love it.

I promise to post some better pictures and swatches soon, because I really love my new creations!

Note: Merry Christmas everyone! I'm suffering from limited internet access at the moment, but I'll have more swatches and my Christmas manicures posted as soon as I can. See you soon!
Nailgirl