Saturday Spam-fest! *lots of pics*

Sorry for the inactivity lately, I've been getting ready to move into a new spiffy apartment! I've got the big move tomorrow, then after that I should be getting into a better rhythm for posting. However, I still wanted to show you what I've been doing lately, because even if I'm quiet on here, the nails are still gonna be colorful.

Layla Cloudy Violet, three coats over one coat of Aquabase. This is what I wanted China Glaze LOL to be, good color, big holo flame. I like.

These were the nails that I did for my first LARPing adventure where I played as a wizard. The base is OPI Paris Couture for Sure, four coats, and then the swirls are painted on with acrylic paint. The stars are from a little Nail Art jar I got from Five Below that had these and green cutout stars. This mani lasted pretty well considering we were very active on the field of battle!

This mani is four coats of Essie Turquoise and Caicos and a new Rainbow Honey polish called Sakura Matsuri. Bah, I did not like the formula on T&C, it was still streaky at four coats. The application might have been better if it had been thinned out. I like the Rainbow Honey on top though, very delicate but colorful. I see lots of possibility for this color over pastels and deep colors like grey and black. I love the flower glitters in this!

Butter London Knackered! I've been waffling on this color since it was released the beginning of this year. I'm so glad I picked this up during the Butter London BOGO sale! The formula is okay, but pretty watery. I foresaw the definite possibility that this polish could turn into a frosty glittery mess because of the metallic shimmer and holo glitter, but I actually like the combination! The holo wasn't too obvious, except in bright light, and the multichrome is pretty subtle too. This could be a good or bad thing depending on your tastes. Now be prepared for entirely too many pictures!

Finger Paints Plum Startled is another polish I couldn't make up my mind about. I have a toooon of purple polishes, but this one isn't too dupey to anything else in my stash. I ended up liking this color a lot, even if my first mani was a fail and I had to do a total redo. I think the bright purple and indigo shimmer against the dusty wine purple base is just super gorgeous. I think Plum Startled also makes a good transition color from Summer to Fall. This was four coats I believe.

 The gorgeous sparkle in this REALLY comes out in the sun. Check out how pretty!

Now this is a random layering I did the other day using a jelly sandwich technique with Revlon Royal and a blue Quirius glitter polish the has red, blue and gold micro glitter. I loved this mani because it reminded me of superhero/Superman themed colors.

Alrighty, I think that catches me up pretty much for the moment. Thanks for reading!!

Indie Monday! - Rainbow Honey - Hanami and Koi Pond

 Hello all! Today I have for you a couple belated swatches from the indie brand Rainbow Honey. I keep waffling over how I want to review these because I haven't been super happy with the service I've received from the site. The polishes are pretty but I don't believe that Hanami was described well, since the description didn't include holographic glitter. Don't get me wrong, I love holographic goodness, but not when I want a delicate layering glitter which to me was what Hanami was described as.

Anways, Hanami is gorgeous, and has the best formula of any of the RH's that I've tried. The Equestria polishes were ridiculously thick, but these two coats of Hanami (shown over Layla Red Taboo) were pretty easy to apply. This polish is really complex and has holo glitters, iridescent glitters, matte white glitter, pink glitter, white shards, and has a pretty twinkling effect.

Next up is Koi Pond. This is another pretty polish, but one that I wish didn't contain holo glitters. To me they just throw off the whole aesthetic, but that's just me being picky!  The pictures speak for themselves, this is a super fun layering glitter. This swatch is two coats of Koi Pond over two coats of Orly Sapphire Silk.

What do you think?

Catch Up Spam!

Man am I behind on swatches or what??? Here are some of the manis I've been wearing lately:

Essence Grey-t to Be Here with CND Crimson Sparkle on top. Had to add the CND effect because the Essence's sparkle just wasn't cutting it for me. Love the base color of it though! Three coats plus one of Crimson Sparkle.

OPI Here Today Aragon Tomorrow Suede. Normally I don't like green polishes, but the depth in this one is amazing. It almost looked 3d/holographic. Super sexy green. This swatch is two coats no topcoat.

And here with NYC Grand Central Station topcoat.

China Glaze Pink Plumeria, two coats over a nude franken base, with a franken Spectraflair holo topcoat. I love Pink Plumeria soooo much! It almost makes me look tan. 

Layla Hologram Effect Red Taboo is a gorgeous deep pink holographic polish. This swatch is two coats over one coat of Nfu Oh Aquabase. Please excuse the lack of cleanup, I did my nails at my parent's house and didn't have my usual equipment. Ugh, it's almost TOO pretty!

Woo! I've got some more coming a little bit later, a few indies that deserve their own post!

Layla Hologram Effect Ultra Violet

 

Lookit those flames! Burn baby burn! This beauty is one of my three Layla Hologram Effect polishes. Ultra Violet is a gorgeous lilac linear holographic polish in the same vein as the Nfu Oh holographics. Very dense foily holo, as opposed to more sparse holos like Milani 3Ds and the linear but larger grain holos like the Sally Hansen Nail Prisms and Ozotics.

I applied Nfu Oh's Aqua Base first because I find that it helps with application immeeeensssely. Letting the base dry for at least a half hour helps a lot too. Supposedly if you apply your holo while it is still wet, it can cause cracking and tom foolery with your application. In these swatches I did two coats of the Layla over one coat of Aqua Base. Application was a breeze over the Aqua Base, although I hear tell that these are beasts to apply with out it.

Can I just say how amazingly grateful I am that awesomely bright linear holographics are finally available in mass market stores??? You can get Layla Hologram Effects and Magnetic polishes at Ulta for around $15. Yaaaay! Also avoid the dicketry of Ulta and the exhaustion of hunting by picking up your Laylas at Aveyou.com.

Mmmm. Holo.

Layla Hologram effects - Holoooooo!

This. may. be. the. HOLOIEST. HOLO. EVERRRRR!!!! I've seen a lot of holographic polishes in my day, but these Laylas are INSANE. More holo than my Nfu Ohs, my OPIs, my China Glazes... it's like they bottled rainbows, added some awesomeness, and BAM.

Yes, the formulas are kind of a pain in the butt. The polish is a little thick, a little clumpy, definitely needs a lot of shaking. I recommend using a basecoat specifically for holos, also known as Aquabase. Nfu-oh makes a great Aquabase, Makeup Store sells one as well. The base really does help with application. Before I had my Nfu-oh Aquabase, I tried to apply my China Glaze holos and I'd get patchiness, baldspots, and allover ridiculousness. Using the base helps adhere the polish better so you only need one or two coats instead of two to three. Which means you'll keep more of your holo goodness over time! Less baldspots and less chipping.

Speaking of chipping, these types of holos are gonna chip pretty much no matter what you do. Since topcoats will dull the amazing rainbow goodness, it's very hard to extend the wear of your pretty holo. One thing to do is to do your aquabase, then holo, then topcoat, then another layer of holo. This helps extend the wear a bit, but since I only wear my polishes a day or so, I can't testify to how long. Without topcoat, the layers of holo tend to rub off, and your polish will dull over the course of a day. I still don't care! Totally worth it!

Anyways, enough chatter, here are the two Layla Hologram Effects that I've tried so far!

Flash Black, two coats over one coat of Aquabase.

 Retro Pink, sorry about the lack of cleanup... was supposed to be a base for nail art but it didn't work out. Loved the color though! It's like springtime and Easter and fairies all put together!

And a few more Flash Black! Muauahahahahahah!

Yum yum yum!