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

Blush1 Haul

I got my second order from Blush1. They're a UK-based overstock cosmetics etailer. I ordered from them for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I loved the stuff so much I made another order! The shipping was INCREDIBLY fast, and after £25, it's free as well.

I got the rest of the Revlon Sweet Nothings collection, after enjoying the first one so much. They're really interesting layering polishes, made for putting over dark polishes. At first I thought they all had the same pink duochrome flash, but it looks like Satin Sheets (white) has a gold flash and Please me Pink flashes blue.

I wish I could capture the duochromes of these polishes on camera, but it's incredibly difficult. In real life, the bottles flash as you turn them and it's so lovely. Each shade is a different sheer, milky color.



These, I'll use for frankening - I got a few shades of Collection 2000 Dazzle Me powder eyeshadow (light green, bright blue, and black), some loose glitter, some glitter polishes, and clear polishes. Watch for my results soon.


This is a polish I wanted to use for 'underwear' under sheer polishes, but it's too dark for my skin tone. If I ever tanned at all, it would work. Unfortunately, I don't.


And a lippie - Too Faced Glamour Gloss in 'Girls on Film'. Nice color, feels quite sticky and has an odd smell though. It's supposedly a lipcolor that 'looks like a gloss and wears like a lipstick'. We'll see. The color suits me well enough.

Nailgirl