Star Spangled

Polish - Orly Star Spangled

As you can see, I'm a bit behind on my posts.  This was my 4th of July manicure.

I'm one of the few people who really enjoy these little "sample" size Orly polishes.  I love the little tiny bottles.  The brushes work well for me, and I don't have any trouble gripping the cap.  I once took one to get a pedicure (back before I learned not to pay for a pedicure) and the girl almost wouldn't even use my polish.  I always took my own polish, so I was ready to just leave, but she finally gave it and used the little bottle.  I thought that was so strange.

Anyway, Star Spangled is a sparkly red, that leans just ever so slightly toward pink.  In the bottle it looks like it might have some black flecks in it, but that must be some sort of optical illusion, because on the nail it's just a red with red flecks.  It's so pretty in the sun!









If you're looking for a sparkly red, or need a go-to 4th of July or Valentine's Day color, go get this one.  I'm pretty sure it's still available, at least in the mini bottles.  Enjoy!

Antiqued Gold

I've been waiting for a month to get one of the new Sally Hansen crackle polishes.  I have very good luck with almost all things Sally, so I figured I'd wait for hers to come out, to be my first crackle experience.

I went to CVS on payday, and looked at the display.  I decided on Antiqued Gold.  I knew I didn't want black or white, and this one seemed the most neutral out of the bunch.  But it's still special.  It's very sparkly too, so that was a big plus.



As soon as I got home, I had to try it out, so I just brushed it over the color I was already wearing, which was Zoya Adina.  Adina is a very pretty duochrome that goes from purple to silver to green.  I love it.







So I brushed a very thin coat (per the instruction on the bottle) of Antiqued Gold over my thumbnail.  It kind of just sat there.  It didn't really crack.  I was broken-hearted for a moment.  I went ahead and tried it on the rest of my right hand and it got a little better.  I noticed that the best cracks came from the thickest coats of polish.  Which, is basically exactly the opposite of what the bottle says.  Curious.

These aren't the best photos, because the sky was very overcast, but you can see the cracks.  They are decent, but the Adina is still barely visible through them.







After a day of wearing this combination, I decided to try the Antiqued Gold over a lighter or brighter shade.  I got in my drawer and looked through some of my favorite polishes, and settled on Fingerpaints' Tiffany Imposter. 

In case you're not familiar, here it is from the first time I tried that color.  Please excuse the accent nail.



It's a very light, bright, Tiffany blue.  I'm in love with this shade and right now, if I was only allowed 1 color of polish, this would be it.



And guess what?  It looks FABULOUS under Antiqued Gold.  I applied 2 coats of Tiffany Imposter and 1 fairly thick coat of Antiqued Gold.  And I've already had two compliments on the combination today.  I didn't get even one compliment with Adina.







I'm so much more impressed with the cracks than I was the first time around.  I really think you need to refrain from using a light hand when applying the Sally Hansen Crackles.  Go ahead and slap a thick coat on there.  I don't think you'll regret it.

Mega Bite

Polish - China Glaze Mega Bite
Nubs - Day 1

I purchased this polish for $1.99 from the clearance rack at Sally Beauty Supply, and I'm glad I did.  The application was very nice and smooth.  I got decent coverage with the first coat, but went ahead and applied 3, for a nice deep finish. 

For my base and top coats, I used Sally Hansen Double Duty.  It's my go-to when I'm not in a hurry.





In these photos, you can see my pre-nub nails.